To: Undisclosed-recipients:; Subject: GET BACK TO ME. Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2017 20:10:19 +0000 From the desk of: MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE. The West Africa Monetary Intelligent Unit, Nigeria. Attention: I am MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE. The West Africa Monetary Intelligent Unit, Nigeria, I am directed to contact you in order to urgently confirm from you if actually you know one Mrs Luis Harrison who claim to be your business associate/partner here in Nigeria. The said Mrs Luis Harrison confirmed to us that you are Dead and she will like to change all the Information that you gave to us as our bonafide beneficiary. This development is coming now that the Intelligent Unit, Nigeria want to offset all outstanding payments to all our legal foreign beneficiaries around the world. Note that your payment file was affected. Here is the banking information she provided and instructed us to wire the fund into: Names: Mrs Luis Harrison, Bank Name: City Bank of California. Account Number: 089764249011. Please do confirm to this office as a matter of urgency if this woman is from you so that this office will not be held responsible for wrongful payment or unlawful diversion of your overdue fund into a wrong account. It will interest you to know that the total amount in your favour is of $10 Million Dollars. We need to confirm from you if you are Dead or Alive. Bear in mind that If we do not hear from you within 72 hours,it automatically means that you are dead and the information passed to us by Mrs Luis Harrison is correct. You are to contact us through our official email address as soon as you receive this message so as to know the true position of things in order to avoid any mistake in remitting your out-standing payment to a wrong person/account. If she is not your representative or sent by you, then you are advise to update this office immediately by reconfirming to us the following details for us to cross check and process your payment immediately to you. 1. Full Names:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Resident Contact Address:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Direct Telephone Number or Cell Number:. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. Copy of your Identity if possible:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Finally send an urgent reply to enable us educate you further on the next step to take. Best Regards, MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE Governors Central Bank of Nigeria West Africa Monetary Intelligent Unit, Nigeria. Tell: +234-7086202316 Email: mr.godwin222@outlook.com From: "MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE" < mr.godwin222@outlook.com >To: Undisclosed-recipients:;Subject: GET BACK TO ME.Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2017 20:10:19 +0000 To: Undisclosed-recipients:; Subject: From the desk of: MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE. Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2017 08:32:46 +0000 From the desk of: MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE. The West Africa Monetary Intelligent Unit, Nigeria. Attention: I am MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE. The West Africa Monetary Intelligent Unit, Nigeria, I am directed to contact you in order to urgently confirm from you if actually you know one Mrs Luis Harrison who claim to be your business associate/partner here in Nigeria. The said Mrs Luis Harrison confirmed to us that you are Dead and she will like to change all the Information that you gave to us as our bonafide beneficiary. This development is coming now that the Intelligent Unit, Nigeria want to offset all outstanding payments to all our legal foreign beneficiaries around the world. Note that your payment file was affected. Here is the banking information she provided and instructed us to wire the fund into: Names: Mrs Luis Harrison, Bank Name: City Bank of California. Account Number: 089764249011. Please do confirm to this office as a matter of urgency if this woman is from you so that this office will not be held responsible for wrongful payment or unlawful diversion of your overdue fund into a wrong account. It will interest you to know that the total amount in your favour is of $10 Million Dollars. We need to confirm from you if you are Dead or Alive. Bear in mind that If we do not hear from you within 72 hours,it automatically means that you are dead and the information passed to us by Mrs Luis Harrison is correct. You are to contact us through our official email address as soon as you receive this message so as to know the true position of things in order to avoid any mistake in remitting your out-standing payment to a wrong person/account. If she is not your representative or sent by you, then you are advise to update this office immediately by reconfirming to us the following details for us to cross check and process your payment immediately to you. 1. Full Names:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Resident Contact Address:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Direct Telephone Number or Cell Number:. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. Copy of your Identity if possible:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Finally send an urgent reply to enable us educate you further on the next step to take. Best Regards, MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE Governors Central Bank of Nigeria West Africa Monetary Intelligent Unit, Nigeria. Tell: +234-7086202316 From: EMEFIELE GODWIN < emefielegodwing.debtpayunitgov14600@outlook.com >To: Undisclosed-recipients:;Subject: From the desk of: MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE.Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2017 08:32:46 +0000 From: "MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE" To: Undisclosed recipients:; Subject: ***BULK*** ***BULK*** RE - URGENT NOTIFICATION OF RELEASE OF YOUR PAYMENT.$1.5M Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2017 01:17:58 -0800 Prince Chiedu Nov 29 at 4:06 PM To BENARD Message body FROM GOVERNOR CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA. MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE MOTTO: VERIFICATION FOR GOOD. ATTENTION RON MORRIS RE -URGENT NOTIFICATION OF RELEASE OF YOUR PAYMENT.$1.5M THIS IS TO INFORM YOU THAT A MAN CALLED MR.ROBERT JOHNSON FROM UNITED STATE OF AMERICA FORWARDED APPLICATION FOR CLAIMS TO OUR OFFICETODAY,CLAIMING TO BE FROM YOUR INSTRUCTION, STATING THAT YOU ARE NCOMER AT GENERAL HOSPITAL WASHINGTON DUE TO YOUR HART PROBLEM. HE STATED IN HIS APPLICATION THAT BEFORE YOUR SITUATION CAME TO THE WORST STAGE LAST WEEK FRIDAY, YOUR WILL WAS MADE BY YOU ON HIS FAVORTO ACQUIRED ALL YOUR INHERITANCE SUCH AS YOUR ON PAID FUNDS WITH OTHERPROPERTIES YOU HAVE. PLEASE RECONFIRM ABOVE AND ANWSER BELLOW QUESTION FOR THE SAFTY OF OUR SERVICE REGARDING TO THE REQUEST OF MR.ROBERT JOHNSON: DID YOU SIGN ANY WILL IN FAVOR OF MR. ROBERT JOHNSON, BY MAKING HIM THE CURRENT BENEFICIARY OF YOUR FUNDS AND TO OWN OTHER PROPERTIES OF YOURS? BELLO IS HIS RESIDENT DETAILS OF MR.ROBERT JOHNSON (CONTACT DETAILS: 7121EDGE TON ST; DETROIT, MICHIGAN 48212- 1905, USA.). WE SHALL PROCEED TO ISSUE ALL PAYMENT RELEASE DETAILS TO MR. ROBERT JOHNSON, IF WE DO NOT HEAR FROM YOU WITHIN THE NEXT TWO WORKING DAYS FROM TODAY. THANKS FOR YOUR ANTICIPATED COOPERATION IN THIS REGARDS. BEST REGARDS, GOVERNOR CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA. MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE From: "Mr. Godwin Emefiele" < charlesibe213@gmail.com > To: undisclosed-recipients:; Subject: ATTENTION PLEASE. DID YOU SEND ANYONE TO COME AND CLAIM YOUR FUND Date: Sat, 2 Dec 2017 22:37:38 +0100 FROM THE DESK OF: Mr. Godwin Emefiele DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL REMITTANCE FOREIGN OPERATIONS. Swift Code: BPH KPL PK, A/C#: 329606=101244=169=678 Our Ref: CBN/OHG/OXD1/2017 Your Ref :. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TELEX: CENBANK. PAYMENT FILE: CBN/BEN/17 Dear beneficiary Your Urgent Response Is Needed Immediately by email or phone conversation because your fiends Mr Johnson Manuel and Rev.Melville Turner was in my office 1 hours 30 minutes ago and they said that you send them to come and claim your fund on your behalf that you had an accident that made you indisposed to get the fund, so please if you are really the person that send them to come and claim your fund on your behalf please kindly let me know immediately so that we can release the funds sum of 10.5M USD to them as you said to avoid us making wrong payment to anther person You can all me on +234- 7033830311 for more clarification Waiting for your urgent reply. We bank in your response. Yours in service, Regards, BEST REGARDS, Mr. Godwin Emefiele Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Please do not responding to any message without the (CBN) Security Code (CS C-098) is for security reason to avoid dealing with those internet,hackers To: undisclosed-recipients:; Subject: Dear Old Customer, Date: Sun, 3 Dec 2017 22:48:18 +0100 Central Bank of Nigeria, Plot 33, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Way Central Business District, Cadastral Zone, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory,Nigeria Dear Old Customer, I write to notify you that the fixed deposit account in your name with a maturity date of December 9th 2014 is now available to be activated for withdrawals/transfers. In light of recent developments and meetings, the directors of this highly esteemed bank have decided to irrevocably grant you full access and control of the account. We sincerely apologize for any delay you might have encountered in the past; your payment is now 100% Guaranteed. Kindly contact me for a more detailed account information and activation procedures. I can be reached on this number anytime: +234-9028874864 Call me for more details Thank you for your patronage. Godwin Emefiele New Central Bank Governor From: Godwin Emefiele < inter.inspections.unit@gmail.com >To: undisclosed-recipients:;Subject: Dear Old Customer,Date: Sun, 3 Dec 2017 22:48:18 +0100 From: "MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE" < cbn.godwin.emefiele02@gmail.com > Subject: Re: Dear Old Customer, Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2017 10:10:52 +0100 View my id card and international passport attach to this email From: Godwin Emefiele < lamido180@gmail.com > To: undisclosed-recipients:; Subject: Yours respectively Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2017 09:16:49 +0100 I am in reference to your outstanding Fund compensation payment sum of US$500,000.00 (Five Hundred thousand United State Dollars) approved by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for payment to you as a compensation as one of the previous scam victims. However, am glad to inform you that your compensation fund has been arranged and approved for payment via cash delivery to your destination through our Bank official delivery agent which he has arrived with the cash consignment in FORTWAYNE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT INDIANA (FWA) where he has a transit for official and final delivery to your destination within 24 hours. Contact Rev. ALLEN SANCHEZ via email (sanchez.1900@rediffmail.com) and reconfirm your full details to him in other to facilitate your delivery. Yours respectively, Godwin Emefiele Board of Governor, CBN From: MR. GODWIN EMEFELE Date: Tue, Dec 5, 2017 at 10:54 AM Subject: YOUR ATM CARD HAVE BEEN APPROVED. To: Attention Beneficiary, This is a true compensation Approved from the UNITED NATION to compensate you due to maybe you have been scam before and again you may be victim of scam by wrong people who paraded them selves on what they are not, so because of this, the United Nation approved the United Bank in Africa where your fund originated to process ATM MASTER CARD with valid cash of 4.5M USD in your favor in order to compensate you so that if you have been scammed before this is a compensation and you will be making your withdrawals from the ATM MASTER CARD as you will be allowed in making withdrawals minimum of $20,000 (Twenty Thousand USD) per a day or every 24hrs from any ATM MACHINE around you. Your ATM MASTER CARD will be delivered to your address through courier delivery services within 2 days. please note that we are only using FEDEX COURIER COMPANY,as it is the only company that we signed a contract with, so we can actually monitor the delivery, so many complaints are rising up every day, concerning the inability of the young courier companies unable to make deliveries. For you to be safe, we will assign a special task force team to follow up your delivery with the delivery MAN SO AS TO BE SURE THAT NOTHING HAPPENS TO YOUR PARCEL, YOUR ATM CARD IS ALREADY ACTIVATE FOR YOUR WITHDRAWAL. BELOW ARE YOUR ATM CARD DATA : AMOUNT CREDIT : USD$20.000.000.00 MILLION YOUR ATM CARD ACCOUNT # : ............... CARD LIMIT PER A DAY : USD$20,000 EXPIRING DATE : ............ PIN CODE # : ............. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO SEND YOUR FULL DETAILS SUCHS AS : YOUR FULL NAME YOUR FULL CONTACT ADDRESS YOUR TELEPHONE ALSO BE INFORMED THAT THE ONLY FEE YOU WILL SEND DOWN TO THE COURIER COMPANY IS JUST THE DELIVERY AND SECURITY FEE WHICH IS JUST $289. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO SEND THE FEE TO THROUGH THE CHIEF PROTOCOL OFFICER AS GIVEN BELOW VIA WESTERN UNION/MONEY GRAM OR RIA TRANSFER, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AS TO ENABLE US FACILITATE THE ISSUANCE OF THE CARD AND THE DELIVERY TO YOU. RECEIVER NAME....... GLORY UMEH COUNTRY...,NIGERIA AMOUNT.....$289 TEXT QUESTION... Who Trust TEXT ANSWER.. God MTCN OR REFERENCE NO.... Once you send these above information your ATM MASTER CARD will be processed and delivered to your Address and you can as well move down to any nearest ATM PAYING MACHINE and start your daily withdrawal. if you will be finding it difficult to make use of the card,the man that will be assigned to you will assist you OK. I am waiting to hear from you and your advice forward your details. Congratulations!! Regards Mr. Godwin Emefele Governor Central Bnak of Nigeria Tel:+234 812 114 4982 Email: godwin.emefele2016@yandex.com DR GODWIN EMEFIELE patrondom@patrondom.pl > Date: Fri, Dec 8, 2017 at 10:48 AM Subject: ATTN BENEFICIARY To: Recipients < FROM THE DESK OF CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR DATE. 8TH OF DECEMBER 2017 ATTN BENEFICIARY I AM DR GODWIN EMEFIELE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA GOVERNOR. THIS IS TO INFORM YOU THAT OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS MANDATED ME THE CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR OF NIGERIA TO PAY ALL THE FOREIGN CONTRACTORS AND ALL THE INHERITANCE BENEFICIARY AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT OUR GOVERNMENT IS OWING WITH A MAP OUT FUND OF $600M. WE HAVE MORE THAN THREE WEEKS REMAINING FOR THE YEAR TO END SO I WILL LIKE YOU TO RECEIVE YOUR MONEY BEFORE 31ST OF DECEMBER. YOU HERE BY TO FURNISH ME WITH THE WRIGHT INFORMATION THAT PROOF THAT YOU ARE THE WRIGHT BENEFICIARY. YOU CAN REACH ME THROUGH THIS EMAIL ADDRESS godwinemefielecbngovernor@ centralbnk-nig.net 1. YOUR FULL NAME 2 HOW MUCH NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT IS OWING 3 YOUR ID CARD YOURS IN SERVICE DR GODWIN EMEFIELE CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR EMAIL. godwinemefielecbngovernor@ centralbnk-nig.net From:Date: Fri, Dec 8, 2017 at 10:48 AMSubject: ATTN BENEFICIARYTo: Recipients < patrondom@patrondom.pl FROM THE DESK OF CENTRAL BANK GOVERNORDATE. 8TH OF DECEMBER 2017ATTN BENEFICIARYI AM DR GODWIN EMEFIELE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA GOVERNOR. THIS IS TO INFORM YOU THAT OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS MANDATED ME THE CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR OF NIGERIA TO PAY ALL THE FOREIGN CONTRACTORS AND ALL THE INHERITANCE BENEFICIARY AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT OUR GOVERNMENT IS OWING WITH A MAP OUT FUND OF $600M. WE HAVE MORE THAN THREE WEEKS REMAINING FOR THE YEAR TO END SO I WILL LIKE YOU TO RECEIVE YOUR MONEY BEFORE 31ST OF DECEMBER. YOU HERE BY TO FURNISH ME WITH THE WRIGHT INFORMATION THAT PROOF THAT YOU ARE THE WRIGHT BENEFICIARY. YOU CAN REACH ME THROUGH THIS EMAIL ADDRESS godwinemefielecbngovernor@ To: Undisclosed-recipients:; Subject: YOUR PAYMENT! Date: Sat, 9 Dec 2017 00:14:59 +0100 CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA TINUBU SQUARE,VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS-NIGERIA [OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR] It has come to our notice that you have been defrauded of your hard earned money by fraudsters from Africa (Nigeria) and other country's. During the last Anti-Fraud meeting held in Washington DC USA, it was alarmed so much by the rest of the world on the loss of funds by various foreigners to scam artists operating all over the world today. This is to notify you that your funds has been programmed for immediate release into your nominated account but we can not transfer this funds direct to your nominated bank account, because we are having a little problem with International Monetary Fund (IMF) so our method of payment is by Diplomatic Courier Service Be inform that every arrangement regarding your cash payment through diplomatic services has been made; note that your funds have been package like a consignment. The Diplomatic Agency has to move down to your Country in order to deliver the Consignment to your doorstep. Note that as soon as the Diplomatic arrive to your Country they will give you a call immediately to enable you help them to get (Yellow Tag Paper). You have to help the diplomats to get (yellow Tag Paper) so that the customs and immigration will not stop them in Airport, for security reason, you are advice to follow the rules and regulation of the diplomats for easy collection of the consignment, you have to be to welcome the diplomatic agents, to enable them deliver the Consignment to you immediately, be inform that as soon as the diplomatic obtain the above name certificate, they will deliver the Consignment to your door step. To remind you that the diplomats has a transit to Poland and finally to arrive at your Country as the last destination on their diplomatic travel route this week, I want you to send your direct mobile phone and your home address to me immediately, so that as soon as the diplomatic arrive in State they will call you immediately to notify you. YOURS SINCERELY, DR GODWIN EMEFIELE, GOVERNOR, CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA (CBN). From: "DR GODWIN EMEFIELE"< info@moase.ca >To: Undisclosed-recipients:;Subject: YOUR PAYMENT!Date: Sat, 9 Dec 2017 00:14:59 +0100 Date: Sunday, 10 December 2017, 08:18AM -05:00 Subject: ATTN BENEFICIARY DATE. 8TH OF DECEMBER 2017 ATTN BENEFICIARY I AM DR GODWIN EMEFIELE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA GOVERNOR. THIS IS TO INFORM YOU THAT OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS MANDATED ME THE CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR OF NIGERIA TO PAY ALL THE FOREIGN CONTRACTORS AND ALL THE INHERITANCE BENEFICIARY AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT OUR GOVERNMENT IS OWING WITH A MAP OUT FUND OF $600M. WE HAVE MORE THAN THREE WEEKS REMAINING FOR THE YEAR TO END SO I WILL LIKE YOU TO RECEIVE YOUR MONEY BEFORE 31ST OF DECEMBER. YOU HERE BY TO FURNISH ME WITH THE WRIGHT INFORMATION THAT PROOF THAT YOU ARE THE WRIGHT BENEFICIARY. YOU CAN REACH ME THROUGH THIS EMAIL ADDRESS 1. YOUR FULL NAME 2 HOW MUCH NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT IS OWING 3 YOUR ID CARD YOURS IN SERVICE DR GODWIN EMEFIELE CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR EMAIL.godwinemefielecbngovernor@centralbnk-nig.net FROM THE DESK OF CENTRAL BANK GOVERNORDATE. 8TH OF DECEMBER 2017ATTN BENEFICIARYI AM DR GODWIN EMEFIELE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA GOVERNOR. THIS IS TO INFORM YOU THAT OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS MANDATED ME THE CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR OF NIGERIA TO PAY ALL THE FOREIGN CONTRACTORS AND ALL THE INHERITANCE BENEFICIARY AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT OUR GOVERNMENT IS OWING WITH A MAP OUT FUND OF $600M. WE HAVE MORE THAN THREE WEEKS REMAINING FOR THE YEAR TO END SO I WILL LIKE YOU TO RECEIVE YOUR MONEY BEFORE 31ST OF DECEMBER. YOU HERE BY TO FURNISH ME WITH THE WRIGHT INFORMATION THAT PROOF THAT YOU ARE THE WRIGHT BENEFICIARY. YOU CAN REACH ME THROUGH THIS EMAIL ADDRESS godwinemefielecbngovernor@centralbnk-nig.net 1. YOUR FULL NAME2 HOW MUCH NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT IS OWING3 YOUR ID CARDYOURS IN SERVICEDR GODWIN EMEFIELECENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR From: DR GODWIN EMEFIELE unita@neobee.net To: Recipients unita@neobee.net Date: Sunday, 10 December 2017, 08:18AM -05:00Subject: ATTN BENEFICIARY De la: CENTRALBANK OFNIGERIA < cb_nng001@hotmail.com > Catre: Trimis: Joi, 14 Decembrie 2017 14:08:53 Subiect: CHANGE OF YOUR BANK ACCOUNT. CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA (CBN). INTERNATIONAL HEAD QUARTERS, GARKI ABUJA NIGERIA CONTRACT#: MAV/NNPC/FGN/MIN/009 SWIFT CODE: BPH KPL PK A/C#: 459606=179244=169=678 PAYMENT REF: CBN/IRD/CBX/021/17 CHANGE OF YOUR BANK ACCOUNT. ATTN BENEFICIARY SIR, MY NAME IS MR GODWIN EMEFIELE GOVERNOR (C.B.N). I AM WRITING IN RESPECT OF A RECENT EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS FROM MS JANE MOORE FROM USA WHO CLAIMS TO BE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AND SENT TO CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA FOLLOWING BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION FOR WIRE TRANSFER OF CONTRACT PAYMENT,N.N.P.C, INHERITANCE FUND VALUED THREE MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED UNITED STATES DOLLARS (US$3.5 MILLION) BELOW IS THE BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS THAT MRS. JANE MOORE SUBMITTED ON YOUR BEHALF FOR THE TRANSFER. NAME JANE MOORE BANK OF AMERICA TX2-817-01-01 9308 FOREST LANE, DALLAS TX 75243 ROUTING # 541740162 ACCT # 488030345138 PLEASE, DO RECONFIRM TO ME AS A MATTER OF URGENCY IF THIS LADY IS FROM YOU AND IF YOU AUTHORIZED HER TO RECEIVE YOUR FUND.IF THIS LADY IS NOT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE WHO HAS ALMOST COMPLETED ALL THE NECESSARY FORMALITIES THAT WILL ENABLE HER RECEIVED THE FUND ON YOUR BEHALF.YOU ARE HEREBY REQUESTED TO FILL THE SHORT QUESTIONNAIRE AND SEND THIS INFORMATION FOR CONFIRMATION PURPOSES, SO THAT YOUR FUND VALUED AT $3.5MILLION UNITED STATE DOLLARS WILL BE PAID TO YOU WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY. I USE MY BANK DIRECT EMAIL FIRST FOR COMMUNICATION IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE UTMOST CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY, HOWEVER YOU ARE ADVISED TO SEND TO ME THE FOLLOWING 1. YOUR FULL NAME AND HOUSE ADDRESS. 2. YOUR BANKING DETAILS WHERE THE FUND WILL BE TRANSFERRED. 3. A SCAN COPY OF YOUR INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT/DRIVER'S; LICENSE. 4. YOUR COMPANY NAME AND ADDRESS IF ANY. 5. YOUR MOBILE TELEPHONE, YOUR HOUSE TELEPHONE NUMBER 6. YOUR OCCUPATION. 7. COST OF AFFIDAVIT OF NULLIFICATION $125 HOWEVER, WE SHALL PROCEED AND ORDER DIRECTOR INTERNATIONAL REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT TO PAY MS.JANE MOORE IF WE DO NOT HEAR FROM YOU WITHIN THE NEXT 3 WORKING DAYS FROM TODAY. BEST REGARDS, MR GODWIN EMEFIELE THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA PRIVATE CELL NO:2348187040361 From: Godwin Emefiele < godwin.emefielecbn2020@gmail.com > Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2017, 2:44:45 PM MST Subject: IMMEDIATE INHERITANCE PAYMENT CONTRACT CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA TINUBU SQUARE, VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS-NIGERIA OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR IMMEDIATE INHERITANCE PAYMENT CONTRACT #:V/NINIC/FGN/MIN/2017 Dear Beneficiary After our meeting today concerning your unclaimed fund $8.3Million Dollars (Eight Million Three Hundred Thousand Dollars) in Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), I was instructed to contact you by the board of directors and the senate committee on foreign matters. Before I proceed, I decided to stop my communication with you because you have always doubted all my words which I do say to you and decide to follow the instructions of hoodlums and impersonators who are only interested in extorting money out from you and use you as their prey. I want to ask you a question and do not be offended "since you stop communication with my office and prefer to follow the impostors rather than me, have you finally received your fund? Is there any hope that you will receive the fund in near future if you continue to follow their instructions? The board and senate committee has been asking me why your fund is returned to the Government reserve account without your knowledge ,and i gave them the reasons of doing that just to allow you follow the hoodlums and know what the outcome will be and to see if you will follow my instructions this time. Anyway, I decided to contact you to alert you on the status of your fund during our meeting today on the round-table with the Presidency and senate president including the Minister for Finance, and i have been advised to contact and to make sure that your fund is transferred to you before the closure of the payment system in no distance time only if you can follow my instructions this time around because some options has been made for you to receive your fund without anymore delay. Now the ball is in your court as I have been advised to allow you choose the way you want your fund to get you which am going to explain to as soon as I hear back from you to proof that you are now ready to receive your fund this time around without doubting me again. Also remember that we are not going to accept any form of delay from you regarding this current transaction because my office has been given 72hours which is three working days to make sure we conclude this transaction or it will be cancel without any delay. Kindly get back to me and also reconfirm to us your information such as (1) Your Full name (2) Your home address (3) Your Working ID (4) Your cell phone number for us to crosscheck with our records here to see if it correspond with the one we have here in our file. Thanks for your anticipation and understanding. Yours Sincerely, Mr. Godwin Emefiele Executive Governor Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) +2347080246183 From: Governor Central Bank < info@clear.ocn.ne.jp > Date: 12/18/17 8:38 AM (GMT-08:00) To: Subject: Your overdue,contract Inheritance Lottery payment with contract file number #/FGN/PTF/407/2017)# AV/ Your overdue,contract Inheritance Lottery payment with contract file number #/FGN/PTF/407/2017)# AV/NNPC/FNG? Valued for USD25.5 Million has been released today Following the mandate given to my office inline with the new Policy to fight corruption. I want to bring to your Notice that all Overdue Foreign Payment should be Paid from 2000 till date your name and emails address was discovered as next on the list for payment of ($25,500,000.00) Million as directed by the President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria. Reply immediately for more details to enable us pay you send your 1.Full Name 2.Residential Address 3.Age 4, Occupation 5. Direct Telephone Numbers for bank transfer include your bank details as soon as you receive this email Your immediate respond is urgently Needed. Reply to ebn@administrativos.com Best Regards Mr. Godwin Emefiele Governor Central Bank De: GOVERNOR CBN < info.office3017@yahoo.com > Enviado: lunes, 18 de diciembre de 2017 9:57 Asunto: Bank to Bank Transfer. GOVERNOR CBN < info.office3017@yahoo.com >lunes, 18 de diciembre de 2017 9:57Bank to Bank Transfer. Attention: Contractor, Your name has been on the data base of contractors who's contract fund is due for payment since over the last 4 months.But,some of our staff hasn't process the transfer for reasons known to them. On same note the office of the presidency have mandated the CBN to facilitate the transfer of all contractors fund before the end of the year.Because,we discovered that some of the CBN staff want to divert the fund for there personal use. Which's the reason why I was appointed to facilitate all the contract payment by Mr President. Therefore,forward all your information to enable us process all the necessary documentation regarding your payment and facilitate the transfer of your fund valued at us$10.5m. Lastly,we're all aware of the high rate of Internet fraud, of which many have fall victim of such circumstance,for that reason be conscious of how you share your detail online for security purposes and due to the sensitive nature of this transaction.Again there's no doubt about the value of fund involved on this transaction in order to play save you need to be confidential about this,more especially your email and other vital information.Meanwhile,forward your information as outline below for us to commence with all the necessary documentation and facilitate your payment within the next 48hrs as mandated by the office of the Presidency Federal Republic Of Nigeria. Yours faithfully, Mr. Godwin Emefiele Governor Central Bank of Nigeria De la: Central Bank of Nigeria < fcecentbnngfgeeeg@outlook.com > Catre: Trimis: Miercuri, 20 Decembrie 2017 5:26:08 Subiect: INFORMATION Dear Sir/ Ma My name is Godwin Emefiele, Governor, Central bank of Nigeria. We have just received a sworn affidavit from Mr.Jeorme F Karlz of United States of America,that you are dead and that you signed a deed agreement with him to re-route your overdue outstanding amount of $12.3 million to him as the Next of Kin. You are advise to get back to this office immediately also re-confirm the following information. Thus: 1. Your full name: 2. Your Contact address 3. Your contact cell phone number: 4. Your age: 5. Your sex: 6. Your occupations: 7. Your country and city: I await your response Regards Godwin Emefiele Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria On Sat, Dec 23, 2017 at 7:22 am, Mr Godwin Emefiele < jerrylv1k1@gmail.com > wrote: DID YOU PERMIT MS.CARMAN LAPOINTE TO RECEIVE YOUR FUND AS YOUR NEXT OFKIN?APPROVED ON YOUR BEHALF. URGENT ATTENTION FOR YOUR BENEFIT. FROM THE OFFICE OF MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE. CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA C.B.N (+234)708_784_4356, Attention Based on the meeting we have with United Nations and IMF officials on your payment, I writing to inform you that your files appeared on our desk to pay you a partial payment of $10.5million US Dollars of your funds for this First quarter of the year. But we are having misunderstanding because one Ms.Carman Lapointe called yesterday that she is your new next of kin that you instructed her to receive the funds on your favor that you are totally sick and you can not work or answer any calls. But we were so confuse that is why the authority instructed me to contact you for us to know if she is telling us the truth or not. She even forwarded this bank details to us. Bank Name: Credit Union Na Account Name: Carman Lapointe Account number: 908374912 Swift code: cwd1u After he provided this account to us, he instructed us not to inform you and we should transfer the funds into his account directly because she is your next of kin. Kindly check this account and name if we can go ahead and transfer the funds into his account. We wait to hear from you soon. Don't keep us waiting for your own good. Thanks. MR. GODWIN EMEFIELE. Email: mrgoem@gmail.com Tel :(+234)708_784_4356, From: MR GODWIN Date: Mon, Dec 25, 2017 at 4:42 PM Subject: Re: your diplomat have arrived and you have 24 hours to call him now 216-769-9073 bl To: i am the new Governor of (CBN) as i resume office received a payment credit instruction from the (United Nation/Federal Government of Nigeria)to credit your account with your full contract Inheritance funds from the Nigerian reserve account with our bank but we can not transfer this fundsdirect to your nominated bank account, because we are having a little problem with International Monetary Fund (IMF) so our method of payment is by Diplomatic Courier Service. (Delivery) This is to inform you that your diplomat has arrived with your cash consignment box value 10.7 million dollars in CLEVELAND HOPKINS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT OHIO USA. as their transit I want you to know that you have 24 hours to call him now 216-769-9073 or E-mail( johnlarry719@gmail.com ) then ask to speak to the diplomatic in person of JOHN LARRY in the United States, let us know if you are still interested to get your consignment delivery to you today? as they have been waiting to hear from you to help them complete this livery to you right now the diplomatic have arrival at CLEVELAND OHIO United State with you consignment box call them now to help them pay for clearance of your package as soon as he get to your airport you are to call him with this number 216-769-9073 and ask to speak with the diplomatic in person JOHNLARRY or contact him through this email( johnlarry719@gmail.com ) call them and get back to me Note; that you must call me as soon as you receive this email for more discussion, Also reconfirm your full current address and valid phone number to the Diplomatic once you receive this email to enable him to deliver your cash consignment to you without any further delay or mistake. I appreciate your good sympathetic and collaboration, Hope hearing from you swiftly. CONGRATULATIONS. MR GODWIN EMEFIELE , EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR, CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA If you received a similar letter, please ignore it. Do not answer it. If you do, you will end up on more of the mailing lists used by the criminals behind this fraud. Read more.... The last time major reform of the tax code was accomplished, the discipline was established by President Ronald Reagan who was a strong supporter of tax reform, but who also warned that if it increased the deficit, he would veto the bill. That discipline is missing today. The Republicans in Congress, at a time when both our economy is growing and our federal debt is growing, have decided to borrow $1.5 trillion and use it to cut taxes, the bulk of which will go to corporations and high income individuals. In addition to bloating the federal deficit, they have included provisions in their tax reform bills that are grossly unfair. For example, almost since the beginning of the income tax, the payment of state and local taxes has been able to be deducted from the federal tax return. The reason is simple. If you are required to pay state and local taxes, you dont have access to that income. The Republican tax bills are now disallowing most of the state and local tax deductions. That means taxpayers will be paying a tax on a tax they pay. That is an absurd result. An agricultural state like North Dakota is heavily penalized by disallowing the state and local tax deduction. Under the two current tax plans passed by the House and Senate, corporations will get about two thirds of the tax cuts and individuals will get one third. But much of the tax cuts that go to individuals will go to high income individuals. Moreover, the corporate tax cuts will be permanent, but the individual tax cuts will expire resulting in higher taxes for individuals in the coming years. Their plans also would disallow the deduction for excess medical costs. And they would prohibit deductions for interest paid on college loans. And those are just a few of the many unfair changes that are used to pay for their corporate tax cuts. In short, these bills, cobbled together quickly only by Republicans are unfair and unwise. By the way, the legislation also contains other unrelated issues that they could never get enacted on their own. For example, they would modify the law which could allow preachers to endorse political candidates from the pulpit. And, it would open for oil and gas drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the most pristine areas on the planet. This is not the way to do tax reform. There is a much better way. In 1986, I was part of the effort to reform the tax code in Congress. We closed loopholes and brought the top individual tax rate down to 28 percent. And we did that without increasing the federal debt. Today, the Republicans in Congress are in a frenzy to move this partisan legislation in the next two weeks. That short circuits a fair process and short changes the American people. Heres how to do tax reform the right way: First, dont borrow money to give tax cuts at a time when our country is saddled with a staggering $20 trillion debt. Make those who pay too little to pay up, and use the savings to cut taxes for those who are paying too much. Second, make it bipartisan legislation and get the best ideas from both political parties. And third, dont lard a tax bill with other outrageous provisions that could not get enacted in any other way. Tax reform, done right, might also help improve how the American people view the Congress. Doing something serious in the right way could be habit forming for a Congress that is now suffering from near record low poll results. 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Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACION Society changes over the years and issues that plagued us 20 years ago diminish as new problems arise. A national study looking at risky behavior by students shows youth confronting new demons. The study found fewer North Dakota students are involved in underage sex, drinking, tobacco and distracted driving. Thats good news for parents and society as a whole. On the downside, more students are attempting suicide and electronic bullying is on the rise. The number of North Dakota students who reportedly attempted suicide went up from 12 percent in 2013 to 14 percent this year, according to the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of attempted suicides has been on the rise since 2005. About 2,100 random North Dakota students from 61 public schools took the survey and it indicated electronic bullying increased to 19 percent. Feelings of hopelessness reached a decade high of nearly 29 percent among high school students. Why should so many young people feel so down? Unfortunately, there are still too many broken homes, families struggling financially and drug problems, especially with the increase in opiates. North Dakota has traditionally ranked high in binge drinking, especially among youth. That can lead to depression and thoughts of suicide. Schools cant be expected to resolve all the problems, but they can play a role. "We really need to decide what we can do as a school system and as a state to make sure our students are feeling engaged with life around them, make sure they are feeling hopeful about their future and drill down into what is causing them to feel hopeless," Kirsten Baesler, state superintendent for the Department of Public Instruction, told the Forum News Service. Baesler pointed out the state has a policy on bullying, adding that the policy apparently isnt working. She told the Forum the state needs to make a cultural shift to let people know bullying is not acceptable. In Bismarck earlier this school year there were public complaints over the districts policies on bullying and harassment. In response, the Bismarck School Board agreed to form a task force to review the districts policies and identify areas of improvement. The task force includes parents, administrators, teachers and board members. "There is probably more prevention that we could do," School Board President Karl Lembke said at the time. The Bismarck complaint involved a middle school student, so the problems are occurring at an early age. Its a difficult situation for school districts. How do you monitor whether a student is bullying someone through their smartphone and whats the schools authority if it happens after school? Students are encouraged to report bullying if it happens to them or someone else. Not all kids are willing to do so. Hopefully, the Bismarck task force can find ways to improve the districts policies. Schools across the state have been bringing in speakers to address issues confronting students. Groups such as Students Against Destructive Decisions, SADD, have worked with students to avoid alcohol, drugs and other bad decisions. Last month Taylor Berhow talked to Mandan High School students about how his driving drunk resulted in the deaths of three of his friends. Berhow, 29, is a MHS graduate and serving a prison sentence for the fatal accident. Hes young enough for the students to relate to his bad decisions. Its going to take action like this inside and outside the schools to stop bullying and suicides. As a society we should be able to teach our children that bullying is wrong. We also should be able to show them that life isnt so dismal that suicide is a solution. The behavior survey shows us the problems, now we have to find the solutions. Professors Michael Rosbash and Jeff Hall honored at Nobel Prize ceremony Nobel committee lauds laureates for explaining an essential mechanism for survival of life on the planet. Photos/Associated Press Michael Rosbash receives the Nobel Prize medallion from Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf. Below, Jeff Hall stands on the stage in Stockholm. For complete coverage, visit our 2017 Nobel Prize page Its official. From the hand of Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf, Brandeis professors Michael Rosbash and Jeff Hall each received an 18-carat gold medallion as recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the worlds most prestigious award for achievement in the life sciences. They shared the prize with Michael Young of The Rockefeller University, who was also on stage to receive a medallion. All three achieved foundational breakthroughs in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that run the internal biological clock in almost every organism on the planet. Rosbash is the Peter Gruber Endowed Chair in Neuroscience, and Jeff Hall is a professor emeritus of biology. In a dazzling ceremony steeped in protocol, Carlos Ibanez, a member of the Nobel committee which selects the winners of the prize in physiology or medicine, introduced the three laureates and described the impact of their research. The 2017 Nobel laureates have uncovered the mechanisms controlling truly fundamental processes in physiology how our cells and bodies keep time, said Ibanez, a professor in molecular neurobiology in the Department of Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institute. Professors Hall, Rosbash and Young, your brilliant studies have solved one of the greatest issues in physiology. First Hall, followed by Rosbash and then Young, walked to the center of the blue-carpeted stage, stood on a huge N emblazoned on the carpet, and shook hands with King Carl XVI Gustaf. Each recipient bowed three times: first to the king; then to previous laureates and prize committee members; last, to the audience. For Rosbash, 73, who has enjoyed prominence and phenomenal success in the sciences since he began his career 40 years ago, the award cements his place as one of the most important biologists of his generation. For Hall, 72, who retired in the late 2000s and has lived in seclusion in Maine ever since, the prize reaffirmed his relevance and importance in his chosen field of genetics. We have been blessed with good fortune at almost every turn, Rosbash said in a speech at the banquet that followed the ceremony. Yet to have this journey topped off in this way is almost unimaginable. Mike, Jeff and I are honored beyond words. Rosbash also reflected on the endangered state of the sciences and rising xenophobia in the United States. This year, President Trump broke with a nearly 20-year-old presidential tradition of meeting with Americas Nobel laureates before they travel to Stockholm. Although it continues to be the essential foundation for progress in more applied areas, the current climate in the U.S. is a warning that continued support cannot be taken for granted, said Rosbash. Also in danger is the pluralistic America into which all three of us were born and raised after WWII, he continued. Immigrants and foreigners have always been an indispensable part of our country, including its great record in scientific research; eight of the 10 Nobel science-winners here today are U.S. citizens, but four of us are immigrants or children of immigrants. We are changing this successful formula at our peril. The ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall had the feel of a coronation mixed with Academy Awards glamour. Men donned black tails and the women wore glittering evening dresses. The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra played selections from Mozart and Bach. It was broadcast live on Swedish TV as commentators interviewed guests. The awarding of the physiology or medicine award was accompanied by the song cycle, Liebesbriefchen (Love Letter in German) by the American composer Eric Wolfgang Korngold and sung by Swedish soprano Camilla Tilling. The ornate floral arrangements on the stage included 661 pounds of flowers chosen to suggest winter in Sweden. In the middle of the stage stood a floral wall of 9,000 roses, carnations and chrysanthemums in white and cream-colored hues. As in previous years, all the flora came from Sanremo, on the Italian Riviera, where Alfred Nobel, who created the prizes, spent the last years of his life. Guests included the royal family, representatives from Swedens parliament, the Swedish academics who choose the laureates, and the winners of this years other Nobel Prizes. Hall and Robashs families and Brandeis President Ron Liebowitz and his wife, Jessica, also attended. After the ceremony, the festivities moved to Stockholm City Hall for a banquet. The laureates and other featured guests entered in a procession accompanied by a fanfare of trumpet and organ. The guests began on a balcony and proceeded down a staircase decorated with flower garlands directly to the table of honor. They sat at a long table of honor in the center of the room, surrounded by roughly 1,300 other guests. The table was laden with a bed of flowers resembling driven snow. Attached obelisks of ice slowly melted like a thaw on a sunny winter day. The evenings menu, prepared by Swedens master chefs and kept a closely-guarded secret until the banquet began, included dried Jerusalem artichoke served with kohlrabi flowers flavored with ginger and lightly roasted cabbage broth; crispy saddle of lamb; potato terrine with Svedjan creme; yellow beet, salt-baked celeriac, apple salad and rosemary-spiced lamb gravy; and for dessert, frost bilberry bavaroise, bilberry ice cream with lemon thyme, lime jelly, lime curd and lime meringues. According to the seating plan, Rosbash sat diagonally across from his wife, Nadja Abovich, and directly across from Urban Ahlin, speaker of the Swedish Parliament. Hall sat across from Ishiguro Kazuo, this years laureate in literature. The banquet was scheduled to end around 11 p.m. Swedish time, followed by dancing upstairs in the Golden Hall, a gold-painted room with mosaics on the wall inspired by events and famous people in Swedish history. The Irish and British governments have clashed over whether the Brexit agreement intended to trigger trade talks is legally binding or not. The dispute was sparked when UK Brexit Secretary David Davis insisted it was much more a statement of intent than "legally enforceable". The Irish Government responded strongly, stating the deal was "binding" and it would hold the UK "to account" on it. The document on legacy issues like the Irish border was hammered out in order to allow the remaining EU27 states to approve Brexit talks shifting to a phase two trade negotiation at a summit this week where Dublin wields a veto. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar heralded the last-minute deal meant to prevent the return of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic as "politically bullet-proof" and "cast iron". The Government's chief whip, Joe McHugh, branded the Brexit Secretary's comments as "bizarre". He told RTE: "We will as a government, a sovereign government in Ireland, be holding the United Kingdom to account, as will the European Union. "My question to anybody within the British Government would be, why would there be an agreement, a set of principled agreements, in order to get to phase two, if they weren't going to be held up? That just sounds bizarre to me. "This, as far as we're concerned, is a binding agreement, an agreement in principle." Mr McHugh said the Government would not "back away" from the Brexit principles if it comes under pressure from the rest of the EU during trade talks with the UK. In the wake of some Brexiteers expressing concern the agreement said the UK would have "full alignment" with the EU on regulations and standards that impacted on Northern Ireland, Mr Davis told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show: "This was a statement of intent more than anything else. "Much more a statement of intent than it was a legally enforceable thing." The comments came after reports that some hardline Brexiteers had been assured by the Government that the term full alignment was "meaningless". Mr Davis said the chances of Britain leaving the EU without a trade deal have "dropped dramatically". The UK cabinet heavyweight insisted the agreement with Brussels to trigger talks on a post-Brexit relationship made the prospect of the UK being forced back into World Trade Organisation (WTO) tariff arrangements after withdrawal much less likely. He said: "The odds, as it were, against a WTO, or no deal outcome, have dropped dramatically." Mr Davis said a trade deal was "not that complicated", and suggested a version of the agreement the EU made with Canada, which he dubbed "Canada plus, plus, plus" because it would include areas such as financial services. He also insisted Britain will not pay a 39 billion exit bill to Brussels unless there is a trade deal. The comments appeared to contradict those of Chancellor Philip Hammond who has said it would be "inconceivable" the UK would fail to honour its international obligations. Pressed on the Chancellor's remarks regarding the exit payment, Mr Davis said: "No. It is conditional on an outcome. I am afraid that wasn't quite right. "It is conditional. It is conditional on getting an implementation period. Conditional on a trade outcome. "No deal means that we won't be paying the money." Mr Davis insisted the UK would keep a "frictionless" border with the Irish Republic even if there was no trade deal. Ruthless burglars in the UK smashed their way into a family's home then threatened to hurt a newborn baby in a bid to uncover cash and valuables. Police revealed the tactic was employed by just one of several unconnected groups of thieves who have stolen tens of thousands of pounds in jewellery in recent weeks. During the same raid in Balsall Heath, Birmingham, on November 8, knives were held to the throats of women in the home, although no one was seriously injured. In another incident in the Small Heath area of the city, a gang armed with screwdrivers stole a male victim's jewellery and sprayed his hands with cleaning fluid. West Midlands Police has set up a dedicated task force in a bid to trace individuals behind 28 separate offences in recent weeks. Groups of thieves have been targeting people in their own homes, punching some victims and in one case hitting another with a metal bar. The spate of thefts is causing detectives "real concern", with one arrest to date. Warning householders to be on their guard, Detective Inspector Dave Keen said: "The spate we have seen recently is a real concern for me and we are doing everything we can to identify the criminals responsible. "We've got a dedicated taskforce which is which is working on this literally 24 hours a day." He added: "It's also very important that residents do as much as possible to protect their property. "Asian traditions have always placed a strong emphasis on jewellery it plays an important role in many religious festivals as well as significant family occasions, with many items handed down through generations. "These are not just highly valuable possessions; they are also of great sentimental worth and are a huge loss to their owners if such jewellery is taken. "We're issuing a warning to people owning valuable gold jewellery and urging them to take simple steps to protect it. "We believe these criminals scope areas for homes that could be potential targets, I ask people to be aware of individuals or vehicles in their area acting suspiciously. "If you are in any doubt, call police." Britain will not pay a 39bn exit bill to Brussels if it does not secure a trade deal, the UK's Brexit Secretary David Davis has said. The comments appeared to contradict those of Britain's Chancellor Philip Hammond who has said it would be "inconceivable" the UK would fail to honour its international obligations. Pressed on the Chancellor's remarks regarding the exit payment, Mr Davis told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show: "No. It is conditional on an outcome. I am afraid that wasn't quite right. "It is conditional. It is conditional on getting an implementation period. Conditional on a trade outcome. "No deal means that we won't be paying the money." Asked if the Chancellor was wrong, Mr Davis said: "It has been made clear by No 10 already. So that's not actually new." When asked at a Commons Treasury Committee meeting last week whether Britain's divorce bill was contingent on a trade deal, the Chancellor said: "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed in this negotiation. "But I find it inconceivable that we as a nation would be walking away from an obligation that we recognised as an obligation. "That is not a credible scenario. That is not the kind of country we are. Frankly, it would not make us a credible partner for future international agreements." Mr Davis said the chances of Britain leaving the EU without a trade deal have now "dropped dramatically". The Cabinet heavyweight insisted that the agreement secured with Brussels to trigger talks on a post-Brexit relationship made the prospect of the UK being forced back into World Trade Organisation (WTO) tariff trading arrangements after withdrawal much less likely. Mr Davis said: "The odds, as it were, against a WTO, or no deal outcome, have dropped dramatically." Mr Davis insisted that agreeing to "full alignment" with the EU in standards and regulations that impacted on Northern Ireland was not the same as "non-divergence" which would have meant "cutting and pasting" rules from Brussels. The Brexit Secretary said: "We want to protect the peace process and we also want to protect Ireland from the impact of Brexit for them. "This was a statement of intent more than anything else. Much more a statement of intent than it was a legally enforceable thing." The comments came after reports that some hardline Brexiteers had been assured by the Government that the term non-alignment was not binding. Mr Davis insisted the UK would keep a "frictionless" border with the Republic of Ireland even if there was no trade deal. The Brexit Secretary said that a trade deal was "not that complicated", and suggested a version of the agreement the EU made with Canada, which he dubbed "Canada plus, plus, plus" because it would include areas such as financial services. The defence minister of Israel is calling for a boycott of Arab businesses where residents carried out violent protests against the US president's recognition of Jerusalem as his country's capital. Avigdor Lieberman said the Arabs of Wadi Ara in northern Israel are "not part of us" and Jewish Israelis should no longer visit their villages and buy their products. He spoke to Army Radio after hundreds of Israeli Arabs protested on Saturday along a major road. Dozens of masked rioters hurled stones at bus and police vehicles. Three Israeli people were wounded and several vehicles damaged. The protests were part of a Palestinian "day of rage" following Donald Trump's announcement that he planned to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. Mr Lieberman has long called for Wadi Ara to be incorporated into a future Palestinian state. Mr Lieberman, who heads the nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party, said: "These people do not belong to the state of Israel. They have no connection to this country. "Moreover, I would call on all citizens of Israel - stop going to their stores, stop buying, stop getting services, simply a boycott on Wadi Ara. They need to feel that they are not welcome here." He wants Wadi Ara included in his proposed swap of lands and populations as part of a future peace agreement with the Palestinians. The residents, like many of Israel's Arab minority, sympathise with the Palestinians of the West Bank and often openly identify with them. But they are also Israeli citizens who largely reject the notion of becoming part of a future Palestinian state. Ayman Odeh, head of the Arab Joint list in parliament, said Mr Lieberman's call for a boycott of Arabs was reminiscent of the worst regimes in history. Gilad Erdan, the minister of public security from the ruling Likud Party, said that Mr Lieberman's diplomatic plan was not applicable and he rejected the notion of giving up the country's sovereignty just because it had Arab citizens. Protests and demonstrations took place on Saturday across the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, lands captured by Israel during the 1967 war that the Palestinians want to be part of their future state. Four Palestinians were killed in Gaza in Israeli airstrikes following rocket fire from there and in clashes along the border. Overall, however, the three days of protests passed relatively peacefully amid fears that they could spark another violent Palestinian uprising. The status of Jerusalem lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Mr Trump's move was widely perceived as siding with Israel. The announcement triggered denunciations from around the world, even from close allies, that suggested he had needlessly stirred more conflict in an already volatile region. In Israel, the move was embraced as a long overdue acknowledgement of Israel's seat of parliament and government and the historic capital of the Jewish people dating back 3,000 years. Upon departing for a diplomatic visit to Paris and Brussels, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "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. "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." AP An Airbus had to make an unscheduled stop in Germany after a business class passenger who was denied more champagne became aggressive. The 44-year-old Swiss passenger was angered at crew members' refusal to serve her more sparkling wine on the flight from Moscow to Zurich late on Saturday. Latest News Which banks have passed on the latest rate hike to mortgage borrowers? Here's a breakdown on how the major lenders have responded to the latest OCR hike Bridgit joins Finsure's panel Partnership expands lender's offering to brokers Recommendations for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to delve further into interest-only mortgage repricing have been tabled by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics.In its third report on the review of the four major banks released on Thursday (7 December), the committee proposed an added focus on Junes industry-wide IO repricing with the investigation falling under the regulators present inquiry into residential mortgage products.In particular, the ACCC has been called upon to examine internal documents at the four major banks to determine whether they align with claims that rate rises were a direct result of regulatory requirements introduced by the Australian Prudential Regulatory Association (APRA) around interest-only lending.The committee recommends that the ACCC analyse the banks internal documents to assess whether or not they are consistent with their statements in their June 2017 media releases and subsequent public commentary.In particular, the ACCC has been urged to examine the banks decisions to increase rates for existing customers despite APRAs speed limit only targeting new borrowers.Further, the ACCC should consider whether the banks public statements adequately distinguish between new and existing borrowers. The ACCC should consider whether the media statements suggest rates on existing interest-only mortgages rose as a direct consequence of APRAs regulatory requirement.Granular analysis of the banks financial modelling is required, the committee wrote, in order to understand the financial impacts of these regulatory changes and compare that impact against any public statements made.In committee hearings held in October, heads from the major banks said that rates were changed for two reasons: APRAs regulatory requirements and to encourage existing borrowers to move from interest-only to principal-and-interest. Latest News Which banks have passed on the latest rate hike to mortgage borrowers? Here's a breakdown on how the major lenders have responded to the latest OCR hike Bridgit joins Finsure's panel Partnership expands lender's offering to brokers The standard commission model will avoid financial incentives that encourage consumers to borrow more than they need or will use, for example by basing commissions on facility draw down net of offset; Volume-based and campaign-based commissions paid by lenders and aggregators are recognised as raising potential conflicts of interest and poor customer outcomes and are expected to cease; Non-monetary benefits will only be given based on a balanced scorecard and good customer outcomes, and benefits given by lenders will be capped; Ownership models and commercial relationships will be made clear on all marketing materials, including websites, where ownership is greater than 20 per cent, so consumers have the right information to make informed choices; ASIC and consumers will be given clearer information on where loans are written, commissions paid and interest rates, to increase transparency and accountability in the industry; The industry will introduce an improved Governance Framework that monitors for, and identifies risks, and requires the industry to take action and continuously improve where issues are identified. Representatives of Australias mortgage broking industry have prepared a landmark reform package that will improve consumer outcomes and confidence in mortgage broking.The reform package is the result of unprecedented engagement between industry bodies, lenders, mortgage brokers and their representatives, aggregators, introducers, and consumer groups, who have worked together since May 2017 as the Combined Industry Forum, and follows consultation with regulators and Federal Government.The paper is in response to the proposals outlined in ASICs Review of Mortgage Broker Remuneration, and takes into account the third party recommendations of the ABAs Retail Banking Remuneration Review.The industry has agreed on six principles that will be implemented to ensure better consumer outcomes and improved standards of conduct and culture, while preserving competition in mortgage broking:In drafting these reforms, the industry has also for the first time set a standard definition for good customer outcomes, which looks at the size and structure of the loan, affordability, responsible lending requirements and individual customer needs.Combined Industry Forum chairman Anthony Waldron said the release of the report this week was a significant milestone and laid clear foundations for industry-led transformation.We are genuine in our commitment to not only meet the proposals put forward in ASICs review of mortgage broker remuneration, but to raise the bar on the expectations of stakeholders from all corners of the industry, Waldron said.We hope to lead by example by taking a proactive position in those areas where our industry has the opportunity to deliver even better customer outcomes.Combined Industry Forum deputy chairman Mark Haron said: For a diverse range of key stakeholders to come together to deliver a meaningful package of industry-led reform is unprecedented in the financial services sector. The mortgage broking industry introduced true competition to Australias lending landscape and this, in itself, has delivered vastly better outcomes for consumers. With that said, there will always exist areas for continued improvement in any industry and the measures set out today mark an important step in setting a new and superior standard in mortgage broking.Australian Bankers Association deputy CEO Diane Tate said: We have put customers at the centre of this important package of reforms. The industry will be holding itself to a new standard, set higher than the law requires, when assessing good customer outcomes. The banking industry is committed to implementing this reform package, and to monitoring the impact of the reforms to ensure they are delivering benefits for customers. MFAA CEO Mike Felton said: It has been tremendous to be a part of an industry that has united in its commitment to ensuring that broker remuneration is targeted at promoting strong consumer outcomes and the sustainability of our industry. It is a credit to all industry participants and representatives that they have embraced the task of self-regulation and delivered this suite of genuine reforms in such a timely and comprehensive manner. FBAA executive director Peter White said: The undertakings and endeavours of the Combined Industry Forum has been an extensive exercise in co-operation and mutual respect between those who are not always necessarily aligned on matters. It has been a rewarding time to see how we as an industry and competitors can work together for the good of an industry we hold dearly, and to ensure good consumer outcomes are continued to be maintained by our actions. It is an honour to be a part of this group and thejourney will continue into the future as we continue to work with government and our regulators on these outcomes.Australian Finance Industry Association (AFIA) CEO Helen Gordon said: Our members are focused on financing Australias future including for home ownership and investment. Mortgage brokers play a pivotal role in facilitating consumer choice and access to that finance. AFIA has welcomed the opportunity to work through the Combined Industry Forum with key industry players to propose action to address consumer risk areas raised by ASIC, while enabling home buyers to continue to have access to a competitive mortgagemarket.Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA) CEO Michael Lawrence said: The Combined Industry Forum has focused on improving outcomes for consumers and this package of measures is aimed at delivering on that objective. The broker channel is a big segment of the home loan market, with brokers representing more than 50% of home loans written.The Combined Industry Forum will report on its ongoing progress to ASIC, Treasury and the Government on a regular basis. Here's a breakdown on how the major lenders have responded to the latest OCR hike BLACK REPUBLICAN BLOG - The Republican Party is the party of civil rights and the four Fs: faith, family, freedom and fairness. The Democratic Party is the party of the four Ss: slavery, secession, segregation and socialism (Quote By Author Michael Scheuer). Latest News Which banks have passed on the latest rate hike to mortgage borrowers? Here's a breakdown on how the major lenders have responded to the latest OCR hike Bridgit joins Finsure's panel Partnership expands lender's offering to brokers The governments proposed one-stop shop dispute resolution body, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), has passed the Senate with expectations it will commence operation in the second half of next year.The body will replace the three existing dispute resolution agencies, the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), the Credit and Investments Ombudsman (CIO) and the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal (SCT).Minister for Revenue and Financial Services Kelly ODwyer said that AFCA will give more Australian consumers and small businesses access to free, fast and binding dispute resolution processes.The Bill passed with support from the crossbench, despite opposition from Labor and the Greens who sought to exclude superannuation from AFCAs remit.AFCA is a landmark reform that will overhaul how financial disputes are dealt with in Australia. It will operate under significantly higher monetary limits and compensation caps, ODwyer said.Consumers and small businesses will have access to up to $2m in compensation under the new scheme.A number of minor amendments were added to ensure the passage of the Bill, including providing additional certainty around superannuation disputes and legislation guaranteeing the independence of the new body. A review of AFCAs operations will also be held 18 months from its commencement.ODwyer thanked Ian Ramsey, Julie Abramson and Alan Kirkland who assisted with the External Dispute Resolution Review as well as other stakeholders who played a role in the development of the new body.I encourage all interested parties to continue to engage with Dr Edey and the Transition Team who are overseeing the transition from the existing schemes to AFCA. Continued engagement will ensure that AFCA will provide better outcomes for consumers, while being accountable to all stakeholders.The Bill will now proceed back to the House of Representatives for final passage. Lenders to Air India have expressed concern over the governments plan to transfer the national carriers working capital debt to a separate subsidiary to make the state-owned airline attractive to buyers. Lenders worry that a move to sell aviation assets, including planes, before clearing the debt could make their exposure vulnerable. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, a board member at Infosys, has sought an end to fresh concerns raised over alleged irregularities in the severance pay offered to former chief financial officer (CFO) Rajiv Bansal, saying that the companys co-founder and Chairman Nandan Nilekani had reinvestigated the issue and found no wrongdoing. After hitting out at the government on social media, retailers are gearing up to protest against revised merchant discount rates (MDRs) for debit card transactions. Lenders want extension of insolvency deadline With time running out for a resolution of the second list of non-performing assets (NPAs) on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) list, lenders and corporate bodies have approached the central bank for extending the December 13 deadline. Read more Tata Motors zips past Honda, seals 4th spot Tata Motors has reached halfway in its ambitious target of becoming the third-biggest car player in the domestic market. It has risen one notch in the pecking order to occupy fourth position by overtaking Japanese carmaker Honda during the last five-month period. Read more Banks worried over Air India divestment route Lenders to Air India have expressed concern over the governments plan to transfer the carriers working capital debt to a separate subsidiary to make the state-owned airline attractive to buyers. Lenders worry that a move to sell aviation assets, including planes, before clearing the debt could make their exposure vulnerable. Read more Mukesh Ambani drives 45% of India Incs capex since FY14 Even as economists and analysts lament the delay in the private sector capital expenditure (capex) cycle, Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries (RIL) has emerged as the single-largest corporate investor. Read more PM Modi says Pakistan meddling in Gujarat polls Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday alleged Pakistan was interfering in the Gujarat Assembly polls, even as Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi continued attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party governments for helping only a handful of industrialists. Read more Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chairman Muhammad was arrested in Srinagar on Sunday while leading a protest march. Malik, who had gone underground for two days, emerged in uptown Maisuma locality leading a group of protesters and began walking towards the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in the city. Police arrested Malik and lodged him in the Kothibagh police station. Separatists had called for a protest march to UNMOGIP headquarters in Srinagar to highlight what they said were human rights violations in Kashmir. Restrictions have been placed in most areas of Srinagar to prevent the separatist-called march on Sunday, coinciding with World Human Rights Day. Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Syed Ali Geelani, two other senior separatist leaders, have been put under house arrest to prevent their participation in the protest. Shambhulal Raigar, accused of hacking a 48-year-old Muslim labourer, Mohammed Afrazul from West Bengal, and burning his body at Rajsamand in Rajasthan, was sent to remand in police custody for three days. The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate court at Rajsamand on Friday late evening also sent Raigar's minor nephew, who shot the video of the incident, to a juvenile home. The 15-year-old was produced before the bench of magistrates of the Child Welfare Committee who ordered the boy to be sent to the state's reformatory home for juvenile delinquents. Raigar was produced in court amid tight security. The public prosecutor asked for police remand for five days pleading that interrogation of the accused was continuing and the police team had to confirm the chain of events. In court, Raigar claimed he felt threatened by the victim's family and therefore committed the murder. However, police have rejected his claims. He also tried to link the offence with a six-year-old incident when he rescued a girl of his locality who had eloped with a man from West Bengal. Raigar had hacked Afrajul with a sharp agricultural tool and poured kerosene and set ablaze the body earlier this week, claiming it was to avenge "Love Jihad". Udaipur Range Inspector-General of Police Anand Srivastava said that there is no medical history of Raigar being "mentally unstable", though it is true that he was unemployed and had a loan of Rs 1.5 lakh on him. He also did not have any criminal background, Srivastava added. Police have also detained over 10 persons for questioning, to find out if the act was part of a conspiracy. Police confirmed that he prolifically exchanged hate messages and videos on social media sites and was influenced by propaganda material circulated by Right-wing organisations. Meanwhile, the Muslim community in Udaipur carried out a large procession from Hathipole on Friday. The members of the Muslim Mahasabha strongly condemned the incident and demanded death penalty for the accused. They submitted a memorandum to Divisional Commissioner Bhavani Singh Detha demanding the case be heard by a fast-track court and nothing less than 'hanging' for Raigar for the brutality. According to reports, a similar procession was also taken out in Sawai Madhopur. Raigar, 33, a father of three, loved watching hate videos on phone and was unemployed. He has been part of many rabid groups. He lives in a joint family in Rajsamand and his parents work in Gujarat. While his oldest daughter is 16, his youngest one aged around 13, is seen with him in one of the hate videos gone viral. Earlier, he was doing marble business which didn't work and hence he was just doing nothing at this point of time, police said. Raigar had claimed that he brought a woman back who had eloped with the victim to West Bengal. He told reporters that the victim ran away with a girl of his colony whom he knew from childhood. However, police claim that Afrajul, who was a daily wager from Bengal, had nothing to do with this story that the killer was referring to. Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Saturday extended financial aid of Rs 5 lakh to the family of Afrazul. 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. A student from Hyderabad was shot at by an unidentified person in Chicago in the United States, his family members said today. The family said Mohammed Akbar, doing his masters in computer sciences, was injured when a bullet hit his right cheek on December 6. According to his brother Mohammed Ashraf, Akbar, 30, was walking towards his car in a parking area when he was shot at. He was admitted to a hospital. His family said it had requested the Telangana government and the Ministry of External Affairs to make arrangements for an emergency visa to enable them to visit the US. "We have met Telangana Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy and today talked over the phone to officials of the Union Ministry of External Affairs. They have assured us of all necessary help in this regard," Ashraf told PTI. Keith Webster handled US-India defence relations for several years as a senior Pentagon official in the Obama administration. Now, a senior vice-president with the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, he talks to Ajai Shukla about the trajectory of the defence relationship. Preparing to boost air connectivity to remote and unconnected destinations, Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari requested Japanese firm Setouchi to manufacture seaplanes in the country following the successful trial runs of the firm's aircraft in Mumbai. Assuring support, Gadkari said, "What I will request you (Setouchi) is that you need to start to Make in India... We will ensure that the land is available to you near the airstrip (and) you can manufacture your (sea) planes in Nagpur". He was speaking at the second phase of the seaplane trials at the Girgaum Chowpatty off the city coast yesterday. The trial flight, conducted by SpiceJet, was carried out with Setouchi's 10-seater Kodiak Quest 1000 seaplane. He said that there is a lot of potential for seaplanes in the country and domestic production could bring down manufacturing costs. He added that norms for seaplanes are expected to be finalised in three months in consultation with the civil aviation ministry. "Raju (referring to civil aviation minister PA Gajapati Raju) calls it a seaplane, I call it a flying boat. If it is a seaplane, it is controlled by the civil aviation ministry. If it is a flying boat then it is under my control," he said. The US, Canada and Japan already have rules for the operation of seaplanes. Aviation firm SpiceJet, promoted by Ajay Singh, plans to purchase more than 100 amphibian planes, estimated to cost USD 400 million, as it seeks to boost regional operations. SpiceJet and Setouchi Holdings have been working closely for the last eigth months to explore opportunities for small 10 and 14-seater amphibious planes to provide air connectivity to smaller towns and cities that remain unconnected due to infrastructural challenges. It had inked an initial pact with the Japanese firm in October regarding the purchase of an amphibian aircraft with a capacity of up to 14 seats. The Quest Aircraft Company LLC part of Japans diversified Tsuneishi Group is a manufacturer of these amphibian planes. The company is owned by Setouchi Holdings, part of the Tsuneishi Group. Quest Aircraft also manufactures Kodiak 100 planes that can carry up to eight passengers, depending on the configuration. It can take off and land on a short runway, as long as 300 meters, as well as handle uneven terrain and mountainous areas. Foreign ministers of Russia, India and China (RIC) will on Monday deliberate on a range of pressing regional and global issues, including ways to tackle the threat of terrorism and extremism, at a key meeting of the trilateral grouping in New Delhi. It is learnt India will strongly push for strengthening cooperation among the three countries in effectively countering terrorism and naming Pakistan-based terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in the RIC communique, citing a similar move by the BRICS grouping. Before the trilateral talks, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will hold a meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during which a number of major issues are likely to be discussed. It will be the first high-level visit from China to India after the Doklam standoff. Swaraj will also hold a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Asked about the meeting between Wang and Swaraj, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India expects that the deliberations will cover all bilateral, regional and global issues of importance. Wang, whose visit here begins this evening, will also meet Lavrov and attend an India-China Cultural evening tomorrow. The Chinese foreign minister will depart early Tuesday morning. In the RIC, India is also likely to stress on a collective approach by the three countries in ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. It may also allay apprehension about joining the proposed quadrilateral coalition with Japan, Australia and the US, which was seen as a move to counter China. Connectivity is set to be a major focus area at the RIC meeting and India is likely to press for speedy implementation of the 7,200 km-long International NorthSouth Transport Corridor (INSTC) linking India, Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia with Europe. The RIC foreign ministers' meeting was planned for April here but it had to be postponed as Wang could not confirm his participation due to scheduling problems. There were media reports then that Wang had put off his visit to India to protest New Delhi's decision to allow the Dalai Lama to travel to Arunachal Pradesh. However, China had dismissed the reports. Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu has said that a permanent solution to the public stockholding of food stock is a "must have" at the 11th ministerial conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that begins at Buenos Aires on Sunday. The permanent solution, the minister said, should also cover the current as well as future programmes of all developing member countries and LDCs as it concerns the livelihood of millions of poor people. The G33 is a grouping of 47 developing countries having common objectives and similar concerns. It has been at the forefront in taking forward issues affecting food security and livelihood of farmers. The minister said in a series of tweets after attending a meeting of G33 grouping: #WTO Participating in G33 meet, group of 47 countries .Strongly reiterated need for concerted action on Improvement on Public stock holding Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) December 9, 2017 Strongly reiterating the need for a concerted action on public stockholding issue, Prabhu said it is an important instrumentality used in developing countries across the globe, where agriculture is mostly rain-fed, to ensure two square meals a day to millions of poor people. Prabhu also pitched for special safeguard mechanism (SSM), an instrument that would help the developing countries to deal with import surges and price dips as a result of high subsidies provided by the developed countries to agriculture products. "Special safeguard mechanism is important for developing countries to address import surges and price dips from highly subsidised imports of agriculture products from developed countries," the minister said, adding it deals with the question of livelihood of farmers. "The demand by G-33 countries for an instrument that has been available to a select few for over two decades is reasonable and pragmatic," Prabhu said, stressing that the grouping represents the collective voice of over two-thirds of humanity -- an overwhelming majority of poor and subsistence farmers. Under the global trade norms, a WTO member country's food subsidy bill should not breach the limit of 10 per cent 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 a 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. India's stand has been that the permanent solution should be an improvement over the Peace Clause. An agreement on SSM is important for India as the applied custom duty on some of the agriculture products is at the bound rate, meaning it cant be raised further. These include products such as chicken legs, apples, olive oils and rice. The SSM, if agreed, would help in dealing with import surges and price dips. Final voter turnout for the first phase of the Gujarat assembly elections stood at 66.75 per cent, as released by the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday. The early turnout was pegged at 68 per cent, as against the record first phase turnout of 70.75 per cent in the 2012 elections. 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 pm it was 60.32 per cent which increased to 70 at close of polling at 5 pm. 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 pm and rose to 70 after an hour. The polling was carried out even after the declared time of 5 pm as people were still lined up in queues at polling booths, which went on till 6.30 pm. 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 minimise 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. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday alleged Pakistan was interfering in Gujarat Assembly polls, and sought an explanation from the Congress over its top party men who are said to have recently met leaders from the neighbouring country. Addressing a poll rally here, the prime minister also raised questions over the alleged appeal by the former director general of the Pakistan Army, Sardar Arshad Rafiq, that senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel be made the chief minister of Gujarat. Modi said (former Congress minister) Mani Shankar Aiyar had called him "neech" (vile) a day after the alleged meeting of Pakistani leaders with top Congressmen. "There were media reports yesterday about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. It was attended by Pakistan's high commissioner, Pakistan's former foreign minister, India's former vice president and former prime minister Manmohan Singh," Modi said. The meeting at Aiyar's house carried on for almost three hours, Modi said. "The next day, Mani Shankar Aiyar said Modi was 'neech'. This is a serious matter," he said. Modi added that Rafiq had backed Ahmed Patel as the next chief minister of Gujarat. "(On one side) Pakistan Army's former DG is interfering in Gujarat's election, on the other side, Pakistan's people are holding a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house," he said. "And, after that meeting, people of Gujarat, backward communities, poor people and Modi were insulted. Don't you think such events raise doubts," Modi asked. He said the Congress should inform the people of the country what exactly it was up to. Modi was speaking at the rally for the ongoing state Assembly polls. The second phase of polling in the north and central Gujarat, including the Banaskantha district, will be held on December 14. Justice has and must continue to remain first principle of social and political Institutions: Vice President Addresses Human Rights Day The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that Justice has and must continue to remain the first principle of social and political institutions. He was addressing the Human Rights Day, here today. The Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission, Shri Justice H. L. Dattu and other dignitaries were present on the occasion. The Vice President said that the Human Rights Day observed on 10 December every year commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He further said that India has been unequivocal in its commitment to the preservation and protection of human rights globally as well as within the country. It is a signatory to several of the core international human rights and International Labour Organizations conventions, he added. The Vice President said that our commitment for human rights is part of our culture from time immemorial it always respected others Human Rights. We have a noble saying called Sarve Janah Sukhino Bhavantu,; we believe in the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - the entire Universe is one Family, he added. The Vice President said that civil rights, Minority rights and others are guaranteed in India not just because they are in the constitution, they are guaranteed because they are part of our DNA. Secularism which got included in the constitution at a later stage is ingrained in our DNA from the beginning, India as a country has no history of aggression of any kind and we tried to assimilate all the people who have come here, he added. The Vice President said that ballot is powerful than bullet and power cannot be gained with barrel of gun. You have no right to kill others and get protected under Human Rights, he questioned. The Vice President said that women empowerment and gender equality are important issues for our democracy as the position of women is still precarious, especially in rural areas. He further said that gender inequality is among the key social disparities that keeps large numbers of women on the margin of new India. Poor literacy rates and discrimination is education against the girl child have contributed to enhancing the vulnerability of women in society, opined. He expressed his happiness that programmes like Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao are being taken up responding to these challenges. The Vice President said that Indian democracy has also been confronted with terrorism and extremist violence both of which tend to trample upon the right to life and liberty of individuals. Any violence and senseless killings are the worst forms of violation of human rights and need to be dealt with accordingly, he added. Following is the text of Vice Presidents address : I am happy to be with all of you this evening for celebrating the Human Rights Day. Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings without discrimination. Human Rights Day, observed on 10 December every year commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This has been a guiding document to guarantee the rights of every individual without discrimination and one that would serve as a valuable ally to the UN Charter in ensuring global peace and security. The human rights discourse has assumed great importance especially in the last few decades, with human rights being viewed by governments and civil society alike, as indispensable to the realization of development goals, including the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The arena of human rights and social justice has gradually expanded over the decades to include among others, the right to healthcare, education, food, forest rights for indigenous communities as well as policy-level interventions in the form of affirmative action for the historically marginalized and discriminated. Further, issues of gender, youth, the differently-abled, and the elderly are also recognized as important human right concerns today. India has been unequivocal in its commitment to the preservation and protection of human rights globally as well as within the country. It is a signatory to several of the core international human rights and International Labour Organizations (ILO) conventions. Our commitment for human rights is part of our culture, from time immemorial it always respected others Human Rights. We have a noble saying called Sarve Janah Sukhino Bhavantu, We believe in the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam- The entire Universe is one Family. Civil rights, Minority rights and others are guaranteed in India not just because they are in the constitution, they are guaranteed because they are part of our DNA. Secularism which got included in the constitution at a later stage is ingrained in our DNA from the beginning, India as a country has no history of aggression of any kind. We tried to assimilate all the people who have come here. In addition to being a signatory to these important human rights conventions, our countrys Constitution has given a robust human rights protection framework. An independent judiciary, free media and an active civil society and a number of independent human right bodies, such as, the National Human Rights Commission provide a vigorous and effective network for human rights protection and an effective system of checks and balances. The establishment of urban and rural local self-government, notably the three-tier Panchayati Raj System is also a crucial component of this human rights protection framework, for it has taken development, human rights, and social-economic welfare down to the very grassroot level. Local self-governance in India has opened up new vistas in womens empowerment and the participation of historically marginalized groups such as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in local governance/public affairs, thus, bolstering our shared vision for the realization of human rights and human empowerment. Women constitute 33% in majority of local bodies, and 50% in many of the state. I believe in the coming days we will have considerable representation even in the legislature and also in Parliament. It was in keeping with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 and the endorsement by the General Assembly of the United Nations through its Resolution of 20 December 1993, that countries across the world established their respective National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs). The National Human Rights Commission of India was also instituted by the Parliament of India with a view to realize the cherished goal of equal rights and life opportunities for all people. Since its inception in 1993, the NHRC, India has played a pivotal role in the enforcement of the fundamental rights outlined in our Constitution and those contained in key international human rights instruments to which India is a party. In addition, it has done much by way of spreading human rights awareness and sensitization among governments and members of civil society on the importance of safeguarding human rights. We have retired Chief Justice of India as the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, that itself shows our commitment to Human Rights. However, despite this formidable human rights protection framework and the significant strides we have made since our independence, there are several human rights challenges that continue to confront us as a nation. Poverty is perhaps the biggest affront to human dignity and fulfillment and among the major challenges to realizing a truly democratic India. Rapid strides have been made since independence but a sizeable proportion of Indias population lives below the poverty line. We are all engaged in eradicating poverty. We have chosen the path of inclusive growth that is including the people in the developmental agenda of the nation. Welfare measures taken by the government such as Jandhan, Mudra and others are moving in a direction to eradicate poverty. In this regard, India is committed to implement Agenda 2030 on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are rooted in a human rights approach towards ending poverty and other forms of discrimination and inequity. The government is taking proactive measures for ending poverty and hunger, improving health and education, making cities more sustainable, combating climate change, and protecting oceans and forests. India has taken steps to make the right to education a cardinal principle of state policy. Universal access to education and creating a literate world has been the focus of governments. However, there are challenges in terms of illiteracy and quality of schooling. Literacy is crucial as a human right and also for successful functioning of democracy and socio-economic development of the country. Although according to 2011 Census, the literacy rate has risen to 74.04 per cent, the female literacy rate stands at 65.46 per cent. I believe that democracy can effectively flourish only when people know their rights and privileges and also their duties and responsibilities. Women empowerment and gender equality are important issues for our democracy as the position of women is still precarious, especially in rural areas, despite the fact that women, according to the 2011 census, comprise 58.7 crore (48.5%) of the countrys total population. Gender inequality is among the key social disparities that keeps large numbers of women on the margin of new India. Poor literacy rates and discrimination is education against the girl child have contributed to enhancing the vulnerability of women in society. There has been some improvement in the last 10 years in the sex ratio but challenges of female feticide and pre-natal sex selection persist. I am happy that programmes like Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao are being taken up responding to these challenges. The right to shelter is another right that impacts the quality of life. India has embarked on a number of programs that seek to make this a reality. The challenges of caste and communalism are major challenges to Indian democracy which serve to weaken the stability of the country with the potential to disrupt peaceful co-existence in our multi-religious and multi-cultural society. These challenges are sometimes being exploited for personal, political and sectarian gains and that is a big challenge to us. Indian democracy has also been confronted with terrorism and extremist violence both of which tend to trample upon the right to life and liberty of individuals. Any violence and senseless killings are the worst forms of violation of human rights and need to be dealt with accordingly. We as a nation believe in peaceful co-existence, but unfortunately some people take terror as a state policy. Terror has no religion, but unfortunately some people are give a communal colour and using it as protection. Terror is the enemy of Humanity I hope the United Nation Security Council completes the consultation at the earliest, and come to conclusion to take firm action against terror. Corruption poses a serious development challenge and is a violator of peoples rights. In the political realm, it undermines democracy and good governance by subverting formal processes. Justice has and must continue to remain the first principle of social and political institutions. The notion of justice focuses on a sense of fairness and protection of rights guaranteed under various laws of the land. However, the speed and alacrity with which justice is done is important. Human rights of all law abiding citizens must be protected with timely objective dispensation of justice. Todays Human Rights Day marks an importance milestone for not only India, but the world at large. The true test of good governance is the degree to which a State delivers on the promise of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. Thus, the key benchmark for judging effective governance is whether or not public institutions are effectively guaranteeing rights such as right to health, housing, food, education, and justice, besides ensuring effective safety in the country. This is the ideal world view we have inherited from ancient sages who said Sarve Janaah Sukhino Bhavantu and also from the founding fathers who advocated the Antyodaya approach. Our countrys cultural ethos has human rights as the underlying principle. It recognizes and respects human rights of all human beings. Living together without aggression and learning from others around the world has been our world view. Ours is a land that had said at least an million years ago: aa no bhadrah krathavo yanthu vishwathaha Let noble thoughts come to us from all over the world. It is heartening to note that the NHRC, India on its part has been striving to protect and promote the constitutional rights of the common citizens, and has gradually expanded its scope of activity to embrace newer human right challenges and concerns with a view to promote a culture of human rights in the country. On this momentous occasion, therefore, let us re-dedicate ourselves to our shared mission as Indian citizens to uphold the dignity and rights of all people of the country and infuse our national consciousness with the spirit of the greatest respect for all human life and our natural environment. THANK YOU, JAI HIND! OP Sahayam OP Sahayam of Southern Naval Command persisted for the eleventh day on 10 Dec 17 over Southeast Arabian Sea and L& M islands. Nine ships and all available aircraft have continued the search operations. Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft P8I searched over entire Maldives. Fishing community had estimated few vessels to be stranded in the islands of Maldives. Expeditious clearance was obtained through diplomatic channels to fly over Maldives and calls were given on Very high frequency (VHF) Radio. Officials have also confirmed that Maldivian local undertook search and have not located any fishermen on the islands. INS Sujata equipped with mobile morgue boxes, embarked four fishermen and deputy Tehsildar Mr Mohan Raj on 10 Dec 17 at Vizhinjam port for joining the deep sea search operations. The search is expected to continue up to the satisfaction of the fishermen. INS Subhadra, another naval vessel under routine deployment, identified twelve crew onboard two Tamil Nadu registered fishing vessels Milkyas & Felaxia about 90 miles Northwest of Bitra island of Lakshdweep group of Islands. The fishermen requested assistance for drinking water and 1500L was transferred to them. The ship, in its further search encountered two capsized fishing vessels, Annei and AVM EP Turai and investigation revealed no survivors onboard. This has been intimated to the State Governments. The Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant which provides fresh water to the islands is yet to be made functional and hence Indian Navy continued with replenishment of fresh water in excess of 70000 Ltrs to Kavaratti Over Four lakh square miles have been searched/ sanitised by Indian Naval assets for providing SAR since the calamity Ockhi struck the L & M islands and Southeast Arabian Sea. President Of India attends the 43rd edition of the National Group Song competition The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, graced and addressed the 43rd edition of the National Group Song competition of patriotic songs organised by the Bharat Vikas Parishad today (December 10, 2017) in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, the President congratulated the award winners and commended the half-a-million children who made this competition a virtual campaign by participating at various levels. He also praised the Bharat Vikas Parishad for having organised this group song competition for over 50 years, and for keeping patriotic consciousness alive through this competition. The President said that a strong and united country is built on a solid foundation of patriotic citizens. In order to keep the spirit of patriotism alive, it is necessary to continue to communicate it to future generations. He praised the efforts being made by the Bharat Vikas Parishad to achieve this. Prof. Swaminathan was a transformative leader who has inspired many scientists: Vice President Confers 'Yeraringan' Award to Prof. M. S. Swaminathan The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that Prof. M. S. Swaminathan transformative leader who has inspired many scientists to focus on the problem of Indian agriculture. He was addressing the gathering after conferring 'Yeraringan' Award to Prof. M. S. Swaminathan, in Chennai today. The Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri Banwarilal Purohit and other dignitaries were present on the occasion. The Vice President said that Prof. Swaminathan was a living legend who has done India proud with his extraordinary vision, commitment and pragmatism. He further said that he was truly an iconic figure who has shown to the entire world how research can reach the farms and transform farmers lives. He was a man with deep commitment to our countrys development, he added. The Vice President said that in 1947, Prof. Swaminathan moved to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI, Pusa) in New Delhi as a post-graduate student in genetics and plant breeding. He further said that he qualified for the Indian Police Service but chose a different career path. Instead of taking leadership positions in the public safety and security domain, he charted out a new path leading to food security for the country, he added. The Vice President said that India registered significant increase in agricultural production in 1960s consequent upon the adoption of new agricultural strategy and use of high yielding variety seeds and chemical fertilizers. He further said that the programme was a major breakthrough and a turning point in the history of agriculture development in India. Prof. M. S. Swaminathan was at that moment the adviser to the Minister of Agriculture and he had invited Dr. Norman Borlaug to India and worked with him in developing high yielding varieties of wheat. The Vice President said that Prof. Swaminathan's vision, foresight, intellectual rigour, and the abilities to connect the research findings with farmers concerns have earned him numerous awards. He was a Fellow of many of the leading scientific academies of India and the world, including the Royal Society of London and the US National Academy of Sciences, he added. Following is the text of Vice President's address : " Its my privilege to be a part of this auspicious award ceremony in which we celebrate the outstanding achievements of one of our countrys greatest scientists, Prof. M. S. Swaminathan. Dr. Swaminathan is a living legend who has done India proud with his extraordinary vision, commitment and pragmatism. It is quite appropriate that he is being conferred the award of YERARIGNAR, the Icon of Farm Research by four institutions. He is truly an iconic figure who has shown to the entire world how research can reach the farms and transform farmers lives. I have known Prof. M. S. Swaminathan for a long time. He is a man with deep commitment to our countrys development. He is a transformative leader who has inspired many scientists to focus on the problem of Indian agriculture. It is not surprising that he did what he did and excelled in everything he did. His commitment to serve our motherland is not surprising as he comes from a patriotic family that had placed India first. He was deeply influenced by his father who was a surgeon and social reformer. His father M. K. Sambasivam, a follower of Mahatma Gandhi, took the lead in Kumbakonam in burning his foreign clothes, a symbolic act in support of the Swadeshi movement: which emphasized the use of Indian rather than foreign-made clothes, use of handloom cloth instead of mill-made cloth. The political purpose of the Swadeshi movement was to free India from dependence on foreign imports and to protect our village industry and craftsmen. His father took the lead in opening the temples to low class people as a part of the temple entry movement of the Indian independence movement in Tamil Nadu, and in eradicating filariasis in Kumbakonam, an area long infected with the disease. The sense of service to ones fellow beings was thus ingrained in Dr. Swaminathans heart very early. The switch to agriculture came at a turning point in his life when he witnessed the Great Bengal famine of 1943. He decided to devote his life to address this challenge, and influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, he took the decision to pursue agriculture in Madras Agricultural College, Coimbatore, now the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. In 1947, the year of Indian independence he moved to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI, Pusa) in New Delhi as a post-graduate student in genetics and plant breeding. Meanwhile, he qualified for the Indian Police Service but chose a different career path. Instead of taking leadership positions in the public safety and security domain, he charted out a new path leading to food security for the country. With a fellowship from UNESCO, he continued his research in Netherlands and earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1952 from Cambridge University. Later, he was made an Honorary Fellow at Cambridge in 2014. Dr. M. S. Swaminathan then accepted a post-doctoral research associateship at the University of Wisconsin, Department of Genetics to help set up a United States Department of Agricultures potato research station. Despite his strong personal and professional satisfaction with the research work in Wisconsin, he declined the offer of a full-time faculty position, returning to India in early 1954. This proves his love for his home nation. He wanted to use the techniques and skills he learnt abroad for the welfare of his own people. This he did in ample measure and ushered in the green revolution in the early 1960s. India registered significant increase in agricultural production in 1960s consequent upon the adoption of new agricultural strategy and use of high yielding variety seeds and chemical fertilizers. The key pillars of this revolution were high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and promoted irrigation facilities. The programme was a major breakthrough and a turning point in the history of agriculture development in India. Dr. M. S. Swaminathan was at that moment the adviser to the Minister of Agriculture and he had invited Dr. Norman Borlaug to India and worked with him in developing high yielding varieties of wheat. Dr. Swaminathan is a great institution builder. He established National Bureau of Plant, Animal and Fish Genetic Resources of India and International Plant Genetic Resources Institute. He has also played a pivotal role in establishing the Agricultural Research Service of the ICAR. His vision, foresight, intellectual rigour, and the abilities to connect the research findings with farmers concerns have earned him numerous awards. He has received several honours, outstanding awards and prizes and international recognitions. He is a Fellow of many of the leading scientific academies of India and the world, including the Royal Society of London and the US National Academy of Sciences. He has received 70 honorary doctorate degrees from universities around the world. He was a Member of the Parliament of India (Rajya Sabha) during 2007-13. He also chairs the Task Force set up by the Ministry of External Affairs to oversee the projects undertaken in Afghanistan and Myanmar in the field of agriculture and was elected the Living Legend of International Union of Nutrition Sciences at the 20th International Congress of Nutrition held at Granada, Spain. Personally, I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Thiru Swaminathan avargal for a long time. I have been associated with him especially while he was chairing the Farmers Commission and other committees as well as when he was a Member of Parliament. I have always appreciated his love for the farming community, as well as his vision of reducing hunger and poverty. He blends in himself the visionary, innovative approach of a great scientist and the missionary zeal of a social activist eager to use his knowledge and insights for the welfare of Indian farmers. He is truly cast in the mould of our ancient Rishis who believed that Jnana and Vignana is for Sarvajanahitaaya, SarvajanaSukhaaya. It is gratifying that the Agricultural Scientific Tamil Society in collaboration with Tamil Nadu Agricultural University are honouring a legend and icon who contributed his life time for eradicating poverty and for the betterment of Indian farming community with a honorary outstanding Yerarinjar award. I believe that this recognition is a privilege Dr. Swaminathan has given to these institutions. India and the world have already recognised Dr. Swaminathans extraordinary contribution. We in Chennai today are joining those institutions that have accorded him the highest recognitions one could aspire for. The Indian culture believes that we must recognise the great work of pace setters like Dr. Swaminathan. Thats where the word Krithagnyatha comes from. It means to know what work has been done. In recounting his incredible achievements and honouring him, I do hope many more agricultural scientists will get inspired by him to serve our motherland. On behalf of all citizens of India, I extend my whole hearted thanks to Prof. Swaminathan for his invaluable contribution to Indias home grown food security. I am really honoured to confer this award to Prof. Swaminathan ji. Jai Hind!" Subramanya Bharathi wanted India to break narrow domestic walls: Vice President Addresses Birthday Celebrations of Subramanya Bharathi The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that Subramanya Bharathi, like Guru Dev Rabindranath Tagore, wanted India to break the narrow domestic walls. He was addressing the gathering at the Birthday Celebrations of great national poet Subramanya Bharathi, in Chennai today. The Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri Banwarilal Purohit and other dignitaries were present on the occasion. The Vice President said that Bharathi was the title given to this great luminary, so was the title of Mahakavi. Both signify his extraordinary contribution to the world of letters through his poetry and his speeches. He was truly blessed by the goddess of learning, he added. The Vice President said that his was a vision of freedom in the broadest sense. Not only did he join the freedom struggle and relentlessly fight against the foreign rule, but he wanted India to be free from hunger, gender discrimination, untouchability, unclean environment, narrow linguistic and religious dogmatism, he added. The Vice President said that he wanted Indians to be proud of their rich heritage and language and literature was an integral part of this heritage. He celebrated Indias diversity and loved all languages and described Telugu as Sundara Telungu, he added. Following is the text of Vice President's address : "It is my honour and privilege to participate in this Birthday Celebrations of great national poet Subramanya Bharathi. Bharathis life and message is like the message of the ancient sages of our great land. Eternally relevant and perpetually inspiring, it is treasure which all of us cherish. The very name of Bharathi itself is inspiring, not only to me but to everyone who loves Bharath more than his own self. Please take a look at the name again. It is BHARATH followed by an I, (Bharath-I) urging every one of us to put the country (Bharath) before our selfishness or ego (I) If each one of us can put our country above our personal greed and ego, we would be creating an India that visionaries like Bharathi dreamt of. Bharathi was the title given to this great luminary. So was the title of Mahakavi. Both signify his extraordinary contribution to the world of letters through his poetry and his speeches. He was truly blessed by the goddess of learning. While I was growing through his life history, I was amazed to note the vast canvass of issues and subjects on which he left an indelible impression in a very short period. His was a vision of freedom in the broadest sense. Not only did he join the freedom struggle and relentlessly fight against the foreign rule, but he wanted India to be free from hunger, gender discrimination, untouchability, unclean environment, narrow linguistic and religious dogmatism. This visionary approach makes him so relevant to our times. Bharathi is a symbol of multilingualism that characterizes India. He knew 32 languages including 3 foreign languages. He composed brilliant poems and essays in English but he took pride in being a Tamil poet and a journalist. He considered Tamil and all other Indian languages are no way inferior to English. In an Essay in New India, he writes, The English educated minority in this country can be pardoned for being frightfully ignorant of the higher phases of our national literatures. But they will do well to drop that annoying attitude of patronage and condescension when writing and talking about our languages. The Tamil language, for instance, has a living philosophical and poetical literature that is far grander, to my mind than that of the vernacular of England. He wanted Indians to be proud of their rich heritage. Language and literature was an integral part of this heritage. He celebrated Indias diversity and loved all languages and described Telugu as Sundara Telungu. He was against the colonial rule and the British domination but not against all foreigners. if they loved Bharath, he was even willing to revere them as his preceptor. Margaret E. Noble, an Irish woman, who was renamed by Swami Vivekananda as Sister Nivedita, is a classic example. She opened a girls' school in Calcutta and tried to educate her students with the nationalist spirit. She introduced singing of 'Vande Mataram' in her school as a prayer. On her memorial these words are mentioned, "Here reposes Sister Nivedita who gave her all to India". To Bharathi, Sister Nivedita was Bharat Mata. In his dedicatory lines of his first anthology of poems, Bharathi writes, I dedicate this slender volume at the flowery feet of my guru. I dedicate this book to Srimathi Nivedita Devi, the spiritual offspring of Bhagawan Vivekananda, the most excellent of all spiritual teachers. She taught me the nature of true service to the Mother, and the greatness of asceticism-all this through unspoken wisdom. Bharathi saw our country as Bharata Devi, Mother India. Quite naturally serving the motherland became his lifes mission and Vande Mataram became the theme song that inspired him as it did Sister Nivedita who introduced it as the prayer song her school. Bharathi spread the spirit of Vande Mataram through his songs. The completeness of this vision had earned for his national poems the reputed title, Desopanishad , comparing the poems with the Upanishadic wisdom of ancient India. He urges us to take pride in being Bharatiyas and belonging to a land blessed with ancient wisdom, a land which is The glorious symbol (tilak) of the world Is the Land of Bharat ???? ???? ?????????? ????; ?????? ????????; ??? ??????????????! ???? ???? ???????????? ?????? ?????? ????????;??? ??????????????! Bharathis patriotism is not a blind reverence. He had a very modern outlook. He was aspiring for the liberated India to be an enlightened India, a skilled India, a scientifically advanced India. He wrote: We shall master scriptures and learn the skills of work We shall explore the sky, the and its life We shall seek the insights on the nature of moon ??????????????? ?????? ???????? ???????; ???? ???????? ???? ????????????; ??????????????? ???? ????? ????????; But Bharathi was no idle dreamer. He was a pragmatist as well. He reminded our countrymen that the real glory lies in keeping our streets clean, echoing Gandhijis saying that cleanliness is next to godliness. This rings so true more than ever today as we see the renewal of this focus on cleanliness in the Swatch Bharath programme. He had said: We shall seek the insights on the nature of moon And we shall learn the means of keeping our streets clean ??????????????? ???? ????? ????????; ????? ???????????????? ??????????????? Bharathi, like Guru Dev Rabindranath Tagore, wanted India to break the narrow domestic walls. Bharathi wanted India to break free from the caste system. He considered all living beings as equal and to illustrate this he performed the upanayanam for a young Dalit man and made him a Brahmin. In one of his poems he says: There is no caste system. It is a sin to divide people on caste basis. Which means a well educated person knows to treat them same and not by their caste. This is exactly what the ancient sages had said: Pandithah sama darshinaha. Bharathi is a staunch advocate for women's participation in politics. He advocated greater rights for women and their education. In his view like in ancient Indian world view, women should be at the vanguard of societal transformation. . In many ways, Bharathi was the embodiment of what an ideal Indian should be. He applied the knowledge of the illustrious past to contemporary realities and dreamt of shaping a new brighter future, He was a man with extraordinary vision, passion and erudition. He was fearless and wanted all Indians to be fearless and united in thought and action. One of Bharati's most famous poems, AchamillaiAchamillai, contains the lyrics "Uchchi Meedhu VaanIdindhu Veezhugindra Podhinum, AchchamIllai AchchamIllai Achcham Enbadhillaiye" "Let the sky fall, when it crumbles, we will stand tall and face it all together." It echoes Rabindranath Tagores famous lines: Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high. Into that heaven of freedom, let me country awake. As we are transforming our country into a Surajya, these are incredibly inspirational thoughts. I am happy that we are celebrating Bharathis birth anniversary by recognising another illustrious son of India who embodies these ideals. Thiru Karthikeyan has demonstrated the fearless approach advocated by Bharathi in his long eventful career as a police officer. He has shown a remarkable acumen for applying knowledge and skills to unravel the truth and protect human rights of people. As the Director General of Police and Director General of the National Human Rights Commission, he has earned the appreciation of the entire country and has been decorated with Padma Sri and a number of awards. Todays award to him is yet another feather in his cap. It is a happy coincidence that he has somewhat similar interests like me in agriculture and law. I am happy to honour him as I think it is a celebration of the values and ideals that Bharathi keeps reminding all of us. I congratulate Thiru Karthikeyan and wish him well. I wish Indians all over the world are enthused to recall the glorious Bharathi legacy and commit ourselves to doing whatever we individually and collectively can, to make Bharathis dream come true. Jai Hind!" Unidentified men have reportedly hurled firebombs at a synagogue in Sweden hours after locals marched in the city against the United States' recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. CNN quoted a Police inspector Peter Nordengard as saying that the fire department extinguished the flames from the objects, which did not cause the building to catch fire or cause any injuries. Some media reports have also claimed that fire incident took place due to a party that was being held by Jewish students inside the synagogue. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. The United States has become the first country in the world to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel following Trumps' decision. In line with this announcement, the US is also shifting its embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city, again becoming the first country to take such a step. With this step, Trump has fulfilled one of its campaign promises and reversed decades-long US policy on this matter. The United States' decision has sparked widespread furore in the Arab world and condemnation from various nations. Cameron Winklevoss, thought to be one of the largest holders of bitcoin, thinks the cryptocurrencys blazing gains this year are just the start. He predicts it will rise as much as 20-fold as investors come to view it as an upgrade to gold. British Foreign Secretary has met with President Hassan Rouhani on the second of his two-day visit to Iran. No details of today's meeting were immediately available. He had been expected to discuss the fate of detained dual national, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is serving a five- year prison sentence for allegedly plotting against Iran's government. 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 finalised. 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. Johnson met with Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's nuclear program, earlier Sunday. It all began with a floating leg. Or, more specifically, an idea came tattooed on the leg of a woman kicking through the water in Key Largo, Florida, seen clear as day through Patrick Duffys diving goggles. Duffy, who ran a scuba diving therapeutic programmes for military veterans with his father, was inspired by the tattoo; it was her dedication to her late husband, a Navy SEAL killed in combat. Senior members of German Chancellor Angela Merkels 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. Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water cannons on Sunday at demonstrators near the US embassy as they protested Washington's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. An AFP correspondent in Awkar outside the capital Beirut said several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators had gathered near the US embassy, located in the area. They were blocked from reaching the complex by a metal gate sealing the road leading to the embassy, and security forces fired tear gas and water cannons to repel demonstrators who tried to open the gate by force. Several people were injured by rocks and tear gas, the correspondent said. There was no immediate comment from security forces. Protestors waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags, and sporting black-and-white checked keffiyeh scarves, chanted slogans against President Donald Trump, who on Wednesday recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital. A group of demonstrators set alight an effigy of the US president, whose decision has upended decades of American diplomacy and an consensus to leave the status of Jerusalem to be resolved in negotiations. The demonstrators included members of Palestinian parties, as well as Lebanese Islamists and leftists. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon, including those who fled or were expelled from their homes after Israel's founding, as well as their descendants. Israel occupied southern Lebanon for 22 years before withdrawing in 2000, but the two countries remain technically at war. In 2006, Israel fought a devastating war against Hezbollah in Lebanon that killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 120 Israelis, most of them soldiers. A year ago, no one would have envisioned President Emmanuel Macron of France as the public face of Western diplomacy in West Asia. But that is not the case anymore. The British Library is currently hosting the 2017 Panizzi Lectures, delivered by Professor Germaine Greer on the subject of Sappho. The third and final talk in the series will be given on Monday, 11 December, and is titled Sappho: The Shame. British Library Papyrus 739 Sappho sang her poems, and there is no evidence she wrote them down herself. However, others in the ancient world did record her poems. The British Library holds a papyrus fragment from the 3rd century which, complemented by a newly identified piece in an American private collection, provides us with an almost complete text of a hitherto unknown poem of Sappho. We've previously blogged about this poem. Girl with a lyre from the Theodore Psalter, Constantinople, 1066: Add MS 19352, f. 191r Another 2nd-century fragment, held at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, is more tantalising. It preserves the closing stanza of another Sappho poem from the end of a papyrus scroll with a short note: '[this is] the first book of the poems [containing] 1320 lines.' On this basis, the scroll may have contained 330 of Sapphos characteristic strophes, making almost a hundred poems. Moreover, the clear designation of the scroll as 'the first' book of the poems indicates that there was probably a second or maybe even a third volume of Sapphos poems, the majority of which is now lost. What survives seems to justify Sapphos poetic fame: she wrote in various styles, verses and voices, mainly about passionate love. This 'subtle flame that runs over her skin', as she describes it in a famous piece, is directed at various individuals: her brother Charaxus, as in the British Library fragment; beautiful boys (one of whom later tradition identified with Phaon, whose unrequited love reportedly made Sappho commit suicide); and a number of girls, including Pyrrha, Cydro and Anactoria, as recorded by the 1st-century Roman poet Ovid. Image of book burning, from the start of Aristotle's Physica, England (Oxford?), 3rd quarter of the 13th century: Harley MS 3847, f. 4r It has often been suggested that it was this love of girls that led to the systematic destruction of Sappho's poetry in the Middle Ages. There is a widespread tradition that, in 1073, Pope Gregory VII ordered that all of Sapphos works be burnt in Rome as well as in Constantinople. However, this is rather unrealistic: it is unclear how a Roman Pope could command the destruction of texts in Constantinople after the great schism of 1054. This tradition can probably be traced to a collection of the sayings of the French scholar Joseph Scaliger, published in 1666. Scaliger was probably quoting in turn from a work by Geronimo Cardano, a 16th-century Italian polymath who wrote a book about the transmission of ancient wisdom. Lamenting over the miserable destruction of classical writers in the Middle Ages, Scaliger stated first that Pope Gregory VII in 1073 had ordered the burning of all lascivious Roman writers, and secondly that, in Constantinople in the 4th century, Gregory of Nazianzus, had burnt the works of comedians and lyrical poets, including Sappho. Scaligers dubious remark is probably a distorted quotation from Cardano, confusing the two Gregories. Sermons of Gregory of Nazianzus copied in 972: Add MS 18231, f. 105v Was Cardano correct? Was it Gregory of Nazianzus who deprived us of the poems of the 'tenth muse', as Sappho was commonly regarded? A closer look at Cardanos statement reveals that this is also a quotation, taken from the 16th-century scholar Pietro Alcionio, whose book on famous exiles contains his childhood memory of a Greek class by a Constantinople refugee, Demetrios Calkokondylas. He remembers his teacher describing how the Greek Church authorities, supported by the Byzantine emperors, burnt eminent classical Greek poetry, including Sapphos works, and replaced the burnt poems with those of Gregory of Nazianzus. Reading Alcionios note, it is easy to see how the idea that Gregory of Nazianzus, whose poems were to replace those of Sappho, became twisted into a book-burning inquisitor. However, the question still remains: could the Greek teachers information be correct? We have no information whatsoever about the Greek Church burning books other than suspicious or heretic theological works. Did the Byzantine church leaders really burn Sappho's poetry? Was it the flames of Sapphos burning love that ultimately put her own work on the bonfire? Peter Toth Follow us on Twitter @BLMedieval Nepal's Left alliance was on heading towards comfortable majority in the parliamentary elections, winning 72 of the 89 seats so far in the historic polls that many hope will bring the political stability to the country. The CPN-UML led by former premier K P Oli and the CPN- Maoist led by former premier Prachanda have forged electoral alliance for both the provincial and parliamentary elections. According to results released by the Election Commission, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified MarxistLeninist (CPN- UML) has won 51 seats while its alliance partner CPN Maoist- Centre has bagged 21 seats. The ruling Nepali Congress, which was the largest party in the last election, won only 10 seats, according to tallies. Two Madhesi parties have won five seats. The Federal Socialist Forum Nepal led by Upendra Yadav has won 2 seats whereas Rastriya Janata Party led by Mahanta Thakur has bagged 3 seats. Naya Shakti Party led by former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai has won one seat and an independent was among winning candidates. The vote counting is in progress for remaining 76 seats. 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. 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. A total of 1,663 candidates contested polls for parliamentary seats. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has criticised the 'hypocrisy' and 'double standard' of European nations over United States President Donald Trump's decision to unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, 'but failing to speak out against rocket fire' at the nation. "In Paris I will meet with my friend, French President Emmanuel Macron. I will then hold an important meeting in Brussels with European foreign ministers," Netanyahu said before he took off for Paris and Brussels for meeting with leaders from the EU. "I ascribe great importance to Europe. While I respect Europe, I'm not prepared to accept a double standard from it. I hear voices condemning @POTUS Trump's historic statement but have not heard condemnations of the rockets fired at Israel or the terrible incitement against it," he added. Netanyahu also made it clear that he was not prepared to accept what he called a hypocrisy against Israel and as usual at this important forum he would present his country's truth without any fear. Netanyahu, after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Sunday, will meet EU foreign policy Chief Federica Mogherini in Brussels, on Monday, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. Netanyahu will also face a campaign by EU parliamentarians demanding compensation for EU-funded structures in the Palestinian territories demolished by Israel. The United States has become the first country in the world to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel following Trump's decision. In line with this announcement, the US is also shifting its embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city, again becoming the first country to take such a step. With this step, Trump has fulfilled one of its campaign promises and reversed decades-long US policy on this matter. 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. UN Security Council members also widely condemned Trump's move during an emergency meeting held on Friday. Jerusalem is considered a sacred place, which is home to Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites. However, it is also a disputed territory, contested by both Israel and Palestine, which sees it as a capital of its future state. About 10,000 Indonesians have rallied outside the US Embassy in Jakarta in support of Palestinians and denouncing President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The protesters are carrying banners reading "US Embassy, Gets Out from Al Quds," ''Free Jerusalem and Palestinians" and "We are with the Palestinians." Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem. Today's protest, organized by the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party, was the second since Trump's decision on Thursday. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has strongly condemned Trump's move, which he described as a violation of UN resolutions. Indonesia, as the world's most populous Muslim nation, has long been a strong supporter of Palestinians and has no diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. Another case of alleged medical negligence has come to light, this time from BKL hospital in Karol Bagh area. Neeraj Garg, a resident of Gwalior, told ANI on Sunday that he had lost his daughter, Deepa, due to medical negligence of the hospital, who had claimed to cure her of Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type 2 (CDA II). "On the recommendation of a doctor, we admitted her in the hospital. My daughter underwent a (bone marrow) transplant at the hospital in the month of November. After a few days, she fell sick, faced breathing problems and severe headache. Doctors continued to say that all this is normal," said Neeraj Garg, whose daughter died on November 25. Garg, who, according to the bill shown to ANI, has been billed over 17 lakhs for nearly a month-long treatment, also accused the hospital of misleading them in regards to bone marrow transplant treatment. Garg said before undergoing the treatment, they had tried to ascertain with the hospital if they had treated anyone earlier with this method. Garg said the hospital assured them about the treatment; however her condition began to worsen soon after the treatment. "A few days later, doctors said that they will have to shift her to ICU as she had developed some infection. And what was most shocking was when the doctors said now she will have to be kept on ventilator because of breathing issues. They said this is normal process so don't worry," he said. Garg also said that hospital authorities were rude to him when he confronted them following her daughter's death. A few days ago, Delhi Max Hospital (Situated in Shalimar Bagh) was in the news after the hospital declared new-born twin babies dead. However, later on, one of them was found to be alive. In November, Fortis Hospital, Gurugram, had allegedly overcharged a family for treating their daughter of dengue. The seven-year-old girl did not survive and a bill of Rs 16 lakh for 15-day treatment was handed to the family. Hours after Congress leader asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "apologise in Jama Masjid" for the 2002 riot, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Sunday tore into the party, saying the matter is being raised to consolidate votes in the ongoing Gujarat Assembly election. Shah, while addressing the media here, termed the allegation levelled against the prime minister as false and baseless. "Congress' Charan Singh said Prime Minister Modi must go inside Jama Masjid and apologies for 2002 riots. Entire nation knows the allegations levelled on the Prime Minster by the Congress backed NGO were all false and he is faultless. Yet for vote bank consolidation, 2002 is being raised in 2017," Shah told the media here. Further, continuing his attack, the BJP Chief said that the Congress Party is laying foundation of Gujarat election on casteism and has been creator of polarisation in the country. He even questioned the suspended Congress leader, Mani Shankar Aiyar's meeting with the Pakistan High Commissioner and other party leader at the former's residence and said that, "Right before Gujarat election, without informing MEA, conducting a meeting with Pakistan envoy... don't know what message it conveys." Racking up the issue of alleged Congress youth leader Salman Nizami, Shah said that the one who has vowed for Kashmir's 'freedom', is being launched for campaigning in Gujarat and the matter is being leaked for the consolidation of vote bank. "People of Gujarat can see through the cunning ways of Congress," he added. The BJP Chief, in his tirade, dragged Jignesh Mewani, the backward caste assembly candidate backed by the Congress in the Gujarat elections for accepting money from Popular Front of India (PFI) and slammed the Congress for giving up their seat for Mewani for vote bank consolidation. "Jignesh Mewani's pictures of accepting money from PFI has gone viral. PFI has always indulged in anti-national activities. Rahul Gandhi meets such a person who has relations with an anti-national outfit and the Congress gives up its seat for him for vote bank consolidation," he said. "Congress knew of his relations with PFI otherwise they would have given him a Congress ticket. They knew of the relations so they made him contest as an independent candidate and supported him from outside," he added. The Baloch Republican Party (BPR), South Korea Chapter held an anti-Pakistan demonstration in Busan city on the International Human Rights Day. The protesters were holding placards demanding Pakistan to stop Baloch genocide and the ongoing human rights violations in Balochistan. They shouted anti-Pakistan slogans with an aim to aware the about human rights crimes against Baloch people. In recent years, there has been a sudden rise in the number of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and violence against religious minorities in Balochistan. The incidents have increased since the launch of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Baloch protesters also demanded Switzerland to review its decision of rejecting asylum to Baloch Republican Party President Nawab Brahamdagh Bugti. Last month, the Switzerland Government had rejected Bugti's political asylum after a long wait of seven years. "The aim of this protest is to raise awareness about the human rights violations in Balochistan. On December 10, we appeal to the United Nations, European Union and other civilized countries to break their silence on the human rights violations in Balochistan," BRP, South Korea Chapter President Ameer Baloch said. "People in Balochistan are being kidnapped and their mutilated bodies are found. We appeal the United Nations to break its silence. Very recently, the sister and other family members of Baloch leader Dr. Allah Nazar were kidnapped", said Ameer. On the International Human Rights Day, the Baloch, Sindhi and other minorities from Pakistan are organising peaceful demonstrations in parts of Europe, U.K. and America to make the international community aware of deteriorating human rights situation in Pakistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Arab Leagues head has called the United States' decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital "dangerous and unacceptable" and a "flagrant attack on a political solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The regional bloc's secretary-general Ahmed Aboul-Gheit's statement came after an emergency meeting of foreign ministers from 22 Arab states in Egypt's capital, Cairo, on Saturday, reported Al Jazeera. Arab foreign ministers have urged the US to abandon its Jerusalem move, stating it would increase violence throughout the region. The ministers also called for the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning Trump's decision, but acknowledged that Washington would most likely veto it. A two-page resolution adopted by the emergency meeting did not include any punitive actions against the United States. According to the reports, Aboul-Gheit said Trump's decision was "against international law and raises questions over American efforts to support peace" between Palestine and Israel. The US policy shift "undermines Arab confidence" in the Trump administration, he added. The United States has become the first country in the to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel following Trump's decision. In line with this announcement, the US is also shifting its embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city, again becoming the first country to take such a step. With this step, Trump has fulfilled one of its campaign promises and reversed decades-long US policy on this matter. Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not meet United States Vice President Mike Pence later this month. 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. UN Security Council members also widely condemned Trump's move during an emergency meeting held on Friday. Jerusalem is considered a sacred place, which is home to Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites. However, it is also a disputed territory, contested by both Israel and Palestine, which sees it as a capital of its future state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress Party on Sunday quashed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claims about its leaders' "secret meeting" with Pakistani officials. In one of his campaign rallies today, Prime Minister Modi alleged Pakistan's interference in the Gujarat elections. Claiming that Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and former vice president Hamid Ansari met with Pakistan's High Commissioner and Foreign Minister at Aiyar's house just before the elections, the Prime Minister sought an explanation from the opposition. Responding to the accusation, Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma told ANI the statement was highly offensive and irresponsible on the part of the Prime Minister. Dismissing the accusation as a "lie being sold by the Prime Minister", Sharma in turn accused him of making up lies to sway the votes in his favour. "Only because he is rattled by the defeat that is staring him and the BJP in the face, he should not say such things. If he had this information, and if it is true, which is not, then it would have been an act of treason and action should have been there under law. Why is he crying there? If there is anything like that, why has he spoken now?" asked Sharma. "The Prime Minister has made a serious allegation of anti-nationalism. He should speak after thinking. He doesn't realise the gravity of the words he has spoken," he added. Sharma also demanded an apology from Prime Minister Modi for making the allegation. "Narendra Modi should apologise to India Congress party and when the Parliament opens, we will force his apology for making such an outrageous statement," he said. Responding to the question raised on the loyalties of Congress, Sharma said that the party did not need certificate from Prime Minister Modi about its patriotism. "India Congress does not need any certificate from Prime Minister about its patriotism and commitment to the country. The public knows Congress fought for the country, its leaders laid their lives for the country. Indira Gandhi sacrificed her life for India's unity, and also, Rajiv Gandhi made the ultimate sacrifice; he fell victim to the forces of terrorism," Sharma said. Singh reiterated that the BJP is losing the Gujarat Assembly election as proven from the controversial accusation of the Prime Minister. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MoS PMO Jitendra Singh on Sunday said the Congress Party had adopted a standard operating procedure (SOP) during elections - to put the blame of defeat on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and their alleged tampering. Speaking to ANI, Singh said, "Putting the blame of defeat on EVMs looks like Congress' adopted standard operating procedure during election time. Whenever they find themselves getting less votes, they put the blame on EVMs." "For example, in Punjab Assembly Elections, the EVMs were okay for them and also during the Delhi Assembly Elections - because the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost. Congress has graduated to a higher level of wisdom or shall I say smartness! They are doing it now because they are scared of the impending defeat in the elections," he said. Hitting out at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Singh stated that Congress has many a times mocked the word 'Vikas' which they failed in. "On the contrary, Rahul Gandhi has used words like 'Vikas' in his tweet today because he is scared and has realised that 'Vikas' (development) is very important in every state to which the BJP has never failed in." "It is the same Congress Party who had actually tried to mock the word 'Vikas' by terming it as Vikas went haywire after BJP coming to power," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two gangsters were arrested in east Delhi's Welcome area after they exchanged fire with another gang. Speaking to ANI, Pramod Kushwah, DCP, Special Cell, said: "ACP Govind Sharma and inspectors Amol Tyagi, Chandrashekhar and Ravindra Joshi caught the two gangsters while on duty." The gangsters have been identified as Shah Faisal Ilyas (21) and Danish (20). Two country-made pistols and seven sets of cartridges have been recovered from them. DCP Kushwah added: "The two of them were in the police custody earlier. They were given bail. Our team got information regarding their whereabouts and their plan to kill someone. We got the detailed information in the evening that they were planning to kill a gangster named Farman Anas Nanhe". "Nanhe is a prominent gangster of Nasir Gang and resides in the Trans-Yamuna area of Delhi. He was also in police custody earlier and his brother and brother-in-law are also members of the gang. He murdered an elderly woman named Saroj and has sexually assaulted young women as well," said DCP Kushwah. The two gangsters planned to be disguised in burqa and kill Nanhe at close range. As and when the two approached Nanhe, they exchanged fire. The policemen on duty rushed to the scene and captured them. The remaining people ran away on seeing the police. According to the police, the two gangsters have no major crimes recorded upon them and do petty crimes like snatching. "We are checking whether the gangsters have had any fight with other gangs or not. The weapons used are unlicensed. We are going to target their suppliers as well.", added DCP Kushwah. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) We spend a lot of time doing supply chain analysis, identifying key indicators, and then developing plans based on the picture those indicators paint. Consider, as of December 9: For the first time in over a decade, the US Navy has seven of its eleven aircraft carrier fleets at sea. Of the seven, five are in the Pacific. Of the five in the Pacific, three are in the Western Pacific. Korea sits between the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan, which are in the Western Pacific. The three in the Western Pacific are fully staffed, fully equipped, and combat ready. The carriers in the Western Pacific have full air wings, including F-35s, and combat ready carrier escorts. Forget the talking heads on the evening news. Instead of listening to what they are saying, look at what the Navy is doing. Read a map. Apply some simple logic. Readiness is everything in the military. It sure looks like the logisticians have the pieces in place to go into battle with North Korea. Thats what a military logistician means when talking about readiness. And there are four other carrier groups in place around the world in the event that somebody else the names Putin and Erdogan come to mind sense an opportunity for mischief. Are commercial logisticians also ready if the curtain goes up? Many of us rely on logistics connections with China, or elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Do you have a contingency plan if things take a nasty turn? Sometimes life is about having Plan B ready to go. Look across your supply chain, one, two, even three tiers way. Look back to your suppliers, and forward to your customers. Check out your safety stock levels, your alternate sources of supply, and your backlogs. Are you vulnerable? One of the first women to come out and talk about sexual misconduct committed by studio mogul Harvey Weinstein, model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez is finally rebuilding her life in "superfast time" after her terrifying ordeal. According to Page Six, the 24-year-old model said that the scandal has really ruined her life and forced her to flee the US. But she feels that spending time with family in the Philippines have helped her recover and her life is right on track where she left before the scandal. "I see all good things coming right now. I'm getting my two years back in very superfast time and I'm super happy about it." She says that her experience with Weinstein, and the resulting coverage, even made it difficult to date. "I had a lot of people saying, 'I can't go out with you because you had this kind of reputation," noted Gutierrez. The Italian model said that she threw herself into fund-raising for the organisation when she returned to the Philippines, where her mother is from, amid the fallout from coming forward against Weinstein. She said, "My situation, my life, was the worst ever. But I saw people in a worse situation. That's what I want to try to do; I want to give them all the possibility I have." She is currently working on a movie with Archstone Pictures about Berlusconi, but has to wait for the pol's ongoing trial to end. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The parents of an Indian student from Hyderabad, who was shot at in Chicago in the United States, have sought External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj's help for an emergency visa to visit their son. The victim, who has been identified as Mohammad Akbar, has an injury on his cheek. He was injured on December 6 while he was walking towards his car in the parking lot. "While my brother was walking towards his car, a stranger approached and shot him without any reason. Our request is from the Government of Telangana and from the Central Government to take cognisance in this case," elder brother Mohammad Shafi told ANI. Mohammad Shafi also said that he has also contacted the EAM for an emergency visa to visit the ailing brother. The Indian student, studying in Chicago, is presently undergoing treatment at a hospital in the U.S. "I did speak to the External Affairs Ministry and the PA (Personal Assistant) of Sushma Swaraj is what the person told me and the other staff. They just spoke to me and they didn't make me feel that they are going to expertise it or act upon it right away. They asked me to apply for the visa and they will so what can they do. I also tweeted Sushma Swaraj and yet to get a reply from her," he added. Meanwhile, the victim's ailing father appealed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide safety to children living outside India for study or other purposes. "I want safety for children who are living there. If the government wants development for the country, them they must provide safety for the children who are studying outside to bring betterment for our nation. Such incidents will demean the morale of our children. I appeal Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sushma Swaraj to help us and allow my elder son as soon as possible to go the US," victim's father Yusuf said. The victim had gone to the U.S. for higher studies a few months back. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij on Sunday said the Health Department had registered an FIR in the Sushant Lok Police Station against the Fortis Hospital, in connection with the death of a seven-year-old girl suffering from Dengue. "The Health Department has registered an FIR in the Sushant Lok Police Station against the Fortis Hospital. The death was caused due to sheer medical negligence," Vij told ANI. Earlier, a committee formed by the Haryana Government found criminal negligence on the part of the hospital. The statement came after a committee of senior doctors, formed by the state government, gave its recommendations. The committee also alleged several irregularities, including refusal of appropriate ambulance service to the patient, not following leave against medical advice (LAMA) protocol, and overcharging. The committee also found the Fortis Hospital guilty of overcharging for medicines and platelets and has sent a notice for cancellation of its blood bank's licence. Parents of the seven-year old girl, who died on November 21 of Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS), had alleged the Fortis Hospital for charging Rs 16 lakh for the 15-day treatment. The hospital, however, had denied the allegations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In yet another incident of its kind, a group of foreign tourists, including women, was allegedly beaten up and molested in Ahraura area of Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday by a group of local boys. However, the Uttar Pradesh police has arrested four local boys in this regard. All the 11 tourists were natives of France. The injured tourists were shifted to the Mirzapur hospital for further treatment. "Some of local boys abused, molested and thrashed all the tourists. When I tried to stop the attackers, they also started thrashing me. The attackers called more people to attack us. In defence, we also started attacking them,"Riya Dutt, an Indian friend of French tourist told ANI. "We were going back suddenly some people came and started insulting us. These people start attacking us with sticks. One of my friend is badly injured," one of the injured tourists said. More details are awaited. Few days ago, a German was beaten up by a man at a railway Station in Sonbhadra district of UP because he unintentionally ignored a man's greeting. Also, a Swiss couple was thrashed at Fatehpur Sikri on October 26. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Wrestler Geeta Phogat has condemned the alleged Zaira Wasim harassment incident and has said the 17-year-old actress should have slapped the man the very moment he tried to touch her. Zaira, who had played the young Geeta Phogat in Aamir Khan's blockbuster film Dangal, had last night taken to Instagram to post a story wherein she alleged a middle-aged man tried to molest her when she was en route Mumbai from Delhi by an Air Vistara flight. Phogat while extending her support to the national award-winning actress, told ANI, "Whatever has happened is very wrong. If it can happen with Zaira, then it can happen with anyone. Zaira should have slapped the man at that very moment" The Commonwealth gold medallist added the incident should not be left limited to an Instagram story. She further opined, "Girls themselves should show courage to take a step forward when these kinds of incidents happen. When girls say they are no less than anyone, they should also prove that and show some confidence." In the Instagram video, Zaira could be seen fighting her tears and saying, "This is not done; I am disturbed. Is this how you're going to take care of girls?" She said she had called out to the cabin crew for help but it was of no use. The National Commision of Women (NCW), the Delhi Commission of Women (DCW), the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have sought details from Air Vistara over the incident. Taking note of the incident, the airline have ordered a detailed investigation into the incident. In a statement, the airline also apologised, adding Zaira started yelling at the accused passenger only during the descent of the flight, due to which the cabin crew couldn't move because it's mandatory to have no movement during the final phase of the flight as seat belts are on. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Giving value to human rights is within the DNA of India, which has no history of aggression against any country in the world, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu said on the occasion of Human Rights Day, on Sunday. Addressing a Human Rights Day function, organised by the Human Rights Commission (NHRC) here, Naidu said despite various castes and creed, India has remained united and added, "There may have been some violent incidents for which the governments should take action". "Violence is the worst form of human rights violation. Unfortunately, some people make violence and terror as part of the state policy. Terror has no religion. It poses serious threat to humanity and it is time that the United Nations concluded with the process of defining terror and acted against it by taking stringent action," the vice-president said. He further stated that personal rights cannot come in the way of integrity as peace was important for development. "If there is terror, there is tension and due to this, there cannot be attention for development. Power comes from ballot not from bullet. Those who seek to change system, have no right to kill people. They should join public life and change the system," he added. Lauding the role of the NHRC, he said it has made a significant contribution towards spreading awareness about the importance of promotion and protection of human rights. "The Millennium Development Goals cannot be achieved without ensuring protection of human rights. Poverty remains a challenge and it is not specific to India. The whole world needs to work together to eradicate it," the Vice President added. Addressing the gathering, NHRC Chairperson Justice H. L. Dattu said since 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) has continued to be the most important and far-reaching of all United Nations declarations, and a source of inspiration for and international efforts to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. "India, despite multiple challenges, the Constitution and democratic polity, has ensured inclusivity and a respect for human rights. The NHRC has consistently endeavoured to expand the sphere of its work and activities, keeping in with the broad definition of human rights contained in the Protection of Human Rights Act and its expansive mandate, which has also been recognized by the Supreme Court," Dattu added. Marking the day, the vice-president also released three NHRC publications, carrying articles on important aspects of human rights issues by eminent persons as well as a book titled ' Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Combating Trafficking of Persons in India'. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China's Foreign Minister Wand Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov will be arriving in Delhi today for the 15th Russia-India-China (RIC) Foreign Minister level trilateral meet with their Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj. India is hosting RIC foreign ministerial meeting on Monday. The three foreign ministers will issue a joint statement as well. According to a media report, the three foreign ministers are likely to begin their discussions after calling on President Ramnath Kovind. The discussions will be followed by a working lunch. The platform of the three major BRICS powers is aimed at facilitating common position on key global challenges - radical ideas, terror threats, Afghanistan and West Asia. Swaraj will hold bilateral meeting on the sidelines of RIC with Wang Yi and Sergei Lavrov who will be the first minister from Beijing to visit India after the Doklam episode. China and India are at odds on issues like NSG membership for India, Masood Azhar's ban or even India's participation in One Belt One Road Initiative (OBOR). Earlier, the RIC meeting had been scheduled for April. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The 26th anniversary of the Independence Day of Kazakhstan was observed and celebrated in New Delhi earlier this week. Minister of State for External Affairs Mr. M.J. Akbar was the chief guest at the reception organised by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in The Imperial Hotel in central Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, Kazakhstan's Ambassador to India Mr. Bulat Sarsenbayev recalled the warm ties shared between Kazakhstan and India. He noted that both Kazakhstan and India, being strategic partners, have strong ties and have been supporting each other on an ongoing basis, especially in the current year, which marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Speeches were also made by the Representative of the Foundation of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Sergey Tokharov, and Chief Guest Mr. Akbar. During the reception on December 4, artists of the Kazakh Conservatory named after Kurmangazy enthralled the guests with a special concert. There was music and songs of both and world origin. Prominent political and public figures of India, heads of diplomatic missions, business representatives, the media, and friends of the embassy were present. Noted Kazakhstan pianist and Rector of the Kazakh Conservatory, Professor Jania Aubakirova and her team of talented musicians have been in the Indian capital over the past five days to participate in several events dedicated to the celebration of the Day of the First President and Independence Day of Kazakhstan. A photo exhibition titled "Undiscovered Kazakhstan" was held on December 1 and 2 in the 12th and 13th century-built historical Qutb Minar complex on December 2. Both events were warmly received by residents and guests of Delhi and was also widely covered in local media, including interviews for television channels of Ambassador of Kazakhstan in India Bulat Sarsenbayev and People's Artist of Kazakhstan Jania Aubakirova. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after the Delhi Government cancelled the licence of the Max Hospital in Delhi's Shalimar Bagh, relatives of the patients, who are currently admitted in the hospital, expressed concern regarding further medical treatment here. While few of the relatives of the patients claimed the hospital had always given them the best treatment for free, others were concerned about the consequences that shutting of the hospital would lead to. "I have been coming here for the past five months for routine pregnancy tests of my sister-in-law for free. The gynaecologist wasn't able to sense the heartbeats of the foetus so we came for test yesterday, but the OPD was locked. If the child dies, will the Delhi Government take responsibility?" a patient's relative told ANI. The incident of falsely declaring a newborn dead and giving it away to the parents in a packet by the Max Hospital had earlier created an uproar. This had led to the state government cancelling the licence of the hospital on Friday, through a four-page order. The father of the children had accused the hospital of deliberately declaring the baby dead and trying to get rid of him after he told the authorities he would not be able to pay Rs 1 lakh per day for their treatment. India Medical Association (IMA) President KK Aggarwal on Thursday blamed the concerned doctors of committing a gross mistake. They were later terminated from their services by the hospital. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday continued his tirade against suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar while questioning his meeting with the Pakistan High Commissioner. Aiyar, who sparked a controversy by calling Prime Minister Modi 'neech aadmi', had, on Thursday, met Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood along with former prime minister Manmohan Singh and former vice president Hamid Ansari. "Have you read about Mani Shankar Aiyar. Didn't they insult me and people of Gujarat? Now news is that Pakistan High Commissioner and foreign minister and Manmohan Singh met at his house just before the Gujarat polls. This is a serious issue that I want to ask. What is the reason for secret meeting with Pakistanis?" Prime Minister Modi said, while addressing a rally in Banaskantha's Palanpur. "Former Pakistan Army director general Arshad Rafique was backing and was willing to help make Ahmed Patel the chief minister," he alleged. Meanwhile, the Prime minister also hailed the work in Banaskantha, especially in the agriculture sector. "The entire nation is seeing the wonders of Banaskantha in agriculture, particularly in potato cultivation," he added. The prime minister, who was apparently suffering from a sore throat, could not talk properly and hence concluded his speech urging the gathering to vote for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The political parties have started campaigning for the second phase of Gujarat assembly to be held on December 14. The first phase was held on December 9 for 83 assembly constituencies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov arrived in New Delhi on Sunday to attend 15th Russia-India-China (RIC) foreign ministers' meeting. Earlier, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also arrived in New Delhi on Sunday to participate in the trilateral meeting scheduled to be held on Monday. This is the first high-level visit from China to India since the two sides decided to disengage their troops from Bhutan's Doklam plateau after months-long stand-off. Tensions rose between the two countries when China began constructing a road in the plateau at Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction. The meeting, which will also be attended by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, is expected to review global and regional issues of mutual interest as well as discuss trilateral exchanges and activities. A joint communique is expected to be released following the meeting. Lavrov and Wang are also expected to call on President Ram Nath Kovind and have bilateral meetings with Swaraj. During the visit, Lavrov will also deliver a public lecture at Vivekanand International Foundation today on the subject 'Global Affairs and new vistas of Russia-India cooperation' while Wang would be gracing an India-China cultural evening at Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra on Tuesday evening. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the latest development in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a security guard has been stabbed near Jerusalem's central bus station. The guard was seriously wounded on Sunday and his attacker has been arrested, reported the Independent, citing Israeli Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld as saying. The stabbing comes amid heightened tensions in the region. Earlier on Friday, the Israeli soldiers shot dead two Palestinians near the Gaza border in clashes over United States President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Various Palestinian factions, including militant organisation Hamas, called for a day of rage 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 U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, calling for a revolt against Israel to "liberate Jerusalem from occupation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sri Lanka has formally handed over its main southern port of Hambantota to China on a 99-year lease. The port, near the main shipping route from Asia to Europe, is expected to play a key role in China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Sri Lanka received USD 292 million out of a USD 1.12 billion deal, reported Channel News Asia, citing Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera, as saying. 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. The Chinese firm will now hold 70-per cent-stake in a joint venture with the state-run Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA). Ports Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe has said the government would receive another 10 per cent, or around USD 100 million, in a month and another USD 585 million in six months. The island country owed China USD 8 billion, said former Sri Lankan finance minister Ravi Karunanayaka, last year. "With this agreement we have started to pay back the loans," Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said, while addressing the handing over ceremony held in the parliament. Chinese firm will invest an additional USD 600 million to make Hambantota port operational and USD 1.12 billion from the deal will be used for debt repayment, the report said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least two Taliban insurgents were killed while planting Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Afghanistan's Laghman province. The incident took place in the vicinity of the Alingar district. No one else was killed or wounded in the incident apart from the two insurgents, Khaama Press reported, citing, 201st Silab Corps of the Afghan Army, as saying. The anti-government armed militant groups frequently use explosives materials for the roadside bombings and car bombings to target the government staff and security personnel, the report said. This comes after the death of two militants reportedly three months ago while planting an IED on a roadside in the Kapisa province. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) United States President Donald Trump has called for sacking of a Washington Post reporter who had tweeted a misleading picture of the president's Florida rally. Dave Weigel tweeted a photograph wherein very people were seen attending the event in Pensacola on Friday night. Later, it turned out that the photo was taken before the event had begun. Trump on Saturday called out the reporter on Twitter for posting the "phony photo". "@DaveWeigel @WashingtonPost put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo!" Trump tweeted. Later, Weigel deleted the photo and said he was confused by the image of Trump's walking in the bottom right corner of the arena. "Sure thing: I apologize. I deleted the photo after @dmartosko told me I'd gotten it wrong. Was confused by the image of you walking in the bottom right corner," he said in a tweet. However, Trump was not satisfied with Weigel's apology and removal of the photo, as he demanded the reporter to be sacked. "@daveweigel of the Washington Post just admitted that his picture was a FAKE (fraud?) showing an almost empty arena last night for my speech in Pensacola when, in fact, he knew the arena was packed (as shown also on T.V.). FAKE NEWS, he should be fired," Trump said in a tweet. Weigel called his mistake a "bad tweet" on his personal account and not a story for Washington Post. "It was a bad tweet on my personal account, not a story for Washington Post. I deleted it after like 20 minutes. Very fair to call me out. Everything I say on Twitter is a joke, except what I say about @swin24," Weigel tweeted. Earlier, Trump had also attacked CNN ABC News correspondent Brian Ross for incorrect reporting. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "Dangal" actress Zaira Wasim, 17, has alleged she was molested mid-air by a middle-aged man, drawing strong reactions by women rights activists and politicians. The airline apologized and Mumbai Police registered an FIR. The National Award winning Kashmiri actress complained about her ordeal, claiming that a middle-aged man seated behind her moved his foot up and down her neck and back. In a self-shot video for Instagram live chat, Zaira is also seen breaking down. "I just landed, the whole irony of this that I yelled... and this is not done... this is not how you should be treated or made to feel. This is terrible. "This is how they will take care of girls? No one will help us if we don't decide to help ourselves and that is the worst thing," she said, looking visibly disturbed. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said she was appalled. "Any harassment or crime against women should be dealt with swiftly and effectively. As a mother of two daughters, I am appalled at what happened with Zaira," Mufti tweeted and urged the authorities to take strict action. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the passenger should be identified by Air Vistara and a case should be filed. The Civil Aviation Ministry has sought a report on the incident while the National Commission for Women (NCW) as well as the Delhi and Maharashtra commisions for women urged the actress to approach police. NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma, Swati Maliwal of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, issued notices to authorities concerned to take due action. DCW has already sought answers from Vistara Airlines seeking details of the action taken by airlines. Vistara Airlines apologized to Zaira and said it was carrying out a detailed investigation. "We will support Wasim in every way required and also if she decides to report this matter to the police... We apologize for what Wasim experienced and we have zero tolerance for such behaviour," read a post on the Airlines' official Twitter page. From the film industry, director Onir and actress Swara Bhasker came out in support of Zaira, who was also lauded for her performance in "Secret Superstar". "Shame Vistara that your staff did nothing. Shame on all the passengers, they are equally guilty as this moron. It should not be difficult for airlines to locate him from seat no. He should be arrested and punished," Onir tweeted. Swara slammed it an "intolerable" incident and said: "We are now at that point where a 17-year-old child has to remind us what is right and what is wrong. I'm so sorry that adults around you let you down, Zaira Wasim. But you keep up the good fight. Stay strong." Wrestler Babita Phogat tweeted a video in support of Zaira, who played the younger version of Geeta Phogat in "Dangal". "If someone is misbehaving with you, give a tight slap on their face. They will never dare to repeat their actions again. Zaira, you don't need to be afraid of anyone and just be 'dhaakad' (bold) in real life as well." --IANS qn-gt-rb-bc/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "Dangal" actress Zaira Wasim has detailed a harrowing experience of being allegedly molested by a middle-aged man while she was on a flight from Delhi to Mumbai. Women commissions have urged her to file a police complaint. The 17-year-old National Award winner shared her ordeal on a Vistara Airlines flight on Saturday night via Instagram. She shared a snapshot of the man's foot which was rested on her arm rest and detailed her experience of how the man "kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck". In a self-shot video for Instagram live chat, Zaira, who is from Jammu and Kashmir, is also seen breaking down. "I just landed, the whole irony of this that I yelled... and this is not done... this is not how you should be treated or made to feel. This is terrible. This is how they will take care of girls? No one will help us if we don't decide to help ourselves and that is the worst thing," she said, looking visibly disturbed. The National Commission for Women (NCW) as well as the Delhi and Maharashtra commisions for women on Sunday urged the actress to approach the police. NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said she was horrified. "I am taking suo moto cognizance and giving notice to Vistara and a copy to DCP Maharashtra to act against the airline. We would like to tell Zaira that we are there to help her out in any way we can," Sharma told the media. Swati Maliwal of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) also condemned the incident. "Urge Zaira Wasim to file police complaint. Accused should be arrested. Since flight was from Delhi to Mumbai, the DCW is issuing notice to Vistara Airlines seeking details of man, action taken by airlines and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) followed in such matters. Now even flights are unsafe for girls," Maliwal tweeted. Calling it a "shameful incident", Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said: "MSCW will direct DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) to conduct an inquiry in the matter. We will inquire into the steps taken by Vistara to address the complaint. "There should be inquiry about why the cabin crew did not help her. We have directed the Mumbai Police to look into the matter immediately." Vistara Airlines has said it will investigate the issue. "We have seen the reports regarding Zaira Wasim's experience with another customer... We are carrying out detailed investigation and will support Zaira in every way required. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour," read a post on the Airlines' official Twitter page. The airline apologized to Zaira and said it was carrying out a detailed investigation. "We will support Wasim in every way required and also if she decides to report this matter to the police... We apologize for what Wasim experienced and we have zero tolerance for such behaviour," read a post on the Airlines' official Twitter page. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the passenger should be identified by Air Vistara and a case should be filed. --IANS gt-qn-rb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The maiden direct flight of Air India from Bhubaneswar to Bangkok was flagged off by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik from the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here from Sunday. The flight will be operated on every Thursday and Sunday. Describing this as a historic moment, Patnaik said he hoped it will further strengthen ties with southeast Asian countries. "It will also boost trade and tourism. Besides, it will pave way to attract more international visitors to our Buddhist tourism centres," said the Chief Minister and cut a cake with passengers and crew members. The flight number A1338 left Bhubaneswar at about 3.45 p.m. and arrived in Bangkok at 8.15 p.m. Earlier in the day, flight number A1339 with 18 passengers on board took off from Bangkok at around 5.40 a.m. (IST) and landed at 7 a.m. in Bhubaneswar airport on Sunday. The passengers were given a rousing welcome after they landed. Tourism Minister Ashok Chandra Panda said the direct flight would boost tourism to Odisha. On April 26 this year, Air Asia had commenced a flight from Bhubaneswar to Kuala Lumpur. --IANS cd/him/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Arab Foreign Ministers declared on Sunday that the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital is illegal, and warned it could lead to further violence in the region. The ministers from member states of the Arab League held a prolonged urgent meeting here from Saturday evening, and urged the US to withdraw its decision, which they described as a violation of international law, Xinhua news agency reported. US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he acknowledged Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and decided to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem - an announcement that received wide criticism and opposition from Arab and Muslim countries. The US decision has no legal effect, the Arab ministers said in their final statement, adding that it undermines peace efforts, deepens tension, provokes anger and pushes the region into violence and instability. They urged world countries to recognise an independent Palestinian state on the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital. They have pointed out that the US has isolated itself as a peace mediator and sponsor after making this decision. They stressed adherence to peace based on the two-state solution, calling for a UN Security Council resolution to affirm that the US decision goes against the resolutions of international legitimacy. Before the meeting, the Palestinian National Authority's Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said that with Trump's decision, the US had taken sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and forfeited its role as mediator. He stressed that there will be no official contact between any Palestinian and American officials, and that the Palestinians will seek a "new international focal point for ending the occupation" but not withdraw from the peace process. Jerusalem lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Israel took over East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war and declared the whole city as its eternal indivisible capital in 1980, but this had not been recognised by the international community. The Palestinians insist that they should establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital in the final settlement. Under the previous Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, the status of Jerusalem should be determined through the final status talks between Israel and the Palestinians. --IANS him/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said banning liquor was the biggest example of practising secularism and urged the Congress and Left parties to announce such bans in the states governed by them. "In all religions -- Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism -- consumption of liquor is termed bad. I want to ask the Congress and the Left parties -- since they talk about secularism a lot -- why don't they talk about liquor bans in states ruled by them? Why don't they run campaigns against it?" the Chief Minister said while addressing Janata Dal-United (JD-U) Delhi unit workers at the Talkatora Stadium here. Nitish Kumar, who is also the JD-U President, recalled that while addressing a meeting in Patna ahead of assembly elections in Bihar, some women had requested him for a ban on liquor in the state. "And I promised that if my government returns to power, I will do so," he said. He said it required a lot of courage to ban liquor, which was done in Bihar in April 2016. Talking of Bihari migrants living outside the state, the Chief Minister said they were Indian citizens who could, as per the Indian Constitution, go anywhere in the country to live and earn a living. "If Bihar people living in Delhi stop working for a day, the city will come to a standstill," Nitish Kumar said. The JD-U leader exhorted the workers to expand the party base in the national capital. "There is opportunity since lakhs of people from Bihar live and work here," he said. He also asked party leaders in Delhi to take up problems faced by residents of over 1,642 unauthorised colonies. "The party leader must take up the issues as colony residents are living in miserable conditions without proper drinking water or power," he said. "I visited some areas of Delhi and was shocked to see conditions there. Even conditions in Bihar villages are much better," he quipped. --IANS aks/tsb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Britain's Department for (DfE) said on Sunday that it plans to introduce accelerated two-year degree courses in universities, reducing the time taken to get a bachelor's degree by a year. Reducing courses by a year would leave students around $34,000 better off compared to the traditional three-year courses, Xinhua news agency reported. The proposals were set out in a new government consultation which will run until February when a final decision will be made. "Accelerated degrees offer the same qualifications and are quality-assured in the same way as a standard degree, but delivered over a shorter, usually two-year timespan. "This means when most students are completing their third year of study, an accelerated degree student will be starting work and getting a salary," said a Dfe spokesman. The proposals announced on Sunday include 20 per cent saving worth $7,400 for students in total tuition costs compared to a standard three-year course. When added to the average salary of $25,000 in the first year after graduating, it means a potential $34,000 benefit overall. Although the proposals allow institutions to charge up to 20 per cent more each year for accelerated degrees, the overall tuition fee cost of the degree to the student is 20 per cent less than the same degree over three years. The new fee arrangements for the two-year degrees are set to be in place by September 2019, subject to parliamentary approval. "For too long we have been stuck with a system that has increasingly focused on offering only one way of benefiting from higher education, via the classic three-year degree programme," said Universities Minister Jo Johnson. "Many will want to stick with the classic three-year university experience, but for highly motivated students hungry for a faster pace of learning and a quicker route into or back into work, at lower overall cost, two-year degrees will be well worth considering," he added. Professor Les Ebdon, director of Fair Access to Higher Education, said: "Accelerated degrees are an attractive option for mature students who have missed out on the chance to go to university as a young person." The DfE said universities offering accelerated degrees will need to meet exactly the same quality assurance measures as for the standard three-year equivalent degrees. --IANS him/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After an average 20 per cent wage hike for Coal India Ltd's 2.98 lakh permanent workers, its trade unions are set for negotiating a wage revision for contractual workers and a committee for this is likely to be set up in a month, a trade union leader said on Sunday. After a long negotiation, Coal India management and workers' unions had signed the Memorandum of Agreement for National Coal Wage Agreement and this would be effective for five years till June 30, 2021. "We signed the wage agreement for permanent workers on October 10. It was mentioned in the agreement that wage of contractual workers would be revised and a committee will be formed for that purpose. I think the proposed committee is likely to be formed in month time and then, the committee will start deliberating," All India Coal Workers' Federation General Secretary D.D. Ramanandan told IANS. He said a preliminary discussion would be held on December 14 for the purpose. The state-run miner had said the wage hike for permanent workers' would have an estimated average annual impact of Rs 5,667 crore and it had made provisions for the wage revision. The proposed committee will have representations from all the trade unions and also from the management, Ramanandan said. However, the miner's bottomline has been under pressure in the last few quarters and it had reported close to 40 per cent fall in its consolidated net profit to Rs 368.88 crore in the quarter ended September 30, 2017 as compared to Rs 612.44 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal. --IANS bdc/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The alliance of Communist parties of Nepal formed by the CPN-UML-Marxist-Leninist and CPN Center-Maoist emerged victorious after 60 per cent of the vote had been counted on Sunday in Thursday's bi-phase general elections. "The UML is on track to become the party with the highest representation while the Maoist Center and Congress Party are in second and third positions respectively," Election Commission spokesperson Nabaraj Dhakal told Efe news agency. Nepal held the second and last phase of the historic general elections on Thursday which will put an end to 18 years of an interim legislature and make way for a new bicameral parliament approved in the Constitution of 2015. In the election, 165 of the 275 members of the federal parliament and representatives of the provincial assemblies were elected, which in turn will help appoint 59 senators of the new upper house or the National Assembly. According to the vote count at 12 p.m. on Sunday, the UML had won 51 seats and was leading in another 27, while the Maoists have taken 22 and are leading in 13 others. The UML and the Maoists reached a pre-election agreement to campaign together and not contest in the same constituencies. According to the agreement, the UML would field candidates in 60 per cent of the electoral demarcations, while the Maoists would take up the remaining 40 per cent. The ruling Nepali Congress (NC) party has suffered a major setback having obtained 10 seats and leading the count in another 12. "We have to admit that the NC has done very badly and we will sit down once the results come out to analyse what went wrong," said Gagan Thapa, member of the NC Working Committee, told Efe. The Madhesi parties, from the southern region of Terai, the most industrialised in the country and the site of constant tensions, have won six seats so far and are leading in 15 others. In addition to the 165 legislators directly elected, another 110 will be elected according to a system that will take into account the results of each party throughout the country. It is expected that the final count of the direct election seats will end on Monday and that the allocation of the 110 seats based on the proportional result should conclude on Friday, according to Dhakal. Provincial election results have been similar to those of the national election. With the new bicameral parliament, Nepal will come to the end of a transition process that began in 2008 with the end of monarchy, two years after the end of the traumatic war against the Maoist guerrillas. In addition, the process of institutional composition of the country will be completed on the basis of the 2015 constitution, which saw harsh disputes and protests in the Terai region. --IANS him/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Sunday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order an impartial probe into the note-ban decision that the opposition party dubbed the "biggest scam ever and the largest money-laundering scheme". "In September 2016 (before announced on November 8, 2016), a whopping Rs 5,88,600 crore was deposited in banks, of which Rs 3 lakh crore was in fixed deposits. Whose money was it and what happened to it?" Congress Spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said at a press conference here. "In October 2016, the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar purchased eight properties. In Odisha, it purchased 18 properties, just ahead of . Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah tell the people as to how many properties they purchased just before Will they disclose the details of the party's bank accounts of the months preceding demonetisation?" Surjewala said. Modi had announced the demonetisation of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. "Also, Rs 500 crore was deposited in the Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank three days before demonetisation. Amit Shah is a Director of this bank. Was he questioned by the Income Tax Department or the Enforcement Directorate regarding this money?" he said. The Congress leader said that after demonetisation, Rs 10.1 crore was seized from a Vaidyanath Cooperative Urban Development Bank van, in which BJP leader and Maharashtra Minister Pankaja Munde has a stake. "It is public knowledge that the cooperative banks were not given any new currency. Then how come this cooperative bank got new currency of Rs 10 crore? Whose money was it? Is there any probe into this case?" Surjewala said. He said at a time when the common people were struggling in bank queues to get a few lakh of rupees in new currency for their daughters' weddings, mining baron G. Janardan Reddy splurged Rs 500 crore on his daughter's wedding. "The BJP top brass made a beeline to this function as Reddy is considered very dear to Prime Minister Modi. Why was no investigation launched against Reddy as to where from he got so much money in new currency, when notes were being rationed to the common people?" Surjewala said. "We challenge the Prime Minister to order an impartial probe into all these cases, and many more such cases, and bring out the facts before the people," he added. The Congress leader called All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi as the "B-team of BJP" and said people should not pay attention to the polarising antics of such people. Accusing the Congress of indulging in " of caste and appeasement", BJP President Amit Shah on Sunday said that the Congress decision to support Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani is a pre-planned move to take elections towards this purpose. He alleged that the Congress "must be aware of Mewani's links with the Popular Front of India (PFI) that has been found indulging in anti-national activites", and that is why it did not give Mewani its own party symbol but "supported him from outside". "Rahul Gandhi meets Jignesh Mewani and leaves one seat for him, that is, the Congress does not field its candidate on Vadgaon assembly seats in Banaskantha district. I believe there can't be any better example of vote bank than this," Shah said at a press conference here. He said that the BJP is contesting elections "only on development plank". "Ever since the BJP came to power in Gujarat in 1995, the state has achieved new milestones be it in ease of doing business, consistently high growth rate, higher per capita income, agricultural development or infrastructure development," the BJP chief said. "I request to the people of Gujarat to reject the of vote bank and appeasement," he said. --IANS mak/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A direct train between Sikar town and national capital Delhi on broad gauge tracks will boost tourism in the Shekhawati region of the desert state and benefit tourists, traders and Armymen hailing from Rajasthan, a Minister said on Sunday. The train between Sikar and Delhi's Sarai Rohilla station will take two hours less than the travel time on the metre-gauge line. The Sikar-Delhi train will run via Churu and Bikaner, thereby connecting a majority of towns in Shekhawati region to Delhi, including Jhunjhunu, Fatehpur, Churu, Sadulpur, and Bikaner, said Minister of States for Railways Rajen Gohain after flagging off a train between Sikar and Churu on the broad gauge tracks. "This connectivity will make it easy for foreign tourists to visit Shekhawati, which will definitely boost tourism. The 'havelis' of Shekhawati and other monuments in the region are a centre of attraction for tourists." North Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Tarun Jain said: "Earlier, it was problematic for residents of Churu, Sikar, and Fatehpur to visit Delhi by train as they had to go to Jaipur to catch a train to Delhi." --IANS arc/tsb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Citing Delhi and Gujarat, the Ghaziabad Parents Association (GPA) on Sunday hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government for allowing private schools to raise fees at will. GPA President Seema Tyagi and her colleagues berated the UP Fee Regulatory Bill, whose draft has been uploaded, and pledged to challenge it in the Supreme Court. "The draft is rejected totally. It is against the spirit of the Constitution which guarantees education as a fundamental right," Tyagi told the media. She said that parents had been fighting the unchecked hikes in tuition fee by private schools. Now, parents were shocked to see that the new bill allowed school managements to increase the fees whenever they want, she said. Tyagi said the Delhi and Gujarat governments in contrast had put curbs on private schools. She also said that schools cannot charge fees quarterly, half-yearly or annually. They can only charge fees every month. "But this draft has given them the liberty to charge fees at their will." Added Satya Pal Chaudhary, the patron of GPA: "We will be challenging this draft in the Supreme Court and urge it to issue contempt notice to Sanjay Agrawal, the Principal Secretary (Education) in the Uttar Pradesh government, for acting against law." --IANS sps/mr/him (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Aiming to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) on the lines of polio, the Union Health Ministry has launched a 15-day nationwide door-to door campaign for early and better diagnosis of the infectious disease, an official said. The programme, under the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP), is in its third phase and was started on December 4. The government plans to eradicate TB by 2025 even though the WHO has set the target period as 2030. Under the programme titled Active Case Finding (ACF), health workers such as those from ASHA and TB supervisors are visiting the 186 TB high risk districts of the country. WHO estimates that every year India witnesses 2.8 million new cases of TB but only 1.7 million cases are reported to the Health Ministry and state authorities. The remaining do not get reported due to lack of resources and awareness. "This programme will boost the diagnosis of the TB cases. In fact, one million TB patients get missed every year. Under this programme the health workers will go from door to door to ask if there are any TB patients. This will be only in the 186 high risk districts," Sunil Khaparde, Deputy Director General (TB) at the Health Ministry, told IANS. The first two campaigns were held in 2016, when nearly 15,000 cases of TB were detected and the patients were later on put on treatment. "The Health Ministry wants to bring down TB cases by 90 per cent by 2025 and reduce mortality due to the disease by 95 per cent by 2030 under the Revised National TB Control Programme," said Kaparde. The Ministry is also sensitising private hospitals so that the patients coming to them notify the cases to the government, which does not happen now. It has also announced the launch of daily regimen for TB patients across the country under RNTCP instead of the thrice weekly regimen. This change will bring transformation in the approach and intensity to deal with this disease which kills about 4.2 lakh people every year. --IANS rup/him/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A ferry carrying more than 300 passengers ran aground on Sunday in the French port of Calais but no one was injured, reports said. "The ship is stable. The captaincy is seeing how to return to normal," said the provincial government of the French department of Pas-de-Calais, adding that the sea shipping has been interrupted, reported Xinhua news agency. The provincial government has issued an orange vigilance on high winds via its Twitter account Sunday afternoon. --IANS him/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Business / Companies by Staff reporter Amazing that the biggest corporate corruption scandal in the history of recorded South Africa crime, has not made it onto the front pages of the South African Sunday press.Over the last few years there have been few stocks on the JSE that have divided opinion quite as much as Steinhoff. While there must always be buyers and sellers to make any market, attitudes towards the furniture retailer have been far more polarised than most.There have always been those who argued that the business was simply too complex to properly understand, and what they did understand they didn't like. On the other end of the spectrum were people who believed strongly in Markus Jooste's deal-making abilities and that Steinhoff was a great company run by an outstanding management team.It's a story not unlike what the market experienced with African Bank (Abil) only a few years ago. There were those who were convinced that the Abil business model was fatally flawed, and others who believed that Leon Kirkinis was a brilliant CEO who had the unsecured lending market at his feet.The cash just isn't there'Adrian Saville, the CEO of Cannon Asset Managers, has been, in both instances, in the former camp. He points out that the forensic tools that they use in their investment process had been raising flags over Steinhoff's numbers for some time. This, he says, is a clear parallel with African Bank, as in both cases it appears that "accounting trumped cash flows"."There are two elements of Steinhoff that have stood out for a long time, and I don't think this is being expert after the fact," Saville says. "Each time they made an acquisition it tended to get bigger and bigger, which often is the nature of a type of sheltering where in order to hide historically rearranged financial furniture, you have to buy bigger and bigger rooms of furniture."These big acquisitions, he argues camouflaged the shortcomings in the earlier transactions."But as the transactions got bigger, the return on invested capital fell increasingly below the cost of capital," Saville explains. "This meant that they were either borrowing money or issuing equity, and inevitably they've been a furious equity issuer to fund transactions that were not particularly good transactions."This is where the second issue becomes apparent."If you can get past the fairly anaemic return on invested capital and satisfy yourself that the accounting number is what it is, it really becomes a glaring anomaly when you go look for the cash flow," says Saville. "The cash just isn't there."He points out that this is not a new or even particularly uncommon view. Many people have been noting for years that there are these two problems with Steinhoff that it is acquiring underperforming assets and that there is no cash flow from the business."It's not necessarily the case that if you are making bad acquisitions it's fraud, but it is often the case that once you have started to chase your tail the activity becomes increasingly furious," Saville argues. "And the activity they have undertaken has been absolutely frenetic. We had no exposure to Steinhoff in our active mandates for the simple reason that we didn't believe the numbers. And we weren't alone in that observation."South Africa's EnronSteinhoff is, however, far bigger than African Bank ever was. Until this week it was one of the top 10 shares in the FTSE/JSE All Share SWIX Index.This has caused some commentators to compare it to Enron, the US energy company that collapsed into bankruptcy at the start of this century. At it's peak, its stock traded at over $90 per share, and it was a Wall Street darling.At this point, it might be premature to predict that Steinhoff's current troubles must doom the company to total collapse, but there are striking similarities with what happened at Enron. In both cases the issue is questionable accounting involving off-balance sheet transactions and inflated revenues that made the business appear far more attractive to the market than it actually was.Where to now?Steinhoff won't necessarily go the same way as Enron, but if it is to survive things are going to have to change radically."I think it's clear that this is a business in deep distress," says Saville. "There are at least three or four issues that have to be worked through."The first is getting clarity on the real earnings in the business, which has both income statement and balance sheet implications."For the income statement, whatever you've been looking at for the last few years is simply the stuff of financial manufacturing," says Saville. "It's going to have to be restated. That will transfer into the balance sheet. They also have to bring the off balance sheet stuff onto the balance sheet."He adds that there is now no chance of recapitalising the business at its historical multiples. Any recapitalisation will almost certainly require new investors and therefore necessitate a change of ownership."The other element is that there are clearly criminal and civil legal actions that could be brought," Saville concludes. "Steinhoff has issued a whole lot of equity on the back of numbers that are manufactured. The board would have been aware of these structures and they were issuing equity and raising debt on the back of numbers that were simply not true. And that's criminal." British Prime Minister Theresa May on Saturday congratulated her Iraqi counterpart Haider Abadi over the Islamic State victory, but warned the militant group is "not yet defeated". Extremists are "still pose a threat to Iraq, including from over the Syrian border", May said in a statement issued here after the Iraqi prime minister claimed an end to the fight against the terrorist group earlier Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported. Abadi announced that the Islamic State no longer occupies significant territory in Iraq, and the fight against Islamic State was over after more than three years of combat operations. "I congratulate prime minister Abadi and all Iraqis on this historic moment," May said. "This signals a new chapter towards a more peaceful, prosperous country." "We must be clear however, that whilst Da'esh is failing, they are not yet defeated," she said. "They still pose a threat to Iraq, including from over the Syrian border." Iraqi forces mopped up the last pockets of IS fighters from Iraq's western deserts on Saturday, securing the country's border with Syria, a step that marked the end of combat operations against the extremists. IS, which stands for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, rapidly captured large territories in Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate in 2014. The group controlled more than 34,000 square miles of territory from the Mediterranean coast to south of Baghdad. The campaign to eradicate the Islamic State took more than three years and about 25,000 coalition air strikes. Iraqi forces have increasingly been pushing IS out of the country over the past few months. Troops last month retook the town of Rawa, one of IS' last footholds in the country. At that point, only pockets of IS resistance remained. --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Israeli security guard was seriously wounded on Sunday by a Palestinian knifeman outside Jerusalem's central bus station, the police said. The suspect, a 24-year-old Palestinian resident of the West Bank, stabbed the security guard and fled the scene, said a police statement, describing it as a "terror attack", Xinhua news agency reported. He was chased and arrested by a civilian and a policeman nearby, it added. Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service said that the 25-year-old Israeli guard sustained serious injuries and was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. The incident occurred amid growing tensions over US President Donald Trump's recent decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israeli capital despite strong opposition and protests from the Palestinians and Muslims across the world. Trump also ordered the State Department to start immediately the process of relocating the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. To protest Trump's announcement, the Palestinians called for three "days of rage." Protests were held in the past days in the Palestinian territories, many cities in Muslim countries, as well as some European capitals. Four Palestinians were killed and dozens of others were injured in their clashes with Israeli security forces in the Gaza Strip and West Bank over the weekend. On Friday, two Palestinian protesters were killed and 98 others were wounded in clashes in the Palestinian territories. A number of Palestinian protesters were also arrested at the Damascus Gate in East Jerusalem during skirmishes with Israeli security forces after the Friday prayers. The two other Palestinians killed were believed to be Hamas members, who lost their lives in Gaza Strip Friday during airstrikes launched by Israeli military in retaliation against Hamas' firing of three rockets into Israel from the enclave. --IANS him//vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Adil Hussain, the lead actor of the acclaimed "Life of Pi", on Sunday visited the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Centre here and spent time with the animals. He extended his support to the centre's activities. An avid animal lover, Adil spent quality time with the rescued elephants at the facility, feeding them fresh fruits and also assisted the staff in giving 'Phoolkali' a bath. This was followed by an interactive session with the elephant veterinarians and elephant care staff who told him about torturous procedures used in training elephants to use them for tourist rides, temple processions etc. He also visited rehabilitated sloth bears that were once a part of the 'dancing bear' trade, at the Agra Bear Rescue Facility run by Wildlife SOS. Adil said: "I learnt a lot about the suffering that elephants undergo and I would never endorse elephant rides or use of elephants in any kind of tourism or elephant processions. I fully support Wildlife SOS for the amazing work they do to protect elephants, bears and other wildlife." Baiju Raj, Director, Conservation Projects of Wildlife, SOS said: "It was a delight to host Adil Hussain and we appreciate his support to the cause of elephant protection. Wildlife SOS is committed to creating a safer place for wildlife across India and change the perception of people towards wildlife to help increase tolerance." Wildlife SOS is internationally known to have brought an end to the exploitation of sloth bears across India and has rescued over 600 bears from the 'dancing bear' trade. Its centre here is the world's largest Sloth Bear Rescue Facility and currently houses nearly 200 rescued bears. The organization is currently focused on rescuing and rehabilitating abused elephants from across the country. In 2010, Wildlife SOS established the first of its kind Elephant Conservation and Care Centre, which is currently providing lifetime care and treatment for over 20 rehabilitated animals. --IANS bk/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said she was appalled to hear about the molestation of Bollywood actress Zaira Wasim on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight by a co-passenger. Any harassment or crime against women should be dealt with swiftly and effectively, she wrote on her Twitter page reacting to Zaira's statement. As a mother of two daughters, "I am appalled" at what happened with Zaira, she said. She urged the authorities to take strict action. The 17-year-old National Award winning Kashmiri actress of "Dangal" fame complained about her ordeal, claiming that a middle-aged man seated behind her moved his foot up and down her neck and back. --IANS sq/him/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) To check the increasing malnutrition levels among Saharia tribals in Madhya Pradesh, the state government has decided to provide people from the tribe Rs 1,000 per month each for food, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said. The government already provides tribals with ration like wheat, rice and salt at a subsidised rate of Re 1 per kg. Now, it will provide extra money for vegetables, milk and fruits, Chouhan said at an event held in a village here on Saturday. Stressing that the government is dedicated to abolishing malnutrition in tribal-dominated villages of the state, he said this money will be deposited into the accounts of tribal women. More than 50,000 Saharia children are suffering from malnutrition in Shivpuri and Sheopur districts and more than 150 had died of it last year. Reiterating his government's stand to work for the Saharias, Chouhan said: "The government will also provide relaxation to Saharias in getting jobs in various departments apart from the police force, where they will be admitted right after the physical test." He also announced a Sabri Mata temple at a cost of Rs 7.5 crore apart from building hostels in Gwalior and Indore where tribal children can go to study. The Chief Minister's announcement comes ahead of bypolls in Kolaras constituency, dominated by tribal voters. --IANS hindi-him/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Britain will set the minimum standards for the content for younger users that social media giants, including Facebook and Twitter have on their platform. According to a report by The Telegraph, Facebook and Twitter will have to adapt their websites for younger users after ministers caved in to a campaign by peers and children's charities. The government will legislate for a code of practice setting out minimum standards for the "age-appropriate design" of sites, with companies failing to abide by the rules facing the possibility of large fines, the report said. The move comes three days after British Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned a social media giant to stay away from his children. He was speaking against Messenger Kids for under-13 children to video chat and message with family and friends launched by Facebook last week. "Facebook told me they would come back with ideas to prevent underage use of their product, but instead they are actively targeting younger children. "Stay away from my kids please Facebook and act responsibly!" Hunt tweeted. The report said that people who support the move of introducing a code of practice said the safeguards would include applying the highest possible privacy settings to children's accounts by default so their information is not automatically made public. The move would also ensure terms and conditions are written "in a language children will understand" so they will know what will happen to content they post and how they can get it removed. In September, the European Union (EU) gave an ultimatum to Facebook, Twitter and other social media companies to rid their platforms of hate speech or face legal consequences. The European Commission, the EU's top regulator, said the social media firms are still failing to act fast enough. It said it would pass laws allowing the bloc to impose punishments on companies that fail to act. European regulators have been pushing social media firms to remove racist and violent posts from their platforms in a timely manner for years. Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and Google had all pledged to do more. --IANS sku/ksk/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said his government is not against private hospitals, but can't maintain silence on their inhuman criminal negligence. His remarks came in the wake of protest staged on Saturday by the employees of Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh area of north Delhi after the government on Friday cancelled its licence with immediate effect for erroneously declaring a newborn dead. "Delhi government is not against private hospitals and is fully aware of their importance. But Max hospital left us with no option other than to take action. This is not happened first time. Such kind of erronous act was done by the hospital on many occasions in the past too," Kejriwal said at a public gathering in west Delhi's Mundka. "Our conscience would have pricked us. Had we remained silent on such inhuman criminal negligence? Doctors are saviours and we salute the work they do. Their hard work is admirable. But, if any hospital does wrong with people, we will not spare it and maintain silence. We will take action." The Chief Minister said that he had been informed about the corporate owned private hospitals who exploit their own doctors and do not give their salaries on time. He also slammed Bharatiya Janata Party Delhi state President Manoj Tiwari for supporting Max hospital and opposing Delhi Government's decision to cancel its license. A baby boy was declared dead by Max Hospital on November 30 and handed over to the parents in a plastic bag, along with its still-born sister. However, the baby started moving while being taken for burial. The baby was then admitted in a clinic in Pitampura, but died on Wednesday. Four months after six axed Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the lawmakers were recognised as saffron party legislators in the Tripura Assembly on Sunday, Speaker Ramendra Chandra Debnath announced. "The six axed TMC MLAs have given recognition as BJP legislators. They would not get any extra facilities or benefits as BJP lawmakers," the speaker told IANS. "After receiving a letter on November 8 signed by the six MLAs requesting me to recognise them as BJP legislators, I sent a 14-day notice to the TMC chairperson. As there was no reply or objection, I gave them the recognition." Led by Sudip Roy Barman, five lawmakers -- Ashish Kumar Saha, Diba Chandra Hrangkhawl, Biswa Bandhu Sen, Pranjit Singh Roy and Dilip Sarkar -- accompanied by hundreds of former Trinamool Congress leaders and workers joined the BJP on August 7. On Saturday, Assembly Secretary Bamdeb Majumder issued a common letter to the six MLAs about the speaker's recognition. The issue shook the house during the last session of the Tripura Assembly on November 14 when Barman accused Debnath of giving them recognition. The speaker said that he had told the six MLAs that due to lack of time before the two-day assembly session, it was not possible to complete the formalities to officially recognise them as BJP MLAs. Reacting to Debnath's recognition, Saha said that the "Speaker deliberately delayed the process of our due recognition as BJP MLAs". On July 3, TMC Secretary General and West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said in Kolkata that the party had no relations with the six Tripura MLAs, who were close to TMC founder leader Mukul Roy, who is now in the BJP. The CPI-M-led Left Front has 51 members and the Congress only three members in the House. After the recognition of the six legislators as BJP members, the Tripura Assembly got its first BJP members since the northeastern state got a legislative body -- a 32-member Territorial Council 60 years ago in 1957. --IANS sc/ksk/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least six elephants were killed after being hit by a speeding train in Assam's Sonitpur district early on Sunday, officials said. Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) officials said that the incident happened at 135 km marker between Balipara and Dhalaibeel stations. "The notified elephant corridors are at km 131 and km 144. So the accident happened at a non-notified area," an official said. Locals said that the incident took place around 1.30 am when a herd of about 30 elephants tried to cross a railway track by breaking down the barrier at a level crossing as the Guwahati-Naharlagun Express was approaching. "By that time, the train was already in the section and it was impossible to stop it," the official said. Following the incident, the Rangiya division of the NFR has imposed a speed restriction of 30 kmph in the area. Two elephants were killed after being hit by speeding train near Thakurkuchi railwat station located close to Guwahati on November 19. A herd of elephants came out from the nearby jungle in search of food and the incident took place when they tried to cross over the railway tracks in the area. The Assam Environmental NGOs Forum has expressed profound grief at the incident and lamented the lack of foresightedness while planning development activities. "It is a shame for a state like Assam where 40 elephants have died unnaturally in the last 100 days," said Bibhab Talukdar of wildlife NGO Aaranyak. Several wildlife NGOs also demanded immediate intervention of the Assam government to stop such tragedy on tracks and requested the Assam Forest Department and the NF Railways to light up the tracks like highways and install warning systems and enforce speed limits immediately. They also requested to keep the open areas on both sides of the tracks free of grass so that elephants do not come to feed near the tracks. The Forum has also expressed its apprehension that such incidents will bring disrepute to Assam and its rich natural heritage and traditions. --IANS ah/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dabhoi, one of the 36 constituencies of Gujarat where Muslims can influence the results, appears to be a hard nut to crack for the BJP as the social dynamics and tradition of "no repeat" favours the Congress, prompting the saffron party to rake up anti-Muslim fervour in a bid to polarize the voters. Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Shailesh Mehta alias Sotta Bhai hit the headlines a few days back with communally provocative remarks. With the support of most voters among Patidars, Muslims and Scheduled Tribes (mostly Vasavas), which forms a winning combination, Congress candidate and former MLA Siddharth Patel looks to be in a good position. The tradition of "change" in each election since 1962 also favours Patel as BJP's Balkrishnabhai Patel won in 2012. Dabhoi has never elected a party or candidate twice in a row, forcing the BJP to change the nominee. Siddharth Patel, son of former Chief Minister Chimanbhai Patel and head of the Congress campaign panel, won the seat in 2007 and 1998. Dabhoi constituency, part of Vadodara district and Chhota Udai Pur Lok Sabha constituency, consists of 45,854 Patidar, 22,321 Muslim, 47,040 ST, 44,026 Bakshi Panch (OBCs), 10,413 SC, 9,443 Rajput and 5,642 Brahmin voters. With the support of Patidars, STs and Muslims, Siddharth Patel has an edge as most STs here are Vasavas. Former JD-U leader and Bharatiya Tribal Party leader Chotubhai Vasava holds a good image among tribals. Vasava has joined hands with Congress. The BJP here, apart from upper caste votes, is banking on over 44,000 Bakshi Panch votes which comes under OBC category. As the Patidars are angry with the BJP, the ruling party is unlikely to get the major chunk of the community. Worried by the social dynamics favouring the Congress, Shailesh Sotta, days before the first phase of polls, told an election rally that "those sporting a beard and a topi must not raise their voice and eyes". Later, addressing an election rally in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Sotta maintained his stand, saying these "anti-social elements" must be oppressed. The statements may have given Sotta some prominence but people are not taking him seriously. Reacting to his remarks, Vinod Bhai Jaiswal, a transporter in Kilanpur village, told IANS: "All these are election gimmicks. Sotta Bhai has said this to polarize voters as he is losing the election. People will give him a befitting reply." But Kanubhai Darwadi, an OBC, hopes Sotta Bhai wins. "He is a strong candidate as he knows how to win even in odd situations." Truck owner Nadir Bhai Pathan said: "Siddharth Patel may be an outsider but he is a frequent visitor. He participates in our family functions as well and helps us too when needed." Rajkumar Vasava and his friends are eager to vote for Siddharth Patel. "The BJP has brought Sotta to beat the anti-incumbancy against the outgoing MLA Balkrishnabhai. This is not going to work," Vasava said. Retired teacher Rama Bhai Hada said Sotta's remarks were meant to woo Patidars and the tribals who are annoyed with the BJP. Alkesh Vasava, a barber, said: "None of the leaders come to the area after their victory. I last saw Balkrishnabhai Patel in 2012. How can anyone expect us to vote for him?" Hada added: "I don't think he (Sotta) will win." He said similar remarks were being made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah as well in areas where the social dynamics don't favour the saffron party. Dabhoi will vote on December 14 in the second and final phase of the Gujarat election. The first round of voting took place on Saturday. Jamalpur-Khadia, Vejalpur, Vagra, Wankaner, Dariapur, Bhuj and Abdassa are among 36 seats where Muslim voters can play a key role. In Jamalpur-Khadia, Muslim voters form around 60 per cent while in other seats they comprise 13 to 15 per cent. In some seats in Bharuch and Kacchh region, Muslim voters range from 20 to 25 per cent. Political observers feel that while the Congress will benefit more in these seats, voting on communal lines will only help the BJP. (Brajendra Nath Singh can be contacted at brajendra.n@ians.in) --IANS bns/mr/him (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) News / National by Staff reporter Two members of the elite forces who allegedly went on a one night robbing spree armed with illegally attained AK47 rifles have applied for bail at the High Court.Timothy Tshuma (33) and brothers Petros (32) and Norest Mubaiwa (29), a civilian are alleged to have robbed two bars in one night.According to court papers, Tshuma is a member of the Presidential Guard Brigade and Petros is in the One Commando Regiment.The three are alleged to have robbed two bars in Bindura and Chiweshe on February 17 after threatening their victims with AK47 rifles while using a Toyota Noah as their getaway vehicle.Prosecutors said on February 17, the three men armed with AK 47 rifles, went to Chingwara Chidzamahosi Bar at Shopo Business Centre in Chiweshe.The three allegedly broke into the bar and held the shop attendant Portia Muchadakuenda (34) at gun point and demanded cash.Muchadakuenda is alleged to have escaped into the darkness as the trio allegedly stole cash amounting to $580, cellphones and television sets.The trio then went to Manyangani Bar in Bindura at around 10pm and ordered revellers to lie on the ground.The bar attendant Taurai Maorera allegedly resisted the orders, resulting in one of the three robbers firing a shot, forcing Maorera to co-operate and surrender the daily sales which amounted to $123. A string of thought-provoking stories were told through plays and movies at the third edition of the Delhi International Queer Theatre & Film Festival 2017 here. The two-day festival, which ended on Sunday, witnessed stories underlining the sensitive lives of the queer community. A movie titled "The Condom Man" presented the struggle of Ireland to provide core services for haemophiliacs and other HIV/AIDS patients; and a play called "Kuch Khwahishein Adhoori Si" by Saitan Theatre Group showcased the 25-year-old protagonist's conflicting conversations between his body and soul. Organised by Harmless Hugs and Impulse New Delhi by AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the festival intended to connect with the LGBTQI community in their struggle for equal human rights, acceptability and access to HIV prevention and general healthcare facilities. Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil of Rajpipla, who is the goodwill ambassador of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) India Cares, lauded the event. "It is a good initiative to give a platform to young budding theatre and film producers to encourage and exhibit their talents based on LGBT issues. It has been observed that media in form of theatre or films is a good way of addressing sensitive issues like LGBT to a mass audience and it helps to change the mindset of the society by the influence of its artistes. "These kinds of festivals can help in the long term for mainstreaming issues of LGBT in the society which will facilitate to remove misconceptions and create better understanding and acceptance," he added, V. Sam Prasad, Country Programme Director, AHF India Cares, said: "Nations across the globe need to be inclusive in embracing the LGBTQIA communities. Understanding the needs and vulnerabilities of these communities is the first step towards mainstreaming them. "Isolation and neglecting these fellow beings will result in more risk behaviours often leading to harbouring multiple infections and STI/HIV leading to further transmission into the population." With the aim to encourage people to come forward to get HIV test done and de-stigmatise the testing activity, AIDS Healthcare set up a free HIV test camp at the festival. --IANS rb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump demanded an apology from a reporter and asked the company to fire him after he tweeted a "phoney photo". Trump on Saturday slammed The Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel over a tweet in which he incorrectly called into question Trump's claim about the crowd size at his Friday night rally in Florida. According to a report on nymag.com, Weigel posted an image showing Trump's Pensacola rally venue mostly empty, with a message quoting Trump's later assertion that the arena was "packed to the rafters". The photo that was shared was taken before all the rallygoers or the President had arrived. The venue was later filled with people. Weigel quickly deleted the tweet after another journalist pointed out his error. Later in the day, Trump accused Weigel and the news organisation of willingly using a "phony photo" and spreading fake news. "DaveWeigel WashingtonPost put out a phoney photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology and retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo!," Trump tweeted. Weigel responded in three minutes and apologised for his mistake. "Sure thing: I apologise. I deleted the photo after @dmartosko told me I'd gotten it wrong. Was confused by the image of you walking in the bottom right corner," the reporter tweeted. "It was a bad tweet on my personal account, not a story for Washington Post," he added. Soon after the apology, Trump said Weigel should be fired. "daveweigel of the Washington Post just admitted that his picture was a FAKE (fraud?) showing an almost empty arena last night for my speech in Pensacola when, in fact, he knew the arena was packed (as shown also on TV). FAKE NEWS, he should be fired." --IANS sku/ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scientists are moving towards unravelling why otherwise healthy dolphins, whales and porpoises get stranded along coasts worldwide. Thanks to a collaboration between NASA scientists and marine biologists, the new research suggests that space weather may be part of a "cocktail of contributing factors" influencing animal beaching. "Our view is that strandings are likely caused by a complex combination of multiple environmental factors," said Antti Pulkkinen of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland. Mass strandings occur around the world and can affect anywhere from three to several hundred animals during any given event. Although they are a global phenomenon, scientists have identified certain hot spots: New Zealand, Australia and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, all of which share key geographic characteristics like sloping beaches and fine-grained sediment - factors thought to play a role in strandings. In strandings involving multiple deaths, autopsies reveal that the vast majority of the deceased animals were healthy before they beached. Some researchers hypothesise groups strand when their strong social bonds compel them to follow a distressed individual into shallow waters. "Whales and dolphins have always been mythical emblems for us," said Desray Reeb, a marine biologist at Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) headquarters in Sterling, Virginia. "They're intelligent, social and mystical, and present an intriguing challenge for us to understand because they're so like us, and yet so different." BOEM is part of the collaboration. The team initially focused on Cape Cod - the biggest hot spot in the US - and sifted through nearly two decades of stranding observations by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, or IFAW, alongside both ground- and space-based NASA space weather data. Just as weather varies on Earth, occasionally bringing thunderstorms and gusty winds, the ever-changing Sun sometimes hurls massive clouds of solar material and magnetic fields into space, called coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. The effects of these eruptions on near-Earth space are collectively known as space weather. Coronal mass ejections can spark powerful geomagnetic storms if they slam into Earth's magnetic field. The researchers pooled massive data sets to see if disturbances to the magnetic field around Earth could be what confuses these sea creatures, known as cetaceans. Cetaceans are thought to use Earth's magnetic field to navigate. Since intense solar storms can disturb the magnetic field, the scientists wanted to determine whether they could, by extension, actually interfere with animals' internal compasses and lead them astray. The results of their analysis led them to consider that while space weather is not a primary driver of strandings, it could be one factor among several. "We've learned so far there is no smoking gun indicating space weather is the primary driver," Pulkkinen said in a statement released by NASA. "But there is a sense that geomagnetic conditions may be part of a cocktail of contributing factors." The scientists are now seeking others to join their search for the factors that send ocean mammals off course, in the hopes of perhaps one day predicting strandings before they happen. --IANS gb/ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An 18-year-old youth allegedly hanged himself to death here after a group of boys accused him of stealing and tried to molest his sister when she intervened, police said on Sunday. Police said the incident occurred on December 7 evening when a hospital in west Delhi alerted them about the death of a Deepak. "We found that Deepak had committed suicide by hanging from a fan at his residence but no suicide note was recovered," Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajneesh Gupta said. Gupta said initially the family didn't suspect any foul play. Later it came to be known that he had quarrelled with three or four boys. "The boys charged Deepak with theft and also tried to molest his sister when she intervened," he added. A case of assault and using criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty has been registered against the boys, the officer said. --IANS sp/mr/him (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After being conferred with the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Banglar rasogolla, sweet traders in West Bengal are planning to organise a Rasogolla Utsab in the state. The traders also want November 14 the day on which the GI Registry under the Ministry of Commerce and Industries announced that rasogolla originated from West Bengal to be declared Rasogolla Day. Though the date and venue for the utsab is yet to be finalised, state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has reportedly given the sweet traders body an informal go-ahead to organise the festival. Different kinds of rasogollas will be displayed during the festival; a special camp on the history of rasogolla will be organised. Live demonstrations on preparing Bengali rasogolla at home will also be part of the event. A business delegation representing an industry chamber met top finance ministry officials last week as part of pre-Budget interactions. A major issue discussed in the meeting were steps required to deal with the proposed tax rate cut in the US. Corporate Indias fears that the US tax reforms will affect the competitiveness of Indian industry are not unfounded, say experts. As the stock market boom pulls retail investors into equities, a few of them are venturing into algorithmic trades. The rising interest of retail investors into computer program-based trades has prompted brokers to begin offering this facility to them. In the past few months, stock brokers such as 5Paisa, Zerodha, SMC Global Securities and Upstox have allowed retail investors to execute automated trades on their platforms. When Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah came to Dehradun for a two-day visit in September, speculation was rife that Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat would soon fill the two vacant Cabinet berths with the formers consent. But nothing happened despite Shahs assertion that both the CM and state BJP chief Ajay Bhatt should settle the issue together. After Shah went back to New Delhi, Rawat did not show any enthusiasm to elevate two more MLAs, leaving some BJP MLAs fuming. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused a group of Congress leaders of meeting Pakistan's High Commissioner at party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's residence before the latter called him (Modi) "neech". Addressing an election rally at Sanand, Modi said the meeting at Aiyar's residence was also attended by former Indian Vice-President Hamid Ansari and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Continuing his attack on the Congress, Modi said: "There was a meeting convened at Aiyar's residence where Pakistan's High Commissioner, Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Ansari and Manmohan Singh were present. The meeting lasted three hours." "The next day Mani Shankar said I am a 'neech'," said the Prime Minister. Modi went on: "I ask you, brothers and sisters, why did they have to have a meeting with Pakistani officials. Pakistan is our enemy. You (Congress) meet them and the next day call me 'neech'." "Isn't this a thing to worry about? Does it not raise doubts? There is something dubious here, isn't it? You should have ensured the presence of government officials at the meeting. Why are you holding meetings with our enemy neighbour in secrecy?" Modi asked. "Isn't calling me 'neech' insulting to Gujarat? Isn't it insulting to the country? Insulting to the government whom the people voted to power?" he asked. The Prime Minister added that a former Pakistan Army general, Arshad Rafiq, has announced that he favoured Congress MP Ahmed Patel as the Gujarat Chief Minister. "Why? You are in Pakistan. Why are you interested in our country's affairs?" Modi asked. "Brothers and sisters, isn't this alarming? All this and the meeting at Aiyar's residence. What is all this? My friends, you should give me a promise that you will root out the Congress and give a thumping victory to the BJP at every booth in Ahmedabad," Modi said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday alleged Pakistan was interfering in the Gujarat Assembly polls, even as Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi continued attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments at the Centre and in Gujarat for benefitting only a handful of industrialists. News / National by Staff reporter MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai's quest to run for the presidency for the fourth time might hit a brick wall, amid revelations there are renewed efforts to force him to make way for a new leader before the polls.A faction loyal to vice-president Thokozani Khupe is said to be pushing for a special congress aimed at retiring Tsvangirai on health grounds.If the faction succeeds, Khupe would take over, but the move is being resisted by a group that is backing Tsvangirai's third deputy, Nelson Chamisa, sources have revealed.Tsvangirai, who has been battling cancer of the colon since last year, is reportedly back in South Africa for another round of treatment. He is expected back in the country tomorrow.MDC-T sources said the infighting in the party had spiralled out of control after the military forced former president Robert Mugabe to resign last month and Zanu-PF replaced him with President Emmerson Mnangagwa.According to the sources, Khupe's faction is already mobilising provinces to support the idea to retire Tsvangirai, arguing MDC-T needs a fit leader to face Zanu-PF in next year's general elections.The MDC-T had hoped to be part of Mnangagwa's government in a transitional arrangement, but the deal collapsed, spinning the party into chaos.Khupe is believed to have the backing of five provinces, Bulawayo, Midlands South, Manicaland, Bulawayo and part of Harare. She is also supported by external branches in the United Kingdom, South Africa and United States.However, MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu yesterday rubbished the claim, maintaining the party's next congress would only be in 2019."This is a total fabrication. There is absolutely nothing like that," he said."Our next congress is due to be held in 2019. President Morgan Tsvangirai is our leader and he is also the MDC Alliance presidential candidate for the 2018 elections."Khupe also told The Standard on Friday in a separate interview that she remained loyal to Tsvangirai and was working well with Chamisa.But sources within the party said Khupe had covered ground in mobilising some provinces to support the idea of a special congress that would see the reconfiguration of Tsvangirai's 18-year-old party."As we speak, a lot of jostling is taking place across the country. The same people who were opposed to the MDC Alliance are telling people that the only way the MDC can win against Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF is for the party to have a new candidate," a well-placed source said."They say our president is sick and has been in hospital for the last six months, hence the calls by the provinces to call for an extraordinary congress to select a new leader."According to the source, the issue of the special congress is likely to be resolved at the party's next national council meeting."The issue will be tabled at the next national council meeting and we hope it will be debated without emotions."The majority of the provinces are ready to support this motion."There will also be a push for the council to reject the MDC Alliance agreement on claims that it was not properly discussed and adopted as the Khupe faction has told provinces that the MDC-T does not need an alliance to win an election, but a new presidential candidate and a new vision."Khupe's decision to suspend Matabeleland South provincial chairperson Solani Moyo on allegations that he intended to assault her in the full glare of party members who included national chairman Lovemore Moyo, was an indication that the infighting was getting out of control."The decision to suspend Moyo was on the grounds that he refused to support the idea of a special congress to remove Tsvangirai. Matabeleland South province is backing Tsvangirai, together with the Mashonaland provinces as well as Masvingo," said the source."As it stands, it's a 50-50 war and things can move either way. Tsvangirai is willing to hand over power to Chamisa, but Khupe is making inroads in mobilising provinces for her candidature since talks for a transitional government collapsed.Both Khupe and Chamisa were not picking calls yesterday. Fifteen kg gold, pegged worth Rs 4.5 crore, has been 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 yesterday, airport officials said. 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. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police in southwest China's Chongqing municipality have arrested 323 suspects for posing as medical experts to sell "health products" to the elderly and patients, authorities said today. Raiding 30 sites in more than 10 provinces and cities across the country, police have rounded up 16 criminal gangs. Over 10,000 cases involving more than 10 million yuan (USD 1.51 million) have been solved by the police, state-run Xinhua agency reported. The suspects would pose as experts at major hospitals after illegally obtaining the information of patients, whom they would contact to brag about their "medicine with special effects," the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said in a statement. Once the suspects gained the trust of the patients, they would cajole their targets into buying their "health products" at prices of tens of thousands of yuan, the ministry said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 39-year-old man was arrested today for allegedly molesting actor Zaira Wasim onboard a Delhi- Mumbai flight last night, police said. The man has been identified as Vikash Sachdev. Deputy Commissioner of Police Anil Kumbhare said he will be produced in the court tomorrow. Sachdev has been booked under section 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of IPC, and relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) since the actor is a minor, Senior Police Inspector, Sahar, Lata Shirsat, said. The "Dangal" actor had narrated her ordeal on Instagram via live video. After the matter came to light, a woman police officer was sent to the hotel, where the actor is staying, to record her statement, and a case was registered against an unknown person at Sahar Police station. Investigation is on, Kumbhare said. Further details about the accused are awaited. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Zaira Wasim has alleged she was molested by a co-passenger on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight, prompting the Maharashtra State Commission for Women to seek an enquiry into the "shameful" incident. The airline said it has already submitted initial report to the regulator DGCA about the incident which created an uproar and invited all-round condemnation. The Mumbai police have registered a case against an unknown person in connection with the episode. Vistara, which is run under a JV between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, regretted the "unfortunate experience" and apologised to Wasim. It also said senior members of the management team have been flown to Mumbai to meet the "Dangal" actor, who narrated her ordeal on Instagram via live video. Wasim said she was on a Vistara flight last night from Delhi to Mumbai when a co-passenger sitting behind her put up his feet on her armrest. "We are deeply concerned and regret the unfortunate experience Zaira Wasim had onboard our flight last night. We continue to give this case our highest attention and are extending our full support to all relevant authorities for the investigations underway," the airline said in a latest statement issued late evening. In addition, Vistara has submitted an initial report to the DGCA and also given all necessary details to the police, the airline said. "Members of our senior management have flown to Mumbai to meet Wasim and assist in the investigation process," it added. In the video, which Wasim recorded immediately after deboarding the flight, the 17-year-old actor broke down several times. "So, I was in a flight travelling from Delhi to Mumbai today and right behind me one middle-aged man who made my two-hour journey miserable. I tried to record it on phone to understand it better because the cabin lights were dimmed, I failed to get it..." she said. "The lights were dimmed, so it was even worse. It continued for another five to ten minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck," the Kashmiri teen, who shot to fame for her stellar performance in Aamir Khan's blockbuster "Dangal", said in the post. "This is not done, I am disturbed... Is this how you're going to take care of girls? This is not the way anybody should be made to feel. This is terrible!" she said. "No one will help us if we don't decide to help ourselves. And this is the worst thing," she added. Terming the incident as "shameful", Maharashtra State Commission for Women's (MSCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said they will seek a detailed inquiry into it from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Rahatkar said there should also be an enquiry into why the cabin crew did not help the actor. A woman police official was sent to the hotel in Mumbai where the actor is put up to record her statement, a senior police official said. Based on her statement, a case was registered at the Sahar police station against the unknown person under IPC section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, since the actor is a minor, Sahar's senior police inspector Lata Shirsat said. "We are enquiring with the airport authorities and the airline concerned to establish the identity of the person," another police official said. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said she was "appalled" by the incident and demanded swift action against the culprit. "Any harassment/crime against women should be dealt with swiftly and effectively. As a mother of two daughters, I am appalled at what happened with @zairawasimz. Hope the relevant authorities take strict action," she tweeted. Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also demanded action against the passenger. "The passenger should be identified to the police by @airvistara and a case filed for legal action. None of this "he fell at my feet so I forgive him" rubbish!" Abdullah posted. "We are carrying out detailed investigation and will support Zaira in every way required. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour," the airline had tweeted immediately after the video went viral on social media. Earlier, Vistara chief strategy and commercial officer Sanjiv Kapoor in a statement said, "We are talking to our crew who were serving Wasim to understand the incident at greater length, and reaching out to fellow passengers as well." "We apologise for what she experienced and we have zero tolerance for such behaviour," Kapoor said. Condemning the incident, Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said a criminal offence should be registered against the male passenger and he should be asked to apologise for the indecent behaviour. "Those travelling by airlines usually work in good positions in companies. If the owners of such companies do not take suitable action against such employees their conduct will never change," Gorhe said. "Ensuring safety and security of our customers is of paramount importance to us, and we stand firm against any kind of harassment or such behaviour towards any individual," the airline said in its latest statement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The man who allegedly molested actor on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight last night was arrested here on Sunday after a huge public outcry over the incident prompted the Maharashtra State Commission for Women to seek an enquiry into the "shameful" incident. The 39-year-old Vikas Sachdev was arrested late in the evening, police said. Deputy Commissioner of Police Anil Kumbhare said he will be produced in the court tomorrow. Sachdev has been booked under section 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of IPC, and relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) since the actor is a minor, Senior Police Inspector, Sahar, Lata Shirsat, said. The airline--Vistara--said it has submitted an initial report to the regulator DGCA about the incident which created an uproar and invited all-round condemnation. Vistara, which is a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, regretted the "unfortunate experience" and apologised to Wasim. It also said senior members of the management team have been flown to Mumbai to meet the "Dangal" actor, who narrated her ordeal on Instagram. Wasim said she was on a Vistara flight last night from Delhi to Mumbai when a co-passenger sitting behind her put his feet on her armrest. "We are deeply concerned and regret the unfortunate experience had onboard our flight last night. We continue to give this case our highest attention and are extending our full support to all relevant authorities for the investigations underway," the airline said in a latest statement issued late evening. In addition, Vistara has submitted an initial report to the DGCA and also given all necessary details to the police, the airline said. "Members of our senior management have flown to Mumbai to meet Wasim and assist in the investigation process," it added. In the video, which Wasim recorded immediately after deboarding the flight, the 17-year-old actor broke down several times. "So, I was in a flight travelling from Delhi to Mumbai today and right behind me one middle-aged man who made my two-hour journey miserable. I tried to record it on phone to understand it better because the cabin lights were dimmed, I failed to get it..." she said. "The lights were dimmed, so it was even worse. It continued for another five to ten minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck," the Kashmiri teen, who shot to fame for her stellar performance in Aamir Khan's blockbuster "Dangal", said in the post. "This is not done, I am disturbed... Is this how you're going to take care of girls? This is not the way anybody should be made to feel. This is terrible!" she said. "No one will help us if we don't decide to help ourselves. And this is the worst thing," she added. Terming the incident as "shameful", Maharashtra State Commission for Women's (MSCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said they will seek a detailed inquiry into it from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Rahatkar said there should also be an enquiry into why the cabin crew did not help the actor. A woman police official was sent to the hotel in Mumbai where the actor is put up to record her statement, a senior police official said. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said she was "appalled" by the incident and demanded swift action against the culprit. Any harassment/crime against women shld be dealt with swiftly & effectively. As a mother of 2 daughters I am appalled at what happened with @zairawasimz. Hope the relevant authorities take strict action @airvistara @Ashok_Gajapathi @jayantsinha Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) December 10, 2017 Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also demanded action against the passenger. Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also demanded action against the passenger. The passenger should be identified to the police by @airvistara & a case filed for legal action. None of this he fell at my feet so I forgive him rubbish! https://t.co/1umbBOOGAu Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 10, 2017 "We are carrying out detailed investigation and will support Zaira in every way required. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour," the airline had tweeted immediately after the video went viral on social media. Earlier, Vistara chief strategy and commercial officer Sanjiv Kapoor in a statement said, "We are talking to our crew who were serving Wasim to understand the incident at greater length, and reaching out to fellow passengers as well." "We apologise for what she experienced and we have zero tolerance for such behaviour," Kapoor said. Condemning the incident, Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said a criminal offence should be registered against the male passenger and he should be asked to apologise for the indecent behaviour. "Those travelling by airlines usually work in good positions in companies. If the owners of such companies do not take suitable action against such employees their conduct will never change," Gorhe said. "Ensuring safety and security of our customers is of paramount importance to us, and we stand firm against any kind of harassment or such behaviour towards any individual," the airline said in its latest statement. The Vice-President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Sarwar Danish, called on Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan today. The Afghan dignitary hoped that India would further increase the number of scholarships for students from Afghanistan. "Stating that 5000 Afghani students are pursuing higher education in Maharashtra on Indian scholarship, he expressed the hope that India will further increase the number of scholarships for students from Afghanistan," a Raj Bhavan official said. Expressing satisfaction over the dramatic expansion of bilateral ties between India and Afghanistan, Danish called for further strengthening of cultural, economic and business cooperation as well as political and strategic relations between the two countries, the official said. The Afghanistan VP thanked India for its help in building the Afghan parliament building in Kabul and the Salma dam in Herat, now renamed as Afghanistan-India Friendship Dam, the official added. The Maharashtra Governor, during the meeting, called for establishing air connectivity between Kabul as well as other Afghan cities with Mumbai. "This, according to him, will increase trade and promote tourism between the two countries," the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Saudi-led coalition air trikes on a Yemen rebel training camp northwest of the capital today killed at least 26 Huthi fighters, security sources said. The head of the training camp in Hajjah province, Amar al-Jarab, was among those killed in the strikes, the sources close to the Shiite rebels told AFP. A warehouse where rockets were stocked was also hit, the sources added. The raids come with the war-torn country plunged deeper into turmoil by Monday's killing of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh at the hands of the Huthis after his alliance with the rebels collapsed. Forces of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government retook the Red Sea town of Khokha from the rebels on Thursday after clashes that killed dozens, local officials and medical sources said. Today, Katyusha rockets believed to have been fired by the Iran-backed Huthis hit Khokha, killing a six-year-old girl and wounding five other civilians, residents said. Further east in the town of Hays and north in Tuhayta, rebels clashed with loyalists on Sunday, pro-government forces said. Khokha lies between rebel-held Hodeida and government- controlled Mokha on the Red Sea, and is central to the government expanding its control over the strategic coastline. The port of Hodeida is the main conduit for UN-supervised deliveries of food and medicine to Yemen, where poverty has been compounded by war and a blockade on ports and airports imposed by the Saudi-led coalition. The International Committee of the Red Cross yesterday warned against fighting intensifying along the Red Sea coast near what it called densely populated urban areas. ICRC regional head of operations Robert Mardini called on all sides to protect civilians. More than 8,750 people have been killed in Yemen since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015, to help the government of Abedrabbo Hadi Mansour fight the Huthis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An airport employee and a passenger have been apprehended by the CISF for allegedly trying to smuggle in gold bars worth Rs 14 lakh at the Delhi airport, official sources said. The incident took place around 3 am at the arrival hall of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport when CISF personnel detected the suspicious activities of a cleaner working at the facility and an incoming passenger from Abu Dhabi. The cleaner, identified as Rajnish P, clandestinely took a cigarette packet from the passenger, Shahnawaz, and melted into the crowd, a senior official said. The airport employee was intercepted after sometime at the terminal area and four gold bars, weighing 466 grams and worth Rs 14 lakh, was seized from him, he said. The passenger was picked up from the immigration area and he, along with the cleaner, were handed over to the Customs officials, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Telecom services provider Airtel said today it will provide mobile connectivity in 2,100 uncovered villages and on national highways in north-eastern states in next 18 months. "Bharti Airtel has signed an agreement with Department of Telecom (DoT) and the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) for provision of mobile services in identified uncovered villages and national highways in the north-eastern states of Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh," Airtel said in a statement. Under the agreement, it said that Airtel will set up over 2,000 mobile towers/sites in unconnected pockets of the region and deliver telecom connectivity to citizens in over 2,100 villages over the next 18 months. The deployment will also boost connectivity along important national highways in the region. Airtel would receive about Rs 1,610 crore from the USOF for executing the project. The telecom infrastructure set up by Airtel will also enable other telecom service providers to offer services in the region, thereby, providing a major fillip to telecom connectivity in the region, which is characterised by tough terrain. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Arab foreign ministers on Sunday demanded that the United States rescind President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, calling it a "grave" development that puts Washington on the same side as "occupation" and the violation of law. In a resolution long on rhetoric but short on concrete actions, the ministers also called for the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning Trump's decision, but acknowledged that Washington would most likely veto it. If the US vetoes the resolution, the Arabs would seek a similar resolution in the UN General Assembly, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki told a pre-dawn news conference in Cairo. A two-page resolution adopted by the emergency meeting, which began last night, did not include any punitive actions against the United States, like a call for a boycott of American products or suspending or downgrading ties with Washington. It also appeared to fall short of matching the anger felt by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, which have seen three days of violent protests against Trump's decision. "We have taken a political decision not meant to reflect (what is going on in) the streets. Political work is responsible work," said Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit. "Jerusalem has been occupied for 50 years. This is an extended battle, a battle that will be escalated," he told the news conference. The resolution said the ministers would meet again within a month and held out the possibility that an emergency Arab summit would be held in Jordan to discuss Jerusalem. Trump's December 6 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. Jerusalem's status lies at the core of the Israeli- Palestinian 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. Arab diplomats said some Arab League members had wanted a more hard-line resolution, including punitive measures against countries that follow the U.S. example and recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. That was considered too radical by moderate Arab nations and eventually dropped, according to the diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. But Al-Maliki, the Palestinian Foreign Minister, sought to play down differences, saying the meeting produced "complete" unity among Arab nations. "There were differences in assessment when we moved to specifying measures," he said. "But in the end we agreed on gradually escalating measures." Both Aboul-Gheit and Al-Maliki said Arab nations remained committed to a 2002 Arab peace plan that provides for recognition of Israel in exchange for lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. "That plan is a key reference in the Middle East peace process," Al-Maliki told the news conference. Trump's decision, according to the Arab resolution, was "illegal" and a "dangerous violation" of law. "It's a dangerous development that places the United States at a position of bias in favor of the occupation and the violation of law and resolutions." Israel occupied and later annexed the eastern part of Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war, declaring the holy city its eternal capital. Palestinians want that part to be the capital of their future state. Trump's decision, said the resolution, also stripped the US of its role as a "sponsor and broker" in the Mideast peace process, and "undermines efforts to bring about peace, deepens tension and will spark anger that will threaten to push the region to the edge of the abyss of violence, chaos and bloodshed." The resolution adopted by the ministers reiterated that only the creation of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital would end the Arab-Israeli conflict. It also mandated the Arab League to launch an "international media campaign" explaining the "gravity" of the American decision. News / National by Staff reporter The Zanu PF Harare Province inter-district conference held in the capital has recommended for the expulsion of Minister of State for Harare Metropolitan Province Miriam Chikukwa and three other senior members from the party.The conference also resolved that President Emmerson Mnangagwa be endorsed as the revolutionary party's President and First Secretary at the forthcoming extraordinary congress next week.Zanu PF Harare Province chairperson Goodwills Masimirembwa told reporters that the conference endorsed President Mnangagwa as the sole Zanu PF Presidential candidate for the 2018 general elections.The inter-district provincial conference also replaced Shadreck Mashayamombe who has since been expelled from the party by Douglas Mahiya as Harare Province political commissar.The resolutions will be tabled for considerations at the forthcoming Zanu PF extra-ordinary conference set for next week in the capital. The BJP will see the impact of demonetisation and GST in poll results of Gujarat where people have "made up their mind against the party", Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav today said. He said the BJP's graph was coming down as its policies were "anti-farmer and anti-trader". "The decision of demonetisation and GST has impacted traders and the entire business and the economy is ruined. In Gujarat poll results, the BJP will see its impact as people have made up their mind to vote against it," Yadav said while addressing a traders' conference at the party headquarters here. On the civic poll results in Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh pointed out at the "poor performance" of the BJP in small cities and rural areas. "When results of municipal corporations are being touted as the BJP's victory, the same for small cities and rural areas should also be analysed," he demanded. "The graph of the BJP is coming down as its policies are anti-farmers and anti-traders. Demonetisation impacted business and almost all the money, which was in circulation came back in banks," he said adding that economy of the country is seeing a downward trend. Alleging poor law and order situation in the state, Akhilesh citied crime cases in Mathura, Faizabad and Sitapur and assured traders that SP would always be there to fight for their interest. "The traders are insecure in the present regime", he charged. Earlier, addressing the gathering SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav claimed that businessmen were leaving the country due to economic policies of the BJP government at the Centre and also in UP. "They (traders) are saying that they will return when this (BJP) government will go," he said. On Gujarat polls, Ramgopal said, "BJP is losing in Gujarat. And UP is the only state which could ensure BJP goes from Centre (in 2019 Lok Sabha polls) also" and added "Ram Rajya will come only when BJP government is removed.". A six-year-old girl, who was raped and killed in Haryana's Uklana area, was cremated on Sunday amid tight security, as the agitated locals protested over the gruesome crime. Some unidentified men had allegedly abducted the girl on Friday night when she was sleeping with her sister and mother in their home in a slum area. The men then raped and killed her, the police said. The doctors of Civil Hospital who conducted the post- mortem examination said that the accused inserted a wooden stick into the girl's private parts, which ruptured her intestine. "When the body was handed over to us it was soaked in blood," a kin of the girl told reporters here. Angered over the incident, the opposition parties, Indian Lok Dal (INLD), Congress and the local residents demonstrated against the Manohar Lal Khattar led government, on the cremation ground. "The Khattar government is sleeping while incidents of rape and murder take place every other day," senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said. Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda while demanding an immediate arrest of the accused, said such barbaric incidents showed that law and order machinery in the state under the BJP government had collapsed. Things have come to such a pass that children were neither safe in their schools nor at homes, Hooda said. The barbaric incident was a chilling reminder of the December 16 gangrape case in Delhi in 2012 involving a young woman, he said. Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala and party's Hisar MLA Kamal Gupta and other leaders were also present there. A case under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including murder, rape, kidnapping, besides, under the provisions of the POCSO Act has been registered. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also been formed to probe the incident. However, no arrest has been made in the case, said a police spokesman. The police is checking CCTV footage of the area to gather clues, he said. The incident came to light yesterday when passersby noticed the body of the girl on a deserted street, the police said. The victim's family, who work as labourers, belong to the Sapera community hailing from Tohana town in Fatehabad district. They were living near railway lines in Uklana for the last couple of years. Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav today claimed that the five candidates fielded by his son Akhilesh Yadav in the Gujarat Assembly elections would lose. "Akhilesh has fielded five candidates in Gujarat Assembly elections but they will lose all the seats," he told reporters here after attending a private function. "...Akhilesh had taken a wrong decision to forge a political alliance with the Congress and had suffered on that account," he said, referring to the tie-up between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in February-March this year. The BJP swept the elections, winning 312 seats out of the total 403. The Samajwadi Party won 47 and the Congress seven. Yadav also said that Mainpuri was his home turf and in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, he will contest from the Mainpuri parliamentary constituency. Replying to a question related to the issues surrounding the use of electronic voting machines EVMs), he said: "EVMs were imported from Japan, but Japan has returned to ballot paper system of voting." The SP patron reiterated that Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar should be expelled from the party for his "neech" remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) is an elected leader and the comments were worst in the civilised society and the person making such comments should be expelled from the party," Yadav said. He said positive politics has virtually vanished, and "politics of mud-slinging" has become a common norm, pointing out that "there has been a paradigm shift in the country's politics." Aiyar was suspended from Congress earlier this week after he called Modi a 'neech kism ka aadmi' (vile sort of man). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jewellery portal CaratLane will set up 10 retail stores across cities like Hyderabad, Delhi and Indore over the next four months, taking its offline presence to 40 outlets by the end of March next year. CaratLane had started operations as an online player. Last year, Tata group firm Titan had bought 62 per cent stake in the company for Rs 357.24 crore. "We have 30 retail stores now and by the end of this fiscal, we should have 10 more. These are being set up across places like Delhi, Hyderabad and Indore," CaratLane Vice President (Offine Sales) Prashant Chaudhary told PTI. He added these will be a mix of company-owned and franchise stores. Asked about the investment, he said each store -- depending on the size and location -- needs about Rs 60-80 lakh, which is either borne by the company or franchise partner. Chaudhary said, while the retail stores contribute about 55 per cent of the company's revenues, online is an important channel that brings new customers. "Both online and offline are growing at a significant pace. Online has grown 100 per cent and beyond, there is strong growth in traffic and transactions online," he added. Chaudhary noted that customers are now more comfortable buying jewellery online than before. "While there are transactions that could be in lakhs, usually customers tend to shop for upto Rs 25,000 when online. Beyond that, I think they want to see the product first and that is where our cash on delivery, retail stores and try at home service comes in," he said. Chaudhary said the decision to open stores is data- driven. "It's not that we just pick cities randomly. We are setting up our stores depending on where we are seeing demand and traction online. That is why we are looking at cities like Chandigarh, Ludhiana. Next year will be more about tier II cities," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior BJP leader Bijay Mohapatra today described the Centre's affidavit in the Supreme Court on Mahanadi water row as a move to forge "friendship with Chhattisgarh and enmity with Odisha." The affidavit filed by the Ministry of Water Resources, accusing the state of not providing enough evidence to justify the formation of a tribunal, is a big blow to Odisha's pride, Mohapatra told reporters here. "The Centre's affidavit in the Supreme Court is a move to forge friendship with Chhattisgarh and enmity with Odisha. How can the Centre be partial to Chhattisgarh?" he said. The Centre had four days ago filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, alleging that Odisha did not provide sufficient information for setting up a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute. It also said that both the states can resolve the issue through negotiation. The ministry's affidavit exposes the "double standards" of the Centre, the BJP leader alleged. "The Centre finds fault only with Odisha government but not Chhattisgarh, even when the neighbouring state violated several laws," Mohapatra said, referring to the affidavit. The Odisha government had moved the Centre for an inter-state tribunal only after a negotiation failed with Chhattishgarh in November, last year, he explained. "Union Minister of State Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, had said that a decision has been taken to set up a tribunal. However, now when it's time to constitute one, the Centre is raising unacceptable questions," he said. The senior BJP leader said the neighbouring state and the Centre have conspired against and its people. "The conspiracy was hatched by the Chhattishgarh government with active support from the central government." Odisha had been opposing Chhattisgarh's plans to build 13 barrages and seven pick up weirs (small dams) on the upstream of Mahanadi river. The BJD government asserted that the construction would adversely affect the interests of its farmers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sahastra Seema Bal officials today seized 18 kg of charas, worth around Rs 3.5 crore in the international market from a Nepalese man who was arrested in West Champaran district. The Nepalese man was arrested while entering Bhangaha in West Champaran district after crossing the Indo-Nepal border riding a motorbike, SSB deputy commandant, 44th Battalion, Ajay Kumar Rajak said. He was carrying packets containing 18 kg of charas worth nearly Rs 3.5 crore in the international market, he said. The arrested person and the contraband were handed over to the police. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A group of personnel from Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) today conducted a cleanliness campaign at the Chowpatty beach here as part of their two-week long sanitation programme. Led by the CISF Inspector General for the western sector Satish Khandare, IPS, as many as 250 personnel from the force cleaned around 1.5 km stretch of the Chwopatty beach in south Mumbai, an official release said. The exercise was undertaken for two hours from 9 am to 11 am, it said. A 'Swachhta Pakhwada' is being observed in all CISF field units and other formations under the western sector from December 1 to December 15, it said adding as a part of it, cleanliness drives are being held at various locations, CISF camps, family quarters, office complex and nearby schools, temples, local market and public places. Raised in 1969, the CISF, the country's premier multi-skilled security agency, currently provides security cover to key establishments, such as nuclear installations, space establishments, airports, seaports, power plants, sensitive government buildings, among others. During this drive, CISF officers and men carried out the exercise in collaboration with general public to enthuse them regarding virtues of Centre's 'Swacch Bharat Mission', the release said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CRPF constable Sant Kumar Yadav, accused of shooting dead his four colleagues at a camp in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, today said he was being framed in the case, a claim dismissed by an official who called it a "well calculated" killing. Yadav(35)was today produced in a Bijapur court which sent him to judicial remand for two weeks, police said. Four Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, including two sub-inspectors, were killed and another injured yesterday in a gunfire allegedly opened on them by Yadav at the force's 168th battalion 'G' company camp in Basaguda, located around 450 km from here. Yadav told the press on the court premises today that he was not involved in the fratricide. "I completed my duty from 2 to 4 PM on Saturday and then went to get fresh. Around 5 PM, I heard the sound of bullets and ran towards the place. I immediately took position with my weapon like other personnel were doing. Who opened firing and on whom, I don't have any details," he claimed. Yadav, a native of Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh, said the company commander and other troopers held him after the firing saying he had killed the four personnel. "I came to know that they were killed by a different weapon not by mine. I don't know why I am being implicated when I haven't done anything," he said. When asked why he was being dragged into the incident without any reason, Yadav said, "Small issues and disputes can be there (among personnel) if we work together but it doesn't mean that anybody will take such an extreme step. I have come here to earn for my family and they also for the same." Meanwhile, a senior police official posted in Bijapur said, the preliminary investigation suggested that it was a "well calculated" attack by Yadav on his colleagues. "After the incident, Yadav surrendered before his company commander and confessed to having committed the crime. However, he retracted his statement this morning," the official who questioned Yadav in the custody told PTI. As per preliminary probe, Yadav was a habitual drinker and used to visit nearby villages in the insurgency-hit forest without informing anyone in the camp in search of locally-made liquor, he said. Yadav, who was earlier posted in the outpost of the CRPF's 168th battalion located close to the main camp of the unit in Basaguda, was shifted to the main camp recently after a complaint was lodged against him in connection with his habits, he said. The constable also had some issues with the deceased personnel and had altercation with them in the past, according to the official. "After completing his duty yesterday, Yadav went to the officers' mess, picked up a weapon of one of his colleagues and sprayed bullets which shows that it was a well-calculated attack as he did not use his weapon," he claimed. Yadav fired more than 90 rounds, the official said. He said the casualties would have been more had some personnel not gone out on some duty at the time of the incident. The deceased included sub-inspectors Vikey Sharma (34) and Megh Singh (52), who hailed from Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir and Ahmedabad in Gujrat, respectively. The other two deceased are Assistant Sub-Inspector Rajveer Singh (48), who hailed from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, and Constable G Sankara Rao (37) from Vijaynagram in Andhra Pradesh. ASI Gajanand (49), a native of Rewari in Haryana, sustained injuries in his side ribs and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Raipur. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 70-year-old woman and her four-year-old grand-daughter were hacked to death allegedly by their neighbour at Badi Ambagaon village in Ganjam district of Odisha today, police said. The accused, Ranjan Sethi (35), has been arrested and a sharp weapon used in the crime also seized, said inspector in-charge of Hinjili police station, Prasant Kumar Sahoo. Previous enmity, coupled with the mental condition of the accused, might be the cause of the killing, according to preliminary inquiry by police. The woman and her grand-daughter succumbed to injuries during treatment. "We have registered a murder case and started an inquiry into the incident," Sahoo added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today described Israel as a "terrorist state" and vowed to use "all means to fight" against the US recognition of Jerusalem as the country's capital. "Palestine is an innocent victim... As for Israel, it is a terrorist state, yes, terrorist!" Erdogan said in a speech in the central city of Sivas. "We will not abandon Jerusalem to the mercy of a state that kills children." His speech came days after US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, angering Palestinians and sparking protests in Muslim and Arab countries. Four Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in violence following the US announcement. Rockets were fired from Gaza and Israeli warplanes carried out raids on the territory. Erdogan earlier described the status of Jerusalem, whose eastern sector Palestinians see as the capital of their future state, as a "red line" for Muslims. He called Trump's declaration "null and void". The Turkish president has used his position as the current chairman of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to call a summit of the pan-Islamic group on Wednesday. "We will show that applying the measure will not be as easy as that," he added today. During his speech, Erdogan held a picture of what he said was a 14-year-old Palestinian boy from Hebron, in the Occupied West Bank, being dragged away by Israeli soldiers. Turkey and Israel normalised their relations in recent years but Erdogan has continued to defend the Palestinian cause and has regularly criticised Israeli policy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) News / National by Staff reporter FRESH cracks have emerged in the MDC-T after party leader Morgan Tsvangirai clashed with his deputy Thokozani Khupe over the sacking of Matabeleland South provincial chairperson Solani Moyo, NewsDay has learnt.It is understood that Khupe on December 4, wrote to Moyo accusing him of "irregular behaviour" and subsequently suspended him before Tsvangirai wrote to his junior, advising her of the need to follow procedure.She suspended Moyo with immediate effect pending investigations, saying appropriate action would be taken against him.But, Tsvangirai was not amused by his deputy's action saying the same Moyo had also written a letter of complaint against Khupe. As a result, Tsvangirai set aside Moyo's purported suspension.In a letter to Moyo and copied to Tsvangirai, Khupe wrote: "The basis of your suspension is the breach of the constitution of the Movement for Democratic Change and its regulations by yourself."More specifically, you have violated the Disciplinary Code of Conduct and Regulations, Annexure C, to constitution of the Movement for Democratic Change, Article 2 (n) and (o) in that on Saturday the 25th of November 2017 at Ndolwane, Bulilima West in Matabeleland South at a voter registration mobilisation programme organised by the party, you engaged in acts of violence by threatening to assault me and charging at me in a bid to assault me."She added: "You had to be restrained by other members of the party including the national organising secretary, the Honourable Abednico Bhebhe, from your intended assault in full view of the national chairperson Lovemore Moyo.""Since you are a national council member, I shall duly report to the National Executive Committee of your suspension as provided in Section 9.1.2 (i) of the Movement for Democratic Change," Khupe wrote.However, Tsvangirai responded on Thursday to Khupe: "I am disturbed that before I even considered your request and the issue surrounding the same, you have gone ahead to suspend the party's chairperson in a matter in which you are the complainant and gone public on the same."It is not my intention at this stage to go into the merits of the case of the matter or the constitutionality of the actions taken to date without a proper investigation by a competent authority. However, for the sake of the good of our party and respect for principles of natural justice, I am now referring the matter to the arbiter-general of the party for a full investigation in which he shall advise the correct and constitutional process to follow."The two opposition leaders are still smarting from another clash where Khupe accused Tsvangirai of unilaterally entering into the 2018 electoral pact - the MDC Alliance, without consulting party structures in Matabeleland. The differences turned nasty a few months ago after party youths reportedly stormed a meeting and assaulted Khupe, chairman Moyo and organising secretary Bhebhe.Following the skirmishes, the MDC-T suspended several officials as the party tried to mend fences and avoid another split ahead of the decisive elections.But just as the dust was settling, another conflict is brewing over the procedure and manner in which Moyo - whom Khupe accused of threatening her with violence - was suspended.This came at a time when some within the opposition party were pushing for leadership renewal, hence the alleged plan to remove perceived foes.MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said there was no fallout between Tsvangirai and Khupe.He said the issue regarding the suspension of the Matabeleland South provincial chairperson was under control."The problem is that there are some evil and malicious characters who are keen on igniting a fallout between the president and vice-president Khupe," Gutu said."This whole issue has been blown out of proportion. It's much ado about nothing. The party is more concerned and focused on mobilising Zimbabweans to come out and register to vote under the ongoing biometric voter registration exercise."Gutu added: "We are not in the least worried about prophets of doom and gloom who can't wait to see the party leadership at each other's throats."The relationship between president Tsvangirai and vice-president Khupe is deep-rooted and comradely."These are cadres who have come a very long way together dating back to their days in the labour movement under the ZCTU (Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions)." Several former Supreme Court judges believed that the practice of torturing an accused was rampant in the criminal justice system, according to a report released by the Centre on Death Penalty of the National Law University, with one judge even pointing out that seasoned criminals would not yield to "mere casual questioning". In the report -- "Matters of Judgment" -- a study on the criminal justice system and death penalty in India, one of the judges said he was in dismay when during an event at the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, he found out that the majority of the participating judges were of the view that the truth behind a crime would not come out unless the police had the power to torture. "Five of 12 former judges, justifying torture, said the police resorted to it because the investigating agencies worked under strenuous conditions, without adequate time and independence to investigate cases," the report said. The study also records the acknowledgement and concern of the former apex court judges about the "crisis" in the country's criminal justice system, on account of the widespread prevalence of torture, fabrication of evidence, the abysmal quality of legal aid and wrongful convictions. Of the 39 former judges, who discussed the prevalence of torture in the criminal justice system, 38 believed it to be rampant, while one former chief justice of India was of the opinion that there was no torture. "Seasoned criminals...they will not yield to mere casual questioning," said a judge, who has served in appellate courts for 22 years. Another former judge said the mindset of the police was affected by how poorly they were treated by VIPs when they were deployed on law-and-order duties. "This, in turn, affects them (police) as when it comes to crimes, they will pick up small men and adopt third-degree methods to elicit a confession and make them accused, whether they have committed the crime or not," he was quoted as saying in the report. The probe agencies either being "lazy" or "not having enough manpower" or "not knowing the methods of scientific investigation" were also cited by some of the judges to explain the prevalence of torture in the criminal justice system. However, 17 of the judges believed that torture undermined the system and said they were inherently opposed to it, irrespective of its utility. They also felt that the use of torture was an unreliable way of getting to the truth and recalled that it had led to undesirable results at times. A former chief justice of India said because of the prevalence of torture in the criminal justice system, he would tend to take the recovery statements (recorded by the probe agencies) "with a pinch of salt". Of 58 judges, 38 were of the view that the investigating agencies abused section 27 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, which dealt with the recovery of evidence. Twelve judges were aware that the provision was used to subliminally increase the use of torture as an investigative technique and therefore, were cautious of such recoveries as torture was often the starting point of an investigation. "We have mentioned the names of the judges but have not disclosed who said what. This is to ensure that the focus stays on the issue and does not shift to the person," Anup Surendranath, the director of the centre, said while releasing the report. The 60 judges interviewed by the study have adjudicated 208 death penalty cases between them, from 1975 to 2016. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An FIR was lodged against the Fortis hospital in Gurgaon today in connection with the death of a 7-year-old dengue patient, the Haryana government said. Both civil and criminal action was being initiated against the hospital which was severely indicted of lapses by a probe panel in its report pertaining to the death of the 7- year-old girl, an official spokesperson said. "On the basis of the report, an FIR was registered today against the hospital under section 304 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the Sushant Lok Police Station (Gurgaon). The other criminal action against the hospital is being taken under the Epidemic Diseases Act," the spokesperson said. This is being done on the directions by state Health Minister Anil Vij, the spokesperson said in an official release. A probe committee constituted to investigate the matter had earlier submitted its report to the health department. "The department has directed the Civil Surgeon, Gurgaon, to provide one copy each of the report to the parents of the child and the hospital, and one copy to the police with instructions to initiate a criminal inquiry against the hospital," the spokesperson said in the statement. The release quoting Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon, Vinay Pratap Singh, said instructions had been issued to all hospitals in Gurgaon that in cases of dengue or swine flu, they should inform the health department, but the Fortis Hospital allegedly did not do so. "For this negligence, the health department would get a case registered against the hospital under section 188 of the IPC (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant)," the spokesperson said. Besides the two criminal inquiries, civil action on three counts was also being taken against hospital, he added. "The Drug Controller Department has issued notice to the pharmacy running in the hospital for various shortcomings found and a reply is awaited. The State Drug Controller would take a decision on the reply and license of the pharmacy may be suspended under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1945, or may be cancelled," the spokesman said. Similarly, on the basis of the report of the probe committee, a notice has also been issued to the blood bank of the hospital for which 15 days have been given to file a reply, he added. On the basis of the reply, action would be taken against the blood bank under which its license may even be suspended or cancelled, the spokesman added. "Apart from this, the health department has also directed the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to check the norms and agreement pertaining to the treatment facility to the economically weaker sections. If any negligence is found, action would be taken against the hospital," he added. Yesterday, Health Minister Anil Vij said had said that his department had written to HUDA to cancel the lease of land to Fortis hospital in Gurgaon due to alleged violations of the terms and conditions of the agreement. A state government panel probing allegations of overcharging against Gurgaon's Fortis hospital had found "several irregularities" including protocols not being followed in a case related to the death of a 7-year-old girl. The bill for the treatment of seven-year-old Adya Singh had shot over Rs 15 lakh even as she died of dengue, according to officials. The Fortis group, had earlier said that all documents, statements and details required by the probe team of the Haryana government were provided. A committee headed by Dr Rajiv Vadhera, Additional DG, Health, Haryana was set up by the state government on November 21 to probe allegations that the private hospital overcharged the girl's family. The Centre had asked the Haryana government to initiate an urgent inquiry into the case. The hospital had earlier refuted the charges, claiming the patient's family was duly informed about the bill on a daily basis and that there was no medical negligence. In Delhi also, another leading private hospital has been facing the heat after the state government decided to cancel its licence over alleged medical negligence, including in a case where an alive baby was wrongly declared dead. A fire broke out at the government residence of state forest minister Gaurishankar Shejwar in the Char Imli area here today evening. The minister was not at home when the fire broke out and no major damage was reported from the incident, said officials. The Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC)fire officer Sajid Khan said that two fire-tending vehicles were deployed to douse the fire. "It happened in a room at the ministerial bungalow. Prima facie it looks like the cause is an electric short circuit," said Khan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A fierce wildfire raged on north of Los Angeles today, threatening other towns after already charring vast swaths of land, but other blazes were largely contained after burning for days. The so-called Thomas fire is only 15 per cent contained, now threatening the city of Santa Barbara and the nearby coastal town of Carpinteria, and is on track to become one of the worst wildfires in California history. It has already destroyed 583 structures and scorched 155,000 acres (60,000 hectares), the authorities say. A photo posted by Santa Barbara police this morning showed a wall of flames several yards (meters) high very close to buildings in Carpinteria. Evacuation orders were issued overnight for some parts of Carpinteria close to Los Padres National Forest, where fire was raging. Conditions remained very dry in southern California, according to the National Weather Service, but strong winds that have fuelled the fires for much of the week have eased significantly. At least five other blazes in southern California are now largely contained, the state agency Calfire said. After a five-day siege, some Californians were finally able to return home to inspect the damage wrought by the wildfires, which together have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee and destroyed more than 850 structures, including multimillion-dollar mansions. Despite the intensity of the fires that raged on multiple fronts -- stretching from areas north of Los Angeles down to the San Diego region -- authorities have reported only one fatality. US President Donald Trump has issued a state of emergency for California, authorising the release of federal funds. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Father of a 7-year-old girl, who died of dengue at the Fortis Hospital here, has filed a police complaint against the hospital group, but no FIR has been registered in the case, police said today. "The father of the deceased child filed the complaint at Sushant Lok police station on Friday," SHO Gaurav Phogat said. "But we have not filed an FIR yet as a preliminary investigation is on in the matter. We are waiting for an official copy of the inquiry report on the matter by a government panel," he said. In his complaint, Jayant Singh, urged the police to register the FIR for "culpable homicide" owing to criminal negligence against Fortis Hospital, Gurgaon, and also, forgery and destruction of evidence by the hospital management and doctors. Singh held that the hospital was "criminally negligent in the course of his daughter's treatment". He accused 18 persons, including chairman, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, executive vice-chairman, Fortis Healthcare, and nine doctors, for his daughter's death. Singh also alleged in the complaint that the hospital forged the parents' signatures in "crucial and important treatment-related documents, that is, consent forms". Fortis Healthcare, however, maintained that they were "yet to receive any formal complaint". The curtains came down on the eighthedition of the Goa Art and Literature festival (GALF) 2017 today with a special programme in memory of Mumbai-based poet, Eunice de Souza. Mumbai-based writer Jerry Pinto termed Eunice as the 'mistress of condensation' and praised her ability to be economical with words. "For instance, in one of her 48-word poems, Eunice ended by saying that it was too long," Pinto recalled. According to Pinto, Eunice was very proud and happy to be a teacher, though she was a very strict teacher. "However, Eunice was much loved by her students," Pinto added. Goa-based writer Jugneeta Sudan recited some of Eunice's poems and admired the late poet's ability to confront taboo topics. Vivek Menezes who introduced the late poet to the audience recalled Eunice de Souzas aggressive and bold style of writing poetry and prose. Earlier in the day, Archbishop of Goa, Rev Felipe Neri Ferrao released Teresa Albuquerques book, 'The Portuguese Impress'. GALF 2017 was organised by The International Centre Goa in association with Goa Writers, with support from the North Eastern Council, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region and Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of Goa. Writers and artists from Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Singapore, the UK and USA, among other countries, took part in the festival. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On the lines of its anti-polio drive, the health ministry has launched a 15-day door-to-door campaign across the country for early detection, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis to eliminate the disease. Under the campaign, health department workers, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and TB supervisors will make door-to-door visits to find TB patients and give them free medical treatment till they are cured, said Dr Sunil Khaparde, Deputy Director General (TB), Health Ministry. According to the World Health Organisation, an estimated 2.8 million cases of TB occur in India every year, out of which 1.7 million cases are reported. "Around one million cases of tuberculosis get missed every year. The aim is to detect these missed out cases by going to every household. "These are the most vulnerable population including those living in slums, mine workers, unorganised labourers, prisoners and migrants among others," Khaparde said. Under the third phase of the Revised National TB Control Programme, the centre in collaboration with the states have identified 186 high-risk districts. The phase is called Active Case Finding (ACF). The programme was launched in January last year and the second phase of the exercise was carried out in July. "In both the campaigns together, 15,000 cases of TB were detected and the patients were put on treatment. "The health ministry aims to reduce incidences of TB by 90 per cent by 2025 and reduce mortality due to the disease by 95 per cent by 2030 under the Revised National TB Control Programme," Khaparde said. Talking about the challenges faced in TB elimination, Kharpade said that more than 60 per cent of the patients go to private hospitals during the first contact. "There is no adherence system. Also the treatment protocol as prescribed under the standards for TB cases is not followed as a result of which the treatment is not completed and in majority of the cases there is a relapse. "So we are sensitising the private hospitals so that they notify us the cases," he said. In a bid to achieve the goal of eliminating tuberculosis (TB) by 2025, the ministry recently rolled out the daily drug regimen to combat the disease across the country. Under the new treatment policy, patients are being given fixed drug combinations (FDCs), three or four drugs in a single pill, on a daily basis instead of thrice a week (the intermittent drug regimen). "Patients are being given fixed drug combinations (FDCs), three or four drugs in a single pill, as against seven tablets, which will reduce the pill burden. "Besides, dosage will be determined according to the patient's body weight. Previously, it was same for all adults," Khaparde said. "Also, children suffering from tuberculosis won't have to take the bitter tablets anymore as they will be replaced with easily-dissolvable and flavoured drugs," he said. Since 1997, under the RNTCP, patients were being administered drugs thrice a week (the intermittent drug regimen). According to a senior health ministry official, daily treatment regimen is likely to be more effective with lesser relapses and it is expected to reduce drug-resistance with greater compliance. The World Health Organisation revised its TB management guidelines in 2010, recommending that the daily drug regimen be adopted under the RNTCP. According to the health ministry data, the TB incidence was estimated to be 217 per lakh population in 2015 which reduced to 211 per lakh population in 2016. Despite the reduction, India topped the list of seven countries, accounting for 64 per cent of the 10.4 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide in 2016, according to a new global report which was released by the WHO yesterday. Also, India along with China and Russia accounted for almost of half of the 490,000, multi drug-resistant TB (MDR- TB) cases registered in 2016. According to the report, under-reporting and under- diagnosis of the TB cases continues to be a challenge, especially in countries with large unregulated private sectors and weak health systems. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government needs to accord top priority to agriculture in the as a major shortfall in kharifproduction resulted in a sluggish growth of farm sector in the second quarter this financial year, Assocham said on Sunday. While the year-to-year agriculture GVA (Gross Value Addition) growth for the July-September quarter of 2017-18 dropped to 1.7 per cent from 4.1 per cent, measured on basic prices, the fall looks quite sharp at current prices from 10 per cent to 3.7 per cent. It is attributed to a decline in food grains production by 2.8 per cent in second quarter of the current financial year from a handsome growth of 10.7 per cent in the similar period of 2016-17. The Chamber observed that the shortfall in the second leg of the monsoon seems to have impacted the Kharif production. "Besides, distress in prices of several agri-commodities would have also played a role in lower realisations as seen in the growth deceleration on the current prices," it said. The chamber Secretary General D S Rawat said since more than half of the GVA in the farm sector is contributed by livestock, fishery and forestry, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley should particularly focus on these segments of the along with a major thrust on agriculture infrastructure like irrigation. "With a bulk of our population employed in the rural landscape, India's consumption-led growth and investment cannot be realised unless the entire farm sector is pulled out of stress. "Major part of India Inc is heavily dependent on rural demand which would remain subdued if immediate steps are not taken in the short term and medium term," Rawat said. The chamber suggested that in the near term, farmers must be extended all help in the ongoing Rabi season and it must be ensured that adequate protection is given to them if market distortions creep into their disadvantage. "Timing is very important in agriculture and steps like import duty or export measures must be initiated well in time so that the benefits reach the farmers and are not pocketed by the intermediaries," it said. According to Assocham, rural-oriented companies in fertiliser, seeds, farm equipment, two-wheelers, FMCG, food processing would be vulnerable if the agriculture sector does not perform as well as other sectors. "The argument that the lower growth in agriculture has come about on a high base of the previous year should not be a matter of consolation. If that situation is allowed, this show how there are serious issues with our farm productivity," the chamber said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called today for a renewed push to end the "stupid war" in Yemen, saying he hoped the Trump administration could pressure Saudi Arabia to ease the humanitarian crisis there. "I believe this is a stupid war. I think this war is against the interests of Saudi Arabia and the Emirates... (and) of the people of Yemen," he said on CNN, employing unusually blunt language for the top UN diplomat. "What we need is a political solution." US President Donald Trump on Wednesday took the rare step of publicly demanding that ally Saudi Arabia immediately allow vital humanitarian supplies to reach Yemen, scene of what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with millions at risk of starvation. Trump, while not asking for an end to Saudi-led bombing of Yemen, said in a statement that his aides would ask the Saudis to "completely allow food, fuel, water and medicine to reach the Yemeni people, who desperately need it." Guterres said conditions in Yemen had improved somewhat, adding, "I hope that President Trump has put a lot of pressure recently... A lot of humanitarian aid is already going in." He said he hoped a Saudi blockade of Yemen's ports, imposed after a Huthi missile was intercepted near Riyadh last month, would be lifted. Saudi Arabia and its allies have launched a campaign to oust Huthi rebels who control the capital Sanaa and who have links to Riyadh's arch-foe Iran. As the war drags on, seven million people are believed to be on the brink of famine and a cholera outbreak has caused more than 2,000 deaths. "This war is causing, in my opinion, terrible suffering to the Yemeni people," while also harming Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, Guterres told CNN. "It's in the interests of everybody to stop this war. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) News / National by Staff reporter In a school yard in Zimbabwe's Matabeleland region, a group of children laugh as they throw themselves into the air on a rusty set of swings.It seems like a happy setting, but the children are playing in one of Zimbabwe's killing fields.Thirty-four years ago, here in this yard in the Tsholotso district, soldiers shot dead seven teachers at point blank range and dumped them in a pit during the so-called Gukurahundi crackdown in the 1980s.An estimated 20,000 people were killed when former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe ordered a military campaign against the rival liberation movement, PF- ZAPU.The man who was the security minister at the time is now Zimbabwe's president, while the armed forces were headed by men who currently have senior ministerial posts.Emmerson Mnangagwa, known as the "crocodile" for his political cunning, replaced 93-year-old Mugabe last month.Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years, stepped down after a military takeover in the wake of an internal power struggle within the ruling ZANU-PF party.The downfall of Mugabe has now prompted many witness and victims of the atrocities to speak out for the first time.Speaking to Al Jazeera, residents in Matabeleland said the southern African nation could not move forward without acknowledging and atoning for past crimes.Jane Malazi, from Tsholotso, said she was tortured and had to watch her 14-year-old sister being raped.An uncle was also killed, she said."It's very painful, as I speak it still hurts me," she told Al Jazeera. "Those who did these things should come and apologise to us, otherwise nothing has changed, we can't move on."Mlomo Sibanda, a survivor of the "Gukurahundi" massacre, said he does not believe Mnangagwa will apologise.Pointing at the spot where the seven teachers had been buried in Tsholotso, the elderly man said, "They [soldiers] called everyone around this village to come here and dig new toilets."But, really, we were digging a grave."Witnesses later told him the soldiers made the teachers line up next to the pits before shooting them dead, said Sibanda. They were killed on suspicion of being part of a rebellion.An unknown number of civilians were among the dead in a series of massacres between 1983 and 1987, carried out by the North Korean-trained Fifth Army Brigade, which was under orders from Mugabe.The "Gukurahundi" crackdown ended with the signing of the Unity Accord in 1987 between ZANU-PF and PF-ZAPU.Mnangagwa has denied any role in the killings.In March 1983, state-run Chronicle newspaper published a report about Mnangagwa defending the Fifth Army Brigade."Likening the dissidents to cockroaches and bugs, the minister said the bandit menace had reached such epidemic proportion that the Government had to bring in "DDT" (the 5th brigade) to get rid of the bandits," the report read.Meanwhile, Christopher Mutsuvangwa, a senior Mnangagwa adviser, said bringing up the past was "simply unhelpful" and "irresponsible"."Zimbabwe needs a break," he told Al Jazeera."To continuously re-dig its past, to settle scores from the past, as if it cannot grasp the future It diverts energy away from what should be done."Every country followed a tortured history You make mistakes. You make false starts."Mnangagwa, speaking at his inauguration, said he wanted to help create jobs, reimburse farmers whose lands were seized and stamp out corruption.He has also promised presidential elections next year.Back in a village deep in the bush, Sibanda, the man from the Tsholotsho school, bowed his head in prayer before a stone plaque etched with the names of 23 people, mainly women, who were locked in a house and burned alive.He asked for help and comfort.His words, carrying the anger and pain of tens of thousands of people, shattered the stillness there. Honduras's leftwing opposition is demanding a presidential election held two weeks ago be voided and its results annulled, alleging it was "rigged" in favor of incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez. The Alliance Against the Dictatorship coalition backing Hernandez's chief rival in the poll, Salvador Nasralla, lodged the demand late Friday with the Supreme Electoral Tribunal. Both Hernandez and Nasralla claimed victory after the November 26 election. The electoral tribunal has not declared a winner, though the complete results it has released show Hernandez scoring a slender advantage over Nasralla -- despite an initial count putting Nasralla comfortably in the lead. The tribunal said Hernandez received 42.98 per cent of the ballots, while Nasralla got 41.38 per cent. But it said that count could be subject to appeal. The small Central American nation of 10 million has been mired in uncertainty since the election, with competing demonstrations for Hernandez and Nasralla. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A list of 20 hottest Chinese words and characters that reflected people's lives and issues in the past year has been announced, state media reported today. Words and characters on the 2017 list related to domestic topics include "share", "cloud", "new era" and "kindergarten", while those related to international issues include "nuclear", "intelligence", "AlphaGo" and "gravitational wave". The campaign, whose organisers include the National Language Resource Monitoring and Research Center and the Commercial Press, received thousands of words and characters between November 20 and December 4 by netizens nationwide. The campaign's website got more than 200 million clicks from netizens, whose picks were discussed by a panel of experts before the shortlist was released yesterday. The final list of two words and two characters will be announced on December 21. The shortlist reflects people's lives and the hot issues that have come up in the past year, both in China and abroad, state-run Xinhua agency said. This year's campaign is the 12th of its kind. It aims to encourage people to record their lives and depict changes in society and the world in words. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Asian countries will be greatly benefited by a that will also give India a chance to replace its fossil fuel-based generation with cleaner hydropower from countries like Bhutan and Nepal, according to Asian Development Bank. The unanticipated shortages in one country's power grid can be readily solved by imports from a neighbouring grid, said a blog written by Priyantha Wijayatunga, ADB Director (Energy Division) for South Asia Regional Department. A is a clear win for the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) countries as the power systems of all countries would be integrated through adequate cross border transmission capacity to share power with each other, he said. "Under this arrangement, smaller countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka would rely on market to provide reserve generation capacity, lowering their own investment costs, while fossil fuel-based generation in Bangladesh and India would be replaced with cleaner hydropower from Bhutan and Nepal." Besides, given the different times of peak power demands of neighbouring grids, one grid doesn't need to generate all its power to meet peak demand, it can instead buy from another grid for partial requirements, and vice versa, Wijayatunga wrote. This "resulting diversity" reduces overall investment needs in energy generation plans, he said. It is beneficial to have a grid-to-grid connection for direct transfer of power from one grid to another instead of exporting power from a generation plant to a grid, the blog said. Like in case of India-Bangladesh power trade agreement, the latter now imports up to 500 megawatts from India under a 2013 project supported by a $112 million ADB loan, he said. This grid-to-grid connection has significantly improved power supply and cost as well as power interruptions in Bangladesh, where shortages are rampant. "The two countries are now looking to double capacity of their power trading arrangement financed through another ADB loan of $120 million," he said in the blog. Wijayatunga further said the current bilateral power trade agreement among SASEC countries need to gradually expand in volume as well as beyond two-country agreements. "Some initiatives in this regard can already be seen, like the agreement to export power from a specific generator in Nepal to Bangladesh through transmission grid in India, and preliminary discussions for Bangladesh to invest in a hydropower plant in Bhutan," he said. "We hope they will further expand in the near future. More bilateral and multilateral power trading can pave the way to developing a in the SASEC region that will benefit all countries," the blog said. Curtains will go up on the 3rd Kolkata International Wildlife and Environment Film Festival with the screening of Oliver Goetzl's 'Jungle Book Bear' on December 15. Magsaysay Award winner Prakash Amte will inaugurate the three-day festival in which 60 films from across the world would be screened, festival director Aditya Lal Mukherjee said. Prakash Amte and his wife Mandakini who run a wildlife orphanage and sanctuary for animals in Maharashtra would be conferred life time achievement award by the festival organisers, DESHAM. Directed by German film maker Oliver Goetzl, the inaugural film 'Jungle Book Bear' is a 50-minute movie based on the timeless Rudyard Kipling fiction 'Jungle Book'. It has the voice narration by David Attenborough. The films will be shown in six categories - Feature Film, Short Film, Animation Films, Documentaries, Public Service Announcements and Students' Film, a new category, Veteran actress, film rights activists and chief advisor of the festival Debashree Roy said no entry fee would be required to watch the films in the six venues. The selected films are from countries such as France, Mongolia, Iran, the USA, the UK, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Guatemala, Canada, Russia, Greece, Nepal, Israel and India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Israeli Army commander has been suspended after being filmed stealing apples from a Palestinian vendor's stand in the West Bank town of Hebron. Soldiers from the Givati brigade in Hebron had been deployed in the area near Hebrons market to deal with any disturbances following President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The squad commander spotted a stand whose Palestinian vendor had left due to disturbances in the area, Haaretz reported. In a video circulating on the internet, the commander, who apparently did not notice Palestinians filming him, is seen taking three apples from the stand and passing them out to the soldiers who were with him, the paper said. A spokesman of the Israel Defense Force called the incident "conduct inconsistent with what is expected of an IDF soldier and commander." The commander has been suspended from his position and will face disciplinary action, the paper quoted the spokesman as saying. Over the weekend, at least 140 Palestinians were injured in clashes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israel's hardline Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman today called on Israelis to boycott Arab businesses in a northern district that saw rioting in protest against US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state. The residents of the Wadi Ara region (in the north of Israel) should be boycotted as they "do not belong to the state of Israel," Lieberman told Army Radio. "They should understand that they are not wanted here, they are not part of us" and according to the defence minister they "have no connection to this country". "What is happening in Wadi Ara is intolerable," he said adding, "So I am calling for a boycott of Wadi Ara. Don't go there and don't buy there. They need to understand that it is impossible to demonstrate with Hezbollah flags, Palestinian flags and pictures of (Hezbollah leader Hassan) Nasrallah. To accept billions from the National Insurance (Institute) and to also destroy us from within". During the unrest, rock-throwers targeted a passenger bus, smashing the windows and lightly injuring the driver. An Israeli journalist also claimed to have escaped a "lynching" after rioters threw rocks at him and at police, then destroyed his motorcycle. Police arrested two residents of Arara, one a minor and the other an adult, on suspicions of throwing rocks at cars. When asked by the interviewer whether he was making generalisations about all the Arab residents of the area, Lieberman stressed, "It seems you don't live in Israel. I saw thousands at that funeral of the terrorists in Umm al-Fahm. It was thousands, and I heard those sermons in the mosques, in all of them, sermons of incitement by those so-called spiritual leaders". In another interview to Israel Radio, he emphasised again that "formally, the residents of Wadi Ara are Israeli citizens, but they are not a part of Israel and must be part of the Palestinian Authority". He later repeated his call for a boycott of businesses in Wadi Ara. The Head of the Arab Joint List in the Knesset (Israeli parliament), Ayman Odeh, reacted angrily saying the minister is "a representative of the dark fascist regime of (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's extreme right-wing government". "The call to boycott citizens just because of their national and religious origin reminds one of the darkest regimes in human history. The thought that such a person is responsible for the security of the country should worry every rational citizen," Odeh added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An umbrella organisation of separatists here today urged the United Nations to dedicate a special day -- International Day of Solidarity -- for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. In a memorandum addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) said such a day will provide an opportunity "to remind the international community of the unresolved Kashmir issue". The memorandum was released to the press after the police foiled the JRL's march to the local UN office earlier in the day. The JRL, comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, also asked the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to fulfil its obligations towards ensuring peace along the Line of Control. "Ceasefire cannot be monitored from Srinagar or Muzaffarabad offices. Something tangible needs to be done for achieving the objective. The least it can do is to bring the belligerents to the negotiating table. The hostilities must stop immediately to save further loss of life and property, the memorandum read. The separatists on Thursday had asked people to observe a shutdown today -- the International Human Rights Day -- and march towards the office of UNMOGIP at Sonwar here to protest alleged rights violations. Authorities imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar to maintain law and order in view of the strike and the march to the local office of the United Nations called by separatists. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Heads continued to roll in the jail break case here with the Sub-jail Deputy Superintendent Gurpreet Singh being placed under suspension for alleged dereliction of duty. Two under-trials lodged in the case had escaped from the jail on December 7. Jail officials said Rajinder Singh has been given temporary charge in place of Gurpreet Singh. Jail Superintendent, Central jail, Ludhiana SP Khanna, who is conducting an inquiry into jail escape incident, confirmed that the DSP had been suspended. Earlier, three head constables of the local Sub-jail Kabul Singh, Harpal Singh and Mangat Singh were placed under suspensionfor alleged dereliction of duty. City police had earlier booked the three head constables for alleged dereliction of duty. Police had also booked the three under-trials, including the duo who had escaped, under relevant provisions of the law. The two under-trials Amandeep Kumar and Rajwinder Singh had escaped after throwing tea and pepper in the eyes of jail staff. The third under-trial Pawan Kumar, who also tried to escape, was overpowered by jail staff. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) was injured when the Pakistani forces violated ceasefire by firing at Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, an Army official said today. Pak troops fired at forward posts along the LoC in Bhawani belt of Noushera sector in Rajouri last evening, an Army officer said. In the firing, one JCO - a subedar was injured, he said. The JCO was hospitalized and is reported to be stable, he added. Reports said he was hit by a sniper fire. Earlier, on the night of December 7, an Army jawan was injured when Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing from small arms, automatics and mortars along the LoC in Poonch sector's Digwar area. Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively, officials said. On December 8 also, Pak army resorted to firing and shelling in Kalal, Laam and Jangarh sub-sectors of Noushera sector in Rajouri district. According to Union Home Ministry data, Pakistani forces have violated ceasefire 724 times along the international border and the LoC till October this year in comparison to 449 times in 2016. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) News / National by Staff reporter SPECIAL ADVISER to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Christopher Mutsvangwa, told Aljazeera that bringing up the Gukurahundi issue was "simply unhelpful" and "irresponsible"."Zimbabwe needs a break," he told Al Jazeera."To continuously re-dig its past, to settle scores from the past, as if it cannot grasp the future It diverts energy away from what should be done."Every country followed a tortured history You make mistakes. You make false starts."In January 1983, when the North Korean-trained Fifth Brigade (5 Brigade) of the army was deployed in Matabeleland North, Mnangagwa was Mugabe's minister of state security. That portfolio brought with it control over the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), a Rhodesian institution that was partly reconfigured in 1980 when Mugabe took power at independence.Ordinary Zimbabweans are wary, whispering anxiously about his alleged role in the 1980s Gukurahundi massacres.Around 20 000 Zimbabweans are believed to have died in the massacres as the military crushed perceived dissidents in Matabeleland and Midlands regions. "Gukurahundi" is Shona for "the first rains which washes away the chaff (from the last harvest), before the spring rains." President Donald Trump's courageous decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital is going to move the ball forward for the peace process in the Middle East, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said today amid protests in the region against the move. Trump's announcement on Wednesday that the US would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and begin the process of moving its embassy there from Tel Aviv, was met with protests and violence from Palestinians. Jerusalem, the eastern part of which was annexed from Jordan by Israel in 1967, has long been a sticking point in peace negotiations in the region. In a statement the Arab League Sunday said that Trump's Jerusalem decision has "isolated" the US from the peace process. On Friday, 14 of the 15 countries in the UN Security Council opposed Trump's decision. Haley defended Trump's decision and said that such a reaction from the international community was expected. "Trumps decision basically says that the United States acknowledges that the capital of Israel is Jerusalem, and saying also that the embassy is going to be moved to the capital, just like it is in almost every other country," she said. "Jerusalem has the Israeli Parliament, office of the president, you prime minister, and it has the Supreme Court. So, why shouldn't we have the embassy there? Haley asked. She said Americans have been demanding this for the past 22 year. "And no president, not (Bill) Clinton, not (George) Bush, not (Barack) Obama, actually had the courage to make that move and listen to the will of the American people. The Senate just overwhelmingly again voted to have the embassy moved. So, the president did the will of the people," she told the CNN in an interview. She said she strongly believed that the move "is going to move the ball forward for the peace process". Trump, Haley said, realised that waiting did not help anyone for 22 years. "Now let's try and move the ball. What I will tell you is, you have to look at the situation, that he just took Jerusalem off the table. He just took it off the table," she said. "So, now they get to come together. They get to decide what the borders will look like. They get to decide the boundaries. They get to talk about how they want to see Jerusalem going forward," she said. Responding to a question on the Arab League, she said the US had a lot more in common with the grouping than they have ever had before. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) of O P Jindal Global University (JGU) has signed an MoU with Cornell Law School, New York, allowing the students of JGLS to pursue a dual degree programme. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by the representatives of Cornell Law School and JGLS in the presence of Delhi High Court Acting Justice Gita Mittal and Dean of Cornell Law School. Earlier, Professor Eduardo M Penalver, Dean of Cornell Law School and Dr C Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of O P JGU in Sonipat, Haryana, had signed the MoU. Cornell Law School is based in the Cornell University, a private Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York. It is one of the eight Ivy League law schools and offers three law degree programs besides several dual-degree programs in conjunction with other professional schools at the varsity. A press statement issued by JGU states that this is the first time in the history of the eight Ivy League law schools in the USA (Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Brown, Dartmouth, Princeton, Yale, and University of Pennsylvania) that an international partnership of this magnitude and significance has been established with any law school outside of Europe. "The dual degree programme opens up a number of exciting opportunities for JGLS students. This will enable students to get access to and learn from the top-notch and renowned law professors in Cornell University Law School. "JGLS students securing a JD degree in Cornell University Law School will also be eligible to take the American Bar Exam as well as sit in for campus recruitments taking place in Cornell Law School," the press statement said. It further said that the partnership comes to force with immediate effect and the first batch of JGLS students to Cornell Law School will be eligible to start in 2018. JGLS students who are in the fourth year of the five-year law programme and in the second year of the three-year LLB programme at JGLS are eligible to apply, it added. Professor C Raj Kumar, also the Founding Dean of Jindal Global Law School, speaking on the occasion, said, "In a globalised world where legal practice and transaction are increasingly cross-border in nature, any first hand exposure to global high quality teaching and legal training would go a long way in shaping the careers of law school students. "A higher education degree which helps build a strong foundation in academic fundamentals and at the same time provides the required skills and knowledge necessary to compete in a global marketplace is needed," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today denounced Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari for opposing the cancellation of licence of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, for erroneously declaring a newborn dead, alleging he had "sold his integrity". Reacting to the CM's remark, Tiwari said he opposed the cancellation of the hospital's licence becasuse Kejriwal did not consider the plight of its workers and patients admitted there. The Delhi government had on Friday cancelled the hospital's licence for alleged medical negligence in multiple instances. Addressing a gathering in the Mundka area, Kejriwal said he was "sad" that Tiwari and the BJP had come out in support of the hospital. "The BJP is standing with the Max Hospital. Had we been dishonest, we would have made a deal with the hospital and kept mum (on the issue). "But we have not come into politics to commit wrongdoings or earn money. We have entered politics to serve the people and work with them honestly. I am sad Manoj Tiwari has sold his integrity," he alleged. Kejriwal added doctors work hard but private hospitals exploit them. Tiwari accused the AAP government of adopting double standards, as Kejriwal "was not suspended" when former minister Jitender Singh Tomar's degree was found fake. "The negligence of doctors should be punished severely but what did Kejriwal do to help the patients and employees who have been left to fend for themselves. "When Jitender Tomar's law degree was found fake and Satyendar Jain faced corruption charges, why Kejriwal was not suspended," Tiwari asked. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today called on senior Congress leader A K Antony, who is recuperating after an illness, at his residence in New Delhi. Vijayan, accompanied by CPI-M state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, enquired about the health of Antony, a former chief minister and defence minister, an official release here said. On the occasion, Antony donated Rs 50,000 to the Kerala Ockhi Cyclone Relief Fund. He handed over a cheque to this amount to the Chief Minister, the release said. Vijayan explained to Antony the various relief steps taken by the state government for the victims of Ockhi cyclone. Antony told him that the Congress would provide all support to the rehabilitation work taken up by the government, the release added. 76-year old Antony underwent treatment after he suffered a "minor" brain haemorrhage on November 29. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Movies focusing on farmers, women empowerment, youth and security forces would be some of the highlights of the upcoming Khajuraho International Film Festival (KFFI). The third edition of the festival will be underway at the World Heritage site of Khajuraho temples on December 17. It will be inaugurated by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Manoj Shrivastava, principal secretary of MP Culture Department, told reporters this edition of the KFFI would be dedicated to veteran actors - Shashi Kapoor, Om Puri and Tom Alter. The festival is being organised by the Madhya Pradesh Culture Department in cooperation with Prayas Productions, MP Tourism and the Urban Administration Department, he said. "The KFFI would focus on women empowerment, farmers, youths and security forces. Films based on these subjects will be screened in the 'Tapra Talkies' (Makeshift talkies) section, the main attraction of this festival," Shrivastava said. This year's festival would last for a week - two days longer than the last edition and will be spread across three towns in MP. "For the first time, the KFFI is being organised across three towns of Bundelkhand - Khajuraho, Panna and Chhatarpur. The KFFI would also showcase international movies besides those produced in India," he said. Raja Bundela, actor and founder of Prayas Productions, said director-producer Shekhar Kapur would be honoured at the fest for his achievements in the international film arena. Several noted personalities of the film industry, such as Jackie Shroff, Prem Chopra, Govind Nihlani, Manmohan Shetty, Govind Namdev, Pankaj Parashar, among others, would attend the festival. Bundela said these film personalities would hold Master Classes and share their insights on acting and filmmaking techniques. Post the training session, three students would be shortlisted through a competition, who would get the opportunity to be trained by Anupam Kher, Subhash Singh and Ramesh Sippy. Shrivastava said the government is in the process of formulating a new film policy in the state. The KFFI closes December 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Describing the current situation in the Korean peninsula as "most tense and dangerous peace and security issue" in the world, a visiting UN envoy has told the North Korean leadership that time is of the essence and it needs to implement all relevant Security Council resolutions. The UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman was on a visit to Democratic People's Republic of Korea or DPRK, commonly known as North Korea, from December 5 to December 8. During the visit, he had a series of meetings with North Korea Foreign Minister Yong Ho and his deputy PAK Myong Guk. "They 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," a UN statement said. Feltman emphasised the need for the implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions, the UN said, adding that 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 UN said. Noting the urgent need to prevent miscalculations and open channels to reduce the risks of conflict, Feltman underlined that the international community, alarmed by escalating tensions, is committed to the achievement of a peaceful solution to the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The UN envoy also met with the United Nations Country Team and members of the diplomatic corps, and visited UN project sites, including a children's foodstuff factory, TB prevention institute, breast tumour institute, and paediatric hospital during his visit. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An appeal filed by a Delhi-based lawyer in 2007 against a Delhi High Court judgement convicting him for contempt has finally been decided by the Supreme Court in his favour. A reference under the contempt of court Act had been drawn by the additional sessions judge and sent to the high court for adjudication. The complainant, facing trial in a drugs seizure of 55 kg of hashish at the airport by the customs, during mid stream case had sought a refund of the fee from the lawyer, Rajiv Dawar. He chose to seek the trial court's help to get the refund, while also moving the bar council. Dawar, despite having agreed to pay the refund, was convicted by the courts, but he found favour from the Supreme Court, which noted that he was not given enough opportunity to defend himself. He was even barred from practising for two months. The bar council had absolved the lawyer of any misconduct, finding the complaint to be palpably malafide and unsubstantiated to support the averments against the lawyer. However, it ordered the part-refund for remaining services unrendered. The high court observed that no opportunity of defence was afforded to the lawyer both by the trial court judge in reference and the high court dealing with it. The Supreme Court said it has no hesitation in noticing the irregularities and set aside the judgement assailed in appeal. The apex court while allowing lawyer Dawar's appeal found that the conviction was made by the subordinate courts on the basis of unilateral allegations. It observed that conviction could not be based solely on unilateral allegations and the contemnor has to be given an opportunity to establish his innocence, which in the present case was missing. Lawyer Dawar, when contacted about the judgement, said he was pleased with the verdict. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A private bus fell off a bridge in a river in Bhiwandi tehsil of the district, police said. Deputy Superintendent of Police (Ganeshpuri) Vishal Thakur told PTI that as per preliminary report the incident occurred at around 5 pm when the bus was proceeding on the Saitan bridge near the Ambadi village. He said police and rescue teams were rushed to the spot and further details like the number of passengers inside the bus were awaited. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) French baby-milk maker Lactalis and health authorities have ordered a major international product recall because of fears of salmonella contamination following 26 cases of children falling sick in France. Company spokesman Michel Nalet told AFP "nearly 7,000 tonnes" of production may have been contaminated, but the company is unable to say currently how much remains on the market, has been consumed or is in stock. One of the world's biggest producers of dairy products sells its baby milk in packets ranging from 350-950 grams which are marketed globally under a host of brand names. The recall will affect consumers in countries as diverse as China, Pakistan, Britain and Sudan, underlining the reach of the company and the difficulty in trying to trace all the potentially at-risk powder. Today's announcement by the company and regulators in the French economy ministry significantly widens the scare which first emerged at the start of the month with reports of 20 sick children under the age of six. Salmonella symptoms include severe diarrhoea, stomach camps and vomiting, and the illness -- caused by intestinal bacteria from farm animals -- is dangerous for the very young and elderly because of the risk of dehydration. None of the 26 victims in France has died. Asked if any cases had been reported abroad, Nalet replied: "Not as far as I am aware. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Mumbai police tonight arrested the man who allegedly molested actor Zaira Wasim onboard a Delhi-Mumbai flight, officials said. Sources, however, did not immediately reveal the identity of the man nor gave any other details. The 'Dangal' actor had alleged she was molested by a middle-aged co-passenger on board the Vistara flight last night. The Mumbai police had registered a case against an unknown person in connection with the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Opinion / Columnist After being crowned Mr Ugly for two consecutive years, William Masvinu went into comfort zone. Despite the prize money being as little as $100, Masvinu landed some deals with some local companies - a move that supplemented his meagre earnings as a porter at Mbare Musika Bus Terminus in Harare.His victory drew the attention of international media in 2012 and he became a celebrity in his own right.However, things took a wrong turn in 2015 when the 43-year-old lost his crown to Mison Sere. A fracas erupted at the contest venue as Masvinu protested that Sere had rigged and manipulated his way to victory.An enraged Masvinu declared he was the undisputed ugliest person in Zimbabwe and that Sere had no capacity to match his looks.So tense was the atmosphere that after the contest, Masvinu wept over losing the title, leaving many questioning whether it was a case of bitterness over losing or if there was another reason.Since 2011, Masvinu has been taking part in the competition and has won three times in four contests with the recent victory having come on December 3 when he wrestled back the crown from Sere.Masvinu wept after getting back the title.He also walked away $500 richer."Vanga vachindibirira [they rigged]. I am happy that I have retained the crown," he said.Masvinu beat Sere, who became second runner up while newcomer and crowd's favourite Fanuel Musekiwa was the first runner up at a well-attended event held at Mutangaz Hideout in Goromonzi, about 40km east of Harare.The three-time winner has enjoyed the benefits from his bad looks such that clinging to the title is the only option for him.After winning in 2013, Masvinu clinched a deal with an agro-based company that contracted him to advertise its products.adverts with his picture were flighted in local newspapers.This was after another deal was signed with a clothing company.The deals were, however, not big enough to see Masvinu off Mbare Musika his favourite hunting ground.His manager Michael Gundo said Masvinu was always contesting because the pegeant is structured in such a way that only a powerful opponent would be able to dethrone him."The Mr Ugly pageant is a unique thing in the world, unlike other competitions," he said."It is true that there could be others who could challenge and dethrone him. But in this case, Masvinu has shown that he is an icon by clinging to the throne until such a time he finds an uglier opponent to remove him."Gundo added that following the latest victory, they would be expecting more endorsement deals from the corporate world."Sometimes we get endorsement deals from companies and after this victory we are looking forward to more deals, especially companies who want to advertise their goods using his image," he said."For example any goods that need some ugly element like pesticides. It is just the opposite of what beauty pageants do, there is nothing more."Mr Ugly pageant founder, David Machowa, affectionately known as Apama, said it was time up for Masvinu, adding that he would not take part in the next edition. This came after the pageant followers accused Masvinu of monopolising the crown and depriving others of a chance to also shine."Next year he [Masvinu] is not going to contest. He is done in Zimbabwe. For now he is preparing for Mr Ugly Africa. A lot of things are changing within the pageant. We are getting bigger and we need to see new faces. We need to show maturity since we are moving to a continental showpiece. All in all, it's time up for Masvinu," he said.Asked to comment on his client not contesting in the next event, Gundo said Masvinu had done his part and they were now focusing on Mr Ugly Africa that's to be held in South Africa."About him not contesting in the next event, it's not a problem. The organisers told us that. We are in support of the idea of a continental showpiece to be held in South Africa and we will go there with pride. As for the local contest, he is now a guest. But if the people request for him to contest, we will do so," said Gundo.The Mr Ugly pageant was popularised in 2012 after Epworth-based Masvinu took over from Brian Mateyazondo who had won the previous year. In 2013, Masvinu won again before losing to Sere in 2015. Despite being popular, the pageant has been hit by massive financial challenges, resulting in it sometimes taking sabbaticals. A single plastic grocery bag could be shredded by marine organisms into over one million microscopic fragments, a study has found. Marine scientists at the University of Plymouth examined the rate at which bags were broken down by the amphipod Orchestia gammarellus, which inhabits coastal areas in northern and western Europe. The results show that marine wildlife are actually contributing to the spread of microplastics within the marine environment, rather than them simply being emitted from the water supply or forming through the physical and chemical break down of larger items. Their main aim was to discover whether different types of plastic and the presence of a biofilm - a layer of organic material which accumulates over time - altered the rate at which such organisms broke down plastic debris. Through monitoring in the laboratory and on the shoreline, researchers demonstrated the bags were torn and stretched by Orchestia gammarellus, with microplastics subsequently being found in and around their faecal matter. The type of plastic - conventional, degradable and biodegradable - had no effect on the rate of ingestion, however the presence of a biofilm meant the shredding took place around four times as quickly. This is consistent with recent studies into the feeding behaviour of seabirds and suggests marine life might be increasingly attracted to marine debris as a source of food regardless of the potential harm caused. "An estimated 120 million tonnes of single use plastic items - such as carrier bags - are produced each year and they are one of the main sources of plastic pollution," said Richard Thompson, from the University of Plymouth. "They already represent a potential hazard to marine life, but this research shows species might also be contributing to the spread of such debris," Thompson said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Family members of a Meghalaya student, Ashish, who was killed here on Thursday night, have demanded the transfer of the case to their home state so that they could pursue it and bring the culprits to book. Shivbi Prasad, father, and Mukesh Prasad, elder brother of the deceased and other relatives reached here yesterday and pleaded with authorities to shift the case to Tura, their native city in Meghalaya. Talking to newsmen after cremation of the 21-year-old Ashish at the crematorium on Phagwara-Hoshiarpur road yesterday evening, Shivbi Prasad, who runs a crockery shop in Tura, said he made this plea so that he could fight the case in court. He said that he will meet Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in this connection. He met local SP Parminder Singh Bhandal and Satnampura SHO Inspector Sukhpal Singh to get thorough information about the incident. He also visited the rented accommodation in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar in Satnampura area where Ashish was murdered on December 7. Ashish, a B Tech (mechanical) final year student of a private university near here was attacked and killed when he, alongwith his friends, was celebrating the birthday of a friend. Aman Kumar of Dori Ganj, Chappra, Bihar, a student of B Tech (Civil) final year in the same varsity, was injured in the attack, police had said. Police arrested two brothers, Ashok Kumar and Rahul, in this regard. SHO Sukhpal Singh said that the duo were presented yesterday in a court that remanded them to police custody till Monday. The victims were allegedly attacked after some persons objected claiming noise was emanating from their accommodation where they were celebrating the birthday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, currently on a three-day tour of Chenab valley, today paid obeisance at several shrines and prayed for peace and prosperity in the state. Mufti visited the shrine of Hazrat Shah Farid ud Din in Kishtwar town and prayed for peace, prosperity and welfare of the people, an official spokesman said. The spokesman said the chief minister also paid respects at the mausoleum of Hazrat Shah Anwar ud Din and Hazrat Shah Akhyar ud Din. Later, before proceeding to Doda district for the next leg of her visit, she visited the shrine of Hazrat Shah Israr-ud-Din and prayed for peace and prosperity, the spokesman said. He said Mufti directed the district administration to maintain a high level of cleanliness around these shrines, which witness huge rush of devotees and pilgrim tourists. She also directed adequate availability of electricity and water supply. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress today termed as "baseless" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's allegation that its top party leaders recently met the Pakistani envoy and an ex- Pakistani minister and said he made the charge as he was worried about the BJP's impending defeat in Gujarat Assembly elections. Modi told an election rally today that suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar had called him "neech" (a lowly sort of a person) a day after the alleged meeting of Pakistanis with top Congressmen. "Holding the country's topmost post, Modiji is making baseless allegations. Modiji is worried, dejected, angry. Such a statement has no truth or fact, and is based on lies. Such a behaviour is unbecoming of a prime minister," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters here. Modi alleged that former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Aiyar had met the Pakistani high commissioner in India and an ex-Pakistani foreign minister at the residence of Aiyar recently. "The entire country knows who loves Pakistan and who has been giving protection to the separatists," Surjewala alleged. He asked Modi that if he planned to contest the elections on Pakistan-related issues, then he should also tell the people of Gujarat as to why he "trusted Pakistani spy agency ISI and offered it entry to Pathankot Airforce Base for investigation". Surjewala also questioned Modi's "unplanned" Pakistan visit to attend the wedding of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's granddaughter, soon after "Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attacks at Gurdaspur and Udhampur". He also alleged that the Modi government failed to arrest Pakistan-based terrorist Dawood Ibrahim's wife, who "managed to reach Mumbai from Pakistan and then fly back to Pakistan". "We would also like to ask him as to why no action was taken against former minister in the BJP government in Maharashtra Eknath Khadse, who was removed after Indian agencies taped his conversation with Dawood Ibrahim," he said. The Congress spokesperson also claimed Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan attended the marriage of Dawood Ibrahim's daughter and asked why 11 BJP leaders, including the head of Madhya Pradesh's IT cell, were arrested for "spying for ISI". Surjewala also sought an apology from the prime minister and the BJP over the release of Pakistan-based terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar by taking him and two others to Kandahar after hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane in 1999. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) today criticised the BJP-led Maharashtra government for its failure in loan waiver implementation and also for not addressing the issues of cotton farmers. The two opposition parties accused the ruling party of leading the state towards bankruptcy. Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, leader of opposition on state assembly and Congress leader said, "The BJP-led government has made several mistakes in loan waiver implementation. The figures have gone wrong and the company appointed for the processing of data has also made several mistakes. The loan waiver announcement was made in June and till today there is no sufficient data to show how many farmers have actually received the benefits of loan waiver." The issues of loss of soybean crop and cotton crop facing attack of bollworms have not been addressed by the government, he said. Senior leader of NCP Ajit Pawar demanded a district and assembly constituency-wise list of farmers whose loans have been waived by the state government. "Unless such a list is declared, I am not going to believe that this state government has implemented loan waiver," Pawar said. Vikhe Patil, referring to national crime and records bureau (NCRB) data said, "Maharashtra is reporting higher number of killings and farmers suicides as well. Cyber crime rate in the state is the second highest in the country. This government arrests leaders like Yashwant Sinha while a notorious criminal of Nagpur-Munna Yadav- is free and safe." Vikhe Patil further said that if the Maharashtra police intended to nab Munna Yadav, then the police should check the mobile number of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to trace Yadav. Dhananjay Munde, leader of opposition in state legislative council, said, "The state government pats its own back for loan waiver but many farmers have committed suicide in Maharashtra from June. Dnyaneshwar Misal, a farmer who committed suicide some days ago, had written letters to ministers about his plight. Nobody responded to his letters and finally he ended his life." Munde demanded a compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre to farmers whose cotton crop had been damaged by pink bollworms saying that he had personally written to the CM when the central government's institutes had issued a warning over such attacks. "The figures of purchase of produce such as several foodgrains, soyabean and moong are also discouraging. The state government-run procurement centres have purchased 2.16 lakh quintals of soyabean out of 357 lakh quintal produced in the state. Similarly, out of 14 lakh quintal udid produced by farmers, only two lakh quintal is purchased. Of the 13 lakh quintal moong, only 39,000 kg is purchased so far. These figures are not going to help farmers in any way," Munde said. Vikhe Patil also pointed out that the state government has decided not to share information with its opposition, which is an act of authoritarian leadership. "The government has constituted a committee comprising three senior secretaries to provide recommendations for information sought by several MLAs through RTI. This is unethical control of flow of information and the state should not be doing it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New protests flared in the Middle East and elsewhere today over US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a move that has drawn global condemnation and sparked days of unrest in the Palestinian territories. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has repeatedly warned of the consequences of Trump's move, also lashed out Sunday by calling Israel a "terrorist state" and "state that kills children". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile visited Europe for his first trip abroad since Trump's declaration, with talks planned with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and EU foreign ministers in Brussels. Trump's announcement on Wednesday has been followed by days of protests and clashes in the Palestinian territories. Four Palestinians were killed either in clashes or from Israeli air strikes in retaliation for rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. Tens of thousands have also protested in Muslim and Arab countries, including Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia. Further protests were held in Lebanon, Indonesia, Egypt and the Palestinian territories on Sunday. Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water cannons at several hundred demonstrators near the US embassy. Protestors waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags, and sporting black-and-white checked keffiyeh scarves, chanted slogans against Trump, an AFP correspondent at the protest said. Several people were injured by rocks, tear gas, and rubber bullets, the correspondent said. In Jakarta, some 5,000 Indonesians protested in solidarity with the Palestinians, gathering outside the US embassy in the world's most-populous Muslim country. In Cairo, students and professors demonstrated at the prestigious Al-Azhar University, a university spokesman said, with pictures on social media showing several hundred protesters. Dozens of students protested at two other Cairo universities. A protest and clashes also broke out in Al-Arroub refugee camp in the south of the occupied West Bank, leaving one Palestinian wounded from rubber bullets, the Palestinian health ministry said. Separately, the Israeli military said it destroyed a Hamas tunnel stretching from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory -- an incident unrelated to the recent unrest, but which threatened to further increase tensions. Such tunnels have been used in the past to carry out attacks. Trump's declaration has been followed by near universal condemnation and diplomatic fallout, with warnings it risks setting off a new round of violence in the turbulent Middle East. US Vice President Mike Pence is due to visit the region later this month, but Palestinian officials say president Mahmud Abbas will refuse to meet him. Egypt's Coptic Pope Tawadros II cancelled a meeting with Pence as well, saying Trump's announcement had failed to take into account the "feelings of millions" of Arabs. Arab League foreign ministers on Saturday called on the United States to rescind the move. Netanyahu's trip to Europe was long planned, but the recent crisis is almost sure to be discussed. Both Macron and EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini have criticised Trump's decision, and there have been ongoing tensions between Netanyahu and European Union officials over Israeli settlement building in the West Bank. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The death toll in the Ockhi cyclone in Kerala rose to 40 today with the recovery of two more bodies even as the search operations to trace the missing fishermen entered the 10th day. Meanwhile, as many as 67 fishermen, trapped in the high seas, returned to Kochi. These fishermen had put out to sea from Kerala and Tamil Nadu coast and many of them were trapped in Lakshadweep area. They arrived in Kochi by six boats last night and early this morning, officials said. Mourning the dead and missing, the Christian community in the coastal belt near here observed a 'prayer day' and sought Central funds for rehabilitation of the affected families. A Defence spokesperson said one body was recovered off the coast of Minicoy in Lakshadweep Islands and another fished out from near Kochi. This took the toll to 40 in the cyclone that hit the southern coast of the state on November 30. The cyclone had also left several fishermen stranded in sea. The spokesperson said an Indian Air Force transport aircraft covered 10,880 square nautical miles south of Kanyakumari coast in the Indian ocean, while a AN-32 aircraft along with local fishermen also took part in the search and rescue operations. A sombre atmosphere prevailed in the coastal villages of Poonthura, Vizhinjam, Pozhiyur and Adimalathura near here as men, women and children gathered at the local churches to offer special prayers since 6 am. The family members of 15-year-old Vineesh, the youngest fisher to have gone missing, was among those who offered prayers. Addressing the people, St Thomas Church Vicar Justin Jude said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should visit the cyclone affected areas. He also sought formation of a separate fishing ministry. A message, read out during the special prayer meetings in the churches, said the cyclone should be declared as a national disaster and urged the centre to provide more funds for rehabilitation of the victims. The community members said they would take out a march to Raj Bhawan tomorrow to press for their demands. Black flags were also hoisted near the church to mourn the dead. Special prayers were also held at the cemeteries as women and children wailed for the dead. In neighbouring Kanyakumari, hundreds of people, including women, formed a human chain in remembrance of the dead and missing fishermen. As per the figures released by the Latin Church, more than 300 fishermen were still missing, while official estimate of the missing men is 95. Kerala has demanded a financial assistance of Rs 1,834 crore from the centre in view of the loss suffered due to the cyclone. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had yesterday met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi to apprise them of the present situation. In a memorandum submitted to Singh, he urged the Centre to announce a long-term package similar to the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project considering the gravity of the disaster. A total of 5,656 fishermen had been rescued so far and 159 of them were under treatment in hospitals for serious injuries, it was stated. The cyclone also caused damage to crops in 2,053 hectares of land affecting 15,104 farmers. A total of 207 houses were completely damaged while 2,753 partially suffered damage, the memorandum pointed out. The Kerala government also requested the Navy, Coast Guard and Indian Air Force to continue the search operations for the missing fishermen for another 10 days. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik flagged off national carrier Air India's Bhubaneswar-Bangkok flight from the Biju Patnaik International Airport today. Air India's new flight is the second direct international service from the Odisha capital. The airline operated a 162-seater Airbus A 320 neo aircraft on its inaugural flight from Bhubaneswar to Bangkok. A total of 38 passengers took the flight from Bhubaneswar to Bangkok today. Patnaik described the new flight service as a historic moment. He hoped it would further strengthen the state's ties with Southeast Asian countries and boost trade and tourism. "Besides, it will pave way for attracting more international visitors to our Buddhist tourism centres," the chief minister said. He also thanked Air India for starting the international flight. The Bhubaneswar-Bangkok flight will operate twice a week - Thursdays and Sundays. Earlier, the incoming flight from Bangkok, AI 339, was welcomed with the customary water canon salute after it landed here. Incoming passengers were also given mementos and rose buds. The flight to Bangkok fulfils a long-standing desire of the people of the state, which is known for its rich socio-religious confluence of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain heritage, said an airline official. The first direct international flight from Bhubaneswar started on April 26 this year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police today made a second arrest in the journalist attack case in Bihar's Nawada district. Vikas Kumar alias Sonu, a journalist of Hindi daily Hindustan, was allegedly beaten up by liquor mafia at Rajauli Dih village in the district on Friday evening. He had gone there to cover a police raid on illegal distilleries. A woman, identified as Meena, was arrested today on the basis of a statement by the victim's younger brother Prakash Kumar, Rajauli police station SHO Awadhesh Prasad said. Her husband Lutera Choudhary was held on the night of the incident,the SHO said. The Bihar government had imposed a complete ban on the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol in the state, in April, last year. "Kumar is still lying unconscious in the ICU of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi," the officer said, adding that the police are conducting raids to nab other culprits in the case. Meanwhile, local journalists here have threatened to block the movement of vehicles on NH-31 if the culprits were not punished at the earliest. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh today said over 23,000 individual and community bunkers would be constructed near the International Border in the Hiranagar sector in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir for protection of people from cross-border firing. "A total of 19,000 individual bunkers and 4,700 community bunkers will be constructed in Hiranagar near IB to safeguard the lives of border-dwellers and their livestock during cross-border firing (by Pakistan)," Singh said, addressing a function in Kathua district. He said development projects by the central government were limited not only to urban areas but rural population is also getting its due share. The 'border area toilets' project, the work on which was started in collaboration with 'Sulabh Shauchalaya' along the IB in Hiranagar tehsil, is a path-breaking initiative to accomplish the task through voluntary involvement of various stakeholders, the MoS in the Prime Minister's Office said. Earlier, Singh laid the foundation for improvement and upgradation of 14.70 km Samba-Kathua road under the Central Road Fund at a cost of Rs 15 crore at Saktey Chak village. The road would start from the take up point at village Saktey Chak and move through Mahi Chak, Badala, Tharyara, Sumwan, Padyari, Changran villages and connect to Kathua town besides providing alternative connectivity to the large rural area with Kathua town and national highway. Singh said Shahpur-Kandi and Ujh multipurpose project would prove to be game changers in de-stressing the water- stressed areas of Kathua and Samba districts. "Kathua is bestowed with ample natural resources and it has the potential to become an industrial hub like Surat in Gujarat," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Opinion / Columnist Since the deposition of Zimbabwe's long-serving dictator Robert Mugabe from power by the military on 14 November, the country has seen an ever-changing citizenry in terms of political choices.During the period when the old former dictator was holed up in his home at gunpoint while under house arrest by the military, one thing was clear, the citizens knew what they wanted, that is the resignation of their worst nightmare.Once that nightmare was gone by the 21st of November, a new kind of citizenry imaged, one that accepted the invincibility of a well oiled Zanu pf machinery with the backing of ZDF.Even amongst opposition supporters, the part of the choice in that machinery was Emmerson Mnangagwa.However, by the 30 of November when Munangagwa announced his much-dreaded cabinet, all that hope of a Deng Xiaoping coming in the name of ED changed with people across the political divide crying foul.Even international hopefuls such as Britain started issuing statements echoing some sort of disappointment and disapproval.Amidst all the discontent surrounding Munangagwas cabinet is a whole system left Mugabe which gave the former president unfettered powers over everything under Zimbabwean soil.One of the saddest victims of Mugabe's autocracy was the Zimbabwean constitution itself, a document which he could tweak anyway he wanted and whenever it suited him.Munangagwa, by virtue of being president, inherited these powers too.In any case, he has been one of the spin doctors that drafted laws that prolonged Mugabe's stay in power, now he gets a chance to enjoy these laws all by himself.The Presidential Powers Temporary Measures Act, for example, was one of the laws which Mugabe used to bypass parliament and make laws.Under a constitutional democracy, all statutory instruments issued by a body other than parliament must not overtake the role of the parliament in effect.The Bond notes that are in circulation today are as a result of that unconstitutional law which goes against the principle of separation of powers in a big way.Not only did Mugabe use the PPTM to issue Bond notes on his own accord without the blessing of the legislature, a lot has been done under that law that many are not aware of.Another example of PPTM is when Mugabe deemed Shabanie Mashaba Mines specified for purposes of criminalization.All this was done without going to court but just as a way of punishing a business rival Mutumwa Maweres company.Shabanie Mashaba Mines was shut down without due process owing to personal differences between Munangagwa himself and Mutumwa Mawere, the former using his proximity to Mugabe was able to have his revenge after having been exposed in corruption scandals involving Zanu pf companies by Mawere.James Makamba's business empire was destroyed using the same tactics, rumour has it that this was due to an alleged affair between the first lady and the business mogul.All this goes against the legal principle that says no executive power that limits the rights of others should have the effect of law.Another law which Munangagwa can use to overtake a company is the unconstitutional Reconstruction of State indebted Companies Act.Using this law, the government, acting through a minister may at any time deem a company insolvent without the due process such as going to court or conducting internal company audits.All companies involved in partnership projects with the state are subject to be treated unfairly in terms of this law.With the Indigenization law that calls for 51_49% ownership, it is difficult to see any big company or project commencing without any such dangerous ties to the state.This is withstanding that the Companies Act alone is capable of dealing with all company matters. The law takes away from the so-called indebted company, the right of the board of companies to make decisions on behalf of the company and places such companies under a government-appointed an administrator who will, in turn, liquidate the company's assets.Section 86 of the Zimbabwean constitution says any law that seeks to limit the rights of others must be of general application.However, all these realities have done little to convince the minds of Zanu-PF lawmakers to change such a law nor has many efforts made to have the Mugabe constitutional courts declare irregular parts of the reconstruction act been successful.In conclusion, in as much as Mnangagwa's government is aiming for success, a lot needs to be done to change the laws that scare away investors.Mnangagwa has been a beneficiary of these laws himself which he and Mugabe used to raid companies owned by rival business people and vulnerable foreigners with businesses in Zimbabwe.It is time to reform and make good the promise of an investor-friendly nation. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the people in Gujarat he was pained by "abuses" hurled at him but kept mum on the heart-rending killing of a Muslim labrourer in Rajasthan. Referring to the killing of Mohammed Afrazul, who hailed from West Bengal, allegedly in the name of "love jihad" on Wednesday, Owaisi alleged Muslims were being targeted under the BJP rule because of their faith. "Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi no one called you a Pakistani ... I have been called a Pakistani for 70 years. Whom should I complain to? "Now that you have been abused you are telling the people in Gujarat you were pained," Owaisi said at an event here. He alleged Modi reffered to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute as an issue of Ram Temple only and asked if he was the prime minister of "the Hindus or the entire nation". Referring to Mani Shankar Aiyar's controversial remark against the PM, the Hyderabad MP said he did not approve of the language used by the Congress leader. "I do not approve of the language. But you should have at least mentioned Afrazul during campaigning in Gujarat," he said. Afrazul (48) was hacked and burnt to death in Rajasthans Rajsamand district. In a video of the killing shared on social media, the accused is seen declaring he killed the man to save a woman from "love jihad" and warning that anyone challenging the majority community would "meet the same fate". "There is a BJP government in Rajasthan. It is under your government Afrazul was killed and the killer speaks about love jihad. It is your people who talk about love jihad. "You have been saying you were abused and you are pained. Not once did you speak about Afrazul," he said. The AIMIM chief alleged Muslims were being selectively targeted since the BJP came to power in 2014. "Muslims are being targeted because of their faith and the government lauds those who nurture such thinking," he said. Owaisi alleged the PM was silent on the killings of "Mohammed Akhlaq, Hafiz Junaid and Ummar Khan". Akhlaq was lynched in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly storing beef in 2015. Junaid was killed on a train by a mob that hurled communal slurs at him. Ummar Khan was shot dead allegedly by cow vigilantes in Rajasthan in November. "No one from the BJP speaks on the incidents. Why the PM did not speak on the death of Afrazul. It shows the mentality of the BJP," Owaisi said. The prime minister should ask the people not to doubt the honesty of Muslims or call them Pakistanis, he said. At an event in Mahabubnagar, Owaisi alleged that the ideology of Hindutva would "weaken and destroy the country like fire". While speaking on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute, Modi in Gujarat described it as Ram temple (issue), Owaisi said. "Are you a prime minister of the Hindus or the entire nation? How can a prime minister speak for one side. You should have said it was an issue of Mandir and Masjid," he said. Modi was "silent" when a Union minister from Karnataka "abused" Muslims, he alleged. "If you are the prime minister of the entire India then remove him (the minister) from the ministry," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Pakistani court here has acquitted a man allegedly involved in the kidnap-cum-murder of an Indian-Canadian businesswoman. Additional District and Sessions Lahore Judge Irfan Basra yesterday acquitted Hafiz Shahzad in the murder of Rajvindar Kaur Gill after the prosecution failed to establish the charges against him. The court gave the suspect "benefit of the doubt." Five years ago, Lahore police had registered a murder case against Hafiz Shahzad, Shahid Ghazanfar alias Karishna Roy and some unidentified accused on the complaint of Sikandar Singh Gill, the father of the victim woman. According to the FIR, Kaur reached Lahore from Canada on August 25, 2012 and also confirmed her arrival to the family over telephone. When she reached Lahore she had Canadian passport, cash, a laptop, gold ornaments and other valuables. The complainant said Kaur was in regular contact with Shahid Ghazanfar alias Karishna Roy, Hafiz Shahzad and others. Ghazanfar in connivance with Shahzad and other accomplices kidnapped her to rob her of money and later killed her, the complainant said. Sikandar Singh Gill's counsel Aftab Ahmad Bajwa said the accused had made a confession before the magistrate that he and other accomplices had killed Kaur over monetary matter and thrown her body into Khanpur canal on Sheikhupura Road (some 50-km from Lahore) the day she reached Lahore. "We will challenge the acquittal in the Lahore High Court as police have enough evidence against the accused," Advocate Bajwa said. Ghazanfar who managed to leave Pakistan after allegedly committing the crime is reportedly facing trial in Canada. Kaur was a distant female relative of former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal of India's Punjab. According to Sikandar Singh Gill, her daughter, a Candian national with Indian origin, had reached Lahore in last August to attend a conference here and later went missing. "My daughter had fallen in love with a man who introduced him to her as Krishna based in Lahore on Facebook. Primarily, she went to Lahore to meet Krishna," he said. In a letter to Badal which he handed over to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on his Lahore visit this month, Singh says: "I served the Indian Air Force before I moved to Canada 13 years ago. My other family members including Ravindar Kaur who is in her 30s also joined me in 2007. "My daughter then moved to Switzerland after she got a job in a bank in Zurich. She went to Lahore to attend a conference in August 2012 and remained in touch with me for few days. She also went to Gurdawar Janamasthan, Nankana Sahib. She told me that she was going to meet a journalist 'Iqbal Hussain of One' before we lost contact with her." "Dear Brother! Since I know you have strong relations with the Pakistan Punjab chief minister and we are optimistic that she will be brought to home safely." After learning this Sharif got into action and ordered the authorities concerned to arrest the culprits. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sparred in battleground Gujarat today where the former claimed leaders of the opposition party held a secret meeting with current and former Pakistani officials a day ahead of Mani Shankar Aiyar's "neech" jibe against him. Modi claimed there was an attempt by Pakistan to interfere in the Gujarat polls. Alleged Muslim appeasement and the Gujarat riots were also back on the table even as BJP chief Amit Shah raked up the issue of funding of Congress-backed Dalit candidate Jignesh Mewani by hardline Muslim outfit PFI. Rahul Gandhi, set to assume the reins of the Congress in a few days from now, amid the acrimony-filled campaign, attacked Modi but promised he would not use even one "galat shabd" (wrong word) against the prime minister, remarks that came in the wake of Aiyar's "neech" barb that may not have gone down well with a section of Gujarati voters. Modi also raised questions about the alleged appeal by former director general (DG) of the Pakistan Army Sardar Arshad Rafiq for making senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel the chief minister of Gujarat. "There were media reports yesterday about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. It was attended by Pakistan's high commissioner, Pakistan's former foreign minister, India's former vice president and former prime minister Manmohan Singh," Modi told an election rally at Palanpur. The meeting at Aiyar's house continued for almost three hours, Modi said, adding "the next day, Mani Shankar Aiyar said Modi is "neech" (a vile man). This is a serious matter." "(On one hand) Pakistan Army's former DG is interfering in Gujarat's election, on the other, Pakistani people are holding a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. After that meeting, people of Gujarat, backward communities, poor people and Modi were insulted. Don't you think such events raise doubts?" Modi said. Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala, however, rubbished Modi's claim, terming it as "baseless". "Holding the country's topmost post, Modiji is making baseless allegations. Modiji is worried, dejected, angry. Such a statement has no truth or fact, and is based on lies. Such a behaviour is unbecoming of a prime minister," Surjewala told reporters in Ahmedabad. The prime minister, who did not speak much due to sore throat at the Palanpur rally, slammed the Congress for spreading a "false propaganda" that the Modi government worked only for the rich. Modi cited the case of Genabhai Patel, a progressive farmer from Banaskantha district who was recently conferred with 'Padma Shri', to claim his government's pro-poor credentials. Gandhi, who began his second day of campaigning for the second phase of poll scheduled for December 14 after offering prayers at Lord Krishna's Ranchhod Raiji Mandir here, claimed Modi frequently changed the election planks and now he was left with nothing to speak about but himself and the Congress. "You claim you have finished the Congress. If it were so, why would you devote half your speech to Congress and half to yourself?" he asked the prime minister. "I have respect for the post of the prime minister. He can say whatever he wants to, I will not use a single (galat shabd) wrong word against him," Gandhi told an election rally in Kalol. Gandhi, who is all set to become Congress president in a few days from now, said "truth has cornered" the prime minister and that the Congress will "defeat the BJP, not by anger, but with love". He accused the prime minister of making "false promises" to people about employment, depositing Rs 15 lakh in the accounts of each person from black money brought back from abroad, and remunerative prices for farm produce. Gandhi alleged the Modi government gave benefits to the tune of Rs 33,000 crore to the Tatas for the Nano car project. "Over six-and-a-half lakh acres were acquired by the government and thousands of acres given to the Tatas. People did not get water from Narmada, but the Tatas got," he said. Earlier, addressing a rally at Dakor, the Congress leader attacked Modi over demonetisation and GST, saying the note ban helped all "thieves" convert their "black money into white" and the "Gabbar Singh Tax" destroyed small businesses and rendered one lakh people jobless. The issue of 2002 communal riots and Muslim appeasement was back in the electoral discourse, with BJP chief Amit Shah claiming Charan Singh, a Congress spokesman, had asked the prime minister on television to visit the Jama Masjid to seek forgiveness for the 2002 Gujarat riots. "The entire country knows that allegations by Congress-backed NGOs against Modi regarding the 2002 riots were rejected by the Supreme Court. But this Congress leader in 2017, for the sake of vote bank politics, is asking Modi to go to the Jama Masjid to apologise for the 2002 riots," Shah told reporters in Ahmedabad. Speaking about Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, Shah alleged he accepted donations from an outfit linked to the PFI (Popular Front of India). "Mevani's photographs accepting funds from a PFI-linked outfit went viral (on social media). The entire country knows about the anti-national activities of PFI," he said, claiming the organisation was trying to recruit people for terror group ISIS. "The Congress first indulged in caste politics. Now, 2-3 days prior to the first phase of voting, when they could see their defeat, the Congress has gone back to politics of minority appeasement," Shah said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States accused the Palestinian Authority today of "walking away" from a chance to discuss peace in the Middle East by snubbing Vice President Mike Pence on an upcoming visit. "It's unfortunate that the Palestinian Authority is walking away again from an opportunity to discuss the future of the region," Jarrod Agen, Pence's deputy chief of staff, said in a statement. The comments come after the Palestinian Authority said that its president Mahmud Abbas would refuse to meet Pence later this month in protest at the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said Nana Patole, who recently resigned as an MP from the Bhandara-Gondia constituency as well as from the BJP, would realise his mistake very soon. On December 8, the BJP MP from Maharashtra, who had been critical of the state government and had taken potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had said he had resigned from the party and the Lok Sabha. To a query on Patole's resignation from the BJP, Fadnavis said, "Nana Patole has done this earlier and he is repeating it again. Very soon, he will realise that he has made a mistake. So, until then, let him do what he wants to." In the past, Patole has been a member of other parties, including the Congress. He had joined the BJP before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, in which he defeated NCP heavyweight Praful Patel from the Bhandara-Gondia constituency. The chief minister, however, evaded a question on a letter written to him by Katol's BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh on the issue of a separate state of Vidarbha. Deshmukh has urged Fadnavis to take steps to carve out a separate state of Vidarbha. "The letter written by Ashish Deshmukh reached the media first and I received it only today. I will comment on it after reading it," Fadnavis said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) People who live in cold regions may be at an increased risk of developing cancer, a study has found. According to the study, populations living in very low temperatures, like in Denmark and Norway, had among the highest incidences of cancer in the world. In the study published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, researchers suggest that there is an evolutionary relationship between adaptation at extreme environmental conditions - like cold and high altitude - and increased cancer risk in humans. "The findings of this study provide evidence that genetic variants found to be beneficial in extreme environments, can also predispose for cancer," said Konstantinos Voskarides, from the University of Cyprus. "Cell resistance at low temperatures and at high altitude probably increases the probability for malignancy. This effect hardly could be filtered out by natural selection since most cancers appear later on in age after most people have their children," said Voskarides. Researchers focused on the effect of low temperatures, either within Arctic/Scandinavian climates or high altitudes. Their analyses focused on the relationship between cancer risk and local average annual temperatures. They concluded that the extremely cold environment contributed to the cancer risk. For the study, they carefully examined the data of worldwide cancer incidence. They probed the available literature bibliographic cancer incidence and genetic data for human populations living at extreme cold and extreme high-altitudes. A striking pattern began to emerge, with the highest incidence of certain cancers linked to those populations living in the coldest environments. Additionally, analysis of 186 human populations showed a great linearity of high cancer incidence with the lower the environmental temperature. "The data shows that these populations exhibit extremely high cancer incidence, especially for lung, breast and colorectal cancer," said Voskarides. "This is the first study that provides evidence that high cancer risk may be a result of evolutionary adaptation in certain environmental conditions," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Veteran CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said today that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should assure the people of Jammu and Kashmir that their constitutional rights will not be infringed upon. The MLA from Kulgam constituency in Jammu and Kashmir also said that India and Pakistan should engage in "serious talks" to resolve the Kashmir issue. Speaking at an event here, Tarigami said the causes of the prevailing unrest in Kashmir needed to be identified before any solution could be arrived at. There is no denying that this complicated issue is rooted in the history of Partition, he said. "Both countries have not been able to overcome the trauma of Partition. This Partition's trauma is seriously affecting the Kashmir situation," he said. The senior legislator said the current dispensation in Jammu and Kashmir, led by PDP's Mehbooba Mufti, is using old methods like use of force to tackle unrest in the militancy- hit state, creating further disillusionment among the people. "The government should explore the process of showing the unrest among people as a human tragedy. There is neither a militant nor a military solution. It only results in human tragedy." The veteran Communist advocated initiating a "genuine" dialogue with all stakeholders, including separatists. "The government should initiate a process of genuine and sustainable dialogue with all stakeholders like politicians and separatists. This crisis cannot be overcome by including some and ignoring others. Also, it should not be a half- hearted exercise." "Initiatives should be taken to rebuild the confidence of the people by releasing political leaders. The prime minister should, in parliament, assure the people of J&K that their constitutional rights under Articles 370 and 35 (A) will not be infringed upon," Tarigami added. Article 370 grants special status to J&K, while Article 35 A empowers the state legislature to define permanent citizens. The Jammu and Kashmir head of the CPI(M) said both India and Pakistan have fought wars, but they should start "serious talks" now. "Not talking to Pakistan seriously is dangerous for the region. Talks will be good for India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir," Tarigami said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pope Francis on Sunday renewed a call for "wisdom and prudence" over US President Donald Trump's controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, which has sparked protests and clashes. "The Holy Father renews his appeal for the wisdom and prudence of everyone, and raises fervent prayers so that the leaders of nations, in this time of special gravity, commit themselves to avert a new spiral of violence," a statement from the Vatican said. There were fresh protests in the West Asia and elsewhere Sunday over Trump's declaration, a move that drew global condemnation and sparked days of unrest in the Palestinian territories. Noting that Jerusalem was sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims, the pope reiterated the church's "well-known position concerning the singular character of the Holy City and the essential need for respecting the status quo". "At the same time the Holy See reiterates its own conviction that only a negotiated solution between Israelis and Palestinians can bring a stable and lasting peace, and guarantee the peaceful co-existence of two states within internationally recognised borders," the statement added. Fourteen schools have approached the CISF to get a professional security audit done of their premises and effectively secure students, a development that has come in the wake of killingof a boy in a Gurgaon school recently. The paramilitary force, that works under the command of the union home ministry, had sometime back written to schools across the country extending services of its special consultancy wing that provides security suggestions to organisations and agencies. "Till date, 14 schools from all parts of the country have requested the CISF to provide consultancy service to strengthen their security apparatus for safety and protection of school children," CISF spokesperson Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Hemendra Singh said. He said those who have shown interest in the offer made by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) include reputed schools from Kolkata, Mumbai and Dehradun. "Expert teams of the consultancy wing will soon visit these schools and prepare a professional security blue print for them," Singh said. The CISF security consultancy wing was raised in 1999 and till now it has provided its expert advise to over 150 organisations or institutions including IITs, IIMs, RBI and the National Police Academy in Hyderabad among others. The wing also posted its best result this year as it earned Rs 2.54 crore revenue as government fee for providing these services. "There has been noticeable surge in revenue earned through consultancy fee in the last four years. "Average annual revenue earning till 2013 since inception was Rs 20 lakh whereas in last four years the wing has earned revenue of Rs 7.06 crore. This makes the average annual revenue for the last four years to Rs 1.77 crore," Singh said. During this calendar year, he said, the total revenue earning is Rs 2.54 crore which is the "highest ever in a single calendar year since inception of the consultancy services". The previous best earning through consultancy was of Rs 2.10 crore in 2015, he said. The paramilitary, mandated as the nodal security agency to guard critical installations in the country including airports, had dispatched letters last month to a number of schools stating it can help create a "safe and secure" environment for children which will come with a service fee. The consultancy fee would be around Rs 4 lakh for a school, it had said. The trigger for this all-India exercise by the force was the recent incident of killing of a Class 2 student of the Ryan International School in Gurgaon who was found dead in the school bathroom with his throat slit on September 8. CISF Director General O P Singh had said the force took the initiative as part of its responsibility towards the society. "We are the best suited government agency for doing such expert security consultancies and in preparing safe environments. We need to ensure safety to the school-going children," he had told PTI. The force has assured the schools that its professional but chargeable security solutions will be custom-made for them like it does for each of its clients. The report tells the client where to install CCTV cameras, where to deploy security staff, how to check access control, how to train their security staff and install emergency response gadgets. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In an apparent reference to the demolition of the Babri masjid in Ayodhya in 1992, senior CPI (M) leader Prakash Karat today claimed the then P V Narasimha Rao government had decided against stopping the vandalism. Launching an attack on the Congress, the senior Left leader said the secularism of that party was rather weak. "The Congress cannot be called a secular party. It professes to be a secular party but its secularism is rather weak. It tends to compromise and vacillates. We know what happened during the Babri masjid....I was there and know exactly what happened in the run up to that. The Narsimha Rao government decided not to act to stop this vandalism," Karat said at an event here. "....It's a chequered history. There is still a secular base of the Congress, where it is vacillating (now) and compromising faced with the offensive of the Hindutva forces (sic)," he said. Replying to a query on the Left parties not putting up one-third number of women candidates in assembly and general elections, Karat said it was a big struggle and hoped that the BJP government brings a Bill in Parliament on women's reservation. "As as far as putting up one-third women for elections is concerned, it is because we are not able to do so. We want reservation. We know it is not easy to ensure adequate representation in terms of women candidates even in our party, the Left parties. It's a big struggle. We are trying to do this. But we made a very limited progress," the Communist politician said. Unless there is a Constitutional requirement, even the Left parties will not put up one third women candidates in polls. "...Or you will have to wait for another two or three decades before we achieve this. So, we are not prepared to wait for that and we are actively campaigning for the (bill for) one third reservation (for women) in parliament and legislature should be passed in parliament," the former CPI (M) general secretary said. He said the BJP was "by the way is committed to bring the bill". Karat said the BJP in its poll manifestos as well as in the Rajya Sabha had supported the women reservation bill. Why did the BJP not adopt the bill when it has absolute majority in Lok Sabha now and at a time when the Congress, the principal opposition party, is supporting its passage. "Many other parties are also for it (the passage of the bill). So the small number of parties that oppose it are insignificant in Lok Sabha. So this is the right time to get this through and we are hoping the government gets this brings back in Parliament and adopts it," Karat said. The long-pending Women's Reservation bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 under the Congress-led UPA. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Opinion / Columnist Linda Tsungirirai Masarira Human Rights Defender, Aspiring MP Harare Central, Political Activist and Founder and National Coordinator of Zimbabwe Women in Politics Alliance Today is International Human Rights Day. Zimbabwe is on record for being one of the countries that violate human rights to settle political scores. Very little is done to educate Zimbabwean citizens on Human Rights with some ignorantly professing that Human Rights is a western concept.Human rights are claims that every human being is entitled to in order to live a dignified life. In Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights it states that, "ALL HUMAN BEINGS ARE BORN FREE AND EQUAL IN DIGNITY AND RIGHTS."Every Zimbabwean has the right to a dignified life, should have equal access to resources, opportunities and services essential for an adequate standard of living. It's rather unfortunate that most in Zimbabwe, a large percentage of the population lives in poverty and social deprivation which has led to many people normalizing the abnormal and accepting violation of rights as a way of life.Economic, Social and cultural rights are human rights and should ensure pro-poor, inclusive and sustainable development. These rights were not considered at all in the preparation of the 2019 budget which was presented on Friday. The budget was more about opening up markets with very little connotations to social justice.The very few Zimbabweans still employed deserve a living wage and decent working conditions. In the budget statement it was stated that, technically insolvent parastatals will be closed. What happens when the parastatals are closed as there was no budget presented for their packages. Two years down the line Zuva judgement victims are still wrong for their terminal benefits and retirement packages with most of them now living in abject poverty. Former workers of the same parastatals who had their contract of employment terminated by the infamous zuva judgement are struggling to make ends meet. There are no jobs and those who had resorted to vending to sustain their livelihoods are being chased off the streets which has made life generally unbearable and miserable for the unemployed.The African Charter on Human and People's Rights safeguards the following rights;1. Right to work (article 15)2. Right to health (Article 16)3. Right to Education (Article 17)Zimbabwe signed this charter on 28 February 1986 and ratified it on 30 August 1986.The right to health care is essential for one to fully enjoy their right to health. Healthcare must be accessible, available, acceptable and of good quality. Zimbabwe has failed to provide adequate healthcare for the past twenty years in public hospitals which is a gross violation of human rights and their obligation in relation to Article 1 of the African Charter which requires State parties to "recognize" the rights, duties and freedoms enshrined in the charter.Hundreds die prematurely in our government hospitals due to shortage of critical drugs, shortage of blood, malfunctioning machinery and poor Healthcare. It is our responsibility as active citizens to continue demanding accountability until every Zimbabwean enjoys the right to quality healthcare.The right to education is a Human Rights on its own. It is a guarantee of being entitled to education that us accessible, affordable and available to everyone. The right to education as enshrined in section 75 of the constitution of Zimbabwe is a fundamental human right necessary for every person to know and be able to demand and assert other human rights. Section 75 further states that in clause 1(a) every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has a right to a basic state funded education, including adult basic education...Government must pay for basic education and efforts should be made to ensure that all the children gallivanting in the streets are afforded the opportunity to go to school. All children who have been sent away from school should go back to school and those who are engaged in child prostitution and drug abuse should be rehabilitated and taken back to school.These provisions in the constitution show some of the commitments made by government when if accepted these uman rights instruments such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights.In conclusion, our right to health is greatly compromised by the dirty, filthy and condemned water that comes out our taps which is a violation of our right to safe, clean and potable water as enshrined in section 77 of the constitution of Zimbabwe. Water is very important for a healthy life. No one can exercise other rights if they do not have right to water. Every Zimbabwean must access clean and safe drinking water and sanitation.The United Nations also passed a resolution in 2010 recognizing that water and sanitation is a Human right. The government of Zimbabwe has an obligation to provide clean, safe and portable water to every Zimbabwean and must respect the right to water, protect the right to water and the central government and local authorities have a duty to provide clean and portable water in Zimbabwe. Our duty as Zimbabweans is to demand basic human rights to be adhered to. First things first the right to water.Let us be active citizens and demand our fundamental human rights to be respected and protected. FC Pune City joined the toppers in the Indian Super League after claiming a well-deserved 1-0 victory over Jamshedpur FC, here tonight. Defender Adil Khan's strike at the half an hour mark proved to be the difference between the two sides as Pune registered their third win in five matches to accumulate nine points -- at par with leaders Bengaluru FC, FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC. Lalchhuanmawia Fanai was sent off for Pune but Ranko Popovic's side defended resolutely to take all three points and hand Jamshedpur FC their first loss in the league. It took FC Pune City 30 minutes to break through Jamshedpur FC defence that had kept four consecutive clean sheets in the ISL. Mehtab Hossain's foul on Marcelinho gave Pune a chance to launch one into the opposition box where Adil Khan converted at the back post. Pune won the first header from Marcelinho's free-kick and Khan side-footed it home. Steve Coppell's men reacted well after going a goal down. The home team immediately put Pune under an extended spell of pressure and in the 44th minute, they had the ball in the opposition net. Matheus Trindade's cross from the left was turned into Pune goal by Izu Azuka, but the Nigerian was flagged offside before he could celebrate. Two minutes into the second half, Pune had a great chance to double their lead. Emiliano Alfaro released Diego Carlos on the right who drilled in a low cross across the face of goal. Both Marcelinho and Isaac were in the box but failed to turn the ball home. Unable to break through Pune defence, Steve Coppell brought on Kervens Belfort to replace Trindade in the 66th minute but it was Popovic's side that looked likely to pull one more ahead. With just 10 minutes left on the clock, Punes efforts to take all three points suffered a big blow after Lalchhuanmawia Fanai was given the marching orders for his foul on Bikash Jairu. The Pune left-back was already on a yellow card when he was adjudged to have caught Jairu with his flailing arm. But even with a man down, the visitors held on to their lead to secure full points. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Qatar signed a multi-billion-dollar deal on Monday to buy 24 Typhoon fighters from Britain, its second major defence agreement this week, which comes during the worst political crisis in the region for years. The $8-billion deal was signed in Doha by Qatar's Defence Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah and his British counterpart, Gavin Williamson. Williamson said it was the biggest order for Typhoons in a decade, and it follows a billion-dollar deal signed by Qatar on December 7 to buy 12 French Dassault Aviation warplanes. "These formidable jets will boost the Qatari military's mission to tackle the challenges we both share in the Middle East, supporting stability in the region and delivering security at home," said the British minister. The deal also includes an intention for Qatar to buy further military equipment from Britain, namely the purchase of Hawk aircraft. A memorandum of understanding was signed by the two countries for this Typhoon contract in September. Qatar is the ninth country to sign a deal for Typhoon jets, said London. Sunday's deal comes at a politically sensitive time for both countries. There are heightened tensions in the Gulf, where a Saudi-led boycott of Qatar is in its seventh month. Since June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have diplomatically isolated Qatar, accusing the emirate of supporting Islamist extremists and of being too close to Shiite Iran, Riyadh's arch-rival. The four countries also cut off all air and sea links to Qatar. Qatar denies the allegations and has accused the Saudi- led bloc of aiming to incite regime change in Doha. It is the latest agreement in a growing list of defence deals signed by Qatar since the crisis erupted. Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani today, wrapping up a "worthwhile" visit in which he pushed for the release of imprisoned dual nationals. In a series of meetings over two days, the foreign secretary took flak from Iranian officials for not doing more to build on the nuclear deal signed with world powers in 2015. "Relations between the two countries have not matched the potential expected in the post-JCPOA (nuclear deal) atmosphere," Rouhani told Johnson, according to a statement from his office. There was similar criticism from the powerful parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, who met with Johnson yesterday and said other European countries had put in "much more effort". "You haven't even solved the banking problems of the Iranian embassy in London," Larijani said, according to the IRNA agency. A key focus of Johnson's visit had been efforts to secure the release of imprisoned British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari- Ratcliffe. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 39, is already serving a five-year sentence for her part in mass protests in 2009 -- which she denies -- and was due to face fresh charges in court today of "spreading propaganda". The trial was expected to take place behind closed doors and it was not clear when any verdict would be announced. "The foreign secretary discussed the full range of regional and bilateral issues, including banking matters and our concerns about the consular cases of dual nationals," a British foreign office spokesperson said. "It has been a worthwhile visit and we leave with a sense that both sides want to keep up the momentum to resolve the difficult issues," it added. The Zaghari-Ratcliffe case has become a top priority for Johnson after he mistakenly said last month that she had been training journalists in Iran -- a "slip of the tongue" used by the Iranian authorities to help justify the new charges. Iran has been frustrated that the nuclear deal, which lifted sanctions in exchange for curbs to its nuclear programme, has not produced the expected windfall in trade deals -- mainly due to continuing US sanctions. Banking restrictions have also complicated long-running efforts to return an estimated 450 million pounds (USD 600 million) owed by Britain from a military contract cancelled due to the 1979 Islamic revolution. The husband of the jailed British-Iranian, Richard Ratcliffe, has claimed she is a pawn in Iran's efforts to extract the historic debt. Johnson left Iran later today for the United Arab Emirates. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Development projects worth more than Rs 40,000 crore, including one related to the new capital city, are in a limbo as the Andhra Pradesh government is caught in a fix over the utilisation of funds under the Externally-Aided Projects (EAPs). Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu himself sounded sceptical about the "benefits" of the EAPs but it was a political decision which he now cannot shy away from. "It is difficult to understand about the immediate benefit that would accrue to the state which is struggling to put its finances in order, while ensuring investments in capital works, so that growth does not suffer," he told the Legislative Assembly in the just-concluded session. Under the Special Assistance Measure, announced by the Centre in September 2016 in lieu of Special Category Status to AP, the former was to fund the state for EAPs only "signed and disbursed" during 2015-16 to 2019-20. The AP government anticipated an amount of Rs 20,010 crore under the Special Assistance Measure (SAM) but expressed inability to spend it within the stipulated five years. As such, the state wanted the Centre to permit it to clear "other outstanding loans" towards EAPs and also use the gap to pay interest commitments to the Government of India, Nabard and other external agencies, a senior bureaucrat told PTI. The Union Finance Ministry rejected this proposal and also refused to concede the state's demand to not make the SAM a part of the FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) limit. "It is an area of concern for us. The chief minister is pursuing the issue with the Centre since the state is not directly lending the money. As such, our contention is that it should be out of the FRBM limit," the bureaucrat said. For over two years now, the state government has been requesting that the borrowing limit under FRBM Act be raised to 4 per cent of the GSDP, given the state's precarious financial position post-bifurcation. The Centre, however, has not agreed to it either, even as the state has been borrowing quite heavily to make ends meet. AP targeted to borrow Rs 30,019 crore during the current financial year, excluding the EAPs. Among the 13 EAPs proposed by the state, the Amaravati Capital City Development Project is critical besides the Vizag -Chennai Industrial Corridor Development Programme. Though the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), under the Union Finance Ministry, cleared the state's proposal for a USD 500 million loan in 2016, the World Bank is yet to approve and sanction it. Of the total project cost of Rs 4,749 crore, the World Bank is expected to lend Rs 3,324 crore for the Amaravati project, under which critical infrastructure in the new capital is supposed to be developed. The Chief Minister wrote a letter to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on October 24, 2016 proposing to take up construction of residential school buildings in the state at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore with funding from AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. A government note on the "latest status" of EAPs states that "the above proposal is in final stage (with the state government) and not yet submitted to the DEA". The state government also proposed the AP Rural Road Project at a cost of Rs 4,234 crore with funding from the AIIB for "providing new connectivity to unconnected habitations". The DEA sought comments of the Union Rural Development Ministry in May this year. The Ministry, in turn, wrote a letter to the state government on July 31 asking it to "recast the proposal". The state government is yet to do that. Similarly, the Rs 4,500 crore AP Rural Water Supply Project is stuck after the Screening Committee of the DEA asked the state to "recast the project financials by restricting to USD 500 million USD". The Union Health Ministry sought comments from the state government last year on curtailing the AP Health System Strengthening Project cost from the proposed Rs 4,807 crore to Rs 2,900 crore but the states comments are (still) "awaited". In all, seven projects worth a total Rs 18,313 crore are languishing due to "no response" from the state government, a senior official pursuing the EAPs said. Though the Amaravati Capital City Development Project, too, has been shown as "approved", among the six EAPs totalling Rs 19,162 crore, it cannot actually take off till the World Bank "sanctions" the loan, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after several of its top leaders including MLAs and MPs were booked for blocking traffic, the opposition party SAD today accused the Amarinder Singh led regime of hatching a conspiracy to suppress the voice of its opponents. "We are not bothered (about FIRs). We accept the challenge of Captain Sahib (Amarinder Singh). We are here and send the police," said Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal while addressing media here. If they have the courage then come and arrest us, he said. "Akalis are not afraid of FIRs. Akali Dal is a party whose leaders had faced jail term without even registration of cases. You are trying to scare us with FIRs," the SAD chief said attacking the state government. A large number of Akali leaders including Sukhbir Badal, former minister Bikram Majithia, MPs Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Balwinder Bhunder, MLAs Ajit Kohar, N K Sharma, Sharanjit Dhillon among others were booked under the relevant sections of the IPC and National Highways Act at different places. Akalis had blocked traffic at different places in Punjab as part of their protest against alleged "false" cases registered against their workers. They alleged that the cases were lodged at the instance of the Congress dispensation. Earlier, the core committee of the SAD met here to discuss the issue of cases registered against workers. Sukhbir Badal, flanked by MPs Ranjit Singh Brahmpura and Balwinder Bhunder, said the Akali Dal will file a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking CBI probe into the "false" cases registered against Akali leaders and workers. We will name Congress leaders and police officials in the petition who unleashed excesses on Akalis, the SAD chief said. "Congress hatched a criminal conspiracy to damage the democratic system with the use of government machinery and which was aimed to suppress the voice of opposition," he alleged. He said a delegation of Akali Dal will also meet Punjab Governor to apprise him of the alleged criminal conspiracy of Congress leaders and police officials in registering false cases against Akali workers. "We have sufficient proofs of Congress leaders and police officials who attacked Akalis," he said. Lashing out at the Congress regime, SAD chief accused the state government of not allowing Akali candidates to file nominations and trying to hold civic polls "just on paper". "They were staring at a complete wipe out in municipal polls. They are holding MC elections just on paper...It is the biggest attack on democracy," he said. They attacked our workers so that our candidates fail to file nominations, he alleged. They even rejected nomination of our several candidates, he added. "What is happening is that DGP Punjab and Chief Minister Punjab do not have any power in the state. Congress MLA is the DGP and CM of his assembly constituency," the SAD chief alleged. Elections to three municipal corporations - Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala and 32 municipal councils and Nagar panchayats will take place on December 17. Justifying the holding of protest, Sukhbir said Akali Dal had to stage a sit-in against the government as the Congress regime had allegedly resorted to 'gundagardi' (hooliganism) against its opponents. He said the core committee has decided to engage 10 volunteers from each village and they will raise voice against any excesses unleashed on Akalis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP president Amit Shah today accused the Congress of indulging in "politics of minority appeasement" during the Gujarat polls as the latter was sure of its defeat. "The Congress first indulged in caste politics. Now, 2-3 days prior to the first phase of voting, when they could see their defeat, the Congress has gone back to politics of minority appeasement," Shah told reporters here. Shah said it began with the words used by suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar against the prime minister. "Now fact has emerged that former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former vice president Hamid Ansari along with Aiyar had met the Pakistani high commissioner for over three hours without the knowledge of the external affairs ministry. I cannot comprehend the reason for such a meeting," he said. "A day after the meeting, Aiyar used derogatory language against Modi," he said, wondering what message the Congress was sending through this. Accusing the Congress of minority appeasement, Shah said a spokesperson for the party, Charan Singh, had on television asked the prime minister to visit the Jama Masjid to seek forgiveness for the 2002 Gujarat riots. "The entire country knows that allegations by Congress-backed NGOs against Modi regarding the 2002 riots were rejected by the Supreme Court. But this Congress leader in 2017, for the sake of vote bank politics, is asking Modi to go to the Jama Masjid to apologise for the 2002 riots," Shah said. Shah said the party had deployed its leader Salman Nizami to campaign in Gujarat. "Nizami believes in freedom of Kashmir and has made statements that Afzals (Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru) would be born in every home of the state," Shah said. Speaking about Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, Shah alleged he accepted donations from an outfit linked to the PFI (Popular Front of India). The Congress extended its support to Mevani from Vadgam and not put up any candidate against him after Mevani met Rahul Gandhi, he said. "Mevani's photographs accepting funds from a PFI-linked outfit went viral (on social media). The entire country knows about the anti-national activities of PFI," he said, claiming the organisation was trying to recruit people for terror group ISIS. He said PFI activists have been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and a recent sting operation showed its role in "love jihad" incidents. Its activists were also involved in chopping the hands of professor TJ Joseph in Kerala, Shah said. He said the Congress would have allowed Mevani to contest on its election symbol but chose to only extend support to him after his connection with PFI became known. Shah said the BJP is fighting the Gujarat polls only on the plank of development. The first phase of assembly polls, covering 89 seats, was held yesterday, while the second and final round of voting will take place on December 14. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Serving officers of the Indian armed forces will join the Victory Day celebrations of Bangladesh for the first time on December 16 in its capital Dhaka. The day, celebrated as Vijay Diwas in India, will also witness the participation of 72 representatives from the neighbouring country, including senior Bangladeshi Army officers, Mukti Joddhas (freedom fighters) and MPs, at the Eastern Command headquarters here. A 30-member Indian delegation will visit Dhaka to mark the 47th anniversary of Bangladesh liberation from Pakistan, Major General R Nagraj, Major General General Staff, Eastern Command, said here. "The delegation will include four serving officers of the Indian defence forces - two from Indian Army and one each from IAF and Indian Navy - apart from war veterans and other dignitaries," he said. This is the first time, serving officers of Army, Air Force and Navy will be participating in the celebrations at Dhaka, to commemorate the victory of Indian Armed Forces and the Mukti Joddhas over the Pakistani Armed Forces, Nagraj said. The Vijay Diwas celebrations will commence here on December 13 with a military band concert at Princep Ghat, beside Fort William, the headquarters of Indian Army's Eastern Command. On December 14, a helicopter show and a band performance have been arranged at Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC). The concert and shows will be open to the public, Nagraj said. An interaction between the visiting Mukti Joddhas and war veterans has also been scheduled at Fort William on December 15. On December 16, a wreath-laying ceremony will be held at Vijay Smarak to remember all those who laid down their lives in the 1971 war. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tim Southee and Trent Boult took centre stage with bat and ball as New Zealand seized command on a rain-affected day two of the second Test against the West Indies in Hamilton today. They shared a 61-run last wicket stand to get New Zealand up to 373 in their first innings. The new ball pair then took four wickets between them on a benign pitch as the West Indies plummeted to 215 for eight at stumps. Southee has two for 34 and Boult two for 67. Raymon Reifer on debut was not out 22 with Miguel Cummins on 10. Southee, unavailable for the first Test, capped his day with a stunning catch to remove Kraigg Braithwaite, the West Indies' top scorer with 66. The 1.93 metre (6ft 4in) Southee leapt to get a hand to block an edge off Colin de Grandhomme, and then dived to get a hand under the ball just as it was about to hit the ground. Play was interrupted for nearly 90 minutes by rain when the West Indies were 87 for two with Brathwaite and Shai Hope laying the foundations for a solid partnership. But when play resumed, 20 minutes after the scheduled tea break, Hope only lasted six more balls before he was gone to end a 44-run stand and put the tourists into a tailspin that saw six wickets fall in the final session. They included Sunil Ambris, out for two when he stepped back onto his stumps for the second time in only his third Test innings. Bowler Boult shook his head and said "unbelievable" as Ambris hung his head and trudged back to the pavilion. Southee struck first in the opening over of the innings, taking the wicket of Kieran Powell without scoring, and Boult caught and bowled Shimron Hetmyer for 28. - Fleeting Hope - ================= Hope reached 15 off four scoring shots -- two fours, a six and a single -- when he was caught at first slip to give Southee his second wicket. Roston Chase had no sooner brought up his 1,000th Test run than he was bowled by de Grandhomme with a ball that straightened and slipped between bat and pad. Brathwaite was dropped on 14 by Tom Latham and an edge on 47 fell just short of Ross Taylor at first slip before being dismissed by a phenomenal piece of fielding from Southee. The stand-in Calypso captain faced 116 balls and hit nine fours and a six. Shane Dowrich had the second best score for the West Indies with 35, which included seven boundaries. New Zealand had resumed the day at 286 for seven and lost Neil Wagner for one and Tom Blundell for 28 early before Southee and Boult opened up. Mixing classic strokes with unorthodox cuts and pulls, Southee faced 39 balls for his 31 which included two sixes and a four. Boult had two sixes and five fours in his 37 off 27 deliveries. Shannon Gabriel was the most successful of the West Indies bowlers with four for 119 while Kemar Roach took three for 58. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The body of a 34-year-old man, who jumped into Chenab river last month, was recovered by Pakistani rangers and handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) in Suchetgarh sector here, a police official said today. Kulwinder Singh, resident of Sanjay Nagar locality, had allegedly committed suicide by jumping into the river at the Akhnoor bridge on November 25, he said. Despite hectic efforts his body could not be recovered and Pakistani authorities were alerted about the possibility it being carried by water current to other side of the international border. Pakistani rangers recovered the body yesterday and handed it over to BSF in Suchetgarh sector, the official said. A police team from Gharota police station recovered the body from BSF and handed it over to the family for last rites, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three persons were arrested by the West Bengal CID tonight for their alleged involvement in the killing of Bhadreswar Municipality Chairman and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Manoj Upadhyay (45). With these arrests, the total number of persons held in connection with the case rose to 10. According to a senior CID officer, Raju Kumar Shaw (41), Baban Jadav (25) and Prabhu Narayan Chowdhury (25) were arrested from their Labour Colony Bazar hideout in Uttar Pradesh's Ferozabad. "All three are residents of Hooghly district's Bhadreswar and have close connections with the incident (Upadhyay's killing). We have to confirm their roles," the officer said. The Chandannagar Police Commissionerate had earlier arrested seven persons from a lodge at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh for their alleged involvement in the killing. The CID took over the case from the Chandannagar police after the West Bengal government had transferred Chandannagar Police Commissioner Peeyush Pandey. Upadhyay was shot at from point blank range while he was returning home on his motorcycle on November 21. The TMC leader was allegedly targeted as he was acting against various illegal activities in the area, West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Opinion / Columnist Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Party is having a horrendous task in forming a coalition government: in Zimbabwe, Zanu PF was spoilt for choices: who in the opposition can they pick-and cherry: to be part of the so-called inclusive government. The moral fabric of the nation, the bar measurement of human values and principles in Zimbabwe has sunk so low, its desperation of the first order!!!!!! Where are those revolutionary aspirations that led the African country to take up arms and fight Smith regime and replace it with the majority rule. The differences between current political German imbroglio and the sudden stolen hope for Zimbabwe are interesting to observe.The general elections in Germany were held on the 25th of September this year; Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Party had the mandate to form a government. Despite the fact that Angela Merkel's CDU party won the elections, they fell short of the percentage vote to form a government with their sister party Bavarian CSU. A Jamaican government was envisaged: Christian Democratic Union, The Green Party, and The Free Democratic Party. (Jamaica means in this case the German parties' colours of the flag of the country Jamaica) After weeks of negotiations to find a consensus, the parties failed to find a common ground that was going to pave way for a coalition government. It was almost impossible to secure trend shifts that voters desperately wanted in areas of migration, tax and economy.In the 2017 German's general elections: the Christian Democratic Party together with their sister party: Christian Social Party CSU got 32,9% votes; the Social Democratic Party SPD got 20,8%: the Leftists or Radical Left got 9,2%: the Greens got 8,9% The Free Democratic Party got 10,7% and the Alternative for Germany (AfG) got 12,6% votes. The party: AfG (Alternative for Deutschland) came out with a resounding electoral victory that shocked the nation and the region as a whole.For a party that has far right tendencies to near Neo-Nazi ideology ever to win a whopping 13% was indeed a shock. AfG: or Alternative for Germany was formed in 2013 whose members originated from Christian Democratic Party and their sister party CSU. These are children of some German conservatives, children of the establishment. Their 13% win, the third largest parliament vote: 94 seats out of 907 available seats: one can say with equal truth that AfD was the winner of the 2017 general elections. Their win rocked the main political establishments in Germany and indeed the German population.The AfD rod into the fears of some German populace: fear of foreigners, fear of mass migration by literally stealing the votes from the CDU and SPD voters. Their mantra was simple: Germany for Germans! They were disgruntled with the way Angela Merkel bailed out Greece's economy at the expense of the German tax payer: purely emotional issues immigration and the Euro currency were their potent issues. The coming of Syrian migrants at the borders of Germany: Angela Merkel admitted them under the auspices that is was a humanitarian catastrophe at their door steps, about one million refugees from Syria were allowed in Germany within a month alone. That was fertile ground for the Neo-Nazis to show their anger through the ballot box! Its tone was nationalist, xenophobic and racist. The question is how are they going to hold their caucus together? This question is for another day.The Jewish Central Council confirmed its fears about the resurgence of Neo-Nazism in Germany regarding the 2017 elections.To this date: 10th December 2017 the German government has no working government in place. The envisaged "Jamaica coalition has failed dismally on issues relating to migration and energy policies: their bone of contention. The coalition is called Jamaica its nicknamed because of the colours of the Jamaican flag. This coalition that collapsed last Sunday was the only plausible, only option of a coalition Angel Merkel had at her disposal. The views of the three parties were so polarised manly on migration: Angela Merkel described the pulling away from talks by the Free Democrats as regrettable. Another election is looming in Germany.The difference between Alternative for Germany and Zanu PF Zimbabwe is wide apart. The alternative for Germany is a protest party tinged with Neo-Nazi overtones: is openly a racist party. The AfG Party is concerned about the Islamisation in Germany, they are concerned about the flow of migration into Germany especially, they are disgruntled about the way the government under Merkel bailed out the Greek government when the Greece government went bankrupt.AfG propagates the complete shutting down of external borders of Germany which in itself is a contradiction of Shengen the EU free movement zone. Some influential leader of the party AfG even suggested that any migrants trying to enter Germany illegally should be shot at. It is this rhetoric adopted from the Nazi past that shocks the Germany societies. The AfG indeed taped into the peoples' anxieties over the Islamic influence in Western Europe that makes it almost impossible to partner with any main stream parties in Germany to form a government.Zanu PF government, on the other hand, is a party whose new president: Emerson Mnangagwa is tainted with blood on his hands. The genocide of the early 1980s, the murdered farmers and their workers of the Millennium, the loss of life and livelihoods in Murambatsvina of 2005, and the violent general elections of 2008 were all perpetrated by the current government of Zanu PF. Serious crimes against humanity were committed by this party called Zanu PF. In civilized countries Zanu would never be allowed to be in government hence AfD can never be part of the government despite the fact that they legally won 94 parliamentary seats in September this year. It should however be noted that AfG's rhetoric is tinged with Nazi overtones, is racist and that alone disqualifies them to be part of the government with Angela Merkel's CDU although AfG brand of nationalism is less than that of the Third Reich.In civilized countries there is no government that can be allowed to get into power through the back door; a military coup is just unheard of in civilized countries. Germans learnt their hard lessons in the Third Reich: The atrocities of the Third Reich are well documented. Perpetrators of genocide and crimes against humanity were punished. By punishing them, Germany set precedence to all other countries that genocidal dictates of the Third Reich, vagabonds, thugs, criminals have no place in a civilized world. After the WW2 the German governments of East and West had the task of politicizing the masses about the dangers of Nazism and its ideology. However traces of Neo-Nazi's still exist, evidenced by the AfG 13% vote win in the 2017 general elections. The German government is working on the eradication of Neo-Nazi vestiges in all aspects of their societies: nurseries, schools, universities, work places. In Zimbabwe we are told to forget the atrocities of the past and move on because the economy is important!Why is Zimbabwe delivering itself over to the raving genocidal dictates of re-invented Zanu PF? What has happened to civilization and humanity UBUNTU in Zimbabwe? Have the people of Zimbabwe forgotten about those unforgettable atrocities of our resent history? We watched with dismay the fusion of the ordinary people and the army in such a short space of time demonstrating together in the towns and cities of Zimbabwe, a demonic act that factional Zanu PF- Lacoste- forged to get legitimacy. We watched with dismay the very people who were victims of Murambatsvina massed together like sardines at the Gwanzura Stadium to witness the inauguration of President Mnangagwa: the povo shedding their minds and souls.Was Mnangagwa, not long ago an eager bloodthirsty killer, a mass murderer of Gugurahundi atrocities, white farmers and their workers, crimes against humanity perpetrated in 2005 code-named Murambatsvina, together with the assistance of the army: they killed, maimed, raped the very population now in mass hysteria of hero-worshipping frenzy? Are the masses incapable on mining back those atrocities that happened not even ten years and inform themselves: never again with this murderous of Zanu PF? In November this year 2017 Mnangagwa fled Zimbabwe because his life was in danger and was given protection by the Zulus in South Africa: Those ancestors whose grandchildren Mnangagwa murdered cold-blood, the Ndebele tribe he wanted to exterminate/annihilate in 1983 -1987 genocide.What is even nauseating and galling is how opposition parties' possessing of some ever-present receptivity to embrace "born-again" Zanu PF, and their readiness to work together in an inclusive government of national unity. This will never happen in Germany today hence Germany still does not have a substantive government of coalition parties. Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU will never invite AfG Party to form a government. Dignified decent personalities across the civic and political divide in Zimbabwe expressed their readiness to work with Zanu Pf despite its visceral culture, a party reputed of obscene criminality of certain individuals driven by tribal hatred and intolerance to dissent.The government of Zimbabwe is an illegitimate one that came to power through the back door. There was a military coup in Zimbabwe and therefore the present government is unconstitutional and illegitimate. The army violated the constitution. The judiciary violated the constitution. The presence of the army in the streets of Zimbabwe and how they are now harassing the public is a quintessence brewed from the darkest elements of Zanu PF dating back from the struggle for liberation of Zimbabwe. There are soldiers dying in those barracks today and we shall never know how many of them: it is a military junta in power in the sense of the word. Black lives matter. We shall continue to fight for the rights of those who died prematurely, those in military prisons because of the November military take-over because black lives matter! After an average wage revision of 20 per cent for around 2.98 lakh permanent employees of Coal India Ltd, trade unions are now readying to pitch for a similar wage agreement for contractual workers of the miner. The state-owned company had in October said it has signed a wage agreement with workers' unions, proposing a 20 per cent hike in salaries for a period of five years. "We will now take up the matter of new wage agreement for the contract workers and some other pending issues with Coal India, "All India Coal Workers' Federation general secretary D D Ramanandan told PTI. A decision to form a high-powered committee has been taken to deliberate on this, he said. The 10-member committee will comprise five members from the trade unions and as many from Coal India. The 10th wage agreement effected in October would have an estimated impact of Rs 5,667 crore per year on the world's largest coal miner. The mining behemoth's bottomline has been under stress in the last few quarters. In the three months ended September, it posted nearly a 40 per cent fall in consolidated net profit to Rs 368.88 crore compared to Rs 612.44 crore in the corresponding period a year ago. Trade Unions expect the average wage hike for the contract workers - whose number is estimated to be anywhere between two to three lakh - in the range of 15-20 per cent. Turkish riot police today 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. 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 today. 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. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Media mogul Ekta Kapoor said television has been showing both progressive and regressive content but the small screen cannot afford to project women in a bad light all the time. The 42-year-old producer, known for her saas-bahu soap operas, said she has tried to present stories that show men and women as equals. "TV have had lot of progressive and some regressive shows, but there are some issues that resonate with some part of India... It won't work if it is all regressive, women won't like to see watching themselves (being put) down," Ekta said. She was speaking at the 'We The Women' event, alongside Union Minister Smriti Irani here. The session was moderated by Karan Johar. The producer said scripts of her shows could be "melodramatic" but not regressive. "Scripts could be melodramatic, filmy, (with) high-octane drama but they are not regressive. We have a show called 'Shakti' about the third gender. This is a long-running show about a woman who could not understand what sexuality she belongs to, no films have discussed the third gender." Ekta added she has never had a show where a woman has called her husband 'parmeshwar' (God), or a woman touching her husband's feet and even if the character has tried to do that, the husband has stopped her saying this is wrong. Irani, who has been part of one of the longest-running popular shows, "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi", by the producer, said the toughest part about being an actor is to do shows that are far from reality. "I have been an actor. When we explore scripts, the toughest task is to do things that is unbelievable. It is easier to do things that are closer to real life, the challenge is to get into that melodramatic situation. Like saas-bahu shows are tougher, as (people) don't live life like that. It is the true test for an actor, as to do something that you do not believe in but make it believable for others," she said. "People often used to tell me what 'sanskar' (etiquette) are kids getting from your shows, I used to say, it is not the job of TV to give 'sanskar' to kids, it is a parent's job," Irani added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two men, who were allegedly planning to kill a member of a rival gang in the police custody, were arrested following a shootout with the police, the police said today. The accused were identified as Shah Faizal alias Anas (24) and Danish (19). They were planning to kill one Farman alias Nanhe, a member of the Nasir gang, the police said. Nanhe is in the police custody at the Welcome police station in connection with a murder case, they added. The Special Cell of the Delhi Police has been keeping a watch on the illegal activities of different gangs in northeast Delhi. Yesterday, the police learnt that some men, at the behest of their senior gang members, were gathering in the Welcome area as per a plan to kill a rival gang member. It was also learnt that Anas, Amaan and Danish, along with some others, were assembling near the Jheel Park, close to the East Delhi Municipal Office at Shahdara. Accordingly, a trap was laid. Anas and Danish arrived at the spot and were later joined by Anas's younger brother, Amaan, and another person, P S Kushwah, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), said. The police closed in on the four and asked them to surrender, but the latter started running in different directions. Anas and Amaan allegedly fired at the police, while Danish and the other person also brandished weapons. Anas and Danish were overpowered by the police, while the two other accused managed to flee. A .32 bore pistol and four live cartridges were recovered from Anas and a countrymade pistol and three live cartridges were recovered from Danish, the police said. Nanhe, along with some other men, had allegedly sexually assaulted Anas, made a video of the act and circulated it, the DCP said. Anas had refused to pay protection money to Nanhe, who had also allegedly fired shots outside his house, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two persons were killed in separate incidents of attacks by tigers in Chandrapur and Yavatmal districts of east Maharashtra, it is learnt today. In the first incident, Chandku Bhonu Futki (50), a farmer, was attacked by a big cat in Adan village in Yavatmal district when he was returning home, near the Pandharkawda forest range, officials said. They said the tiger has so far killed nine persons in the last two years. Futki's remains were found during a search launched by his family members and villagers after he didn't return home. "We are making hectic efforts to trap the tiger," a Forest official said. In the second incident, 50-year-old Kamal Nikode was attacked by a big cat near a farm in Dayagondi Gangizora village in Chandrapur district last evening. A badly mutilated body of the woman was spotted this morning by villagers, a Forest official said. According to senior Forest officials, the area where Nikode was attacked is known to be a territory of a tigress. "As many as eleven camera traps have been installed in the area to monitor the movements of the big cat," officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uber has agreed to settle a civil lawsuit with an Indian woman who accused the ride-hailing company and its top executives of "unlawfully" obtaining her medical records and engaging in offensive conspiracy theories after a company driver raped her, according to a media report. The 2014 incident in New Delhi had triggered scrutiny into Uber by the Indian government and the company was banned from operating in the national capital till June 2015. The 26-year-old woman, identified only as Jane Doe in the lawsuit filed in federal court in California in June, had said in the complaint that Uber executives unlawfully obtained and shared her medical records from that vicious sexual assault. The woman was living in Texas when she filed the lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed days after it emerged that Eric Alexander, the president of business in the Asia Pacific, had obtained medical records of the woman and had shown them to then Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick and the companys then-Senior Vice President for Business Emil Michael. The company later fired Alexander. The lawsuit was settled in San Francisco where Uber has its headquarters, the BBC reported. Terms of the latest settlement have not been disclosed. A Delhi court in 2015 sentenced Uber driver Shiv Kumar Yadav Yadav to life imprisonment for raping the woman. The lawsuit said that after the womans sexual assault, Alexander went directly to Delhi where he managed to obtain her confidential, private medical records generated by physicians who examined her after the brutal rape. Alexander then showed the records to Kalanick and Michael and the three "discussed the records among themselves and with other staff at Uber, speculating that Plaintiff had made up the brutal rape in collusion with a rival of Uber in India in order to undermine Ubers business", a reference to Ubers rival taxi/ride-hailing company Ola. "By focusing on 'whether she was really raped at all', and painting Plaintiff as an opportunist and a liar, defendants seemed to be assuring themselves that the only reason why a woman would report a sexual assault is for personal gain, rather than to prevent similar crimes from occurring again or to right an injustice," the lawsuit said. The woman had filed a lawsuit in January 2015 against Uber arguing that the company did not adequately screen its drivers and its "negligence and fraud" lead to her being sexually assaulted and humiliated. However, in February 2015, the woman had "voluntarily" dismissed the lawsuit. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump has said US cities should be "sanctuaries" for Americans not for criminal "aliens", a week after a US court acquitted a Mexican immigrant accused of fatally shooting an American woman. On July 1, 2015, 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle, while walking with her father and a friend was shot by Mexican national Jose Inez Garcia Zarate in the Embarcadero district of San Francisco. The shot ricocheted off the concrete deck of a pier striking the victim in the back. Steinle died two hours later in the hospital as a result of her injuries. The shooting elicited controversy and political debate over San Francisco's status as a sanctuary city, as Zarate was a Mexican national who was unlawfully residing in the US. Trump has highlighted the case as an example of the failure of "sanctuary cities", where local officials did not work with authorities to enforce immigration laws. Asserting that no American should be separated from their loved ones because of preventable crime committed by those illegally in the country, Trump said that cities should be sanctuaries for Americans not for criminal aliens. "No American should be separated from their loved ones because of preventable crime committed by those illegally in our country. Our cities should be Sanctuaries for Americans not for criminal aliens," Trump said in his weekly address to the nation. Last week, in a "final injustice", Kate's killer was acquitted on all of the most serious charges, he said. This he said is one more reason Americans are so upset by sanctuary cities and politicians who shield "criminal aliens" from federal law enforcement and all of the problems involved with the whole concept of a sanctuary city. "They are no good. We mourn for all of the American families, of all backgrounds, who will have any empty seat at Christmas this year because our immigration laws were not enforced," Trump said. "Unfortunately, Democrats in Congress not only oppose our efforts to stop illegal immigration and crack down on sanctuary cities now they are demanding amnesty as a condition for funding the government, holding troop funding hostage and putting our national security at risk. We cannot allow it," he said. Trump said every Senator and Congressman will have to make a choice: do they want to protect American citizens or do they want to protect "criminal aliens". In his address, Trump said Steinle's death is a tragedy that was entirely preventable. "She was shot by an illegal alien and a 7-time convicted felon who had been deported five times but he was free to harm an innocent American because our leaders refused to protect our border, and because San Francisco is a sanctuary city," he said. "In sanctuary states and cities, innocent Americans are at the mercy of criminal aliens because state and local officials defy federal authorities and obstruct the enforcement of our immigration laws," Trump said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Leading are pushing for a specific framework in India to ensure the safety and security of critical technology and classified defence information when they are shared with the Indian private sector for joint ventures in India. A top official of the US-India Business Council (USIBC) said they also want a government-to-government agreement to facilitate the transfer of classified defence technology and information to the Indian private sector besides clarity on issues relating to liability, intellectual property rights and industrial safety. Benjamin Schwartz, Senior Director for Defense and Aerospace at the Washington-based USIBC, said there was no provision for sharing classified defence information by American companies with the Indian private sector at present and a government-to-government agreement was necessary to facilitate it. "US companies are willing to ensure transfer of critical technology to India but the Indian government has to ensure protection of critical and classified technology," he told PTI in an interview. Schwartz, who held extensive talks with the defence establishment here on several sticky issues during a visit to India, said under the existing framework, American companies can share classified information and technology with India's defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) and not with the private sector. "Right now, there is no mechanism in place to allow the US companies to extend classified information to private Indian industries," he said, adding it was for New Delhi to initiate the process for a government-to-government agreement to remove the hurdle. The USIBC has been playing a pro-active role in forging greater collaboration between Indian and American defence industries. Holding that the American industry was very supportive of India's strategic partnership model, he said the Indian government needed to come out with a timeline for various acquisition programmes, besides establishing a framework for the safety of classified information and technology. "They need to establish procedures to ensure security of defence technology here. What I mean by it is that the reality in India and also in the US and around the world is that information is being stolen...We have to set up procedures to make sure that our defence technology is secure (in India)," he said. Schwartz said Washington "definitely" wanted to go for an agreement to facilitate the transfer of classified information and technology by American companies to India and that "it is about getting things done in New Delhi." He said the American private defence industry was in touch with the Trump administration on the issue of technology transfer to India and the US government has been very supportive of such collaborations. "We held extensive conversations with the US government on technology transfer. We are very pleased that there has been a lot of continuity in US policy. The Trump administration wants to continue to prioritise technology release to India. It is also going to be re-articulated in US law this year," he said. Schwartz said the USIBC supports Modi government's policy initiative to ensure a level playing field for the DPSUs and India's private sector defence industry. "We can help support this through an agreement that will allow us to share classified information with the private sector industry," he said. A number of American defence giants including Boeing and Lockheed Martin are eyeing billions of dollars of contracts in India and have already offered to manufacture some of their key military platforms in India while forging joint ventures with Indian companies. Schwartz said liability issues, intellectual property rights issues and industrial security procedures are some of the key areas the US firms want clarity on. "I think we are quite hopeful that with communication and goodwill we can reach out solutions." Indo-US defence ties are on an upswing and both New Delhi and Washington have said they are committed to expanding it further. In June 2016, the US had designated India a "Major Defence Partner" intending to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners. Centuries from captain Faiz Fazal (119) and Apoorv Wankhade (107) enabled Vidarbha take a firm control of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match against Kerala at the end of the fourth day's play here. At the close of play, Vidarbha were comfortably placed at 431 for six, with an overall lead of 501 runs. Resuming on 77 for one, overnight batsman Fazal, starting at a personal score of 51, went on score a 209-ball 119 that included 15 hits to the fence. Wasim Jaffer (58) and Ganesh Satish (65) then contributed with half-centuries each, while lower-order batsman Wankhade's quickfire 107 that came off just 94 deliveries, studded with six boundaries and five sixes, put the hosts in the driver's seat. Akshay Wadkar was batting on 20 and Karn Sharma was unbeaten on 4 when the stumps were drawn. With Vidarbha already having taken a first-innings lead, they have all but made it to the semifinals. For Kerala, Jalaj Saxena chipped in with three for 106. Brief scores: Vidarbha: 246 & 431/6 in 124 overs (Faiz Fazal 119, Apoorv Wankhade 107, Ganesh Satish 65, Wasim Jaffer 58; Jalaj Saxena 3/106). Kerala 1st innings: 176 all out. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chloe Grace Moretz has opened up about her past breakup with on-again boyfriend Brooklyn Beckham, saying it was hard for her to deal with the split. The 20-year-old "Kick-Ass" actor and Victoria Beckham and David Beckham's eldest son first sparked romance rumours in 2014 and have dated on and off over the past couple of years. Moretz and Brooklyn, 18, last broke up in summer 2016 and rekindled their romance a year later, around September, after he moved to New York to study photography. "I went through a hard year and I'm not going to hide that. I had to deal with this new level of fame while I was growing up, I was getting out of a relationship and all of it was very public. I wanted to hide," the actor told Australia's Daily Telegraph's Stellar magazine. She said she spent time out of the spotlight for a while and her family helped her recover. "They were like, 'That's all great that you want to go awaybut you can't. You are your own person. You're going to have to deal with this sort of thing'. I felt like things were falling apart, like my head and heart weren't in the same place." "Things started to change when I realised I have the power within to change them," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Opinion / Columnist The fall of Robert Mugabe has dominated global coverage of Africa over the past few weeks. In Western coverage of the first week after the coup in Zimbabwe there was speculation about what China knew beforehand and whether Beijing played an active role in pushing for it.China's mention drowned out other notable external stakeholders such as the UK, the US, South Africa, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU). And it almost threatened to overshadow the domestic dynamics that led to the changeover.There are reasons to draw a direct parallel between China and the recent events in Zimbabwe. The most obvious is the fact that army chief General Constantino Chiwenga visited Beijing shortly before the tanks rolled into Harare. The timing of the visit was certainly eye-catching. It led to speculation that Beijing was informed beforehand of the coming coup.There were also rumours that other external stakeholders, notably South Africa, had been informed.But some coverage underplayed the distinction between knowing the coup was afoot and actively pushing for it. In some reporting, China was all but accused of fomenting regime change. The reason put forward was that relations between the two countries had soured in recent years because of Beijing's concerns about loan repayments. There was also the issue of Chinese investments in the face of a ramped up indigenisation campaign by Harare.A decline in the "special friendship" between Mugabe and China is well documented. It's a relationship that goes back to the Mao era and also involves Emmerson Mnangagwa, now president, who received military training in China. But simply jumping from these facts to the implication that China actively pushed for, or orchestrated Mugabe's fall, skips over a few important facts.Three reasons to dismiss the conspiracy theoristsIn the first place, China has strenuously denied any involvement in the change of government. This is worth noting, though it's unlikely to convince those looking for a conspiracy.More fundamentally, there is little evidence of China in the post-Mao era pushing for regime change in Africa. This includes countries where it has larger economic interests than in Zimbabwe, and where those are in considerably more danger than in Zimbabwe. South Sudan is one example.For all Mugabe's many crimes, Zimbabwe during his reign was relatively stable and predictable. No matter how frosty the relationship between Harare and Beijing had become, Zimbabwe seems like an unlikely candidate for such a big departure in tactics. This is especially true after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, an event that pushed China even further away from support for interventionism.Second, as the young, Hong Kong-based Zimbabwean academic Innocent Mutanga has argued, the Western fixation on a possible Chinese regime change plot has the effect of discounting African agency. This is doubly problematic because it also discounts the ability of African governing bodies like SADC to enforce the rules in their own back yard.In fact, the careful choreography that accompanied the ousting of Mugabe was clearly aimed at appeasing the AU. The aim was to avoid any invocation of the AU's mandatory suspension of unconstitutional changes in government. This was a concern every bit as important for Mnangagwa's faction as assuaging external powers' interests.The regime change argument misses a wider point: that Chiwenga's visit can be read as a sign of China's new prominence on the global stage. The fact that China was probably informed about the coup beforehand actually makes clear of its shifting geopolitical position. Being given prior warning shows that China is getting recognition alongside the US and UK as a fully fledged great power.This perspective should lead us to focus in detail on Chinese investments in Zimbabwe - not because they might point towards direct Chinese involvement in Mugabe's fall, but because they raise questions about how various Chinese actors interact with illiberal governments across the global south.Since 2006 the relationship between China and Zimbabwe has been rooted in collusion between military and party elites on both sides. This led prominent Chinese companies into lucrative mining contracts in collaboration with companies owned by the Zimbabwean military. One such Chinese company is the arms manufacturer Norinco. President Mnangagwa, and possible vice-president Chiwenga have been enriched via such joint deals.In addition, large loan packages and prospective infrastructure investments have followed, broadening ties across sectors and society.Wider lens neededA narrow focus on whether China actively pushed for Mugabe's fall tends to assume that the China-Africa relationship is a unique and isolated phenomenon. We would argue that the Zimbabwe situation calls for a broader look at how various Chinese role players act globally.The ConversationUnder President Xi Jinping, China has begun to push more explicitly for great power status, and for a leadership position in world politics. Events in Zimbabwe strongly suggest that it's time that the world - and particularly Africa - started to reflect on this new role and focused on what kind of global power China will be.Cobus van Staden, Senior Researcher: China Africa, South African Institute of International Affairs and Chris Alden, Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics and Political ScienceThis article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. The Navy is planning to hand over a decommissioned Tupolev-142 reconnaissance plane to the West Bengal government for setting up an aircraft museum here, the second of its kind in the country. The Navy is expecting a clearance from the defence ministry for handing over the TU-142 aircraft to the state government by the end of this month, Commodore Suprobho K De, Naval Officer-in-Command, Bengal area, said. "We have had discussions with the state government officials in this regard and the museum is likely to come up in about six months in the city," De told PTI here. While the aircraft will be provided by the Navy, expenses for dismantling and transporting the plane from Tamil Nadu and then reassembling it here will have to be borne by the state government, the Commodore said. The West Bengal government will operate the museum, the land for which is being scouted for, he said. "This will be a good opportunity for people to get a look and feel of the aircraft from close quarters," De said. There will be a mannequin resembling a pilot in the cockpit and visitors can see the machinery, bombs, torpedoes and gunner compartments of the plane as they walk through the aircraft museum, the official said. The Indian Navy's workhorse long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft TU-142M was de-inducted in March this year after 29 years of service. The Russian-made turboprop aircraft with four engines and eight propellers, aptly named the 'Albatross', was inducted into the Indian Navy in 1988. The first such naval maritime aircraft museum in the country in a TU-142M plane was inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind at Visakhapatnam on December 7. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a public rally here tonight, asked his predecessor why did he not show the courage to order a post the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, despite the readiness of the Army. He said after the Mumbai attacks, the Air Force had approached the then prime minister Singh with a plan for surgical strikes, but the government did not show the courage to order it. "Under whose advice did he (Singh) do so," Modi asked the gathering at the Navlakhi compound here. "Someone who served at a high position in the Air Force has said that after 26/11, they went to the then prime minister with a plan for . Sadly, the then government did not show the courage to do that," Modi said and cited the example of his government's action in the aftermath of the Uri terror attack in September last year. "My government, in the aftermath of the Uri attack by Pakistan, had launched a inside the borders of Pakistan, targeting several terror camps and launchpads. The strikes came as a surprise for the Pakistanis who were caught unaware. While the maximum damage was inflicted on their side, the Indian soldiers came back without any casualties," he added. Modi also questioned Congress leaders, including its vice president Rahul Gandhi, for raising doubts over the . "Are such secret matters to be discussed in public?" he asked, saying this was the difference between the NDA government and the UPA government. Modi said the reason behind his vacating the Vadodara Lok Sabha seat in 2014 was for blossoming the "lotus" in Uttar Pradesh and replicating the Gujarat model of development in that state. After winning two Lok Sabha seats from Vadodara and Varanasi in the 2014 general election, Modi had retained the Varanasi seat. He thanked the people of Vadodara for allowing him to resign from here. The prime minister also justified demonetisation, saying it was aimed at unearthing black money and preventing the parallel economy. He said the government had since succeeded in unearthing a "hawala" racket in Jammu and Kashmir which led to the arrest of many leaders who were advocating support for terrorism in the state. Congress leaders were not happy with demonetisation as it was a source of their income and even after a year since the note ban, they had kept the issue alive, he said. The prime minister also wondered how a "secret meeting" between Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar and the former Pakistani high commissioner and other leaders from that country could take place without the knowledge of the Government of India. Modi said when he was the chief minister of Gujarat, he used to take permission from the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government at the Centre before holding a meeting with a foreign dignitary. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis today warned the opposition leaders that he had "evidence" against them and could bring it up "at the right time". He was speaking to reporters in Nagpur ahead of the winter session beginning from tomorrow. "I have enough evidences against the leaders of the opposition and I will disclose it at the right time," he said. Fadnavis said that he could prove that the government had saved significant funds due to the Aadhaar numbers in its three years of rule when compared to the Congress-NCP's 15 years. He refuted Congress-NCP allegations that the loan waiver was flawed. "We had received applications of 77 lakh farmers out of which 69 lakh applications were accepted after the removal of duplication. A decision to disburse loan waiver has been taken for 41 lakh farmers in the state. The process is still on and if more eligible farmers are found, we will provide the loan waiver benefits to them," Fadnavis said. "We have implemented loan waiver with efficiency. The total outlay so far has been Rs 19,000 crore and if required, we will bring it before the house," he said. The Maharashtra chief minister also pointed out that the construction of the controversial Gosikhurd irrigation dam in Vidarbha, which was suspended for a long time due to lack of permissions from the central government, has finally received necessary approvals. "The Centre has approved 108 irrigation projects in the state along with Rs 18,500 crore cost of the Gosikhurd irrigation project. We will complete it in next three years," Fadnavis said. Fadnavis said that farmers whose crops were getting damaged in pink-worm attacks could get compensation in three ways. "One will come from the seed companies who at the time of licence for distribution of seed had claimed that the crop would not be attacked by any worm. Now, their plants are being attacked by pink-worm and companies will have to give compensation to the farmers," he said. "The farmers who have applied for insurance of the crop will benefit and third would be the financial assistance from National Disaster Relief Fund. A proposal is being sent to Delhi for approval," said the chief minister. Countering allegations from the opposition that the government had failed in disvursing scholarship to students from backward classes, he said that his government was giving even the amount that the earlier government had failed to disburse. Fadnavis said, "Those who are used to corrupt practices for a long time are unable to see the system functioning in a transparent way. Out of Rs 1,100 crore, we have already disbursed Rs 740 crore to students. All we want is linking of Aadhar numbers with students bank accounts," "Wherever it has not happened, we have permitted students to avail the benefits. The opposition should not forget that we have given three years scholarship amount to students which the Congress-NCP government had failed to disburse." he added. Fadnavis refuted NCP leader Ajit Pawar's contention that the state was leading towards bankruptcy. "The loan amount has increased but we have spent it on infrastructure projects. As per Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act 2003, our capacity to avail loan is going up. The state's finance are still in good condition," he said. Meanwhile, Sachin Sawant, spokesperson of Congress tweeted that Fadnavis should be acting against the evidence he has rather than sitting on it. He said that such acts was a misuse as well as devaluation of the post Fadnavis holds. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 27-year-old married woman and her paramour have been arrested today for killing the woman's husband and then enacting an elaborate drama to hide the murder, police said. Police said that the woman's paramour, after the murder, actually set himself on fire to pose as the dead husband. Explaining the sequence of events, a senior police official said, " The woman was married to one Sudhakar Reddy and has two children from the marriage. She was in a relationship with one Rajesh. The two got together and killed Reddy on November 27 and disposed his body in a forested part of Mahabubnagar district." The murder happened in Nagarkurnool, police said. The accused, Rajesh, police said, then poured kerosene on himself suffering burn injuries to his face and upper body. "She lodged a complaint with police stating that a group of four persons attacked her "husband" at their house and poured petrol on his face and other parts of the body and set him on fire. She then shifted him to a hospital in Hyderabad as her husband Reddy," Nagarkurnool Sub-Division Deputy Superintendent of Police Laxmi Narayana said. However, the officer said, relatives of Reddy told hospital authorities that the man undergoing treatment as Sudhakar Reddy was somebody else. Investigations into the suspicion of the relatives revealed the murder and the subsequent cover-up by the two, said police. "The woman said that she along with Rajesh had hit Sudhakar Reddy with a sharp edged object on his head and then strangled him to death. They later dumped his body in a forest after setting it on fire," the officer said. The DSP said that the woman has confessed that she got Rajesh admitted in the hospital by passing him as off her husband as the two later planned to live together. He said that police recovered Reddy's body in a highly decomposed state from the forest in Mahabubnagar. Both have been booked on charges of murder, he said, adding that Rajesh has not been arrested yet as he is undergoing treatment for his burn injuries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) today sought a response from Vistara airlines after actor Zaira Wasim alleged that she was molested by a co- passenger aboard one of its flights between Delhi and Mumbai. Wasim, who starred in Aamir Khan's 'Dangal' and more recently in 'Secret Superstar', has alleged she was harassed by a male passenger sitting behind her on the plane yesterday night. The National Award winning young actor narrated her ordeal on Instagram via a 'live' video. The Commission, which was constituted with an aim to investigate and examine matters relating to the safeguards provided to women under the Constitution, took a suo moto action following media reports about the incident and issued a notice to the airliner. "Considering the gravity of the matter, please provide information to the Commission latest by December 16," the DCW said in the notice. "The Commission views this matter extremely seriously," DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal said and asked Tata SIA Airlines Ltd, operating as Vistara, to provide the information. The Commission wished to know whether the crew members of Vistara were aware about the molestation incident. "If yes, please inform the action taken by them in the matter along with details of the help and support provided to the girl. List of authorities to whom the matter was reported by Vistara Airlines along with date and time of reporting," the DCW told the carrier. It wanted to know whether CCTV cameras were installed in the flight. "If yes, please provide the footage of the entire flight journey of Wasim. (And) the details of SOPs (standard operating procedures) followed by the airlines in dealing with matters of sexual harassment on flight," it said. The DCW asked the carrier to inform it if there had been any case of molestation on any of its flights in India in the past one year. "If yes, please provide details of the same and action taken by Vistara in the matter. The Commission also asked for "copies of guidelines (if any) issued by the Ministry of Aviation, Government of India regarding dealing with sexual harassment cases on flight." In a statement on Twitter, Vistara has said it would look into the complaint. "We @airvistara have seen the reports regarding @ZairaWasimmm experience with another customer on board our flight last night. We are carrying out detailed investigation and will support Zaira in every way required. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DUBAI (Reuters) - Foreign investors turned net buyers of Saudi Arabian shares in the last week, suggesting concern about the impact of a sweeping crackdown on corruption has faded, exchange data showed on Sunday. Foreigners were net sellers of Saudi stocks for four straight weeks after authorities launched the purge in early November, detaining dozens of top officials and businessmen and freezing over 2,000 bank accounts. In the last couple of weeks, however, the risk of damage to the economy has appeared to ease, with the number of frozen accounts falling and some suspects reaching settlements with the government. A purchasing managers' survey showed most of the private sector operating as normal in November. Foreign investors bought 718 million riyals ($191 million) worth of stocks in the week through Dec. 7 and sold 674 million riyals worth, resulting in 44 million riyals of net buying. In the week to Nov. 9, immediately after the crackdown was announced, there was net selling of 1.08 billion riyals worth of shares, and net selling decreased in every week after that. The latest data also showed Saudi individual investors bought stocks worth 17.53 billion riyals last week and sold 19.21 billion riyals, resulting in net selling of 1.68 billion riyals, down from net sales of 2.19 billion riyals in the previous week. Saudi institutional investors bought 2.83 billion riyals of stocks in the latest week and sold 1.31 billion riyals, for net buying of 1.52 billion riyals. (Reporting by Andrew Torchia; Editing by Greg Mahlich) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley 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. "To this may be added the Central devolution and the borrowings which under the FRBM Act have a three per cent cap. All these constitute the committed liabilities of salaries, pensions, social and developmental expenditure. There is no surplus money left after this committed expenditure," he said. He further said, the Congress manifesto promises an additional bonanza of Rs 1,21,000 crore in terms of populist programmes and it doubles the expenditure while reducing the income, which is a fiscal nightmare. "The two important limbs of the Congress manifesto comprise of one a constitutional impossibility and the other a fiscal impossibility. The Congress party can well afford this risk since its victory is a political improbability," he said. The next important limb of the Congress campaign, the finance minister said, is a promise of reservations over and above 49 per cent. Citing the Supreme Court order, he said, it has repeatedly emphasised that the net total of all reservations cannot exceed 50 per cent since 1992 and states which have attempted to breach this cap have faced constitutional resistance. "A promise of reservations beyond 50 per cent 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," he said. Taking on Congress' claim that Gujarat model of development does not exist, Jaitley said, this claim has been conclusively demolished by the recent data that Gujarat is the only state in India whose GSDP grew by 10 per cent during the period 2012-2017. "Gujarat grew at least two per cent faster than the nearest growing state i.e. Madhya Pradesh. A double digit growth rate is unheard during the period of economic downturn. Even the Chinese new normal during this period has been 6.5 per cent," he said. The fact that this growth rate has been sustained for five years in a row is an evidence of the success of the Gujarat model, which the Congress wants to wish away, he said. Another distinct aspect of the Congress party's campaign, the finance minister said without naming its allies, is 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. There is not a single state leader who is touring the state for the campaign, he said, adding the party has disconnected the traditional issues on which it has been campaigning since 2002 and opted for a divisive agenda of social repolarisation. "The state paid a heavy price for such mis-adventures in the 1980s and would be very reluctant to repeat this experiment after having liberated itself from caste wars," he said. 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 per cent 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 per cent in the first quarter of 2017-18. It was 7.5 per cent 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. CAMEROUN :: The CL2P, Trickle Down Economy and Social Justice in Cameroon The CL2P celebrates excellence anywhere it can find it. However, the recent defenders of the children of high ranking officials, including the president of the country, and their candidacies to the country major and highly selective schools for cadres of the Cameroonian administration have used the argument of equality of access, trickle down economy and noblesse oblige to justify these forms of candidacies in a demagogic and self-destructive fashion. While it is true that these practices can be recorded in Cameroonians private enterprises and Non-Governmental Associations, such as the CL2P, the same cannot be said of the Cameroonian government. First, mainly because, one kind of so-called divinely ordained ruling family monopolizes state resources since at least 1982. So, the idea that the playing field in Cameroons educational and access to upward mobility is pretty much a Non sequitur and nullifies any argument of fairness. If, in principle, all Cameroonians are endowed of the same rights on paper, in practice, one cannot do away with the multiples forms of inequalities that structure the educational and labor markets in the country and explain the asymmetrical power in accessing resources in the country. We are aware that one of these privileged few are accustomed us to air her patriotic fatwas on social media but she owes ordinary Cameroonians the reasons that are led her to consider the School of Public Administration and Magistrate as her choice. Otherwise, it is hard to cast aside the idea that she is in fact usurping the spot of many more deserving ordinary Cameroonians in a country where the statistics of unemployment have been stubbornly high for decades cruelly reducing ordinary Cameroonians margin of manoeuver in the labor market up to none. In fact, these kinds of admission cast a pall of illegitimacy on achievements that might have been, otherwise, legitimate. Moreover, it forces the administrators of these schools to lie about what they are doing which is a dereliction of educational integrity. These administrators have to lie because it will become increasingly difficult to prove that they are acting on a set of neutral rules where ordinary Cameroonians are all treated equally irrespective of political connections. More, attention should be paid to other forms of jobs and contribution to society beyond the confine to the selective bureaucracy to diversify an economy in dire need of diversification. These processes go at the heart of the nature of social dialogue in Cameroon, the ownership and distribution of resources and how the state policies and infrastructures in terms of education and labor. As with the knowledge that educational and labor policies are always conflictual as Affirmative Action and Change in labor Law in France, more recently, are facing strong resistance. Hence, the CL2P understands that bringing attention to working-class issues is not a luxury. The CL2P is aware that ordinary Cameroonians are really hurting and demagoguery and propaganda can no longer cover up Cameroonians politicians inadequacies. Politically, the country is at an endgame and even some reactionary nationalism thrown in will not do. That is it. There is nothing astounding about what is happening now; the entire political system needs an enema to flush out all of the corruption and money that is allowing to plod along on this track. This sad state of affairs go beyond one single person. It is a systemic problem and the idea that Cameroon would be doing okay if it weren't for one person, is actually incredibly insulting. I think this is hard for so many folks in the country to understand. Probably because staying the CPDMs line course rather than critical thinking is much easier, since, the status quo, unfortunately, provide to many a sense of security. The CL2P, however, believe that much more humility and empathy is required for all of us to survive at this crucial point of political degeneracy. Thus, the CL2P understands that politics are processes by which we determine general will of the people. It happens in families, offices, and across nations. It is an inherent dynamic of human interaction and can be as egalitarian as friends decided which restaurant to meet for lunch or autocratic control of a vicious dictatorship. In the absence of sufficient balance, power tends to corrupt even those with "good intentions." Arguably our greatest challenge as individuals and societies is use power in ways that are both wise and fair. Attempting to create a just social contract such as a bill of rights reduces the opportunity for abuse by a tyranny of a majority and majority rule attempts to keep political powers in balance, as does division of powers. United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. WALDA LORENA LUNA, a/k/a Maria Aguilar Diaz, Defendant - Appellant. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. PERFECTO RUANO, Defendant - Appellant. No. 16-4790, No. 16-4791 Decided: December 08, 2017 Before KING, AGEE, and FLOYD, Circuit Judges. Geoffrey W. Hosford, HOSFORD & HOSFORD, P.C., Wilmington, North Carolina; Paul K. Sun, Jr., Kelly Margolis Dagger, ELLIS & WINTERS LLP, Raleigh, North Carolina, for Appellants. Jennifer, P. May-Parker, Assistant United States Attorney, OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Raleigh, North Carolina, for Appellee. Walda Lorena Luna and Perfecto Ruano were implicated in the same criminal scheme, and their cases were consolidated in district court. Luna pleaded guilty, pursuant to a written plea agreement, to conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States (mail fraud), in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371 (2012); filing a false income tax return, in violation of 26 U.S.C. 7206(1) (2012); and aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1028A (2012). Ruano pleaded guilty, pursuant to a separate written plea agreement, to conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States (mail fraud), in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371. Luna and Ruano now seek to appeal their sentences, and their appeals have been consolidated. Luna alleges that the district court erred by impermissibly relying on her nationality as a sentencing factor. Ruano alleges that the district court erred by imposing a substantively unreasonable sentence. The Government has moved to dismiss both appeals as barred by the Appellants' waivers of the right to appeal included in their plea agreements. A defendant may waive the right to appeal his conviction and sentence so long as the waiver is knowing and voluntary. United States v. Copeland, 707 F.3d 522, 528 (4th Cir. 2013) (internal quotation marks omitted). We review the validity of an appeal waiver de novo, and will enforce the waiver if it is valid and the issue appealed is within the scope of the waiver. Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). We conduct our assessment by reference to the totality of the circumstances surrounding the waiver. Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). Generally, if a district court questions a defendant regarding the waiver of appellate rights during the [Fed. R. Crim. P.] 11 colloquy and the record indicates that the defendant understood the full significance of the waiver, the waiver is valid. United States v. Thornsbury, 670 F.3d 532, 537 (4th Cir. 2012). Upon review of the plea agreements and the transcript of the Fed. R. Crim. P. 11 hearing conducted for both Appellants, we conclude that under the totality of the circumstances, Ruano knowingly and voluntarily waived his right to appeal. Moreover, the issue Ruano seeks to raise on appeal, the substantive reasonableness of his 57-month sentence, falls squarely within the scope of this valid waiver. As to Luna, we conclude that, while Luna knowingly and voluntarily waived her right to appeal, the issue she seeks to raise on appeal falls outside the scope of her waiver of appellate rights. See United States v. Marin, 961 F.2d 493, 496 (4th Cir. 1992) (noting that defendant could not be said to have waived his right to appellate review of a sentence based on a constitutionally impermissible factor). However, there is no evidence in the record to support Luna's claim that the district court relied on her nationality as a sentencing factor. Therefore, the sole claim Luna raises is meritless. Accordingly, we grant the Government's motion to dismiss Ruano's appeal. We deny the Government's motion to dismiss Luna's appeal, but we affirm Luna's criminal judgment. We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this court and argument would not aid the decisional process. No. 16-4790, AFFIRMED; No. 16-4791, DISMISSED PER CURIAM: United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. RAPHELE LAMONT LITTLE, Defendant - Appellant. No. 17-4302 Decided: December 08, 2017 Before GREGORY, Chief Judge, and NIEMEYER and FLOYD, Circuit Judges. Louis C. Allen, Federal Public Defender, John A. Duberstein, Assistant Federal Public Defender, Greensboro, North Carolina, for Appellant. Sandra J. Hairston, Acting United States Attorney, OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Greensboro, North Carolina, for Appellee. Raphele Lamont Little appeals the district court's judgment revoking his term of supervised release and sentencing him to 13 months' incarceration, followed by a 1-year term of supervised release. Counsel has filed a brief pursuant to Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967), stating that there are no meritorious issues for appeal, but questioning whether the district court imposed an unreasonable sentence. Although advised of his right to file a pro se supplemental brief, Little has not done so. The Government has declined to file a response brief. Following our careful review of the record, we affirm. A district court has broad, though not unlimited, discretion in fashioning a sentence upon revocation of a defendant's term of supervised release. United States v. Slappy, 872 F.3d 202, 206 (4th Cir. 2017). We will affirm a revocation sentence if it is within the statutory maximum and is not plainly unreasonable. Id. at 207 (internal quotation marks omitted). [E]ven if a revocation sentence is plainly unreasonable, we will still affirm it if any errors are harmless. Id. We review revocation sentences for both procedural and substantive reasonableness. Id. A sentence is procedurally reasonable if the district court considered the Sentencing Guidelines' Chapter Seven policy statement and the applicable 18 U.S.C. 3553(a) (2012) factors and adequately explained the chosen sentence. Id. A sentence is substantively reasonable if the court sufficiently states a proper basis for its conclusion that the defendant should receive the sentence imposed. Id. (alteration and internal quotation marks omitted). In this case, the district court correctly calculated the policy statement range, considered the relevant 3553(a) factors and Little's arguments, and explained that, in light of the underlying crime and Little's prior supervised release violation, a sentence slightly outside the policy statement range was necessary. We therefore conclude that Little's sentence is procedurally and substantively reasonable. In accordance with Anders, we have reviewed the entire record in this case and have found no meritorious issues for appeal. We therefore affirm the district court's judgment. This court requires that counsel inform Little, in writing, of the right to petition the Supreme Court of the United States for further review. If Little requests that a petition be filed, but counsel believes that such a petition would be frivolous, then counsel may move in this court for leave to withdraw from representation. Counsel's motion must state that a copy thereof was served on Little. We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this court and argument would not aid the decisional process. AFFIRMED PER CURIAM: United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and STATE OF TENNESSEE ex rel. JASON ARMES, Relator-Appellant, v. JAN GARMAN, et al., Defendants-Appellees. No. 16-6212 Decided: December 08, 2017 BEFORE: BOGGS, BATCHELDER, and BUSH, Circuit Judges. Relator Jason Armes brought this qui tam action on behalf of the United States and the State of Tennessee against two Tennessee hospitals owned by Select Medical Corporation, and several hospital employees and executives (the Select Medical defendants). Armes alleged that the Select Medical defendants violated the False Claims Act and the Tennessee Medicaid False Claims Act by submitting false claims for payment to Medicare and Tenncare, Tennessee's Medicaid program. The district court dismissed Armes's claims with prejudice. We AFFIRM, albeit on grounds different from those on which the district court relied. I. Select Specialty Hospital - Knoxville and Select Specialty Hospital - North Knoxville are part of a network of Long Term Acute Care (LTAC) facilities owned by Select Medical Corporation. The individual defendants are employees and executives at these LTAC facilities. These LTAC facilities treat patients who have multiple acute or chronic conditions that require extended medical and rehabilitative treatments. Relator Jason Armes worked at Select Specialty Hospital - Knoxville as a respiratory therapist from 2005 until 2012, when the hospital terminated his employment. Armes brought this qui tam action against the Select Medical defendants in the Eastern District of Tennessee in March 2014. Armes alleged that from at least 2005 until 2014, the Select Medical defendants [a]s a matter of corporate policy engaged in several fraudulent schemes designed to exploit Medicare's reimbursement policies and maximize hospital profits without regard for patient health and safety. First, Medicare reimburses LTAC facilities at a higher rate than that for other hospitals. Armes alleged that the Select Medical defendants manipulated patient admissions and discharges to achieve and maintain LTAC statusand thus the higher reimbursement ratefor Select Medical hospitals. Second, Medicare reimburses LTAC facilities a predetermined amount per patient based on the average length of stay and the average cost to treat patients with the same diagnosis, but reimburses LTAC facilities a lower amount if the patient is discharged early. Armes alleged that the Select Medical defendants ensured that patients stayed just long enough to earn the higher reimbursement amounts but discharged patients immediately thereafter to maximize profits. Third, Armes alleged that the Select Medical defendants billed Medicare and Tenncare both for medically unnecessary services and for medical services that the Select Medical defendants did not actually provide to patients. Fourth, Armes alleged that the Select Medical defendants violated federal and state law by providing bonuses to liaisons who ensured that patients remained on ventilators long enough to trigger significantly higher Medicare reimbursement amounts. Armes alleged that each of these fraudulent schemes culminated in the Select Medical defendants filing false claims for reimbursement from both Medicare and Tenncare, in violation of the False Claims Act (FCA), 31 U.S.C. 37293733, and the Tennessee Medicaid False Claims Act, Tenn. Code Ann. 71-5-181 to 185. The Select Medical defendants moved to dismiss Armes's complaint. Days before the district court heard argument on the motion to dismiss, Armes filed a motion to amend his complaint. The district court denied this motion on the grounds of both undue delay and futility and dismissed Armes's FCA claims with prejudice. The district court dismissed all but one of Armes's FCA claims based on the FCA's first-to-file bar, because of a then-pending qui tam action in the Southern District of Indiana alleging Medicare reimbursement fraud against Select Medical Corporation. The district court dismissed the remaining FCA claim under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b). The district court refused to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over Armes's state-law claims and dismissed them without prejudice. Armes filed a timely notice of appeal. Shortly before Armes filed his merits brief, the Indiana district court dismissed portions of the Indiana qui tam action against Select Medical. See U.S. ex rel. Conroy v. Select Med. Corp., 211 F. Supp. 3d 1132 (S.D. Ind. 2016). Armes then filed a motion asking this court to vacate the district court's dismissal of his action and to remand without addressing the merits of the appeal. A motions panel of this court denied the motion but instructed Armes to seek from the district court an indicative ruling on whether that court might grant a Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b) motion for relief from judgment based on the ruling in the Indiana case. Armes filed a motion in the district court requesting that indicative ruling. Days before we heard oral argument in this case, the district court issued its indicative ruling. The district court concluded that the Indiana district court's partial dismissal of the Indiana qui tam action did not provide a basis for Rule 60(b) relief in this action because the Indiana qui tam action was still pending both when Armes brought his action and when the district court dismissed this action. The district court also rejected Armes's argument that the Supreme Court's decision in Kellogg Brown & Root Services, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Carter, 135 S. Ct. 1970 (2015), required the district court to dismiss Armes's FCA claims without prejudice. Because those of Armes's FCA claims that the district court had initially dismissed under the first-to-file bar would also be barred by the FCA's public-disclosure bar, the district court concluded that dismissal with prejudice was appropriate. II. On appeal, Armes argues that the district court erroneously dismissed his claims as barred by the FCA's first-to-file bar. Or, Armes argues, even if the district court did not err by dismissing his claims under the FCA's first-to-file bar, it erred by dismissing his claims with prejudice. In support of that argument, Armes again cites Carter, 135 S. Ct. at 1978, which held that district courts should dismiss claims under the FCA's first-to-file bar without prejudice. Armes also challenges the district court's denial of his motion to amend his complaint and its refusal to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over his state law claims. A. We review de novo a district court's dismissal of an FCA case under either Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) or 12(b)(1). U.S. ex rel. Sheldon v. Kettering Health Network, 816 F.3d 399, 407 (6th Cir. 2016); U.S. ex rel. McKenzie v. BellSouth Telecomm., Inc., 123 F.3d 935, 938 (6th Cir. 1997). This court may affirm on any grounds supported by the record, even those not relied on by the district court. U.S. ex rel. Harper v. Muskingum Watershed Conservancy Dist., 842 F.3d 430, 435 (6th Cir. 2016). The FCA bars actions where substantially the same allegations or transactions were previously publicly disclosed in certain judicial or administrative proceedings, government reports, government audits or investigations, or news media reporting unless the action is brought by an original source of the information. 31 U.S.C. 3730(e)(4)(A). The purpose of this public-disclosure bar is to discourage opportunistic plaintiffs from bringing parasitic lawsuits that merely feed off a previous disclosure of fraud. U.S. ex rel. Poteet v. Medtronic, Inc., 552 F.3d 503, 507 (6th Cir. 2009) (quoting Walburn v. Lockheed Martin Corp., 431 F.3d 966, 970 (6th Cir. 2005)). The public-disclosure bar provides a broad sweep and is wide-reaching. Schindler Elevator Corp. v. U.S. ex rel. Kirk, 563 U.S. 401, 408 (2011) (internal alteration, quotation marks, and citation omitted). Congress amended the FCA's public-disclosure bar in 2010 as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. See U.S. ex rel. Advocates for Basic Legal Equal., Inc. v. U.S. Bank, N.A., 816 F.3d 428, 430 (6th Cir. 2016) (ABLE). The amendment was not retroactive. Id. Because Armes alleges Medicare reimbursement fraud that occurred both before and after the amendment date, we address the amendment where it affects our analysis. Our public-disclosure bar analysis proceeds in three steps. First, we look to see whether there has been a public disclosure of fraud. Poteet, 552 F.3d at 511. There has been a public disclosure when enough information exists in the public domain to expose the fraudulent transaction and to put the government on notice of the likelihood of related fraudulent activity. U.S. ex rel. Antoon v. Cleveland Clinic Found., 788 F.3d 605, 61516 (6th Cir. 2015) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). Court filings in cases where the government or its agent is a party constitute a public disclosure. Id.; 31 U.S.C. 3730(e)(4)(A)(i). Second, we look to see whether the qui tam complaint is based upon the disclosed fraud. Poteet, 552 F.3d at 513. A later qui tam complaint is based upon a publicly disclosed fraud when a substantial identity exists between the publicly disclosed allegations or transactions and the qui tam complaint. Id. at 514 (quotation marks and citation omitted). There need not be a complete identity even as to time, place, and manner between the publicly disclosed allegations or transactions and the later qui tam complaint in order to trigger the public-disclosure bar. Id. (quoting U.S. ex rel. Boothe v. Sun Healthcare Grp., Inc., 496 F.3d 1169, 1174 (10th Cir. 2007)). Any action based even partly upon public disclosures is barred. Id. (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). Third, we look to see if the relator is an original source. Id. at 515. To be an original source under the pre-amendment version of the FCA's public-disclosure bar, a relator needed both to have direct and independent knowledge of the information on which the allegations are based and to have disclosed that information to the government before any public disclosure occurred. Id. The current version of the public-disclosure bar includes a second category of original sources, in which the claimant must have knowledge that materially adds to the public disclosure. ABLE, 816 F.3d at 431 (quoting 31 U.S.C. 3730(e)(4)(B)). In ABLE, we interpreted this to include only information that would affect a person's decision-making, is significant, or is essential. Id. (quoting Black's Law Dictionary 1124 (10th ed. 2014)). Qui tam complaints that merely add[ ] details' to what is already known in outline do not materially add to the publicly disclosed fraud. Id. at 432 (quoting U.S. ex rel. Bogina v. Medline Indus., Inc., 809 F.3d 365, 370 (7th Cir. 2016)). See also U.S. ex rel. Winkelman v. CVS Caremark Corp., 827 F.3d 201, 213 (1st Cir. 2016) ([A] relator who merely adds detail or color to previously disclosed elements of an alleged scheme is not materially adding to the public disclosure.); U.S. ex rel. Osheroff v. Humana Inc., 776 F.3d 805, 81516 (11th Cir. 2015) (additional background information and details that made the fraud somewhat more plain were not material additions). We hold that all of Armes's FCA claims were barred by the FCA's public-disclosure bar. First, before Armes filed his qui tam action, the Indiana qui tam action had publicly disclosed allegations of Medicare reimbursement fraud by Select Medical Corporation. The Indiana qui tam action alleged a corporate-wide policy of manipulating patient stays to maximize Medicare payments. Conroy, 211 F. Supp. 3d at 1139. The information in the Indiana complaint was more than enough to expose the alleged fraud and put the government on notice of the likelihood of related fraudulent activity, especially because the United States government was involved in and filed briefing in the Indiana qui tam action. See id. at 1141. Second, Armes's qui tam action was based upon the same Medicare reimbursement fraud that was publicly disclosed in the Indiana qui tam action. Both complaints alleged company-wide schemes to manipulate patient stays in order to maximize Medicare reimbursements. Both complaints alleged that Select Medical fraudulently billed Medicare for services that either were not rendered or were not medically necessary. There is therefore a substantial identity between the Medicare-reimbursement fraud alleged in the Indiana qui tam action and the Medicare-reimbursement fraud Armes alleged. Although Armes alleged slightly different particular details, including the use of bonuses to ensure that patients stayed on ventilators long enough to trigger higher Medicare reimbursements, the primary focus of the two complaints is the same. See Poteet, 552 F.3d at 51415. Armes's qui tam complaint is therefore based upon the alleged fraud publicly disclosed by the Indiana qui tam action. Third, Armes was not an original source of the information in his qui tam complaint. The Indiana qui tam complaint was unsealed in January 2013, but Armes did not disclose his knowledge to the government until March 2014. Therefore, even if Armes had direct and independent knowledge of the Medicare-reimbursement fraud, he was not an original source under the pre-amendment public-disclosure bar because his disclosure of that knowledge to the government did not occur before the Indiana public disclosure. Nor was Armes an original source under the current version of the public-disclosure bar because his allegations did not materially add to the publicly disclosed Medicare reimbursement fraud. The Indiana qui tam complaint alleged the knowing manipulation of Length of Stay for patients at Select Long Term Acute Care Hospitals to maximize reimbursement , unnecessary medical procedures and upcoding. Specifically, the Indiana qui tam complaint alleged that Select Medical LTAC facilities held patients longer than medically necessary so as to obtain higher Medicare reimbursements, forced patients to leave Select Medical LTAC facilities prematurely once the Medicare predetermined payment was earned, admitted patients who did not require LTAC care, billed Medicare for medically unnecessary procedures, targeted patients whose length-of-stay was expected to be long to maintain LTAC-facility status for Select Medical hospitals, and rewarded physicians willing to manage patients with the primary goal of maximizing reimbursement. Although it is true, as Armes emphasizes, that only Jason Armes has alleged some additional details, none of those details is significant or essential to the alleged Medicare reimbursement fraud that was already publicly disclosed in the Indiana qui tam action. Armes is therefore not an original source under either version of the FCA's public-disclosure bar. The FCA's public-disclosure bar supports affirming the district court's dismissal of all of Armes's FCA claims with prejudice. We affirm on that ground. B. We normally review a district court's order denying a motion to amend for abuse of discretion. Sheldon, 816 F.3d at 407. However, where a district court denies a motion to amend because the complaint as amended could not withstand a motion to dismiss, we review that order de novo. Id. The district court denied Armes leave to amend his complaint on the grounds of both undue delay and futility. District courts must generally give plaintiffs at least one chance to amend the complaint before dismissing it with prejudice. U.S. ex rel. Bledsoe v. Cmty. Health Sys., Inc., 342 F.3d 634, 644 (6th Cir. 2003) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). Where a plaintiff engages in undue delay or where an amendment would be futile, denial may be appropriate. Id. When a district court denies a motion to amend based on undue delay, we look to see whether the plaintiff had sufficient notice that his complaint was deficient, and if so, whether the plaintiff had an adequate opportunity to cure the deficiencies. Id. Here, the Select Medical defendants filed a motion to dismiss in November 2015, relying on the first-to-file bar, the public-disclosure bar, and Rule 9(b), putting Armes on notice that his complaint might require amendment. Armes sought and received an extension of time to respond, and responded in January 2016. Although Armes said that he would have preferred to have been able to file an amended complaint at that time, he claimed that evolving case law and the holidays had gotten in his way. He then waited until April 2016, nearly five months after the motion to dismiss and three days before oral argument on that motion, to file a motion to amend his complaint. Even then, Armes did not allege any new schemes that were not barred by the FCA's first-to-file or public-disclosure bars in his proposed amended complaint. The district court did not abuse its discretion by denying Armes's motion to amend his complaint based on undue delay. C. We review for an abuse of discretion a district court's refusal to exercise supplemental jurisdiction. Habich v. City of Dearborn, 331 F.3d 524, 535 (6th Cir. 2003). [G]enerally, if the federal claims are dismissed before trial the state claims should be dismissed as well. Hankins v. The Gap, Inc., 84 F.3d 797, 803 (6th Cir. 1996) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). The district court did not abuse its discretion by refusing to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over Armes's state-law claims after dismissing his federal claims. III. For the foregoing reasons, we AFFIRM the judgment of the district court. We DENY the Select Medical defendants' October 9, 2017, motion to take judicial notice. FOOTNOTES . The district court described both the Rule 12(b)(1) and Rule 12(b)(6) standards. Following Sixth Circuit precedent, the district court treated the first-to-file bar as jurisdictional and appears to have dismissed all but one of Armes's FCA claims under Rule 12(b)(1). The district court dismissed Armes's remaining FCA claim under Rule 9(b) and Rule 12(b)(6). . In the 2010 amendment, Congress changed the language of the public-disclosure bar from based upon the public disclosure of allegations or transactions to if substantially the same allegations or transactions were publicly disclosed. Because this court had already interpreted the based upon language to mean a substantial identity, Poteet, 552 F.3d at 514, the 2010 amendment does not affect our public-disclosure analysis at this second step. . The pre-amendment public-disclosure bar was jurisdictional, Rockwell Intern. Corp. v. United States, 549 U.S. 457, 46768 (2007), so we affirm the district court's dismissal of Armes's FCA claims based on conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the amendment date under Rule 12(b)(1). The current version of the public-disclosure bar is not jurisdictional, ABLE, 816 F.3d at 433, so we affirm the district court's dismissal of Armes's FCA claims based on post-amendment conduct under Rule 12(b)(6). BATCHELDER, Circuit Judge. "The biggest source of transport emissions is from private vehicle use in Canberra, every day Canberrans driving around the city. We're going to have to work very hard on the transport sector to encourage more active travel, better public transport and the transition to electric vehicles," Mr Rattenbury said. "The discovery has been made of the deficiency in the design of the car park columns and beams (structural steelwork) which has meant that this steelwork has greatly reduced fire resistance levels, which do not comply with the Building Code of Australia," the letter read. "Many of the churches in Australia are extremely powerful and we're talking about groups of people who have been discriminated against and vulnerable all their lives. When I was younger I had quite a hard time. Not as hard as others but you know when Meg and I first got together I wasn't able to will her my super because you couldn't do that if you were gay. Now 22, the entrepreneur and UN ambassador is launching a world-first "pay-it-forward" self defence initiative for women and survivors of violence and childhood abuse in Canberra. With classes run by national champions in martial arts, the course is open to all women - and the cost of each session also funds a spot in the gym for an abuse survivor. A 45-year-old woman who was pulled from her burning home last September got to meet the people who rescued her on Saturday. Carrie Gann was critically injured when her house at 111 Centro Street was engulfed in flames early in the morning on September 20 "I wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for these men right here," said Ms. Gann, as she arrived at Fire Station 20 this morning to meet the three Chattanooga firefighters who saved her life: Senior Firefighter Joel Nix, Firefighter Engineer Matt Rorex and Firefighter Ryan Swisher. Ms.Gann was critically injured when her house at 111 Centro Street was engulfed in flames early in the morning on Sept. 20, 2017. Her brother and a friend both got out with minor injuries, but she was trapped in her bedroom. When she called 911, she told Hamilton County Telecommunicator Stephanie McCarter that she was trapped and could not get out. Ms. McCarter told her that help was on the way, and that she should get down low and cover her mouth and nose with fabric to help filter out some of the smoke. Ms. Gann stayed on the line, finding it harder and harder to breathe, until she eventually fell unconscious. Later in the 911 recording one can hear the firefighters approaching her room. Talking through their self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), one can hear when they find her and carry her out to safety. Ms. Gann's two pet dogs did not survive. Even with the expert care she received on the scene, and at Erlanger Medical Center and the burn center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, her survival was in doubt. But after spending days in the ICU, she slowly began to recover, and when she felt strong enough, she asked if she could meet her rescuers. In addition to meeting the three firefighters who pulled her out of the house, she also met the firefighters with Quint 14, who administered CPR to her before handing her off to paramedics with Hamilton County EMS. She got to meet one of those paramedics, Randy Kerns with Medic 10, and she also got to meet face-to-face, Telecommunicator McCarter, who stayed on the line with her until the firefighters arrived. Ms. Gann learned through her life-threatening experience that it often takes a whole team of first responders to save a life. Before leaving, Ms. Gann told everyone that she is getting a tattoo on her arm, with the names of the three firefighters she got to meet today. "I want people to know that these guys saved my life, and it's the truth." Video of Saturday's events are available here: Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. 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. 11/17/2022 Dr. Ben Stein, an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Tennessee of Chattanooga, has been on the faculty for a little more than a year. Its the first faculty position hes held ... more It is almost a year since the Lamborghini Huracan Performante stunned attendees at the Geneva Motor Show but the hardcore Huracan continues to amaze. Recently, Jay Leno jumped behind the wheel of a bright green Performante through the streets of Los Angeles, while also speaking with the chief operating officer of Lamborghini America, Alessandro Farmeschi, to discuss all the developments made to the car. In terms of power, the Performante is powered by a naturally-aspirated 5.2-liter V10 engine delivering 631 hp and 443 lb-of torque. In a world where supercars are continuing to push the boundaries with over 700 hp, those figures may not seem like a lot. However, the Performante did lap the Nurburgring in a blistering 6:52, proving that horsepower and torque arent the only things needed to set impressive lap times. One intriguing development of the Performante is its use of the Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA) system. This technology includes two flaps in the front splitter which can open and close to adjust downforce. Additionally, the car features a hollow forged carbon fiber rear wing and funnels air through the rear wing uprights, creating improved downforce through corners and reducing aerodynamic drag when necessary. VIDEO McLaren has finally introduced its long-anticipated hypercar, which we came to know under its P15 internal codename over the past year, as the Senna. Its not exactly a direct replacement for the P1 as it will sit next to the brands upcoming three-seater BP23. The latest and newest member of McLarens Ultimate Series carries the name of legendary Formula 1 driver, Ayrton Senna, who won all three of his F1 driver titles with the team in 1988, 1990 and 1991. Why would I want one? If its name or visceral racecar looks arent a good enough reason, then perhaps the fact that McLaren itself describes the Senna as the brands most extreme road car ever and yes, despite being developed primarily for the track, its completely street-legal, could tip the scales to its favor. The McLaren Senna is a car like no other: the personification of McLarens motorsport DNA, legalized for road use but designed and developed from the outset to excel on a circuit, says McLaren boss, Mike Flewitt. Every element of this new Ultimate Series McLaren has an uncompromised performance focus, honed to ensure the purest possible connection between driver and machine and deliver the ultimate track driving experience in the way that only a McLaren can. The Sennas ultra-lightweight construction, with a carbon fiber chassis thats a further development of the 720S platform and body panels, help it achieve an incredibly low dry weight at just 1,198kg (2,641lbs), making it the brands lightest road car since the iconic McLaren F1. For those of you keeping track, thats around 220kg or 485 pounds less than the already lightweight McLaren 720S. Beyond the aero-honed teardrop shape, the Senna gets a slew of extreme, latest generation front and rear active aerodynamics, which McLaren says, raise downforce and aero control to an unprecedented level. We could talk about the aero blades that will be available in various colors, the movable flaps hidden in the air intakes, but the most visual drama comes from the massive rear wing. What makes it tick? Powering the Senna is a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 placed behind the driver mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that turns the rear wheels. It produces 800PS (789bhp) and 800Nm (590 lb ft) of peak torque, resulting in a power-to-weight ratio of 668PS/650HP-per-tonne. The Woking company wont say how fast it is yet, simply stating that it will have savage performance. Still, a 0-60mph (96km/h) in 2.5 seconds or less and a top speed of over 200mph (320km/h) should be expected from the most powerful road-legal McLaren ever. Putting all those horses on the tarmac is a revised version of the P1s independent double-wishbone suspension with hydraulic adaptive dampers and anti-roll bars that McLaren names RaceActive Chassis Control II (RCC II). The adaptive dampers are interconnected hydraulically, both left to right and front to back, with two valves per damper to independently adjust for compression and rebound. The stiffness of the Senna is separately controlled using a kinetic roll system, or K-damper. In addition to the Comfort, Sport and Track settings weve seen on the P1 and 720S, the Senna also gets a newly developed Race mode. The latter introduces a lower ride height, lower centre of gravity and significantly stiffer suspension. McLaren says the braking system of the Senna is the most advanced it has ever made for a road car (youve probably noticed a pattern here), using carbon ceramic discs and motorsport technologies. The Senna rides on bespoke Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires that were designed for race tracks but approved for road use. The McLaren Senna delivers true performance, all the way to the limit of a drivers ability, says McLaren Ultimate Series boss, Andy Palmer. With a truly astonishing power-to-weight ratio, this car is about performance that is accessible and attainable, yet at the same time exciting and challenging for the very best drivers in the world and with an intense, sensory experience to match. Tell me about the cabin Before you enter the car, you have to operate the top-hinged doors that are constructed from carbon fiber and feature two-piece glass side windows with a fixed top part and a smaller opening section below. McLaren says the glass layout enhances the sense of space inside the cockpit, but if you want to go to extremes, you can switch the lower portions for carbon fiber panels, in which case, the interior will be a darker place. The cabin itself is an ode to minimalism offering the bare essentials. That means super lightweight seats with hardly any padding, while many items such as the door handles, engine start button and window switches have been positioned on the roof. The three-spoke steering wheel is free of buttons and switches, while a very simple and narrow screen in front of the driver informs about engine revs, the gear selected and speed. All other information and settings comes from the high-definition McLaren Folding Driver Display and central infotainment screen. Good luck trying to carry anything other than a couple of helmets and racing suits as storage space is restricted to a chamber behind the seats. Can I afford it? Probably not, but even if you did have the 750,000 it costs in the UK with taxes at your disposal, and which comes to around $1 million at todays rates, all 500 hand-built cars have been spoken for. The last example was sold in an auction for 2 million or $2.7 million with the proceeds to benefit the Senna Foundation. Well have the opportunity to see the new Senna in the flesh at next years Geneva Motor Show in March. Production of the car will begin in the third quarter of 2018. Video Photo Gallery The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission received an update on Asian carp among its agenda items at the final meeting of the calendar year which concluded Friday. The TFWC met for the first time at Lone Oaks Farm in Hardeman County near Bolivar and Middleton, which is operated by the University of Tennessee. Frank Fiss, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Fisheries Division chief, presented an update on Asian carp. Four species of Asian carp are found in Tennessee waterways which are the silver, bighead, black and grass carp. TWRA works with other state and federal agencies to control these species, especially in the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers where there is still time to protect upstream reservoirs. Fiss said ongoing activities include planning for carp-specific sound barriers at locks, tracking the movements of carp through locks with acoustic tags and receivers, supporting the commercial harvest of carp, and monitoring the abundance of adult and juvenile carp. Current control strategies rely heavily on commercial harvest and the installation of carp barriers at locks to reduce their impacts on aquatic resources and recreational activities. Ongoing monitoring and research will evaluate these strategies and possibly identify more effective strategies. Dave Chanda, from the Recreational Boating Fishing Foundation (RBFF) was a guest at the meeting. His presentation included current trends and national efforts from the foundation to involve the public in fishing and boating. A special point of emphasis is to introduce youth to fishing. Chiefs from five agency divisions brought forward a number of budget expansions so the agency can accept funds from other sources. There is no increase in of license dollars included in the expansions. Among the projects to be funded include the removal and replacement of a pier deemed unsafe at Paris Landing State Park. TVA and Brookfield Renewable will provide grants for hatchery improvements. Another includes a 100 federal percent funding for land acquisition of 82 acres at Catoosa Wildlife Management Area located in the Upper Cumberland region. Another expansion, National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) Superfund Grants, comes for habitat and hunter access projects on statewide WMAs. Pandy English, Biodiversity assistant chief, presented the in-need of management, threatened, and endangered species list rule. The commission passed the rule in a vote. Hardeman County Mayor Jimmy Sain was also in attendance and welcomed the TFWC to the area. Ben West, from Lone Oaks and the University of Tennessee, also welcomed the TFWC and gave a brief presentation on the Lone Oaks Farm operation. The next TFWC meeting will be held Jan. 18-19, in Nashville. Renting a car and pairing your phone up to the connected infotainment system is certainly easy enough. However, by doing so you could be compromising your privacy. According to a report by Privacy International, the data you send to the car includes the location and contents of your smartphone, as well as your home address. Whats worse is that the data then gets stored in the connected infotainment system and its unclear who, if anybody, is tasked with deleting it. Millie Graham Wood, solicitor and legal officer at Privacy International told ZDNet that in most rental cars, there were between five and 10 different phone identifiers. When you connect to the Bluetooth, it will store your identifier. She then added that we also looked at the navigation systems: a lot of locations were stored. Places people had driven to, you could possibly link up with their name and drive there. In order to put together this report, cars were rented from multiple hire companies such as Sixt, Enterprise, National, Zipcar and Thrifty, and the models tested included the Audi A3 and the Nissan Qashqai. Apparently, rental companies expect the users to delete the data themselves once theyre done with the vehicles. The unanimous responses were, not only is it the individuals responsibility to delete their data when they return the rental car, the individual is further responsible for informing other passengers who connect their devices to the car that their data is being stored on the car, and not necessarily deleted, stated the report. Enterprise was one company that felt the user was responsible for deleting his or her information, while Sixt and Thrifty are already looking at policies to delete driver information as part of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations). Its also important to point out that the car manufacturers themselves have little to no say in the matter. When approached for comments, Nissan said that it was up to the rental company or the customer to clear the data, and that the automaker itself doesnt have access to the cars internal systems unless its fully connected to the internet. As this is a rental company fleet vehicle, Nissan does not have access to or control of a vehicle to carry out such a reset after each rental customer and would expect the customer or the rental company to carry out any necessary resets, said the Japanese automaker. So if youre currently renting or planning on renting a car in the near future, pay attention to the type of information you share with the infotainment system be it cell phone data or sat-nav destinations. Castanet's week in review with Nich Johansen. RECENT STORIES Warning: getimagesize(/home/webmaint/c3/data/220/4761036-1-2.jpg): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/webmaint/castanet/inc/realestate.php on line 58 Photo: Wikimedia Commons The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure isn't ruling out the potential to subsidize a private bus company such as Greyhound, if it means keeping long-haul bus routes in service in rural communities of B.C. In September, Greyhound applied to the province's Passenger Transportation Board to reroute its Osoyoos to Vancouver service through Penticton and Kelowna, which would eliminate all stops along the Highway 3 corridor between Osoyoos and Hope. The request was part of a larger application from the bus company which would also see service cut entirely in Northern B.C. In a statement issued to Castanet, the MOTI said they recognize the importance of a bus service like Greyhound for rural communities, including those in the South Okanagan and Similkameen. "While the ministry waits for a decision from the Passenger Transportation Board on Greyhounds application, we will continue to work with local governments to explore all options to maintain affordable transportation across the province," the statement reads. The PT Board will hold a series of public meetings in Northern B.C. next week, to hear how the public would be affected from losing Greyhound. No such meetings are planned in the Southern Interior, as the chair of the PT Board said they are prevented due to budget constraints. A number of board members in the Regional District Okanagan Similkameen responded by writing letters to Greyhound asking to reverse the rerouting proposal along Highway 3. In turn, Greyhound is proposing to keep the route if it can receive subsidized funding from the province to continue running and the company has asked for written support from the RDOS in its pursuit. Photo: CTV No one was hurt in a small fire that broke out at a homeless camp in Vancouver on Saturday. No one was hurt in a fire at a Vancouver homeless camp on Saturday thanks to a response by fast-acting residents. The blaze was sparked in one of the tents at about 11 a.m. in the camp on Powell Street. "Apparently some lady was walking by and she yelled fire," camp resident Ward Ferguson told CTV. "It was going pretty good by the time we got there." Ferguson said he and another resident put out the blaze with fire extinguishers and gallons of water before fire crews arrived. The man who resides in the tent had reportedly left minutes before the fire began. Minor damage was sustained in his tent. Ferguson noted that the man's belongings were packed up to move, which likely prevented further damage. Residents in the homeless camp are being evicted next week. - with files from CTV Vancouver Colton Davies When residents were evacuated from their properties in the Okanagan due to wildfires in the summer, members of the Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team were going in there. Volunteers with ALERT rescue animals and livestock during disasters. "We get called out in the event of a disaster, such as the fire that we had up in Joe Rich on Philpott," ALERT president Natalie Mark said. "People that can't care for their animals when they're going into hotels and everything, we will take their animals in... And people couldn't get some of their livestock out of the evacuated zones. And with permission and cooperation from the fire department we are let in there." To help fund the work done by volunteers, ALERT has held a Cookie Walk during the holiday season for 15 years. "People that don't like to bake come and get all their baking done for them, and other ones get it and take it to give out to people," Mark said. She added that Saturday's annual fundraiser, held at the Penticton Lakeside Resort, was the most successful one in its history, with more than $2,000 raised. She said that money will be a big help for ALERTs operations. "Because we're totally 100 per cent non-profit, we need to pay for our expenses throughout the year. Our vehicles to help go into evacuated zones, and trailers and supplies and that. Once the crowd of baked-good buffs cleared out, a bazaar was set up by the non-profit group Kind Lady Lives Here. The bazaar raised more than $1,000 for the Animal Legacy Foundation. The foundation, a registered charity, has a 10-acre retreat in Oliver where animals are taken care of for the long-term. Photo: Contributed A man is in hospital in serious, non-life-threatening condition after being stabbed in the early evening on Saturday in Surrey. Forensic investigators are currently on scene at 98th Avenue and King George Boulevard where the stabbing victim was found, Surrey RCMP said in a news release. Officers were called to the area at about 6:45 p.m., where the man was reportedly located with several stab wounds. Police added that the attack was not random, and the suspect and victim are believed to know each other. Photo: Contributed This photo, sent in by a Kelowna resident, shows the damage done on Pooley Road. UPDATE: 3:05 p.m. Three customers are without power, according to FortisBC, after crews worked much of the day to restore power to an area of southeast Kelowna. Power went out early Sunday. UPDATE: 10:45 a.m. Power remains out to 500 customers in southeast Kelowna, according to the FortisBC website. ORIGINAL STORY 6:05 a.m. Southeast Kelowna suffered a widespread power outage Sunday morning after a pickup hit a utility power pole on Pooley Road. The driver is reported to have fled the scene and the RCMP conducted a search. The FortisBC website said electricity to 500 customers went off at 4:23 a.m. this morning. A Fortis crew has been working at the site. It is not known when power will be restored to those still affected. A photo sent in to Castanet around 9:30 a.m. shows the road remained closed as work continued. Castanet will update when more information becomes available. Photo: Google Street View A student from Kalamalka Secondary School has meningitis but no other cases have been reported. A Vernon teenager has been fighting for her life at a Vancouver hospital with a serious case of meningitis, according to a relative. The teen, who goes to Kalamalka Secondary School, underwent surgery Friday night to ease the pressure on her brain, the relative said. The family do not want the teenager identified. No other cases of the illness have been reported. An Interior Health notice sent out to parents on Dec. 8th stated the risk to the general school population is very low. Any person who has been identified as a close contact will receive a phone call from the Interior Health Communicable Disease Unit as part of routine follow up, Karin Goodale, IH medical health officer, said in the letter. Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal cord, which occurs most often in children, teens and young adults. Symptoms include: sudden onset of high fever severe headache nausea and vomiting stiff neck drowsiness or confusion seizures Anyone with the above symptoms should see a doctor, said IH. If you have any questions or are concerned you are a contact of this case, please contact the Vernon Health Centre at 250-549-5700, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or 811 for after hours and weekends. For more information on meningitis visit HealthLinkBC. Photo: Claude Rioux Northern Flicker. The annual Christmas Bird Count takes place across North America next Sunday including in the Okanagan Valley. Started in 1900, the annual bird count focuses on the winter bird population, different from summer as many birds leave the area for warmer climes and other species arrive from the far north. In Vernon, the Dec. 17th count is organized by the North Okanagan Naturalists Club, with all interested people invited to take part. You can: join members of the club for the day to count birds in the Vernon area, using either your binoculars or camera. Please contact Peter Blokker email [email protected] or telephone 250-545-8297 or telephone 250-545-8297 observe and count the birds at your feeder. For details, contact Peter (above) as soon as possible as the location has to be within a 12 km radius from the middle of Vernon The information collected by thousands of volunteer participants forms one of the worlds largest set of wildlife survey data and is used by biologists to assess population trends and distribution of birds. The results of all counts are submitted to Bird Studies Canada and collated for all of North America. Alanna Kelly On the day of the annual holiday fundraiser, the founder of a local farm woke up to find it had been robbed. Heather Henderson, founder of Arion Therapeutic Farm, said she found the lock on the office door pried open Sunday morning. I walked inside and saw a pry bar on the ground and the drawer we locked the cash in open. Henderson said about $400 was stolen. It was loose coin we keep for our events, she said. All the fees help our animals so it is very disappointing to find that, especially on the day we are trying to make money. Now we are down a few hundred dollars before we even start our event. As smiling children and families arrived at the farm, Henderson attempted to stay positive and turn the day around. We needed it you know, she said. Weve had a hard month, weve lost a few animals. The 8th Annual Winter Wonderland fundraiser is the farm's biggest event of the year and all the money helps in the running of the site. Henderson said the event is free so all families can come enjoy the day and get to meet Santa. The farm is an educational and supportive site offering a variety of amenities and hands on farm activities. Our horses and animals continue to cost, regardless of how many people come and pay for programming or come as a visitor, said Henderson. Those fees are still not enough to support our massive overheads, which are mainly feeding our animals. The office is located about two acres into the 12 acre property. We dont have cameras, we cant afford the security system, so I guess well resort to taking things home at night. A GoFundMe account has been created to help the farm. Henderson said she will be contacting police to report the break-in, but hopes it was worth it to the person who stole the cash. If that person is out there and hears this I hope it was put to good use. If they see fit to return it, that would be wonderful. 404 Try searching for the content you're looking for, or take a look at our recently published stories Chicago Two Austin neighborhood men robbed a Cicero pharmacy at gunpoint late last month, binding two employees with zip ties before escaping with cash and hundreds of pills, prosecutors said Saturday. Charles A. Davis, 56, gave no reaction as Judge David R. Navarro denied him bail Saturday on armed robbery and aggravated kidnapping charges related to the Nov. 27 robbery at Prime Rx pharmacy, 1607 S. Cicero Ave. On Friday, Wesley Cullum, 45, charged with being Navarros accomplice, was also denied bail by a judge at the county courthouse in Maywood, according to prosecutors and court records. Advertisement The men entered the pharmacy during the day, locked the front door and closed the blinds before Davis opened his jacket to show a handgun handle sticking out of a pocket and ordered two employees, a man and a woman, to the rear of the business, according to prosecutors and police reports. The robbers asked where the drug Xanax was stored. They stuffed a trash bag with 1,800 pills of alprazolam a tranquilizer marketed under brand names including Xanax, 850 pills of the opioid hydrocodone, 400 pills of the sedative lorazepam, 12 bottles of the anti-psychotic Promazine, 300 pills of Adderall and 100 pills of the opioid oxycodone, prosecutors told the court. Advertisement The men also took about $1,400 cash from the business and demanded personal property from the two victims, including car keys, wallets and cellphones, authorities said. One of the robbers threatened to shoot one of the victims if they didnt give up a ring, prosecutors said. The robbers zip-tied the male employees wrists behind his body and the female employees in front of her body, authorities said. The robbers told the victims not to move for 15 minutes and fled the store. No injuries were reported. Police issued an alert with surveillance photos of the robbers within hours of the robbery. Both men, who each have past felony convictions, were arrested this week. Davis, of the 700 block of North Parkside Avenue, and Cullum, of the 900 block of North Parkside Avenue, are expected to return to court Tuesday. If convicted, the men face prison time without the possibility of probation, the judge said. wlee@chicagotribune.com Twitter @MidNoirCowboy All votes in the CO-3 election won't be counted until the end of this week 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." Flash Hundreds of Palestinians took part in violent protests across the West Bank on Saturday, a substantial decrease from thousands on Friday, said the Israeli military. Palestinian protesters hurl stones atIsraeli 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/Khaled Omar) Some 600 Palestinian demonstrators at 20 flashpoints in the West Bank threw petrol bombs and rocks at Israeli troops, and set tires on fire and rolled them at soldiers, who responded with riot dispersal weapons such as tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets, the army said in a statement. A total of six Palestinians were arrested in the West Bank, and six others lightly wounded in the clashes, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police said four officers were lightly injured during clashes, and at least 13 Palestinians were arrested for throwing stones and other objects at officers. In the Gaza Strip, approximately 450 Palestinians gathered and protested at eight locations along the security fence with Israel, the army said. In northern Israel, Arab protesters in the Wadi Ara area threw stones at a bus travelling near the town of Ar'ara, causing light injuries to the driver and two passengers. Police said they arrested two people in the town for rioting. In southern Israel, some 100 people protested in the Bedouin town of Rahat. Also in the day, a top Israel Defense Forces general warned that further rocket fire from Gaza toward Israel would be met with a "severe and painful response." "Irresponsible" terror groups are seeking an "escalation" with Israel, and they will be the ones who end up paying the price, Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, the military liaison to the Palestinians, wrote on his Facebook page in Arabic. In response to the rockets fired at southern Israeli communities throughout Friday, Israeli aircraft targeted four facilities belonging to the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement by IDF early Saturday morning. The four facilities were two weapons manufacturing sites, a weapons warehouse and a military compound, the army said. Palestinians called for "days of rage" on Friday and Saturday and protests were held across much of the Muslim world as well as in some European capitals against the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Flash Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated on Saturday the call for all parties to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue to seriously consider the "suspension for suspension" proposal put forward by China. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterates the call for all parties to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue to seriously consider the "suspension for suspension" proposal put forward by China at a seminar on international relations and China's diplomacy in 2017 in Beijing on Saturday December 9, 2017.[Photo/ fmprc.gov.cn] He made the remarks at a seminar on international relations and China's diplomacy in 2017. Wang said that the hope of peace has not yet been destroyed, and the prospect of negotiations to solve the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue still exists, and people can never accept the option of using force. He noted that the situation on the Korean Peninsula is still deep in a vicious circle of demonstrating strength and confrontation, and the outlook is not optimistic. He said that all parties need to make efforts to ease the situation and bring the situation out of the "black hole" of confrontation. He called on parties to create the necessary conditions and atmosphere for the resumption of dialogue and negotiations. Raising requirements that do not conform with the Security Council resolutions or taking unilateral steps will undermine the unity of the UN Security Council and the interests of other countries, said Wang, adding that China will by no means agree to or accept such actions. He said that China has made more efforts and borne more costs than other relevant parties on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. All parties must follow the spirit and stipulations of relevant UN Security Council resolutions, which represent the common will of the international community and are an international obligation, he said. China's suspension-for-suspension initiative calls for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for the suspension of large-scale U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) military exercises. You are here: World Flash 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. Flash 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. Egyptian archaeologists work on a newly discovered mummy at "Kampp 150" tomb at Draa Abul Naga on Luxor's West Bank, Egypt on Dec. 9, 2017. 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. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) 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. Flash 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. 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 1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war. 2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war. 3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength. 4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war. 5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites. 6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination. 7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N. 8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N. 9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress. 10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N. 11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.) 12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party. 13. Do away with all loyalty oaths. 14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office. 15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States. 16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights. 17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks. 18. Gain control of all student newspapers. 19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack. 20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions. 21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures. 22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms." 23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art." 24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press. 25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV. 26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy." 27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch." 28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state." 29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis. 30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man." 31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over. 32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc. 33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus. 34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities. 35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI. 36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions. 37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business. 38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand. 39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals. 40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. 41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents. 42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems. 43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government. 44. Internationalize the Panama Canal. 45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Houston's annual Light in the Heights celebration took place on Saturday Dec. 9, 2017. The event which started after a Heights residents was inspired after a visit to New Mexico's luminaria is celebrating it's 25 year in the Bayou City. SO PRETTY: Holiday lights in Houston you need to see Now seen as one of the city's biggest and brightest traditions, the festivities include everything from and amazing display of lights to music. The 2017 route will include Bayland Ave., Woodland St., Studewood St., Beauchamp St., and Norhill St.. Entertaiment will be located between Studewood and Beauchamp. Take a look through the agllery above to see who came out for the holiday event. Daniela Sternitzky-Di Napoli is a digital producer at Chron.com. You can read more of her stories here and follow her on twitter at @Dani_DiNapoli. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate EDINBURG - A jury on Friday sentenced a former priest to life in prison for the killing of a 25-year-old schoolteacher and former beauty queen who was a member of the parish he served. The same jurors in Hidalgo County in South Texas found 85-year-old John Bernard Feit guilty of murder Thursday night. Prosecutors asked jurors Friday for a 57-year prison term - one 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. 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, had 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 deliberated just over four hours Friday before deciding on the maximum sentence. Afterward, Garza said at a news conference that he wished that he could take credit for the conviction and sentence, "but it was God-driven." "I can say this: Pigs are flying, and Irene is resting," he said. 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. 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. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The cold Saturday-morning temps quickly warmed to greet walkers yesterday as they stepped out for the seventh Annual Human Rights Walk and Festival staged at The Woodlands' Town Green Park. The event is the brainchild of Demme Durrett, a John Cooper alumna, Columbia University college student and former Girl Scout who was first inspired to host the walk as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award when she was a freshman in high school. Troubled by Houston's sad statistic as one of the nation's top cities for human trafficking, Durrett organized the Human Rights Walk to bring awareness to what she considers to be universal rights. "I thought a large-scale event like this would be beneficial as it both brought awareness to the plight of human rights violations, like human trafficking, and present human rights education as a tool," she said. "I want our society to based upon empathy, mutual understanding and respect. The way to do this is through universal human rights education." Durrett explained that, if people are aware of their rights they are more likely to report violations to the proper authorities. She said this is particularly important in a diverse area like Greater Houston. "The simple act of knowing that everyone has these rights is vital in our increasingly interconnected world," she said. "Houston is one of the most diverse cities in America, and human rights are essential to ensuring that everyone is treated fairly." To spread the message, the event featured several banners which were erected along the walking trail. The banners touted universal rights such as privacy, trial, copyright, nationality, education, work, food, shelter, travel and assembly among others. There were also many organizations in attendance such as Amnesty International, Cavalier Choir, Montgomery County Democratic Party, Hope Beyond Bridges, Citizens Commission on Human Rights and The Woodlands Arts Council. Among those was Annika Gallaway, a 17-year-old junior at The Woodlands High School. Like Durrett, Gallaway is a long-time Girl Scout with the San Jacinto chapter and is actively pursuing her Gold Award, the highest recognition the group offers. To meet that goal, she established the Teen Advocacy Project, also called TAP. The group, which is geared toward high school students, recently hosted 10 teenagers at its first meeting and heard from a representative with the local American Civil Liberties Union. With one meeting under her belt, Gallaway now has plans to hold a January meeting with a representative from PFLAG, a nationwide group of nearly 400 chapters dedicated to "uniting families and allies with people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer." Gallaway, who met Durrett last year, said she was inspired by her to promote and educate young people about advocacy and activism based on what is important to them. "When I met her I was really inspired, and I realized that I could really do this," Gallaway said of creating TAP. Now that Gallaway's group is up and running, she plans to foster its growth throughout the rest of the school year before passing the reins as she enters her senior year and begins preparing for college. Durrett is also looking to the future. She has plans to pursue a law degree and is focused on how she wants to spend her professional life. "I want a career that allows me to be someone who influences people's lives for the better," Durrett said. "I'm planning to go to law school following graduation and ultimately aim to serve our country via the State Department or at the United Nations." For now, however, she keeps busy with her studies, promoting human rights awareness at Columbia and working with U.S.-based Venezuelans to collect food for the Human Rights Day Celebration in that country. Both Durrett's school work and her advocacy efforts keep her focused on her goal and the direction she wants to take in her life. "I want to be able to walk into a classroom of third graders and see that they understand and can apply the basic idea of human rights that we are all born equal and free," she said. Shanda King pulled on a second pair of pants and a fleece sweatshirt before heading out the door Friday afternoon. She tossed a tent into her trunk, just in case she'd be required to wait outside in the cold. She grabbed a bucket, too, in case there wasn't a bathroom for those in line. Then she got in her car and drove west, away from Baytown and, she hoped, all her problems. King, 41, couldn't believe it when a friend told her about the two-day mobile clinic held Saturday and Sunday at the Chua Vien Thong Tu Buddhist Temple in west Houston. Free medical care. Free vision screenings and prescription glasses. And, most important to King, free dental. This was the chance she'd been waiting for. To gain access to the Remote Area Medical clinic, she just needed to be one of the first 400 people in line before it opened 6 a.m. Saturday. More Information RAM's free clinic will be open again Sunday at 17355 Groeschke Road in Houston. Services offered include dental cleanings, dental fillings, dental extractions, dental x-rays, eye exams, eyeglass prescriptions, free eyeglasses, women's health care, general medical exams and flu vaccinations. Patients can come as early as 3 a.m. to reserve a spot and should arrive no later than 10 a.m. See More Collapse King wasn't taking any chances. When she arrived at 4 p.m. Friday a full 14 hours early she was the first. Thirty minutes later, another car parked behind her outside the temple, a retired husband and wife who'd driven four hours from Dallas, hoping for new dentures. An hour later, another car pulled up, this one driven by a retail worker from Pearland who'd gone four years without new glasses. Then another, a 19-year-old construction worker from Dickinson who for more than a year had suffered the constant pain of an untreated toothache. By 3 a.m., a few dozen cars had lined up behind King, each carrying a story of despair. Similar scenes play out every time Remote Area Medical arrives in a town. The Tennessee-based nonprofit, better known as RAM, has hosted similar clinics across the country, each time drawing massive crowds. In a country where more than 114 million people have no dental coverage far more than the 28 million who lack medical coverage RAM clinics and others like them are a lifeline for those most desperate for help. "There are tens of thousands of people in Houston who lack access to affordable care," said Stan Brock, who founded RAM in 1985 and, of late, has made headlines by inviting President Donald Trump to attend one of his events. "No matter how much we talk about improving our health care system, unless we add vision and dental coverage, people will continue to be in pain and suffering." King has endured her share of pain and suffering, but she didn't want to dwell on her past as she waited at the front of the line Saturday morning. She leaned back in her driver's seat and tried to sleep, but she couldn't. She distracted herself by reading on her phone or listening to the radio, but mostly she just sat in silence, daydreaming. She thought about what her life would be like after RAM's volunteer dentists implanted bridges and crowns in her mouth to replace the teeth that she'd lost to tooth decay. She imagined how she'd look without the "ragged smile" that has made her embarrassed to even smirk in public. King described the hopeless cycle that's led her here: Without a steady job and dental coverage, she can't afford to see a dentist; as a result, her teeth look terrible, which makes it harder to land a job. She doesn't blame employers for passing her over after they see the gaps in her teeth. "A person's smile is like a window into their soul," King said around 4 a.m. "This is a chance for me to regain that and to start letting people see me for who I really am. This is my big break." An hour later, she got out to stretch her legs and noticed a parking lot full of medical volunteers. She lifted a hand to hide the grin forming at the edges of her mouth, a self-conscious reflex she soon hoped to shake. "I've just been sitting here thinking about the after," King said. "This isn't winning the lottery, but that's what it feels like to me." At 5:45 a.m., a volunteer signaled for everyone to step out of their cars. After a night of waiting in bitter cold, the time had finally come: "May I have your attention please," he shouted. "The clinic is starting." King swayed to stay warm as she stood at the front of a line outside the temple, where nearly 300 volunteers from all over the country had helped set up. Inside the temple's fellowship hall, dozens of dentists and dental hygienists stood at the feet of more than 30 portable dental chairs, waiting. "What's your main dental issue?" a woman asked King at a registration table. "I need bridges," she said, opening her mouth and pointing to one of the gaps. Her teeth didn't always look that way, but that's what happens when you go years without dental care. The issue is more than cosmetic; without a fix, she's at risk of additional tooth decay and other structural problems that might soon make it difficult for her to eat. "I'm going to get my old smile back," King told the nurse taking her blood pressure. A minute later, a volunteer led her and several others to a staging area for those seeking dental work. King sat down. A few feet away, 19-year-old Joshua Valdivia opened his mouth and pointed to a decaying black molar that sometimes hurts so bad, he's had to call off work. "It's been a year like that," Valdivia told one of the dental assistants. "Oh my God, I just want it out." Soon, a volunteer dentist would relieve him of his suffering. King was next. She sat with the woman screening patients and again pointed to the gaps in her teeth. The dental assistant frowned. Then she shook her head. "What?" King said, with a look of panic on her face. A minute later, she stood up abruptly, biting her lip as she walked. The buzz of dental drills echoed through the temple as she rushed for the exit. Outside, she leaned against a wall, and began to sob. "They can't help me," she said, pulling her sweatshirt over her face to hide her tears. She had been mistaken, filled with false hope after reading about more advanced dental services offered at previous RAM clinics in Tennessee and Virginia. A charity organizer explained the confusion: While it's true that RAM offers free denture fittings and other dental services at clinics near its Knoxville, Tenn., headquarters, it's impossible to offer those multi-day treatments at its more remote events, like the one in Houston this weekend. When more than 40 percent of Americans lack basic dental care, there's only so much one free clinic can do. King sat on a cold bench as dozens of people filtered past her, filling the clinic's dental chairs. She cried as she talked about mistakes in her life, about her decades-long struggle with depression, about the renewed sense of joy and purpose she's felt since her grandchildren were born a few years ago. She wanted her smile to match her new, happier outlook. She wanted to finally put her past behind her, she said, and start fresh. "Oh well," King said, before getting up and heading for her car, after 16 hours of waiting. "I guess some people don't get a second chance." ___ Mike Hixenbaugh writes about health care and medicine for the Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Send him tips at mike.hixenbaugh@chron.com. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate CAIRO - Arab foreign ministers on Saturday demanded that the United States rescind President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, calling it a "grave" development that puts Washington on the same side as the occupation and the violation of international law. In a strongly-worded resolution long on rhetoric but short on meaningful actions, the ministers also called for the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning Trump's decision. For example, the draft resolution obtained by The Associated Press did not include any punitive actions against the United States, like calling for a boycott of American products or suspending or downgrading ties with Washington. Trump's decision, said the resolution, stripped the U.S. of its role as a "sponsor and broker" in the Middle East peace process. "It undermines efforts to bring about peace, deepens tension and will spark anger that will threaten to push the region to the edge of the abyss of violence, chaos and bloodshed." Trump's 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. Jerusalem's status lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinians conflict, and Trump's move was widely perceived as siding with Israel. Protests and demonstrations continued across the West Bank and Gaza on Saturday on the third and final so-called Palestinian "day of rage" following Trump's announcement. Israeli airstrikes killed two Hamas members early Saturday following a rocket attack on Israel. 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. In Cairo, the head of Egypt's largest Christian church announced that he would not meet U.S. Vice President Mike Pence when he visits Dec. 20. A similar decision was taken Friday by the head of Cairo's al-Azhar mosque, Sunni Islam's top seat of learning. The resolution adopted by the ministers reiterated that only the creation of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital would end the Arab-Israeli conflict. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Renegade Republican Roy Moore may be plagued by scandal, but scandal alone will not persuade the voters of 44th Place North to show up for Democrat Doug Jones. In a state where Democrats are used to losing, malaise hangs over this quiet African-American neighborhood in suburban Birmingham, even three days before Alabama's high-profile Senate contest. It is supposed to be a Democratic stronghold, yet the Jones campaign signs are hard to find. "A lot of people don't vote because they think their vote doesn't count," Ebonique Jiles, 27, said after promising a Jones volunteer she would support the Democrat in Tuesday's election. "I'll vote regardless of whether he wins or loses." Democrats fought Saturday to energize a coalition of African-Americans and moderate Republicans as Jones and his network of volunteers canvassed the state. Moore, by contrast, held no public events, a familiar strategy as he bets big that the state's strong Republican leanings will carry him to the Senate despite his shortcomings. During an appearance near the staging ground for Selma's landmark "Bloody Sunday" civil rights march, Jones declared that Alabama has an opportunity to go "forward and not backward." "The other side is trying to divide us more than they bring people together," he said. He was later joined by New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, one of only two African-Americans in the Senate, who offered a warning to voters gathered at Alabama State University: "Bad people get elected when good people don't vote." Moore got a big boost the night before in nearby Pensacola, Fla., where President Donald Trump encouraged voters to "get out and vote for Roy Moore." Trump has also recorded a phone message on Moore's behalf, said White House spokesman Raj Shah. The White House support comes even as the 70-year-old Moore faces multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, including allegations that he molested two teenage girls and pursued romantic relationships with several others while in his 30s. Modern birth control pills that are lower in estrogen have fewer side effects than past oral contraceptives. But a large Danish study suggests that, like older pills, they still modestly raise the risk of breast cancer, especially with long-term use. Researchers found a similar breast cancer risk with the progestin-only intrauterine device, and they couldn't rule out a risk for other hormonal contraceptives like the patch and the implant. But the overall increased risk was small, amounting to one extra case of breast cancer among 7,700 women using such contraceptives per year. Experts who reviewed the research say women should balance the news against known benefits of the pill including lowering the risk of other cancers. "Hormonal contraception should still be perceived as a safe and effective option for family planning," said Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital, who was not involved in the research. Women in their 40s may want to consider non-hormonal IUDs, getting their tubes tied or talking with their partners about vasectomy, Manson said. Studies of older birth control pills have shown "a net cancer benefit" because of lowered risk of cancer of the colon, uterus and ovaries despite a raised breast cancer risk, said Mia Gaudet, a breast cancer epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society. There was optimism that newer, low-dose contraceptives would lower the breast cancer risk, but these results have dashed those hopes, said Gaudet, who wasn't involved in the research. About 140 million women use some type of hormonal contraception, including about 16 million in the United States. Researchers analyzed health records of 1.8 million women, ages 15 to 49, in Denmark where a national health care system allows linking up large databases of prescription histories, cancer diagnoses and other information. Results were published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Novo Nordisk Foundation funded the research, but played no role in designing the study. The foundation has ties to the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, which primarily makes diabetes drugs and does not make contraceptives. Current and recent use of hormonal contraceptives was associated with a 20 percent increased risk of breast cancer. Risk increased with longer use, from a 9 percent increase in risk with less than a year of contraceptive use to a 38 percent increase after more than 10 years of use. Digging further, the researchers found no differences among types of birth control pills. Because of fewer users, the results for the patch, vaginal ring, implant and progestin shot were less clear, but the analysis didn't rule out an increased breast cancer risk for those methods. "No type of hormone contraceptive is risk-free unfortunately," said lead author Lina Morch of Copenhagen University Hospital. Researchers accounted for education, childbirth and family history of breast cancer, but they weren't able to adjust for several other known cancer risk factors such as alcohol use and limited physical activity, or protective factors such as breast-feeding. Women with a family history of breast cancer may want to ask their doctors about other contraceptives, said Dr. Roshni Rao, a breast surgeon at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. "Oral contraceptives are like any other medication," Rao said. "There are risks and there are benefits. If you have a reason to be taking them, it's perfectly reasonable to do so." 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. Cumberland County Treasurer John Gross announced Friday that 2018 dog licenses are available at the Cumberland County Courthouse and on the county website under treasurer. Licenses will also be available at issuing agents across the county after Jan. 1. Dog licenses provide safeguards to protect you and your friend, Gross said. If your friend is lost, a license is an easy way for someone to identify your dog, leading to a happy reunion with its owner. And funding made available through dog license sales helps to support animal shelters and outreach grants that promote responsible pet ownership programs provided through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Compliance with state law is the personal responsibility of every dog owner, and should not be ignored. Pennsylvania law requires all dogs 3 months and older to be licensed on a calendar-year basis. Dog Licenses are $8.50 for a productive dog and $6.50 if neutered or spayed. People 65 and older and people with a disability pay $6.50 for a productive dog and $4.50 if spayed or neutered. Disabled people must show proof of one of the following to receive the discount: disability insurance income under the Social Security Act, rent or property tax rebates under Public Law 104, or possess a handicapped license plate or placard issued by PennDOT. A lifetime dog license is also an option for a cost of $51.50 if productive, $31.50 if spayed or neutered, and $31.50 and $21.50 for senior citizen and disability applicants. Lifetime licenses are only available at the county Treasurers Office. To be eligible for a lifetime license a pet must be tattooed or micro-chipped. Licenses can be purchased beginning in January at agents across the county: Willow Mill Animal Hospital, 11 Willow Mill Park Road, Mechanicsburg Upper Allen Township Office, 100 Gettysburg Pike, Mechanicsburg Lower Allen Township Office, Treasurers Office, 2233 Gettysburg Road, Camp Hill East Pennsboro Township Office, 98 S. Enola Drive, Enola Big Spring Pharmacy, 91 S. High St., Newville New Cumberland Borough Office, 1120 Market St., New Cumberland Hampden Township Office, 230 S. Sporting Hill Road, Mechanicsburg Holly Pharmacy, 31 N. Baltimore Ave., Mount Holly Springs Shippensburg Township Office, 81 Walnut Bottom Road, Shippensburg South Middleton Twp. Parks & Recreation, 520 Park Drive, Boiling Springs Mechanicsburg Borough Office, 36 W. Allen St., Mechanicsburg Knisleys Pet & Farm Center, 1025 Ritner Highway, Carlisle Dog Owners can also apply through the mail to my office, by downloading an application form from the county website, and a license can be purchased online at www.ccpa.net by clicking on Treasurers Office and follow link for Dog License, or call my office to have an application form mailed or sent electronically, Gross said. Anyone having questions can contact the county Treasurers Office at (717) 240-6380 for assistance. CONCORD TOWNSHIP, Ohio - Hiking a trail of freshly fallen leaves on a perfect fall morning, Lake Metroparks naturalist John Pogacnik approached a grove of towering beech trees atop a ravine overlooking the Grand River. It's a piece of park property Pogacnik has come to know well over the past five years: It was here he discovered a baffling disease that causes beech leaves to curl and fall off prematurely. The disease eventually kills the tree. Since 2012, beech leaf disease has decimated large tracts of trees in several Lake County parks, and spread to nine other counties in Northeast Ohio, as well as to parts of western Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario. "I've sent samples to the U.S. Forestry Service and Ohio State, and contacted botanists in Europe and Asia, and no one has ever heard of it. So where did it come from?" Pogacnik asked. "The worst part is that until someone figures out what is causing it, you can't begin to stop it." American beech trees comprise an integral component of North American forests, towering more than 80 feet tall, their smooth gray bark distinctive, and tempting for youths with pocket knives looking to carve their initials for posterity. Beechnuts are relished by wild turkeys, wood ducks, woodpeckers, black bears and deer. Their leaves serve as host plants for some butterfly caterpillars, and their cavities provide nesting sites for owls and woodland mammals. As the disease has taken hold, infecting more than 90 percent of the beech in several of the Lake Metroparks, residents have noticed changes on the trees in their yards and become alarmed. Pogacnik said he receives several calls or emails a week asking for answers and pleading for help. But he can't provide any good news. Dr. James Eisenberg contacted The Plain Dealer last month. He and his wife live on a wooded lot beside the Grand River about a mile from Ground Zero for the beech leaf disease. They have two mature beech on their property, each about 60 feet tall, that are showing signs of serious decline. "The leaves are wilting soon after emerging in the spring," Eisenberg said. "All of them appear to be in their final stages. I doubt if they will survive another year." The Eisenbergs are holding out hope that the cause of the disease will be discovered, and a treatment becomes available before it's too late. "We're obviously disappointed to see the loss of any trees, but especially the beech," he said. "But as long as they have one leaf left on them my wife won't let me cut them down. She's hoping that they come back." Pogacnik has taken the lead in notifying researchers and arborists worldwide, and sending them samples of infected beech roots, leaves, buds and branches. "They see problems, but they appear to be the effect of the disease because the trees are dying or stressed, and not the cause of the disease," Pogacnik said. His alarms are being heard, however. Enrico Bonello a professor of trees and plant pathology at Ohio State University, has assembled a research team and obtained a grant to study the beech leaf disease, he said. James Jacobs, a plant pathologist with the U.S. Forest Service in St. Paul, Minnesota, has organized a two-day working group conference for researchers at the Cleveland Metroparks in May to explore ideas and solutions for the disease. Constance Hausman, a plant and restoration ecologist for the Cleveland Metroparks, is helping to organize the Metroparks event. She first encountered beech leaf disease in Cuyahoga County in 2014, and since then has tracked its spread to large groves of trees in the North and South Chagrin reservations. She also is preparing to submit a grant request to the U.S. Forest Service to finance a more complete range survey of diseased beech trees and a long-term monitoring program. Arborists at the Holden Arboretum launched a project in 2015 that involved tagging 45 beech trees in three plots, and tracking their health. The findings have been troubling, said conservation biologist Michael Watson. In the first two plots, where the disease already was well established, nearly 100 percent of the tagged trees have become infected, and several have died, Watson said. In the third plot, where only one of the 45 beech trees showed evidence of disease two years ago, about half are now infected. "It moves fast," Watson said. "Typically, the smaller understory trees die first. But we're seeing the canopies starting to thin out above the larger trees, too." Exploring the Paradise Road property further, Pogacnik addressed the sunlight pouring through the denuded canopies overhead where a full canopy of beech leaves once shaded and cooled the forest floor. He said he already has seen a loss of shade-loving nesting songbirds such as magnolia and Canada warblers, and dark-eyed juncos. He pointed out a small stand of fully leafed-out, medium-sized beech trees with green leaves, apparently unaffected by the disease-stricken trees all around them. He said he's optimistic that, someday, these healthy trees may provide the key to the cause of the disease, and potentially a reason for their resistance. "This is what beech leaves are supposed to look like," Pogacnik said. "It gives us hope. But who knows what the leaves are going to look like next year." If you find beech leaf disease, please report to Program Administrator Thomas Macy of ODNR's Division of Forestry: thomas.macy@dnr.state.oh.us CLEVELAND, Ohio - On Wednesday, November 29 and Thursday, November 30, the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center saw unprecedented spikes in the number of new clients calling to request appointments. It was the greatest number of calls since the day after #MeToo took off on social media. On an average day, the Center receives 7 to 10 calls. But on November 29, 43 new clients called, the most CRCC has ever received in a single day. On November 30, another 37 new clients called. What triggered this latest flurry of calls? On the 29th, NBC announced that it had fired longtime Today show host Matt Lauer, after an NBC colleague lodged a complaint of sexual misconduct. The news about Lauer only got worse as the day went on. Hours later, the movie and television trade journal Variety added to allegations against the television journalist. According to Variety, which had been investigating the story for more than two months, Lauer gave one female colleague a sex toy with "an explicit note about how he wanted to use it on her." He also made lewd sexual remarks about female colleagues, Variety reported, and once invited a female employee to his secluded office, then exposed himself. The New York Times followed with a report that two other women complained to NBC about Lauer; one was a former employee who said she had sex with Lauer in 2001 in his office, which was equipped with a button at his desk he could use to lock his door. The large number of calls to the CRCC following the allegations against Lauer represented a sharp increase in numbers that had already spiked substantially in the wake of this fall's sexual misconduct allegations against other famous men. The allegations began on Oct. 5, when the New York Times reported that several women had alleged sexual assault, bullying and harassment by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The New Yorker magazine followed with additional allegations against Weinstein, including rape. That was followed by a wave of allegations against numerous well-known men, including actors, directors, journalists and politicians. Since October 1, the CRCC has averaged 22 unique hotline calls/texts each day, compared to 17 per day in the first half of the year. These increased contacts to the CRCC, which includes calls, texts, and chats to the Crisis and Support Hotline, as well as new client intakes for appointments, are not coincidental, said CEO Sondra Miller. "It's definitely driven by news headlines," she said. The CRCC has seen an increase in contacts year-over-year over a long period of time, as the center itself grew from one downtown location to 14 regional and satellite offices in Cuyahoga, Lake, Ashtabula and Geauga counties, Miller said. But, she added, "There's clearly an uptick in the last few weeks." Miller said these news stories trigger emotional reactions in survivors of sexual misconduct, abuse and violence. "One of our therapists said that every single client she saw last week [after the Lauer reports] mentioned the news in some form," Miller said. "For many people, it has reminded them of their own experience in the past, when they were not believed or supported." That may be changing. Time magazine named "The Silence Breakers" as its 2017 Person of the Year, honoring the women and men who spoke out about the sexual misconduct they had endured at the hands of powerful men. In the story, Time reported on an online poll it conducted November 28-30 with SurveyMonkey. The story said that poll found that "82 percent of respondents said women are more likely to speak out about harassment since the Weinstein allegations." Meanwhile, the story also said that "85 percent say they believe the women making allegations of sexual harassment." Others say the news has made them feel empowered to speak up. "I think it's evidence that cultural expectations have shifted. There's a sense that if you come forward, things are going to happen now," she said. Unfortunately, that might not be the case. "The reality is still that many people come forward and nothing happens," Miller said. "It's a Debbie Downer message, I know, but that's the reality people are living." For some, it might be too late to report. The statute of limitations in Ohio for criminally prosecuting rape cases is 25 years. For civil lawsuits under Ohio's employee discrimination laws, which includes workplace harassment "based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age or ancestry of any person," civil rights attorney Subodh Chandra points out that the Ohio Supreme Court has held that a six-year statute of limitations is applicable. To bring a case to federal court, however, charges must be filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission within 300 days of the alleged act. But for many survivors, it takes years to gather the courage to speak up. "The overwhelming majority of calls we get are from people who have experienced abuse more than 10 years ago," Miller said. "And I should say that that's the norm for us. It hasn't changed with the headlines." One of the problems that arises is evidence is often limited in cases that go back several years, both Miller and Chandra said. Miller said the CRCC works to help survivors understand the process of reporting, and what the ramifications might be in the workplace or outside of the workplace. "We don't make decisions for people," she said. "We give them information and empower them to make educated decisions for themselves." Cleveland Rape Crisis Center by the Numbers Dan Bullock has spent the majority of his life in law enforcement and the last two and a half decades as the St. Francois County sheriff. He's held the position of sheriff of St. Francois County longer than anyone else. Prior to Bullock, Ken Buckley was elected sheriff on and off for 22-and-a-half years. When January rolls around, Bullock, on the other hand, will continually have been sheriff for 25 years. First elected in November of 1992, he is serving his seventh term. Bullock said he started getting his training to be sheriff as a young boy growing up in Bonne Terre where his dad was a railroad engineer and police officer for the city. I spent many hours listening to stories told by my dad and friends of his, who were police officers, deputies and highway patrolmen from the area, recalled Bullock. I was always available to wash and clean the patrol car when it was at our house. Many times I would sit in the car and pretend to pull people over and make arrests of bank robbers and criminals from all walks of life. Bullock started his career in law enforcement 36 years ago when he went to work for St. Francois County under the direction of Sheriff Buckley, working in the jail and doing and learning the various facets of providing law enforcement to the citizens of the county. In 1981 I was looking for somewhere to work and that was when I talked with Sheriff Buckley, said Bullock. He asked if I had a gun and I told him I had one at home. He told me to be here Monday morning and that was when I started to work. You didnt have to have any training or anything at that time. While working for him, thats where I got the idea I might want to run for sheriff. He had a lot of influence in my life as far as law enforcement goes, both him and my dad. Bullock said he watched how the sheriffs department operated and later learned how very different it was from working as a police officer in a town, highway patrol or other agency. In the early '80s, Bullock went to work for the city of Bismarck as an officer, sergeant and eventually chief of police. In the mid-'80s I came back to work for the sheriffs department as a deputy, sergeant and finally as chief deputy under Sheriffs Buckley and Jack Cade, said Bullock. In the early '90s I went to work for the city of Esther as chief of police during the consolidation of Flat River, Esther, Elvins and Rivermines, which became the city of Park Hills. Bullock said during that time he ran for St. Francois County sheriff and took office in January of 1993. Bullock said he was raised by his mother and father to respect and not fear police officers. He has tried very hard through the Shop With a Cop and D.A.R.E. programs to instill this in the youth of St. Francois County today. Im sure as much as my mother loved children that had she lived long enough, she would have been so very proud of the Shop With a Cop program we have built over the years, said Bullock. I attribute my success as sheriff to my fathers draw a line in the sand attitude and stick with it and dont threaten anything youre not prepared to back up. By the same token I learned from my mother to be kind, compassionate and treat everyone the same regardless of race, creed or color. Bullock said he has kept that at the forefront of his thoughts as he has run for sheriff over the past 25 years. He added three things that have helped him to stay sheriff are God, guns and wages for his employees. These make up the codes that I try to live by as sheriff and attribute my longevity to as the longest running sheriff in the history of St. Francois County, said Bullock. Bullock is also known for his band, The Sheriff and his Deputies. He is the only one alive out of the original group. We had played for all kinds of benefits over the years, funerals, festivals, nursing homes, churches or anything that is a good cause, said Bullock. We have always done it for free, but if someone insists on giving us money, we give it to Shop With a Cop. He was an original member of the 911 board, serving until it became an elected board. He played a part in getting the Mineral Area College Law Enforcement Academy started. He was on the executive board for operation RAM-JET, which was a drug task force that involved 27 counties in southeast Missouri. He has also been the zone leader for the Missouri State Sheriffs Association too many times to remember. I also sit on the BackStoppers committee today and have since we brought the local chapter into the county years ago, said Bullock. We ended up using it within 30 days after it was initiated when Steve Ziegler died in the line of duty. During his time as sheriff, they closed the jail facility that was built in 1871 and moved into a larger facility in 1996. Bullock said he started that project almost immediately after he took office. We started working to get a sales tax passed to build a new jail and we opened the doors in 1996, said Bullock. Also within my first year in office, we had a local task force made up of local officers under Sheriffs Buckley and Cade. When we joined the task force and got Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop C involved and all the different cities and counties. Bob Oder, former chief in Farmington, and myself kicked it off and got it all started. Bullock said Park Hills and Farmington were the only two cities in the county who had a D.A.R.E. program. The sheriff's department started one in West County, North County, Bismarck and Central school districts once he took office. Bullock said he can not take credit for all that has been accomplished, because without the assistance of his employees and friends in law enforcement he is afraid he would not be sitting as the longest running sheriff or enjoy the support of the businesses and citizens of this great county of St. Francois. We enjoy the backing of the county, its citizens and area businesses, unlike many departments across this nation, said Bullock. Many departments feel that they have lost the confidence of the very people who should be backing them in this time when it is not a popular thing to be a police officer and step forward, instead of back, in these troubled times. Thanks to everyone who have supported not only me, but law enforcement as a whole in and around St. Francois County. Bullock said he would be remiss if he did not give credit to his wife, children, and brothers and sisters for their support over the years. He said that as police officers they miss out on many life events with their friends and family as well as weekends, holidays, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, birthdays and other special events. They are often times spent working a shift or sitting at a jail or lockup taking care of prisoners instead of spending time with our loved ones, said Bullock. Some of my most lonely times were spent Christmas Eve night or Christmas morning out patrolling the mostly abandoned streets while everyone else were waking to kids opening presents, spending time with family and friends and eating holiday meals. The support of an officer's family is very important to the profession that we have chosen, as that support makes it just a little easier to handle the day-to-day pressures of a job that requires your availability 24/7. As Bullock looked through a file box he keeps in his office filled with news clippings, awards, recognitions, and letters and cards from community members he stumbled across an old newspaper clipping from many years ago featuring him and his brother, Desloge Police Chief James Jebo Bullock, for winning a shooting competition. Jebo and I used to shoot (competitively) a lot and the U.S. Marshals had a big shooting competition in St. Louis, recalled Bullock. So we went together and took third place out of all the U.S. Marshals. We were pretty proud of that. Bullock said his family history mostly involves railroad work and law enforcement. His father did both. He said they traced their family history back to Seth Bullock in Deadwood, South Dakota. His family and our family all came from the same place in England and we believe he is kin to us, said Bullock. He was the guy who arrested the guy who killed 'Wild Bill' Hickok, who was shot in the back at the #10 Saloon in Deadwood. They had no sheriff up there, so they appointed Seth as the first sheriff of Deadwood. PLAIN TWP, Ohio - A woman reported missing Friday was found dead Sunday afternoon on the side of a Stark County road, officials say, and it appears she died after being hit by a car. Stark County Sheriff's deputies found Kimberly Renee Thompson, 44, about 11:50 a.m. Sunday on the side of the road on the 1600 block of Diamond Street NE, a news release from the sheriff's office states. During their preliminary investigation, officials determined Thompson may have been hit by a vehicle about 9:45 p.m. Thursday. She was reported missing on Friday. The probe into Thompson's death continues. Anyone with information on the fatal hit-skip crash is asked to contact the Stark County Sheriff's Office at 330-430-3800. If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section. CLEVELAND, Ohio - School and school districts in Ohio suspend and discipline students at wildly different rates, a Plain Dealer review of statewide discipline data shows, with some taking action five, ten or even more than 20 times as much as the state average. Suspending students, long the standard way to discipline poor-behaving students, has come under scrutiny in recent years, with many questioning whether booting kids out of school helps them behave better and learn more. The state in recent years has been pressing schools to use "Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)" - ways to teach better behavior and avoid problems before discipline is needed. And with a new bill from State Sen. Peggy Lehner looking to limit suspensions further, we reviewed state data on school discipline - expulsions, out-of-school suspensions and in-school suspensions - to see which districts and schools in Ohio hand down the harshest punishments Below and to the right are the schools and districts with the highest out-of-school suspension rates (suspensions per 100 students) in Ohio last school year. Click here to look up your school and compare it to the state average. Click here to look up your district and compare it to the state average. We found: District County Suspension rate State average 11.2 Mt Healthy Hamilton 58.4 Lockland Hamilton 54.7 Warrensville Heights Cuyahoga 52.3 N. College Hill Hamilton 52.2 Euclid Cuyahoga 51.7 Trotwood- Madison Montgomery 51.2 Columbus Franklin 48 Akron Summit 43.9 Warren Trumbull 42.8 Lorain Lorain 38.6 Maple Hts Cuyahoga 36.4 Northridge Montgomery 36.2 Toledo Lucas 34.2 Dayton Montgomery 33.7 Garfield Hts. Cuyahoga 32.1 Mansfield Richland 32 Whitehall Franklin 31.9 Alliance Stark 31.3 Jefferson Twp. Montgomery 30.9 Lima Allen 29.1 Cleveland Cuyahoga 28 St Bernard- Elmwood Pl. Hamilton 27.2 Liberty Trumbull 26.7 Youngstown Mahoning 26.6 New Boston Scioto 26.6 South Euclid- Lyndhurst Cuyahoga 25.9 Northwest Hamilton 25.6 Cleveland Hts- University Hts Cuyahoga 24.7 Clearview Lorain 24.1 E. Cleveland Cuyahoga 22.3 - Though big-city districts like Cleveland, Akron and Columbus have some of the highest suspension rates in Ohio, inner-ring suburbs like Euclid and Warrensville Heights also lead the pack. - Cleveland's suspension rate ranked much lower than you might expect - 21st out of more than 600 districts - while Warrensville Heights (3rd), Euclid (5th), Maple Heights (11th) and Garfield Heights (15th) all suspended at a higher rate, just within Cuyahoga County. - Euclid, particularly Euclid High School, also uses in-school suspensions as a disciplinary tool at a far greater rate than anywhere else in Ohio. - Though Columbus had the highest big-city suspension rate in Ohio, Akron followed with the 8th-highest rate, with 44 out-of-school suspensions per 100 students. Dan Rambler, Akron's director of student support services, said the district has been working to lower that rate over time and has - from a peak of 84 per 100 students in 2008-09. "Part of it is getting people to change their perspective," Rambler said. "Many districts have been quick to suspend kids, but suspensions in truth don't really change behavior. " - Gaps in discipline rates between urban schools and more affluent suburbs can be huge. While about 40 schools in Ohio handed down more suspensions last school year than they have students, most schools in the state have too few suspensions - fewer than 10 per 100 students - for the state to even report a suspension rate for that school. School District Suspension rate State 11.2 New Beginnings Lorain 288.2 Bridges Learning Center Akron 268.7 Westfield/Robinson Achievement Toledo 219.7 Ohio Construction Academy Charter 191.1 Summit Academy Transition H.S-Columbus Charter 187.9 Univ. of Cleveland Prep. School Charter 180 Northmont Secondary Academy Charter 163.7 Columbus Africentric Early College Elem. Columbus 162.2 Yorktown Middle Columbus 160.8 Linden-Mckinley STEM Academy Columbus 157.1 - The highest suspension rates, though, come at schools specifically for troubled students. That's the case with the two highest schools in Ohio - New Beginnings in Lorain and Bridges Learning Center in Akron. David Hardy, the new CEO of the Lorain schools, still isn't happy with that school having 288 suspensions per 100 students last year. "These numbers are not where we want to be," said Hardy, who hopes to cut suspensions across his entire district. "We have to rethink how to support young people when they make bad choices." - Though the difference in discipline rates may correspond mostly with demographics, with almost all of the highest rates coming from urban areas, how a school uses suspensions and in-school suspensions also makes a huge difference. Districts like Warrensville Heights and schools like the University of Cleveland Preparatory charter school in Cleveland lean heavily on suspending students as their main disciplinary action. They had high suspension rates but almost no in-school suspensions - a way to discipline students while still requiring them to do classwork. University of Cleveland Preparatory School officials did not return a call seeking comment. Warrensville Superintendent Donald Jolly did not directly respond to questions about whether bad behavior or teacher decisions were behind the high suspension rate. "Each scholar is unique and our team addresses each situation to meet the needs of the individual," Jolly said. Others, like the Cincinnati schools, are following the path the state prefers and working with students on behavior instead of just punishing them. That district uses in-school suspensions where students come to school but are isolated from most other students at a high rate - 5th highest in Ohio - but hardly ever send kids out of school. Despite being the third-largest district in Ohio, its out-of-school suspension rate ranks 483rd out of more than 600 districts. "It is important that we keep them in school because it is the right thing to do," said Cincinnati Superintendent Laura Mitchell. Euclid and Cleveland also offer looks at how different approaches can affect the numbers. Cleveland's suspensions look lower than expected because the district tries to avoid suspending students. After shootings at SuccessTech high school 10 years ago, the district has pushed a Social and Emotional Learning plan to teach students how to manage emotions and behaviors. Cleveland also has barely any in-school suspensions - just 1.7 per 100 students - because teachers send students to "planning centers" - rooms where they can decompress, talk with a teacher about why they are having a conflict and work on lessons - instead of to the principal for harsher discipline. To some, a planning center is essentially an in-school suspension room that just isn't counted by the state. But it has more supports and students have to discuss why they have an issue in class, instead of just being punished. District County Other Discipline Euclid Cuyahoga 171.5 Perry Local Allen 105 Warren Trumbull 65.5 Carrollton Ex. Vill. Carroll 58.9 Cincinnati Hamilton 47.7 Trotwood-Madison Montgomery 46.4 Winton Woods Hamilton 46.3 Groveport Madison Franklin 45.8 Lima Allen 45.4 Struthers Mahoning 45 Northwest Hamilton 44.9 Logan-Hocking Hocking 44.8 Georgetown Ex. Vill. Brown 44.2 Akron Summit 43.5 Youngstown Mahoning 41.7 Euclid, while handing down suspensions at a high rate, also gives in-school suspensions at an astronomical one. Students there were given in-school suspensions close to 9,000 times last year. With a little over 5,000 students, that amounted to 171 for every 100 students, by far the highest rate in the state. Only one other district, as the rankings to the right show, Perry Local in Allen County, had more than 100 in-school suspensions per 100 students and only three other districts in all of Ohio had more than 40. Cincinnati was fifth at 48 per 100 students. Though the data shows "other discipline," multiple school officials said those are almost entirely in-schools suspensions. "I understand the appearance of that number, but I don't think that number tells the whole story," said Euclid Superintendent Charles Smialek. "You're always trying to balance (keeping students in class) with a sense of accountability. If you don't have the right environment you're not going to have high achievement. You'll just have low suspension numbers." So his district suspends if they skip class, are late or are otherwise irresponsible "to make sure a kid understands there are consequences to poor decisions." He admitted that keeping kids out of class because they don't make it to class is "counterintuitive" but he wants to show that it is unacceptable. "You want kids in class... but there are only so many options a school has," he said. Euclid also has an interesting pattern - its elementary schools have few suspensions and three of its schools are being recognized by the state for exceptional work with PBIS instead of punishments. It's the discipline rates at the middle and high school that are so high - 265 in- and -out-of school suspensions at the middle school for every 100 students and 364 at the high school - the highest in the state. Here are the full state disciplinary statistics for the 30 districts with the highest suspension rates, all per 100 students in 2016-17 CLEVELAND, Ohio - Search here to see how often your school disciplined students in the 2016-17 school year. For each school, we show all expulsions (students kicked out of school until the end of the year), out-of-school suspensions, other discipline (usually in-school suspensions) and total disciplinary actions. All are shown as the rate of disciplinary action per 100 students, with the state rate shown above. For schools, fewer than 10 of any action per 100 students is listed as NC, not counted. to load this Caspio by Caspio CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Before heading out to see "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," get reacquainted with the life of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, from the character's creation to his on-screen adventures. And, check out the interactive timeline at the end of the story. ON THE PAGE 1944: "Star Wars" creator George Walton Lucas Jr. is born in Modesto, California. 1971: Lucas, now a young director, asks about buying the film rights to "Flash Gordon." When he learns that they were not available, he tells friend and fellow filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, "I'll just invent my own." 1974: An early draft of what would become the screenplay for "Star Wars" includes a General Luke Skywalker, who trains Annikin Starkiller as a Jedi. 1975: The second draft of screenplay, titled "Adventures of the Starkiller: Episode One: The Star Wars," has an 18-year-old hero Luke Starkiller. He's already a Jedi Knight but isn't interested in fighting. 1976: While shooting "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" in Tunisia, Lucas changes the character's name from Luke Starkiller to Luke Skywalker. ON THE SCREEN Birth and early childhood - Luke Skywalker and his twin sister, Leia Organa, are the offspring of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padme Amidala. Their mother died during labor, and Luke and Leia were separated. "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" (1977) - Luke is living with his aunt and uncle on their moisture farm on Tatooine. He learns his true identity from Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, joins the Rebel Alliance and fights alongside Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa against Darth Vader (formerly Anakin Skywalker) and the Galactic Empire he serves. "Star Wars: Episode V - "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) - Luke asked Jedi Master Yoda to train him in the ways of the Force, but Luke leaves his training before it's complete to rescue his friends. Luke also learns his twin sister is Princess Leia Organa. During a climactic fight, Darth Vader reveals that he is Luke's father. Vader tries to persuade Luke to join him in using the Dark Side of the Force, and cuts off Luke's hand in a lightsaber duel. "Star Wars: Episode VI - "Return of the Jedi" (1983) - Emperor Palpatine tries to convert Luke to the Dark Side of the Force, but is unsuccessful. Luke appeals to Darth Vader's humanity, and Vader turns on Palpatine. Vader dies, and Luke respectfully burns his remains on a funeral pyre. 30-year gap: Luke's nephew and apprentice, Ben Solo, turns to the Dark Side. Taking the name Kylo Ren, he kills all of the trainees in Luke's Jedi Academy. Feeling responsible for the disaster, Luke goes on a solitary journey to find an ancient Jedi temple. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015) - Rey finds Luke in exile on the island of Ahch-To, and returns his lightsaber to him. Sources: Digital Spy, Wookieepedia, Wikipedia, Mashable and Deadline Hollywood. "How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise" by Chris Taylor. OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio -- A man is facing charges after he ditched his car on railroad tracks, causing an Amtrak train to hit it. The incident happened Saturday just after 2:30 a.m. near Columbia Road, Olmsted Falls police officer Ben Ovelgonne said. None of the 123 passengers or crew members on the train were hurt, Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said. The intoxicated man, whose name was not released by police, is charged with operating a vehicle while under the influence, police said. The man drove onto the tracks and ditched his car when he saw the train coming, Ovelgonne said. Amtrak Train 30, which travels daily between Chicago and Washington D.C., hit the car. The train resumed service about 3:45 a.m., Woods said. If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comments section. Henry B. Spitz is a professor of nuclear and radiological engineering at the University of Cincinnati. CINCINNATI -- Remember when gasoline was nearly $5 a gallon? I do, and it's not a fond memory. Until hybrid electric vehicles came to market, gasoline was the only source of energy to run our cars. Fortunately, today we have a choice of buying a conventional gas-powered car, a hybrid car, or a full electric car. Our homes are "fueled" with electricity generated by the utility company using mostly natural gas, coal, and nuclear sources of energy. Solar panels and wind turbines represent smaller energy sources. Although we can't choose an energy source, utility companies in Ohio use primarily natural gas, coal and nuclear power to generate electricity. For decades, coal and nuclear power were the reliable, base-load energy sources that utilities used to generate electricity every minute of every day throughout the year. Lately, natural gas has become the most popular energy source because the price is so low. Unfortunately, history shows that relying upon only one source of energy puts Ohio in a risky position, since prices for natural gas have varied greatly. It's best if our base-load sources of electricity are produced using a mix of energy sources so that costs to Ohio residents remain stable from year to year. The ongoing debate over preventing the shutdown of nuclear power and coal plants is mostly a local issue. These local issues focus on saving jobs and the millions of dollars local communities receive from the power company to meet municipal needs. Another question has been overlooked in this debate: Will shutting down coal and nuclear power plants reduce electric-grid reliability? What will happen to Ohio's economy if sources of electricity become unreliable? If Ohio were to forego nuclear and coal, the state's electricity sector would quickly lose one of its major strengths - fuel and technology diversity. A diverse mix of generating options is an essential characteristic of a robust and resilient system. If current trends continue, that diversity is seriously at risk. Nationally, the United States is quickly becoming over-dependent on natural gas for production of electricity. Since the mid-1990s, nearly 90 percent of the new power plants in the United States use natural gas. Coal and nuclear, two sources of energy that produce electricity around the clock at stable prices with no price volatility, represent less than 10 percent of the total. If the recent past is any guide, this imbalance could expose consumers of natural gas and electricity to price volatility and loss of reliability, resulting in power shortages that could cripple the economy. And the risk of volatility in gas prices will continue, despite vast reserves of shale gas. The government agency responsible for electricity reliability is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Energy Secretary Rick Perry has proposed a plan that will prevent the further shutdown of nuclear and coal plants. Secretary Perry, the former governor of Texas who knows a thing or two about gas-price volatility, has called upon FERC to create new rules, compensating nuclear and coal plants for the value they offer to the grid. Former FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee, who remains on the board, has proposed taking immediate action to save some power plants in danger of early shutdowns until FERC completes a thorough assessment of the potential losses in grid reliability. Ohio's industrial growth over the past century has a lot to do with the use of abundant low-cost coal as the primary fuel for power production. It is simply unrealistic to think that we won't continue to use coal in the near future. And if you care about clean air and climate change, now is not the time for Ohio to abandon nuclear power, which is our largest source of emission-free energy. Clearly, shutting down the Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear plants is not in our best interest. So it makes sense for FERC to recognize - and address - the serious financial and environmental stresses throughout the industry responsible for delivering electricity to our homes and industries. Moreover, the risk of plant shutdowns is increasing at a time when the federal Energy Information Administration forecasts a 20 percent growth in the nation's demand for electricity by 2040. We are taking a huge gamble to think we could meet our everyday needs for electricity, power our economy and compete in international markets without nuclear and coal generation. Henry B. Spitz is a professor of nuclear and radiological engineering at the University of Cincinnati. ********* Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts, and stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the Notification Settings (in blue). Ryan Augsburger, is a vice president at the Ohio Manufacturers' Association. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will soon decide whether or not to increase the price of electricity paid by manufacturers and working families in Ohio and across the Northeast and Midwest. If enacted, the proposed rule change would deal a serious blow to America's manufacturing competitiveness by requiring consumers to pay more for electricity to prop up some utilities' uneconomic power plants owned by certain utilities looking for a bailout. It's a story we've heard time and time again in Ohio. Now, proponents of that plan have gone to Washington in search of a solution. The proposal being considered at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) could provide hundreds of billions of ratepayer dollars in unwarranted, non-bypassable subsidies to power plants that keep 90 days of fuel on site. Only certain coal and nuclear plants can meet this definition, so it's squarely designed to aid aging and uncompetitive power plants that rely on these fuel sources. The Ohio Manufacturers' Association believes this rule, if approved, would impose unjustified costs on virtually all Ohio households, businesses and institutions. Worse, the rule, if approved, would threaten the longer-term benefits that only competitive markets can provide, including reliability, efficiency, innovation, and lower energy prices. Ohio is a manufacturing state. Responsible for generating more than $108 billion annually in state GDP, manufacturing remains the backbone of Ohio's economy. A Cleveland State University study of manufacturing in Ohio between 1990 and 2010 found that a one-cent per-kilowatt-hour increase in electricity prices decreased productivity by $2,527 per employee, or 2.2 percent. Manufacturing is a highly competitive industry. This proposed rule change would mean fewer jobs and less investment. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio echoed our concerns in its own comments to FERC, stating that the PUCO "is deeply concerned about the additional costs that will be borne by Ohio's consumers and businesses as a result of the Department of Energy's (DOE) proposed rule." "Quite simply, the consequences if the FERC adopts the DOE's proposal could be dire," PUCO added. "The proposed rule could upend a state's current authority to choose the regulatory paradigm for its utilities, by forcing all organized markets to implement cost-plus rates. This will most certainly negatively impact the ability of the PUCO to assure just and reasonable rates for our consumers and businesses." So, what's really going on? In the past decade, historic levels of cheap natural gas and renewables have entered the market - lowering electricity costs for manufacturers and consumers. As a result, some high-cost coal and nuclear plants have found themselves struggling to compete. In its August grid study, the DOE staff itself found that retirements of aging coal and nuclear plants do not threaten the reliability of the grid, asserting that markets are "functioning as designed." Yet the DOE has recently advanced a misguided proposal that would empower the federal government, over states and regions, to pick winners and losers for political reasons instead of economic realities. The proposal would undermine well-functioning competitive markets and prop up certain less profitable power plants by government fiat. The DOE fails to provide a coherent reasoning for proposing a new energy tax. The agency gives no definition of "resiliency," nor does it consider attributes like flexibility, ramping and scalability, which have drawn so many generators to natural gas in recent years. Federal government overreach like this increases prices for consumers and undermines innovation in Ohio and around the country. Competitive electricity markets have consistently fostered efficiency and lowered prices under the guidance of FERC, an independent agency with a three-decade legacy of supporting competition. The nation's system of Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) and state regulators has proven mostly adaptable and effective. Our members would prefer that RTOs and state regulators maintain authority to empower market forces to determine questions of fuel source rather than shifting authority to Washington bureaucrats to dictate fuel source based on political agendas. In conclusion, the DOE proposal addresses a reliability problem that does not exist, and shifts ordinary business risk from shareholders to customers using anti-competitive subsidies. Ohio businesses hope that FERC exercises its independence and continues to embrace competitive market principles over special interests. Ryan Augsburger is vice president and managing director of public policy services for the Ohio Manufacturers' Association ******* Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts, and stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the Notification Settings (in blue). An Ohio House committee may soon approve a bill rewriting and expanding Ohio's school-voucher programs -- even though the estimated cost is a ridiculous $48 million a year to start, and sure to rise because of built-in escalators based on demand. If the legislature wanted to spend that money on improving public schools that would be one thing. But underwriting a small number of private and parochial schools -- at the expense of the state's public ones -- is not something Ohio can afford to do. It would be irresponsible for lawmakers to burden all Ohio taxpayers with the cost of Ohio House Bill 200 just to score ideological points by making it easier for Ohio kids to attend parochial and private schools. State law already authorizes Cleveland's voucher program and the statewide EdChoice voucher program. Together, they serve about 37,000 pupils statewide at a cost to Ohio taxpayers of about $185 million. Right now, most of the students who qualify for vouchers live in communities with failing schools, although some students with family income below 200 percent of poverty also can qualify. HB 200, sponsored by Rep. Kyle Koehler, a Springfield Republican, would open vouchers to any student whose family income is at or below 300 percent of poverty, or about $61,200 for a family of three. Pupils receiving Cleveland or EdChoice vouchers this school year, and their siblings, would be grandfathered into the Opportunity Scholarship Program but, with a limit of 60,000 vouchers per year to start, and with an estimated 846,000 Ohio students eligible for them, there would be no future guarantee that Cleveland kids or youngsters in other communities with troubled public schools would continue to get priority for vouchers. The nonpartisan Legislative Service Commission calculates the cost of the new program at a whopping $250 million a year over current voucher costs. But because LSC also estimates that state aid to public schools will plummet by $217.5 million annually as these new voucher students leave their public schools, and with some adjustments to account for added costs for current voucher recipients, the net increase in state spending is projected to be $48 million. That doesn't count what the LSC terms a potentially "significant" rate of future increases because of built-in, demand-driven escalators. Is it really worth the disruptions to public education and tens of millions in added taxpayer costs annually just to underwrite the private education of a child whose parents earn more than $60,000? The answer is: No. About our editorials: Editorials express the view of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer -- the senior leadership and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the voice of the news organization. Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts, and stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the Notification Settings (in blue). * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com. CLEVELAND, Ohio - "At this point in my life, people ask me what it feels like to kill someone, and I calmly ask them what it feels like to make a grilled cheese. That sounds cold, and I like that. But my point is more that your environment shapes how you internalize your experience . . . "Many times killing someone is a collective effort. And a lot of people get shot behind bushes and trees. What does it feel like to shoot a bush or a tree? I would argue that it feels like any other job, but with recoil." The words were spoken with the cocky confidence representing Jaymes Poling's three deployments to Afghanistan as a soldier with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division. They reflect his mood at the time, and also are part of a musical drama, "Modern Warrior Live," which debuted recently at Cuyahoga Community College. Poling, 30, of University Heights, wrote and co-created the production with jazz trumpeter Dominick Farinacci. It traces the soldier's life from enlistment through deployment and to his subsequent struggles with the memories of war. Discussing his goals in putting his life on stage, Poling said, "I think my first thought is I want to change the narrative surrounding veterans -- that we're not damaged, we're not objects of sadness." That "quickly expanded as I began reading more and really thinking about the culture between our civilian and veteran communities," he added. "I started to see that a lot of people could benefit just by talking, having open dialogue, and kind of tearing down those walls that we build around our veteran community." "Modern Warrior Live" features narration by Poling, interspersed with musical selections. The words can be blunt, introspective and touching, written with the attitude and emotions he felt at various times of his life. The Warren native said he always wanted to be a fighter - so much so that he dropped his initial thought of joining the Marines after high school, when recruiters couldn't guarantee that he'd see combat. Part of his motivation was patriotism, but there was a bigger desire to prove something to himself, Poling said. "And then there was a curiosity about combat," he added. "I remember thinking that if I could find myself in one of those most primal situations, I must learn something about myself. Something must be revealed at that point that will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I didn't feel like I would be able to experience anything like that anywhere else." Poling said he was feeling pretty good about embarking on his first combat deployment in 2007 to Afghanistan. Then his platoon sergeant got everyone together, and Poling said he asked, "'All right, who's scared? Raise your hand if you're scared.' "And nobody raised their hand. Then he (the sergeant) raised his hand, and was like, 'Well, you better get scared. You'd better get scared real quick, because they want to kill you.'" That, Poling said, got his attention. With time came experience and confidence, the ability to adjust your tension to the different levels of firefights. "I think you start to get used to the more tame firefights, and then when you find yourself in a more intense one, it feels like a new experience every time," he said. "But then reach a point where you just start feeling like you're living day to day," he added. "You kind of stop thinking about the future, you stop thinking about getting hurt. Everything becomes very short-term in the way of goals." In the show, he expresses the confidence of a youthful warrior, recalling, "I knew I found what I was meant to do. So I re-enlisted for six years." Poling got hardened during his second and third deployments in 2010 and 2012. Numb. He recalled one incident in which he and two other soldiers had to fight their way out of an ambush and narrowly escaped. When it was over, one soldier observed that he thought Poling was going to die. Poling agreed. Then the soldier asked why, when Poling was calling for help on the radio, did he sound like he was ordering a pizza? Because "I realized I thought I was going to die on that hill, and there was no sense of adrenalin or fear or anxiety," Poling said. "Things made sense, it was calm, there was kind of a clear picture to everything. "It was something, even at that point in my life, I could look at that moment and say 'OK, something's probably not right here. I'm going to have to find a way to readjust at some point, because this probably isn't how a normal person should react to these situations.' "I was aware I would have to go back and sort through some of this stuff at some point." He did. With a vengeance. In the show, Poling talks about flashbacks, night sweats and drinking himself numb after leaving the service. Difficulties with social relationships. Picking fights because "violence makes me feel closer to myself." And how he couldn't talk to anybody about it, because "they'll either feel sorry for me or think I'm crazy, and I can't take either." But gradually, he worked through it. The show helped. "Doing the show has become my therapy, since I don't really seek out other therapy," Poling said. He described a writing process for "Modern Warrior Live" that usually started around 4 a.m. with a glass of scotch handy, and tears. "The first few times I ran through it (on stage), I'd get done and then I'd end up breaking down in my car," Poling said. "And I still feel a lot of that on stage," he continued. "But the more I go through it and the more I see how beneficial it is, the more it makes me want to continue to share it. "It's an easy decision to keep doing it, but emotionally it's draining," he added. "I couldn't imagine not doing it. And it gets better each time each time I run through it. I deal with more of it, and I know it's helped me." Poling plans to continue developing the show after graduates next May from John Carroll University with a degree in finance. He hopes the production can tour at military bases next year, and he is thinking of expanding the show to include such other voices as those of Afghans who served as interpreters for the military, women and minority veterans, and vets from other wars. "I've been amazed at how many Vietnam veterans have told me they can relate entirely to what I'm saying, which has been humbling and honoring," Poling said. Looking back, there are good memories and bad. "There are so many positive and negative moments," said Poling, who described his deployments as offering "some of the highest highs and lowest lows." "It definitely shaped how I view my world," he added. "In some ways I think I'm more cynical now, and in some ways I'm more optimistic now." Optimistic? "I guess when I look at my life, I've experienced the lows, and I feel like it's never going to be that bad again," Poling explained. "So it just leaves me feeling happy. I enjoy everything a little bit more in some ways. Everything just seems a little brighter and sweeter and stuff, because I'm able to contrast it with the experiences of combat." Poling credits the military, particularly combat, with providing kind of leadership skills you can't learn anywhere else. "There are memories that are really unpleasant that I definitely don't talk about publicly, but I do still talk about them with people who are close to me," he said. "And those are still hard, and those still get to me. But I do make it a point to think about them and grieve about them. . . . because if I don't, five years from now I'm going to think about it, and it's going to cause me to break down." On the plus side, "I never felt more capable in my life than after some of the firefights and after having the privilege of leading men through it," he said. "I came home truly feeling there was nothing that I couldn't tackle, and then also knowing that I can't imagine a situation in which I'll feel overwhelmed or as though I can't handle something, for the rest of my life, because of the situations I've been in there. " Near the end of the show, Poling noted, "I know I would do it all again. Most of us (veterans) would, because the struggles have shaped who we are." Cue music, "Battle Hymn of the Republic." As the song goes, his truth is marching on. 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 the complete review - internet / literature Internet Literature in China by Michel Hockx general information | review summaries | our review | links | about the author With numerous illustrations / screengrabs - Return to top of the page - Our Assessment: B : good overview; helpful examples See our review for fuller assessment. Review Summaries Source Rating Date Reviewer Asian Studies Review . 41(4) (2016) Xiaoping Gao TLS . 10/4/2015 Ross Perlin From the Reviews : " Internet Literature in China is elegantly written. This tour de force constitutes fascinating and illuminating documentation, stories and critique of Chinese online literature. (...) It is a must-have for Chinese literature researchers and postgraduate students who wish to know more about Chinese Internet literature and relevant social ritual and political censorship that have transformed Chinese culture and society." - Xiaoping Gao, Asian Studies Review is elegantly written. This tour de force constitutes fascinating and illuminating documentation, stories and critique of Chinese online literature. (...) It is a must-have for Chinese literature researchers and postgraduate students who wish to know more about Chinese Internet literature and relevant social ritual and political censorship that have transformed Chinese culture and society." - "Hockx has documented a fascinating moment in time." - Ross Perlin, Times Literary Supplement Please note that these ratings solely represent the complete review 's biased interpretation and subjective opinion of the actual reviews and do not claim to accurately reflect or represent the views of the reviewers. Similarly the illustrative quotes chosen here are merely those the complete review subjectively believes represent the tenor and judgment of the review as a whole. We acknowledge (and remind and warn you) that they may, in fact, be entirely unrepresentative of the actual reviews by any other measure. - Return to top of the page - The complete review 's Review : As the US$1.1 billion November 2017 IPO of China Literature, a unit of Tencent, recently emphatically confirmed: online literature is huge in China. It has been for a while, and Michel Hockx's Internet Literature in China offers a good introduction to and early history of the phenomenon. (It's hard to keep up, however, with the rapid transformations, and so, for example, this 2015 book already misses the further consolidation and reshaping of the major sites with the Shanda Cloudary spin-off and then merger with Tencent Literature that created today's behemoth, Yuwen (China Literature).) Aside from the specific subject matter, Internet Literature in China is also interesting as an example of trying to write internet-history: as Hockx notes, the internet remains remarkably ephemeral, with much that's here today gone tomorrow. A great deal of the material and many of the sites he discusses are no longer readily accessible, with the Internet Archive Wayback Machine and a dedicated Zotero-group the only repositories of much of the material. It does show the usefulness of the more permanent book-form: Internet Literature in China -- which also reproduces screengrabs that give a good idea of some of what is, or was, available -- provides a better and more accessible overview of more than twenty years of this history than the internet has managed. Conditions in China, with strong government controls over (physical) publication -- of books and magazines -- certainly were conducive to an explosive growth of online publication unlike anywhere else. As Hockx notes, the requirement of a 'book number' (ISBN) for the publication of any book in China has presented a considerable hurdle, and allowed for continued strong state control over what gets published in physical form. While online-publishing is not a "free-for-all from which state regulators have withdrawn entirely", control has been both lighter and not as far-reaching -- including for the simple logistical reason that it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything published online. Hockx provides numerous interesting examples of how the state has tried to maintain order -- and what the red lines are (such as the treatment of sexually explicit material) --, as well the evasive maneuvers authors and publishers can take, such as avoiding the use of terms that are readily flagged (and coming up with creative substitutes). Hockx's book is also useful in correcting some foreign misconceptions, or simplified views, of Chinese internet publishing as well as its role in the local writing and publishing spheres. So, for example, in profiling Han Han and his work, Hockx does not focus on the image of the author as he is seen abroad, but rather takes a broader view of his work, including his fiction, which remains largely unknown outside China. As Hockx explains: "Han Han clearly separates his literary writing from his online writing", while it is only the latter that has attracted a great deal of attention abroad. Hockx provides useful insights by presenting some of the contrasting local reactions to Han Han's (various) work (and Han's own reactions to these). Hockx's study has four chapters, the first offering a general overview and history, the main example being the Banyan Tree site that was founded in 1997 (and which can be found, in its revived form, here). Significant events, such as the publication of Lu Youqing's dying-diary -- from how it was handled to its effects and influence (as well as foreign recognition of it -- see, for example, coverage in The Guardian) -- are also presented at length, offering a good overview to the early workings of online literature in China. The second chapter, on 'Linear Innovations', considers the internet as a place for literary innovation, with Hockx noting that while Chinese internet literature has involved relatively litlle experimentation with the linear experience of writing and reading (which is far more prominent in Western-language experimental online literature), he nevertheless finds there has been considerable innovative work -- just of a different nature. Here, the work of Chen Cun is the basis for much of his discussion. The third chapter, 'The Bottom Line', focuses on 'Online Fiction and Postsocialist Publishing', considering phenomenally popular genre sites such as Qidian ('Starting Point'); the regulation of, for example, erotic content (using Feilu ('Flying Gourd') as an example); and then the avant-garde community site Heilan ('Black and Blue'). Finally, the fourth chapter looks at online poetry, including sites such as Poemlife and Chinapoet, and providing some interesting examples of poetic and linguistic experimentation. Internet Literature in China offers a good overview of the development of online writing and publishing in China, including the forces shaping it (including the role of the state and the nature of the commodification of online writing). While online writing also has huge audiences -- and has had some effect on traditional publishing -- in Western nations, there it is fan-fiction which has been the most significant, and from which print-crossover success has largely originated (most notably with the E.L.James-phenomenon); meanwhile, as Hockx notes, in China: "for most of the period under discussion even its printed editions were considered generically distinct from print publications that had gone through the regular system"-- to the extent that bookshops shelved 'online novels' separately from other (regular) novels. Internet literature seems to continue to be thriving in China, and it will be interesting to see how it evolves there -- and elsewhere. Hockx's study is a useful overview of the early days -- and an important one, in capturing much that is already otherwise lost (and certainly no longer accessible in its original form and (online-)location). - M.A.Orthofer, 10 December 2017 - Return to top of the page - : - Return to top of the page - About the Author : Michel Hockx was born in 1964. He teaches at Notre Dame. - Return to top of the page - Friday was one of the most embarrassing days for the U.S. media in quite a long time. The humiliation orgy was kicked off by CNN, with MSNBC and CBS close behind, with countless pundits, commentators and operatives joining the party throughout the day. By the end of the day, it was clear that several of the nations largest and most influential news outlets had spread an explosive but completely false news story to millions of people, while refusing to provide any explanation of how it happened. The spectacle began on Friday morning at 11:00 am EST, when the Most Trusted Name in News spent 12 straight minutes on air flamboyantly hyping an exclusive bombshell report that seemed to prove that WikiLeaks, last September, had secretly offered the Trump campaign, even Donald Trump himself, special access to the DNC emails before they were published on the internet. As CNN sees the world, this would prove collusion between the Trump family and WikiLeaks and, more importantly, between Trump and Russia, since the U.S. intelligence community regards WikiLeaks as an arm of Russian intelligence, and therefore, so does the U.S. media. This entire revelation was based on an email which CNN strongly implied it had exclusively obtained and had in its possession. The email was sent by someone named Michael J. Erickson someone nobody had heard of previously and whom CNN could not identify to Donald Trump, Jr., offering a decryption key and access to DNC emails that WikiLeaks had uploaded. The email was a smoking gun, in CNNs extremely excited mind, because it was dated September 4 ten days before WikiLeaks began promoting access to those emails online and thus proved that the Trump family was being offered special, unique access to the DNC archive: likely by WikiLeaks and the Kremlin. Its impossible to convey with words what a spectacularly devastating scoop CNN believed it had, so its necessary to watch it for yourself to see the tone of excitement, breathlessness and gravity the network conveyed as they clearly believed they were delivering a near-fatal blow to the Trump/Russia collusion story: There was just one small problem with this story: it was fundamentally false, in the most embarrassing way possible. Hours after CNN broadcast its story and then hyped it over and over and over the Washington Post reported that CNN got the key fact of the story wrong. The email was not dated September 4, as CNN claimed, but rather September 14 which means it was sent after WikiLeaks had already published access to the DNC emails online. Thus, rather than offering some sort of special access to Trump, Michael J. Erickson was simply some random person from the public encouraging the Trump family to look at the publicly available DNC emails that WikiLeaks as everyone by then already knew had publicly promoted. In other words, the email was the exact opposite of what CNN presented it as being. How did CNN end up aggressively hyping such a spectacularly false story? They refuse to say. Many hours after their story got exposed as false, the journalist who originally presented it, Congressional reporter Manu Raju, finally posted a tweet noting the correction. CNNs PR Department then claimed that multiple sources had provided CNN with the false date. And Raju went on CNN, in muted tones, to note the correction, explicitly claiming that two sources had each given him the false date on the email, while also making clear that CNN did not ever even see the email, but only had sources describe its purported contents: All of this prompts the glaring, obvious, and critical question one which CNN refuses to address: how did multiple sources all misread the date on this document, in exactly the same way, and toward the same end, and then feed this false information to CNN? ... Being an undocumented immigrant is like playing the world's highest-stakes game of hide and seek. They're already been cut off from entire swaths of society, but under the, ahem, current political climate, things are getting worse. Authorities are now craftier than ever when it comes to nailing those disgusting criminals who dared to try to live a better life. For example ... 5 They Ambush People In Hospitals ICE is back with a brand-new invention -- Immigration and Customs Enforcement, that is. Some branches have tried to visit hospitals to "develop potential sources of information," despite the fact that hospitals are considered "sensitive locations" that should be off-limits. Thankfully, hospital staff have been turning them away, but sometimes ICE officers actually need to go to the hospital when a detainee has a medical emergency, like when Sara Beltran-Hernandez got sick while detained in Praireland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. She was taken to the hospital, where her family couldn't seem to find her. According to her lawyer, she wasn't even listed as a patient. Once the attorney finally tracked Sara down -- alone, with possible brain damage, and only ICE agents and hospital staff to speak to (or for) her -- they still weren't allowed to contact her. This went beyond not having a phone; ICE employed Magneto-level security protocols for a 26-year-old mother of two. Ultimately, Sara was diagnosed with a brain tumor, though a benign and operable one. That was the last of her good luck. After over a week in the hospital, her doctor told ICE agents that she was in stable condition, but still in need of surgery. They took that as a cue to bring her back to the detention center, where she was held in isolation. She claims that she was basically dumped directly out of her wheelchair, tied up by the hands and ankles, and refused treatment. ICE has denied all of it, but fortunately, she was later released on bond, and ICE learned their lesson. A Lebanon man was arrested for driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving and driving while suspended after crashing his pickup into a house on Hayden Road on Saturday night, according to the Linn County Sheriffs Office. Haven Austin Hansen, 22, had a blood-alcohol-content almost three times the legal limit, a news release states. Deputies responded to a report of a non-injury crash at 10:25 p.m. on Saturday. When they arrived, they found a 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup had smashed through the front window of the house and came to rest in the living room. Only the rear portion of the pickup was sticking out of the residence, according to a news release. Just prior to the crash, the residents had gone to bed and were no longer in the front portion of the house. The Lebanon Fire District assisted the family in boarding up the front portion of the house. Investigation into the crash is continuing. Every employer loves the eager spirit that comes with a new employee. The struggle comes later, in the post-honeymoon period. As months go on, even top talent can be at risk of disengagement, a serious -- not to mention costly -- problem for companies. A recent Engagement Institute study suggests that workers who arent engaged collectively drain American corporations of up to $550 billion annually. Is it an epidemic? Not quite, but its a significant issue that organizations must face head-on. Without a strong company culture that meets employees' needs, the most amazing venture can fail to meet its goals and potential. According to Leigh Branham, author of The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave, those fundamental requirements include a desire for trust, hope, a sense of worth and a feeling of competency. An employee engagement project from Custom Insight echoes Branhams findings and goes a step further to add respect and purpose to the mix. Related: 3 Reasons the C-Suite Should Take Employee Disengagement Seriously Rather than wait for a disengagement crisis or an exodus of key players, a business needs to map out a plan to combat workplace ennui. Otherwise, they could find themselves floundering after an erosion of their core ecosystems. Spotting workplace disengagement early. Will you know workplace disengagement when you see it? Managers often overlook or misinterpret the indicators that employees are checking out, starting with sick days. Research from CareerBuilder indicates that more than one-third of workers have called out when they werent the slightest bit ill. Does the office look emptier on Mondays and Fridays? This might also be a sign you have unhappy employees on your hands. They likely wont share this feeling with you directly, but a brief companywide survey aimed at identifying internal changes might get to the heart of the matter and increase morale. Related: 13 Signs of a Disengaged Employee (Infographic) Another sign of disengaged workers is avoidance. If you receive consistent silent treatment from employees who once were excited and communicative, take it seriously. If someone on your team fits this description, privately ask the withdrawn employee how management can better support his career path. Suggest a concise plan that gives him something to look forward to. Of course, there can be other subtle and overt signals that disengagement is running rampant throughout a department or company: outright hostility, subpar deliverables, inability to celebrate wins. The key is reading between the lines and proactively addressing potential issues. Building a stronger company culture. Without an intervention on managements part, disengaged workers can lead to subpar customer service and therefore dissatisfied customers. Uninterested personnel can skew a companys priorities, forcing supervisors to spend time dealing with disgruntled team members rather than ratcheting up product quality, generating leads or performing other integral duties. Want a silver lining to this dark cloud? You can patch this wound with a few measures: 1. Create comprehensive career paths with all employees. To enhance morale, motivation and job satisfaction, be certain all employees have the perspective that comes from a well-defined, personalized two-year plan. Such plans should map out avenues to reach each workers career objectives, such as moving up in the company, receiving commissions and bonuses, achieving certifications or mastering new skills. Currently, only about half of companies provide career development to their employees, according to an APA survey; in other words, its a prime place to make positive changes. Related: Why Company Leaders Need to Help Employees Advance Their Careers At UE.co, we foster the development of two-year employee plans that provide avenues toward greater responsibility and higher pay grades. Every six months, managers go over these plans with their direct reports to ensure everyone is on track. Like the 80 percent of employees in an IBM study who reported increased engagement when their work and their employers cultures and visions aligned, our team members find having corporate-approved plans motivational and satisfying. 2. Hold measurable daily and weekly result meetings for every position. Every morning, each of our departments holds a scrum specific to its team style. These meetings aim to communicate the status of individual and group goals, as well as explore any roadblocks standing in the way of achievements. By verbalizing whats occurring, employees can build rapport with one another and share ideas. A byproduct of these daily meetings has been an increase in goals being met or exceeded. In essence, workers can be more efficient because theyre operating in tandem. Who needs finger-pointing when someones struggling? Research from the University of California, Santa Barbara shows that when employee performance is ranked in teams, organizations are less likely to have competitive cultures. Promoting a culture that celebrates collaboration among departments not only will provide an enjoyable workplace, but will also result in better decision-making. 3. Provide a setting for transparent conversations across verticals, departments and positions. Does having a completely transparent working life seem detrimental to conducting business? Cloud data management firm Rubrik shows otherwise. Bipul Sinha, one of the founders, operates under a policy of truthfulness above all else. Employees attend board meetings and participate as equals. All voices receive equal status at Rubrik. Sinha says such cultural integrity expands your thinking. Research from TinyPulse supports this, citing an advantage for companies that encourage the happiness of their employees through transparency. Weve adapted this model this ourselves, eliciting compliments and concerns regularly from the team. The response has not only triggered improvements, but employees at every level now know their beliefs and observations matter. Can you stop every worker from lapsing into disengagement? Regrettably, no. However, as an executive, you have the power -- and the obligation -- to put measures in place to drastically reduce the likelihood that your revenue goals will take a hit from a widespread workplace disconnect. Related: How to Prevent Disengaged Employees From Killing Your Bottom Line 3 Habits Leaders Should Develop to Manage Employees Well You Can Immediately Spot Great People in Your Company by Asking This One Question Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com It was a Friday like any other between Thanksgiving and New Years, almost. The reporters in the State Capitol had cooked their special dishes and brought them up to our fifth-floor museum/work space, festooned with decades of political and news-making memorabilia, exemplified by the famous photo of Elvis Presley obviously blasted on drugs, in his Count Dracula getup accepting an honorary Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs deputization from President Richard Nixon in 1970. It was the day of the annual Press Corps holiday party, when around noon, top state office holders and their aides arrived for the lunchtime buffet, an occasion for off-the-record chats, a few jokes and remembrances, and some general decompression after another crazy legislative year. But bad news hung in the air. It was Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 and phones in the press room began ringing incessantly with the news that something was horribly wrong at a place called Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. After a few minutes, the crockpots were untouched and those not working the phones, trying to find out what we could about the carnage, were watching TV, anxious for any type of hint that the carnage wasnt as bad as feared. Gov. Dan Malloy, in his finest hour, was already in his car, a plainclothes state cop at the wheel, racing on an unknowing vector to be, hours later, the one left in the firehouse who had to tell the families of the slain that their loved ones were not going home. A former student, using a Bushmaster XM-15 military-style rifle, blasted his way into the school, then shot and killed first graders Charlotte Bacon, Daniel Barden, Olivia Engel, Josephine Gay, Dylan Hockley, Madeleine Hsu, Catherine Hubbard, Chase Kowalski, Jesse Lewis, Ana Marquez-Greene, James Mattioli, Grace McDonnell, Emilie Parker, Jack Pinto, Noah Pozner, Caroline Previdi, Jessica Rekos, Avielle Richman, Benjamin Wheeler and Allison Wyatt. He also murdered Rachel DAvino, 29, Dawn Hochsprung, 47, Anne Marie Murphy, 52, Lauren Rousseau, 30, Mary Sherlach, 56, and 27-year-old Victoria Leigh Soto. The murderers mother, Nancy Lanza, who bought the Bushmaster thinking it would help her bond with her sick, raging, deranged son, was the first victim that morning, from a .22 rifle bullet in the head, in her bed. Remember how the massacre changed the national conversation on military-style weapons? Me neither. Remember how the debate on a simple, universal background check, supported by the vast majority of gun owners, finally shamed Congress into action? Yeah, right. But the vaunted U.S. House of Representatives a couple days ago decided to approve legislation that would allow a yahoo from out-of-state to openly carry their pistol in Connecticut. Theres some gun safety for you. Thank you National Rifle Association, and your servants in Congress. Since that sad day five years ago, about 150,000 people have been murdered with a firearm or committed suicide with one in our America, land of the free and home of the brave. InfoWar hoaxer Alex Jones, along with other disconnected, disruptive idiots, claimed it never happened. The guy who is president of the United States these days never responded to a request to renounce Jones claims. Fortunately, within a few months of the slaughter, the majority of Connecticut lawmakers, in a rare, prompt, bipartisan action, expanded the states 1991 ban on assault-style rifles. They prohibited the possession or sale of large ammunition magazines. They required gun permits for even the purchase of bullets. Section 15 of the Connecticut State Constitution: Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state. Five years after Sandy Hook, the Capitol Press Corps holiday party was more jovial on Friday, and yet at some point, the dozens of visitors and reporters remembered Sandy Hook, and the swift passage of five years. The state is healing, slightly. Crime is down sharply, the prison population is at historic lows. Violent criminals are serving longer sentences. Newtown wont be the same in our lifetime, however. Those 6-year-olds would be 11 now. The school itself was razed. Same with Nancy Lanzas house. The hoaxers still spew their lies and fake conspiracies. Last week Sandy Hook held its Christmas tree lighting party at the bottom of Church Hill Road at Washington Avenue, where thousands gathered, enjoying the lights and the closeness of a Connecticut town in the picturesque holiday season. Up the hill, in the Newtown United Methodist Church, the monthly spaghetti dinner meatball or sausage 50 cents extra was yielding to the monthly bluegrass jam led by Roger Sprung, the legendary banjo pioneer and teacher. Time seems to accelerate. Life, on its face, is normal, but the reverberations of Sandy Hook are still there for many. On Thursday, the fifth anniversary of the unthinkable, Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, will be in its third night at sundown. Lets take the opportunity to think of the dead in an elementary school, their survivors, and the pressing need for better gun safety. Ken Dixon can be reached in the Capitol at 860-549-4670 or at kdixon@ctpost.com. See twitter.com/KenDixonCT. His Facebook address is kendixonct.hearst. We have all seen the stories in the media telling us that a person is the gender they say they are. One has only to check out their own anatomy to determine which gender they really are! In the Bible, Genesis 1:27, it clearly says God created two genders! "So God created "man" in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them." The church has been largely silent when it comes to moral behavior. Because of that silence, same-sex marriage and male/female co-habitation without marriage has become common. The Bible says "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh," Clearly, marriage is to be between one man and one woman. Since 1963 over 60 million babies have been killed by abortion. We wonder why our world is in such disarray. Read the stories in the Old Testament about how Israel turned from God to worshiping idols. It was then they suffered. They were attacked, taken captive and their cities were destroyed. Only when Israel turned back to God did He come to their rescue and restore them as a nation. Our country must come back to worshiping God! I challenge all Christian believers to speak out against immorality. Only when we turn back to worship the one true God and speak out will we see any change for the better. Floyd Bacon Albany (Dec. 5) How clever of the Defence Ministry to tell Chancellor Philip Hammond to pay his overdue bills if he wants to carry on flying in RAF planes How clever of the Defence Ministry to tell Chancellor Philip Hammond to pay his overdue bills if he wants to carry on flying in RAF planes. The only problem with the plan is that Mr Hammond will simply whisk the cash out of your pocket and mine, and carry on as before, sinking into the leather seats of Her Majestys executive jets and avoiding the normal horrors of travel. I have never understood why politicians get these privileges. The excuse of security is in reality very thin. The risk to them isnt all that great. Most are so obscure that they could pass unrecognised in any high street. As far as I know, even Prime Ministers did not get government cars until the 1930s. In 1924, Ramsay MacDonald used to travel to Downing Street by Underground train from his modest North London home. Quite right, too. If you claim to represent and speak for the people, and they are forced to pay your salary, you have a duty to experience life as near as possible to the way others live it. So let them all travel by train and bus, paying their own fares unless its on official business. Close the parliamentary car park for ever. If MPs want to drive cars in congested London, that is fine by me, even though I think it mad, but let them do it just like everyone else, searching for parking spaces and paying for them. If they cant reopen all those lost village and suburban post offices, then they should also close Parliaments own post office. Why should they keep what they have withdrawn from the rest of us? Let their computer broadband speed be no higher than the slowest in the country. Close most of the Westminster bars. What other workplace has an open-all-hours bar on the premises? And why should politicians, of all people, have special protection, when the police largely ignore the rest of us? If they reintroduce proper police foot patrols, then they can have a police presence at Westminster. Not otherwise. They should also be forced, as we all are, to be treated like criminals, searched, photographed, compelled to remove coats and belts before they can get inside the many security cordons they have imposed on us. Every time. They should go through the same procedure at airports, too. And in that I most definitely include Cabinet Ministers, right up to the top. In a supposedly free and equal country, there is no excuse for our rulers having VIP treatment. On the contrary, there is every reason for them to get what we get, hot and strong. The worst country I ever lived in, the old USSR, was crammed with privileges for the political elite. They had their own hospital, their own shops, country houses and blocks of flats, special lanes on the streets so they could bypass the traffic in their special cars. They had their own holiday homes, their own waiting rooms at stations and airports, their own planes and reserved carriages. It was a wonderful life for them. But they became completely unaware of what was going on in the rest of the country, and by the time they realised it was headed for catastrophe, it was far too late. Christine Keelers night in my bed (I bet that woke you up) Christine Keeler once slept in my bed. There, Ive got your attention. The story, though perfectly true, is completely unimportant and dull. I was hundreds of miles away at the time (the bed was in Moscow, and she spent a chaste night there). But the very words Christine Keeler or Profumo still have the power to make people sit up and listen. This is such a pity. The Profumo affair, one of the few bits of recent history anyone knows, was among the biggest non-events of all time. Poor Miss Keeler, God rest her soul, was only interested in clothes and make-up and couldnt have told a nuclear secret from the formula for knicker elastic. But the very words Christine Keeler or Profumo still have the power to make people sit up and listen. This is such a pity I once also met Captain Eugene Ivanov, the Soviet spy to whom she was supposed to have whispered what she had learned from Profumo, the Minister for War. I beg leave to doubt this. The two barely had a common language. Supposed experts nowadays claim that Ivanov revealed later in life that he had done serious spying, photographing secret documents. Well, the Ivanov I met at this time (weirdly, in the middle of a park in the Soviet capital, with everyone involved looking over their shoulders) was a pathetic husk, his memory filled with fog, babbling vaguely about long-ago diplomatic parties. Believe what you want. I know what I think. There were far bigger scandals at the time that we ought to care about, including the shocking Marples affair. This was a grave disgrace. The Transport Minister who wrecked the railways, a policy now universally known to be a disaster, was the boss of a motorway building firm. Such a coincidence. Hardly anyone knows that Ernest Marples ended up skipping the country (on a train, ironically) to escape an enormous tax bill. And dont get me started on the scandal of the grammar schools, smashed up on an ignorant whim by expensively educated idiots. But Ive already lost your attention again. Important things are doomed to be boring. Former Tory Minister Crispin Blunt, his career stalled, has begun calling for the decriminalisation and regulation of marijuana. Immediately, the BBC had him on to talk about it. What are these people thinking? Tobacco is decriminalised, yet criminal gangs still smuggle cigarettes. And it is regulated and yet it still kills. Above all, being on open sale, it is far more widely used than any illegal drug. Drug liberalisers can get away with any old rubbish on the BBC. Why ever is that? The real scandal about Marxist Milburn The BBC and the Left-wing media made a huge fuss about the resignation of Alan Milburn as Social Mobility Tsar. But why do we have a Social Mobility Tsar anyway, and who is Alan Milburn? Social mobility in this case means stirring up prejudice against supposedly posh children whose parents have in many cases near-bankrupted themselves to pay school fees to ensure their offspring get a reasonable education. This results in quotas which mainly benefit children from rich Left-wing homes, where the parents have bought expensive houses in the catchment areas of the minority of good state schools. All egalitarian systems have this fiddle built into them. The BBC and the Left-wing media made a huge fuss about the resignation of Alan Milburn as Social Mobility Tsar. But why do we have a Social Mobility Tsar anyway, and who is Alan Milburn? Mr Milburn, who refuses to tell me where his own children went to school, is like me, Anthony Blair, Peter Mandelson, Stephen Byers, John Reid, Bob Ainsworth and Alistair Darling a former revolutionary Marxist. I am the odd one out in this group for three reasons. First, I was never a Labour Cabinet Minister. Second, I am always entirely open about my past. Third, I publicly regret and reject my former views. Whenever Mr Milburn pops up, I wonder two things. Why do people think New Labour was Right wing and why did a nominally Tory government give an important public post to such a man? If you want to comment on Peter Hitchens click here Enjoying a celebratory sip at Christmas is something nearly everyone looks forward to. But choosing a bottle of bubbles isn't always easy, given there are myriad varieties available, not to mention other affordable sparkling wine alternatives. 'Champagne is much more expensive than other types of sparking wine, and generally the reason is method of production,' Cellarmasters Cellar Director, Christine Ricketts, told FEMAIL. 'Although some of the great Champagne houses have undeniably high quality, the smaller producers equally need to make very good wine in order to compete with the bigger brands, so sometimes the quality can be better.' Cellarmasters cellar director Christine Ricketts (pictured) breaks down the differences between different styles of Champagne and sparkling wines Nothing says Christmas celebration like the sound of a popping cork on a chilled bottle of quality Champagne (stock image) Here, FEMAIL offers a breakdown of the different varieties of Champagne and sparkling wines, and with our expert's guidance, matches these according to your budget. WINE BUDGET: UNDER $15 If you have a limited wine budget for this year's celebrations, it's still entirely possible to pick up a great bottle of sparking wine that everyone will enjoy. Ms Ricketts recommends a Prosecco or a Cava for a perfect budget party match. 'Prosecco is the national sparkling wine of Italy and is made from the grape of the same name (also known as Glera),' the expert outlined. 'It's generally lighter and slightly fruitier than Champagne. 'A sharp rise in quality in recent years has seen Prosecco gain popularity in Australia, and the cool, high altitude of the King and Alpine Valleys in Victoria are perfect for growing the grapes required to produce vibrant, fresh and lively wines.' Limited budget? The wine expert recommends a Prosecco or a Cava for a perfect party match Wine to try: Wordsmith Bed of Roses Alpine Valley and King Valley Prosecco NV - $14.08. 'Cava is normally drier than Prosecco on a par with Champagne but is arguably less complex. Cava is the name of Spanish sparkling wines produced across the country from varied grapes and in varied styles.' Wine to try: Freixenet Vintage Cava 2014 - $12.49. WINE BUDGET: $20 - $35 Sparking wines, especially those produced in Australia, are fast becoming recognised as world class, said Ms Ricketts. 'The majority of sparking wine in Australia in the premium range is made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes from cooler climate regions. 'Tasmania is becoming the most recognised place for the best Aussie bubbles, mainly due to the fact it has a super cool climate that is so important for premium sparking wine (the Champagne region in France is actually one of the world's coldest wine regions). 'There are some fantastic sparkling wines from New Zealand on the market too, with lovely crisp acidity,' she said. Wine to try: Riversdale Estate Crux Sparkling - $28.99. Sparking wines, especially those produced in Australia, are fast becoming recognised as world class, said Ms Ricketts WINE BUDGET: $40 - $70 There are two important differences worth considering when choosing a Champagne: vintage or non-vintage (NV), the wine expert said. 'Vintage means the year the grapes were harvested. Non-vintage (NV) Champagnes are a blend of different years' harvest, and are required to be aged at least 12 months or less (which means on the bottle) and not sold for another three months after the lees have been removed.' Wine to try: Lanson Black Label Brut NV - $48.17 or Duperrrey Champagne Premier Cru Brut NV - $40. Non vintage (NV) champagnes are required to be aged at least 12 months or less (which means in the bottle) 'Champagne is much more expensive than other types of sparking wine, and generally the reason is method of production,' said Ms Ricketts WINE BUDGET: $75 AND UP A guide to Champagne types: Blanc de Blanc: White Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes Blanc de Noir: White Champagne made from red Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier Brut Nature: The very driest style of Champagne with less than three grams of residual sugar Brut: A dry Champagne with no perception of sweetness (less than 15 grams of sugar) Demi Sec: Contains between 33 and 50 grams of sugar Sec: Contains between between 17 and 35 grams of sugar Source: Cellarmasters Advertisement For a unique twist on a classic, pick a pretty pink Champagne to give your celebrations a modern feel. Rose wines have been fashionable among Australians for a while now, and this has spilled over into a surge of demand for pink Champagne, Ms Ricketts said. 'Rose Champagne has had red wine juice bled back into the base wine to add colour, flavour and structure. Often priced higher in the market due to lower production and difficulty of production.' Wine to try: Moet & Chandon Brut Rose NV - $76. WINE BUDGET: $120 - $1,000 If you have an unlimited wine budget, then you'll want to make a very classy statement with vintage Champagne. 'Vintage Champagne has to be 100 per cent made from grapes of a specific year, and then spend a minimum of three years on lees (aged in the bottle),' Ms Ricketts said. 'Not every year is a quality year,' she continued. 'So vintage Champagnes are not produced every year. 'This variety represents less than five per cent of total Champagne production, so expect to see it in the price!'. Wine to try: Krug Vintage Champagne Gift Box 2002 - $430. A mother has unexpectedly given birth to her baby daughter in her own bathroom - while her husband was asleep in the next room room. Jodie Taylor, from Queensland's Holloways Beach, said she was taking a shower at the time when her fifth child was born. And despite her husband being home at the time, he completely missed the arrival of his daughter because he was in another room, and couldn't hear her calling out because the door was closed and the air con on. Scroll down for video Jodie Taylor (pictured right) gave birth to her daughter Lucy Ina in the shower while her husband slept in another room 'I had her then walked into the room with the little baby, that's when he got up,' she told 7News. Mrs Taylor revealed Lucy Ina May's birth happened so suddenly, even she was taken by surprise by her sudden arrival. She said she had been tracking her contractions since 3am the morning of the birth, but it wasn't long before the 20 minutes gaps disappeared. 'It just went two contractions, one after the other, and then she was there,' she said. 'I was just keeping an eye on the time to see where we were at, but she decided to surprise me.' While Mrs Taylor called 000 during the event, the mum handled the birth on her own. Mrs Taylor called 000 as her contractions increased by knew by the time they got there she would have already had her child 'I thought, "no point in going to the hospital or ringing the ambulance", because by the time I would have got there, I would have had her anyway,' she said. Though the birth was without complications, Mrs Taylor said her fifth child had arrived four days earlier than expected. Both mother and daughter are recovering well, with no issues following the birth. A mother has come up with a new twist on the classic get-out-of-sex card: 'Not tonight dear, I have a headache'. Laura Mazza, who blogs under Mum on the Run, shared a hilarious open letter to her husband explaining why she would preferred not to be touched after their children are tucked into bed. The Melbourne blogger, who is much-loved for her frank discussions on motherhood, penned the tongue-in-cheek post on the reasons why she may not always be in the mood. Mummy blogger Laura Mazza (pictured) has penned an open letter to her husband explaining why she'd prefer not to be touched The mum-of-two (pictured with her son) is much-loved by mothers everywhere for her frank and to-the-point discussions on motherhood Ms Mazza opened the Facebook missive, 'Dear husband, This is why your wife doesn't want to be touched in bed tonight....' before outlining the many and various ways motherhood leaves her feeling less than desirable. The mother-of-two then went into some detail describing exactly how her young children leave her with little energy at the end of the day. 'Because today she spent about an hour arguing with the toddler how she gave him the EXACT cup he asked for, and she never promised nor do they even own a Santa cup,' she wrote. Ms Mazza has outlined to her husband (pictured) the many and various ways motherhood leaves her feeling less than desirable The mummy blogger (pictured with her son) has racked up over 1,300 likes with her hilarious, though brutally frank, post Though the blogger stated she still makes an effort with her appearance, she said even this had been thwarted by her children. 'Because she was vomited on after completing her weekly hair wash,' she wrote. Added to this there are toilet interruptions, namely of the toys in the bowl variety, her sleeves being used to wipe noses, and ruined paperwork. 'Because while she was thrilled to go and do a poo from her morning coffee, her children came in and tried to see what was in the toilet bowl and throw their toys down there,' she continued. And there's also the 'excessive touching', which Ms Mazza catalogued in hilarious fashion. Though Ms Mazza said tries to makes an effort with her appearance, this too is often thwarted by her kids 'Because she was touched excessively by young people who have seriously sticky fingers. Even her eyeballs were touched today,' she said. Despite family life taking it's toll, Ms Mazza said having to contend with demands outside the home also pushed her to her limits. 'Because she woke up early and she worked today, and caught a train with a guy who smeared his armpit juice in her face... and her boss rode her a**, and not in the way you were hoping you would tonight,' she said. Mothers everywhere have chimed in on the post, commenting on Ms Mazza's refreshing take Topping off the post, Ms Mazza wrote 'her brain is fried' and 'all this s*** causes headaches.' 'So her half shaved legs and chachki , are going to bed and they'll see you around 6/7am when she's had a rest and ready to roar again,' she said. 'That is, of course, unless the children wake overnight. Then you can assume tomorrow is a no too,' she concluded. So far the post has been liked over 1,300 times, and shared more than 100 times. Mothers everywhere have chimed in, commenting on Ms Mazza's refreshing take. An Australian man has accused his daughter's school of sexism after female pupils were treated to a makeover while their male counterparts were taken to a hardware store. Stephen Callaghan, 51, from Wongarbon, New South Wales, penned a brilliantly sarcastic letter to Dubbo West Public School, criticising them for dividing school activities 'sharply along gender lines'. He later shared a copy of the letter on Twitter where it quickly went viral, with almost 8,000 'likes' as fellow parents applauded him for speaking out. Stephen wrote: 'I must draw your attention to a serious incident. When Ruby left for school yesterday it was 2017 but when she returned home in the afternoon she was from 1968. Unimpressed: Stephen penned a brilliantly sarcastic letter to Dubbo West Public School, criticising them for dividing school activities 'sharply along gender lines' I know this to be the case as Ruby informed me that the girls in Year 6 would be attending the school library to get their hair and make-up done on Monday afternoon while the boys are going to Bunnings.' He added: Are you able to search the school buildings for a rip in the space-time continuum? Perhaps a faulty Flux Capacitor hidden away in the girls toilet block? I look forward to this being rectified and my daughter and other girls at the school being returned to this this millennium where school activities are not divided sharply along gender lines.' Stephen wrote: Ruby informed me that the girls in Year 6 would be attending the school library to get their hair and make-up done on Monday afternoon while the boys are going to Bunnings' His withering letter was met with approval from fellow parents after being shared widely on social media, with Stephen telling Metro.co.uk that his daughter was 'indignant' after being told that the trip to Bunnings was 'only for boys'. He said: I feel that in primary school girls shouldnt have choices made for them based solely on their gender.' And speaking to fellow Twitter users, Stephen added he believed the school's policy was 'no malicious' but 'good old everyday sexism'. Gender storm: Stephen later shared a copy of the letter on Twitter where it quickly went viral, with almost 8,000 'likes' as fellow parents applauded him for speaking out Ruby's school later sent out a response to the sexism row via social media, writing: 'A long tradition at Dubbo West Public School has been activities including preparing hair and light make-up with professionals on the day of the Year 6 graduation. Several years ago, the visit to Bunnings replaced the previous boys activity. The school is happy to accommodate any student who prefers the alternative activity. No parents or students have approached the school with concerns about the choice of activities. Her daughter is currently settling into royal life after swapping Toronto for Kensington Palace with fiance Prince Harry. But it was business as usual for Doria Ragland as she completed household chores near her Los Angeles home on Friday night. Meghan Markle's mother was spotted nipping out to pick up her dry cleaning, clad in a padded gilet and jogging bottoms. The social worker and yoga instructor, 61, kept cosy with a pair of Ugg slippers as she was seen leaving her local laundrette. Scroll down for video Incognito: Meghan's mother Doria Ragland completes household chores near her Los Angeles home on Friday night, as her daughter settles into Royal life in London Doria is said to be overjoyed at the news, announced last month, of daughter Meghan's engagement to Prince Harry. She had previously kept tight-lipped about the couple's blossoming relationship but said in a joint announcement with Thomas Markle: 'We are incredibly happy for Meghan and Harry. 'Our daughter has always been a kind and loving person. To see her union with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy for us as parents. 'We wish them a lifetime of happiness and are very excited for their future together.' Meghan, who is currently installed in Nottingham Cottage with Prince Harry, completed her first royal engagement in the Midlands. The actress has previously opened up about her parents, who divorced when she was almost six years old. Proud mother: Doria is said to be overjoyed at the engagement news, announced last month, of daughter Meghan's engagement to Prince Harry Royal couple: Doria had previously kept tight-lipped about the couple's blossoming relationship but said in a joint announcement with Thomas Markle: 'We are incredibly happy for Meghan and Harry' Close bond: The actress has previously opened up about her parents, who divorced when she was almost six years old (Meghan and Doria are pictured in March 2015) She told how her father Thomas, a lighting director, and her mother met in the late seventies while Ragland worked temporarily at the same studio as him. 'I like to think he was drawn to her sweet eyes and her Afro, plus their shared love of antiques,' she wrote in an Elle UK essay, in which she reflected on her life as a biracial woman. 'Whatever it was, they married and had me. They moved into a house in The Valley in LA, to a neighbourhood that was leafy and affordable. What it was not, however, was diverse. 'And there was my mom, caramel in complexion with her light-skinned baby in tow, being asked where my mother was since they assumed she was the nanny.' ELKO Voters will register their selections for elections on different machines next year after the Elko County Commissioners approved contracts for new voting machines and voter registration software Dec. 6, in accordance to state direction. This is mandated by the state, Commissioner Cliff Eklund said. The Legislature appropriated funds for all Nevada counties to purchase voting machines and related equipment through Assembly Bill 519. Elko Countys state reimbursement totals $183,905 plus a $32,697 equipment credit, leaving $253,767 to be paid with county net proceed and capital fund money. The commissioners approved contracts with VOTEC Corp. for software and services and Dominion Voting Systems Inc. for equipment. One hundred large tablet computers capable of receiving software updates will replace the countys 13-year-old electronic voting machines, and additional equipment will replace the handwritten sign-in logs. The equipment will not be connected to internet or any network, and votes are tabulated locally before being sent to the Secretary of State in a secure document. For backup and verification, related equipment prints receipt-like forms that the county keeps in its records. Technology is growing, said Elko County Elections Clerk Becky Plunkett. We just have to grow with it. Residents who do not want to use the electronic system can still opt to use the absentee ballot, as does Thomas Burney, who aired his concerns during the commissioners meeting. I resent the fact that the state can mandate, or the federal government can mandate, an electronic recording system that inarguably they cannot guarantee the security of, Burney said. I dont get this on a moral and ethical level. The tablets are expected to save space and time, and improve the voter experience. A touchscreen will allow a voter to tap their elections, and options such as large font size are designed to improve usability. I think it will be easier all around, Plunkett said. Kate Ball has coped with two shocks in the past few weeks. The first was winning the NatWest Everywoman Aphrodite Award otherwise known as the Daily Mails Mumpreneur Award for Mini First Aid, her brilliant business that teaches people of all ages across Britain to save lives. I didnt dare hope Id win, said 38-year-old Kate, who has four children under the age of eight, including one-year-old twins pictured right. The second shock was that she was pregnant again with twins! This makes entrepreneur Kate not only incredibly brave, but also very rare. According to the Royal College of Midwives, the odds on having two consecutive sets of twins is 700,000-to-one. Yes, its twins it wasnt planned and it was a big surprise, but of course were delighted, she says. This time, we feel a little bit more cautious because we dont know what other peoples reactions will be. I mean, six children! Kate Ball (pictured) , 38, recently won the NatWest Everywoman Aphrodite Award for her Mini First Aid business. She shared how she juggles family and business But weve always wanted a big family and were thrilled. What we really need now is a stylish four-seater push-chair. Or a minibus. But how on earth will she do it? If raising an average-sized family while running your own business takes a special kind of dedication and every one of our nominees for this years Mumpreneur Award (which goes to a woman who founded her business while raising a child or children aged 12 or under) has their own tale of single-minded commitment to both enterprise and offspring how much greater the challenge with six? Lets be clear: by the time the new twins are born next June, Kates family will consist of seven-year-old Alfie, five-year-old Grace, two toddling 18-month-olds, Emily and Olivia, and two newborns. The mind boggles. At the moment, we have a nanny who works three days a week, but were going to need someone full-time now, says Kate brightly. The team at the head office will step up, and so will my husband Matt. Weve done twin babies before and we know what to expect though of course the challenge is bigger this time around. I suppose Im most apprehensive about how Ill cope physically, but well play that one by ear. Despite being their own boss or possibly because of it few of the mumpreneur nominees the Mail has encountered over three years of being sponsors of the Aphrodite Award, have ever given themselves much, if any, maternity leave. Kate was no exception when she had her twin daughters this time last year, and anticipates little time off when the new babies are born. I had this cushion that the girls could lie on to feed, she laughs, and then my laptop would fit in the middle, so I could work even while feeding them. Kate Ball (pictured centre with twins Olivia and Emily, Alfie and Grace) admits in the past she's had moments where she began to neglect her own health Id be doing emails in the middle of the night. I was still feeding them when we ran our annual training conference for franchisees this year, so they just came along with me. But of course women shouldnt assume such extreme juggling is the norm, and Kate, who lives with her family in Leeds, admits she risked exhaustion, verging on burn-out. Hand on heart, I did neglect my own physical and mental health in those first few months, she says. It gets to the point that you realise you havent stood under the shower for more than 30 seconds in weeks. You keep thinking, Oh Ill sort myself out later, therell be time for me later but you keep putting it off and all the time the pressure just piles on. You realise you havent stood under the shower for more than 30 seconds in weeks By the time Emily and Olivia were six months old, Kate was able to take myself in hand, she says, but today she does look back and wonder how on earth she got through that time. I imagine it will be just the same this summer, she says. But well cope. Not that Kate has ever been the sort of woman to stay at home and wear an apron. I dont want to judge women who do that, but it wasnt me. Before founding Mini First Aid, she worked as a senior training manager for a big confectionery firm, and was often travelling. But when Alfie was born, the logistics became a constant headache. Its still women, she says, who bear the lions share of the organisational load when chidren arrive. Kate was inspired to begin her business Mini First Aid, after the death of her brother Matt I was often travelling from Leeds to London for meetings, and quite often on a Friday evening, all the men around the table would pack up their things and say breezily, right, lets reconvene at 9am on Monday. And Id be frantically thinking, OK, Ill have to get up at 4am to catch my flight, and how are we going to juggle Alfie, who was then under one ? Grace followed 18 months later and, like all working parents, she and Matt played tag when the children were poorly. The childminder would phone asking one of us to pick them up because they were ill with colds, and wed get into those horrible debates. Which one of us should leave work in the middle of the day? Whose job is more important? Something had to give and in the end it was Kates place on the corporate career ladder. But it wasnt a defeat. Determined to set up her own business, on her own terms, she settled on the idea of Mini First Aid in part because shed been on first-aid courses and knew she could transform the incredibly dull, box-ticking exercise Id experienced. But the idea came about for another, much more personal and tragic, reason. In 2014, Kates 23-year-old younger brother, also called Matt, died from a hidden condition called cardiomyopathy, which throughout his life had fatally weakened his heart. Kate (pictured left with her family) says her business teaches life-saving techniques None of us knew Matt had cardiomyopathy, though we were later told he had a very severe case and would have been a candidate for a heart transplant. Sometimes he got out of breath or looked grey, but he was a student and we just thought it was the lifestyle. When Matt collapsed with a heart attack, he was surrounded by friends but none of them had been taught how to perform CPR, the chest compression technique sometimes used to re-start a heart. We dont know whether Matt could have been saved or not, and of course its not his friends fault in any way. But it did make me feel passionately about trying to prevent that kind of disaster happening to another family. As small businesses so often are, Mini First Aid was born at the kitchen table. Its guiding idea is to teach baby and toddler life-saving techniques in a fun and accessible way to parents, grandparents, babysitters and even small children themselves. Obviously, a three-year-old cant do the Heimlich man- oeuvre, says Kate. But they can be taught to sit on their bottoms when they eat and to chew thoroughly and to bang someone on the back if they are choking. Adults, meanwhile, are taught precisely what to do if a child starts to choke, plus recognising symptoms of meningitis, what to do if a child breaks a bone, has a febrile seizure or suffers a burn, and how to perform CPR. Franchisees are trained themselves and then run their own classes in school halls or at peoples homes on request. Kate Ball (pictured) now has 43 franchisees within her Mini First Aid business and a turnover of 260,000 a year We often have people come to us as a result of being in an emergency and feeling helpless, says Kate. One mum, for example, ran to her neighbours for help when her little girl had a febrile seizure and became unconscious, but no one had any idea what to do. So later, when the little girl had fully recovered, the mum paid for her whole street to take one of our classes. Another new mum attended a Mini First Aid session in Stockport just two days before her five-week-old baby stopped breathing in his car seat. Realising what was wrong, she successfully performed the CPR technique she had just learned and saved her babys life. After a period of rapid expansion, Mini First Aid now has 43 franchisees operating across the country, and a turnover of 260,000 a year. Last year, Kates husband Matt gave up his work as an event organiser to join the business as a director. And with two more babies on the way, it turns out that may have been a very good and timely move. Before we had our latest pregnancy scan, Matt did say he was nervous it was twins again, says Kate. And then there they both were on the screen. Its taken us a while to get our heads around it, but you know what? Now I cant wait. Thea Green, 41, founder of nail bar and polish brand Nails Inc and new make-up line INC.redible, lives in London with husband Nick and their three children. Growing up, I was experimental with beauty. As a little girl, I pierced all my dolls ears with my mums good earrings and cut their hair. As a teenager, I wore turquoise eyeliner and almost-white lipstick. When my mother said I couldnt get my hair highlighted, I poured household bleach on my head, thinking it was the same stuff used in salons. My hair didnt change colour, but it felt like straw. Yet it was still a great result, as Mum took me to get proper highlights. Thea Green (pictured), 41, was inspired to launch her own manicure business whilst travelling to America for work I liked earning money, but given my love of fashion and beauty products, 5 pocket money wasnt enough. At seven, I made perfumes out of rose petals and bubble bath to sell outside my house. Later, I was one of the first among my friends to have a job I worked in an old peoples home on Saturdays and when I was a student at the London College of Fashion, I worked on the fashion desk at the Daily Mail, recreating what Diana was wearing from the High Street. I loved it! By 23 I was fashion editor at Tatler magazine, having started as an assistant. I often went to the U.S. for work, and noticed that lots of women had manicures. American nail bars can be grotty, but they are quick. In the UK there were just exclusive salons women went to on special occasions. One day I was on the Tube and realised that everyone was wearing nail polish but did it themselves. So that was my lightbulb moment. I decided to bring nail bars to the UK. We mixed the American manicures speed with the charm of a cosmetic brand. Were now the UKs largest nail bar chain, with more than 60 locations. My advice for budding entrepreneurs is to see what exists that you can do better. Much of success is having the courage to do it. nailsinc.com/incredible Yoga is my thing, Meghan Markle recently declared, as she described her health and beauty regime. And these stunning photographs of Prince Harrys new fiance shows she is a woman of her word. The royal bride-to-be has been practicing the discipline since she was a young girl, thanks to her mother, Doria Ragland, who is an instructor in their home town of LA. Miss Markle, 36, who will marry Harry at Windsor Castle in May, devotes a couple of hours to her passion a week, whether at home or in a studio. Grace: Meghan adopts a version of yoga's pigeon posture often described as mermaid pose That practice is in my blood, she told Canadas Womens Health Magazine in 2015, the year before she met the Queens grandson. There are so many benefits that come with the practice of yogaincreased flexibility and muscle strength, greater happiness, increased mental focus, a greater ability to relax, decreased anxiety and better sleep. While the younger royals William, Kate and Harry are all extremely keen on their sport, Kensington Palace is unlikely to have seen anything like the ultra-flexible Miss Markle before. Power: Meghan Markle (left) in an advanced version of wheel pose, a strong back bend said to 'open the heart'. Lithe: She practices the powerful back bend called bow pose (right), said to stretch the front of the body while strengthening to rear Fighting fit: Meghan moves into reversed warrior pose, named after a mythical Hindu hero The princes intended says she also loves running but has found it more of a strain as she gets older. Nowadays, she reveals, her perfect day would involve waking up late, taking her dogs for a walk before doing some yoga and then enjoying a sashimi lunch. Prince Harry take note! Ellen Lee, chairman of the Independent Yoga Network, an organisation for yoga teachers and training schools, who has practised the discipline for 41 years, praises Miss Markles strength and flexibility. Miss Markle, 36, who will marry Harry at Windsor Castle in May, devotes a couple of hours to her passion a week, whether at home or in a studio She said: Interestingly the poses in all four pictures are, technically, back bends. Because she is obviously a strong, flexible practitioner, people like Meghan generally favour back bending because it has such an effective stretching action on the front of the body. Back bending generally stimulates the nervous system. If your energy is low and you are feeling quite lethargic, particularly if you are sitting at a desk all day, any form of back bending physically and emotionally lifts your heart and your energy. The royal bride-to-be has been practicing the discipline since she was a young girl, thanks to her mother, Doria Ragland, who is an instructor in their home town of LA She added: The key words that strike me [about her] are strength and flexibility. They are the two things that yoga encourages, physically, and can take a long time to develop. Yoga is an eastern-based practice stretching back thousands of years and is based on promoting a flow of energy through the body. All of these poses ensure Meghans heart is being lifted. 'It is a lovely thing to see.' A mother-of-two who nearly died after she was struck down with influenza has been moved to tears when she was won $10,000 prize money. Australian nurse Adele Whelan was left fighting for her life after being placed in an induced coma for five weeks earlier this year. Appearing on the Today show on Monday morning, the mother was surprised by her two adult daughters who nominated her for the Knock of Cash Christmas giveaway. Scroll down for video Mother of two Adele Whelan who nearly died after she was struck down with influenza has been moved to tears when she was won $10,000 in the Today show's Knock of Cash The daughters praised their doting mother for juggling the family-of-three and working to make ends meet by caring for others as a nurse. 'She always puts us first, she's always done everything for us, and made sure we have everything, even though she's never had much,' her daughter said. 'We just love her and we don't know anyone who deserves this more. And she's going to be in shocked.' Today presenter Natalia Cooper joined the family to surprise Ms Whelan who has since taken time off work to recover at home. 'We have been told by your beautiful daughters what an incredible woman you are. We know you've been through some real hardships this year,' Cooper said. 'You were almost killed when you suffered influenza. How hard has it been for you this year?' Today presenter Natalia Cooper joined the family to surprise Adele who has since taken time off work to recover at home The mother responded: 'Tough, really tough... frightening, scary. Ellie kept a diary for when I was in ICU so that really brought it home to me for what it was like for them. So yeah, awful, really awful.' Struggling to hold her emotions, Ms Whelan said she was trying to get better so she could return to what she loves doing most - taking care of others. 'I'm trying to get back to work. I failed one fitness test, I've got another one in January so hopefully I'll be able to get back to work but I don't know,' she said. Lost for words, the emotional mother-of-two pulled her daughters in for a big hug Struggling to hold her emotions, Ms Whelan said she was trying to get better so she could return to what she loves doing most - taking care of others as a nurse Cooper praised the mother, saying: 'You are one incredible woman to still be here today. You have an incredible fighting spirit. 'You've been a nurse for so many years, helping others and you've been a selfless, single mother raising these beautiful girls. Your daughters love you so much. 'Adele, they have nominated you for our Christmas Knock of Cash and today, we would like to give you $10,000.' Lost for words, the emotional mother pulled her daughters in for a big hug before saying: 'I'm going to have a nice Christmas.' A new drug could spell the end of the scandal of dementia patients being prescribed dangerous chemical cosh medication to keep them sedated. Many people diagnosed with Alzheimers the most common form of dementia suffer from psychotic episodes and terrifying hallucinations that leave them permanently traumatised. Such symptoms result from the degradation of parts of the brain involved in memory and information processing. Many people diagnosed with Alzheimers the most common form of dementia suffer from psychotic episodes and terrifying hallucinations that leave them traumatised (stock image) Sometimes patients believe there is an intruder in the room, or that their possessions have been stolen. As a result, they are often prescribed anti-psychotic drugs tranquillisers that control their agitated behaviour. However, research has found that in many cases, patients are sedated simply in order to stop them from wandering off a practice dubbed the chemical cosh. A new drug, pimavanserin, is being trialled in nursing homes and has been successful in reducing hallucinations and delusions among Alzheimers sufferers. The treatment has also been hailed by experts as an effective alternative to current anti-psychotics, which can speed up a patients deterioration and result in fatal side effects. It is estimated that 1,660 strokes and 1,800 unnecessary deaths occur in the UK every year as a result of anti-psychotic drugs prescribed to vulnerable patients. Pimavanserin works by blocking a nerve receptor called 5HT2A, which is part of the serotonin system. Known as the feel-good chemical, serotonin also has an important role in transmitting psychotic ideas. By blocking this receptor, pimavanserin stops the psychotic impulses spreading. Other psychotic drugs work by blocking nerve receptors to limit the spread of psychosis, but they can also sedate people, which is why they are widely condemned for use in dementia patients. Pimavanserin targets the 5HT2A receptor only, without causing the side effects associated with other anti-psychotics. A new drug, pimavanserin, is being trialled in nursing homes and has been successful in reducing hallucinations and delusions among Alzheimers sufferers (stock image) The new research, involving 181 UK patients, was presented at the tenth Clinical Trials in Alzheimers Disease conference in Boston and shows the drug is especially effective among those experiencing severe psychotic symptoms. Pimavanserin has already been found to improve psychosis caused by Parkinsons in several major studies, without raising the risk of stroke. The drug is now approved in the US for people with dementia related to Parkinsons, and the charity Parkinsons UK is calling for it to be submitted for European approval too. A third round of trials into the drugs use in Alzheimers patients begins next month. If successful, it could be licensed in as little as three years. Psychosis is a particularly terrifying symptom of Alzheimers, both for those experiencing it and for their carers, says Clive Ballard, professor of age-related diseases at Exeter University. Anti-psychotics on the market damage peoples health and have very little benefit. These results indicate that pimavanserin could provide a real alternative for a particularly vulnerable group of people. It is particularly encouraging that the most benefit was seen in those with the most severe psychotic symptoms. Dr James Pickett, head of research at the Alzheimers Society, also welcomed the news, adding: A new treatment is on the horizon. Jo and Sarah answer real questions from readers: to put your query, go to beautybible.com Q I would like to wear eye shadow and liner but even the smudge-/water-proof ones end up down my cheeks. Primer seemed the answer but the ones I tried ended up causing a blurry smear on my contact lenses. So now Im looking for an oil-free eyelid base, which is preferably colour-correcting. For more information follow Beauty Bible online here or on Facebook and Twitter A This is the bane of many lens-wearing women. But you need to go back a few steps from make-up, according to experts, and start with how you apply your lenses (daily disposable are best). So wash your hands thoroughly before putting in your lenses and avoid using any product that is oily, or contains fragrance or dyes, and (obviously) don't use hand lotion. And do put your lenses in before applying make up. For your eye base, make-up artist Armand Beasley (armandinternationalltd.com) recommends Urban Decay Primer Potion, 13.60, which absorbs excess oil and has a slight tint. Don't use rich moisturisers near your eyes, he counsels, as this may contribute to the problem. Try a lightweight serum to work on any fine lines, such as Skn-rg Eye Elixir, 65 for 30 ml. Using your ring finger, pat gently round the orbital bone only not near your eye itself. In terms of order of application, Armand advises applying skincare then the eyelid base before doing your foundation, blusher, brows etc so it has time to settle before you apply shadow. Apply cream eye shadow (preferably water-based), using a pressing technique with a flat shadow brush on to the lid to create the look you want. NB experts strongly advise against apply eyeliner inside the rim as this is likely to end up on your lenses. You mention that the problem is worse when you are exercising. Maybe ditch the eye make-up when youre training or just pop on the base and a smidgeon of mascara if it really matters. If youre out partying and dancing, hopefully the tips above will keep your make up in place. Beauty Bible loves Scentered Mindful Aromatherapy Minis, 26. Still looking for a present for a lovely, lovely friend? Or just looking for some peace and quiet, amidst the craziness? These tick both those boxes. Beauty Bibles raved about Scentereds mood-shifting products in the past: little non-greasy sticks of aromatherapeutic magic that you apply palms, rub them together, and just b-r-e-a-t-h-e. You can also glide the stick-balms (which are based on shea and moringa butters) over your pulse-points. Still looking for a present for a lovely, lovely friend? Or just looking for some peace and quiet, amidst the craziness? These tick both those boxes Theyre nicely-designed (unike some), and the balm-style formulation which moisturises at the same time seems to make the essential oil-based fragrance cling to skin better, too. Now, dinky versions are available in this little tin, with five mini-balms one each of their their bestselling blends: Sleep-well, Focus, Be-Happy, De-Stress and Escape. A toolkit which should have every upcoming mood S.O.S. covered. On 6 December 1992, the Babri masjid was destroyed. It was a contrived conspiracy. Raths led by LK Advani and MM Joshi took several months to converge on the masjid in Ayodhya. The Supreme Court's orders of protection were violated shamelessly. The rise of the BJP is intimately linked with the Ayodhya movement. In times of crises, Ayodhya surfaces as a rallying cry. The only way to bring neutral secular peace is to rebuild this unusual three-tombed structure of a masjid where it stood as it was before. Legal stand The temple movement is founded on historical fantasy and political opportunism. On the BJP's side, lawyer Harish Salve said, 'This is only a title suit.' And was destroying the Babri masjid a part of a title suit? If so, restore the property to Muslims and confront the truth that there is no evidence that Lord Ram was born on the exact spot where the masjid stands. Of course, his celestial presence is eternal. Thus, the whole case rests on an untruth. We have a cut-off date from when peace should exist. On September 18, 1991, the Places of Worship Special Provisions Act (Act no. 42 of 1991) decreed, 'It is hereby declared that the religious character of public worship existing on August 1, 1947 shall continue to be the same as it existed on that day (section 4).' And there was a bar on religious conversion of worship places throughout India (section 3). Curiously, the sections came into play on July 11, 1991. That was enough to make what happened on December 6, 1992 a travesty. But there was a further catch in section 5 of the Act that the August 15, 1947 status quo would not apply to the resolution of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid judicial disputes. The only way to bring neutral secular peace is to rebuild this unusual three-tombed structure of a masjid where it stood as it was before,' writes Rajeev Dhavan The Parliament lost its nerve. Even in the configuration of words: Ram Janmabhoomi came first. There are so many forms of Hinduism that the 'legal attempt' to define them is laughable. The Constitution took the strangely assimilative course that for social welfare, the term 'Hindu' shall be construed to include Sikh, Jain or Buddhist religion. This is echoed in the Hindu Marriage and other Acts. We know this is legal fiction attributable to assimilative Hinduism. The Sikhs were appeased by giving them the constitutionally guaranteed right of 'wearing and carrying kirpans'. Muslims are a weak minority (as the Sachar Committee affirms). When the Golden Temple was attacked for whatever reason, it remained and will always remain a cause celebre. In the Swaminarayan case (1966), the Supreme Court forced Swaminarayans to be declared Hindus when they fervently believed they were not. The court could have imposed untouchability on their temple, but Justice Gajendragadkar wanted to give an expansionist view to Hinduism. The judgment was ridiculed as deciding that a man who believes in S Radhakrishnan, Max Mueller, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and recognising some component of Hinduism is a Hindu. Other faiths excluded Actually the history of 'Hinduism' (if there be such a faith) is fractious, full of controversy, riddled with violence and indescribable intolerance. Not all Hindus necessarily believe in Lord Ram. No Hindu can pinpoint with any empirical truth the birthplace of Lord Ram. In a sinister way, by broadening the term 'Hindu' to include Sikhs, Buddhist, Jains and others; Christians, Muslims and other faiths were put into a separate group on the premise their faith did not come from India even though they have existed as believers in India for centuries and contributed to India's culture. By clever interpretation, India consists of two groups: Hindus and non-Hindus to be deferentially treated. I was very surprised to read Justice Verma in the Babri Masjid judgment: 'A mosque is not an essential part of the religion of Islam and namaz (prayer) by Muslims can be offered anywhere even in the open.' Thus, for the Supreme Court, all mosques are not essential to the Islamic faith and irrelevant to Islam. On this basis, Hindu worship was allowed to continue at the site. Why the hurry I have not been able to understand the Supreme Court's hurry to hear the appeal in this case starting February 8, 2018 and that too by October 2, 2018 when Justice Dipak Misra retires. There are 40 holidays in between amidst other court work which would add a month or two to conclude the hearings entailing around half a million documents. CJI Misra has already set an example of how not to hear constitution bench matters. I do not agree with Kapil Sibal that the case be heard after the next general election in October 2019. That breathes even more politics into the case. But Sibal is right to this extent: the building of Ram Janmabhoomi is a political event that divides India and destroys its secular fabric. We are the third largest Muslim country in the world. Its mosques were aggressively destroyed in secular India after 1947. Muslims, Christians and others are second-class citizens in this country. To the world, India is a Hindu country which treats minorities unequally. One of the main reasons for this was the destruction of the Babri masjid. Muslims, Christians and others have been Indians for generations. The embers of partition continue. There is one way out. Rebuild the Babri masjid first. Given the ills of Hindu majoritarianism, I decline to have faith in it. As the Yogi Adityanath government aims to shore up Uttar Pradesh's law-and-order situation, the state police are clamping down on self-radicalised youth influenced by ideologies of groups such as Islamic State, HuJi and SIMI in several districts. Illegal immigrants who are out to strike fear among the residents with their recent involvement in a spate of heinous crimes are also on state police radar along with hardcore criminals still at large, UP's top police officer told MAIL TODAY in an exclusive interview in Lucknow. 'We are keeping a close tab on self-radicalised youth and their activities. We have arrested about 18-20 people in recent months and some are under close watch. Anand Kumar, Uttar Pradesh's top police officer, links ISIS recruitment with the city's rising crime statistics: 'We're trying to assess the growth of such radicalised groups and their influence on youth and others in the state' All these youth and their groups are influenced by the ideologies of terror outfits like Islamic State, Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), SIMI and HuJi of Bangladesh. Of late, Kerala- based PFI was on our radar and their monitoring has increased with their involvement in 'anti-national propaganda' on December 6. 'We're trying to assess the growth of such radicalised groups and their influence on youth and others in the state,' said Anand Kumar, UP's additional director general of police (law and order). While Kumar did not divulge details about the extent to which such terror groups' influence the locals and the possible threats they have posed as per intelligence inputs, but sources within the state police headquarters told MAIL TODAY: 'There are specific alerts and in recent times, nearly 14-15 terror modules have been busted.' Requesting anonymity, some also gave vital leads to why UP Police are on their toes against terror groups operating from the state. 'Starting from Azamgarh as the nerve centre for such terror ideologies threatening to influence minority-community youth to various pockets of western UP Shamli, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Aligarh and Moradabad UP Police have zeroed-in on Bijnore for strong SIMI links with locals,' a source at UP Police Headquarters said to Mail Today. The most significant catch recently has been Nayeem, an LeT operative and a science student, who was found living in a Hindu household in Varanasi on rent. His interrogation revealed his close recee of Israeli cafes and Ganga ghats in Varanasi, where a lot of foreigners come. 'His mobile phone had pictures of Israeli cafes and his prime targets were Americans and Israelis,' said a senior police officer. Kumar told MAIL TODAY that apart from these ideologies threatening to influence local Muslim youth, a big challenge is 'tracking and dealing with illegal immigrants'. 'There are thousands of them and some of them are not only in heinous crimes like dacoity and murders, but involvement of Bangladeshis have also been established in western UP in fanning communal propaganda, including anti-national sentiments. 'We found a lot of incriminating documents, including anti-India pamphlets, bomb-making techniques and false Aadhaar cards in possession of some Bangladeshis arrested in alleged crime activities,' Kumar said. The UP top cop hints that illegal immigrants are going to pose a major threat and state police are up against a major challenge. Uttar Pradesh police are attempting to stop terror groups from recruiting disaffected youth in the state, which is struggling under the weight of a lack of law-and-order 'Be it Bangladeshis or Rohingyas, the problem is threefold. They have either got documents through fake identities; staying without any valid documents or have managed 'genuine' documents through fraud and deceitful means. Thousands of such Bangladeshis are staying in UP illegally and their crime influence is affecting cities like Lucknow to Noida to Sultanpur to Muzaffarnagar. Also, there are at least 250 Rohingyas in Aligarh and we are not sure about their resident status,' Kumarcontinued. Police are gearing up to meet the terror- linked challenges as it launched the crackdown on hardcore criminals. 'Nearly 3,100 criminals, which include both rewarded and wanted, have been arrested by the state police in major offensive launched against hardened criminals since March 20. 'Properties worth thousands of crores have been seized in recent police action and we're collecting information about the remaining 800- odd criminals still at large from law,' Kumar signed off. A fund set up by one of Britains most famous private equity barons to revive struggling businesses has lost 140 million in the five years since its launch. Jon Moulton, known for his Midas touch with jewellery chain Goldsmiths and other successful deals, has seen his investments in household names such as Everest double glazing and fashion chain Jaeger fail to pay off. He launched Better Capital 2012 five years ago, but the fund admitted Everest had not done well this year and said energetic improvement efforts are in train to revive flagging sales. Jon Moulton, pictured, has seen his investments in household names such as Everest double glazing and fashion chain Jaeger fail to pay off As part of those efforts, Moulton is understood to be poised to appoint a new chairman at Everest. He said running stores such as Jaeger, which he sold at a loss, had become a tough game due to the soaring cost of imports and low wage growth putting a lid on consumer spending. Moulton was involved in dozens of private equity deals in his previous role as a director at Alchemy Partners. His successes included selling Goldsmiths for 110 million. The 50 million profit was split between Alchemy and the jewellery chains directors. Ironically he is best known for a deal he failed to do when Alchemy tried to buy Rover from BMW in 2000. He ultimately lost out to a rival offer from the Phoenix Consortium, which saw the car maker go into administration in 2005. His fortune was once estimated at 225 million. But the tide turned over Christmas 2014, when it emerged that parcel delivery firm City Link was on the brink of collapse. Better Capital had bought the loss-making business from Rentokil for 1 the previous year. Moultons fund invested 40 million to revive the firm, but it went into administration on Christmas Eve and thousands of drivers were told on December 25 they had lost their jobs, in what was later branded the curse of Christmas. Better Capital said Everest, which has a turnover of 110 million according to Companies House, is still profitable. But it has written down the value of the firm from 38 million to 20 million in the past six months as profits have fallen. Better Capital buys firms in trouble and tries to fix them. It uses legally and financially protected cells so the assets of better performing firms cannot be contaminated by the failure of others. Better Capital said the 2012 fund aimed to turn firms around quickly, holding them for an average of four years. It expects to largely wind the fund down by 2021. The 2012 fund initially raised 355 million but has fallen in value by 40 per cent, according to Better Capital. That would mean a loss of about 140 million though Moulton insisted disposals complicate the calculations. Its sister fund, Better Capital 2009, set up eight years ago, has seen a return of 61 per cent since it was created. The revelations come as a new investment fund backed by Moulton called Greensphere Capital tries to raise $500 million (375 million). It hopes to complete the fundraising by December 18. Moulton said the new fund would focus on sustainable investments, which include solar and wind power, and vowed it would be nowhere near retail after his chastening experiences with Jaeger and Everest. Labour is planning to radicalise some of its policies even further, despite deep concern in the City over its 2017 manifesto. The party was promising widespread nationalisation and Government intervention in the run-up to the General Election last June. Last week, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell fronted a Labour Business dinner at the Reform Club in Pall Mall, Central London. Donor Farah Sassoon, pictured with Speakers wife Sally Bercow, was at the Labour Business dinner at the Reform Club in Pall Mall, Central London Speaking alongside fellow Labour frontbenchers, he said the party was already preparing for the next General Election and would be developing its previous manifesto including in some areas radicalising it but he did not elaborate. The event clashed with a dinner hosted by TheCityUK and attracted few big hitters from the world of business. The guest list was largely made up of academics, along with donors including Farah Sassoon, the mother of Made In Chelsea star Sophia. The Home Office is poised to award G4S a lucrative contract to run an immigration detention centre even though the security firms management of the scandal-hit facility is the subject of serious allegations of drug use, violence and bullying. Sources said the company is in pole position to be awarded the 150 million contract for Brook House, near Gatwick, once again, after it came up for renewal earlier this year. Details of the process have emerged just three months after a string of allegations in a BBC Panorama documentary on the centre, which is next to Gatwick Airport. A fishing boat overcrowded by Syrian refugees approaches at a beach on the Greek island of Lesbos, pictured, after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea G4S was subsequently hauled in front of the Home Affairs Select Committee, prompting the companys UK president, Peter Neden, to say he was ashamed of what he had seen in the programme. He told the committee ten staff had immediately been suspended. Since then, six have been dismissed and the centres director, Ben Saunders, has resigned. Home Affairs committee chair Yvette Cooper said at the hearing there was abuse, mistreatment and bullying; a restraint expert using and encouraging very racist abuse; threats and reports of violence and aggression towards detainees, shown in the documentary. She also said there was, one member of staff saying, Hit him with the edge anywhere between the knee and the throat, another saying, If he dies, he dies, and another saying, Im going to put you to f***ing sleep . She added there had been a failure to properly handle serious mental health problems, to document restraint and to intervene to stop drugs circulating. During the hearing, company bosses insisted the issue was with individuals, not the firm. But Cooper told The Mail on Sunday last night: 'The company has failed to give any satisfactory answers about how it allowed this to happen or why we should have any confidence in them to prevent it happening again. 'An investigation is still under way and the Select Committee is still considering the damning evidence we have heard. The company running Brook House Immigration Removal Centre, pictured, next to Gatwick Airport in West Sussex has been criticised for abusing detainees 'Under these circumstances it would be a dereliction of duty for the Home Office to award G4S a new contract to provide similar services again. The contract is expected to be awarded early next year. Other bidders have included Serco, Mitie and Geo. The Home Office declined to comment. Peter Frankental, Amnesty International UKs business and human rights programme director, said: If G4Ss bid is successful, the Government is signalling that ill-treatment of detainees is not a barrier to companies gaining approval to run detention centres. G4S said it had appointed consultancy Verita to conduct an independent review to understand the extent and root causes of the treatment of detainees at Brook House. Neden said the review would examine issues including violence prevention, the use of force, the proper reporting of incidents, the use of technology such as body-worn cameras and CCTV [and] the availability of drugs. It will also cover the attitudes and behaviour of staff towards detainees and the reasons why staff did not use the whistleblowing procedures to report their colleagues behaviour. Glamorous bankers, stockbrokers, IT consultants and an Uber driver are just some of the professions of a group of accused cocaine dealers across Sydney. As part of Strike Force Northop, which was established in September to target the ongoing supply of the drugs, police have charged around 40 people with offences. Many have been revealed to be white collar workers who allegedly dealt the narcotics during lunch breaks and after work, The Daily Telegraph reports. Bankers, stockbrokers, IT consultants and an Uber driver are just some of the professions of a group of accused cocaine dealers across Sydney (Pictured is accused 'big four' bank worker Danielle Gabris, 26) Ex-Sydney Roosters player Ben Darcy, 28, (pictured) was arrested late last month during Strike Force Northop, with police alleging they located cocaine and more than $30,000 at a home in Paddington One case allegedly involved the supply of cocaine by 'big four' bank workers Danielle Gabris, 26, and Hayra Pasic, 25. The pair are alleged to have dropped drugs off at an agreed location after customers contacted a dial-a-dealer number. Computer workers Ashkan Rafiq, 41, and Alli Amtar, 28, are accused of inviting clients to their office building, with police uncovering up to 10g of cocaine there during a search. Ex-Sydney Roosters player Ben Darcy, 28, was also arrested late last month during the operation, with police alleging they located cocaine and more than $30,000 at a home in Paddington, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. Court documents also claim 21-year-old Coles worker Eric Febrian (pictured) has dealt cocaine as a way of making 'some extra money' While Mohammed Halwani (pictured) arrested and accused of being part of a syndicate that supplied the drug Also among the alleged offenders is Asfia Akhtar, 25, an Uber driver accused of dropping drugs off while on shift. Court documents also claimed 21-year-old Coles worker Eric Febrian has dealt cocaine as a way of making 'some extra money'. Last month saw the arrests of Ali Yousseff, 30, and Tiarne Foster, 26, who were charged with drug supply and possession, with Mohammed Halwani, 24, from a separate syndicate also arrested. Search warrants executed across the city as part of the operation resulted in officers seizing cocaine, MDMA, steroids, more than $12,000 in cash and firearms. Chief Detective Inspector Stuart Bell said the backgrounds of those involved had been 'diverse' involving those from 'corporate all the way down to the unemployed'. Last month saw the dramatic arrest of 30-year-old Ali Yousseff (pictured) who was charged with drug supply and possession A former Ku Klux Klan member who burned a cross on a black couple's lawn 40 years ago, before becoming a Roman Catholic priest, has finally written his victims an apology. The Reverend William Aitcheson told Phillip and Barbara Butler he was 'blinded by hate and ignorance' when he targeted them in 1977 at their home in College Park, Maryland. The Washington Post reports that in a letter dated September 8, Aitcheson wrote he rejected those beliefs before he joined the priesthood, but was too ashamed to face the Butlers. Scroll down for video Barbara and Phillip Butler were victimized in 1977 by William Aitcheson, a Ku Klux Klan member who burned a cross on their lawn Aitcheson later went on to become a Roman Catholic priest. He has, 40 years later, penned an apology for the Butlers. They have not accepted '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.' The Butlers said they are not sure what Aitcheson could do to earn their forgiveness. 'This is going to take some time,' Barbara Butler said after a news conference Friday. '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 also discussed Aitcheson's motivation for writing the letter. They said that he only did so because a parishioner had uncovered facts of his sordid past. Aitcheson was sentenced in 1977 to 90 days in jail due to his involvement with the KKK, which itself apparently deemed him 'too radical and violent'. As a leader of the 'Klan Beret,' he allegedly plotted to blow up an NAACP branch and a power plant. Then-president Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan visited the Butlers at their Maryland home after they won a class-action lawsuit against Aitcheson in 1982 The Butlers and the Reagans are pictured together. '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,' Barbara Butler said of Aitcheson's apology In a class-action lawsuit filed against him in 1982, he was ordered to pay the Butlers $23,000 and $1,500 to both the Beth Torah Congregation and B'nai B'rith Foundation of College Park. President Ronald Reagan visited with the Butlers after they won the lawsuit. 'Its been a long hard battle out here. We know by your coming that everything has changed,' Barbara Butler said at the time, per the Washington Post. The Butlers and their attorney also spoke about the recent payment to the Butlers of $23,000 from an overdue judgment in the 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. He was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1988 in Nevada at the age of 33. A spokesman for the Reno diocese said that the church 'understood at least part of his background' when they hired him and that he had 'no record of their thought process'. 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 Ku Klux Klan. He has expressed sorrow that he had not come to the family sooner. 'You deserved an apology, but I did not demonstrate the strength needed to face you,' he wrote in a letter to the Butlers. Aitcheson was a priest at St. Leo the Great church in Fairfax City for four years before recently stepping down. 'As this matter involving the Butler family and Father Aitcheson has only been resolved recently, plans for his future priestly ministry are still being discerned,' the diocese said in a statement Friday. TV weatherman Paul Higgins has revealed the torment he and his family suffered in the years since conman Edwin Lewis murdered his parents in 1995. Lewis, a New Zealander, is currently serving 26 years for the murders of Paul Higgins Snr and his wife Carmel in their Melbourne home. The then-32-year-old conman was dating 25-year-old Amanda Higgins at the time, sister to the younger Paul, and the family believed him to be a 'charming' man. 'Lewis was as nice as you could possibly get. He was so pleasant and really charming,' Mr Higgins told the Sunday Herald. TV weatherman Paul Higgins (pictured) has opened up about conman Edwin Lewis, who murdered Mr Higgins' parents in 1995 'When you find out about his conman background you sort of feel we got sucked in by him really well.' Lewis had met Amanda while working as a personal trainer for her mother Carmel in 1994. Having only dated for six months, the conman had charmed his way into the wealthy Higgins family. Lewis had hatched a plan to steal Mr and Mrs Higgins' brand new $180,000 Porsche and sell the car to start a new life in Queensland, the publication reports. On the day of the murders, the conman visited the senior Higgins couple for their 25th wedding anniversary. He had taken flowers and a diving knife to their home, but left at the same time Mrs Higgins went out for lunch. 'Lewis was as nice as you could possibly get. He was so pleasant and really charming,' Mr Higgins told the Sunday Herald Lewis returned not long after and convinced Mr Higgins Snr to let him in before an argument broke out between the two men. Lewis later told police during that argument, the older Higgins man told him he 'wasn't good enough' for his daughter and wanted him to leave. The conman then stabbed Mr Higgins in the back, before stabbing him several more times as he lay on the ground. When Mrs Higgins returned home, Lewis also stabbed her to death before burying the bodies next to the swimming pool. Lewis made off with the Higgins' money, a credit card and the $180,000 Porsche. He was arrested in the Gold Coast six days later and was convicted at his fifth trial. Lewis will be deported back to New Zealand if he is paroled after 21 years behind bars. A man, 22, has been killed following a violent brawl during a night out in Adelaide that took a nasty turn in the early hours of the morning. Police and ambulance crews rushed to a popular party spot on the corner of Hindley and Morphett St just after 5.30am on Sunday amidst reports of a fight breaking out between two groups of revellers. Paramedics attempted to treat the victim, but he was unable to be saved and died at the scene, leaving onlookers shocked and devastated. A man has died following an alleged assault after a night out in Hindley Street in Adelaide, SA Paramedics rushed to treat the man but he could not be saved and passed away at the scene Investigators are looking into the tragic incident as the surrounding area remained closed off 'It's pretty upsetting knowing that someone's life has been taken away,' 18-year-old witness Joe Sinden told the Adelaide Advertiser. 'They would have just gone out and planned on having a good night like us boys did last night and they've just had their life taken away.' Another passerby saw the entire aftermath of the fight, and detailed the upset tears and confusion that descended on the party strip following the chaos. 'We just saw cop cars at the end of the street, just lights ... And then people were saying on Hindley that apparently someone got hit,' recalled Adam Riley, 18. 'Everyone looks pretty upset there's a few people crying on Hindley. We come here every weekend and when s*** like that happens it's kind of scary.' 'Everyone looks pretty upset there's a few people crying on Hindley,' a witness told media Hindley St is closed between Rosina St and Morphett Rd as police established a crime scene Partygoers have been left feeling unsafe in the usually popular area, with Aberfoyle Park teen Joel Martin calling the incident 'heartbreaking'. 'You want to go out and have a good night with your friends and you hear that somebodys been hit because of no reason you dont feel safe at all.' Hindley St is closed between Rosina St and Morphett Rd as police establish a crime scene and begin to investigate the tragic incident. David Davis denied the PM has signed up to 'soft Brexit' today amid a growing backlash over the divorce deal. The Brexit Secretary insisted the package dramatically signed off in Brussels on Friday merely amounted to a 'statement of intent' about keeping a a soft Irish border and did not mean we would accept the EU's rules wholesale. He called for a loose 'Canada plus plus plus' trade deal that crucially would cover financial services - while allowing Britain the freedom to strike pacts with other countries around the world. However, Labour counterpart Keir Starmer gloated that the UK's path towards a tighter Norway-style relationship was already set after Mrs May committed to 'full alignment' with the bloc in key trade areas. And Dublin fired a warning shot about any backpedaling by stating that it was determined to 'hold the UK to account' over the pledges in the divorce settlement. The bitter clashes came amid growing tensions over the arrangements sealed by Mrs May and the EU's Jean-Claude Juncker. Aides to Mrs May are said to have assured senior Brexiteers like Boris Johnson and Michael Gove that promises about alignment of regulations even if there is no final are 'meaningless'. The competing factions in the government are set to meet head-on when the Brexit 'war Cabinet' discusses what 'end state' it wants for the first time next week. There are signs that Mr Johnson and Mr Gove could have won over a crucial ally with Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson ready to join calls for a looser relationship with the EU. His support could tip the balance in the group against arch-Remainers like Philip Hammond and Amber Rudd. On the BBC's Andrew Marr show today, Brexit Secretary David Davis insisted the package dramatically signed off in Brussels did not mean we would accept the EU's rules wholesale Mr Davis said the UK could have the same regulatory 'outcomes' as the EU without slavishly following its rules But shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer gloated that the UK's path was set after Mrs May committed to 'full alignment' with the bloc in key trade areas in order to protect the soft border in Ireland Theresa May (pictured heading for church in her Maidenhead constituency with husband Philip today) is under pressure over the deal she struck with the EU Appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr show today, Mr Davis said that claim was based on a 'misunderstanding' of the text. He said the UK could have the same regulatory 'outcomes' as the EU without slavishly following its rules. 'We want to protect the peace process and we also want to protect Ireland from the impact of Brexit for them,' he said. 'This was a statement of intent more than anything else. Much more a statement of intent than it was a legally enforceable thing.' He also said Britain wanted a 'Canada plus plus plus' trade deal that would cover financial services as well as trade in goods - and repeated that no divorce bill money would be handed to Brussels unless there is a final trade agreement. However, he stressed that the odds on a 'no deal' Brexit where the UK reverts to World Trade Organisation (WTO) tariffs had now fallen. Mr Davis said: 'The odds, as it were, against a WTO, or no deal outcome, have dropped dramatically.' But Sir Keir gave a starkly different interpretation when asked if the UK now had to stay 'very, very close' to the single market and the customs union. 'Yes, and I think that's the right thing and I think we should hold her to that because that goes to the heart of the question what sort of Britain do we want to be?' he said. 'Do we see Europe as our major trading partner in the future or do we want to rip ourselves apart from that?' The provision was supposedly explained to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (left) and Environment Secretary Michael Gove (right) as 'not binding' Asked if Britain would have to carry on paying some money in, he said: 'Norway pays money in, they do it actually on a voluntary basis... there may have to be payments, that's to be negotiated.' On freedom of movement, he said: 'Well that would have to be negotiated but the end of free movement doesn't mean no movement, of course we would want people to come from the EU to work here, we would want people who are here to go and work in the EU, the basis of that would have to be negotiated.' Asked if this would mean easy movement if not free, he replied: 'Yes, of course.' What has been agreed after talks? 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 Senior Tory MP Peter Bone said he had been assured that the UK was not bound into EU rules. 'If that were actually true I'd be very worried,' he told Sky News. 'Having talked to a lot of the people involved in this they absolutely say that is not the situation.' The provision was supposedly explained to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Environment Secretary Michael Gove as 'not binding'. There are fears the suggestion the UK has not made any firm commitment could scare off the Irish government. Irish PM Leo Varadkar said on Friday that the agreement was 'politically bulletproof and cast iron'. It could taint discussions at the European Council later this week, when EU leaders are due to confirm that trade talks with the UK can begin. Joe McHugh, the Irish Government chief whip, warned today that the EU would be 'holding the United Kingdom to account'. He told RTE Radio's This Week: 'We will as a government, a sovereign government in Ireland, be holding the United Kingdom to account, as will the European Union. 'My question to anybody within the British Government would be, why would there be an agreement, a set of principled agreements, in order to get to phase two, if they weren't going to be held up? That just sounds bizarre to me.' Mr McHugh said the agreement is binding as far as Ireland is concerned. He also said the Irish Government would not 'back away' from the Brexit principles if it comes under pressure from the rest of the EU during trade talks with the UK. Downing Street said it did not 'recognise' the way discussions around the divorce deal were being portrayed. In the build-up to Friday's agreement, there was a provision that - in the event of no deal being reached in 2019 - there would be 'full alignment' between the UK and EU. It was essential to winning Irish support, but sparked fury in the DUP - whose 10 MPs are propping Mrs May up in power. They humiliatingly torpedoed the PM's first attempt to seal the deal on Monday, even though she was already in Brussels ready to make a statement with Mr Juncker. After days of frantic work, a new clause was included spelling out that any alignment would apply to the UK as a whole rather than just Northern Ireland. In a separate development, it has emerged that the EU is under pressure to treat Britain like any other prospective trade partner and not favour the country with a bespoke deal. Philip Hammond said last week that he believed the divorce bill should be paid by the UK even if there is no trade deal. When asked at a Commons Treasury Committee meeting last week whether the payout was contingent on a trade deal, the Chancellor said: 'Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed in this negotiation. 'But I find it inconceivable that we as a nation would be walking away from an obligation that we recognised as an obligation. 'That is not a credible scenario. That is not the kind of country we are. Frankly, it would not make us a credible partner for future international agreements.' But Mr Davis said today: 'No. It is conditional on an outcome. I am afraid that wasn't quite right. 'It is conditional. It is conditional on getting an implementation period. Conditional on a trade outcome. 'No deal means that we won't be paying the money.' According to an EU source who spoke to The Guardian, a number of non-EU countries have approached the trading bloc 'expressing concerns and making it clear that it would constitute a major problem for them if suddenly the UK were to get better terms than they get'. The source added that it 'won't work' if Britain is given the same trade arrangement as it has now after the March 2019 Brexit deadline. The EU 'cannot upset relations with other third countries', the source said, adding: 'If we were to give the UK a very lopsided deal, then the other partners with whom we have been engaging and who entered into balanced agreements would come back and question those agreements.' DIVORCE DEAL DOES NOT MEAN 'ANYTHING IN LAW', SAYS MILLER Gina Miller was on the BBC's Andrew Marr show today Arch-Remainer Gina Miller has said she agrees with ministers that the Brexit divorce deal is not legally binding. The campaigner, who took the government to court to force a Commons vote on triggering Article 50, said she did not believe the commitment on 'aligning' key trade rules with the EU fixes the outcome of talks. 'This doesn't mean anything in law,' she told the BBC's Andrew Marr show. But she said the text did raise questions about how ministers could settle the tensions between diverging from EU regulations and keeping the soft border with Ireland. 'This is when we really find out what is going to be agreed and what is not,' she said. Advertisement The developments come after leading Brexiteer Mr Gove 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 after Mrs 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 35billion 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 Brexit 'war Cabinet' is finally set to discuss what the UK's '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 Mr Johnson argue their Brexit version of withdrawal against the softer stance taken by Chancellor Philip Hammond and Home Secretary Amber Rudd. But there are signs the Brexiteers might be gaining ground in the push for a cleaner exit, with the Sunday Times reporting that Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson is joining forces with Mr Johnson and Mr Gove. The PM and Jean-Claude Juncker were smiling as they shook hands for the cameras following the agreement being reached on Friday Britain could end up paying EU 100BILLION after PM's deal, warns ex-Brexit minister Britain could end up paying the EU 100billion after the PM's divorce deal, a former Brexit minister warned today. David Jones said the settlement dramatically agreed by Theresa May last week could mean handing over 'monstrous' sums. He said the final figure could be more than double the 39billion that has been estimated by Government. Mr Jones is one of the few Tory Brexiteers to publicly criticise the deal Mrs May reached with the European Commission in order to trigger trade talks. Former Brexit minister David Jones criticised Mrs May's commitments on the divorce bill and aligning the UK with key EU rules in order to guarantee a soft Irish border Writing in the Mail on Sunday, the ex-minister said: ''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.' Mrs May's commitment last week to align with key EU rules in order to guarantee a soft Irish border was also heavily criticised by Mr Jones. The parents of a young man violently arrested in front of his girlfriend's house say the officers involved should be charged. Jacob Wiles was punched, tackled to the ground, and put in a headlock by two officers in the southwest Sydney suburb of Aird last week. The 21-year-old was charged with resisting arrest and assaulting police over the incident and denied bail in Parramatta Magistrates Court on Saturday. Scroll down for video Jacob Wiles was punched, tackled to the ground, and put in a headlock by two officers in the southwest Sydney suburb of Aird last week Police alleged he became aggressive and threw a punch at one of the officers, which led to his dramatic arrest Police spotted him in a Holden Commodore which then 'sped off' before they pulled it over on the corner of Riverside Drive and Boonoke Place. Wiles was allegedly in breach of his bail conditions, but his pregnant girlfriend Jayde Bugatto said he and a friend were there to drive her to a doctor's appointment. The young man was ordered out of the passenger seat and police alleged he became aggressive and threw a punch at one of the officers. He then allegedly resisted arrest and kicked out at one of the officers as they grappled with him and wrestled him to the ground. Wiles has previously taunted police on Facebook, including posting a photo of himself reclining against a police car Wiles was pinned to the ground by one of the officers with his head pushed into the footpath before he was handcuffed Wiles was pinned to the ground by one of the officers with his head pushed into the footpath before he was handcuffed. Other officers argued with Wiles' family and friends during the course of the arrest and police were heard swearing at him while he was on the ground. A female voice could be heard shouting: 'You didn't have to throw him like that.' The dramatic arrest was caught on camera by witnesses and posted online on Friday, but didn't show the lead-up to the arrest. Wiles' mother Cheree Frank said her son had ongoing issues with certain police officers in the area and the level of force wasn't justified. 'I want all these coppers charged, the lot,' she told Seven News outside court on Saturday. His father Peter Wiles admitted his son was 'not a good kid' but didn't deserve to be so roughly treated in the arrest Wiles' mother Cheree Frank said her son had ongoing issues with certain police officers in the area and the level of force wasn't justified The 21-year-old was charged with resisting arrest and assaulting police over the incident and denied bail in Parramatta Magistrates Court on Saturday His father Peter Wiles admitted his son was 'not a good kid' but didn't deserve to be so roughly treated in the arrest. 'He gets picked on no matter where he goes, they tell him they're going to kick his a**e, kick his teeth in,' he said. 'The officer even says on the footage 'I'm going to kick your f**king face in', it's ridiculous. 'He's not a good kid, but he works hard six days a week and pays his taxes. He needs to pay for what he's done, but in this case he's done nothing.' A family photo showing Wiles with his parents and three brothers in happier times His girlfriend Jayde Bugatto (R), who is six weeks pregnant, said the officers could have killed or seriously injured Wiles (L) in the violent arrest Mr Wiles claimed his son was earlier roughly arrested in similar fashion on his parents' doorstop at 3am, and their complaints were 'laughed at' by senior police. 'They've actually smashed his kneecap once before. We've got a bone fragment at home from where his knee was smashed in,' he said. 'Get him (the police officer) and my son in my front yard with no badge on and see how it goes.' Wiles has previously taunted police on Facebook, including posting a photo of himself reclining against a police car. Mr Wiles claimed his son was earlier roughly arrested in similar fashion on his parents' doorstop at 3am, and their complaints were 'laughed at' by senior police Police refused to say what charge Wiles was originally on bail for when he was arrested Ms Bugatto, who is six weeks pregnant, said the officers could have killed or seriously injured Wiles in the violent arrest. 'That's dangerous, one hit could kill someone,' she said. Police refused to say what charge Wiles was originally on bail for when he was arrested. Stonehenge was built to cast phallic-shaped shadows during Midsummer and was part of a fertility cult, a new study claims. Professor Terance Meade said Stonehege's ancient builders create a 'play without words' in which one stone in particular cast a growing phallic-shaped shadow. The shadow would penetrate the egg-shaped monument before hitting a central 'female' stone symbolising fertility. Professor Meaden examined nearly 20 stone circle across Britain - including one at Avebury - and filmed their changing silhouettes at sunrise on ritually important days throughout the year. Professor Terance Meade of said the Stonehege's ancient builders create a 'play without words' in which one stone in particular cast a growing phallic-shaped shadow He said the shape of the monuments at Stonehenge allow the same 'play without words' to reoccur at significant dates in the Neolithic farming calendar. 'My basic discovery is that many stone circles were built at a time of a fertility religion, and that stones were positioned such that at sunrise on auspicious dates of the year phallic shadows would be cast from a male-symbolic stone to a waiting female-symbolic stone,' Prof Meaden told The Daily Telegraph. The archaeologist added that on certain days of clear sunrise, the shadow of the 'externally sited' phallic Heel Stone penetrates the great monument during the summer solstice before finally arriving at the recumbent Altar Stone which is symbolically female. The shadow would penetrate the egg-shaped monument before hitting a central 'female' stone symbolising fertility Prof Meaden also found that a similar display also occurs at Drombeg Stone Circle, in County Cork. The academic spent 120 days photographing the site at sunrise over five years and found the 'fertility play' happens on eight dates throughout the years, beginning on the winter solstice. The eight days, Prod Meaden believes, are representative of important milestones in the farming calendar, including the solstices - the longest and shortest days of the year - as well as the spring and autumn equinoxes. The professor also identified other important dates pick out by the stones as Imbolc, which is the ancient date for the beginning of Spring on February 1, Beltane (May Day), Lughnasadh, the beginning of the wheat harvest in August, and Sanhain on October 31, when cattle were slaughtered. Further sundries carried out at six other circles in County Cork and more than 10 in north east Scotland found they also aligned with the calendar. Markings found on the Drombeg stones also show a phallus and an open vulva. 'I have rediscovered the principle of the Neolithic calendar on which many stone circles are based,' he added. Professor Meaden examined nearly 20 stone circle across Britain - including monuments at Avebury (pictured) - and filmed their changing silhouettes at sunrise on ritually important days throughout the year Professor Timothy Darvill OBE said that it was difficult to prove the theory but added that many clay penises had been found at Neolithic sites, which suggest a fertility link. Prof Darvill, who is Professor of Archaeology and Director of the Centre for Archaeology and Anthropology at Bournemouth University, said that sophisticated monuments built by Neolithic people likely represented their understanding of the cosmos and life on Earth. But Professor Mike Paker-Pearson from University College London is less convinced of the theroy. 'Why would phalli have lintels on top? It's just bonkers!'. Barney Harris, an archaeological doctoral student at UCL, said that while the Heels tone marks the position of the rising sun during midsummer when looking from inside Stonehenge, it casts a shadow back into the monument at the same time. He added that the shadow could simply be a by-product of the builders' original intentions to mark the spot of the rising sun. The convicted former leader of an Islamist terror group has won a legal battle to sue British security services over his attempted deportation to Libya. Ismael Kamoka, 51, was jailed in the UK in 2007 after he admitted funding the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) and providing false passports. The LIFG has been linked to Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi's father as well as the father of Manchester man Mohammed Abdallah, who last week was convicted of joining Islamic State. The British Government considered the group, which was set up to depose reviled dictator Colonel Gaddafi, a 'risk to the national security of the United Kingdom'. Ismael Kamoka, 51, a convicted former leader of an Islamist terror group, has won his legal battle to sue British security services over his attempted deportation to Libya Kamoka, who now works at the Libyan embassy in London, has won a victory at the High Court after a judge ruled he and four other Libyans can sue MI5 and MI6 for their unlawful detention and the unlawful use of counter-terrorism control orders while the Home Office tried to secure their deportation, reports the Sunday Telegraph. The Libyans argue secret documents discovered after Gaddafi was thrown from power show their detention and national security assessments were based on evidence gained from torture. They could be set for payouts worth hundreds of thousands of pounds in damages and legal costs and the UK government has already paid out 2million to a member of the LIFG. They had accused MI6 of assisting his rendition to power during Gaddafi's reign. The LIFG has been linked to Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi's father as well as the father of Manchester man Mohammed Abdallah, who last week was convicted of joining Islamic State The Sunday Telegraph report eight former members of the LIFG have joined the legal action and are seeking compensation. Kamoka works in a freelance capacity at the Libyan embassy in Kensington, west London, at the cultural affairs department. In June he strongly denied being linked to the Manchester bombing in any way. In a strongly worded statement published in Libyan Media, he condemned the attack, labeling it an 'unorthodox understanding of what Islam is, let alone the bad impact that it had caused to Muslims and especially Libyans living in Britain.' In 2008 a judge recommended Kamoka be deported but following his release from prison he was allowed to stay in the UK. In the latest court hearing, Lord Justice Flaux rejected the Goverment's attempts to block the men's claim. Queensland fisherman have been warned that they may catch more than they bargained for when casting their lines this summer as Australia is hit with a bumper shark season. Loganea mother Renee Gardner, who regularly tags sharks for the Department of Primary Industries, revealed that ever-growing numbers bull sharks are populating Gold Coast waterways in ever growing numbers. 'To catch something that big and that round that size, that girth was just absolutely amazing,' Ms Gardner told 9NEWS on Sunday, after hooking a 2.8 metre specimen in the Logan River. Loganea mother Renee Gardner tags sharks for the Department of Primary Industries in QLD Ms Gardner caught a 2.8m bull shark in the Logan River in Queensland before setting it free 'Tagging' is the practice of attaching a plastic ID to the dorsal fin as a 'visual record' that the shark has been internally tagged by the Department of Primary industries. Details about the creature are recorded such as species, sex, length and a genetic sample is taken before the shark is returned to the water. The Queensland population is booming, with Mad Fins Fishing host Brendan Elmslie said having a 454kg shark on the end of your rod is 'insane' - as shark fishing on the coast becomes an ever more popular pastime for anglers. Numbers are on the rise primarily because there are restrictions in place regarding the sharks that can be caught - anything over 1.5m can't be taken from the water under state law. Mad Fins Fishing host Brendan Elmslie said he had caught a bull shark that weighted 454kg Ms Gardner said that while sharks will be curious about humans, they most likely won't attack This angler caught and released 'monster' bull shark in Gold Coast waters that was 3.1m long In addition, the warm water and seasonal migration of the species in contributing to the soaring numbers of sharks making Queensland their home. But beach-goers needn't worry - Mr Elmslie's advice to swimmers is just to relax because 'they're gonna come in and check you out but if you're not a threat, there's good chance they'll just leave you alone.' Ms Gardner agreed that while sharks will be curious about humans in the water, they probably won't attack because 'theyd rather be chasing a mullet than chasing a person.' Langley, pictured outside Manchester Magistrates' Court before he was sentenced for molesting two women, has been cleared of grooming a 15-year-old Sacked Coronation Street actor Bruno Langley has been cleared of allegations that he tried to groom a 15-year-old girl for sex. Langley was accused of the crime just days after he was handed a 12-month community order for sexually molesting two women at a nightclub in Manchester when he was drunk. A girl told police the 34-year-old had approached her in a gym in 2015, later saying to her 'You're absolutely beautiful. Are you single?' The youngster claimed that Langley, who played gay Todd Grimshaw in the ITV soap, had 'creeped her out'. But this week, Greater Manchester Police said: 'Detectives carried out enquiries, including speaking to the girl. 'No crimes were committed.' A source close to the actor told The Mirror yesterday: 'He is relieved the matter is over.' The soap star was sacked by Coronation Street after bosses hear about his nightclub groping in October. Langley was accused of the crime just days after he was handed a 12-month community order for sexually molesting two women at a nightclub in Manchester when he was drunk Langley was accompanied by his mother and sisters family as he left Manchester Magistrates Court last month Langley pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault at Manchester Magistrates' Court last month after admitting grabbing the crotch of his victims. But he also grabbed the crotch of a third woman and touched the 'boobs and bum' of a fourth woman, but was not charged over those assaults, the court heard. Langley, the father of a 10-year-old boy, had personal issues with alcohol, which explained his 'despicable' behaviour that night, his solicitor told the court. Passing sentence District Judge Mark Hadfield told him: 'On that evening your conduct was quite disgraceful and degrading. The youngster claimed that Langley, who played gay Todd Grimshaw (left) in the ITV soap, had 'creeped her out' 'Both of the victims would have been extremely shocked and upset as a result of your conduct. 'The fact that you were heavily intoxicated is not mitigation, it is a further aggravating feature. 'The consequences are serious for all concerned, the two victims but also for you. 'You have lost your good name and I know nothing of showbusiness but I imagine in the current climate I suspect it may be very difficult for you to gain employment in that industry in the future.' Langley was sentenced to a 12 month community order, including a 40 days rehabilitation activity, a 12 week, 7am to 7pm curfew order, ordered to pay 250 to each of his two victims and must sign the Sex Offenders' Register for the next five years. The driver of a car that killed a man and seriously injured his partner as they were walking their dog has been charged with dangerous driving. The pair were on Monbulk-Seville Road in Seville, east of Melbourne, when a green Commodore struck them about 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 His partner, 68, suffered critical arm, leg and abdominal injuries and was airlifted to Royal Melbourne Hospital. The 27-year-old male driver was arrested at the scene and charged with dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing serious injury. The car reportedly flipped several times before ending up on its roof, and police said it was seen 'driving erratically' for at least 500 metres before the crash. 'I feel for the families in this circumstances, a family that will be missing a loved one this Christmas,' Detective Sergeant Darren Williams told 9 News. 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 Fat-cat university bosses are not worth their massive salaries, according to research by respected economists. Claims that the eye-watering pay and perks of vice-chancellors are linked to their success in improving their institutions do not stand up to scrutiny, the analysis found. The findings follow fresh criticism of university chiefs over their pay, which can reach 450,000 a year, when staff are being sacked and students are racking up debts of up to 50,000 to meet tuition fees. Bath Spa University came under fire last week for paying former vice-chancellor Christina Slade a package worth 808,000 in her final year The 20-page study by Sussex Universitys Professor Barry Reilly and Brighton Business Schools Dr Ray Bachan found that the remuneration of vice-chancellors rose by a staggering 54 per cent between 1997 and 2015 nearly four times that of an average lecturer. The research examined whether these pay rises could be attributed to the ability of the vice- chancellors to boost student numbers, particularly from deprived backgrounds, bring in research grants and hit other key targets. But the study, to be published in the Handbook Of Contemporary Education Economics later this month, found that only a small part of the pay rises could be explained by these factors. The report says: There have been sizeable annual increases in real VC pay that are not readily explainable by performance or other indicators. The research found, however, that the remuneration committees that decide salaries, and whose members often include vice-chancellors, appeared to be influenced by the pay levels of other highly rewarded staff and by what similar-sized institutions were paying their bosses. The findings follow a warning by Universities Minister Jo Johnson that universities face fines if they cannot explain how the salaries they pay are justified. The institutions have also been accused of mis-selling low-quality degree courses to students, with the head of the National Audit Office Sir Amyas Morse saying that if universities were banks they would be under investigation. Mr Johnson will tomorrow launch an initiative to persuade universities to offer more two- year degrees, which are more intense than traditional three-year versions but could save students up to 25,000 as they are able to begin earning earlier. Universities Minister Jo Johnson that universities face fines if they cannot explain how the salaries they pay are justified He said: The benefits of accelerated degrees could not be clearer, including the time, cost and speed of starting or returning to work. The pay analysis will spark fresh criticism of universities following revelations they have been awarding massive payouts to departing vice-chancellors. Bath Spa University came under fire last week for paying former vice-chancellor Christina Slade a package worth 808,000 in her final year, including a 429,000 golden handshake in compensation for loss of office. Sussex University was also lambasted for awarding former vice-chancellor Michael Farthing a 230,000 payoff in his final month in office. Sir Anthony Seldon, who took a pay cut after he became vice-chancellor of Buckingham University, said: Vice-chancellors have done a great job but we are out of step with the country and our students. The responsibility lies with the university chairs and others who have ultimate responsibility for letting the pay go up, damaging the reputation of higher education. The umbrella body Universities UK said the Committee Of University Chairs, which represents senior academics who oversee the governance of universities, was drawing up new guidance to ensure top pay awards were more transparent. It added, however, that vice-chancellors were leaders of large international organisations that operated in a global market for talent. A young Hollywood actor unearthed text messages from a top talent agent who he claims requested sex from him in exchange for cash and a step up the career ladder. Sean Rose, known for his roles in films 'CSI: New York' and 'Veronica Mars' alleges that Creative Artists Agency's Cade Hudson pursued him and made the belittling and degrading offers during what he initially thought would be a 'professional' visit to his home back in April 2013. According to a report released by the Los Angeles Times, that's when Hudson, who was employed under marketing firm Full Picture LLC but not as a talent agent at the time, allegedly made the inappropriate passes. A representative for Hudson told DailyMail.com Hudson does not recall the alleged incident and denies any sexual contact ever took place between him and Rose. According to the the Times, Rose allegedly brought one of his pal's along to Hudson's home at the time, where he expressed his disapproval of Rose's sidekick. CSI: New York actor Sean Rose (left) unearthed text messages allegedly sent from CAA agent Cade Hudson (right) which detailed offers of cash and access to Hollywood stars and directors in exchange for sex Hudson is currently employed at Creative Artists Agency based in Los Angeles, California At the time of the April 2013 incident, Hudson worked for marketing agency Full Picture LLC During the visit, Hudson 'accidentally' spilled a beverage on Rose's sweatpants and allegedly placed his hand on the actor's inner thigh to 'help' him out. The heterosexual Rose told the newspaper the incident made him uncomfortable, but he was too timid to tell Hudson, who he looked up to as a role model. Still, Rose pushed his hand away and left the room to change into some dry pants afterward. That's when Rose says he received a series of texts from Hudson, who began offering money if his friend left. Rose is pictured in a scene from 'CSI:NY,' an American crime series which first aired in 2004 Rose is pictured in 'Veronica Mars,' an American drama series which also aired in 2004 'I pay u 500 to have ur friend bounce,' the text said. The actor brushed the offer off and replied saying, 'LOL I g2g soon [too].' The conversation then allegedly turned the one-way sexual. '1k stay,' he allegedly texted. 'I know ur straight Getting [oral sex] isn't gay. U. Know. That ... All u gotta do is sick [sit] back relax...' He claims he went even further, promising the emerging entertainer he would meet actresses like Amanda Seyfried or Lindsay Lohan - both of whom he is friends with - if Rose allowed oral sex that night. Hudson (right), who is pals with celebs like Britney Spears, offered the emerging young actor the chance to meet celebs Hudson also allegedly said: 'I'll have u meet with any director this week that I can' if Rose allowed him to give oral sex Hudson allegedly added: 'Ill have u meet with any director this week that I can.' Rose replied: 'Dude friends ... I'm not that desperate to make it.' Hudson's representative told DailyMail.com: 'The alleged incident Mr. Rose described is not an example of workplace sexual harassment or abuse of power by Hollywood elite, as the media is trying to suggest. 'Mr. Rose and Mr. Hudson were 23 year olds, who met by chance at a local tailor shop - completely removed from a professional setting. At the time, Mr. Hudson was answering telephones as an assistant at a PR agency. He was certainly not in a position of authority and had limited access, if any, to persons of influence. 'Mr. Hudson did not even become a talent agent until years after he met Mr. Rose. Now, more than four years later, Mr. Rose raises these allegations for the first time and brought them to the media shortly after Mr. Hudson declined an invitation to meet with him. ' The LA Times reports the two had only crossed paths twice before their phone number exchange and Hudson's alleged passes. First, in an unknown parking lot in Los Angeles, where Hudson introduced himself as a publicist, according to the newspaper. The second, at a Bel-Air hotel. It seems the agent is also good pals with Amanda Seyfriend and Lindsay Lohan - who he said Rose could meet under his conditions The 'Veronica Mars' star (shown) repeatedly ignored his passes, and told him, 'I'm not that desperate to make it' During later conversation, the 'Criminality' star told him he 'wasn't comfortable with what happened years ago.' Hudson revealed he was 'drunk' back in 2013 and is now a sober man. Rose said he worked up the courage to come forward about the unwanted sexual advances after 2017's #MeToo movement. Furthermore, Hudson's attorney commented on the claims on his client's behalf. 'After being my friend on social media for seven years, and liking my posts, Sean is now accusing me of soliciting a sex act from him,' Hudson said. 'My recollection is that he laughed it off and remained my friend on social media.' This year, TMZ dubbed Hudson to be 'Hollywood's most popular agent,' who built relationships with several A-list celebrities though his work as a commercials agent. A South Carolina man convicted of killing seven people says he has more victims who have not been found. In an eight-page letter to the Herald-Journal of Spartanburg, Todd Kohlhepp wrote that he tried to tell investigators and informed the FBI but said 'it was blown off.' 'At this point, I really don't see reason to give numbers or locations,' he wrote. Don Wood, chief division counsel with the FBI's Columbia office, said the agency has a pending investigation, but wouldn't comment specifically on what the FBI is doing. The 46-year-old pleaded guilty in May to seven counts of murder for killings that took place over more than a decade, all as he ran a real estate business. He was sentenced to life in prison. The killer's crimes came to light when authorities searching for missing woman Kala Brown, 30, tracked her cell phone to one of Kohlhepp's properties in November 2016. In an eight-page letter to the Herald-Journal of Spartanburg, Todd Kohlhepp wrote that he tried to tell investigators and informed the FBI but said 'it was blown off.' The 46-year-old pleaded guilty in May to seven counts of murder for killings that took place over more than a decade, all as he ran a real estate business The killer's crimes came to light when authorities searching for missing woman Kala Brown, 30, tracked her cell phone to one of Kohlhepp's properties in November 2016 Brown told police that she watched Kohlhepp shoot and bury her boyfriend Charlie Carver, 32, and said he raped her twice a day, every day, while holding her captive for two months Cops heard Brown's screams and banging inside a heavily padlocked metal shipping container, and found her sitting inside with a chain around her neck connected to the wall. She told police that she watched Kohlhepp shoot and bury her boyfriend Charlie Carver, 32, and said he raped her twice a day, every day, while holding her captive for two months. And in September Kohlhepp preposterously claims that Brown 'wasnt raped' and that he was actually trying to help her. 'She was in [the] shipping container because I didnt want to hurt her, refused to turn her over to someone else who would and was buying time while I figured out a way to resolve this non-violently,' he claimed in the twisted jailhouse letter to New York Post reporter Melkorka Licea. Kohlhepp bizarrely claimed that, far from being his victim, Brown was 'as big a criminal as I am'. 'All of my victims were criminals,' he went on. 'No one wants to really look at who they were, families, connections.' 'Not that it makes it right, I was wrong to do what I did,' he then wrote, in his only hint of remorse for the vile crimes. In addition to killing Carver, Kohlhepp has admitted to six other slayings: a quadruple homicide at a motorcycle dealership in 2003, and the murder of Joe Coxie, 29, and Meagan Leigh McCraw-Coxie, 26, who were lured to his property very similarly to Brown and her boyfriend Even though it had been 13 years, Kohlhepp detailed each shot he fired at the Superbike shop in the quadruple-murder, including final shots to the forehead of 30-year-old Scott Ponder (top right); 52-year-old Beverly Guy (top left); 30-year-old Brian Lucas (bottom left); and 26-year-old Chris Sherbert (bottom right) Investigators discovered an arsenal of weapons inside Kohlhepp's home after his arrest, which they suspect he obtained illicitly due to a 1987 felony conviction for kidnapping in Arizona that it illegal for him to purchase or own firearms In addition to killing Carver, Kohlhepp has admitted to six other slayings: a quadruple homicide at a motorcycle dealership in 2003, and the murder of a husband and wife who were lured to his property very similarly to Brown and her boyfriend. His letter made no specific mention of Johnny Joe Coxie, 29, and Meagan Leigh McCraw-Coxie, 26, the married couple he shot and buried on his property in 2015. Kohlhepp killed Coxie immediately and tried to keep McCraw-Coxie locked away, but he said he killed her after several days because she tried to burn the container after he gave her cigarettes. Investigators discovered an arsenal of weapons inside Kohlhepp's home after his arrest, which they suspect he obtained illicitly due to a 1987 felony conviction for kidnapping in Arizona that it illegal for him to purchase or own firearms. Photos from the sick killer's home show weapons stashed around the property in toolboxes, drawers and shelves for easy access. Among the many weapons confiscated were a Barrett Model 83A1 semi-automatic .50 caliber rifle and a Beretta Model 92FS semi-automatic pistol with an Ultima 9mm Sound Suppressor. 'He had more ammo than some of my counterparts in other counties do in their whole departments,' Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright said. Authorities earlier revealed Kohlhepp bragged in one video about wearing gloves when loading his gun to assure no fingerprints were on the casings. He also told authorities he pulled the gun apart and threw the components into different trash bins, putting the barrel into a bag of used kitty litter. Even though it had been 13 years, Kohlhepp detailed each shot he fired at the Superbike shop in the quadruple-murder, including final shots to the forehead of 30-year-old Scott Ponder; 52-year-old Beverly Guy; 30-year-old Brian Lucas; and 26-year-old Chris Sherbert. Kohlhepp moved to South Carolina in 2001 after 14 years in prison for a kidnapping in Arizona. Authorities there said the then 15-year-old Kohlhepp forced a 14-year-old neighbor back to his home at gunpoint, tied her up and raped her. Rose West is reportedly going blind and has threatened to kill herself if she loses her sight Serial killer Rose West is losing her sight and has threatened to kill herself if she goes blind, it has been reported. West, who will spend the rest of her life behind bars after being convicted of 10 murders, was diagnosed with irreversible glaucoma in July. The 64-year-old is said to be devastated at the thought of losing her sight and with it her cushy life at HMP Low Newton in County Durham. A source told the Sunday Mirror: 'It's already affected her sight. She's wearing her specs all the time. She's told people she'll kill herself if she ends up blind. But apart from her vision, she's fit as an ox.' In 1995 West was convicted of the 'depraved' murders of 10 young women and girls mostly at 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester, the terrace house she shared with her husband Fred. Last month it was claimed she was suffering from a mystery illness that could prove fatal. West, who along with husband Fred murdered young women and girls at 25 Cromwell Street, was diagnosed with irreversible glaucoma in July But it is understood the claims were 'completely untrue' and West is still fit and healthy. She is said to enjoy a 'middle class' lifestyle behind the bars, with her own en-suite cell, complete with curtains at the window, a 'fluffy rug' on the floor and a coffee machine, TV and radio. A prison source said West had not worn her trademark glasses for years before her vision deteriorated but she is now regularly seen with them on as she walked around Low Newton's high-security F Wing flanked by prison guards. Due to the risk of her being attacked by other prisoners, West has to be accompanied by guards at all times. West is locked up at HMP Low Newton in County Durham and is understood to lead a 'middle class' lifestyle She is believed to have tortured her victims with builder husband Fred, who killed himself in prison before he could face trial. Many of the victims were sexually abused and eventually buried at the family home. West is only the second woman in British criminal history to be told she will spend the rest of her life in prison. The first was moors murderer Myra Hindley, who died in 2002. Kathryn Rossetter, left, said Dustin Hoffman, right, groped her while a photograph was being taken An actress claims this picture proves that Dustin Hoffman is a sex predator who subjected her to a string of 'abusive' attacks. It shows the Oscar-winning star with his hand on the breast of Broadway co-star Kathyn Rossetter. Miss Rossetter, 66, claims the married actor would regularly grab her breast during photo opportunities and once pulled up her dress in front of stage crew. The allegations, made in Hollywood 'bible' The Hollywood Reporter, come a month after actress Anna Hunter alleged Hoffman groped her when she was a 17-year-old intern on the 1985 TV movie Death Of A Salesman. Hoffman has vehemently denied all the claims. Miss Rossetter worked with the actor during the 1983 Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman as well as the later TV movie. She said he 'left dirty fingerprints on my soul' by squeezing her breast every time they took pictures together. 'After the shows at parties, whenever he had a picture taken with me, he would put his arm around my rib cage and then grab my breast just before they snapped the picture and then remove it. He was very skilled at dropping his hand just as the picture snapped to avoid it being recorded,' she said. 'Only by luck do I have one such picture where the camera caught him in the act There I am big smile and my arm moving toward his with the intention to push it away.' She went on to say that he would often put his hand up her slip. 'Night after night I went home and cried,' she said. Hoffman, she alleges, went so far as to pull her costume over her head to expose her breasts in front of a group of male crew members. She said she confronted the star, pushing him against a wall and screaming: 'F*** you!' However, he later went back to groping her, she claimed. Hoffman denies all the allegations. A spokesman declined to comment except to say that others who worked on the production had not witnessed the alleged conduct. l J. K. Rowling has defended keeping Johnny Depp in the role of Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them sequel after a backlash from fans unhappy over the circumstances of the actor's divorce. The author said she had been concerned after Depp was accused of domestic violence by Amber Heard and considered recasting the role until the couple said they wanted to move on. A maths teacher suspended for calling a transgender pupil a girl rather than a boy is suing his school for religious discrimination. The Mail on Sunday revealed last month that Joshua Sutcliffe, 27, was facing a disciplinary hearing for accidentally 'misgendering' the student during a lesson. The plight of the 27-year-old who is also a pastor of an evangelical church provoked widespread outrage. He is now taking the school in Oxfordshire to an employment tribunal, claiming he has been victimised for his Christian beliefs - with his rights 'systematically and maliciously' breached. The school head declined to comment, saying disciplinary matters were confidential. Joshua Sutcliffe misgendered a student in an Oxfordshire school leading to his suspension According to documents seen by The Mail on Sunday, he also faces claims that he is breaching equality policies by referring to the pupil by name rather than as 'he' or 'him'. The teacher claimed he said to the teenager and a friend 'well done girls' when he spotted them working hard and apologised when corrected by the pupil. Mr Sutcliffe said he was 'distraught' and had been reduced to tears as teaching was his life, and he branded the actions of the school as 'political correctness gone mad'. The maths graduate, who gained his teaching qualifications at Exeter University, said he had no official instructions about how to address the student but along with other staff decided to use the pupil's chosen first name. However, he has admitted that, as a Christian, he avoided using male pronouns such as 'he' and 'him'. He believed this was consistent with the school's code of conduct and equality policies to show respect and tolerance, and he said he had encountered no problems with this. He said he thought no more about the incident until the week before last when, after a parents' evening, he was unexpectedly called to the head's office to be told there had been a 'transgender complaint' against him and that he was suspended from teaching while it was investigated. Mr Sutcliffe He was told to come to the school and sit in the staff room preparing work, but he was not allowed to discuss the situation with colleagues He was told to come to the school and sit in the staff room preparing work, but he was not allowed to discuss the situation with colleagues. He later discovered that the pupil's family had claimed he had not only 'misgendered' the pupil but had unfairly given the pupil a disproportionate number of detentions for poor behaviour, though this later claim was not upheld during the investigation. It is understood that the family's main concern was that Mr Sutcliffe was picking on their child and they would not have complained about misgendering on its own as they are supporters of free speech. Mr Sutcliffe said: 'I was absolutely shocked to be told by the head that I was under investigation. I didn't know what was happening. It was surreal, Kafkaesque. 'I said it was only one incident for which I had apologised, but he insisted the investigation would go ahead. 'I had always tried to respect the pupil and keep a professional attitude as well as my integrity, but it seemed to me that the school was trying to force me to adhere to its liberal, Leftish agenda.' Mr Sutcliffe assumed the investigation would be brief and he would soon be back in the classroom, but he was questioned for an hour on the day after the meeting with the head and again last Monday, and was then sent a letter telling him to attend a formal disciplinary hearing this Wednesday, attended by the head and three governors. He said: 'I have never been trained to deal with this sort of thing. I felt completely out of my depth and intimidated.' In a statement released by the Christian Legal Centre today, the religious lobby group claimed Mr Sutcliffe had received no formal training on how to refer to the pupil, and referred to transgender as a 'delusion'. He was due to take his former school and its headteacher to an employment tribunal on the ground of unfair dismissal. The centre said: 'The child had self-declared as 'male', but Mr Sutcliffe, who had been given no formal instruction on how he was to refer to the pupil, said 'well done girls' in her presence. 'When the pupil became irate Mr Sutcliffe sought to diffuse the situation and apologised. 'Nonetheless, an investigation began during which time Mr Sutcliffe was prevented from teaching and forced to spend all his time in isolation in the staff room. 'Following the week-long investigation, the school found Mr Sutcliffe to have 'misgendered' the pupil, 'demonstrating discriminatory behaviours' and 'contravened the school's equality policy'. 'The school recommended dealing with the matter of 'misconduct' under its disciplinary policy.' Documents seen by The Mail on Sunday show the investigation also heard uncorroborated claims that Mr Sutcliffe had made several other references to the pupil as a 'girl' and had inappropriately discussed religious issues in his maths lessons, which he denies. He said he had raised religious issues such as the anniversary of the Reformation in his general tutor group, in which he encourages older pupils to discuss topical issues in the news, but not during maths classes. Mr Sutcliffe, a pastor at an evangelical church in Oxford, also said that several years ago he had started a voluntary Bible club during lunchtimes at the school which had been well attended. But this had been shut down earlier this year after he had answered a student's question on marriage by saying the Bible described it as being between a man and a woman, prompting a complaint about homophobia. He said he had told senior staff carrying out the 'misgender' investigation that his private belief was that it was not wrong to call a person born a female a girl, but he would never do that publicly because he was a professional. The investigation concluded that the 'misgendering' of the pupil and 'avoidance of using gendered pronouns contravenes the school's code of conduct with regard to demonstrating an awareness of sexual and cultural diversity of students and use of insensitive comments towards young people' and 'the use of religious comments in maths lessons demonstrates a failure to comply with school policies.' The assistant head leading the investigation recommended that both were matters of misconduct that should be dealt with under the disciplinary policy. Mr Sutcliffe said: 'I have been shocked and saddened by the actions of the school, which, in my opinion, reflect an increasing trend of Christians being marginalised in the public square, and unpopular beliefs silenced. 'While the suggestion that gender is fluid conflicts sharply with my Christian beliefs, I recognise my responsibility as a teacher and Christian to treat each of my pupils with respect. 'I have balanced these factors by using the pupil's chosen name, and although I did not intentionally refer to the pupil as a 'girl', I do not believe it is unreasonable to call someone a girl if they were born a girl.' Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre which is supporting the teacher, added: 'This case is one of a flood of cases we are encountering where teachers are finding themselves silenced or punished if they refuse to fall in line with the current sexual and gender ideology being imposed on our children in schools. 'We all know how much we change during our teenage years. It is vital that during those years we help our children to live in the biological sex they were born rather than encouraging them to change 'gender'. 'If we encourage them to change gender it is not kind and compassionate; it is cruel. 'What we need is a culture in our schools which gives emotional support to children through puberty without encouraging them to make life-long decisions against their natural born biological sex. 'If we collude in the transgender delusion we do not serve our children well, we harm them.' The former Conservative Party chairman Lord Tebbit said: 'It seems to me this is a mad world when someone is disciplined for stating a biological fact.' The head said it would not be appropriate to comment on confidential staff disciplinary matters. A letter written by Mr Sutcliffe to the school head teacher was also released, in which he said: 'As a Christian, I do not share your belief in the ideology of Transgenderism. 'I do not believe that young children should be encouraged to self-select a 'gender' which may be different from their biological sex; or that everyone at school should adjust their behaviour to accommodate such a 'transition'; or that people should be punished for lack of enthusiasm about it. 'Implementation of these ideas is detrimental to the welfare of children, which I believe should be a paramount consideration. 'However, as a professional, I was always careful not to breach my employer's policies so long as I was not forced to act contrary to my conscience.' Mr. Sutcliffe claimed the school had 'systematically and maliciously' breached his rights, and has made it impossible for him to continue working for it. He continued: 'I am more than willing to answer all the unjustified allegations you are now advancing against me, and detail my own grievances about your totalitarian 'equality' policies and practices. 'However, I intend to do so before an independent tribunal, not before yourselves acting as a judge and jury in your own case. 'I regret that our relations have reached this point, but I feel I have no choice but to bring legal proceedings against you without further notice.' British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe may not face a second trial after Boris Johnson held frank talks with three top Iranian officials in Tehran yesterday. Diplomatic sources said the new trial, which had been set for today, may now not take place a move her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, said would be hugely positive. Calling it a sign that this nightmare might be in its final weeks, the 42-year-old said his wife remains deeply distressed about her detention, and cries throughout their twice-weekly phone calls. He added: No one is giving up. There is still a chance she may be home for Christmas. Boris Johnson, left, met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe may not face a second trial after yesterday's talks Diplomatic sources said the Iranians had been left in no doubt by the Foreign Secretary, who is due to meet President Hassan Rouhani today, that Britain viewed the case as a matter of the utmost significance. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 37, a dual British-Iranian national who works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was held as she was about to fly home after visiting her family in April 2016. She spent eight months in solitary confinement before being convicted and sentenced to five years in jail for plotting to overthrow the Iranian regime charges her husband describes as utter nonsense. Their daughter, Arabella, three, is still in Iran, living with Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffes parents, and visits her mother in prison twice a week. Mr Johnson flew to Iran last month after making a statement to a Commons committee that falsely implied Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe could have been in Iran to train journalists. Critics said the Foreign Secretarys admitted gaffe may have worsened her plight. If a second trial takes place, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe could be sentenced to an extra five years for spreading propaganda. A Foreign Office spokesman said Mr Johnson had held constructive meetings at which Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffes case was discussed with the Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, the parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani, and the head of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani. Mr Ratcliffe said he was especially pleased Mr Johnson saw Mr Shamkhani, adding: Nazanin is being held on national security charges, so raising her case with him has to be a good sign. The Foreign Office spokesman confirmed that Britains support for the Iranian nuclear weapons deal and allowing Iran access to UK banks were also on the table, as well as the plight of other UK-Iranian nationals being held by Iran. The spokesman said: They discussed the full range of bilateral issues and spoke frankly about the obstacles in the relationship. They emphasised their commitment to continuing to work together. A violent brawl erupted on a plane after a man allegedly performed a sex act on himself. Passengers began to attack health worker Eudiraci Almeida do Vale after hearing the woman next to him shouting in panic. She is said to have woken up with fluids on her clothing - with the 51-year-old claiming he suffered a coughing fit and 'accidentally spat' on her. The alleged victim told Globo: 'I fell asleep as soon as the plane took off. Half an hour later I woke up when the man beside me started pulling on my hand. Passengers began to attack health worker Eudiraci Almeida do Vale, pictured, after hearing the women next to him shouting in panic Passengers began to attack the suspect after hearing the women next to him shouting in panic during the Gol Airlines flight (stock photo) 'To my horror I realised he was trying to put my hand on his genitals. I then realised my legs and lap were stained.' He was later arrested after the Gol Airlines plane landed in Brasilia, central Brazil. The incident happened 30 minutes into a three-and-a-half hour flight. The suspect is said to have told police: 'I spat during a coughing fit, and it hit the woman beside me. The woman became angry and started hitting out at me.' The man was moved to a seat at the back of the aircraft and is now facing being banned for life from the airline's flights. The man was questioned at the Civil Police Station in Brasilia, central Brazil, pictured The incident happened 30 minutes into a three-and-a-half hour flight (stock photo) Gol Airlines said: 'We strongly condemn the violence that occurred on Friday morning. We are looking for ways to ban the passenger.' 'The crew acted immediately, immobilizing the aggressor and the captain informed federal police of the incident. 'On landing, the aircraft's doors were kept shut until officers arrived.' The accused, who denies the charges against him, is expected to face judges in court. Another federal cabinet minister's Twitter account has been caught liking hardcore porn less than a month after Christopher Pyne claimed his social media account was hacked. Health Minister Greg Hunt is the latest victim of nasty social media activity with an endorsement of a graphic tweet. 'Which facial queen do you jack off more to?,' it said to his 41,200 Twitter followers. Scroll down for video Liberal Health Minister Greg Hunt's Twitter page liked a graphic message about masturbation Saving face: Health Minister Greg Hunt has been silent on the possible hacking of his account Mr Hunt has reportedly contacted the Australian Federal Police to complain about his Twitter account liking a message about masturbation, News Corp Australia reports. The rogue tweet, from a pseudonym 'C** Pumper 69', has been deleted with no explanation offered on Mr Hunt's Twitter account. Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting the health minister liked the graphic Twitter message. It comes less than four weeks after Mr Pyne's Twitter account had liked a hardcore gay porn video of two men engaging in a number of sex acts. That tweet, posted by an apparently Mexican porn website, was removed four hours later, with Mr Pyne telling his Twitter followers his account had been 'hacked'. Cabinet minister Christopher Pyne has claimed his Twitter account was 'hacked' after it 'liked' a hardcore gay porn video overnight (pictured) 'I was hacked overnight! I was [sleeping] at 2am. Someone tried to hack my social media yesterday. Maybe they are making mischief over the plebiscite?', he posted. At the time Australian Conservatives senator Cory Bernardi, a former factional enemy of Mr Pyne's in the Liberal Party, called for a full investigation into the hacking. 'We need to know how deep and far this penetration has been,' he told reporters as he stifled laughter. Mr Pyne's account was hacked after the results of the same-sex marriage postal vote survey were released, with the Liberal Party moderate a leading advocate of redefining marriage. At around the same time Mr Pyne told his Twitter followers his account had been 'hacked' after the 'like' was removed Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne told his followers his Twitter had been hacked Most of Mr Pyne's followers appeared to joke about buying into his hacking claim Comments on Twitter joked about Mr Pyne's hacking claim. 'Don't think so darling. Welcome to the club,' one man said. 'Blame the Russians. Everyone else does,' another wrote. 'It's ok Chris, you were just caught up in the YES moment,' one follower joked. Thanks to blockbuster Jurassic Park, the Tyrannosaurus Rex is perhaps the most feared predator in history. It's frightening roar terrified cinema goers in the 1990s - but now it has been claimed the T-Rex made a much more unsettling sound. Researchers say that far from a booming howl, the dinosaur actually emitted an ominous low rumble similar to the base note which warned of the arrival of the shark in Jaws. Naturalist Chris Packham will present a new documentary that claims the Tyrannosaurus Rex would have emitted a low rumble rather than a roar Researches say that far from a booming howl, the dinosaur actually emitted an ominous low rumble similar to the base note which warned of the arrival of the shark in Jaws Naturalist Chris Packham visited Julia Clarke, professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University of Texas, as part of a BBC documentary researching the theory dinosaurs sounded more like birds and reptiles than today's mammals, reports the Sunday Telegraph. Packham said: 'The most chilling noises in the natural world today come from predators, the howl of the wolf, the roar of the tiger, but experts now doubt that T-Rex sounded anything like them.' The dinosaurs are descended from birds as well as being closely related to alligators and crocodiles. Scientists used the sounds of a Eurasian bittern and a Chinese crocodile to try and create the noise a T-Rex would have made. When the sound was scaled up to match the size of the T-Rex that could have made it, it became a low, intimidating rumble. Prof Clarke believes our fear of the low frequency noise, which is similar to some horror film soundtracks, may stem from an inbuilt memory of noises of dangerous predators from thousands of years ago. Scientists used the sounds of a Eurasian bittern and a Chinese crocodile to try and create the noise a T-Rex would have made T-Rex became infamous after starring in blockbuster movie Jurassic Park She pointed out lower sounds tend to come from bigger animals - which natural selection has taught us to fear. Researches said the T-Rex may not have had to open its mouth to emit the frightening because among birds and reptilians closed mouth vocalisation is common. The rumble, which would have been able to travel over a vast distance, may have been so low it could have been felt rather than heard, scientists said. This could be the first time for 66 million the roar of a T-Rex has been heard on Earth, they added. The Real T-Rex with Chris Packham will be broadcast at 9pm on January 2 on BBC Two. Both she and her husband are charged with murder and conspiracy to kidnap She killed her 22-year-old pregnant neighbour and abducted the baby in August He said she was 'obsessed' with true crime and wrote her thesis on serial killers Ex-husband of an Aussie woman who murdered her neighbor breaks his silence Savanna Greywind (pictured) was murdered on August 19, allegedly by Brooke Crews, 38, and her 32-year-old partner William Hoehn The American woman who brutally murdered her heavily pregnant neighbour and then kidnapped her baby is 'obsessed with serial killers', her Aussie former husband revealed. Brooke Lynn Crews, 38, was charged over the death of Savanna Greywind, 22, in North Dakota on August 19. She then allegedly took her healthy newborn daughter Haisley Jo home and told her partner William Hoehn that the infant was theirs and saying, 'This is our family.' The state of the young woman's body, which was later found in a Minnesota River, showed signs of 'homicidal violence', and Greywind's baby was then found at the apartment of Crews and Hoehn. Experts had previously said it was possible that the young mother was the victim of womb raiders, people who cut babies out of pregnant women to steal them. Scroll down for video Brooke Crews (pictured) has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and kidnapping Mr Greywind's daughter Haisley Jo (pictured) was allegedly abducted after her mother's death Before Ms Greywind's death, Crews relocated to Australia to marry a Blue Mountains man she had met on a dating site. Andrew Murray, a Katoomba chef, told news.com.au that she moved to New South Wales in February 2012 after they 'hit it off online' - but the couple only last six months. Their relationship began to fall apart when he discovered that Crews had lied about her past, including the fact she had children and had been married before: 'It was all lies, it was all based on lies'. Crews repeatedly lied to the unsuspecting Mr Murray, saying that she had lost a baby in 2011, and that she couldn't have any children because of a traumatic miscarriage. 'I didn't know she was married in America, didn't know she had children and then it all started coming out,' he told the news site. 'And I said, 'Look, I want you to go home and be a mother to your kids'.' Mr Murray also revealed that Crews was 'obsessed' with true crime, studying psychology and nursing and did her thesis on serial killers. 'She was always reading books on serial killers and murders and could tell you anything about them,' he added. Ms Greywind (pictured) was eight months pregnant with her daughter when she was murdered Brooke Crews, 38 (left), and her boyfriend William Hoehn, 32 (right), have both been charged Crews then began threatening her husband, telling him that the police were after him and threatening to hurt him. But Mr Murray called her bluff; 'I walked in [to the police station] and said, 'I understand you want to speak to me.' I gave them my licence [because] I had nothing to hide.' The officer he spoke to denied that they were investigating him, so he began to look into her past and discovering more lies and falsified documents. She became aggressive when confronted, Mr Murray said that he severed ties with her after she left for America - 'once she got back to America she just seemed to get really nasty' - and annulled their marriage. He was utterly shocked when he read online about the murder charges. Brooke Lynn Crews appears in court via a video monitor on Monday over Ms Greywind's death Crews presented her partner Hoehn (pictured) with the newborn saying: 'This is our baby' William Hoehn appears via a video monitor Monday in East Central District Court in Fargo 'I just couldn't believe it to be honest. I had voiced my concerns about her mental state ... but wasn't expecting that. 'It sort of shocked me to the bone. It's been five years and I'd shut a lot of things out, but a lot of stuff has come back now.' Mr Murray added that what allegedly happen could have been avoided - he had alerted police in North Dakota of her previous illegal and deceptive actions, citing concerns about her mental state, but 'they just didnt care'. Haisley Jo is being taken care of at a medical facility, and it is expected that custody will be awarded to her father - Ms Greywind's boyfriend Ashton Matheny, 21. Ashton Matheny, 21 (left), the boyfriend of slain North Dakota woman Savanna Greywind, 22 Matheny (pictured) says once custody is awarded he plans to move away with his daughter A terminally-ill father suffering Lou Gehrig's disease shared his personal story with Sen. Jeff Flake with the ambition to make an influence on his stance of the GOP tax reform bill. Ady Barkan, 33, approached the Republican lawmaker during his flight home from Washington D.C. - where the ill Barkan had spent days protesting the bill. He became passionate about making his voice heard when it comes to health care costs after he was diagnosed with ALS last year, which left his health in constant decline. Barkan is now unable to walk without the use of a cane and has difficultly breathing and even worse - picking his baby up, according to The Arizona Republic, who spoke with him about his condition. 'What should I tell my son, or what would you tell my son if you pass this bill and he cuts funding for disability and I can't get a ventilator?' he asked Flake on the flight back to Phoenix. Terminally-ill father Ady Barkand (shown above with his child) confronted Senator Jeff Flake on a plane about the GOP tax reform bill 'What should I tell my son, or what would you tell my son if you pass this bill and he cuts funding for disability and I can't get a ventilator?' he asked Flake Barkan went into detail about his pricey medical visits and required treatments since the sudden diagnosis. He further inquired about Republican tax-cut bills, which are expected to rise the national debt to '$1.5 trillion over 10 years and do not include corresponding spending cuts,' according to the report. Barkan noted his concerns over what the cuts may do for Medicaid and disability benefits. After touching base on various aspects of the bill, Barken pleaded again for Flake's help. The politician, who is serving as junior alongside senior Sen. John McCain, had previously declared his support for the bill. Barkan went into detail about his pricey medical visits and treatments, while further inquiring about Republican tax-cut bills Barkan told Flake: 'You can save my life ... Please remember this conversation' U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Republican members of Congress December 5, 2017 in The White House, where he said the group would discuss tax reform and trade policies He announced in a social media statement in early December: 'I will support #TaxReform bill after securing language to eliminate an $85billion budget gimmick as well as commitment from the administration & #Senate leadership to advance growth-oriented legislative solution to enact fair and permanent protections for #DACA recipients.' In October, Flake also revealed he would not be running for re-election in the Senate next year. Barkan concluded in the conversation: 'This is your moment. You gave this speech. You're leaving in 12 months. You can force them to get a clean DACA bill by January first. 'You can save my life ... Please remember this conversation.' Advertisement Southern California's firefighters could be battling blazes right into Christmas Day, experts have warned, as the wildfire-stricken state faces at least 16 days without rain. Ten wildfires continue to roar across the state from Ojai down, with the oldest and largest - Monday's Thomas Fire - having now consumed at least 155,000 acres of land. That means it's officially the first wintertime megafire in California's history - but it likely won't be the last, according to Governor Jerry Brown, who has called December wildfires 'the new normal'. 'This is the new normal, and this could be something that happens every year or every few years,' he said in a press conference after seeing the devastation Thomas has caused in Ventura County. 'We're about ready to have firefighting at Christmas.' Scroll down for video A fireman tries to tackle the Thomas Fire in Ojai, California, on Saturday. Wildfires could continue in the state up until Christmas, experts have warned, due to a lack of rain and continuing Santa Ana winds A fire engine passes flames as a wildfire burns along Santa Ana Road near Ventura. Governor Jerry Brown has warned that winter wildfires are the 'new normal' and 'could be something that happens every year or every few years' The Thomas Fire (pictured) was the first of the wildfires in Southern California this month and is still burning. It has now consumed at least 155,000 acres of land and is the first winter megafire in California's history There has been fire per cent less rain than usual since October, contributing to the fires - and the Santa Ana winds have both stoked fires and spread embers. Right: a military helicopter drops water on the Ventura fires Firefighters light backfire while trying to keep a wildfire from jumping Santa Ana Road near Ventura on Saturday. The fire is 15 per cent contained after almost a week - and it is just one of six fires that have not yet been contained Firefighters burn off scrub by the edge of the road to stop the blaze from reaching the road. Cal Fire Deputy Chief Scott McLean said that there are no longer any 'fire seasons' Brown also said the state needed more resources to be able to fight winter fires. 'We're facing a new reality in this state, where fires threatened people's lives, their properties, their neighborhoods and billions and billions of dollars,' he said. 'So we have to have the resources to combat the fires.' THE ACTIVE WILDFIRES The Thomas Fire in Ventura is by far the largest and has covered more than 155,000 acres. Some 4,000 firefighters have tackled the blaze, which is currently 15% contained. Related evacuation orders are still in effect The Creek Fire, near Sylmar, has covered 15,619 acres but is now around 85% contained. Evacuations in the area have been lifted. The Rye Fire, near Santa Clarita, has burned 6,049 acres and is 80% contained. Evacuations in the area have been lifted. The Skirball Fire, which burned celebrity homes in Bel Air has razed 421 acres, and is 75% contained. Some evacuation orders are still in place. The Lilac Fire, in San Diego County's Pala Mesa area has burned 4,100 acres of land and is 50% contained. Some evacuation orders are still in effect. The Liberty Fire, near Murrieta, is relatively small at 3000 acre, and is 80% contained. Advertisement Last winter saw the end of a five-year-long drought for California, but even that extraordinary experience has not prepared residents of its southern half for the powerful wildfires that have been burning for up to six days so far. Cal Fire Deputy Chief Scott McLean told the Daily News that traditional expectations for California fires no longer hold sway. 'Now, there is no fire season,' he said. 'Southern California hasn't really had weather. Nothing changes as far as topography, but the vegetation does change. There's a lot of fuel out there right now.' Some have questioned whether the fires might be linked to climate change, but experts told The Atlantic that the signs aren't clear. 'These fires are not immediately emblematic of climate change,' John Abatzoglou, an associate professor of geography and climate at the University of Idaho, said. Rather, he said, the problem was the delayed rainfall. 'Yes, California did have the warmest summer on record. But the big anomaly here is the delay in the onset of precipitation for the southland that has kept the vegetation dry and fire-prone.' Alexandra Syphard, an expert in fires at the Conservation Biology Institute, said that the current fires were 'texbook' and that 'wind-driven fire events occur most typically in the fall, but can also occur like this, later in the year with fast-spreading, ember-driven fires under Santa Ana wind conditions.' So far rainfall since October has been five per cent lower than usual, but for fire-fighters the relentless Santa Ana winds have been the real thorn in their side. Severe midweek winds with gusts of up to 80mph scuppered chances of getting then-active blazes under control, as helicopters and planes were grounded, and ashes and embers lit fires far away. So far Ventura County's Thomas Fire alone has destroyed 537 structures, damaged 118 more, and been implicated in the death of a 70-year-old woman who crashed her car while evacuating the area. And it is still only 15 per cent contained. Horses are evacuated from the Laughing Dog Ranch as fire and smoke signal the approach of the Thomas Fire. Governor Brown has asked for additional funding to prepare for future winter fires Flames explode near firefighters as the Thomas Fire approaches the Lake Casitas area near Ojai on September. Concerns have been raised about climate warning, but two experts said that might not be the cause of this late fire Firefighters burn off grasses by the edge of a road in the hope that it will stop the blaze from getting close enough to leap across the asphalt. The relentless Santa Ana winds have carried embers far and wide, spreading blazes The US Forest Service works in Rose Valley as efforts continue against the Thomas Fire in Los Padres. In total, more than 700 structures have been destroyed across all of the fires The wildfires have so far burned a total of 174,543 acres of land, injuring eight firefighters and five civilians. Only one person has so far been confirmed dead in the fires; on Wednesday a 70-year-old woman died after crashing while fleeing a fire Five other major wildfires - the Rye Fire near Santa Clarita; the Creek Fire near Sylmar; the Skirball Fire that burned Bel Air; the Liberty Fire near Murrieta; and the Lilac Fire in San Diego County's Pala Mesa area - are currently only partially contained. HOW TO PROTECT AGAINST SMOKE The danger facing many Californians is not the thick, black smoke associated with blazes, but the tiny, invisible particles that come with it. These pm2.5 particles are small enough to enter bloodstream, potentially triggering heart attacks. Staying indoors as much as possible - with all windows shuy - can help. So can using AC that recirculates interior air. Masks are also useful - but surgeon's masks and covering one's face with clothing will not work. Instead, N95 masks - so called because they filter out 95% of particulate matter - are needed. These are the masks used by builders and other industrial professionals. N95 masks like the one held by this woman will protect from smoke particles; surgeon masks like the one she is wearing will not Advertisement In total, the state is currently looking at more than 700 structures destroyed, 174,543 acres burned, eight firefighters injured, and five civilians hurt with another one killed. That fatality was Virginia Pesola, 70, of Santa Paula, who crashed on Wednesday while fleeing the Thomas Fire, and succumbed to a combination of head trauma, smoke inhalation and thermal injury. And the Santa Ana winds are expected to continue through to Sunday at the very least. It's not just the fires that represent a hazard, however - the smoke is dangerous too, triggering breathing and heart problems in susceptible people. Even those in areas with no visible smoke can be affected, as the real concern is the tiny, invisible pm2.5 particles, which are small enough to get into the bloodstream. Not only can they cause trouble for people with lung problems like asthma or emphysema, they can also trigger heart attacks in people who are susceptible. Air quality rating site AirNow showed affected areas to be as high as 151 on Friday night; anything over 100 is considered unhealthy. Some locations in Ventura Country were as high as 331 on Friday. That's put a huge strain on area hospitals, who must now accommodate those affected by the low-lying choking clouds. Even staying indoors does not necessarily substantially reduce the pm2.5 count. Patents as young as five have been submitted with breathing problems, while asthma attacks are on the rise. The San Fernando Valley is also suffering from poor air quality caused by the fires, officials say. Health officials are advising everyone to stay indoors as much as possible, even when smoke cannot be seen or smelled, as the pm2.5 particles are so small that they can be imperceptible without proper equipment. Outdoor activity, particularly exercise or anything that causes heavy breathing, should be limited, and if possible air filters or AC that recirculates inside air should be used. Masks can also protect against the smoke - but they need to be N95 masks, which means that they filter out 95 per cent of particulate matter. Surgeons' masks and covering mouths with clothing will do nothing. The demand for masks that can protect against the smoke is so great that 100 people were seen lining up outside a mall in Carpinteria, Santa Barbera, to collect free masks, the LA Times reported. This photo of the Thomas fire was taken on Tuesday, and then colorized and released by NASA on Thursday. The brown area has been burned by the Thomas Fire; the green area is undamaged, and the grey areas are built up This is the extraordinary view of the Southern California wildfires afforded by the International Space Station. The five massive blazes have scoured hundreds of square miles of the state, and forced 200,000 people from their homes Although only one person has died in the blazes so far, animals have not been as lucky; at least 54 horses have died as fires swept through stables in rural areas too quickly for the animals to be freed. On Thursday at least 25 horses were killed and three people injured at the San Luis Rey training center in Bonsall, San Diego County, when a fire ripped through stables. A trainer suffered second- and third-degree burns over half her body trying to rescue horses; she was airlifted to a San Diego hospital and placed in a medically induced coma. And two days previously, 29 horses died at Rancho Padilla near Sylmar after the Creek fire moved in too fast for the owners to free the animals. Terrified horses - many of which are thoroughbred race horses - gallop from San Luis Rey Downs as the Lilac Fire sweeps through the horse-training facility on Thursday 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 Shelby Hope walks through the remains of the Padilla Ranch near Sylmar, which was ravaged by the Creek Fire, on Wednesday. The ranch owners were forced to flee for their lives, and were unable to free their horses - 29 of which perished Violent migrant youths could be kicked out of Australia on their 16th birthday under a hardline proposal to stop African Apex gangs from terrorising neighbourhoods. Federal Liberal MP Jason Wood, a former police detective, made the recommendation for unprecedented action as the chairman of a parliamentary inquiry into migration settlement. The Melbourne-based backbencher, whose electorate of La Trobe is home to Sudanese Apex gangs, said the mandatory deportation of youths convicted of violent crimes, when they turned 16, would 'stop crime and keep communities safe'. Scroll down for video Federal Liberal MP Jason Wood wants violent youths deported once they turn 16 (Melbourne barber shop pictured) Sudanese-born Apex gang member Isaac Gatkuoth was given a deportation order for an ice-fuelled carjacking in 2015 His report also proposed the compulsory cancellation of the visas for those convicted of sexual assault, serious assault, home invasion and carjackings when they became an adult at 18. 'We need to make it clear to those who commit serious and violent crimes that their actions will have consequences,' he said. 'I have seen this in my own electorate with the rise of the Apex Gang, a group of young people with a Sudanese background terrorising suburban Melbourne with riots, thefts, carjackings and violent home invasions.' Cabinet ministers were told about the recommendations and had offered their support, New Corp reports, however Labor members of the committee accused Mr Wood of 'hijacking' the report to win political support in his electorate. The recommendation follows the pending deportation of Sudanese-born former child refugee Isaac Gatkuoth, now 20, who was imprisoned for an armed, ice-fuelled carjacking committed in November 2015. Gatkuoth was last year jailed for 14 months in a youth detention centre for pointing a sawn-off shotgun at a driver in Frankston, south-east of Melbourne, as the youth rode in a stolen BMW with four others when it rammed another car. The youth, who came to Australia as a nine-year-old refugee, was given a deportation order for being linked to the Apex gang, along with three New Zealanders. Labor members of the parliamentary committee released a dissenting report, accusing Mr Wood of 'hijacking' the report for political purposes. Serious assaults committed by Sudanese youth rose by 55 per cent between 2014 and 2017 (including this alleged assault on a Melbourne bus in April) 'Despite minimal or no evidence the report focuses on young humanitarian entrants from Sudanese backgrounds who engage in criminal activity,' they said. The Labor MPs, including Melbourne-based Maria Vamvakinou, also disagreed with Mr Wood on the idea of amending the Migration Act of 1958 so visas would be automatically cancelled for youths, aged 16 to 18, convicted of serious violent crime. 'The current character and cancellation provisions in the Act were an adequate method of addressing non-citizens who have been involved in criminal activities,' they said. When it becomes to radicalisation, the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 already contains provisions to cancel a dual national's citizenship, for those aged 14 or older, if they engaged in terrorist acts. Ahead of the report's release, Mr Wood last month released date showing Sudanese youth as young as 10 had committed 400 per cent more violent burglaries in just three years. Liberal backbencher Jason Wood wants violent visa holders deported for aggravated home invasions Federal Liberal MP Jason Wood wants migrant teenagers convicted of violent crimes to be automatically deported when they turned 16 It showed the number of Sudanese-born criminals, aged 10 to 18, committing aggravated burglary in Victoria surging from 20 in 2014-15 to 98 in 2016-17, with Apex gangs particularly active in south-east Melbourne suburbs like Frankston and Pakenham. The data he released also showed a 55 per cent increase in serious assaults by Sudanese youth, between 2014 and 2017, from 29 to 45. Sudanese-born youths, aged between 10 and 18, are the most represented ethnic group when it comes to aggravated burglaries, car thefts and sexual offences. Victoria's Crime Statistics Agency last year released data showing aggravated home invasions by Sudanese-born youth, aged 10 to 18, had risen 10-fold between 2012 and 2016, to 40 incidents. Labor MP Maria Vamvakinou accused Liberal MP Jason Wood of 'hijacking' the migration report Apex-linked gangs are notorious around the Frankston, Sandringham and Cranbourne/Pakenham rail lines, the Victorian police revealed in 2016. But there have also been incidents in Melbourne's inner-west and western suburbs. In June, a man was struck in the head with a tomahawk when a gang of men burst into a Melbourne barber shop and started brawling. Up to 15 men, many who are believed to be of African descent, entered the shop in inner-city Footscray and began fighting. In April, a gang of five Sudanese teenagers allegedly bashed their autistic classmate, in a horrific attack on a bus at Tarneit, in Melbourne's west. The 17-year-old student was travelling alone to the city centre, when five boys approached him and told him to hand over his mobile phone and new Nike shoes. Two hikers were rescued from the everglades Friday morning after being lost and living off of swamp water for seven days. Ryan Crowder, 25, and Tom Rieker, 24, lost the trail they intended to take in the Big Cypress National Preserve on December 1 - forcing them to walk 32 miles in waist-deep water, according to Wink News. The lifelong friends were planning on hiking the entire 1,300-mile Florida Scenic Trail when they lost their map and their way in Collier County. They were found four miles north of mile marker 63 on Interstate 75 on Friday by the Collier County Sheriff's Office, who conducted a helicopter search with the National Park Service and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. Scroll down for video Ryan Crowder, 25, (right) and Tom Rieker, 24, (left) lost the trail they intended to take in the Big Cypress National Preserve on December 1 - forcing them to walk 32 miles in waist-deep water, according to Wink News Crowder and Rieker (left and right respectively) are lifelong friends and were planning on hiking the entire 1,300-mile Florida Scenic Trail when they lost their map and their way in Collier County Once they were located deputies directed a helicopter from Miami to hoist them out of the wilderness. A dramatic video of the rescue shows the moment the helicopter swoops down and an officer descends to pick up each of the hikers and carry them up and out of harm's way. During the seven days they were missing they survived on just beef jerky, Ramen noodles and boiled swamp water. They had run out of all other food and water. The pair have said that they don't think they would have made it if they didn't call for help. Once they were located deputies directed a helicopter from Miami to hoist them out of the wilderness A dramatic video of the rescue shows the moment the helicopter swoops down and an officer descends to pick up each of the hikers and carry them up and out of harm's way They were found four miles fourth of mile marker 63 on Interstate 75 on Friday by the Collier County Sheriff's Office, who conducted a helicopter search with the National Park Service and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue During the seven days they were missing they survived on just beef jerky, Ramen Noodles and boiled swamp water. They had run out of all other food and water. The pair have said that they don't think they would have made it if they didn't call for help 'I'm just saying to myself over and over again, that we're not going to die out here,' Rieker told the outlet. Crowder also said he lost his tent - forcing the pair to sleep just inches away from hungry alligators and other dangerous wildlife. 'We slept last night on a 20 by 20 little island surrounded by water moccasin and alligators,' Crowder explained. 'One morning we woke up earlier and a wild hog being killed by something, you know, pretty close to our campsite.' The friends, who run a YouTube channel Explorida, said they were planning on posting their adventure online. The pair initially expected the Collier County leg of the trip to take between two and three days, but because they lost their way it ended up taking more than double that amount of time. 'We noticed on the flight back that we still had another day and a half, two days walk in that water with the pace we were going,' Crowder told NBC2. Homeowners are furious their brand new houses are riddled with poor workmanship and inexplicable changes from the floorplan. Alyssa Lee and her boyfriend Leon Sidik bought a townhouse off the plan in a new development in Telopea, Sydney, only to be shocked by what they received. They discovered a host of issues including a toilet that was moved to be facing the shower with almost no room in front of it. Furious homeowners discovered a host of issues with their brand new off-the-plan townhouse including a toilet that was moved to be facing the shower with almost no room in front of it A photo the couple took showed Mr Sidik barely able to sit down and pressed up against the glass in a very awkward fashion. 'If my friends came round or anyone who was taller or bigger than us, they wouldn't be able to sit on it,' Ms Lee told 9 News. Other problems included the kitchen sink moved from under a window to the middle of the bench, ruining their breakfast bar. There was also flimsy window seals, uneven shelves and power switches that weren't connected to anything. 'It's just shocking, I can't really describe how I felt during the time, I had a lot of anger inside me,' Mr Sidik said. Alyssa Lee and her boyfriend Leon Sidik bought a townhouse off the plan in a new development in Telopea, Sydney, only to be shocked by what they received There was also flimsy window seals, uneven shelves and power switches that weren't connected to anything Carmel Bennett, who also bought off the plan in the same development, said her sink was also moved across her kitchen from where it was on the plan. 'There's nothing I can do about it now, I'm stuck with it unless I want to rip the kitchen out and put a whole new kitchen in,' she said. 'If you are buying from a plan and it's what you expect, I think you should get exactly what's on the plan within reason.' When Ms Lee complained, the developers told her the floorplans she bought the townhouse based on were just for marketing. California Governor Jerry Brown has criticized Donald Trump's position on climate change. Speaking in an upcoming 60 Minutes interview, Brown, 79, said: 'I dont think President Trump has a fear of the Lord, the fear of the wrath of God, which leads one to more humility. He continues: 'This is such a reckless disregard for the truth and for the existential consequences that can be unleashed.' Scroll down for video Jerry Brown has criticized Donald Trump for his positions on climate change. Brown said: 'I dont think President Trump has a fear of the Lord, the fear of the wrath of God, which leads one to more humility' He added: 'This is such a reckless disregard for the truth and for the existential consequences that can be unleashed.' Firefighters are pictured battling the Thomas Fire near Ojai, California A helicopter drops water while trying to keep a wildfire at bay in Ventura. Brown has said that deadly wintry wildfires will be 'the new normal' for California Brown, a Democrat, had studied to become a priest before entering politics. Trump, 71, has threatened several times to withdraw from the Paris climate accord. He claims that it is crippling United States businesses and he has called for the agreement to be renegotiated. The earliest the US could pull out of the agreement is 2020. Brown has said that deadly wildfires in the winter will be 'the new normal' for California. At a news conference this weekend, he 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 US lawmakers to pay more attention to dealing with natural disasters such as fires, floods and earthquakes. Over the past week, six major wildfires have forced more than 200,000 people to flee and choked the air across much of the region. Forecasters predict wind gusts will become more intense by Saturday night, challenging the 8,700 firefighters who have been battling the fast-moving blazes for five days. Three people remain hospitalized in fair condition after a bus overturned on a San Francisco freeway, injuring 29 passengers and the driver. The San Francisco Chronicle says most of those injured in Friday night's crash are home. The driver of the private charter bus told KPIX-TV the bus fishtailed on Interstate 101. It hit the center divider and flipped onto its side. Scroll down for video A bus overturned on Interstate 101 in San Francisco Friday, injuring 29 and the driver Authorities say several people were seriously hurt when the charter bus carrying more than two dozen people flipped on its side The cause of the crash is under investigation but authorities say the driver wasn't impaired Some bloodied passengers crawled out roof escape hatches or broken windows. Two passengers were trapped and were rescued by firefighters. The driver, who wasn't seriously hurt, says he was bringing a group to a Palo Alto hotel, apparently for a Christmas party. Some bloodied passengers crawled out roof escape hatches or broken windows The bus has been transported to an evidence yard for inspection, which may determine the cause of crash The cause of the crash is under investigation but authorities say the driver wasn't impaired. ABC7 reports that all lanes on Southbound Highway 101 have reopened, after roadways were blocked late Friday and into Saturday. California highway patrol officer Vu Williams said the bus has been transported to an evidence yard for inspection, which may reveal further clues about the crash. 'We will look at everything including if speed was a factor,' Williams told the news station. At least 10 fatal overdoses in Melbourne have been linked to the extremely potent drug Fentanyl. The same drug, known as 'drop dead', is fueling the current opioid epidemic in the United States, where over 60,000 people died from drugs last year. The 10 overdoses in Melbourne, involving a suspected mix of heroin and fentanyl, are believed to be the first causalities of the drug outside of North America, The Age reports. Investigators believe a batch of heroin was laced with the potent drug before being supplied to heroin users. Scroll down for video At least 10 fatal overdoses in Melbourne have been linked to the extremely potent drug Fentanyl, the same drug fueling America's opioid crisis There was no evidence to suggest that any of those who died during spring 2015 knew they were consuming fentanyl. The painkiller is often prescribed by doctors and used by anaesthetists, and is about 10 times stronger than heroin, A few milligrams of fentanyl and similar synthetic painkillers is enough to create a fatal dose. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection claims around 30 international shipments of the drug have entered Australia in the past 18 months, as well as a stronger substance, carfentanil. Originally an elephant tranquilizer, carfentanil is 10,000 times stronger than morphine. Shane Neilson, head of high risk and emerging drugs with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, said the drug had 'lethal potential'. A few milligrams of fentanyl and similar synthetic painkillers is enough to create a fatal dose 'Given its primarily legitimate purpose is to tranquillise elephants and other large animals, you can imagine the potency in the human body,' he said. Mr Neilson said although the market for the potent drug was 'very small', it was being closely monitored. An Australian delegation visited cities in Canada and the US to learn about the opioid crisis effecting the population. Victorian state MP Fiona Patten was part of the delegation and said many of those overdosing were pain medication addicts. The addicts were supplied with oxycodone laced with fentanyl or carfentanil. 'I think we are doing some things that will prevent it happening as badly in Australia,' Ms Patten said. 'But fentanyl is here, it's coming and it's killing.' During a rally to promote Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, Donald Trump continued to attack the 'rigged' and 'sick' government institutions that he claims try to thwart his administration. At the Friday night event to promote the alleged sexual assaulter, he said: 'This is a rigged system. This is a sick system from the inside. 'And, you know, there is no country like our country but we have a lot of sickness in some of our institutions.' Scroll down for video Donald Trump lashed out at 'rigged' and 'sick' government institutions during his rally for Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore in Pensacola, Florida on Friday night He said: 'This is a rigged system. This is a sick system from the inside' He continued: 'And, you know, there is no country like our country but we have a lot of sickness in some of our institutions' He did not name FBI special counsel Robert Mueller by name in the speech, but has done battle with the bureau as it continues to investigate his campaign team's ties to Russian operatives. Trump has been fighting Mueller with ever-increasing vigor, particularly now that former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn has agreed to a plea bargain over his lies to the FBI about conversations with Russia's ambassador. CNN has posited that Trump is purposefully tearing into government systems in an effort to discredit them, particularly in the event that Mueller finds Trump committed a crime. 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 this coming week. '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. 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.' Trump's rhetoric comes as Mike Flynn (left) struck a plea bargain with FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller (right) with regard to his lies about communications with Russia's ambassador 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. A woman has been punched, robbed and sexually assaulted while she was walking in a residential Sydney suburb on Saturday night. The attack took place just after midnight on Selborne Street in Burwood, with police appealing to the public to help in identifying the person responsible. The 24-year-old had been alone when she heard someone behind her, with a man allegedly striking her several times. The attack took place just after midnight on Selborne Street (pictured), with the woman taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital The offender then demanded the woman's bankcard, before dragging her across the road and sexually assaulting her, police said. Emergency services responded to the incident, with the woman taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. The man was reportedly last seen walking towards Shaftesbury Road, dressed in a dark blue shirt and knee-length shorts. He is described as being in his mid 20s, of Asian appearance, approximately 180cm tall with a skinny build and short black hair. Police have launched an investigation, with officers canvassing the local area. Anyone with information about the man's identity or the incident is asked to contact Burwood Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Australian mummy blogger Constance Hall has hit back after becoming embroiled in a legal clash with the developers who designed her now-defunct website. Perth mother Ms Hall enlisted married couple Joshua and Annabel Olward to create her blog, queensofconstance.com, but now the pair are claiming over $100,000 in damages with a writ filed by them in the District Court of Western Australia, Perth Now reports. According to the Olwards, Ms Hall is in 'breach of contract' after she parted ways with their website design company Super Minimal after 12 months. Perth mother Ms Hall (pictured) enlisted married couple Joshua and Annabel Olward to create her blog, queensofconstance.com, but now the pair are claiming over $100,000 in damages, Perth Now reports According to the Olwards, Ms Hall is in 'breach of contract' after she parted ways with their website design company Super Minimal after 12 months But the soon-to-be mother-of-five has staunchly defended her decision to no longer work with the couple and refuted any allegations that she breached a legal contract. She said her business relationship ended with Super Minimal because of creative differences. 'Super Minimal wanted me to write sponsored posts on queensofconstance.com. I said no. They tried to convince me to put a 'buy me a coffee' button on the website. I said 'no'. It became clear that we were on different pages,' Ms Hall said in a statement. 'I followed the rules of the contract and saw it out for the 12 months and then we went our separate ways.' But the soon-to-be mother-of-five (pictured with her partner Denim) has staunchly defended her decision to no longer work with the couple and refuted any allegations that she breached a legal contract She said her business relationship ended with Super Minimal because of creative differences 'I followed the rules of the contract and saw it out for the 12 months and then we went our separate ways,' Ms Hall said 'Now they've come back to sue me... I will not let Super Minimal, or any of the others that are coming out of the woodwork, destroy my name or think that I will crumble and give them money.' The controversial blogger is pregnant with her fifth child after separating from her first husband Bill Mahon. Her new partner, Denim Cooke, has two children of his own bringing their total number of children to six. It is not the first time Ms Hall has faced legal trouble, after she was sued in the WA Supreme Court by journalist Kristen Watts, the editor of her best-seller, Like A Queen, over alleged unpaid royalties. The controversial blogger is pregnant with her fifth child after separating from her first husband Bill Mahon A drug addict who bashed his ex-girlfriend's friend with a tyre iron because he was sending her penis pictures will not serve any more jail time. Christopher Renton Tailby pleaded guilty to 17 charges for the brutal attack and a string of unrelated drug crimes in Gladstone Magistrates Court on Friday. Late at night on May 3, Tailby walked to the victim's house in South Gladstone carrying a metre-long tyre iron and found him drinking outside. Christopher Renton Tailby, 42, confessed to bashing his ex-girlfriend's friend with a tyre iron because he was sending her penis pictures (stock image) The 42-year-old was angry the man was sending Tailby's ex-girlfriend photos of his genitalia and supplying her with marijuana, according to the Gladstone Observer. He first picked up the victim's phone and when confronted about it, threw a flurry of punches at him that all missed their target. The other man responded by punching Tailby hard in the face, but was then bludgeoned four times with the tyre iron by his attacker. The victim suffered swelling, bruising, and an inch-long gash on his left arm that needed hospital treatment, and blood drops were visible at the scene. After the fourth blow, Tailby simply walked away until he was arrested weeks later and charged with causing bodily harm. Police found a loose hypodermic needle in his underwear when they arrested him, the latest in a series of drug-related run-ins with the law. Prosecutor Sergeant Barry Stevens told the court Tailby was seen by police 'acting euphorically' inside a phone booth on April 14. He admitted to using drugs that morning and officers found a cone piece and a pipe when searching his backpack. Later that month he tried to use a stolen credit card to pay for three frozen pizzas, tapping it six times without success before giving up. Then in August when he acted 'fidgety' in a car he was a passenger in when it was pulled over police searched him found more drugs. The repeat offender was finally locked up 84 days before his court appearance and immediately released on parole after being handed a 15-month jail term (stock image) He was carrying an unused syringe out of its wrapper, digital scales, two grams of marijuana and 0.1 grams of meth. Tailby's house was raided on September 15 where police found more meth, three syringes, and digital scales. He was also hoarding a stolen Xbox, Navman, watch, air pump, walkie talkie, keys, USBs, amplifier, GoPro HERO3, and a credit card. The repeat offender was finally locked up 84 days before his court appearance and immediately released on parole after being handed a 15-month jail term. But Magistrate Melanie Ho warned him if he didn't kick his drug habit he would be back before the court before long. 'If you come before the court again I can safely say you'll be serving a term of imprisonment,' she said. The heir to the Barneys retail fortune called his mistress a gold digger and claims she tried to extort him for millions of dollars. Robert Pressman's grandfather Barney Pressman founded the Fifth Avenue clothing store in 1923. Pressman met Anna Purcell at the Ritz Carlton in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in April and fell head over heels in love with her, according to the New York Post. Following the end of a whirlwind romance, both parties have filed lawsuits against each other. Robert Pressman (pictured left with his wife) met Anna Purcell (right) at the Ritz Carlton in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in April and fell head over heels in love with her, according to the New York Post. Following the end of a whirlwind romance, both parties have filed lawsuits against each other Robert Pressman's grandfather Barney Pressman founded the Fifth Avenue clothing store in 1923 Purcell filed a lawsuit in a Brooklyn federal court in November, accusing Pressman of lying to her and telling her he was single. The 38-year-old mother from North Carolina said he took her to expensive restaurants and tried to impress her by lying about his job. She says he claimed he 'had an IQ of over 200, that he worked for Mossad... and he hinted at having various connections in the US Government and with certain questionable and dangerous parties,' Purcell said, according to court papers. Pressman and his siblings sold the family's interest in Barney's in 2004 for upwards of $937million. In a lawsuit he filed in Connecticut against Purcell, he claims they had a whirlwind romance during which he showered her with expensive gifts. He said he took Purcell on extravagant vacations and to Broadway shows and bought her a $127,300 Cartier engagement ring, a $40,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee and lavish jewelry, including a pair of sapphire earrings, a 22-diamond ring and a black-faced Rolex. During that whole time Purcell claims she never knew he was married. Purcell sued Pressman in a Brooklyn federal court, claiming that the heir made contractual promises to her about a life they would live together and that he lied about being married to her. She says she didn't find out until accidentally answering a call from his wife In a lawsuit he filed in Connecticut against Purcell, he claims they had a whirlwind romance during which he showered her with expensive gifts. He says she stole from him and said if he didn't meet her expensive demands she would go public with their affair. Pressman also says Purcell is now trying to extort him for more money and gifts In August Pressman claims he told his wife that he wanted a divorce and moved with Purcell into a six-bedroom, 9,000-square-foot rental home in Greenwich Connecticut, which he paid $17,000 a month for. But two days after moving in together Pressman had a stroke. When Purcell went to visit him she answered his cell-phone for him and said she was shocked to find his wife Mallory Samson on the other end. Until the end of their relationship Purcell claims she never knew Pressman was married. She is suing him to hold him to his alleged contractual promises. Pressman's wife Mallory Samson is pictured 'My client did not discover until the 59th minute of the 11th hour that he was in fact married,' Purcell's lawyer Bernard Kleinman said. The lawsuit would hold Pressman to his alleged contractual promises. But according to Pressman - Purcell is a con-woman. He claims that when he had his stroke, instead of taking him to a doctor Purcell 'ignored a very serious situation,' and left the house for multiple hours. He also says in the lawsuit that she took a video of him 'sleeping and twitching on the bed.' Despite suffering two strokes Pressman said he managed to call 911 and get himself to a hospital. He claims that once he was at the hospital Purcell took all of the cash he had, including $7,000 around the house and $5,000 in his wallet. Pressman says that he then dumped her - which prompted her to make a laundry-list of demands including buying a phone, laptop and Mustang for her teenage son, and funding two years of rent at the Greenwich home. He claims he never offered her any contract. The copy of the document that Purcell included in her lawsuit is not signed by Pressman. Pressman also said in court documents that Purcell threatened that she would go public with their affair if he didn't pay her $12million. His lawyer, Philip Russel, said Pressman is 'actively investigating' his ex-lover. He claims Purcell never intended to marry him but was instead 'playing a part in a scheme to defraud him,' for the benefit of herself and her long-term boyfriend. A 10-year-old boy has been rushed to hospital after being bitten by a dog. The child, who was bleeding when paramedics arrived, was taken to Hervey Bay Hospital in Queensland after being attacked. Queensland Ambulance Service were called to a home in Torquay at about 5pm on Sunday, the Fraser Coast Chronicle reported. A 10-year-old boy has been rushed to hospital after being bitten by a dog (file picture) The boy is in a stable condition. It is not known where he was bitten or how severe his injuries are. It is not clear whether the dog is owned by the boy's family. Britain could end up paying the EU 100billion after the PM's divorce deal, a former Brexit minister warned today. David Jones said the settlement dramatically agreed by Theresa May last week could mean handing over 'monstrous' sums. He said the final figure could be more than double the 39billion that has been estimated by Government. The warning came amid signs Brexiteers such as Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson are seeking major concessions from Mrs May in return for supporting her deal. The PM and Jean-Claude Juncker were smiling as they shook hands for the cameras on sealing the deal on Friday The provision was supposedly explained to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (left) and Environment Secretary Michael Gove (right) as 'not binding' They are pushing for a sharper break from Brussels in the longer term after a transition period - a stance that has been tagged 'soft Brexit, hard exit'. Mr Gove wants to ensure the UK quits the common fisheries policy, despite the PM agreeing that the UK could retain 'alignment' with the EU in areas that impact on Northern Ireland, according to the Sunday Times. Cabinet tensions are set to come to a head at a meeting during the week before Christmas when ministers will finally discuss what the 'end state' of the UK's post-Brexit relationship with the EU should be. Aides to the PM apparently won over Eurosceptic Tories to the divorce agreement by assuring them that promises of 'full alignment' between the UK and EU were 'meaningless'. Senior UK negotiators reportedly claimed the provision - which allegedly became part of the deal solely to calm Ireland's fears of a hard border with the UK - 'doesn't mean anything in EU law'. In a fresh complication for the PM, the EU is warning that it cannot give a Britain a 'lopsided' deal that is so generous it would upset third parties. Mr Jones is one of the few Tory Brexiteers to publicly criticise the deal Mrs May reached with the European Commission in order to trigger trade talks. Former Brexit minister David Jones criticised Mrs May's commitments on the divorce bill and aligning the UK with key EU rules in order to guarantee a soft Irish border Writing in the Mail on Sunday, the ex-minister said: ''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.' Mrs May's commitment last week to align with key EU rules in order to guarantee a soft Irish border was also heavily criticised by Mr Jones. Advertisement Up to 13 inches of snow has caused widespread disruption across large parts of the UK today with forecasters warning that workers will face a hellish commute tomorrow morning. Snow is set to continue falling into the evening, while overnight frost and wet and windy weather in the early hours of Monday are likely to cause widespread disruption on the roads and railway tracks. The Met Office said temperatures could drop to as low as -15C overnight in local areas and 'severe frost' will cause treacherous conditions, with ice warnings in place in the South East and London from 4am to 11am. Breakdown cover provider RAC is dubbing tomorrow as 'Black Ice Monday', as it predicted it to be one of its busiest days in ten years, with a projection of almost 11,000 callouts expected. Meanwhile, a gritter overturned on an icy road and landed on its roof in Tamworth, Staffordshire, this morning. Police attended but the driver was uninjured after the crash. Britain has been hit by what forecasters describe as a 'snow bomb' after 13 inches of snow was recorded in Sennybridge in Wales. Highways England said there are severe delays on the M25 due to 'multiple incidents', while flights have been delayed or cancelled throughout the day at Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and Birmingham. Scroll down for video These shocking photos show the moment a gritter overturned on an icy road and landed on its roof. It happened amid heavy snowfall, thought to be four inches deep, in Tamworth, Staffs, today Police attended but the driver was uninjured after the crash, at 8.20am. Jonathan Moore, who saw the vehicle overturned on the road, said: 'God knows how they managed to put it on its roof' A fallen tree crushes a campervan on the A40 near Sennybridge, Wales, where the coldest temperature of the year was recorded this morning at -11C Snow falls in North London, leaving frost covering the front of a bus. Britain has been hit by what forecasters describe as a 'snow bomb' this morning Police forces and highway agencies across the UK have urged people not to travel unless 'absolutely necessary' as they deal with surging calls (pictured: An overturned van in Titley, Herefordshire) Thousands of travellers stranded at Euston Station in London this afternoon following delays and cancellations caused by weather conditions Heavy traffic on the M25 near junction 25, as snowfall across parts of the UK is causing widespread disruption and tailbacks on the motorway A cross country skier seemed to be enjoying the weather on Hope Woodlands Moor in the Peak District National Park on Sunday An abandoned car on the roadside on the Snake Pass in the Peak District, as heavy snowfall across parts of the UK is causing widespread disruption Flights have been delayed or cancelled throughout the day at Heathrow (pictured), Stansted, Luton and Birmingham A jackknifed lorry has led to massive delays and long queues on the A50 near Ottoxeter this morning, with police in attendance Snow is set to continue falling into the evening, while overnight frost and wet and windy weather in the early hours of Monday are likely to cause widespread disruption on the roads and tracks Power repair workers in Ironbridge, Shropshire, as heavy snowfall across parts of the UK is causing widespread disruption, closing roads and grounding flights Passers-by help push a 4x4 that got stuck in the snow in the village of Redbourn, Hertfordshire this snowy morning A fallen tree in Brentwood, Essex blocks the road, forcing residents to use a chainsaw to cut away at the debris Icy conditions on the road meant that motorists around the country were forced to abandon their cars until the snow cleared (shown: one such car by the roadside in the Peak District) Londoners woke up to a blanket of snow in the capital this morning. A car is seen trying to drive up the hill in poor conditions Snow falls in Woodford Green, north-east London this morning. Up to eight inches of snow will cause widespread disruption across large parts of the UK today Significant snow has also fallen in London (pictured) and parts of the south east, as well Leicestershire, Worcestershire and Bedfordshire Traffic queues in the snow on the M40 northbound between J15 and J16. Many vehicles were stranded overnight due to the adverse driving conditions Significant snow has also fallen in London and parts of the south east, as well Leicestershire, Worcestershire and Bedfordshire, while Wales (shown, Usk in Monmouthshire) has experienced a snow depth of 11 inches A motorist is given a helping hand from an Arriva employee after their car got stuck in icy conditions in Wood Green, London Snowfall is expected to ease throughout the evening, but the cold temperatures and patches of sleet are set to make Monday morning a treacherous commute for many, with RAC dubbing it 'Black Monday' Gritters with snow ploughs were out on the A414 road in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire today in a bid to clear the highways The Premier League derby games between Manchester United and Manchester City, and Everton and Liverpool were thought to be in doubt amid concerns fans could struggle to get to the grounds, however they were able to go ahead A family were seen playing in the snow on Hampstead Heath on Sunday afternoon as hundreds of Londonders headed there A man wearing a bobble hat was seen walking with a green children's sledge near Hampstead Heath on Sunday afternoon A man walks past a member of the Household Cavalry on guard at Horse Guard's Parade as snow falls briefly in London on Sunday The Met Office has issued a yellow warning because of snow and ice forecast (right) and a member of the Household Calvary was pictured in the snow in London At Heathrow Airport many flights were diverted, delayed or cancelled as the adverse weather conditions caused travel problems. A spokeswoman for the airport said it remained open on Sunday, but added: 'However we regret that weather across the UK is resulting in some passengers experiencing disruption to their travel arrangements. 'Airlines are responsible for ensuring their flights are fully de-iced before they are operated and this is resulting in some delays and cancellations. 'The safety and comfort of our passengers is always our first priority and we are working closely with our airlines to ensure affected passengers are looked after. 'Passengers should continue to check the status of their flight with their airline before coming to the airport. We apologise to those affected by today's weather.' Police forces and highway agencies across the UK urged people not to travel today unless 'absolutely necessary' as they deal with surging calls, while all trains have been suspended out of London Euston. Significant snow has also fallen in London and parts of the south east, as well Leicestershire, Worcestershire and Bedfordshire, while Sennybridge in Powys, Wales has experienced a snow depth of 11 inches. Severe weather is forecast for a swathe of North Wales and central England and snow has settled on parts of Powys, Herefordshire and Shropshire at a rate of more than one inch an hour. TRAVEL DISRUPTION M25 Severe delays, especially clockwise between J15 and J17. Vehicles are struggling with the conditions across the network and there are 'multiple incidents'. Birmingham Airport flights were temporarily suspended on Sunday morning after heavy snowfall closed the runway. Passengers have been advised to check birminghamairport.co.uk for updates or contact their airline for further information. Luton Airport warnings of flight delays and cancellations were issued by the Bedfordshire transport hub on Sunday morning. Passengers were advised to contact their airlines directly before flying and leave extra time to reach the airport. Flights are operating. M1 northbound stopped between junction 16 and junction 17 due to 'numerous breakdowns/collisions'. M40 outside Warwick closed due to a multiple vehicle collision between junction 15 and Junction 16. Expected to reopen once ploughed. A417 in Gloucestershire closed in both directions between the A429 and A436 due to 'multiple separate collisions'. A458 in Shropshire closed in both directions between the Welsh border and the A5 near Shrewsbury while police deal with a serious collision. Advertisement Jonathan Moore saw the vehicle overturned on the road in Staffordshire at 8.20am today and said: 'God knows how they managed to put it on its roof. 'It's the kind that are supposed to go out and clear the roads so that they're safe. It does raise the question of why it happened. The cab was intact. 'You would expect something like that travelling at a sensible speed to be safe. Whether it was driving down hill and lost control, I don't know.' The engineer, who lives close to where the crash happened on Elford Hill, said: 'There was three inches of snow this morning, maybe four inches. I imagine it was probably out gritting the roads when it happened.' A spokesman for Staffordshire Police said: 'We attended the location. The gritter had slid off the road and was on its roof. No injuries were recorded.' Amber weather warnings are in place across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and much of western England as icy conditions plunged roads into chaos, with temperatures of -11C making it the coldest night of 2017. Persistent heavy snowfall is expected in the region throughout the afternoon, leading the Met Office to issue an amber weather warning that will be in place until 6pm. Up to 4 inches is expected to build up quite widely, with 6 to 8 inches in some spots, raising the prospect of roads becoming impassable. 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. Flights were suspended at Birmingham, London Stansted and Luton airports due to runway closures, leaving passengers facing long delays, while a north-bound section of the M1 was closed, causing a 20-mile tailback. In Gloucestershire, a snow plough became part of the traffic problem it was trying to alleviate when it was in collision with three cars at an accident blackspot. The collision happened on the A417 Gloucester-Cirencester road at Nettleton Bottom - a winding single carriageway road which descends into a valley. There were so many accidents on the road that police closed an 11 mile stretch of it from the Air Balloon roundabout at Birdlip, above Gloucester and the A429 Buford road at Cirencester. The closure was between 7.20am and 1.20pm while crashed vehicles were recovered. Traffic between Cirencester, Gloucester and Cheltenham was affected with long delays as motorists found alternative routes. Meanwhile, Highways England claimed the snow chaos on the M40, where hundreds of cars were stranded, was caused by a lack of vehicles on the road. The agency said it had deployed eight gritters to the motorway in Warwickshire but that the rock salt was not spread adequately by drivers. A spokesman said: 'There was a lot of snow, and the action of the salt relies on traffic, and it was a Sunday and the emergency services were telling people not drive, so there were not enough cars for it to be effective.' It was described as looking 'like a war-zone' after a series of crashes on Sunday. An NHS trust in the West Midlands was forced to appeal for help online after the snow left hospitals with nurse shortages. Heart of England trust, which represents hospitals in Birmingham and Solihull, asked on Twitter: 'Do you have a 4x4 and can volunteer to help our nurses get into our hospitals at good hope 424 7564 or heartlands 424 0483 pls give us a call. Thanks' Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield serves northern Birmingham, while Heartlands hospital is based in Bordesley Green, in the east of the city. The trust earlier said online: 'Trained nurses needed at goodhope hospital due to heavy snow. If can get in pls call site office 424 7564.' The twin threat of the coldest winter for years and a wave of killer flu has forced a regional hospital trust to make plans for a mobile morgue to cope with a wave of deaths. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust in Kent is allocating space to store an extra 100 bodies, both in their hospitals and by using other organisations like funeral directors. Dr Peter Maskell, medical director, said 'Our winter plan provides a number of options for managing our clinical services safely and effectively for our patients.' High winds cause ferry carrying 300 passengers to run aground at the port of Calais A ferry carrying more than 300 people ran aground at the port of Calais in France in high winds this afternoon. The P&O vessel got into difficulty after it hit a gangway while maneuvering to leave the port on its way to Dover, the company said. Nobody was hurt in the incident though cross-channel traffic has been disrupted. The crash comes as Storm Ana batters the channel with 70mph winds and it is believed the ferry ran aground after a large gust caused it to lose control. A total of 316 people, including 208 passengers, were on board at the time. The port was closed as a result of the extreme weather and had reopened by 7.30pm. The P&O vessel got into difficulty after it hit a gangway while maneuvering to leave the port on its way to Dover, the company said. Nobody was hurt in the incident though cross-channel traffic has been disrupted Passengers aboard the P&O ferry Pride of Kent watched rescue operations after the vessel ran aground during bad weather in the port of Calais Footage of the operation showed the smaller boats swaying in the rough conditions. P&O said it hopes to transfer passengers on to another ship as soon as possible. A spokesman for the company said: 'We can confirm that one of our ships ran aground whilst leaving the Port of Calais this afternoon. There are no reported injuries, the ship was refloated within two hours.' P&O Ferries Updates posted on Twitter: '#POCalais: The Port of Calais is currently closed due to extreme weather. Please check in as per your original sailing time and you will be accommodated on the first available sailing.' The crash comes as Storm Ana batters the channel with 70mph winds and it is believed the ferry ran aground after a large gust caused it to lose control A crew member aboard the P&O ferry Pride of Kent watches rescue operations after the vessel ran aground on Sunday Advertisement Falling snow in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, as heavy snowfall across parts of the UK is causing widespread disruption Essex Police reported a sharp increase in call outs to road traffic accidents as the A12 was closed for a while due to the number of pile-ups Heavy snowfall on Hampstead Heath this afternoon, delighted children and adults alike, who were busy making the most of the snowfall Families and children built snowmen in Hampstead, north London, on Sunday as the UK was hit by snow throughout the day Two dogs were wrapped up by their owners before they were taken for a walk on Hampstead Heath in north London on Sunday A gritter is used to attempt to rescue a car which has spun on the road in heavy snowfall on the A41 near Bourne End in Buckinghamshire this morning Severe weather is forecast for a swathe of North Wales and central England on Sunday and snow has already fallen on parts of Powys, Herefordshire and Buckinghamshire (pictured) at a rate of more than one inch an hour A lorry pushes the snow aside along Quinton Road in Birmingham this morning, after approximately 3 inches of snow has fallen this morning Up to 13 inches of snow has caused widespread disruption across large parts of the UK today with forecasters warning some communities could be cut off as temperatures plummet Several lines on the London underground have been stopped or suspended by TfL, with some stops of the Picadilly Line out of action due to snow on power lines There are severe delays on the M25 (pictured), especially clockwise between J15 and J17. Highways England said that 'vehicles are struggling with the conditions across the network and there are multiple incidents' A road gritting vehicle treats the M1 motorway as the snow falls near Kegworth. Highways agencies are stretched this morning as they have been called to 'several' incidents A man runs through the snow in north London this afternoon, with the cold and icy conditions set to last into tomorrow RAC said tomorrow is set to be one of its busiest days in ten years, with a projection of almost 11,000 callouts expected A farmhouse Middleton in Teesdale, Durham, as heavy snowfall across parts of the UK is causing widespread disruption, closing roads and grounding flights The Twickenham Stoop in the snow during the European Rugby Champions Cup match between Harlequins and Ulster Rugby A spokesman added 'The plan includes the potential to increase mortuary capacity should this be necessary.' Met Office forecaster Steven Keate said: 'The worst of the snow is currently across parts of Wales and the west and southern Midlands, while there is some snow falling over the home counties as well. 'Herefordshire, Shropshire and Powys have seen a few centimetres in a couple of hours. 'Steady snow is expected as this weather system moves over the next few hours into the afternoon roughly from mid-Wales to the north of London. 'There's going to a split from the M4 corridor south, where it will mostly be rain, although the winds are really picking up there as well with gusts up to 60mph in some places in the south. 'North of the Humber should get away with it today, although there may be showers in the far north of Scotland. Hundreds of homes are still without power in the West Midlands, where temperatures remained below freezing overnight. The Ministry of Defence spokesman said the Armed Forces 'stand ready to provide assistance if needed', while 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.' 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. Heavy snow and torrential rain is causing flooding in Wales - with two trapped women having to be rescued from their car. Santa's Grotto is closed due to SNOW: Owners claim Santa and his elves 'are unable to be on-site today' Santa's Grotto was shut today - after too much snow fell and Father Christmas was unable to get to work. Children were left in the cold after Santa and his elves failed to show up to hand out presents at Gracechurch Shopping Centre in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. Owners of the grotto left a sign for disappointed families, informing shoppers that the workers had got stuck somewhere 'between the North Pole and Gracechurch'. It added: 'Santa will not be in his grotto today. Unfortunately Santa and his elves are unable to be on-site as they have been caught up in the storm.' Santa's Grotto was shut today - after too much snow fell and Father Christmas was unable to get to work Birmingham is among the worst hit parts of the UK by snow today, with upwards of four inches falling in a few hours. The NHS trust in the West Midlands was forced to appeal for help online after the snow left hospitals with nurse shortages. Heart of England trust, which represents hospitals in Birmingham and Solihull, asked on Twitter: 'Do you have a 4x4 and can volunteer to help our nurses get into our hospitals at good hope 424 7564 or heartlands 424 0483 pls give us a call. Thanks' Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield serves northern Birmingham, while Heartlands hospital is based in Bordesley Green, in the east of the city. Owners of the grotto left a sign for disappointed families, informing shoppers that the workers had got stuck somewhere 'between the North Pole and Gracechurch' Advertisement Maddie Webb tweeted this photograph of a snowman that one commuter had built by the side of the road on the M25 People play in the snow in Aberfan, South Wales. Severe weather is forecast for a swathe of North Wales and central England for the remainder of the day A yellow tuk tuk in the snow in the village of Redbourn, Hertfordshire, where some of the heaviest snow of the day has fallen A couple snowball fighting on the streets of north London after the first significant snowfalls of the winter fell this morning While many commuters have languished in the bad weather, others were able to enjoy time with the family (shown: sledders in North London) Snow covered Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness, Highlands, Scotland. Amber weather warnings are in place across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and much of western England The south of England has experienced its most significant snowfall of the winter, as seen in Reading (left) and London (right) Londoners at Greenwich park in London enjoy a snowy start to the day as snow hit's large parts of the country today A snowy scene of London is seen from the top of the hill at Greenwich Park this morning, with snow blanketing much of the capital Snowfall in Emmer Green, Berkshire this morning. Persistent heavy snowfall is expected in the region throughout the morning, leading the Met Office to issue an amber weather warning that will be in place until 6pm A young child walks through snow in reading, Berkshire, as heavy snowfall across parts of the UK is causing widespread disruption Theresa May and her husband Philip May attend church in heavy snow first thing this morning in Reading, southern England Fire crews had to carry the women to safety after their car was stuck in water when a stream burst its banks. The rescue in Kenfig Hill, near Bridgend, South Wales, comes after 3,000 homes were left without power in Wales. Flooding is also threatening homes in Ely, Cardiff and in Swansea. South Wales Fire Service is reporting water half way up vehicles in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. 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. Cold weather could lead to upsurge in heart attacks and strokes There is an increased risk of heart attack and stroke in the days immediately after a cold snap, NHS England has warned. As temperatures plummet below freezing across much of the country, the number of people being admitted to A&E is also likely to increase, the public body said. With much of Britain gripped by chilly conditions, NHS England said that heart attacks increase almost immediately after a cold snap, accounting for two in five winter excess deaths. Hospitals also see a rise in the admission of stroke patients five days after the cold weather begins and peak respiratory admissions go up 12 days after the temperature drops. For every one degree that the temperature drops below 5C there is a 10% rise in elderly people presenting with breathing problems and almost a 1% increase in emergency admissions, NHS England said. Keith Willett the national director for acute care at NHS England said most people are 'unaware' of the immediate knock-on-effect of cold weather on health. 'Patients who have pre-existing conditions may not be aware that they are most at risk of falling ill in the days after temperatures drop,' he said. 'This also adds pressure on already busy A&E departments and can be avoided by taking simple steps to keep well. 'Those with pre-existing heart and lung conditions and particularly the elderly should take care to keep their homes properly heated and get their flu jabs. 'We are also asking the public to keep an eye on any elderly neighbours they might have who are the most vulnerable during the winter months.' The number of emergency admissions is also linked to colder weather circulating viral infections, including the flu. Older people who may be frail, or who have existing health conditions, are particularly at risk, NHS England said. Last winter there were 400,000 additional A&E attendances, bringing the total to more than 7.5 million, an increase of 5.6% on the previous year, the body said. Advertisement 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 over the next few days before they travel Commuters wrap themselves up against the snow in Leytonstone, east London this morning. Britain has been hit by what forecasters describe as a 'snow bomb' this morning, meaning several inches of snow falling in a matter of hours Snowfall in Clayfield Copse, Berkshire. 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 Many cars have been left stranded on the M25, while others complained of being left in standstills for up to two hours Highways England advised road users across London, the Midlands and northern England to check the forecast and routes before heading out Wild ponies go about their business this wintry morning above Lwyn Reservoir, Nant Ddu, South Glamorgan in Scotland A trio of keen cyclists make their way through the snowy conditions in Clayfield Copse in Berkshire first thing this morning 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 to 11,000 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. The RSPCA also issued a warning to pet owners, advising them to take extra care of their pets, and reminded owners to keep poisonous anti-freeze away from their animals. RSPCA scientific officer Llewelyn Lowen reminded people to take care of wild animals in their area, saying: 'As the weather turns colder it is important to think about what we can do to help our animal friends. 'Every year, between one and two thousand wild animals are brought into RSPCA wildlife centres in December, January and February suffering from dehydration, hunger and cold. 'A few little changes to your everyday routine can really make a difference to animals. 'For example, a little bit of extra food left out for a hungry bird may be the help it needs to last through a spate of frosty weather or, if you have rabbits kept outside, you will need to provide them with lots of extra bedding and their home should be placed in a sheltered position, facing away from the prevailing wind and rain.' British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has met Iran's president today after holding 'frank' discussions over the plight of imprisoned Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. She will not be in court as expected on fresh charges Jailed British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's court case has been postponed after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had 'frank' discussions with the Iranian president. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe said she 'can see some light today' when she found out she would not be going to court. She was expected to appear on fresh spying charges, which risked adding considerable time to her five-year sentence. Her husband Richard said in a statement: 'I said I thought that if the Foreign Secretary had a good Saturday, we might have a good Sunday, with a court case postponed. 'And so it has come to pass. Today is one of the good days in the past 20 months. 'This weekend we had our first ripple of freedom, with the postponement of Nazanin's new court case. 'Of course who knows what lies ahead, the past 20 months have had plenty of false turns - but my hope is that the ripple in the days ahead might become a full change of tide. 'My hope today is as Nazanin once wrote: Freedom feels one day closer, that Christmas dream remains.' Mr Johnson arrived in Iran 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 Mr Ratcliffe said just a month ago he was 'cursing' Mr Johnson, but said that 'to date he has been as good as his word'. 'He did get to Iran, he did get there before her court case, and that did make a difference,' he added. 'Of course, one swallow doesn't make a Christmas - Nazanin is not yet on a plane. But it is good to have at least a swallow in the sky.' He added to The Telegraph: 'She is immensely relieved this morning. Like a weight has been lifted off.' Moussa Qazanfarabadi, the Head of Tehran's Revolutionary Court, confirmed: 'I, as the head of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, declare that no court session has been held for Ms. Nazanin Zaghari today,' reported Fars newsagency. The invitation to see president Hassan Rouhani in Tehran was seen as a positive development given the often testy state of relations between the two countries. There was great uncertainty following threats to increase Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's sentence by five years after Mr Johnson incorrectly told a parliamentary committee that she had been in Iran to train journalists. The mother-of-one was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is currently serving a five-year sentence over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government. Mr Johnson has been seeking her release and said he held 'frank' discussions on the case with his opposite number Mohammad Javad Zarif when he arrived in Tehran for the start of the two-day visit. The Foreign Secretary today described his visit to Iran as 'worthwhile'. During nearly an hour of talks with the Iranian president, a spokesman for the Foreign Office said they 'both spoke forthrightly' and 'agreed on the need to make progress in all areas'. 'After meeting Dr [Ali Akbar] Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Association, the Foreign Secretary concluded his visit to Iran with a meeting with President Rouhani,' the spokesman said. 'In both meetings the Foreign Secretary discussed the full range of regional and bilateral issues, including banking matters and our concerns about the consular cases of dual nationals.' The Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We leave with a sense that both sides want to keep up the momentum to resolve the difficult issues in the bilateral relationship and preserve the nuclear deal.' The invitation to see president Hassan Rouhani in Tehran was being seen as a positive development given the often testy state of relations between the two countries The imprisoned woman's husband, Richard Ratcliffe, expressed concern at the prospect of his wife going to court again. Yesterday, he said: 'I am obviously watching closely with hope, fingers crossed.' Mr Ratcliffe said he hoped the Foreign Secretary's visit would do some good. He is expecting to have a full briefing from Mr Johnson and the Foreign Office once he returns to the UK. 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 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 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 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.' 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) 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 today. '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. '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. 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 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.' 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) 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. '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. 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.' Mr Johnson's mission to Iran could see Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe set free for Christmas, her husband Richard Ratcliffe hopes. 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. 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 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 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. '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. Britain's 'worst' family will spend Christmas behind bars after their mother and the last of their children were sent to prison. The Selwoods are notorious for their incessant violence, binge drinking and anti-social behaviour. Their actions have seen them likened to the lawless Gallagher family from the hit Channel 4 programme Shameless. Neighbours in Tonbrige, Kent, have had to put up with brothers Darren, 34, Lee, 31, and Jason, 33, and their mother Lesley, 53, for years - but are now ecstatic at the thought of the festive season passing peacefully without them. Even their own flesh and blood are happy to see them go down, with their aunt branding them 'feral scumbags'. The Selwoods are notorious for their incessant violence, binge drinking and anti-social behaviour. Darren (pictured), 34, was jailed last week for stabbing a friend with a steak knife Lee Selwood (pictured), 31, and mother Lesley were jailed two weeks ago for their latest affray offences - they got a total of 19 months Jason Selwood (pictured), 33, is already serving a six-year stretch for blowing up a cash machine with gas canisters in a bid to steal 19,000 Teresa Cole, 51, told the Sunday People: 'They are feral scumbags, scum of the earth. 'I hate them with a passion, they are animals. 'I'm delighted to see they are behind bars - Merry Christmas to them all.' Ms Selwood is believed to be serving her time at HMP Bronzefield in Staines, Surrey, while the three sons are at Her Majesty's pleasure on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. Her daughter Kelly, 29, is the only member of the family who won't be locked up for Christmas - but she does have an assault conviction for pouring Toilet Duck cleaner over one of her neighbours in a fit of rage. Darren is the latest Selwood to be sent down, after being handed a 15-month sentence for stabbing a friend who asked to share his steak dinner. At a party in Tonbridge in July, his victim said: 'Give us a bit of steak', Maidstone Crown Court heard. Pictured: Lesley Selwood, 53, was sent down a fortnight ago for an affray offence But Selwood did not take kindly to his request, saying: 'No, but you can have this instead,' and stabbing him in the stomach with the steak knife. He was jailed last week and has 17 previous convictions for 27 offences. His longest prison stay was in 2008 five-and-a-half years for grievous bodily harm after stamping on a man's head so hard he was left brain damaged. His brother Lee and mother Lesley were jailed two weeks ago for their latest affray offences - they got a total of 19 months. Jason Selwood is already serving a six-year stretch for blowing up a cash machine with gas canisters in a bid to steal 19,000. In 2013 Darren, Lee and Lesley were locked up for launching a vicious joint attack on one of their neighbours. Mother Lesley threatened them with a trampoline pole during the ambush. Their father Robert died 12 years ago, and was a heavy drinker, claims Ms Cole. Kelly Selwood told the newspaper neighbours' views on the family are unfair. The mother-of-three said: 'It's very hard. They aren't even allowed presents. 'They need to be cut some slack - it's Christmas.' Neighbours are so happy they no longer have to see them riding around aggressively on motorbikes, shirtless and drinking lager, they are throwing a party. Children as young as four at a British school are being targetet by an ISIS spelling app that features photos of bullets, rockets and guns. The app was suggested for students at an Islamic Studies school in London who are learning Arabic script after a teacher asked for study aid recommendations on Facebook. In images of IS's Spelling Teacher app, 'S' is shown to stand for 'sarukh' - the Arabic word for a rocket - while others follow a similar rule with cartoons of bullets - 'dhakheera' in Arabic - and an axe, translated as 'fas'. ISIS has released an app teaching the Arabic alphabet to its 'cubs of the caliphate' - using cartoon images of weaponry including a rocket or 'Sarukh' (left) and a tank or 'Dababa' (right) The app app used a picture for a sword (left) - Sayf in Arabic - and an image of a cannon (right) - or Mudfae - to illustrate its alphabet The Arabic letter 'D' is represented by the word 'dababa' - or tank - and shown along with a picture of an armoured vehicle. The sinister illustrations are blended in with pictures more frequently associated with child learning including balloons, flowers and types of food. A promotional video for the product shows young children using the app on tablets. Counter-terror officials were alerted to the app when a female teacher asked for study aid recommendations for students aged four to 14 on Facebook. The woman used the fake name Safiyyah Huyay, one of prophet Muhammad's wives, when she asked for recommendations. Facebook member Jihadi Abu Bakr al Janabi suggested she try out the Spelling Teacher app, created for children of IS fighters. The app was used to teach students at an Islamic Studies school in London Arabic script for different letters of the alphabet. Other letters in the alphabet follow a similar rule with cartoon illustrations including bullets (left) - 'dhakheera' in Arabic - and an axe (right), translated as 'fas' Counter-terror officials were alerted to the app when a female teacher asked for study aid recommendations for students aged four to 14 on Facebook. A promotional video for the product, which fatures fire and a gun to represent letters of the alphabet, shows young children using the app on tablets The messages were reportedly seen by The Middle East Media Research Institute, which works with US intelligence. UK counter-terror officials have reportedly been informed. In the online correspondence, which is not public on Facebook to people who are not the woman's friends, the teacher references the Home office seizing her passport for extremism. Distributing publications with the intent of encouraging terrorism is an offence. Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke told The Sun: 'Anyone who sanctions the use of an app that encourages terrorism and indoctrinates children has no place in teaching. 'I'd hope the governing body would step in and the school be monitored by Ofsted.' The app was released by the ISIS propaganda department the Library of Zeal last year on the encrypted messaging service Telegram as well as on other file sharing websites, according to the Long War Journal. The app also includes games helping children to write Arabic letters and words while a cappella songs with jihadist terminology play in the background. A woman used the fake name Safiyyah Huyay, one of prophet Muhammad's wives, when she asked for study aid recommendations for students. Facebook member Jihadi Abu Bakr al Janabi suggested she try out the Spelling Teacher app, created for children of IS fighters Thousands of children and teenagers, including large numbers of girls, have been referred to Britain's often-criticised counter-terrorism programme Prevent, figures showed last month. Prevent is a key strand of Britain's security strategy which was launched in 2003 to combat extremism after the September 11 attacks on the United States. It has grown in prominence since the 2005 suicide attack on London's transport network which killed 52 people and the rise of the Islamic State in recent years. It has been dogged since its inception by claims that it is used to spy on Muslim communities and a 2015 government edict instructing public bodies such as schools, health workers and universities to report concerns further exacerbated those fears. The first official Prevent figures from Britain's Home Office (interior ministry) showed that of the 7,631 individuals thought to be at risk of being drawn into terrorism from April 2015 to March 2016, almost a third were children. Of all those referred, only five percent, the 381 assessed to be the most at risk, were eventually deemed to need support from specialist mentors in the voluntary, de-radicalisation scheme known as Channel. Some 63 individuals withdrew from the process and the Home Office said there was no data about whether they or any others who had been referred to Prevent or gone through the Channel process had later gone on to be involved in extremism. Two-thirds of Prevent referrals were made over fears of Islamist extremism and 10 percent because of far-right concerns. The vast bulk came from the education sector and police, with 2,127 aged under 15, including 532 girls, and 2,147 aged 15 to 20, with 420 female. A millionaire businesswoman has revealed how she escaped war-torn Vietnam on a cramped boat full of refugees where pirates stole all her belongings and threatened to rape her family. Diem Fuggersberger fled the South-East Asian country with her family at the age of seven - not long after the end of the Vietnam War - to start a new life in Australia, but was forced to live aboard a cramped vessel with 500 other refugees. The once-penniless Vietnamese refugee who couldn't speak a word of English is now a wildly successful entrepreneur. Mrs Fuggersberger, who co-founded food empire Berger Ingredients, told news.com.au of the squalid conditions aboard the boat and said she was even intercepted by vicious pirates who robbed her and threatened to rape her family. Diem Fuggersberger (pictured) fled the war-torn South-East Asian country with her family at age seven to start a new life in Australia, forced to live aboard a cramped vessel with 500 other refugees The 46-year-old co-founder of Berger Ingredients recalled to news.com.au the squalid conditions of the boat and said she was even intercepted by vicious pirates who robbed them and threatened to rape her family 'There was no such thing as your own cabin or toilet so we had to share with 504 people. There was only crackers and snacks and water on the boat, not real meals, because the boat was too small... We had to make sure we made it to shore before we starved or ran out of water,' Mrs Fuggersberger said. 'Our boat was intercepted by pirates who took our belongings. They nearly raped my cousins and a few hours later the boat nearly capsized during a very big storm.' Despite the horrific setbacks, Mrs Fuggersberger and her family made it to safety and took shelter on an Indonesian island, where they remained in a refugee camp for 18 months. They lived in a house with five other families and the now businesswoman also recalled how she witnessed a fellow refugee commit suicide at the camp and survived an outbreak of malaria. By the time she was eight the Vietnamese-born family had migrated to Australia - however none of them spoke a word of English, they were all but penniless and only owned the clothes on their backs. Despite the horrific setbacks, Mrs Fuggersberger and her family made it to safety and took shelter on an Indonesian island, where they remained in a refugee camp for 18 months By the time she was eight the Vietnamese-born family had migrated to Australia - however none of them spoke a word of English, they were all but penniless and only owned the clothes on their backs After losing everything she had in the 2009 GFC, Mrs Fuggersberger started all over again (Pictured is a product from Coco & Lucas' Kitchen) 'Not knowing the language well enough and living in very poor condition has often tempted people to bully us and make racists remarks. It was a painful time,' she told Women in Focus in 2012. After a rocky decade of high-schooling Mrs Fuggersberger went on to marry wealthy businessman Werner Fuggersberger - but their riches were short-lived. In 2009, and after two kids, the couple lost their $27 million business and family home due to the global financial crisis and the deflated former refugee was in enormous debt and back at square one again. 'In a way it was kind of worse [than being a refugee] because I had two kids to look after, I had 20 family members out of work who used to work for our previous business, and I was $900,000 in debt,' she told news.com.au. In 2009, and after two kids, the couple lost their $27 million business and family home due to the global financial crisis and the deflated former refugee was in enormous debt and back at square one again In a true testament to her resilience, Mrs Fuggersberger thwarted financial ruins yet again to create her multi-million dollar food companies Berger Ingredients and Coco & Lucas' Kitchen in 2010. Berger Ingredients is a successful seasoning and food flavouring business and Coco & Lucas' Kitchen produces packaged healthy meals for children. The inspirational entrepreneur also shared some sage words of advice for others struggling to make ends meet in business. 'When cross roads open before you follow your intuition, trust your instinct and don't be afraid to choose the tougher path,' she said. Advertisement Benjamin Netanyahu has told rioting Palestinians to get used to the reality that Jerusalem is Israel's capital after meeting with Emmanuel Macron in Paris. The Israeli Prime Minister said the sooner Palestinians can accept that reality, 'the sooner there will be peace'. It comes after Donald Trump said America will officially recognise the city as Israel's capital. Netanyahu's highly provocative statement came amid another day of protests and violence in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza which saw a 25-year-old Israeli security guard stabbed in the chest by a 24-year-old Palestinian. It also came as Macron issued his own, much more measured statement, in which he called for Netanyahu to show 'courage' in restarting the peace process and called for an end to Jewish settlement building in the West Bank. A Palestinian protester throws back a tear gas cannister towards Israeli forces during clashes at the main entrance of the West Bank town of Bethlehem on December 10, 2017, following a demonstration against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel Demonstrators take part in the Jerusalem Belongs to Islam rally held by members of non governmental organisations, after US President Donald Trump's announcement to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel Supporters of banned Islamic charity Jamat ud Dawa attend a protest against the US President Trump's decision to accept Jersulalem as Israel's capital, in Karachi, Pakistan, 10 December 2017 Benjamin Netanyahu told Palestinians that the sooner they accept Jerusalem as the new capital of Israel 'the sooner there will be peace' after discussing the situation with Emmanuel Macron in Paris Macron issued his own, much more measured, statement in which he condemned Hamas rocket attacks on Israel but also called for an end to Jewish settlement building in the West Bank A 25-year-old Israeli security guard is in critical condition in hospital after being stabbed at Jerusalem's central bus station Police say they have arrested a 24-year-old man and are questioning him, but say his background and motivation are not clear The attack happened as violent clashes continued across the West Bank and Gaza after Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital city A female police officer patrols close to the scene where an Israeli security guard was stabbed on Sunday afternoon Palestinian Christians took to the streets of Nablus, in the West Bank, to vent their anger at Trump's decision which he claimed would 'advance the peace process' A Palestinian youth carries a bottle and a rock as clashes continued around the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Sunday Protests over Trump's decision entered their fourth day on Sunday, with hundreds left wounded in the clashes Two Palestinian boys burn an Israeli flag outside the West Bank city of Jerusalem An Israeli flag is set alight at the entrance to the city of Bethlehem as Palestinian protesters clashed with police Youths duck down behind a wall as they pelt Israeli security forces with bottles and stones in the West Bank Clashes continued outside Bethlehem for a second straight day, while violence was also reported in Hebron A man who passed out after inhaling tear gas is evacuated amid clashes with police in Gaza on Sunday Men burn piles of trash and chant anti-Israel slogans as they protests in the Gaza Strip on Sunday A man is arrested by Israeli soldiers in the city of Hebron, which also saw violence against security forces on Saturday A Palestinian man is dragged to the floor and arrested in Hebron as violence against Israeli forces continued Palestinian Christians marched through the city of Nablus holding a sign that reads: 'Jerusalem for Arabs and the capital of Palestine' in Arabic In a concession to Netanyahu, he started the statement by condemning 'all the attacks of the last few days', including rockets launched by Hamas at the Jewish state. Netanyahu had earlier said he planned to rebuke Macron for condemning Trump's statement, but ignoring the attacks by Hamas. The Jewish leader also hit out at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had earlier branded Israel a 'terrorist country' that 'kills children'. 'I am not used to receiving lectures about morality from a leader who bombs Kurdish villagers in his native Turkey, who jails journalists, who helps Iran get around international sanctions, and who helps terrorists, including in Gaza, kill innocent people,' Netanyahu said. 'That is not the man who is going to lecture us.' Macron had earlier taken a phone call from Erdogan, according to a source close to the Turkish leader, and agreed that Trump's declaration had not been good for the region. Erdogan also spoke to other regional leaders and vowed to do everything possible to reverse the declaration. Netanyahu will now travel to Brussels where he is expected to confront Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy representative, who was also scathing of Trump's decision. Ms Mogherini, who has criticised Trump a number of times for his Jerusalem announcement, said last week that the president's move 'has the potential to send us backwards to even darker times than the ones we are already living in.' Earlier on Sunday, a 25-year-old Israeli security guard was left in critical condition after being stabbed at Jerusalem's central bus station. The guard was attacked with a kitchen knife by a 24-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank as he approached a metal detector who fled but was arrested after being tackled by a passerby. TOPSHOT - Palestinian protesters run from falling tear gas canisters fired by Israeli forces during clashes near an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank city of Ramallah on December 10 Palestinian protesters run for cover from teargas fired by Israeli troops during clashes on the Israeli border with Gaza on Sunday A Palestinian protester returns a teargas canister during clashes with Israeli troops following protests in the West Bank city of Bethlehem Palestinian protesters set tyres on fire during a demonstration against US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in Ramallah, West Bank Riot police advance on crowds outside the US embassy in Lebanon after demonstrators tried to storm the building Police fired tear gas at protesters outside the US embassy in Lebanon on Sunday as anger spread across the Muslim world at Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel Demonstrators attempted to break into the embassy in Lebanon before police managed to force them back A burning Israeli flag is draped across barbed wire outside the US embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut, on Sunday Protesters run from riot police after they used water cannon and tear gas outside the American embassy A mocked-up Israeli flag was doused in petrol then burned by demonstrators in Lebanon Tear gas canisters are fired at protesters who filled a dumpster with tires then burned it in Lebanon Lebanon saw the worst of the clashes on Sunday morning after violence across the West Bank on Saturday Water cannon were also used to disperse the crowds in Beirut as scenes turned ugly on Sunday morning Hundreds of angry protesters waving Palestinian flags gathered outside the US embassy in Lebanon Israeli authorities demolish several graves in the historical Bab al-Rahmeh cemetery near a mosque Israeli forces were seen at Bab al-Rahmeh cemetery in East Jerusalem on Sunday after Israeli authorities on Tuesday demolished several graves in occupied East Jerusalem's historical Bab al-Rahmeh cemetery east of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It is thought those destroyed were Muslim graves. The cemetery has a long history of people destroying graves in political and religious protests. Israeli forces are seen at Bab al-Rahmeh cemetery in East Jerusalem on December 10, 2017. Israeli authorities on Tuesday demolished several graves in occupied East Jerusalem's historical Bab al-Rahmeh cemetery east of the Al-Aqsa Mosque Two men in high-visibility vests can be see walking away from the Israeli forces at the historic cemetery in Jerusalem Armed Israeli forces are seen patrolling the area where graves were said to have been demolished on Tuesday. It is thought they were Muslim graves Two young Israeli soldiers smile at the camera as their colleagues patrol the hillside cemetery amid rising tensions in the country Advertisement Meanwhile demonstrators burned Israeli flags and clashed with police elsewhere in the West Bank, while Palestinian Christians also held a march denouncing Trump's decision. In Lebanon scenes outside the US embassy turned ugly as police were forced to use tear gas and water cannon to force back rioters who tried to storm the building. Marchers in Jalalabad,Afghanistan, also burned effigies of Trump and thousands gathered on the streets of Jakarta, Indonesia, in a fourth straight day of anger. Elsewhere the Israeli military said it had demolished a tunnel leading from Gaza into its territory, adding that it had belonged to Hamas. The tunnels are used to store rockets and weapons, and during the 2014 conflict the cross-border channels were used to launch attacks against the Israeli military. Missiles were fired into Israel from Gaza on Friday night, provoking a response from Israeli fighter jets and tanks that left two members of Hamas dead. Ms Mogherini, who has criticised Trump a number of times for his Jerusalem announcement, said last week that the president's move 'has the potential to send us backwards to even darker times than the ones we are already living in.' The most serious disturbances came at Rachel's Tomb near Hebron, in Tulkarm and on the outskirts of Bethlehem. A Palestinian youth was critically injured when he was hit in the eye by a rubber bullet in Ramallah, local media reported. The Israeli police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld, denied this, saying that protesters were 'precisely injured in the lower part of the body'. Protesters in Afghanistan burned an effigy of Trump on Sunday as they joined demonstrations against the President Two members of militant organisation Hamas have been killed in clashes while 140 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers have been wounded (pictured, protesters in Afghanistan) In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, demonstrators also took to the street to condemn Trump A portrait of Trump is burned by protesters in the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh Depictions of the American and Israeli flag, along with a picture of Trump, are burned by crowds in Istanbul Thousands of people gathered in Istanbul on Sunday to vent their anger at Trump's decision Egyptian students of Ain Shams University also marched on Sunday as fury spread through the Muslim world Students at Cairo University stood alongside their professors to denounce the decision and call for it to be reversed Meanwhile, three Israelis were wounded as a bus travelling near Haifa in northern Israel came under attack by Arab youths hurling rocks. The driver was injured by flying glass and evacuated to hospital while two passengers were treated at the scene, near the town of Arara. Police made two arrests. Demonstrations were also held elsewhere in the country, including in Umm el-Fahm, Rehat, Tira and Tamra, but these were significantly smaller than those seen on Friday's 'day of rage'. Nevertheless, the protests on Friday and the subsequent scuffles were less serious than had been expected, falling well short of the 'new intifada' demanded by Hamas. It came after about 25,000 Israelis demanded that Mr Netanyahu resign by taking to the streets of Tel Aviv last night, chanting 'mafia, mafia', and 'being a pig isn't kosher'. They were voicing concerns over claims that Mr Netanyahu received gifts from wealthy businessmen and made a deal with a newspaper for positive reporting, and that legislation was drafted to keep the allegations secret. A similar protest in Haifa turned violent when a group of anarchists supporting the boycott of Israel joined the march. The rallies followed a huge demonstration last week, when about 30,000 people spontaneously protested against corruption on Rothschild Boulevard, one of Tel Aviv's most iconic streets, in one of the largest rallies in recent memory. Naftali Bennett, the Right-wing leader of the Bait Yehudi party, made a bold pitch to become Israel's next prime minister, saying he has 'broad experience in business, economics, government and security and I plan to use all of it.' He stopped short, however, of calling for early elections. In a further sign of diplomatic backlash over the Trump announcement, a Palestinian Authority official confirmed that its president, Mahmoud Abbas, would pull out of a meeting with US vice president Mike Pence later this month. A White House aide said that the meeting was still scheduled, however, adding that would be 'counterproductive' for Mr Abbas to cancel it. Palestinian officials are understood to be lobbying the UN security council to pass a resolution demanding that the US withdraw its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Fourteen out of the 15 members of the Security Council condemned Mr Trump's move in an emergency meeting in New York on Friday. Yesterday, the Arab League demanded that the US change its stance on Jerusalem for fear that it would stoke further unrest across the region. Pantomimes across the country have gone very political this year as scripts have introduced jokes and mentions of Brexit and Donald Trump. Christmas plays in Britain are using the explosive political scene in the UK and US to add humour to their shows. At the Hackney Empire's Cinderella pantomime, writer and director, Susie McKenna, takes a swipe at Brexit in the Remain stronghold of East London. Christmas plays in Britain are using the explosive political scene in the UK and US to add humour to their shows The storyline features an Italian Dandini, who is worried about being deported. And there were big boos when a blonde-wigged Donald Trump turned up to the Ball. At the Lyric Hammersmith in west London, where Jack and the Beanstalk is showing, the evil landlord is called Squire Theresa Nigel Boris Donald Fleshcreep Rees-Mogg. Rapunzel is the big show at the Theatre Royal Stratford East and drops in a Brexit reference. Albert Mouse asks: 'So Rapunzel, are you going to leave or remain?' Rapunzel replies: 'Albert, I'm sick of this conversation. I'm remaining. Only an idiot would leave.' At the Clwyd Theatr in Mold, Flintshire, Harold tries to rescue Sleeping Beauty. He says: 'Sire, this castle is now just like Ukip.' Harold then adds: 'It's utterly pointless.' At the Hackney Empire's Cinderella pantomime, writer and director, Susie McKenna, takes a swipe at Brexit in the Remain stronghold of East London. Pictured is Brexit secretary David Davis And in Canterbury's Marlowe Theatre, Captain Hook says: 'I'm going to have to give up the pirate life. Another character responds: 'But, sir, what other job could you ... rob, lie and get away with it?' Hook says: 'I could always become an MP.' A teenage girl is missing off a South Australian beach, with police and surf lifesavers desperately scouring the water for her. Emergency services were called to Glenelg beach, near Adelaide, around 5.50pm Sunday following reports a group of swimmers were in trouble. Four teenagers, believed to be from the same group, were rescued, however a fifth friend has yet to be located. A teenage girl is missing off a South Australian beach, with police and surf lifesavers desperately scouring the water for her Emergency services were called to Glenelg beach, near Adelaide, around 5.50pm Sunday following reports a group of swimmers were in trouble The teenagers were taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital, with at least two in serious condition, a South Australia police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. Police from the Water Operations Unit are assisting in the search for the missing girl, along with the Surf Lifesaving helicopter and PolAir. They are scouring the area near Holdfast Marina, as dozens of onlookers line the beach, News.com.au reports. Three other children have died at the same spot since 2007, including two young boys who got into trouble near the jetty on January 1, 2016, The Advertiser reports. Their deaths prompted the installation of warning signs, with many urging after the death of a boy in 2007 of notices about the area's strong currents and rips. Four teenagers, believed to be from the same group, were rescued, however a fifth friend has yet to be located Coronation Street star Michael Le Vell is reportedly facing bankruptcy proceedings after paying hefty legal fees to clear his name against child sex allegations. The actor, 52, spent 200,000 fighting the charges before being found 'not guilty' of all 12 counts by a jury at Manchester Crown Court in 2013. Ministry of Justice rules prevent people who can afford their defence from receiving tax-funded paybacks after the case, meaning all of the funding came out of the star's own pocket. Michael Le Vell, pictured in September, is reportedly facing bankruptcy proceedings after paying hefty legal fees to clear his name against child sex allegations in 2013 Now The Sun on Sunday has reported that Le Vell, who plays mechanic Kevin Webster in the soap, has been contacted the Bankruptcy Unit of the Land Registry about taking action. A source told the paper: 'He had false accusations hanging over him for years and couldnt work.' Le Vell's marriage to his wife Janette broke down in the midst of the allegations and the actor, whose real name is Michael Turner, has since had to sell their 750,000 home in Cheshire. Le Vell pictured outside Manchester Crown Court in September 2013 after being cleared of child sex offences The letter was sent to the actor's girlfriend's home in Altrincham, Greater Manchester. The news comes after it emerged earlier this year that Le Vell had been offered a new 250,000 contract from Coronation Street bosses. When asked about bankruptcy, the star said: 'I've not heard anything yet.' Three British Airways cabin crew have reportedly lost their jobs following a raucous stopover in Nairobi. Guests at an upmarket hotel in the Kenyan capital were 'appalled' by the drunken staff who allegedly caused damage in the lobby. Hotel management at the four-star Ole Sereni hotel complained to the airline about the trio, who were all subsequently fired, The Sun reported. Three British Airways cabin crew have reportedly lost their jobs following a raucous stopover in Nairobi. Guests at an upmarket hotel in the Kenyan capital were 'appalled' by the drunken staff who allegedly caused damage in the lobby The hotel is said to have a reputation as a 'lively destination' for its workers. Airline bosses previously warned crew they were risking their jobs by drinking heavily between flights. A BA insider told the paper: 'Many staff regard overnight stopovers as a party. 'This was one session that got out of hand.' BA said: 'We will always take appropriate action if a staff member's behaviour falls below the exceptionally high standards of professionalism we expect.' BA said: 'We will always take appropriate action if a staff member's behaviour falls below the exceptionally high standards of professionalism we expect' A BA spokesperson disputed the damage claims however. 'There are no reports of any damage to hotel property. 'We expect exceptionally high standards of professionalism from our highly trained crew, and we will always take the appropriate action if a member of staff's behaviour falls below that standard,' they added. An associate of the Rebels bikie gang faces serious drug charges after he was found with almost 200g of cocaine while caring for a five-year-old child, police allege. The 23-year-old man was arrested at a McDonald's in Rosehill, western Sydney, on Saturday afternoon. The officers then searched his vehicle and found 193 grams of a white powder, believed to be cocaine, with a street value of $60,000. Scroll down for video The 23-year-old man was arrested at a McDonald's in Rosehill, western Sydney, on Saturday afternoon before police searched a home in Glenwood (pictured) The officers then searched his vehicle and found 193 grams of a white powder, believed to be cocaine, with a street value of $60,000 (pictured) Police were also disturbed to discover the man had a five-year-old child in his care at the time of his arrest. The man was taken to Parramatta police station and charged with a number of offences, including drug supply and exposing a child to drugs. Police then searched a home in Glenwood, in northwest Sydney, where the man's 22-year-old partner was also arrested. Officers say they found an expandable baton, $25,000 in cash, 18 grams of cocaine, three encrypted mobile phones, steroids and expensive jewellery. The man was taken to Parramatta police station and charged with a number of offences, including drug supply and exposing a child to drugs The woman was charged with organising a drug premise, exposing a child to drugs and taking part in the supply of drugs. Both appeared in Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday where they were reportedly refused bail ahead of their next court appearances in coming weeks. One friend appeared in court to witness a magistrate refuse the pair bail, Nine News reports. One friend (pictured) appeared in court to witness a magistrate refuse the pair bail, Nine News reports Police allege the 23-year-old is an associate of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMCG). The arrest comes after a three-month-long drug supply investigation into the man who was working as a delivery driver for a transport company. A spokesperson for NSW Police told Daily Mail Australia they were not at liberty to confirm the man's relationship with the five-year-old child. Heterosexual couples may be allowed to enter civil partnerships, in what would be a landmark breakthrough in securing the same legal rights for cohabiting people as those who are married. Tory MP Tim Loughton's private members bill has outlined changes and is expected to receive support from the government during its second reading in February. Former children's minister Loughton said he is 'optimistic' the move will be a success, while education secretary Justine Green also touted her support for it. Former children's minister Loughton said he is 'optimistic' the move will be a success, while education secretary Justine Green also touted her support for it Speaking at a meeting of the Bright Blue think tank, Greening said 'I am all for equality'. The proposed changes would help stabilise families with unmarried parents. Despite only accounting for a fifth of couples, more than half of family breakdown occur in unmarried families. The move comes as Charles Keidan and Rebecca Steinfeld take their battle to enter a civil partnership goes to the Supreme Court in May. The couple lost their Appeal Court battle to have a civil partnership earlier this year. Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan from Hammersmith, west London, argued that the Government's position on civil partnerships was 'incompatible with equality law'. In November, the academics challenged High Court judge Mrs Justice Andrews's decision to dismiss their judicial review action. Ms Steinfeld and Mr Keidan said they would continue to fight A paedophile teacher who was jailed for abusing pupils in the UK allegedly began preying on a 14-year-old boy again after finding work at a top international school in France on his release. Julian Bertrand, 37, from Paris, was found guilty in 2006 of sexual offences against two students aged 14 and 16 at schools in Essex and Somerset between 2000 and 2005. He was jailed for six years, forced to sign the UK sex offenders register, and barred from working with children. The court heard Bertrand told the boys he would kill himself if they did not satisfy his 'ultimate desire' and in one instance pretended to load a gun to force a student to have sex with him. Julian Bertrand was able to set up a school in Paris after being jailed for child sex offences in the UK He also gave one of the pupils gifts worth up to 5,000. But after leaving prison in 2011, he moved to France and found work as a music teacher at the exclusive Victor Hugo School in Paris where he reportedly began grooming one of his pupils again. According to The Sunday Times, Bertrand sent explicit texts to the youngster in which he told him that he loved him. The 21,000-a-year school dismissed the teacher in 2013 after the boy's father complained. Despite this, Bertrand was able to work with children again a year later after jointly setting up another international private school, called Kingsworth International, also in Paris, where he became deputy head. The school's head teacher told The Sunday Times that the paedophile had 'lied about his past'. Once his criminal record was discovered Kingsworth sent out a letter to the parents of its pupils and dismissed Bertrand, who left the institution last month. The president of Victor Hugo, Bernard DeleSelle, also accused the teacher of having 'tricked' them in order to get a job, but added that legal complications prevented the school from blowing the whistle on the paedophile's past. He said: 'Because he created his own structure in direct competition to our establishment, we could not have publicly denigrated him without risking legal action.' The head of the school in Somerset where Bertrand had abused one of his victims said: 'I find it extraordinary that the systems for safeguarding children do not appear to be joined up in a better way. It is very worrying indeed.' A spokesman for France's education ministry admitted that there was a current issue with identifying teachers with past sex crimes. The government department added: 'A new law was put forward in 2016 to allow better communication between the justice and education departments, but it has not happened yet.' According to the Times, Bertrand, who is also a shareholder at Kingsworth, is still free to teach elsewhere in France. A woman was left fighting for her life after being struck by a cyclist this weekend. The 67-year-old woman was walking under the Nathan Street Bridge in Townsville, Queensland, on Saturday when she was hit by the bicycle rider. She fell and smacked her head on a concrete path at about 6.30am, fracturing her skull and leaving her with a bleed on the brain. The 67-year-old woman was walking under the Nathan Street Bridge (pictured) in Townsville, Queensland, on Saturday when she was hit by the bicycle rider But the cyclists was not arrested as police are yet to 'determine who was at fault'. A Queensland Police spokesperson declined to say if the bike rider was tested for drugs and alcohol. 'The victim has undergone surgery for a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain,' Queensland Police's Senior Sergeant Joe Matheson told the Townsville Bulletin. 'She is in a serious but stable condition.' The woman was tended to by passers-by until paramedics arrived. Her friend was treated for shock at the scene. Police described the incident as 'tragic' and it is not clear whether the 56-year-old male cyclist was arrested. A police force is complaining about timewasters on Twitter, exposing people who ring 999 for ridiculous reasons, from a couple rowing over a duvet cover to one man wanting to check David Cameron is okay. Gwent Police is using social media to warn people against dialling 999 unnecessarily - with hilarious results. The Welsh force revealed one woman rang the emergency control room because her husband refused to share their duvet cover. A male caller rang up to ask officers to do a welfare check on former Prime Minister David Cameron because 'they hadn't seen him on TV for some time'. A male caller rang up Gwent Police to ask officers to do a welfare check on former Prime Minister David Cameron because 'they hadn't seen him on TV for some time' The Welsh force revealed one woman rang the emergency control room because her husband refused to share their duvet cover Another irresponsible caller rang in to say he had been banned from a supermarket for complaining about a torch he bought Officers continued posting some of the more unusual emergency calls they have received Tweeting today they said: 'This Christmas, we want to remind the public to only call 999 in an emergency to ensure we get the appropriate response to you. 'Take a look at the calls that have come in that went straight on our naughty list, remember you are risking lives misusing the 999 number!' Officers continued posting some of the more unusual emergency calls they have received. One reads: 'A man called 999 reporting that he had bought a torch from a well-known supermarket but it does not work, they will not refund the torch and he is now banned from the store.' In England and Wales 'wasting police time' is an offence under section 5 (2) of the Criminal Law Act Another said: 'A member of public rang 999 to report concern for a young couple walking a dog in the park at 9.20pm with a young baby. Caller felt the baby should be in bed.' The final irresponsible ring in was: 'An intoxicated man rang 999 for a lift off Gwent Police, as he had no money for taxi.' Gwent Police in south east Wales get an average of 150 to 200 emergency calls and 800 non-urgent calls every day. The social media posts were intended to lighten their already overwhelming workload. In England and Wales 'wasting police time' is an offence under section 5 (2) of the Criminal Law Act. Gwent Police in south east Wales get an average of 150 to 200 emergency calls and 800 non-urgent calls every day Offenders can be charged for 'causing any wasteful employment of the police or knowingly making to any person a false report'. This is not the first time Gwent Police have hit the headlines for their amusing social media strategy. Last Christmas the force decided to start tweeting their success stories. Abergavenny officers slated one offender for being a 'wannabe gangster trying to take over a skate park'. One tweet read: 'Last Christmas We Gave You The Cells, And The Very Next Day Was A Court Holiday. This Year, To Save You From Tears ....... BEHAVE! #PCButt'. Another said: 'To the driver that failed to stop in Pill...we are better at hide and seek than you are 1-0 #dangerousdriver #seized #hideandseek'. Over the Christmas period last year, Gwent Police decided to shame offenders by posting their convictions on social media An Israeli army commander has been sanctioned after he was filmed stealing fruit from a Palestinian amid clashes in Gaza, Jerusalem and the West Bank. The sergeant, a squad leader from the Givati Infantry Brigade, was filmed taking the fruit in the West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday. He was filmed by the stall owner who was hiding nearby amid violent protests in the city after Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. An Israeli army sergeant has been suspended for stealing fruit from the stall of a Palestinian man who was sheltering from violent protests on the West Bank yesterday The incident was filmed in Hebron which saw some of the worst clashes on Saturday. There were also riots in Ramallah (pictured) and Bethlehem 'Sneaky thief,' the man can be heard saying, according to the Times of Israel, before sarcastically adding: 'To your health. Good on you.' The footage was uploaded to Twitter where it immediately went viral, prompting a furious backlash as tensions run high across the region. Israel Defence Forces chiefs quickly suspended the soldier, saying they 'do not condone' the behaviour. Commanders also said he had been 'punished' over the incident, but did not elaborate any further. Hebron saw some of the worst clashes on the West Bank between protesters and police on Saturday, as violence also erupted in Bethlehem and Ramallah. In total 140 Palestinians and four Israeli police were wounded in the clashes, with reports that one Palestinian youth was in critical condition after being shot in the eye with a rubber bullet. In total 140 Palestinians and four Israeli police officers were wounded in the clashes, while two members of Hamas were killed after launching rockets Police in Bethlehem face off against rioters angry at Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel Israeli police denied this, saying he was struck in the lower limbs. 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 said in a statement: 'The IDF views the shooting at Israeli communities severely. Hamas is solely responsible for what happens in the Gaza Strip.' A young cancer patient has been given a Christmas miracle after doctors gave her the all-clear to return home. Shay Wignall was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukaemia in April this year and her mother, Julie, had to tell the 11-year-old she may not survive it. 'I had to tell her the worst thing you could tell a child. Her first reaction was she thought she was going to die,' Mrs Wignall told News. 'The whole time I was thinking: 'They've got it wrong.' They hadn't got it wrong.' Shay Wignall was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukaemia in April this year and her mother, Julie, had to tell the 11-year-old she may not survive it Shay, a popular student from Victoria who captained her house and school, was forced to leave her year 6 classroom behind and was confined to a hospital bed for six months Shay, a popular student from Victoria who captained her house and school, was forced to leave her year 6 classroom behind and was confined to a hospital bed for six months while she underwent chemotherapy. Her mother was forced to leave their Bendigo home and move full-time into a Ronald McDonald House, nearer to her Shay's hospital. Shay's father and her nine-year-old brother Jayd stayed behind. 'It's very isolating to be away. We've got someone living in our house, we're still paying the mortgage.' The chemotherapy reaped havoc on Shay's system, weakening her immune system and giving her paraflu and a serious blood clot in her leg. 'She has seen me cry. I think that's important to see you don't have to put on a brave face all the time,' Mrs Wignall said. After her most recent scan, doctors found no active leukaemia cells and told her she can return home for Christmas After her most recent scan, doctors found no active leukaemia cells and told her she can return home for Christmas. 'It's quite a positive outcome but it's been a hard journey,' Mrs Wignall said. 'We just want to go home.' Shay has totally shaved her head since the treatment which caused half of it to fall out, something her mother says she has 'embraced'. She will return to Melbourne for three further weeks of treatment in the new year, before going home to finally get back to school and start year 7. You can help Shay and her family pay for her medical bills by donating to her My Cause page here. You can donate to RMHC and purchase a Bear for a seriously ill or injured child staying at an RMHC here. An eight-month pregnant woman was left in tears after being thrown out of a taxi so the driver could take a shorter fare. Lily-May Stanton, 21, said she was shocked after being booted out of the taxi near Lime Street, Liverpool, on Friday afternoon. Stanton claimed the driver picked her up to take her to her home in Netherley, around seven miles away, before he picked up another group of four passengers after he told her he wanted to stay in the city centre. The young mother, who suffers from anxiety, said the other passengers had been drinking and told her to get out the vehicle. Lily-May Stanton, 21, said she was shocked after being booted out of the taxi near Lime Street, Liverpool, on Friday afternoon The driver then echoed their calls and she was made to get out the vehicle. The mother-to-be, who is expecting a boy, said: 'I had gone into town for an appointment with a doctor on Rodney Street about my anxiety - I've had it since I was in an accident two years ago. 'I went and then did a bit of shopping, and my friend said they'd put me in a taxi so they knew I was safe. 'But I tried lots of numbers and they all said it was a half-hour wait as it was 5pm on a Friday. 'I was knackered and it was freezing but we walked around for ages looking for a Hackney cab as a last resort, and found one by Lime Street. 'My friend waved one down and said I was going to Netherley, and he said 'that's fine' so I got in. 'I put my bag down and said "thank God for that" - I'd been trying for ages to find one, and that I was having a baby in seven weeks.' It was when the Hackney cab stopped at a set of light that the group jumped in the taxi. Ms Stanton added: 'The driver then said he wanted to stay around town - I was fuming. I'd just told him he was a life-saver, and then he wouldn't take me. 'The lad shouted to his friend who got in, and another two girls jumped in. They had had a drink and were shouting 'get out'. They robbed my taxi. Ms Stanton said she now wants an apology from the taxi driver for the way he made her feel 'The driver then said I had to get out too. But I was panicking - I already have anxiety and the door wouldn't open. 'These people in the taxi are getting louder and louder laughing at me because I was getting kicked out of a taxi and I'm 8 months pregnant thinking it's funny. 'To the two lads and two girls that thought it was okay to shout at me to get out of my taxi I hope you feel ashamed.' She said that she left the taxi in tears but that she luckily found a private hire driver who was kind enough to take her home. Ms Stanton said she now wants an apology from the taxi driver for the way he made her feel. The mother-to-be has since written an emotional Facebook post and has reported the incident to Liverpool City Council, who said they are now investigating the incident. A Moroccan pensioner has been arrested after he was caught trying to smuggle a 12-year-old African boy into Spain curled up inside the dashboard of his car. Police discovered the youngster on Friday after detecting his heartbeat using a special machine at a checkpoint on the border between Morocco and Spain's north African enclave of Melilla. An officer confirmed the schoolboy - believed to be from Guinea - had been stuffed into the tiny space between the engine and the passenger seat of the BMW X5 after reaching into the dashboard with his hand. The African youngster in the dashboard of the BMW X5. The Morroccan driver has been arrested The car was ripped apart and the child, said to have been disorientated and suffering breathing difficulties and numbness in his limbs because of the position he had been forced to adopt, was given medical assistance at the scene. The 65-year-old driver of the Moroccan-plated vehicle was arrested and is expected to be remanded in custody after appearing before an investigating judge in the next 24 hours. A spokesman for the Civil Guard, the force which discovered the youngster, said: 'The operation began when officers stopped a BMW X5 with a Moroccan numberplate so they could inspect the driver's vehicle and personal ID documents. 'He was then asked to open his boot but nothing untoward was found. 'A tiny detail aroused the suspicion of officers when a heart beat sensor was passed over the car, a high-end vehicle in very good condition. The child was said to have been disorientated and suffering breathing difficulties and numbness in his limbs because of the position he had been forced to adopt The checkpoint in Melilla where officers discovered the 12-year-boy on Friday 'The boy was found during an exhaustive search inside the dashboard. An officer felt the body of a person after introducing his hand and immediately ripped off part of it to remove and assist the human being who turned out to be a young boy.' The latest find evokes memories of an incident two years ago in which a Moroccan teenager was stopped by police trying to reach Spanish soil by crossing into Ceuta with an eight-year-old boy inside a suitcase. An hour and a half later his dad was arrested trying to cross at the same spot. Britain should stick to the EU single market, keep contributing to Brussels coffers, and have 'easy' migration rules, the shadow Brexit Secretary said today. Sir Keir Starmer gave the most detailed account yet of Labour's stance as he hinted that the party could back a second referendum on relations with the EU. But his comments endorsing a Norway-style tie-in are likely to fuel the burgeoning divisions within the party about Brexit, which has seen Jeremy Corbyn, frontbenchers and rank-and-file MPs take starkly different positions. Appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr show this morning, Sir Keir hailed Theresa May's divorce deal that was finally sealed with the EU on Friday. But shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer gloated that the UK's path was set after Mrs May committed to 'full alignment' with the bloc in key trade areas in order to protect the soft border in Ireland Mr Starmer set out his vision for a Norway-style deal with the EU that would mean accepting contributing to budgets and 'easy' migration rules Theresa May (pictured heading for church in her Maidenhead constituency with husband Philip today) is under pressure over the deal she struck with the EU He claimed the UK's path was already set after Mrs May committed to UK-wide 'full alignment' with the bloc in key trade areas in order to protect the soft Irish border and assuage DUP concerns about the integrity of the union. Asked if the UK now had to stay 'very, very close' to the single market and the customs union. 'Yes, and I think that's the right thing and I think we should hold her to that because that goes to the heart of the question what sort of Britain do we want to be?' he said. 'Do we see Europe as our major trading partner in the future or do we want to rip ourselves apart from that?' Speaking about regulations and standards, Sir Keir added that if the UK wanted the benefits of the single market and the customs union 'you've got to stay on the same level playing field'. He said: 'We are very comfortable with staying on a level playing field.' He said Labour wanted a partnership that 'retains the benefits of the single market and the customs union' and wanted a new treaty. 'We would start with viable options, staying in a customs union and a single market variant which means full participation in the single market,' he said. UK SHOULD STILL PAY EU DIVORCE BILL EVEN IF THERE'S NO DEAL ON TRADE Britain should pay the EU's divorce bill even if there is no trade deal, the shadow business secretary said today. Rebecca Long-Bailey said she thought the UK should 'honour' the financial demands even if negotiations collapse. 'I think it's important and I think earlier on the point was made that you know, if you had a mortgage you'd still be expected to pay you know the sums that you would need to honour,' she told Pienaar's Politics on BBC Radio 5 Live. She said the UK should hand over the 'agreed amount... nothing above what we should pay legally and what we're contractually bound to pay'. Advertisement 'You can't sweep the customs union and the single market off the table on the one hand and also say you don't want a hard border in Northern Ireland...You can't have no hard border if you don't have alignment.' Sir Keir also made clear that Labour was ready to keep paying money into EU coffers in return for market access. The government has said that apart from the divorce bill the UK will no longer be paying 'large sums' to the bloc every year. Sir Keir said: 'Norway pays money in, they do it actually on a voluntary basis... there may have to be payments, that's to be negotiated.' Pushed on the party's vow that it will not accept freedom of movement after Brexit, Sir Keir suggested its term would be similar to the current arrangements. 'Well that would have to be negotiated but the end of free movement doesn't mean no movement, of course we would want people to come from the EU to work here, we would want people who are here to go and work in the EU, the basis of that would have to be negotiated,' he said. Asked if that would mean easy movement if not free, he replied: 'Yes, of course.' Asked if Labour would call for a second referendum, he replied: 'We haven't called for a second referendum, things are moving so fast it's hard to know what's going to come next but we are not calling for it.' Pressed twice more on the issue, he added: 'Things are moving so fast it's hard to know what's going to come next, but we are not calling for a second referendum.' Jeremy Corbyn has been struggling to keep a lid on deep divisions within Labour over Brexit Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at Israel after Donald Trump decided to recognise Jerusalem as the Jewish state's capital. Erdogan described the nation as a 'terrorist state' and a 'killer of children' in remarks on Sunday as fresh clashes erupted in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. The Muslim leader also vowed to use 'all means' to reverse Trump's decision, which was announced earlier this week. Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israel a 'terrorist state' and a 'killer of children' as he lashed out following Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as its capital Pro-Palestinian protesters take to the streets of Istanbul to vent their anger at Trump's decision, which he claimed would 'advance the peace process' He said: Palestine is an innocent victim... As for Israel, it is a terrorist state, yes, terrorist! 'We will not abandon Jerusalem to the mercy of a state that kills children.' Erdogan also blasted Israel and Trump in a speech on Saturday, calling it a 'state of occupation' and saying the US President had 'unleashed conflict'. He said: '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.' Israeli warplanes bombed two targets in Gaza late on Friday after rockets were launched at its territory by Hamas. Two members of the militant organisation were killed while the Palestinian health authority said 25 were wounded, including six children. Erdogan has sought to position himself in the centre of diplomatic efforts to force Trump to reverse his decision and has held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron to that effect. Erdogan spoke on the phone with French President Emmanuel Macron and the pair agreed Trump's move was worrying for the region, a source said His comments came as fresh clashes erupted across the West Bank, including in Bethlehem, where protesters burned the Israeli flag The Turkish presidential source said Erdogan and Macron agreed during a phone call that Trump's move was worrying for the region. 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. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's President, is also due to meet with Macron on Sunday, saying he plans to rebuke the French leader for condemning Trump. Ntanyahu was particularly incensed that Macron had publicly opposed the American leader, but failed to condemn Hamas for its rocket launches. Trump made his announcement in an address from the White House on Thursday saying it marked 'the beginning of a new approach to the conflict' and would 'advance the peace process.' The sole bidder at a bizarre auction has bought an entire East German village complete with buildings, sheds and garages for 125,00. An anonymous buyer who bid buy telephone, is now the official owner of Alwine - a tiny village in Brandenburg state, 75 miles south of Berlin. They secured the hamlet, which has just 20 residents - most of them elderly, at an auction in Berlin yesterday. An entire east German village has been sold at auction in Berlin for 125,000 (140,000 euros) An anonymous buyer who bid buy telephone, is now the official owner of Alwine (pictured) - a tiny village in Brandenburg state, 75 miles south of Berlin In 2000, the hamlet was sold to private investors for one 'symbolic Deutschmark,' the pre-euro German currency. The two brothers who were the original buyers of its dozen buildings, plus sheds and garages, did not manage to stop its slide into neglect. During the Second World War, the Hitler Youth trained around Alwine and prisoners of war were incarcerated nearby. Then the Iron Curtain went up and it became part of Germany's communist East. Until Germany's 1990 reunification, all the property in Alwine, which once counted about 50 residents, was owned by a nearby coal briquette plant, the oldest in Europe. Several local residents had worked there since the 1960s, said Andreas Claus, the mayor of Uebigau-Wahrenbrueck of which Alwine is a part. The plant closed in 1991 and many people left. Only about 20 mostly retired people still live in the cluster of decaying homes in rural Brandenburg state, 75 miles south of Berlin During World War II, the Hitler Youth trained around Alwine and prisoners of war were incarcerated nearby Until Germany's 1990 reunification, all the property in Alwine, which once counted about 50 residents, was owned by a nearby coal briquette plant, the oldest in Europe Before the result, residents waited nervously to see who would buy the property, with some fearing the sale wo;; bring unwelcome changes. Paul Urbanek, 71, said: 'We have been chucked into cold water.' 'Most of the departures were, of course, younger people - the daughters and sons of this place' who moved to West Germany, said Peter Kroll, the district representative, who has lived nearby since 1945. None have come back, he said. Mayor Claus added: 'People had no other prospects here, especially if they were older.' Alwine is not the only such community in eastern Germany, which still lags behind the west in prosperity, wages and jobs, with a per capita GDP that was only 67 percent of that in western states in 2015. Between 1990 and 2015, the region's population fell by about 15 percent, said a government report this year. 'After reunification, many people moved away for jobs,' said Hildegard Schroeteler-von Brandt, a professor of architecture and urban studies at Siegen University. 'These jobs have not been replaced everywhere in East Germany.' Residents awaited the result nervously to see who will buy the property as some fear the sale may bring unwelcome changes Paul Urbanek (pictured hear his home), 71, said of the sale: 'We have been chucked into cold water.' Urbanek, who moved there after a divorce in 2010, said he likes Alwine because it's quiet. But now the roof of his house needs to be replaced, he said, and the electrician doesn't come by anymore. Except for one family, all of Alwine's inhabitants are elderly. 'I'm retired, my neighbour is retired ... The others are also both retired,' Urbanek noted, pointing across the way. Given the region's exodus of younger people, 'the ageing process in eastern Germany is progressing much faster than in western Germany,' according to the government report. Several local residents had worked there since the 1960s, said Andreas Claus, the mayor of Uebigau-Wahrenbrueck of which Alwine is a part. Pictured: Local mayor Andreas Claus A sign announcing the auction of real estate is pictured in the Alwine splinter settlement of the town Uebigau-Wahrenbrueck Mayor Claus, who only learned of the sale by reading it in the newspaper, did not seek to bring the town into public ownership. And Urbanek said it was unlikely that anyone living there could have been able to raise the necessary funds. 'People in economically underdeveloped areas feel left alone with their problems,' said Claus, voicing a common complaint that has impacted eastern German politics. During the elections in September, nearly 23 percent of Uebigau-Wahrenbrueck voted for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, nearly twice the national average. Mayor Claus said he would invite the new owner to the town hall 'to see how we can try to develop something here, in collaboration with the people, and not against them.' Mayor Claus said: 'People had no other prospects here, especially if they were older.' Two tremors detected in North Korea yesterday were likely to be aftershocks from the hermit nation's reckless nuclear test in early September, a US Geological Survey official confirmed. The mild 2.9 and 2.4 magnitude aftershocks were confirmed as 'tectonic' in origin by the Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty executive secretary Lassina Zerbo. The USGS official claimed the tremors originated near the Punggye-ri nuclear test site - the location where North Korea carried out its largest nuclear test to date on September 3. 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 official said: 'They're probably relaxation events from the sixth nuclear test. 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.' North Korea claim its September test was a H-bomb - with experts claiming it was an estimated 10 times more powerful than the US atomic bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. A sequence of tremors since that test has led experts to believe that there was damage caused to the mountainous region in the north-west of the country. Last month it was claimed that 100 workers were feared at the site had been trapped after the tunnel reportedly collapsed on September 10, although this has not been confirmed. In October, South Korea's spy agency said it believed Pyongyang might be readying two more tunnel at the site. One obstacle which could scupper North Korea using the Punggye-ri test is the nearby active volcano Mount Paektu, which is considered a sacred site by the communist nation. Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea, where the September test was carried out The dictator paid a visit to the site yesterday, which is claimed to be 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. Data collected after North Korea's nuclear test on September 3, showing tremors detected North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance to various units in Samjiyon County One obstacle which could scupper North Korea using the Punggye-ri test is the nearby active volcano Mount Paektu, which is considered a sacred site by the communist nation A British waiter who moved to the Gulf to turn his life around is facing two years in a prison where he 'sleeps in a room with 25 people where no one speaks English' after officials found cannabis in his system. Connor Clements, 24, upped and left Liverpool earlier this year after getting 'stuck in a rut' in the UK. With his sister already living in Dubai he was hopeful things would get better and managed to land a job as a waiter. But things took a 'horrific' turn when the results of a medical test carried out by his new employers came back with traces of cannabis. The 24-year-old insists the drug was in his system from before he boarded his flight to the United Arab Emirates. Connor Clements (pictured), 24, upped and left Liverpool earlier this year after getting 'stuck in a rut' in the UK. But things took a 'horrific' turn when the results of a medical test carried out by his new employers came back with traces of cannabis The 24-year-old insists the drug was in his system from before he boarded his flight to the United Arab Emirates. Pictured: Dubai But he was sentenced to two years in prison during a court hearing he claims 'lasted less than a minute'. He said: 'They are saying I smoked it here - but I did [it] back home, they have got no proof... I used to smoke a lot back home. 'I came here to stop everything. It was a chance for me to change my life. But it's been nothing but a nightmare. 'I was in a rut. My sister lives here and I had an opportunity to change my life and it's been nothing but a living nightmare... I haven't committed a crime in the UAE. 'I was coming over here to totally change my life around. I had a new job and met loads of nice people.' But he was sentenced to two years in prison during a court hearing he claims 'lasted less than a minute'. Pictured: Dubai After several weeks in prison, he has now been bailed ahead of an appeal hearing just before Christmas. He describes the experience as a 'living nightmare'. He said: 'The prison is atrocious. I didn't even go outside once. 'It was a living nightmare. They put me in a room with 25 people, I was sleeping on the floor. I didn't know what to do. I can't speak Arabic. 'No-one spoke English. It was outrageous. I don't want to go back in prison.' The Everton local tried to explain what happened to judges but was told he wasn't allowed. Jamie Harron, 27, from Stirling, was sentenced for public indecency in Dubai earlier this year His passport has now been confiscated and if he doesn't win the next appeal, will be locked up in the Dubai jail for the next two Christmases. Mr Clements spoke out ahead of his appeal hearing in the hope of raising awareness of his plight, which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is aware of. A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'Our staff in the UAE are assisting a British man following his detention in Dubai. 'We have visited him on several occasions, made calls to the prosecutor's office to get updates on his case, and are in regular contact with his family.' Over 200 UK citizens have been detained in the UAE in 2017 alone. According to the FCO, the Emirati authorities have a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs and count the presence of illegal substances in the bloodstream as possession. Jamie Harron, 27, from Stirling, Scotland was sentenced for public indecency in Dubai for brushing against a man's hip in a bar. He was held there for three months before being allowed to fly home. A charity called Detained in Dubai has been set up to 'assist people who have become victims of injustice in the United Arab Emirates'. The non-profit organisation works with lawyers and the press to ensure the safe homecoming of non-UAE nationals detained there. An alleged Labour corruption scandal involving a 2million bribe to guarantee planning permission for one of Britains biggest skyscrapers is being investigated by police. A businessman with close ties to the party was secretly recorded describing how the money would be split among four Labour politicians he labelled greedy f*****s. Abdul Shukur Khalisadar, 38, who allegedly also requested a 15,000 a month consultancy fee, told the developer he was acting on behalf of Labour gatekeepers in the partys east London stronghold of Tower Hamlets. He said the cash would guarantee planning permission for its 500million Alpha Square development in the Isle of Dogs, east London which included a 65-storey tower. The National Crime Agency has been called in after an audio clip emerged of a businessman with close ties to Labour demanding a 2million 'bribe' to secure planning permission. Abdul Shukur 'Shuks' Khalisadar, 28, is alleged to have said he needed the lump sum to pay off Labour politicians for a 500m development in the Isle of Dogs (with Harriet Harman in 2015) In a tape leaked to a Sunday newspaper, Mr Khalisadar describes how he sought the bribe from John Connolly, UK head of development for the Hong Kong-based property group Far East Consortium (FEC). Mr Khalisadar said he was introduced to Mr Connolly in October 2015 by Shiria Khatun, then deputy mayor of Labour-controlled Tower Hamlets Council. Mr Connolly said in a leaked internal memo that the deputy mayor told him Mr Khalisadar can help get planning consent. The businessman (left) was snared after a consultant acting on behalf of the Far East Consortium, an international property development company, recorded the conversation where Khalisadar laid out his financial demands Acting as a 'buffer' between the politicians and the property developers, Shuks is recorded saying he needed a further 15,000 a month, including VAT, as a consultancy fee THE COUNCIL WITH A HISTORY OF SLEAZE The judge said Lutfur Rahman (pictured) had proved himself almost pathologically incapable of giving a straight answer A former Labour council leader who became the first elected mayor of Tower Hamlets was kicked out of office for ballot rigging. Lutfur Rahman and his cronies used corrupt and illegal practices to create an army of ghost voters, forged postal votes, bribed Muslim voters with money diverted from groups such as the Alzheimers Society and wrongly branded his rival a racist. They also told Muslims they would go to hell unless they backed him in the 2010 vote. Rahman was thrown out of the Labour Party but established himself as an independent, registering his own party named Tower Hamlets First and going on to win the mayoral contest in 2010 and 2014. But in 2015 a judge stripped him of the title and said he had driven a coach and horses through the law during his re-election campaign. The judge said Rahman had proved himself almost pathologically incapable of giving a straight answer. Advertisement Mr Khalisadar later sent a contract to the developers in which he would deliver planning approval at a premium of 2,000,000. Four Labour politicians would be given half a mill each, he claimed. Mr Khalisadar, who runs a business centre in Whitechapel, east London, has helped create local support for Tower Hamlets current Labour mayor, John Biggs. He has also met national party figures, including Harriet Harman when she was deputy leader. The alleged corruption scandal in Tower Hamlets follows the sacking of Lutfur Rahman, a former Labour councillor in the borough who later became its independent mayor before being found guilty of election fraud two years ago. The conversation with Mr Khalisadar was taped by a consultant acting on FECs instructions. Shuks was alleged to have been introduced into the deal by Shiria Khatun (left), a deputy major of Tower Hamlets council who said he was someone who could ensure planning permission approval As part of the alleged illicit deal, Khalisadar claimed the bulk of the money would go to the 'gatekeepers' which he said were Labour politicians in long term positions of power When approached by the Sunday Times, Shuks admitted asking for the 2m but denied acting corruptly. Tower Hamlets council have referred the case to the National Crime Agency's Serious Fraud Office Instead of paying a bribe it reported the approach to Mr Biggs who called in investigators from the accountancy firm EY. A spokesman for Tower Hamlets Council said: Their findings were assessed by a leading QC who recommended we report the matter to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). We did this and the SFO then passed it on to the National Crime Agency for investigation. We are waiting to hear the outcome. The proposed 500m Alpha Square development is in the Isle of Dogs, east London Mr Khalisadar told The Sunday Times he had asked for 2million but denied this was a corrupt offer. He told the Mail the recording was partial and misleading, adding: I did not bribe anyone, no contract of any sort was signed with the Far East Consortium. This was two years ago and neither the council nor the police have been in touch with me at any time since then. It would not be appropriate to give any further detail while an investigation takes place, other than to say I am not involved in any wrongdoing. Miss Khatun, who resigned as deputy mayor earlier this year, denies any wrongdoing. FEC did not respond to the Mail, but told The Sunday Times it had acted promptly and professionally in reporting the allegations to the mayor of Tower Hamlets. A non-assuming country town nestled 550 kilometres from the nearest major city is home to a dark secret that has ripped through generations of its citizens. St George, a tiny farming area in Queensland with a population of just 3,000, is home to an ice epidemic of epic proportions, with the drug ravaging even the youngest members of the community. Children as young as 10 are addicted to the drug, teenagers are being force-fed meth and drug dens forging the deadly substance are operating out of family homes. One 14-year-old girl was medicated with ice because she complained she was too tired at school each day as her parents' constant drug-fuelled benders were keeping her up at night. 'One of the aunties has actually given her ice to keep her awake,' the chairwoman of community support group Care Balonne, Robyn Fuhrmeister, told the Courier Mail. The girl had a fit the next day in front of her shocked classmates. St George, a tiny farming area with a population of just 3,000, is home to an ice epidemic of epic proportions, with the drug ravaging even the youngest members of the community One 14-year-old girl has been medicated with ice because she complained she was too tired at school each day as her parents' constant drug-fuelled benders are keeping her up at night (file picture) The ice scourge has caused a ripple effect across different sectors of St George's society, with young students emotionally unprepared to attend school and charities withdrawing their support because food stamps were being exchanged for drugs. As a result, many children are forced to go to school 'breakfast clubs' just to eat each morning. Discarded syringes are scattered throughout the town, often found in playgrounds and letterboxes. The spread of addiction is hereditary, with ice infiltrating lives from birth. One woman gave birth to baby only to hand it to authorities moments later so it could be taken away from her for proper care. This was the sixth such time she has had to hand over her offspring. The ice scourge has caused a ripple effect across different sectors of St George's society, with young students emotionally unprepared to attend school and charities withdrawing their support because food stamps were being exchanged for drugs Arrests have almost quadrupled in the past three years, going from 65 in 2014 to an astonishing 235 in the past 12 months, nearly 10 per cent of the population. An 18-month sting by police resulted in the arrests, including eight locals for drug trafficking. Guilty charges of trafficking meth can result in a 25-year prison sentence. Drug dealers and addicts work together to monitor local police stations and time their deals to coincide with officers' movements. If sprung, they often hide the drugs in baby's nappies because police won't search there. 'The majority of our jobs here are ice related. I'm not going to sugarcoat it,' Detective Sargeant Isa Tolete said Children are regularly front row spectators of raids. Watching their mothers and fathers be led away in handcuffs becoming a too common occurrence. 'The majority of our jobs here are ice related. I'm not going to sugarcoat it,' Detective Sargeant Isa Tolete said. Partners and spouses accept domestic violence as a trade-off to keeping police away and a common after-effect of the abuse. Drug-addled screams of anger and pain provide the soundtrack to the cursed town, and the proportionally tiny police force at times are only able to safely observe the carnage. However the town mayor, Richard Marsh, believes the most pressing issue is not the older generations who are permanently tainted by ice, but the youngest residents who are going to school without shoes, going hungry without food and quickly heading towards the same bleak future to which so many of their family members have succumbed. The former brother-in-law of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim has been charged with being the alleged kingpin of a large-scale cocaine supplying syndicate. Marwan Haddad, who had been previously married to Ibrahim's sister Armani Stelio, has been accused of heading up a Sydney cocaine ring which allegedly made him up to $50,000 a week, the Daily Telegraph reports. The 43-year-old was named on a police fact sheet which alleges he 'knows no other life other than supplying prohibited drugs'. Police believe the cashed-up cocaine syndicate funded Haddad's lavish lifestyle which saw him drive both a Mercedes Benz and a BMW. Marwan Haddad, (pictured) who had been previously married to John Ibrahim's sister Armani Stelio, has been accused of heading up a Sydney cocaine ring which allegedly made him up to $50,000 a week The former brother-in-law of notorious Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim (pictured) was charged with being the alleged kingpin of a large-scale cocaine supplying syndicate His ex-wife, who is also known as Fifi Ibrahim, was photographed at Parramatta Bail Court where Haddad faced 16 charges and did not apply for bail. Alleged ringleader Haddad and four other members of the alleged syndicate were arrested on Friday after a 10-month-long investigation by the NSW Police Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad. Police also allege Haddad was 'responsible for the supply of cocaine on thousands of occasions', the court fact sheet read. His current wife, Catherine Ashley Le Brocq, 27, was granted bail on nine charges in court. His ex-wife, who is also known as Fifi Ibrahim (pictured in 2009), was photographed at Parramatta Bail Court where Haddad faced 16 charges and did not apply for bail Haddad's arrest comes a little more than a year after Ibrahim brothers Michael and Fadi (pictured) were arrested over an alleged drug and tobacco syndicate Pregnant Le Brocq's charges included allegedly supplying cocaine and dealing with cash which was procured through criminal means. Haddad's arrest comes a little more than a year after Ibrahim brothers Michael and Fadi were arrested over an alleged drug and tobacco syndicate. Michael and Fadi Ibrahim's charges are unrelated to Haddad's arrest. Haddad and Le Brocq are due to appear in Burwood Local Court on Wednesday. There is no suggestion that John Ibrahim is involved in, has knowledge of or is suspected of any involvement in the alleged syndicate. President Donald Trump has recorded automated phone messages urging support for Republican Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race. White House spokesman Raj Shah said Saturday that Trump recorded the phone message on Moore's behalf. 'We need Roy voting for us and stopping illegal immigration and crime, rebuilding a stronger military and protecting the Second Amendment and our pro-life values,' Trump's voice is heard in the recording. 'But if Alabama elects liberal Democrat Doug Jones, all of our progress will be stopped full,' Trump continued. President Donald Trump (left on Friday) has recorded automated phone messages urging support for Republican Roy Moore (right on December 5) in the Alabama Senate race Despite several accusations of sexual misconduct against Moore, Trump came out fully in support of the candidate in this tweet 'Roy Moore is the guy we need to pass our 'Make America Great Again' agenda,' Trump says in a version of the robocall played for ABC News. Moore's campaign said the calls will go out to households Monday, a day ahead of the US Senate election. The Alabama Senate candidate is locked in a heated contest with Democrat Doug Jones for the seat that previously belonged to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Despite several accusations of sexual misconduct against Moore, Trump came out fully in support of the candidate on Monday. 'Democrats refusal to give even one vote for massive Tax Cuts is why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama. We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more. No to Jones, a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet!' Trump tweeted. Leigh Corfman, 53, was the first of nine women to publicly accuse Moore, 70, of sexual misconduct. Eight of them claim they were teenagers when the then-judge pursued them. Corfman alleged that Moore partially undressed both of them in 1979, when she was just 14 years old. He was 32. She claimed that Moore touched her over her underwear and put her hand on his genitals. Since Crfoman and the other eight women came forward, Moore has unleashed vicious attacks against them in an attempt to discredit their statements. Moore has fiercely denied all allegations and even denied knowing Corfman. Leigh Corfman (pictured), 53, was the first of nine women to publicly accuse Moore, 70, of sexual misconduct. Eight of them claim they were teenagers when the then-judge pursued them Moore (left in November) is locked in a heated contest with Democrat Doug Jones (right on Saturday) for the seat that previously belonged to Attorney General Jeff Sessions But none of those accusations have swayed Trump's support for Moore. On Friday, the president even doubled down on his endorsement of Moore during a rally in Pensacola, Florida, less than 20 miles from the Alabama state border. 'This guy's screaming, "We want Roy Moore!" He's right,' Trump said as he pointed to a supporter in the crowd. '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,' he added. Voters will take to the polls Tuesday in the Alabama special election when Moore faces off against Democratic candidate Jones. Several Republicans have called for Moore to drop out of the race because of the accusations against him. House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday that he believes Moore 'should have dropped out'. 'I stand by what I said before,' Ryan added. The president did similar calls for incumbent Sen Luther Strange who lost to Moore in the GOP primary as well as Republican Ed Gillespie in the Virginia gubernatorial race last month. Gillespie lost the race to Democrat Ralph Northam, who will become Virginia's next governor. A ferry carrying more than 300 people ran aground at the port of Calais in France in high winds this afternoon. The P&O vessel got into difficulty after it hit a gangway while manoeuvring to leave the port on its way to Dover, the company said. Nobody was hurt in the incident though cross-channel traffic has been disrupted. A total of 316 people, including 208 passengers, were on board at the time of the incident A crew member aboard the P&O ferry Pride of Kent watches rescue operations after the vessel ran aground The crash comes as Storm Ana batters the channel with 70mph winds and it is believed the ferry ran aground after a large gust caused it to lose control. A total of 316 people, including 208 passengers, were on board at the time. The port was closed as a result of the extreme weather but it had reopened on 7.30pm on Sunday night. Footage of the operation showed the smaller boats swaying in the rough conditions. P&O had earlier siad it hopes to transfer passengers on to another ship as soon as possible. A spokesman for the company said: 'We can confirm that one of our ships ran aground whilst leaving the Port of Calais this afternoon. Passengers aboard the P&O ferry Pride of Kent watch rescue operations after the vessel ran aground during bad weather Tugboats attempt to pull the P&O ferry back into the sea after it ran aground this afternoon The ferry has since been pulled back into the city and P&O is hoping to transfer passengers on to another vessel as soon as possible Calais port has since been closed as a result of the extreme weather 'There are no reported injuries, the ship was refloated within two hours.' P&O Ferries Updates posted on Twitter: #POCalais: The Port of Calais is currently closed due to extreme weather. 'Please check in as per your original sailing time and you will be accommodated on the first available sailing. A notorious Middle Eastern crime family based in Sydney have been linked to the gun which killed two Australians in the 2014 Lindt Cafe siege, police allege. The Muslim crime family, who sources also believe have links to Islamic extremists, allegedly sold terrorist Man Haron Monis the $570 La Salle 12-gauge shotgun only days before the deadly siege, the Daily Telegraph reports. Senior NSW Police officers believe they know the source of Iranian-born Monis' weapon and are 'pretty confident' the southwest Sydney family provided the now dead terrorist with the gun used to execute cafe manager Tori Johnson. The Muslim crime family, who sources also believe have links to Islamic extremists, allegedly sold terrorist Man Monis (pictured) the $570 La Salle 12-gauge shotgun only days before the deadly siege, the Daily Telegraph reports Police believe the well-known crime family supplied Monis with the gun he used during the Lindt Cafe (pictured) siege 'We are pretty confident they provided the gun to him,' one officer involved in the investigation told the publication. Police say investigators close to the case have long had intelligence linking the Muslim family to Monis' gun, but have never had enough evidence to charge anyone. 'Whether they knew what he was up to, I doubt we will ever know,' the officer added. Monis was found with $210 cash after his death but ATM records show the gunman had $850 in the days leading up to the siege. Police say investigators close to the case have long had intelligence linking the Muslim family to Monis' (pictured) gun, but have never had enough evidence to charge anyone Monis was found with $210 cash after his death but ATM records show the gunman had $850 in the days leading up to the siege (Pictured is the aftermath of the Sydney siege) 'We are pretty confident they provided the gun to him,' one officer involved in the investigation told the publication (Pictured is a floral tribute to those killed in the siege) Police believe $570 of that missing cash was used to purchase the illegal weapon. A source with ties to the family told the Daily Telegraph that members of the family were known to be extremist Muslims who sympathised with the terrorists. This coming Friday marks the third anniversary of the deadly siege which killed Johnson, 34, and barrister Katrina Dawson, 38. This coming Friday marks the third anniversary of the deadly siege which killed Tori Johnson, 34, (right) and barrister Katrina Dawson, 38 (left) Terrorist Monis held 18 people hostage in the cafe during the 2014 siege, which killed two (Pictured are floral tributes to the deceased) Monis held 18 people hostage inside the Sydney cafe on December 15, 2014 for 17 hours before shooting Johnson point-blank at 2am on December 16. Dawson was killed by a fragment of a police bullet in the crossfire. The investigation into how Monis got his hands on the 12-gauge shotgun remains open. A great white shark spotted metres from a popular West Australian beach is believed to be one of the biggest ever seen in the country's waters. The animal, which appears to be between five to six metres long, was caught on drone footage by film maker Dave Riggs on Saturday at Esperance's Fourth Beach. With the area renowned as a shark hotspot following the mauling death of 17-year-old Laeticia Brouwer in April, the sighting has sparked concerns of another attack. Scroll down for video A great white shark around five to six metres at popular West Australian Fourth beach in Esperance, is believed to be one of the biggest ever seen in the country's waters (It is pictured alongside an 8.5m long boat) The documentary maker uploaded the footage of the shark on social media following the encounter, calling the beast a 'big fish'. Video shows the mammoth shark slowly circling alongside an 8.5 metre boat, leading many to suggest the great white could be as big as six metres in length. However, despite the shark having come within metres of a shocked surfer, Mr Riggs saying it was extremely rare to spot such a huge predator close to shore, The Australian reports. Many people regard the biggest great white as a specimen caught in 1945 measuring 6.4 metres in length, however there are reports of larger animals. A great white caught in a net at Seven Star Lake in 1997 was estimated as being nearly seven metres long, as was a beast spotted off Marino Bay in South Australia last year. While a six-metre tiger shark was killed in 2015 swimming near Lennox Head, on the northern New South Wales coast. Many people regard the biggest great white as a specimen caught in 1945 measuring 6.4 metres in lengt, however there are reports of larger animals, including one spotted off Marino Bay in South Australia last year said to be seven metres long (Pictured is a great white off South Africa's coast) The area the six metre animal was spotted is renowned as a shark hotspot following the mauling death of 17-year-old Laeticia Brouwer (pictured) in April, with the sighting sparking concerns of another attack A six-metre pregnant Great White was also filmed swimming near mexico's Guadalupe Island in 2013 and was featured on the Discovery Channel show Jaws Strikes Back. Scientists have claimed though that it is unusual to witness an shark bigger than five metres, with most sightings or interactions with sharks less than 3 metres. It came just a day after the Mr Riggs filmed another four-metre shark stalking nearby West Beach. 'I got a tip off that a shark was out at Westies so I grabbed my drone and put it up,' Mr Riggs told PerthNow. 'I reckon it had to be about four metres and it looked as though it had been fed.' He said the sharks likely hailed from deep waters as they appeared dark in colour and could have been coming in to follow food. An alert had been issued at the beginning of the month after a sperm whale carcass was reported at Two-mile beach, with sharks attracted to the area. A father killed his two children in an apparent murder-suicide near Dallas on Saturday morning, according to police. Police in North Richland Hills, Texas, add that the trio were found at their home on the 7400 block of College Circle. The mother is said to have found her five-year-old girl and nine-year-old son dead along with their father. A mother found her husband and two children dead in an apparent murder suicide in their North Richland Hills, Texas, home on Saturday Neither the children nor the father have been identified. According to police, the father was said to have shot his children with a shotgun before turning the gun on himself. There had been no prior history with police and the family. The family had been setting up Christmas decorations outside their home a few days before the killing, neighbors told CBS 11. The family had been setting up Christmas decorations outside their home a few days before the killing, neighbors told CBS 11 According to neighbor Rosa Nichols, the family had moved into the neighborhood a few months ago 'You can drive by and they can have a perfect house, but you don't know what's going on inside the house. It's so sad,' said neighbor Rosa Nichols. Nichols added that the family moved a few houses away, a couple of months ago. She never would have expected such an incident to occur. Mike Bentley, who claims to have grown up in the home, had hoped that a family would move into the home and love it as much as he did. 'We lived there for several years and had some happy memories and sure hate to have sad memories made there for these families. For this family, we don't know you, but we sure feel for you,' said Bentley. Neighbors added that the mother had to be taken from the scene in an ambulance on Saturday morning. A senior Labour frontbencher today condemned the idea of UK forces killing British jihadis fighting for ISIS. Key Corbyn ally Shami Chakrabarti branded Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson 'appalling' after he said airstrikes against potential threats were 'legitimate'. Mr Williamson has defied critics to stand by his comments last week, when he insisted: 'A dead terrorist can't cause any harm to Britain.' Interviewed on Sky News' Sunday with Paterson today Baroness Chakrabarti said forces were entitled to attack 'whoever is opposing you on the battlefield'. But the shadow attorney general said Mr Williamson seemed to be suggesting a 'kill list' of potential targets. 'If he is suggesting targeted assassinations of criminals who should instead be brought to justice, that is appalling,' she said. Key Corbyn ally Shami Chakrabarti (pictured in the Lords) branded Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson 'appalling' after he said airstrikes against potential threats were 'legitimate Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has defied critics to stand by his comments last week, when he insisted: 'A dead terrorist can't cause any harm to Britain.' 'We do not want to hear a Defence Secretary abrogate the rule of law because the rule of law is what brave men and women who join our armed forces and put their lives at risk, that's what they do it for, for the rule of law at home and abroad.' Mr Williamson, who was promoted to the key role by Theresa May last month, faced outrage from Labour and the legal establishment for saying Britons who fought for Islamic State in Syria for saying everything possible should be done to 'eliminate the threat' from jihadis in Syria and Iraq. But he has refused to back away from his remarks and said he believed he had the backing of the public. 'The British people want to make sure that our streets are safe,' Mr Williamson told the Daily Mail. 'The British people are incredibly proud of our Armed Forces, the work they do making sure that the people who are a threat to this country are not able to continue to threaten this country. 'That's what the British people want to know that their Government is doing. That is what we will continue to do.' Former military chiefs have also supported Mr Williamson. Colonel Richard Kemp, who commanded UK forces in Afghanistan, said: 'We are fighting a war against these people. You don't fight a war by constantly taking prisoners, you fight a war by killing your enemy.' He added: 'If you are dealing with terrorists who return from Syria and Iraq and try to prosecute them, it is very hard to get sufficient evidence to do so. 'That's a real danger, because it ends up with these returnees back on the street.' The scale of the threat was graphically illustrated by new figures last week showing that terror arrests had soared to a record high. A total of 400 suspected extremists were held in counter-terror swoops in the year to September. Mr Corbyn was ridiculed two years ago when he complained about an airstrike that killed 'Jihadi John' - Mohammed Emwazi (pictured) - in Syria Despite the whole area being a war zone with no effective government, the Labour leader (pictured) suggested the killer, who had beheaded a series of hostages on camera, should have been arrested At the same time, experts said MI5 had the resources to fully monitor only one in every 50 of the 3,000 jihadis who spy chiefs consider worthy of active investigation. Mr Corbyn was ridiculed two years ago when he complained about an airstrike that killed 'Jihadi John' - Mohammed Emwazi - in Syria. Despite the whole area being a war zone with no effective government, the Labour leader suggested the killer, who had beheaded a series of hostages on camera, should have been arrested. 'It would have been far better for us all if he had been held to account in a court of law,' he said. 'These events only underline the necessity of accelerating international efforts, under the auspices of the UN, to bring an end to the Syrian conflict as part of a comprehensive regional settlement.' : A British backpacker living the 'Kiwi dream' has been left paralysed from the chest down after falling four metres from the top of a ladder. Matthew Williamson, 30, has been working as an industrial abseiler - which involves skilled rope technicians operating in hard-to-reach locations - in New Zealand for the past two years. But disaster struck on November 28 when he severed his spinal cord after he fell from a ladder while on the job. Matthew Williamson (left), 30, severed his spinal cord when he and fell four metres from the top of a ladder while working as an industrial abseiler in New Zealand Williamson had been working when he hit his head on a hatch door. The impact knocked him out and he fell from the ladder Now friends and family are raising money to get their beloved Williamson home to Newport, south Wales - and have already raised more than 10,000. Williamson had been working when he hit his head on a hatch door. The impact knocked him out and he fell from the ladder. His sister, Danielle Williamson, said: 'The idea of trying to raise as much money as possible for my brother was that of his friends in New Zealand. 'Obviously the entire family are devastated at what has happened to my brother. 'He fell four metres off a ladder which is quite a way up. We are thankful to everyone who has donated money. It means a lot to us. Williamson is being treated in Middlemore Hospital in Auckland, with the support of nurse girlfriend Justine Bennett (pictured), 26 Friends and family are raising money to get their beloved Williamson home to Newport, south Wales - and have already raised more than 10,000 Williamson was left paralysed from the chest down when he fell from the ladder on November 28 'The money is going to be going towards a flight to get him home. It will cost quite a bit.' Williamson is being treated in Middlemore Hospital in Auckland, with the support of nurse girlfriend Justine Bennett, 26. Friend Scott McKeon said: 'Understandably he wants to come home after what has happened in Auckland. 'He has been left paralysed from the chest down - but he can move his arms which is great. He is currently at a spinal rehabilition centre. 'He can only fly once he has had rehabilitation. That should take about three months - that is what we are all hoping for and so is Matt.' Advertisement Thousands of Santa's made their way through the streets of Glasgow today for the annual Santa Dash charity fundraiser. Runners dressed in traditional Santa attire of red coats, red hats and white beers gathered in the city centre for the 10am run. This year saw a record 8,500 runners brave sub-zero temperatures for the 5,000km run. Last year's 5,000km run saw around 7,500 gathered in Glasgow to raise money for the run's nominated charity.The fun-run has raised more than 200,000 for a number of different charities since it first started in 2006 and has become a mainstay in the city's calendar. The Beatson Cancer Charity is this year's designated charity. Lord Provost Eva Bolander organised this year's race. She said: 'Seeing thousands upon thousands of Santas running through the streets of Glasgow is spectacular and unforgettable. 'That so many take the time to come along and support charities as we head towards Christmas shows just how generous Glasgow is. 'I hope everyone who ran the race and came along, and particularly all the volunteers, had a wonderful time.' Road closures were expected to affect motorists until around 4pm this afternoon. Thousands of Santa's made their way through the streets of Glasgow today for the annual Santa Dash charity fundraiser today. Around 7,500 fun-runners took part in last year's event Runners dressed in traditional Santa attire of red coats, red hats and white beers gathered in the city centre for the 10am run. Young children on their parent's shoulders were also seen on the route The fun-run has raised more than 200,000 for a number of different charities since it first started in 2006 and has become a mainstay in the city's calendar Thousands of people turned out for this year's event. The Beatson Cancer Charity is this year's designated charity. Road closures were expected to affect motorists until around 4pm this afternoon A young boy runs along at pace with his dog on a leash (pictured). This year's race was organised by Lord Provost Eva Bolander A sex offender who was feared to be stalking female doctors after leaving a compound which housed some of Australia's most notorious paedophiles is finally off the streets. The 40-year-old man slipped away from supervision at Corella Place on the outskirts of Ararat in south-west Victoria, a facility nicknamed the 'Village of the Damned', and was on the run for a week. Authorities tracked down the convicted rapist after it emerged the man had repeatedly travelled to Melbourne demanding to see only woman doctors at clinics since August. The 40-year-old man slipped away from supervision at Corella Place on the outskirts of Ararat in south-west Victoria, a facility nicknamed the 'Village of the Damned', and was on the run for a week. Authorities were quick to track down the convicted rapist after it emerged the man had repeatedly travelled to Melbourne demanding to see only woman doctors at clinics since August The man - who cannot be identified for legal reasons - has since returned to Corella Place after revelations of his offences were splashed on the Herald Sun's front page. The man has a history of raping, stalking and assaulting women, according to the Herald Sun. He was convicted on two counts of rape in 2008 after sexually assaulting his housemate's partner. He was also convicted of assault in 1995 and has a background of violent crimes, stalking and breaching intervention orders. The convicted criminals live in modern one, two and three bedroom cottages, complete with their own kitchens Men are sent to Corella Place in the hope they can be rehabilitated as part of a post-sentence scheme The men are free to come and go as they please during daylight hours but must be accompanied by two guards Victoria Police and the Australian Medical Association warned people after several female doctors found themselves in 'dangerous and unacceptable situations'. Orders demand that the man is accompanied by a supervisor when seeing female doctors but it is alleged he showed up without a supervisor to at least one consultation. The man suffers from several different medical conditions, including diabete, the publication reports. Corella Place is a complex-style village that houses serious sex offenders after they complete their jail sentences. They are court ordered to be there for a period of time, which can be extended if they are still thought to be a threat to the community The residents live in modern one, two and three-bedroom cottages complete with their own kitchens Convicted paedophiles and sex offenders are sent there where they live freely but are monitored with GPS ankle bracelets. In August, AMA Victoria sent out a short alert to members warning them of the man's behaviour. 'The male usually rings and says: 'Dr X has seen me in the past and can I make another appointment to see her,' the warning read. 'This is a serious issue. Female GPs are being exposed to dangerous and unacceptable situations in their workplaces.' The residents are also able to claim Centrelink payments given they have completed their prison sentences Just days away from a special senate election in Alabama, there's a question racing around the local political press: Where is Roy Moore? Although Moore has a rally planned in Dale County on Monday night, the day before the election, the Republican candidate hasn't been publicly seen since December 5, relying instead on surrogates. 'I think it's extremely odd that for the better part of that campaign, we have seen his spokespeople, his campaign manager and his surrogates,' Angi Horn Stalnaker, a Republican consultant who has run races against Moore in the past, told the Montgomery Advertiser. Moore himself has been notably reticent on the campaign trail, making fewer than 10 public appearances in the past month. But the candidate's high-profile boosters include President Donald Trump, who held a campaign-style rally supporting the candidate just over the border in Florida this week. Trump also recorded a robocall message for Moore saying 'he is the guy we need', it emerged on Saturday. Alabama Republican senate candidate Roy Moore hasn't been seen since a December 5 rally (pictured) prompting some to ask why the candidate has been so elusive during the campaign Moore's Democrat opponent Doug Jones (left) has been racing around the state in the campaign's final days, appearing with New Jersey Senator Cory Booker (right) President Donald Trump this week held a campaign-style rally (pictured) supporting Moore in Pensacola, Florida, just miles from Alabama's key Wiregrass region that Moore must win At a press conference on Thursday, a local reporter posed the question: Where is Moore? 'He's campaigning,' said Ben DuPre, a spokesman for the Moore campaign. 'He's campaigning hard.' Meanwhile, Moore's Democrat opponent Doug Jones has been racing around the state in the campaign's final days, appearing with New Jersey Senator Cory Booker in an aggressive push to turn out black voters for Tuesday's election. Jones will need black voters to turn out for him at rates near what former President Barack Obama saw in the state, a tall order for an off-year special election in December. Moore's campaign has been dogged by allegations, including that he sexually touched a 14-year-old in the 1970s, when he was in his 30s - allegations that he has steadfastly denied. The Republican remains ahead in the polls though, with the latest Real Clear Politics average showing him up by 3.8 points. And for the most part, Republican leaders in the state say they stand by Moore and plan to vote for him. Steve Bannon (left) appeared at the December 5 rally supporting Moore (right) and will join the candidate again for a planned rally in Dale County on Monday night Moore is seen with his wife Kayla at the December 5 rally. The Republican candidate has held fewer than 10 events in the past month, instead relying on surrogates to campaign 'I have stated both publicly and privately over the last month that unless these allegations were proven to be true I would continue to plan to vote for the Republican nominee, Judge Roy Moore,' Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said in a statement to the Associated Press. 'I have already cast my absentee ballot and I voted for Judge Moore,' Merrill said. Most state Republican officials who responded to AP inquiries said they would vote for Moore. Republican US Senator Richard Shelby, whom Moore would join to represent Alabama in the Senate if elected, is one notable exception. Shelby said he did not vote for Moore, and wrote in another Republican on his absentee ballot. Moore plans to make one final campaign appearance on Monday night in Dale County, in the heart of the key Wiregrass region in southeast Alabama that must turn out strong for a Moore victory. He will be joined at the rally by former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and Congressman Louie Gohmert, a Republican from Texas. A major police unit has given its social media followers a case of the giggles after a report about a cannabis raid inadvertently referenced a popular term for marijuana. The New South Wales Police Facebook page made a post on Sunday night after performing a large raid on a property in the state's north coast. 'Police have seized 420 cannabis plants worth almost a million dollars from a home in the states north,' the post reads. Followers very quickly jumped on the coincidental number, referencing the common '420' nickname for the drug. 'Haha 420 blaze it,' one amused person commented. A major police unit has given its social media followers a case of the giggles after a report inadvertently referenced a popular term for marijuana The New South Wales Police Facebook page made a post on Sunday night after performing a large raid on a property in the state's north coast The large scale seizure occurred just before 6pm on Saturday as units converged on the home in Commissioners Creek, reportedly finding 420 cannabis plants and a 'significant amount of fertilisers and hydroponic equipment'. The drugs have a street value of around $990,000. No arrests have yet been made. The attention, however, did not stem from the major raids, but instead its accidental reference to the nickname. 'Love how it was 420 plants hahahahahahha,' one person commented. 'Reckon they deliberately grew 420 plants?' another social media user joked. The large scale seizure occurred just before 6pm on Saturday evening as units converged on the home in Commissioners Creek, reportedly finding 420 cannabis plants and a 'significant amount of fertilisers and hydroponic equipment' (file picture) The attention, however, did not stem from the major raids, but instead its accidental reference to the nickname Some, however, were skeptical of the coincidence, instead claiming the number was conveniently rounded off 'Eh 420 cannabis plants? sounds too convenient,' another noted Some, however, were skeptical of the coincidence, instead claiming the number was conveniently rounded off. 'This has gotta be a g (sic) up!' a man replied. 'Eh 420 cannabis plants? sounds too convenient,' another noted. The nickname originates from the early 1970s in California when police used the 420 code-name to reference people smoking marijuana when reporting the crime. The term was ironically adopted by users to mock authority, and it has now found its way into the common lexicon. Some groups of cannabis smokers now meet on April 20 (4/20 in American date format) each year to take the drug. Advertisement Sammy Hagar, the former frontman vocalist of bands Montrose and Van Halen has two homes on the market. The rock star, 70, is selling a massive cliff-side Hawaiian oasis in Waipio Bay for $3.3million in addition to a mesmerizing French chateau-inspired home in Lake Arrowhead, California, for a hefty $5.9million. Located on a sloping lot, the Californian home is packed with stunning views of water on four different levels. Rock legend Sammy Hagar is selling two homes including a massive French chateau-inspired property in Lake Arroqhead, California, for a hefty $5.9million Located on a sloping lot, the Californian home is packed with cozy rooms and stunning views of water on four different levels The master suite is decked with a 30ft ceiling and custom walk-in closet with a sauna and private deck The 8,057 sq ft home offers eight bedrooms, with the master suite decked out with a 30ft ceiling. Also included in the master bedroom is a custom walk-in closet, sauna and private deck. Dark hardwood floors and accents exist throughout the home and match perfectly with the lounge on every floor. Two large granite-topped islands sit in the first kitchen, with the second kitchen leading to a deck with a spa, fire pit, wine fridge and grill with four large French doors providing access. The large mansion has eight bedrooms in total, each different in layout and style but all comfortable and offering great views Relax: Bathrooms in the home offer simple yet chic and elegant vibes Two large granite-topped islands sit in the first kitchen, with the second kitchen leading to a deck with a spa, fire pit, wine fridge and grill with four large French doors providing access Records show that Hagar bought the home in 2009 and it is currently being held by David Vail of Capre and Shelli Cotriss Hagar was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, two years before buying the California property Records show that Hagar bought the home in 2009 and it is currently being held by David Vail of Capre and Shelli Cotriss. Hagar bought his Hawaiian getaway following an exhaustive world tour with Van Halen in 1995. In November, he listed the 9.8 acre oceanfront villa for $3.299 million. What a sight! Views are available on four levels in the home and provide mesmerizing scenes of the lake Each room offers unique furniture pieces that give them their own vibes. This hard wood cabinets offset the peach and cream undertones in the walls and pillows The kitchen and accompany dining room table in this kitchen gives the lucky owner the chance to make a nice meal while looking at beautiful trees and nature scenes Rooftop leisure: A rooftop patio provides captivating visuals of the lake and is complimented with cobblestone accents The massive estate features a long driveway lined with beautiful palm trees. And while this home only has three bedrooms complimented with vaulted wood ceilings, there are beautiful ocean views through walls of windows and glass sliding doors that give way to the rest of the home. A brick oven sits outside and the home has a tiki bar and 1,500 sq ft saline pool that is accompanied by an island in the middle with a palm tree. The hot tub looks over the ocean. Hagar bought his Hawaiian getaway following an exhaustive world tour with Van Halen in 1995 In November, he listed the 9.8 acre oceanfront villa for $3.299 million Hagar packed the kitchen with upgrades, installing new cabinets and putting in an island topped with marble Hagar packed the kitchen with upgrades, installing new cabinets and putting in an island topped with marble. He also set up a tilapia pond and 400 ft deep well on the land, which is adorned with trees filled with coconuts, bananas, papayas and limes. The songs Mas Tequila and Halfway to Memphis were both born out of the Hawaiian home. The rock icon has this property listed with Becky Hanna of Island Sotheby's International Realty. And while this home only has three bedrooms complimented with vaulted wood ceilings, there are beautiful ocean views through walls of windows and glass sliding doors that give way to the rest of the home One bathroom has turquoise cabinets and marble compliments to offer a seaside feel inside the house In contrast to his Californian home, Hagar's Hawaiian property offers laid back atmosphere A 1,500 sq ft saline pool sits close to the home and is accompanied by an island in the middle with a palm tree Balconies in the home look over the Waipio Bay in Hawaii giving enchanting scenes of the ocean A brick oven sits outside and the home has a tiki bar, which are just a few of the lovely perks this island oasis has to offer Escaping the mainland chaos, this dining rooms is adorned with Buddha, Pegasus and other horse statues Windows on windows: Like the Californian home, the Hawaiian house also has plenty of windows showing off their close proximity to the ocean A lounge room is almost completely surrounded by windows and sliding glass doors but still gives cozy seats This outside dining surrounded by lines of palm trees that also line up to the driveway of the home Relaxing is key! The aim of the villa definitely seems to be one of relaxation and clarity. The songs Mas Tequila and Halfway to Memphis were both born out of the Hawaiian home Theresa May (pictured in her constituency today) could face a defeat on the Brexit Bill on the eve of the EU summit Theresa May could face her first defeat on the crucial Brexit Bill this week as MPs demand a 'meaningful vote' on any trade deal struck with the EU. A cross-party group of MPs are pushing an amendment that would force the government to hold a binding vote before it can formally enact the UK's departure from the EU. The mooted change to the legislation has been drawn up by former Attorney General Dominic Grieve - meaning it is likely to garner support from Tory Remainers. Unless whips make concessions rebels believe there is a high chance they can get a change to the EU Withdrawal Bill through the Commons. The defeat could mar Mrs May's trip to an EU summit on Thursday and Friday, where the bloc's leaders are expected to finalise a deal that will see trade talks start in the New Year. The government has been fighting to get the legislation - which effectively copies EU laws on to the domestic statute books in preparation for Brexit - in the face of more than 400 amendments. Other major clashes coming down the line include one over whether to include a fixed Brexit date on the front page of the law. The battle in the Lords next year is likely to be even fiercer. In a joint statement today, senior MPs including Conservative Anna Soubry and Labour's Chuka Umunna urged colleagues to 'put the national interest, not party politics, first'. 'It has been said that in the EU referendum last year, the British people voted to 'take back control' of our laws,' the MPs said. 'For many, that meant a powerful reassertion of parliamentary sovereignty. 'As such, we parliamentarians have a solemn duty to scrutinise the actions of the executive. On no subject is this scrutiny more important and more necessary than Brexit. 'Members of all parties have already provided valuable scrutiny to the EU (Withdrawal) bill, and we have forced the government into some concessions. 'But little of that will matter unless we can have a truly meaningful vote on the withdrawal agreement the government negotiates with the European Union.' Tories Anna Soubry and Dominic Grieve are among those backing the 'meangingful vote' amendment to the Brexit legislation David Davis (pictured on the BBC's Andrew Marr show today) is stewarding Brexit legislation through parliament The SNP, Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru,are also backing the amendment, saying it is necessary in case ministers use 'exceptional powers to take the UK out of the EU on a bad deal, or with no agreement at all'. The measure, to be brought forward by former Conservative minister Dominic Grieve, could mark an embarrassing first Commons defeat for Theresa May on Brexit just days before she flies to Brussels for crucial talks with EU 27 leaders. The Observer reported leading Tory rebels believe they have high chance of securing the vote, in a move the MPs say is about putting 'the national interest, not party politics, first'. Meanwhile, a separate Liberal Democrat amendment calls on Britain to be kept in the European single market following Brexit. The move is an attempt to force Labour to commit to supporting a soft or a hard Brexit, according to party leader Vince Cable. He told the Sunday Times: 'The purpose of the amendment is obviously to flush out the Labour Party, which is clinging to constructive ambiguity on all matters European. 'It puts Corbyn very firmly on the spot. He and his acolytes have been going round since the June election trading on young people's belief that he's anti-Brexit, but actually he's nothing of the kind. 'He needs to come off the fence. The logic of the Labour Party position is that they must now support this motion or it will be evidence of confusion and weakness.' WWE wrestler Rich Swann is being held in Florida on charges of battery and false imprisonment following an alleged argument with his wife, Vannarah Riggs Wrestler Rich Swann is being held without bail in a Florida jail after he was arrested and charged with battery and false imprisonment. Former WWE cruiserweight champion Swann, 26, was arrested in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday night after arguing with his wife and fellow pro-wrestler Vannarah Riggs, 28, according to Gainesville Police. The alleged incident began while the couple were arguing in a car, after Swann criticized Riggs' wrestling performance at the 8 Seconds nightclub in downtown Gainesville earlier that evening, according to the police report obtained by Deadspin. Police said that Riggs 'was scared that their argument was going to escalate into physical violence' and got out of the car, only to have Swann stop and exit the car to chase after her while yelling for her to get back inside the vehicle. A witness said that when Riggs refused to return to the car the first time, Swann put her in a headlock and dragged her back to the car. Once inside, the witness said, Riggs beat on the window and screamed for help. Another witness told police that Swann was driving erratically and that Riggs jumped out of the slowly-moving car and ran away a second time. Swann was then seen getting out of the car, while it was still moving, to follow her. Riggs is said to have jumped out of Swann's car twice, fearing that their argument would turn physical. Swann said he did not touch Riggs. He was suspended indefinitely by the WWE after his arrest because the organization has a zero tolerance policy regarding domestic abuse Witnesses told police that they saw Swann chase Riggs, a pro-wrestler who goes by the name of Su Yung, and put her into a headlock to drag her back inside the car When questioned by police, Swann denied having touched Riggs and said that she had gotten back into the car herself, according to the report. Swann also said that the reason he had chased after Riggs was that he was trying to get home and needed to use the GPS function on her phone. The WWE issued a statement on Sunday stating that Swann had been suspended indefinitely after the arrest, in keeping with the wrestling organization's 'zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence.' Swann and Riggs married nine months ago and had been in a relationship for five years before that, according to police. Swann is due to appear in court Monday. A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of stabbing a teenager to death near a primary school. The victim, 15, was found dying near Hurst Drive Primary School in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire on Thursday night. The boy was discovered suffering serious stab wounds and was declared dead at the scene. Police confirmed they have arrested a suspect, from London, and have released him on bail. Forensics experts on the scene yesterday after a boy was stabbed to death in Waltham Cross A Hertfordshire Police spokesman said: 'A 14-year-old boy from London was arrested on suspicion of murder. He has been released under investigation while enquiries continue.' A murder investigation was launched late on Thursday night and police sealed off the scene to carry out door to door enquiries. The attack is understood to have happened at around 9.30pm. Kathy Clarke, a grandmother of seven, said: 'I heard the helicopter last night and I told my husband I think something awful has happened.' Another resident added: 'I was on the landing at home and saw blue lights flashing and looked out the window and saw what was going on.' The attack happened just yards from a primary school at around 9.30pm yesterday evening A police spokesman said: 'Officers were called at 9.30pm yesterday to Hurst Drive, Waltham Cross, to reports of a stabbing. 'The victim, a 15-year-old boy, was treated by paramedics but was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. 'Officers from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit have now launched a murder investigation. 'They are working, with the support of the victim's family, to establish the circumstances around the incident.' Anyone with information should call 101. Sen. Richard Shelby, Alabama's GOP senator, confirmed Sunday that he had cast a write-in vote for Tuesday's Senate special election in the state, instead of voting for embattled GOP hopeful Roy Moore. 'I couldn't vote for Roy Moore. I didn't vote for Roy Moore. But I wrote in a distinguished Republican name. And I think a lot of people could do that,' Shelby said on CNN's State of the Union. Shelby noted that while he'd rather see the Republican win, he hoped that victor would be a Republican write-in. Sen. Richard Shelby couldn't stomach voting for Roy Moore - nor Democrat Doug Jones - so he confirmed that he cast a write-in ballot for U.S. Senate in Alabama CNN's Jake Tapper (left) interviewed Sen. Richard Shelby (right) on Sunday. Shelby has represented Alabama in the Senate for nearly 31 years, though won't cast a vote for the Republican on the ballot Judge Roy Moore is being accused of preying on teenage girls, however has stayed in the Alabama Senate race. Voters head to the polls in this special election on Tuesday When the accusations first came out against Moore that he had preyed on teenage girls, displaying inappropriate behavior including sexual assault Republicans had floated the idea of a write-in campaign, which included candidates like Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had vacated the seat, and Sen. Luther Strange, who lost to Moore in the GOP primary. However, no such effort got off the ground in part because former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon decided to stand by Moore, eventually getting President Trump to give the Senate hopeful a full-scale endorsement too. Now Moore and Democratic hopeful Doug Jones are locked in a tight race, which should have been a cake walk for Moore in the deep red state. 'I don't know what is going to happen,' Shelby admitted on Sunday. 'You know, as a Republican, I had to vote Republican. I wanted to vote Republican.' 'I understand where the president's coming from. I understand we would like to retain that seat in the U.S. Senate, but I tell you what,' Shelby continued. 'We call it a tipping point. And I think so many accusations, so many cuts, so many drip, drip, drip, drip when it got to the 14-year-old story ... that was enough for me.' Shelby was referring to the story of Leigh Corfman, first reported in the Washington Post, who said a 32-year-old Moore volunteered to watch after her at the courthouse as her mother stepped into a custody hearing. Later, he picked her up and took her to his house in the woods and upon arrival 'took off her shirt and pants and removed his clothes. He touched her over her bra and underpants, she says, and guided her hand to touch him over his underwear,' the Post wrote. Upon hearing about that, Shelby said he came to a decision: 'I said, I can't vote for Roy Moore.' Shelby, who's represented Alabama in the Senate for nearly 31 years, also said he believed the female accusers are credible. 'I think the women are believable. I have no reason not to believe them ... they are credible, but I wasn't there, I don't know what happened,' the senator said. 'But there's a lot of stories there. There's a lot of smoke. Got to be fire somewhere.' Dean Young, Moore's chief political strategist who was speaking on behalf of the campaign on ABC's This Week, argued the opposite, saying that he didn't believe the accusers. Young argued that 'the people of Alabama want to know why 30 days before an election people would just come out of the woodwork and say Judge Moore did this and Judge Moore did that.' 'I'm not sure why they did it,' he continued. 'I don't believe them and the people of Alabama don't believe them.' While Democrat Jones has held event after event, since the accusations have come out against Moore, the Senate hopeful has only held a handful of public events. He had nothing on his schedule over the weekend, though will hold a rally Monday night, alongside Bannon and Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican. Young blew off the assertion that Moore was in hiding. 'Well, Judge Moore's been out for 25 years across Alabama and he's known by the people,' the campaign adviser said. 'He's talked to the people of Alabama and they are with Judge Moore.' 'That's why I believe if we get our vote out - and we will - Judge Moore will be the senator that will be going up to Washington on December 12 and helping Donald Trump with his agenda,' Young said. Santa's Grotto was shut today - after too much snow fell and Father Christmas was unable to get to work. Children were left in the cold after Santa and his elves failed to show up to hand out presents at Gracechurch Shopping Centre in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. Owners of the grotto left a sign for disappointed families, informing shoppers that the workers had got stuck somewhere 'between the North Pole and Gracechurch'. It added: 'Santa will not be in his grotto today. Unfortunately Santa and his elves are unable to be on-site as they have been caught up in the storm.' Santa's Grotto was shut today - after too much snow fell and Father Christmas was unable to get to work Owners of the grotto left a sign for disappointed families, informing shoppers that the workers had got stuck somewhere 'between the North Pole and Gracechurch' Birmingham is among the worst hit parts of the UK by snow today, with upwards of four inches falling in a few hours. The NHS trust in the West Midlands was forced to appeal for help online after the snow left hospitals with nurse shortages. Heart of England trust, which represents hospitals in Birmingham and Solihull, asked on Twitter: 'Do you have a 4x4 and can volunteer to help our nurses get into our hospitals at good hope 424 7564 or heartlands 424 0483 pls give us a call. Thanks' Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield serves northern Birmingham, while Heartlands hospital is based in Bordesley Green, in the east of the city. Children were left in the cold after Santa and his elves failed to show up to hand out presents at Gracechurch Shopping Centre in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham 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 over the next few days before they travel A lorry pushes the snow aside along Quinton Road in Birmingham this morning, after approximately 3 inches of snow has fallen this morning The trust earlier said online: 'Trained nurses needed at Good Hope hospital due to heavy snow. If can get in pls call site office 424 7564.' Meanwhile Birmingham Airport, along with Heathrow, Stansted and Luton, was forced to cancel and delay flights due to snow on the runway. Hundreds of homes are still without power in the West Midlands, where temperatures remained below freezing overnight. Highways England advised road users intending to travel through the West Midlands to check the forecast and road conditions before they travel. President Donald Trump received plenty of fuel for his 'Fake News' fire following 48 hours of corrections from major media outlets and their employees, regarding reports and photos that later turned out to be inaccurate. The latest 'Fake News' embarrassment began on Friday morning, with a seemingly explosive CNN report indicating that the media outlet had obtained confirmation that an e-mail was sent to the Trump campaign, as well as to prominent Trump family members, offering a decryption key and link to a large quantity of hacked Democratic National Committee e-mails. According to CNN's sources, the e-mail was sent on September 4, 2016, nine days prior to when the hacked documents were made public by WikiLeaks. The date of the e-mail appeared to indicate that the Trumps had been offered special, advance access to the hacked DNC e-mails, which suggested that the e-mail was a noteworthy piece of evidence in the Trump-Russia collusion investigation. President Trump (pictured Friday) called out 'Fake News' media following a 48 hour period that included a disproved report over an e-mail that appeared to show Trump-Russia collusion and sharing of a photo that misrepresented the size of a rally crowd Shortly after CNN's report, other major outlets, including MSNBC and CBS, were quick to seek out and obtain confirmation from their own sources about the e-mail's send date before posting and airing their own news updates. The e-mail date story went viral, being shared and retweeted thousands of times and drawing the attention of prominent political figures and other media outlets, which were quick to pick up the apparent bombshell news. The problem, it turned out, was that the e-mail date being reported was wrong. Hours after the CNN report surfaced, The Washington Post, which had obtained a copy of the actual e-mail, revealed that the date stamp on the e-mail was actually September 14, 2016 the day after WikiLeaks had made the hacked e-mails public via a Twitter link, meaning that the sender of the e-mail was merely pointing the Trump campaign to widely available information. Following CNN's correction of the disproved e-mail date story, Trump called CNN 'Fake News' in a pair of tweets, wondering if the report was due to 'gross incompetence' In other words, the email one of thousands Donald Trump Jr. had turned over to a House Intelligence Committee investigating Russian interference into the 2016 Election revealed nothing. By 12.46pm on Friday, CNN had started to issue corrections about the story, both online, via social media and on air. The network cited the fact that multiple sources had confirmed the incorrect September 4 date, but that the CNN reporter had not actually seen the e-mail itself. Trump, who had been in Pensacola, Florida, for a rally on Friday, triumphantly took to Twitter on Saturday to post a pair of tweets crowing about how 'Fake News CNN' had been 'caught red handed.' 'Fake News CNN made a vicious and purposeful mistake yesterday,' Trump tweeted at 5.02am Saturday, while wondering if the e-mail date report was due to 'gross incompetence' at the network. Twenty minutes later, Trump tweeted, '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!' Trump got another chance to malign 'Fake News' just a few hours later on Saturday. Responding to Trump's tweet about how the Pensacola rally had been 'packed to the rafters' with supporters, Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel, using his personal Twitter handle, posted a photo of a barely populated arena in a seeming effort to disprove Trump's words. On Saturday morning, Trump tweeted about how his Florida rally was 'packed to the rafters' Shortly after, Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel tweeted out a picture of the arena that made it appear as though the rally was sparsely attended A photo taken during the rally showing that the arena was, indeed, 'packed to the rafters' That tweet, naturally, went viral as it called to mind other instances in which Trump had seemingly overstated crowd attendance at events, such as his inauguration, which photographic evidence apparently provided otherwise. At 2.01pm, Trump lashed out with a set of his own photos, showing that the venue was, in fact, truly 'packed to the rafters.' Weigel, Trump tweeted, 'put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo!' Weigel quickly apologized on Twitter, writing at 2.04pm, 'Sure thing: I apologize.' He went on to say that he deleted the empty-looking crowd photo and had been 'confused' into thinking it represented rally attendance during the speech due to the fact that Trump could be seen in the bottom right corner. In a later tweet, Weigel again took personal responsibility for his original tweet, writing in response to a Twitter user who questioned how much time he spent fact-checking the time the photo was taken. He wrote: 'It was a bad tweet on my personal account, not a story for Washington Post. I deleted it after like 20 minutes. Very fair to call me out.' Trump quickly tweeted out pictures showing the full crowd at the rally and demanded an apology from Weigel, as well as his employer, the Washington Post Weigel tweeted an apology minutes later, writing that he thought the photo was taken during the rally, not before it started while audience members were still loading in In response, Trump tweeted that Weigel should be fired for having posted the 'FAKE' picture Trump responded to the apology effort by demanding that Weigel be fired from his job at the Washington Post, a news outlet that Trump has frequently taken aim at. '@DaveWeigel of the Washington Post just admitted that his picture was a FAKE (fraud?) showing an almost empty arena last night for my speech in Pensacola when, in fact, he knew the arena was packed (as shown also on T.V.). FAKE NEWS, he should be fired,' Trump tweeted at 3.14pm. The disproved e-mail and crowd size story came just one week after ABC News suffered embarrassment over a report regarding former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. ABC News investigative reporter Brian Ross said in a report that aired the morning of December 1, that a source claimed that a close associate of Flynn's was prepared to testify that Trump 'directed him to make contact with the Russians' during the course of the 2016 presidential race. At around 6.30pm that day, however, Ross was on-air issuing a 'clarification' that the source had explained it wasn't until after the election that 'President-elect Trump asked [Flynn] to contact Russia on issues including working together to fight ISIS.' ABC News suspended Ross for four weeks without pay following the incident. A woman has revealed how her father tortured her as a child to try and turn her into a 'superhuman'. When she was just eight years old, Maude Julien was forced to grab hold of an electric fence twice a week without betraying any sign of pain or emotion. Trapped at her 'insane, alcoholic' father's isolated mansion in Northern France, Julien she was be subjected to his experiments to try and create the 'ultimate survivor.' She'd routinely be locked in a rat infested cellar to 'meditate about death' and was forced to take brutal endurance tests which could range from being held over the edge of a cliff, to being forced to down whisky and walk in a straight line. Maude Julien, now 60, revealed she was physically and emotionally abused by her paranoid father Louis Didier Julien, whose mother also lived with them, wasn't even allowed a hug as human contact was banned. She says that the compassion and warmth she learned were from her animal companions; her dog and two ponies. 'I really think that, without my animals, I wouldn't be alive today,' she told the New York Post. 'They gave me physical contact and warmth because nobody [in my family] was allowed to touch each other in the house.' Julien, now 60, spent 18 years being physically and emotionally abused by her paranoid father Louis Didier, according to her new memoir The Only Girl in the World. 'He was most definitely insane and an alcoholic,' she said of Didier, who she said was in a Freemasonry cult that dabbled in the occult. Didier believed the world was going to end and that he needed to train his daughter to become the savior who would lead an uprising against evil. Julien revealed how her father had adopted her mother Jeannine when she was just six years old, and groomed her to become his wife. Jeannine gave birth to Julien in 1957, and Didier, who became rich by selling transport stock after the Second World War, began putting her through his twisted experiments to try and create a 'superhuman.' Trapped at her 'insane, alcoholic' father's isolated mansion in Northern France, Julien she was be subjected to his experiments to try and create the 'ultimate survivor' (pictured with her father Louis Didier in an undated photo) The tests could be physical or mental. In one, she was forced to slaughter livestock. She was regularly forced to grab hold of an electric fence without showing any pain. 'I held on with both hands, and it was most important to show no reaction at the moment of the power surges,' she told The Post. 'I had to stay impassive.' To this day, Julien still carries the mental and physical scars her father left her with. She has liver damage from all the alcohol her father forced on her as a young child. She says she was also sexually abused by a laborer on her father's estate from the ages of 3 to 13. Julien, now 60, spent 18 years being physically and emotionally abused by her paranoid father Louis Didier, according to her new memoir The Only Girl in the World She would escape from the horrors of her childhood through books and became an avid reader - her favorite being The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. But it would be years until she was finally free of her father for real. In 1972, Didier allowed music tutor, Andre Molin to come to the estate to teach her how to play the accordion and piano. She says that he visited her for three years, slowly gaining her father's trust, and encouraging him to let him teach her at his shop in town. When she was 18, Didier agreed to let her marry a musician she met at the music classes on condition that she left him after six months - and returned to the house a virgin. But as soon as she married, Julien seized the opportunity and fled. Forever. Didier died in 1981 at age 79. Julien went on to live a full life, remarrying and having two daughters. She is now a grandmother living in Paris. She has also undergone intense therapy to overcome her traumatic childhood and is now a psychiatrist with patients of her own. Julien says writing her memoir was still a harrowing experience, which triggered flashbacks, but also therapeutic. She had also wanted to create 'an escape manual'. The book is dedicated to her mother who Julien remains estranged from. 'She is a victim and I sent the book to her with a note,' she said. 'She didn't react directly but I heard through intermediaries that she was afraid and wasn't happy I wrote it.' Advertisement A flare-up on the western edge of Southern California's largest and most destructive wildfire sent residents fleeing Sunday, as wind-fanned flames churned through canyons and down hillsides toward coastal towns. The so-called Thomas Fire is only 15 percent contained, now threatening the city of Santa Barbara and the nearby coastal town of Carpinteria, and is on track to become one of the worst wildfires in California history. It has already destroyed 583 structures and scorched 173,000 acres, the authorities say. New evacuations were ordered in Carpinteria, which been under fire threat for days. The new evacuation zone extends within two miles of the Santa Barbara Zoo. Zoo Director Nancy McToldridge said in a statement that there was 'no immediate danger' from the fire and that the zoo was closed with all animals inside to shelter from smoke. 'We drill for and are prepared for emergencies,' she said, adding that an evacuation plan for the animals was in place if needed. Meanwhile, crews with help from water-dropping aircraft saved several homes as unpredictable gusts sent the blaze churning deeper into foothill areas northwest of Los Angeles that haven't burned in decades. Santa Barbara County firefighters work on structure protection early Sunday morning, keeping a close eye on nearby flames atop Shepard Mesa Road in Carpinteria, California. The area has been evacuated by law enforcement Firefighters knock down flames as they advance on homes atop Shepherd Mesa Road early Sunday in Carpinteria, California. A flare-up on the western edge of Southern California's largest and most destructive wildfire sent residents fleeing Flames are seen approaching Carpinteria early Sunday. Crews with help from water-dropping aircraft saved several homes as unpredictable gusts sent the blaze churning deeper into areas northwest of Los Angeles that haven't burned in decades The massive Thomas Fire (top left) has burned 173,000 acres and is quickly encroaching on Carpinteria and Santa Barbara This map shows the new mandatory evacuation zones in red and voluntary evacuation zones in yellow. The voluntary evacuation zone extends within two miles of the Santa Barbara Zoo, which shut down and is taking emergency precautions 'The winds are kind of squirrely right now,' said Santa Barbara County fire spokesman Mike Eliason. 'Some places the smoke is going straight up in the air, and others it's blowing sideways. Depends on what canyon we're in.' The department posted a photo of one residence engulfed in flames before dawn. It's unclear whether other structures burned. Thousands of homes in the county were without power. Firefighters made significant progress Saturday on other fronts of the enormous fire that started Dec. 4 in neighboring Ventura County. Containment was way up on other major blazes in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties. Forecasters said Santa Ana winds that whipped fires across the region last week were expected to die down later Sunday - but not before creating possible gusts topping 50 mph. The Santa Barbara County Fire Department posted this photo of one residence engulfed in flames before dawn Sunday. It's unclear whether other structures burned. Thousands of homes in the county were without power Flames advance on homes off Shepard Mesa Road at 5.45am Sunday in Carpinteria. New evacuations were ordered in the seaside city in Santa Barbara County that has been under fire threat for days Firefighters light backfire while trying to keep a wildfire from jumping Santa Ana Road near Ventura, California on Saturday A plane drops fire retardant on a wildfire on Friday in Fallbrook, California. The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes in Southern California Firefighters light backfire while trying to keep a wildfire from jumping Santa Ana Road near Ventura on Saturday A lack of rain has officials on edge statewide because of parched conditions and no end in sight to the typical fire season. 'This is the new normal,' Gov. Jerry Brown warned Saturday after surveying damage from the deadly Ventura fire. 'We're about ready to have firefighting at Christmas. This is very odd and unusual.' High fire risk is expected to last into January and the governor and experts said climate change is making it a year-round threat. Overall, the fires have destroyed nearly 800 homes and other buildings, killed dozens of horses and forced more than 200,000 people to flee flames that have burned over 270 square miles (700 square kilometers) since Dec. 4. One death, so far, a 70-year-old woman who crashed her car on an evacuation route, is attributed to the fire in Santa Paula, a small city where the fire began. Dick Marsala looks through debris from his destroyed home after a wildfire roared through the Rancho Monserate Country Club on Friday in Bonsall, California Fire crews search for hot spots among destroyed homes in the Rancho Monserate Country Club community Friday Firefighter Simon Garcia gets a hug from a woman who did not give her name after she arrived to find her house was intact The Ventura County blaze continued to burn into rugged mountains in the Los Padres National Forest near the little town of Ojai and toward a preserve established for endangered California condors. As fires burned in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, firefighters were already in place north of San Diego on Thursday when a major fire erupted and rapidly spread in the Fallbrook area, known for its avocado groves and horse stables in the rolling hills. The fire swept through the San Luis Rey Training Facility, where it killed more than 40 elite thoroughbreds and destroyed more than 100 homes - most of them in a retirement community. Three people were burned trying to escape the fire that continued to smolder Sunday. Most of last week's fires were in places that burned in the past, including one in the ritzy Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel-Air that burned six homes and another in the city's rugged foothills above the community of Sylmar and in Santa Paula. A burglar alarm advert has sparked fury on Merseyside after showing a man with a Scouse accent trying to break into a London home. In the advert for Ring security services a man, dressed in black, approaches a house before ringing the bell and peering through the window. The homeowner is able to speak to the would-be thief through an app on his phone and when the camera connects he speaks in a Liverpudlian accent. An advert for a burglar alarm has sparked a furious backlash on Merseyside after showing a man with a Scouse accent attempting to break into someone's house In the clip, the would-be thief approaches the property and rings the doorbell, apparently in an attempt to see whether the house is empty or not The burglar, dressed all in black, then peers through the window of the house Realising he has been caught, the burglar says: 'Oh, erm, I've lost my cat. I was wondering if you'd seen it.' The homeowner replies: 'The only thing I've seen is you looking through my window, and now I'd like to see you leave. 'Goodbye.' As he leaves the Scouser mumbles, 'sorry mate'. The advert has sparked a backlash on Merseyside and Ring has been accused of stereotyping. Neil Baldwin said: 'This advert is doing its bit for stereotypes isn't it? Cue middle class falafel-buyer in the supermarket, while token shifty Scouser burglar rings his doorbell. How has this got past quality control?' Tim Bullock tweeted: 'Love the casting in the @ring doorbell advert: Burglar: Dodgy scouser, dressed in black. Homeowner: Smug southerner, dressed in chinos.' [sic] Marie Lacey said: 'This is terrible' Katie Netherway said: 'It's not even offensive, it's just out of date and proper lazy. Try harder please.' Ring has been contacted for a comment. But the homeowner is able to watch and speak to the intruder using an app on his phone, and when the would-be burglar replies it is revealed he has a Scouse accent The homeowner, dressed in a smart jumper and shirt, speaks in a southern accent and asks the man to leave Advertisement A photo series documenting the women of the Hells Angels has been re-touched in colour to provide a fresh look into the females behind the world's most notorious motorcycle gang. The original pictures were taken in the 1960s and 1970s, at the height of the Hells Angels infamy in the public eye - often linked to the drug trade but also to figures The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Most of these images were taken by LIFE magazine photographer Bill Ray, according to Matt Loughrey, who decided to take the time to add some colour to the iconic shots. Mr Loughrey, 39, is an Irish photographer who works at My Colorful Past in Westport, a company that colorises historical photos in order to ensure they're preserved and remembered. Female members of the Hells Angels in Los Angeles, pictured, in 1973 have been brought back to life after being expertly colourised by Irish photographer Matt Loughrey Women wait in the next room, pictured, while a Hells Angels motorcycle club meeting takes place in 1965, an original image that has now been colourised by Irish photographer Matt Loughrey A female Hells Angels member pictured outside the Blackboard cafe in 1965 in Bakersfield when the motorcycle gang was at its height of fame Hells Angels in New York City, pictured, is an example of one of the original photographs that Matt Loughrey colourised by using a digital pen and paper He's worked with all sorts of moments in history, including some of the past's most renowned crooks, which MailOnline reported on earlier this year. Now turning his attention to the Harley-Davidson motorcyclists, Mr Loughrey has enjoyed looking back on 'the advent of such a strong fraternity of people'. He said: 'These photographs document only a fragment of time. What I found hard to understand was why the original black and whites never made it to the magazine itself. 'It raises questions; both editorial and political combined.' Matt Loughrey took black and white images of the Hells Angels, pictured, taken by LIFE magazine photographer Bill Ray in the 1960s-1970s and colourised them The Hells Angels were a massive part of the counterculture movement in the 1960s-1970s and these black and white images, pictured, capture some of the most iconic moments Hells Angels at San Bernardino in 1965, pictured, have now been colourised by Irish photographer Matt Loughrey, 39, of My Colorful Past in Westport, Ireland Outside the Blackboard Cafe in Bakersfield 1965, pictured, is one of the colourised images of the notorious motorcycle gang the Hells Angels colourised painstakingly by Matt Loughrey The Hells Angels organization is predominantly white male and considered an organized crime syndicate by the United States Department of Justice. The newly retouched shots shows its female members relaxing in a cafe, astride their motorcycles and loitering outside the Blackboard Cafe in Bakersfield. Colourising the black and white images is a long process. Mr Loughrey explained, 'I use what is essentially a digital pen and paper in the form of a dedicated tablet and stylus. Outside the Blackboard Cafe in 1965, pictured, is one of the original images of the Hells Angels gang taken when their movement was at its height and before Irish photographer Matt Loughrey colourised them At a jukebox inside the Blackboard Cafe in 1965 are two women, pictured, who ride with the notorious motorcycle gang the Hells Angels 'I employed a completely new process named SMTM for creating colour textures,' he said. Adding: 'This was a straight forward conversion because the original photographs were very well lit and taken' The Hells Angels established its notoriety as part of the 1960s counterculture movement in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury scene. Weigel resigned from The Washington Post in 2010 after private partisan messages were leaked. He rejoined the paper in 2015 The Washington Post reporter whom President Trump has publicly taken to task for posting a misleading photo of his Florida rally resigned under a similar cloud seven years ago. Dave Weigel resigned from the Washington Post in 2010 after being caught posting caustic remarks about Republican Congressman Ron Paul and conservative media personalities on a private email list. The emails to the 'Journolist' listserv, reported by The Daily Caller and Fishbowl DC, included remarks by Weigel that Matt Drudge, creator of the Drudge Report, should 'handle his emotional problems more responsibly and set himself on fire.' He also mocked Ron Paul, leader of the then-popular Tea Party, calling it the 'Paultard Tea Party'. Rush Limbaugh, the conservative talk-radio titan, also came into Weigel's sights. Limbaugh had called for then-President Barack Obama to fail, and when the radio host was hospitalized with chest pains, Weigel reportedly wrote, 'I hope he fails'. Weigel also lamented that news organizations 'need to give equal/extra time to "real American" views, no matter how [expletive] moronic.' At the time, Weigel's role at the Post was covering conservative political movements. Weigel resigned over the imbroglio in June 2010, after just three months working with the Post. He was re-hired five years later, in 2015. Weigel joked Sunday morning that lost luggage was the 'worst thing' about his weekend, a day after the president publicly excoriated him and called for his firing Donald Trump demanded the Washington Post fire a reporter after he posted photos that wrongly gave the impression of a poor turnout for the president's Friday Florida rally (pictured) Dave Weigel, who writes about politics for the Washington Post, put up this picture on Saturday. The photo was taken long before the rally started, Trump said Despite drawing the ire of the President over this weekend, Weigel nonetheless joked on Twitter that the worst thing that happened was losing his luggage. 'An update on the worst thing that happened to me this weekend: 48 hours after I checked my luggage with @delta, it has still not arrived,' writer Dave Weigel tweeted Sunday morning. Delta's official account promptly responded with a 'huge apology' and offered to assist. Weigel's breezy assessment followed a firestorm of criticism, after he posted a misleading photo of a mostly empty arena, shot prior to Trump's Friday rally in Pensacola, Florida. The arena later filled up when Trump arrived. 'Packed to the rafters,' Weigel quipped of his phony photo. Trump immediately hit back, quickly getting an apology out of Weigel - and demanded that the Washington Post fire him to boot. Trump's Florida rally (pictured; Trump center, in front of red tarp) was indeed packed out, with thousands in the stands and on the floor The reporter's latest misadventure drew the full wrath of the president, who has been notably touchy about crowd sizes at his events ever since the inauguration. Trump posted a screengrab of Weigel's Tweet on Saturday, along with photos of him standing in front of a packed arena. '@DaveWeigel @WashingtonPost put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in,' he wrote. 'Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo!' Trump derided the post as 'fake news' and said that thousands of people were 'outside, on their way in,' when it was taken Weigel apologized minutes later, and said he deleted the post after DailyMail.com's US political editor, David Martosko, told him he'd 'gotten it wrong' An hour after his initial post Trump tweeted again, this time demanding that Weigel be fired for his 'fake news' Weigel responded minutes later, saying he'd been notified of the error by DailyMail.com's US political editor, David Martosko, who attended the event. 'Sure thing: I apologize,' he wrote. 'I deleted the photo after @dmartosko told me I'd gotten it wrong. Was confused by the image of you walking in the bottom right corner.' 'An hour later he tweeted: 'It was a bad tweet on my personal account, not a story for Washington Post. I deleted it after like 20 minutes. Very fair to call me out.' But apparently the mistake stuck in Trump's craw, and an hour after spotting the error he tweeted again '.@daveweigel of the Washington Post just admitted that his picture was a FAKE (fraud?) showing an almost empty arena last night for my speech in Pensacola when, in fact, he knew the arena was packed (as shown also on T.V.),' he wrote. 'FAKE NEWS, he should be fired.' At Friday's rally, Trump pointed to a CNN correction and other corrections and clarifications by news organizations in the past week. The corrections came from stories that initially had been damaging to the president but didn't live up to the scrutiny. The winners of this year's Nobel Peace Prize have cautioned that nuclear annihilation is just an 'impulsive tantrum away'. The winners, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), made the chilling warning as the United States and North Korea exchange threats over the secretive nation's nuclear tests. 'Will it be the end of nuclear weapons, or will it be the end of us?' said Beatrice Fihn, the head of ICAN, upon receiving the Peace Price on behalf of the anti-nuclear group. Tensions on the Korean peninsula have spiralled as Pyongyang has in recent months ramped up its missile and nuclear tests. Scroll down for video Accepting the award on behalf of the anti-nuclear group, Beatrice Fihn said: 'Will it be the end of nuclear weapons or will it be the end of us' 'The only rational course of action is to cease living under the conditions where our mutual destruction is only one impulsive tantrum away,' Fihn added. ICAN, a coalition of hundreds of NGOs around the world, has worked for a treaty banning nuclear weapons which was adopted in July by 122 countries. The text was weakened by the absence of the nine nuclear powers among the signatories. President Trump has vowed to 'take care of' North Korea following the latest test, though gave no further details of his plans North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-Un, has exchanged warlike threats with US President Donald Trump, who has ordered a military show of force In an apparent snub of the ICAN-backed treaty, the three western nuclear powers - the US, France and Britain - broke with tradition by sending second-ranking diplomats rather than their ambassadors to Sunday's ceremony. Supporters of nuclear weapons argue that they serve as a deterrent for starting a major conflict as it would guarantee mutual destruction for the nations involved. 'They are a madman's gun held permanently to our temple,' Fihn said. 'These weapons were supposed to keep us free, but they deny us our freedoms.' Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said in her lecture during the ceremony that ICAN's 'message resonates with millions of people who perceive that the threat of nuclear war is greater than it has been for a long time, not least due to the situation in North Korea'. Senior UN envoy Jeffrey Feltman on Saturday warned there was a grave risk that a miscalculation could trigger conflict with Pyongyang and urged the reclusive state to keep communication channels open. North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un is seen as the newly developed intercontinental ballistic rocket Hwasong-15's test was successfully launched in late November Tensions on the Korean peninsula have spiralled as Pyongyang has in recent months ramped up its missile and nuclear tests Kim and Trump have taunted each other in recent months, with the US President pejoratively dubbing his rival 'Little Rocket Man' and a 'sick puppy'. 'A moment of panic or carelessness, a misconstrued comment or bruised ego could easily lead us unavoidably to the destruction of entire cities,' Fihn said. Several survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings, which killed more than 220,000 people 72 years ago, attended the ceremony in the Oslo City Hall. One of them, Setsuko Thurlow, received the Nobel on behalf of ICAN jointly with Fihn. Kim and Trump have taunted each other in recent months, with the US President pejoratively dubbing his rival 'Little Rocket Man' and a 'sick puppy' Senior UN envoy Jeffrey Feltman on Saturday warned there was a grave risk that a miscalculation could trigger conflict with Pyongyang and urged the reclusive state to keep communication channels open Speaking to AFP ahead of the ceremony, Thurlow recalled the horrific aftermath of the first atomic bomb in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, when she was 13 years old. Thurlow described corpses lying on the ground, the injured and dying calling for help and the survivors looking like 'a procession of ghosts'. 'The hair was standing up and they were all burned on the skin and their flesh was hanging from their bones,' she said. 'Some were carrying their eyeballs. It just was like hell on earth,' added the 85-year-old who now lives in Canada and uses a wheelchair. Although the number of nuclear weapons has dropped since the end of the Cold War, there are still around 15,000 atomic bombs on earth. 'Listen to our testimony. Heed our warning. And know that your actions are consequential,' Thurlow said during her speech at the ceremony, referring to the leaders of nuclear-armed nations. At a separate ceremony in Stockholm on Sunday, Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf handed over the Nobel prizes in literature, physics, chemistry, medicine and economics. Each prize consists of a diploma, a gold medal and a cheque for nine million Swedish kroner (791,000). The information was released by the Vietnam Foreign Ministrys Consular Department concerning the Taiwanese-flag No 6 Sheng Fu fishing vessel. The ship ran into an accident when it was approaching the Nan Ya port in New Taipei City, Taiwan (China), on December 8th. The department said at the time of the accident, ten people were on board the vessel, including five Vietnamese nationals. Nine people have been rescued on the day, with the remaining one, who is Vietnamese, still unaccounted for. Of the four rescued Vietnamese workers, one was severely injured and is hospitalised. Taiwanese search and rescue units are working to find the missing person but facing difficulties due to dreadful weather. Investigation is underway to figure out reasons behind the incident. The department noted that the Vietnamese economics and culture office in Taipei will continue collaborating with the Taiwanese side to search for the missing man and provide necessary citizen protection measures to ensure the Vietnamese workers enjoy their legitimate rights and benefits./. A second man has come forward to claim that he was the hero seen saving a bunny from the California wildfire in a viral video. Oscar Gonzalez, 19, had insisted on Friday that he was the mystery animal lover filmed frantically trying to rescue a rabbit from the blaze, claiming he'd saved an 'entire rabbit family' from the flames. But his account has now been challenged by Caleb Wadman, 21, who says that he was the brave bunny rescuer - and his story has backed up by a local veterinary office and a wildlife rehabilitation center. A second man has come forward to claim that he was the hero seen saving a bunny from the California wildfire in a viral video. Pictured is the injured rabbit that he took the local veterinary hospital Wadman then drove the rabbit to Conejo Valley Veterinary Hospital and it was later transferred to the California Wildlife Center where it is being treated for burns (pictured) Caleb Wadman, 21, (above) says that he was the brave bunny rescuer - and his story has backed up by a local veterinary office and a wildlife rehabilitation center Wadman told the Huffington Post that he was on the highway in La Conchita when he spotted the wild rabbit 'in significant distress.' 'I just ran out,' he said. 'I had faith and that's when the bunny ran back towards the flames. And I was like, "No, baby bunny, I'm here. I'm going to take care of you."' Wadman then drove the rabbit to Conejo Valley Veterinary Hospital and it was later transferred to the California Wildlife Center where it is being treated for burns. Staff at the veterinary hospital said that the man who brought in the injured animal was wearing the same clothes as the rescuer in the viral video, and told them he'd found the rabbit in the same area the footage was shot. Gonzales said in his own account that he'd not taken the rabbit to the vets but had carried it to the other side of the road and let it go. Oscar Gonzalez, 19, claimed on Friday that he was the man who was filmed picking up a rabbit from the side of the highway in Ventura, California, on Wednesday Duane Tom, the director of animal care at the California Wildlife Center, confirmed Wadman was the one who dropped off the rabbit at the veterinary hospital. Wadman was also named by his family on social media as being the one to have saved the rabbit. His aunt, Dorothy Wadman, wrote on Facebook: 'The guy who is really in the video is our nephew! Not Oscar Gonzales. Just wanted you to know. Calebs a pretty great guy. 'Hate that this Oscar person tried to take credit for something someone else did.' Hi cousin Sophia Comis added that Wadman had initially decided to stay anonymous but the family were furious that Gonzales had attempted to try and steal his heroic story. The rescuer's actions were criticized by some who claimed a wild rabbit would not have needed human intervention. However, Tom said that in this case, the creature was in dire need of medical help. The rabbit, which suffered burns, is slowly recovering although Tom said it's not clear if she'll ever fully recover. Gonzalez ran towards the rabbit after jumping out of his car but frightened it and it scurried it away from him The teenager was filmed jumping up and down as it ran towards the flames and away from him DailyMail.com has reached out to Gonzalez for comment. While it appears as though the 19-year-old may not have been the rescuer in the viral video, as first suggested, that is not to say he did not rescue another rabbit. Gonzales, who works for a commercial refrigerator installer, lives in Pacoima with his fiancee and their five-month-old son, said he'd been driving a friend home from work in Sylmar when he said he saw a white rabbit running along the side of the highway as the flames raged next to it. 'I knew it was dangerous but I couldn't leave them to burn!' he told DailyMail.com on Friday. Gonzalez said he chased after it, before it hopped straight into his arms and allowed him to carry it to the other side of the highway where there were no flames. He even claimed he in fact saved the whole 'rabbit family'. 'I saw two other rabbits with it. I thought to myself it was the rabbit's family. 'The rabbit's family probably thought I was gonna hurt it [but] when I picked up the rabbit, they followed,' he said. Exasperated, he tapped on his legs to beckon it like a dog and shouted 'what are you doing!?' Gonzalez said the animal then ran towards him and allowed him to scoop it up. Video of the rescue shows him stretching out to grab it from behind The 19-year-old carried the rabbit to the other side of the highway and set it free again Gonzalez said the animal's young followed him across the road. They were not seen in the video Gonzalez then took it to the other side of the highway and set it free again before getting back in his car. 'I quickly picked the rabbit up and walked to the other side where there wasn't fire,' he said. The teenager works for Anthony's, a Sylmar-based company which produces and installs the large refrigerator doors used in stores like Costco. He said the ordeal was frightening and that he could feel the heat of the flames on his face as he tried to coax the rabbit into his arms. 'The flames were so close,' he said. Many celebrated his efforts but wildlife experts were not among them. They said Gonzalez put himself and others at great risk by walking towards the fire and that the rabbit, as a wild animal, knew instinctively how to survive without his intervening. The father-of-one said he could not watch as the 'poor' rabbits ran between the flames so decided to intervene Among the many thousands who praised Gonzalez and dubbed him a hero was Ellen De Generes Hundreds of thousands shared their support for Gonzalez's act but others labeled him an 'idiot' for putting himself - and the first responders who would have had to save him if he came to harm - at risk Rabbits are among the wild animals which are most likely to survive wildfires because they normally burrow from the flames. Desert cottontail rabbits, which are common in Southern in California, typically give birth to young around this time of year. Since the fires took hold earlier this week, experts have warned residents not to get in the way of any wild animals in the area. 'If you encounter a wild animal in your neighborhood, leave it alone. 'Fire or no fire, just let the animals be. Fire is something animals have to deal with constantly,' California Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Peter Tira told San Francisco Gate. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley encouraged women to speak out against sexual harassment and assault including against President Trump. Appearing Sunday on Face the Nation, CBS' John Dickerson asked the former South Carolina governor, the state's first female executive, how people should 'assess the accusers of the president. 'Women who accuse anyone should be heard,' Haley replied. 'They should be heard, and they should be dealt with,' she said of the women who pointed a finger at the president and the accusations. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley encouraged women to speak out against sexual harassment and assault Face the Nation host John Dickerson (left) asked UN Ambassador Nikki Haley (right) specifically about allegations against President Trump and she said they 'should be heard' Prior to speaking specifically against the sexual misconduct of the current Oval Office occupant, Haley praised the bravery of the women who have spoken out. 'I am incredibly proud of the women who have come forward,' she said. 'I'm proud of their strength, I'm proud of their courage.' 'And I think that the idea that this is happening, I think it will start to bring a conscience to the situation, not just in politics, but in we have seen in Hollywood and in every industry,' Haley continued. 'And I think the time has come.' When Dickerson narrowed down the question to focus on Trump, Haley answered, 'I mean, the same thing.' On the heels of the October release of the Access Hollywood tape last year, a number of new women accused the GOP nominee of sexual misdeeds, including groping and sexual harassment. While the infamous 'gram 'em by the p***y' tape, tanked Trump's prospects for several vital weeks before the November election, the candidate eventually rebounded, in part because he muddied the waters by pointing out Bill Clinton's sexual behavior as well, characterizing his rival Hillary Clinton as complicit. And while three members of Congress left this week over their own scandals Sen. Al Franken, Rep. John Conyers and Rep. Trent Franks and Hollywood heavyweights including Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey have been banished, Trump has been bulletproof against these allegations. Dickerson wanted to know from Haley if she thought the election was the end of that. 'And does the election mean that's a settled issue?' he asked. Haley deflected the question. 'You know, that's for the people to decide,' she said. 'I know that he was elected, but women should always feel comfortable coming forward,' Haley continued. 'And we should all we willing to listen to them.' Cory Booker has called on President Donald Trump to resign, saying that Al Franken did 'the honorable thing' by stepping down from the senate. Booker, the Democrat senator from New Jersey, made the remarks on Saturday at an event in Montgomery, Alabama, where he is campaigning against Republican senate candidate Roy Moore. 'I just watched Senator Al Franken do the honorable thing and resign from his office,' Booker told Vice News at an event for Democrat Doug Jones, Moore's challenger. 'My question is, why isnt Donald Trump doing the same thing - who has more serious allegations against him, with more women who have come forward. The fact pattern on him is far more damning than the fact pattern on Al Franken,' Booker said. 'Why hasnt Donald Trump come forward and said, "You know what, in this climate, at this point in this country, Im going to resign from my position just like Al Franken",' Booker said. Senator Cory Booker (standing) made the remarks Saturday night at a campaign event for Alabama senate candidate Doug Jones (seated), the Democrat opposing Roy Moore Senator Al Franken announced his resignation on Thursday. Seven women have accused him of groping or other misconduct - some of which allegations are 'simply not true', he said At least 15 women have accused Trump of groping, unwanted kisses, or leering at pageant contestants in their dressing rooms, allegations that he has steadfastly denied Franken on Thursday announced he would resign from the senate after at least seven women accused him of groping or sexual harassment. At least 15 women have accused Trump of groping, unwanted kisses, or leering at pageant contestants in their dressing rooms. However, Trump has steadfastly denied the allegations since they emerged during his presidential campaign. Franken quickly apologized after a photo emerged of him appearing to grope sleeping radio host Leeann Tweeden on a 2006 USO tour. He later disputed some of the allegations against him as 'simply not true'. Yet Franken's resignation, which followed that of Congressman John Conyers, a Democrat, has upped the pressure on on political figures who have faced sexual misconduct allegations - including Republicans Trump and Moore. Moore has vehemently denied allegations that he sexually touched a 14-year-old in the 1970s, when he was in his 30s. With Moore leading slightly in the polls ahead of Tuesday's special senate election, he has been elusive on the campaign trail, appearing fewer than 10 times in the past month. Moore is leading slightly in the polls ahead of Tuesday's special senate election, he has been elusive on the campaign trail. He was last publicly seen at this rally on December 5 Moore's Democrat opponent Doug Jones (left) has been racing around the state in the campaign's final days, appearing with New Jersey Senator Cory Booker (right) In contrast Jones, his opponent, has been racing around the state, appearing with Booker and former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in an aggressive push to turn out black voters. Jones will need black voters to turn out for him at rates near what former President Barack Obama saw in the state, a tall order for an off-year special election in December. Moore, an insurgent candidate who defeated the establishment GOP's pick in the primary, may face further challenges even if he wins on Tuesday. Booker raised the possibility of expelling Moore from the senate - a procedure that has not succeed since 1862, and which would require Republican participation to reach a two-thirds majority. 'I am worried, there are former pages that are showing worry, there are Republican senators that are worried - were all worried about this nightmare of a person that could come to the United States senate,' Booker said. Australians are being warned the holiday season is also a 'peak time for terror', with jihadis likely to target packed crowds at popular festive events. Security experts from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, USA and Canada will meet in Melbourne on Monday to discuss the best practices for responding to terror attacks. It comes just weeks after police allegedly foiled a plot by an ISIS sympathiser to gun down 'as many people as possible' at New Year's Eve events in Melbourne, The Australian reports. Australians are being warned the holiday season is also a 'peak time for terror', with jihadis likely to target packed crowds at popular festive events such as New Year's Eve (pictured) Victoria Police's leading counter-terror officer said the holiday season was the most dangerous time in Australia and Europe Victoria Police's leading counter-terror officer Ross Guenther said the holiday season was the most dangerous time in Australia and Europe. Counter-terrorism units are working around the clock to foil any possible attacks and the number of frontline police has been beefed up in time for the Christmas period. Adding to tensions this festive season are claims by Iraq and Russia of victory over ISIS in the Middle East. Mr Guenther warned the defeat could raise the risk of attacks from jihadi soldiers as they return to Australia. 'Their (authorities) concern is that the tempo will increase. As people return across the borders, that risk is going to escalate,' he told The Australian. 'Five Eyes', the name given to the meeting of terror experts from the five nations, will come on the same day Victoria Police announces a speaker alert system in the city. It comes just weeks after police allegedly foiled a plot by an ISIS sympathiser to gun down 'as many people as possible' at New Year's Eve events in Melbourne In an added security measure, Victoria Police have increased the number of alert speakers in the Melbourne CBD to 90 (stock image) The speakers will warn and tell people what to do in the event of a mass shooting or car rampage. There are currently 65 speakers at high risk areas in Melbourne's CBD with a total of 90 to be rolled out. 'The new speaker system, as well as permanent bollards and CCTV, will provide even greater protection and warning for the community in the event of a serious incident,' Police Minister Lisa Neville announced on Monday. Similar speaker systems are currently in use in Sydney, with close to 100 spread across the CBD. Video shows a confrontation between the president of Rodrigue's Coffee House - a student-run store - and Fordham College Republicans. The store prides itself on welcoming diversity but asks patrons to be considerate of others Members of Fordham University College Republicans appear to have cried wolf on a student-run coffee shop when they went with Make America Great Again hats to 'test the unwritten rule' of conservative discrimination. Rodrigue's Coffee House's 'President' can be seen on video telling the group members that they needed to leave the shop on the Bronx campus in five minutes. 'This says nothing about supporting political identities. This says nothing about politics and you have no right to do this' a member of the College Republicans tells the President after she tells them that they need to leave, in a video posted Friday. 'I am protecting my customers,' the president added to which the cameraman retorts that they are customers. Scroll down for videos Wearing MAGA hats, the College Republicans (left) are told by the president of the shop (right) that they need to leave the store for violating their 'safe space policy' She responds by claiming that she doesn't want people like that supporting the club and 'no one here wants people like you supporting our club.' The mostly white male members of the College Republicans then start asking for refunds as one of their members waves to the camera and laughs. The woman - with assistance from the background - retorts: 'you had some coffee do not try to outsmart me.' The mostly white male members of the College Republicans then start asking for refunds as one of their members waves to the camera and laughs Michael Esposito, 19, then ask to take a picture of the policy as the president then points out that they now have four minutes and ask them to pack their items and leave. 'You are trying to be threatening, why are you trying to be threatening,' said the student. 'You are threatening the integrity of our club. This is a community standardyou are wearing hats that completely violate safe space policy,' the Coffee shop boss added. 'You have to take it off or you have to go.' The arguing College Republican member snaps a picture of the safe space policy The College Republican presses the woman if the MAGA hat has a racist logo on it to which she yells 'Yes it does!' And the man smugly ask what the acronym stands for to which she added: 'Fascism, Nazis! You have three minutes.' Responding with seeing America on the hat, the members scoff at the ordeal and finish recording. While engaged in the back and forth, the woman running the coffee shop handed the College Republican member guidelines explaining the Safer Space Policy. The same member who waved in the camera can later be seen drinking from his cup of coffee, after having asked for his refund earlier 'Rodrigue's strives to be a safer space on Fordham's campus. For these reasons, consider the following: Do not make assumptions about someone's gender, sexuality, race, class, or experiences. 'Be aware of your own identity, while being considerate of the personhood of your peers. Be mindful of the ways in which your words and actions impact others. Be aware of the boundaries of other's space, physical or otherwise, and respect their consent. 'No racism - No sexism - No homophobia. If you feel that someone has transgressed this policy, we want you to feel comfortable confronting them or approaching a member behind the counter, who is available as a resource to assist you.' Speaking with Campus Reform, a member of the College Republicans claimed that the whole encounter was staged by the group to attempt to see what would happen if they went into the space. 'We went there because we wanted to test the unwritten rule that conservatives were banned from that coffee shop,' he said. 'We went there and just started doing some homework and studying. Then we were asked to leave. The coffee shop's Safer Space Policy details was snapped by the College Republican member during the altercation 'We are tuition paying students, therefore we should be able to use any building on campus that we want. This school is over $70,000 a year in tuition, therefore I feel that I have the right to go into all of the buildings that other students are allowed to go into. 'I also have the right to wear what I want to wear and express my own political views.' But on Fox News, College Republican member Aaron Spring, 20, told Martha MacCallum that the group going to the coffee shop to harass the policy was not the intention when she asked if they went to provoke the group. 'We were just a couple friends going to get coffee, having a talk,' he added. Spring can be seen in the video wearing a star tie and american flag hat while listening to the other College Republican member speak. And while there seems to be confusion among the College Republicans as to why they decided to go to the coffee shop, the attempted gaslighting by the group did not go unnoticed by students in the school, with many rallying behind the coffee shop. Fordham Students United, an 'intersectional coalition of student leaders, activists, faculty & alumni', condemned the demonstration and claimed that the gang of College Republicans tried to pull a 'stunt.' 'FSU stands with Rodrigue's Coffee House and its community after this ridiculous smear campaign,' the collective said in a statement on Saturday night. 'A club having a safer space policy simply means that all people inside the space are held to the same standard of respect. Being conservative is not a violation of their safe space policy. 'On the other hand, ten to fifteen people wearing MAGA hats and recording themselves walking into a building with the intent of getting kicked out as part of a publicity stunt certainly is.' Fordham Students United, an 'intersectional coalition of student leaders, activists, faculty & alumni', condemned the demonstration and claimed that the gang of College Republicans tried to pull a 'stunt' Student Claire Del Sorbo said: 'FYI I remember college republicans talking about doing this at the Roger Stone event, so there's no chance in hell this wasn't premeditated, don't even come at me with "they just wanted coffee"' According to students in the comment of the post, the group has attempted to be incendiary in the past. Student Claire Del Sorbo said: 'FYI I remember college republicans talking about doing this at the Roger Stone event, so there's no chance in hell this wasn't premeditated, don't even come at me with "they just wanted coffee".' Fordham University released a statement saying that the college itself has no safe space policy, and does not have one that excludes members from the Fordham community to public spaces on the basis of their political views. They added that they are investigating the incident. Tuition and fees at Fordham University were reported at being $47,317 with the total cost of room, board and other fees rounding out to $67,457. The private Catholic University has been under fire after students sought an injunction with the New York Supreme Court after the school refused to recognize Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) as an official club. They also received flack after a protest in support of faculty's rights turned violent and video surfaced of a Fordham Public Safety official allegedly assault a student demonstrating. Once the favourite choice of trendy drinkers in independent coffee shops, flat whites are now on the menu in every high street chain. Despite their growing popularity, however, they come with a bizarrely hefty price tag. Although they have the same amount of coffee as a latte or cappuccino and less milk than both, it has emerged that the drinks are more expensive for no apparent reason. Experts say that there is no excuse for the price discrepancy, particularly given that flat whites typically come in the smallest-sized cups In Starbucks, for example, customers will pay 2.40 for a tall latte with two shots of coffee, but 2.60 for a flat white. Meanwhile, in Caffe Nero, a medium latte is 2.50, but a flat white will set you back 2.60. Experts say that there is no excuse for the price discrepancy, particularly given that flat whites typically come in the smallest-sized cups. A flat white comes in one size and comprises a double shot with foamy, steamed milk. The drink has less milk than a latte and has a thinner band of textured, creamy milk on the top. In Starbucks customers will pay 2.40 for a tall latte with two shots of coffee, but 2.60 for a flat white. Meanwhile, in Caffe Nero, a medium latte is 2.50, but a flat white will set you back 2.60 Conal Lavery, of Thomsons Coffee Roasters, told Channel 4s Supershoppers which has investigated the unusual pricing that flat whites should cost less. He said: A flat white is quite a clearly defined drink that emerged about ten or 15 years ago from Australia and New Zealand. It is only in one size, its a small short drink, about six or seven ounces. Its always a double shot, and its with really, really nicely steamed milk, with a micro-foam on it but less and flatter than a cappuccino. There is no reason for a flat white to cost any more. Asked if there could be any conceivable reason for it to be so expensive, he said: What has happened is, over the last while, the chains and the nationals, and the speciality independent side of the market as well, do a double shot as standard. So with a double shot as standard, you are getting the same amount of coffee and with a flat white you are actually getting less milk. So if anything it should cost less. The only possible reason that there could be is that the barista has to know what they are doing and know how to texture milk. A flat white comes in one size and comprises a double shot with foamy, steamed milk. The drink has less milk than a latte and has a thinner band of textured, creamy milk on the top However, when the programme, which airs tonight at 8.30pm, timed a barista making a latte, cappuccino and flat white, they were fastest on the flat white. Until high street chains started including flat whites on their menus, they were available only in independent coffee chains. The owner of the equestrian centre where 12 horses and ponies died in a blaze yesterday branded the suspected arsonist 'pure evil'. Fire tore through the 120ft barn a week ago, killing the animals inside and traumatising those in nearby buildings. A cat that lived at the yard, called Vinnie, is now known to have perished as well. So far police have said only that they are treating the fire as 'suspicious'. Helen Waller lost three ponies (pictured with her two-and-half-year-old horse Murphy) in the fire and said there is nothing to justify what happened Anne Hull, 56, (circled) is the co-owner of Elm Farm, where the centre is based, and said it was 'pure evil' But the Daily Mail can reveal that an intruder tried to avoid being identified by covering one CCTV camera and evading eight others. It suggests an arsonist had a detailed knowledge of Elmwood Equestrian Centre in Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex and would have been aware that a large number of horses were inside the barn. Anne Hull, 56, the co-owner of Elm Farm where the centre is based, said: 'I don't think it was someone larking about because the camera [that was covered] was quite high up and we'd have seen them on the other cameras. It looks like someone who knows the site a bit. It was pure evil.' Helen Waller, whose family lost three animals, said: 'There must be something seriously wrong in their head to kill someone's ponies. There's nothing to justify what they've done.' Grace Tredgold, 18, whose ten-year-old thoroughbred mare Willow died, said: 'It makes me feel sick. There's been a lot of tears.' CCTV footage shows a camera overlooking the barn being covered by material at around 11pm on Sunday, December 3. The individual remained out of shot. Minutes later other cameras on the farm picked up the glow as the fire took hold in the former cow shed, a wooden structure with corrugated metal roofing. Hay to feed the horses helped the fire spread rapidly and by the time Miss Hull and her partner David Shaw arrived they were met with a wall of flame and heat. Miss Hull said: 'It was horrendous. It was eerie because it was deadly silent apart from the crackling of the flames. There was no noise from the horses.' The horses are believed to have fallen unconscious quickly after being overcome by smoke. The alarm was raised by a neighbouring farmer and the couple managed to free about 50 horses from nearby buildings with the help of a passer-by. Beth Battson, 18, often rode Rex (pictured together) and said that 'he was the best pony ever' Seven fire crews arrived and within a short time around 100 members of public had turned up many of them distraught owners or riders of horses trapped in the blazing building. Miss Hull said: 'It was absolutely devastating. There were people weeping. One young girl lost her horse she'd only had him a week.' Initially, 15 horses were believed to have died but three were released into nearby fields in the confusion. The 12 that died are Gizmo, Rex, Murphy, Willow, Archie, Diamond, Priya, Rio, Minnie, Zinny, Poppy and Alesha. The disaster could have been much worse because up to 30 horses can be stabled in the barn, which houses private liveries. Mrs Waller and her family lost Gizmo, a nine-year-old Welsh pony, Rex, a 20-year-old Connemara, and two-year-old Murphy, a Gypsy Cob. Beth Battson, 18, who often rode Rex, said: 'He was the best pony ever.' A JustGiving page set up to raise 2,500 for the horse owners had reached more than 20,000 last night. Pledges have come in from as far away as the US and Dubai. Miss Hull added: 'We haven't got the foggiest who did this. I've lived here on the farm for 34 years. We had a barn burn down 11 years ago just with straw in it but it was never clear what the cause was.' Essex Police declined to comment on the suspected arsonist. A spokesman said: 'It is being treated as suspicious.' A drone came within three seconds of hitting a passenger plane over Glasgow, an inquiry report revealed today. The pilot described the risk of collision as 'high' after the incident 1,000ft above Glasgow Airport. His plane - a Bombardier Dash 8 (DH8) thought to be operated by Flybe - almost struck the drone as the plane left Glasgow on September 8. The UK Airprox Board, which investigates near misses, estimates the plane, which can carry 78 passengers, was 110ft away from the drone at the time, leaving the pilot no time to take avoiding action. A drone came within three seconds of hitting a passenger plane over Glasgow. The plane is thought to be operated by Flybe (stock photo) A 'small black object' was spotted by the pilot as he was accelerating, just after taking off. The report stated: 'As it got closer he could see it was a drone. 'In the space of three seconds they had narrowly missed it, there was no time to take avoiding action.' The drone was found to be flying so near the take-off area it was putting other aircraft flying at the same altitude at risk, and was 'flown into conflict with the DH8.' According to the report, the pilot's inability to avoid the drone created a situation 'where safety had been much reduced below the norm.' Board members rated the risk of collision as B - its second highest level. Drones were also flown close to passenger planes at Edinburgh Airport in two incidents just three days apart, a probe revealed last month. An incident at Edinburgh Airport, on November 25 last year, was rated by the board as Category A, its highest level 'in which serious risk of collision has existed.' Three days earlier another Airbus had also come close to a drone over Kilmarnock, with the A320's First Officer spotting a drone pass the left side of the aircraft and slightly below. A 'small black object' was spotted by the pilot as he was accelerating, just after taking off Pilots believe a collision with an airliner could be catastrophic and that the impact of a drone strike on a light plane or helicopter would almost certainly bring it down. The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) has warned the number of incidents may soar as people fly drones received as Christmas presents, often with little or no handling experience or understanding of the rules. BALPA flight safety specialist, Steve Landells, said: 'The threat of drones near manned-aircraft must be addressed before we see a disaster. 'A collision, particularly with a helicopter, has the potential be catastrophic. 'Measures should be put in place that will allow police to identify anyone who flies a drone in an irresponsible way.' FlyBe said it was unable to comment on the incident. A California cannabis company has hooked up with a Los Angeles florist to create a limited-edition holiday wreath laced with an ounce of marijuana buds. Henry's Original, which produces and sells 'heirloom cannabis,' has partnered with Amy Nicole Floral to make and sell the custom wreaths, which contain the 'craft' cannabis, alongside eucalyptus, evergreen, dried wheat and grasses, moss, berries and pine codes. The 24-inch holiday arrangements are available through the Henry's Original website for $400 a pop, but will only be sold to people who live in the Los Angeles area and are in possession of a valid medical marijuana recommendation. Cannabis company Henry's Original has teamed up with Los Angeles-based florist Amy Nicole Floral to create and sell holiday wreaths featuring an ounce of marijuana buds A close up of a Henry's Original marijuana bud. The company said the buds on the wreaths 'can be removed for responsible consumption' In order to buy the pot-laced wreaths, customers will have to submit a request form with their names and Los Angeles-area addresses. Henry's Original will then contact customers 'with more details.' The company notes in the product description that the wreath's weed 'can be removed for responsible consumption' good news, since an ounce of marijuana ranges from about $200 to $260 in California, according to priceofweed.com. Henry's Original representatives told The Los Angeles Times that the cannabis buds that will be incorporated into the wreath is its proprietary Manzanita, which is part of the Chemdawg strain. Sen. Susan Collins has warned that lawmakers will face tough decision on overturning 'will of the people' if Roy Moore is elected. Collins, a Republican Senator for Maine, said that unlike Democratic Senator Al Franken, who has recently stood down over his groping allegations, the public will have been fully aware of Moore's allegations if they vote him in. That means it will be a lot tougher for senators overturn the decision. 'If the allegations are known prior to the election, which they weren't in the case of Al Franken, for example, then we have a very tough decision to make about whether it's our role as senators to overturn the will of the people,' Collins told CBS News. Sen. Susan Collins has warned that lawmakers will face tough decision on overturning 'will of the people' if Roy Moore is elected 'I think it's a different situation if the allegations are not known, or if they occur while the person is sitting in the Senate,' she said. Collins, a Republican Senator for Maine, said she was disappointed the Republican National Committee had agreed to renew its backing for Moore campaign, adding that she had concerns about the candidate - even before the latest allegations of improper contact with teenage girls. 'I would point out that I did not support Mr. Moore even prior to these allegations of sexual misconduct because I was concerned about his anti-Muslim comments, his anti-LGBT comments, and also, most important of all, he'd been removed twice from the Alabama Supreme Court for failure to follow lawful judicial orders,' she added. Collins' warning comes after President Donald Trump recorded automated phone messages urging support for Moore in the Alabama Senate race. Collins, a Republican Senator for Maine, said that unlike Democratic Senator Al Franken, who has recently stood down over his groping allegations, the public will have been fully aware of Moore's allegations if they vote him in White House spokesman Raj Shah said Saturday that Trump recorded the phone message on Moore's behalf. 'We need Roy voting for us and stopping illegal immigration and crime, rebuilding a stronger military and protecting the Second Amendment and our pro-life values,' Trump's voice is heard in the recording. 'But if Alabama elects liberal Democrat Doug Jones, all of our progress will be stopped full,' Trump continued. 'Roy Moore is the guy we need to pass our 'Make America Great Again' agenda,' Trump says in a version of the robocall played for ABC News. Moore's campaign said the calls will go out to households Monday, a day ahead of the US Senate election. The Alabama Senate candidate is locked in a heated contest with Democrat Doug Jones for the seat that previously belonged to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Despite several accusations of sexual misconduct against Moore, Trump came out fully in support of the candidate on Monday. 'Democrats refusal to give even one vote for massive Tax Cuts is why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama. We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more. No to Jones, a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet!' Trump tweeted. President Donald Trump (left on Friday) has recorded automated phone messages urging support for Republican Roy Moore (right on December 5) in the Alabama Senate race Meanwhile Minnesota Democrat Franken announced Thursday he would resign from the Senate amid groping allegations but maintained his innocence and blasted President Trump for bragging about 'his history of sexual assault.' Franken was facing fresh allegations of sexual misconduct and vanishing support from fellow Democrats when he made the announcement Thursday morning from the floor of the Senate. Franken said he will leave in 'the coming weeks' even as he insisted the public charges he groped a slew of women were not accurate. A raft of his colleagues disagreed, coming out against him 24 hours earlier in an extraordinary effort to get him out of the chamber. 'Some of the allegations against me are simply not true. Others I remember very differently,' said Franken. After Democrat Franken stood down, but the RNC decided to back Moore, Collins insisted that the Republicans 'care just as much as Democrats about sexual misconduct and sexual harassment.' Despite several accusations of sexual misconduct against Moore, Trump came out fully in support of the candidate in this tweet She added that the recent #MeToo campaign, which has seen three Capitol Hill people stand down, was a 'new awakening in our country'. 'This is pervasive, whether we're talking about Hollywood or Wall Street or the media, or Capitol Hill. And that's why I'm joining a bipartisan group of senators who are trying to look at our own procedures on Capitol Hill to assure that allegations of sexual misconduct involving members or staff are dealt with seriously,' said Collins. Meanwhile, Rep. Terri Sewell, the only Congressional Democrat from Alabama, said Sunday that the race between Moore and Jones is a fight for the 'soul' of Alabama and the nation. 'And this candidate, Roy Moore, will only take us backwards and harken us back to the days of segregation and Doug Jones will take us forward,' the Democratic lawmaker charged. But it was the Jones campaign, pointed out ABC's Martha Raddatz, that was responsible for putting out a racially-tinged mailer. U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-MN) announces his resignation while addressing allegations of sexual misconduct The campaign flyer showed a black man on the front of it with his eyebrow raised. 'Think if a black man went after high school girls anyone would try to make him a senator?' the ad asked. Sewell is not only the sole Democrat representing Alabama in Congress, but she's also the only U.S. lawmaker from the state who is black. 'Listen, ads don't, mailers don't vote, it's people who vote,' she replied. 'And I really believe that the folks of Alabama will see through all of this nonsense about Roy Moore.' Raddatz had pointed out, however, just how serious the allegations are about Moore, a former Alabama Supreme Court judge. 'Why is this race even close?' the news woman asked. 'Listen, the state of Alabama voted for this president by 28 points,' Sewell pointed out. 'The fact that we are closed and narrowed in to a statistical dead heat is really important.' Leigh Corfman, 53, was the first of nine women to publicly accuse Moore, 70, of sexual misconduct. Eight of them claim they were teenagers when the then-judge pursued them. Corfman alleged that Moore partially undressed both of them in 1979, when she was just 14 years old. He was 32. She claimed that Moore touched her over her underwear and put her hand on his genitals. Since Crfoman and the other eight women came forward, Moore has unleashed vicious attacks against them in an attempt to discredit their statements. Moore has fiercely denied all allegations and even denied knowing Corfman. 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 A Muslim preacher from western Sydney says polygamy should be legalised because single-partner relationships don't exist. Hardline Sunni Islam teacher Mustafa Arja urged Muslims to promote the values of polygamy when talking to non-Muslims, as part of a process known as dawah. 'They might criticise polygamy. You just tell them, "Look, do you really think there's monogamy here in Australia?",' he said on Friday night. Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah Association preacher Mustafa Arja suggested monogamous relationships didn't really happen in Australia The teacher from the hardline Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah Association, which has a Sharia-law supporting Salafist ideology imported from Saudi Arabia, said the legal standing of monogamous relationships in Australia had failed to promote fidelity. 'This is something which, in reality, is just on books but is monogamy really happening here?,' he said. His promotion of polygamy, where men can have multiple wives, came just a day after the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favour of same-sex marriage. Mr Arja's sermon, delivered at Auburn in western Sydney, also gave advice on how to answer Christians. Hardline Sunni Islam teacher Mustafa Arja also explained how to convert Christians to Islam The hardline Sunni preacher said single-partner relationships didn't exist in Australia at all 'Sometimes when giving dawah to Christians, he will tell you, "I know Jesus is God",' he said. 'You say to them, "Why do you think Jesus is God?". He will tell you whenever I pray to Jesus, my prayers are answered. 'He's attached to something you can't reason out. He's emotional.' Mr Arja also explained how to convert non-Muslims to Islam in Australia. 'He might not become Muslim but now he has a soft spot for Islam,' he said. Another ASWJ preacher Mohamad Doar has called for husbands to ban their wives from mixing with other men and told teenage girls it was sinful for them to pluck their eyebrows 'If you can do that, this is something great. At least you've neutralised any negative feelings and then later on, if he's guided you've planted the seed. 'Maybe later on he will become Muslim.' The ASWJ preachers are notorious for promoting Sharia law and have previously urged Muslim men to ban their wives from mixing with other men. They have also told women it is sinful for them to pluck their eyebrows or show their ears in public, and have urged Muslims to avoid non-Muslim events like Christmas festivities. President Donald Trump hit out at the news media again, calling it 'out of control' just 48 hours after corrections were made from major outlets and their employees, regarding reports and photos that later turned out to be inaccurate. 'Very little discussion of all the purposely false and defamatory stories put out this week by the Fake News Media,' Trump tweeted on Sunday afternoon. 'They are out of control - correct reporting means nothing to them. Major lies written, then forced to be withdrawn after they are exposed...a stain on America! The tweet came on the heels of major outlets such as CNN and The Washington Post posting corrections on stories and photos that were revealed to be incorrectly reported. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO President Donald Trump hit out at the news media again, calling it 'out of control' just 48 hours after corrections were made from major outlets and their employees, regarding reports and photos that later turned out to be inaccurate Trump (pictured Friday) called the media 'a stain on America' following a 48 hour period that included a disproved report over an e-mail that appeared to show Trump-Russia collusion and sharing of a photo that misrepresented the size of a rally crowd On Friday morning, a seemingly explosive CNN report indicated that the media outlet had obtained confirmation that an e-mail was sent to the Trump campaign, as well as to prominent Trump family members, offering a decryption key and link to a large quantity of hacked Democratic National Committee e-mails. According to CNN's sources, the e-mail was sent on September 4, 2016, nine days prior to when the hacked documents were made public by WikiLeaks. The date of the e-mail appeared to indicate that the Trumps had been offered special and advance access to the hacked DNC e-mails, which suggested that the e-mail was a noteworthy piece of evidence in the Trump-Russia collusion investigation. Hours after the CNN report surfaced, The Washington Post, which had obtained a copy of the actual e-mail, revealed that the date stamp on the e-mail was actually September 14, 2016 - the day after WikiLeaks had made the hacked e-mails public via a Twitter link, meaning that the sender of the e-mail was merely pointing the Trump campaign to widely available information. In other words, the email - one of thousands Donald Trump Jr had turned over to a House Intelligence Committee investigating Russian interference into the 2016 Election - revealed nothing. By 12.46pm on Friday, CNN had started to issue corrections about the story, both online, via social media and on air. The network cited the fact that multiple sources had confirmed the incorrect September 4 date, but that the CNN reporter had not actually seen the e-mail itself. Following CNN's correction of the disproved e-mail date story, Trump called CNN 'Fake News' in a pair of tweets, wondering if the report was due to 'gross incompetence' Trump, who had been in Pensacola, Florida, for a rally on Friday, triumphantly took to Twitter on Saturday to post a pair of tweets crowing about how 'Fake News CNN' had been 'caught red handed.' 'Fake News CNN made a vicious and purposeful mistake yesterday,' Trump tweeted at 5.02am Saturday, while wondering if the e-mail date report was due to 'gross incompetence' at the network. Twenty minutes later, Trump tweeted, '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!' On Saturday morning, Trump tweeted about how his Florida rally was 'packed to the rafters' Shortly after, Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel tweeted out a picture of the arena that made it appear as though the rally was sparsely attended A photo taken during the rally showing that the arena was, indeed, 'packed to the rafters' Trump quickly tweeted out pictures showing the full crowd at the rally and demanded an apology from Weigel, as well as his employer, the Washington Post On Saturday, responding to Trump's tweet about how his Pensacola, Florida, rally had been 'packed to the rafters' with supporters, Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel, using his personal Twitter handle, posted a photo of a barely populated arena in a seeming effort to disprove Trump's words. 'Packed to the rafters,' Weigel quipped of his phony photo. That tweet, naturally, went viral as it called to mind other instances in which Trump had seemingly overstated crowd attendance at events, such as his inauguration, which photographic evidence apparently provided otherwise. At 2.01pm, Trump lashed out with a set of his own photos, showing that the venue was, in fact, truly 'packed to the rafters'. Weigel, Trump tweeted, 'put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo!' Weigel quickly apologized on Twitter, writing at 2.04pm, 'Sure thing: I apologize.' He went on to say that he deleted the empty-looking crowd photo and had been 'confused' into thinking it represented rally attendance during the speech due to the fact that Trump could be seen in the bottom right corner. Trump responded to the apology effort by demanding that Weigel be fired from his job at the Washington Post, a news outlet that Trump has frequently taken aim at. The disproved e-mail and crowd size story came just one week after ABC News suffered embarrassment over a report regarding former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. ABC News investigative reporter Brian Ross said in a report that aired the morning of December 1, that a source claimed that a close associate of Flynn's was prepared to testify that Trump 'directed him to make contact with the Russians' during the course of the 2016 presidential race. At around 6.30pm that day, however, Ross was on-air issuing a 'clarification' that the source had explained it wasn't until after the election that 'President-elect Trump asked [Flynn] to contact Russia on issues including working together to fight ISIS.' ABC News suspended Ross for four weeks without pay following the incident. Children as young as ten are being asked by the NHS if they feel 'comfortable with their gender', it emerged last night. The questionnaire being handed out to schools in Lancashire asks questions such as: 'Do you feel the same inside as the gender you were born with? (Feeling male or female).' Pupils in Year Six are also asked to tick a box to fill in their gender, where they are given the choice of 'girl', 'boy' or 'other'. Parents have been told the survey assists teachers and healthcare workers to develop 'better ways to understand and support' youngsters who might have difficulty with their identities. The schoolchildren (stock photo) are being asked whether they feel 'comfortable' in their gender However, it is not clear whether individuals will then be approached based on the answers they supplied, The Daily Telegraph reported. The survey, issued by the Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, has come under fire from parents and MPs. Lyndsey Simpson, from Leyland, said her ten-year-old daughter had been in 'a state' when she brought the questionnaire home from her Church of England school last week. She said: 'I don't want someone putting into my daughter's head that she might not be happy with her own gender', adding that the head teacher of the school had not been aware the question was in the form. Mrs Simpson said he was 'very supportive' after it was brought to his attention. Tory MP Tim Loughton, a former children's minister, said the questions were 'deeply worrying'. He said: 'At a time when children are growing up and having to deal with all sorts of challenges of the modern world, now they are being asked to confront their gender, which for many will be unsettling. 'Clearly we need to be sensitive about the issue of gender and sexual orientation, but forcing children to question whether they are the right gender so early on can be deeply destabilising.' The NHS does not offer gender reassignment surgery to people under the age of 18. But 50 children a week some of them as young as four are being sent to gender reassignment doctors because they think they were born in the wrong body, it emerged earlier this year. Some experts believe that while some children are clearly trapped in the wrong body and in desperate need of help, many are simply confused about their sexuality and identity during puberty. The official survey was given to the youngsters (stock photo) and asked to confirm their gender It comes after it was revealed this month that children as young as three are being read transgender books which encourage them to question their gender. The books are on reading lists for nurseries and primary schools provided by Educate and Celebrate, an organisation funded by the Department for Education to help schools prevent transphobia. Questions for discussion at the back of the book include: 'Does it matter if Tiny is a boy or a girl?' and 'Should Tiny be allowed to play football and dress up as a fairy?' The books aim to promote tolerance of transgender people among young children, but critics say it will confuse them. Last month, Mermaids, which is Britain's only nationwide charity for transgender and 'gender diverse' children, reported a 700 per cent rise in calls and emails in three years. It comes as growing numbers of young people are sharing their stories of changing sex on video-sharing websites such as YouTube. Last night, no one at Lancashire Care NHS Trust was available for comment. A man who is wanted by police in connection with a kidnapping of a 24-year-old man who was held hostage for two days by a gang of armed robbers who stripped him naked and beat him before raiding his parents' home Police have made two further arrests after a man was stripped naked, tied up and beaten during a 50-hour hostage ordeal. A gang of armed robbers held the man hostage for two days, stripping him naked and beating him before raiding his parents' home. The 24-year-old, wearing a 9,000 Rolex watch, was lured to a house by two acquaintances while walking down London Road in Croydon, at 2pm on December 4. Two men, aged 28 and 19, were arrested on suspicion of kidnap after CCTV was released in a public appeal for information and the pair are being questioned at a south London police station. Metropolitan Police said they are still hunting for another two suspects in connection with the 'vicious and prolonged attack', which may have involved up to 12 attackers. The victim was ambushed by a group wielding knives and guns who subjected him to a terrifying kidnap ordeal which saw him stripped, tied up and threatened with a gun. The captors forced the man to ring his parents and make a ransom demand for his release, which they could not pay. Instead, two of the gang took his keys and burgled the couple's home, grabbing cash, designer handbags, sunglasses and further Rolex watches. Footage showed one suspect, a black man with dark facial hair wearing a high-visibility jacket over a parka, walk to the door and spot the camera. He returned with an accomplice wearing an orange high-visibility jacket to enter the property, with both men covering their faces. His 50-hour imprisonment descended into violence, with a kidnapper at one stage booting him in the face, leaving him with badly bruised lips and a lump on his forehead. These men were wanted in connection to the kidnap and robbery in south London The gang burgled the couple's home on December 6 - their entry captured on CCTV which has now been released by detectives. Footage shows one suspect, described as a black man with dark facial hair wearing a high-visibility jacket over a parka, walk to the door and spot the camera. He returns with an accomplice wearing an orange high-visibility jacket to enter the property, with both men covering their faces. A significant amount of cash was taken from the home in Sydenham, as well as designer handbags, sunglasses and further Rolex watches, police said. On the third evening of the hostage ordeal, the victim was taken by car to a branch of the Metro bank in North End, Croydon, so he could withdraw money. His tormentors waited in the vehicle, apparently out of fear of being captured on CCTV, giving the man an opportunity to escape. He ran to the Croydon Minster church and begged for help, bringing the traumatic experience to an end as police were called. Detectives have now released CCTV images and pictures of the 'dangerous' men they are hunting. Two brothers, Ali Dervish, 28, and Sinan Dervish, 19, are wanted in connection with the incident. The stolen Rolex is described as a 2007 model with a black face, black bezel and a gold body and strap. Right, Ali Dervish, 28, was wanted by police in connection with the crime Detective Sergeant Samuel Bennett said: 'This was a vicious and prolonged attack of a nature that thankfully is very rare. 'It has left the victim utterly distraught and traumatised. Detective Sergeant Samuel Bennett of Croydon CID said: 'This was a vicious and prolonged attack of a nature that thankfully is very rare. It has left the victim utterly distraught and traumatised. 'We are urgently seeking any information on the other individuals involved, who we believe could number up to twelve, but particularly those whose images and details we have released, notably the two men who showed up at the address in high visibility vests. 'Do you recognise either of the two men shown burgling the house in the cctv images - or did you see them in Sydenham on the day in question, Wednesday, December 6. 'Perhaps you have been offered a Rolex like the one stolen from the victim, or bought a similar model in good faith over the past few days? 'It is described as a 2007 model with a black face, black bezel, yellow gold body and strap - we have sourced a photo of a similar model for the public to check. 'Any information you have, however small, could prove vital to us as we piece together the events leading up to and following the kidnap. 'We will treat any information provided in the strictest of confidence. 'These men are dangerous and it is important that we apprehend them before they can target anyone else.' Anyone who has been offered a Rolex similar to the one stolen has been urged to come forward. It is described as a 2007 model with a black face, black bezel and a gold body and strap. The detective said: 'Any information you have, however small, could prove vital to us as we piece together the events leading up to and following the kidnap. We will treat any information provided in the strictest of confidence.' Two men aged 39 and 58 were originally arrested on suspicion of kidnapping on Friday. They have since been bailed to return to a south London police station in early January. Anyone with information should call Croydon CID on 101 or tweet @MetCC. Alternatively Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111. When Simon Cowell stole property tycoon Andrew Silverman's wife Lauren from under his nose in 2013, the two men fell out so spectacularly they vowed never speak to speak again. Now, against all the odds, the warring pair have buried the hatchet and, amazingly, it is Andrew who first offered an olive branch to Simon with a series of text messages. I'm told they are even considering a holiday together next year with their new families. Lauren and Simon have a three-year-old son, Eric, while Andrew recently married wealthy widow Samantha Zimmerman, who has been dubbed 'a Lauren lookalike'. When Simon Cowell stole property tycoon Andrew Silverman's wife Lauren from under his nose in 2013, the two men fell out so spectacularly they vowed never speak to speak again Famously, the protagonists were pictured together on a yacht during a 2012 holiday when the affair between Lauren and the X Factor mogul was at its height. Simon told this paper in 2015: 'I'm not proud of the circumstances. I can't hold my head up about it.' At one point, relations were so bad that Andrew reportedly banned Simon from being in the same room as his son Adam during Lauren's visits to see him in New York. A source said: 'Simon has always been keen to put the message out that relations were cordial for the sake of Adam. In reality, everything was extremely acrimonious. Now things really are cordial in fact they are amicable, friendly even. Everyone is really surprised. There is even talk of a joint family holiday like the old days. It's bizarre.' Famously, the trio were pictured together on a yacht during a 2012 holiday when the affair between Lauren and the X Factor mogul was at its height. Andrew, right, had no idea A source close to Simon added: 'Yes, in short they have all buried the hatchet and things are good and respectful. 'Andrew and Simon are in touch they have mostly exchanged texts on various important occasions such as when Simon's mother passed away. Everyone has moved on.' Lauren flies to New York on a weekly basis to visit Adam. The source added: 'Andrew and Lauren have kept everything respectful for Adam's sake. That is their number one priority.' She first hit the scenes as a high profile socialite in the late 90s - briefly dipping her toes into reality TV, fashion and journalism. And Lady Victoria Hervey commanded attention in a striking see-through ensemble as she attended the And The Winner Isn't premiere at Beverly Hills' Laemmle Music Hall on Friday. The satirical documentary - directed by Nik Panic and staring Geoffery Moore - follows the son of Roger Moore on his quest to discover what it takes to become an Academy Award winner. Scroll down for video Leggy: Lady Victoria Hervey, 41, commanded attention in a striking see-through ensemble as she attended the And The Winner Isn't premiere at Beverly Hills' Laemmle Music Hall on Friday The 41-year-old showcased her lengthy pins in her revealing number, which featured a semi-sheer mesh detail throughout the dress, giving a peep to her toned physique. Known for parading her slender figure, Lady Victoria paired her frock with a fitted beige bodysuit as she walked along the red carpet at the event. She let her outfit do the talking as she wore simple black stilettos while posing for the cameras. Racy: The 41-year-old showcased her lengthy pins in her revealing number, which featured a semi-sheer mesh detail throughout the dress, giving a peep to her toned physique Her enviably glossy locks were styled in loose waves as her layered mane framed her stunning face. Enhancing her glowing complexion, the blonde bombshell wore heavy eyeliner, a pop of rose gloss and gold highlighter. The night saw the premiere of film And the Winner Isnt, which cleverly provides an insight into industry gems from Hollywood's celebrities and insiders, focusing on the requirements to win a prestigious Academy award. Body confident: Known for parading her slender figure, Lady Victoria paired her frock with a fitted beige bodysuit as she walked along the red carpet at the event Youthful: Her enviably glossy locks were styled in loose waves as her layered mane framed her stunning face Socialite: The blonde bombshell is pictured talking to a female companion outside the event She hit headlines in April for engaging in a threesome with former Spice Girls star Mel B and her estranged husband Stephen Belafonte. The television sensation was said to be terrified that their antics had been recorded by Stephen and it would be leaked to the media. She is absolutely mortified that her sex life could become public property,' a close friend told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview. 'The last thing she wants is to star in a sordid sex tape or to have horrible details of her private life dragged through the divorce courts.' Mel had filed for divorce from ex-husband of 10 years Stephen Belafonte in March. She announced just two days ago, that she had welcomed her fourth child. And on Sunday, Balinese princess Lindy Klim shared an adorable snap of her newborn daughter Goldie, with her three older children. 'When three become four! Now life is complete,' Lindy captioned the snap. 'Now life is complete': Lindy Klim shares an adorable snap of her four children after welcoming newborn daughter Goldie with fiance Adam Ellis In the image, Goldie lies down on a bed surrounded by her siblings, Stella, 11, Rocco, nine, and Frankie, six. Lindy added hashtags to the picture caption, including the word 'tribe.' Lindy shares her three older children with ex-husband, swimmer Michael Klim and her newest addition with fiance Adam Ellis. Family: She shares her new addition with fiance Adam Ellis 'Welcome to the world': Lindy announced Goldie's birth two days ago, sharing a sweet snap to Instagram of Goldie's feet in black and white Lindy announced Goldie's birth two days ago, sharing a sweet snap to Instagram of Goldie's feet in black and white. 'Welcome to the world little Goldie Ellis, beautiful little sister to Stella, Rocco and Frankie,' Lindy wrote. Lindy became engaged to Adam last October after a whirlwind romance. The couple first started dating in March last year, just a month after the model and then-husband Michael announced they were separating after 10 years of marriage. Baby on board! The stunner is seen here just days before giving birth to Goldie Speaking to Daily Mail Australia last year, Lindy said she couldn't have predicted she would fall in love again so soon after her split from the legendary Olympic swimmer. '[It's] completely not what I expected, to fall back into another relationship, but he's so lovely,' she said cheerfully. 'It's about time I got on with my life,' the personality continued. Lindy also said at the time it was 'difficult' juggling single parenthood, and wished Michael and his new flame Desiree Deravi 'all the best.' She announced in September that she's expecting her second child. And on Saturday, Behati Prinsloo shared a photo of her baby bump, as she sat poolside in Los Angeles. The supermodel joked of her struggles to show off her bikini, as it was hidden below her protruding stomach. 'Tried to show off my bikini': On Saturday, Behati Prinsloo, 28, shared a photo of her baby bump, as she sat poolside in Los Angeles 'Tried to show off my bikini...it's yellow it's cute #decemberincalifornia,' wrote Behati. The Namibian beauty's toned legs were resting comfortably on top of a striped beach towel and chair. Behati's view showcased a lush, green lawn with a stunning, mountain backdrop. Coming soon! She announced in September that she's expecting her second child. Behati is pictured in LA in November Behati is expecting her second child with husband Adam Levine, 38. The two were married in July of 2014. On September 21, 2016, the couple welcomed daughter Dusty Rose, one. Happy Family: The supermodel shares daughter Dusty Rose, one, with husband Adam Levine, 38. They are seen in LA in February While on Ellen last month, Adam revealed the couple were expecting another daughter. 'It is a girl. We are having another girl,' he said. And two may not be the cut-off point for Adam and Behati. 'Probably,' he responded, when asked if their family will continue to grow. 'I want a lot. I thrive with chaos. I really, generally enjoy and love it.' 'She[Behati] was an only child. So she wants like 100 babies. But I dont know if I could do that.' It was a family affair for Will Smith at Art Basel. The 49-year-old actor was snapped with his sons Trey Smith, 25, and Jaden Smith, 19, at artist Moises Aria's exhibit, Ink On Wood, at The 1 Hotel South Beach on Thursday. The Philadelphia native kissed Jaden on the head, and posed with Trey and actor Gerard Butler in shots taken at the show. Scroll below for video Kiss of life: Will Smith, 49, kissed his son Jaden, 19, on the head as the two posed at The 1 Hotel South Beach on Thursday The Oscar-nominated star of Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness wore a light grey T-short with floral patterns, dark blue jeans and white sneakers with a black ballcap. The fashion-forward Jaden wore a denim blue jacket with the phrase 'Vision' in a white bar on the sleeve over a black T-shirt with a graphic on the front, and black pants. Trey was clad in a black T-shirt with a black coat over dark blue jeans, accessorizing with a dog tag. Butler, 48, who stars in the upcoming action film Den of Thieves, went casual with a light grey ballcap with a light blue button-up shirt with dark blue jeans. Good times: Will posed with Gerard Butler and son Trey, 25, (center) at the art exhibition A-list dialogue: The famed actors chat at the swanky art exhibition The family showed out in full force to support Arias, an actor/artist best known for his stint on Hannah Montana. He was catapulted into controversy in May of 2014 when he was pictured in bed with a then-13-year-old Willow Smith in a shot she uploaded to her Instagram account. It's been a busy time for the Smith family, especially Jaden, as he takes his career in a number of directions, acting on the Netflix show The Get Down, in addition to recently releasing SYRE, a 17-track album that features contributions from musical artists such as A$AP Rocky and Raury. Speaking with Vanity Fair last month, Jaden called his album 'very honest,' noting that he feels like he communicates best through his music. Precocious: Jaden takes his talents to a number of artistic mediums, including acting, music and fashion Happy night: Will beamed as he posed for a shot at the South Florida showcase Way back when: Arias Arias, an actor/artist best known for his stint on Hannah Montana, was catapulted into the headlines in May of 2014 when he was pictured in bed with a then-13-year-old Willow Smith in a controversial Instagram shot 'People cant understand the things that I say, the things that I say to people dont make sense, so I clearly just say them on the album because maybe one day in the future people will understand the things that I say,' he explained. 'And then theyre gonna look back and be like, "Damn."' In the revealing interview, Jaden also said that he 'probably' weeps in a daily basis 'just about life.' 'Sometimes life just gets to me where I just get so frustrated to the point of tears,' he said. 'If my blood sugar drops too low, then I will get upset about anything ... Im just an emotional person in general.' She is starring as Lara Croft in the new Tomb Raider film. And this Saturday, Alicia Vikander looked radiant at a photo call for the film being held at the Unique Hotel in the Brazilian city of Sao Paolo. The 29-year-old actress, who is newly married to her 40-year-old fellow film star Michael Fassbender, posed up a storm in a cheery floral dress. Radiant! This Saturday, Alicia Vikander glowed at a photo call for Tomb Raider being held at the Unique Hotel in the Brazilian city of Sao Paolo Gothenburg-born Alicia's outfit featured canary yellow floral patterns across a white field, and it was hemmed not far above the knee. Her sleeves were slightly sheer, and she balanced on a pair of ankle-strap heels. Alicia's wavy brown hair was tucked elegantly behind her ears, but otherwise allowed to tumble freely over her shoulders. She stood for the photos behind a display of massive lettering spelling out the title of her new film's name - with a black arrow darting across it. Fab with flowers! The 29-year-old actress, who is newly married to her 40-year-old fellow film star Michael Fassbender, posed up a storm in a cheery floral dress Who's who: She is starring as Lara Croft in the new Tomb Raider film Lara Croft originated in the Tomb Raider video game franchise that was launched in 1996, and was since immortalized by Angelina Jolie in two movies - one released in 2001 and the other in 2003. The new film is directed by Roar Uthaug and features a formidable cast including Kristin Scott Thomas, Dominic West, Nick Frost and Walton Goggins. Alicia, who won an Oscar for her turn in the 2015 period drama The Danish Girl, told Vanity Fair: 'When I was asked to take on this role I got really excited - Lara Croft is a truly iconic character.' Simply stylish! Gothenburg-born Alicia's outfit featured canary yellow floral patterns across a white field, and it was hemmed not far above the knee Calling Lara 'a model for many young women' Alicia explained: 'Shes trying to carve out her place in the world and connect her future with her past. 'She also has a fantastic mix of traitstough, smart, vulnerable, plus shes kick ass!' Apparently, Lara's 'uniquely different to other characters I have taken on,' making it 'a lot of fun trying to get into Laras head and the challenge of getting to grips with such a physical role is an element of this project that I find an absolute thrill.' She is expecting her second child with musician husband Gary Clark Jr. And Nicole Trunfio held her second baby shower at The Beverly Hills Hotel on Saturday, following a more low-key affair in her hometown of Austin, Texas. The 31-year-old was joined by celebrity friends Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Jessica Gomes, Renee Bargh, stylist Monica Rose and more at the private brunch. Scroll down for video Star-studded: Nicole Trunfio was joined by celebrity friends Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Jessica Gomes, Renee Bargh, stylist Monica Rose and more at the private baby shower brunch The glamorous group of girlfriends posed for a photo in front of the popular venue, with television personality Renee Bargh posting it to Instagram after the party. 'Baby shower brunching babes. Love you @nicoletrunfio & lady Clark Jr coming soon,' she wrote in the caption, making reference to the baby's gender. Stunning model Nicole was surrounded by her loved ones for the shot, wearing a fitted knee-length black dress that flaunted her ample chest. Stunning: She is expecting her second child with musician husband Gary Clark Jr For her earlier celebration in Texas last month, the Perth-born knockout chose a white figure-hugging frock. Taking to her Instagram story, Nicole shared snaps and video from that day, where she celebrated alongside her friends. The brunette beauty revealed she and her pals played a number of games at the understated shower, including measuring her belly. Loved ones: Taking to her Instagram story, Nicole shared snaps and video from that day, where she celebrated alongside her friends Nicole and Gary welcomed their first son, two-year-old Zion, in 2015. Earlier this week the supermodel took to social media to bemoan the Los Angeles bushfires, which she said were 'too close to my house'. The family split their time between a ranch in Texas and spacious home in California. She is at the centre of rumours of a marital rift with her dancer husband. And according to reports Karen Clifton, 35, has ditched her rumoured lover Stuart Wood, 27, after realising she had 'made a mistake'. The reports come as the Strictly dancer's husband of two years Kevin Clifton, 35, was spotted wearing his wedding ring on Saturday night's semi-final show, amid rumours he's desperate to win her back. Scroll down for video Second thoughts? According to reports Karen Clifton, 35, has ditched her rumoured lover Stuart Wood, 27, after realising she had 'made a mistake' Meanwhile, a source told The Sun that Karen ended things with Stuart after news of their alleged romance surfaced. 'It was never a long term thing and Karen realises that she made a mistake,' they explained. 'She ended things with Stuart shortly after the news broke. 'He is heartbroken as he thought they had a future together so has decided to accept a new job and will move to Texas next month to start a fresh chapter.' Hoping for a reunion? The reports come as the Strictly dancer's husband of two years Kevin Clifton, 35, was spotted wearing his wedding ring on Saturday Hard time: The dancer looked down in the dumps amid reports he's desperate to make his marriage work Dignified silence: Despite the turmoil in his private life, the star has kept quiet about his marriage plight and Karen's alleged fling with Stuart The source also claimed that Karen will be returning to New York to spend Christmas with her family, while Kevin heads home to Grimsby, before the two reunite in the New Year 'to discuss their future'. This comes following claims Karen and Kevin have 'split' after just two-years of marriage. The duo, who have been together for seven years, reportedly first came under strain a year ago and are now living separately. Karen then found herself at the centre of speculation she was 'dating' Stuart amid reports her marriage is 'on the rocks'. 'It was never a long term thing and Karen realises that she made a mistake', according to reports Karen left rumoured lover Stuart heartbroken after she ditched him She and Stuart were spotted out together on several occasions - with Karen still sporting her wedding ring - and reports have claimed the pair are 'getting to know each other'. It was claimed Stuart, who was seen leaving Karen's home recently, is 'absolutely besotted' with the Strictly professional and is hopeful they will have a 'future' together, despite her still being married to Kevin. This week a source close to the Strictly camp tells MailOnline that 'heartbroken' Kevin can't accept that their relationship is over - and was 'alone' behind-the-scenes on the show at the weekend. Swirling rumours: Karen and Kevin are facing claims they have 'split' after just two-years of marriage - the duo, who have been together for seven years, reportedly first came under strain a year ago and are now living separately The insider says: 'Poor Kevin is heartbroken. It's making it very difficult at Strictly as all the dancers knew but Kevin did not want to accept that his marriage is over. 'But sadly the writing is on the wall. She was ignoring him throughout the show. 'Kevin was on his own before and after the show in the green room. At one point he was outside looking very upset on the phone after the show. 'Everyone feels sorry for him as he still in love with her. But it's also very awkward for the other dancers as you could cut atmosphere with a knife. Distant: News of her 'new romance' comes amid claims Karen is 'ignoring' a 'heartbroken' Kevin amid mounting speculation they have called time on their marriage As they refuse to comment on the troubles, the pair, who are set to embark on a live tour together next year, added fuel to the split rumours as they appeared to steer clear of each other after performing on Strictly Come Dancing recently. The professional dancers were caught on camera standing on opposite sides of the group while the results were announced, with eagle-eyed viewers spotting that the couple looked 'tense' on the show. Although, Karen had appeared to break her silence on the speculation surrounding her marriage in a new interview, where she claimed herself and Kevin are like any other couple that have their 'ups and downs'. She spoke of her relationship with Kevin to the publication and said: 'We're a regular couple, we've been together for seven years and, like any other relationship, you have ups and downs.' Telling? The pair, who are set to embark on a live tour together next year, added fuel to the split rumours as they appeared to steer clear of each other after performing on Strictly Come Dancing recently 'Nothing is perfect,' she claimed, before insisting that the couple need to 'keep pushing' when it comes to working on their marriage. Karen added: 'We just need to keep pushing. Relationships take work. It's not as easy as you think, especially being in a job like Strictly. 'We're not a superhuman couple, we're normal, so when things happen, we fight.' Karen had joined the dancing show in 2012, and met Lincolnshire-born Kevin when he joined Strictly a year later. At the time, he had been married to fellow dancer Clare Craze for six years, but they split that same year. Striking up a romance with Karen, the duo tied the knot in 2015. She's one of Australia's biggest Hollywood names. The 37-year-old is known for appearing in films including Pitch Perfect, How to Be Single, and Bridesmaids. Hailing from Sydney, this bubbly star studied at the Australian Theatre for Young People and at the University of New South Wales. Guess who! She's a leading Hollywood star...but would YOU recognise her in this throwback snap from when she was in kindergarten with pigtails? The actress is none other than Rebel Wilson. The US-based star shared an adorable snap of herself from her time in kindergarten at Castle Hill Public School to Instagram on Sunday. The picture, taken in 1985, was an annual school shot and shows Rebel beaming and wearing her hair in pigtails. Fan favourite! The actress is none other than Rebel Wilson Sweet: Taking to Instagram on Sunday, the US-based star shared an adorable snap of herself from her time in kindergarten, at Castle Hill Public School in 1985 Rebel revealed that her friend sent her the snap. 'Who would've thought these Kindergarten kids would grow up to be so successful!,' the caption began. 'Thanks to the genius @farkas for sending this cute pic of us. I'm 3rd row, 3rd from the left with the pigtails (naturally). Loved going to Castle Hill Public School in Sydney! Fantastic teachers and kids x.' Rebel is no stranger to sharing with her fans old throwback images of herself. She recently shared to Instagram, a snap of herself as a child holding a cassette player and microphone toy. Taking it back! Rebel is no stranger to sharing with her fans old throwback images of herself. She recently shared to Instagram, a snap of herself as a child holding a cassette player and microphone toy She captioned the image: 'Mum just sent me this old photo with the caption: "apparently you did like to sing as a child" x.' Rebel is celebrating her latest film being released this month, Pitch Perfect 3, and recently gushed about her co-stars, but suggested she wasn't as genetically blessed. 'Everyone is so different looking and I think that's great but I think all the girls (I'll take myself out) they're so beautiful and they're all so gorgeous,' Rebel told Yahoo Be about co-stars including Ruby Rose, Anna Kendrick, and Hailee Steinfeld. She went on to fawn over the ensemble adding that their beauty is not just on the outside. 'They all have a light that shines through and I think that's why we have so much fun working together, because they're beautiful inside and out.' Rebel added that the physical and personality differences within the cast were what made the Pitch Perfect franchise so successful. 'We couldn't be more different, us ten Bellas,' she said. She's the English-born actress who is taking the fight to the First Order in the latest iteration of Star Wars films. And Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the soon-to-be-released The Last Jedi, has revealed she was appalled when she saw her debut performance. Speaking to Stellar magazine, the 25-year-old admitted that, on first viewing of The Force Awakens, she thought her performance was 'the worst thing' she'd ever seen. Scroll down for video Cringe: Daisy Ridley, who plays Ray in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the soon-to-be-released The Last Jedi, has revealed she was appalled when she watched her debut 'When I watched it, I felt like I was a wooden plank,' Daisy told the publication. 'The first time I watched it, I was appalled: 'This is the worst thing I have ever seen.'' Going on to admit that she 'cried for hours' after watching The Force Awakens, Daisy added that she eventually settled into it, admitting that she is constantly thrilled by the reactions of young girls to the strong female character of Rey. Unwatchable: 'The first time I watched it, I was appalled: 'This is the worst thing i have ever seen,'' Daisy told Stellar magazine Role model: Going on to admit that she 'cried for hours' after watching The Force Awakens, Daisy added that she eventually settled into it, admitting that she is constantly chuffed with young girls'reactions to the strong female lead 'At the time I thought I was really feeling all of these emotions. I cried for hours after I watched it...I was so embarrassed' she said. She added: 'Then i kept having to watch it. And I was like: 'OK - this is all right.' mainly, the thing i took from it was the reactions of little kids. how little girls watched it was far more important to me.' Having starred in a handful of short films, as well as television fare such as Casualty, The Force Awakens was Daisy's first major big screen role and a positive critical reception to her turn has propelled her even further into the stratosphere. Aside from the Last Jedi, 2017 has seen Daisy star in the Kenneth Branagh remake of the Agatha Christie classic murder Murder on the Orient Express. She will also soon be seen starring alongside Australian actress Naomi Watts in Ophelia, a re-imagining of Shakespeare's Hamlet 'Then i kept having to watch it. And I was like: 'OK - this is all right.' mainly, the thing i took from it was the reactions of little kids. how little girls watched it was far more important to me.' IT WAS just the lift Strictly Come Dancing needed after a week dogged by allegations of infighting and racism. Holby City star Joe McFadden and his professional partner Katya Jones rose to the occasion of last nights live semi final with two dazzling routines. The pair elicited gasps from the studio audience when they danced an American Smooth to the appropriately named Have You Met Miss Jones? by Robbie Williams and a tango to Human by Ragn Bone Man. Scroll down for video Wow! Katya Jones stunned audiences and judges alike on Saturday night's Strictly Come Dancing, when she balanced partner Joe McFadden's entire weight in an incredible dance move In the second dance they pulled off a remarkable move in which Katya cantilevered Joe out in front of her an incredible display of strength and balance. Russian-born Katya won the nations heart when she danced with Ed Balls in last years Strictly, when they compensated for the former MPs two left feet by playing to their comic strengths. But this time she and Joe are being seen as serious contenders to lift the glitterball trophy. All five contestants performed two numbers last night. Former X Factor champion Alexandra Burke and her partner Gorka Marquez danced a salsa to Finally by CeCe Peniston and a Viennese Waltz to REMs Everybody Hurts. This series of Strictly has been a smash hit for the BBC, pulling in more then ten million viewers a week and thrashing ITVs X Factor in the ratings. But the show has also been dogged by controversies. The shows voting audience has been accused of racism because of the number of black and Asian contestants eliminated in the early stages of the competition. And Burke has found herself in the dance-off despite getting top marks from judges. There have also been reports of feuds between Alexandra and her rivals, and another between judges Shirley Ballas and Darcey Bussell all of whom laughed off the stories. Ballas is also rumoured to be quitting the show after just one series. What a move! The professional dancer was seen effortlessly sinking into the ground backwards, as she cantilevered Joe to his feet, winning a standing ovation Second time lucky! For their second dance, Joe and Katya returned to the dance floor with a punchy Argentine Tango to Human by Rag n Bone Man Wait for it! The incredible performance saw the dynamic duo put on an emotive display, winning over the audience and judges with their performance Bagging the points! In a move that bagged them scores of three nines and an eight, Katya was seen hoisting Joe slowly to his feet as she squatted in heels, sinking slowly into the ground backwards as she held him up by his legs Earlier in the night Joe and Katya kicked off the show with the American Smooth to Have You Met Miss Jones? By Robbie Williams. The couple put on a smooth appearance during their first of two dances of the night, whopping with joy as they completed the dance. 'We have four women and one man, what a way to kick of the show,' Shirley Bassey exclaimed, as she joined Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood and Darcey Bussell on the judge's panel. The duo scored 35 out of 40, being given a score of nine by three of the judges, landing them joint second on the leaderboard with Debbie McGee and Giovanni Pernice. Incredible! For their second dance, Joe and Katya returned to the dance floor with a punchy Argentine Tango to Human by Rag n Bone Man, getting a standing ovation 'I've never seen anything like that', Tess exclaimed of the incredible dance, before the duo scored 35 Hot stuff! Earlier Joe and Katya kicked off the show with the American Smooth to Have You Met Miss Jones? By Robbie Williams and the Argentine Tango to Human by Rag n Bone Man Runners-up! They finished the semi-final in joint second place on the leaderboard with an impressive score of 70 out of 80, following two tense dances per couple Saturday saw Strictly Come Dancing's long-awaited semi-final. And with Christmas just two weeks away, presenter Tess Daly opted for a festive inspired red dress as she took to the stage to host the show. She was joined by Claudia Winkleman, who oozed understated elegance in a Bardot jumpsuit. Bell of the jingle ball! With Christmas just two weeks away, presenter Tess Daly opted for a festive inspired red dress as she took to the stage to host Strictly's semi final on Saturday Showing off her statuesque figure to perfection, Tess slipped into a sequin-encrusted dress, featuring an asymmetric hemline. Wearing her blonde hair in a sleek do, she was joined by a chic Claudia who rocked an off-the-shoulder jumpsuit. Injecting a splash of colour with a bold red lip, Claudia and Tess added the appropriate touch of glamour as they introduced the show. Bringing the dazzle! She was joined by Claudia Winkleman, who oozed understated elegance in a Bardot jumpsuit Joe and Katya kicked off the show with the American Smooth to Have You Met Miss Jones? By Robbie Williams and the Argentine Tango to Human by Rag n Bone Man. The couple put on a smooth appearance during their first of two dances of the night, whopping with joy as they completed the dance. 'We have four women and one man, what a way to kick of the show,' Shirley Bassey exclaimed, as she joined Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood and Darcey Bussell on the judge's panel. The duo scored 35 out of 40, being given a score of nine by three of the judges. Alexandra and Gorka, who won the dance off against Davood Ghadami last week, were up next, performing an an emotional Salsa to Finally by Cece Peniston and a Viennese Waltz to Tina Arenas version of R.E.Ms Everybody Hurts. Ahead of her performance she opened up about the tough time she'd been receiving from trolls recently, welling up as she admitted it was a stressful task being on the show but she's always wanted to do it. 'Watching the video showed how much love is out there. It's definitely given me the kick I needed,' she admitted between tears as she was shown a video of public supporters. Alexandra slipped into a stunning semi-sheer gown with a feather embellished hem for the sensual performance, wowing the judges who described the dance as the 'silkiest softest pashmina', with Darcey becoming emotional as bagging a jaw-dropping impressive score of 39. 'It's been a tough week but it was worth it!' Alexandra admitted as Gorka Marquez picked Claudia up in excitement. Rumoured love birds Mollie and AJ were up next, Waltzing to Angel by Sarah McLachlan and performing a Samba to Whenever, Wherever by Shakira. Meanwhile Debbie and Giovanni are dancing a Foxtrot to Isnt She Lovely by Stevie Wonder and a Jive to Im So Excited by the Pointer Sisters. Gemma and Aljaz came on last to dance the Rumba to Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth featuring Emeli Sande and a Tango to My Sharona by The Knack (Royal Blood cover). Following their second dances, the the semi final saw Alexandra finish top of the leaderboard with 79 points out of 80, with Debbie and Joe in joint second with 70, Gemma in fourth place with 62 and Mollie landing bottom of the board with 56, ahead of next week's final, which will feature a performance from Craig David. They have been subject of romance rumours since the start of this season's Strictly Come Dancing, keeping quiet on their relationship status. But according to reports Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez were unable to keep their reported tryst under wraps recently, when they suffered a public spat. A source claims Gemma, who is partnered with Aljaz Skorjanec caught the dancer, who is partnered with Alexandra Burke, flirting with a fellow dancer, leaving her raging. Scroll down for video Out? According to reports Gemma Atkinson, pictured with dance partner Aljaz Skorjanec, and Gorka Marquez were unable to keep their reported tryst under wraps recently, when they suffered a public spat A source told The Sun: 'Gemma wasn't impressed to see Gorka flirting with a beautiful dancer, brought in as an extra in the professional group of dancers for one of the big numbers at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. According to the source Gemma was seen watching him 'with a face like thunder', before confronting him over his 'behaviour'. 'It was the talk of the Strictly pros next day because until this point she and Gorka had been very careful not to be seen looking intimate together in public,' the source continued. 'He stormed back to his room and Gemma followed in the same direction very shortly afterwards.' Raging: A source claims Gemma caught the dancer, who is partnered with Alexandra Burke, flirting with a fellow dancer, leaving her raging 'Gemma wasn't impressed to see Gorka flirting with a beautiful dancer, brought in as an extra in the professional group of dancers', a source said 'It was the talk of the Strictly pros next day because until this point she and Gorka had been very careful not to be seen looking intimate together in public,' the source continued 'He stormed back to his room and Gemma followed in the same direction very shortly afterwards.' they said of Gorka (seen right) MailOnline has contacted a Strictly representative for comment. Meanwhile Saturday saw Strictly Come Dancing's long-awaited semi-final. And with Christmas just two weeks away, presenter Tess Daly opted for a festive inspired red dress as she took to the stage to host the show. She was joined by Claudia Winkleman, who oozed understated elegance in a Bardot jumpsuit. Bell of the jingle ball! With Christmas just two weeks away, presenter Tess Daly opted for a festive inspired red dress as she took to the stage to host Strictly's semi final on Saturday Showing off her statuesque figure to perfection, Tess slipped into a sequin-encrusted dress, featuring an asymmetric hemline. Wearing her blonde hair in a sleek do, she was joined by a chic Claudia who rocked an off-the-shoulder jumpsuit. Injecting a splash of colour with a bold red lip, Claudia and Tess added the appropriate touch of glamour as they introduced the show. Bringing the dazzle! She was joined by Claudia Winkleman, who oozed understated elegance in a Bardot jumpsuit Joe and Katya kicked off the show with the American Smooth to Have You Met Miss Jones? By Robbie Williams and the Argentine Tango to Human by Rag n' Bone Man. The couple put on a smooth appearance during their first of two dances of the night, whopping with joy as they completed the dance. 'We have four women and one man, what a way to kick of the show,' Shirley Bassey exclaimed, as she joined Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood and Darcey Bussell on the judge's panel. The duo scored 35 out of 40, being given a score of nine by three of the judges. Too much: Alexandra Burke has admitted she struggled to cope 'mentally' with the relentless criticisms of trolls during her stint on Strictly Come Dancing Ordeal: The singer, 29, has been accused of 'fake' crying over her late mum Melissa Bell (pictured) on the show and is failing to win over the public - having landed in the bottom two for the second week in a row last Sunday Targeted: The X Factor star, who previously said the backlash is 'taking its toll', confessed the backlash felt like a 'personal attack' Alexandra and Gorka, who won the dance off against Davood Ghadami last week, were up next, performing an an emotional Salsa to Finally by Cece Peniston and a Viennese Waltz to Tina Arena's version of R.E.M's Everybody Hurts. Ahead of her performance she opened up about the tough time she'd been receiving from trolls recently, welling up as she admitted it was a stressful task being on the show but she's always wanted to do it. 'Watching the video showed how much love is out there. It's definitely given me the kick I needed,' she admitted between tears as she was shown a video of public supporters. Staying brave: The singer admitted she'd had a tough week, but revealed it was all worth it for the show she's always wanted to do Can't take it: 'It got to a point where I was like, I can't take any more mentally. It felt like a personal attack,' she told The Telegraph Not bad: Gemma and Aljaz came on next to dance the Rumba to Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth featuring Emeli Sande Alexandra slipped into a stunning semi-sheer gown with a feather embellished hem for the sensual performance, wowing the judges who described the dance as the 'silkiest softest pashmina', with Darcey becoming emotional as bagging a jaw-dropping impressive score of 39. 'It's been a tough week but it was worth it!' Alexandra admitted as Gorka Marquez picked Claudia up in excitement. Rumoured love birds Mollie and AJ were up next, Waltzing to Angel by Sarah McLachlan and performing a Samba to Whenever, Wherever by Shakira. Are they or aren't they? Rumoured love birds Mollie and AJ were up next, Waltzing to Angel by Sarah McLachlan and performing a Samba to Whenever, Wherever by Shakira 'What whether Mollie and AJ are a couple?' Meanwhile Claudia and Tess joked about AJ and Mollie's rumoured romance, with Claudia announcing: 'Let's address the elephant in the room' Meanwhile Debbie and Giovanni are dancing a Foxtrot to Isn't She Lovely by Stevie Wonder and a Jive to I'm So Excited by the Pointer Sisters. Gemma and Aljaz came on last to dance the Rumba to Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth featuring Emeli Sande and a Tango to My Sharona by The Knack (Royal Blood cover). Following their second dances, the the semi final saw Alexandra finish top of the leaderboard with 79 points out of 80, with Debbie and Joe in joint second with 70, Gemma in fourth place with 62 and Mollie landing bottom of the board with 56, ahead of next week's final, which will feature a performance from Craig David. Good stuff! For their second dance, Joe and Katya returned to the dance floor with a punchy Argentine Tango to Human' by Rag n' Bone Man, getting a standing ovation They have quietly crept into the nation's hearts as this year's power couple on the celebrity circuit. And Stormzy and Maya Jama put on a loved-up display as they attended Idris Elba's Christmas Party at Kadie's Cocktail Bar & Club in London on Saturday. The award-winning rapper, 24, and the presenter, 23, cut stylish figures as they posed at the star-studded event. Scroll down for video Blinded by her Grace? Stormzy, 24, and Maya Jama put on a loved-up display as they attended Idris Elba's Christmas Party at Kadie's Cocktail Bar & Club in London on Saturday Maya oozed effortless elegance chic in a semi-sheer golden blouse, teaming it with a pair of high-waisted jeans and killer heels. Wearing her raven hair loose, she made the most of her chiseled bone structure and flawless complexion, opting for minimal make-up. She cosied up to Stormzy, who looked dapper in a grey t-shirt and black jeans, holding Maya close. They were joined by The Wire star Idris, 45, and his girlfriend Sabrina Dhowre, 29, who he has reportedly been dating for seven months after going public in October. Abs-stastic! The presenter, 23, cut a stylish figures as she posed at the star-studded event Maya has been dating the award-winning musician for over a year - with the pair first choosing to keep their relationship private, before going public as an item in 2016. Fans will have seen Maya in some of Stormzy's music videos, as she makes an appearance in the video for his hit track Big For Your Boots. And the besotted Shut Up rapper even admitted he was keen to marry the model in the future. He told the Sunday Mirror earlier this month: Im still so young but I want to propose, its going to happen and I will do it right. She is so sick, she is the best. What a group! They were joined by The Wire star Idris, 45, and his girlfriend Sabrina Dhowre, 29, who he has reportedly been dating for seven months, after going public in October Sizzling duo! Fans will have seen Maya in some of Stormzy's music videos, as she makes an appearance in the video for his hit track Big For Your Boots 4Music host Maya recently appeared on Loose Women to talk about her 5STAR documentary, titled When Dad Kills: Murdered in the Family - which explores how children are affected if they have a parent in jail. Revealing her own experience, she said: 'My dad has been in jail since I was three and I broke contact when I was 10.' Maya, who is of Swedish and Somali descent, added that she was lucky because her dad's sisters supported her, as did her step-dad - who her mother married when she was seven. 'My earliest memory is around five when I was visiting him in prison. It was a bit weird, I had a super supportive family around me, I had a stepdad. I never really felt like I was missing out.' They are famous for their association to crime families in Melbourne and Sydney. And the striking lives of Judy Moran, Trish Moran, Roberta Williams and Danielle McGuire have all been detailed for Channel 9 show, Underbelly. With the true-crime drama series set to return to television screens early next year, we take a look at what these fascinating women are doing today. Scroll down for video Scandal: With the true-crime drama series set to return to television screens early next year, we take a look at what the fascinating women who were portrayed in the series are doing today Pictured: Judy Moran in February 2005 Portrayed in different seasons by respected actresses Caroline Gillmer and Debra Byrne, the character of Judy Moran is one of Underbelly's most powerful. The matriarch of the Moran family Judy, now 76, is currently in prison serving a 26-year sentence for the murder of Des Moran, who was the brother of her late husband Lewis. Her first husband, Leslie John "Johnny" Cole, was shot dead in Sydney in 1982 and her two sons, Mark Moran and Jason Moran, were both murdered in gangland wars. Matriarch: Portrayed in different seasons by respected actresses Caroline Gillmer and Debra Byrne (pictured right), the character of Judy Moran is one of Underbelly's most powerful She released her book My Story in February 2005. The book was recalled less than a week later on the grounds that it contained false allegations in regard to deceased detective Fred Silveste. It was reprinted and returned to book stores in May that year and went on to sell thousands of copies. Her son Jason's widow Trish Moran (nee Kane), played by Eliza Szonert in the series, fled to Western Australia after his death but ultimately moved back to Melbourne. Tragedy: Judy's son Jason's widow Trish Moran (nee Kane), played by Eliza Szonert (pictured right) in the series, fled to Western Australia after his death Trisha's sister, Suzanne Kane, a woman who Judy treated like a daughter, was handed a two-year wholly-suspended sentence for being an accessory to Des's murder after the fact. Following her husband's death, Trisha was linked to Benjamin John Horn, who was arrested by Australian Federal Police in 2009 for an alleged $20 million drug plot. Best known as the former girlfriend of Australian drug lord Tony Mokbel, Danielle McGuire also dated Jason's older brother, Mark Moran. Controversy: Danielle McGuire (pictured right), portrayed by Madeline West (pictured left) went to court for the first time in 1998 when charged with trafficking $800,000 in ecstasy Danielle, portrayed by former Neighbours actress Madeline West in Underbelly, went to court for the first time in 1998 when charged with trafficking $800,000 in ecstasy. She has a 10-year-old daughter, Renate, named after Tony's sister-in-law and a 21-year-old daughter, Brittany, from her first marriage. She has remained mostly silent throughout the years, despite being linked to Matt, Tony, and later, former Bandido bikie gang sergeant-at-arms, Toby Mitchell. Aspiring: Roberta Williams announced in August this year she wanted to represent the Australian People's Party at the next election and run against Opposition Leader Bill Shorten Rounding out the prominent women featured in the television crimes series is Roberta Williams, played by Logie-award winning actress Kat Stewart. Roberta was married to convicted murderer and drug trafficker, the late Carl Williams, whose name featured prominently in Victorian gangland killings. She announced in August this year that she wanted to represent the Australian People's Party at the next federal election and run against Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. They've just announced their engagement following a whirlwind romance. And on Saturday, Alex Nation and fiancee Maegan Luxa looked as happy and smitten as ever, as they made their way through Sydney Airport. Alex flaunted her trim pins in a denim miniskirt and heels as she shared a laugh and kiss with her girl. Scroll down for video High-flying romance! Alex Nation (R) flaunts her trim pins in a denim skirt and heels as she and fiancee Maegan Luxa (L) kiss and laugh as they make their way through Sydney Airport Casual chic: Showing off a soft golden glow, Alex looked chic in her outfit Showing off a soft golden glow, Alex looked chic in her outfit. The mother of one teamed the skirt with a long sleeve grey top and a tan coloured coat. Meanwhile, Maegan wore black jeans with a matching T-shirt and bulky jacket. Affectionate: Alex - who rose to fame on The Bachelor with ex-boyfriend Richie Strahan - walked through the terminal with her arm around her new partner Smitten! The pair looked as happy as ever as they made their way through Sydney Airport She's glowing! Alex looked fresh, wearing light makeup and her hair loose and straightened Alex looked fresh, wearing light makeup and her hair loose and straightened. Alex - who rose to fame on The Bachelor with ex-boyfriend Richie Strahan - walked through the terminal with her arm around her new partner. She also carried their tickets and a bottle of water. Stylish: The mother of one teamed the skirt with a long sleeve grey top and a tan coat Wedding bells: Their engagement news broke on Monday Happy: The pair were spotted in Melbourne, with Alex wearing a glittering pear-shaped diamond engagement ring She's got her hands full! She also carried their tickets and a bottle of water Alex couldn't stop beaming, and the pair were seen drinking cocktails and shopping at Victoria's Secret before they took took off. News of their engagement broke on Monday, with the pair being spotted last month in Melbourne, with Alex wearing a glittering pear-shaped diamond engagement ring. Things have moved very quickly for the couple since they met in August playing for the same AFL Women's team, the Frankston Bombers. Going strong: Things have moved very quickly for the couple since they met in August playing for the same AFL Women's team, the Frankston Bombers Relaxing: Alex couldn't stop beaming, and the pair were seen drinking cocktails and shopping at Victoria's Secret before taking off 'It just feels so good': Just two days prior to their engagement, mum-of-one Alex spoke openly about moving in together and the day Meagan met her six-year-old son, Elijah Full steam ahead: The pair recently returned from a trip to Bali Just two days prior to their engagement, mum-of-one Alex spoke openly about her and Meaghan moving in together and the day her six-year-old son, Elijah, met Meaghan. 'I feel relieved that I can finally talk about it now,' she told The Herald Sun. 'As of the last few weeks we've lived together. It's been really nice. It just feels so good. Nothing forced or scary.' True love: 'As of the last few weeks we've lived together. It's been really nice. It just feels so good. Nothing forced or scary,' Alex said Gushing: 'And if this continues to blossom and grow there's no reason why I wouldn't get married,' Alex added A spring in her step: Alex rose to fame on The Bachelor last year Shopping! Alex was seen in Victoria's Secret 'And if this continues to blossom and grow there's no reason why I wouldn't get married.' Before her relationship with Maegan, Alex was with Richie Strahan who chose her as his winner of The Bachelor in 2016. Previous to that she was briefly married to the father of her son, Joel. Content: Alex won The Bachelor in 2016 and found love with Richie, before her relationship with Maegan Her past: Previous to her relationship with Richie Strahan, Alex was briefly married to the father of her son Tatt's nice! Alex showcased her foot tattoo in her blue sandals Billie Lourd continues to handle the limelight with grace. The 25-year-old actress walked the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi Saturday at the famed Shrine Auditorium. Lourd, who plays Lieutenant Connix in the latest installment in the sci-fi dynasty, wore a shoulderless metallic silver gown, with her brown locks pulled back and braided in the back. Scroll below for video Belle of the ball: Billie Lourd, 25, walked the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi Saturday at the famed Shrine Auditorium She posed on the red carpet alongside her father, Hollywood power broker Bryan Lourd, 57, with the pair embracing at the debut of the movie. The film marks the final appearance in the franchise for Billie's late mom Carrie Fisher, who had just wrapped up filming the movie last year prior to her death December 27. The late Fisher, who played the iconic role of Leia in the film series, served as a mentor to stars John Boyega and Daisy Ridley, People reported earlier this month. Boyega said he broke his diet after Fisher hooked him up with sweets on the set of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. 'I was on a strict diet during Episode VIII, and she was like, "Kid, get into that fridge and take some chocolate bars. I have many there,"' he remembered. 'And I did. I failed my diet because Carrie Fisher told me to.' Glamorous: The third-generation Hollywood star radiated glamour as she posed for photographers, showing off her white gold Anita Ko ear cuffs Good spirits: Billie flashed a smile as she made her way down the red carpet Carrying on tradition: Billie plays Lieutenant Connix in the latest installment in the sci-fi series The movie's director Rian Johnson said he shared a great rapport with Fisher, who contributed both on- and off-camera. 'She was constantly pitching one-liners. I would sit down with her for an hour and come back with like, 300 crazy wordplay puns written in my notebook,' the filmmaker recalled. 'Then on set, she really gave a beautiful, complete performance.' He said watching her posthumous presence in the new film strikes him with powerful poignancy. 'Its very obvious we didnt know this was going to be the last time wed see Leia in these movies,' he said. 'That said, I find it very powerful when I see her in this film.' Tinseltown royalty: The actress pose with her father, CAA's Bryan Lourd, at the premiere Legacy: The actress posed in front of a display that included art depicting her late mother Carrie Fisher in her signature role of Princess Leia Finale: The new film marks Carrie's last appearance in the series, as she wrapped up filming just prior to her death last year at 60 Poignant: Director Rian Johnson said that he found Fisher's presence in the movie 'very powerful' It's an emotional time for the third-generation Hollywood star, as this month marks the first anniversary of the deaths of her mother Carrie Fisher and grandmother Debbie Reynolds on back-to-back days late last year. Fisher's health plummeted on December 23 as she took a flight from London to Los Angeles, and died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles four days later on December 27. Compounding the tragedy was the death of the Singin' in the Rain star Reynolds, 84, the very next day as she planned Carrie's memorial. Both were honored at an emotional service at Hollywood Hills' Forest Lawn Memorial Park attended by heavy Hollywood hitters including George Lucas, Gwyneth Paltrow and Meryl Streep. Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters December 15. She's usually busy filming her talk show during the day. But on Saturday Ellen DeGeneres decided to spend her free day with friend Allison Janney, whom she met for lunch in Beverly Hills. The 59-year-old comedienne looked quite laid back for the outing. Time to eat! On Saturday Ellen DeGeneres decided to spend her free day with friend Allison Janney, whom she met for lunch in Beverly Hills On top she layered a white shallow v-neck t-shirt under a dark denim jacket which she left unbuttoned. Down below she opted for a pair of dark wash jeans and black leather boots. Accessories included some classic aviator shades and a chunky metal wristwatch. Companion Allison, 58, dressed things up just a tad, donning a black blouse with white polka dots, which she paired with some trendy skinny jeans. Nothing fancy: The 59-year-old comedienne looked quite laid back for the outing Simple stuff: On top she layered a white shallow v-neck t-shirt under a dark denim jacket which she left unbuttoned Ready for winter? Down below she opted for a pair of dark wash jeans and black leather boots Black booties with small heels completed her still low-key look. The duo appeared to have quite a haul of leftovers after their meal, as they both carried sizable packages afterward. While both women performed together in super hits Finding Nemo and Finding Dory-with Ellen playing Dory and Allison playing Peach-the two were reunited again on screen for Friday's edition of Ellen's show. Ladies who lunch! Companion Allison, 58, dressed things up just a tad, donning a black blouse with white polka dots, which she paired with some trendy skinny jeans An inch or so: Black booties with small heels completed her still low-key look To-go? The duo appeared to have quite a haul of leftovers after their meal, as they both carried sizable packages afterward On the episode Allison revealed what the real-life Tonya Harding thought about her new film I, Tonya after meeting her at Wednesday's Los Angeles premiere. 'She loved it,' the actress, dished, also admitting that her childhood dream was to become a figure skater. 'There were parts she didnt like but I think mostly she was really excited about it,' Allison told Ellen. Adorable duo: Both women performed together in super hits Finding Nemo and Finding Dory-with Ellen playing Dory and Allison playing Peach (right) 'I just wanted to give her a hug, because back when we first heard about this story we were told what to think about her and we were told she was a villain.' 'Actually, it was a lot more complicated than that, the story of what happened to her. And I think people come away with a lot more compassion for her.' Tonya was banned from skating for life for her alleged involvement in a bungled plot to injure rival Nancy Kerrigan to keep her out of the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway. She's rumoured to be dating Bachelorette reject, Jarrod Woodgate, after they were spotted cosying up together while filming Bachelor in Paradise. And on the weekend, Bachelor cast-off Keira Maguire flaunted her fit figure in a plunging bodysuit. Sharing a sultry snap to Instagram, Keira plays with her hair and holds a glass of wine as she pouts. Scroll down for video Looking hot for Jarrod? Keira Maguire posts a sultry photo of herself in a plunging bodysuit amid rumours she's smitten with Bachelorette reject Woodgate 'TONIGHT - love my bodysuit from @missguided,' Keira wrote. In the snap, she showcases a golden tan and has her blonde locks out and over her shoulders. She wears a floral bodysuit and black tight ripped jeans with boots. Off the market? Keira has kept tight-lipped about her relationship status since she was spotted returning to Sydney last week Keira has kept tight-lipped about her relationship status since she was spotted returning to Sydney last week. However, it is rumoured she has found love with pot plant aficionado Jarrod after the pair were snapped on a cosy date at the luxurious Mango Bay Resort in Fiji, when filming Bachelor in Paradise. Adding to fuel to fire, Keira has since flooded Jarrod's Instagram page with a slew of likes on several photos that featured him. New man? However, it is rumoured she has found love with pot plant aficionado Jarrod after the pair were snapped on a cosy date at the luxurious Mango Bay Resort in Fiji During filming of the yet-to-air Bachelor spin-off, Keira and Jarrod were snapped sharing a sun lounge, amid an intimate conversation. 'Since [filming began] it's been game on for them... Jarrod is completely smitten and thinks Keira is The One,' an insider dished to New Idea earlier this week. 'He said they have an amazing connection and Keira seems just as into him.' John Boyega made it. The 25-year-old actor, who plays Finn in the Star Wars universe, touched down in Los Angeles with not a moment to spare on Saturday evening, attending the premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi Saturday at the famed Shrine Auditorium. The British actor took to Twitter Saturday to alert his followers to his travel troubles, writing, 'Wow ATL. Looks like no ones leaving!' Scroll below for video Happy to be here: John Boyega, 25, showed his exuberance as he walked the red carpet in LA on Saturday for the premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi at the Shrine Auditorium 'Trying to get back for the LA premiere! I actually NEED a pilot !!!' he tweeted as he was stranded in Atlanta amid snowfall of five to 12 inches. Boyega eventually made it to the City of Angels. 'I made it ! Without luggage but wooooooooohoooo! As if weather can stop a Nigerian kmt,' the latter expression short for the phrase 'Kiss My Teeth,' a show of annoyance. When a Twitter user raised the possibility that his one-time castmate Harrison Ford fly him, Boyega brushed off the idea, with a sly reference to Ford's well-documented aviation mishaps in recent years. A moment's rest: The actor posed on the red carpet at the glitzy tentpole film Busy day: The actor took to Twitter to document his frenetic day of traveling Hoth humor: One witty Twitter user uploaded a shot of AT-ATs that could help Boyega get to where he needed to be 'Harrison will land that ship in the damn auditorium! Im here though thank you and thanks everyone! See you tonight. I need a shower because.....ew.' When he finally made it to the red carpet, he made a tongue-in-cheek Star Wars reference to Oscar Isaac's character when asked about the trip, saying, 'Poe Dameron is the best pilot in the galaxy,' according to Deadline. Ready to roll: Boyega wore a navy blue suit with black lapels on the red carpet over a matching turtleneck Sense of humor: The actor, asked about how he miraculously arrived, joked 'Poe Dameron is the best pilot in the galaxy,' in reference to Oscar Isaac's character Adoring public: The actor posed with fans and signed autographs at the star-studded premiere When he made it, Boyega looked dapper, as he wore a navy blue suit with black lapels on the red carpet over a matching turtleneck. The actor posed with adoring fans as he signed autographs at the star-studded premiere. Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters December 15. Good spirits: The entertainer looked unfettered as he posed in front of a frame of art at the premiere She won Matthew 'Matty J' Johnson's heart on the latest season of The Bachelor. And Laura Byrne showed off exactly how she caught the marketing manager's eye on Sunday. The 30-year-old enjoyed a sunny day on Sydney Harbour, flaunting her taut tummy in a skimpy bikini to demonstrate her recent denial the couple are expecting a child. Smoking hot! Laura Byrne showed off exactly how she caught Matty J's eye on The Bachelor on Sunday The statuesque jewellery designer sat back comfortably as she showcased her toned figure in an Instagram post. 'Getting a fringe is a great idea... next minute,' she joked in the snap's caption, referring to her hair blowing wildly in the wind. 'How do I get a body like that?!!!?' enthused one of her followers in the comments section. 'So youre clearly not pregnant!' offered another fan about pregnancy rumours 'So youre clearly not pregnant!' offered another fan. Her fellow Bachelor contestants Tara Pavlovic and Nat Holmberg also heaped praise on the Bondi-based reality star, with Tara gushing: 'Super hawwwwt!' Laura won over Matty's heart after he eliminated Elise Stacy in the show's series finale earlier this year. Lovebirds: Laura won over Matty's heart after he eliminated Elise Stacy in the show's series finale earlier this year NW magazine recently reported the lovebirds are expecting a baby together. The publication alleged the photo shoot was to commemorate a special announcement, such as a pregnancy. 'They were clearly celebrating something special... They're over the moon - you could see it on their faces,' a 'source' reportedly told the magazine. News of their engagement broke last Monday, following a whirlwind romance. And as they made their way through Sydney Airport on Saturday, Maegan Luxa couldn't help but take a swipe at her fiancee's ex, Richie Strahan. Approached by a photographer, the 31-year-old chef had a very cryptic message for Alex Nation's former flame. Scroll down for video Still bad blood? Alex Nation's fiancee Maegan Luxa (L) took a swipe at Richie Strahan, as the couple made their way through Sydney Airport on Saturday The newly-engaged couple were approached by a photographer as they made their way through Sydney Airport. Maegan, dressed in head-to-toe black, was asked what message she has for her fiancee's ex, Richie Strahan. Bursting into laughter alongside her giggling lady love, the chef quietly said: 'You can guess it ... I wouldn't say it. I would do what I did last time.' Happy couple: The newly-engaged pair were approached by a photographer as they made their way through Sydney Airport Quizzed: Maegan, dressed in head-to-toe black, was asked as to what message she has for her fiancee's ex, Richie Probed further as to what exactly she was referring to, Maegan eventually replied with 'I don't have a message for him.' Wrapping one arm around her partner, Alex, 26, sporting a grey sweater and fringed skirt, couldn't contain her laughter during the exchange. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to the couple for clarification on the exchange. Cryptic: Bursting into laughter, the chef was heard saying in hushed tones 'You can guess it,' later adding: 'I wouldn't say it. I would do what I did last time' Heading back home? The couple appeared to be heading back to Melbourne after a short vacation in Sydney The smitten pair appeared to be heading back to Melbourne after a short vacation in Sydney. During their stay, Maegan and Alex were pictured locking lips on the balcony of their luxurious suite at the InterContinental Hotel in Double Bay. News of their engagement broke last Monday, with Alex proudly showing off her pear-shaped diamond engagement ring. Humble beginnings: Things have moved very quickly for the couple since they met in August, while playing for the same AFL Women's team, the Frankston Bombers Whirlwind: Just last Monday, news of their engagement broke, after just three months of dating Things have moved very quickly for the couple since they met in August, while playing for the same AFL Women's team, the Frankston Bombers. Before her relationship with Maegan, Alex dated Richie who chose her on the grand finale episode of The Bachelor in 2016. The reality star couple were last pictured together at the Logie Awards in April. Former flame: Before her relationship with Maegan, Alex dated Richie who chose her on the grand finale episode of The Bachelor in 2016 Their relationship has been the subject of intense scrutiny since they declared their love for one another on The Bachelorette back in October. And on Saturday, Sophie Monk and her beau Stu Laundy did little to dampen split rumours appearing somewhat tense during an outing on the NSW Central Coast. Despite being seen holding hands, the couple looked strained as they smoked unhealthy cigarettes outside a pub, before Sophie flipped her middle finger at Stu as she took to the venue's stage for an impromptu performance. Singing up a storm! Sophie Monk and Stu Laundy spent Saturday together on the NSW Central Coast, however the blonde beauty looked less than impressed with her millionaire man as he filmed her performing a cover song The pair partook in a seafood lunch at The Entrance, before appearing to be deep in conversation as they stepped away for a cigarette. Sophie failed to raise a smile during the exchange as Stu looked awkwardly at the facade of a nearby Spanish restaurant. Later on in the day, the pair were seen spending time at The Long Jetty Hotel- a pub owned by Stu's famed publican family. Feeling the strain? Sophie and Stu looked tense during a cigarette break as intense speculation about their relationship continues Going up in smoke? The couple appeared to be in an intense conversation as they stepped away for a cigarette What's going on? Sophie failed to raise a smile during the exchange as Stu looked awkwardly at the facade of a nearby Spanish restaurant During their time at the venue, Sophie was seen taking to a microphone to perform a rendition of Roberta Flack's 1970s hit Killing Me Softly. However, the former pop star, who was once a part of popular girl group Bardot, struggled to find her form, much to the amusement of Stu. The millionaire was seen recording the ear-splitting performance on his mobile phone, walking right up to Sophie, who responded by flipping her middle finger at him. Can't keep her away from the mic! The former pop star couldn't resist entertaining the crowd at The Long Jetty Hotel- a pub owned by Stu's family Oh no! Sophie struggled to find her form, much to the amusement of Stu Open mic? The blonde sang several notes off-key, stopping and starting her acoustic performance, and putting her hands up to her face as if she had made an error The blonde sang several notes off-key, stopping and starting her acoustic performance, and putting her hands up to her face as if she had made an error. During their time in the pub's alfresco dining area, Sophie was also seen taking a phone call. Clearly hearing some dramatic news down the line, the blonde bombshell again made a number of very animated faces. Phoning it in! Clearly hearing some dramatic news down the line, the blonde bombshell made a number very animated faces What are they chatting about? After re-joining her man at an outdoor table, the starlet continued with her exaggerated expressions In good spirits! Stu, meanwhile, appeared in a better mood than Sophie as they sat at an outdoor table And after re-joining her man at an outdoor table, the starlet continued with her exaggerated expressions. Meanwhile, Stu appeared in high spirits as he sipped on a number of different drinks. The couple have been the subject of incessant split rumours since going public with their relationship in late October. Thirsty work! Stu was seen sipping on a number of beverages during his time in the sunshine Drinks! Stu was seen sipping on a summery beverage at his family's establishment Having a chat: The pub baron was seen with a third drink as he and Sophie chatted with fellow patrons Scrutiny: The couple have been the subject of incessant split rumours since going public with their relationship in late October Radio stars Meshel Laurie and Em Rusciano publicly stated they didn't believe the relationship was genuine, causing Sophie and Stu to repeatedly plead with the public to believe that they were actually an item. However, last week the bubbly star told No Filter podcast that she was sick of convincing everyone that her love for Stu was authentic. 'I'm just done with it [public opinion]... we can't win,' she said during a chat Over it! Sophie recently told No Filter podcast that she was sick of convincing everyone that her love for Stu was authentic Hesitant PDA: Talking with No Filter, Sophie claimed she just can't win in the way she publicly displays her affection towards Stu, with some saying they're 'trying too hard' and other saying they're 'not affectionate enough' Explaining their strange, seemingly hesitant public displays of affection, the 37-year-old blamed onlookers egging the pair on. 'We're at the airport at they'll just be like "kiss" and I'm like "why are we doing this?" and then they're like "overboard! You're Trying too hard!" she bemoaned. 'Or [they're like] we're not affectionate enough.' Having a day off, then? Sophie explained to No Filter that the reason she's rarely pictured with Stu is because she's focused on work Central Coast escape: Saturday was a rare public outing for the work-minded pair Sophie then explained the reason they're rarely pictured together is that she's focused on work. 'I travel a lot for work. I think they're used to these people coming off the show and being together as a profession everyday, but I'm never home,' she said. Amorous: Stu put his arm around his ladylove at one point Different styles: For their Saturday outing, Stu and Sophie also chose wildly different outfits, which exaggerated the differences between the two of them 'Commercials for things, radio - I LOVE working... I'm traveling all over the country all the time, I'm an entertainer at the end of the day, I just love making people laugh.' Daily Mail Australia reached out to Sophie and Stu on Sunday- with Sophie not responding by time of publication. Stu, however, vehemently denied the split rumours. Glam: Sophie glammed up for the daytime outing, stunning in a thigh-skimming black mini-dress- a far more extravagant outfit than the one her beau opted for For their Saturday outing, Stu and Sophie also chose wildly different outfits, which exaggerated the differences between the two of them. Sophie glammed up for the daytime outing, stunning in a thigh-skimming black mini-dress. Casual: Stu, on the other hand, opted for a far more casual ensemble disguising his status as a multi-millionaire She added a pair of strappy leather heels to complete her glam look, appearing as if she was ready to hit the nightclubs. Stu, on the other hand, opted for a far more casual ensemble. Disguising the fact he is worth an estimated $500 million, the pub baron dressed down in a whit shirt and plain blue shorts. The father-of-four was also seen sporting his trademark aviator sunglasses as he strolled along with his ladylove by his side. Legging it! Sophie added a pair of strappy leather heels to complete her glam look, appearing as if she was ready to hit the nightclubs. She celebrated a one-year anniversary since her first unofficial first date with her musician beau Danny Fujikawa in early December. As Kate Hudson was flying solo at the star-studded Amazon Studios' Christmas party in Los Angeles on Saturday, Kate Bosworth cosied up to husband Michael Polish. The actress, 38, wowed in a dazzling sequinned embellished ba&sh dress which featured a deeply plunging neckline designed to flaunt her ample cleavage. Scroll down for video Getting into the Christmas spirit: Kate Hudson, 38, was festive in a dazzling semi-sheer ba&sh sequinned gown at star-studded Amazon Studios' Christmas party in Los Angeles on Saturday The How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days star teased a glimpse of her slender limbs in the semi-sheer skirt of the garment. Cinched at the waistline, the Something Borrowed beauty best showcased her petite figure in the form-fitting floor-length dress. Kate added to her enviable height in metallic sky-scraper heels. The California born beauty wore a dusting of silver eye shadow to highlight her sequin attire. The award-winner joined the great and the good of the showbiz world including The Horse Whisperer star Kate Bosworth, 34, and her actor husband Michael Polish, 47. Great company: Kate joined the great and the good of the showbiz world including The Horse Whisperer star Kate Bosworth and her actor husband Michael Polish The good looking couple, who wed in 2013, couldn't keep their hands off each other at the bash as they wrapped their arms around one another. Dapper Michael smartened up his blue jeans with a blazer while he paraded his stunning wife on his arm, who added a hint of sparkle to her black dress with a handbag adorned with silver stars. Kate was every inch the social butterfly as she mixed with a whole host of stars including the Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos who graced the event. Fabulous figure: Cinched at the waistline, the Something Borrowed beauty best showcased her petite figure in the form-fitting floor-length dress Kate Hudson is usually inseparable from her beau Danny after the couple went public with their affections earlier this year. The lovebirds made their red carpet debut as a couple in April at the premiere of Snatched, co-starring Kate's mother Hawn. Stunning Kate gave a rare glimpse into her relationship with her musician boyfriend on CBS show The Talk in recent weeks. Must be love: The good looking couple, who wed in 2013, couldn't keep their hands off each other at the bash as they wrapped their arms around one another She's a charmer: Kate was every inch the social butterfly as she mixed with a whole host of stars including the Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos 'Weve known each other for 15 years; hes my best friends stepbrother,' she told the hosts. 'We kinda skipped through the part of knowing what the hiccups were. You kinda skip the part of going, "Oh, you're like that?" 'In terms of family, I've known his family forever. To have that connection is really powerful.' The movie star is the mother to two sons, Ryder from her first marriage to Chris Robinson and Bingham from her former relationship with Muse rocker Matt Bellamy. Having a ball: The actress showed she was of friendly character as she wrapped her arms around the waist of Mamie Gummer during the festivities It is no surprise she carved a career in Hollywood as she followed in the star-studded footsteps of her glittering parents Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson. The actress was also influenced and inspired by her third movie star parent, stepfather Kurt Russell, whom she grew up with. Blonde bombshell Kate has primarily worked on romantic comedy roles during her time in the spotlight, most notably How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days and Bride Wars. More recently however the actress has pulled out all the stops on her latest role, which she shaved her head for, in upcoming 2018 movie Sister. Beautiful company: Kate and Sia were in high spirits as they spent time catching up during the star-studded event Singing sensation! Kate and Sia joined Barbra Streisand who donned a velvet ensemble at the Christmas party as she got into the festive spirit She's bow-tiful: The American singer put all the drama into her scarlet dress, featuring a huge decorative bow on the hem of the dress, accessorised with a bow in her hair How to throw a party! Jeff Goldblum also graced the star-studded event in a grey turtleneck jumper and black blazer (pictured right with Fred Armisen on the left) Hollywood heroes! Don Johnson and Vince Vaughn were lively in the candid shot taken inside the glamorous venue Eye-catching: Kumail Nanjiani looked handsome in a blue two-piece suit as he joined Emily V. Gordon who donned a colourful floral dress for the occasion Suits you, Grace! Gummer was a vision in a white trouser suit, flashing a glimpse of her toned tummy in the skimpy She is set to be reunited with her husband Mark Wright during the festive period after spending eight months filming abroad for the drama series, Our Girl. And Michelle Keegan looked positively delighted about the weeks ahead as she headed to the Trafford Centre in her native Manchester on Saturday. The 30-year-old actress, who was not wearing her wedding ring, showed off her natural beauty as she went make-up free while opting for a stylish ensemble to combat the winter chill. Scroll down for video Stunning! Michelle Keegan, 30, showed off her natural beauty as she went make-up free as she headed to the Trafford Centre in her native Manchester on Saturday With a smile on her face and her locks piled up into a messy topknot, Michelle looked sensational as she embarked on the casual outing. The former Coronation Street actress showcased her style credentials in a chunky monochrome turtleneck knit and black ankle-grazing jeans. Michelle made a statement with her chic brown coat while pulling in the look with her quilted black Gucci handbag and casual white trainers. Earlier this month, the Northern beauty was welcomed back to London's Heathrow airport by family members, clad in a low-key ensemble for her jubilant return to home soil. Casually clad: With a smile on her face and her locks piled up into a messy topknot, Michelle looked sensational as she embarked on the casual outing In recent weeks, both Michelle and Mark have been gushing over one another, sharing how excited they are to reunite in the coming weeks for Christmas. While Mark has been busy with his presenting duties in America, Michelle has been hard at work filming for Out Girl. The BBC drama has already aired four of the twelve episodes, with the remaining yet to have a release date. Mark also made sure to shower Michelle with praise for finally finishing Our Girl, after a gruelling filming schedule that saw shooting in Nepal, South Africa and Malaysia. Tweeting a tribute to his wife, Mark said how excited he was to reunite with Michelle so they could spend Christmas together. She's home! Earlier this month, the Northern beauty was welcomed back to London's Heathrow airport by family members, clad in a low-key ensemble for her jubilant return to home soil Set to be reunited! In recent weeks, both Michelle and Mark have been gushing over one another, sharing how excited they are to reunite in the coming weeks for Christmas He said: 'Done. 8 months away from home, away from loved ones, working ridiculous hours in ridiculous conditions @michkeegan you amaze me more & more every day. Im so proud of you, words cant even explain. Its going to be the best Christmas ever !! I love you so much my little trooper x' Michelle recently revealed that she had no idea she would be away for so long filming Our Girl, as she signed a contract for the third season before it was event commissioned. Speaking to Radio 1 host Nick Grimshaw she said: 'I wasn't 100% there would be another series but I signed the option for there to be another. Obviously the first time it was for five episodes but this time it was for 12 so it's overly doubled. 'My little trooper!' Tweeting a tribute to his wife, Mark said how excited he was to reunite with Michelle so they could spend Christmas together 'It's been a long filming schedule!' Michelle recently revealed that she had no idea she would be away for so long filming Our Girl, as she signed a contract for the third season before it was event commissioned 'I didn't know that at the time either. It's been a long, long filming schedule. I was away for three months last time and this time I was in South Africa for three months and then I had three weeks off then I was in Malaysia for three months. 'So over all I was away for seven months. It was a long time being away from home. I had to do it, the contract was signed. Book me a flight!' Mark has been working in Los Angeles as the new host of celebrity series Extra along with Mario Lopez, and it seems he will finally return to blighty to spend the festive season with his family. She managed to find love after having her heart broken by Matty 'J' Johnson on this year's Bachelor series. And fans are speculating Cobie Frost may have sealed the deal with boyfriend Chris Whearty after they took part in a romantic photo shoot on Saturday. With the help of wedding photographer Emma Nayler, the 25-year-old wore a traditional white dress as her beau picked her up for a cheeky kiss in photos shared to Instagram. 'Did you get married?' Fans speculate The Bachelor's Cobie Frost has secretly tied the knot with her boyfriend Chris Whearty months after Matty J broke her heart A number of her 29,000 followers jumped to the conclusion she'd secretly tied the knot. 'Did you get married?' One curious commenter asked, following their initial query up with 'Intriguing... looks like a wedding picture.' Another chimed in with 'Did you guys get married there?' Say I did! Cobie's fans eagerly waited to hear whether the 25-year-old had eloped over the weekend The million dollar question! A fan of Cobie's even commented on the post, slyly asking 'did you get married?' Even her makeup artist for the day took the time to leave a comment, tellingly saying 'Lovely to be apart of your day today.' Other ex-Bachelor stars including Simone Ormesher, Nina Rolleston and Rhys Chilton, added fuel to the flame by posting love hearts under a particularly personal photo. 'My Instagram feed looks like a bloody wedding brochure,' Simone said. 'People will remember how you made them feel': The Bachelor reject Cobie Frost shares cryptic post about relationships just one day after she piled on the PDA with boyfriend Chris Whearty The couple were staying at Spicers Tamarind Retreat for Chris' birthday this weekend, but may have decided on a present unlike the usual pair of socks or undies. 'From intimate elopements to an exclusive wedding for 80 guests sit down or 120 cocktail, Spicers Tamarind has you covered,' the retreat advertises on Instagram. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Cobie for comment. Done? The selfie, which depicts Cobie frowning and looking downcast, rang alarm bells that the pair's relationship may be over Strangely the theorising comes just days after the Queensland native posted a quote that hinted she may have been hurt by someone close to her. 'At the end of the day people won't remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel,' she wrote, quoting author Maya Angelou. Cobie appeared downcast in the snap, adding to speculation that she may have had her heart broken twice in the same year. Her wavy brunette locks were brushed to one side of her face in the shot and covered her right eye as she frowned at the camera. Lovers! Chris is the ex-husband of former My Kitchen Rules star Della Muscat Honeymoon stage: Chris has featured heavily on Cobie's Instagram in recent weeks The post comes after the Brisbane-based coal plant operator shared a picture of her embracing her man on Sunday as the two donned swimwear. 'Because wearing clothes is over rated!!! Next stop no bra club,' Cobie captioned the picture. Chris, who is the ex-husband of former My Kitchen Rules star Della Muscat, has featured heavily on Cobie's Instagram in recent weeks, with the pair confirming their relationship just weeks after The Bachelor finished. Cobie was one of the final six contestants on this year's season of the reality dating show. Love lost: Cobie was one of the final six contestants on this year's season of the reality dating show Roxy Jacenko underwent breast reconstruction surgery last Thursday, to correct capsular contracture caused by radiation treatment. The complication arises when internal scar tissue forms a tight capsule around a breast implant until it becomes hard or misshapen. The 37-year-old revealed in Monday's Confidential: 'Normally this happens quite quickly but I didn't notice anything until Stakes Day (last month).' Scroll down for video 'I didn't notice anything until racing season': Roxy Jacenko, 37, revealed the surprising side-effect caused by radiation treatment, after undergoing breast reconstructive surgery, in Monday's Confidential Roxy revealed that it wasn't until Melbourne's Stakes Day last month, that she realised something was wrong. 'It was Pixie (Roxy's six-year-old daughter) who said to me, 'Mum, you can't wear that dress - one of your boobs is near your chin,'' she said. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Roxy for comment. Over time: The acclaimed event planner told the publication that it wasn't until Melbourne's Stakes Day last month, that she realised something was wrong Roxy revealed: 'It was Pixie (Roxy's six-year-old daughter, pictured) who said to me, 'Mum, you can't wear that dress - one of your boobs is near your chin'' The entrepreneur underwent reconstructive surgery on Thursday and two days later was pictured with large medical drainage tubes protruding from beneath her top. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Saturday, Roxy revealed that the tubes are blood drains. 'I have drains to drain the blood following my surgery on Thursday,' she said. She added: 'I had an operation following my 6 weeks of radiation as I have capsular contracture which can happen post-radiation treatment for cancer. They will come out Monday morning.' Surgery: The entrepreneur underwent reconstructive surgery on Thursday and was pictured afterwards with large medical drainage tubes protruding from beneath her top Diagnosis: Last July, Roxy was diagnosed with breast cancer, just weeks after husband Oliver Curtis was sent to prison for conspiracy to commit insider trading Capsular contracture is a complication that arises when internal scar tissue forms a tight capsule around a breast implant until it becomes hard or misshapen. The Cancer Council states that radiation therapy given after reconstruction surgery can increase the risk of the condition developing. Last July, Roxy was diagnosed with breast cancer, just weeks after husband Oliver Curtis was sent to prison for conspiracy to commit insider trading. The mother-of-two underwent a partial breast removal and six weeks of radiation, and will have to take cancer blocker medication, Tamoxifen, for the next ten years. She's the high powered Hollywood actress who's enjoyed a stellar 2017. And Nicole Kidman will cap off her big year by returning to her native Australia for Christmas. Speaking with US Weekly, the 50-year-old acting icon revealed her plans to spend the festive season by the beach with husband Keith Urban and their daughters, Sunday and Faith, as well as their extended families. Home for the Holidays! Nicole Kidman has revealed she and Keith Urban will be spending Christmas in their native Australia (pictured at a Christmas Decorations Inauguration in Paris last month) 'We have a big summer Christmas, which I know sounds bizarre to Americans' the Oscar-winner told the publication. 'We go back for the heat. We want to be on the beach for Christmas, no snow,' she added. Nicole celebrates Christmas as a practicing Catholic, and it's believed she will spend time with her mother, Janelle, who lives in Sydney, as well as Keith's mother, Marienne, who is based on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Family time: 'We have a big summer Christmas, which I know sounds bizarre to Americans' the Oscar-winner told US Weekly It appears returning home for the festive holiday is somewhat of a tradition, as the brood also spent last Christmas Down Under. The beauty's comments come just a day after she revealed plans to work in Australia far more in the future. Speaking with The Sunday Telegraph, Nicole dished details about 'coming back and really giving support' to the local film and television industry. More time in Australia? Speaking with The Sunday Telegraph , Nicole dished details about 'coming back and really giving support' to the local film and television industry It comes after the Hollywood star took home Best Supporting Actress at Australia's AACTA Awards last week. The talented star won the gong for her roles in Lion and Top Of The Lake: China Girl on Wednesday night. It caps off a huge year for the star who also scored Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA nods for Lion. In addition to her critical acclaim for that film, the talent also won an Emmy for her role on the blockbuster miniseries Big Little Lies, which she also produced. Nicole was also named as one of the ten best performers of the year by The New York Times for her roles in this year's praised movies, The Beguiled and Killing Of A Sacred Deer. She took a shine to fellow campmate and former politician Stanley Johnson. But the father of the Foreign Secretary wasn't Georgia Toffolo's first brush with an MP as it's been claimed the I'm a Celebrity star once enjoyed a 'wild night out' with a mystery member of parliament. According to the beauty's Made in Chelsea co-star Emily Blackwell, the 22-year-old once partied with an unnamed politician from the House of Commons. Scroll down for video Look away, Stanley! Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo reportedly enjoyed a wild night out with an MP before her striking up a bond with Stanley Johnson in the I'm a Celebrity jungle Speaking to The Mirror about Toff's bond with Stanley, Emily confessed: 'Hes a Conservative, shes got all these politician friends. 'She once brought a politician from the House of Commons with her on a night out, but I cant tell you his name' So taken with Stanley, the young reality star - who has made no secret of her penchant for older men in politics - even cried when his time in the jungle came to an end earlier this week. Emotional: So taken with Stanley, the young reality star even cried when his time in the jungle came to an end earlier this week Mystery MP: According to the beauty's Made in Chelsea co-star Emily Blackwell, the 22-year-old once partied with an unnamed politician from the House of Commons Wiping away her tears, Toff said: 'Im really upset. I woke up this morning and made a mental note I was going to ask Stanley if we could be pen pals, I want to write to him all the time when were back home. But Emily thinks there's a strong chance that Toff could even have the 77-year-old hitting the town with her very soon. Female empowerment! Georgia [pictured above with pal Emily] is the bookies' favourite to win this year's series, with the beauty continuing to dazzle audiences with her strength and incessant anecdotes She quipped: 'Stanley is definitely going to be coming on a night out with Toff and I were going to take him to the Kings Road, hell be in Raffles dancing away.' Meanwhile, Georgia is the bookies' favourite to win this year's series, with the beauty continuing to dazzle audiences with her strength and incessant anecdotes. During Thursday's episode, the tough cookie stood up to Amir Khan and Jamie Lomas and accused them of sexist treatment. As the boxer and Hollyoaks star suggested she come third in the task, she slammed them for their 'stereotypical' opinions. She could be seen this year in television's Sharnkado 5: Global Swarming - a movie filmed in several countries. But this weekend, Tara Reid was photographed having a night out in the U.S. in the company of her own family. Modeling a midnight blue crop top and black stiletto boots, the 42-year-old was spotted outside celeb favourite Catch LA with her sister Colleen. Scroll down for video Friends, sisters and pals: Modeling a midnight blue crop top and black stiletto boots, Tara Reid was seen this weekend outside Catch LA at the weekend with her sister Colleen Tara teamed the top with a black jacket and black trousers, pulling a navy beanie over her platinum blonde hair. Meanwhile, her sibling Colleen wore a chic orange dress with flowing split sleeves and a turtleneck. Slinging a black Gucci purse from one shoulder, Colleen - who has a twin brother called Patrick - complemented the look with black heels. Colleen, Patrick and Tara - the children of Donna Reid and her late husband Thomas Reid, who died last year - also have a brother called Tommy. Keeping warm: Tara teamed the top with a black jacket and black trousers, pulling a navy beanie over her platinum blonde hair Tara, whose previous film work includes American Pie, has been the leading lady of all of Syfy's Sharknado movies, the latest of which first aired this August. The actress plugged Sharknado 5: Global Swarming on the BUILD Series ahead of its release alongside her hunky co-star Ian Ziering. 'We went several different continents,' Ian explained. 'We were in several different countries - started off in Bulgaria. From there, we went to London, and then on to Rome, and Tokyo, and then Sydney, Australia.' Coordinated: Slinging a black Gucci purse from one shoulder, Colleen - who has a twin brother called Patrick - complemented black shoes with black hose Tara, said it was an 'amazing' experience globetrotting for her work. She said: 'I mean, traveling and waking up and going to these countries, like Tokyo - I mean, it's just amazing. And Bulgaria - I mean, each one had its own charm - and Rome, the food there. 'And, you know - it was freezing, also. Bulgaria was the coldest place I've ever been to in my entire life. You could see it in the film.' Tara - who was booted from Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars last year after she and Dean May confessed they had feigned their romance - is now dating Ted Dhanik. They are some of Hollywood's most famous A-listers. And Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves seemed to be enjoying their Saturday night, as they were joined by Gerard Butler and his girlfriend Morgan Brown for some rock and roll fun in Miami. The two couples attended the Duran Duran live performance for SiriusXM at the Faena Theater. Double date! Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves seemed to be enjoying their Saturday night, as they were joined by Gerard Butler and his girlfriend Morgan Brown in Miami The exclusive performance for SiriusXM featured Duran Duran playing signature music from throughout their career, including songs from their most recent, Top 10 charting studio album, Paper Gods. Mark Ronson joined Duran Duran on stage for a special performance of Pressure Off and Uptown Funk. Best of the best: Duran Duran performs live for SiriusXM at The Faena Theater in Miami Beach during Art Basel Matthew wore his best rock attire with a blue bandanna and a denim button-up shirt that featured a stitched on roses on the chest. Matthew's wife Camila was seen in a white jumpsuit, teamed with a metallic silve cardigan wrapped around her waist. Gerard made sure to keep his night ensemble simple by sporting a jeans and a plain black T-shirt. His on-again girlfriend Morgan dressed up for the occasion in a polka dot black-and-white dress that featured ruffles at the top. Rock and roll! The two couples attended the Duran Duran live performance for SiriusXM at the Faena Theater At the event: Just a few days before, Gerard and Morgan were seen lounging at the Ink On Wood Show with Will and Jaden Smith The Duran Duran concert was held during the star studded Art Basel, which also takes place in Miami Beach. The private performance aired live on Saturday, December 9 via satellite on SiriusXM's The Pulse (ch. 15) and (ch. 33) channels. Just a few days before, Gerard and Morgan were seen lounging at the Ink On Wood Show with Will and Jaden Smith. As for Matthew, he is currently filming his new comedy film The Beach Bum. While the actor films his new feature, his wife Camila and his three children are staying with him in Miami. The film also features stars such as; Isla Fisher and Snoop Dogg. The campaign has hired a number of celebrities to represent them over the last few years, including Helena Bonham Carter and Emma Thompson. And Fishlove has now enlisted the help of actresses Imelda Staunton and Rula Lenska to raise awareness of the dangers of over fishing - in its usually striking style. Imelda, 61, and 70-year-old Rula both stripped completely naked for the eye-catching shoot - concealing their modesty with nothing but dead fish, to highlight the importance of clean and healthy seas. Scroll down for video You've got to sea it to believe it! Fishlove has enlisted the help of Imelda Staunton to raise awareness of the dangers of over fishing - by having her pose nude with a blonde ray (above) Imelda first posed proudly for the camera, with a large blonde ray held in front of her naked torso. Ridding herself of all clothing and leaving her hair and face natural however, the beaming Pride star let the large fish in her hands take centre stage - in a bold statement in support of sustainable fishing. Meanwhile Rula took away the allure of her typically typically glamorous hair and make-up look by clasping a dead brill fish to her chest as she posed, with an expression of concern on her face. Striking: Meanwhile Rula Lenska, 70, took away the allure of her typically typically glamorous hair and make-up look by clasping a dead brill fish to her chest as she posed Other celebrities involved in the 2017 campaign included Jane Horrocks, who faced away from the camera with a ling in her arms, as well as Eve Best and Florence Keith-Roach, who also stripped naked to pose with a mackerel and eel respectively. A jewellery-clad Bobby George is also seen beaming widely with a dead wolf fish, in a particularly eerie image, while Allan Corduner looked up at the sky helplessly with the lifeless creature in his hands. Fishlove's newest series aims to save eels from extinction, and end overfishing in the EU. Bold: Other celebrities involved in the 2017 campaign included Jane Horrocks, who faced away from the camera with a ling in her arms Doing her bit: Meanwhile Eve Best posed with her arms across her cleavage as she held a mackerel up to her mouth Eerie: Florence Keith-Roach also stripped naked and draped an eel across her frame The charity has also set up a petition to help protect 30% of seas, which has achieved a huge 112,000 of its goal of 150,000 signatures so far. The release of the new photos has been timed for the meeting of Europeean Ministers, who will be setting fishing quotas on Monday and Tuesday. With provocative images of naked celebrities holding endangered species, Fishlove has become one of the most successful campaigns raising awareness of how destructive fishing practices are pushing the marine environment towards collapse. Eye-catching: A jewellery-clad Bobby George is also seen beaming widely with a dead wolf fish, in a particularly eerie image Help me: Meanwhile Allan Corduner looked up at the sky helplessly with the lifeless creature in his hands Helping out: Jessie Buckley also joined the fray at the shoot - which aims to save eels from extinction, and end overfishing in the EU Fishloves image of Helena Bonham-Carter with a yellowfin tuna is widely credited for having persuaded the UK Government to commit to creating the largest network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the world. Actress Gillian Anderson also posed naked with a conger eel draped round her neck, to highlight the damage caused to fish stocks and ecosystems by deep sea trawling. Dame Judi Dench, Julie Christie and Zoe Wanamaker are also among the stars to have appeared in the 2015 campaign, alongside Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville. Famous: A number of celebrities have posed for the campaign in the past - including Helena Bonham Carter (above), who famously cradled a 27kg tuna fish She recently won critical acclaim for her performance in history black comedy The Death of Stalin, which is set to pick up some major prizes at the British Independent Film Awards. And Olga Kurylenko proved she could win some major awards in the fashion stakes as well, as she rocked a unique chained and fringed gown to walk the blue carpet on Sunday. The 38-year-old actress rocked a standout ensemble, with the floor-length gown showing a slew of fringed, beaded and chained designs, as she led the stars at the awards ceremony in London's Billingsgate. Scroll down for video Stunning: Actress Olga Kurylenko, 38, showed off her unique sense of style on Sunday as she rocked a fringed gown for the British Independant Film Awards Glamour girl: Vicky McClure (left) and Natalie Dormer (right) oozed sophistication in contrasting red and white ensembles Olga kept all other accessories to a minimum to allow the dress to really make a statement, with her brunette locks tied into a loose updo. The star was lauded by critics as part of the ensemble cast of The Death of Stalin, which also starred Jason Isaacs and Andrea Riseborough. The film is currently on-track for success at Sunday's awards ceremony, which will be hosted by actor and Sherlock writer Mark Gatiss. Directed by Armando Iannucci, the film picked up three gongs in the early presented craft categories, and it is also up for five major prizes including Best British Independant Film. Eclectic: Olga kept all other accessories to a minimum as she arrived at the awards show in London's Billingsgate Tipped to win: Olga appeared at the awards show as part of the ensemble cast in The Death of Stalin, which is nominated for five major awards Star of the show: Olga also posed in the winners room during the ceremony, after presenting the Douglas Hickox (Best Debut Director) Award Flawless: As Olga showered praise on some of Britain's greatest new filmmakers, she continued to rock her stunning ensemble Honoured: Olga presented the award to Gloria Huwiler on behalf of Rungano Nyoni for I Am Not A Witch In the film, Olga plays Soviet pianist Maria Yudina, who famously refused a monetary gift from Stalin after a musical piece of hers was requested by the Communist dictator, and in a shocking twist on usual proceedings lived to tell the tale. Also spotted on the blue carpet was Line of Duty star Vicky McClure, who oozed glamour in classic red wrap WtR jumpsuit as she arrived on the blue carpet in the capital. The 34-year-old BAFTA-winning actress styled her brunette crop into a stylish quiff for the evening, rocking little to no jewelery with the statement piece. Small screen star: The BAFTA winner has had a hugely successful year, with acclaimed performances in Line of Duty and The Replacement Stand-out: Vicky's role in Line of Duty is so critically lauded, the series has already been renewed for two extra seasons, with an American remake also rumoured to be in the works Comedic chops: Vicky's next small screen role will be in a comedy short for Sky Arts about a charity shop in Bulwell, to be broadcast on December 21 Fancy seeing you here! Vicky - donned a WtR jumpsuit for the occasion - also posed for a snap with her long-time actor friend Johnny Harris Vicky has had a successful year with both The Replacement and the latest season of Line Of Duty being praised by viewers. So lauded by fans and critics alike, the latter has just been renewed for a further two seasons, and is reportedly being coveted by Hollywood execs for an American version too. Vicky's next small screen role will be in a comedy short for Sky Arts about a charity shop in Bulwell, to be broadcast on December 21. Natalie was an angelic figure in a white double-breasted coat-style dress as she confidently posed on the blue carpet. Sassy chic: Natalie oozed angelic glamour in white double-breasted coat, with her blonde locks styled into a half-up half-down quiff Looking good: Natalie teamed her look with quirky hoop embellished earrings, as she played the angelic figure on the blue carpet The Tudors star accessorised her look with matching pointed-toe heels, styling her blonde tresses into a quiff and curls. Rocking the look with quirky hoop-style earrings, Natalie made her appearance after wrapping up a stint in the West End as sizzling temptress Vanda Jordan in Venus in Fur. Before her series of performances, the Reading native anticipated the reception of the play, where she said: 'The British public will react well to the more risque elements in the play, joking that they are very 'kinky under the collar'. 'Oh, they love it!' she told The Guardian. 'We pretend were all buttoned-up and straitlaced, but you only need to look at the Victorians to know the British get very kinky under the collar.' Showstopping: Natalie recently finished a hugely successful stint in the West End as as sizzling temptress Vanda Jordan in Venus in Fur Concentration: Natalie looked focused as she read her envelope before taking to the stage Killjoys star Hannah John-Kamen flashed a hint of skin in a revealing mustard yellow gown as she gave her best pout on the blue carpet. The Yorkshire-born actress showed off her slender figure in the dress with lace detailing, with cut-outs showcasing her hips and back. Hannah finished her look with a statement red lip, as she joined Agent Carter star Hayley Atwell who stunned in a lilac sequinned gown. Yellow Queen: Killjoys star Hannah John-Kamen flashed a hint of her slender back in a mustard yellow lace gown Fierce: The small screen star commanded attentioned in the dynamic ensemble, with lace detailing and cut-out allowed her to flash the flesh Pout it out: Hannah kept her hair in a chic side-swept do, with a statement red lip making sure her pout really made a statement Amazing: Hannah will hit the big screen next year with a role in the big-budget comic book film Ant-Man and the Wasp The gorgeous Agent Carter star styled her brunette tresses into a pretty sidebraid as she rocked the show-stopping ensemble adorned with silver sequins, along with sparkling Messika jewelery. Hayley recently wowed viewers with her performance as confident Margaret Schlegel in the period drama Howard's End. Also at the awards bash was Being Human star Amy Manson, who was every inch the gothic vixen in a black fringed minidress, with her brunette tresses in sensationally stylish curls. Inner princess: Hayley Atwell put on a show-stopping display in a stunning lilac sequinned gown Gorgeous: Hayley styled her hair into a pretty sidebraid, with a statement red lip finishing off the look Vision of beauty: The Affair star Ruth Wilson donned a classic white silk dress as she walked the carpet, nominated for Best Actress for her role in Dark River Capelicious: Actress Lily Newmark made a real statement in an orange cape the same colour as her copper tresses Star-studded: Lily was joined on the carpet by actress Amy Manson (right), who was the gothic vixen in a black fringed minidress Amy rocked icy blue eyeshadow to add a pop of colour to her look, though her look still oozed gothic glamour. Andrea Riseborough, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Death of Stalin, chose a more unusual look in a loose-fitting layered pink embroidered dress. The Newcastle-born screen star's next role will again by one based on a true story, as she will appear in six-part series Waco, about the 51-day 1993 standoff between the ATF, FBI, and David Koresh's Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. Ice queen: Amy added a pop of colour to her look with icy blue eyeshadow with her brown hair in a mass of curls Screen starlet: Andrea Riseborough, who also stars in awards favourite The Death of Stalin, chose a pink embroidered double-layered dress Acclaimed: Andrea is nominated for the Best Supporting Actree award for her performance in the historical black comedy Suited and booted: Malachi Kirby rocked a classic tux for his appearance at the awards bash Lads! Retired boxer Barry McGuigan (left) joined Paul Wellar (middle) for a cocktail reception at the bash Stage star: Meera Syal took a break from her role as Ms Hannigan in the West End Production of Annie to pose on the blue carpet Blue vision: Lady Macbeth star Naomie Ackie looked mesmorising in a blue silk gown as confidently walked the red carpet Rising star: Naomi was lauded by the film industry for her performance in Lady Macbeth Blonde beauty: Liar star Joanne Froggatt was a beauty in a midnight blue sparkling gown as she arrived at the cocktail reception ahead of the awards bash On the rise: Audiences praised Joanne for her role in the ITV thriller, which has now been renewed for a second series Blonde beauty: Joanne flashed a sultry smile as she posed up in her glittering gown Lithe: Joanne looked stunning as she showed off her lithe frame in the strapless gown Happy; Joanne laughed out loud as she prepared to present the Best Actor award Hugs: Joanne went in to hug Josh O'Connor who won the Best Actor gong for his role in God's Own Country Glee: Josh looked delighted as he hugged Joanne and picked up the coveted award Icon: Acting legend Julie Walters chose a classic all-black look as she arrived at the reception Actress Kate Mara supported her husband Jamie Bell on the blue carpet, as he was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in the cinematic biopic Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool. Katie rocked a crochet-style gown with her brunette locks slicked into a tight bun, as she posed on her husband's arm. Screen legend Gary Oldman, who has won critical acclaim this year for her performance as political heavyweight Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, was joined by new wife Gisele Schmidt, and the pair even managed to sport matching thick-framed spectacles! Newlywed: Kate Mara arrived at the awards show to support husband Jamie Bell, looking stylish in a black crochet-style dress Loved-up: Dapper Jamie is nominated for Best Actor for Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool Fashion queen: Moldovan model Doina Ciobanu dressed to impressed in an ivory satin jumpsuit, along with silver sequinned bow-style shows Specs appeal! Gary Oldman was joined by his new wife Gisele Schmidt, and the pair appeared totally in sync as they sported matching spectacles Chic: Joely Richardson donned a stunning burgundy satin Roksanda gown with her blonde bobbed tresses in classic curls Flawless: The skirt of the dress sported chic different shaded panels and matching suede boots Meeting a legend: Vanessa Redgrave kept his smart and casual in a white suit and converse trainers as she posed with Joely Delight: The acclaimed actress looked over the moon as she accepted the glittering award Looking smart: Mr Robot star Rami Malek went for an all-black ensemble as he posed with a guest at the reception As the awards ceremony kicked into high gear, the stars seemed thrilled as they received their awards. Naomi Ackie could barely contain her delight at being crowned Most Promising Newcomer for her role in Lady Macbeth, posing with presenter Hayley Squires. Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams happily posed with the award for Best International Independant Film for the Jordan Peele-directed thriller Get Out. Delighted: Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams posed with the award for Best International Independant Film for their acclaimed thriller Get Out Rising star: Naomi Ackie posed with presenter Hayley Squires for her award as Most Promising Newcomer Thrilled: Carol Salter received the award for Best British Documentary, presented by Meera Syal Suited and booted: Christian Slater looked as dapper as ever in a grey checked three-piece suit as he presented the Best Supporting Actress Award Big win: Christian posed with Sally Potter, who accepted the Best Supporting Actress award on behalf of Patricia Clarkson Happy: Meera Syal and Andrea Riseborough looked the best of friends as they chatted Wow: Florence Pugh won Best Actress for Lady Macbeth which was presented by Jason Isaacs Glamour: Meera looked focused as she had her hair and make-up done at the awards Chic: Meera shot the camera a warm smile as she posed at the awards ceremony Glowing: Allison Williams showed off her piercing eyes and curled locks in this snap Immaculate: Vicky wowed in her stunning scarlet gown as she was made-up Ethereal beauty: Aisling Bea rocked a scarlet lip and a semi-sheer floral gown Beauty: Vicky McClure looked radiant as she sat in the make-up chair Glam: Chloe Pirrie and Edward Holcroft looked excited as they enjoyed the event Platinum: Andrea Riseborough flaunted her platinum tresses and studded dress Radiant: Meera showed off her ageless beauty as she had her make-up done Playful: Allison played with her hair as she pouted for the camera at the awards Talent: Allison gazed up into the sky in this moody and enchanting snap They were the two unlucky in love rejects on Channel Ten's Bachelor and Bachelorette series. But Jarrod Woodgate and Keira Maguire appear to have found 'love' during filming for the upcoming Bachelor In Paradise. During a recent romantic date, Keira, who was on the Bachelor vying for Richie Strahan's heart, was seen passionately kissing Jarrod, who was unceremoniously dumped on national TV by Sophie Monk two months ago. PICTURED: 'We're so in love!' The Bachelor in Paradise's Jarrod Woodgate and Keira Maguire enjoy steamy kiss as the relationship between the pair intensifies The couple-to-be were staying in Mango Bay, Fiji, alongside contestants Michael Turnbull, Leah Costa, Ali Oetjen, Jake Ellis, Megan Marx and Tara Pavlovic. Dressed in a blue linen shirt and pink floral board shorts, Jarrod was pictured walking Keira down an idyllic strip of sand before they enjoy a steamy kiss. Keira looked stunning for the date, wearing a pink floral dress with an orange frangipani tucked into her hair. Tropical beauty: Keira stunned in a casual pink floral dress with an orange frangipani tucked in her hair. Romantic stroll: Dressed in a blue linen shirt and pink floral board shorts, Jarrod was seen walking Keira down an idyllic strip of sand before they enjoyed a steamy kiss The idyllic island features gorgeous palm trees and wooden huts, the latter presumably being where all of the contestants will be sleeping. Later on in the date, the couple boarded a boat where they locked lips once again. In love? The new pictures appears to confirm the latest report in NW magazine, claiming that the pair are 'in love' Keira stripped down to a skimpy bikini while Jarrod removed his shirt to go topless for the occasion. The couple could not keep their hands off each other, constantly cuddling and touching one another. After the date, the couple moved onto a different hotel and were seen checking into the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa Fiji, suggesting the pair enjoyed an overnight stay together. The one: 'Since [filming began] it's been game on for them... Jarrod is completely smitten and thinks Keira is The One,' an insider dished They were seen unloading suitcases from a car before walking out of the lavish hotel together. The new pictures appear to confirm the latest report in NW magazine, claiming the pair are 'in love'. 'They couldn't keep their hands off each other - not even when the cameras were switched off,' an onlooker told the publication. Intense: 'It's obvious their chemistry has intensified as they spent more time with each other,' they added 'Things were pretty hot and heavy between Keira and Jarrod,' continued the source. 'It's obvious their chemistry has intensified as they spent more time with each other,' they added. The claims come after a New Idea reported that the pair have been inseparable while filming the series, and are 'head-over-heels in love.' 'Since [filming began] it's been game on for them... Jarrod is completely smitten and thinks Keira is The One,' an insider dished. Head over heels: The claims come after New Idea reported that the pair have been inseparable while filming the series, and are 'head-over-heels in love' 'He said they have an amazing connection and Keira seems just as into him.' The source continued: 'She's been a little more guarded about her feelings, but is constantly by his side and smiles at everything he says. It's looking to be one of the great Bachelor romances.' Take two! Later on in the date the couple boarded a boat where they locked lips once again It comes as 31-year-old Keira left a telling red love heart emoji on one of Jarrod's pictures following his very public dumping from the Bachelorette's leading lady Sophie Monk. In the year following her boot from the Bachelor, Keira has been gallivanting around Sydney - namely appearing on Family Feud's All Star edition - and even taking a break in Italy for a wedding. Sizzling: Keira stripped down to a skimpy bikini while Jarrod removed his shirt to go topless for the occasion Meanwhile, Jarrod didn't have much time to grumble over his tragic break up, hopping on a plane to Fiji just one month after saying goodbye to Sophie Monk. He has been posting throwback pictures to his Instagram page to ensure his 26,000 followers have something to look at while he's filming in Fiji. Overnight stay? After the date, the couple moved onto a different hotel and were seen checking into the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa Fiji, suggesting the pair enjoyed an overnight stay together Unpacking: They were seen unloading suitcases from a car before walking out of the lavish hotel together Love at last! Jarrod and Keira are said to have fallen in love He sold his four-bedroom Perth home to move to Melbourne in August. And Richie Strahan has confirmed he made the cross-country leap for former girlfriend Alex Nation, who is now engaged to Maegan Luxa. The 32-year-old broke his silence on the Bachelor couple's split, admitting to making 'a lot of sacrifices', to New Idea on Monday. Scroll down for video Sacrifice: Richie Strahan has confirmed he made the cross-country leap for former girlfriend Alex Nation, who is now engaged to Maegan Luxa The rope access technician said he became The Bachelor in 2016 with 'an open heart and mind' and had good intentions leaving Perth to be with Alex in Melbourne. 'I was making a lot of sacrifices, but that's what you do when you're trying to make a relationship work,' he divulged. 'I was travelling back and forward to Melbourne a lot, which was exhausting,' he added. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Alex Nation for further comment. 'I was making a lot of sacrifices, but that's what you do when you're trying to make a relationship work,' he divulged Richie owned a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house in Cloverdale, a suburb in close proximity to the city. 'Ive owned this property for a long time now and I bought it with the intention to eventually build a new home,' he told Domain at the time of listing. He touched on the demise of the former lovebirds' relationship, saying 'it didn't matter how much effort I put it into it'. Making moves: He sold his four-bedroom Perth home to move to Melbourne in August Buy and sell: Richie owned a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house in Cloverdale, a suburb in close proximity to the city 'Ive owned this property for a long time now and I bought it with the intention to eventually build a new home,' he told Domain at the time of listing Bachelor pad! The four-bedroom, three-bathroom home was listed in August this year 'We are so spoiled over here its crazy. Im hoping my new location isnt as cold as Im being told it will be,' Richie told Domain at the time of listing While the timeline of Richie and Alex's split and Alex and Maegan's relationship blossoming isn't clear, Alex is now engaged to Maegan after three months of dating. 'When it comes to love, my friends and family would tell you that my heart isn't one to discriminate,' she wrote in an Instagram post. 'I very much fall for a person and the connection that I share with them,' she added. New love: While the timeline of Richie and Alex's split and Alex and Maegan's relationship blossoming isn't clear, Alex is now engaged to Maegan after three months of dating The Turnbull government is weighing up options on how to deal with the children of terrorists operating overseas who may have a claim to Australian citizenship, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says. He said the children who have been taken to these war zones by their parents are either killed in the battle of war or have been indoctrinated. "We are talking about the possible threat emerging because of what somebody has learnt in the trade-craft of terrorism overseas. Bringing that back to Australia can result in the loss of many Australian lives," Mr Dutton told Sky News on Sunday. Child abuse victims and their advocates fear the $500 million royal commission's final report will be shelved and they may face a battle to get governments and institutions to act. While survivors are grateful their voices have finally been heard and cover-ups exposed, there are concerns over what happens after the five-year inquiry ends on Friday. There is a lot of hope but also much anxiety and a real lack of certainty, survivor and activist Dr Cathy Kezelman says. "The inquiry has provided a place where survivors felt that they had people who were looking after their interests," the Blue Knot Foundation president said. "When the commission goes, who is going to take that position? Who will be able to keep ensuring that there are real changes to institutions, that institutions change in culture and structure and children are safe? "We're just hoping that a whole lot of people who put their hearts and souls on the line are not going to be let down." Lawyer, researcher and advocate Judy Courtin said many victims were anxious, believing they would have to fight again to get the federal, state and territory governments to implement the inquiry recommendations and put them into law. Dr Courtin was concerned survivors faced another battle once the spotlight and leverage of the commission ended, but hoped governments would act swiftly on its final report. "I am sure that all governments, state and federal, will do the right thing and promptly implement the recommendations that are so necessary to finally try and bring some justice to victims and their families," she said. Survivor and campaigner Damian De Marco is pessimistic, fearing the report will be shelved or watered down. "The history of royal commissions is not necessarily that great. Some things get implemented but a lot of them get shelved," said Mr De Marco, who was abused at a Marist school in Canberra. The royal commission has already called for significant reforms across the criminal and civil justice systems, where there has been some progress in setting up a national redress scheme and making it easier for abuse victims to sue for damages. Many organisations have also implemented reforms, although commission chair Justice Peter McClellan warns there must be changes in the culture, structure and governance practices of institutions if the problems identified by the inquiry are to be adequately addressed. Truth Justice and Healing Council CEO Francis Sullivan concedes the Catholic Church still has a way to go in its compliance and oversight regimes around the safeguarding of children, after being involved in "a massive concealment exercise". "It is light years away from the days of disregard and concealment, but you would be naive to not accept that better and best practice can continue to be introduced into the church." Mr Sullivan also argues civil authorities across Australia are not rigorous enough around the protection of children generally, lacking consistent national standards. "We don't even have a consistent national law about reporting," he said. "Governments cannot be lax here and can't afford to be complacent because the media focus on the church and other places." The inquiry has uncovered allegations of tens of thousands of children being sexually abused over decades in more than 4000 Australian institutions. The true number of victims will never be known as many never disclose their abuse. "This has been a chapter in Australia's history which was not understood or recognised and one hopes we never see a chapter like it," victims' advocate and Broken Rites spokesman Wayne Chamley said. Senior Liberal minister Peter Dutton is urging his colleagues to get behind Malcolm Turnbull's prime ministership, insisting the coalition can defeat a Bill Shorten-led Labor at the next election. Mr Dutton, who is frequently mentioned as leadership material, says the government must step-up in 2018 and make sure it has the policies where the public has concerns. He says the government has finished the year well and now has the ability to implement policies in next year's budget that will see people, who may be "parked temporarily" with Cory Bernardi's Australian Conservatives or One Nation, return to the coalition. "I think we can win the next election with Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister and certainly that is what I am dedicating myself to do," he told Sky News on Sunday. "If you know Bill Shorten, then you know he is a shonk and a phoney. That's the reality he is ... at least as insincere as Kevin Rudd was." The festive season may be known for generosity but its in June that Australians donate most to charities, new research from the Commonwealth Bank shows. Which is not to say Aussies aren't digging deep throughout the year, with the data - based on the donation habits of more than two million CBA customers - suggesting they donate an average of $1.6 million every day. People typically give about $300 to charities annually, the bank's figures suggest, and spread their generosity across seven donations. A small group of people - about six per cent - donate more than $1000 each year. The months leading up to the end of the financial year were when Australians gave most in 2017, with $66 million donated in June and $54 million in May. December was the third most popular month for donating, with $50 million given. But CBA's General Manager of Corporate Responsibility Kylie Macfarlane says it was encouraging to find Aussies are giving to charities year-round and that people under 40 are "leading the charge", making more than half of charitable donations. "However, it's those over 40 who are generally able to give larger amounts and therefore make up two thirds of total donations," she said in a statement. When it comes to location, the research shows NSW is the most generous state, with residents funnelling $199 million into charities in the past year. Women were slightly more likely than men to donate in 2017, with 52 per cent of them doing so compared to 48 per cent of men. Men gave more on average, though, about $100 compared to $85 by women. CBA said it has commissioned the insights to mark the 100th anniversary of its employee giving program, through which its employees nationally will give a total $10 million to 1000 community organisations this summer. Bill Shorten has been criticised for talking up New Zealand as an option for Manus Island refugees when he hasn't had a security briefing on the matter. Mr Shorten dined with NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Auckland on Saturday where he was expected to discuss her offer of taking 150 refugees from Manus Island, which has already been rejected by Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Speaking to journalists beforehand, Mr Shorten said while it was up to the Australian government, it was something he thought was worth looking at closely. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton on Sunday wouldn't rule New Zealand out as a future option but says now is the wrong time. He says some refugees who were potentially destined to leave detention under the arrangement with the US are saying they would rather go to New Zealand. "We don't want to disrupt the arrangement we have got with the US," Mr Dutton told Sky News on Sunday. "We don't want people hopping on boats thinking they can get to New Zealand, stay there for a couple of years, become a citizen and then come to Australia." He said Australia's border force had already stopped four vessels coming across the Torres Strait that were on their way to New Zealand. "We have to be mindful that the risk has not gone away," he said. He said Mr Shorten was "clearly working on" a secret policy that would be announced after the next election if they win. "Australians don't want the people smugglers back in control over who comes to this country," he said. THE EARLY DAYS OF THE CHILD SEX ABUSE ROYAL COMMISSION THE ROYAL COMMISSION IS ANNOUNCED -- Then prime minister Julia Gillard said there had been a systemic failure to respond to "vile and evil" child sexual abuse and a national response was appropriate. "There have been revelations of child abusers being moved from place to place rather than the nature of their abuse and their crimes being dealt with," she said on November 12, 2012. "There have been too many revelations of adults who have averted their eyes from this evil." -- WHAT WAS THE LEAD-UP? Several inquiries investigated specific aspects of abuse, but none had looked at the problem across all institutions nationally. NSW NSW announced its own special commission of inquiry three days before the federal government said it was setting up a royal commission. It followed Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox's call for a royal commission into allegations of child sex abuse at the hands of Catholic Church clergy in the Hunter region and cover-ups by police and the church. It ultimately found no evidence to show senior police officers tried to block child abuse investigations. VICTORIA Victoria's own inquiry was already under way, with a parliamentary committee investigating the handling of child abuse by religious and other non-government organisations. It was announced in April 2012, a week after reports of at least 40 suicides among victims of sexual abuse at Catholic schools. It followed the February 2012 release of the independent Cummins report on the state's treatment of vulnerable children, that recommended a formal investigation into how religious groups respond to child abuse perpetrated within their ranks. -- ITS FIRST SITTING At its first sitting in Melbourne on April 3, 2013, chair Justice Peter McClellan said the commission would give a voice to child sexual abuse survivors. "The commissioners accept that part of the task given to us by the terms of reference is to bear witness, on behalf of the nation, to the abuse and consequential trauma inflicted upon many people who have suffered sexual abuse as children," he said. "We expect that our work will allow the community to move forward with a determination that any wrongdoing which has occurred in the past will not be repeated." Counsel assisting the commission Gail Furness SC said it did not have powers to prosecute people and its investigations aimed to understand the response of an institution to abuse allegations. "The royal commission is not a court and it is not a prosecutor," she said. -- ITS ORIGINAL DEADLINE WAS EXTENDED The commission was originally tasked with providing an interim report by the end of June 2014 and its final report in December 2015, with a $281.13 million total budget. From the opening sitting, Justice McClellan said the commission was unlikely to meet the final deadline given the scope of the inquiry. After the commission's interim report requested an extra $104 million and two years to finish its job, the federal government extended the final reporting deadline to December 15, 2017, and gave it another $126 million. The Australian Catholic Church must do more to atone for the widespread child sexual abuse within its ranks and its cover-up despite facing influential pockets of resistance, its key royal commission adviser argues. The need for reform and change in the church is far from over despite the end of the five-year inquiry that exposed "a massive concealment exercise", Truth Justice and Healing Council CEO Francis Sullivan says. "Church leaders can apologise until they're blue in the face but until they demonstrate by their actions that they sincerely want to atone for what's happened, no one will listen to them," Mr Sullivan told AAP. "It will be on their heads if they don't step up and demonstrate that they are going to take the church in a direction that resonates with what the community and the royal commission believes to be a sensible and prudent approach." Mr Sullivan expects some influential individuals and interests in the church will continue to be defensive about aspects of the child abuse royal commission's recommendations and governments' responses where they impact the operation of the church. "I think there are interests within the church, and some of those interests are near bishops, who are still defensive, who are still reactionary, who are trying to push back on the royal commission, almost as if they think it is some sort of infringement upon the religious freedom of the church." The church has already declared the seal of confession must remain intact despite the prospect of its priests facing criminal charges for failing to report child sexual abuse, if a royal commission recommendation becomes law. Mr Sullivan does not expect the church to change its position that the seal of confession is inviolable in the case of a priest maintaining confidentiality for a penitent. But he believes there has been confusion even among Australia's senior church leaders about the application of the seal when abuse is revealed by a child in the confessional. "I think these type of issues in the modern world need to be sensibly addressed and at the same time not undermining the integrity of the sacrament." Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge has said Australian bishops recognise cultural change - not just refining protocols and procedures - is needed and it cannot be business as usual after the royal commission. However, a number of priests warned the inquiry not to expect to change the theology and structure of the universal church despite those issues being examined as part of its investigation into widespread abuse over decades in Catholic institutions. The inquiry released world-first data revealing 1880 priests, religious brothers and sisters, and lay people have been identified as alleged perpetrators in abuse claims made to the Australian Catholic Church by 4445 victims. Mr Sullivan said the church has made significant changes including in the way it deals with abuse complaints and by establishing a new national professional standards body. Amid criticism from a number of abuse survivors and child protection advocates that some in the Catholic Church still do not "get it", Mr Sullivan said it had a way to go around safeguarding children and in fully taking on board and being sensitive to the victim experience. Hundreds of people may be charged with child abuse thanks to a royal commission that advocates say has already helped victims achieve some justice by uncovering the truth. The five-year inquiry has referred 2559 matters to the authorities, mostly the police. So far 204 prosecutions have been commenced. Hundreds more are currently under investigation and hundreds are awaiting investigation. However, the royal commission has cautioned that in many cases the matters may not result in prosecutions because the offender has died or there are other difficulties in commencing criminal proceedings. Lawyer, researcher and advocate Judy Courtin says the royal commission has helped victims achieve many of the necessary elements of justice, of which financial compensation is only one part. "They wanted their truth to be out there and to be acknowledged. Equally they wanted the truth to be told from the hierarchy in the church," Dr Courtin said. She said her research into sexual abuse in the Catholic Church showed accountability of the hierarchy was even more important than holding the offenders themselves to account. Child protection advocate Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston said every day of the five-year inquiry has helped heal victims. Ms Johnston said common criticisms that royal commissions cost a lot of money, take a lot of time and do not result in much have been proven wrong. "There has been no royal commission like this one," she said. "There is no amount of money that can be greater than the healing that the commission has delivered for thousands upon thousands of survivors who have never before been heard or believed." The inquiry has given victims greater acknowledgement, advocacy group In Good Faith Foundation CEO Helen Last said. "They have not experienced that so far from the institutional responses - to get a deep sense of acknowledgement, an experience of being valued, being vindicated and being held in a very strong process that will carry their issues forward, that they themselves could never achieve." An associate of the Rebels bikie gang who faces serious drug charges was found with almost 200g of cocaine while caring for a five-year-old child, police say. The 23-year-old was arrested at a McDonald's outlet in Rosehill, western Sydney, on Saturday. Officers searched his vehicle and say they found 193 grams of a white powder believed to be cocaine. He was taken to Parramatta police station and charged with a number of offences including drug supply and exposing a child to drugs. Police also searched a home in Glenwood where the man's 22-year-old partner was arrested. Officers say they found and expandable baton, about $25,000 cash, 18 grams of cocaine, three encrypted mobile phones, steroids and jewellery. The woman was charged with organising a drug premise, exposing a child to drugs and taking part in the supply of drugs. Both appeared in Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday where they were reportedly refused bail ahead of their next court appearances in coming weeks. Today's birthday, December 11: Australian model, fashion designer, publisher and television personality Maggie Tabberer (1936 - ). A leading female fashion model, designer and media personality who was in the public spotlight for more than 50 years, Maggie Tabberer was born Margaret May Trigar in Parkside, Adelaide in 1936. She started modelling at the age of 14 and enrolled in a modelling academy owned by Jill Robb. At 23 she was discovered by leading German-Australian photographer Helmut Newton, who mentored her and helped her launch a highly successful modelling career. She was named Model of the Year in 1960 and was in constant demand by fashion magazines in Australia and New Zealand. At the age of 25, Tabberer chose to end her modelling career to launch her own public relations company, Maggie Tabberer & Associates. She then crossed over to television in 1964 to appear on the panel talk show Beauty and the Beast with Stuart Wagstaff. The show made Tabberer a national star, so much so she was offered her own show, Maggie, which ran from 1968 to 1970. Her popularity on screen led to back-to-back Gold Logie wins in 1970 and 1971. After finishing up on television in the late 70s, Tabberer launched her own fashion brand Maggie T in 1981, for plus-size women. That same year she started her 15-year relationship as fashion editor and face of the Australian Women's Weekly. During her time working for the magazine she became the driving force behind the presentation, production and coordination of the Weekly's Australian Fashion Awards. In 1990, Tabberer returned to television to co-host ABC's The Home Show with then-partner Richard Zachariah. It ran for three years and was a pioneer of infotainment on television. Since 2005 the fashion icon has hosted her own show on the Bio Channel titled Maggie... At Home With. For her support of charitable organisations and the advancement of the Australian fashion industry, Tabberer was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1998. She has been married twice and has two daughters, Amanda and Brooke. The actions of Sydney police who pursued a man when he failed to pull over for a breath test before dying in a car crash are under investigation. The 35-year-old sped off from the roadside test site at Lapstone, in the city's west, about 10pm on Saturday and attempted to evade officers who gave chase. Police say the pursuit was terminated before he re-entered the Great Western Highway and, not long after, his car lost control and hit a tree so hard it split in two. Assistant Commissioner Mark Jones urged all drivers to obey the road rules and stop when signalled by police. "It's a very sad event, something of course police hate at any given time, particularly with this Christmas period," he told reporters on Sunday. "It's a very very sad state of affairs." A critical incident investigation will examine the actions of both police and the driver. The operators of Queensland's Wivenhoe Dam will continue their defence against a class action when a trial over the 2011 floods resumes in Sydney on Monday. Maurice Blackburn is representing more than 6000 individuals and businesses impacted by the deluge who claim the dam was operated negligently when huge volumes of water were released in January that year. Last week, lawyers for Seqwater rebuffed claims the flood engineers should have taken rainfall forecasts into account when making operational decisions, arguing the Bureau of Meteorology itself warns the reliability of predictions is not always sufficient to do so. Seqwater's barrister Brian O'Donnell QC said it would be an "extreme" method to pre-release water before rain had even fallen. The defendant has also mounted a "contributory negligence" argument, contending victims should have done more to protect their properties or known they had built or leased on land that flooded decades before. Seqwater claims the engineers rightfully believed they were not able to empty the dam below the so-called full supply level for flood mitigation purposes, however the plaintiffs say if more storage space had been made available the impact of downstream flooding would've been lessened. The trial, which is being run in the NSW Supreme Court because Queensland didn't have a class action regime when it was filed, continues on Monday. A search will resume for a teenage girl who went missing while swimming at an Adelaide beach. The girl was in the water with four other teens at Glenelg on Sunday evening when they got into trouble. Lifesavers pulled four teens from the water but were unable to find the girl despite an extensive search until dark. Police and lifesavers will continue the search at first light on Monday with assistance from the police helicopter. The rescued teens were treated by paramedics and taken to hospital for assessment. A couple accused of keeping a woman as a slave in suburban Melbourne for eight years is due to front court. During a five-day pre-trial committal hearing, due to start on Monday, the victim is expected to give evidence against the pair via video recording. Kumuthini and Kandasamy Kannan, of Mount Waverley, have each been charged with possessing a slave between July 2007 and July 2015, and one count of exercising ownership over a slave. They have denied the allegations. Prosecutors previously told the Melbourne Magistrates Court the complainant was allegedly scalded with hot water while she was kept as a slave. Crown prosecutor Krista Breckweg said the woman remained vulnerable and was physically unwell. The woman's video-recorded evidence is expected to run over three days. The prime minister and premiers must act now to ensure reforms recommended by the child sexual abuse royal commission are not shelved or lost in politics, a key Catholic Church adviser says. The church's Truth Justice and Healing Council CEO Francis Sullivan has called on Malcolm Turnbull and state and territory leaders to immediately set up a COAG committee to implement the recommendations in the inquiry's final report, which will be released on Friday. Mr Sullivan says once the report is in the public domain all participants including the Catholic Church need to implement the recommendations and it is up to Mr Turnbull to lead the way. "I think he has to show that this report is going to be taken 100 per cent seriously, it's not going to be put in a drawer, it's not going to be just one bit's accepted and another bit's not," Mr Sullivan told AAP. "I think the governments need to establish that COAG working party immediately on the day, then institutions and others need to step up themselves with their own implementation processes to interface with that. "We cannot afford for this to get to get lost over the summer, to get shouted down by the political narrative that's going on." Care Leavers Australasia Network chief executive Leonie Sheedy said all sides of politics must commit to support and implement all of the royal commission's recommendations. "We cannot let this royal commission sit on a shelf and gather dust," she said. "Both sides need to commit to protecting children and supporting those who have been abused in the past." The inquiry has already called for significant reforms across the criminal and civil justice systems, where there has been some progress in setting up a national redress scheme and making it easier for abuse victims to sue for damages. Mr Sullivan said civil authorities across Australia are not rigorous enough around the protection of children generally, lacking consistent national standards. "Governments cannot be lax here and can't afford to be complacent because the media focus on the church and other places," he said. Child protection advocate Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston said much has been done but the work does not end with the completion of the five-year inquiry. "All the states and territories should do the right thing by children and adopt these recommendations, which I hope they do. "I hope if they don't that people stop voting for the governments that don't do it, because the governments that don't implement these recommendations are governments that don't care enough about your children." Ms Johnston said child-safe practices need to be embedded into the workplace health and safety regime. "Every organisation, business, institution that interacts with children has a responsibility to be cognisant of the special threat posed to children in that environment." A woman has been charged after she allegedly drove her car at a group of people in South Brisbane. It's alleged the car sped up, mounted a kerb and drove at a group of people who were walking on a footpath on Sunday evening before speeding off. A man in the group was struck by the car and was treated at the scene for minor injuries to his ankle and shoulder. No one else was hurt. The car was located at an address in Wilsonton later the same night and a 35-year-old Coomera woman was charged with four counts of acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm. She is due to appear in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Monday. Australia is not on track to meet its target of ending new HIV infections by 2020 but federal Labor says it's got a plan to make the disease history. Opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King will announce on Monday a $53 million pledge under a Shorten government to step up funding to the nation's peak HIV organisations. It includes $10 million a year for organisations to target at-risk populations and $3 million a year to target "hidden populations", including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, whose rate of new infections is now above other Australians for the first time. Labor has also promised almost $4 million a year to allow states and territories to offer another 17,500 Australians Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a preventive HIV medication. "PrEP is only available to those who can afford the drug themselves or can access it through state and territory trials," Ms King said in a statement. "Labor will fund states and territories to expand those trials to reach the people who are missing out under Malcolm Turnbull. "We have the knowledge to make HIV history - now we need the resources." Despite evidence showing the drug is up to 98 per cent effective when taken consistently, it's not yet on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Ms King will address the media in Melbourne on Monday morning with peak HIV organisations. Embattled Labor senator Sam Dastyari reportedly tried to persuade deputy leader Tanya Plibersek not to meet an activist who had upset China. Fairfax Media on Monday reported three sources said Senator Dastyari tried to stop Ms Plibersek from meeting academic Joseph Cheng Yu-shek during a visit to Hong Kong in January 2015. A spokesman for Senator Dastyari has rejected the claims as "complete rubbish". Senator Dastyari was in China trip at the time on a trip paid for by an organisation controlled by Communist Party-aligned Labor and Coalition political donor and businessman Huang Xiangmo, Fairfax said. The government has asked the Senate's powerful privileges committee to investigate Senator Dastyari's conduct after it was revealed he tipped off Mr Huang that his phone was probably being tapped by Australian agencies. Labor leader Bill Shorten has sacked him from his parliamentary leadership positions Key national and international counter-terrorism experts will meet in Melbourne from Monday, as authorities warn Australia is entering peak terrorism season. "If you look at the number of disruptions over the past couple of years and when they have occurred, you will see that escalation towards the end of the year," Victoria Police's officer in charge of counter-terrorism, Assistant Commissioner Ross Guenther, has told The Australian. Victoria Police is hosting the three-day meeting, being held for the first time outside of the US, bringing together law enforcement agencies, emergency management, government and academia. The federal government has forked out almost $2.5 billion in consulting fees since coming to office, including $1.2 billion to Accenture, at the same time as cutting the public service. An Australian National Audit Office report shows KPMG received $620 million, while PwC earned $523 million, Deloitte ($365 million) and Boston Consulting Group ($78 million) in the five years since the coalition came to power, the Daily Telegraph reports. Human Services Minister Alan Tudge used to work for Boston Consulting Group, former head of the prime minister's Office for Women, Amanda McIntyre currently works for PwC, while former immigration department secretary and deputy secretary of the department of prime minister and cabinet, Andrew Metcalfe is employed by Ernst & Young which earned $422 million in fees. More than a dozen international aid groups are vowing to boycott proposed camps for Rohingya returnees to Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state, demanding their original villages be rebuilt. According to the latest official estimate, 646,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since late August, escaping what the United Nations has dubbed "a textbook case of ethnic cleansing" at the hands of Myanmar's military. The Myanmar and Bangladesh governments last week flagged they could begin repatriating people within two months. A joint statement by 15 aid groups including Save The Children, CARE, Oxfam and World Vision called for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to have a leading role in the process and stipulated returns must be voluntary. "There should be no form of closed camps or camp-like settlements," the statement said. "International non-government organisations will not operate in such camps if they are created." Following an outbreak of violence five years ago, more than 100,000 Rohingya in central Rakhine state have been stuck in limbo in squalid camps. Aid groups are hoping to prevent a repeat of that situation. The UN refugee arm says the flow of Rohingya people to Bangladesh is continuing. "It is critical that the returns are not rushed or premature," spokesperson Adrian Edwards said. The World Health Organisation warns diphtheria is spreading at the camps near Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh. More than 110 people have contracted the disease, with six deaths. Most of those affected are children. Immunisation targeting children up to the age of 6 have begun but older age groups are ineligible because of a shortage of vaccines. Meanwhile, the International Crisis Group warns the Rohingya crisis could be entering a dangerous new phase. In a report released late last week, the group warned Rohingya militants who have fled to Bangladesh camps could stage cross-border attacks. The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army targeted police and army posts in Rakhine state in August, which led to a massive Myanmar military crackdown. The group has not launched any new attacks since October but "undoubtedly will strive to do so". "It appears determined to regroup and remain relevant," the report said. Tonnes of asbestos-contaminated waste have been dumped in a suburban Sydney street with authorities involved in a delicate clean-up operation as police hunt for the culprit. Firefighters noticed several tonnes of the potentially deadly material when they and police were called to Chester Hill about 1am on Monday, following reports of the dumping. The Environment Protection Agency says it is investigating the incident, while anyone with information about the incident, or with dash-cam footage of a tip-truck in the area at the time is asked to alert authorities, police said. Watch the ceremony live! Watch the ceremony live! Tune in to the 2022 GPHG ceremony, which will be digitally hosted on WorldTempus today at 6:30PM (Swiss time) Tune in to the 2022 GPHG ceremony, which... The mother of a murdered Melbourne man and his critically injured brother says her heart feels like it has been ripped out of her chest. Paul Duncanson, 40, died after having his throat cut in Braybrook on Saturday night, while older brother Shaun, 44, was in a critical condition after being hit over the head with an iron bar. Mother Cheryl Pleydell told Seven News "my heart seems to be ripped out of my chest" as she hoped police catch the group of men responsible for the attacks. The search for the body of an 11-year-old boy, swept into the ocean on the NSW mid-north coast last week, has been scaled back as locals gathered together in support of his family. Police on Monday will continue patrolling the foreshore of Port Macquarie's Lighthouse Beach for the ACT boy who was caught in a rip on Wednesday afternoon. The boy's mother could only watch as her son, who was waist-deep in water, was sucked into the surf while his 17-year-old brother tried to rescue him. Hundreds of locals joined hands and stood for a minute's silence to pay their respects to the family, according to Port Macquarie News. "It is devastating that he is still out there somewhere, and it is so sad that our beautiful little town will now serve as such a horrible reminder for the family," Mandy Davidson told the newspaper. "I know so many of my fellow community members also have been pained over the past few days with thoughts of the boy and his family." Following a massive sea and air search effort for three days, police say it is now a body-recovery operation. Rescue aircraft will make a sweep of the coast when passing, a NSW Police spokeswoman said, while anyone boating or fishing in the area is urged to contact local police if they come across anything suspicious. The self-proclaimed underdog in the race for the leadership of Queensland's Liberal National Party claims he's had "a groundswell" of support since announcing his candidacy at the weekend. Little-known Oodgeroo MP Mark Robinson, who describes himself as a Christian Conservative, announced his leadership tilt on Saturday and will run against incumbent deputy leader Deb Frecklington and former leader John-Paul Langbroek. "There's been a groundswell of support. From an underdog status already there is great momentum towards my attempt to be the leader," Mr Robinson told ABC radio on Monday. Palestinians inspect the damage from an Israeli air strike on a a Hamas military facility in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on December 9, 2017 An Israeli air strike on a Gaza base of Hamas's military wing killed two Palestinian militants on Saturday, the territory's 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. 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. But the Israeli army said it held Hamas responsible for all "hostile activity" originating from the territory under its control. US Vice President Mike Pence looks on as President Donald Trump signs a proclamation recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital on December 6, 2017, a policy shift that has infuriated the Palestinians 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 on Saturday. "There will be no meeting with the vice president of America in Palestine," diplomatic adviser Majdi al-Khaldi told AFP. "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 this month 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. Jibril Rajoub, a senior member of Abbas's Fatah party, told AFP 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. The situation in North Korea is entering a 'hot phase' amid heightened tensions in the region, Russia's Foreign Minister has warned. Sergei Lavrov, speaking after a meeting between of ministers from India and China, said all three countries did not want tensions to escalate further on the Korean Peninsula. It comes as senior UN official Jeffrey Feltman, who paid a rare visit to Pyongyang, warned conflict with North Korea is the biggest threat to the world. Jeffrey Feltman said there was a grave risk that a miscalculation could trigger war with Kim Jong-un as he urged the secretive nation to keep communication channels open during the rare visit. Feltman's trip to the North - the first by such a high-ranking UN diplomat since 2010 -- kicked off less than a week after Pyongyang said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the US. 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 Jeffrey Feltman (left) kicked off his four-day trip to the North - the first by such a high-ranking UN diplomat since 2010 - less than a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the US The United Nations said Feltman met North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho and Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-Kuk and they 'agreed that the current situation was the most tense and dangerous peace and security issue in the world today'. Noting the 'urgent need to prevent miscalculations and open channels to reduce the risks of conflict,' Feltman said the international community was committed to finding a peaceful solution. Feltman, the UN's under secretary general for political affairs, also stressed the importance of full implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions. 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. North Korea's new missile: Pyongyang vs analysts Earlier, North Korea's state news agency KCNA 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'. But it added the North had agreed with the UN 'to regularize communications through visits at various levels'. The KCNA report did not mention any meetings with leader Kim Jong-Un, who has ramped up his impoverished nation's missile and nuclear program in recent years in order to achieve Pyongyang's stated goal of developing a warhead capable of hitting the US mainland. Feltman's visit also came after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise. 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'. The Chinese foreign ministry on Saturday published a speech from earlier in the week 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. It comes as it emerged that North Korean hackers are trying to take advantage of the surge in the value of bitcoins. 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 The value of the currency hit above $17,000 in the last week making it an attractive target for hackers from North Korea according to Ashley Shen, an independent security researcher who spoke to Sky News. 'We assume one of the reasons why Bitcoin is being attacked is because the price keeps increasing and we think it's reasonable for hackers [to target],' Shen said. 'Digital currency might be easier to gain than physical currency. So I think it's reasonable.' Fears of a catastrophic conflict with the nuclear-armed regime have spiked as Kim and Donald Trump have taunted each other in recent months, with the US President pejoratively dubbing his rival '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. Meanwhile, the US has threatened to take matters 'into our own hands' if China does not do more to counter North Korea. Americas Ambassador to the UN Nikky Haley told Fox News Sunday that China 'can do more' to clamp down on Pyongyang. She added: 'And we're putting as much pressure on them as we can. The last time they completely cut off the oil, North Korea came to the table. And so we've told China they've got to do more. If they don't do more, we're going to take it into our own hands and then we'll start to deal with secondary sanctions.' In a bizarre twist today, it was also reported that former US basketball star Dennis Rodman plans to visit North Korea again after arriving in Beijing. According to The Express, Mr Rodman, who has met Kim Jong-un in the past, did not reveal his reason for his visit to China, but said: 'There is a possibility of visiting North Korea soon after Beijing.' In a tweet yesterday he wrote: 'Great week of humanitarian work in Guam and Tokyo, Japan now just got to Beijing..Guess whats next? #Peace #Love #NotWar' The tweet included a picture of him wearing a shirt with the word 'unite' and images of Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. Demonstrators in Los Angeles on November 28 were among those protesting the FCC's plan to roll back rules on "net neutrality" US regulators are gearing up for a vote on a plan which -- depending on your viewpoint -- would "restore internet freedom" or, alternatively, result in "the death of the internet" as we know it. The Federal Communications Commission will consider a rollback of its 2015 order aimed at enforcing "net neutrality," or the notion of treating all data and content providers equally. FCC chairman Ajit Pai last month unveiled the plan, the latest twist in a dispute over more than a decade, with both sides claiming to promote a "free and open" internet. The plan, widely expected to be approved on a 3-2 party-line vote Thursday, would reverse the rules adopted two years earlier which ban broadband providers from blocking or throttling rivals, or using "fast" and "slow" lanes for different services. Pai, named chairman by President Donald Trump, said the 2015 rules "depress investment and innovation." Critics of the existing rules say they rely on 1930s-era rules for telephone companies, which could in theory lead to price regulation and other burdens. But net neutrality backers argue that the rollback will enable internet service providers (ISPs) to shut out rivals that compete with their services or those of partners. They point out that some ISPs in the past have tried to force users to their own search engines, or block online calling services such as Skype or Vonage, or require a premium for Apple's FaceTime video calling. The Pai proposal "will lead to a dramatic transformation of how the internet works," said Sarah Morris, who heads the New America Foundation's Open Policy Institute. "Internet service providers as gatekeepers have a lot of incentives to engage in shenanigans. The threats to our ability to navigate the internet and go to every corner of it are at risk" if the Pai plan is adopted, she told a conference on Tuesday. - Pillow in the face? - Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said his plan would roll back rules that discourage investment in internet infrastructure New York Times columnist Farhad Manjoo wrote that "the freewheeling internet has been dying a slow death" and that the FCC actions "would be the final pillow in its face." Senior executive vice president Bob Quinn of AT&T, one of the large broadband firms which has lobbied and sued to block earlier FCC regulatory efforts, said apocalyptic predictions are wrong. "AT&T intends to operate its network the same way AT&T operates its network today: in an open and transparent manner," Quinn said in a blog post last month. Michael Powell, head of the trade group for major broadband firms NCTA - The Internet & Television Association, said member companies have agreed to respect principles to "satisfy their customers' desire to visit any lawful website or run any lawful application." But some are not mollified by these assurances, arguing that broadband is largely controlled by a handful of firms -- including AT&T, Verizon and Comcast -- with little competition or consumer choice in many markets. "Why would they spend millions of dollars lobbying if they are going to treat everybody equally and not extract monopoly rents?" asked Ed Black, president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which represents major tech firms. "If they are allowed to build superfast lanes, they would cease to invest in the other lanes. It means everybody else is going to be left on the equivalent of dirt roads." The question of "paid prioritization," whether broadband firms can charge more for improved access, has been among the most hotly debated. Critics say broadband firms would be able to extort higher fees and limit access for new startups if the proposal is adopted. But University of California economist Michael Katz argues this is a basic business principal at work. "The logic of net neutrality would also argue for banning e-commerce sites from purchasing faster delivery from Fedex or UPS, or from offering free shipping," Katz said in a research paper. The net neutrality battle has been the subject of a series of court challenges over the past decade, and more litigation is likely unless Congress establishes clear guidelines. - Google, Netflix, Russian bots - FCC member Jessica Rosenworcel urged a delay in a vote on the plan to roll back regulations on broadband providers pending an investigation of manipulation of the online comments system Large tech firms like Google, Facebook and Netflix oppose the FCC draft rules, arguing that ISPs could effectively cut off or limit user access to some services. But with political and public sentiment shifting against Silicon Valley in recent months, Pai has turned the tables by blaming the large tech platforms for limiting consumer choice. "These providers routinely block or discriminate against content they don't like," Pai told a recent conference. Pai said his plan would "restore a light-touch" regulatory approach, while arguing that "some have tried to whip Americans into a frenzy by making outlandish claims." Still, the FCC actions have sparked protests around the country, and some 21 million comments in its online system. But the comment system was tainted by what appeared to be "bots," possibly from Russia, repeating similar messages. "The FCC is on course to eliminate net neutrality guided by a record corrupted by hundreds of thousands of filings with stolen identities (and) close to half a million comments from Russian e-mail addresses," said FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, who opposes the Pai plain. "No vote should take place until a responsible investigation is complete." An FCC spokesman said the vote "will proceed as scheduled on December 14." Facebook has developed a messaging app for kids under 12, the latest in a series of products and services for children From smartphone messaging tailored for tikes to computers for classrooms, technology titans are weaving their way into childhoods to form lifelong bonds, raising hackles of advocacy groups. The debut this month in the US of a version of Messenger mobile application for children younger than 12 marked the first time leading online social network Facebook has stepped into the sensitive market. California-based Facebook said Messenger Kids complies with regulations protecting children online, and offers more safeguards for youngsters. Facebook said the new app, with no ads or in-app purchases, is aimed at 6- to 12-year-olds and does not allow children to connect with anyone their parent does not approve. Messenger Kids is being rolled out for Apple iOS mobile devices in the United States on a test basis as a standalone video chat and messaging app. Product manager Loren Cheng said the social network leader is offering Messenger Kids because "there's a need for a messaging app that lets kids connect with people they love but also has the level of control parents want." Groups which monitor social media gave mixed reviews to the Facebook effort. "Ideally, young children should not really be subjected to this kind of environment," said executive director Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy, a consumer protection group. "(Messenger Kids) is the best we can do at the moment. The pressure on parents to let their children be on these services is so strong." Facebook, meanwhile, is motivated to increase the ranks of people using its offerings and get a new generation in the habit of using the social network. John Simpson of the activist group Consumer Watchdog argued a need for academic studies into how the use of technology affects children. "Tech companies are not doing this out of generosity and kindness of the heart, they're doing it so they will build potentially loyal customers in the future," Simpson said. Two US senators wrote Thursday to Facebook with concerns about how children's personal data might be collected or used in Messenger Kids. - Tech invasion of schools - Tech giants are increasingly developing products aimed at children, raising concerns about the impact on technology on youngsters With Messenger Kids, Facebook gets children to spend time on the internet and social networks, said David Monahan of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. He saw similar approaches from other tech giants, such as Google, which has spent years getting US schools to use its Chromebook devices for connecting to cloud-based content and services. A Google for Education website aimed Chromebooks directly at classrooms, touting the devices as low-priced and easy to use. Chromebooks have become the most prevalent computing hardware in US schools, despite Apple starting years earlier in aiming its Macintosh machines at education. Selling computers to schools at attractive prices, aimed at high-volume deals and becoming part of people' lives at early ages, is not new. Apple, Microsoft, and HP have a history of it. But, Google has triumphed on this ground to the extent that the New York Times referred to the accomplishment in coverage as the "Googlification of Classrooms." Since Chromebooks act as portals to computing power and applications hosted online, Google gets the benefit of having students use its software for classwork, messaging and other services powered by the internet cloud. Google charges a one-time $30 licensing fee per Chromebook, and claims that more than 20 million students use its devices in schools around the world. This has the potential of getting children, from a very young age, of "thinking about Google as a partner of the school" and, since it has the stamp of approval from educators believing it "must be a good product," Monahan said. Advocacy groups are also keen for assurance that companies behind technology, even if only internet-linked toys, will vigilantly guard children and their information. Mattel recently backed off marketing a connected speaker for children due to worries about invading privacy and exposing youngsters to hackers and advertisers. Earlier this year, a coalition of activist and consumer groups warned that smartwatches designed to help parents keep tabs on children could create privacy and security risks. A key US regulator gave the green light for trading in bitcoin futures on two major exchanges, but warned "of the potentially high level of volatility and risk in trading these contracts" Bitcoin will make its debut on a major exchange Sunday, a landmark for the cryptocurrency that has generated enthusiasm among some investors and more than a little anxiety from others. The Cboe Futures Exchange in Chicago will open trading in bitcoin futures at 2300 GMT on Sunday, a move that is expected to be followed a week later by a rival listing on Chicago Mercantile Exchange. "Bitcoin bonanza takes hold of world markets," proclaimed the front page of the Times of London on Friday, reporting on the latest record price of the digital currency. Among those cheering the launch are the Winklevoss twins, who have been called the first bitcoin billionaires. Critics include financial commentator Jim Cramer, who warns that prices could tumble once the new trading venues open the door to "short sellers," who bet on downward moves in assets. The two launches were made possible after a key US regulator, the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission, gave the green light to the exchanges on December 1, while warning "of the potentially high level of volatility and risk in trading these contracts." Anticipation of the first mainstream listings for the digital currency has been a catalyst for a sharp price increase in recent weeks. Bitcoin opened 2017 at around $1,000, surged past $10,000 for the first time last month and soared as high as $16,777 on Thursday before retreating somewhat. The actual opening of the Cboe market, an electronic trading venue, is expected to be a low-key affair, lacking the pomp of an initial public offering, which is often marked by the new entrant ringing the bell of the New York Stock Exchange. "There won't be any ceremony, no champagne," said a person close to the Cboe process. "It's going to happen quietly, a switch flipping," the person added. "There are not going to be many people in the office." - Going mainstream - Plenty of key figures in and around markets are taking a cautious approach to bitcoin, which has no central bank backing it, and no legal exchange rate The embrace by mainstream exchanges of bitcoin futures -- a type of derivative contract that allows trading based on bitcoin's movement, without taking ownership of the currency itself -- marks a sea change from the days when the digital currency was associated with drug dealing and other illicit activities. Still, plenty of key figures in and around markets are taking a cautious approach to bitcoin, which has no central bank backing it, and no legal exchange rate. The Futures Industry Association, which includes some of the world's biggest derivatives brokerages, criticized the CFTC's move in a letter to the regulator, saying contracts are being rushed through without properly weighing the risks. "A more thorough and considered process would have allowed for a robust public discussion among clearing member firms, exchanges and clearing houses," the association said. Several leading financial heavyweights are still studying bitcoin and not serving as financial intermediaries. This group includes JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Barclays, Morgan Stanley and Societe Generale, said people close to the matter. Of the larger banks, only Goldman Sachs and ABN Amro are serving as intermediaries for the trades. That means most of the terrain will be dominated by smaller entities that are typically requiring larger than usual margin requirements -- funds set aside as collateral in case of losses. Wedbush Securities has lifted its margin requirements and is only permitting trades from clients on a "selected" basis, said Bob Fitzsimmons, a managing director for the firm. "We are commissioning only the select clients who have experience in bitcoins," he said. "Our risk systems are ready and we have made sure we have our customers and firm protected by increased margins and increased scrutiny." African nations have distanced themselves from North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's regime in the wake of international sanctions Old alliances between North Korea and several African nations forged at the height of the Cold War will not be swept away easily. While threats from the United States and UN sanctions have forced many governments on the continent to keep their distance from Pyongyang, the links are not yet confined to the past. For watchers of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's regime, the country's presence on the African continent is unmissable and the hermit nation continues to benefit from discrete but vital relations. Statues and Stalinist-style palaces of questionable aesthetic value made by North Korean artists have sprung up in many cities including Dakar, Windhoek, Maputo, Harare and Kinshasa. But cooperation between the regime and African governments goes much further than construction projects. Experts estimate that economic ties between Africa and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are worth around $200 million (85 million euros) annually. Minerals and fishing top the league table of exports, closely followed by North Korea's most controversial output -- arms. Despite sanctions levied by the UN in 2006 in response to its nuclear weapons programme, North Korea's military cooperation with its allies on the continent is strong. - Military hardware - "A number of countries appear to maintain close relationships with the DPRK," said Graham Neville, an analyst at the London-based international affairs think-tank Chatham House. "More than half of the countries in Africa -- around 30 -- engage in some form of trade with the DPRK." Arms sales, which are strictly prohibited by the terms of the sanctions, have drawn the ire of the international community. UN experts have accused 11 African countries of seeking closer military ties with Kim Jong-Un's regime in a report published in September. UN experts have accused 11 African countries of seeking closer military ties with Kim Jong-Un's regime According to the document, North Korea has agreed to supply light weapons to Eritrea and Democratic Republic of Congo, surface-to-air missiles to Mozambique, modern missiles or radar systems to Tanzania and to train security forces in Angola and Uganda. The authors probed two North Korean companies active in Namibia -- Mansudae Overseas Project and Komid -- which constructed the new headquarters of Windhoek's spy agency, as well as a munitions factory. Pyongang's largesse should come as no surprise. Since Africa's wars of liberation, North Korea has sought to befriend Marxist regimes on the continent. "During the Cold War, North Korea gained a reputation for providing useful training for African militaries," said Samuel Ramani, an Oxford University specialist on the world's most reclusive nation. In the most notorious case, Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe called in North Korea to train the infamous Fifth Brigade, which is accused of killing around 20,000 minority Ndebeles in the 1980s. Kim Jong-Un's provocative run of missile tests and nuclear experiments have finally persuaded some of Pyongyang's African backers to step back. Sudan has cut ties with the DPRK, while Uganda expelled North Korean military advisers and pledged to enforce the latest round of sanctions. Tanzanian foreign minister Augustine Mahiga said recently that the country "had scaled down diplomatic relations to the minimum." - 'Lack of a colonial past' - China's reticence to definitively turn its back on North Korea appears to have sent conflicting signals to Africa's governments Namibia has also vowed to scrap all of the contracts it signed with companies tied to Pyongyang. "Even their nationals are sent back home. It's over," minister for the presidency Frans Kapofi told AFP. And as many as 150 North Korean guest workers were recently asked to leave Angola, with officials insisting their contracts had expired. "It doesn't mean we sever our ties with North Korea. It's an ally that has historically been with our country," said foreign minister Manuel Augusto. A spokeswoman for Mozambique's government vowed to "work with the committee of (UN) experts set up to better understand any issues". But in their recent report, the UN's experts found that it had "not yet provided a substantive response to this panel inquiry". Mozambique is not alone, despite the mounting pressure from the United States, the European Union, Japan and South Korea. China's reticence to definitively turn its back on its long-time ally appears to have sent conflicting signals to Africa's governments. "China's unwillingness to implement UN sanctions provides a measure of protection for African countries," said Ramani, the Oxford academic. North Korea is clearly a long way from losing all its major African allies. "The DPRK's lack of a colonial past and their willingness to stand up to 'Western oppressors' is undoubtedly admired by some African governments," said Neville, the Chatham House analyst. "Doing business with the DPRK could be attractive to some African countries because economic engagement is not conditional on governance and accountability reforms. "This is especially true in terms of armaments and military equipment," he added. pa-burs-gw/bgs/ecl/jta Arab League ministers have called on Washington to rescind its Jerusalem shift Arab foreign ministers on Saturday called on the United States to rescind its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and for the international community to recognise a Palestinian state. In a resolution after an emergency meeting in Cairo, Arab League member ministers said that the United States had "withdrawn itself as a sponsor and broker" of the Israel Palestinian peace process with its controversial move. The ministers met at the league's headquarters in Cairo to formulate a response to the US decision, which has been roundly criticised in the Arab world and internationally. The move by US President Donald Trump is "denounced and condemned," Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit told the ministers at the beginning of the meeting. The ministers agreed on "demanding that the United States rescind its decision on Jerusalem...and the calling on the international community to recognise the state of Palestine...with east Jerusalem as its capital." They also said they would head to the United Nations Security Council for a resolution condemning the US decision as a violation of international law. The decision has sparked protests and clashes in Palestinian territories since Trump announced the decision on Wednesday which drew criticism from every other member of the UN Security Council at an emergency meeting on Friday. Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas has cancelled a scheduled meeting the US Vice President Mike Pence in Ramallah later this month. In Egypt, which Pence will also visit, the country's top Muslim and Christian clerics have both cancelled scheduled meetings with Pence in protest at the decision. 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 militant 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. Israel seized Arab east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community. The Palestinians want the eastern sector as the capital of their future state. The international community does not recognise the ancient city as Israel's capital, insisting the issue can only be resolved in negotiations. Czech President Milos Zeman had previously said on a 2013 visit to Israel of how he also favours moving the Czech embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem Czech President Milos Zeman on Saturday accused EU states of being "cowards" in their response to his US counterpart Donald Trump recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "The European Union, cowards, are doing all they can so a pro-Palestinian terrorist movement can have supremacy over a pro-Israeli movement," said Zeman, presenting himself as a defender of Israel. The 73-year-old Zeman, targeting a second term from January and who had Friday said he was happy at Trump's controversial move, made Saturday's comment before delegates attending the congress of the far right Freedom and Direct Democracy party, which opposes immigration and the EU. Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Wednesday in a move that outraged Palestinian leaders, but which was hailed as historic by Israel. Zeman said he had himself spoken in favour of Prague moving the Czech embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv on a visit four years ago -- a proposal which met with a reserved political response in his homeland. Following Trump's announcement the Czech foreign ministry said it saw Jerusalem as the future capital both of Israel and a future Palestinian state and that Prague could only consider moving its embassy after consulting regional partners. The EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini warned on Thursday that Trump's move had a "very worrying potential impact" and could take the region "backwards to even darker times than the ones we're already living in". Mogherini added that "the aspirations of both parties must be fulfilled and a way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states." Labourers work at the construction site of the new Egyptian administrative capital, some 40 kms (25 miles) east of Cairo In Egypt's eastern desert, roads are being carved across vast expanses of sand where the government is building a new administrative capital, a long-cherished project that has failed in the past. The city will be complete with luxury hotels, upscale residential districts, a modern airport and a 345-metre (1,140-foot) tower, touted as Africa's tallest. The work is being carried out about 45 kilometres (28 miles) east of Cairo, between roads connecting the metropolis to the canal city of Suez and the Red Sea resort town of Ain Sokhna. Workers are building a district to house a new presidential palace, parliament, 32 ministries and foreign embassies. "I work more than 12 hours a day on this useless construction site," complained one labourer, a scarf wrapped around his head to protect him from the sun. "You want to be on TV? No? Then get back to work," yelled his supervisor. The project, seen as expensive and not a priority for Egyptians, has been hard to sell, especially given past failures. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in 2015 announced the project to build a new capital, expected to cost some $45 billion and to be completed by 2022, according to the authorities. The cost has angered many in a country with a crisis-hit economy. The first phase of construction was officially launched in October, with the new capital aiming to expand to 170 square kilometres (65 square miles) and house over six million people. For the authorities, the project is a necessity due to Cairo's gradual decay and congestion. With its 18 million inhabitants and constant traffic gridlock, Greater Cairo is expected to see its population bulge to 40 million by 2050, according to official figures. - Hesitation among investors - "We have a dream," said Khaled el-Husseiny, contracted by the authorities to present the project to journalists. He said Egypt aspires to have a capital in the gleeming image of Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates. The ministry of defence and the ministry of housing manage the project, including its funding, Husseiny told AFP. To carry it out, the government is currently focusing on key Egyptian private companies. Orascom Construction, owned by the billionaire Sawiris family, is responsible for many of the sites. Real estate tycoon Hisham Talaat Moustafa, who Sisi pardoned in June after he was jailed for the murder of a Lebanese pop diva in Dubai almost a decade ago, is also involved. Moustafa, who was an associate of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, has bought two square kilometres for himself in the new capital. But amid hesitation from foreign investors, only a few Gulf companies and a Chinese partner have expressed interest in the project. "We are very optimistic about the participation of Chinese companies in the new capital," said Han Bing of the commercial affairs section at China's embassy. The China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) in October signed a $3-billion contract to build a large business centre. "We need the Egyptian partner to promote this area to attract Egyptian and international investment," Han said, stressing the need for political stability and a secure environment for foreign investors. - Abundance of new cities - Labourers work at the construction site of a new Egyptian administrative capital, east of Cairo, designed to house over six million people Among some 30 new cities launched in Egypt since the 1960s, with white and grey walls and brick roofs, inspired by suburbs in the United States and the Gulf, a city called New Cairo stands between Cairo and the new capital's location. It was supposed to house four million people, but only 1.5 million Cairenes live in the district, which also houses banks and businesses. "We can compare the new capital to New Cairo," said Ahmed Zaazaa, an urban architect and planner at 10 Tooba, where a group of researchers promote an alternative urban policy. With its malls that are unreachable without a private car and its lifeless streets, "it is not a success that one could take as a model", said Zaazaa. Far from meeting the real needs of Cairo residents, the new capital, according to Zaazaa, can largely be seen as political propaganda. "Since Nasser, under each government there has been the idea of a new city which is supposed to represent hope, future and modernity," he said. But according to the authorities, the latest project is different. "It will be a smart city using modern technologies for all services on site," said General Ahmed Zaki Abdin, head of the Administrative Capital for Urban Development which is managing the project. Singapore has an ethnically diverse population whose ancestors mostly came from across Asia, principally China, India and the Malay archipelago Kevin Martens Wong reels off sentences in Kristang, which is among several minority languages in Singapore enjoying a new lease of life after a decades-long drive to encourage the use of English and Mandarin. "Teng bong, ozi nus prendeh sorti-sorti di tempu," the linguist told his eager students in the 500-year-old mish-mash of Portuguese and Malay -- a greeting, and information that the class would be about the weather. A former British colonial trading post that has long been a melting pot of different cultures, Singapore has an ethnically diverse population whose ancestors mostly came from across Asia, principally China, India and the Malay archipelago. On independence in 1965, Singaporeans spoke an array of tongues. English was common, but many used Chinese dialects, such as Hokkien, as well as Tamil from India, Malay and a smattering of more obscure languages. But authoritarian founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew believed change was necessary to ensure a secure future for the tiny city-state, which had been thrown out of neighbouring Malaysia following a brief and stormy union. He made the study of English compulsory in schools as he positioned the country as a global commerce and finance hub, as well as one other "mother tongue". For local ethnic Chinese, who today make up the majority of Singapore's population, it was usually Mandarin, as Lee had an eye on China's rise as a world power, while it was Tamil or Malay for other citizens. - Controversial policy - The policy initially ran into opposition from ethnic Chinese, most of whom trace their ancestry to southern China. Lee, who ruled Singapore for over three decades and died in 2015, described in his memoirs how he had to force the issue. "To emphasise the importance of Mandarin, I stopped making speeches in Hokkien," wrote Lee, who was ethnic Chinese, while most TV and radio broadcasts in Chinese dialects were also stopped. The students learning Kristang -- spoken in parts of the Malaysian city of Malacca as well as Singapore -- attend Kevin Martens Wong's classes three times a week Those restrictions still stand except in special cases, such as radio news broadcasts in Chinese dialects for senior citizens who struggle with Mandarin. Non-Chinese tongues, such as Kristang -- spoken by descendants of Portuguese colonisers who arrived in what is now Malaysia in the 16th century and married locals -- also faded. One thing that unexpectedly flourished was "Singlish", a local patois that mixes English with words from the myriad tongues spoken in Singapore. It is still widely used, despite official efforts to discourage it. In recent years however Singaporeans have started to take more of an interest in their ancestors' languages. As well as Kristang, efforts have been made by organisations promoting Chinese culture to keep Hokkien alive. It is the Chinese dialect that is most common in Singapore but it has become less widespread, particularly among the young. Other minority languages enjoying renewed attention include Baba Malay, spoken by descendants of Chinese immigrants who married into the local Malay population, which mixes elements of Malay and a Chinese dialect, and Boyanese, a language from a corner of Indonesia. - Reconnect with the past - Observers see a relaxation in attitudes towards the old languages in the city-state of 5.6 million, which has grown into one of the world's wealthiest and most stable societies. Most Singaporeans have already achieved an enviable level of English by international standards, lessening fears that focusing on other tongues will affect their English-speaking ability. There has also been growing concern about losing touch with the past. Young Singaporeans' desire to revitalise the languages is a "form of root-tracing" while for the older generation it's due to a sense of nostalgia, associate professor Tan Ying Ying, head of linguistics at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, told AFP. "Linguists working in Australia, New Zealand, and the US, have dedicated frameworks and systems to revitalise minority languages that are in danger of being extinct," he said. "In Singapore, while there is such no formal system in place, the sense that these languages need to be 'saved' is felt by the communities of speakers themselves." The students learning Kristang -- spoken in parts of the Malaysian city of Malacca as well as Singapore -- attend classes led by Wong, 25, thrice weekly, and range from young professionals to senior citizens. One of the first to enrol in the class was Wong's grandmother, 81-year-old Maureen Martens, who lost touch with Kristang when she moved to Singapore from Malaysia in 1952. "This is supposed to be my language, my heritage," she told AFP, her eyes welling up. "I wish more people will learn it, especially people from my line like my grandchildren." IS has carried out multiple devastating attacks in the capital Kabul, including a deadly suicide bombing at the city's Imam Zaman Shiite mosque in October French and Algerian fighters, some arriving from Syria, have joined the ranks of the Islamic State group in northern Afghanistan where the militants have established new bases, multiple international and Afghan sources have told AFP. It is the first time that the presence of French IS fighters has been recorded in Afghanistan, and comes as analysts suggested foreigners may be heading for the war-torn country after being driven from Syria and Iraq. It is also a troubling sign as France, which has faced the worst of the IS-inspired violence in Europe since 2015, debates how to handle hundreds of its citizens who went to fight for the group in the Middle East. "A number" of Algerian and French nationals entered the largely IS-controlled district of Darzab in northern Jowzjan province in November, said district governor Baaz Mohammad Dawar. At least two women were among the arrivals, who were travelling with a translator from Tajikistan as well as Chechens and Uzbeks, Dawar added. European and Afghan security sources in Kabul confirmed Dawar's claim that French citizens were among the fighters -- though, one cautioned, "we do not know how many there are". - 'The Engineers' - Three of the Algerians seen in Darzab are believed to have been in Syria and Iraq, Dawar said, suggesting they may link Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-K), the group's franchise in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the main group in the Middle East. When it first emerged in 2015, IS-K overran large parts of eastern Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, though initially its part in the Afghan conflict was overshadowed by the Taliban. The jihadists have since spread north, including in Jowzjan on the border with Uzbekistan, and carried out multiple devastating attacks in the capital Kabul. Afghanistan insurgency map Mohammad Raza Ghafoori, the Jowzjan provincial governor's spokesman, said French-speaking Caucasian men and women had been seen training IS fighters in Darzab. He cited reports saying that around 50 children, some as young as 10, have also been recruited by the fighters. Darzab residents told AFP that roughly 200 foreigners had set up camp just a few hundred metres (yards) from the village of Bibi Mariam. One local man who gave his name as Hajji said the fighters were of several nationalities, including French, and were tall, aged in their late 20s, and dressed in military clothing. "They ride their (motor) bikes, go to the border and come back, but they talk to nobody," he said. Hashar, a former district village chief, said some were training others to use suicide bombs and lay mines. "They are... bringing misery to normal people," he told AFP, as other villagers said many residents had fled the area. Locals along with district governor Dawar warned the fighters were also exploiting natural resources, such as precious stones and metals. One of the security sources said that two of the French had been nicknamed "The Engineers" and appeared to be organising some sort of extraction, "but we do not know what they are looking for". Several European services believe the fighters are arriving through Tajikistan, the source said, adding that at least one Frenchman arrested there in July said he had wanted to join IS in Afghanistan. - Land of jihad - Afghanistan has long attracted foreign fighters, from the mujahedeen during the 1980s war against Soviet invaders to Al-Qaeda's later use of the country as a haven. The Pentagon has said IS numbers fewer than 1,000 in Afghanistan. But the growing presence of foreign fighters among them indicates that IS "seeks to create an external operations node for new waves of global attacks," warned analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War recently. Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, an expert on jihadist groups, said he did not think the presence of foreign fighters in Afghanistan meant that IS was necessarily "shifting its base". The group's "natural home is Iraq and Syria, but I presume many of the foreigners in particular are taking the opportunity either to escape entirely or moving to other battlefields for IS where they might prove more useful," he told AFP. The head of US forces in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, has vowed the group will be "annihilated", and Washington notoriously dropped the so-called "Mother Of All Bombs" on an IS stronghold in Nangarhar in April. But as the number of fighters grows in Darzab, the villager Hajji told AFP there were no signs of pro-government forces in the district. "(The) government is God damned," he said. "There is no government here." Pyongyang has carried out as a series of missile launches in defiance of multiple sets of UN sanctions Japan will hold a drill with the United States and South Korea this week to practise jointly detecting airborne missiles, officials said Sunday amid rising security threats from North Korea. The announcement of the joint exercise, a sixth such drill since 2016, comes less than two weeks after Pyongyang test-fired a ballistic missile which dropped into the sea inside Japan's exclusive economic zone in late November. The drill will be held in waters near Japan on Monday and Tuesday, Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said as he visited a garrison in northern Japan. It is aimed at "practising tracking an object and sharing information on it among the three countries," said a defence official who declined to be named. "It will translate into a measure against ballistic missiles," the official said. Tensions over the North's weapons programmes have soared this year, with Pyongyang carrying out its sixth nuclear test as well as a series of missile launches in defiance of multiple sets of UN sanctions. The US State Department's special representative for North Korea policy will travel to Japan and Thailand this week for talks on efforts to build pressure against Pyongyang after its latest ballistic missile test. "The United States looks forward to continuing its partnership with both these nations so that the DPRK will return to credible talks on denuclearisation," the department said in a statement. A senior UN envoy warned Saturday there was a grave risk that a miscalculation could trigger conflict with North Korea as he urged Pyongyang to keep communication channels open after a rare visit to the seclusive state. Jeffrey Feltman's trip to the North -- the first by such a high-ranking UN diplomat since 2010 -- also came after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise. North Korea 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". Iraqi forces and members of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation units) advance towards the city of Al-Qaim, near Syria during the fight against remnant pockets of Islamic State group jihadists on November 3, 2017 Iraq may have announced a final victory over the Islamic State group in the country, but Baghdad's triumph remains fragile and the root causes for the jihadists' rise have not been tackled. It has taken a long and devastating campaign to wipe IS from the map after the jihadists threatened Iraq's very existence by seizing roughly one third of its territory in 2014. Troops backed up by the air power of a US-led coalition have waged some of the fiercest urban warfare seen anywhere in decades to oust the jihadists from a string of cities and towns across the country. But while Baghdad may be basking in its battlefield success for now, relying on military might will not be enough in the longer term. "Everything remains to be done to dry out the earth on which IS flourished," said Karim Bitar, a regional expert at the Paris-based Institute for International and Strategic Affairs. "The jihadists have been deprived of oxygen and defeated militarily but the womb from which they emerged remains fertile." Now the fighting is finished, the list of demands facing Iraq's authorities is daunting -- and includes many key challenges that Baghdad has failed to address for years. "It involves first of all consolidating the power of the central authorities while pursuing inclusive policies that do not marginalise any community," Bitar said. "Then it is necessary to tackle reconstruction, economic and social problems, stem corruption and ensure the equitable distribution of oil incomes." All of this comes with Iraq on its knees after the brutal years of IS rule in the territory it controlled and the harrowing battle to defeat the jihadists. A donor meeting for the country is set to be held in Kuwait in February and estimates put the reconstruction bill facing Iraq at some $100 billion (85 billion euros). - Sunni grievance - Iraq expert Mohammad Ould Mohamedou, a professor at Geneva's Graduate Institute, cautioned that even the victory on the battlefield might not be as definitive as its seems. A picture released by the Iraqi prime minister's office on December 9, 2017 shows Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi delivering a speech announcing the end of a three-year war to drive the Islamic State group out of the country The Sunni Muslim jihadists have melted into the desert and maintained their capacity to launch brutal attacks across the country -- reverting to their roots as insurgent fighters. "The question of IS is not going to disappear. The military aspect is far from over, and in this type of conflict, hostilities remain for a long time at a level that requires a substantial commitment," Ould Mohamedou said. Key to preventing a resurgence by the jihadists will be dealing with the profound sectarian grievances among Iraq's Sunni community on which IS fed. Sidelined in the wake of the 2003 US ouster of Saddam Hussein and targeted by the Shiite-dominated authorities, Sunnis provided fertile ground for the jihadists. But the harshness of IS rule ended up turning many Sunnis against them and now the group's fighters are gone the government needs to seize the opportunity to bring the community onboard. "The work of reconstruction, in this case, is as much social as in terms of infrastructure," said Ould Mohamedou. Even if Iraq's government is serious about tackling the sectarian divide, the regional tug-of-war between Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia could make it all the more difficult. The two Middle East titans are locked in a power struggle that stretches from Lebanon through Yemen and Syria, and now Iraq could start figuring more prominently in the tussle. "The Iranians and the Iraqi Shiite community remain in a position of strength, with control of the main levers of state," said Bitar. "But the Saudis could become more active in the coming months as they seek to stem and repel Iranian influence on a regional scale." - Disarming the militias - As all attention has focused on wiping out IS, experts and Iraq's Western backers warn that another major threat may have emerged from within the very fight to defeat the group. That is the rise and legitimisation of the array of militia groups who clubbed together under the banner of the Hashed al-Shaabi, Popular Mobilisation force, to play a key role in defeating IS. Members of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation units) watch Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declare victory in the three-year war to expel the Islamic State group that at its height held one third of Iraq's territory While to some the militia fighters are heroes who came to Iraq's aid in its hour of need, others fear they are an unruly and unaccountable force. Nominally under the command of the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, the Hashed are dominated by Iranian-backed groups accused of being proxies for Tehran. They have fought on the front line against Is but been accused of a raft of abuses, often revenge attacks directed against Sunnis. How the central government now goes about dealing with the 60,000 to 140,000 fighters estimated to have joined the Hashed, and whether Baghdad can really bring them to heel, is a major issue. "The biggest security challenge is internal, because many of the myriad of Hashed groups are turning into local mafias, setting up illegal checkpoints, toll roads, and the like, to support themselves financially," said Kirk Sowell, an expert who publishes Inside Iraqi Politics. "In this sense, IS is more relevant to the rest of the world, but for Iraqis, a local armed gang which needs money is far more dangerous." A handout picture released by the Iraqi parliament shows Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi greeting Iraqis in the capital Baghdad at the start of a military parade on December 10, 2017 to mark the end of the war against the Islamic State group Iraq's armed forces held a military parade in Baghdad on Sunday to celebrate the victory announced by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi over the Islamic State group. Abadi on Saturday declared victory in Iraq's three-year war to expel the jihadist group that at its height endangered the country's very existence. Iraqi army units marched through the main square in central Baghdad as helicopters and fighter jets flew overhead, witnesses said. The parade was not broadcast live and only state media were allowed to attend. Abadi had declared Sunday a public holiday after making his announcement, in which he said Iraq had defeated the jihadists "through our unity and our determination". Iraqis dance in Baghdad's Tahrir Square on December 10, 2017, during to celebrate the end of the three-year war against the Islamic State group Iraqis took to the streets to celebrate, including in second city Mosul and the capital, singing patriotic songs, waving the national flag and shouting "Iraq, Iraq!" The Sunni extremists of IS seized control of large parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in 2014, declaring a cross-border "caliphate" and committing widespread atrocities. Backed by a US-led coalition, Iraqi forces gradually retook control of all territory lost to the jihadists over the past three years. The head of the coalition on Sunday congratulated the Baghdad government for defeating IS, but warned that more work needed to be done to ensure the jihadists do not strike again. "Much work remains, and we will continue to work by, with and through our Iraqi partners to ensure the enduring defeat of Daesh (IS) and prevent its ability to threaten civilisation, regionally and globally," Lieutenant General Paul E. Funk II said in a statement. On Saturday, the US State Department had also hailed the end of the jihadists' "vile occupation", but cautioned that "the fight against terrorism" is not over. Experts warn that IS remains a threat, with the capacity as an insurgent group to carry out high-casualty bomb attacks using sleeper cells. UN envoy Jan Kubis urged Iraqi people to build "a better future and common destiny for all in their united country with the same patriotism and determination that marked their nation's war against terrorism". Saudi Arabia also congratulated Iraq on Sunday, with a foreign ministry official calling the jihadists' defeat "a grand victory on terrorism in the region", the official Saudi Press Agency reported. Meanwhile, Abadi altered Saturday's statement in which he declared victory over IS to add a mention of the role played by the Kurdish peshmerga fighters, after complaints from the Kurdish authorities. A statement from the autonomous Kurdish region had insisted on the "sacrifices" made by the peshmerga in the fight against the jihadists. Meanwhile, Iraqi Interior Minister Qassem al-Araji told AFP that although "Daesh (IS) is finished militarily, there are still some sleeper cells that we will track down and eliminate". sk-burs/hkb/srm Allegations about the conduct of Roy Moore, speaking at a campaign rally in Fairhope, Alabama, have divided Republicans, but he still has President Donald Trump's backing in the race for a Senate seat It's been framed by Donald Trump's opponents as a contest between a Democrat and a man accused of preying on teenaged girls, but for the people of Alabama this week's special election isn't quite that simple. The Republican candidate is Roy Moore, a former state judge known for his battles to publicly display the Ten Commandments, but who has recently made headlines over accusations that he pursued girls as young as 14 when he was in his 30s. Voters on Tuesday can choose Moore or his Democratic opponent Doug Jones, a former federal prosecutor. Or they could shun both by writing the name of another candidate not listed on the ballot -- a move that could split the Republican vote and help Jones. Alabama has not elected a Democrat to the US Senate since 1992, and a Jones win would reduce the already-slim Republican majority in the upper house of Congress from 52 to 51 seats out of 100. In Alabama, a southern state where Trump won 62 percent of the vote, voting for a Democrat is unthinkable for many Republicans, and many Christian conservatives see the allegations against Moore as part of a grand conspiracy hatched by liberals to destroy their champion. Leading the charge are members of Moore's own family, who were on Sunday attending a service at the First Baptist Church in Gallant where the candidate has been a regular for 25 years. "It's all a bunch of lies," his sister Nancy Barksdale, a 64-year-old homemaker told AFP. "This is dirty politics. It's been 40 years, and you know nothing's ever come out until this election," she added. "He is one of the most godly men I know," chimed in Moore's youngest sister Toni Martin, 58. - 'Get it over with' - Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones takes a group picture with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) (R) and Representative Terri Sewell (D-AL) (3rd from right) and supporters during a campaign event at Alabama State University Multiple women have come forward to accuse Moore of pursuing them when they were teenagers, including one who said he groped her when she was 14 and another who said he assaulted her at age 16. Yet even those who believe some of the allegations against Moore say it's not enough for them to withdraw their support. For Ann Wright, a 69-year-old retiree living in a suburb of Birmingham, the answer is Moore. "I'm sorry, but just to keep the Democrats out," she said is her reasoning. People "probably think Alabama is terrible, and they go around saying, 'Oh, you voted for a pedophile.' Well, it really hasn't been proven yet," she added. "During that period of time, there were teenage girls that were dating older men," said Wright, noting that: "I had people in my high school that dated guys in their twenties." Other Republicans have expressed similar sentiments, and while Moore plunged in the polls after the initial revelations, he has come back slightly ahead. For those voters who believe the accusations against Moore, there is a third option aside from him or Jones: write in another candidate. That's what 70-year-old retired teacher Laura Strubel, who opposes Jones' stance in favor of a woman's right to have an abortion, plans to do. The election and the surrounding controversy is "crazy" and she is "ready to get it over with," Strubel said. On Sunday, Alabama Senator Richard Shelby told CNN he had already cast his ballot for another fellow Republican. "I couldn't vote for Roy Moore. I didn't vote for Roy Moore. But I wrote in a distinguished Republican name," he said. - Democrats boosted - Gadsden, the mall where Moore reportedly pursued teenaged girls, is still there, crowded ahead of the Christmas holiday. It's not hard to find people who know Moore, such as Linda Fain, a librarian who said she went out several times with him and his wife. "He's a good man," she said, while "the ladies that have come forward are not so truthful." But some young people are not as indulgent. Stacks of pamphlets for Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore sit on a desk as volunteer Willie Casey makes phones calls from the Alabama Republican Party headquarters in Birmingham At a hair salon, Emma Howell, the 21-year-old manager, rolls her eyes at the mention of Moore, saying he has broken the habitual Republican vote among her generation. "People are realizing that they don't have to vote Republican," Howell said. It is undeniable that Moore has boosted enthusiasm for Democrats, an endangered species in significant parts of the southern US. Steve Bannon, former chief White House strategist and ardent Moore supporter, presents the election as a choice between Trump and his 2016 presidential election rival Hillary Clinton. The political risk explains why Trump, after sitting on the fence, threw his support behind Moore, saying Republicans "cannot afford" to lose the Senate seat. Democrats know that defeating Moore is a near impossible mission, but as Jones noted, it was just as unlikely that it would snow in early December in Birmingham, which was veiled in white on Saturday. "Now is the time for change," Jones told a campaign rally, saying Moore "has been a disaster for the face of Alabama already." Indonesian demonstrators attend a protest against US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, outside the US embassy in Jakarta Thousands of Indonesian Muslims protested Sunday in Jakarta against US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the latest global show of solidarity with the Palestinians. Demonstrators -- many in white Islamic robes and skullcaps -- gathered outside the US embassy in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country to vent their anger against the unilateral decision. Protesters carried Palestinian flags and banners saying "We are with the Palestinians" and "Pray for Palestine". The rally in Indonesia's capital drew a crowd of at least 5,000 people, police said. Trump's move on Wednesday to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital upended decades of American diplomacy, causing an overwhelming global diplomatic backlash and sparking Palestinian protests and clashes with Israeli security forces. The status of Jerusalem is deeply sensitive for Muslims, and protesters have taken to the streets in cities across the world following the policy shift. Indonesian president Joko Widodo said Thursday he "condemned" Trump's decision on Jerusalem, and ordered the US ambassador in Jakarta to be summoned over the move. The Islamist Prosperous Justice Party, or PKS -- which organised the Jakarta rally and several others around the country -- slammed Trump's decision as a declaration of "hostility to Muslims throughout the world." Libya's 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. Libya 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 Seraj's 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 Libya's 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 Saturday's 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". Search Keywords: Short link: Pro-Palestinian protesters chant slogans against the US and Israel on December 10, 2017 during a demonstration in Rabat against US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Morocco's capital Rabat on Sunday as demonstrations against US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital continued to spread. Waving Palestinian flags, a sea of demonstrators marched from Rabat's Bab el-Had square to Morocco's parliament building, down Mohammed VI Avenue, the city's main thoroughfare. "Jerusalem, capital of Palestine!" read a banner carried by the protesters, who included families, Islamist sympathisers, trade unionists and local activists. "The Palestinian people have suffered so much and continue to suffer because of Israel's barbaric colonisation," said one of the protesters, 43-year-old Mustapha. "We must, more than ever, make our voices heard against this decision by Trump that will deprive the Palestinians of their land," said the lawyer from Casablanca, accompanied by his six-year-old daughter. Morocco's King Mohammed VI earlier expressed his "deep concern" over Trump's move, acting as head of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's Al-Quds Committee, which lobbies on issues related to Jerusalem. Trump's decision -- which upended decades of US diplomatic practice -- has drawn global condemnation, sparked demonstrations across the Muslim world and led to days of unrest in the Palestinian territories. The mother, father and sister of Pakapong Tanyakan, a first year cadet in the Thai army, attend his funeral, saying an autopsy showed signs of being phsyically assaulted A Thai army recruit whose death captured national attention after his organs were removed in mysterious circumstances showed signs of being physically assaulted, his family said Sunday, citing the results of an autopsy ahead of the teenager's funeral. The army said 18-year-old Pakapong Tanyakan died of heart failure at a training school outside Bangkok in October. But his family -- sceptical of the official cause of death -- commissioned their own examination only to discover that Pakapongs brain, heart, bladder and stomach were missing, a dark twist that only intensified allegations of a cover-up, ignited public anger and turned the case into national news. Supicha Tanyakan, Pakapong's sister, told AFP that a second autopsy by the Central Institute of Forensic Science concluded he was physically assaulted because "internal bruising was found". The autopsy also suggested his broken ribs were not the result of vigorous first aid, she said. The new findings add to mounting pressure on the countrys military to explain what happened to the first-year cadet, with his case raising concerns about the treatment of new conscripts. Four officers have been transferred and former army chief and now-Prime Minister Prayuth Chan Ocha said he was "deeply sorry" to hear about the death. The next phase of the autopsy will examine the internal organs that were given back to the family in the outcry that ensued following the macabre discovery. After that the family members will decide whether or not to pursue legal action. Thailands military, which has ruled the country since a coup in 2014, has been dogged by allegations of trainee abuse and at least three fatalities have been reported this year. Pakapong had described being punched in the stomach and fainting while at the academy, his parents told reporters. The military launched its own probe into the death but has denied wrongdoing and said that removing the organs for further inspection was standard procedure. Military officials did not return calls requesting comment on the new findings. The funeral on Sunday was the real version of a ceremony that took place shortly after Pakapong's death in which the family pretended to cremate his body but kept it instead for the purpose of getting the second opinion. About 200 close friends and family came to the ceremony in Si Racha district in Chon Buri province, where his childhood friend sang a song in commemoration. "This afternoon we will cremate his body," his sister said at the temple where the ritual was being held. "It's time that we put his body to rest." Palestinians wave the national flag during a demonstration in Gaza City on December 3, 2017, in support of Hamas-Fatah reconciliation A planned handover of power in Gaza from Hamas to the Palestinian Authority under a landmark reconciliation accord hit "obstacles" on Sunday's deadline to do so, a top official said. Islamist movement Hamas was originally due to transfer power in the enclave on December 1 under the reconciliation agreement with rival faction Fatah, but that deadline was initially put back by 10 days. Hamas said at the weekend that it was handing over all government ministries to the Palestinian Authority, but Fatah's top negotiator said that was not yet the case. "There have been obstacles today," Azzam al-Ahmad said in a statement on Sunday published on official news agency WAFA. "I hope they will be resolved before this evening so our people will feel that their national factions are honest with what they agreed on and pledged." Ahmad said that after the handover takes place, a meeting would be held in Cairo -- Egypt mediated the reconciliation deal -- to discuss next steps. The reconciliation deal reached in October is aimed at ending the 10-year feud between Hamas and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah, based in the occupied West Bank. The handover would end Hamas's long dominance of the blockaded Gaza Strip, and has raised hopes that deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the territory could be addressed. A range of complex issues remains to be resolved, including security control of Gaza and the fate of two separate civil administrations. Unrest over US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital has further complicated the process. Clashes and protests have erupted in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza since Trump's declaration on Wednesday. The polls for national and provincial parliaments were held in two phases, with the mountainous north voting on November 26 and the rest of the country on Thursday An alliance of Nepal's former Maoist rebels and the main Communist party have won a majority of seats in parliamentary elections and are expected to form the next government, according to preliminary results from the election commission late Sunday. The Communist CPN-UML and the Maoist Party look set for a landslide victory in the landmark polls that mark the end of the Himalayan nation's drawn-out transition to federal democracy 11 years after the end of a brutal civil war. The leftist alliance has won 84 seats in the national parliament and leads in a further 31, securing a majority. The incumbent Nepali Congress has so far won just 13 seats, performing worse than expected. The lower house of parliament comprises 165 seats that are directly elected and a further 110 that are allocated to parties based on proportional representation votes. Early tallies show that the Communist alliance will also dominate in most of the seven newly-created provincial assemblies. "We feel that the people accepted our appeal to vote for the 'Left Alliance' for stability and prosperity," senior CPN-UML leader Pradeep Gyawali told AFP. "Our alliance is strong... We will prepare to form the government." The polls for national and provincial parliaments were held in two phases, with the mountainous north voting on November 26 and the rest of the country on Thursday. They are the first elections held under the country's new federal constitution, which was finally adopted in 2015 nine years after the end of the conflict and mandates a sweeping overhaul of the political system devolving power from the centre to the seven provinces. The leftist alliance has won 84 seats in the national parliament and leads in a further 31, securing a majority United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the elections as "a historic moment for Nepal in implementing its federal structure as enshrined in the 2015 Constitution". Nepal emerged from a bloody civil war in 2006 and ousted the monarchy two years later, beginning its transition to a federal democratic state. But over the last 11 years a series of short-lived governments have bickered over the country's future, allowing corruption to flourish and growth stagnate. It has also hampered the recovery from a devastating earthquake that hit in 2015, killing 9,000 and destroying more than half a million homes. The left alliance -- which campaigned on a nationalistic platform that was at times anti-India -- was tipped for victory but analysts expressed surprise at the strength of the mandate handed to them by voters. "They cashed in on agendas of development and nationalism," said Sudheer Sharma, editor of the Kantipur newspaper. The next government could be the first to serve a full five-year term as rules under the new constitution make it harder to oust a prime minister. Final results are expected to take another 10 days due to the complicated counting process as well as the remoteness of some voting centres. A Eurofighter Typhoon with German air force markings Qatar signed a multi-billion-dollar deal Sunday to buy 24 Typhoon fighters from Britain, its second major defence agreement this week, which comes during the worst political crisis in the region for years. The $8-billion (6.8-billion-euro) deal was signed in Doha by Qatar's Defence Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah and his British counterpart, Gavin Williamson. Williamson said it was the biggest order for Typhoons in a decade, and it follows a billion-dollar deal signed by Qatar on December 7 to buy 12 French Dassault Aviation warplanes. Britain's Defence Minister Gavin Williamson signed a multi-billion-dollar deal with Qatar to sell Doha 24 Typhoon fighters "These formidable jets will boost the Qatari military's mission to tackle the challenges we both share in the Middle East, supporting stability in the region and delivering security at home," said the British minister. The deal also includes an intention for Qatar to buy further military equipment from Britain, namely the purchase of Hawk aircraft. A memorandum of understanding was signed by the two countries for this Typhoon contract in September. Qatar is the ninth country to sign a deal for Typhoon jets, said London. A statement from Qatar's armed forces said the two ministers also signed an "agreement for building up a Joint Operational Squadron" between the two countries' air forces to provide security during the 2022 football World Cup, which the Gulf state will host. Sunday's deal comes at a politically sensitive time for both countries. There are heightened tensions in the Gulf, where a Saudi-led boycott of Qatar is in its seventh month. Since June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have diplomatically isolated Qatar, accusing the emirate of supporting Islamist extremists and of being too close to Shiite Iran, Riyadh's arch-rival. The four countries also cut off all air and sea links to Qatar. Qatar denies the allegations and has accused the Saudi-led bloc of aiming to incite regime change in Doha. It is the latest agreement in a growing list of defence deals signed by Qatar since the crisis erupted. Doha has also struck deals with the US and Italy as well as France. The agreement signed with France last week also included letter of intent to buy 490 VBCI armoured vehicles from Nexter, a French government-owned weapons manufacturer, in a potential deal worth 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion), the French presidency said. For Britain, the deal is notable as well as it searches for major global trade deals during negotiations for its withdrawal from the European Union as Brexit talks continue. After reaching an initial agreement last Friday on post-Brexit arrangements for citizens' rights and the Irish border, London is now set to begin talks with Brussels on a future trade deal for when Britain is scheduled to leave the EU in 2019. Netanyahu said Trump's Jerusalem move had "put facts squarely on the table". The EU's diplomatic chief Monday bluntly rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's suggestion that Europe would follow the US in recognising Jerusalem as the Jewish state's capital, saying there would be no change to its stance on the holy city. Netanyahu said the controversial announcement by US President Donald Trump -- which prompted diplomatic alarm and street protests across the Islamic world -- had "put facts squarely on the table". As he arrived for talks in Brussels, Netanyahu said he expected "all or most" European countries would follow the US -- but the 28-nation bloc's foreign policy head Federica Mogherini gave him a stern rebuff, telling him to "keep his expectations for others". The EU expressed alarm last week at the US decision, but Netanyahu said Trump had simply stated facts by acknowledging that Jerusalem had been the capital of the Israeli state for 70 years and of the Jewish people for 3,000 years. "It doesn't obviate peace, it makes peace possible, because recognising reality is the substance of peace, it's the foundation of peace," Netanyahu said in a statement alongside Mogherini ahead of a breakfast meeting with EU foreign ministers. "I believe that all or most of the European countries will move their embassies to Jerusalem, recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and engage robustly with us for security, prosperity and peace," Netanyahu said. Mogherini said the EU would step up efforts with to relaunch the peace process. The Jerusalem decision upended decades of US diplomacy and broke with international consensus. Mogherini last week warned it could take the situation "backwards to even darker times". After nearly two hours of talks between Netanyahu and the EU ministers, Mogherini gave a flat rejection of his suggestion they could follow Trump. "He can keep his expectations for others, because from the European Union member states' side this move will not come," she said, adding that the bloc -- the Palestinians' largest donor -- would stick to the "international consensus" on Jerusalem. She reiterated the EU's stance that "the only realistic solution" for peace is two states -- Israel and Palestine -- with Jerusalem as the capital of both and the borders returned to their status before the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. And she pledged to step up efforts with the two sides and regional partners including Jordan and Egypt to relaunch the peace process. - Attacks condemned - Both Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital and previous peace plans have stumbled over debates on whether and how to divide sovereignty or oversee holy sites. Mogherini also condemned attacks on Israel -- after Netanyahu took aim over the weekend at what he called Europe's "hypocrisy" for criticising Trump's statement, but not "the rockets fired at Israel or the terrible incitement against it". Netanyahu pointed to a new US peace initiative as a possible way forward. "Let me condemn in the strongest possible way all attacks on Jews everywhere in the world, including in Europe, and on Israel and on Israeli citizens," Mogherini said. Netanyahu pointed to a new US peace initiative as a possible way forward. "There is now an effort under way to bring forward a new peace proposal by the American administration. I think we should give peace a chance. I think we should see what is presented and see if we can advance this peace," he said. Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner has been working with a small team to develop a new US proposal to revive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but it is not clear what progress he is making. Mogherini indicated that US efforts appeared to be at a very early stage, saying "both horizon and framework" -- the end goal and how to get there -- had still not be clearly defined. And she warned Washington to have no illusions "that a United States initiative alone would be successful", saying regional and international support would be essential to peace talks. - EU not unified - Most EU members, including the bloc's biggest countries, have expressed alarm over the Trump administration's policy shift. But the 28-member bloc is not unified on the issue -- Hungary, Greece, Lithuania and the Czech Republic in particular favour warmer ties with Israel. And last week Hungary broke ranks to block a joint statement from the EU that was critical of Washington's Jerusalem shift. Trump's announcement on Wednesday has been followed by days of protests and clashes in the Palestinian territories. Four Palestinians were killed either in clashes or from Israeli air strikes in retaliation for rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. A fifth day of demonstrations was expected on Monday. Trump's decision has sparked widespread protests, including this clash in Gaza on Sunday burs-pdw/dk/je A handout picture provided by the Palestinian Authority's press office (PPO) shows Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in the capital Cairo on May 9, 2016 Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas was to meet Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo Monday over US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Egypt's presidency said. Trump's move has drawn near universal condemnation, and Palestinian officials say Abbas will refuse to meet US Vice President Mike Pence when he travels to the region later this month. Sisi has invited Abbas "to a bilateral summit for consultations on Monday in Cairo to discuss developments related to the United States' recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital", said Bassam Radi, a spokesman for the Egyptian presidency. Official Palestinian news agency WAFA said Abbas and Sisi spoke by telephone on Sunday and "continued consultations about the latest developments after the US administration's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel". It said that they agreed "to continue consulting to coordinate common positions". Palestine Liberation Organisation official Wasel Abu Yousef told AFP he understood that Jordan's King Abdullah II would also join Monday's meeting, but there was no official confirmation of this. Anger throughout the Muslim and Arab world has included protests in Egypt and Jordan, which also has a special role as the official custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. In Cairo, students and professors demonstrated at the prestigious Al-Azhar University, a university spokesman said, with pictures on social media showing several hundred protesters. Dozens of students protested at two other Cairo universities. Arab foreign ministers on Saturday called on the United States to rescind its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and for the international community to recognise a Palestinian state. In a resolution after an emergency meeting in Cairo, Arab League member ministers said the United States had "withdrawn itself as a sponsor and broker" of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process with its controversial move. The ministers met at the league's headquarters in Cairo to formulate a response to the US decision. Egypt's top Muslim and Christian clerics have both cancelled scheduled meetings with Pence in protest at the Jerusalem decision. Israel seized Arab east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community. The Palestinians want the eastern sector as the capital of their future state. The international community does not recognise the ancient city as Israel's capital, insisting that the issue can only be resolved in negotiations. Veteran politican Raila Odinga had vowed to be inaugurated as Kenya's president despite shunning the vote Kenya's opposition has postponed a ceremony to swear in its leader Raila Odinga as a parallel president after a controversial poll it boycotted, the party said Sunday. The National Super Alliance (NASA) had planned to inaugurate Odinga on Tuesday -- Kenya's independence day. The veteran politician had pulled out of the national election won by President Uhuru Kenyatta. The party said the decision to put back the swearing-in ceremony and launch of a new People's Assembly to a later date was made "following extensive internal consultations and engagement". Kenya's attorney general has said holding the alternative inauguration would amount to "treason" -- a crime punishable by death -- although Kenya has not executed anyone for 30 years. NASA said in a statement Sunday: "We are aware that this will be a disappointment to the people of Kenya who were eagerly waiting for this occasion. "We wish to assure them that our resolve has not changed. Specifically, we wish to reiterate that any national dialogue must have electoral justice on the agenda. We are not interested in sharing illegitimate dictatorial power." Odinga's pledge that he would be inaugurated as president -- made on the same day as Kenyatta's swearing-in ceremony -- was a source of concern for many observers, who feared it could rekindle tensions after months of divisions over the polling process. The election chaos goes back to an August 8 vote that was annulled in September over "irregularities and illegalities". Odinga boycotted the October 26 re-run saying the electoral commission had not made fundamental reforms to make the contest fair. Kenyatta went on to win 98 percent of the vote -- but on a turnout of only 39 percent. The result was validated by the Supreme Court after two petitions seeking to overturn it were dismissed. At least 58 people have died during violent clashes since the August vote, and the country is still deeply split. Huthi rebel fighters inspect the damage after a reported air strike carried out by the Saudi-led coalition targeted the presidential palace in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on December 5, 2017 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Sunday for a renewed push to end the "stupid war" in Yemen, saying he hoped the Trump administration could pressure Saudi Arabia to ease the humanitarian crisis there. "I believe this is a stupid war. I think this war is against the interests of Saudi Arabia and the Emirates... (and) of the people of Yemen," he said on CNN, employing unusually blunt language for the top UN diplomat. "What we need is a political solution." US President Donald Trump on Wednesday took the rare step of publicly demanding that ally Saudi Arabia immediately allow vital humanitarian supplies to reach Yemen, scene of what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with millions at risk of starvation. Trump, while not asking for an end to Saudi-led bombing of Yemen, said in a statement that his aides would ask the Saudis to "completely allow food, fuel, water and medicine to reach the Yemeni people, who desperately need it." Guterres said conditions in Yemen had improved somewhat, adding, "I hope that President Trump has put a lot of pressure recently... A lot of humanitarian aid is already going in." He said he hoped a Saudi blockade of Yemen's ports, imposed after a Huthi missile was intercepted near Riyadh last month, would be lifted. Saudi Arabia and its allies have launched a campaign to oust Huthi rebels who control the capital Sanaa and who have links to Riyadh's arch-foe Iran. As the war drags on, seven million people are believed to be on the brink of famine and a cholera outbreak has caused more than 2,000 deaths. "This war is causing, in my opinion, terrible suffering to the Yemeni people," while also harming Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, Guterres told CNN. "It's in the interests of everybody to stop this war." Ross Taylor plays a pull shot on his way to a record 17th Test hundred for New Zealand in the second Test on Monday An emotional Ross Taylor paid tribute to his mentor the late Martin Crowe following a superb century which put New Zealand in sight of a series sweep against the West Indies in Hamilton on Monday. Taylor equalled the New Zealand record of 17 Test centuries, held by Crowe and Kane Williamson, and was unbeaten on 107 when New Zealand declared their second innings at 291 for eight in the second Test. The West Indies, set a daunting 444-run target, were two for 30 after eight overs at stumps and staring at a second loss after their innings defeat in the first Test. A teary-eyed Taylor attributed his success to Crowe, the former New Zealand captain who died last year from lymphoma at the age of 53. "We had some good nights with Hogan (Crowe) over some red wine. Talking about my batting, and lot of it probably not positive. It came from a good place and I guess that's why I'm here today," he said. "Martin always got me to have goals and they weren't there to be the be all and end all but be just a little reminder now and then." Taylor, 33, whose first century was also at Seddon Park when he made 120 against England in 2008, said before the Test that Crowe wanted him to break his record. "Seventeen is the benchmark that Hogan wanted me to get to and beat. But he said, also, carry on and don't stop there." Taylor had a near chanceless innings, and when he was dropped by Shai Hope on 35, he said that became a motivation to press on. "I said 'Let's make it pay'. Sometimes you go through different parts of your career and you go 'Dammit' and you go through a bit of a lull, and that was the first thing I said to myself when it happened. Very fortunate," he said. "I did hit it pretty hard though. Sometimes when you get dropped you say 'Oh no' but I was trying to convince myself I hit that pretty hard." - 'Batting to survive' - Miguel Cummins led a feisty West Indies bowling attack, at times reminiscent of an earlier era when they had bowlers with serious venom. The only other New Zealander to pass 50 was Williamson who managed 56 before he was undone by Cummins yorker. But most of the New Zealand batsmen were hurried up by a salvo of short balls. "A lot of the batters coming in were under pressure straight away, which is never easy as a batsman," said Taylor, who had partnerships of 58 with Williamson, 50 with Mitchell Santner (26) and 51 with Colin de Grandhomme (22). But although the West Indies bowlers produced credible figures -- Cummins took three for 69, while Shannon Gabriel and Roston Chase had two wickets apiece -- batting coach Toby Radford was disappointed to lose two wickets before stumps. "Obviously it's going to be stiff task, a couple of days to bat out. But we would have liked to go in with no wickets down, obviously," Radford said while adding they would not bat for time in an attempt to avoid defeat. "You don't just want to be batting to survive, you've still got to put bad balls away and still look positive at the crease and move positively. "So (we will) go out there with an intent to score runs still, and you can be positive in defence, I think we've got to do that." Talks between Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Cairo on Monday will be focused on the resumption of Russian flights to Egypt and the construction of the Dabaa nuclear plant, according to Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. During an interview with Russia Today TV channel ahead of the visit, Shoukry said the two leaders will focus on bilateral relations, the situation in Libya and developments in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, as well as other issues of mutual interest. Putin first visited Egypt for talks with President El-Sisi in February 2015. The Egyptian foreign minister stated no specific date to resume air flights. However, he indicated communications are undergoing between transportation ministries in both countries to enhance security measures at Egyptian airports. Russia suspended flights to Egypt in Novemeber 2015 after a Russian commercial flight crashed over Sinai shortly after taking off from Sharm El-Sheikh, killing all 224 people aboard. Egypt has been implementing tighter security meassures in its airports to meet Russian demands on security, with the aim of restoring Russian visitors to boost its tourism industry. The two presidents will also discuss the Dabaa nuclear power plant, which Russia has agreed to finance and operate for Egypt, according to a November 2015 agreement. Egypt expects to finalise contracts for its first nuclear power plant before the end or this year, Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker said in October. Shoukry highlighted positive developments in research studies related to this important national project. "The project involves many disparate aspects, between technical, legal and financial, and we have reached advanced level of agreements upon these," Shoukry said. In the Russia Today interview, the Egyptian foreign minister reaffirmed his country's rejection of US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to relocate the US embassy to the holy city, describing the move as a "dangerous escalation". On Yemen, Shoukry said that Egypt has no plans to deploy troops to the war-torn country. Military cofrontations should end and all parties must resolve to dialogue, the foreign minister said, describing the situation in the country as 'worrying'. The Egyptian foreign minister called for achieving a political solution in light of UN efforts and the Gulf initiative to end the humanitarian suffering of the Yemeni people. "The military situation in Yemen is heading to its worst, and Egypt, in light of its special relationship with Yemen, is keen on restoring legitimacy and ending the military conflict there," Shoukry said. Shoukry also noted high level understanding between Cairo and Riyadh on Iranian intervention in the region, as well as with other brotherly nations in the Arab Gulf on protecting Arab national security and rejecting all forms of foreign intervention. Discussing the war in Syria, he stressed that a political agreement is the only way of ending the crisis, adding that the creation of de-escalation zones was an important tool to encourage a political solution. "We encourage the Syrian government to take flexible actions to achieve a political resolution in the country," Shoukry said. On the Gulf row, Shoukry said the crisis is still ongoing with Qatar as Doha has not yet responded with tangible moves to the 13 demands of Arab countries or the six broad principles that set the parameters for future talks on how the crisis can be resolved. Regarding the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Shoukry described the issue as "sensitive" to Egypt as the Nile represents the sole source of water to the country, saying natural resources shouldnt be harmed while access is regulated by international law and affirmed within the declaration of principles between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan. "Egypt has always respected Ethiopia's right to development, but without harming Egyptian interests. Meanwhile, President El-Sisi has frequently affirmed that Egypt is "keen and capable" of defending its water rights," Shoukry added. Commenting on President El-Sisi's frequent statements that Egypt is waging a war against terrorism on behalf of the world, Shoukry affirmed these statements don't represent any desire to form a coalition to fight terrorism on Egyptian territories but only represent a call to stand by Egypt by providing political and economic assistance, as well as logistical tools and arms, to fight terrorism. Search Keywords: Short link: DETROIT (AP) - Michigan's Republican governor announced Friday that Democrat John Conyers' congressional seat will not be filled until the regularly scheduled November election, leaving it vacant for nearly a year. Gov. Rick Snyder decided the post will be listed twice on the August primary and November general election ballots. While unlikely, it is possible voters could choose one candidate to fill the vacancy until January 2019 and elect another to a full two-year term after that. It is unusual for a congressional district to stay vacant for so long, according to a review of roughly 100 vacancies and successors listed on the House website for the last 20 years. The longest time a seat stayed empty was about 10 months - both in 2014, when Rep. Melvin Watt of North Carolina left to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and 2006, when Rep. Bob Menendez of New Jersey was appointed to the Senate. FILE - In this July 16, 2011file photo, John Conyers, III poses with his father Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., in Detroit. John Conyers' resignation from the U.S. House amid sexual harassment allegations unlocks the seat he's held for more than a half-century. The 88-year-old endorsed his son, political neophyte John Conyers III. Coleman Young II son of Detroit's first black mayor Coleman A. Young, plans Monday, Dec. 11, 2017, to announce his candidacy for the 13th Congressional District office vacated this week by Conyers. (Ricardo Thomas /Detroit News via AP File) Snyder said he opted against having an earlier special election to give potential candidates ample time to decide about running, provide voters in the predominantly Democratic district more options and save money. The 88-year-old Conyers, who was facing a House Ethics Committee investigation over claims by former staffers, cited health reasons for his resignation Tuesday. Michael Gilmore, a Detroit attorney who is running for the seat, said not having representation in the House for almost a year is unfair to residents. "I think it's unfortunate that the governor thinks this is what we're worth," Gilmore said. Snyder's office said it consulted with Wayne County leaders before making a decision. The 13th Congressional District Democratic Party Organization backed the decision, too. "In order to allow several months for that to take place and to reduce the financial burden on local taxpayers, the primary and general elections will be held when regularly scheduled elections are already occurring," Snyder said in a statement. The filing deadline is April 24 for both elections. Whoever wins the special election will serve next November and December, and - if he or she also wins the regular race - will serve a two-year term starting in 2019. A Snyder spokeswoman said it could have cost up to $2 million if the special elections were scheduled on non-regular election dates. Detroit, a city of about 680,000, currently does not have any resident serving in Congress. Former Michigan Department Party Chairman Mark Brewer tweeted that Snyder "continues to give the back of his hand to urban areas whether it's emergency managers, poisoned water, and now being denied representation in Congress for nearly a year." But Jonathan Kinloch, chairman of the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party Organization, said earlier this week that having the elections on the regular dates would avoid the typical low turnouts associated with special elections. "We want as many voters as possible to participate in the filling of the seat," he said. John Conyers retired amid allegations by about a half-dozen women who once worked for him that they were harassed and touched inappropriately. He has denied the allegations. Conyers first was elected in 1964. Some colleagues in the House had urged Conyers to resign. When he did, he endorsed his 27-year-old son, John Conyers III, to succeed him. The younger Conyers, a partner with a Detroit-based, minority-run hedge fund, posted on Twitter this week that he has not decided whether he wants to run for his father's old seat. The Associated Press has been unable to reach him for comment. The race for the district that includes parts of Detroit and some western Wayne County communities could become a free-for-all. Gilmore said he began fundraising for his campaign in April and had planned to challenge John Conyers prior to the sexual harassment allegations. Democratic state Sen. Ian Conyers, John Conyers' grand-nephew, has said he will run. Fellow Democratic state Sent. Coleman Young II is expected on Monday to announce his candidacy, his spokesman said. Young sought Detroit's mayoral seat his late father, Mayor Coleman A. Young, once held, but lost to incumbent Mike Duggan last month. "He is battle-tested. This mayoral race has prepared him," Young spokesman Adolph Mongo told The Associated Press. "He knows the issues in the 13th District. He's been campaigning for 10 months on the issues." Conyers III never has been elected to a public post. Ian Conyers won a special election in 2016 for his seat. Young was elected in 2010 to the Michigan Senate. He served in the state House from 2005 to 2010. ___ Eggert reported from Lansing, Michigan. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - 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 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. NEW YORK (AP) - Charlie Sheen is suing the National Enquirer, saying that the magazine defamed him by alleging he sexually assaulted teen actor Corey Haim. In papers filed Friday in Los Angeles, Sheen called the tabloid's allegations "ridiculous" and "disgusting." The Enquirer's Nov. 8 edition includes a quote from actor Dominick Brascia, saying that Sheen had assaulted Haim when he was in his mid-teens and Sheen around 20. Sheen and Haim, who died in 2010, both appeared in the 1986 release "Lucas." Brascia told the Enquirer that the assault came during the film's production. Sheen is seeking unspecified damages. The Enquirer's parent company, American Media Inc., said in a statement Saturday that it looked "forward to litigating" the case and welcomed the chance to expose Sheen's "depravities." BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (AP) - A senior federal judge in Louisiana died Saturday, days before he was to preside over the trial of a private investigator accused of trying to get Donald Trump's tax returns illegally during the 2016 presidential campaign, court officials said. Chief Judge Brian A. Jackson of Louisiana's Middle District said Saturday in a statement that Judge James J. Brady had died. Michael McConnell, clerk of court for the district, confirmed that Brady died Saturday at a Baton Rouge hospital after a brief illness. Brady was to preside as jury selection began Monday in the trial of Jordan Hamlett. It was not immediately clear what would happen with the trial following Brady's death. The 32-year-old Lafayette resident is charged with misusing a Social Security number in his attempts to access Trump's tax information through a government website. Authorities say Hamlett failed in his attempts to get Trump's tax returns several weeks before last year's presidential election. Hamlett's attorney says he didn't have "intent to deceive" - a key element of the charge he faces. Every president since Jimmy Carter has released tax returns, in what has become an American tradition during presidential elections. Trump has refused to release his. A biography on the court's website says Brady was nominated to the bench in 1999 by then-President Bill Clinton and assumed senior status in December 2013. Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for federal judges, who get lifetime appointments. It enables them to take reduced caseloads while continuing to draw a salary. The district's chief judge said in his statement that Brady's fellow judges "mourn the loss of our esteemed colleague and friend." He continued, "Judge Brady's remarkable career as a federal judge was exemplary and his commitment to providing equal justice under the law resonated throughout his career as a lawyer and a judge. He will forever be remembered for his extraordinary integrity, compassion and devotion to the rule of law." Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a statement that Brady "represented honesty, fairness and integrity on the federal bench in Louisiana, and his wisdom in the courtroom will be sorely missed." Acting U.S. Attorney Corey R. Amundson called him "a great man, and a dedicated jurist with tremendous compassion, integrity and ability." JERUSALEM (AP) - The French and Israeli leaders sparred verbally Sunday over the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, while new violence rippled across the region following the move by U.S. President Donald Trump. In Jerusalem, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli security guard, seriously wounding him in the first attack in the volatile city since Trump's pronouncement Wednesday. In Beirut, scores of Lebanese and Palestinian demonstrators clashed with security forces outside the heavily guarded U.S. Embassy, and Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo demanded that the United States rescind the decision. The move upended decades of U.S. policy, and a longstanding international consensus, that the fate of Jerusalem be decided in negotiations. Israeli and Palestinian claims to the city's eastern sector form the emotional core of their conflict, and Trump's announcement was seen as siding with the Israelis and has drawn wide international criticism. French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend a press conference after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Sunday, Dec.10, 2017. French President Emmanuel Macron "firmly and clearly" condemns all kinds of attacks against Israel in recent hours and days and reaffirmed his "disapproval" of U.S. President Donald Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. (Philippe Wojazer/Pool via AP) At a meeting in Paris with Israel's visiting prime minister, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned recent violence against Israelis. But he also expressed "disapproval" of Trump's decision, calling it "dangerous for peace." "It doesn't seem to serve, in the short term, the cause of Israel's security and the Israelis themselves," Macron said. He urged Israel to freeze its construction of settlements on occupied lands and called for other confidence-building measures toward the Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has called Trump's decision "historic," said Israel has maintained its capital in the city for 70 years and the Jewish connection to Jerusalem goes back 3,000 years. "Paris is the capital of France, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel," he said. "We respect your history and your choices. And we know that as friends, you respect ours." "I think the sooner the Palestinians come to grips with this reality, the sooner we move toward peace," he added. The exchange between the two allies set the stage for what could be a tense meeting Monday for Netanyahu with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels. The Jerusalem issue and the moribund peace process are expected to be high on the agenda. Last week, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini warned that Trump's decision "has the potential to send us backward to even darker times than the one we are already living in." She also warned that Trump's "move could diminish the potential role that the United States could play in the region and create more confusion around this." The meeting could be a precursor for what seems to be an emerging rift between Israel and the U.S. on one side, and Europe and the Palestinians on the other. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said Trump's decision has in effect disqualified the U.S. from continuing in its role as the traditional mediator of peace talks. The Palestinians have spent recent days trying to rally Arab and broader international opposition to the decision. After Abbas political adviser Majdi Khaldi said Saturday that the Palestinian leader won't meet with Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the region this month, a spokeswoman for Pence said Sunday it was "unfortunate that the Palestinian Authority is walking away again from an opportunity to discuss the future of the region." EU leaders, including Macron, have reiterated support for establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. Trump has said he would support the idea if both sides endorse it - effectively giving Israel a veto over any peace proposal. Netanyahu's government is dominated by opponents to Palestinian independence. Trump's Middle East team, headed by his son-in-law Jared Kushner, has been working for months on a peace plan but has not yet released it. Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed the area to its capital in a move that was not internationally recognized. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, along with the West Bank and Gaza Strip. East Jerusalem is home to Judaism's most sacred site, as well as key holy places for Christians and Muslims. These conflicting claims have erupted into deadly bloodshed in the past. A senior U.S. official appealed to world leaders, especially in the Middle East, to calm regional tensions. Acting Assistant Secretary of State David Satterfield told Arab journalists that Trump's pronouncement was merely a "recognition of simple reality" that Israel's government already is in Jerusalem. He said the U.S. was not prejudging final-status negotiations about the city's final borders and expressed hope that world leaders understand the U.S. is committed to moving forward with a peace plan he expects to be unveiled in the new year. "This is a question of choice: Do leaders choose to speak to their peoples, to their regions in terms that reflect reality or in terms that incite or inflame?" he said. "We hope it's the former." The Palestinians staged three "days of rage" after Trump's dramatic announcement, with clashes breaking out in flashpoints across the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, and Gaza militants firing rockets into Israel. Four people in Gaza were killed. In the West Bank, there were dozens of injuries, but no deaths. There were indications that Sunday's stabbing at the Jerusalem bus station was motivated by Trump's move, although police did not officially confirm it. They said the attacker was a 24-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank city of Nablus. Israeli media identified him as Yassin Abu al-Qarah, who posted on his Facebook page in recent days about Jerusalem, saying "our blood is devoted" to the holy city. Comments on his profile called him a hero for the alleged attack. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the guard sustained a serious wound to his upper body and the attacker was apprehended. Palestinian youths also clashed in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, hurling stones at Israeli soldiers, who fired back with rubber bullets and tear gas. In Beirut, Lebanese security forces broke up the protest outside the U.S. Embassy after demonstrators pelted them with stones. After a rowdy start, the protest drew several hundred people and became more peaceful, with demonstrators chanting and singing. Clashes resumed in the afternoon, with security forces chasing and arresting a handful of protesters and lobbing tear gas. Lebanon is home to 450,000 Palestinian refugees, nearly 10 percent of the population. In a resolution long on rhetoric but short on concrete actions, Arab foreign ministers demanded the recognition decision be rescinded and urged the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning Trump's decision. They acknowledged that Washington would most likely veto it. If the U.S. vetoes such a resolution, the Arabs would seek a similar resolution in the U.N. General Assembly, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki told a news conference in Cairo. With few options for the Palestinians, and the Arab world preoccupied by other crises, Arab willingness to press the issue may be limited. In Paris, Netanyahu talked about his quiet but improving relations with Arab countries that look to Israel as an ally against Iran. "There is in this a blessing, because this could help pave the way to an ultimate peace between us and our Palestinian neighbors and between us and the rest of the Arab world," he said. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., defended Trump's move. "For those who want to say this is a bad idea, I'll tell you: Ask us five or 10 years from now if you still think it's a bad idea. Because I really do think this is going to move the ball in the peace process," she told CNN's "State of the Union." A Palestinian protester runs for cover from teargas fired by Israeli troops during clashes on the Israeli border with Gaza, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) Protesters chant slogans as they hold Palestinian flags during a demonstration in front of the U.S. embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend a press conference after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Sunday, Dec.10, 2017. French President Emmanuel Macron "firmly and clearly" condemns all kinds of attacks against Israel in recent hours and days and reaffirmed his "disapproval" of U.S. President Donald Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. (Philippe Wojazer/Pool via AP) A protester chants slogans as he wears a mask during a demonstration in front of the US embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. The Arabic words in the headband read:"No God but God and Mohammed is the prophet of the God". (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Israel police arrest a Palestinian during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in Jerusalem, Saturday, Dec.9, 2017.(AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) Israel police arrest a Palestinian during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in Jerusalem, Saturday, Dec.9, 2017.(AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) Palestinian women hold a poster of U.S. President Donald Trump during a protest against his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in Jerusalem, Saturday, Dec.9, 2017.(AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) A Palestinian protester throws back a teargas canister fired by Israeli troops during clashes on the Israeli border with Gaza, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra) Protesters burn mock Israeli flags in front of the U.S. embassy during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters try to remove barbed wires that block a road leading to the U.S. embassy during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters burn a mock Israeli flag in front of the U.S. embassy during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) A protester throws a stone as others hold Palestinian flags during a demonstration in front of the US embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Riot policemen stand guard in front of the US embassy during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters try to enter the U.S. embassy as they are sprayed by riot police using water cannons during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters carry a girl who fainted after she inhaled tear gas fired by riot police during a demonstrations in front of the U.S. embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters take cover from tear gas fired by riot police during a demonstration in front of the U.S. embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters try to enter the U.S. embassy as they are sprayed by riot police using water cannons during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) French President Emmanuel Macron, left, speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Sunday, Dec.10, 2017. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters have demonstrated in Paris against the arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying his visit 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. (Philippe Wojazer/Pool via AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, leaves after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Sunday, Dec.10, 2017. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters have demonstrated in Paris against the arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying his visit 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. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson raised the case of a detained dual national on Sunday when he met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during a two-day trip to Tehran. The British Foreign Office says Johnson raised the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly plotting against Iran's government, during a "worthwhile visit" to the country. The Foreign Office said both Johnson and Rouhani "spoke forthrightly" during their nearly hour-long meeting and "agreed on the need to make progress in all areas," without elaborating. In this photo released by official website of the Office of the Iranian Presidency, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, right, greets British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson at the start of their meeting in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. Johnson arrived in Tehran on Saturday, where he 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. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP) 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. The semi-official Fars news agency reported Sunday that the head of Tehran's revolutionary court, Mousa Ghazanfarabadi, denied on Sunday reports that there were any developments in Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case. Ghazanfarabadi, according to the report, said that the case will be brought to court if a new crime is discovered, "because these people are very insolent." 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. 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. Johnson met with Zaghari-Ratcliffe's family in Iran for about 45 minutes while on his trip, her husband Richard Ratcliffe said Sunday. Ratcliffe said a hearing in his wife's trial today was postponed because of Johnson's trip, a development he viewed with optimism. "This weekend we had our first ripple of freedom, with the postponement of Nazanin's new court case," he said in a statement. "Of course who knows what lies ahead, the past 20 months have had plenty of false turns - but my hope is that the ripple in the days ahead might become a full change of tide." It remains unclear when Zaghari-Ratcliffe's trial will resume. Earlier Sunday, Johnson met with Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's nuclear program. Johnson arrived in Tehran on Saturday, leading a high-ranking delegation and meeting with Iranian officials. He met with with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif upon his arrival. A smiling Zarif reminded a female member of Johnson's delegation, whose headscarf was unintentionally misplaced, to observe the country's Hijab dress code. Johnson later traveled to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. There, he met Abu Dhabi's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nayhan and discussed regional issues, though authorities there did not elaborate. ___ Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. JERUSALEM (AP) - The Latest on the fallout from the U.S. decision to declare Jerusalem Israel's capital (all times local): 8:45 p.m. Israel's prime minister says the Palestinians must "come to grips" with Jerusalem being Israel's capital. A protester prepares to throw back tear gas canister that was fired towards them by Lebanese riot police during a demonstration in front of the U.S. embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. Scores of demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Benjamin Netanyahu says the sooner the Palestinians accept that, "the sooner we move towards peace." Netanyahu spoke Sunday in Paris at a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron days after President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, breaking with decades of American foreign policy. The move sparked criticism from U.S. allies in Europe, the Middle East and beyond, who said it was not helpful for peace. Trump's declaration triggered clashes in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and protests in the Arab and Muslim world. Macron expressed his disapproval of Trump's decision at Sunday's meeting. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as capital of their hoped-for state. ___ 8:05 p.m. Israel's prime minister is backing President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in the face of criticism from its ally France. Benjamin Netanyahu is in Paris Sunday where he spoke alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron says he disapproves of Trump's move, echoing the criticism of many U.S. allies in Europe and beyond. But Netanyahu says the recognition is "central for peace." He says Jerusalem is the capital of Israel just as Paris is the capital of France. "We respect your history and your choices," Netanyahu told Macron, "And we know that as friends you respect ours." Trump's declaration upended decades of American foreign policy. Under a longstanding international consensus, the fate of contested Jerusalem is to be determined in final status peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. ___ 7:20 p.m. A senior US. official is appealing to Middle East leaders to calm tensions in the region following the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, which has drawn criticism and sparked unrest across the region. In a briefing with Arab journalists, Acting Assistant Secretary of State David Satterfield said Sunday that President Donald Trump's pronouncement last week was a "recognition of simple reality" and not meant to prejudge final-status negotiations about the city's final borders. He said he hoped Arab and world leaders understand the U.S. remains committed to moving forward with a peace plan he expects to be unveiled in the new year. ""This is a question of choice: Do leaders choose to speak to their peoples, to their regions in terms that reflect reality or in terms that incite or inflame?" He said. "We hope it's the former." ___ 6:40 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macron "firmly and clearly" condemns all kinds of attacks against Israel in recent hours and days, following a meeting in Paris with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Macron also reaffirmed his "disapproval" of U.S. President Donald Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Macron said "what's new is that the United States unilaterally recognized something that is not complying with the international law." He appealed for calm in the Middle East and asked Netanyahu to make gestures toward the Palestinians to "give a chance" to peace. Macron said a gesture could be a settlement freeze. The French president said he wants to wait for a potential U.S. "mediation" in coming weeks and months and would only support an initiative that would be acceptable by Israelis, Palestinians and other parties in the region. ___ 3:10 p.m. The Vatican says Pope Francis is praying so that "leaders of nations" commit themselves to work to "avert a new spiral of violence" over Jerusalem and is expressing "sorrow for the clashes in recent days that have produced victims." The U.S. administration's announcement recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital has triggered violence. In a statement Sunday the Holy See recalled Francis's appeal last week for "wisdom and prudence" to prevail and it reiterated its position asserting "the essential need for respecting the status quo" of Jerusalem. The Vatican statement says only a negotiated solution between Israelis and Palestinians can achieve "stable and lasting peace and guarantee the peaceful co-existence of two states within internationally recognized borders." It calls Jerusalem "a sacred city for Christians, Jews and Muslims from all over the world." ___ 3:05 p.m. Israeli police say that a security guard has been stabbed near Jerusalem's central bus station. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says the guard was seriously wounded Sunday and his attacker arrested. The Magen David Adom medical service says a 30-year-old male suffered a stabbing wound in his upper body. The incident appeared to be the first attack since President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The announcement set off protests and demonstration across the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, and demonstrations around the world. In more than two years of intermittent attacks, Palestinians have killed more than 50 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks. Israeli forces have killed more than 260 Palestinians in that time, mostly attackers ___ 3 p.m. Israeli police say that a security guard has been stabbed near Jerusalem's central bus station. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says the guard was seriously wounded Sunday and his attacker arrested. The Magen David Adom medical service says a 30-year-old male suffered a stabbing wound in his upper body. The incident appeared to be the first attack since President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The announcement set off protests and demonstration across the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, and demonstrations around the world. In more than two years of intermittent attacks, Palestinians have killed more than 50 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks. Israeli forces have killed more than 260 Palestinians in that time, mostly attackers. ___ 2:45 p.m. Turkey's president has escalated his vitriol over the U.S decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, calling Israel a "terror state." In a speech Sunday in central Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "Israel is a terror state." He called Israeli forces "terrorists," referring to a photograph of a blindfolded Palestinian youth being led away by more than a dozen soldiers in the West Bank. "We won't leave Jerusalem to the mercy of a child-murdering country," Erdogan said, accusing Israel of having no values other than "occupation and plunder." Erdogan said Turkey would continue its diplomatic efforts to reverse President Donald Trump's announcement, which he calls "null." ___ 1:15 p.m. Lebanese security forces have broken up a protest outside the heavily-guarded U.S. Embassy after demonstrators pelted them with stones. The protesters gathered early Sunday hundreds of meters (yards) outside the embassy to reject the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. After a rowdy start, the protest drew several hundred people and became more peaceful, with demonstrators chanting and singing. The clashes resumed in the afternoon, with security forces chasing protesters, arresting a handful of them and lobbing tear gas canisters. Lebanon is home to 450,000 Palestinian refugees, nearly 10 percent of the population. ___ 11:20 a.m. Scores of Lebanese and Palestinian demonstrators have clashed with security forces outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut over President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The protesters gathered hundreds of meters (yards) away from the embassy on Sunday, where they burned an effigy of Trump, U.S. and Israeli flags, as well as piles of garbage, sending plumes of smoke into the air. As they hurled stones, security forces responded with tear gas and water cannons. The U.S. decision has ignited protests across the Middle East, where it is widely seen as a blatantly pro-Israel move that threatens the decades-old peace process. Lebanon is home to 450,000 Palestinian refugees, nearly 10 percent of the population. ___ 11:15 a.m. Israel's prime minister says he is ready to defend President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital against its European critics. Upon leaving on a diplomatic mission to Paris and Brussels late Saturday, Netanyahu said he "will present Israel's truth without fear and with head held high." Trump's announcement sparked protests across the region. It also triggered denunciations from around the world, even from close allies like France, that suggested he had needlessly stirred more conflict in an already volatile region. An international consensus has long held that Jerusalem's final status should be determined through negotiations. Israel claims the entire city as its unified capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967, to be the capital of their future state. ___ 9:40 a.m. Israel's defense minister is calling for a boycott of Arab businesses where residents carried out violent protests against President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Avigdor Lieberman tells Israel's Army Radio Sunday that the Arabs of Wadi Ara in northern Israel are "not part of us" and Jewish Israelis should no longer visit their villages and buy their products. Hundreds of Israeli Arabs protested Saturday along a major highway. Dozens of masked rioters hurling stones at buses and police vehicles. Three Israeli were wounded and several vehicles were damaged. The protests were part of a Palestinian "day of rage" following Trump's announcement that he planned to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. Lieberman has long called for Wadi Ara to be incorporated into a future Palestinian state. Protesters try to remove barbed wires that block a road leading to the U.S. embassy during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. Scores of demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters try to remove barbed wires that block a road leading to the U.S. embassy during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. Scores of demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters try to remove barbed wires that block a road leading to the U.S. embassy during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. Scores of demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) A protester prepares to throw back tear gas canister that was fired towards them by Lebanese riot police during a demonstration in front of the U.S. embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. Scores of demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters burn an Israeli flag in front of the U.S. embassy during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. Scores of demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters try to enter the U.S. embassy during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. Scores of demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters burn a mock Israeli flag in front of the U.S. embassy during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters try to remove barbed wires that block a road leading to the U.S. embassy during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters burn mock Israeli flags in front of the U.S. embassy during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters take cover from tear gas fired by riot police during a demonstration in front of the U.S. embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) A protester prepares to throw back tear gas canister that was fired towards them by Lebanese riot police during a demonstration in front of the U.S. embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) A protester prepares to kick back a tear gas canister that was fired towards them by Lebanese riot police during a demonstration in front of the U.S. embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters take cover from tear gas fired by riot police during a demonstration in front of the U.S. embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters try to enter the U.S. embassy as they are sprayed by riot police using water cannons during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters try to enter the U.S. embassy as they are sprayed by riot police using water cannons during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters try to enter the U.S. embassy as they are sprayed by riot police using water cannons during a demonstration in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) Protesters carry a girl who fainted after she inhaled tear gas fired by riot police during a demonstrations in front of the U.S. embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) A protester chants slogans as he wears a mask during a demonstration in front of the US embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. The Arabic words in the headband read:"No God but God and Mohammed is the prophet of the God". (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) A protester throws a stone as others hold Palestinian flags during a demonstration in front of the US embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. A few hundred demonstrators, including Palestinians, pelted security outside the embassy with stones and burned an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump in a protest to reject Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - An interfaith group from Bahrain is visiting Israel amid turmoil there over U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital, angering some in the island nation who support the Palestinians. The group's trip comes after two U.S.-based rabbis have said that Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa thinks that the longtime boycott of Israel by Arab countries should end. While organizers repeatedly described the trip as nonpolitical and unrelated to its government's policies, the timing comes as Bahrain increasingly looks like the test case for other Gulf Arab nations in seeing what could happen if they recognize Israel. FILE - In this May 21, 2017 file photo, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa speaks during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An interfaith group from Bahrain is visiting Israel Sunday Dec. 10, 2017, on a trip amid turmoil there over U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) A group of 30 people from Bahrain, including Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews and Muslims, flew to Israel for the event. They plan to visit universities and talk to officials there about topics of common interest, said Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center. "The goal here is to multiply the interactions and contacts among people doing similar things in the overall region," the rabbi told The Associated Press on Sunday. "Until now, there was absolutely no chance of having contact." King Hamad hosted Cooper and another rabbi in February from Simon Wiesenthal Center. In September, King Hamad's son, Prince Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, went to the center to promote a religious tolerance declaration signed by the king. It was at that September event word spread of King Hamad's comments about wanting the Arab boycott of Israel to end. That goes against decades of Arab opposition to Israel, which at its heart remains the demand for the creation of a Palestinian state and Israel's withdrawal from occupied territory. Only Egypt and Jordan have made a separate peace with Israel. However in recent years, Sunni Arab states have found themselves on the same side as Israel when confronting Shiite power Iran following its nuclear deal with world powers. Bahrain, an island nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia connected by a 25-kilometer (15.5-mile) causeway, long has been known as more liberal than its ultraconservative neighbor. Its bars and nightclubs attract cross-border traffic, as well as sailors based there with the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. The island also hosts a small Jewish community, whose presence occasionally makes waves. An online video last year from Bahrain during Hanukkah caused a minor stir when it showed yarmulke-wearing Jews dancing with Arabs in traditional robes and kaffiyeh headdresses. "Everyone in Bahrain has total religious freedom," said Betsy Mathieson of the This is Bahrain campaign group, which promotes the island. "They are free to carry out their religious rites and worship in safety and security. It's not a problem for anyone in Bahrain." However, that belies the findings of an official investigation conducted after Bahrain put down its 2011 Arab Spring protests with the help of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. That investigation found the government demolished 30 Shiite religious structures following the demonstrations, ranging from mosques to meeting halls and shrines. The report noted that while many lacked proper permits, the timing of their destruction "would be perceived as a collective punishment." Activists put the number of destroyed Shiite structures even higher. In the time since, activists, Shiite leaders and politicians have found themselves ensnared in a wide-ranging crackdown on all dissent in Bahrain. In August, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the island nation "must stop discriminating against the Shiite communities." "I believe that the government of Bahrain has failed to follow a just and inclusive policy in its relationship with the majority of its citizens," Sheikh Maytham al-Salman, a Shiite cleric from Bahrain, told the AP. "PR campaigns by the government of Bahrain ... have failed to convince the international community that it respects the religious freedom rights of the majority of its citizens." As news of the Bahraini delegation in Israel spread, many took to social media in anger Monday. Already, many had been sending messages of support to Palestinians over Trump's Jerusalem decision. "I reject this normalization of relations with the usurping enemy's entity," Ebrahim Sharif, a secularist politician who was once a leader of the Waad political party, wrote on Twitter. "I consider this visit by the delegation a betrayal of the Palestinian people." ___ Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap . His work can be found at http://apne.ws/2galNpz . NEW CANAAN, Conn. (AP) - The setting could not be more different, but David Wannagot says he applies some of the same skills from his 30-year police career to his new role as a school sentry. As he greeted children getting off the bus at West Elementary School one recent morning, he scanned their faces, ready to guide any who seem upset directly to the vice principal. And from his station at the entrance he sizes up all visitors asking to enter the building. "We would do anything we can to protect a child or a teacher," said Wannagot, a former detective in Norwalk. "We're not armed, but we do have experience dealing with violent people in the past, reading people's mannerisms, that kind of thing." In this Nov. 6, 2017 photo, campus monitor Hector Garcia greets students as they got off the bus at the start of the school day at West Elementary School in New Canaan, Conn. Garcia and the district's other campus monitors -- all former police or corrections officers -- were among a wave of security officers hired in the aftermath of the deadly school shooting in nearby Newtown on Dec. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Melia) In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting five years ago, districts have moved to bolster security, especially at elementary schools, which traditionally have not had police assigned to them like many high schools and middle schools. Many have hired retired officers, firefighters and other responsible adults - an approach that's less expensive and potentially less intrusive than assigning sworn police, but one that also has raised questions about the consistency of training and standards. Nationally, there is a patchwork of state laws addressing requirements for school safety officers, and many leave it entirely up to local school boards. Some states, including Connecticut, have weighed legislation to impose standards for non-police security inside schools. In Danbury, Connecticut, which began posting security guards inside elementary schools after the Sandy Hook shooting, Mayor Mark Boughton pushed for state legislation that would have established standards and training for non-police security personnel. The bill ultimately did not pass. In the event of a crisis involving a response by multiple agencies, he said, it would be helpful to have common agreement on the role of private guards. "I still think it's a good idea," Boughton said. Even before the shooting, security officers who were once almost exclusively at high schools before becoming common at middle schools also had been turning up increasingly at elementary schools, according to Ronald Stephens, director of the National School Safety Center. The "responsible adult" model has been in use for years, he said, but anecdotal evidence suggests it has been growing in popularity. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the percentage of primary U.S. public schools with one or more security staffer present at least once a week rose slightly from 26.2 percent in the 2005-2006 school year to 28.6 percent in 2013-2014. In New Canaan, the school district contracted with a private company to set up the campus monitors soon after the Newtown school shooting on Dec. 14, 2012. "Our lenses changed a bit on that day," Superintendent Bryan Luizzi said. The plan for the monitors initially ran into skepticism from some, including Steve Karl, a town councilor who questioned the cost and the intrusiveness, but he has come around to support the program. The monitors now report to the Board of Education, which also provides training. The monitors earn an average salary of $30,700, compared with $90,472 for police assigned as school resource officers. "The first choice would be to have a U.S. Marine at the door. 'This is the guy you're going to have to check through to get access to our kids.' But it's just not realistic,'" Karl said. "Where do you go from there? You want somebody who has a very keen sense of knowing when something doesn't quite feel right." The rise in the number of districts turning to private security has led to calls elsewhere to impose standards for school guards, particularly in cases where school boards allow for them to be armed. In New Jersey, a law passed last year establishes a special class of law enforcement officers providing school security. The measure was sought by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police to encourage minimum training standards, according to the association's president, North Plainfield Police Chief William Parenti. Chiefs, he said, noticed fewer police officers were being assigned to schools because of budget cuts and districts were replacing them with private security, including armed guards. "You could get a school superintendent's brother who didn't have a job and give them a permit to carry," he said. In Arkansas, a law passed in 2015 sets minimum training requirements on topics including active-shooter training and limitations on the authority of school security officers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Michele Gay, whose own daughter was killed at Sandy Hook and who now works with school districts as a security advocate, said the ideal scenario would be to have an officer in every school, playing an all-purpose role similar to a school nurse. Where that's not possible, she said the guards should at least be former police. "We want everybody to be on the same page and have the same level of experience," she said. At New Canaan's West Elementary, the guard greets students at the bus before making rounds to make sure doors and windows are locked. He monitors video feeds to watch people approaching the school and checks visitors' identification. On occasion, the principal asks him to keep an eye out for parents who may be upset about something. A New Canaan police officer also comes by the school periodically and talks with student as part of a new program to build relationships with school staff. "We try to be as friendly as possible for the kids to be comfortable around us," said Hector Garcia, a monitor assigned to West Elementary. The former prison guard, known as "Mr. Hector" to students, keeps a collection of matchbox cars at this station to help put children at ease. Annie Drapkin, a West Elementary parent, said the guards helped to put everyone at ease after the Newtown shooting and, over time, they have become part of the school community. "They're lovely people, and underneath it, they are strong," she said. BEIRUT (AP) - The United Nations children's agency said Sunday 137 children stranded in a rebel-held suburb near the Syrian capital require immediate evacuation amid a crippling siege in which five have reportedly died from a lack of medical care. The Eastern Ghouta suburb, home to 400,000 residents, has been besieged since 2013 and humanitarian conditions there have deteriorated sharply amid violence that intensified since Nov. 14. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 202 people, including 47 children, have been killed since. The area, the last remaining rebel-held pocket near the capital Damascus, is technically part of a "de-escalation zone" brokered by Russia earlier this year. Cease-fires brokered by Russia have largely held elsewhere in Syria but there has been little progress toward a political solution to the conflict that has claimed nearly 400,000 lives since it began in 2011. Syrian opposition and government delegates are currently in Geneva for a new round of U.N.-sponsored talks after a short break. The government delegation has protested the opposition's insistence on the absence of President Bashar Assad from any future transition period. After a few days' absence, the government delegation returned to Geneva Sunday for talks which are due to resume Monday. In its statement Sunday, UNICEF said its aid workers described seeing one of the worst health situations since the conflict began in 2011 during a rare international aid convoy to a neighborhood in the Eastern Ghouta district at the end of November. UNICEF says 137 children, aged between 7-months to 17-years, require immediate evacuation for conditions that include kidney failure, severe malnutrition and conflict wounds. "Children are still living through so much horror," said UNICEF Representative in Syria Fran Equiza. "The situation is getting worse day by day. The health system is crumbling and schools have now been closed for almost a month. Sick children desperately need medical evacuation, and many thousands more are being denied the chance of a normal, peaceful childhood." UNICEF says that nearly 12 per cent of children under 5 years-old in Eastern Ghouta suffer from acute malnutrition - the highest rate ever recorded since the start of the conflict in Syria. Margaret Leatherwood has eight choices for health insurance next year but no good options. The cheapest individual coverage available in her market would eat up nearly a quarter of the income her husband brings home from the oilfields. The Bryson, Texas, couple makes too much to qualify for Affordable Care Act tax credits that help people buy coverage. But they don't make enough to comfortably afford insurance on their own, even though Paul Leatherwood works seven days a week. In this Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017, photo, Stephanie and Lance Schmidt pose for a photo with their children, from left, Stella, Solomon and Theo, at their home in Oklahoma City. The Schmidt's have opted for a cost-sharing ministry this year after they realized their monthly insurance bill would have more than doubled to over $1,200 and stuck them with an $8,000 deductible for their family of five. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) "I hate to put it like this, but it sucks," said Margaret Leatherwood, who stays at home and takes care of her grandchildren. This largely middle-class crowd of shoppers is struggling to stay insured. They've weathered years of price hikes and shrinking insurance choices with no help. Faced with more price increases for next year, they're mulling options outside insurance or skipping coverage entirely - a decision that could lead to a fine for remaining uninsured and huge bills if an emergency hits. The sign-up period for 2018 coverage closes on Friday in most states, meaning shoppers have only a few more days to find something that squeezes into their budgets. "I kind of cringe when I am meeting with those clients because I don't have a solution for them," said Kelly Rector, a Missouri-based insurance agent. The ACA helped chop the U.S. uninsured population 41 percent to 28.8 million people earlier this year from 48.6 million in 2010, when it became law, according to the latest government figures. The law expanded Medicaid coverage for the poor and created health insurance marketplaces where people can use income-based tax credits to buy a single or family individual insurance plan if they don't get coverage through work. Those subsidies cover part or all of the bill, capping insurance costs at a percentage of income for those who are eligible. That shields recipients from price hikes of 20 percent or more that have hit many markets. But that help stops abruptly for people making four times the federal poverty level or more - around $48,000 for an individual and more than $98,000 for a family of four. Of the roughly 15 million people who bought ACA-compliant individual insurance for this year, nearly 7 million had no tax credit help, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Meanwhile, the uninsured rate among adults who make too much to qualify for help buying coverage jumped to 5 percent this year from 2 percent in 2016, according to The Commonwealth Fund. Brokers and health care researchers expect that to climb again, especially for people with income levels close to the cutoff for federal help. "It's not going to be like an on-off switch where prices get too high and nobody buys coverage," said Sherry Glied of New York University. "It's more like a drip, drip, drip." The vulnerable population includes the self-employed, small business owners and those close to qualifying for the Medicare program that covers people age 65 and over. These customers can face monthly bills that climb past $2,000 for a family plan and then a big deductible before most coverage starts. Plus fewer markets this year have insurance that comes with a health savings account, which lets people save for medical expenses before taxes. Those accounts are popular with individual insurance shoppers who don't get tax credit help, said St. Louis broker Emily Bremer. Leslie Glogau said some of her customers in the Orlando, Florida area are considering short-term, limited-benefits plans that are cheaper than ACA-compliant coverage but can leave them vulnerable to big medical bills. Such plans also won't stave off the uninsured penalty, which can amount to a few thousand dollars depending on income. "People just don't know which way to turn," Glogau said. Insurance shoppers won't be fined if they can't find an affordable option in their market. But going uninsured would still leave them exposed to huge medical bills. Margaret and Paul Leatherwood wound up with a limited-benefits plan this year, but they want better protection in case of a big bill. She's 58 and he just turned 60. They're weighing joining a medical cost-sharing ministry for next year. These ministries are not insurance, but they allow people to band together to share expenses, often by making monthly payments. They can be cheaper than regular coverage, and belonging to one allows customers to escape the ACA penalty for remaining uninsured. Such arrangements usually come with restrictions or qualifications. For instance, participants may not be allowed to use tobacco, and there might be limits on help for medical conditions that existed before the customer signed up. "That's really the only option we have that's going to cover anything," Margaret Leatherwood said. Lance and Stephanie Schmidt bought family coverage in the individual insurance market for years because they don't get employer-sponsored coverage through Lance's dental practice. But the Oklahoma City couple opted for a cost-sharing ministry this year after they realized the monthly insurance bill for their family of five would have more than doubled to over $1,200 and stuck them with a deductible that topped $7,000. They now pay $450 a month for a plan through Liberty HealthShare, and they are leaning toward returning next year. "There's still some risk there, but so far it has proven to be just fine," said Stephanie Schmidt. Cost-sharing ministries and short-term plans aren't the only alternatives to individual insurance. Tom Morrill, a broker from Kansas City, Missouri, has helped many of his customers set up group coverage through their businesses. He said that gives them better options than what they would find on the individual market, where coverage prices from the dominant insurer, Cigna, are climbing an average of 42 percent. Four insurers have left that market. The 10 remaining plans all have narrow networks of providers and don't pay for care outside those networks. "It's nuts," Morrill said. "Rates have jumped dramatically. It's not good coverage." DETROIT (AP) - When it came to pursuing a scientific career, Tasneem Essader encountered forces pulling her in and pushing her away: She drew inspiration from her mother's work in chemistry, but initial discouragement from her engineer father, who thought she should do something else. She was inspired by women engineers she met, but found few girls around her in advanced high school science classes. Essader, who feels strongly connected to her Muslim faith, also struggled to find the right fit among an array of identity-based scholarships as she looked to help ease the financial burden of college. Then, an uncle informed her about the Adawia Alousi Scholars program, and the obstacles started to fall away. She found that fit, and a kinship with the scholarship program's namesake. Tasneem Essader studies at a residence hall at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Dec. 2, 2017. The Adawia Alousi Scholars program, a scholarship for Muslim women pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math with money from Alousi's family trust, is believed to be the first of its kind. The inaugural class of 11 recipients includes refugees, daughters of poor parents and the first in their families to go to college. (Gabriel Lima via AP) "After reading about Dr. Alousi's life, I felt like the struggles I faced because of who I am in the field I want to pursue have been validated," Essader wrote in her essay application, "that someone who has gone through the same struggles as I have and has something about it to make it easier for future generations." The scholarship, established at the Dearborn, Michigan-based Center for Arab American Philanthropy with money from Alousi's family trust, is believed to be the first of its kind for Muslim-American women studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Essader is in the inaugural class of 11 recipients of the scholarship, named after a scientist who helped develop a pioneering drug treatment for congestive heart failure in the 1980s. Alousi, who died in 2010, was an Iraq-born Muslim who had to fight to earn recognition in a male-dominated field. She wanted money from her trust to go toward charity. "We reflected upon who my aunt was, what she would want. She was most passionate about her science and Islam - the scholarship reflects those passions," said nephew Amin Alousi, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Texas' MD Anderson Cancer Center. Alousi said his aunt's pharmacological research was the backbone for a new class of drugs for congestive heart failure - and she and her colleagues were the first to bring such drugs to market. Still, he added, she faced discrimination being "a foreign-born woman." "She really did have to be vocal," Alousi said. "On all the scientific papers, she insisted on being recognized as a lead author." Alousi said the scholarship includes grade requirements but he added, "We want people with a compelling story," including "overcoming hardships." Essader, a freshman at the University of North Carolina, wants to "carry forward Dr. Alousi's spirit by breaking the stereotypes surrounding people who look like me." Essader says her father has grown more encouraging as he sees her passion for her intended career in biomedical engineering. Another recipient, Teeba Jihad, said her "family was under attack" in her native Iraq as members of the Shiite sect of Islam during wartime. After coming to the U.S. at age 11, she faced name-calling and criticism for her modest clothing. Jihad, who had a cancer scare in 2013, is studying biomolecular science at New York University and has worked in a lab to develop breast cancer treatments using magnetic, nanoscale particles. The scholarship, she wrote, allows her to "continue to create a positive image of young Muslim females." Alousi hopes the recipients' achievements help dispel misconceptions. "The bigger narrative of how often people in the West or in the United States wrongly assume Muslim women are uneducated, not successful, or not outspoken - I think that's the bigger story that we hope to overcome with this scholarship and the young women it supports," he said. ___ Karoub is a member of AP's Race and Ethnicity Team, and frequently writes about religion. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jeffkaroub and find more of his work at https://apnews.com/search/jeff%20karoub . Sign up for the AP's weekly newsletter showcasing our best reporting from the Midwest and Texas: http://apne.ws/2u1RMfv . PARIS (AP) - Corsican nationalists swept elections Sunday on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica for a new regional assembly, crushing President Emmanuel Macron's young centrist movement and traditional parties. The nationalists on the once-restive island of 320,000 people want more autonomy from Paris but unlike those in the nearby Spanish region of Catalonia, they aren't seeking full independence - yet. In what French media called an unprecedented score, a coalition of moderate and harder-line nationalists won 56.5 percent of the vote in Sunday's second-round election, according to figures from the Interior Ministry. Local media showed nationalists sing Corsican songs and celebrating in the streets after the results were announced. The nationalist coalition, which also won the most votes in the first round a week ago, will have 41 of the 63 seats in the new assembly, which takes office Jan. 1 after a territorial reform replacing previous assemblies. Candidates from Macron's Republic on the Move! party won just six seats. On the ballot were nationalist issues such as amnesty for political prisoners, the recognition of Corsican as the official language alongside French and protections for locals who want to buy real estate on the popular destination that the French refer to as the "Island of Beauty," which is also rich in history and famed as the birthplace of Napoleon. The nationalists formed an alliance between the more popular, moderate group led by Gilles Simeoni, who wants devolved power, and a fiery movement led by Jean-Guy Talamoni, who aims to eventually get full autonomy for Corsica, though not immediately. The vote came a day after French Basques marched through Paris demanding the release of fellow Basques held in prisons around the country for separatist activity. Far away in the South Pacific, the French territory of New Caledonia is preparing for a referendum on self-rule next year. ___ Associated Press writer Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report. WASHINGTON (AP) - The orbit of odd political claims stretched from Utah canyons to the looming Alabama Senate race to crazy-as-usual Washington in recent days. That's what The Associated Press found when scrutinizing an assortment of statements from President Donald Trump and others last week. In addition, earlier comments by Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore about his decades-old behavior with teens drew scrutiny that dominated the last leg of the campaign for Alabama's election. Trump pitched Moore's candidacy at a rally in Pensacola, Florida, close to the Alabama line. President Donald Trump waves to supporters after a rally in Pensacola, Fla., Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Jonathan Bachman) A look at some of their statements: TRUMP, surveying the crowd at his Pensacola rally Friday night: "Look at these guys, 'blacks for Trump.' I love you. I love you. By the way, now that you bring it up, black homeownership just hit the highest level it has ever been in the history of our country. Congratulations." THE FACTS: Not true or even close. The U.S. Census finds that the black homeownership rate peaked during 2004, when 49.7 percent of black households owned homes. (The rate for all races that year reached 69.2 percent, also a modern record.) The black homeownership rate stayed in similar territory until the recession, when it dropped to the mid-40s. This year: 42.7 percent in the first quarter, 42.3 percent in the second and 42 percent in the third. That's an uptick from last year but far from a record. Quarterly rates this year for the total U.S. population: 63.6 percent, 63.7 percent and 63.9 percent. ___ TRUMP: "You know, we have factories pouring back into our country. Did you ever think you would hear that? I used to tell you, that's going to happen." - Pensacola rally. THE FACTS: Factories are not pouring into the country, according to available data. Spending on the construction of factories has dropped 14 percent over the past 12 months. There has been a steady decline in spending on factory construction since the middle of 2015 - a trend Trump has yet to reverse despite his claims otherwise. The existing manufacturing sector, though, has been doing a steady dose of hiring. This appears to reflect the synchronized global growth that has aided a rebound in manufacturing after setbacks in 2016 from a stronger dollar and low energy prices. In November, manufacturing added 31,000 jobs for a gain of 189,000 from a year earlier. ___ TRUMP: "So we're at 3.3 percent GDP. I see no reason why we don't go to 4 percent, 5 percent and even 6 percent." Speaks of GDP "getting up to 4, 5, and even 6 percent, because I think that's possible." - Cabinet meeting Wednesday. THE FACTS: Anything's possible, but to get serious: There are no signs the economy is capable of delivering a phenomenal and rarely achieved growth rate in the order of 6 percent, or even 5. Or even 4. Federal Reserve officials and most mainstream economists expect economic growth to hew closer to 2 percent. The economy last cleared the 6 percent hurdle in 1984 and only for that fleeting year, at 7.3 percent. This was a different time, when baby boomers were at prime working ages, instead of today when they're starting to retire. The Federal Reserve had boosted growth by steadily slashing a key interest rate from its 1981 peak of 20 percent, while the Fed today is slowly increasing the same rate. Also, the national debt was much lower. The tax cuts Trump may soon sign into law would probably max out at roughly $250 billion in 2020. Yet to generate growth of 6 percent, those cuts would have to spur a massive $1.2 trillion gain to the gross domestic product. His administration has failed to produce a single analysis showing how this would be possible, while outside analysts say the tax cuts are unlikely to generate anything close to what Trump has said. ___ TRUMP, on scaling back national monument lands in Utah: "We have seen how this tragic federal overreach prevents many Native Americans from having their rightful voice over the sacred land where they practice their most important ancestral and religious traditions. ... We've seen many rural families stopped from enjoying their outdoor activities, and the fact that they've done it all their lives made no difference to the bureaucrats in Washington." - remarks in Salt Lake City, Dec. 4. THE FACTS: Native rights are generally enshrined on national monument lands. So are other existing public uses of the land. Native Americans say their voice on sacred land is imperiled by Trump's move, not empowered. Five tribes lobbied President Barack Obama to declare Bears Ears a national monument to preserve lands that are home to ancient cliff dwellings and an estimated 100,000 archaeological sites. Native Americans visit to perform ceremonies, collect herbs and wood for medicinal and spiritual purposes, and do healing rituals. The tribes sued Monday night challenging Trump's move to shrink Bears Ears by 85 percent. Environmental groups have filed a suit challenging Trump's decision to shrink Grand Staircase-Escalante by nearly half. They say his move endangers a "Dinosaur Shangri-La" of fossils. Public uses, such as hiking, ranching, hunting and fishing, are allowed on the monument lands. The central issue is whether the land should be opened to mining or other resource or commercial development. ___ TRUMP: "As many of you know, past administrations have severely abused the purpose, spirit and intent of a century-old law known as the Antiquities Act. This law requires that only the smallest necessary area be set aside for special protection as national monuments." - in Salt Lake City, Dec. 4. THE FACTS: That's not exactly what Teddy Roosevelt's 1906 preservation law says. It states, in essence, that the federal government should not bite off more than it can chew when a president designates an area for protection. It doesn't demand that such land be kept to a minimum. Such protected land "shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected," it says. ___ MOORE, on women who said they had a romantic relationship with him when they were in their teens: "I do not know any of these women, nor have I ever engaged in sexual misconduct with anyone." ''Let me state once again: I do not know any of these women, did not date any of these women and have not engaged in any sexual misconduct with anyone." - comments during campaign stops in Henagar and Theodore, Nov. 27 and 29. THE FACTS: In at least two cases, he knew them before he didn't know them. In a Nov. 10 radio interview with Sean Hannity, Moore said he remembered two of the women, Debbie Wesson Gibson and Gloria Deason, who were 17 and 18 at the time. He said he didn't remember dating them. Asked by Hannity if he generally dated teenagers as a man in his 30s, Moore replied, "Not generally, no. If I did, you know, I'm not going to dispute anything, but I don't remember anything like that." Altogether, five women have stepped up to say Moore pursued them as teens. Leigh Corfman said Moore touched her sexually when she was 14; he denied that. The age of consent in Alabama is 16. Moore's campaign said he was only denying knowing women who have accused him of sexual assault. But Moore said in a campaign stop he didn't know any of the women featured in his Democratic opponent's ads. Democrat Doug Jones has run ads with the photos of all of the women who have come forward about Moore. One of the women has acknowledged that she wrote part of an entry in her high school yearbook that was initially presented as coming from Moore. But no one has refuted her claim that Moore signed her yearbook with a salutation. ___ TRUMP: "Working with Republicans in Congress, we've already signed 88 pieces of legislation. We get no credit. They always say, well, President Trump really needs this tax bill because he hasn't passed any legislation. Well, so far in 10 months we've passed more during this period of time than any other president in the history of our country and the second - let's call runner up - is Harry Truman, was second." - Pensacola rally. THE FACTS: Trump's first-year legislative record pales next to that of a variety of presidents (Franklin Roosevelt, with his New Deal, signed 14 historic laws in his first 100 days). The tax package Trump may soon sign would mark his first major legislative achievement after months of false starts and frustrations on health care and more. His promised infrastructure initiative got sidelined but appears in the offing. Trump signed a law strengthening accountability at the Veterans Affairs Department, used executive orders to roll back Obama-era regulations and policies and, perhaps most significantly, won confirmation of a conservative Supreme Court justice, Neil Gorsuch. But legislatively, his record is thin, despite having Republican majorities in Congress. All presidents sign plenty of bills that have little consequence; most don't make so much of it. Among Trump's routine signings: naming a Veterans Affairs health clinic in Butler County, Pennsylvania, after Bataan Death March survivor Abie Abraham, appointing a regent at the Smithsonian Institution and naming a federal building and courthouse in Nashville, Tennessee, after late Sen. Fred Thompson. ___ TRUMP on a conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about trade: "He 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 - and he was right. Except he forgot two categories - lumber, timber and energy. Other than that, he was right. When you add them altogether we actually have a $17 billion deficit with Canada, right? So, he forgot a couple of categories that he didn't want to mention." - Pensacola rally. THE FACTS: Trump's accounting is puzzling and at odds with U.S. trade statistics. Trudeau is right that the U.S. has a trade surplus with Canada, according to those numbers. "Exports were $320.1 billion; imports were $307.6 billion," says the U.S. trade representative's office. "The U.S. goods and services trade surplus with Canada was $12.5 billion in 2016." The U.S. ran a $12.1 billion deficit with Canada in trade on goods. That was offset by a $24.6 billion surplus in trade of services. Trump may have been ignoring services - half of the equation on trade - but if so his numbers still don't match his government's. ___ TRUMP on his critics in Washington: "They will lie and leak and smear because they don't want to accept the results of an election where we won by a landslide." - Pensacola rally. THE FACTS: His win was far from a landslide. His winning margin in the Electoral College is far closer to the narrowest win in history than to the widest. The final Electoral College margin was Trump 306, Hillary Clinton 232, for a winning percentage of just under 57 percent. That ranks the 2016 election as the 13th closest of the 58 presidential elections in U.S. history, according to a tally by Claremont McKenna College political scientist John Pitney. Obama won both of his presidential elections with bigger Electoral College margins: 61 percent in 2008 and 62 percent in 2012. Trump's margin was narrower than all but two of the last 10 presidential elections - those of George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. As well, he lost the popular vote to Clinton. ___ TRUMP: "By the way, wages - starting to go up. First time in 20 years - starting to go up. That's all going to happen." - Pensacola rally. THE FACTS: It's not true that wages haven't gone up for 20 years. The latest jobs report shows average hourly earnings up 2.5 percent over the past 12 months, roughly the same pace of growth as the year before, when Obama was president. Wages were rising faster in December 2016, up by 2.9 percent. Average hourly wage figures are volatile, but they don't show an upward trend under Trump. The last time unemployment was this low - in 2000 - that figure was rising at 4 percent. Inflation-adjusted median household incomes, meantime, have barely budged for several decades. ___ Associated Press writers Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City; and Christopher S. Rugaber in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Find AP Fact Checks at https://apnews.com/tag/APFactCheck President Donald Trump smiles as he speaks before hosting a lunch with Senate Republicans in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) 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) WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Sunday that women who accuse someone of sexual misconduct deserve to be heard, even if it involves President Donald Trump. "I know that he was elected, but women should always feel comfortable coming forward. And we should all be willing to listen to them," Nikki Haley said on CBS' "Face the Nation." Trump, a Republican, won the White House last year despite the election season release of a 2005 "Access Hollywood" tape in which he described grabbing women's private parts, followed by accusations by several women of aggressive sexual misconduct. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has since reiterated the White House's position that the women who accused Trump of sexual harassment are lying. FILE - In a Thursday Sept. 28, 2017 file photo, United Nations Ambassador from U.S. Nikki Haley address U.N. Security Council meeting on Myanmar's Rohingya crisis, at U.N. headquarters. Haley said Sunday, Dec. 10, 1017 on CBS' "Face the Nation" that women who accuse someone of sexual misconduct deserve to be heard, even if it involves President Donald Trump. On Sunday, Haley, who was the first female governor of South Carolina, praised the courage of women who have raised complaints of harassment in various industries from government to Hollywood. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File) On Sunday, Haley, who was the first female governor of South Carolina, praised the courage of women who have raised complaints of harassment in various industries, including government and Hollywood, saying they will "bring a conscience to the situation." "Women who accuse anyone should be heard. They should be heard and they should be dealt with, and I think we heard them prior to the election," said Haley, a Republican. "I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up." Asked whether Trump's election settled the issue, Haley said it was "for the people to decide." The wave of allegations have brought down powerful figures, including the resignations last week of Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., and Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz. COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine (AP) - A convoy loaded with Christmas wreaths has left Down East Maine for a weeklong journey to Arlington National Cemetery, where the wreaths will adorn tombstones this holiday season. The Wreaths Across America caravan departed Sunday from Columbia Falls, where the wreaths were made. It'll travel through Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Washington D.C., before arriving in a week in Arlington, Virginia. The grand marshals are Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient Roger Donlon and his wife, Norma Donlon. The tradition began when Maine wreath maker Morrill Worcester donated 5,000 wreaths to Arlington Cemetery. This year, there will be more than 200,000 of them placed at Arlington alone. A total of 1.2 million wreaths will be placed on markers across the country in 1,238 locations. BERLIN (AP) - Berlin police are trying to determine the source of 200 rounds of ammunition found in an underground parking lot in the German capital. Officers were called after a tenant of the building in the western district of Charlottenburg discovered a bag containing the bullets late Sunday. German news agency dpa reports that police searched the surrounding area with sniffer dogs but found no further ammunition. Germany is nearing the first anniversary of a terror attack in Berlin in which 12 people were killed by a Tunisian man who drove a stolen truck into a crowded Christmas market. The attack was later claimed by the Islamic State group. Security officials have said Germany could be the target of further attacks but there are no indications anything specific is planned. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - The Latest on the race for the Alabama Senate seat (all times local): 7:10 p.m. Alabama voters are getting a recorded phone call in which President Donald Trump says he needs Republican Roy Moore in the U.S. Senate. FILE - In this Dec. 5, 2017 photo, former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks at a campaign rally, in Fairhope Ala. Alabama voters pick between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File) The 90-second audio recording released Sunday by the Moore campaign includes Trump saying progress on his agenda will be "stopped cold" if Alabama elects Democrat Doug Jones. State voters will begin receiving the call on Monday, the day before the election. Trump calls Moore a conservative who will help get the nation back on track after what he refers to as the "Obama disaster." The president says Republicans need Moore's vote in the Senate, where the GOP has a majority with 52 votes. Trump calls Jones a liberal who's a puppet of Democratic congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. ___ 6:20 p.m. Alabama Democratic Senate nominee Doug Jones is using the words of the state's senior GOP senator in his last-minute push for votes. In a Sunday night speech at a Huntsville church, Jones repeated Sen. Richard Shelby's remark on a morning talk show that Alabama can "do better" than electing Republican Roy Moore in Tuesday's race for US Senate. Shelby says he did not vote for Moore, but instead wrote in the name of another Republican. Jones's campaign has been emphasizing Shelby's statement through the day. Moore did not hold any public campaign events on Sunday. He has scheduled a Monday night rally with former Trump strategist Steve Bannon. ___ 5:10 p.m. Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones says Tuesday's election against Republican Roy Moore will send a message far beyond Alabama's borders. Jones told campaign workers during an appearance in Birmingham on Sunday that the vote will tell the world what Alabama stands for. Jones says his campaign "is on the right side of history." Jones was joined for a second day by New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, one of just two African American Democrats serving in the Senate. Jones' campaign is painfully aware of their need to drive extraordinary levels of black voters and moderate Republicans to the polls. Alabama doesn't have any Democrats in statewide office. Jones' campaign has been buoyed by allegations that Moore made improper sexual advances toward teen girls decades ago. ___ 11:30 a.m. Roy Moore's chief strategist is tying the Republican Senate candidate to President Donald Trump's star in Alabama. Dean Young said Sunday on ABC's "This Week" that the special election is "ground zero" for Trump and that Alabamians who want the president's agenda to be achieved should vote for Moore. He says: "This is Donald Trump on trial in Alabama." Trump has urged voters to back Moore over Democrat Doug Jones in Tuesday's election. Moore's candidacy has been rocked by allegations of sexual misconduct by multiple women. Young says the women aren't credible. In contrast, a number of senior Republicans in Congress say they believe the women. Trump, however, has raised doubts about the accusers and has criticized Jones as the "liberal puppet" of Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. Democratic senatorial candidate Doug Jones speaks during a "get out the vote rally," Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) 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. On Friday, the first fire-related death was confirmed by the Ventura County medical examiners 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 examiners office said in a statement. BREAKING: Coroner says death of woman found in car is first linked to wildfires burning in California. The Associated Press (@AP) December 9, 2017 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, 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, Capt. Bortisser said. A helicopter drops water on the embers. (Gregory Bull/AP/PA) 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. #LilacFire [update] off Old Hwy 395 at Dulin Road, Bonsall (San Diego County) is now 4,100 acres and 15% contained. https://t.co/d1AIEV66qV pic.twitter.com/gr2ZBPRtft CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) December 9, 2017 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. Iraq has announced that the fight against Islamic State is over after more than three years of combat operations. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi formally announced the victory in an address to the nation aired on Iraqi state television on Saturday evening. Honorable Iraqis, your land has been completely liberated, he said. 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. Iraq Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi during a press conference, in Baghdad (Karim Kadim/AP) The flag of Iraq is flying high today over all Iraqi territory and at the farthest point on the border, he added, standing before the most senior members of Iraqs security forces. Following Mr al-Abadis remarks, his office declared a public holiday on Sunday in celebration of the victory. Haider Al-Abadi (@HaiderAlAbadi) December 9, 2017 Iraqi forces mopped up the last pockets of IS fighters from Iraqs western deserts on Saturday, securing the countrys border with Syria, a step that marked the end of combat operations against the extremists. All Iraqi lands are liberated from terrorist Daesh gangs and our forces completely control the international Iraqi-Syrian border, said Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah, a senior Iraqi military commander. The US applauded the prime ministers announcement. The US offers sincere congratulations to the Iraqi people and to the brave Iraqi Security Forces, many of whom lost their lives heroically fighting ISIS, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. US applauds the Iraqi government's announcement of the full liberation of Iraqi territory from ISIS control. The US and the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, will continue to partner with the Iraqi Security Forces, advising, training, and equipping them. https://t.co/r1aggiGP6A Department of State (@StateDept) December 9, 2017 Our coalition will continue to stand with Iraq to support its security forces, economy and stabilization to help ensure that ISIS can never against threaten Iraqs people or use its territory as a haven, said Brett McGurk, US special presidential envoy to the anti-IS coalition. We mark todays historic victory mindful of the work that remains, he added. Iraqs government remains faced with significant security threats, an economic crisis and the enormous task of rebuilding swathes of territory decimated by the IS fight. IS fighters overran nearly a third of Iraqi territory, including Mosul, the countrys second largest city and Tikrit, the capital of Iraqs central Salahuddin province in the summer of 2014. The following year, IS fighters also overran Anbars provincial capital of Ramadi. 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 pic.twitter.com/pJlGImT1Yu The Global Coalition (@coalition) December 9, 2017 Since then, Iraqi ground forces closely backed by the US-led coalition and mostly Shiite paramilitary forces backed by Iran have slowly retaken all of that territory. The pace of the anti-IS operation accelerated last year as coalition-backed Iraqi ground forces prepared for the assault on Mosul that was formally launched in October 2016. After more than nine months of mostly grueling urban combat, Mr al-Abadi declared victory over IS in Mosul in July. In the months that followed Iraqi forces retook a handful of other IS held towns including Tal Afar in August, Hawija in September and Qaim in October. In November, Iraqi forces retook the last Iraqi town held by IS - Rawah, near the border with Syria. Students at several Egyptian universities held protests on Sunday to denounce US President Donald Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing the city as Israel's capital Egyptian students at a number of universities held on-campus protests on Sunday to denounce the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, chanting against Israel and carrying Palestinian flags. At Al-Azhar University in Cairo, several hundred students organized a protest on campus attended by the university's president Mohamed El-Mahrsawy and several professors. The students chanted "Down with Israel!" and some burned the Israeli flag. Dozens of students at Ain Shams University also in Cairo held a protest to voice their exasperation, lifting banners reading "Jerusalem will always be a capital for the Palestinian state ... Jerusalem is Arab and Islamic." The students also carried Palestines flags, while wearing the white-and-black checkered Palestinian keffiyeh headscarf, a prominent symbol of Palestinian pride. According to state-owned news agency MENA, the students said their protest was the least that they could do to show their solidarity with the Palestinian cause. The protest was also attended by the universitys president Abdel Wahab Ezzat, along with members of the university teaching staff and other employees. Ezzat told MENA that his university represented by students, professors and employees stands side by side with the Palestinians, describing the Palestinian cause as one of importance to the whole Arab nation, not only the Palestinian people. He added that the protest was proof that the conscience of the free world rejects such unilateral decisions." Students at Menoufiya University in the Nile Delta also held a protest as a show of anger at the decision, leading their protest with anti-Israel and pro-Palestine chants. Sundays protests against the US decision are not the first by students in Egypt. On Thursday, the American University in Cairos Student Union organized an on-campus protest and march, lifting banners that showed support with Palestine. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, drawing a wave of condemnation and protests in the occupied territories and around the world. In the Arab world, several protests rejecting the US decision took place in a number of countries including Lebanon and Jordan. Search Keywords: Short link: The husband of imprisoned Briton Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has hailed the first ripple of freedom as a new court case against his wife was postponed. Richard Ratcliffe said the move came in the wake of the Foreign Secretarys two-day visit to Iran where Boris Johnson has been seeking her release. He said his family have spent the weekend watching closely with hope while Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe said she could now see some light. On Sunday, Mr Johnson held talks with president Hassan Rouhani, where they both spoke forthrightly, and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday. I said I thought that if the Foreign Secretary had a good Saturday, we might have a good Sunday, with a court case postponed, Mr Ratcliffe said in a statement. And so it has come to pass. Today is one of the good days in the past 20 months. This weekend we had our first ripple of freedom, with the postponement of Nazanins new court case. Of course who knows what lies ahead, the past 20 months have had plenty of false turns - but my hope is that the ripple in the days ahead might become a full change of tide. My hope today is as Nazanin once wrote: Freedom feels one day closer, that Christmas dream remains. Mr Ratcliffe said just a month ago he was cursing Mr Johnson but that to date he has been as good as his word. He did get to Iran, he did get there before her court case, and that did make a difference, he added. Boris Johnson in discussions with the Iranians (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP) Of course, one swallow doesnt make a Christmas - Nazanin is not yet on a plane. But it is good to have at least a swallow in the sky. The news came as it remained unclear whether Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe would be taken back to court on Sunday following threats to increase her sentence by five years after Mr Johnson incorrectly told a parliamentary committee that she had been in Iran to train journalists. Mother-of-one Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. She is currently serving a five-year sentence over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government. In a statement, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe said she could see some light today, more than before. The court, the imprisonment emerged all of a sudden out of the blue, so I hope it can disappear out of the blue also - if there is enough will, she said. 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 Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe said there have been two or three times before when she felt like she might be getting close to freedom but was ultimately left disappointed. This time, again it feels close, but I am not planning it, not setting a date for myself, she added. Mr Ratcliffe said Mr Johnson also used his visit to Iran to meet with the family of his wife spending 45 minutes with them on Saturday evening. He promised them he would do his best to solve the case and that he would make strong representations during his meeting with President Rouhani and had discussed her in every meeting so far, the Free Nazanin Campaign said. Mr Ratcliffe said he is expecting a fuller debrief from the Foreign Office on Mr Johnsons efforts once he returns from the region, either on Monday or Tuesday. Universities offering shorter degrees will be able to charge up to 11,100 a year for the courses under Government plans, but students will be left with a smaller overall bill. Students opting for accelerated degrees which typically take two years will save around 20% on tuition fees compared with their peers on traditional three-year courses, the Department for Education (DfE) said. Under the proposals, universities in England will be able to charge a maximum of 11,100 for a two-year degree. The current maximum tuition fee for a typical three-year undergraduate course is 9,250. Students could be left over 25,000 better off by choosing an accelerated degree instead of a traditional three-year course, according to new proposals out today. Same teaching, quality and course content, but delivered over a shorter two-year timespan: https://t.co/Cv7vHMlLgG pic.twitter.com/3HR54bUmvc Department for Education (@educationgovuk) December 10, 2017 A student on a shorter course would pay 22,200 in tuition fees, compared with 27,750 for a standard three-year degree. The proposals are part of Government plans to encourage more institutions to offer shorter, more intense courses, with ministers arguing that traditional degrees do not suit all students such as mature learners. Shorter degree courses have been mooted in the past, but only limited numbers are on offer. According to Government analysis, around 2,500 undergraduates in England opt for accelerated degrees. Concerns have been raised about the impact shorter courses could have on issues such as university staff contracts and research. Students choosing accelerated courses have to work more intensively, while their holidays would be significantly shorter than on traditional degree programmes. An amendment to the Higher Education Bill, allowing the Secretary of State to set higher fees for accelerated courses, was made earlier this year, and the Government is consulting on the detail of how it will be implemented. Universities Minister Jo Johnson (Stefan Rousseau/PA) If approved by Parliament, the changes would apply to shorter courses starting from autumn 2019. Universities minister Jo Johnson said: For too long we have been stuck with a system that has increasingly focused on offering only one way of benefiting from higher education, via the classic three-year degree programme. The passage of the Higher Education and Research Act this year has finally enabled us to break the mould of this one-size-fits-all system so students have much more choice over how they learn. Many will want to stick with the classic three-year university experience, but for highly motivated students hungry for a faster pace of learning and a quicker route into or back into work, at lower overall cost, two-year degrees will be well worth considering. The private equity owners of Youngs, one of Britains biggest seafood brands, is understood to be exploring a multi-million pound sale. The Press Association understands that Lion Capital, Bain Capital and HPS Investment Partners (UK) are working with boutique investment house Stamford Partners on a potential exit. Grimsby-based Youngs Seafood, which has a history dating back 200 years, recorded turnover of 496.5 million last year and booked earnings of 21.2 million, according to accounts filed at Companies House. It is understood that seafood brand Youngs has been put up for sale (Julien Behal/PA) Youngs was acquired by its current owners from CapVest in 2008 as part of a 1.1 billion takeover that also included the Findus brands. Lion broke up the operation in 2015, striking a 500 million deal to sell the European arm of Findus to Birds Eye-owner Nomad Foods, leaving it with the Youngs operation in the UK. Youngs is in the midst of a US expansion drive after partnering with Pennsylvania-based frozen fish supplier The Fishin Company to launch seven new products into the American market. The firm, which was founded by Elizabeth Young and her family in 1805, has a wide range of frozen food products including the Gastro and Chip Shop range, ready-meal fish pies and shellfish. Youngs headquarters are based at the Grimsby fish docks, where it also has a manufacturing and product development operation. In total Youngs employs around 1,700 staff across seven sites. Any deal for the business would come at a crucial time for the UK fishing industry, as it awaits clarity on how Britains Brexit negotiations will impact the sector. It would also mark further consolidation in the seafood production business after Hilton Food Group sealed an 81 million takeover of Youngs rival Seachill in October. Youngs Seafood and Lion Capital declined to comment. Aidan OBrien hailed the irreplaceable Highland Reel as he delivered a glorious finale to his career by winning the Longines Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin. The five-year-old was seeking his seventh Group One success in the 12-furlong feature after being beaten into third by Talismanic in the Breeders Cup Turf on his previous start last month. Highland Reel more than had that rivals measure this time though as he dug deep to repel the French challengers burst a furlong from home before staying on again to win by a length and three-quarters in the hands of Ryan Moore. Highland Reel and Ryan Moore pictured at Royal Ascot in June (John Walton/PA) What a way to bow out! Highland Reel secures a second #HKIR Vase under Ryan Moore. pic.twitter.com/g6VloGOVmZ Racing TV (@RacingTV) December 10, 2017 The son of Galileo was winning the race for the second time after triumphing in 2015 and he retires with a total of 10 wins in 27 starts and over 7.5million in prize money. OBrien said: Hes a very special horse and is irreplaceable. Its very rare that you get a horse that can travel the world like him, its incredible really. He ran a great race in America and we were very happy coming here. All the lads were really happy with him through the week and Ryan has given him a brilliant ride. Coolmores Highland Reel goes out in style! What a horse, what a record, what a win. Heads to the breeding barn for 2018 #coolmore #HKIR pic.twitter.com/XSHHkaiIVb Tom Magnier (@TomMagnier) December 10, 2017 Moore added: Hes always been a very straightforward horse with a lot of heart as well as speed and I was always happy and confident on him today. When he gets into a fight, the longer it goes on, the more likely it is he will win it. Thats what happened today and he was going away at the finish. Hes high class, has a great attitude and his durability has been seen wherever hes raced. Im sure he will pass on those attributes in the future. Wayne Rooneys 77th-minute penalty earned Everton a share of the spoils at Anfield as Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw. Here, we assess how the two respective managers Jurgen Klopp and Sam Allardyce fared in the 229th Merseyside derby. Team selection It was Klopp who used the element of surprise when the sides were announced as he made six changes and left out some big hitters. Only half of the Fab Four were in the XI, with Philippe Coutinho, scorer of a hat-trick in midweek, and Roberto Firmino on the bench, while 20-year-old Dominic Solanke was handed just his second Premier League start of the campaign. Having not taken his senior players to Cyprus for a dead rubber Europa League tie, Allardyce reverted back to the team he selected in his first game against Huddersfield, except striker Oumar Niasse was preferred to Aaron Lennon. Sam Allardyces unbeaten start at Everton continued against Liverpool (Peter Byrne/PA) Tactics | A gritty, disciplined performance from the lads - fantastically backed by the 2,751 Toffees at Anfield. Thanks for your support, Blues! #EFC pic.twitter.com/ce2V9eWW8s Everton (@Everton) December 10, 2017 The managerial cat-and-mouse continued with the visitors surprisingly in a 4-4-2 that saw Rooney on the right wing. The Toffees first act from kick-off was for Mason Holgate to launch an aimless long ball out for a goal-kick not the first that was dispatched directly from defence. Yet the initial idea to be compact and contain their hosts was working well until Mohamed Salahs moment of brilliance broke the deadlock and undid the plan. Even then Allardyces side did not abandon their resolute system and they needed a helping hand from Dejan Lovren to concede a needless penalty and earn the visitors a point. Substitutions 67: More great work from this man today! Mo makes way for Firmino. [1-0] pic.twitter.com/XOxflCkDtX Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 10, 2017 Behind at the break, Allardyce switched things up for the second half, with Rooney moving from an auxiliary right-back to a more familiar forwards berth, and Morgan Schneiderlin and Lennon giving them a bit more nous in midfield. Yet still the Toffees were offering little in an attacking sense, which is perhaps why Klopp felt comfortable replacing Salah with 23 minutes to go. It was a move that would backfire as Liverpool lost their attacking verve, and then their lead. Without their talisman, there proved to be no way for them to get it back. Overall SA: "It was a penalty. You dont put your hands on a forward in the box. Credit goes to the ref for giving it at Anfield - I've heard our stat about that." #EFC Everton (@Everton) December 10, 2017 It was abundantly clear Allardyce would have viewed a draw against a free-scoring Liverpool side as a positive result by the way he set his team up. Ultimately that is what he got. What he perhaps did not bank on was Lovrens role in assisting that cause as well as Klopps help by only starting two of the attacking quartet Allardyce had waxed lyrical about in his pre-match press conference. Everton have not won at Anfield since 1999 and that long run continues, but Allardyce will have been the manager smiling about the end result. By Kaori Kaneko TOKYO, Dec 8 (Reuters) - A Shinto priestess was killed on the grounds of a famous Tokyo shrine by a man wielding a traditional Japanese sword who then killed another woman before committing suicide, police said on Friday, in what local media described as an apparent family feud. Nagako Tomioka, 58, chief priestess of Tomioka Hachimangu shrine in Tokyo, was attacked by Shigenaga Tomioka, 56, as she got out of a car on Thursday evening. Media reports said he was her younger brother. Also, a woman aged in her 30s who was with Shigenaga Tomioka attacked and stabbed the driver of the car with a Japanese sword, police said. The injuries to his shoulder and chest were not life-threatening. After slashing the priestess, Shigenaga Tomioka then stabbed the younger woman to death with a sword, before killing himself, police said. The woman's identity was not given. Police declined to comment on the motive for the killings, but domestic media said the incident appeared to stem from a family feud. Shigenaga sent a threatening letter to his sister in 2006, saying he would "send her to hell", the Sankei newspaper said. Japan has very restrictive gun laws and gun-related killings are rare. Shinto is the traditional religion of Japan and many shrines dot the country. The Tomioka Hachimangu shrine, established in 1627, has a close link with sumo and the emperor and empress visited in 2012. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; editing by Malcolm Foster and Richard Pullin) KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 (Reuters) - The Malaysian franchise of McDonald's Corp said it was "disappointed" with calls on social media to boycott the fast food restaurant chain in apparent retaliation to the United State's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Social media users in the Muslim-majority country called on boycotting various U.S. companies following U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to relocate the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a city important to both Israelis and Muslims. One user of Twitter Inc's microblogging platform, TheUsopIbrahim, stated without citing sources that U.S.-headquartered McDonald's "channelled funds to Israel". The post has been retweeted 320 times and "liked" 138 times. TheUsopIbrahim did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. McDonald's Malaysia, in a statement on Facebook Inc's social media platform on Saturday, said the chain does not support or engage in any political or religious conflicts. "The claim that McDonald's channels funds to Israel is a false accusation, a lie, fake and slanderous. The charges made by an irresponsible party in (Facebook's) Whatsapp messages are also unsubstantiated," said Azmir Jaafar, managing director and operating partner of franchisee Gerbang Alaf Restaurants Sdn Bhd, without specifying any social media posts. Azmir also said Gerbang's largest shareholder is Muslim. The Malaysian and Singaporean franchise rights were bought by Saudi Arabia's Lionhorn Pte Ltd a year ago, as part the U.S. parent's strategy of moving away from direct ownership in Asia. The Malaysian franchise also faced boycott calls in 2014 when social media posts alleged, without citing sources, that the restaurant chain was helping fund Israeli attacks on Gaza. The company denied the allegation. On Friday, Malaysian protesters condemned the U.S. action, burning an effigy of Trump in front of the American embassy. (Reporting by Liz Lee; Editing by Christopher Cushing) By Anshuman Daga and Martinne Geller SINGAPORE/LONDON, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Brewing groups including Thai Beverage, Anheuser-Busch InBev and Kirin Holdings are gearing up to bid for a stake in Vietnam's largest brewer, Sabeco, people familiar with the matter said, with the $5 billion sale process by the government opening this week. The auction of up to 54 percent of Sabeco, in what is set to be Vietnam's biggest privatisation, offers brewers access to a fast-growing market with a youthful population and beer drinking culture. Thai Bev, controlled by tycoon Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, is shaping up as a strong contender, the people said, as it is familiar with the Vietnam system and sees Sabeco as key to expanding outside its home market. "They have been around this situation for many years and are very keen to get this asset," said one of the people, none of whom wanted to be named as they are not authorised to speak to the media. Last month, a Thai Bev unit bought a 49 percent stake in a Vietnamese company which, the people said, could be used as a vehicle to bid for Sabeco as a domestic player, giving it an advantage over international rivals. Thai Bev had no immediate comment, but said in October it was keen to grow through acquisitions in markets such as Vietnam. Firms controlled by Sirivadhanabhakdi also hold a 19 percent stake in Vietnam's Vinamilk. A spokeswoman for AB InBev, the world's biggest brewer, said the company was committed to Vietnam and to growing its business for the long-term. A spokesman for Japan's Kirin said it was carefully considering its options. Other potential bidders include Asahi Group Holdings , San Miguel and Heineken, though several people said Heineken already had a strong business in Vietnam and could sit out an expensive auction that values Sabeco at about 36 times core earnings - more than double the trading multiples of around 15 for some global brewers, according to Reuters data. Heineken, which already owns 5 percent of Sabeco, did not respond to requests for comment. Asahi could not be immediately reached for comment, but the Japanese firm's president told Reuters in September it was studying Sabeco. San Miguel's president Ramon Ang said the Philippine conglomerate was interested to bid for Sabeco. Kirin owns around half of its affiliate San Miguel Brewery. The Sabeco auction is on Dec. 18, and bidders who are keen to own a stake equal to 25 percent or more of Sabeco's shares need to inform local authorities a week before the auction. OWNERSHIP CAP Foreign ownership in Sabeco is limited to 49 percent. That means overseas bidders can only bid for a minority stake of as much as 39 percent as foreign entities already own 10 percent. Lack of control could put off some possible bidders, the people said. "Having control of the business is very important for these international brewers because the multiple is very high. If you're going to pay that much you want to be able to institute your plans," said one of the people, who expected international firms to sell their own premium beers like Budweiser, Heineken and Kirin through Sabeco's distribution network, in addition to Sabeco's beers, which include the Bia Saigon and 333 brands. Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade, which represents state shares in Sabeco, said foreign investors can link with Vietnamese firms to buy Sabeco shares, but have to comply with local laws and regulations. Sabeco's share price has nearly tripled since its listing a year ago, with analysts citing a small float as inflating its market value. The brewer's sky-high valuations and a complicated sale process could pose challenges for some potential bidders, the people said. The Sabeco sale could also set the pace for peer Habeco , in which Danish brewer Carlsberg A/S owns 17.3 percent. (Reporting by Anshuman Daga and Martinne Geller, with additional reporting by Mai Nguyen in HANOI, Neil Jerome Morales in MANILA, Chayut Setboonsarng in BANGKOK and Junko Fujita in TOKYO; Editing by Ian Geoghegan) A 25-year-old Chinese male had been arrested by the Customs at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), while attempting to smuggle out foreign currency bills worth Rs.11.5 million to Singapore yesterday. The suspect, who was on tourist visa, had in his possession 100,000 currency bills of Singapore Dollar. The suspect was released after the Customs seized the Singapore Dollars 90,000 that he had in his possession.(T.K.G. Kapila) Sri Lanka signed share ownership agreement with China on Hambantota Port formally handing over the operation of port to the state-owned China Merchants Port Holdings Company (CMPort)yesterday. The agreement was signed between Sri Lanka Ports Authority and China Merchant Port Holdings, Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) and Hambantota International Port Services (HIPS) under the patronage of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at the parliamentary complex.Pics by Pradeep Pathirana Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday agreed on the importance of intensifying communication with different international partners to explain potential negative repercussions of the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In an official statement, Egyptian presidency spokesman Bassam Rady said El-Sisi called his Palestinian counterpart to discuss developments related to the American decision. According to Rady, the two leaders discussed the implications of the decision, as well as ways of reaching a just solution that would guarantee the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish their own independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Earlier on Sunday, the Egyptian president discussed with Jordan's King Abdullah II ongoing developments in the MENA region, especially ones related to the Palestinian issue. Both El-Sisi and King Abdullah II discussed developments after the US decision on Jerusalem, and way to support the legitimae rights of the Palestinian people including their right to establish their state with East Jerusalem as its capital. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced that the US would recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing a decades-old US policy that the status of the city must be determined in negotiations with the Palestinians. The Palestinians hope to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Trump's 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 capital of a future Palestinian state. The Arab League's foreign ministers also called Sunday on the US to revoke its decision on Jerusalem and expressed its support for a Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital. Search Keywords: Short link: What does Patali know about politics that Harini doesnt know? Sri Lanka is going through great pains to get its economy in order after the Having followed some of his sermons on Lord Buddhas teachings on YouTube I believe, it would be of help to all to comprehend the complexities of Dhamma December 12 at 6.30 p.m. at the Bodhignana Meditation Monastery in Kaduwela Ajahn Sumedho will be visiting Sri Lanka and shall deliver a Dhamma sermon on the December 12 at 6.30 p.m. at the Bodhignana Meditation Monastery in Kaduwela. The writer was most interested in knowing about this erudite monk, who is well versed in the dhamma and a great exponent of intuitive meditation. Having followed some of his sermons on Lord Buddhas teachings on YouTube I believe, would be of help to all to comprehend the complexities of Dhamma. Ven. Ajahn Sumedho very succinctly interprets Vipassana as waking to reality rather than trying to achieve refined Consciousness through concentrating on external mind-objects or imagery. His explanation that reality is formless being in the present here and now will enable to identify intangible thoughts such as happiness, anger, anxiety, jealousy, fear, sorrow brought by sensory perceptions when irritated or impinged upon results in suffering as you do not live in the present it goes unnoticed. As you cannot escape the reality to accept it, ut to examine the origin of such thoughts resulting from grasping and clinging gives much needed impetus to a beginner to understand the dhamma. If you do realise that each conditioned thought which brings happiness or sorrow is impermanent or constantly changing a delusory or ignorant mind will be awakened to reality. That is with the right understanding the noble eight fold path His teachings of intuitive mindfulness of the present Sathi Sampajanna is most helpful when starting to practice meditation. Ven. Monk firmly extolls the virtues of the dhamma as it not just and exotic philosophy or a metaphysical thought of a supreme being but plain reality experienced by all forms of life. Being Human you are able to discern the reality where the other life forms will fail. This great teacher was ordained in 1966 in Thailand and received higher ordination from the most Venerable Achan Chah. Born in the United Sates after graduating from the University he had served the American forces involved in the Korean War when he had come to know about Zen Buddhism as this has aroused his curiosity in the dhamma he had proceeded to Thailand to pursue Theravada Buddhist meditation. Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Loku Swaminwanse the founder of Mahamewna Monasteries had known Ajahn Sumedho well over period of time and Ven. Ajhan Sumedho had also been present at the first ever higher ordination ceremony of Mahamewna Bhikkhus held at Gothama Thapowanaya Monastery in 2004. This friendship has grown over time as Mahamewna Monasteries following the Lord Buddha path to liberation by inculcating the virtues of the dhamma by teaching how to control the sense bases smell, taste, sight, bodily feeling, arising from the five aggregates by living in the present Here and Now through the understanding of dhamma had especially invoked a special interest among the young. With great Metta Loku Swaminwanse has invited most Reverent Ajahn Sumedho to deliver a dhamma sermon on the aspects of the vicissitudes of life common to all beings. Sudath Jayasundara Attorney at Law Chairman Shraddha Television and Radio The United Nations Alliance of Civilisations launched the #SpreadNoHate initiative in 2015, aiming to highlight and counter negative media coverage of refugees and migrants The United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) will hold a #SpreadNoHate symposium in Cairo on hate speech against migrants and refugees in the media, 13 December, in collaboration with the Egypt Media Development Programme (EMDP). In a press release Thursday, UNAOC said next Wednesdays symposium will shed light on the various dimensions of migration in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, their media coverage, and lessons learned by journalists. The influence of the media in shaping public opinion and in setting the agenda of public debates is crucial, said High Representative for UNAOC Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser. This new #SpreadNoHate Symposium will help draft additional recommendations for preventing negative narratives against migrants and refugees and mitigating the impact of hate speech, Al-Nasser added. Around 80 selected participants, with a particular emphasis on engaging journalists working in the region, were invited by UNAOC to attend the symposium, which will also include migrants and refugees, representatives of international organisations, representatives of think-tanks, the private sector, academia, and civil society. The symposium draws on the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants of 19 September 2016 and on its commitment to counter hate crimes, hate speech and racial violence. The symposium also interlocks with the UNs TOGETHER initiative to change negative perceptions and attitudes towards refugees. It will be covered by UNAOC on social media using its official Twitter account @UNAOC with questions and comments encouraged on the #SpreadNoHate hashtag. In 2015, UNAOC launched the #SpreadNoHate initiative, aiming to engage international media outlets in a dialogue on hate speech and ways of countering it. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt is prominent among regional nations working towards supporting a national reconciliation in the country A political agreement is the cornerstone for restoring stability in Libya, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told the chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council Fayaz Al-Sarraj during a meeting in Cairo on Sunday. In an official statement, Egyptian presidency spokesman Bassam Rady said El-Sisi received Al-Sarraj in the Egyptian capital, where El-Sisi was presented with the latest developments in the Libyan political scene. El-Sisi and Al-Sarraj also discussed Egyptian efforts with different Libyan factions to support political resolutions as the only acceptable solution domestically, regionally, and internationally. The Egyptian president stressed the importance of continued efforts for political reconciliation, as well as efforts to help the UN envoy to Libya in his mission in the country for correspondence on different issues. El-Sisi called on Libyan factions to uphold the countrys supreme national interest over any other interests. Efforts to unify the Libyan military were also discussed during the meeting, with both El-Sisi and Al-Sarraj agreeing on the importance of boosting international efforts to combat terrorism. From his side, Al-Sarraj expressed his gratitude for "exceptional Egyptian efforts aiming to achieve peace and security in Libya, especially through hosting ongoing meetings for the Libyan armys delegations." Since late 2016, Egypt has been hosting a series of negotiations between the rival Libyan factions, stressing in these meetings the need for a political consensus to end the war. Last September, Egypt was chosen by the Libyan Armed Forces to be the starting point of reorganizing the country's army, as it was at its initial foundation following a Cairo-hosted Egyptian-Libyan committee meeting in which a range of Libyan military officials discussed why the Libyan armed forces have faced development and unity crises over the past seven years. Following the 2011 uprising, Libya fell into civil war with two rival governments emerging, one in the western city of Tripoli and another in the eastern city of Tobruk. Search Keywords: Short link: Famous motivational speaker and author Jordan Belfort, who is known as "the wolf of Wall Street" for his stock market fraud schemes in the United States, announced that an event planned for Cairo at which he was scheduled to speak later this month turned out to be a fraud. According to a post published on Belfort's official Facebook page on Saturday, he was set to speak at Cairo Stadium on 16 December, but the event turned to be a "total fraud". "The promoter has disappeared without paying my speaking fee or booking my travel," he said in the post, urging those who bought tickets to track the man to get a refund. Belfort added that the promoter -- whom he did not name -- would not give the people a refund and that those who booked the event should contact the police. "I alerted the local Egyptian newspaper and news shows," he said. Jordan Belfort was set to appear in the event called Rise of the Entrepreneurs, which was widely promoted by its organizer online and offline using huge billboards across Cairo and ads in Egypt's major newspapers. Belfort was among the three main speakers of the alleged event along with other motivation speakers Dan Anderson and Waqas Suhail. On the official Facebook page of the event, a short post appeared on Sunday saying that the event was cancelled and all tickets would be refunded with no further details. The event was organized by Sameh Abdel Moneim Galal, a self-proclaimed entrepreneur and CEO of The Target Academy for Training and Consultation, according to the academy's official Facebook page. Galal was also among the scheduled speakers of that event. Jordan Belfort is a former stockbroker and entrepreneur who was found guilty in 1999 to fraud in connection with stock market manipulation. He was sentenced to four years in prison. Belfort only served 22 months after an agreement to cooperate with investigators about the accomplices in his crimes. Currently, Belfort is a best-selling author and motivational speaker. His memoir "The Wolf of Wall Street" was adapted in to a blockbuster film released in 2013 starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill, and directed by Martin Scorsese. Search Keywords: Short link: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived Cairo late Sunday for a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Monday to discuss developments following the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, state owned MENA agency reported. Mondays meeting comes following an invitation extended by El-Sisi to Abbas to hold a bilateral consultations summit to discuss developments related to the US decision, as well as means of dealing with the crisis in a way that preserves the rights of the Palestinian people, according to an Egyptian Presidency statement. On Sunday, El-Sisi and Abbas agreed in a phone call on the importance of intensifying communication with different international partners to explain potential negative repercussions of the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The two leaders discussed the implications of the decision, as well as ways of reaching a just solution that would guarantee the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish their own independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced that the US would recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing a decades-old US policy that the status of the city must be determined in negotiations with the Palestinians. The Palestinians hope to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Trump's 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 capital of a future Palestinian state. The Arab League's foreign ministers also called Sunday on the US to revoke its decision on Jerusalem and expressed its support for a Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital. Search Keywords: Short link: Christie's employees take bids for Leonardo da Vincis "Salvator Mundi" during the Post-War & Contemporary Art Evening Sale at Christie's New York November 15, 2017. (Photo: AFP) WASHINGTON: New-York based Christies auction house said on Friday Abu Dhabis Department of Culture and Tourism was acquiring Leonardo da Vincis 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. Christies 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 Christies 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 Riyadhs 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 Christies pre-sale estimate of about $100 million. Facebook reportedly banned a picture of a woman delivering her own baby. Obstetrician Lin Tzu-hung, from Taipei, Tawain, shared the memorable moment on Facebook. He captioned the photo: "This super brave mum just delivered her own baby. Beautiful." It soon went viral and then just as quickly got banned. The doctor stated Facebook "classed the image as pornography", the Metro reported. "Facebook banned my heart-warming mum self-delivery photo as pornography," a disappointed Doctor Lin is quoted as saying by the Metro. He later posted the picture on Instagram. While some social media users in Taiwan appreciated the meaning of the picture, they also understood why it was banned. One user explained to the doctor that it may be too graphic and not everybody would want to view the image. In this Monday, Nov. 2, 1987 file photo, Britain's Diana, the Princess of Wales, is pictured during an evening reception given by the West German President Richard von Weizsacker in honour of the British Royal guests in the Godesberg Redoute in Bonn, Germany. (Photo: AP) LONDON: A sculptor who produced the image of Queen Elizabeth used on Britains coins has been chosen to create a new statue of Princess Diana, the office of Princes William and Harry said on Sunday, to commemorate 20 years since her death. Ian Rank-Broadley, whose effigy of the Queen has appeared on all UK and Commonwealth coinage since 1998, will design the statue, which now will not be unveiled until next year. Ian is an extremely gifted sculptor and we know that he will create a fitting and lasting tribute to our mother, Prince William and his younger brother Harry said in a statement. In January, the brothers commissioned a statue in honour of their mother, who died in a Paris car crash 20 years ago to be erected outside their official London home Kensington Palace. Diana, the first wife of the heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, was killed when the limousine carrying her and her lover Dodi al-Fayed crashed in a Paris tunnel in August 1997. William was 15 and Harry was 12 at the time. We have been touched by the kind words and memories so many people have shared about our mother over these past few months, the brothers said. It is clear the significance of her work is still felt by many in the UK and across the world, even twenty years after her death. It had been hoped that the statue would be unveiled before the end of the year to mark the anniversary, but Kensington Palace said that it was now envisaged that the statue would be unveiled in 2019. The first permanent memorial to her, a 210-metre (689-foot) long fountain was unveiled in Hyde Park in 2004 after years of bureaucratic wrangling and squabbling over the design. Sources in Kattapana police said that the woman confessed to the crime and that she killed the baby as it didnt have her colour and facial features of her husband. (Photo: File) Kottayam: A mother was arrested following the death of an eight-day-old baby at Murikkattukudy near Kattapana on Saturday. Sandhya, 28, wife of Murikattukudy Kandathinkara Binu, and the mother of the baby was arrested for murdering the baby. According to the police, the mother strangulated her baby to death by using a cloth round its neck. Sources in Kattapana police said that the woman confessed to the crime and that she killed the baby as it didnt have her colour and facial features of her husband. The woman committed the murder inside her house and told her husband that the baby was not showing any movement. Though the baby was rushed to the nearby hospital, it succumbed to the injuries. The doctors who attended the baby at the hospital found marks on the neck of the baby and informed the police. Sandhya confessed to committing the crime during further interrogation. The couple who were married 10 years ago has another child who is nine years old. The police has registered a murder case against the woman. The police suspect that Nagaraju may have tried to open the can violently and the blast may have occurred due to friction. (Representational Image) Vijayawada: Due to an unknown fire material blast, one boy died and three others have been injured in Kolanukonda village of Tadepalli mandal in, Guntur district on Sunday. The blast took place at the residence of one G. Nagaraju who was trying to open a 20-litre can of paints. The four-year-old boy died on the the spot while Nagaraju, wife Bhanu, his mother Nagamani were severely injured and have been shifted to Government Hospital, Vijayawada North. Zone DSP Ramanjanyeulu is investigating the case. As per the polices primary report, there was no gelatin or any other blasting material in the box. It was an old paint box with some leftover paint in the box. The police suspect that Nagaraju may have tried to open the can violently and the blast may have occurred due to friction. Nagarajus condition is serious and he may lose an eye, hand and a leg, doctor said. His wife is stable while his mother condition is better. A delegation from the Russian state atomic energy corporation Rosatom arrived in Cairo on Saturday evening before the expected visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported. Yosri Abu Shady, the former senior official in the International Automatic Energy Agency, told Al-Ahram that he met on Sunday with officials from the delegation and discussed the upcoming Dabaa Nuclear power station. Rosatom has announced that work on the El-Dabaa plant, situated west of Alexandria, will start in December. Russian President Putin will arrive in Cairo for a visit on Monday. According to Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, the talks between Putin and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will focus on the Dabaa plant. Egypt signed the agreement with Russia in 2015 to build the four-reactor power plant, which will produce 4,800 megawatts. The agreement stipulates Russia will build four-reactors which will produce 1200 megawatts each. The first reactor is expected to begin operation in 2024. The project would be completed in 12 years. Search Keywords: Short link: A senior GHMC official said that on several occasions the cheques have bounced and so money would not accrue to the account. (Representational image) Hyderabad: The state auditor-general has discovered that around Rs 50 crore collected in property tax has gone missing from the account of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. An audit was done of all circle offices recently, which brought the matter to light. The tax was paid by citizens via cheques which were deposited into the civic corporations account. It is here that the property owner-bill collector nexus was revealed. According to highly- placed sources, the bill collectors swindled about Rs 50 crore during 2011. Around Rs 25 crore was recovered from the bill collectors by following up on the bounced cheques which were issued by the property owners even though they do not have bank balance. The invalid cheques were accepted for a bribe. The involvement of higher authorities cannot be ruled out, sources said. Bill collectors are provided with hand-held machines where the details of defaulters will be integrated with the data in the circle offices. After collecting the payments, the bill collectors are supposed to enter the details online at the citizen service centre. However, they did not. About Rs 1.5 crore is unaccounted for from each circle office. Many cheques for property tax bounced A senior GHMC official in the finance wing told Deccan Chronicle, that property tax payments made by defaulter property owners are automatically updated from hand-held machines provided to the bill collectors. He said in some cases, at the end of the financial year, bill collectors directly deposit the cheques into the GHMCs bank account. He said that on several occasions the cheques have bounced and so money would not accrue to the account. Overenthusiastic staff is eager to achieve the targets given and show enhancement in property tax collection, and the corporation will only learn of the cheque-bouncing cases a month after the start of the new financial year. The source denied knowing any details about the missing amount and refused to provide more information. The Goa chief minister was speaking at the Goa Arts and Literature Festival in Panaji. (Photo: PTI) Panaji: Referring to the "surgical strikes" India carried out on militant bases across the LoC during his tenure as the defence minister in September 2016, Manohar Parrikar on Saturday said he believed in secrecy but disclosed that during the planning of the strikes, mobile phones were switched off. "When you talk to one additional person, the secrecy never remains. In fact, the surgical strikes were planned with mobile phones kept 20 metres away. Not only they were put off but kept 20 metres away so that nothing leaks," he said. "And I am very proud to say only one thing: I must have had between Uri (terror attack on Indian Army's base) and actual (surgical) strikes something like 18-19 meetings, which includes (meetings with) Army top brass and also defence ministry's officers, but nothing leaked out," he said. Some officers were flown to foreign capitals to make arrangements for armaments and ammunitions before the surgical strikes, Parrikar revealed. "We had to send officers with authority to carry out on the spot purchase. When you work out something, your preparation has to be perfect to ensure that everything is taken care (of)," he said. But keeping secrets was also demanding, he noted. "When you don't tell anyone, you tend to build up stress. Normally stress is relieved by discussing with friends, but in defence you are not in a position to discus any of the issues with anyone, whether it is Myanmar surgical strike or PoK surgical strike, I virtually didn't sleep because of the pressure," the former defence minister said. Parrikar said that the defence ministry plays the role of "backroom boys" in successfully conducting international diplomacy. The Goa chief minister was speaking at the Goa Arts and Literature Festival in Panaji, where he launched the book 'Securing India The Modi Way', written by strategic analyst Nitin Gokhale. "What prime minister (Narendra Modi) did was beyond imagination... He activated the diaspora and created a world of his own amongst many of the nations," Parrikar said. He said he had seen how respectfully presidents and prime ministers of foreign countries talked about Modi. Parrikar said Modi has "created real friendships" and he was proud to say as a defence minister he was a part of that, "because foreign diplomacy is not only (the preserve of) the external affairs ministry." "External affairs ministry is the face of the foreign policy, defence (ministry officials) are the backroom boys. Defence does the actual exercise, which needs to be done," he said. "When you talk about Mauritius, the agreements were signed by the external affairs ministry, the executing work was done by the defence ministry," he said, referring to India's engagement with that country to strengthen its coast guard services. Modi had on Friday accused Aiyar of giving 'supari' (contract) while on a visit to Pakistan to get him 'removed' from the way to ensure peace between India and the neighbouring country. (Photo: ANI/Twitter) Palanpur (Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday alleged Pakistan was interfering in Gujarat Assembly polls, and sought an explanation from the Congress over its top partymen who are said to have recently met leaders from the neighbouring country. Addressing a poll rally in Palanpur, the prime minister also raised questions over the alleged appeal by former director general of the Pakistan Army, Sardar Arshad Rafiq, that senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel be made chief minister of Gujarat. Modi said (former Congress minister) Mani Shankar Aiyar had called him "neech" (vile) a day after the alleged meeting of Pakistani leaders with top Congressmen. "There were media reports yesterday about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. It was attended by Pakistan's high commissioner, Pakistan's former foreign minister, India's former vice president and former prime minister Manmohan Singh," Modi said. The meeting at Aiyar's house carried on for almost three hours, Modi said. "The next day, Mani Shankar Aiyar said Modi was 'neech'. This is a serious matter," he said. Modi added that Rafiq had backed Ahmed Patel as the next chief minister of Gujarat. "(On one side) Pakistan Army's former DG is interfering in Gujarat's election, on the other side, Pakistan's people are holding a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house," he said. "And, after that meeting, people of Gujarat, backward communities, poor people and Modi were insulted. Don't you think such events raise doubts," Modi asked. He said the Congress should inform the people of the country what exactly it was up to. Modi was speaking at the rally for the ongoing state Assembly polls. The second phase of polling in north and central Gujarat, including the Banaskantha district, will be held on December 14. The Prime Minister had on Friday accused Aiyar of giving 'supari' (contract) while on a visit to Pakistan to get him "removed" from the way to ensure peace between India and the neighbouring country. The Prime Minister's remarks come a day after Aiyar set off a political firestorm when he called Modi a "neech kism ka aadmi". The Congress suspended Aiyar from the primary membership of the party and issued him a show cause notice for his remarks. The family said Mohammed Akbar, doing his masters in computer sciences, was injured when a bullet hit his right cheek on December 6. (Photo: ANI/Twitter) Hyderabad: The parents of an Indian student from Hyderabad, who was shot at in Chicago in the United States, have sought External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj's help for an emergency visa to visit their son. The victim, who has been identified as Mohammad Akbar, has an injury on his cheek. He was injured on December 6 while he was walking towards his car in the parking lot. "While my brother was walking towards his car, a stranger approached and shot him without any reason. Our request is from the Government of Telangana and from the Central Government to take cognisance in this case," elder brother Mohammad Shafi told ANI. Mohammad Shafi also said that he has also contacted the EAM for an emergency visa to visit the ailing brother. The Indian student, studying in Chicago, is presently undergoing treatment at a hospital in the U.S. "I did speak to the External Affairs Ministry and the PA (Personal Assistant) of Sushma Swaraj is what the person told me and the other staff. They just spoke to me and they didn't make me feel that they are going to expertise it or act upon it right away. They asked me to apply for the visa and they will so what can they do. I also tweeted Sushma Swaraj and yet to get a reply from her," he added. Meanwhile, the victim's ailing father appealed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide safety to children living outside India for study or other purposes. "I want safety for children who are living there. If the government wants development for the country, them they must provide safety for the children who are studying outside to bring betterment for our nation. Such incidents will demean the morale of our children. I appeal Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sushma Swaraj to help us and allow my elder son as soon as possible to go the US," victim's father Yusuf said. The victim had gone to the US for higher studies a few months back. The incident of falsely declaring a newborn child dead and giving it away to the parents in a packet by the Max Healthcare had earlier created an uproar. (Photo: ANI) New Delhi: A day after the Delhi government cancelled the licence of Max Healthcare at Shalimar Bagh in Delhi, relatives of the patients, who are currently admitted in the hospital, expressed concern regarding further medical treatment. While few of the relatives of the patients claimed the hospital had always given them the best treatment for free, others were concerned about the consequences that shutting of the hospital would lead to. "I have been coming here for the past five months for routine pregnancy tests of my sister-in-law for free. The gynaecologist wasn't able to sense the heartbeats of the foetus so we came for test yesterday, but the OPD was locked. If the child dies, will the Delhi government take responsibility?" a patient's relative told ANI. The incident of falsely declaring a newborn child dead and giving it away to the parents in a packet by the Max Healthcare had earlier created an uproar. This had led to the state government cancelling the licence of the hospital on Friday, through a four-page order. The father of the children had accused the hospital of deliberately declaring the baby dead and trying to get rid of him after he told the authorities he would not be able to pay Rs 1 lakh per day for their treatment. India Medical Association (IMA) President KK Aggarwal on Thursday blamed the concerned doctors of committing a gross mistake. They were later terminated from their services by the hospital. Chennai: State Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar on Sunday asserted that the efforts to search for the fishermen who went missing in the path of Cyclone Ockhi have been intensified and that Indian Navy, Air force and the Coast Guard are involved in the operation. Talking to reporters here, the Minister asked the fishing community not to get panicky or overanxious, as all efforts are being made to locate the missing men. Fishermen too are accompanying the forces in the search operation since they know the sea and the islands well, he said. He also said 0that those fishermen who had landed in other States are being brought to Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, according to an official release OP Sahayam of Southern Naval Command persisted for the eleventh day on Dec. 10 over Southeast Arabian Sea and L & M islands. Nine ships and all available aircraft have continued the search operations. Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft P8I searched over entire Maldives. Fishing community had estimated few vessels to be stranded in the islands of Maldives. Expeditious clearance was obtained through diplomatic channels to fly over Maldives and calls were given on Very high frequency (VHF) Radio. Officials have also confirmed that Maldivian local undertook search and have not located any fishermen on the islands. INS Sujata equipped with mobile morgue boxes, embarked four fishermen and deputy Tehsildar Mohan Raj on Sunday at Vizhinjam port for joining the deepsea search operations. Another vessel, INS Subhadra, under routine deployment, identified twelve crew onboard two Tamil Nadu registered fishing vessels Milkyas & Felaxia about 90 miles Northwest of Bitra island of Lakshdweep group of Islands. New Delhi: Foreign ministers of Russia, India and China (RIC) will on Monday deliberate on a range of important regional and global issues in New Delhi, including ways to tackle the threat of terrorism and extremism, at a key meeting of the trilateral grouping. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yis visit to India also marks the first high-level visit to India by a Chinese leader after the Doklam face-off. India is expected to strongly push for strengthening cooperation among the three countries in effectively countering terrorism and naming Pakistan-based terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in the RIC communique, citing a similar move by the Brics grouping. Before the trilateral talks, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj is likely to hold a bilateral meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during which a number of major issues are likely to be discussed. Ms Swaraj will also hold a bilateral meeting with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. The deliberations at the bilateral between the Indian and Chinese foreign ministers are expected to cover all bilateral, regional and global issues of importance including efforts to prevent military face-offs like the one that occurred earlier this year at Doklam in Bhutanese territory. China continues to block Indias entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group as well as block New Delhis efforts to get Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar banned by the UN. This is expected to be taken up by Ms Swaraj with her Chinese counterpart. China meanwhile has been concerned about the proposed Quadrilateral in the Indo-Pacific involving India, Japan, the US and Australia and could raise the matter with New Delhi. Russia, Indias time-tested friend, is also concerned about New Delhis proximity to the United States but India has left no stone unturned to assure Russia that New Delhi will always stand with it on issues of importance to Russia such as Crimea and the situation in Syria. Hyderabad: MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his silence on the killing of a man in name of love jihad in Rajasthan. Is Mr Modi Prime Minister of the country or of a particular community, he asked. Mr Owaisi claimed that Mr Modi had asked the people at a public meeting in Gujarat if they wanted a temple or a mosque in Ayodhya. Mr Modi gets hurt when a Congress leader made abusive remarks against him and goes public condemning it. Why is he silent when a man, Afrajul Khan, is brutally murdered in the name of love jihad in Rajasthan, Mr Owaisi asked. The PMs response to the incident shows that the BJP government is least bothered about responding to attacks on minorities, he said. They are least interested in condemning even the persons with an anti-minority ideology. The attack on Afrajul was an attack on the Constitution, Mr Owaisi said. New Delhi: In the high-octane campaign for the final phase of the Gujarat elections on December 14, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi exchanged barbs on Sunday. Hitting out at the Congress, Mr Modi claimed that Pakistan was interfering in the Gujarat elections while Mr Gandhi accused the PM of dumping the development agenda. The Congress also dismissed Mr Modis remark on Pakistans role in Gujarat polls, accusing him of relying on canards, rumours and lies just for an election". Addressing a rally, Mr Modi raised questions over an alleged appeal by former director-general of Pakistan Army, Sardar Arshad Rafiq, on making senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel the chief minister of Gujarat. Why is Pakistans retired Army officer using his brain on what is happening in the Gujarat elections. Dont all these things raise questions and concern? he asked. Attacking suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyer who recently called him neech, Mr Modi said, There were media reports about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyars house. It was attended by Pakistans high commissioner, Pakistans former foreign minister, Indias former vice-president and former PM Manmohan Singh. The meeting at Aiyars house went on for almost three hours, Mr Modi said at Palanpur. The next day, Mani Shankar Aiyar said Modi is neech. This is a serious matter, he said. Though Mr Modi did not name the former vice-president present at the meeting at Mr Aiyars house, BJP president Amit Shah said in Ahmedabad that it was Hamid Ansari. Mr Gandhi, while addressing a rally in Kheda district, accused Mr Modi of dumping the development agenda and talking only about himself. For 60-70 minutes Modiji talks about himself but does not utter a word about note ban and Gabbar Singh Tax. I was sitting in a tea shop. The tea seller said, Rahulji, I am making Rs 50 instead of Rs 100 I made before GST. He (Modi) has caused us 50 per cent loss, Mr Gandhi said. Ahmed: How can PM rely on rumours? The Congress V-P, for the last eleven days, has been asking the PM one question a day as part of his Gujarat campaign. Raising the issue in his rally, Mr Gandhi said that the Prime Minister does not reply to my questions. Rebutting Mr Modis charge, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel tweeted, Its a foregone conclusion that he (Modi) has abdicated the politics of development in both actions and words. But does it befit the stature of the Prime Minister to rely on canards, rumors and lies just for an election? This is very sad. Vice President M.Venkaiah Naidu presented the Yerarignar Award' to Prof. M.S.Swaminathan at a function held at Chennai on Sunday. Governor Banwarilal Purohit was also present. (Photo: DC) Chennai: Hailing Prof. M.S. Swaminathan as a transformative leader who has inspired many scientists to focus on the problem of Indian agriculture, Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that Prof. Swaminathan is a living legend who has done India proud with his extraordinary vision, commitment and pragmatism. Conferring the 'Yeraringan' award to Prof. M.S. Swaminathan at a function held here on Sunday, Mr. Venkaiah said he was truly an iconic figure who has shown to the entire world how research can reach the farms and transform farmers lives. He was a man with deep commitment to our countrys development, he added. Speaking on the occasion Governor Banwarilal Purohit said Dr. M.S. Swaminathan is an agricultural legend who is known for his innovation and research in the field of agriculture. The Indian economy is basically agrarian. In spite of economic development and industrialisation, agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy, he said and added that nearly two-thirds of its population depended directly on agriculture for their livelihood. The eminent agricultural scientist was awarded the Yerarinjar award by Agricultural Scientific Tamil Society, New Delhi in association with Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University and Tamil Nadu Fisheries University. The award was presented in recognition of his contribution to the field of agriculture. Do not understand problem in singing Vande Mataram: Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu said that he did not understand what the problem was in singing Vande Mataram, which meant salutations to the mother, a song that had inspired millions during the countrys freedom movement. Recalling that Sister Nivedita, Swami Vivekanandas disciple, had opened a girls school and tried to inculcate the nationalist spirit in the students by introducing Vande Mataram as a prayer song, he said, she (Sister Nivedita) had introduced Vande Mataram as a prayer song in the school...now, some people have a problem with Vande Mataram also. What is Vande Mataram? Mata Vandanam, Amma Vanakkam -- that is Vande Mataram. After so many years, now we are discussing (if) Vande Mataram is good or not, nationalism and patriotism are good or not. Also, we feel shy to talk about all this, the Vice President said while speaking at an event to commemorate the birth anniversary of nationalist poet Subramania Bharati, which falls on Monday. Muzkarat Sayed Owais (Sayed Owaiss Memoirs) by Sayed Owais, The General Egyptian Book Organisation, Autobiographical Series, 2017. pp.262 While Naguib Mahfouz achieved huge success through portraying in an artistic way the lives of contemporary Egyptians before and after the 1919 Revolution, the late sociology pioneer Sayed Owais recorded in his autobiography rare and vivid glimpses of the preoccupations and hopes he lived along with his fellow compatriots witnessing the same revolution. Sayed Owais (1913-1988) wasnt just Egypts sociology pioneer, but one of the renaissance builders who bore the brunt of Egyptianising the science of sociology, directing it towards studying local social phenomena and searching for solutions in the light of widespread ignorance, poverty, the British occupation and despotism that continued for long decades. Owais had to strive to get an education and to produce in a hostile environment. Whats curious is that the General Egyptian Book Organisation, which is the largest and most influential Arab publishing house, committed several mistakes when it reprinted Owaiss autobiography. It didnt retain the original title, The History I Bore on My Shoulders, which Owais has chosen when he published the first edition of his autobiography with Dar Al-Hilal in 1985. And it didnt mention that the current edition is the third edition and that it invented its own title, Sayed Owaiss Memoirs. At any rate, reprinting the first part of this autobiography, titled The Land and the Life, is a rare cultural event stemming from a man who founded a field almost unknown in Egypt at the time. Owais narrates in an elaborate and yet simple way Al-Khalifa, the neighbourhood in which he was born, brought up, and spent most of his life in. This ancient neighbourhood is located at the foot the Saladin Citadel in the heart of Muizzi Cairo and is distinguished by the mausoleums of a number of Islamic figures. Owais recounts how a world diminished: the world of the extended family, inclusive of cousins, maternal and paternal uncles, and the division of work, distribution of wealth, and absolute bias towards males. He charts the beginnings of formal education in schools in Egypt, and the 1919 Revolution. All this was fused into one alloy made up of simple narration and truthful expression. Owais belonged to the middle class in a family of urban traders. His father died when he was about to graduate in the 1930s. Thus, he was obliged to leave school in order to feed his family. Through the Sharia Society, located in the neighbourhood, Salafists played an important role in his life and intellectual make-up. He also met Hassan Al-Banna, the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, several times in public meetings. Eventually, he was able to get rid of these influences and enroll in the School of Social Work (later the Higher Institute of Social Work) and graduated in 1940. Afterwards, he got his MA and PhD from the US in sociology. Perhaps one of the most important things in his long life journey was his practical experience in the field of studying delinquents, whether in Cairo or Upper Egypt. The most significant legacy he has left is his pioneering studies on the phenomenon of Egyptians' messages inserted in special boxes at the mausoleum of the Islamic scholar Al-Shafi'i, asking for him to intervene, stop the injustice they suffer, or help them to overcome a personal crisis. Another noteworthy study he conducted dealt with the phenomenon of writing on all kinds of vehicles moving in Egyptian streets. Also his study about immortality in Egyptian cultural heritage, and many other studies focusing on distinctive Egyptian social phenomena. There remain two other parts of this autobiography. Hopefully the General Egyptian Book Organisation will return to the original title when it reprints them. Search Keywords: Short link: New Delhi: Mr Rahul Gandhi is likely to assume the reins of the Congress on December 16, marking a generational shift in the grand old party when his mother and its longest-serving president would formally hand over the baton to him. While pageantry would herald the dawn of a new era in the party which has ruled the country for over half-a-century since Independence, the 47-year-old scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family will face the daunting task of restoring lost glory to the party whose fortunes have been dwindling in the recent past. The party, which once controlled almost the entire country, has its governments in just five states and the Union Territory of Puducherry. The announcement of Mr Gandhis elevation, however, is likely to be made on Monday, the last date of withdrawal of nomination for the election of the Congress president which is a one horse race. Altogether 89 nominations received in his favour were found to be valid during scrutiny. The Congress Central Election Authority chairman Mullapally Ramachandran, and CEA members Madhusudan Mistry and Bhubaneswar Kalita will announce that Gandhi's was the only nomination for the top job tomorrow. Mr Gandhi would, however, be handed over the certificate appointing him the party president on December 16 in the presence of Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders, Mr Ramachandran said. Mrs Gandhi will officially hand over the mantle of the 132-year-old party to her son around 11 am after which Rahul Gandhi will meet leaders from across the country at the Congresss headquarters, party sources said. Reorganising party to be major task for Rahul The Congress has been losing state after state since the 2014 Lok Sabha election with the exception of Punjab. Rahul Gandhis elevation would come just two days ahead of the counting of votes for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly poll. A sure-footed Rahul Gandhi powered a spirited campaign for the Congress in Gujarat, and a win in the election, which many analysts say could be dead heat between the two parties, would come as a massive boost for him. Mahila Congress chief and party spokesperson Sushmita Dev said reorganising the party would be major task for him. Striking a balance between the old guard and the young leaders would be a key to running the organisation which has many seasoned politicians whose wisdom he could use as he steers the party. Initial signs are encouraging since he put veterans like Ashok Gehlot and Sushil Kumar Shinde in charge of elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh respectively and was willing to bank on them, said a leader. He also got appointed young leaders as secretaries. Clarity on the partys ideological stand on the issue of Hindutva would be important as he is being seen as projecting the Congresss soft Hindutva with his visit to temples. He has also proclaimed himself a Shiv bhakt New Delhi: The Sharad Yadav-led rebel JD(U) faction will shortly move the Election Commission of India to be recognised as a new party. Arun Kumar Shrivastav, a former JD(U) general secretary and close aide of Yadav, said they will file an application with the EC in a day or two and hold a convention after the results of the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh polls were announced on December 18. Among the names the new party will seek for itself in its application to the EC are Samajwadi Janata Dal and Loktantrik Janata Dal. The Yadav faction had earlier announced that it will form a new party after the Gujarat polls, which it is fighting in alliance with the Congress, after its claim over the JD(U) poll symbol was rejected by the EC last month. The EC had recognized the Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar-led faction as the real JD(U) and accepted its claim over the poll symbol arrow. The rebel faction has challenged the EC decision in court. Yadav was recently disqualified as a Rajya Sabha member after the upper house agreed to his partys plea. The furore over the film Padmavati reveals a poor state of affairs. It draws on what happened after Sultan Alauddin Khiljis siege of a Rajput kingdom at Chittor in 1303. Accounts vary, as Prof Divya Cherian recounted in an article in an English daily: There is no historical evidence that there was such a figure in Chittor when it was besieged, or that desire for a beautiful woman (Rani Padmavati) played any role in Khiljis interest in conquering the fortress. Sufi poet Malik Mohammad Jayasi wrote the poem Padmavat in 1540, in which Khilji storms the Chittor fortress, only to find her ashes. She had committed sati on her husband the kings death in the battle. By the 18th century, the tale was recast to emphasise Khiljis Muslim identity in a clash between the Rajputs and the sultan; and the resistance of Hindus to Islam. This explains why three state governments banned it. Freedom of speech is subordinate to popular sentiment. The chief convener of the Rajput Karni Sena called the film cultural terrorism. A senior functionary threatened actress Deepika Padukone with physical harm. A Uttar Pradesh outfit announced a bounty of five crore to anyone beheading her and the films producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The Supreme Court refused to stay the release of the film, which was due on December 1, as the Central Board of Film Certification had yet to make a decision. Its chief, Prasoon Joshi, said that it had returned the movie to the producer without certification because the paperwork is not complete. The reason he cited reveals the rot in the system for which the court must share the blame: The very disclaimer, whether the film is a work of fiction or a historical (sic), was left blank and not stated. The producer was asked to provide important documents. He did not specify which. Is it anything but historical illiteracy to allege distorting history of one who never existed? Public discourse has all but wiped out the very concept of historical fiction; fiction based on history while retaining its character as fiction. The damage was done by the Supreme Court nearly 30 years ago, when actor Amjad Khan made a TV serial based on the historical novel The Sword of Tipu Sultan by Bhagwan S. Gidwani for Doordarshan. All hell broke loose, and in response Doordarshan decided gratuitously to disavow any claim to historical accuracy or authenticity, as if such a disavowal was called for. The court went one better. Disposing of a special leave petition seeking a ban on the serial in February 1991, it directed that the following announcement be made along with the telecast of each episode: No claim is made for the accuracy or authenticity of any episode being depicted in the serial. This serial is a fiction and has nothing to do either with the life or rule of Tipu Sultan. The serial is a dramatised presentation of Bhagwan Gidwanis novel. Poor Prasoon Joshi, a lyricist, followed this judicial fiat. There is no sanction for this in the Cinematograph Act, 1952. The court upheld it in 1970 only on the governments assurance that there would be experts sitting as a tribunal and deciding matters quasi-judicially. A tribunal was set up in 1983 but its head, a retired high court judge, holds office during the pleasure of the Central government. This holds good for everyone the chairman and members of the CBFC, members of the advisory panels, the examining and revising committees. It is a huge farce. If this be the treatment of historical fiction what may we expect of political parodies of the political class? We have regressed. There was no such criticism of Sohrab Modi for his films Pukar (on Emperor Jehangir) or Sikandar-e-Azam (on Alexander) and umpteen such films. The Supreme Court laid down the law in such cases concerning a film with a highly political theme, Ore Oru Gramathile, which attacked the policy of reservations on the basis of caste rather than economic backwardness. It sternly rejected the Tamil Nadu governments plea that it would create a law and order problem. What good is the protection of freedom of expression if the state does not take care to protect it? ...(F)reedom of expression cannot be suppressed on account of threat of demonstration and processions or threats of violence. That would tantamount to negation of the rule of law and surrender to blackmail and intimidation... Freedom of expression which is legitimate and constitutionally protected cannot be held to ransom by an intolerant group of people. This was said in 1989. The apex court has not spoken in this vein since. By arrangement with Dawn For small mercies we must be grateful. Once upon a time, there was a delicate dance around whether theres a purge ongoing or not. No longer. They want Nawaz out. But Nawaz is clinging on and the cost of ousting him is increasing. And now its Shahbazs turn to suffer. First Hudaibiya, now Model Town its been a rough patch for the younger Sharif. Why? The preferred scheme of replacement was relatively straightforward. Shahbaz would wrest the party from Nawaz and a rejuvenated and rebooted PML(N) would take on Imran in an on-time election. An on-time election being necessary for Shahbaz to line up the party behind him and pivot from an administrative role in Punjab to national politics. And, left unsaid, an on-time election allowing Shahbaz and Imran time to tear into each other, leaving neither with funny ideas of a runaway victory and what that could unleash. But interest in the Shahbaz option has cooled. Shahbazs potential was obvious enough: he would convince the boys that he could convince the PML(N) to line up behind him, accept a diminished role for Nawaz and, of course, not fight with the boys. Carving up the state, as it were. Everything the boys want for the boys, the bits of governance left over for Shahbaz and whoever lined up behind him. The problem is Shahbaz hasnt been able to step out of Nawazs shadow. Part of that could be family dynamics, and part a younger siblings lack of self-belief and suffocating tradition. But most of it is likely political: wresting the party from Nawaz has proved harder than was anticipated. For all the factions in the PML(N) a south Punjab bloc is evident; there is the recent lining up behind pirs; and some bubbling in north and central Punjab, where a tough fight from the PTI is expected the party is still a discernible whole. And that whole is still leaning on Nawaz. The cautious confidence of the Nawaz camp can be gaug-ed from the recent parliamentary vote that Nawaz needed the full party to turn up for. When a significant majority of N-League parliamentarians did, Nawaz didnt feel the need to thank them profusely or throw some gifts their way. Instead, he ordered an inquest into the few who were missing. That tells its own story. A story of confidence returning. If Nawaz in trouble hasnt caused enough of the N-League to bolt from his camp, then maybe Nawaz and Shahbaz both in trouble may do the trick. After all, the N-Leagues winning and competitive candidates all have a breaking point. Its just a question of finding it. Here, though, is where the real ugliness and miserableness comes in. Dismantling the N-League still leaves the question of what to replace it with. At this point, in a rigged game, Imran has to be the favourite. And yet, there is no great enthusiasm apparent for Imran neither in the electorate nor among the ones fashioning the restructuring. Shahbazs entire pitch rested on that little detail: Imran somehow not being able to become what everything suggests he should already be the favourite in August. The swing vote everyone else has had a chance, so why not Imran? will probably go Imrans way the next time round, but the deficit to the PML(N) from 2013 is significant. Imran, it is clear, needs help. So why not prise away the N-Leagues right-wing support, fuse together some of the old and the new, rising vote banks on the ultra right, and present it to the PTI as an ally? Yknow, to get Imran across the finish line. The wily Zardari has sensed this and made the appropriate move. The PML(N) had tried to scoop up chunks of the PPPs collapsing vote bank in Punjab by trying to drag at least the perception of the PML(N) to the centre. But the dismantling of the N-League and the rise of frightening options on the ultra right may send the PPP voter scampering back. Allying with the nutty preacher from abroad may be the cleverest thing Zardari has done in a while. It keeps the pressure on the N-League and leaves the PPP with options. Options in this game means relevance. And relevance is just about the best the PPP can hope for right now. By arrangement with Dawn Behind US President Donald Trumps shock announcement recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital lies a web of meetings between his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Arab world had been abuzz with reports and speculation that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas had been summoned to Riyadh to agree to a deal that would sell Palestinians down the river. The assumption being made is that the powerful Saudi prince has placed his offensive against Shia Iran for regional hegemony above the Palestinian cause which, for most Arab states, has become a mere ritual. And there was a method in Mr Trump choosing Riyadh as his first port of call as President and famously indulging in a tribal sword dance to give prominence to an old relationship. Saudi Arabia condemned Mr Trumps announcement as the leader of Sunni Islam and the home of the two holy shrines, and other Arab states followed suit, with the Arab League chipping in. The emergency session of the UN Security Council showed how isolated it was among allies as well as opponents. How far it will affect events is another matter. The truth is that Israel is in a strong position and Palestinians are weak, with Mr Abbas having overrun his term by years. Though Britain, the then imperial power, gave Jews a home, the United States helped make Israel a military power, winked at it acquiring nuclear weapons and through a series of accords brought Israel into a commanding position in relation to its adversaries. This is for geopolitical and sentimental reasons: as an ally in a turbulent region and the clout of the Jewish lobby in domestic politics. There have been expected demonstrations in Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories with killings by Israeli forces. The Hamas faction has called for starting a new intifada (uprising), and a few token missile strikes on Israeli targets. The low intensity of rioting thus far would have pleased Israelis. By all accounts, the US is finalising plans to present a solution to the seemingly intractable Israeli-Palestinian issue, to be unveiled early next year. Although Mr Trump said he was not pre-determining Jerusalems boundaries, with East Jerusalem having been annexed by Israel, his silence favours Tel Aviv. According to longstanding canons set by the major powers, the future of Jerusalem, the home of three religions, was to be a subject for Israeli-Palestinian discussions. Mr Trump has upended the whole process by nixing a litany of agreements and UN Security Council resolutions in favour of his own arbitrary formula. And this is being finalised with Arab leaders behind the scenes. Leaks suggest that Palestinians can say goodbye to an independent state, will lose East Jerusalem, projected as its capital in a two-state solution, and will be offered crumbs of territory outside Israeli settlements guarded by Israeli troops. In short, we are beginning to see a new Middle East ballgame, with the leader of the Sunni monarchies, Saudi Arabia, aligning its policies with Israel in its overall objective of getting the better of Iran. The Saudi Crown Prince, universally known as MbS, has proved ambitious and reckless in leading a military assault on Yemen and is a man in a hurry. Yet those inclined to celebrate the death of Palestine might be jumping the gun. A cataclysmic chain of events set in motion by Mr Trump strikes at the heart of Arab nationalism. Russia is being arraigned for annexing Crimea, once a part of the larger Soviet Union. And here is a state ruling over an entire population after seizing its territory, building illegal settlements on occupied land being given carte blanche by the most powerful nation in the world. By all accounts, the present Benjamin Netanyahu government is the most right-wing in Israels history, but Israel faces a major problem of its own future. Will it rule over an entire population, South Africa apartheid-style, denying them basic rights? If so, can it retain its present democratic structure or become like a paler copy of the old white South Africa? Domestically, President Trump is on a strong wicket on this issue. After all, the declaration of Jerusalem as Israels capital was decreed by the US Congress years ago, with the question sidestepped by successive Presidents fearing the consequences. Mr Trump therefore has cross-party support, at least in public, for his unusual decision. One other aspect of the declaration is worthy of note. The world has sympathised with the Jews for what Nazi Germany did to them in the past. And now that the state of Israel is rich and powerful, thanks to American help and through its peoples own resolve, it is behaving as the big bully, conquering land, expelling residents and denying the people it rules their rights. The Arabs, on their part, dont have a coherent strategy. Leading with Saudi Arabia, many are beholden to the US for military aid, if not money. We have seen the fate of the Arab Spring and the despair of the people of many countries led to the phenomenon of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. Indeed, one unintended consequence could be a fresh rise in extremism ironically coming after Iraq has declared itself free from the Islamic State. One problem is that the Arab world misses a leader of the stature of Nasser, around whom it could coalesce. MbS might be seeking such a role but that lies in the future. At present it is non-Arab Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been most vocal and active in the Palestinian cause, interacting with world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, and neighbours to protest against Mr Trumps declaration. Whether a new intifada starts or not, the world can only pray that Americas new explicit support for Israel doesnt lead a hothead living on Palestinian frustrations to undertake a dramatic act of spectacular violence that would plunge the region into a deeper crisis. The fierce campaign for the first phase of Gujarat polls on Saturday, in which voting was held in 89 of the 182 seats or nearly 50 per cent, did not ebb in intensity. The fierce campaign for the first phase of Gujarat polls on Saturday, in which voting was held in 89 of the 182 seats or nearly 50 per cent, did not ebb in intensity. Even as votes were being cast through the day in Saurashtra and South Gujarat, the geography of the first phase of the election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, continued to rage against the Congress in areas where polling day is December 14. Mr Modi has led the BJP campaign from the front. That is his energetic style, which was on view in the Lok Sabha poll in 2014 and the Uttar Pradesh state election earlier this year. But what caught observers unawares was the extremely defensive nature of the PMs campaign. He practically skipped development issues and appeared to go hell for leather against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was able to compose a credible and clever campaign, surprising everyone, most of all the BJP. Especially towards the end of the first phase, the PM gave the impression of trying every trick in the book of demagogues to draw sympathy for himself as an individual. There was also an effort to link the Congress with anti-national forces in the voters mind. The message was clear: the BJP cannot afford to be seen as turning in a below-par performance. Another noteworthy aspect of the Modi campaign was the relatively thin crowds, especially when compared with the spectacular rallies of political insurgent Hardik Patel, whose aim is to have the saffron party defeated, although he comes of RSS-BJP stock. The young Patidar leader has risen to notice in the past two years with his demand for reservation for his community and his campaign on issues relating to unemployment, farmers despair, lack of infrastructure outside the cities all so-called secular issues, rather than emotive questions relating to religion and communal politics, on which the BJP tried to direct the focus. The Patidars were the backbone of the BJPs social base, and it is sections of this community, especially the younger lot, who appeared to be challenging the BJPs hold on power. Saurashtra-South Gujarat is the Patidar stronghold. In 2012, the BJP had picked up 64 of the 89 seats here and the same trend was observed in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. The Congress challenge will be rendered meaningless if it cannot alter the equation in the first phase. The Patidar revolt, to the extent it has had some effect, could work in favour of the challenger only if the Congress has been able to rig up an effective enough organisation for every phase of the process. It is intriguing that the Supreme Court is prepared to hear a PIL on two sections of laws on the statute in the Indian Penal Code which have historically absolved women while penalising the men involved in adulterous relationships. Considering that similar pleas had been dismissed thrice from 1954 onwards, it is really unusual that the bench, which includes the chief justice, is prepared to take on the tricky subject of gender discrimination in which men alone can be victimised in becoming liable to criminal prosecution. It is also interesting that the petitioner pointing out this historical baggage the law suffers from should be from outside India. The court may be aware of the fact that regardless of how it may rule finally in such a case, society may not shift from its old habit of blaming the man while forgiving the woman. To rule on such an unusual plea will be a difficult task the judges will be taking on. Whichever way they rule, it is unlikely the verdict will be universally accepted as the world has been inured to men being blamed for adultery although women are equally capable of playing the seductress. Also, the innocent husbands and wives affected by extramarital affairs are unlikely to press criminal charges. Divorce is a far more common result of such dalliance. And yet what the judges have to say on gender inequality, or absence of neutrality and a bias in favour of women in this exceptional example, will make significant points to ponder. The time has certainly come for women to be the equal of men in every field and progressive societies are known to act the quickest in matters of gender inequality. This is one instance in which the traditional wisdom of judges may be acutely challenged. Finding the balance is going to be awkward. Who would have thought that something Mani Shankar Aiyar said would become an issue, and perhaps THE issue, of a Gujarat election? I certainly did not, and nor do I think it is an issue of the size in Gujarat that people think outside it is. When I heard about the scandalous remark, I checked my Gujarati dictionary, which translates neech as dusht. The English translations are wicked, vile and mean. Should Mr Aiyar have used the word? No: political debate, and all debate must be civil. But does it have a meaning that links it to caste? No. The second thing is the issue of Narendra Modis caste. The Prime Minister belongs to a very successful community called Ghanchi. These are people who run the neighbourhood kirana stores, and also press oil and sell grain (and tea) from shops. The word Modi itself means an individual who runs the neighbourhood store, and it has the same meaning as the name Gandhi. The Ghanchi community is not seen as a backward caste and it became a backward class, or OBC, only in 1999 under Atal Behari Vajpayee. And so, for many Gujaratis, the word neech will not be an automatic link to caste abuse for the PM. These are the reasons that I thought that the issue was overblown and would not be particularly effective as a campaign weapon. Time will tell, though of course we will have no way of knowing specifically which issues led to a BJP win (and I expect the BJP to win, as I wrote in my previous column) and which were only hot air from the media. The one story, which I thought would be damaging when I heard about it, was the matter of the Somnath register. Subsequent reporting has shown that the story was not what it was made out to be, but certainly it would have interested many Gujaratis and they would have been concerned that Rahul Gandhi had chosen to be registered as a non-Hindu (which he hadnt). But that story is now history and the media interest has moved on. Then there was the one about Mr Aiyar comparing Mr Gandhis ascension as Congress president to that of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. He was apparently not quoted fully on the matter by many who subsequently commented on it, including me. But he should have known that anything that brought in Mr Gandhi and Aurangzeb would have been used by Mr Modi, as it was. How effective was this? Again, I do not think people decide whom to vote for one something like this but it gave the BJP the space to talk about the Congress rather than performance in a state it has ruled for two decades. Before that the BJP leaked a report about a hospital that Ahmed Patel was a trustee in, had an employee or a former employee, who had been named a terrorism charge. This was a bogus story in the sense that there was no link between Mr Patel and the man accused. It was pushed because the BJP usually profits from showing the Congress as being soft on terrorism, though the history and the data shows otherwise. Then there was the story only a few days ago about Kapil Sibal, the Congressman who is also a lawyer, asking the Supreme Court not to deliver the Babri Masjid case verdict till the 2019 elections. Mr Modi had another opportunity to make the news cycles with readymade material provided to him. The Ayodhya matter, which made the BJP a national party and which is an issue which is politically dead, was again made deliberately prominent. In the latest story to make the headlines the PM has levelled the allegation that Mr Aiyar, who has confessed he has zero ability to keep his mouth shut, told the Pakistanis to take out a supari on Mr Modi. This is of course not true. It is either the case that the Prime Minister really believes it, which is worrying, or is making something up because it helps him in an election, which is also worrying. As can be seen, all or most of the major issues that have made the news cycle have been things that the BJP has introduced against the Congress, with media support. This is a negative campaign, of slurs and fears. The striking thing is that the BJP has no desire to fight a positive campaign as it did in 2014, on the issue of governance and achche din. This is unfortunate, but it is also the way politics is done in the subcontinent. Where the BJP can use these tactics, it will. It is up to the Congress to think up its own issues that the media finds attractive enough to push. And it is definitely up to the Congress to not make deliberate mistakes of the sort it has in this election. This year, we have taken active, innovative and pioneering steps, and made many breakthroughs and important headway in our diplomatic work. First, we have drawn up the blueprint for jointly undertaking the Belt and Road Initiative. Last May, President Xi Jinping successfully chaired the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in Beijing. The heads of state/government from 29 foreign countries, senior representatives from over 130 countries and heads of over 70 international organisations attended the event. The BRF produced over 270 specific results under 76 broad categories across five key areas. Up till now, we have signed Belt and Road cooperation agreements with 80 countries and organisations, conducted institutionalised cooperation on industrial capacity with over 30 countries, and built 75 overseas economic and trade cooperation zones in 24 countries under the Belt and Road framework. Chinese businesses have invested over $50 billion and created near-200,000 local jobs in the countries along the Belt and Road. The Belt and Road Initiative has shown strong vigour and vitality. It carries far-reaching positive implications for global development, and will also lend strong and sustained impetus to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Second, we have been a strong advocate of economic globalisation. In his keynote speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos last January, President Xi pointed out that trying to reverse the trend of globalisation will be futile. President Xi also put forward Chinas proposal for boosting global growth and making globalisation more balanced. At the Palace of Nations in Geneva, President Xi gave a full account of his major international initiative to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind, provided Chinas perspectives on addressing the many global challenges facing human society, and built international consensus on Chinas proposal. Third, we have been an anchor for stable relations among major countries. The three meetings and many letters and phone calls between President Xi and President Trump this year have provided a strategic anchor to what is the most complicated and consequential relationship in the world. The China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, thanks to efforts of both sides, has continued to move forward at a high standard. China and Europe have continued to make fresh headway in the development of the partnership for peace, growth, reform and progress of civilisation. Fourth, we have worked to maintain stability in our neighbourhood and the sound momentum of regional cooperation. In the past year, we have deepened mutual trust with traditionally friendly countries, consolidated our mutual support, worked for a turnaround in China-Japan and China-Republic of Korea relations, actively worked for the settlement of hotspot issues in its neighbourhood and led cooperation in neighbouring areas for regional peace and development. Both being big developing countries, China and India have far greater shared strategic interests than concrete differences, and far greater needs for cooperation than partial frictions. China always values the good-neighbourliness and friendship between the two countries as we are each others big neighbours and ancient civilisations. We handled the Dong Lang incident in line with our national interest, on just grounds and with restraint. We believe that as long as we continue to engage in in-depth strategic communication and promptly dispel strategic misgivings, the strategic value of China-India cooperation will speak for itself, and there will be a prospect of the Dragon and the Elephant Dancing Together and 1+1=11 effect as expected by our leaders. Fifth, we have ushered in the second Golden Decade of Brics cooperation. The Brics Xiamen Summit chaired by President Xi has been a full success, thanks to the concerted efforts of the five Brics countries. It has opened a brighter prospect for the cooperation, and boosted international communitys confidence in the future of emerging markets. The 19th CPC National Congress successfully held this year established the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, opened up new horizons for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and set out the direction and objectives of Chinas diplomacy in the new era. This has given Chinese answers to the serious questions confronting the world. That is to say, China believes it is essential to advance peace, development and win-win cooperation, foster a new form of international relations and build a community with a shared future for mankind. To foster a new form of international relations, we need to find a new approach to developing state-to-state relations with the following core principles. First, mutual respect. Countries of different size, strength or wealth, and with diverse systems, religions and civilisations, are all equals. Second, fairness and justice. The law of the jungle which puts the weak at the mercy of the strong must be rejected, and the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, in particular the developing countries, should be upheld. And third, win-win cooperation. The outdated mindset of zero-sum game or winner taking all should be replaced with a new approach of working for common development and shared benefits. To build a community with a shared future for mankind, we need to come up with solutions to various global challenges. We will build a five-in-one world, namely a world of lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity, and a world that is open, inclusive and enjoys a well-preserved ecology. In a word, we will continue to act as a responsible major country to contribute to world peace, promote global development, and uphold the international order. First, we will expand Chinas network of global partnerships and promote a new form of international relations. Second, we will start from our neighbourhood and other developing countries in building a community with a shared future for mankind. Third, we will comprehensively advance the Belt and Road Initiative to benefit all other participating countries through win-win cooperation. Fourth, we will actively explore a way of resolving hotspot issues with Chinese characteristics and play a bigger and more constructive role in upholding world stability. Fifth, we will step up efforts to serve Chinas domestic development and overseas interests in line with our national conditions and the needs of our people. In particular, we will host the Boao Forum for Asia and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Qingdao summit. We will also hold the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, as well as the first China International Import Expo in Shanghai. The writer is Chinas foreign minister, who will begin a visit to New Delhi on Monday to attend the India-China-Russia trilateral talks. This is the first top-level Chinese visit to India after the recent Doklam standoff. The November 26, 2017, six-point agreement between the Faizabad protesters and the government/military was a major setback for the reputation and image of Pakistan. There are still unanswered questions. Was it the disqualified boss of the ruling party who engineered this episode to target the military boss? Or was it the other way around? Whatever the answer, the government finally surrendered its constitutional authority to the military. The military in turn transgressed its constitutional limits and saved the country by conceding the unconstitutional demands of foul-mouthed religious politicians who threatened chaos throughout the country. The twin messages sent by these twin surrenders are clear: at home Pakistan is for the taking by extremists; abroad it has made a laughing stock of itself. What more could India ask for? Pakistans national and foreign policy are now without a coherent governmental base. Accordingly, they have no credibility. Every ideal and value the Quaids Pakistan embodied has been betrayed. Those who think the country has been saved need only consider: Saved from what? For whom? For how long? At what cost? Firm and just governance has been rendered impossible by corruption, fear and treachery. The ousted Prime Minister; his brother in Lahore; the irrelevant current Prime Minister who cannot even address the nation; the bewildered remnants of the elected government; the Opposition parties and their bickering and quarrelling leaders; the pathetic Parliament which only produces rupee billionaires and dollar millionaires; the military and its intelligence establishment who wield unauthorised political power without knowledge or wisdom; the police who have been used, abused, discredited and finally betrayed; the bureaucrats with honourable exceptions; some would also include the judiciary; and those violent opportunists who politically exploit the peoples passionate love for the Prophet (PBUH), have all brought about this anti-Pakistan farce. Why should India try to destroy Pakistan when the countrys rulers are doing it themselves? Last June, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia referred to Pakistan as a slave country. He can summon the Prime Minister and the Army chief at a moments notice even in the midst of a major domestic crisis. This same crown prince is supposedly embarking on the path of moderate Islam and clean government for his country to enter the 21st century while Pakistan chooses to sink ever deeper into the morass of religious extremism and criminally corrupt governance to stay far away from the 21st century! Leave India and the US aside. They are unfriendly countries. What about China? What must it think as it beholds the endlessly silly and scary spectacle in Pakistan? What future can it envisage for CPEC and its strategic partnership with Pakistan? At the very least, it will feel compelled to have alternative plans. With religious extremism rampant in Pakistan, what assurances can Pakistan credibly extend to China or any other country with regard to stopping extremists from using its territory against them? What are the implications of these surrenders for Pakistans constitutional, democratic and counterterrorism credentials? How will an imploding Pakistan elicit support for its promotion of a just and stabilising settlement process in Kashmir, or effectively call out India for its many documented atrocities? Learned analyses of Pakistans political, security, economic, social and external challenges, and discussions about roadmaps and timelines for their possible resolution, are all rendered irrelevant by the tragic state it has been reduced to by its rulers and guardians. Moreover, the countrys elites, who rule without conscience or pity, readily plead their inability to address this situation while doing everything to ensure that it remains unaddressed. They deliberately rob the people of faith in themselves. The world sees the situation in Pakistan as not merely ridiculous, but dangerous, since it has a nuclear arsenal, which India and the US will argue has an even higher risk now of falling into the hands of extremists. They will refer to the latest victory of the extremists over the government and security establishment. What will Pakistans diplomacy even at its best avail in the face of such perceptions? Simple dismissals of obvious realities cut no ice at home or abroad. Given the triumph of religious obscurantism, the politically motivated security establishment, and utterly corrupt and therefore cowardly governance, what can another election achieve even if it is held fairly and leads to a change of faces? The parameters will still confine any elected government to tinkering on a ship that is sinking. No amount of charisma, flamboyant rhetoric and heroic posturing will change anything. What needs to be done is very well known. It is nonsense to suggest it cannot be done because the powers that be are too powerful and the people are imprisoned in low self-esteem and low expectations. A mobilised, organised, informed and empowered people can get any task done. They can defeat their indifferent and callous rulers. All they need is the assistance, advice and participation of concerned Pakistanis. They do not need anybodys leadership which sooner or later turns out to be just another betrayal. They need devoted servants. Pakistan is a poor country with horrible inequality and social indices. Yet there are no significant pro-poor or progressive parties. There are only religious, nationalist and populist leaders who are all right-wing, conservative and pro-establishment. They all talk in the name of the poor and the weak but they walk with the mighty. Only one national leader, within his limitations and despite his mistakes, has sincerely tried to serve the people. Most of the rest are corrupt and all of them pander to religious and power centres. They do not develop sustainable grassroots movements and mobilisation programmes relevant to emancipating and empowering the people. Accordingly, most leaders are not worth addressing. Only ordinary Pakistanis who still believe in the country that the Pakistan Movement envisaged are worth consulting. Their varied talents and collective power need to be harnessed for a historic struggle to rid Pakistan of rulers without a cause, other than to escape accountability. By arrangement with Dawn The Arab League has called on the United States to revoke its recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, warning that such a decision was a "provocation to Muslims and Christians" in the region. In a statement in the early hours of Sunday following an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers, the league said it rejected the decision, which was officially announced by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, describing the move as void and a dangerous violation of international law, Security Council resolutions, and the UNGA. The decision has no legal effect; it restricts efforts at accomplishing peace, deepens tensions, sparks anger, and threatens to plunge the whole region into more chaos, violence, bloodshed, and instability." The league also called on all nations to acknowledge a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem, on the lines of 4 June 1967, saying it will seek a UN Security Council resolution declaring the US move in violation of legitimate international resolutions. On Wednesday, Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced that the US embassy in Israel would move from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump's endorsement of Israel's claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital would reverse long-standing U.S. policy that the city's status must be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. Israel occupied East Jerusalem after its war against Arab countries in June 1967. It annexed the city in 1980, a move that was never recognized by the international community. In recent years, Tel Aviv has been accelerating its construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem to judaize the occupied territories' demographics. Trump's decision drew a wave of condemnation from the Arab and Muslim world and Western countries. Thousands of Palestinians have demonstrated against the decision in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. At least four Palestinians were killed and tens injured in clashes with Israeli troops. Several protests in a number of Arab countries, including Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan, have also erupted, rejecting the move. There were also demonstrations against Trump's decision in Western capitals and Muslim-majority countries such as Turkey and Indonesia. In Egypt, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb, and the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Tawadros II, both announced the cancellation of a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence, who is expected to visit Egypt and the Middle East later this month. Lebanon's Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said during the emergency meeting that Arab nations should consider imposing economic sanctions against the United States to prevent it moving its Israel embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. "Pre-emptive measures (must be) taken ... beginning with diplomatic measures, then political, then economic and financial sanctions," he said, without giving specific details. The Arab League statement made no mention of economic sanctions. Search Keywords: Short link: LG has always been in line with the latest trends in the industry. The company was one of the few brands to incorporate a display with 18:9 aspect ratio on its G6. The company is expected to unveil the G7 in 2018 and will boast an advanced iris scanner. A recently published patent, first spotted by LetsGoDigital, suggests that an iris scanning technology will be used to unlock the device. The scanner will also have the ability to lock certain apps if it doesnt recognise users face. LG has reportedly developed a camera which can switch from an infrared sensor to a regular one. This will also reduce the number of sensors required to make the biometric technology work. G has reportedly started working with Qualcomm to integrate the next-gen Snapdragon 845 SoC in its LG G7 smartphone. According to a report published by Korea Herald, LG does not want to fall behind in the flagship battle next year and so, is planning on integrating the Snapdragon 845 SoC in the LG G7 smartphone. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. The resolution said the ministers would meet again within a month and held out the possibility that an emergency Arab summit would be held in Jordan to discuss Jerusalem. (Photo: AFP) Cairo: Arab foreign ministers Sunday demanded that the United States rescind President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, calling it a "grave" development that puts Washington on the same side as "occupation" and the violation of international law. In a resolution long on rhetoric but short on concrete actions, the ministers also called for the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning Trump's decision, but acknowledged that Washington would most likely veto it. If the US vetoes the resolution, the Arabs would seek a similar resolution in the UN General Assembly, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki told a pre-dawn news conference in Cairo. A two-page resolution adopted by the emergency meeting, which began Saturday night, did not include any punitive actions against the United States, like a call for a boycott of American products or suspending or downgrading ties with Washington. It also appeared to fall short of matching the anger felt by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, which have seen three days of violent protests against Trump's decision. "We have taken a political decision not meant to reflect (what is going on in) the streets. Political work is responsible work," said Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit. "Jerusalem has been occupied for 50 years. This is an extended battle, a battle that will be escalated," he told the news conference. The resolution said the ministers would meet again within a month and held out the possibility that an emergency Arab summit would be held in Jordan to discuss Jerusalem. Read: After Trumps Jerusalem decision, Paletinian Prez declines meeting with Pence Trump's December 6 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. Jerusalem's status lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian 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. Arab diplomats said some Arab League members had wanted a more hard-line resolution, including punitive measures against countries that follow the U.S. example and recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. That was considered too radical by moderate Arab nations and eventually dropped, according to the diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. But Al-Maliki, the Palestinian Foreign Minister, sought to play down differences, saying the meeting produced "complete" unity among Arab nations. "There were differences in assessment when we moved to specifying measures," he said. "But in the end we agreed on gradually escalating measures." Both Aboul-Gheit and Al-Maliki said Arab nations remained committed to a 2002 Arab peace plan that provides for recognition of Israel in exchange for lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. "That plan is a key reference in the Middle East peace process," Al-Maliki told the news conference. Trump's decision, according to the Arab resolution, was "illegal" and a "dangerous violation" of international law. "It's a dangerous development that places the United States at a position of bias in favour of the occupation and the violation of international law and resolutions." Israel occupied and later annexed the eastern part of Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war, declaring the holy city its eternal capital. Palestinians want that part to be the capital of their future state. Trump's decision, said the resolution, also stripped the US of its role as a "sponsor and broker" in the Mideast peace process, and "undermines efforts to bring about peace, deepens tension and will spark anger that will threaten to push the region to the edge of the abyss of violence, chaos and bloodshed." The resolution adopted by the ministers reiterated that only the creation of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital would end the Arab-Israeli conflict. It also mandated the Arab League to launch an "international media campaign" explaining the "gravity" of the American decision. Jhon Jairo Velasquez, known by his nickname Popeye, was paroled in 2014 after confessing to hundreds of murders. (Photo: AP) Bogoto: Colombian authorities are seeking to re-arrest a former hit man for late drug lord Pablo Escobar for violating his parole after he was caught partying with a major trafficker wanted by the US, prosecutors said Saturday. Jhon Jairo Velasquez, known by his nickname Popeye, was paroled in 2014 after confessing to hundreds of murders and spending 22 years in jail for plotting the murder of an ex-presidential candidate. Since being released, Velasquez has gained notoriety as an author and YouTube celebrity who delivers angry diatribes against leftist rebels, corrupt politicians and Venezuelas socialist government. His presence at a raucous birthday party for Juan Carlos Mesa, one of Colombias most-wanted drug traffickers, constituted a very serious offence, said the countrys chief prosecutors office. The US had been offering a $2 million bounty for Mesas capture. Police raided the party on Friday at a country house near Medellin where they arrested Mesa, alias Tom, who was celebrating his 50th birthday in almost stereotypical narco form: surrounded by armed bodyguards, young women, bountiful alcohol and lots of gambling. It was unclear what Velasquez was doing at the party. El Tiempo newspaper reported that police seized more than USD 40,000 in cash, jewellery and seven luxury cars. Velasquez took advantage of his time behind bars to obtain a number of academic degrees and to seek forgiveness from his victims. He also provided prosecutors with testimony that led to the conviction of a former justice minister close to Escobar. But even while expressing regret about his crimes, he continued to demonstrate admiration for his former boss. Feltman's visit came at a time of high tension between North Korea, South Korea, Japan and the United States, sparked by North Korea's frequent missile launches. (Photo: AP) United Nations: The United Nations says its political chief and North Korea's foreign minister agree that the current situation on the Korean peninsula is the most dangerous security issue in the world. UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman returned Saturday from a four-day visit to North Korea, where he met with officials including North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Sunday that Feltman and his hosts agreed that the Korean situation is "the most tense and dangerous peace and security issue in the world today." Feltman's visit came at a time of high tension between North Korea, South Korea, Japan and the United States, sparked by North Korea's frequent missile launches. Dujarric says Feltman told the North Koreans there can only be a diplomatic solution. The measures are in addition to those by the UN Security Council, which has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests. (Photo: File) Seoul: South Korea will impose new unilateral sanctions against nuclear-armed Pyongyang, a report said today, in Seoul's latest effort to pressure the North after a series of weapons tests that have sent regional tensions surging. The move comes after a rare visit to North Korea by a senior UN official, who called for dialogue between Pyongyang and the international community to avert a potentially catastrophic "miscalculation" in the high-stakes nuclear crisis. Seoul's new measures, its second set of unilateral sanctions in a month, are likely to draw an angry response from Pyongyang, which views its neighbour as overly-dependent on a hostile Washington. A total of 20 North Korean organisations, including banks and trading companies, and 12 North Korean individuals -- mostly bankers -- will be blacklisted as of Monday, the South's Yonhap news agency reported citing a foreign ministry official. "The organisations and individuals were involved in supplying money needed to develop weapons of mass destruction or illegal trading of sanctioned items," the official said, according to Yonhap. Read: Korean peninsula situation most dangerous: UN chief, N Korea minister The measures are in addition to those by the UN Security Council, which has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests. China, Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and military ally, has also backed the UN embargoes, but has repeatedly pushed for talks to diffuse tensions. The UN's under secretary general Jeffrey Feltman visited the North just a week after Pyongyang said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. His trip also coincided with the US and South Korea's biggest-ever joint air exercise, which the North slammed as a provocation and revealing an intention to "mount a surprise nuclear pre-emptive strike". Seoul's sanctions will bar South Korean individuals and entities from transacting with those on the list but it will be largely symbolic given a lack of inter-Korean economic ties. In 2016, South Korea unilaterally closed operations at the jointly-run Kaesong Industrial Complex, saying cash from the zone was being funnelled to the North's weapons programme. The complex was the last remaining form of North-South economic cooperation. Seoul banned nearly all business with the North in 2010 after accusing Pyongyang of sinking one of its warships. 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. (Photo: AFP) Istanbul: Turkish riot police Sunday 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 detained 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. Read: Arab leaders call for US to rescind Trumps Jerusalem decision 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. 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. The United States has become the first country in the world to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel following Trumps decision. (Photo: File/Representational) Gothenburg: Unidentified men have reportedly hurled firebombs at a synagogue in Sweden hours after locals marched in the city against the United States recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. CNN quoted a Police inspector Peter Nordengard as saying that the fire department extinguished the flames from the objects, which did not cause the building to catch fire or cause any injuries. Some media reports have also claimed that fire incident took place due to a party that was being held by Jewish students inside the synagogue. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. The United States has become the first country in the world to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel following Trumps decision. Read: Arab leaders call for US to rescind Trumps Jerusalem decision In line with this announcement, the US is also shifting its embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city, again becoming the first country to take such a step. With this step, Trump has fulfilled one of its campaign promises and reversed decades-long US policy on this matter. The United States' decision has sparked widespread furore in the Arab world and condemnation from various nations. 'The growing presence of foreign fighters among them indicates that ISIS seeks to create an external operations node for new waves of global attacks,' warned analysts. (Representational image) Kabul: French and Algerian fighters, some arriving from Syria, have joined the ranks of the Islamic State group in northern Afghanistan where the militants have established new bases, multiple international and Afghan sources said. It is the first time that the presence of French ISIS fighters has been recorded in Afghanistan, and comes as analysts suggested foreigners may be heading for the war-torn country after being driven from Syria and Iraq. It is also a troubling sign as France, which has faced the worst of the ISIS-inspired violence in Europe since 2015, debates how to handle hundreds of its citizens who went to fight for the group in the Middle East. "A number" of Algerian and French nationals entered the largely ISIS-controlled district of Darzab in northern Jowzjan province in November, said district governor Baaz Mohammad Dawar. At least two women were among the arrivals, which were travelling with a translator from Tajikistan as well as Chechens and Uzbeks, Dawar added. European and Afghan security sources in Kabul confirmed Dawar's claim that French citizens were among the fighters -- though, one cautioned, "we do not know how many there are". 'The Engineers' Three of the Algerians seen in Darzab are believed to have been in Syria and Iraq, Dawar said, suggesting they may link Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-K), the group's franchise in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the main group in the Middle East. When it first emerged in 2015, IS-K overran large parts of eastern Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, though initially its part in the Afghan conflict was overshadowed by the Taliban. The jihadists have since spread north, including in Jowzjan on the border with Uzbekistan, and carried out multiple devastating attacks in the capital Kabul. Mohammad Raza Ghafoori, the Jowzjan provincial governor's spokesman, said French-speaking Caucasian men and women had been seen training ISIS fighters in Darzab. He cited reports saying that around 50 children, some as young as 10, have also been recruited by the fighters. Darzab residents said that roughly 200 foreigners had set up camp just a few hundred metres (yards) from the village of Bibi Mariam. One local man who gave his name as Hajji said the fighters were of several nationalities, including French, and were tall, aged in their late 20s, and dressed in military clothing. "They ride their (motor) bikes, go to the border and come back, but they talk to nobody," he added. Hashar, a former district village chief, said some were training others to use suicide bombs and lay mines. "They are... bringing misery to normal people," he said, as other villagers said many residents had fled the area. Locals along with district governor Dawar warned the fighters were also exploiting natural resources, such as precious stones and metals. One of the security sources said that two of the French had been nicknamed "The Engineers" and appeared to be organising some sort of extraction, "but we do not know what they are looking for". Several European services believe the fighters are arriving through Tajikistan, the source said, adding that at least one Frenchman arrested there in July said he had wanted to join ISIS in Afghanistan. Land of jihad Afghanistan has long attracted foreign fighters, from the Mujahedeen during the 1980s war against Soviet invaders to Al-Qaeda's later use of the country as a haven. The Pentagon has said ISIS numbers fewer than 1,000 in Afghanistan. But the growing presence of foreign fighters among them indicates that ISIS "seeks to create an external operations node for new waves of global attacks," warned analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War recently. Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, an expert on jihadist groups, said he did not think the presence of foreign fighters in Afghanistan meant that ISIS was necessarily "shifting its base". The group's "natural home is Iraq and Syria, but I presume many of the foreigners in particular are taking the opportunity either to escape entirely or moving to other battlefields for ISIS where they might prove more useful," he said. The head of US forces in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, has vowed the group will be "annihilated", and Washington notoriously dropped the so-called "Mother Of All Bombs" on an ISIS stronghold in Nangarhar in April. But as the number of fighters grows in Darzab, the villager Hajji said that there were no signs of pro-government forces in the district. "(The) government is God damned," he said. "There is no government here." Tehran: President Hassan Rouhani says Iran is ready to restore ties with Saudi Arabia if it stops bombing Yemen and cuts its alleged ties with Israel. In a speech broadcast Sunday, Rouhani said the regional rivals could have good relations if the Saudis end their false friendship with Israel and halt the inhuman bombardment of Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is battling Iranian-allied rebels known as Houthis. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian demonstrators attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in response to the Saudi execution of a prominent Shiite dissident cleric. Tensions spiked again last month after the Houthis fired a ballistic missile that was intercepted near Riyadh. Saudi Arabia does not recognize Israel, but the two countries have a shared interest in countering Iran. According to results released by the Election Commission, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist has won 51 seats while its alliance partner CPN Maoist-Centre has bagged 21 seats. (Photo: AFP) Kathmandu: Nepal's Left alliance is Sunday heading towards comfortable majority in the parliamentary elections, winning 72 of the 89 seats so far in the historic polls that many hope will bring the political stability to the country. The CPN-UML led by former premier K P Oli and the CPN-Maoist led by former premier Prachanda have forged electoral alliance for both the provincial and parliamentary elections. According to results released by the Election Commission, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) has won 51 seats while its alliance partner CPN Maoist-Centre has bagged 21 seats. The ruling Nepali Congress, which was the largest party in the last election, won only 10 seats, according to tallies. Two Madhesi parties have won five seats. Read: Nepal moves towards federal democracy, Leftists comfortably win polls The Federal Socialist Forum Nepal led by Upendra Yadav has won 2 seats whereas Rastriya Janata Party led by Mahanta Thakur has bagged 3 seats. Naya Shakti Party led by former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai has won one seat and an independent was among winning candidates. The vote counting is in progress for remaining 76 seats. 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. 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. A total of 1,663 candidates contested polls for parliamentary seats. Thousands protested outside the U.S. Embassy in the Indonesian capital on Sunday against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, many waving banners saying "Palestine is in our hearts". Leaders in Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, have joined a global chorus of condemnation of Trump's announcement, including Western allies who say it is a blow to peace efforts and risks sparking more violence. Thousands of protesters in Muslim-majority countries in Asia have rallied in recent days to condemn the U.S. move. Palestinian people were among the first to recognise Indonesia's independence in 1945, Sohibul Iman, president of the controversial Islamist opposition Prosperous Justice Party which organised the rally, told protesters. Indonesia should be more proactive in "urging the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) member states and U.N. Security Council and the international community to respond immediately with more decisive and concrete political and diplomatic actions in saving the Palestinians from the Israeli occupation and its collaborator, the United States of America," Iman said. "Indonesia as the world's largest Muslim country has the largest responsibility toward the independence of Palestine and the management of Jerusalem," he told reporters, adding that he hoped Indonesia would take a leading role within the OIC on the matter. "Trump has disrupted world peace. It's terrible," one protester, Yusri, told Reuters. The decision was "a major disaster for the Palestinian people, while the Palestinian's own rights have been taken away for a long time," said Septi, a student at the rally. Violence erupted for a third day in Gaza on Saturday in response to Trump's move on Jerusalem, with four Palestinians killed by Israeli occupation forces. Indonesia's foreign minister left for Jordan on Sunday to meet the Palestinian and Jordanian foreign ministers "to convey Indonesia's full support for Palestine". *This story was edited by Ahram Online Search Keywords: Short link: An about one-year-old girl was allegedly raped by an unidentified person in the district, police said today. A tempo driver, on hearing the wails of the child, spotted the infant lying abandoned in his vehicle in Mithapada area of Shelar village in Bhiwandi taluka yesterday morning, police inspector Vilas Chowgule said. He rushed the girl, having injuries in her private parts, to the Bhiwandi police station, Chowgule said, adding that it was suspected to be case of rape. The police admitted the child to Bhiwandi's IGM hospital where she is being treated and undergoing tests, he said. The details about the baby's parents were yet to be ascertained, he said. The police have registered offences against the unidentified person under IPC section 376 (rape) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the official said, adding that a search was on to nab the culprit. BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa said that theaCongress government should come out with a white paper on development work in Hyderabad-Karnataka region. "Only then,aCongress leaders should set foot in the region," he said during a convention organised as part of the party's Parivartana Yatre at NV Grounds on Saturday. "The Congress has neglected the region and is responsible for its backwardness." Yeddyurappa said the BJP believed in 'Sab ka Saath Sab ka vikas' (collective efforts, inclusive growth) and didn't differentiate people based on caste, creed or religion. "Congress always sowed seeds of casteism and divide the people in order to come to power," he said. The former chief minister said 30% of minorities benefited from the Bhagyalakshmi scheme which was launched during his regime. Yeddyurappa said an annual grant of Rs 500 crore would be allocated to Kalaburagi city and the district in order to make them a "model" for the entire state. To benefit farmers of the region, he said and incentive of Rs 1,500 per quintal of tur would be given within 24 hours of coming to power. Yeddyurappa said Prime Minister NarendraaModi's call for "Congress Mukth Bharat" actually means "Congress Mukth Karnataka" as Karnataka is the "only big state" where Congress is running a government. Yeddyurappa said he had visited 81 Assembly constituencies in the state. "I address three meetings every day - morning, afternoon and evening. Everywhere we are given a grand welcome, but the crowd in Kalaburagi is huge." The NV Grounds was jam-packed with party supporters. Union Minister H N Ananth Kumar, MLAs Arvind Limbavali, Dattatreya Patil Revoor and others were present on the occasion. It's not every day that you find a hardened BJP worker muttering under his breath that his party, which has been ruling Gujarat for the last 22 years, is on a sticky wicket. When you do find one, that too in Vadnagar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home town, it is indicative of the discontent in parts of the state, where the BJP is aiming at returning to power for a fifth consecutive term. Dikshit Patel, a long-time BJP worker, is worried that the simmering anger of the Patidar community, upset over the violence in 2015 during the agitation for reservation, could brim over on election day, spelling trouble for the party. He is not the only one viewing the December 14 election with foreboding. The mood in the BJP camp in Mehsana district, which straddles seven constituencies, is tense. Mehsana and Vadnagar fall in Mehsana district, but while Vadnagar is under the Unjha constituency, Mehsana city (known as Mahesana in the list of the state election office) is a separate constituency. BJP workers are apprehensive that the Patidar rage could severely dent the party's prospects. It all began in Mehsana, the epicentre of the Patidar agitation led by Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) chief Hardik Patel, two years ago, they recall. The agitation for reservation took a violent turn, people were killed, Patidar leaders were jailed and the state was deaf to their demand for quota for the community. Today, the fire may have been doused but the embers still glow. "More than Hardik as an individual, it is the issue of Patidar reservation that has struck a chord with the Patels, especially the youth. Patels are the backbone of the BJP in Gujarat. We made the party what it is today so it is natural that if they desert our camp, the impact will be deep," says Dikshit. Most BJP functionaries in the area, dominated by Patidars, belong to this community. But be it Dikshit in Vadnagar or Falgun Patel in Mehsana city, a fairly developed urban settlement, the anxiety is palpable. The party is trying to contain the potential damage in Unjha by playing up the fact that Narayanbhai Patel, the local MLA seeking a sixth-straight term, heads the Umiya Dham Temple, revered by the Patel community. He is up against Congress leader Ashaben Patel. The BJP has fielded Deputy Chief Minister Nitinbhai Patel against Jivabhai Patel of the Congress in Mahesana. Falgun Patel, who has been a corporator of the BJP in the local Mehsana municipality, also concedes that the contest is extremely tight because of the anger in the Patel community, which he says "cannot be bought". He rattles off a set of figures to prove his point. "There are around 2.57 lakh voters in the Mehsana seat, out of which about 52,000 are Patidars. Among the Patidars, even considering the best possible scenario, not more than 18,000 shall vote for us. And Patels have been our strength," Falgun says. He adds that the party is attempting to offset the Patel desertion by focusing more on OBC communities such as Thakores (around 40,000), Prajapatis (26,000 approx) and the Chaudharys (17,000 approx). "Thakore votes are usually reserved for the Congress. But this time, we are hoping the OBCs will tilt towards the BJP considering the Congress's emphasis on wooing the Patidars by promising them reservation. The OBCs understand they stand to lose if the quotas materialise," he explains. Not everyone is downcast, though. J K Bharot, 73, who runs a stationery shop off the Mehsana-Palanpur highway, is as optimistic as ever. "Like I was when A K Patel was elected in 1984. The Modi magic will work again," he says, stressing repeatedly that the prime minister "is a great man". A K Patel was the first BJP leader elected to the Lok Sabha from the Mehsana parliamentary constituency. He held the seat till 1998, before Aatmaram Patel of the Congress took over and later, in 2004, Jivabhai Patel. Vitthal Bhai Choudhary, a local BJP worker, echoes Bharot and says Falgun's assessment is needlessly pessimistic. A number of influential NRI Patels have arrived and are working overtime to win back the support of the disgruntled Patels, he says. Besides Unjha and Mahesana, the five other constituencies in the district are Kheralu, Visnagar and Becharaji, Kadi (reserved for SCs) and Vijapur. Other than Kadi and Vijapur, the rest are with the BJP. While the first polls were held on December 9, these constituencies will vote in the second phase on December 14. The results will be declared on December 18. Congress president Rahul Gandhi is said to be willing and ready to take up the onerous task of sewing up alliances with regional players in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Hitherto, it was the outgoing Congress president Sonia Gandhi who was the most preferred choice of party leaders to keep the United Progressive Alliance as a cohesive unit for the 10 years it was in power or to meet new allies. Despite his preference for the "go it alone" policy to rebuild the Congress party across the country, Rahul has realised the importance of forging a common front against the BJP. The ongoing Gujarat elections were a case in the point where Congress did not shy away from leaning on the emerging leadership of Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani. A big factor that would aid Rahul in forging new alliances is that there is a generational shift in the regional parties that have had a truck with Congress in the past. Rahul's first efforts at working out a good chemistry with allies were witnessed in Uttar Pradesh that saw him hitting off well with Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav. He was helped by the good equations his sister Priyanka Vadra had with Akhilesh's wife Dimple. Since then, Rahul has cultivated his personal relationship leaders of RJD and the DMK with whom he had some reservations. Rahul's unease with RJD boss Lalu Prasad was well-known when he tore up copies of a draft ordinance the UPA was planning to bring in to shield corrupt politicians. However, Rahul has struck an easy working relationship with the second generation leaders such as Tejaswi Yadav of the RJD, M K Stalin and Kanimozhi of the DMK. Omar Abdullah of the National Conference is by now an "old friend". "In the future, alliances will be forged by personal chemistry and perhaps without intermediaries," a senior Congress leader told Deccan Herald. He said if alliances are not possible, there could be strategic understandings and a testing ground for such an experiment would be Uttar Pradesh where Congress is trying to rope in SP and Mayawati's BSP to take on the BJP. Efforts were also afoot to bring Congress and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal closer to the anti-BJP front with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the lead. The alleged molestation of 'Dangal' actress Zaira Wasim on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight by an unidentified man Sunday drew strong ire from netizens in Kashmir, who voiced their support for the actress and demanded strict action against the accused. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said she was appalled at what happened with Zaira. Any harassment/crime against women should be dealt with swiftly & effectively. As a mother of 2 daughters, I am appalled at what happened with @zairawasimz. Hope the relevant authorities take strict action @airvistara @Ashok_Gajapathi @jayantsinha, she tweeted. Mehbooba's predecessor and opposition National Conference leader Omar Abdullah ile demanding legal action against the accused said: "The passenger should be identified to the police by @airvistara & a case filed for legal action." "None of this 'he fell at my feet so I forgive him' rubbish!" he wrote on Twitter. Muzamil Bhat, a netizen wrote on his Facebook page: "Zaira Wasim is a small baby and we should condemn the hoodlums and sexual Assault she was confronted with in the dark hours of the night. Lets think what if it would have been our sister, mother travelling in the same aeroplane and she come across same contingency will we attribute religious motives to our sister." The National Award winning actress was allegedly molested by a co-passenger on Air Vistara flight. The actress narrated her ordeal on Instagram via live video. Zaira, who played wrestler Geeta Phogat in Aamir Khan starrer 'Dangal,' said she was on the Air Vistara flight from Delhi to Mumbai when a co-passenger sitting behind her put up his feet on her armrest. She is not new to controversies. Earlier, in January Zaira posted an apology and confession whereby she asked people not to follow her footsteps and that she doesnt deserve to be a role model. Apparently, she felt offended by comments made by trollers on Facebook and Twitter after she met Mehbooba. In June she and her boy friend, son of ruling PDP leader, had a narrow escape after a car she was travelling on met with an accident in Srinagar. The molestation of Dangal actor Zaira Wasim on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight by an unidentified man on Sunday drew strong ire from netizens in Kashmir, who voiced their support for the actor and demanded strict action against the accused. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said she was appalled at what happened with Zaira. "Any harassment/crime against women shld be dealt with swiftly & effectively. As a mother of 2 daughters I am appalled at what happened with @zairawasimz. Hope the relevant authorities take strict action @airvistara @Ashok_Gajapathi @jayantsinha," she tweeted. Mehbooba's predecessor and Opposition National Conference leader Omar Abdullah demanded legal action against the accused and said, "The passenger should be identified to the police by @Vistara & a case filed for legal action." "None of this 'he fell at my feet so I forgive him' rubbish," he wrote on Twitter. Muzamil Bhat, a netizen wrote on his Facebook page, "Zaira Wasim is a small baby and we should condemn the hoodlums and sexual assault she was confronted with in the dark hours of the night. Let's think what if it would have been our sister, mother travelling on the same plane and she come across same contingency will we attribute religious motives to our sister." The National Award winning actor was reportedly molested by a co-passenger on a Vistara flight. The actress narrated her ordeal on Instagram via live video. Zaira said she was on the Vistara flight from Delhi to Mumbai when a co-passenger sitting behind her put up his feet on her armrest. Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water canons at protesters near the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon on Sunday during a demonstration against President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Protesters, some of them waving Palestinian flags, set fires in the street and threw projectiles towards security forces that had barricaded the main road to the U.S. Embassy in the Awkar area north of Beirut. Addressing the protesters, the head of the Lebanese Communist Party Hanna Gharib declared the United States "the enemy of Palestine" and the U.S. Embassy "a symbol of imperialist aggression" that must be closed. Protesters burned U.S. and Israeli flags. Trump's recognition of Jerusalem has infuriated the Arab world and upset Western allies, who say it is a blow to peace efforts and risks causing further unrest in the Middle East. Late on Saturday Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo urged the United States to abandon its decision and said the move would spur violence throughout the region. Israel says that all of Jerusalem is its capital. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. The international community consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory and say the status of the city should be left to be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks. The government of Lebanon, which hosts about 450,000 Palestinian refugees, has condemned Trump's decision. Lebanese President Michel Aoun last week called the move a threat to regional stability. The powerful Iran-backed Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah on Thursday said it backed calls for a new Palestinian uprising against Israel in response to the U.S. decision. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah also called for a protest against the decision in the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday. Search Keywords: Short link: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, on Sunday, said it was a tragedy that fundamentalists in the country were building a temple for Mahatma Gandhi's assassin (Nathuram Godse). "What message will this send?" the National Conference (NC) president said. Abdullah was addressing the gathering at the state-level minorities' convention organised by the JD(S) in the city. Such efforts will, however, will not succeed in a country where people know about secular values and Gandhi's ideals. He said all citizens were one in the country, including the minorities. The NC president called upon members of the minority communities to realise the value of their votes. Abdullah said the power of the vote was gained after a long struggle and sacrifice by freedom fighters. He called upon the minorities to work for a secular nation as envisaged by Gandhi and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Fundamentalist forces were sowing the seeds of hatred among the people in the name of mandir and mosque. He said there are instances of Muslims helping in the rebuilding of temples destroyed by floods in Jammu and Kashmir. The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir called upon the people not to look at Kashmiris with suspicion, adding that Kashmir was not Pakistan. Noting that Kashmiris had strived for the independence struggle, he said it is the Kashmiris who lose their lives whenever there is a war between India and Pakistan. Even in such a situation, Kashmiris had given up their lives for strengthening secular forces. Father of the 7-year-old girl, who died of dengue at Fortis Hospital here, has filed a police complaint against the hospital group, but no FIR has been registered in the case, police said on Sunday. "The father of the deceased child filed the complaint at Sushant Lok police station on Friday," SHO Gaurav Phogat said. "But we have not filed an FIR yet as a preliminary investigation is on in the matter. We are waiting for an official copy of the inquiry report on the matter by a government panel," he said. In his complaint, Jayant Singh, urged the police to register the FIR for 'culpable homicide' owing to criminal negligence against the hospital and also, forgery and destruction of evidence by the hospital management and doctors. Singh held that the hospital was "criminally negligent in the course of his daughter's treatment". He accused 18 people, including chairman, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, executive vice-chairman, Fortis Healthcare, and nine doctors, for his daughter's death. In the complaint, Singh also claimed that the hospital forged the parents' signatures in "crucial and important treatment-related documents, that is, consent forms". Fortis Healthcare, however, maintained that they were "yet to receive any formal complaint". BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa on Sunday said that his party would reopen all cases wherein "clean chit" has been given to Congress leaders by the Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) and other investigating agencies. Speaking at a well-attended Nava Karnataka Nirmana Parivarthana Yatra at JP Nagar in Bengaluru, Yeddyurappa said the government was misusing the ACB and the CID to give clean chits to Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and at the same time registering false cases against leaders of rival parties. "As soon as the BJP comes to power, we will order review of all cases where clean chits have been given and order reinvestigation. We will send the Congress leaders to where they belong," Yeddyurappa said. He said while Congress claimed BJP was a jail and bail party, its own leaders includingaRahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Oscar Fernandes were moving around after securing bail. He said the children of Congress leaders were activately involved in the sand mafia. "Sand is being imported from Malaysia on the pretext on meeting the demand, by paying exorbitant rates," he said. He blamed the Siddaramaiah government for turning Bengaluru into a "nightmare city" . "Bengaluru has become the number-one rape city in the country. Mumbai has double the population of Bengaluru, but has a lower crime rate. We will change all that after coming to power. We will create a Nava Bengaluru," the BJP leader said. He charged that the government had plunged the state into a debt trap with borrowings touching Rs 1.48 lakh crore during the last four years. "The government is hoodwinking the people by announcing projects worth hundreds of crores. But where is the money?" he said. Lesson learnt The BJP, meanwhile, seems to have learnt a lesson from the embarrassment it faced last month in the state capital during the launch of the yatra due to poor turnout. On Sunday, the party had made sure the venue was a full house. There was shelter for everyone as 'shamiyana' had been erected. Traffic hit Traffic movement was affected in and around RBI Layout grounds in JP Nagar, the venue of the convention. Transport arrangements had been made from Bommannahalli, Anekal among other areas to ferry those attending the convention. DH News Service A 33-year-old cook plunged to death from the fourth floor of Meenakshi Mall on Bannerghatta Road, on Saturday evening. The police said that the deceased has been identified as Nagesh. A CCTV footage from the mall showed that Nagesh entered the mall around 7.30 pm on Saturday and went to the fourth floor and climbed a five-feet barrier wall and jumped from it. Nagesh hailed from Mandya and was staying in a rented house in Someshwara Layout near Hulimavu with wife Lakshmi and six-year-old son. According to the police, his wife in a statement said that Nagesh was depressed as he was suffering from a liver-related problem and he could not work. On Saturday, he left home in the evening and we received a message on Saturday night, she said. In the statement, she said that he plunged to death because he was very depressed about his health problem, the police added. The police have registered a case of unnatural death. Didi Chuxing, China's ride-hailing behemoth, plans to expand into Mexico next year, intensifying its global rivalry with Uber, according to two sources familiar with the plans. Didi has spoken before of global ambitions, but has not formally announced where or when it would expand. The Chinese company is the second-most highly valued, venture-backed private firm in the world, after Uber Technologies Inc. Didi has no cars outside China, meaning Mexico could be its first international operation. Didi, whose brand is ubiquitous in China but little-known in the West, will launch a smartphone app in Mexico and recruit local drivers to the platform, according to the sources, who declined to be named. It is unclear which cities Didi will target, although one of the sources said the company was aiming to launch in the first quarter of next year. The company has already begun trying to recruit corporate talent in the sector, the source added. A spokesman for Didi declined to comment. About a month ago, Didi met with ProMexico, a government trade and investment body, to discuss opportunities in the country, according to a Mexican official, who declined to provide further details. The company has made no secret of its desire to expand beyond China, particularly in light of the growing number of Chinese customers who travel overseas. In April, Didi raised $5.5 billion from investors, in part to fund global expansion. But until now, its plans have been limited to financial commitments to ride-hailing companies in other countries and a research lab in Silicon Valley that opened earlier this year. Didi has invested in Uber rivals around the world, including US-based Lyft, Brazil-based 99, India's Ola, Singapore-headquartered Grab, Estonia's Taxify and Careem in the Middle East. The company acquired Uber's China business last year after Uber lost roughly $2 billion trying to compete. After ceding its China business, Uber doubled down on Latin America, where Didi is now encroaching. Uber has established a stronghold in Mexico, with seven million users across 45 cities. Mexico City is Uber's third-biggest market in the world by rides, after the Brazilian cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In a lapse, officials posted in Dediapada constituency in Gujarat's Narmada district during the first phase of polls on Saturday "forgot" a "spare" VVPAT EVM unit in a private jeep while returning to Rajpipala, a senior officer said on Sunday. The unit, packed in three separate bags, was spotted by the driver of the jeep and some local leaders in Dediapada who brought it back to Rajpipala, the Narmada district headquarters, on Sunday. After the incident came to light, District Collector and Election Officer R S Ninama claimed that the EVM unit was a "spare" one and was not used in the polling in the Dediapada (ST) seat. According to Ninama, the EVM unit was among the six spare units sent to Kanjal village in Dediapada taluka on Saturday. "Along with the six EVMs used for polling at Kanjal and five other adjoining villages, we had sent six spare units to deal with any unwarranted technical problem. Zonal poll officials were supposed to submit all these units at Rajpipla after the polling," Ninama told reporters. However, officials forgot one unit in the jeep and submitted the remaining units at the receiving centre, he said. "Today (Sunday) morning, the driver of the jeep, who returned to Dediapada after dropping the officials, spotted the unattended unit in the jeep and informed some local leaders of Dediapada. They then brought that unit here," Ninama said. The officer said he had already submitted a report to the Election Commission about the incident. U.S President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital could provide a lifeline to militants after the setbacks they suffered this year, the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has warned. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed AL Nahayan also said that the UAE hopes that Washington would reconsider its decision. Trump's announcement has sparked widespread opposition across the Middle East, with many warning it could affect Washington's role as a Middle East peace broker. "The U.S. move could throw a lifebuoy to terrorist and armed groups, which have begun to lose ground in the region," said Sheikh Mohammed, speaking to a delegation from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The comments were carried in a report on state news agency WAM published late on Saturday. Iraq on Saturday declared final victory over Islamic State after Iraqi forces drove its last remnants from the country, while the group is on the back foot in neighbouring Syria, where an offensive backed by Russia has driven the group out of most of its strongholds. Palestinians want Arab East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, to be the capital of a state they hope would be emerge from peace talks with Israel. Israel has annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally and regards the area as part of its capital. Sheikh Mohammed said Trump's unilateral decision violates U.N. resolutions, and urged Washington to "reconsider its move and work basically in an effective and neutral manner to draft true principles for peace that serve all and realise development and stability in the region", according to WAM. Turning to Yemen, Sheikh Mohammed said the Saudi-led Arab coalition, which includes the UAE, remained committed to a political solution to end the war that began in 2015 when the Iran-aligned Houthis advanced on the southern port city of Aden forcing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee into exile. But he said that any solution "will also not be at the expense of enabling a military militia that operates outside the state authority and posing a direct threat to the security and stability of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the region at large." Search Keywords: Short link: By Rob Kuznia, Mark Berman, Max Ufberg, and Soo Youn 10 December 2017 VENTURA, California (The Washington Post) Raging wildfires continued to burn through Southern California on Sunday, stretching into a second week as authorities warned that the blazes could still spread and pose new dangers. The fires have been blamed for one death, and the flames have destroyed more than 800 buildings and threatened thousands more. Officials have stressed that the weather could trigger still more hazards.Much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties were under red flag warnings of increased fire risk through Sunday evening as the winds that fanned the flames were expected to strengthen. Any new blaze could see a very rapid spread of wildfire and extreme fire behavior that could lead to a threat to life and property, the National Weather Service warned.Officials lamented a brutal fire season that has ravaged the state this year, tearing mercilessly through the northern and southern parts of California alike.This is kind of the new normal, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) said at a news conference Saturday in Ventura County. Were facing a new reality in this state, where fires threaten peoples lives, their property, their neighborhoods and, of course, billions and billions of dollars.Brown said climate change means residents should expect such extreme fire activity for decades.I know thats maybe a little remote, but its real, and were experiencing what its going to look like on a very regular basis, he said.New evacuations orders were issued Sunday as the Thomas Fire the states biggest active blaze, roaring across 155,000 acres in coastal Ventura County northwest of Los Angeles was expected to spread toward neighboring Santa Barbara County, authorities warned in an alert Sunday morning. 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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 From January 2018, mobile subscribers will be able to link their Aadhaar details to their mobile numbers from their home using a voice-guided system that would complete the process through a one-time password (OTP). This facility, however, will come nearly a month and a half behind the original target date to roll out a convenient OTP system for customers. The delay follows confusion and tussle between Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and telecos. Subscribers will have time until 6 February to complete the process, failing which their numbers will be deactivated. While the government is going ahead with Aadhaar linking of mobile phone numbers citing security concerns, the Supreme Court has asked the government to explain the need to do so amidst complaints by sections over alleged infringement of individual's privacy. Subscribers have till the first week of February to get their numbers verified, failing which their connection may be disconnected. An OTP-based system is seen as the most convenient route for mobile subscribers to get their numbers linked with Aadhaar, especially as they get rid of hardships in the existing system where biometric machines have not functioned properly at outlets of mobile companies, or centres are located at a distance. In the OTP system, a subscriber needs to call the Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) from his mobile number, and can complete the process in English, Hindi and several regional languages. The subscriber will then need to give the consent for verification with the Aadhaar number, following which he / she receives an OTP that will be used for completing the process. Once the OTP so keyed in is verified to be correct, the number is verified within a certain period of time. Customers will be able to avail the benefits of this UIDAI system only if their mobile number is already in the Aadhaar database. "And this will help people verify their mobile number with Aadhaar without going to a telecom outlet, provided their mobile number is already added to Aadhaar database," The Economic Times quoted UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey as saying. Even though the procedure has now been put in place, telecom companies and their lobby group Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) are still at odds with UIDAI for not consulting them about the procedure. Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli police and soldiers on Sunday as violence continued for the fourth day in response to the US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. A young Palestinian man was seriously injured by Israeli fire with while dozens of others, including school students, suffered injuries sustained from teargas inhalation during clashes that erupted in al-Arroub refugee camp, near Hebron, and in Bethlehem, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. Thousands of Palestinians have demonstrated against the decision in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. "Clashes erupted in the aftermath of a rally in al-Arroub refugee camp. The soldiers fired rubber-coated steel rounds at the protesters, seriously injuring a young man in his head. They also used teargas canisters to disperse the protesters, causing multiple cases of injury by teargas inhalation," WAFA added. The Palestinian news agency said that similar clashes also erupted in Aida refugee camp, near Bethlehem. "There were reports of teargas inhalation cases among the protesters as a result of Israeli forces heavy use of teargas to disperse them," the report read, also adding that two minors had been detained. Palestinian security sources told WAFA that a vehicle ran over five-year-old Razan Jaber in Hebron, south of the West Bank, injuring her foot. She was transferred to the Hebron government hospital to receive treatment. On the Israeli side, a security guard at Jerusalem's main bus station was stabbed by a Palestinian young man in the first reported Palestinian attack since the dramatic announcement, Israeli police said. The Palestinian Ministry of Health has announced on Sunday that four Palestinian civilians had been killed with more than 1,250 injured -- 150 of those with live ammunition -- since clashes erupted on Wednesday with Israeli troops. Trump's decision has drawn a wave of condemnation from the Arab and Muslim world and from Western countries as well. Several demonstrations in a number of Arab countries, including Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan, have also erupted, with protestors rejecting the move. There were also demonstrations against Trump's decision in other Muslim-majority countries such as Turkey and Indonesia, as well as in Western capitals. Trump's decision ends a 37-year-old US foreign policy position to not recognise - along with the international community - Israel's 1980 decision to annex occupied East Jerusalem and to refuse to designate a "unified Jerusalem" as an eternal capital for Israel. The US president's decision comes as a fulfilment of a promise he made in 2016 while a candidate on the presidential campaign trail. There are an estimated 325,000 Palestinians living in East Jerusalem under increasing occupation pressures. In the past several years, Israel has been accelerating the pace of building illegal Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank to consolidate its hold over the occupied territories. Israeli settlers have also repeatedly stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third-holiest shrine, to lay claim on its grounds. Search Keywords: Short link: A store that opened just before the Great Depression must be doing something right to still be in business. Liddon Furniture was established in 1929 by William Liddons grandfather, Francis Bartow Liddon. My dad and granddad were just highly successful, very smart people, Liddon said. They both were hard workers and dedicated to the business. It was set up for me to be successful from their hard work. Liddon runs the downtown store his grandfather started. He owned all of the space but he had certain spaces in here up along the front that he leased out to other businesses, Liddon said. The building on East Main Street near the Dothan Civic Center has 44,000 square feet of space on the middle floor, top floor, and basement. When he started it he had a lot of employees down here, Liddon said. His grandfather sold furniture at the store but also had salesmen who ran routes in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. They called on people at their homes and sold off the trucks, Liddon said. That continued until Liddons father moved back in 1970. Selling door to door was getting harder and harder just the way things were changing, Liddon said, so the business began selling just at the store. It was a good move, and the store has continued to adapt to a changing marketplace. The key to our whole business has been our willingness to change, Liddon said. For years we sold more economically priced furniture. We still do that, we just broadened what we do. The store goes from an economical price point to the high end on furniture, mattresses, bedding, lighting, rugs, accessories, paint and appliances. It carries brands like Magnolia Home, Simmons Beautyrest, and Klaussner. I have all walks of life come in and we do business with everybody, Liddon said. Its why we stay so busy. I have something in this store for everyone. Dick Gautreaux, a sales representative for Klaussner, said Liddon runs a great organization. He probably does more volume than any single store in my territory, Gautreaux said. Hes got a great ability to target. He does a great job with social media and Facebook. Gautreaux said hes surprised by the store's high sales volume. If I drew a graph, the line would be straight up, he said. Liddon said the stores success is built around his employees, wife and father. I have really good people working for me, he said, from a skilled sales force to delivery guys with experience. Weve gone from working three delivery guys four years ago to eight now, and its because half our deliveries are out of town, Liddon said. Our business has grown so much in the last few years, unless you have really good employees youre not going to do well. Its important to realize it. Part of the growth is because of his wife, Haley. My wife has helped do all the accessories and the lighting and its really changed our store, he said. Its a big part of what we do now. He also credits his father, who has settled in to his new position as official program observer for Liddon Furniture. All I do is observe, Bill Liddon said jokingly. William does a super job and I just try to stay out of the way. After 48 years I figure its time. For Liddon, the store is more than a place to earn a living. Its not just a job for us, its kind of a legacy, Liddon said. Im third generation and Ive got four children and I hope well have some of them want to come and work. Liddon Furniture is an example of what it takes for local businesses to thrive. Jamie Bienvenu, director of the Dothan Downtown Redevelopment Authority, said retailers have realized that "millenials and the younger generation are shopping local because they want the experience that comes with shopping local. Bienvenu said it creates a ripple effect and customers benefit because of the expertise provided by businesses like Liddon Furniture. Clients get that personal one-on-one experience when they go into the store, Bienvenu said. They get to ask questions about the product. They get to touch it and feel it. Its different than the online experience. Customer service is a big part of what local businesses are doing and what theyre selling. It has always worked, Bienvenu said. I dont think it ever stopped working. She said there was a period of time where what people valued was more time, and how they decided to get it was to speed up those experiences. Now she thinks people are going back to the simple values. When Bienvenu moved here four years ago, she and her husband liked visiting local businesses. Any time that we went into any local store it was just a very different experience that what you get in any big box, she said. I think thats why the local businesses, especially the ones downtown, are doing well because they figured that out. Liddon sees potential for his store and the rest of downtown. Ive been working here since I was 14 years old, every summer all the way through, Liddon said. Ive watched how its changed. He said its nice seeing new businesses like The Plant moving in. I expect big things for downtown over the next four or five years, he said. Due to the gigantic profits banks derive from processing the lions share of home loans in Australia, traditional lenders havent had a compelling case for servicing small businesses rejecting around 50% of their loan requests, according to Simon Isaacs, founder and CEO of fintech startup ebroker . Banks can lend $62.50 for every dollar* of their own capital if its secured against property and they can charge interest against the entire loan, the entrepreneur told Dynamic Business. Conversely, they can only lend $10 for every dollar of their own capital towards an unsecured business loan . In the first scenario, the interest a bank earns against their own capital is gigantic, whereas in the latter, they have to provide a much higher ratio of their own capital. As such, its less attractive for banks to lend to a small business that doesnt have bricks-and-mortar security. In the past, Isaacs explained, a small business owner would have been hard-pressed to secure a loan necessary to either remain solvent during a tough period or capitalise on a great opportunity for growth, with additional implications for their community (e.g. reduced spending on local employment). Fortunately, he said non-bank business lenders and fintechs are providing small businesses with a lifeline. The non-bank lending sector has flourished due to a massive, unfulfilled demand for business finance, he said. This is because non-bank business lenders are providing funding without the need for property as collateral. They can facilitate unsecured loans because they make lending decisions based on the trading history of the business seeking funding. Although funding comes at a higher cost due to the extra risk for the lender, its a massive relief for small business owners who dont own property or prefer to use their property for other investments. The emergence of non-bank lenders, while a boon for small businesses, has led to a situation where it is becoming difficult for an owner to make an informed decision. As Isaacs explained, business lending is complex, with more loan types and scenario combinations than any one person can navigate on their own. The reason is that unlike home or personal loans, which are fairly straight forward, businesses are far more varied in what they do and how they operate, and the market has responded with a large array of business loan types to suit. Motivated to help small business owners find not only the best possible lender but the best possible loan for their circumstances, Isaacs launched ebroker, a free online business finance broker, in August 2015. The ebroker platform is underpinned by an intelligent matching algorithm that enables small business owners to compare loans and, within two to three minutes, connect directly with the lenders whose product will provide the best outcome for their business, he said. A wide variety of lending products are offered by the 60 non-bank lenders listed on ebrokers website but our main advantage is that were the only unbiased and transparent platform of our kind on the market. Many sites offer business loan brokerage services but they dont share their list of lenders, nor do they allow clients to compare and connect directly to a lender. For them, transparency and customer choice mean higher competition and lower costs for the customers, so they instead chose to restrict transparency and choice, and earn higher commission at the expense of the customers. In the absence of transparency and choice, Isaacs said small business run the risk of opting into an unsecured loan that is not just costly but has restrictive contract and exit terms, which in some cases can destroy their business. Fortunately, thats not the case for owners that leverage ebroker, he said. We present business owners with all the options and while we receive a commission from lenders on successful deals, our matching algorithm is not biased towards commission instead, it is driven by a best match weighting principal. The bottom line is that choice and the ability to shop around delivers small business owners the best outcomes always. In fact, of the 367 reviews business owners have left us through TrustPilot, the vast majority being outstanding. Isaacs said that while ebroker is playing a role in exposing SMEs to better loans and contract terms, the platforms lenders themselves deserve most of the credit for constantly striving for better lending solutions, based on performance of businesses. He added, If ebroker has done anything it is to save non-bank lenders time and marketing dollars by providing them with a platform to freely promote their offering to a large audience. Asked for the main reasons small business owners search ebroker for finance, Isaacs nominated cash flow and new business opportunities. His advice for business owners looking to increase the likelihood of securing finance through one of ebrokers non-bank lenders was to seek finance as early as possible and apply for the minimum amount required to achieve the desired outcome. A good solid trading history of over 12 months is ideal, however many of our lenders will consider a business thats only been trading 6 months and even new starts, he concluded. To compare business loans or for more information on the type of loans ebroker can offer your business visit www.ebroker.com.au or click on the below options. *https://www.invoicex.com.au/invoicex/why-the-banks-just-want-our-houses-alan-kohler-nails-it The Small Business Ombudsman has launched an inquiry into access to justice for small businesses, explaining the current legal system puts them in no mans land. According to Kate Carnell, small business operators are at the wrong end of a power imbalance in dealings with big business and governments. Consumer protections dont always apply to small businesses, who have limited options in seeking resolution, she explained. There are mediation services provided by my office and state Small Business Commissions, but if the dispute cant be mediated it starts to get expensive. The court system is expensive and takes a lot of time. If there are two things that small business operators dont have its time and money. The Ombudsman said the Federal Governments new one-stop shop to deal with banking disputes, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) was a positive step but the industry-funded scheme wont be able to deal with non-financial matters. Thats why Im launching an inquiry into how we can improve access to justice for small business in disputes with big business and governments, she said. The first phase of the inquiry will examine: The nature and incidence of small business disputes in Australia, identifying patterns and trends; The level of awareness of options available to small businesses, particularly alternative dispute resolution; Actions taken by small businesses when faced with a dispute; Reasons for decisions made throughout the dispute resolution process, and Developments and trends in similar jurisdictions overseas. Our starting point is to research the current situation by talking with academics, legal experts and mediation services, Carnell said. Early next year well survey small businesses and any business operator whos interested will be able to participate. Im particularly interested to learn more about overseas experiences. If there are practical models elsewhere that work wed like to evaluate them for potential application in Australia. The Ombudsman indicated a discussion paper summarising the research and proposing policy options would be released for public comment by the middle of 2018. And those are the saddest words Ive ever written Ill say this until my face is as blue as California, or were in the middle of another Great Depression: There has never been a better argument for strict regulation of the financial sector than the way Wall Street has gone all in on Donald Trump. Of course, the endless streak of record market highs over the last year makes some sense. Its largely driven by the spoils of a mostly healed economy that has been engineered by four decades of conservative rule to deliver record corporate profits and extraordinary gains to the richest Americans. Thus, giddiness about a tax cut that will send trillions to those same Americans as the expense of everyone else would sensibly make one bullish. Especially given that CEOs have all but confessed that this money will be almost entirely to pay off themselves and investors. Betting against these soaring markets would be like betting against the house at a casino. Except the house in this case is a guy known for bankrupting casinos who just happens to be pushing an economic agenda that has led to two of the last two great financial crises. Maybe it somehow works this time! Maybe its like a third marriage to a tolerant, younger wife who assumes your libido will give out or her inheritance will kick in soon enough. But dont bet on it. Were in a murky tunnel of Trumps corruption and obstruction now. All thats clear that in the distance there are a blaring light and the roar of an engine. And Wall Street cant stop running toward the commotion. Trumps nauseating backing of child molester Roy Moore is a test to see what he can get away with as he prepares for what will be his greatest trick, argues New York Magazines Jonathan Chait. A quick survey of the way the right has united to savage James Comey and Robert Mueller, nonsensically portraying two George W. Bush-appointees as leaders of a shadowy jihad against Trump, points to an obvious conclusion: Trump is preparing to shut down Robert Muellers investigation of Russian intervention in the 2016 election. Once he does this, likely in the days after his tax cuts become law, America will never be the same. And right now Wall Street remains willfully ignorant of the most obvious threat to its bull run, argues CNBC contributor Josh Brown: My personal belief is that this possibility is not being priced into risk assets. And lest you think this is an event that the rest of the country will accept tacitly, sending off a few tweets and then going to bed, you may want to rethink this. Because Congress will not act to defend the Constitution, the people are going flip out when it goes down. The somewhat amorphous #Resistance movement is going to explode into the streets, making last falls Womens March look like a May Day Parade.. Brown also suggests wishes for a tidy wind-down of the Trump presidency by some on the left are delusional: The only defense the President has is the fact that he is the President. And his pardon power which is literally the last thing he will give up. There will be no impeachment process in Congress because the GOP already handed this guy the ability to do whatever he wants in exchange for tax cuts and the rollback of all social progress that occurred under his predecessor. Liberals dreaming of some other outcome where Republican pols come to their senses will be sorely disappointed. Republicans dont win elections by tacking toward the center and becoming Rupert Murdoch targets, so why would they? Republicans cant abandon Trump not after tax cuts, not after firing Mueller for a simple reason: His voters are more loyal to him than they are to the party. Thus the result will be constitutional crisis like nothing weve seen since 1974 only there is no Democratic Congress to rein a rogue Republican, no wise men of the party willing to talk that president into being reined. Americans will either rise up and win some check on Trumps power or the right will crush the uprising and send America stumbling into authoritarianism. Who will decide which way this goes? In a large way, Wall Street. If the left erupts at the firing of Mueller, that will only endear Trump to his base. But if markets the current barometer of American greatness according to Trump and the more affluent Americans who run this country sink, the right may be forced to react. My nightmare is the markets jolt at first but quickly shake their worries off in favor of the next massive tribute to the Kochs that Paul Ryan has been dreaming of since college. The enabling of Trump that has made all of this possible would continue as Trump and his followers decide how far they will go to crack down on dissent. At that point, it will be up to the people to decide what they can risk for justice. Until then, our fate is in the hands of the guys whose expertises include making the rich richer and blowing up our world. 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The leader of Egypt's Coptic Church Pope Tawadros II has cancelled a meeting with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence later in December, protesting Washington's move to declare Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The move by Tawadros on Dec. 9 came a day after Palestinian leaders also said that Pence, who is scheduled to visit the region later this month, was not welcome in territories occupied territories by Israel, Al Jazeera reported. 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 Dec. 20. It said Trump's decision "did not take into account the feelings of millions of Arab people." U.S. President Donald Trump on Dec. 6 formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and said he would start the process of moving its embassy there from Tel Aviv, , a move that has been delayed by multiple presidents, both Democrats and Republicans. Two days later the grand imam of Cairo's Al-Azhar Mosque Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb also said that he would not meet Pence, Middle East Monitor reported. Al-Tayeb had rejected a request from the United States for Pence to meet him on Dec. 20 at Al-Azhar saying Trump must reverse his decision on Jerusalem. "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. NIKKI HALEY The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations , Nikki Haley, defended President Trump's decision to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, saying time will show it was the right decision while appearing on CNN's Sunday show, "State of the Union." Haley said the move helps "move the ball" on peace negotiations in the Middle East, despite negative reaction in the region to the announcement. "When you make a decision you're going to have some that see it negatively and some that see it positively. But I strongly believe this is going to move the ball forward for the peace process," she said. Haley said Trump "just took Jerusalem off the table" as a factor in ongoing negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Those two groups can now discuss borders and boundaries, she said. "For those who want to say this is a bad idea, I'll tell you ask us five and 10 years from now if you still think it's a bad idea because I really do think that this is going to move the ball in the peace process," Haley said, without spelling out how when pressed by interviewer Jake Tapper. "And what this does is just say what's real: Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. What's wrong with saying it?" Latest News Higher education scholarships promote management studies Various scholarships can help drive equality, diversity and promote economic growth, writes Ilian Mihov NBE postpones the NEET MDS 2023 exam date The revised exam schedule is available at NBE's portal Deakin University collaborates with Great Learning to offer online Masters in Data Science The one-year programme will be delivered via live virtual, recorded lectures by Deakin University's faculty, In true Kenya Moore fashion, the beauty queen and The Real Housewives of Atlanta co-star might have just confirmed that she and her new husband, Marc Daly, are expecting their first child together. The reality star dished on future plans with Daly and hinted that their family could change within the next nine months. Kenya Moore Plays Coy About Pregnancy Rumors Pregnancy rumors for Moore have been circulating for quite some time now, but it looks like there might be some truth to it after one of her recent interviews. She spoke with Bravos The Daily Dish and opened up about her family and personal life. She discussed how she and Daly are living in two different states right now. He currently runs his restaurant in New York City, and Moore still lives in Atlanta despite the two tying the knot in a secret ceremony this past summer. According to Moore, their living arrangements could change sooner than later. "But I think it just depends on [what] the next nine months might look like and what kind of room we'll need and where we'll be in terms of that. So we're figuring it out, but it just depends on where our family, the number in our family, will be in the future." Could Family Be The Reason Kenya Moore Leaves 'RHOA'? Interestingly enough, its not clear what a possible relocation to New York could mean for Moore, who has starred in the Atlanta-based series since its fifth season. Now that its in its tenth, Moore has revealed that family is a key factor that could make her turn in her peach for good. During an interview with E! News, she first set the record straight that despite Kim Zolciak Biermanns claims, she was not fired from the show. Moore added that if she ever left on her own terms, it would be for the sake of the happiness of her and her family. Moore married Daly in a wedding that none of her co-stars knew about until it hit the blogs. Moore maintained that she wanted her romance with her husband to be the focus of their big day not the notion that shes a reality star whose love life has made headlines since she joined the show. While she has faced lots of criticism and claims that her marriage is not real, Moore has said and Daly are in love and very married. The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays at 8/7c on Bravo. Be sure to keep up with Enstarz for the latest. The ladies of Bravos The Real Housewives of Atlanta have had it out in places like Puerto Rico, Anguilla, and Savannah. So why would a trip to San Francisco be any different? New teasers reveal just how ugly things get when the cast heads to the West Coast for a mini vacation. A Poll On Kenya Moore's Marriage Is Too Much For Cynthia Bailey In one clip, it was Cynthia Bailey who reached her breaking point. She had enough of the women dissing Kenya Moores marriage and alleging that Moores husband, Marc Daly, didnt marry for her for love. It started when Kandi Burruss revealed her husband, Todd Tucker, wanted to stop by Dalys restaurant in Brooklyn. The two happened to be in the city for Burruss Essence magazine cover shoot. Burruss said that while they didnt go in, Moore has been extra secretive about her romance. Bailey defended Moore and reminded her co-stars that Moore gets scrutinized the most when it comes to her love life. Bailey got up and left the scene all together when Marlo Hampton took a brief survey to see who really believed Moore is married. Burruss was the only one who raised her hand. Take a look. Moores relationship isnt the only one in the hot seat in the upcoming episode. NeNe Leakes also had a few words about Sheree Whitfields boyfriend in another sneak peek. She revealed that she had met Whitfields current boyfriend before Whitfield actually did. NeNe Leakes Puts Sheree Whitfield's Boyfriend On Blast Hes a con artist, said Leakes. While she said she was too smart to let him swindle her, she added, I knew something wasnt right with him Then when I learned he was being arrested for conning a company out of like 4 million dollars, it was a lot. The shade went even further when Burruss said she hoped Whitfield wouldnt be swindled out of her home that she had spent the last five years building. Moore chimed in and said it wouldnt matter because Whitfields name isnt on the deed of the mansion. Check it out. Also, the latest promo shows there might be hope for Leakes and Porsha Williams to settle their feud as Bailey reminded Williams that she and Leakes had a huge falling out at one point as well. Take a look. Check out the full episode Sunday at 8/7c on Bravo. Be sure to keep up with Enstars for the latest on your favorite celebrities and reality TV stars. Christian Louboutin has teamed up with Disney to create a range of shoes inspired by Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The proceeds from the footwear will be donated to Force for Change charity. Where To Bid For Christian Louboutin's 'Star Wars' Shoes? Louboutin has created five pairs of shoes inspired by Star Wars: The Last Jedi characters. Four of the five pairs already went up for bidding on Thursday via Charity Buzz's online auction site. The fifth pair will be unveiled on Saturday, Dec. 9, at the Los Angeles premiere of the eighth episode of the Star Wars saga. The mystery shoes are expected to be enclosed in a red crystal display case and will be presented on the red carpet. Louboutin's signature red color also plays a crucial role in his partnership with Disney's Lucasfilm. The French shoe designer is known for his red sole. This is why he immediately understood why he was chosen to design the five unique pairs of footwear. "At first sight, the Star Wars universe and mine seemed far away from one another, but when I saw the pictures of the red planet Crait, I instantly understood where it connected and why they had thought of me," said Louboutin. 'Star Wars' Heroines Inspire Christian Louboutin's Designs Each pair of shoes is inspired by the four heroines in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, namely, Rose (Kelly Marie Tran), Amilyn Holdo (Laura Dern), Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) and Rey (Daisy Ridley). When asked why Louboutin did not create a pair inspired by Carrie Fisher's character, Leia, the designer said that the late actress is almost all of the characters rolled into one. "She has been powerful, funny, feminine, dominating, fragile, secretive, delicate, shy, respected, lonely. There is a part of her character that goes to every single character," Louboutin explained. Prior to creating his designs, Louboutin asked the heads of Lucasfilm to send him a copy of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The designer was unaware of how secretive the team is when it comes to their upcoming projects. Instead of receiving a copy of the film, Louboutin flew out to Lucasfilm's headquarters in San Francisco to watch the final cut of the movie. "They put me in this virtual-reality thing. I was in the cabin of a spaceship and had a discussion with a robot," said the designer. Meanwhile, his recent collaboration with Disney marks his third partnership with the company. The famed designer previously created signature designs for Maleficent and Cinderella. After Eminem verbally destroyed Donald Trump in a freestyle rap a couple of months ago, supermodel Bella Hadid has taken a stand against the President. Bella Hadid Joins 'Free Palestine' Protest Bella Hadid was photographed marching with "Free Palestine" protesters outside the U.S. Embassy in London, England, on Friday, Dec. 8. The protestors chanted and held signs that read, "Hands off Jerusalem" and "Lift the siege of Gaza." The march was organized to protest against President Trump's recent declaration that the United States will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a controversial move that has further increased tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. The demonstration was one of many protests being conducted by furious picketers across the globe after the Palestinian extremist group, Hamas, called for a "day of rage" in retaliation to Trump's move. The 21-year-old model joined the protest after attending the launch of the Swiss luxury brand Tag Heuer's new flagship store on London's Oxford Street. Bella looked gorgeous in a red gown and a white fur coat, which she also wore to the protest. Trump Announcement Hits Close To Home For Bella, Trump's recent declaration hits close to home as her father, Mohamed Hadid, is of Palestinian origin. The supermodel also took to Instagram to share a lengthy post in the wake of Trump's announcement. "Watching the news and seeing the pain of the Palestinian people makes me cry for the many many generations of Palestine," she wrote. "Seeing the sadness of my father, cousins, and Palestinian family that are feeling for our Palestinian ancestors makes this even harder to write." She added that Jerusalem is home to all religions and suggested that Trump's declaration is a regressive move that makes it much harder to live in a world of peace. She called the treatment of Palestinians "unfair, one-sided" and intolerable and concluded the post by voicing her support for Palestine. Not A First Anti-Trump Protest This isn't the first time Bella has protested against Trump. Bella and older sister Gigi Hadid took to the streets of New York City in January to take a stand against the commander-in-chief's immigration ban. At the time, Trump had signed an executive order that temporarily prohibited refugees from entering the country and also denied entry to people arriving from seven Muslim-majority countries. Supermodel Rekindling Relationship With The Weeknd? Meanwhile, Bella has been in the news recently with reports claiming that the model and The Weeknd are getting back together after the "Starboy" hitmaker split up with Selena Gomez. A source revealed that Bella and The Weeknd remained friends after their breakup and have been in touch throughout. The insider also said that the former couple has been "talking texting and FaceTiming each other pretty consistently." Kailyn Lowry and Javi Marroquin announced plans for a tell-all book series, He Said, She Said, earlier this year. Unfortunately, it appears that the former Teen Mom 2 couple has since reached a stalemate. According to a new report, Lowry and Marroquin have been at odds for some time and currently, as the mother of three explained, they are in a "bad place" and their book deal has been suspended. It wasnt going to work out because we recently fell back into a bad place, Lowry told Radar Online on Dec. 8. As fans may have noticed, Lowry and Marroquin have been known to experience ups and downs since they parted ways in May 2016. As of late, their relationship has been further strained by Marroquin's new romance with their Teen Mom 2 co-star, Briana DeJesus. While Lowry has also moved on and is currently dating another woman, she has been vocal about her disgust with Marroquin and DeJesus' highly-publicized relationship. I decided I want to cut all ties with Kail and I didnt want to come out with this book and have to go on tour. Thats behind me, Marroquin added. As Radar Online explained, Marroquin was first planning to write a tell-all book of his own but after Lowry shot down the idea, he was forced to embark on a joint project with his ex-wife. Lowry and Marroquin got married in 2012 and welcomed their son Lincoln, now 4, one year later. Then, in May 2016, just months after Lowry suffered a miscarriage, the couple called it quits and she wasted no time moving on with Chris Lopez and conceiving a child with her now-ex-boyfriend. Lowry also shares an older son, 7-year-old Isaac, with a third man, Jo Rivera. Following news of Marroquin's romance with DeJesus, Lowry confirmed she was dating a woman but has yet to confirm the identity of that woman. That said, her mystery girl appears to be Dominique Potter, who was with her during recent trips to New Jersey and New York City. While Lowry is staying mum about the identity of her girlfriend, a source said weeks ago that the Teen Mom 2 star was "in love" with Potter. Kailyn and Dominique are deeply in love and spend all of their time together. Dominique hasnt officially moved into Kailyns place yet, but she might as well have, a source close to the reality star revealed to Hollywood Life. Veteran actor Dustin Hoffman is being accused, by a third woman, of sexual assault. Hoffman, 80, is being implicated by actress, Kathryn Rossetter, who starred with Hoffman in the Broadway show, Death of Salesman. Rossetter portrayed the mistress that Hoffman's character, Willy Loman, cheated on his wife with. In an essay published by the Hollywood Reporter, Rossetter claims that Hoffman invited her to his hotel room where he asked for a back rub. The actress stated that this led to an on-going pattern of inappropriate behavior from the actor. Rossetter elaborated that Hoffman would grab her breast and grope the inside of her thighs during almost every show. "I couldn't speak to him in the moment because I was on a live mic. He kept it up and got more and more aggressive. One night he actually started to stick his fingers inside me. Night after night I went home and cried. I withdrew and got depressed and did not have any good interpersonal relationships with the cast," Rossetter wrote. Hoffman's Accusers Rossetter joins Hoffman's two previous accusers, actress Anna Graham Hunter and producer Wendy Riss Gatsiounis. Hunter wrote in a piece for Hollywood Reporter, stating that Hoffman asked the then 17-year-old for a back rub and a foot massage. This took place during the production of the TV movie for Death of a Salesman. Gatsiounis claims in an article written for Variety that the actor made "sexual advances" towards her during a business meeting. In response to Hunter's claims, Hoffman did issue an apology stating that he had "the utmost respect" for women and it was not "reflective" of who he was. However, he denied Gatsiounis' accusations against him. The Meet the Folkers actor recently got into a heated argument with John Oliver during a panel that celebrated the 20th anniversary of the film, Wag the Dog. Oliver called out Hoffman's apology and brought up the allegation against him which led to an awkward moment that was captured on camera. Hollywood's Epidemic Hoffman joins a list of Hollywood moguls that have been accused of sexual assault or misconduct. The allegations began after an in-depth expose was written about the producer, Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein has since been accused of assaulting over 80 women. Along with Hoffman, actors Kevin Spacey, Ed Westwick, Danny Masterson, and Andy Dick have all been named as sexual predators. Vicki Gunvalson's daughter, Briana Culberson, recently located her family, including husband Ryan and their two sons, from Orange County, Calif. to North Carolina -- and she couldn't be happier. A recent report indicates that Briana, who has been featured in a guest role on The Real Housewives of Orange County for over 10 years, is happy to be living on the east coast and not dealing with life in the spotlight. As fans of the Bravo TV reality series may recall, Briana and her family were seen moving from Southern California to Oklahoma years ago due to Ryan's career in the Marine Corps. Then years later, after Ryan retired, Her mother convinced the Culbersons to return to Orange County, where she and her son Michael reside. While the Culbersons seemed to enjoy being close to Gunvalson, they ultimately grew tired of the constant attention they received and began yearning for a simpler life in a smaller town. Now, they have just that. Today it became official! Moving back to my home state of NC in two weeks to live a simpler stress-free life. Were super excited for this next adventure and what the future will bring, Ryan Culberson announced on his Instagram page weeks ago via Radar Online. More recently, Ryan Culberson returned to Instagram to share an image of his new family home in North Carolina, which appears to be quite secluded and private. While Gunvalson is certainly disappointed to have her daughter and her grandchildren living on the other side of the country, a source said a few weeks ago that the longtime reality star is supportive and understanding of their decision to take their kids to a smaller town. Vicki is supportive of her decision and understands why they are leaving, the source told Radar Online. They cannot go anywhere without being stopped for autographs, or without people talking and pointing at them. That is not what they want for themselves or for their family. Vicki Gunvalson and her co-stars including Shannon Beador, Tamra Judge, and Kelly Dodd are expected to return to filming with Bravo TV sometime next year for the 13th season of The Real Housewives of Orange County. According to the said report, Gunvalson is hoping to see her son, Michael, join her on camera during Season 13 much more than he has in years past. Rose McGowan has been one of the most vocal accusers of Harvey Weinstein. The actress alleged that Weinstein raped her and she subsequently lost a project with Amazon after she complained to the studio about it. Since the allegations against Weinstein began after an expose that was written in the New York Times, McGowan has expressed her desire to see Weinstein brought to justice. McGowan has vented her frustrations on Twitter, which ended in her account being suspended for 12 hours and even met with two of Weinstein other accusers over Thanksgiving weekend. Now, McGowan is once again speaking her mind but this time, she's shaming one of her former costars and another Hollywood legend for their "misguided priorities." Rose McGowan Slams Alyssa Milano The Charmed star lashed out against Milano after the latter appeared on Megyn Kelly Today where Milano spoke about the Me Too hashtag that went viral. Milano also touched on how Weinstein's estranged wife, Georgina Chapman, is fairing. "Georgina is doing very well ... 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," Milano stated. McGowan slammed Milano on Twitter for her friendship with Chapman, stating that Milano was "fake." "You make me want to vomit. You actually gave me a body flashback. Well done, fake one. Alyssa, maybe you and Georgina can call up Camille Cosby," McGowan tweeted. Meryl Streep A 'Lie' Milano isn't the one on McGowan's hit list. McGowan also took a shot at critically acclaimed actress Meryl Streep. Streep recently spoke at the Massachusetts Conference for Women in Boston where she said the accusations against Weinstein and others were the most gargantuan example of disrespect. McGowan once again took to Twitter and spoke out about Streep's comments, saying that it's a crime and that Streep was a lie. McGowan was listed as one of The Silence Breakers named by Time Magazine as Person of the Year along with Milano, but her photo was not in the magazine. Weinstein has been accused by over 80 women including actresses such as Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Ashley Judd, of sexual harassment or misconduct. Paltrow recently spoke on the allegations against Weinstein and claimed that she learned Weinstein lied about sleeping with her to seduce women into sleeping with him. On Dec. 15, Star Wars fans will pack into theaters to watch Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the latest chapter in the science fiction franchise. The Last Jedi is expected to be a building block in expanding the new Star Wars universe. Enstarz has created a character guide for you to make sure that moviegoers are not only mentally prepared for this chapter, but also to debrief on the eight characters that are sure to make an impact on the film. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) The most prominent character that everyone will have their eyes set on is the legendary Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker. In The Force Awakens, both the Resistance and the First Order were in a race to find him. The mysterious Jedi Master was in self-exile until the force-sensitive Rey tracked him down. But will he train Rey in the ways of the Jedi? Or will he follow his deceased father, Darth Vader, to the dark side? General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) Princess No More! The former Rebel Alliance icon is now one of the top leaders of the Resistance. Sadly, General Leia's life is a mess as she lost her son, Ben, to Supreme Leader Snoke's influence and sensed that Kylo Ren killed Han. She has also spearheaded the campaign to find her brother, Luke Skywalker, before Kylo Ren and the First Order. The Last Jedi is expected to be Leia's final appearance in the Star Wars franchise as actress Carrie Fisher tragically passed away last year. Kylo Ren/Ben Solo (Adam Driver) The former Jedi has followed his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, to the dark side. After killing his father in cold blood, Kylo Ren shredded his Ben Solo persona. Now as Supreme Leader Snoke's right-hand man, Kylo Ren is ready to wipe out the Resistance and looks to convert Rey to the dark side. Rey (Daisy Ridley) It seems like the fate of the entire galaxy falls into Rey's hands. The former scavenger turned Resistance ally is powered by the Force. After losing her only father figure to Kylo Ren, Rey found Luke Skywalker and will ask him to train her in the ways of the Force. But after seeing one student go rogue, will Master Skywalker say "No?" Also, Adam Driver hinted that fans would be surprised when they learn about the identity of Rey's parents. Finn (John Boyega) The former Stormtrooper deserted Captain Phasma and the First Order and joined the Resistance with Rey. The unlikely friends formed a strong bond which grew stronger after they watched Kylo Ren slaughter his father. While Finn bravely tried to hold his own against the Sith Lord, he was put into a coma. When he wakes up from his coma, fans will see Finn display his strengths and weaknesses in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) The Resistance's ace X-wing fighter pilot was nearly killed by Kylo Ren and the First Order until rogue Stormtrooper Finn rescued him. As their friendship blossomed, he met Rey who helped him reunite with his astrometric droid: BB-8. At the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Dameron destroyed the Starkiller Base. But what will Poe do when the First Order pushes back? Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) No one wants to be on the First Order's Stormtrooper commander's doghouse. Captain Phasma has a hard-on for deserter Finn, who along with Han Solo and Chewbacca sent to the Starkiller Base's garbage disposal in The Force Awakens. However, she escaped the Starkiller Base's destruction and is expected to confront Finn once again in The Last Jedi. Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) The First Order mastermind is expected to make his presence known in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. He was the one that influenced Ben Solo to join the dark side, targeted Luke Skywalker, and sensed that Rey reawakened the Force. Hopefully, fans will learn what makes Snoke tick and what scares him the most in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Dominique Pittman, a 27-year-old Connecticut man killed his girlfriends niece after the 16-year-old threatened to tell her aunt about their affair. Pittman dated her aunt for six years and has three children with her. The teen, Evalyce Santiago, died when she was accidentally shot in the head twice and in the hand once while in the car with Pittman. The incident occurred while they were in Pittmans car on Monday evening. During an argument, Santiago reached for Pittmans gun that he stored in his cars front compartment. This led to the two fighting over the weapon and ultimately to Santiagos death. Pittman ended up crashing the car during the struggle. When police arrived at the scene, Santiago was unresponsive and pronounced dead. Upon questioning by the authorities, Pittman gave false stories before admitting he was in a sexual relationship with the teen. He initially told police officers that he drove Santiago to pick her boyfriend. When the boyfriend came to the car, Pittman said he heard two gunshots and saw the alleged boyfriend run from the car. He then told investigators that he didnt know the boyfriends name. He changed his story several times afterward. He then decided to tell the truth after law enforcement told him their speculations. They told the suspect that they believed the high school student was pregnant with his child and they gathered traces of his DNA on her body. He told law enforcement the last time he had sex with Santiago was early November but didnt give them an exact timeline of their relationship. When family members were asked if they knew about their relationship, Santiagos grandfather said no. Nobody knows nothing until something happens, Santiagos grandfather told NBC Connecticut. Thats when we all realize the tragedy. It was under our noses and we didnt see it. We go on with life. He looks at four walls and figures out what he did wrong. Pittman has been arraigned on murder and weapon charges. His bail is set for $3 million and the court date is on Dec. 20. Charlie Sheen has just filed a defamation lawsuit against National Enquirer after the tabloid claimed that the actor sexually assaulted Corey Haim. The incident allegedly happened 30 years ago. Charlie Sheen Files Defamation Lawsuit On Friday, the actor filed the suit against the publication at the Los Angeles Superior Court. In the court documents obtained online, Sheen is seeking a jury trial, exemplary and punitive damages, attorney's fees, and more. Last month, National Enquirer released a story about Sheen sexually assaulting Haim when he was 19 and the latter was only 13 years old. The allegations were made by Haim's friend, Dominick Brascia, who is also sued by Sheen. A spokesperson for Sheen denied the accusations thereafter. Also, in the court documents, Sheen claimed that National Enquirer's top editor, Dylan Howard, has a personal vendetta against him. The actor's lawyer claimed that Howard was displeased when his publication didn't break the story first about Sheen's HIV diagnosis two years ago. "The cruel and malicious publication of these stories is particularly offensive because Mr. Sheen is a father of five and has children approximately the age of Mr. Haim. This story is not only damaging and offensive to Mr. Sheen, but hurtful to his family and young children as well," read the court documents. Meanwhile, days after the article about Sheen was published, Haim's mother, Judy, denied that Sheen molested her late son. While on The Dr. Oz Show, she said that someone else did. According to Judy, it was actually Brascia who molested her son when he was just a teenager. Judy's shocking confession was initially bleeped out during her interview. Brascia was already linked to Haim's abuse last year. At that time, he denied the allegations. "It's totally not true. I'm as shocked as everyone else as Haim was one of my good friends, I knew him for over 25 years," said Brascia. Corey Haim's Cause Of Death Unfortunately, Haim could no longer reveal who really molested him at a young age because the actor passed away seven years ago. At that time, it was revealed that Haim died due to pneumonia and a bad heart. Following his death, toxicology reports revealed that there were at least eight different drugs in his system. However, none contributed to his sudden demise. Judy revealed that he witnessed her son shake in all directions before he eventually became unresponsive. John Boyega almost missed the red carpet premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi due to a snow storm in Atlanta. Luckily, the actor was transported to Los Angeles via a plane just in time for the event. Hours before the premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi kicked off, Boyega tweeted that he might not be able to make it because he was stuck in Atlanta. Five to 12 inches of snow covered the city's main streets, and this made it impossible for Boyega to reach the Shrine Auditorium in Hollywood on time. Even though he was obviously concerned about not making it to the premiere, Boyega entertained his social media followers with his updates. At one point, the actor, who plays the role of Finn, said that he needs a pilot to pick him up from Atlanta as soon as possible. Trying to get back for the LA premiere! I actually NEED a pilot !!! John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) December 9, 2017 John Boyega Makes It To The Premiere Hours later, Deadline reported came in that someone indeed picked up the actor and brought him to Los Angeles. After his plane landed, the 25-year-old told his fans that he made it to the premiere, but without his bag or anything else. I made it ! Without luggage but wooooooooohoooo! As if weather can stop a Nigerian kmt John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) December 9, 2017 Meanwhile, Boyega and his costars were welcomed with resounding cheers and applause before and after the premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Those who saw the film had nothing but good things to say about it. However, the official reviews will be released after the film hits theaters on Dec. 15. Actor Teases Finn's Journey Ahead of the premiere, Boyega also dished on what fans can expect from his character, Finn, who used to be a Stormtrooper. In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Finn is already part of the Resistance. "The Resistance isn't in the best condition. Things are shaky. It's a chance for each other to decide what side they're on and decide what they're fighting for. It's an epic dark story. At the same time, it's still fun. It's still Star Wars," said Boyega. Prior to filming for his character, Boyega and director Rian Johnson first met in person and talked about their vision for Finn. Luckily, the two were on the same page. In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Finn finds his strength and he also discovers what he truly believes in. Boyega also talked about the late Carrie Fisher and said that he vowed to honor her legacy. After all, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the last installment of the franchise that will feature the actress. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate EDINBURG In the months after the 9/11 attacks on America, a newly formed unit of Texas Rangers took on its first cold case the 1960 murder in McAllen of former beauty queen and second-grade teacher Irene Garza. The beloved 25-year-old had disappeared after she went to Sacred Heart Catholic Church the day before Easter. When she knocked on the rectory door at 7 p.m. with news to share, Father John Feit, a young priest filling in at the church, answered. Feit was the last person to see her alive, and the 27-year-old priest quickly became a suspect. But prosecutors at the time never filed charges, and Catholic leaders eventually sent Feit to Assumption Abbey, a Trappist monastery in Ava, Missouri. Four decades later, eight rangers were named to the new Texas Rangers Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program. Ranger Rudy Jaramillo, a former DPS trooper who made a name for himself taking down drug traffickers in the Valley, was asked to solve Garzas murder. At the time we took it up, we didnt know there was a coverup, Jaramillo said. All we knew was there was evidence, a suspect and witnesses. The murder conviction of Feit last week in an Edinburg courtroom is a story of a dogged investigator, family members determined to pursue justice and collusion between the Catholic Church and former prosecutors who protected Feit to protect the church and keep its hands clean in the public eye when the nation was about to elect John F. Kennedy as the first Catholic president. Feit, 85, was sentenced to life in prison Friday for killing Garza after he raped her, then left her to die of asphyxiation. All the evidence always pointed to the priest, who had a history of violence toward women. Yet, for reasons never officially explained, the investigation remained stalled. It was upon Jaramillo to find out why. There were a lot of challenges, Jaramillo said of sorting through the Garza file when he got the case. Not all evidence was photographed or labeled, and some witnesses were of a mental state that they couldnt recall statements they made back then. When Garza disappeared, frantic search began. A sheriffs posse canvassed the surrounding orange groves and brush around McAllen until Garzas decomposing body was discovered floating in a canal. Also found in the canal was Feits slide viewer, yet just as the investigation into Feit was heating up, he was whisked away. The physical evidence included Garzas soiled petticoat, a shoe, a black purse and Feit's slide viewer. None of it offered forensic proof linking Feit to the crime. When Jaramillo picked up the cold case, he began interviewing people who were at the church the night Garza disappeared. After sorting through the fading memories of aging witnesses, Jaramillo caught a break. In November 2002, Dale Tacheny, a former monk, came forward with a confession. Back in 1963, John Feit had admitted to murder. Since Feit trained with the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in San Antonio, Tacheny assumed thats where the murder had taken place. He contacted George Saidler, a San Antonio police investigator, searching for the name of the victim. During a visit to Saidlers office for evidence in another case, Texas Ranger Rocky Millican learned of Tacheny and his inquiry into the murder of a young woman around 1963 in San Antonio. While Tacheny had the date and location wrong, the details of his account were eerily similar to another murder the cold case unit was investigating in the Rio Grande Valley. Meanwhile, Jaramillo had been making progress with Father Joseph OBrian, an assistant pastor in McAllen at the time of the murder. In 2002, OBrian lived in a home for retired priests in San Antonio, and would on occasion call Jaramillo wanting to chat over coffee and pastries. I knew that he had something more to tell me, Jaramillo said of OBrian. At least once, staff at the retirement home chased after OBrian as he stepped into Jaramillos vehicle. Next day I get a call from the Washington attorneys for the Oblates of Mary Immaculate telling me not to be interviewing Father OBrian unless they were there, Jaramillo said. OBrian didnt want attorneys, Jaramillo said. Tacheny had come forward, now OBrian said he knew Feit was guilty. Jaramillo and Victor Rodriguez, the McAllen police chief, asked the priest how he also knew of Feits guilt. He slammed his fist on the table and said, Because he told me, Jaramillo said. With statements from Tacheny and OBrian, the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. By 2004, he came to Rene Guerra, then district attorney of Hidalgo County, requesting that he sign an arrest warrant for Feit. I was challenged from the beginning, Jaramillo said of his encounter with Guerra. He said DNA was the only way hed take the case. Even as Jaramillo and McAllen police were investigating the case, Noemi Sigler and Lynda de la Vina, cousins of Garza who were children at the time of her slaying, had been mounting an investigation of their own. For Sigler, pursuing Feit wasnt only about holding him accountable. Proving his guilt in court also would vindicate her father, Milo Ponce, a deputy sheriff who was told to hand over his records to superiors and cease his investigation of Feit in the early 1960s. Irene called our home and talked to me and talked about Easter Sunday and about how she had Easter baskets for us, and my brother and I were very excited, de la Vina said. Before we knew it, later that night, our parents woke us up and said, Youre going to your madrinas and padrinos, Irene is missing, and then the horror started. Adding to their pain, appeals to the district attorney were dismissed with Guerra waving his finger at de la Vina and Sigler, telling them he would indict Feit when pigs fly. With the vocal support of Garzas family, Ricardo Rodriguez defeated Guerra in the 2014 election with the promise of revisiting Garzas rape and slaying. In February 2016, Rodriguez had Feit arrested in his Scottsdale, Arizona, home. Prosecutors still could rely on Tacheny to testify, but OBrian died in 2005. If Rodriguez was going to arrest Feit, he would need to find proof of a coverup. He set Michael Garza, assistant district attorney, to the task. We went out and took a tour of the country, talking to old witnesses, and from there things started to develop, Garza said. We got the names of new witnesses and from those witnesses came other witnesses. With a frail and hunched Feit entering the court every day last week with a walker, there was no shortage of intrigue in one of the most highly anticipated trials in recent Hidalgo County history. Each day brought another revelation, as witnesses described Feit as a depraved man of the cloth, aroused and haunted by the sound of a womans heels clacking on hard ground. Garza found Darrell Davis, a former television reporter whod covered the investigation into Feit, who had been accused in an attack on another young woman. Davis testified that Robert Lattimore, then district attorney of Hidalgo County, confided in an off-the-record interview that Feit was to walk away a free man. A deal had been struck between the district attorney and the Catholic Church, Lattimore told him. It was the break that Garza had been seeking, but the smoking gun would have to come from the church. According to church law, there should have been a record of Feits troubles. Youd issue a subpoena and you wouldnt get anything back, Garza said. One document that did emerge was a letter dated Oct. 1, 1960, written by Father Joseph Pawlicki, pastor of a church in Georgetown near Austin, to Father Lawrence J. Seidel, provincial of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate Southern Province. At the suggestion of Hidalgo County Sheriff E.E. Vickers, the church would hire a private investigator to undermine the investigation into Feit. Of greater consequence was to shield the church from a scandal that might derail Kennedys presidential bid. We knew they had a file on him they were hiding, Garza said. I had to make a decision whether to hit the diocese with a search warrant. I chose to go with what I had, and it worked. Feit would plead no contest to assaulting America Guerra in an Edinburg church and pay a $500 fine, then be sent to the monastery to live out his days in silence. In the weeks leading to the trial, Garza barely saw his family. He tussled with Feits attorney, O. Rene Flores, over what evidence would be allowed. Nine boxes of evidence never saw the courtroom. In the end, Feit refused to hear justice. When he was convicted of murder, he removed his hearing aids as the verdict sentencing him to life in prison was read aloud. Jaramillo retired from the Texas Rangers in 2012, having solved just one cold case, but he never gave up on solving Garzas murder. He still has a photo of Garza on his desk to remind him that justice had not yet been served. I took an oath to uphold the law, Jaramillo said, and pursue justice for Irene. anelsen@express-news.nest Name recognition is always a major factor in politics. In U.S. District 21, it could be everything. This solid Republican district which covers parts of San Antonio, the Hill Country and Austin has been controlled for more than 30 years by San Antonio Congressman Lamar Smith, and Smiths surprising November retirement announcement created an enticing opening, with very little time for campaigning. Early voting for the 2018 primary starts in a little more than two months, and the 15 or so GOP candidates angling to succeed Smith have only begun to make their introductions to voters. Given those elements, a familiar name in District 21 is like an expense account with no limits. That fact is borne out by the results of a new District 21 poll commissioned by Fight for Tomorrow, a super PAC founded by Matt Mackowiak, a GOP consultant and chairman of the Travis County Republican Party. The results of the poll were obtained exclusively by the San Antonio Express-News. The poll of 419 likely voters was conducted Dec. 4-5, by Cygnal, an Alabama-based national polling firm. It shows former Congressman Francisco Quico Canseco ahead of the pack with 22.4 percent support. Only two other GOP candidates registered in double figures: Kerrville-based former state Rep. Harvey Hilderbran, at 14.1 percent, and Boerne businessman Matt McCall, at 10.6 percent. Robert Stovall, who gave up the chairmanship of the Bexar County Republican Party last week to run in District 21, registered at fifth with 4.8 percent. Chip Roy, a well-connected former chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, was a distant eighth, at 1.1 percent. What does this poll tell us? Well, it suggests that its critical to have an established base in at least one part of the district. For Canseco, that means San Antonio; for Hilderbran, its the Hill Country. It also tells us that in a crowded field of unknowns, even a history of political failure can give you a leg up on the competition. Canseco is in the middle of his sixth run for Congress, in three different districts, over the past eight election cycles. He won one time, largely thanks to a powerful tea-party wave that carried him to shore in District 23 in 2010. He lost two subsequent races for that seat, however, in lackluster fashion. The Fight for Tomorrow poll also indicates that hes the only candidate whose approval ratings are underwater, with 22 percent of Republicans viewing him favorably and 28.2 percent unfavorably. That combination of factors should spell trouble for Canseco, but it doesnt, because of the one big number in his favor: More than 62 percent of those polled know who he is, and none of the other candidates got within 12 points of that. In other words, people dont necessarily like Canseco, but at least theyve heard of him. The question is going to be, can you get in a runoff? Its the only question that matters, Mackowiak said. What is going to determine that? Obviously, (financial) resources are going to determine that. Whether you have a geographic base is going to determine that, and whether you start with a name ID. My sense is that fundraising is going to be very difficult with that many candidates running. Nobody knows whos going to be in the runoff. So, candidates that can raise $200,000 or more are going to be credible and have a chance to get in the runoff. Canseco surely will face accusations that hes an opportunistic carpetbagger. After running four consecutive times in District 23 the district in which he lives he filed paperwork in October with the Federal Election Commission for Joaquin Castros District 20 seat. Then he shifted to District 21 when Smith announced his retirement. In a recent radio interview with KTSA host Jack Riccardi, Canseco said he came to realize that tangling with Castro in the consistently Democratic District 20 was an almost impossible chore, and he saw the opportunity in Smiths district as ideal. Canseco brushed off the notion that hes a carpetbagger, saying, I am as much of the blood of Bexar County and South Texas as anybody. Canseco also offered praise to President Donald Trump, a stance that could play well in District 21. The Fight for Tomorrow poll showed that 73 percent of Republicans in the district view Trump favorably, compared to only 57.5 percent for U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan and 42.5 percent for outgoing Texas House Speaker Joe Straus. ggarcia@express-news.net Twitter: @gilgamesh470 In some instances, students that do choose to pursue further study are forced to relocate hundreds of kilometres away and are often challenged by simply meeting the cost of tertiary education, in light of adverse seasonal conditions and competing priorities on-farm, Ms Gartmann said. We are also encouraged with the level of enquiry we are receiving from well-regarded parties in the Middle East for live sheep export and with the increased demand for the chartering of our two large ships into the South American to Turkey run, which we anticipate will enable Wellard to deploy these ships during much of the Northern Australian wet season at reasonably attractive rates, without having the working capital burden and risks of shipping our own cattle. The first one takes a bit of getting used to, but by the time you get to the third one you love them, your tastebuds have taken over and youre hooked. Justin Bieber has pledged his support to those who have been displaced by the Californian fires. Justin Bieber The 'As Long As You Love Me' hitmaker wants to help raise funds for those who have been affected by the devastating natural disaster sweeping across the state. In a video posted to his Instagram account, he said: "I'm going to have a conversation with some people and we are going to get moving on a solution. Obviously I'm not a fireman but I can use my resources to figure out ways to get some sort of restoration in certain communities. "Fundraisers or whatever we can do. I'm going to get on that and in the meantime all the families and everyone who are struggling, just know that everything is going to be OK." Other stars also offered their support too, with Niall Horan posting under the photo. He wrote: "Good man. Give me a shout if ya need a hand (sic)" Whilst Patrick Schwarzenegger wrote: "Let's do it buddy." It comes after Justin donated $25,000 to the American Red Cross in aid of their relief efforts after Hurricane Harvey. Speaking in a video clip posted at the time: "Just looking at these photos from Hurricane Harvey. I just want to say that I am so sorry to all the families that have lost their homes, people that have lost their lives. I'm going to accept the Kevin Hart challenge and donate $25,000 towards the Red Cross, and I love you guys in Houston. You guys are awesome, you guys are strong. I am so sorry this is happening." Kelsey Grammer has forgiven his sister's murderer but doesn't want him to be freed from prison. Kelsey Grammer and Kayte Walsh The 'Frasier' actor's beloved sibling Karen was raped and murdered by Freddie Glenn in 1975 and although Kelsey has granted the killer forgiveness, he has repeatedly blocked attempts to have him freed. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, Kelsey - who has two children with his wife Kayte Walsh - said: "I have learnt to forgive. I have even told the guy I forgive him, although I don't advocate his freedom. I don't think that is reasonable. "In a letter to the parole board, I said the punishment shouldn't be worse for the family than it is for the guy that killed the person and that's what this feels like sometimes." Karen was just 18 when she was murdered in 1975 and the following year Glenn was convicted of her murder and those of two other victims selected at random. Glenn was 18 when he committed the murder and he was given a death sentence, which was later overturned on appeal. He was granted the right to seek parole after 30 years but in 2009, Kelsey, 62, wrote a letter of objection to the parole board. He said: "She was my best friend and the best person I knew. She had so much to live for. I loved my sister, Karen. I miss her. I miss her in my bones. "I was her big brother. I was supposed to protect her - I could not. I have never gotten over it... It very nearly destroyed me." Karen's murder came seven years after Kelsey's father Allen was shot and killed by intruders at his home. Dee Rees returned to filmmaking this year with the Netflix original movie, Mudbound. Based on the bestselling novel by Hillary Jordan, the film is co-written by Virgil Williams who worked alongside Rees, capturing the timeless story of two families one black and one white bound together by the farmland on the Mississippi Delta during the Jim Crow era. Obviously, in a time when racial tensions and divides are high, their shared relationships are something that have to be built up carefully over time, with a society looking down their noses on anybody brave enough to mix with those outside of their own race. Mary J. Blige in Mudbound / Credit: Netflix This week, Netflix revealed a brand new featurette for the movie, taking a look at the women of Mudbound and looking at the incredible talent that comes together in the film. You can check out the video below: Along with the brilliant women on screen such as Mary J. Blige and Carey Mulligan, a team of amazing females was brought together behind the cameras, including cinematographer Rachel Morrison, editor Make Kamitsuna, composer Tamar-kali, soung engineer Pud Cusack and makeup department head Angie Wells. Rees said of the cast and crew: I really wanted to have an all-female below-the-line crew and heads of different departments because I wanted the best and a lot of the best to me are women. Mudbound has done incredibly well following its Netflix debut, taking in a score of 97% on reviews aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, which boils down to 138 positive reviews, and just five negative. You can see the films official trailer below: Mudbound is available now on Netflix. by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on Alexandra Burke scored a perfect 40 with her salsa during 'Strictly Come Dancing's semi-final. Gorka Marquez and Alexandra Burke The 'Broken Heels' and her professional partner Gorka Marquez wowed with an electric performance to 'Finally' by Cece Peniston, which the judges branded "fabulous". Craig Revel Horwood told her it was "absolutely fab-u-lous" whilst Darcey Bussell admitted she "was jealous and wanted to be at your private disco". She praised the pair for the "great details" and promised she would "get into Bruno's speedos" if she didn't make it to the final. Bruno Tonioli told them: "It might be December but it felt like mid summer in Puerto Rico. I love you!" Alexandra also impressed with her Viennese waltz, which Bruno described as "elegant and classy". He added: "But more than that, it had a dream like quality. It felt like the softest, silkiest pashmina. Brilliant." Joe McFadden and Katya Jones also impressed with their American Smooth and Argentine Tango. Of their American Smooth, Darcey said: "You did bring plenty of glamour, lovely sweeping lines. Just what I wanted. Thank you." Whilst commenting on their Argentine Tango, head judge Shirley Ballas praised the pair for their "spectacular" dance. It was a good night for Debbie McGee and Giovanni Pernice, whose jive "shocked" Darcey. She said: "Debbie, I have to say that was fast and sweet. Your agility ... I'm shocked. It's extraordinary." Unfortunately for Mollie King and AJ Pritchard, their Samba didn't get them off to a good start. Craig told them: "All the rolls looked really awkward. You weren't actually dancing to the rhythm. That wasn't great darling." However, the pair redeemed themselves with a beautifully emotional waltz to 'Angel' by Sarah McLachlan. Gemma Atkinson and Aljaz Skorjanec were praised for their "determination and passion" for their tango whilst Bruno said their rhumba was "sensual". 'Strictly Come Dancing' continues on Sunday night (10.12.17). Jennie McAlpine has placed fourth on 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here'. Jennie McAlpine The 'Coronation Street' star was booted out of the competition during Saturday night's (09.12.17) show, just missing out on a place in the final, which will see Georgia Toffolo, Jamie Lomas and Iain Lee fight it out to be crowned King or Queen of the Jungle. Speaking after her exit, Jennie admitted it was much harder than she thought it would ever be. She told hosts Ant and Dec: "It was so much harder than I thought and everything that I'd prepared for, that isn't what you need to prepare for. Yeah, the trials and I kept looking at things online saying, 'Will I be able to do that?' Not would I be able to sleep in a sleeping bag." And Jennie admitted she missed her family - her partner Chris and their son Albert, three - the most of all. She added: "I have been away from Albert four nights I think, that's it. Just one time in his whole life. So to do three weeks, it was just ... I can't wait to see him. I can't wait to see him. We had such a treat seeing [our loved ones]." Jennie can't wait to see who wins but couldn't decide who she wanted to triumph. Asked who she wants to win the show now, she couldn't decide between Jamie and Toff. She said: "Toff, Jamie, Toff, Jamie, Toff, Jamie. I can't!" Elsewhere in Saturday night's (09.12.17) episode, the four remaining contestants took part in the famous Bushtucker trial, Celebrity Cyclone. The celebrities - who won the Celebrity Cyclone challenge - were also treated to a surprise when their family and friends joined them in camp. 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here' returns on Sunday night (10.12.17) when one of the three - Toff, Jamie and Iain - will be crowned King or Queen of the Jungle. Fethiye Times Charity News our pick of recent news and events from local charities. FETAV Fhd protest against cruelty to animals A protest was held at the Fethiye Culture Centre on Tuesday as a result of the vicious attack on Cesi, a four-year-old rottweiler in Fethiye last week. Cesi was attacked and beaten with an iron bar sustaining an injury to his head needing seven stitches as well as injuries to his back and leg. The incident was caught on a security camera. FETAV Hayvan Dostlar (FHD) gave a statement to the press in condemnation of the attack and cruelty to all animals in Turkey. The protest was attended by Cesi, who is making a good recovery from the attack. (TUR / ENG )Fethiye/Yanklar koyunde haval tufek ile kolundan vurulan kedinin tedavisi icin, SPONSOR olarak destek vermek isteyen sevgili dostlar. Kedi, Kentvette ameliyat olmustur. Tedavi ucreti 800 TL.dr. (Merminin alnmas, kola plak taklmas ameliyat) In other incidents around Fethiye, a kitten died in Erzurum after being poisoned and a cat was shot with a rifle in Yanklar. The cat underwent surgery to remove the bullet at Kentvet at a cost of 800TL. If anyone would like to make a donation to support the cost of the treatment, please contact FETAV Fhd The events of this week highlight that training is needed from an early age to develop a conscience and love for our animal friends. Fethiye International Group (FIG) Christmas Fayre The date had to be changed twice due to the weather conditions but the FIG Christmas Fayre was finally held on Wednesday 6th December 2017. The day was incredibly busy and visitors enjoyed browsing and buying from the many stalls which included a selection of ceramics, handmade cards, handmade crafts, homemade marmalade/jams, pies/pasties, doughnuts, cakes, artwork, handmade bags and jewellery. Monies raised on the day was a total of 2200TL which will go to help the local children of Fethiye and surrounding district. FIG would like to say a huge thank you to all the stall holders and the visitors who attended and made the event a terrific success. A huge thank you to all the volunteers who gave up their time in the organising and setting up of the event to make this the success it was. FIG would also like to say thank you to Fetav, the Belediye and Zabita for their support. FIG Chairman, Sheila Tongue said The whole day was a fabulous success, we had positive feedback from stallholders and visitors, the atmosphere was astounding. For more information about FIG please visit: www.figfethiye.com Government has brokered an agreement that will allow all eTransport users to top up their Vodafone e-ticketing cards at Digicel stores nationwide. Upon rollout on Monday, 11 December 2017, Fijians will be able to visit both Digicel or Vodafone retailers to adjust the balance of their e-ticketing cards, significantly expanding the number of top-up locations throughout Fiji. Training for Digicel staff started last week. Attorney-General and Minister for Communications, Hon. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, thanked Digicel for taking part in this Government-led initiative. To have Fijis two national mobile carriers, Digicel and Vodafone, come together for the good of the country is a remarkable example of corporate cooperation, said Sayed-Khaiyum. It is testament that both companies share Governments vision of outfitting Fiji with the necessary tools and technologies to succeed in the 21st century. We thank Digicel for a decision that will add convenience to the lives of every Fijian. Digicel Fiji Chief Executive, Mr. Mike Greig added, Its great progress to see Digicel outlets also providing this essential service to the people of Fiji. We support the Fijian Government and applaud their foresight in introducing eTransport in Fiji. I thank the government for partnering with Digicel to make top-up easier and more accessible for customers. We hope our customers will also benefit giving them a one-stop experience with Digicel, Sky Pacific, Unwired services and now eTransport top-up available in stores. Digicels 16 store locations, all of which will offer top-up services, are located in: Tavua Ba Lautoka Nadi Nadi Airport Nadi RB Office Sigatoka Suva Cumming Street Suva MHCC Suva Kadavu House Suva Damodar City Nabua Nakasi Labasa Savusavu To find their nearest Digicel location, Fijians can visit www.digicelfiji.com. -ENDS- HON PM BAINIMARAMA AT THE THE DISBURSEMENT OF THE FIJI PINE GROUP CHRISTMAS BONUS PAYMENT The Executive Chairman of the Fiji Pine Group of Companies;Board Members,Staff and Management of the Fiji Pine Group,Ladies and Gentlemen.Bula vinaka and a very good afternoon to you all.Christmas has certainly come early for the Fiji Pine Group, as we distribute a record-breaking Christmas Bonus Payment of over $650,000 more than triple what was paid out this time last year.This success wouldnt have been possible without the right leadership at the top. The leadership of your Board and management, under Faiz Khan, has brought energy, commitment and dedication to my Governments vision for the development of Fijis forestry industry. And leadership has brought disciplined, prudent financial management and transparency to this organization, and instilled Fiji Pine with a spirit of partnership and collaboration with its management, landowners, and workers.Todays payment breaks down into $1,000 Christmas bonuses each for the hard-working staff members at Fiji Pine and every cent of which is well-deserved.While Im sure thats all exciting to hear, it should also make the men and women in this room feel very proud; for record bonuses only come from record results, and those results would not have been possible without each of you. It is your work, day in and day out, that has made this such a great year for the company. Youve been on the ground, carrying out the bold vision of reform my Government has set out for Fiji Pine over the last six years. And youve helped lead this company through difficult times to reach unprecedented heights.As Ive watched that progress unfold, I too have felt great pride. Ive watched this company rise from the brink of insolvency to the record breaking success we are celebrating today. Not so long ago, in 2010, the Fiji Pine Group was facing catastrophe. There were no payments to shareholders. There were no profits. And there certainly werent any bonus payments during the holidays, like the one you are all receiving today.Back then, few would have thought the success we are celebrating today was even possible. But my Government refused to resign this industry to failure. We were not prepared to sit idly by as Fijians who relied on a robust pine industry suffered. Even at this low point, we could see the industrys potential not only to be solvent, but as one that was capable of greatness. And with the right vision and the right leadership, weve brought Fiji Pine back from the brink, better than before, and with an even brighter future in the years ahead.Without you to help shape and carry out Governments vision, none of this would have been possible. Youve achieved record profits these past six years, and youve repaid over 60 million dollars in loans and youve built a foundation for sustained growth investing over 70 million dollars in strategic upgrades. Youve welcomed a new Drasa Factory a state-of-the-art timber facility; the Wariki wood chipping facility; and the brand new Vislanda sawmill, which I has honoured to open with you earlier this year.Back in 2010, our landowners had little faith in this company and in this industry. But thats changed. Ive met with our landowners year after year as theyve welcomed lease bonus payments under your new profit sharing model; and, today, they share our great confidence in this industry.Working alongside our landowners, youve made this industry profitable and, more importantly, youve kept sustainability at the core of all of Fiji Pines development.When my Government first began to steer this industry into its current direction, youll all likely recall the naysayers with their doom-and-gloom predictions.As the rest of Fiji has cheered our march forward, as ordinary Fijians welcome the many benefits of our growing economy, our political opponents have found themselves clamouring for relevance. While we put our energy into better outcomes for ordinary Fijians, the Opposition has continued with their insults, the lies and their politics of division all part of their desperate campaign to push Fiji back into the past. A past of provincialism, a path of ethnic consideration, a past of corruption, a past of petty point scoring, and a past that benefitted only the privileged.But I assure you as we look on, we are undeterred in moving Fiji forward. While theyve been busy talking, weve been busy doing. While theyve been busy spinning their lies, trying to scare our landowners into inaction, weve been making this industry more profitable than ever before.We will keep up our work to build an even stronger future for Fiji Pine, and for every Fijian who relies on the health of our forestry industry.Fijis larger success like the success of Fiji Pine is owed to consistent, unwavering and decisive leadership. That leadership, combined with the sweat and the passion of the Fijian people, has carried our country to greatness.We enter 2018 on the back on eight straight years of economic growth. Weve brought our economy back from the devastation of Cyclone Winston. And weve assumed leadership on the global stage on some of the great challenges facing our nation, the Pacific and climate-vulnerable people around the world.Ladies and gentlemen, 2017 has been a truly remarkable year for not just Fiji Pine, but for all of Fiji it is one for the history books. With your continued support, your hard work, and your dedication, its clearer now than ever before that the best for all of us is yet to come. Our brightest days are still ahead; may 2018 be filled with the same resolution that has led us here today.Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, from my family to yours.Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you. NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / December 9, 2017 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against RYB Education, Inc. ("RYB" or the "Company") (NYSE: RYB) 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-09261, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons other than defendants who purchased or otherwise acquired RYB's American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"): (1) pursuant and/or traceable to RYB's false and misleading Registration Statement and Prospectus, issued in connection with the Company's initial public offering on or about September 27, 2017 (the "IPO" or the "Offering"); and/or (2) on the open market between September 27, 2017 and November 22, 2017, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), seeking to recover damages caused by defendants' violations of the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act") and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"). If you are a shareholder who purchased RYB securities between September 27, 2017, and November 22, 2017, both dates inclusive, you have until January 26, 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] RYB Education, Inc. offers educational services. The Company operates kindergarten and pre-schools. RYB Education provides training in a variety of subjects and languages, teacher recruitment, guidance, innovative learning, development of children, rating systems, parents consulting, and other services. 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: (i) RYB failed to establish safety policies to prevent sexual abuse from occurring at its schools; (ii) RYB's failure to remedy problems within its system exposed children to harm and unreasonable risk of harm while in the Company's care; and (iii) as a result of the foregoing, RYB securities traded at artificially inflated prices during the Class Period, and class members suffered significant losses and damages. On November 24, 2017, various news outlets reported that police have opened an investigation into RYB after numerous parents accused a RYB nursery of drugging and molesting their children. Beijing's education authority confirmed the police investigation in a statement. According to China's leading newspaper Xinhua News Agency, RYB has suspended multiple teachers at RYB Education New World after kindergarten students were "reportedly sexually molested, pierced by needles, given unidentified pills," and forced to undress and locked in a dark room. Parents reported that at least eight children have been abused at the school and that the children had given similar accounts with respect to their abuse. On this news, RYB's ADR price fell $10.28 per share, or over 38% from its previous closing price, to close at $16.45 per share on November 24, 2017. On the following day, several news outlets reported that Chinese police had detained teachers in connection with its RYB's child abuse inquiry. According to police reports, one of the teachers was arrested after needle wounds were found on at least eight children aged 2 to 6 years at the kindergarten. In a statement issued later that day, RYB announced it had fired the detained teachers, as well as the head of one of its kindergartens. 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 CAIRO, Dec. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Moneyfellows of Egypt has been announced winner of the MetLife Foundation Inclusion Plus competition in Egypt & Lebanon. The competition was open to entrepreneurs, businesses and non-profit organizations and aimed to discover innovative solutions to promote financial capability and access to financial services. With more than 30 entries, Moneyfellows won the grand prize and collected a grant of $50,000. Moneyfellows is a web and mobile-based platform that enables people to access interest-free credit and saving achievements powered by their personal network. This is accomplished by digitizing the traditional offline Rotating Saving and Credit Association (ROSCA) model and by utilizing alternative models for credit scoring users. By making ROSCAs digital, this popular option the world-over becomes safer, more transparent, scalable and organized. MetLife Foundation is proud to support this first-of-its-kind innovation competition that supports entrepreneurs at the forefront of financial inclusion in Egypt and Lebanon. More than 50 MetLife volunteers acted as mentors and judges, providing advice, support, and partnership that will help the ventures develop and grow. "Without our MetLife mentors, it would have been much tougher to be honest. They were the ones that really pushed us to improve our application, our presentation, and even the content itself," said Ahmed Wadi, Founder and CEO of Moneyfellows. "We look forward to continue working with them and the MetLife team as a whole." ReAble of Lebanon, in second place, won $25,000 and received in-kind support from VIP Judge, Jihad Bitar, to be part of Lebanon's Smart ESA accelerator. PayMob of Egypt, in third place, took home $12,000 and Alashanek ya Balady for Sustainable Development of Egypt, Al Majmoua of Lebanon and AID:Tech of Lebanon were each awarded $5,000. "It is one of MetLife Egypt's priorities to support SMEs and entrepreneurs, which contributes to MetLife Foundation's financial inclusion efforts to empower this important segment in the community," said Elena Butarova, Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of MetLife in Egypt. "It is very encouraging to see how corporate foundations and multinational businesses can partner with social entrepreneurs to fuel innovation and impact. The MetLife Foundation, MetLife Egypt and MetLife Lebanon have come together to demonstrate how competitions can be a powerful engine to help address some of the world's biggest economic problems," said Verb Co-Founder and CEO, Suzi Sosa. "We congratulate the winners who have developed a powerful new way to include more people in planning for their financial futures." The Inclusion Plus Egypt & Lebanon competition is part of a broader partnership between MetLife Foundation and Verb that will run across ten countries over a three-year period. Competitions have been completed in Ireland, China, India and Mexico. These competitions help advance financial inclusion for the estimated two billion people globally who do not currently have access to formal financial services. To learn more about the competitions, visit inclusionplus.com. About MetLife Foundation MetLife Foundation was created in 1976 to continue MetLife's long tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Since its founding through the end of 2016, MetLife Foundation has provided more than $744 million in grants and $70 million in program-related investments to organizations addressing issues that have a positive impact in their communities. In 2013, the Foundation committed $200 million to financial inclusion, and our work to date has reached more than 3.5 million low-income individuals in 39 countries. To learn more about MetLife Foundation, visit metlife.org. About Verb, Inc. Verb is a social enterprise that produces global social entrepreneurship competitions and delivers employee engagement in partnership with companies, foundations and governments. Verb competitions mobilize thousands of teams from around the world to solve the planet's most pressing social and environmental problems. Founded in 2013 by Austin entrepreneurs Suzi Sosa and Tom Meredith, Verb leverages its online platform, innovation expertise, and entrepreneur network to produce a social innovation engagement experience unlike any other. For more information, please visit www.verb.net/. About MetLife MetLife, Inc., through its subsidiaries and affiliates ("MetLife"), is one of the world's leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to help its individual and institutional customers navigate their changing world. Founded in 1868, MetLife has operations in more than 40 countries and holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visitwww.metlife.com. DUBAI, UAE, December 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The number of variants identified as being associated with cancer risk and progression is rapidly growing. Meanwhile, advances in medical genomics are paving the way to novel approaches for the diagnosis, management, and treatment of patients with cancer.The fast-paced development of genomic sequencing technologies is revolutionizing our understanding of the complexities of cancer, moving from clinical diagnosis alone, to providing evidence supporting treatment recommendations. Continued refinement of such technologies has the potential to revolutionize the way cancer is identified and treated, leading to earlier diagnoses, better survival rates, and improved quality of life. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/617326/Emirates_Pathology_Society_ESPC.jpg ) Next-generation sequencing (NGS) will be discussed in Dubai at the Third Emirates Pathology Society annual meeting "ESPC 2017", under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance and Industry, between 14th and 16th December 2017, at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers. The number of healthcare practitioners adopting NGS continues to grow, as does the recognition of the power of NGS. Compared with traditional methods, NGS offers advantages in accuracy, sensitivity, and speed that can make a significant impact on the field of molecular pathology. Organized by the Emirates Surgical Pathology Society in collaboration with Mayo Clinic, under the theme "Pathology Transforming Healthcare Now", over 300 delegates from around the world will convene at ESPC 2017, with a line-up of 20 imminent international and regional keynote speakers from 13 countries including the USA, KSA, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, Kuwait and the UAE. The conference will be inaugurated with a key note speech by Dr. Fouad Dayel - Chairman of The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine - King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre - Saudi Arabia, on "Next Generation Sequencing Utilization in Oncology." Starting with two full-day workshops on Head & Neck Pathology, Breast Pathology and dedicated sessions on difficult and interesting cases, the scientific program comprises lectures, Symposia, Case Presentations and Reports, Oral and Poster presentations on a range of topics including Gastro-Intestinal Pathology, Digital Pathology, and Quality Improvement and Errors Reduction. The UAE Ministry of Health & Prevention (MOH) is providing the Continuous Medical Education (CME) hours for the ESPC 2017. Dr. Mouza Abdulla Al Sharhan, President of the Emirates Surgical Pathology Society, ESCP 2017, President of the Emirates Medical Association and Council Member of the Arab Division of the International Association of Pathology, said: "The efficient management of cancer is based on a multi-disciplinary approach involving Oncologists, Radiotherapists, Radiologists, Surgeons as well as Pathologists. That is why collaboration between medical and surgical subspecialists has never been so crucial as it is today." "Albeit being the invisible team member, the role of the Pathologist is crucial in the diagnosis, therapeutic and the evaluation of the prognosis and with the emergence of the new therapeutic options, especially immunotherapy and targeted therapy, the Pathologists' diagnosis can profoundly determine the type and extent of subsequent patient treatment," she added. "As per the vision set for the Emirates Surgical Pathology Society to expand the outreach and international collaboration with other counter parts from around the world, we continue to establish collaboration with several international organizations and societies to realize such vision.I would like to thank my colleagues, the members of the scientific committee, for putting together such a rich scientific and education program to an international caliber and to extend our sincere appreciation to Mayo Clinic, The UAE Ministry of Health & Prevention and The Dubai Health Authority, for helping bring to life ESPC 2017 to such a world class standard," Dr. Mouza said. Note to the Editor: The Emirates Pathology Society (EPS) of Emirates Medical Association (EMA) was founded in 1990. Its goal is to provide structure and leadership to pathologists in the UAE. The society, through its elected board members and strong scientific program, works to enhance the practice of Pathology. It aims at encouraging cooperation between pathologists in the different sectors and optimizing the use of the available resources. In line with the EPS mission to provide and develop excellence in Pathology education, the 3rd Emirates Surgical Pathology Conference 2017 will provide a unique platform for the exchange of the latest advancements in the field of Pathology and its subspecialties. For further information please visit http://www.espc2017.com The eleventh ministerial of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that kicks off at Buenos Aires today will be a crucial test, at least at three counts. One, it will be a test for the continuation of the Doha Development Round. Two, related to this, it will be a test for the very future of the rules-based multilateral trade regime. And, three, closer home, it will be a test for commerce minister Suresh Prabhu, on whose shoulders lie the responsibility of ensuring Indias interests as well as continuing the Doha Round. Remember, hes just about three months into his job. The Doha Development Agenda (DDA) has been hanging by a thread since the tenth ministerial in Nairobi in December 2015. The ministerial declaration, for the first time in the history of the WTO, acknowledged sharp differences over an issue; ministerial declarations had, till then, always been consensus documents, and even one countrys opposition can hold it up. More importantly, this was not just any issue, this was the very survival of a negotiating round. The declaration noted that many members reaffirmed the DDA while others did not. It is no secret that the developed economies, especially the United States and the European Union, are not interested in the continuation of the Doha Round. The Round, initiated at the Doha ministerial in 2001, has been going, pardon the pun, round in circles since then and precious little has been achieved in terms of furthering the interests of the developing countries, which was what the DDA was supposed to achieve. India has been at the forefront of efforts to keep the Round alive and has enjoyed the backing of the developing countries group. But 17 years is a long time (the Uruguay Round, which gave birth to the WTO lasted for eight years, and that was considered long) and interest could be beginning to flag. The fact that the developed economies managed to wrest a non-consensual declaration at Nairobi is a sign of that. It is possible that even this token continuation of the Doha Round was the result of the need for optics a ministerial held in a developing country could hardly be seen to junk a developmental round. There are conflicting reports about whether or not India is isolated on wanting the continue with the Doha Round and further the DDA. Even if other developing countries want it to continue they may not be able to resist pressures from the United States and the European Union, especially the former. The developed bloc has been known to break developing countries solidarity with paltry concessions to a few members. So Buenos Aires will, in a sense, decide the fate of the Doha Round. What happens to the Round and the role of the United States in this will also determine the fate, or at least the future shape, of the WTO. The United States has always led the developed countries charge against WTO rules that do not favour them. Of late, it has not bothered to hide its disinterest in investing in the WTO, as evidenced from the initiation of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the intransigence at Nairobi. But the Donald Trump administration is not even interested in the TPP or any multilateral fora, preferring bilateral arrangements instead. So it may not be bothered about even token gestures to keep the WTO alive. That will lob the ball into the developing economies court. If Buenos Aires sees life support being withdrawn from the Doha Round, will they continue with the WTO? Indeed, will there be any point continuing with it? And yet, the WTO is their best bet as of now; it alone gives them some leverage in the global market. But if they acquiesce to the burial of the Doha Round, then even this gain will be lost. This will be a real dilemma for them. Can Prabhu provide the leadership to the developing countries bloc that three of his predecessors the late Murasoli Maran, Arun Jaitley and Kamal Nath did? If India is not to be isolated on wanting the Doha Round to continue, he will need to step up to the plate. Commerce ministers have generally indulged in tough talk ahead of a ministerial and played hardball during it. Prabhu, however, has struck a sober note, saying that India should be realistic about the outcome of Buenos Aires. At the same time he has said India will not give up on the Doha Round and that he has the support of many countries. But more than the continuation of the Doha Round, what Prabhu will be judged for back home will be how he advances and protects Indias interests. There are several issues where India has an interest food security, agriculture subsidies of developed countries, special safeguard measures in agriculture, fisheries subsidies and e-commerce. But the focus will be on food security and e-commerce. The issue of food security really revolves around finding a permanent solution to the knotty issue of public stockholdings for food security (the minimum support price based procurement done by the Food Corporation of India). Developing countries with large public stockholding programmes got a peace clause at the Bali ministerial in 2013, which protects them from any challenges to these programmes on grounds of violating limits on agricultural subsidies. Initially this peace clause was only till 2017 but after strong protests by the current government, it was left open-ended till a permanent solution to the problem was found. There has, however, been precious little progress towards finding such a solution and India has not been pushing too hard for one, since the peace clause is, in effect, a perpetual one (though there are some caveats it will not cover new public stockholding programmes). Prabhu has, in fact, said it is a mistake for India to press for a permanent solution since the peace clause is a perpetual one. But if there is a possibility of getting a favourable permanent solution, what will be the concession India will be asked to make? Will it be willing to do so? After all WTO negotiations are all about give and take. Developed countries are pushing for inclusion of e-commerce in the WTO negotiating agenda and latest reports indicate that they have dug their heels in on this, ahead of Buenos Aires. India has officially made it clear that it will not agree to this and that this is non-negotiable. India and many other developing countries feel that e-commerce is not an issue that should be negotiated at this point of time. Nor can India afford to make concessions on the issue of getting developed economies reduce their agricultural subsidies. The high level of subsidies these countries give expose Indian farmers to cheap imports and India still does not have sufficient firepower in terms of safeguard measures. Some countries like Brazil and Argentina, which were aligned with India earlier, may break ranks with it on this issue. Right now, Prabhu appears to be going to Buenos Aires saying, okay, dont give us a permanent solution, the perpetual peace clause suits us just fine, but India will not cave in to bringing the Doha Round to an end or bringing in new issues like e-commerce into the negotiating agenda or conceding on issues relating to agricultural subsidies. Will he return a hero as Maran, Jaitley and Nath did or with dubious gains the way Anand Sharma and Nirmala Sitharaman did? We will know in three days. Los Angeles: Charlie Sheen has sued 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 on 8 December 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, reported Variety. In his lawsuit, Sheen called the story part of an "egregious, hurtful and disgusting campaign of defamations." "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," the lawsuit states. The lawsuit alleged that Howard published the story partly out of revenge for not getting the scoop on Sheens HIV-positive status. American Media Inc., the parent company of the Enquirer, said it would defend the suit. "We look forward to litigating against Charlie Sheen, and can't wait to expose his depravities in a court of law," the company said in a statement. By Sharanya Gopinathan No one can solve a problem like a mother can. Or at least, like Dileeps mother can. Disgraced Malayalam actor Dileep, who was charged with conspiring to abduct and sexually assault another Malayalam actor in February, is currently enjoying a media rehabilitation in the form of what can only be described as his ongoing Ma-Beta comeback tour in Dubai. But lets remind ourselves of some facts about the case before we set off towards the Gulf with Dileep and his mum. Dileep was arrested in July, and released on bail on 3 October, to great celebration from friends and family. Upon his arrest, he was unceremoniously chucked out of various film unions of which he had been a member. The day after his release on bail, he was immediately reinstated as president of the Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK). That same day, MLA Ganesh Kumar whined to the media that the only reason Dileep was thrown out of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) was Prithviraj, and that there was no reason for AMMA to cancel his primary membership. Dileeps own Amma couldnt have put it better. Naturally, Dileeps fans have been organising themselves online and on WhatsApp groups, and also to troll Dileep's imagined enemies. The name of a campaign that was meant to support the assaulted actor, Avalkoppam (Im with her), was soon perverted into one that supported Dileep Avandoppam (Im with him). Still, nowhere is the mad desire to whitewash Dileeps image more clearly discernible than in his ongoing Dubai tour. Dileep received permission from the Kerala High Court on 21 November to travel to Dubai (the city to which it was persistently rumoured he had tried to smuggle the infamous memory card containing evidence of the assault). A day after this, on 22 November, the Court accepted the chargesheet against him. He was allowed to fly to Dubai to inaugurate the fourth branch of his restaurant that specialises in a seemingly infinite variety of puttu, a Kerala breakfast staple. As you can see from the news breathlessly reporting his every move, he brought his mom along as a convenient prop. And its working. Malayala Manoramas English online edition, On Manorama, reported in painful detail that he arrived at Dubai airport with his (admittedly quite adorable) mother, was greeted by friends and gifted a shawl (I suppose to protect him from Dubais harsh winter). Khaleej Times was enamoured by his mother and all mothers in general. Heres how they reported the opening of a restaurant owned by a man accused of plotting to have a former co-star raped: Five mothers of the seven partners of Dhe Puttu cut the ceremonial ribbon to launch the restaurant and Dhe Puttu was opened by mothers of seven partners in Karama. Oooh, the imagery, oh the mamta. Malayalis like to say Onathinidakku Puttu kachavadam (Why are you trying to sell puttu during the Onam feast?) to indicate their contempt for someones poor timing. Let me say that Dileeps tour was all about the media indicating their contempt for anyone who might want to discuss sexual assault when the important matter of puttu kachavadam (selling puttu) and Dileep kachavadam (selling Dileep) was at hand. The Khaleej Times report exclusively quotes citizens who were unmoved by the ongoing case, and were happy to rave about the restaurant and the owner. A dodgy news outlet called Film Magazine really took the ball and ran with it, dedicating a report to how Dileeps mother held up Keralas name high. If you had any doubts about this being a comeback tour, get this Dileep and his mother next headed to Lulu Hypermarket in Dubai. Every Malayali knows if you want to meet other Malayalis in Dubai, Lulu is the place to go. The spot is so iconic that you know he went there only to be seen. And he was. They were mobbed by fans who stopped for selfies and to gawk, and when one of them boo-ed Dileep, his mother took him aside to lecture him about representing Malayalis properly abroad. Film Magazine adoringly calls this her befitting reply. The media has also been eager to remind everyone that Dileep is a sensitive guy with feelings. Never mind that he paid to have a woman assaulted and has been accused of controlling the industry like Tony Soprano in a vicious mood, the real story here was that he turned emotional at the house of his late friend, the mimicry artist Abi, whose home Dileep visited in Dubai after his sudden death on 30 November. On Manorama wrote extensively about how he struggled hard to hold back his tears while trying to console Abi's family members and reminisces about the good ol days when Dileep and his buddy Nadirshah ruled stages across Kerala leaving a trail of laugh riots and genuine humour. Never mind again that Nadirshah has been linked to the case and was one of the people Pulsar Suni (the main accused) repeatedly called from jail. It isnt just his mum and this Dubai trip though. Dileep has made a habit of using the women around him as crutches over the years. His wife, Kavya Madhavan, continues to be under the police scanner as there are suspicions that Dileep used her boutique, Laksya, as a front to pay Pulsar Suni. In one of his many bail applications, Dileep fantastically alleged that his ex-wife Manju Warrier and the female cop investigating him, ADGP Sandhya, were in cahoots, and were in fact the ones behind the conspiracy to abduct the actress in order to frame Dileep, and that he should therefore be let out on bail. His fans, meanwhile, as detailed in a wildly biased Times of India report from 30 September, take their cues from their leader, and have also been attacking his (imagined) enemies. The report mentioned how Dileep fans were trolling Warrier because she had asked the Malayali public to not boycott his new movie, Ramleela. Yes, Dileeps toxic fans took offence to the idea that she thought his movie needed her support, and tried to troll her before the release of her next. TOI thought it necessary to give voice to Dileep fans suspicions, without even mentioning the name of Warriers movie, Udaharanam Sujatha, which was the subject of the fans trolling and ostensibly of the report itself. The TOI report also gave unquestioning voice to the persistent rumour that Warrier is a bad mother because their now 17-year-old daughter Meenakshi chose to live with Dileep after the divorce. Dileep has in the past leveraged Warrier and Meenakshis tumultuous relationship cleverly to make himself look like a great father and Warrier a bad woman, like when he made sure to score a father-daughter Vanitha magazine cover around the time of his divorce from Warrier. He most recently deployed his daughter in his 12 August bail application, where he mentions Meenakshis choice to live with him and not Warrier as proof that hes a great family man. So I guess Dileep using his mother as a prop now shouldnt surprise us at all, considering that shes only the newest member of his roster to make her PR debut. But what is surprising is the medias willingness, even eagerness, to lap up this narrative. Dileep used to be called the Peoples Actor, but after his arrest, he seems to have become the Medias Actor. Most Malayalis outside his rabid fan groups actually seem to have distanced themselves from the once-beloved actor, and the flop of his recent (reportedly very good and critically acclaimed) political thriller Ramleela does indicate that the Malayali public has had enough of him. Why is the media so intent on whitewashing him then? Do they feel that without Dileep the industry will collapse? Or is it a more visceral desire to prop up great men forever? The Ladies Finger (TLF) is a leading online women's magazine delivering fresh and witty perspectives on politics, culture, health, sex, work and everything in between. Bangalore rejoiced as legendary Swiss drummer Jojo Mayer and his electronica trio NERVE performed at blueFrog on 8 December. This was their first gig in India and we got the rare opportunity to pick the mind of a great musician. You are quite the global citizen in terms of your upbringing. What is the story behind the name Jojo? I spent my early childhood traveling the world as my dad was a musician, because of which I grew up in a multi-lingual environment. When I started to speak, I did it in 4 languages simultaneously - Swiss, German, Italian and English. My real name is Serge and many people called me Sergio. I wasn't able to spell this so I created a simplified version: Sho-sho, which eventually evolved into Jojo. What have been NERVEs influences over the years? Initially, it was the surge of electronic music in the mid-90s that inspired me - Jungle, break beats, techno. Producers like Photek, Aphex Twin and Squarepusher were influential. In that process I have only listened to programmed rhythms, not drummers. Over the years, NERVE always had new developments of electronic sub genres on our radar and they became part of our vocabulary - like dub step, glitch, footwork, trap, IDM etc. More recently, we have deviated from genre specific formulas and have taken bolder steps, reaching for new music in a more radical way. I think our latest record really is testament to that. It's our most successful attempt negotiating between programmed music and music performed in real-time. Your thoughts on Indian percussion? Have you ever considered its use in your music? Indian percussion has a head start of 5000 years over percussion culture in the West and is by far the most advanced. But in order to express myself honestly and authentically I have found a way to do it through my western point of view. But remarkably, I discovered some ideas in my playing that have strong parallels in Indian music of which I was never aware of. So I guess, there is some universal truth that will express itself regardless of the cultural backdrop. In general, my decision to integrate a foreign part of culture has more to do with the individual performers point of view than his cultural legacy. If I find people with interesting point of view, I will try to find a way to collaborate with them. In your perspective, how has the drumming scene evolved internationally? The mainstream drumming culture is in a crisis because we are in a big cultural crisis. We are still trapped in the protocol of the 20th century and industrialization while we live in the 21st century and the technological age. A whole generation of Youtube drummers that play covers and hurl a remarkable arsenal of technique around have taken the stage. But radical new musical contributions are very rare. The music and the cultural aspect got lost. But there are always exceptions and drummers that bring new music to people like Deantoni Parks. Over the past decades it has definitely been electronic producers that have driven the development of rhythm culture - like JDilla, Timbaland, Aphex Twin etc. How has your music evolved over your career? With musical styles it's pretty much the same as with most great ideas. They start as exciting phenomenon, breaking away from obsolete protocols and promising social and human improvements. Unfortunately, it appears that over time these ideas turn into storefronts for the nonsensical. I think Mozart, Monk, Hendrix as well as Marx and Jesus would turn in their graves to see what people made from their ideas. I think it has something to do with violating the values and underlying principles that gave birth to these ideas either to gain money, influence or power. For this reason, I dont care too much for stylistic descriptions. I'm only looking for music that expresses our human condition in a way that emotionally and conceptually touches and inspires me. What areas of music are you currently exploring and what fascinates you about it? I'm currently very engaged and fascinated with singing as it's the most personal musical expression. To sing is to voluntarily expose yourself to extreme vulnerability. And I believe this vulnerability can be the key to expressing our innermost personal core which is one of the most powerful assets we can have as artists. I want to understand more about this. What are you working on right now and what can we look forward to? With NERVE we're currently working on making a fully acoustic record with no electronic instruments or amplification. Grand piano, upright bass and acoustic drums recorded on an analog board straight to 1/4 inch tape, just like records were made in the 50s. It's a total venture into the unknown. Other than that I just collaborated on a movie with Apollo 16 Astronaut Charlie Duke called Lunar-Tribute. I'll be working on a score for another movie involving NERVE this winter. And I will take my first part as a lead actor in a film next year. BERLIN (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Saturday denied a report that said the Social Democrat, whose party has agreed to enter talks with Chancellor Angela Merkels conservatives on forming a coalition, was eyeing the post of finance minister. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel speaks during a session of the Bundestag, German lower house of Parliament in Berlin, Germany, November 21, 2017. REUTERS/Axel SchmidtNews magazine Der Spiegel reported that Gabriel had recently told senior members of his SPD party that he was interested in becoming German finance minister if the SPD agreed to a re-run of the current grand coalition with Merkels conservatives. What Spiegel is writing is sheer nonsense, Gabriel told Deutschlandfunk radio. Im in a caretaker government and no one knows what the next government will look like. More than two months after a national election, Germany has not managed to form a new government, so the conservative coalition from the last legislative period is still in power. Merkel, who lost many supporters to the far-right in Septembers election, is banking on the SPD to extend her 12-year tenure after attempts to cobble together an awkward three-way alliance with the liberal Free Democrats and environmentalist Greens crumbled. If the SPD were to agree to another grand coalition - an option that the SPD says is by no means a foregone conclusion - and demand the finance ministry, it would likely result in changes to Germanys European policy such as more focus on spending and investment rather than austerity. Wolfgang Schaeuble, who was Germanys conservative finance minister until he took on the role of president in October, became unpopular among struggling euro zone states during his eight years in office due to his focus on austerity. SPD leader Martin Schulz said on Thursday that Europe could not afford to undergo another four years of the kind of European policy that Schaeuble had practiced. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Shivpuri (Madhya Pradesh): To check the increasing malnutrition levels among Saharia tribals in Madhya Pradesh, the state government has decided to provide people from the tribe Rs 1,000 per month each for food, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said. The government already provides tribals with ration like wheat, rice and salt at a subsidised rate of Re 1 per kg. Now, it will provide extra money for vegetables, milk and fruits, Chouhan said at an event held in a village here on Saturday. Stressing that the government is dedicated to abolishing malnutrition in tribal-dominated villages of the state, he said this money will be deposited into the accounts of tribal women. More than 50,000 Saharia children are suffering from malnutrition in Shivpuri and Sheopur districts and more than 150 had died of it last year. Reiterating his government's stand to work for the Saharias, Chouhan said, "The government will also provide relaxation to Saharias in getting jobs in various departments apart from the police force, where they will be admitted right after the physical test." He also announced a Sabri Mata temple at a cost of Rs 7.5 crore apart from building hostels in Gwalior and Indore where tribal children can go to study. The chief minister's announcement comes ahead of bypolls in Kolaras constituency, dominated by tribal voters. Jammu: A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) was injured when the Pakistani forces violated ceasefire by firing at Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, an army official said on Sunday. Pakistan troops fired at forward posts along the LoC in Bhawani belt of Noushera sector in Rajouri on Saturday evening, an army officer said. In the firing, one JCO, a subedar was injured, he said. The JCO was hospitalised and is reported to be stable, he added. Reports said he was hit by a sniper fire. Earlier, on the night of 7 December, an army jawan was injured when Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing from small arms, automatics and mortars along the LoC in Poonch sector's Digwar area. Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively, officials said. On 8 December also, Pakistan Army resorted to firing and shelling in Kalal, Laam and Jangarh sub-sectors of Noushera sector in Rajouri district. According to Union home ministry data, Pakistani forces have violated ceasefire 724 times along the international border and the LoC till October this year in comparison to 449 times in 2016. Bettiah: Bihar Minority Affairs Minister Khurshid Alam has filed an FIR against a person, who allegedly threatened to kill him if he did not pay Rs 1 lakh, police said on Sunday. Bettiah Superintendent of Police Vinay Kumar said a search has been launched to nab the accused. "An FIR was lodged at Purushottampur police station on Saturday on the basis of minister Khurshid Alam's written complaint. He claimed to have a received a threat call from a person who wanted him to cough up Rs 1 lakh," Kumar said. The minister, in his complaint, further said that the caller had identified himself as Imtiyaz from Govardhana, a nearby forest area. Alam, meanwhile, asserted that he has full faith in the law and order system of the state. "I have lodged a complaint with the police though I believe it is the work of somebody who is mentally imbalanced. Bihar has sushasan (good governance) and I am not scared. Such incidents cannot divert my attention from public service," he told reporters. Significantly, this is the second time the minister filed an extortion complaint this year. In June, he had claimed to have received a similar call while he was at his residence in Patna. The caller was later nabbed from Bettiah. Kolkata: After an average 20 percent wage hike for Coal India Ltd's 2.98 lakh permanent workers, its trade unions are set for negotiating a wage revision for contractual workers and a committee for this is likely to be set up in a month, a trade union leader said on Sunday. After a long negotiation, Coal India management and workers' unions had signed the Memorandum of Agreement for National Coal Wage Agreement and this would be effective for five years till 30 June, 2021. "We signed the wage agreement for permanent workers on 10 October. It was mentioned in the agreement that wage of contractual workers would be revised and a committee will be formed for that purpose. I think the proposed committee is likely to be formed in a month's time and then, the committee will start deliberating," All India Coal Workers' Federation General Secretary DD Ramanandan told IANS. He said a preliminary discussion would be held on 14 December for the purpose. The state-run miner had said the wage hike for permanent workers' would have an estimated average annual impact of Rs 5,667 crore and it had made provisions for the wage revision. The proposed committee will have representations from all the trade unions and also from the management, Ramanandan said. However, the miner's bottomline has been under pressure in the last few quarters and it had reported close to 40 percent fall in its consolidated net profit to Rs 368.88 crore in the quarter ended on 30 September, 2017 as compared to Rs 612.44 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal. Ahmedabad: The Congress on Sunday termed as "baseless" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's allegation that its top party leaders recently met the Pakistani envoy and an ex-Pakistani minister and said he made the charge as he was worried about the BJP's impending defeat in Gujarat Assembly elections. Modi told an election rally on Sunday that suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar had called him "neech" (a lowly sort of a person) a day after the alleged meeting of Pakistanis with top Congressmen. "Holding the country's topmost post, Modiji is making baseless allegations. Modiji is worried, dejected, angry. Such a statement has no truth or fact and is based on lies. Such a behaviour is unbecoming of a prime minister," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters in Ahmedabad. Modi alleged that former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Aiyar had met the Pakistani high commissioner in India and an ex-Pakistani foreign minister at the residence of Aiyar recently. "The entire country knows who loves Pakistan and who has been giving protection to the separatists," Surjewala alleged. He asked Modi that if he planned to contest the elections on Pakistan-related issues, then he should also tell the people of Gujarat as to why he "trusted Pakistani spy agency ISI and offered it entry to Pathankot Airforce Base for investigation". Surjewala also questioned Modi's "unplanned" Pakistan visit to attend the wedding of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's granddaughter, soon after "Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attacks at Gurdaspur and Udhampur". He also alleged that the Modi government failed to arrest Pakistan-based terrorist Dawood Ibrahim's wife, who "managed to reach Mumbai from Pakistan and then fly back to Pakistan". "We would also like to ask him as to why no action was taken against former minister in the BJP government in Maharashtra Eknath Khadse, who was removed after Indian agencies taped his conversation with Dawood Ibrahim," he said. The Congress spokesperson also claimed Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan attended the marriage of Dawood Ibrahim's daughter and asked why 11 BJP leaders, including the head of Madhya Pradesh's IT cell, were arrested for "spying for ISI". Surjewala also sought an apology from the prime minister and the BJP over the release of Pakistan-based terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar by taking him and two others to Kandahar after the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane in 1999. Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 New Delhi: 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 3,25,000 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. On Thursday, 7 December 2017, the Maharashtra government announced that its marquee farm loan waiver scheme was well and truly underway. The late-evening press release put out two important figures to show substantial ground had been covered in implementing the scheme: The work of identifying beneficiaries for the waiver had gathered pace; out of 71.11 lakh applications, 41 lakh had been validated (green list). This was a near-impossible leap from just 69,832 green listed farmers just ten days earlier on 25 November. Rs 19,537 crore, that is, more than 80 percent of the Rs 24,000 crore estimated cost of the scheme, had already been released to the banks. A day later, on 8 December, the government announced that across the state banks would work over the weekend to speed up disbursal to farmers. These figures suggest that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis scripted the narrowest of escapes from a gathering political storm. It would have hit him with full force on 11 December in Nagpur where the state Assembly begins its winter session. So how did he side-step the storm? Did the government suddenly discover its administrative mojo after weeks of running in the dark? Or was it a political sleight of hand, a mere passing of the buck to somebody else, the banks in this case? The latest round of Firstpost investigations into the mess the loan waiver scheme has become suggests that it is all that and more. To fully understand how the government is trying to extricate itself from this mess, a bit of background is important. Events of 7 December Chief Minister Fadnavis chairs a meeting with the State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC, a working group of all banks), one of many in recent weeks. On the agenda is the status of loan waiver scheme. At Rs 34,022 crore (now revised to Rs 24,000 crore), it is the biggest loan waiver scheme by any state government. But what should have been one of the high points of his tenure had become a first-grade administrative nightmare thanks to the banks. A few weeks ago, the banks had spoiled his dream of delivering a leakage-free Aadhaar-linked waiver scheme. They had turned in spurious lists of defaulters (beneficiaries of loan waiver) and brought the disbursal process to a complete standstill. The waiver process was to benefit 71.11 lakh debt-ridden farmers. The process was to begin on 18 October and end on 20 November. But as of 25 November, records accessed by Firstpost show, the government had cleared loans only to a tiny green list of 69,832 verified beneficiaries. From ghost accounts to duplicate accounts to imaginary Aadhaar numbers to incorrect outstanding loan amounts, the lists were riddled with unthinkable errors in data-keeping that shake ones faith in the banking system. It highlighted how casually the banks deal with public funds as explained in this Firstpost investigation. This shoddy job by the banks has delayed the disbursals by nearly two months. Debt-ridden farmers are getting restive, opposition parties are smelling blood and various government departments are stressing about how to make sense of the rubbish that the SLBC had turned in in the name of a defaulters list. But none of that stress shows up in the chief ministers meeting with the SLBC, at least publicly. Instead, a chirpy statement is put out by the chief ministers office saying he thanked the banks for their contribution to the entire process and appealed to them to improve their efforts to rectify errors in the remaining applications in a time bound manner. Two important questions arise from the events of 7 December: Instead of roasting the banks for rank inefficiency and utter lack of due diligencebordering on criminal negligencewhy was the chief minister thanking the banks for their contribution to the whole process? After all, they had, by design or default, completely derailed his plans for a two-level, fool-proof beneficiary-verification process. How exactly did the government cover so much ground in ten days between 26 November and 6 December after being grid-locked and immobile for the 40 days prior? The tell-all document A closely-guarded document of the government accessed exclusively by Firstpost affords answers to both these questions. This is a document prepared by the Cooperation Department showing the status of the loan waiver scheme as of 2 December. It consists of two excel sheets, one for scheduled commercial banks (33) and one for district cooperative banks (30). Here is the document: Loan waiver amount credited to beneficiaries accounts via commercial banks as on 2 December 2017 REPORT SHOWING LOAN WAIVER AMOUNT CREDITED TO BENEFICIARIES' ACCOUNTS IN COMMERCIAL BANKS AS ON 2 DECEMBER 2017 REPORT SHOWING LOAN WAIVER AMOUNT CREDITED TO BENEFICIARIES' ACCOUNTS IN DISTRICT COOPERATIVE BANKS AS ON 2 DECEMBER 2017 REPORT SHOWING TOTAL AMOUNT CREDITED TO BENEFICIARIES' ACCOUNTS AS ON 2 DECEMBER 2017 Besides other metrics, the sheets mapped each bank against the number of beneficiaries (green list), the number of beneficiaries double-checked, the amount the government had transferred to each bank and the amount each bank had disbursed before 25 November and after 26 November (till 2 December). NOTE PUT UP TO HIGH POWER COMMITTEE ON LOAN WAIVER SHOWING STATUS AS ON 5 DECEMBER This document is a storehouse of information. It gives the status of things as on 25 November and 2 December in one place (columns 11 to 16 in the excel sheets above). It records that as 25 November the "green list" was 69,832, the money transferred to banks was unavailable and the money disbursed by banks was Rs 439 crore. On 2 December the corresponding figures stood at 1,325,250, Rs 8,610 crore and Rs 4,428 crore. Read with two other status reports, publicly released by the government on 5 December and 6 December, it allows us to string together the rapid growth in the green list and the money released to the banks between 26 November and 6 December. On 5 December, after a meeting of the high powered committee set up to rescue the scheme, the publicity department announced that as on that day, the "green list" stood at 17.49 lakh and the money transferred to banks at Rs 10,332 crore. Just a day later (6 December) another statement revealed that the "green list" had grown to a whopping 41 lakh overnight. This comparative table here shows the miraculous upswing: DATE GREEN LIST AMOUNT RECD BY BANKS AMOUNT DISBURSED BY BANKS 25-Nov 69,832 Not Available Rs 439 Cr 2-Dec 1,325,250 Rs 8,610 Cr Rs 4,428 Cr 5-Dec 1,749,000 Rs 10,332 Cr Rs 5,141 Cr 6-Dec 4,100,000 Rs 19,537 Cr Not Available Look at the exponential spike in the "green list". It grew from just 69,832 verified beneficiaries to 41 lakh in ten days or 5,871 percent. Similarly, the amount of money transferred by the government to the banks. The excel sheet doesn't capture how much money the government transferred to banks as on 25 November. But we have the figure disbursed by the banks on that date, Rs 439 crore. Since the banks couldnt have disbursed more money than they would have received, it is safe to assume that the government would have transferred Rs 439 to banks, not more. From Rs 439 crore on to Rs 19,537 crore is 4,450 percent jump in ten days. That is a scorching pace especially considering that no progress was made between 16 October (when the attempt to prepare an error-free list of beneficiaries blew up in the governments face as reported exclusively by Firstpost) and 25 November. So, what explains the sudden gush of positive results? Exit Aadhaar From the beginning Maharashtras farm loan waiver was going to be different from that of other states for two reasons: That it was the biggest loan waiver scheme by any state That it would be linked to Aadhaar to eliminate leakages In June, Fadnavis set the size of the loan waiver at Rs 34,022 crore based on information provided by the SLBC. Banks had then put the total number of defaulters at 89 lakh. A cursory check revealed lakhs of ghost accounts prompting the government to seek a revised list from the SLBC. The revised list, now seeded with Aadhaar, shrunk to just 77.29 lakh. It thereby brought down the cash outgo for the government from Rs 34,022 crore to Rs 24,000, a whopping Rs 10,000 crore saving as reported in this Firstpost report. This underscored that Fadnavis was right not to trust the banks and to insist on Aadhaar-linkage. The government formally launched the scheme in August. To ensure a two-level verification mechanism, farmers were also asked to separately apply for the waiver citing their Aadhaar number. When both the lists were run through a software to come up with a masterlist of beneficiaries, it turned out that even the fresh list submitted by the SLBC was full of errors. It corrupted the software and details of only 69,832 beneficiaries matched (green list). With an error percentage of more than 95, the entire process was vitiated. That was on 16 October. From then till 25 November the government had been struggling to make headway (read the section what went wrong in this report). But the process had not moved an inch, costing VK Gautam, principal secretary, IT, his job perhaps unjustifiably. But from 26 November things began to move at supersonic speed. The green list of beneficiaries grew from 69,832 to 13.25 lakh to 17.49 lakh and then 41 lakh in all of ten days. It was as if the government had found a magic formula to identify correct beneficiaries. A dead giveaway It was not magic, of course. The government had decided to dine with the devil, the banks. It had junked its elaborate two-level system of verification. Out went Aadhaar-linked validation, Fadnaviss pet plan. The government went back to what it could have done to begin with but did not want to do because it did not trust the banks: it decided to rely entirely on the data supplied by the banks and quickly transferred Rs 19,537 crore (as of 6 December) to the banks. From justified distrust in the banks to complete dependence on the banks, the government had made a quick U-turn without making any public announcement. The government has not officially announced the burial of the Aadhaar validation process. But it can be easily deciphered from a letter that the chief minister is believed to have written to the SLBC, complaining about how their tardiness had grounded his plans. In an unsourced report, The Hindustan Times, writing about Fadnavis meeting with the SLBC on 7 December, also reported about a letter that the CM had written to SLBC asking, among other things, the banks to give the government a district-wise list of beneficiaries to whom they were releasing the funds. The Times of India also reported about the CMs letter. The two reports remain undenied by the chief ministers office. The fact that the government was seeking the district-wise list of beneficiaries from the banks is a dead giveaway that the government had ceded control over the list of beneficiaries to the banks and was releasing funds without being fully conversant with who it was going to. A far cry from the strict validation process envisaged under the Aadhaar-linkage plan and an unavoidable U-turn to skirt steep political consequences. In making this U-turn the government achieved three things: It created an illusion of big forward movement in implementation It ensured that when the Assembly convenes on Monday, it will be able to say with a straight face that the loan waiver process was substantially over; a half-truth, but privilege rules don't measure truth in degrees It passed the buck to the banks so the onus would now be on the banks to quickly disburse the money already released and buy the government some time away from the spotlight That might be a masterstroke to nail the banks which had caused this whole mess in the first place. It might also get the government a less rocky ride in the Assembly but the governments head is still not out of the noose because it is not enough to show movement on paper. If a massive loan waiver scheme was indeed near completion, it was miraculously noiseless. There was radio silence on the ground. The farmers were neither feeling it on the ground or in their banks. The government is taking care of the first part by keeping the banks open this weekend to answer farmers queries. That will create a lot of buzz on the ground about disbursal. But there is no telling when exactly the farmers will see the money in their banks and the news on that front is still very bad. Even the few disbursals that the banks made before 25 November were riddled with all kinds of comic errors. In Latur, for example, farmers had received text messages from banks saying their loans had been waived but were verbally told that the transactions might be reversed. (Read this exclusive ground report) Do banks have the capacity to scale up disbursals from a few thousands to more than 71.11 lakh in a matter of weeks? Highly unlikely. While the government is dumping money on the banks like theres no tomorrow, banks are unable to keep pace with disbursals. Take, SBI for example. As of 2 December, out of the Rs 8,610 crore released to all 63 banks, SBI alone took Rs 2,371 crore. That is more than 25 percent of the funds released to 63 banks. But SBI disbursed only Rs 600 crore, a dismal disbursal rate of 25 percent. SBI's "green list" was 2,65,778 (one-fifth of the overall "green list" of 13,25,250) but it had completed disbursal to only 1,36,498 beneficiaries, a coverage of just about 50 percent. Other banks are managing a 50 percent disbursal rate but since a major chunk of the disbursal will have to happen through SBI, the picture is not pretty at all. It might only get worse as government off-loads more funds. Racing against time to get the farm loan waiver scheme going before the start of the Assembly, the Fadnavis government has thrown all cautionand Aadhaarto the winds. It is now at the mercy of the banks to see this through quickly and efficiently. But as our investigations have shown, speed and efficiency are in severe short supply with the banks. The mess could just get messier from here. The last word has not been written on Maharashtras loan waiver yet. Read other stories in our series on the farm loan waiver here and here New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has ruled that Rajmata Gayatri Devi's two grandchildren will be her legal heirs and overruled its earlier decision whereby it had said that the two stepsons of the late maharani of Jaipur were also entitled for a share in her property. The dispute had arisen following the death of Gayatri Devi as to who would stake claim over her property. Her grandchildren Devraj and Lalitya had earlier moved the high court saying their father Jagat Singh was the son of Gayatri Devi and Maharaj Sawai Man Singh. Jagat Singh, who was married to Mom Rajawongse Priyanandana Rangsit of Thailand, died leaving a will that Gayatri Devi would be the owner of all his properties. Later, Gayatri Devi, who died on 29 July, 2009, left a will saying her grandchildren Devraj and Lalitya, currently residing in Bangkok, would inherit all her properties, they had told the high court. The recent order by Justice S Ravindra Bhat came on a review petition by the two grandchildren challenging a 2010 decision of this court allowing two separate applications for impleadment as heirs of Gayatri Devi. While one plea was filed by Devraj and Lalitya, the other application was moved by Gayatri Devi's stepsons Prithvi Raj Singh and Jai Singh, who were born from another wife of Maharaj Sawai Man Singh. Her grandchildren contended that only they were entitled to succeed her share as they were the children of late Jagat Singh, who was her predeceased son, and the only class-I legal heirs under the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. They had also said that Prithvi Raj Singh and Jai Singh were the children of late Sawai Man Singh through another wife and could not be treated as Gayatri Devi's heirs. Their submissions were countered by Prithvi Raj and Jai Singh who relied upon the will of Jagat Singh, allegedly excluding his children from succession to his properties. It was submitted that though Devraj and Lalitya might, in the normal circumstances have been the heirs of Gayatri Devi as children of Jagat Singh, they have to be excluded as her successors because they were disinherited by their father. The court, however, set aside its 19 October, 2010 order and allowed the review petition and said "Devraj and Lalitya Kumari are to be treated as legal representatives of late Gayatri Devi". It also relied on a Supreme Court judgement saying the verdict was decisive on the question that step-children cannot be equated to children. "... Therefore, the question of other individuals, claiming to succeed to Gayatri Devi's will, cannot arise. For the foregoing reasons, it is held that the review petition has to succeed. It is allowed. The order dated 19 October, 2010, is therefore, set aside. "The present applicants Devraj and Lalitya Kumari are to be treated as legal representatives of late Gayatri Devi," the bench said. The Supreme Court, in September 2015, had upheld the verdict of the Delhi High Court allowing transfer of some shares of Gayatri Devi to Devraj and Lalitya Kumari. Hisar: A six-year-old girl, who was raped and killed in Haryana's Uklana area, was cremated on Sunday amid tight security, as the agitated locals protested over the gruesome crime. Some unidentified men had allegedly abducted the girl on Friday night when she was sleeping with her sister and mother in their home in a slum area. The men then raped and killed her, the police said. The doctors of Civil Hospital who conducted the post-mortem examination said that the accused inserted a wooden stick into the girl's private parts, which ruptured her intestine. "When the body was handed over to us it was soaked in blood," a kin of the girl told reporters. Angered over the incident, the Opposition parties, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Congress and the local residents demonstrated against the Manohar Lal Khattar led government, on the cremation ground. "The Khattar government is sleeping while incidents of rape and murder take place every other day," senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said. Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda while demanding an immediate arrest of the accused, said such barbaric incidents showed that law and order machinery in the state under the BJP government had collapsed. Things have come to such a pass that children were neither safe in their schools nor at homes, Hooda said. The barbaric incident was a chilling reminder of the 16 December gangrape case in Delhi in 2012 involving a young woman, he said. Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala and party's Hisar MLA Kamal Gupta and other leaders were also present there. A case under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including murder, rape, kidnapping, besides, under the provisions of the POCSO Act has been registered. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also been formed to probe the incident. However, no arrest has been made in the case, said a police spokesman. The police is checking CCTV footage of the area to gather clues, he said. The incident came to light on Saturday when passersby noticed the body of the girl on a deserted street, the police said. The victim's family, who work as labourers, belong to the Sapera community hailing from Tohana town in Fatehabad district. They were living near railway lines in Uklana for the last couple of years. Mumbai: Veteran CPM leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said on Monday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should assure the people of Jammu and Kashmir that their constitutional rights will not be infringed upon. The MLA from Kulgam constituency in Jammu and Kashmir also said that India and Pakistan should engage in "serious talks" to resolve the Kashmir issue. Speaking at an event here, Tarigami said the causes of the prevailing unrest in Kashmir needed to be identified before any solution could be arrived at. There is no denying that this complicated issue is rooted in the history of Partition, he said. "Both countries have not been able to overcome the trauma of Partition. This Partition's trauma is seriously affecting the Kashmir situation," he said. The senior legislator said the current dispensation in Jammu and Kashmir, led by PDP's Mehbooba Mufti, is using old methods like use of force to tackle unrest in the militancy-hit state, creating further disillusionment among the people. "The government should explore the process of showing the unrest among people as a human tragedy. There is neither a militant nor a military solution. It only results in human tragedy." The veteran Communist advocated initiating a "genuine" dialogue with all stakeholders, including separatists. "The government should initiate a process of genuine and sustainable dialogue with all stakeholders like politicians and separatists. This crisis cannot be overcome by including some and ignoring others. Also, it should not be a half-hearted exercise." "Initiatives should be taken to rebuild the confidence of the people by releasing political leaders. The prime minister should, in parliament, assure the people of J&K that their constitutional rights under Articles 370 and 35 (A) will not be infringed upon," Tarigami added. Article 370 grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, while Article 35 A empowers the state legislature to define permanent citizens. The Jammu and Kashmir head of the CPM said both India and Pakistan have fought wars, but they should start "serious talks" now. "Not talking to Pakistan seriously is dangerous for the region. Talks will be good for India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir," Tarigami said. Srinagar: Restrictions were imposed in many parts of Srinagar on Sunday to prevent a separatist-called protest march, police said. The areas under restrictions were Khanyar, Nowhatta, Rainawari, MR Gunj, Safa Kadal, Maisuma and Kralkhud. "Partial restrictions have also been imposed in Kothibagh and Ram Munshibagh areas," the police said. The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), a separatist conglomerate, has called the protest march to the headquarters of the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in Sonawar to highlight human rights violations in Kashmir. The march coincides with the World Human Rights Day observed annually on 10 December. Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman, Muhammad Yasin Malik has gone underground. Authorities have already placed Mirwaiz Umer Farooq under house arrest while the octogenarian senior separatist leader, Syed Ali Geelani continues to remain under house arrest for nearly a year. Heavy contingents of police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed in the areas placed under restrictions. The Cyclone Ockhi rehabilitation package announced by Keralas Left Democratic Front (LDF) government considers only the direct victims of the tropical disaster. It is silent on the possible loss of livelihood of thousands of fishermen, who eke out a living from the sea, due to the damage it may have caused to the marine biodiversity. Preliminary studies by the University of Kerala showed that Ockhi had caused damage not only on land but also underwater. The study conducted by the department of aquatic biology department of the varsity in collaboration with Bond Safari Kovalam, an underwater adventure company, showed that the cyclone had caused widespread damage to marine biodiversity. The study conducted with the help of scuba divers of the private firm showed extensive damage to the coastal biodiversity. Dr Biju Kumar, head of the department, said Ockhi had destroyed 80 per cent of the mussel colonies in Kovalam, one of the worst-hit areas in the state. The mussel beds clinging to rocky reefs four to seven meters below the ocean surface are very high in marine biodiversity. These are food for people and also serve as microhabitat for many other species, including many lesser known varieties. Mussels have a high demand in Kerala, Karnataka and Goa. Biju told Firstpost that underwater photographs and video footage taken by five scuba divers of Bond Safari showed devastated mussel colonies and barren reefs. The impact of Ockhi documented with time scale data by Bond Safari showed catastrophic changes, with total replacement of mussel beds, in all the exposed regions. The aquatic expert said the cyclone had also devastated the entire coastal fishing in the area. Besides mussels, Kovalam and neighbouring areas are also known for conches and many rich varieties of ornamental fish. These fishermen will also have to bear the brunt of the cyclone for a long time to come, as resuscitation of the coast will take time. The mussel beds that suffered the biggest damage are part of a unique ecosystem found off the Thiruvananthapuram coast, which are dominated by rocky structures, seaweeds and corals. Interspersed by rocks, platforms, cobbles, pebbles and boulders, they provide an ideal platform for the rich coastal biodiversity, says Jackson Peter, managing director of Bond Safari, who led the underwater observation. He told Firstpost that the area was an important source of food and nutrients for members of neighbouring terrestrial and marine ecosystems. They also serve as an important nursery area for many fish and crustacean species. The coastal biodiversity in the region is already under strain from development activity and pollution. While tourism has already claimed large swathes of the once thriving fishing village, the construction of a new international seaport at Vizhinjam has done irreparable damage to the marine ecosystem. A study on the impact of the developmental activity in the region by Valiyathura-based research group Friends of Marine Life (FML) showed that dredging for the seaport alone had caused extensive damage to the marine ecosystem in a seven kilometre stretch covering Vizhinjam, Kovalam and Mulloor. A report on the study in the New Indian Express said the port-related construction works, especially dredging, had brought most of the near-inshore underwater reefs along the seven-km stretch under mud destroying the mussel colonies and barren reefs. According to the report, there are 33 near-inshore underwater reefs along the stretch. It is also the main mussel zone in this part of the coast. Ten to 12 reefs, mostly in Vizhinjam and Mulloor, are already under mud now. All the rocky reefs have become empty of life forms, the report quoted Robert Panipilla, the researcher and FML convenor, as saying. We have lost a large extent of rich mussel beds due do sedimentation caused by the port building. The remaining healthy patch of mussel beds is now replaced due to the high energy waves created by the cyclone, says Jackson. Apart from dredging, the indiscriminate dumping of city waste in the sea has also done lot of harm to marine life forms. These activities will have serious repercussions for the local communities who depend on mussel collection for their livelihood for years, says Jackson. He said that it was important to document the impacts after the cyclone in order to adapt with such instances in future. A study of species recovery and succession in the affected area would be ideal as India has lesser experience in this area. Scientifically the majority of species belonging to rocky shore communities have extensive geographical ranges. However, specific communities associated with specialised hard structures such as laterite rocks along Kerala coast are habitats of specialised biodiversity, says Jackson. Experts have demanded comprehensive studies to understand the extent of the destruction and its impact on the marine biodiversity. Biju Kumar has additionally called for bringing the fishermen affected by the cyclone devastation under the ambit of the rehabilitation package. I request the government of Kerala to order a study to understand the destruction caused to the marine biodiversity and roll out a proper rehabilitation package to people who are directly affected by the damage in the underwater, he said. The government has not taken into account these people who will have to bear the brunt of the cyclone in the longer run while preparing the rehabilitation package. The package is based on damages caused on the land. But it should also take into account those affected by the changes underwater, he added. Incidentally, the Latin Catholic Church, which represents the fisherfolk, has rejected the package and has called for an agitation from Monday. Thiruvananthapuram Archdiocese Father Eugene H Pereira said the package prepared without consulting the fishermen had not taken into account the long-term impact of the calamity. The Church has demanded the declaration of Ockhi as a national disaster and rehabilitation under its provisions. The Church leaders have threatened to carry the dead bodies to the secretariat if their demands are not accepted by the government. The government is trying to avert such an agitation as it may fuel passions. The situation in the affected area is still tense with the search by various agencies for the remaining fishermen stranded in the sea not yielding much result. The ministers, including chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, faced the wrath of the fisherfolk when they visited the affected areas. The ministers are trying to assuage the feelings of the Church leaders. Two ministers have already met Archbishop Soosaipakyam and assured him to give due consideration to the demands made by the Church, which include using the experience of the fishermen in recasting the rehabilitation package. The state government, which had bungled in alerting the fisherfolk about the cyclone and failed miserably in coordinating the search and rescue operations, will have a tough time if it fails to take the fishermen into confidence in the rehabilitation effort. Hyderabad: A student from Hyderabad was shot by an unidentified person in Chicago in the United States, his family members said. Hyderabad youth studying in Chicago (U.S.) shot at by assailants, presently under observation. Family members say 'request Government of India to help us' pic.twitter.com/L6JzZKLGw6 ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2017 The family said Mohammed Akbar, doing his masters in computer sciences, was injured when a bullet hit his right cheek on 6 December. According to his brother Mohammed Ashraf, Akbar, 30, was walking towards his car in a parking area when he was shot. He was admitted to a hospital. His family said it had requested the Telangana government and the Ministry of External Affairs to make arrangements for an emergency visa to enable them to visit the US. "We have met Telangana home minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy and today talked over the phone to officials of the Union Ministry of External Affairs. They have assured us of all necessary help in this regard," Ashraf told PTI. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis' hometown of Nagpur saw a battle of press conferences on Sunday, as both the state government and Opposition parties addressed the media on the farm loan waiver. The vehement claims and counter-claims were made just a day before the start of the Winter Session of the Legislative Assembly. Speaking at his residence, Fadnavis asserted, "The farm loan waiver scheme will continue until the last farmer who has applied receives the amount." He hit out at the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), saying that when a similar waiver was announced in 2008, the state government did not have accurate data on the beneficiaries of the scheme. Fadnavis further stated that the state government has saved 'thousands of crores' of rupees by ensuring that only genuine applicants are given the benefit of the loan waiver. However, he did not state a specific number when asked about the amount of money saved. "I will provide a comparison of the fifteen years of the previous regime and the three years of our government on the floor of the House," Fadnavis said. Following are details of some districts of Maharashtra with regard to the number of farmers found eligible by the state government: Name of district Number of farmers found eligible Ahmednagar 1.37 lakh Akola 1.06 lakh Amaravati 1.30 lakh Aurangabad 94,000 Beed 1.08 lakh Buldhana 2.22 lakh Chandrapur 68,000 Dhule 52,000 Hingoli 56,000 Jalgaon 1.42 lakh Jalna 1.40 lakh Nagpur 57,000 Nanded 1.13 lakh Nasik 1.30 lakh Parbhani 1.29 lakh Pune 82,000 Wardha 65,000 Sangli 42,000 Solapur 1.36 lakh Washim 79,000 Yavatmal 1.69 lakh Inter-district 2.21 lakh New Delhi: Employees of Max Hospital in New Delhi, 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 Delhi Medical Association (DMA) on Saturday called Delhi government's decision to cancel the licence of Max Hospital "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 was 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 saidon Saturday. The baby boy was 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 newborn started moving while being taken for burial. The baby was later admitted in a clinic in Pitampura, but died on Wednesday. Bhubaneswar: NASA Astronaut Jack David Fischer has said that space gives a sense of humbleness and spirituality. The 43-year-old astronaut, who made his first spaceflight in April 2017 as a flight engineer for Expedition 51/52 on the International Space Station was in Bhubaneswar to hold a discourse as part of Odisha Knowledge Hub Lecture Series, organised by the state government. Introducing him to the audience, the state's Development Commissioner R Balakrishnan said Fischer had been selected as a member of the Nasa Astronaut Group-20 in 2009 for his distinguished achievements in military service, astronautics and space engineering. The spaceman, who returned to Earth with his team members on 3 September, 2017 after 135 days, 18 hours and 8 minutes of stay in the space, shared his experiences with students, academicians and research scholars at Friday's session and also took questions from them. The space has given astronauts from different countries a chance to come together to work for the growth of science and technology, he said. "The sight of the boundary-less Universe with its innumerable astronomical bodies and movements make us feel how small and insignificant we are in this endless ocean," he said. Walking in the space gives an amazing and transfixing experience, Fischer explained. "As we went up, we saw a blue line surrounding the Earth indicating that life was within it," he said. Replying to a query about the existence of aliens, the astronaut said, "I cannot say that we are the only living beings in this boundary-less universe. There might be living beings in other solar systems." New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Sunday pitched for a nationwide ban on alcohol, and asked party activists here to raise awareness among people about the ill effects of liquor consumption. Hitting out at the Congress and Left parties, he asked why they could not support ban on liquor and campaign against its consumption. "When Gujarat could implement liquor ban, Bihar could show that it could also be banned in the state, why it cannot be banned in the entire country?" Kumar said addressing a party event. Stressing that all religions including Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism criticise the liquor consumption, he said ban on liquor in the entire country would be the biggest sign of communal harmony and respect to all the religions. The Bihar chief minister also listed out various benefits of ban on liquor like fall in crime rate, road accidents and various diseases. The Bihar government had imposed a ban on sale and manufacturing of liquor in April 2016. JD(U) Delhi unit president Narsingh Shah, addressing the event, said the main aim of the party in national capital would be to regularise over 1,600 unauthorised colonies if it comes to power. He said the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have failed to fulfill their promise to regularise these colonies where the living condition is "very pathetic". Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday demanded legal action against an unidentified man accused of molesting Dangal actress Zaira Wasim on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight. "The passenger should be identified to the police by @airvistara & a case filed for legal action. None of this 'he fell at my feet so I forgive him' rubbish!", he wrote on Twitter. The passenger should be identified to the police by @airvistara & a case filed for legal action. None of this he fell at my feet so I forgive him rubbish! https://t.co/1umbBOOGAu Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 10, 2017 The national award-winning actress was allegedly molested by a co-passenger on the Delhi-Mumbai Air Vistara flight. The actor narrated her ordeal on Instagram via live video. Zaira said she was on the Air Vistara flight from Delhi to Mumbai when a co-passenger sitting behind her put up his feet on her armrest. "So, I was in a flight travelling from Delhi to Mumbai today and right behind me one middle-aged man who made my two-hour journey miserable. I tried to record it on phone to understand it better because the cabin lights were dimmed, I failed to get it... "The lights were dimmed, so it was even worse. It continued for another five to ten minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck," she said in the video post. The incident drew strong ire from netizens, who voiced their support for the actress. In a statement on Twitter, the airline Vistara said it would look into the complaint, and added that it had "zero tolerance for such behaviour". "We @airvistara have seen the reports regarding @ZairaWasimmm experience with another customer on board our flight last night. We are carrying out detailed investigation and will support Zaira in every way required. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour". Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday accused India of turning down its "message for peace" by refusing to stop ceasefire violations. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal claimed that Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif in a letter to his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj had urged for calm and respect for the 2003 ceasefire agreement. "India has responded to the letter and instead of accepting our message for peace once again repeated old allegation of cross border incursions and refused to stop violations," the spokesperson said. Faisal also said that India was not ready for independent verification of its allegations or accept Pakistan's proposal to give proper access to the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). India maintains that the UNMOGIP has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control (LoC). Faisal alleged that India was using cross border attacks to divert attention from the issue of Kashmir. Pakistan on Saturday had 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) in Islamabad 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. Puducherry: Opposition AIADMK on Sunday demanded a judicial probe into alleged irregularities in the admission of students in three private medical colleges in the Union Territory during 2017-18. Talking to reporters here the AIADMK legislature wing leader A Anbalagan said the Medical Council of India's recent direction to quash the admission of 105 students of first-year MBBS course in the colleges here is a "shocking development." The MCI had rescinded the admission as the names of the 105 students furnished by the colleges did not match with the CENTAC list, he said referring to the Council's order. CENTAC is the statutory authority constituted by the territorial government for selecting candidates to professional courses in the Union Territory. The students' future was now hanging in the balance, Anbalagan said and appealed to Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi to order a judicial probe into the alleged irregularities. "Puducherry has been witnessing such scams in admission to professional colleges every year," he alleged. He sought to know why the Lieutenant Governor, who had been making a 'hue and cry' during admission of students to medical colleges was now keeping quiet even as the MCI had quashed the admission of students. A 7 December press release from the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare services said the MCI directed the colleges to "immediately discharge the students," admitted in violation of Graduate Medical Education (GME) Regulations 1997. Mumbai: In an apparent reference to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992, senior CPM leader Prakash Karat on Sunday claimed the then PV Narasimha Rao government had decided against stopping the vandalism. Launching an attack on the Congress, the senior Left leader said the secularism of that party was rather weak. "The Congress cannot be called a secular party. It professes to be a secular party but its secularism is rather weak. It tends to compromise and vacillates. We know what happened during the Babri masjid....I was there and know exactly what happened in the run-up to that. The Narsimha Rao government decided not to act to stop this vandalism," Karat said at an event here. "....It's a chequered history. There is still a secular base of the Congress, where it is vacillating (now) and compromising faced with the offensive of the Hindutva forces (sic)," he said. Replying to a query on the Left parties not putting up one-third number of women candidates in Assembly and general elections, Karat said it was a big struggle and hoped that the BJP government brings a Bill in Parliament on women's reservation. "As as far as putting up one-third women for elections is concerned, it is because we are not able to do so. We want reservation. We know it is not easy to ensure adequate representation in terms of women candidates even in our party, the Left parties. It's a big struggle. We are trying to do this. But we made a very limited progress," the Communist politician said. Unless there is a Constitutional requirement, even the Left parties will not put up one third women candidates in polls. "...Or you will have to wait for another two or three decades before we achieve this. So, we are not prepared to wait for that and we are actively campaigning for the (bill for) one-third reservation (for women) in parliament and legislature should be passed in parliament," the former CPI (M) general secretary said. He said the BJP was "by the way is committed to bring the bill". Karat said the BJP in its poll manifestos as well as in the Rajya Sabha had supported the women reservation bill. Why did the BJP not adopt the bill when it has absolute majority in Lok Sabha now and at a time when the Congress, the principal opposition party, is supporting its passage. "Many other parties are also for it (the passage of the bill). So the small number of parties that oppose it are insignificant in Lok Sabha. So this is the right time to get this through and we are hoping the government gets this brings back in Parliament and adopts it," Karat said. The long-pending Women's Reservation bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 under the Congress-led UPA. New Delhi: Academics and social activists formed a silent human chain 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 (CPM) 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 7 December, 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. Hyderabad: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the people in Gujarat he was pained by "abuses" hurled at him but kept mum on the heart-rending killing of a Muslim labourer in Rajasthan. Referring to the killing of Mohammed Afrazul, who hailed from West Bengal, allegedly in the name of "love jihad" on Wednesday, Owaisi alleged Muslims were being targeted under the BJP rule because of their faith. "Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi no one called you a Pakistani ... I have been called a Pakistani for 70 years. Whom should I complain to?" "Now that you have been abused you are telling the people in Gujarat you were pained," Owaisi said at an event in Hyderabad. He alleged Modi referred to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute as an issue of Ram Temple only and asked if he was the prime minister of "the Hindus or the entire nation". Referring to Mani Shankar Aiyar's controversial remark against the prime minister, the Hyderabad MP said he did not approve of the language used by the Congress leader. "I do not approve of the language. But you should have at least mentioned Afrazul during campaigning in Gujarat," he said. Afrazul (48) was hacked and burnt to death in Rajasthans Rajsamand district. In a video of the killing shared on social media, the accused is seen declaring he killed the man to save a woman from "love jihad" and warning that anyone challenging the majority community would "meet the same fate". "There is a BJP government in Rajasthan. It is under your government Afrazul was killed and the killer speaks about love jihad. It is your people who talk about love jihad. "You have been saying you were abused and you are pained. Not once did you speak about Afrazul," he said. The AIMIM chief alleged Muslims were being selectively targeted since the BJP came to power in 2014. "Muslims are being targeted because of their faith and the government lauds those who nurture such thinking," he said. Owaisi alleged the prime minister was silent on the killings of "Mohammed Akhlaq, Hafiz Junaid and Ummar Khan". Akhlaq was lynched in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly storing beef in 2015. Junaid was killed on a train by a mob that hurled communal slurs at him. Ummar Khan was shot dead allegedly by cow vigilantes in Rajasthan in November. "No one from the BJP speaks on the incidents. Why the PM did not speak on the death of Afrazul. It shows the mentality of the BJP," Owaisi said. The prime minister should ask the people not to doubt the honesty of Muslims or call them Pakistanis, he said. At an event in Mahabubnagar, Owaisi alleged that the ideology of Hindutva would "weaken and destroy the country like fire". While speaking on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute, Modi in Gujarat described it as Ram temple (issue), Owaisi said. "Are you a prime minister of the Hindus or the entire nation? How can a prime minister speak for one side? You should have said it was an issue of Mandir and Masjid," he said. Modi was "silent" when a Union minister from Karnataka "abused" Muslims, he alleged. "If you are the prime minister of the entire India then remove him (the minister) from the ministry," he added. New Delhi: Fourteen schools have approached the CISF to get a professional security audit done of their premises and effectively secure students, a development that has come in the wake of the killing of a boy in a Gurugram school recently. The paramilitary force, that works under the command of the Union home ministry, had sometime back written to schools across the country extending services of its special consultancy wing that provides security suggestions to organisations and agencies. "Till date, 14 schools from all parts of the country have requested the CISF to provide consultancy service to strengthen their security apparatus for safety and protection of school children," CISF spokesperson Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Hemendra Singh said. He said those who have shown interest in the offer made by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) include reputed schools from Kolkata, Mumbai and Dehradun. "Expert teams of the consultancy wing will soon visit these schools and prepare a professional security blueprint for them," Singh said. The CISF security consultancy wing was raised in 1999 and till now it has provided its expert advice to over 150 organisations or institutions including IITs, IIMs, RBI and the National Police Academy in Hyderabad among others. The wing also posted its best result this year as it earned Rs 2.54 crore revenue as government fee for providing these services. "There has been a noticeable surge in revenue earned through consultancy fee in the last four years. "Average annual revenue earning till 2013 since inception was Rs 20 lakh whereas in last four years the wing has earned revenue of Rs 7.06 crore. This makes the average annual revenue for the last four years to Rs 1.77 crore," Singh said. During this calendar year, he said, the total revenue earning is Rs 2.54 crore which is the "highest ever in a single calendar year since the inception of the consultancy services". The previous best earning through consultancy was of Rs 2.10 crore in 2015, he said. The paramilitary, mandated as the nodal security agency to guard critical installations in the country including airports, had dispatched letters last month to a number of schools stating it can help create a "safe and secure" environment for children which will come with a service fee. The consultancy fee would be around Rs 4 lakh for a school, it had said. The trigger for this all-India exercise by the force was the recent incident of killing of a Class II student of the Ryan International School in Gurgaon who was found dead in the school bathroom with his throat slit on 8 September. CISF Director General OP Singh had said the force took the initiative as part of its responsibility towards the society. "We are the best-suited government agency for doing such expert security consultancies and in preparing safe environments. We need to ensure safety to the school-going children," he had told PTI. The force has assured the schools that its professional but chargeable security solutions will be custom-made for them like it does for each of its clients. The report tells the client where to install CCTV cameras, where to deploy security staff, how to check access control, how to train their security staff and install emergency response gadgets. Mumbai police on Sunday arrested the man who allegedly molested Dangal actress Zaira Wasim on board a flight. According to a report by The Economic Times, he will be kept in custody till 13 December. The accused was identified as 39-year-old Vikas Sachdeva, a senior executive at an entertainment firm in Mumbai, according to a Times of India report. According to ANI, the action was taken after the Mumbai Police registered an FIR against Sachdeva under section 354 IPC & POCSO Act in the matter. The 17-year-old actress said that she was molested mid-air by a middle-aged man, drawing strong reactions by women's rights activists and politicians. Sachdeva's wife, Divya Sachdeva, has now responded to the allegations leveled against her husband and has come out in his defense. We as a family are completely shattered. My father is an ex-army officer and my husband is an income tax officers son. We respect women. She (Zaira) is making an allegation for publicity to get the limelight. He had gone for the condolence prayer of his real mama. He was in trauma and shock. He was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. Every time women neednt be right. Men can be innocent too," said Divya, according to a News18 report. Divya said that her husband was "innocent" and that he did not have any "intention to molest", according to a tweet by ANI. My husband is innocent, had no intention to molest. There was a young death in family,which is where he went , hadn't slept for 24 hours. He asked crew to not disturb & wanted to sleep. His foot was on arm rest but not with intention to harass: Wife of accused in #ZairaWasim case pic.twitter.com/UA7WokkJfe ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2017 Sachdeva also told the police that his foot touched the actor by mistake and that he apologised to her after she raised an alarm. The National Award winning Kashmiri actress complained about her ordeal on an Instagram live video, claiming that a middle-aged man seated behind her moved his foot up and down her neck and back. In the self-shot video on Instagram, Zaira is also seen breaking down. "I just landed, the whole irony of this that I yelled... and this is not done... this is not how you should be treated or made to feel. This is terrible...This is how they will take care of girls? No one will help us if we don't decide to help ourselves and that is the worst thing," she said, looking visibly disturbed. The incident took place on board a Vistara Airlines flight from Delhi to Mumbai. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti reacted to the incident, saying she was appalled by what happened to Zaira. "Any harassment or crime against women should be dealt with swiftly and effectively. As a mother of two daughters, I am appalled at what happened with Zaira," Mufti tweeted and urged the authorities to take strict action. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the passenger should be identified by Air Vistara and legal action should be taken against him. The Civil Aviation Ministry has sought a report on the incident and the National Commission for Women (NCW) has written to the Maharashtra DGP and the ethics officer demanding a "satisfactory explanation to the commission" on the matter within 24 hours. NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma, Swati Maliwal of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, issued notices to authorities concerned to take due action. It is also reported that DCW has sent a notice to Vistara Airlines seeking a report till 16 December. Vistara Airlines apologized to Zaira and said it was carrying out a detailed investigation. "We will support Wasim in every way required and also if she decides to report this matter to the police... We apologise for what Wasim experienced and we have zero tolerance for such behaviour," a post on the airlines' official Twitter page stated. We @airvistara have seen the reports regarding @ZairaWasimmm experience with another customer on board last night. We are carrying out detailed investigation and will support Zaira in every way required. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour. Vistara (@airvistara) December 10, 2017 From the film industry, director Onir and actress Swara Bhasker came out in support of Zaira. "Shame Vistara that your staff did nothing. Shame on all the passengers, they are equally guilty as this moron. It should not be difficult for airlines to locate him from seat no. He should be arrested and punished," Onir tweeted. Swara slammed it an "intolerable" incident and said, "We are now at that point where a 17-year-old child has to remind us what is right and what is wrong. I'm so sorry that adults around you let you down, Zaira Wasim. But you keep up the good fight. Stay strong." Filmmaker Ravinder Randhawa was also enraged by the criticism Wasim received after talking about the incident, saying "We are a nation where a rape happened in broad daylight and no one intervened. But we are quick to question the victim and her intentions the moment she raises her voice. So, all you cowards out there. Zaira Wasim is a brave girl, braver than all," he said. We are a nation where a rape happened in broad daylight and no one intervened. But we are quick to question the victim and her intentions the moment she raises her voice. So, all you cowards out there. Zaira Wasim is a brave girl, braver than all of you. 2/2 Ravinder Randhawa (@RaviRandhawa77) December 10, 2017 Wrestler Babita Phogat also tweeted a video in support of Zaira, who played the younger version of Geeta Phogat in Dangal. "If someone is misbehaving with you, give a tight slap on their face. They will never dare to repeat their actions again. Zaira, you don't need to be afraid of anyone and just be 'dhaakad' (bold) in real life as well," Babita said in the video. With inputs from agencies New Delhi: The National Commission for Women (NCW) has written to the Maharashtra DGP and the ethics officer of Vistara Airlines over an allegation that Dangal actress Zaira Wasim was molested on board a flight from Delhi to Mumbai. In an email to them, the NCW said it had taken cognizance of media reports regarding the incident and it expected action in the matter. "It has been reported that the actress said the man was rubbing his foot against her back and neck while she was half asleep in the plane...She posted a video on a social media platform a little after midnight in which she narrated the harrowing incident on board the Air Vistara flight, tears rolling down her cheeks," NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma wrote. Although the airline claimed they had zero tolerance for such behavior, no complaint was filed with the police, the NCW chief said. Sharma asked the Maharashtra DGP and the Vistara officer to give a satisfactory explanation to the commission on the matter within 24 hours, "failing which the Commission will be compelled to take action under powers in the NCW Act, 1990". Wasim on Saturday alleged she was molested by a co-passenger on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight. The "Dangal" actress narrated her ordeal on Instagram via live video. Wasim said she was on an Air Vistara flight from Delhi to Mumbai when a co-passenger sitting behind her put up his feet on her armrest. New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi is likely to assume the reins of the Congress on 16 December, marking a generational shift in the grand old party when his mother and its longest-serving president would formally hand over the baton to him. While pageantry would herald the dawn of a new era in the party which has ruled the country for over half-a-century since independence, the 47-year-old scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family will face the daunting task of restoring lost glory to the party whose fortunes have been dwindling in the recent past. Today, the party, which once controlled almost the entire country, has its governments in just five states and the Union Territory of Puducherry. The announcement of Rahul's elevation, however, is likely to be made on Monday, the last date of withdrawal of nomination for the election of the Congress president which is a one horse race. Altogether 89 nominations received in his favour were found to be valid during scrutiny. The Congresss Central Election Authority chairman Mullapally Ramachandran, and CEA members Madhusudan Mistry and Bhubaneswar Kalita will announce that Rahul's was the only nomination for the top job on Monday. Rahul would, however, be handed over the certificate appointing him the party president on 16 December in the presence of Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders, Ramachandran said. Sonia Gandhi will officially hand over the mantle of the 132-year-old party to her son around 11 am after which Rahul will meet leaders from across the country at the Congress's headquarters, party sources said. The Congress has been losing state after state since the 2014 Lok Sabha election with the exception of Punjab. Rahul's elevation would come just two days ahead of the counting of votes for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly poll. A sure-footed Rahul powered a spirited campaign for the Congress in Gujarat, and a win in the election, which many analysts say could be dead heat between the two parties, would come as a massive boost for him. "Delivering in Gujarat will be important as it is the immediate test facing Rahul, who has mounted a strong anti-BJP campaign in the state and led personally from the front. We are looking at victory in Gujarat," said a Congress leader and former chief minister. Mahila Congress chief and party spokesperson Sushmita Dev said reorganising the party would be another major task for him. "Every post comes with a challenge. He has to rebuild the party at the grassroots and strengthen the ideological base. His undisputed election as party president is a sign of his strength. He will have to take everyone along from the AICC level right up to the states," she told PTI. Striking a balance between the old guard and the young leaders would be a key to running the organisation which has many seasoned politicians whose wisdom he could use as he steers the party. Rahul had said in the past that he would draw upon a blend of experience of the old and the energy of the young. "Initial signs are encouraging since he put veterans like Ashok Gehlot and Sushil Kumar Shinde in charge of elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh respectively and was willing to bank on them," said a leader. He also got appointed young leaders as secretaries. Clarity on the party's ideological stand on the issue of Hindutva would also be important as he is being seen as projecting the Congress's soft Hindutva with his visit to temples in Gujarat. He has also proclaimed himself a "Shiv bhakt". These visits are also being seen as an attempt to blunt the BJP's accusation against the party of Muslim appeasement. "This is to course-correct after it was felt that an overtly pro-minority image of the Congress undermined its electoral prospects on the eve of 2014 Lok Sabha elections," a party veteran noted, adding cobbling together electoral alliances will also be key to the future growth of the party. Another former union minister said every state had its own set of challenges and Rahul would be expected to make informed decisions in each by taking everyone along. Rahul has already been taking all major decisions in the party even though his formal elevation was delayed due to a long-drawn internal election process. The deadline set by the Election Commission for the conclusion of the organisational elections in the Congress expires on 31 December. Organisational elections in the Congress were due in 2015. The party constitution provides for elections to be held every five years. The last such polls were held in 2010. Rahul, who was initially hesitant about taking over the reins from Sonia Gandhi, who held the partys top post for 19 years, will be the sixth member and fifth generation leader of the Nehru-Gandhi clan to occupy the post. These include Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and now Rahul. Some eminent leaders who held the post in the pre-independence era included Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Abul Kalam Azad, Vallabhai Patel and Rajendra Prasad. Eminent people like Madan Mohan Malviya, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Dadabhai Naoroji, Annie Besant and Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee, the first party president, also led the party in the pre-independence era. Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 Ahmedabad: BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday accused the Congress of indulging in "politics of minority appeasement" during the Gujarat polls as the latter was sure of its defeat. "The Congress first indulged in caste politics. Now, two-three days prior to the first phase of voting, when they could see their defeat, the Congress has gone back to politics of minority appeasement," Shah told reporters in Ahmedabad. Shah said it began with the words used by suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar against the prime minister. "Now fact has emerged that former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former vice president Hamid Ansari along with Aiyar had met the Pakistani high commissioner for over three hours without the knowledge of the external affairs ministry. I cannot comprehend the reason for such a meeting," he said. "A day after the meeting, Aiyar used derogatory language against Modi," he said, wondering what message the Congress was sending through this. Accusing the Congress of minority appeasement, Shah said a spokesperson for the party, Charan Singh, had on television asked the prime minister to visit the Jama Masjid to seek forgiveness for the 2002 Gujarat riots. "The entire country knows that allegations by Congress-backed NGOs against Modi regarding the 2002 riots were rejected by the Supreme Court. But this Congress leader in 2017, for the sake of vote bank politics, is asking Modi to go to the Jama Masjid to apologise for the 2002 riots," Shah said. Shah said the party had deployed its leader Salman Nizami to campaign in Gujarat. "Nizami believes in freedom of Kashmir and has made statements that Afzals (Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru) would be born in every home of the state," Shah said. Speaking of Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, Shah alleged he accepted donations from an outfit linked to the PFI (Popular Front of India). The Congress extended its support to Mevani from Vadgam and not put up any candidate against him after Mevani met Rahul Gandhi, he said. "Mevani's photographs accepting funds from a PFI-linked outfit went viral (on social media). The entire country knows about the anti-national activities of PFI," he said, claiming the organisation was trying to recruit people for terror group ISIS. He said PFI activists have been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and a recent sting operation showed its role in "love jihad" incidents. Its activists were also involved in chopping the hands of professor TJ Joseph in Kerala, Shah said. He said the Congress would have allowed Mevani to contest on its election symbol but chose to only extend support to him after his connection with PFI became known. Shah said the BJP is fighting the Gujarat polls only on the plank of development. The first phase of assembly polls, covering 89 seats, was held yesterday, while the second and final round of voting will take place on 14 December. Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 Gandhinagar: Having headed the two main political parties in Gujarat, former chief minister Shankarsinh Vaghela is convinced that the Congress has deliberately lost out to the BJP, which will end up with a majority in the state Assembly elections. Vagela, who quit the Congress earlier this year, believed that the opposition party's central leadership had taken a "supari" (contract) from the BJP to lose the Assembly elections and predicted a clear majority for the ruling party in the state. The six-time MP who left the Congress to float his outfit, Jan Vikalp Morcha, a few months ahead of the polls, also claimed that Patidar leader Hardik Patel would be "history" after this election. "People like him only serve their own interests. You will see that once the election gets over, he will be history," Vaghela, who was the chief of the Congress and the BJP in the state at different times, said in an interview. In the forefront of state politics for more than three decades, 77-year-old Vaghela, earlier with the BJP, felt the Congress could have won the election if it had started preparing for it earlier. "The BJP has a strong organisation in Gujarat and a massive base of party workers. If you have to challenge them you need to start your groundwork at least six months before the elections," he added. Vaghela, who was state chief minister from 1996 to 1997, said he had told Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that the party could win more than 90 seats and be able to form the government. "I also made it clear to him that I don't want to be the chief minister. He also assured me that he was my friend in Delhi and would support me in running the party in the state," Vaghela said. But a few leaders in the party's high command did not want the party to win the elections, he claimed. "Leaders in the Congress's central leadership have taken a supari (contract) from the BJP to lose the election in Gujarat. They could have won it," he said, adding that the BJP would get more than 110 seats and form the government. He further said this would have been the best opportunity for the Congress to win an election as people were looking for a chance. "The BJP is shrewd in its political management and the Congress ignored that fact by not doing its groundwork," he said. Vaghela also ruled out any possibility of going back to the BJP. "The party had offered a ticket to my son but he refused it, so there is no question," Vaghela said. He said while he would not contest an election, he would continue to remain in politics and public life. New Delhi: The witty little Amul girl - known for her almost-daily one-liners - has morphed into a pro-Congress figure as part of a social media campaign for the Gujarat election, asking people to use their "Amulya" (invaluable) vote to oust the BJP from a state it has ruled for over two decades. With the common tagline "Kyunki aapka vote bohut AMULya hai" (Because your vote is invaluable) and "Parivartan hai lana, saathi haath badhaana" (Join hands to bring change), the poster campaign by a loose group of artists - mostly from Kerala - is a take-off on the iconic daCunha Communications advertisements for the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation that created the popular Amul dairy products brand. Ten different theme-based posters of the campaign have gone viral on different social media platforms. The posters talk about "fear" in Gujarat, effects of demonetisation and GST, education of the girl child, the meteoric rise in the business assets of BJP chief Amit Shah's son, Jay Shah, and the bullet train. The posters, of course, don't feature the blue-haired "Amul Girl" - but a boy resembling her. Those behind the pro-Congress campaign say they are not official Congress workers or the party's supporters, and have taken a cue from Rahul Gandhi's speeches in which he had said his Gujarat battle is "cooperatives" versus the corporate world. "Rahul Gandhi has been saying in his speeches that they will follow the Amul model of cooperation and cooperatives where everybody is allowed a say in participation," one of the artists told IANS. They refused to be named because they "don't want to come into the political limelight". Asked about the inspiration, the artist said the Amul theme has been popular across India for decades and talks about day-to-day issues affecting the common citizen. "This is innocent and disarming while being critical -also without being abusive... that's why we chose this style," the artist said. Does the boy in the campaign depict Rahul Gandhi? "No," the artist said. "Amul has a little girl and we made this boy - a common man. We didn't want the same character due to copyright issues," said another artist, quickly adding: "Naturally, the thing is Rahul takes a potshot (against BJP leaders) almost on every issue, every day." The artists said the campaign has so far covered a range of topics central to Gujarat elections, focusing on economic issues like "the harassment first caused by demonetisation and then GST". There is one on schoolchildren. "Lots of kids have dropped out of schools or colleges because their parents' incomes have halved after the GST, because of loss of business. "There is a whole chain in the textile industry that has been affected. They have lost money and their children got affected," said a visualiser from the group. So what do the posters on GST and demonetisation say? One of them shows a group of men and women chasing a bearded "dacoit" holding a rifle. The dacoit depicts the villain, Gabbar Singh from the cult Bollywood movie "Sholay". And the boy comes with a punchline in the corner: "Bohut tax khaya, ab panja kha!" The "panja", or palm, is the Congress symbol. "There is a theme featuring fear in Gujarat. People are afraid there. Lots of people don't want to say anything because they are afraid. We addressed the fear issue. "Remove the fear, rest -- propaganda, hunger, corruption -- will disappear." Another poster shows a bearded man holding a weighing scale tilted towards the end holding businessmen. One of them is drinking milk from a baby feeder. The scale is tilted towards the businessmen because "Jay Shah - Jyada cheese kha gaya". Then, there is the bullet train. The artists said people in Surat had been demanding a Metro and never got it, but Gujarat is getting a bullet train which won't be of much use to anyone. "Bullet train meri jaan, hey jumlon ka nishan" (Bullet train is a symbol of rhetoric), reads the poster showing a bullet train with a bearded man on its front. Aadhaar has not figured individually in the campaign, otherwise linked with almost everything that the Congress has been targeting the BJP with in the elections. But there is a reference to it. "BJP ke teen bandar - GST, Notebandi, Aadhaar Number." Asked if the artists received any appreciation from the Congress, they said whosoever saw it has liked the campaign. "It has not become a part of the official Congress campaign. I am sure the Congress leaders are going to appreciate it." Talking about the Congress's way of reaching out to its targeted voters, they said the BJP has obviously been more creative. "But the Congress has also been changing its reach-out with new and more creative communication. Perhaps a Rahul Gandhi effect," one of them said. Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 Nagpur: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday warned the Opposition leaders that he had "evidence" against them and could bring it up "at the right time". He was speaking to reporters in Nagpur ahead of the Winter Session beginning from Monday. "I have enough evidence against the leaders of the Opposition and I will disclose it at the right time," he said. Fadnavis said that he could prove that the government had saved significant funds due to the Aadhaar numbers in its three years of the rule when compared to the Congress-NCP's 15 years. He refuted Congress-NCP allegations that the loan waiver was flawed. "We had received applications of 77 lakh farmers out of which 69 lakh applications were accepted after the removal of duplication. A decision to disburse loan waiver has been taken for 41 lakh farmers in the state. The process is still on and if more eligible farmers are found, we will provide the loan waiver benefits to them," Fadnavis said. "We have implemented loan waiver with efficiency. The total outlay so far has been Rs 19,000 crore and if required, we will bring it before the house," he said. The Maharashtra chief minister also pointed out that the construction of the controversial Gosikhurd irrigation dam in Vidarbha, which was suspended for a long time due to lack of permissions from the central government, has finally received necessary approvals. "The Centre has approved 108 irrigation projects in the state along with Rs 18,500 crore cost of the Gosikhurd irrigation project. We will complete it in next three years," Fadnavis said. Fadnavis said that farmers whose crops were getting damaged in pink-worm attacks could get compensation in three ways. "One will come from the seed companies who at the time of licence for distribution of seed had claimed that the crop would not be attacked by any worm. Now, their plants are being attacked by pink-worm and companies will have to give compensation to the farmers," he said. "The farmers who have applied for insurance of the crop will benefit and third would be the financial assistance from National Disaster Relief Fund. A proposal is being sent to Delhi for approval," said the chief minister. Countering allegations from the Opposition that the government had failed in disbursing scholarship to students from backward classes, he said that his government was giving even the amount that the earlier government had failed to disburse. Fadnavis said, "Those who are used to corrupt practices for a long time are unable to see the system functioning in a transparent way. Out of Rs 1,100 crore, we have already disbursed Rs 740 crore to students. All we want is linking of Aadhaar numbers with students bank accounts," "Wherever it has not happened, we have permitted students to avail the benefits. The Opposition should not forget that we have given three years scholarship amount to students which the Congress-NCP government had failed to disburse," he added. Fadnavis refuted NCP leader Ajit Pawar's contention that the state was leading towards bankruptcy. "The loan amount has increased but we have spent it on infrastructure projects. As per Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act 2003, our capacity to avail loan is going up. The state's finance are still in good condition," he said. Meanwhile, Sachin Sawant, spokesperson of Congress tweeted that Fadnavis should be acting against the evidence he has rather than sitting on it. He said that such acts were a misuse as well as the devaluation of the post-Fadnavis holds. The first phase of Gujarat Assembly Election in Saurashtra and South Gujarat region as hyped by some sections of the media were about Hardik Patel ka haath Congress ke saath and GST ki baat. Both these factors were perceived to be disadvantageous to the ruling BJP. That was key reasons behind coinage of the Congress Awe Che pre-poll catchphrase by Congress. Rahul Gandhi had midway abandoned a borrowed Vikas Gando Thyo Che (development has gone crazy) after it was realised that it hurt the ever-enterprising sentiments of Gujarati community. The poll percentage figure, 68 percent is slightly less than last election's figure but the voter turnout figure could go up in the final computation. With almost half, 89 out of the 182 constituencies, already voted and the fate of 977 candidates from the first phase sealed in ballot boxes, the big question is has Modi magic given the right momentum to BJP to win the second phase of polling with greater confidence or has Hardik Patel delivered electoral dividends to Rahul Gandhi to help the party return to power after 27 years and make the Congress vice-presidents elevation to Congress presidents post most remarkable. There is no denying of the fact that there had been a great deal of resentment among some sections of traders and the business community, particularly in Surat and among Patidars in the Saurashtra region, but their anger against BJP has perhaps been overestimated. Its not the case that this time around all Patidars voted against BJP. There has been a clear split in their ranks. In any case, they all did never vote for BJP. A majority of them voted for BJP and according to rough estimates around 20-30 percent voted against BJP. This time that figure against BJP could go up by over 50 percent, in some areas by 60 or even 70 percent. But then there are instances, which Firstpost assessed after talking to people in various regions of the state that a shrill Patidar campaign pushed greater sections of Other Backward Castes to BJP. The Other Backward castes push to BJP has not been as profound as it was in Uttar Pradesh in February 2017 polls when the Jats began an aggressive high decibel campaign against BJP, but that push has nevertheless been there. There have been indications that sections of the business community including from the textile and diamond industry have softened after reviews in the GST structure and backroom talks with senior BJP leaders including those in influential positions in the government. Then there is another theory, which continues to keep the BJP camp buoyant despite reports of resentment among certain communities and groups which had traditionally been BJP supporters. Its a known fact that BJP has been strong in urban areas. Gujarat is one such state where 43 percent of population lives in urban areas and in around 70 constituencies majority of its population live in urban areas. The BJPs victory margin in urban pockets have been big, from 10,000 to 60,000, so hypothetically even if BJP loses some of its supporters, its candidates may still have a chance to win the election albeit with a reduced margin. In the second phase of the Gujarat polls, Hardik has the potential to damage BJP and boost Congress in north Gujarat, particularly in the Mahisana region, but that, to an extent, could also consolidate other castes, at least to an extent, which was not so favorable to BJP in the previous election. In central Gujarat which has 61 seats, Hardik is an unknown commodity. He is completely non-influential. Rahul Gandhis idea of putting too much of trust on Jignesh Mewani and Alpesh Thakor to swing tribal and OBC votes to Congress is not working. In fact, Mewani and Thakor are on sticky wickets in their constituencies Vadgam and Radhanagar respectively. Even by Congress estimates around 10 candidates fielded on the advice of Thakor are proving to be weak links. Five seats given to Chhotu Vasawa, JD(U) rebel and tribal leader by Congress is now causing concerns in party ranks. At a rally on Saturday, Modi said, "What does the Congress do with their numbers in the Rajya Sabha? Stall the OBC Commission from getting a Constitutional Status." What does the Congress do with their numbers in the Rajya Sabha? Stall the OBC Commission from getting a Constitutional Status. pic.twitter.com/qkwUvh0K8C Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 9, 2017 In his blog, finance minister Arun Jaitley wrote: The first distinct aspect of Congress partys campaign is 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 Congress party. There is not a single state leader who is touring the state for the campaign." While talking to people in Ahmedabad, Anand, Baroda and its surrounding areas, Firstpost could make out that in the last three days, the Prime Minister is taking his public rallies to an emotive pitch, to personal and Gujarat pride, naming around a dozen senior Congress leaders who called him all kinds of names since the run-up to the 2014 General Election to Lok Sabha and contrasting it with Congress' belief in its first familys rule India entitlement rights has struck the right chord amongst his social constituency. It has titled fence sitters and made his supporters far more vocal than they were a few days ago. On Saturday, Modi dug out the tweet of a youth Congress leader Salman Nizami who apparently has campaigned for Congress in parts of Gujarat and made it an electoral issue: "Congress is asking who are 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...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." Nizami had allegedly called the Indian Army rapist, something which obviously wouldnt be liked by people. As the election now moves to the second phase of polling, the debate on development has taken a back seat and emotive issues has come to the foreground. At least BJP has swung it that way. Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 All eyes are firmly glued on the impending Gujarat elections, and the series of events unfolding around them are under sharp scrutiny. The BJP has been in power in Gujarat for over two decades, and there is no doubt that the party still has a strong presence in the state. There are much speculation and analysis about why BJP has retained power, ranging from Gujarati Asmita to the Gujarat model to polarisation politics. However, there is authoritative statistical evidence to support that Narendra Modi, during his tenure as chief minister, played Gujarat against New Delhi, much like the MNS does in Maharashtra. Despite being a national party, BJP under Modis leadership has functioned much like a regional outfit. What is interesting about this particular election is that for the first time in a decade, BJP, and not the Congress, holds power at the Centre. In spite of that fact, and notwithstanding the politics of regionalism and polarisation, and Modis overwhelming larger-than-life personality, this election looks tougher to crack for BJP than its ever been. In the 2014 General Elections to Lok Sabha, the Gujarat model was the premise on which BJP sold a dream to 1.3 billion Indians across the country. This included an exponential rise in MOUs that could lead to investments and infrastructure, and several other incentives to serve corporate interests, which could be replicated in other parts of the country to achieve the same level of perceived development that Gujarat had supposedly witnessed. However, given Modis candidature for prime minister, the Gujarat model for the first time was subjected to national scrutiny and debate, and as it was taken apart. Its failings were conspicuous and evident. There were several social and key economic indicators to suggest that Gujarat had fallen behind several states including Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. But the ultimate manifestation of the flaws of the Gujarat model was the Patidar agitation and the controversies that made Hardik Patel a prominent figure in the impending elections. The agitation exposed that while BJP had failed to deliver on several social and economic parameters, it had also engendered serious social tensions in the state that played out on the 24-year-old Patel who led the agitation. To add to these tensions, the devastating impact of demonetization on the economy continued to wreak havoc on the unemployed youth, small and medium businesses, farmers, and the trader community with Gujarat being the national economic and nerve centre of the latter. While that, coupled with a hastily and poorly implemented GST, caused massive economic damage all over the country, its fair to say that the harshest impact was felt in Gujarat. While several of the diamond and jewellery businesses are based in Surat, their promoters live in Mumbai. I, therefore, personally interact with Gujarati entrepreneurs on a regular basis, and the economic repercussions of these decisions have caused them pain, the likes of which theyve never witnessed before. The good news is that these were electoral issues and the elections were being contested around them. Modi even said that if GST was being implemented, it was as much the responsibility of Congress as it was BJPs. However, the minute BJP saw that talking about development wasnt sticky enough for them, we began to witness tactics of deflection and obfuscation, starting with the alleged sex CD of Hardik Patel. When that also refused to garner the kind of attention they had hoped for, the party moved to the proven trump card religion. With the help of a few friends in the press, the debate began shifting away from development, putting religion in the spotlight as the foremost electoral issue. This kind of digression and deflection clearly indicates that BJP senses a problem and that theyre apprehensive. On 14 December, I firmly believe that Gujarat will see through this facade, and this time around, to quote The Who, they wont get fooled again. Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 Mainpuri: Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday claimed that the five candidates fielded by his son Akhilesh Yadav in the Gujarat Assembly elections would lose. "Akhilesh has fielded five candidates in Gujarat Assembly elections but they will lose all the seats," he told reporters here after attending a private function. "...Akhilesh had taken a wrong decision t o forge a political alliance with the Congress and had suffered on that account," he said, referring to the tie-up between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in February-March this year. The BJP swept the elections, winning 312 seats out of the total 403. The Samajwadi Party won 47 and the Congress seven. Yadav also said that Mainpuri was his home turf and in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, he will contest from the Mainpuri parliamentary constituency. Replying to a question related to the issues surrounding the use of electronic voting machines EVMs), he said: "EVMs were imported from Japan, but Japan has returned to ballot paper system of voting." The Samajwadi Party patron reiterated that Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar should be expelled from the party for his "neech" remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) is an elected leader and the comments were worst in the civilised society and the person making such comments should be expelled from the party," Yadav said. He said positive politics has virtually vanished, and "politics of mud-slinging" has become a common norm, pointing out that "there has been a paradigm shift in the country's politics." Aiyar was suspended from Congress earlier this week after he called Modi a 'neech kism ka aadmi' (vile sort of man). Bhubaneswar: The CPI on Sunday accused the BJP of resorting to a "dangerous" election campaign in Gujarat and said the party's model of development in the state "stood exposed". CPI national secretary D Raja, during a press meet, alleged that farmers in Gujarat are highly agitated, while traders and entrepreneurs equally unhappy following measures like demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax. "BJP is indulging in personalised campaign in Gujarat. It seeks to polarise and divide people on communal and caste lines for votes, taking politics to a low level," Raja said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders are resorting to "dangerous election campaign" instead of answering questions on issues affecting people, as they realised that the "so-called Gujarat model of development has failed and stood exposed", he claimed. Stating that EVMs were found faulty in many places during the first-phase of polling in Gujarat on Saturday, the CPI leader said it has created doubts in the people's mind and weakened their faith in the voting mechanism. "While voting machines are not functioning during elections in one state, it is ironical to talk about holding simultaneous elections in the country," Raja said. Claiming that the fundamentals of the constitution were being challenged during the BJP rule, he said all secular and democratic forces must unite as violation of fundamental rights needs to be resisted. The CPI leader also criticised the Centre's foreign policy and said India had lost its moral authority in the global arena for its silence on certain issues. Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 Vadodara: Dabhoi, one of the 36 constituencies of Gujarat where Muslims can influence the results, appears to be a hard nut to crack for the BJP as the social dynamics and tradition of "no repeat" favours the Congress, prompting the saffron party to rake up anti-Muslim fervour in a bid to polarise the voters. Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Shailesh Mehta alias Sotta Bhai hit the headlines a few days back with communally provocative remarks. With the support of most voters among Patidars, Muslims and Scheduled Tribes (mostly Vasavas), which forms a winning combination, Congress candidate and former MLA Siddharth Patel looks to be in a good position. The tradition of "change" in each election since 1962 also favours Patel as BJP's Balkrishnabhai Patel won in 2012. Dabhoi has never elected a party or candidate twice in a row, forcing the BJP to change the nominee. Siddharth Patel, son of former chief minister Chimanbhai Patel and head of the Congress campaign panel, won the seat in 2007 and 1998. Dabhoi constituency, part of Vadodara district and Chhota Udaipur Lok Sabha constituency, consists of 45,854 Patidar, 22,321 Muslim, 47,040 ST, 44,026 Bakshi Panch (OBCs), 10,413 SC, 9,443 Rajput and 5,642 Brahmin voters. With the support of Patidars, STs and Muslims, Siddharth Patel has an edge as most STs here are Vasavas. Former JD-U leader and Bharatiya Tribal Party leader Chotubhai Vasava holds a good image among tribals. Vasava has joined hands with Congress. The BJP here, apart from upper caste votes, is banking on over 44,000 Bakshi Panch votes which comes under OBC category. As the Patidars are angry with the BJP, the ruling party is unlikely to get the major chunk of the community. Worried by the social dynamics favouring the Congress, Shailesh Sotta, days before the first phase of polls, told an election rally that "those sporting a beard and a topi must not raise their voice and eyes". Later, addressing an election rally in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Sotta maintained his stand, saying these "anti-social elements" must be oppressed. The statements may have given Sotta some prominence but people are not taking him seriously. Reacting to his remarks, Vinod Bhai Jaiswal, a transporter in Kilanpur village, told IANS, "All these are election gimmicks. Sotta Bhai has said this to polarise voters as he is losing the election. People will give him a befitting reply." But Kanubhai Darwadi, an OBC, hopes Sotta Bhai wins. "He is a strong candidate as he knows how to win even in odd situations." Truck owner Nadir Bhai Pathan said: "Siddharth Patel may be an outsider but he is a frequent visitor. He participates in our family functions as well and helps us too when needed." Rajkumar Vasava and his friends are eager to vote for Siddharth Patel. "The BJP has brought Sotta to beat the anti-incumbancy against the outgoing MLA Balkrishnabhai. This is not going to work," Vasava said. Retired teacher Rama Bhai Hada said Sotta's remarks were meant to woo Patidars and the tribals who are annoyed with the BJP. Alkesh Vasava, a barber, said: "None of the leaders come to the area after their victory. I last saw Balkrishnabhai Patel in 2012. How can anyone expect us to vote for him?" Hada added, "I don't think he (Sotta) will win." He said similar remarks were being made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah as well in areas where the social dynamics don't favour the saffron party. Dabhoi will vote on 14 December in the second and final phase of the Gujarat election. The first round of voting took place on Saturday. Jamalpur-Khadia, Vejalpur, Vagra, Wankaner, Dariapur, Bhuj and Abdassa are among 36 seats where Muslim voters can play a key role. In Jamalpur-Khadia, Muslim voters form around 60 per cent while in other seats they comprise 13 to 15 per cent. In some seats in Bharuch and Kacchh region, Muslim voters range from 20 to 25 percent. Political observers feel that while the Congress will benefit more in these seats, voting on communal lines will only help the BJP. Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad Yadav on Sunday asserted that the Congress will form the government in Gujarat as people have voted heavily in its favour in the first phase of polls. Over 68 percent turnout was recorded in the first phase of polling for 89 Assembly seats in Gujarat on Saturday. "People have voted in large numbers in favour of the Congress party in Gujarat (in first phase of polls). It will form the government there," Prasad told reporters. The second and last phase of polling in the Western state in 93 seats will be held on 14 December and the counting of votes is scheduled on 18 December. Prasad's younger son and leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav attacked JD(U) president and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar that the party has fielded candidates in Gujarat elections so that they eat into Patel votes and benefit the BJP. "Nitish Kumar does not have any mass base. I am quite confident that the JD(U), if it decides to contest on its own in Bihar, will get the same number of votes in Bihar as it will get in Gujarat Assembly polls," Tejashwi said. The former deputy chief minister said he would launch a programme against Kumar after 'Makar Sankranti' next month to expose Nitish Kumar government's failures. Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 Nagpur: The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Sunday criticised the BJP-led Maharashtra government for its failure in loan waiver implementation and also for not addressing the issues of cotton farmers. The two opposition parties accused the ruling party of leading the state towards bankruptcy. Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, leader of opposition in the state assembly and Congress leader said, "The BJP-led government has made several mistakes in loan waiver implementation. The figures have gone wrong and the company appointed for the processing of data has also made several mistakes. The loan waiver announcement was made in June and till today there is no sufficient data to show how many farmers have actually received the benefits of loan waiver." The issues of loss of soybean crop and cotton crop facing attack of bollworms have not been addressed by the government, he said. Senior leader of NCP Ajit Pawar demanded a district and assembly constituency-wise list of farmers whose loans have been waived by the state government. "Unless such a list is declared, I am not going to believe that this state government has implemented the loan waiver," Pawar said. Vikhe Patil, referring to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data said, "Maharashtra is reporting higher number of killings and farmers suicides as well. Cyber crime rate in the state is the second highest in the country. This government arrests leaders like Yashwant Sinha while a notorious criminal of NagpurMunna Yadavis free and safe." Vikhe Patil further said that if the Maharashtra police intended to nab Munna Yadav, then the police should check the mobile number of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to trace Yadav. Dhananjay Munde, leader of opposition in state legislative council, said, "The state government pats its own back for loan waiver but many farmers have committed suicide in Maharashtra from June. Dnyaneshwar Misal, a farmer who committed suicide some days ago, had written letters to ministers about his plight. Nobody responded to his letters and finally, he ended his life." Munde demanded a compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre to farmers whose cotton crop had been damaged by pink bollworms saying that he had personally written to the CM when the central government's institutes had issued a warning over such attacks. "The figures of purchase of produce such as several foodgrains, soyabean and moong are also discouraging. The state government-run procurement centres have purchased 2.16 lakh quintals of soyabean out of 357 lakh quintal produced in the state. Similarly, out of 14 lakh quintal udid produced by farmers, only two lakh quintal is purchased. Of the 13 lakh quintal moong, only 39,000 kg is purchased so far. These figures are not going to help farmers in any way," Munde said. Vikhe Patil also pointed out that the state government has decided not to share information with its opposition, which is an act of authoritarian leadership. "The government has constituted a committee comprising three senior secretaries to provide recommendations for information sought by several MLAs through RTI. This is unethical control of flow of information and the state should not be doing it." Shillong: BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav on Saturday said talks are on with like-minded political parties to stitch a pre-poll alliance in Meghalaya for the Assembly polls slated for February-March 2018. Madhav was in Shillong to oversee the party's preparation ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state on 16 December to launch the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) election campaign. "The scenario for a pre-poll alliance are emergingHow it will finally culminate. I can't say right now. But yes we are having a discussion with some political parties. "We are preparing for both situations. We are talking to some parties. If no alliance is going to happen then we will be ready to contest in all the seats," he told media persons. Asked if the BJP had held parleys with the National People's Party (NPP), which is a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance for a pre-poll alliance, Madhav refused to comment saying that he does not want to discuss anything on this as of now. yaNPP's lone Lok Sabha member Conrad Sangma is supporting the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and the BJP-led government in Manipur. In response to a query, Madhav said that if finally the party does not have any alliance, then it will certainly contest in all the 60 seats. He said that the party is going to fight the election in Meghalaya with utmost seriousness to oust the Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance government. "We strongly feel the state should be freed from the corrupt, inept and misrule of chief minister Mukul Sangma," Madhav said after a meeting of the core committee at the party office. "The people of Meghalaya deserves better and the BJP is before the people of the state as an alternative for a better and brighter future," he added. Madhav also said that the BJP's door is always open to right thinking and good leaders in the state, and they were appealing to all cross sections of people to join and support the party, as well as to all the relgious leaders in the state, both indigenous faith, Christianity and other faith to bless their endeavour. On Modi's visit, he said, "The rally will be our launching pad for the election campaign in Meghalaya. We are going to the people with the slogan that Meghalaya deserves change." Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday attacked the Congress over Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'neech' comment and his reported recent meeting with Pakistani officials, alleging that Pakistan was interfering in Gujarat Assembly elections. Modi, who was speaking at a rally in Palanpur in Banaskantha, sought an explanation from the Congress over its top partymen who purportedly met leaders from the neighbouring country. The prime minister also raised questions over the alleged appeal by former director general of the Pakistan Army, Sardar Arshad Rafiq, that senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel be made Chief Minister of Gujarat. "There were media reports yesterday about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. It was attended by Pakistan's high commissioner, Pakistan's former foreign minister, India's former vice-president and former prime minister Manmohan Singh," Modi said. The meeting at Aiyar's house carried on for almost three hours, Modi said. "The next day, Aiyar called me 'neech'. This is a serious matter," he added. "(On one side) Pakistan Army's former director general is interfering in Gujarat's election, on the other side, Pakistan's people are holding a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house," he alleged. "And, after that meeting, people of Gujarat, backward communities, poor people and Modi were insulted. Don't you think such events raise doubts?" Modi asked. He said the Congress should inform the people of the country what exactly it was up to. Attacking the Congress over its frequent "suit boot ki sarkar" jibe against him, Modi said that the Padma Awards are a good indicator of who really is pro-poor in their policies. "Just see the kind of people who were given the Padma Awards (Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan) in the 10 years of UPA government and three years of NDA government. You will realise who works for the common man," Modi said. After Palanpur, Modi travelled to Sanand, where he continued to slam the Congress. "Could anyone have imagined that a small village like Sanand would reach such great levels of development?" Modi asked at the beginning of his speech. Modi said that Congress governments of the past only developed the Ankleshwar-Vapi "golden corridor". "We also developed Sanand, Viramgam and other areas too. This area is now a hub of automobile industry, " Modi said while adding that companies like Tata Nano. Maruti Suzuki, Ford, Bharat Forge now have their factories in the region. Slamming Congress over corruption and caste politics, Modi said, "Those who had made corruption their habit cannot help the country. I took the state to new economic height but these Congress leaders used caste politics to break Gujarat. I remember Viramgam used to have frequent curfews in the past as a result," the prime minister said. Hard selling his development model, Modi said, "We were known for being entrepreneurs and businessmen but there was no manufacturing industries here. After we came to power, we are now a manufacturing hub. We are also a hub of engineering services." "Gujarat was nowhere in agriculture as most of the time there were droughts. Before I came to power, there was an agricultural growth rate of one percent. We took it to at least 10 percent each year. Through Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sampada Yojna (PMKSY), we helped Gujarati farmers to gain more money by selling byproducts," Modi said while talking about Gujarat's agricultural development. Reiterating his policy against urea hoarding, Modi said that he made sure "100 percent neem coating" became a main priority of the government. "Urea used to go to major industries and not to farmers. We decided to bring 100 percent neem coating as a policy. All the corrupt practices are now over," Modi said. "Now, these people are attacking me as their source of illegal income is over. Now I get no urea-related issues from chief minister. This is the change in three years," Modi said while saying that Congress was hand-in-glove with the urea mafia. Urging Congress set its own house in order before attacking him, Modi remarked that Congress has been wiped out of most of the state. "Even if you use a microscope... you cannot see them," he remarked. At a rally in Panchamahal's Kalol, Modi said that development is the only agenda for his party, while blaming Congress for indulging in "divide and rule" politics. "Congress is back to their old tricks. A generational shift has not brought in a new political culture for the party," Modi said. With the mantra of Shanti, Ekta and Sadbhavana (peace, unity and compassion), successive BJP governments have taken Gujarat to new heights of progress, Modi said. Modi claimed the Congress leaders mocked him over electrification of villages and lauded the BJP government for ensuring the success of the programme. "State Congress leaders said it can never happen, they also asked me: You have not headed a Panchayat how can you promise this? We proved them wrong, ensured villages get power," Modi said. The second phase of polling in north and central Gujarat, including the Banaskantha district, will be held on 14 December. Counting votes will take place on 18 December. In the first phase of polling on Saturday, 89 out of the 182 seats voted. The voter turnout was around 68 percent, the Election Commission said. With inputs from PTI Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 New Delhi: Ahead of the second phase of polling in Gujarat on 14 December, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for causing losses to small traders in the state and asked whether his government would take responsibility for that. Taking forward his 'one question a day' series, Gandhi said BJP's twin moves of demonetisation in November last year and the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July this year have hit small traders of Gujarat and caused losses to the state's business hubs such as Surat and Rajkot. "Small traders are high and dry while major industrialists are thriving. Demonetisation and GST have hit trade hard in Surat, Rajkot, Alang and Anjar. Will your government take responsibility," Gandhi asked Modi ahead of the second-phase polling in northern and central Gujarat. The Congress vice-president in a tweet later promised the right to health to Gujaratis by pledging to issue Sardar Patel health cards for free treatment, air ambulance services in emergency situations, Indira Canteens for nutritious food and new hospitals for healthcare access if his party was voted to power in the state elections. Gandhi has started 'a question a day' series on the social networking site with the tagline "22 saal ka hisab,Gujarat maange jawab (22 years of account, Gujarat demands answers), referring to BJP's uninterrupted rule in the state during the period. Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 Hyderabad: The outgoing Congress president Sonia Gandhi will continue to play an effective role and guide the destiny of the party, senior party leader M Veerappa Moily has said. The former Union minister lauded Gandhi's leadership and referred to the "manner in which she brought together coalition arrangement" in 2004 and to a certain extent in 2009 while forming the UPA governments. "It was her greatest role of putting people together," Moily told PTI. "She will continue to play an effective role even though she is not (Congress) president," the former chief minister of Karnataka said, when asked if Gandhi would play a role to bring together like-minded Opposition parties together to fight the BJP in 2019 parliamentary elections. Moily said she had "that kind of power to put coalitions together". During her tenure, the Congress has regained power in "many states", he said, and praised her "leadership" in the enactment of legislations, such as the RTI and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS). "She is always looked upon as mother of the party; not only mother to Rahul Gandhi (who is poised to take over as Congress president), but also mother to the party. She will continue to inspire and nurture the Congress," Moily said. "She is just like patron to the party; she will continue to guide the destiny of the party," he added. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had on 4 December filed his nomination papers for the post of party president, paving the way for a generational shift in the leadership of the party, headed by his mother Sonia Gandhi. Agartala: Four months after six axed Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the lawmakers were recognised as saffron party legislators in the Tripura Assembly on Sunday, Speaker Ramendra Chandra Debnath announced. "The six axed TMC MLAs have been given recognition as BJP legislators," the speaker said. "After receiving a letter on 8 November signed by the six MLAs requesting me to recognise them as BJP legislators, I sent a 14-day notice to the TMC chairperson. As there was no reply or objection, I gave them the recognition." Led by Sudip Roy Barman, five lawmakersAshish Kumar Saha, Diba Chandra Hrangkhawl, Biswa Bandhu Sen, Pranjit Singh Roy and Dilip Sarkaraccompanied by hundreds of former Trinamool Congress leaders and workers joined the BJP on 7 August. On Saturday, Assembly Secretary Bamdeb Majumder issued a common letter to the six MLAs about the speaker's recognition. The issue shook the house during the last session of the Tripura Assembly on 14 November when Barman accused Debnath of giving them recognition. The speaker said that he had told the six MLAs that due to lack of time before the two-day assembly session, it was not possible to complete the formalities to officially recognise them as BJP MLAs. Reacting to Debnath's recognition, Saha said that the "Speaker deliberately delayed the process of our due recognition as BJP MLAs". On 3 July, TMC Secretary General and West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said in Kolkata that the party had no relations with the six Tripura MLAs, who were close to TMC founder leader Mukul Roy, who is now in the BJP. The CPI-M-led Left Front has 51 members and the Congress only three members in the House. After the recognition of the six legislators as BJP members, the Tripura Assembly got its first BJP members since the northeastern state got a legislative bodya 32-member Territorial Council 60 years ago in 1957. tech2 News Staff As medicine evolves leaps and bounds with technological advancements and varied fields of research, Google has decided to roll back the years and celebrate German scientist and doctor, Robert Koch. On this day in 1905, the microbiologist was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Commonly regarded as the founder of modern bacteriology, it was Koch's research and effort on tuberculosis along with other life-threatening diseases like cholera and even anthrax that earned him the award. The scientist dedicated his life to studying germs and was the first to form the idea that germs were the cause of diseases. As per Google, an idea which turned key to him identifying the bacterium for anthrax, tuberculosis and cholera. He was also involved in a failed attempt at developing a drug to treat tuberculosis. Born in the German town of Hannover on 11 December 1843, Koch taught himself to read and write even before he went to school. He graduated from the University of Gottingen in 1866 and then served in the Franco-Prussian War, which began in 1870. Koch worked for the Imperial Department of Health where he began his study on a particular infectious disease which affected the lungs and other organs, which later proved to be vital in his contribution to microbiology. It was Koch who dismissed common belief at the time that tuberculosis was an inherited disease by proving that the disease was infectious. Developing a number of the basic principles and techniques of what is referred to as modern bacteriology, Koch work inspired a generation of scientists known as "microbe-hunters". This gave birth to a Golden Age in the field, inspiring scientists to go on and discover the cause of as many as 21 different diseases. A movement which the German explained stating, As soon as the right method was found, discoveries came as easily as ripe apples from a tree." The Google Doodle also features potato slices which Koch used for his experiment until the Petri dish was invented by his assistant at the time, Julius Petri. The Petri dish seen in the Google is what bears Koch's image in the doodle. Asheeta Regidi This article is Part 9 of a multi-part series explaining the recently issued white paper on data protection in India. The responses to the white paper will help in the formulation of Indias future data protection laws. You can read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 and Part 8. The rights of access, clarification and rectification, discussed in Part 8 of this series, are essential to any privacy law and find a place among even the fundamental privacy principles established under the Fair Information Practices and the OECD Guidelines. These fundamental principles were, however, framed before the arrival of the digital age. Developing practices with data, such as its use for marketing purposes, or the perpetual nature of information published on the internet, lead to a need for rights of a different nature. To deal with such new issues, some jurisdictions, such as the European Union (EU), have developed and granted new rights to individuals. The White Paper looks at some of these rights and their relevance in the Indian context. A right against direct marketing and spam Finding an inbox filled with spam and marketing mails has become a part of everyones daily life. A privacy law can give a remedy to deal with this, in the form of the right to object to the use of your data for direct marketing. Marketers tend to obtain this information from multiple sources, whether directly from the individual or from public sources. Privacy laws, in general, allow direct marketing as a legal activity, but only until the individual objects to it. On objecting, the marketing must stop. In some jurisdictions, continuing with the marketing communications also meets with huge fines, such as the UKs ICOs fine of 130,000 to a pharmacy company for selling their customers data to a third party without their consent. Direct marketing is also slightly different from spam, which consists of unsolicited mails sent to a large number of people. Direct marketing involves the specific targeting of an individual. In India, spam is typically handled by TRAI, such as the establishment of the do not disturb (DND) registry. TRAI has, in fact, issued a Consultation Paper recently on Unsolicited Commercial Communication. While TRAIs regulations basically deal with such communication through calls or SMSs, there is currently no corresponding provision for e-mails. This was covered to a limited extent under the erstwhile Section 66A of the IT Act. A provision under a privacy law will be much broader in its scope, covering such communications in all forms, be it solicited or unsolicited, commercial or non-commercial, and via any medium, be it SMS, calls, e-mails or at homes. Right to prevent discriminatory AI decisions A new development with data based decisions made with the use of artificial intelligence, such as algorithmically automated decisions, to process the data. AI is being encouraged, in view of the greater perceived objectivity of an AI based decision in comparison to one with human intervention. However, errors in the programming of the AI have led to mistakes and discrimination in the decisions. For example, a veteran American Airline pilot was detained 80 times due to the AI confusing him with an IRA activist. An algorithm used to judge beauty contests was found to discriminate against dark skins. In another example, one mans drivers license was revoked after an anti-terrorism computerised system mistook him to be another man using a fake license. Considering the increasingly important decisions being taken by AIs these days, it is important to have a means to question them. This is provided via data protection laws, which grants a right to not be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing. For the exercise of this right, it is essential to show the harm caused to the individual on account of the processing. Data Portability The right to data portability is another interesting new right, allowing the data in the possession of one company to be transferable to another on the request of the individual. For example, a seller on one e-commerce site could ask for your data, and transfer his business to a new e-commerce site, without losing out on the product reviews and seller ratings achieved on the previous site. Current Indian laws allow the transfer of such data, but only in pursuance of a contract. This right allows individuals to claim ownership on their data, and prevent companies from storing their data in silos, such as the data in the possession of the tech giants. The fact that this data can even be transferred between competitors gives the people a lot of freedom with their data, though companies are likely to be unhappy with such a provision. Right to be forgotten Yet another right is the right to be forgotten. The Puttaswamy judgment emphasised the importance of the right to be forgotten as a facet of privacy, noting that the impact of the digital age results in information on the internet being permanent. Consider Google, which lists every possible information on a person, which may include personal, embarrassing and even sensitive data available on the internet. This immortalisation of data on the internet leads to a preference for apps like Snapchat which erase the data. Indian courts, prior to the Puttaswamy judgment supporting it, have taken conflicting stands on the right to privacy. A Karnataka High Court judgment recognised this right in India for the first time, with respect to sensitive cases involving women in general and highly sensitive cases involving rape or affecting the modesty and reputation of the person concerned. Here, a womans name was directed to be removed from the title of a sensitive case, so it could not be found on an internet search of her name. On the other hand, the Gujarat High Court, at around the same time, dismissed a petition seeking the removal of such a judgment, holding that the petitioner could not show even the basic laws that were attracted to the case. The Puttaswamy judgement has provided some clarity on this issue, but its inclusion in the privacy law can define the exact contours of this right. Objecting to processing This last right allows an individual to object to the processing of your data, but under limited circumstances. When you can show factors like substantial distress or damage on account of the processing, then you can object to the processing for any legitimate reason, for research, or for carrying out the task of a public authority. This is, of course, subject to limits. For instance, the data controller can continue to process the data if there are compelling legal needs that outweigh the rights of the individual, such as if it is necessary for the establishment of a legal claim. An example of this is if an individual is denied employment, because his prospective employer found his name on a blacklist of unsuitable employees maintained by someone else. The list consists of individuals who are regarded as such because they are trade union activists. The individual can legitimately ask for his name to be removed from the list, since the assessment of unsuitability is arbitrary and lacks justification, and the damage to him by way of being denied employment is substantial. Indian laws, in their current form, do not allow an objection to processing. They only permit a withdrawal of consent, after which the entity in question has a right to stop providing the services in question. This right can allow an individual to stop a harmful use of his data, while continuing to enjoy the benefits of it. Key questions raised in the White Paper These new rights are certainly important in the digital age. Implementation, however, meets with certain challenges in the Indian context. Cost of implementation is a big concern, along with overlap of other sectoral regulations, such as TRAI, and the confusing nature of the rights themselves, making them subject to varying interpretation and dispute. With the right to be forgotten, other issues also arise, such as its conflict with the right to freedom speech, and with determining who all are responsible for the removal of data in question. In view of these issues, the White Paper has presently sought comments on the following key questions with respect to the rights of an individual: What are your views on these rights? What should be the scope of the right to restrict processing and the right to data portability in the Indian context? Is the right against automated decisions feasible in India? Should evaluative decisions taken based on automated decisions be prohibited? How should direct marketing be addressed as a privacy principle or through sectoral regulations? Does the right to be forgotten have a place in India? Should it be restricted to personal data given out voluntarily? Does the right to be forgotten entail prohibition on display/dissemination or the erasure of the information from the controllers possession? Is a case-to-case balancing of the data subjects rights with controller and public interests a necessary approach for the right to be forgotten? Should there be special exemptions to the right to be forgotten? Any other views Part I of the series explores the definitions of personal data and sensitive personal data, Part II of the series examines the jurisdiction and territorial scope of data protection laws, Part III of the series explores cross-border data flows and data localisation, Part IV deals with exemptions to data protection law, Part V deals with notice and consent, Part VI deals with the big data challenge to privacy principles, Part VII deals with processing of sensitive personal data and Part VIII deals with ensuring data quality. The author is a lawyer and author specialising in technology laws. She is also a certified information privacy professional. Cairo: Arab foreign ministers on Sunday demanded that the United States rescind President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, calling it a "grave" development that puts Washington on the same side as "occupation" and the violation of international law. In a resolution long on rhetoric but short on concrete actions, the ministers also called for the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning Trump's decision, but acknowledged that Washington would most likely veto it. If the US vetoes the resolution, the Arabs would seek a similar resolution in the UN General Assembly, Palestinian foreign minister Riyad Al-Maliki told a pre-dawn news conference in Cairo. A two-page resolution adopted by the emergency meeting, which began last night, did not include any punitive actions against the United States, like a call for a boycott of American products or suspending or downgrading ties with Washington. It also appeared to fall short of matching the anger felt by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, which have seen three days of violent protests against Trump's decision. "We have taken a political decision not meant to reflect (what is going on in) the streets. Political work is responsible work," said Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit. "Jerusalem has been occupied for 50 years. This is an extended battle, a battle that will be escalated," he told the news conference. The resolution said the ministers would meet again within a month and held out the possibility that an emergency Arab summit would be held in Jordan to discuss Jerusalem. Trump's 6 December 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. Jerusalem's status lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian 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. Arab diplomats said some Arab League members had wanted a more hard-line resolution, including punitive measures against countries that follow the US example and recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. That was considered too radical by moderate Arab nations and eventually dropped, according to the diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. But Al-Maliki, the Palestinian Foreign Minister, sought to play down differences, saying the meeting produced "complete" unity among Arab nations. "There were differences in assessment when we moved to specifying measures," he said. "But in the end we agreed on gradually escalating measures." Both Aboul-Gheit and Al-Maliki said Arab nations remained committed to a 2002 Arab peace plan that provides for recognition of Israel in exchange for lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. "That plan is a key reference in the Middle East peace process," Al-Maliki told the news conference. Trump's decision, according to the Arab resolution, was "illegal" and a "dangerous violation" of international law. "It's a dangerous development that places the United States at a position of bias in favor of the occupation and the violation of international law and resolutions." Israel occupied and later annexed the eastern part of Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war, declaring the holy city its eternal capital. Palestinians want that part to be the capital of their future state. Trump's decision, said the resolution, also stripped the US of its role as a "sponsor and broker" in the Mideast peace process, and "undermines efforts to bring about peace, deepens tension and will spark anger that will threaten to push the region to the edge of the abyss of violence, chaos and bloodshed." The resolution adopted by the ministers reiterated that only the creation of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital would end the Arab-Israeli conflict. It also mandated the Arab League to launch an "international media campaign" explaining the "gravity" of theAmerican decision. Cairo: Arab foreign ministers gathered in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Saturday for an emergency meeting designed to formulate a unified response to President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a move that has sparked anger and protests in the Arab world. 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 he would not meet US vice-president Mike Pence when he visits Cairo on 20 December. A similar decision was made Friday by the head of Al-Azhar, the world's supreme seat of learning for Sunni Muslims. Hundreds of worshippers protested Trump's decision after Friday prayers at Al-Azhar mosque, but security forces prevented them from marching to the city center. 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. It was not immediately clear what the foreign ministers will decide on in terms of concrete measures to counter Trump's decision, but Arab diplomats have spoken of submitting a draft resolution condemning the move to the UN Security Council unspecified measures touching bilateral ties between Arab League member states and Washington. The diplomats also speculated that an Arab summit might be called to convene following the foreign ministers' meeting, a proposition the diplomats said was already embraced by several member states. Prague: Czech president Milos Zeman on Saturday accused EU states of being "cowards" in their response to his US counterpart Donald Trump recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "The European Union, cowards, are doing all they can so a pro-Palestinian terrorist movement can have supremacy over a pro-Israeli movement," said Zeman, presenting himself as a defender of Israel. The 73-year-old Zeman, targeting a second term from January and who had Friday said he was happy at Trump's controversial move, made Saturday's comment before delegates attending the congress of the far right Freedom and Direct Democracy party, which opposes immigration and the EU. Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Wednesday in a move that outraged Palestinian leaders, but which was hailed as historic by Israel. Zeman said he had himself spoken in favour of Prague moving the Czech embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv on a visit four years ago a proposal which met with a reserved political response in his homeland. Following Trump's announcement the Czech foreign ministry said it saw Jerusalem as the future capital both of Israel and a future Palestinian state and that Prague could only consider moving its embassy after consulting regional partners. The EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini warned on Thursday that Trump's move had a "very worrying potential impact" and could take the region "backwards to even darker times than the ones we're already living in". Mogherini added that "the aspirations of both parties must be fulfilled and a way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states." Beirut: Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water canons at protesters near the US Embassy in Lebanon on Sunday during a demonstration against President Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Protesters, some of them waving Palestinian flags, set fires in the street and threw projectiles towards security forces that had barricaded the main road to the US Embassy in the Awkar area north of Beirut. Addressing the protesters, the head of the Lebanese Communist Party Hanna Gharib declared the United States the enemy of Palestine and the US Embassy a symbol of imperialist aggression that must be closed. Protesters burned US and Israeli flags. Trumps recognition of Jerusalem has infuriated the Arab world and upset Western allies, who say it is a blow to peace efforts and risks causing further unrest in West Asia. Late on Saturday Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo urged the United States to abandon its decision and said the move would spur violence throughout the region. Israel says that all of Jerusalem is its capital. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory and say the status of the city should be left to be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks. The government of Lebanon, which hosts about 4,50,000 Palestinian refugees, has condemned Trumps decision. Lebanese president Michel Aoun last week called the move a threat to regional stability. The powerful Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah on Thursday said it backed calls for a new Palestinian uprising against Israel in response to the US decision. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah also called for a protest against the decision in the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday. Washington: President Donald Trump has said US cities should be "sanctuaries" for Americans not for criminal "aliens", a week after a US court acquitted a Mexican immigrant accused of fatally shooting an American woman. On 1 July, 2015, 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle, while walking with her father and a friend was shot by Mexican national Jose Inez Garcia Zarate in the Embarcadero district of San Francisco. The shot ricocheted off the concrete deck of a pier striking the victim in the back. Steinle died two hours later in the hospital as a result of her injuries. The shooting elicited controversy and political debate over San Francisco's status as a sanctuary city, as Zarate was a Mexican national who was unlawfully residing in the US. Trump has highlighted the case as an example of the failure of "sanctuary cities", where local officials did not work with authorities to enforce immigration laws. Asserting that no American should be separated from their loved ones because of preventable crime committed by those illegally in the country, Trump said that cities should be sanctuaries for Americans not for criminal aliens. "No American should be separated from their loved ones because of preventable crime committed by those illegally in our country. Our cities should be Sanctuaries for Americans not for criminal aliens," Trump said in his weekly address to the nation. No American should be separated from their loved ones because of preventable crime committed by those illegally in our country. Our cities should be Sanctuaries for Americans not for criminal aliens! pic.twitter.com/CvtkCG1pln Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2017 Last week, in a "final injustice", Kate's killer was acquitted on all of the most serious charges, he said. This he said is one more reason Americans are so upset by sanctuary cities and politicians who shield "criminal aliens" from federal law enforcement and all of the problems involved with the whole concept of a sanctuary city. "They are no good. We mourn for all of the American families, of all backgrounds, who will have any empty seat at Christmas this year because our immigration laws were not enforced," Trump said. "Unfortunately, Democrats in Congress not only oppose our efforts to stop illegal immigration and crack down on sanctuary cities now they are demanding amnesty as a condition for funding the government, holding troop funding hostage and putting our national security at risk. We cannot allow it," he said. Trump said every Senator and Congressman will have to make a choice: do they want to protect American citizens or do they want to protect "criminal aliens". In his address, Trump said Steinle's death is a tragedy that was entirely preventable. "She was shot by an illegal alien and a seven-time convicted felon who had been deported five times but he was free to harm an innocent American because our leaders refused to protect our border, and because San Francisco is a sanctuary city," he said. "In sanctuary states and cities, innocent Americans are at the mercy of criminal aliens because state and local officials defy federal authorities and obstruct the enforcement of our immigration laws," Trump said. LOWER MERION, Pa. (Reuters) - In Pennsylvania state Senator Daylin Leachs bid to win a seat vital to the Democratic Partys chances in 2018 elections of taking control of the U.S. Congress, his opponents may not be his biggest obstacle. Democratic candidate Daylin Leach for Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district speaks during an interview in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, U.S., December 1, 2017. Picture taken December 1, 2017. REUTERS/Mark MakelaLeach is running in one of the countrys most gerrymandered congressional districts, one with such a twisting, winding shape that it has earned the derisive nickname Goofy Kicking Donald Duck. The 7th congressional district has become a national poster child for critics of gerrymandering, the process by which one party draws district boundaries to ensure an advantage among voters. Democrats say the lines have helped Republicans like U.S. Representative Patrick Meehan, the four-term incumbent Leach seeks to unseat, to stay in office. That could soon change, however. On Monday in state court in Harrisburg, one of three lawsuits challenging those boundaries heads to trial. The outcome could shift several battleground districts in Pennsylvania and in turn boost the Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, where they last held the majority from January 2007 to January 2011. The 7th district is so precisely engineered that at one point it narrows to the width of a single seafood restaurant, snaking past two other congressional districts so it can link two far flung Republican-leaning areas. Three congressional districts all converge on this spot, Leach said from the parking lot at Creeds Seafood and Steaks last week, as cars whizzed overhead on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. This is the sixth; over there is the seventh; and down that road is the 13th, he said, pointing in several directions. This is what gerrymandering looks like on the ground. Leach has at least four opponents to defeat in the Democratic primary before he would run against Meehan. A spokesman for the Republican did not respond to requests for comment on the trial over gerrymandering. Critics of gerrymandering say it helps explain why Pennsylvania has sent 13 Republicans and only five Democrats to the U.S. House since the 2011 redistricting, despite being a closely divided swing state. Republican legislators counter that the lines were drawn in accordance with the law and that their candidates have prevailed in elections thanks to superior policy ideas. The Democrats have targeted six Republican-held districts in the state as part of their quest to pick up the 24 House seats they need to overturn the Republicans, who also have a Senate majority and President Donald Trump in the White House. Democrats need to win the nationwide popular vote by at least 10 points in 2018 to do so, in part because of gerrymandered lines, according to Michael Li, a redistricting expert and lawyer at New York Universitys Brennan Center for Justice. Pennsylvania is probably the most aggressive of the gerrymanders, he said. You look at some of the maps in the Philadelphia suburbs, and it looks like a 4-year-old just slapped paint around. Jim Creed, the proprietor of Creed's Seafood and Steak Restaurant, speaks with Democratic candidate Daylin Leach for Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, U.S., December 1, 2017. REUTERS/Mark MakelaDISTRICT LINES ON TRIAL The non-partisan League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania sued the state in June, arguing the maps violate the state constitution by depriving residents of a meaningful vote. The litigation is part of a growing set of legal challenges to partisan redistricting, including a U.S. Supreme Court case out of Wisconsin that could for the first time establish a constitutional standard to measure the legality of such map-making. The high court is scheduled to decide that case by June 2018, five months before the midterm elections. The politicians are not supposed to pick their voters; the voters are supposed to elect their leaders, said Mimi McKenzie, an attorney with the Public Interest Law Center who represents the League of Women Voters and other Pennsylvania voters. Slideshow (3 Images)Spokesmen for the states Republican legislative leaders, defendants in the case, said the redistricting followed the process laid out in the state constitution and that the U.S. Supreme Court has said political considerations can play a role. They just cant understand how Republicans can actually beat their candidates, Stephen Miskin, a spokesman for Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai, said of the legal challengers. In addition to the state case, two pending federal lawsuits also challenge the district lines as unconstitutional. Legal observers consider the state lawsuit the most likely to succeed in time for the voting next November. The Democratic-majority state Supreme Court has ordered the presiding judge to render his decision by Dec. 31. The high court will then determine whether to accept his ruling or issue its own conclusions. The state lawsuit asserts the redistricting included numerous examples of blatantly partisan lines. Democrat-dominated Reading, one of the most economically depressed cities in the state, was carved out of the 6th district and placed into the reliably Democratic 13th, a move the plaintiffs said was intended to render the citys votes meaningless. Montgomery County, where state senator Leach lives, has approximately 820,000 residents, slightly more than the 711,000 needed for a single congressional district, but has been sliced into five separate districts. Leach said he would make gerrymandering a campaign issue. Its theft of democracy, Leach said. This is horribly destructive. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. PARIS (Reuters) - France has ordered banned the sale and ordered a recall of several baby formula milk and baby food products made by French dairy giant Lactalis after the discovery of salmonella bacteria, consumer protection agency DGCCRF said in a statement. Logo of the dairy group Lactalis are seen at the food exhibition Sial in Villepinte, near Paris, France, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Charles PlatiauThe recall includes products for export, including to China, Taiwan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Morocco, Lebanon, Sudan, Romania, Serbia, Georgia, Greece, Haiti, Colombia and Peru. Some were also destined for regional markets, including Africa and Asia. The agency said that Lactalis, the worlds largest dairy company, had not managed contamination risk and has been ordered to conduct a product recall and halt the sale and export of several baby food products made at its Craon plant in western France since Feb. 15. The recall follows 20 cases of salmonella infection of infants in France during early December, which had already prompted a limited recall of 12 Lactalis products. This week five new cases were reported of infection with the salmonella agona bacteria. One of the infants had consumed a Lactalis product that had not been on the first recall list. The infants have now recovered, the agency said. Lactalis spokesman Michel Nalet said on BFM Television that the products can be exchanged in pharmacies or supermarkets. He said that any salmonella bacteria would be killed by boiling the milk for two minutes. A full list of the products concerned is available on the agency's website (here) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Sunday she believes any woman who has felt violated or mistreated by a man has every right to speak up, even if it is President Donald Trump they are accusing. United States ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley addresses the U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestine, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, U.S., December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidAccusations of inappropriate sexual behavior or misconduct have led to the resignations of three members of Congress this month. The growing wave of women reporting abuse or misconduct has brought down powerful men from Hollywood to Washington, from movie producer Harvey Weinstein to popular television personality Matt Lauer. More than 10 women have accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct before he was president, and Trump, while filming a segment of the television program Access Hollywood, said he has kissed and groped women. The tape emerged during the 2016 presidential campaign. Haley, discussing a cultural shift of women coming forward on the CBS Face the Nation program, applauded women who have come forward: Im proud of their strength. Im proud of their courage. Asked how people should assess the accusers of the president, Haley said, it was the same thing. Women who accuse anyone should be heard. They should be heard and they should be dealt with, and I think we heard them prior to the election, she said. I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way - they have every right to speak up. Whether Trumps election settled the matter was for the people to decide, Haley said. I know that he was elected but women should always feel comfortable coming forward and we should all be willing to listen to them. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. R Bindu also said the quality of education in Kerala had not dipped contrary to the opposition's claims. Baghdad: Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared final victory over Islamic State on Saturday after Iraqi forces drove its last remnants from the country, three years after the militant group captured about a third of Iraqs 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. Iraqi forces recaptured the last areas still under Islamic State control along the border with Syria, the military said. Honourable Iraqis: your land has been completely liberated. The dream of liberation is now a reality, Abadi said in a televised address. He was speaking with five Iraqi flags and dozens of servicemen from different branches behind him. We have accomplished a very difficult mission. Our heroes have reached the final strongholds of Daesh and purified it. The Iraqi flag flies high today over all Iraqi lands. Daesh is an Arabic acronym for Islamic State, also known as ISIS. 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 coming days. The government said the declaration meant Iraqi forces had secured the western desert and the entire Iraq-Syria border, and marked the end of the war against Islamic State. Abadi declared 10 December a national holiday to be celebrated every year. State television aired celebratory songs praising government forces and militias, and showed scenes of celebration on the streets of Baghdad and other provinces. The US-led coalition that has been supporting the Iraqi forces against Islamic State welcomed the news, as did Brett McGurk, the US Special Presidential Envoy to the coalition. We congratulate the Prime Minister and all the Iraqi people on this significant achievement, which many thought impossible, he said in a series of tweets. We honor the sacrifices of the Iraqi people, its security forces, and the Kurdish Peshmerga, and admire the unity in their ranks that had made this day possible. The US State Department also issued a statement of congratulation. 'Eternal Enemy' 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 Iraq and Syria now expect a new phase of guerrilla warfare, a tactic the militants have already shown themselves capable of. Abadi said Iraq had entered the post-victory over (Islamic State) phase and must be prepared for future threats. (Islamic State)s dream is over and we must erase all its effect and not allow terrorism to return. Despite announcing final victory, we must remain vigilant and prepared against any terrorist attempt on our country, for terrorism is an eternal enemy. The war has had a devastating impact on the areas previously controlled by the militants. About 3.2 million people remain displaced, a UN statement said on Saturday. 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 28 September indicating he was alive following several reports of his death. 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 Shiite 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. Future challenges Driven from Mosul and Raqqa, 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 faced mainly US-backed Iraqi government forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, and Iranian-trained Shiite paramilitaries known as Popular Mobilisation. Abadi praised the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) and Iraqs top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, whose fatwa calling volunteers to fight Islamic State led to PMFs creation. Still, the prime minister said the state should have a monopoly on the use of arms. Disarming the PMF is seen as Abadis most difficult test after Islamic States defeat. Weapons should only be in the states hands. The rule of law and respect for it are the way to build the state and achieve justice, equality, and stability, he said. Abadi called for unity, which he said was the main reason for the victory, a reference to the contribution of different communities, including Sunni tribal fighters. However, Iraq faces a fresh internal conflict after it retaliated economically and militarily against the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government for holding a referendum on independence despite Baghdads opposition. The joy of victory is complete with Iraqs unity after it was on the verge of division. The unity of Iraq and its people is the most important and greatest accomplishment, he said. STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - Lawyers for Silvio Berlusconi argued on Wednesday at the European Court of Human Rights against his ban from holding public office, hoping for a green light that will allow him to run for prime minister at national elections early next year. FILE PHOTO: Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi gestures during EPP European People's Party meeting in Fiuggi, Italy, September 17, 2017. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File PhotoOne of his lawyers told the Strasbourg court that the four-times prime minister had received the sort of justice meted out to gladiators in Romes ancient Colosseum, as he appealed against the ban that followed a 2013 tax fraud conviction. The interdiction is not due to expire until 2019. The billionaire media tycoon was widely written off after he quit as prime minister in 2011 amid a sex scandal involving his bunga bunga parties, while Italian bond yields surged to unsustainable levels at the height of the euro zone debt crisis. However, the 81-year-old Berlusconi has made a remarkable comeback after open heart surgery last year and his Forza Italia (Go Italy!) party is now the lynchpin of a centre-right coalition which leads in opinion polls ahead of the election. The Berlusconi versus Italy case was heard by 17 judges who make up the courts Grand Chamber, which is used for particularly important and complex matters. Berlusconi hired a top London law firm to represent him. Berlusconi was the victim of the politics of a Roman amphitheatre in which the fate of the gladiator is determined by how many thumbs go up and how many thumbs go down, his lawyer Edward Fitzgerald told the court. Basic procedural guarantees were lacking for doing something as massive and draconian as depriving an elected official of his electoral mandate, and the people who elected him of their right to be represented by the person they chose. A verdict is not expected for several months. Even if the court eventually decides in favour of Berlusconi, the ruling may not come in time for him to run in the election, which must be held by May next year. FILE PHOTO : Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi gestures during the television talk show "Porta a Porta" (Door to Door) in Rome, Italy June 21, 2017. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File PhotoHUNG PARLIAMENT In an interview on Wednesday with la Repubblica newspaper, Berlusconi said he would still be campaigning for his party whether he could stand for office or not. Irrespective of whether I can stand, Ill be a player and Ill bring the centre-right to power, he said. Berlusconi was not present at the hearing in this eastern French city. FILE PHOTO: Forza Italia party leader Silvio Berlusconi gestures during a rally for the regional election in Palermo, Italy, November 1, 2017. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File PhotoBerlusconi argues that because the tax fraud took place many years before the 2013 Italian law that barred him from running for office was passed, the legislation was applied retroactively and was therefore illegitimate. A lawyer representing Italy refuted this on Wednesday, saying Berlusconis actions had been disloyal to the state. Berlusconi received a four-year prison sentence in August 2013 for organising a complex scheme to illegally lower the tax bill of his Mediaset media company. Three of the four years were immediately waived due to an amnesty to relieve prison overcrowding, and he was allowed to serve the remaining year in community service, helping out in an old peoples home. After the conviction, Berlusconi was expelled from Romes Senate, or upper house of parliament. With or without Berlusconi, the election is expected to produce a hung parliament. The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement leads in opinion polls with around 28 percent of the vote, followed by the ruling centre-left Democratic Party on about 25 percent. The centre-right bloc is made up of Forza Italia and the anti-immigrant Northern League, each on around 14 percent, and the right-wing Brothers of Italy, with around 5 percent. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. BEIRUT (Reuters) - The head of an Iran-backed Iraqi Shiite militia has visited Lebanons border with Israel accompanied by Hezbollah fighters, a video released on Saturday showed, in a show of Iranian influence that Lebanons prime minister called illegal. FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri speaks after a cabinet meeting in Baabda near Beirut, Lebanon December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File PhotoQais al-Khazali, leader of the Iraqi paramilitary group Asaib Ahl al-Haq, declared his readiness to stand together with the Lebanese people and the Palestinian cause, in the video footage widely circulating on social media. His appearance at the frontier is likely to be seen in the Middle East as an example of Tehran demonstrating its reach, and could add to tension in Lebanon, caught in a regional tussle between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri issued a statement saying the border visit by a paramilitary in uniform violated Lebanese law. He had instructed security chiefs to prevent any person from carrying out activities of a military nature on the countrys territory and to prevent any illegal actions, and barred Khazali from entering the country, it said. Lebanon is still recovering from a crisis triggered a month ago, when Hariri announced his resignation while visiting Saudi Arabia, accusing Iran and Hezbollah of meddling in regional conflicts in violation of Lebanons policy of non-intervention. Hariri returned to Lebanon two weeks later and withdrew his resignation last week, while his government restated its non-intervention policy. Hezbollah, a heavily armed Shiite group that fights openly in Syria as an ally of Iran, serves in the power-sharing government with Hariri, a Sunni Muslim politician with deep business and political ties to Saudi Arabia. A commander in an alliance between Hezbollah, Iran and Russia, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said al-Khazali was accompanied by officers from Asaib Ahl al-Haq and visited the entire border with occupied Palestine. The commander did not say when the visit took place. In the video, an unidentified commander, presumably from Hezbollah, gestures towards military outposts in northern Israel and explains to Khazali that they were hit by Hezbollah missiles in previous confrontations between the group and Israel. We are now on the border separating southern Lebanon with occupied Palestine with our brothers in Hezbollah, and announce our full preparedness to stand united...against the Israeli occupier, Khazali says in the video. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in June that any future war waged by Israel against Syria or Lebanon could draw in fighters from countries including Iran and Iraq. Irans Revolutionary Guards, who established Hezbollah in Lebanon in 1982, have mobilised Shiite militias from around the region in recent years. They have fought Islamic State in Iraq and helped President Bashar al-Assad in the war in Syria. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron told Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday that he needed to make gestures to the Palestinians to enable to break the impasse between the two sides. French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prior to a meeting focusing on bilateral ties, Iran, the Middle East peace process, and other regional crises, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France December 10, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe WojazerNetanyayu was in Paris ahead of a meeting with EU foreign ministers on Monday when they will try present a unified front after U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. While condemning all acts of terrorism against Israel, Macron said that he told Netanyahu that he was against Trumps decision, which was a dangerous threat to peace. I asked Prime Minister Netanyuhu to make some courageous gestures towards the Palestinians to get out of the current impasse, he said, suggesting that a freeze of settlement construction could be s first step. He reaffirmed that France believed that a two-state solution was the only viable option to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. European countries, like most nations, have criticised the Trump administrations decision last week which reversed decades of U.S. policy. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital, while the Palestinians want the eastern part of the city as capital of a future independent state. Most countries have maintained the position that decisions about Jerusalems status should be left to future negotiations. The Trump administration argues that any future peace deal is likely to place Israels capital in Jerusalem, and old policies need to be abandoned to revive the moribund peace process. Netanyahu responded to Macron by saying that once the Palestinians recognised the reality that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel, it would enable peace efforts sooner. The most important thing about peace is first of all to recognise that the other side has a right to exist, he said. One of the manifestations of this refusal is the mere refusal to sit down with Israel. French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a meeting focusing on bilateral ties, Iran, the Middle East peace process, and other regional crises, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France December 10, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe WojazerHere is the gesture I offer .. to Mr Abbas to sit down and negotiate peace. Thats a gesture for peace. Nothing could be simpler, he said, referring to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Macron said that he did not expect any breakthrough in the short-term, but it was important to see what a proposed U.S. peace initiative expected early next year would look like before writing Washington off as a mediator in the conflict. I dont think we need more initiatives, Macron said, ruling out a new French mediation effort after holding a peace conference in Paris last January. French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a meeting focusing on bilateral ties, Iran, the Middle East peace process, and other regional crises, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France December 10, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe WojazerWhen asked about discontent across the region over Trumps decision, including harsh criticism from Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Netanyahu said he would not be given morality lectures by the Turkish leader. He said that many Arab nations were increasingly aligned with Israel to tackle Irans regional threat. Many Arab countries recognise that Israel is not their enemy but their indispensable ally, he said. Countries in the region who do not have formal relations with us yet. Those can grow, but it doesnt mean there will be a formal peace without some progress with the Palestinians. Netanyahu said he sought to use closer ties with Arab countries to isolate extremists and counter Iran. What Iran is trying to do is to entrench itself militarily with land, air and naval forces in Syria with the express purpose of fighting and destroying Israel. We will not tolerate that and we back up our words with actions, he said. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Kuala Lampur: The Malaysian franchise of McDonalds Corp said it was disappointed with calls on social media to boycott the fast food restaurant chain in apparent retaliation to the United States recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Social media users in the Muslim-majority country called on boycotting various US companies following US president Donald Trumps decision to relocate the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a city important to both Israelis and Muslims. One user of Twitter Incs microblogging platform, TheUsopIbrahim, stated without citing sources that US-headquartered McDonalds channeled funds to Israel. The post has been retweeted 320 times and liked 138 times. TheUsopIbrahim did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. McDonalds Malaysia, in a statement on Facebook Incs social media platform on Saturday, said the chain does not support or engage in any political or religious conflicts. The claim that McDonalds channels funds to Israel is a false accusation, a lie, fake and slanderous. The charges made by an irresponsible party in (Facebooks) Whatsapp messages are also unsubstantiated, said Azmir Jaafar, managing director and operating partner of franchisee Gerbang Alaf Restaurants Sdn Bhd, without specifying any social media posts. Azmir also said Gerbangs largest shareholder is Muslim. The Malaysian and Singaporean franchise rights were bought by Saudi Arabias Lionhorn Pte Ltd a year ago, as part the US parents strategy of moving away from direct ownership in Asia. The Malaysian franchise also faced boycott calls in 2014 when social media posts alleged, without citing sources, that the restaurant chain was helping fund Israeli attacks on Gaza. The company denied the allegation. On Friday, Malaysian protesters condemned the US action, burning an effigy of Trump in front of the American embassy. Cairo/Gaza: Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas will not meet US vice president Mike Pence during Pences visit to the region this month in a snub over the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, the Palestinian foreign minister said on Saturday. Violence erupted for a third day in Gaza in response to President Donald Trumps announcement on Wednesday, which overturned decades of US policy towards the West Asia. Israeli air strikes killed two Palestinian gunmen on Saturday after militants fired rockets from the enclave into Israel on Friday, which had been declared a day of rage by Palestinian factions. Trumps recognition of Jerusalem 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. Late on Saturday, Arab foreign ministers urged the United States to abandon its decision and said the move would spur violence throughout the region. The Arab League, in a statement issued after an emergency session in Cairo, called Trumps announcement a dangerous violation of international law which had no legal impact and was void. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to critics in a statement before meetings in Paris on Sunday with French president Emmanuel Macron to be followed by a meeting with European foreign ministers in Brussels. I hear (from Europe) voices of condemnation over President Trumps historic announcement but I have not heard any condemnation for the rocket firing against Israel that has come (after the announcement) and the awful incitement against us, Netanyahu said. Israel maintains that all of Jerusalem is its capital. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory, and say the status of the city should be left to be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks. The Trump administration says it is still committed to Palestinian-Israeli talks, that Israels capital would be in Jerusalem under any serious peace plan, and that it has not taken a position on the citys borders. It says the moribund negotiations can be revived only by ditching outdated policies. Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki said the Palestinians will be looking for a new peace talks broker instead of the United States and would seek a United Nations Security Council resolution over Trumps decision. We will seek a new mediator from our Arab brothers and the international community, Maliki told reporters in Cairo before the Arab League meeting on Trumps Jerusalem decision. A Turkish presidential source said Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan and French president Emmanuel Macron will work together to try to persuade the United States to reconsider the move. A possible meeting with Pence has also been turned down by Egypts Coptic Church, MENA state news agency reported. White House and US State Department officials did not respond to requests for comment. Palestinian officials said Pence had been due to meet Abbas on 19 December. Trumps adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is leading efforts to restart negotiations, though his bid has shown little public progress so far. Rockets, air strikes Palestinian militants launched at least three rockets towards Israeli towns from Gaza after dark on Friday and Israel said it responded with air strikes that targeted a weapons depot, a military compound and two weapons manufacturing facilities. Hamas, which controls Gaza, confirmed the two men killed in the pre-dawn strikes belonged to the group, which has urged Palestinians to keep up the confrontation with Israeli forces. However, 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 occupied West Bank, Palestinians set fire to tires and threw stones and firebombs at Israeli troops, who responded with tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets and, in a few instances, live fire. 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. Thirteen demonstrators were arrested and four officers were lightly injured by stones, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. 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. 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 US decision. 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 senior United Arab Emirates (UAE) official said on Saturday that Trumps move was 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. JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli security guard at Jerusalems main bus station on Sunday, police said, and violence flared near the U.S. Embassy in Beirut over U.S. President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. Four days of street protests in the Palestinian territories over Trumps announcement on Wednesday have largely died down, but his overturning of long-standing U.S. policy on Jerusalem -- a city holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians -- drew more Arab warnings of potential damage to prospects for Middle East peace. Our hope is that everything is calming down and that we are returning to a path of normal life without riots and without violence, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Army Radio. But in Jerusalem, a security guard was in critical condition after a 24-year-old Palestinian man from the occupied West Bank stabbed him after approaching a metal detector at an entrance to the citys central bus station, police said. The alleged assailant was taken into custody after a passer-by tackled him. In Beirut, meanwhile, Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water canons at protesters, some of them waving Palestinian flags, near the U.S. Embassy. Demonstrators set fires in the street, torched U.S. and Israeli flags and threw projectiles towards security forces that had barricaded the main road to the complex. In public remarks on Sunday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, a frequent critic of Israel, called it an invader state and a terror state. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory and say the status of the city should be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks. Israel says that all of Jerusalem is its capital, while Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. Arab foreign ministers who met in Cairo on Saturday urged the United States to abandon its decision on Jerusalem and said the move would spur violence throughout the region. Echoing that view, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan, the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates, said the U.S. move could throw a lifebuoy to terrorist and armed groups, which have begun to lose ground in the Middle East. A Palestinian kicks a burning tire during clashes with Israeli troops at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah December 10, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamad TorokmanGAZA TUNNEL Along Israels tense frontier with the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military on Sunday destroyed what it described as a significant cross-border attack tunnel dug by the enclaves dominant Islamist group, Hamas. There was no immediate comment from Hamas on the demolition, which came as Palestinian factions tried to meet Sundays deadline for an Egyptian-mediated handover of Gaza by Hamas to Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas after a decades schism. Pre-dawn Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Saturday killed two Palestinian gunmen after militants fired rockets from the area into Israel on Friday. Slideshow (5 Images)In the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Sunday, thousands protested outside the U.S. embassy, many waving banners saying Palestine is in our hearts. Leaders in Indonesia, home to the worlds largest Muslim population, have joined a global chorus of condemnation of Trumps announcement, including from Western allies. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to critics in a statement before talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Sunday, to be followed by a meeting with European foreign ministers in Brussels. I hear (from Europe) voices of condemnation over President Trumps historic announcement, but I have not heard any condemnation for the rocket firing against Israel that has come (after the announcement) and the awful incitement against us, Netanyahu said. The Trump administration has said it is still committed to reviving Palestinian-Israeli talks that collapsed in 2014, and jettisoning old policies is necessary to break the deadlock. It said Israels capital would be in Jerusalem under any serious peace plan, and it has not taken a position with regard to the citys borders. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki has said the Palestinians will be looking for a new peace talks broker instead of the United States and would seek a United Nations Security Council resolution over Trumps decision. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Vatican City: Pope Francis renewed a call for "wisdom and prudence" over US president Donald Trump's controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, which has sparked protests and clashes. "The Holy Father renews his appeal for the wisdom and prudence of everyone, and raises fervent prayers so that the leaders of nations, in this time of special gravity, commit themselves to avert a new spiral of violence," a statement from the Vatican said. There were fresh protests in West Asia and elsewhere Sunday over Trump's declaration, a move that drew global condemnation and sparked days of unrest in the Palestinian territories. Noting that Jerusalem was sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims, the pope reiterated the church's "well-known position concerning the singular character of the Holy City and the essential need for respecting the status quo". "At the same time the Holy See reiterates its own conviction that only a negotiated solution between Israelis and Palestinians can bring a stable and lasting peace, and guarantee the peaceful co-existence of two states within internationally recognised borders," the statement added. Seoul: South Korea will impose new unilateral sanctions against nuclear-armed Pyongyang, a report said Sunday, in Seoul's latest effort to pressure the North after a series of weapons tests that have sent regional tensions surging. The move comes after a rare visit to North Korea by a senior UN official, who called for dialogue between Pyongyang and the international community to avert a potentially catastrophic "miscalculation" in the high-stakes nuclear crisis. Seoul's new measures, its second set of unilateral sanctions in a month, are likely to draw an angry response from Pyongyang, which views its neighbour as overly-dependent on a hostile Washington. A total of 20 North Korean organisations, including banks and trading companies, and 12 North Korean individuals - mostly bankers - will be blacklisted as of Monday, the South's Yonhap news agency reported citing a foreign ministry official. "The organisations and individuals were involved in supplying money needed to develop weapons of mass destruction or illegal trading of sanctioned items," the official said, according to Yonhap. The measures are in addition to those by the UN Security Council, which has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests. China, Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and military ally, has also backed the UN embargoes, but has repeatedly pushed for talks to diffuse tensions. The UN's under secretary general Jeffrey Feltman visited the North just a week after Pyongyang said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. His trip also coincided with the US and South Korea's biggest-ever joint air exercise, which the North slammed as a provocation and revealing an intention to "mount a surprise nuclear pre-emptive strike". Seoul's sanctions will bar South Korean individuals and entities from transacting with those on the list but it will be largely symbolic given a lack of inter-Korean economic ties. Last year, South Korea unilaterally closed operations at the jointly-run Kaesong Industrial Complex, saying cash from the zone was being funnelled to the North's weapons programme. The complex was the last remaining form of North-South economic cooperation. Seoul banned nearly all business with the North in 2010 after accusing Pyongyang of sinking one of its warships. Colombo: 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, the 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 government's 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 country's national assets to China. The Sri Lankan government had signed a $1.1 billion deal in July to sell a 70 percent 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 China's Belt and Road initiative, which will link ports and roads between China and Europe. In order to allay India's security concerns over the Chinese navy's 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. London: British prime minister Theresa May on Saturday congratulated her Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi over the Islamic State victory, but warned the militant group is "not yet defeated". Extremists are "still pose a threat to Iraq, including from over the Syrian border", May said in a statement issued here after the Iraqi prime minister claimed an end to the fight against the terrorist group earlier Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported. Abadi announced that the Islamic State no longer occupies significant territory in Iraq, and the fight against Islamic State was over after more than three years of combat operations. "I congratulate prime minister Abadi and all Iraqis on this historic moment," May said. "This signals a new chapter towards a more peaceful, prosperous country." "We must be clear however, that whilst Islamic State is failing, they are not yet defeated," she said. "They still pose a threat to Iraq, including from over the Syrian border." Iraqi forces mopped up the last pockets of Islamic State fighters from Iraq's western deserts on Saturday, securing the country's border with Syria, a step that marked the end of combat operations against the extremists. Islamic State rapidly captured large territories in Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate in 2014. The group controlled more than 34,000 square miles of territory from the Mediterranean coast to south of Baghdad. The campaign to eradicate the Islamic State took more than three years and about 25,000 coalition air strikes. Iraqi forces have increasingly been pushing Islamic State out of the country over the past few months. Troops last month retook the town of Rawa, one of Islamic State's last footholds in the country. At that point, only pockets of Islamic State resistance remained. Beirut: The United Nations children's agency said 137 children stranded in a rebel-held suburb near the Syrian capital require immediate evacuation amid a crippling siege in which five have reportedly died from a lack of medical care. The Eastern Ghouta suburb, home to 400,000 residents, has been besieged since 2013 and humanitarian conditions there have deteriorated sharply amid violence that intensified since 14 November. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 202 people, including 47 children, have been killed since. The area, the last remaining rebel-held pocket near the capital Damascus, is technically part of a "de-escalation zone" brokered by Russia earlier this year. Cease-fires brokered by Russia have largely held elsewhere in Syria but there has been little progress toward a political solution to the conflict that has claimed nearly 400,000 lives since it began in 2011. Syrian opposition and government delegates are currently in Geneva for a new round of UN-sponsored talks after a short break. The government delegation has protested the opposition's insistence on the absence of President Bashar Assad from any future transition period. United Nations: United Nations officials have found that missiles fired at Saudi Arabia by Yemens Houthi rebels appear to have a common origin, but they are still investigating US and Saudi claims that Iran supplied them, according to a confidential report. The officials traveled to Saudi Arabia to examine the debris of missiles fired on 22 July and 4 November, wrote UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the fourth biannual report on the implementation of UN sanctions and restrictions on Iran. They found that the missiles had similar structural and manufacturing features which suggest a common origin, said Guterres in the Friday report to the UN Security Council, seen by Reuters on Saturday. The report comes amid calls by the United States for Iran to be held accountable for violating UN Security Council resolutions on Yemen and Iran by supplying weapons to the Houthis. Saudi-led forces, which back the Yemeni government, have fought the Iran-allied Houthis in Yemens more than two-year-long civil war. Saudi Arabias crown prince has described Irans supply of rockets to the Houthis as direct military aggression that could be an act of war. Iran has denied supplying the Houthis with weapons, saying the US and Saudi allegations are baseless and unfounded. Guterres report said the UN officials saw three components, which Saudi authorities said came from the missile fired on 4 November. The components bore the castings of a logo similar to that of the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group - a UN-blacklisted company. The officials are still analyzing the information collected and will report back to the Security Council, wrote Guterres. Nuclear deal The Saudi-led coalition used the 4 November missile attack to justify a blockade of Yemen for several weeks, saying it was needed to stem the flow of arms to the Houthis from Iran. Although the blockade later eased, Yemens situation has remained dire. About 8 million people are on the brink of famine, with outbreaks of cholera and diphtheria. A separate report to the Security Council last month by a panel of independent experts monitoring sanctions imposed in Yemen found that four missiles fired this year into Saudi Arabia appear to have been designed and manufactured by Iran. However, the panel said it as yet has no evidence as to the identity of the broker or supplier of the missiles, which were likely shipped to the Houthis in violation of a targeted UN arms embargo imposed on Houthi leaders in April 2015. Most UN sanctions on Iran were lifted in January last year when the UN nuclear watchdog confirmed that Tehran fulfilled commitments under a nuclear deal with Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the United States. But Iran is still subject to a UN arms embargo and other restrictions. US president Donald Trump dealt a blow to the nuclear deal in October by refusing to certify that Tehran was complying with the accord and warning that he might ultimately terminate it. International inspectors have said Iran is in compliance. I encourage the United States to maintain its commitments to the plan and to consider the broader implications for the region and beyond before taking any further steps, Guterres wrote. Similarly, I encourage the Islamic Republic of Iran to carefully consider the concerns raised by other participants in the plan, he said. 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 22 May. 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. Similarly China on Friday also 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 on Friday 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. China's exposure to militant attacks has risen in recent years as its overseas footprint expands. The Islamic State group said in June it kidnapped and killed two Chinese teachers in Quetta. China has invested heavily in Pakistan, where thousands of Chinese workers are employed in $60 billion worth of infrastructure projects under Beijing's "Belt and Road" initiative. The port and road-building projects in Baluchistan province have come under frequent insurgent attacks. For decades, a small number of Uighurs, an ethnic minority in western China that has chafed under Beijing's rule, have sought refuge with the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Pakistan's government has promised Beijing that it will deploy troops to secure the economic corridor being built and root out anti-China militants in its northwestern tribal areas. Washington: The United States hailed the end of the Islamic State group's "vile occupation" of Iraq on Saturday after the Baghdad government declared victory in a three-year war, but warned that the jihadists still posed a threat. "The Iraqi announcement signals the last remnants of (Islamic State)'s self-proclaimed 'caliphate' in Iraq have been erased and the people living in those areas have been freed from (Islamic State)'s brutal control," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. "The United States joins the government of Iraq in stressing that Iraq's liberation does not mean the fight against terrorism, and even against (Islamic State), in Iraq is over," Nauert added in a statement. "We must be vigilant in countering all extremist ideologies to prevent the return of (Islamic State) or the emergence of threats by other terrorist groups." Islamic State seized vast areas north and west of Baghdad in a lightning offensive in 2014, and at its height endangered Iraq's very existence. Iraq fought back with the support of an air campaign waged by a US-led coalition, recapturing town after town from the clutches of the jihadists, often in fierce urban warfare. "Throughout its vile occupation of large areas of Iraq, (Islamic State) showed its despicable nature by using children and other civilians as human shields and turning hospitals, mosques, universities and schools into weapons-making and storage facilities and bases for its terrorist operations," Nauert said. "The global coalition has been proud to support the Iraqi security forces who fought bravely to defeat these terrorists." iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Lego has won its first copyright case in China, according to the company. The Danish toymaker said the case was against two Chinese companies that manufactured products imitating Legos. This is the first time the Lego Group has filed and won an "anti-unfair competition case" in China. The company said the China Shantou Intermediate Peoples Court decided that the two Chinese companies "must stop copying the packaging and logos of LEGO products in the future, as this constitutes copyright infringement." We are pleased with the ruling by Shantou Intermediate Peoples Court, which we see as a strong indication of the continued focus on proper intellectual property protection and enforcement by the Chinese courts and responsible authorities. We think this is very important for the continued development of a favorable business environment for all companies operating in the Chinese market," said Peter Thorslund Kjr, vice president of legal affairs for the Lego Group. We will continue our efforts to ensure that parents and children are able to make informed choices when they are buying toy products, and that they are not misled by attempts by irresponsible companies to make toy products appear as something that they are not. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. The likelihood of Britain leaving the European Union without a future trade deal has "dropped dramatically" now that the two sides have reached a preliminary agreement on their divorce terms, the country's Brexit secretary said Sunday. The deal hammered out by Prime Minister Theresa May last week means the negotiations on Britain's March 2019 departure from the EU can move onto the next phase, Brexit Secretary David Davis told the BBC. The progress should give Britain enough time to negotiate a free-trade agreement for once it is outside the EU, making it unlikely the country will have to fall back on World Trade Organization rules that would impose tariffs, he said. "The odds, as it were, against a WTO, or no-deal outcome, have dropped dramatically," Davis said. The risk of Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal has raised concern among business leaders who feared such a result would hamper trade and investment and weaken the nation's economy. The danger of a no-deal Brexit would have been much greater without last week's agreement on so-called divorce issues, including citizen's rights and the Irish border, because the preliminary talks could have stretched on for months, leaving negotiators short of time to complete an agreement before the 2019 deadline, Davis said. The government's goal is to maintain tariff-free access to the EU market for both goods and services, which make up a large part of the British economy. Critics have argued that time already is too short, citing the case of Canada, which took seven years to negotiate a free-trade deal with the EU. Davis disagreed, saying it will be easier for Britain because the country's rules and regulations are already aligned with EU rules after 40 years of membership. "We start in complete alignment, we start in complete convergence, with the EU and we then work it out from there," he said. "The thing is how we manage divergence ... so it doesn't undercut access to the market." However, Davis noted that no deal terms would be iron-clad until everything is agreed upon underscoring a caveat in the deal announced Friday. Asked what would happen if Britain weren't able to reach a final Brexit deal, Davis said Britain wouldn't necessarily be bound by the commitments it made in the preliminary agreement, including provisions on the Irish border. Britain has guaranteed that Northern Ireland, which will have the U.K.'s only land border with the EU after Brexit, would remain in "full alignment" with EU rules to ensure the border remains open and trade between the two parts of Ireland isn't impeded. Some have asked whether that means Britain as a whole will have to remain part of the EU's single market and customs union, undercutting the government's promise to leave the 28-nation bloc. Pressed on the contradictory statements, Davis said Britain still plans to leave both the single market and the customs union. While the agreement May reached ensures that standards on goods and services will remain very close to those in the EU, the British government will decide how to achieve that goal, he said. The comments are already causing issues in Dublin, where Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar had described statements on avoiding a hard border in last week's deal as being "cast iron." The Irish government's chief whip, Joe McHugh, branded Davis' comments as "bizarre." "My question to anybody within the British government would be, why would there be an agreement, a set of principled agreements, in order to get to phase two, if they weren't going to be held up? That just sounds bizarre to me," McHugh said. "This, as far as we're concerned, is a binding agreement, an agreement in principle." As a parent, it's natural to want to give your children the best opportunities in life, and that holds true once your kids turn into adults. But if you're not careful, your generosity could come back to bite you when you're ready to retire. It turns out the majority of parents out there support their adult children financially in some shape or form, according to a new NerdWallet study. The problem? Many can't afford to be doing so. All told, parents could miss out on a whopping $227,000 by paying their adult kids' living expenses for five years rather than socking that money away in an IRA or 401(k). And that's just for a single child. Supporting multiple adult children could easily bring that figure up even higher. Now it'd be one thing if most Americans were in good financial shape heading into retirement, but that's far from the case. The average 50-something in the U.S., for example, has roughly $125,000 accumulated in a retirement account, but that's just the average. The median savings balance for 50-somethings is a mere $8,000, and when you have a scenario where the median is that much lower, it means that more folks have less money than the average than those whose savings surpass that figure. Clearly, $8,000 is hardly enough to live off, even with Social Security benefits thrown into the mix. And if more parents don't start tightening up their purse strings and focusing on their own futures, they're going to land in serious trouble once they're retired and low on income. Cutting the cord It's one thing to offer your adult children logistical support, whether it's watching the grandkids to help them save on babysitting fees or even allowing them to live with you until they get on their feet. After all, another body under your roof won't increase your mortgage payments, and the incremental cost of added electricity and water usage is apt to be minimal at best. But there's a difference between offering the type of support we just mentioned and paying your adult children's bills. And the latter is a practice that many parents continue to uphold, even if it's hurting them in the process. So just how much of a hit might your retirement savings take if you support your adult kids for a period of time? Let's assume that between the ages of 50 and 55, you give your children $15,000 a year to help them get by. That's an automatic $75,000 decrease in your nest egg, but it doesn't end there. Because your investments have the potential to grow over time, not adding that money to your savings means you don't get to capitalize on the power of compounding. Now, let's say you're a fairly strong investor whose portfolio yields an average yearly 8% return up until retirement (with a stock-focused strategy, this is more than doable, since that figure is actually a bit below the market's average). If you were to contribute $15,000 a year to your savings between 50 and 55, and then invest your $75,000 at that same return without adding a penny more, by age 67, you'd be sitting on an extra $222,000. Therefore, while you might think you're not missing out on all that much income by supporting your adult children in their time of need, the reality is that you could be jeopardizing your own future without even knowing it. A better idea? Be generous with emotional support, but keep your financial support to a minimum. There's nothing wrong with picking up the tab at dinner here and there or slipping your 25-year-old a $20 bill when he comes home to visit. But don't make the mistake of giving most of your spare cash to your kids rather than saving it. Remember, your children most likely have a number of working years ahead of them, whereas your time left in the workforce is probably limited. While it's noble to want to do everything you possibly can for your kids, there comes a point when you also need to look out for yourself. And the sooner you realize that, the less you'll end up putting your retirement at risk. 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. Armie Hammer apologized on Friday for commenting on Casey Afflecks sexual harassment cases while attempting to call out Hollywoods double standard in an interview last month. During a Hollywood Reporter interview last month, Hammer questioned why Casey Affleck, who faced two sexual harassment cases, won an Oscar for best actor when Nate Parker was placed in directors jail after allegations of sexual assault resurfaced. In a statement released by his PR firm, Hammer said he misspoke when comparing the cases. I would like to sincerely apologize to Casey and his family for my recent comments about him in my THR interview. Without knowing the facts about the civil lawsuits at issue (which I now understand were settled), I misspoke, Hammer said in an email statement to Fox News. I conflated sexual harassment cases with a criminal case involving sexual assault charges. The cases in which Casey was involved were not criminal and instead involved civil claims from his 2010 movie 'Im Still Here,' the 31-year-old actor said. Affleck was sued in 2010 for allegedly sexually harassing two female crew members on the set of Im Still Here. The two cases were settled out of court and dismissed, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Hammer said he intended to make a social comment about double standards in general, but instead made a poor comparison that he deeply regrets making. I also didn't mean to insinuate, nor do I believe, that Casey or anyone from his camp had anything to do with leaked information that took place during the press for Birth of a Nation, Hammer said. Hammer added, I respect Caseys work, and Ive learned a valuable lesson about the need to be more accurate with disseminating information, especially in this age of instantaneous, unchecked communication. While attempting to be part of the solution, I unintentionally made myself part of the problem, for which I am truly sorry. Hammer said in the initial Hollywood Reporter interview that Parkers Birth of a Nation was up for an Oscar last year before the directors 1999 rape allegation was brought up. Parker and Jean Celestin, Parker's college roommate from Penn State and the co-writer of Birth of a Nation, were accused of raping a student when they attended the university in 1999. Celestin was found guilty of sexual assault, but it was overturned when the student did not testify. She reportedly killed herself in 2012. Parker was acquitted of the crime, but was later accused of exposing himself to a female student trainer. The millions who watched this summers total eclipse included a New York woman who has been left with a crescent-shaped burn in her eye. A JAMA Ophthalmology report Thursday says the woman went to the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary three days after the Aug. 21 solar eclipse complaining of blurred and distorted vision. She told doctors that she looked at the sun without eclipse glasses several times for about six seconds and then put on protective glasses she borrowed from a stranger and stared at the sun for about 15 to 20 seconds. Doctors used an adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy to view the damage done to her retina. The images showed a lesion that resembles the solar rim during a partial solar eclipse on her left eye. Its amazing, retinal specialist Sunir Garg at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, told the Wall Street Journal. The pattern of the injury is that same crescent shape that you would see viewing the eclipse. The woman, who was in her 20s, also drew what she was seeing and resembled the same crescent shape that was found on her eye. She was diagnosed with solar retinopathy, retinal injury caused by staring at the sun directly. The rare eye injury is usually reported by people after viewing the eclipse. The total solar eclipse lasted two and a half minutes. For months, experts warned about lasting eye damage if people looked at the sun directly without proper eclipse glasses. Some counterfeit solar eclipse glasses circulated on the internet that could cause severe eye damage. The next total solar eclipse in the U.S. will be in 2024. This friendship between a young local rapper and an elderly Florida woman is melting hearts all over the country. On Friday, the 22-year-old Spencer Sleyon who, according to XXL, raps under the name Half Empty flew 1,000 miles to West Palm Beach to meet 81-year-old Rosalind Roz Guttman. The two had been playing the online game Words with Friends together for over a year. We played [300-plus] games together, and [Roz] actually ended up becoming a good friend of mine, Tweeted Sleyon. The tweet, along with the photos of the two hugging each other, has been liked one million times. The trip was arranged by Amy Butler, a pastor at Manhattans Riverside Church, who flew to Florida with the rapper. Sleyon told The Root that Roz was his best friend. Sometimes wed speak about personal things, but nothing extra personal, he said. Politics, the election, hurricanes. Added the rapper: Whatever people want to take from this story and however it makes them feel, Im just glad and Rosalind and I can bring that to people. This article originally appeared on the New York Post What in the sweet name of Santa Claus is wrong with liberals? A popular doughnut shop in Portland, Maine, was forced to apologize to the community after it offended customers by working with the Salvation Army to provide Christmas to a needy family. Click here for a free subscription to Todds newsletter: a must-read for Conservatives! The Holy Donut had asked customers to help them with a gift drive for a local family with five children. Those customers who participated received free doughnuts. The Holy Donut should be commended for helping a family in need and spreading a bit of Christmas cheer. The doughnut shop reached out to the Salvation Army to find the family in need, the Press-Herald reports. Instead of saluting the doughnut shop for doing a good deed an online mob stormed their Facebook page. Many accused the Salvation Army of being anti-gay and discriminating against the LGBT community. It was all untrue, of course but the truth doesnt really matter these days. They proselytize to the people in their programs, they reject LGBT people from their shelters, one outraged customer wrote. They have tried to scrub their image, but still discriminate. For the record, the Salvation Army is a well-respected Christian ministry that provides shelter for the homeless, addiction programs and of course the iconic red kettles at Christmas time. Nevertheless, some freedom-loving, donut eaters defended the popular mom-and-pop establishment. Going after a doughnut shop because they dont like their politics is exactly why people voted for Trump, one observer wrote online. I dont care if someone is L, G, B or T, but when they stand in the way of people helping people simply because their own personal noses are out of joint, they lose my respect and any sympathy I have for their cause, wrote another. But the Press Herald reports that the anti-doughnut mob was unrelenting going so far as to threaten boycotts unless the donut shop renounced its association with the Salvation Army. In case you forgot, a solid 70 percent of your clientele is part of the LGBTQ community, one rabble-rouser wrote. Youre making a silent statement that youre completely fine with their choices. Ah yes, nothing quite like an old-fashioned yuletide public shaming. We do not support the Salvation Army or consider them our partner for this project, they simply linked us to a needy family, the store owners wrote on Facebook. We have nothing to gain here, we just wanted to help a family in need. As unthinkable as it might be a good number of the pro-LGBT protesters were upset that the donut shop dared to help a family in need during the Christmas season. To quell the growing controversy, The Holy Donut threw themselves at the mercy of the surging mob. We take this opportunity to sincerely apologize to anyone that we have offended, the store owners wrote on Facebook. We are an organization which prides itself on our track record of kindness and acceptance of everyone. The Holy Donut should be commended for helping a family in need and spreading a bit of Christmas cheer. They should also be commended for make delicious doughnuts. (Ive been privileged to sample their Maple Bacon Maine Potato Donut). And shame on all of you folks out there for harassing these good people and spreading out-right lies about the Salvation Army. Shame! No doughnuts for you. Doug Jones, the Democratic nominee in Alabamas senate race, is desperate for black votes. With support from key black lawmakers like New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and Georgia Representative John Lewis, the Jones campaign hopes black voters will come out in big numbers on Tuesdays election. In fact, as many pundits have noted, his election victory will largely rely on their support. Ostensibly, Jones holds a tremendous advantage to win the black vote. African-Americans, a quarter of the Alabama electorate, make up the majority of Democratic voters in the state. He himself prosecuted the KKK members who killed the four girls in the 1963 bombing of 16th street Baptist Church in Birmingham. And his opponent is an easy target. Roy Moore has not only been accused of sexual assault and pedophilia, but recently received blowback for his comments which critics say romanticized slavery. Jones only has one small problem when it comes to the black vote: all he has to offer the black community is a tone-deaf flyer: The flyer highlights Moores sexual abuse allegations and prominently displays a photo of a skeptical black man under the text "Think if a black man went after high school girls, anyone would try to make him a senator?" Heres the problem. The flyer is predicated upon two faulty assumptions about black voters. First, it assumes that black people only care about issues of race. In other words, a black person wouldnt be as appalled at an accusation of pedophilia as a white personunless the accusation is somehow linked to racism. I could be missing something, but even the greatest race-baiters in the country havent tried to make the Moore allegations a race issue. Secondly, and most importantly, the flyer implies that black voters dont care about issues facing their community. But black citizens, like all Americans, are interested in issues like the economy, education and a better future for their children. Jones either thinks blacks arent worthy of the same policy conversations as white voters or he has no policy prescriptions that would lead to better outcomes for them. Both ideas are troubling. Even the far-left publication, The Root, raised issue with the flyer. In an op-ed, the author Michael Harriot rightly comments: On the rare occasions when the Democratic Party does address black voters, it only talks about the black issues: policing, mass incarceration, civil rights, etc. For the party leadership, black people arent whole people who have the same concerns about taxes, job creation, education initiatives, international policy and economics as other voters. They are simply bodies collected in the coffers of the partys ineffective longing for power. Liberal politicians around the country should take note that black voters are catching on to their schemes. White liberals employ the same strategy every election cycle. When they need votes (and only when they need votes), they return to the black community with the same lines about how their opponent is a closet racist. Then they give shallow promises that rarely ever make it to their legislative agenda. But if they can stoke enough fear and guarantee enough unicorns, then perhaps they can win the election. However, with the outrage following Jones mailer and with early indications that black voters might stay at home on Tuesday, this strategy looks to be a failure in Alabama. And liberal politicians around the country should take note that black voters are catching on to their schemes. To be fair, conservatives have their own issues talking to black voters. While I believe their policies are best-suited to lead to flourishing communities, they fail to effectively sell those policies to people who need them the most. As I have mentioned before, conservatives shouldnt be afraid to present their case in places where they may be unpopular. But for liberals, the issue is even worse because black Americans have consistently voted them into office with nothing in return. In fact, when questioned about the flyer controversy on the "Black Eagle" radio show on Sirius/XM on Friday, Doug Jones hardly cared: "That mailer kind of speaks for itselfYou know, maybe we could've used a little bit different language." Hes right. The mailer speaks for itself. The black community is worth about as much to progressives as a postage stamp. I am the great granddaughter of slaves from Alabama. I cant imagine how horrible their lives must have been. I have no idea how long ago my earlier ancestors were captured in Africa and shipped to America in chains, their lives suddenly turned into nightmares. My great grandparents were deprived of the unalienable rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness proclaimed in Americas Declaration of Independence a document that says all men are created equal. The ugliness and injustice of their slavery made a mockery of the beautiful words of the great Declaration. I thank God that the immoral, sinful institution of slavery is long gone. It was a cancer of the soul of our great country. But its good to be reminded sometimes just how bad things were in the past, so that we can fully appreciate our lives today. We have a lot to appreciate today even though sometimes many of us forget that. America is the greatest nation on Earth. And while racism has not disappeared, America is our home. What house can stand if its inhabitants are divided? Recently my family and I visited one of the stations along the underground railroad outside of Philadelphia to retrace the steps of escaped slaves. The underground railroad wasnt actually a railroad. It was a series of safe houses stations they were called that provided refuge to escaped slaves from the South risking their lives to seek the freedom that was their God-given human right. They often traveled at night and on foot never knowing if they would be captured and enslaved once again. Imagine, if you can, stepping into the shoes of an escaped slave if they had shoes, that is. Imagine summoning up the courage to walk up the back steps of one of those safe houses. Trembling, you knock on the door. Fear and hope fill your racing heart. When the person on the other side opens the door you wrestle the passwords from your lips: A friend of a friend sent me. You hope beyond hope that the person opening the door is truly a friend, and that the door will be another step on your road to freedom. You hope the person will provide you with refuge and not a whip, or chains, or a bullet. While at the safe house, we had the opportunity to read some of the stories of the escaped slaves recorded by William Still, one of the founders of the underground railroad. One of the stories hit a chord with me because it was about a mother I could readily identify with. The woman was named Betsy, a slave who fled to freedom because her baby boy almost died one day while she was laboring in the field of her master. Think about that word her master. Someone who owned her as if she was a dog instead of a human being. Its a daunting thing to consider that truly was a reality for many who looked very much like me and my two beautiful black babies. I dont know what this feels like. Not one black American alive today knows what this feels like. Betsy wanted the freedom to care for her baby and she wanted her son to grow up in freedom, instead of worrying that he would be taken from her and sold to the highest bidder at an auction. This brave woman, in her heart, wanted what I and every mother wants the best for our children. So what does this all have to do with today particularly for the lives of black Americans? Betsy was a slave. Her whole environment told her she was not even human. She had no rights. At any moment, her master could radically change her situation and she would be able to do nothing about it. Yet, she was not helpless. She would not succumb to white privilege. She and her posterity would be free. As we look at the culture around us today, the agitation is palpable. We see this growing intensity behind the narrative that black lives are in danger, that black people are victims and that white privilege is the culprit. Innocent lives are being lost, blood is being spilled and opportunities are being wasted. There may be those in very high places who are constantly telling you that youre a victim, that its someone elses fault, that you cant achieve this or that because the odds are stacked against you. Ignore them. My message to my fellow black Americans is simple: There may be those in very high places who are constantly telling you that youre a victim, that its someone elses fault, that you cant achieve this or that because the odds are stacked against you. Ignore them. We are not slaves! We are free! I am not a victim, my children are not victims, and all black people are no longer victims. We are smart, talented, hardworking and have the same legal rights as all other Americans. We have received a great inheritance from our strong and proud ancestors. We are victors. You have not been fatally wounded. Remember that. If Betsy could succeed, you can succeed. Learn from our shared history of struggle, study hard and work hard and write a story of triumph over adversity that your grandchildren and great grandchildren will be proud to read. You can be more than your environment. Just believe. And may God bless America, where the beautiful ideals of the Declaration of Independence are belatedly but finally accepted and embraced by our great nation. Listen to the mainstream media and President Trumps national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, and you would conclude that war on the Korean Peninsula is imminent, right? Youd be wrong. The only way a war breaks out in Northeast Asia is if Washington starts it. Let me tell you why. The 50-year war between North Korea and its neighbor South Korea is over. North Korea lost. Dictator Kim Jong Un now presides over a dying society in the North a prison camp full of about 25 million miserable, starving people masquerading as a country. North Korea lags in economic terms somewhere behind Ethiopia. In contrast, South Korea is an economic juggernaut; a nation of roughly 51 million with an economy larger than that of Russia, which has a population of about 144 million. In terms of per capita gross domestic product, South Korea ranks 31st in the world, while Russia ranks 68th and North Korea ranks nowhere. Kims armed forces mirror his societys tragic condition. They are an aging tribute to the Soviet forces of the 1970s. Any attempt to employ them against South Koreas modern armed forces would end in devastating defeat for North Korea. Kim also knows that missile attacks launched from his soil against the South Korea, Japan or the United States would result in the immediate and total destruction of his Stalinist regime. Chinese President Xi Jinping has told Kim in very clear terms that if Kim launches an attack on his neighbors or the United States, he is on his own. The Chinese armed forces will stand by and watch as Kims regime is systematically annihilated. To reiterate, the only way war breaks out in Northeast Asia is if the United States starts it. And this insight explains Kims strategy. His best chance of survival is to goad President Trump into attacking him. Then Beijing despite the Chinese distaste for their North Korean neighbor will be obligated to intervene to defend Kims regime. With this point in mind, Kim has turned to Moscow, not Beijing, for help. Moscow sees Washingtons renewed interest in bringing down Kim as an opportunity. From Moscows perspective, North Korea is useful insofar as it can be leveraged in a high-stakes game to bring Washington into conflict with not only North Korea, but more importantly with China. While China will not support North Korea in a war unleashed by the Kim regime, Beijing has said the Chinese Armed Forces will assist Kim if Washington attacks North Korea. To promote conflict with China something President Trump made less likely with his wise diplomacy toward China Moscow is willing to provide just enough technical assistance to create the illusion of capability in North Korea. The Norths recent missile launch is a case in point. The liquid-fueled rocket that North Korea launched into space recently lacked precision guidance, as well as a viable warhead. And, like its predecessors, the rocket broke up on reentry and crashed in pieces into the sea. South Korean President Moon Jae-in summed up the 50-minute rocket test by saying it was not clear whether the communist nation has in fact built nuclear weapons, let alone perfected its missile technology. For Washington, the right course of action is obvious. Dont take the bait. As former Secretary of Defense Bob Gates warned some time ago: "Any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should have his head examined. The sole beneficiary of a conflict between the United States and China is Russia. Like Serbia in 1914, North Korea is unpopular with virtually every nation in the world, including China. On the eve of World War I, the Guardian newspaper noted sarcastically that if it were physically possible for Serbia to be towed out to sea and sunk there, the air of Europe would at once seem cleaner. Most of the world would readily apply this description to North Korea. Of course, in 1914 not a single European statesman regarded Serbia as a country so important that every major power in Europe and eventually the world would go to war over its future. Yet, thanks to Russias decision to mobilize its armies and back Serbia, thats exactly what happened. My advice to President Trump is simple: Mr. President, Moscow is inciting Rocket Man. Dont take the bait. Retired Army Col. Douglas Macgregor is a decorated combat veteran, a Ph.D. and the author of five books; his most recent is Margin of Victory (Naval Institute Press, 2016). Poor President Obama. He doesnt think hes getting enough credit for todays booming economy. Speaking at a conference of mayors in Chicago recently, Mr. Obama said, We saw the longest streak of job creation in American history by far a streak that still continues, by the way. After a dramatic pause, he added: Thanks, Obama. Obama has always been excellent at making speeches. But delivering robust growth? Not so much. Certainly not the kind of 3 percent-plus growth the U.S. is enjoying today, which has forced unemployment to a 17-year low. Instead, we saw an extended period of tepid gains that did little to boost the spirits (or wages) of discouraged Americans. President Obama will never understand what happened on Election Day, and why the countrys mood brightened. But its important that our policymakers understand. Trumps victory resulted in a sea change in expectations, setting off a benevolent chain reaction which continues to this day. That fact alone makes this undeniably Trumps economy. Heres how we know: Against all expectations, the stock market started to boom on November 9, 2016, the day after the election. The Dow soared 257 points, and gained 9 percent by year-end, for the biggest post-election rally ever. Why? Because investors believed that newly-elected President Trump was determined to create jobs, bring businesses back to the U.S., lower taxes and loosen the regulatory noose created by Obama. Thats what he campaigned on, and thats why he was elected. What Obama never understood is that there is a close and important correlation between optimism and growth. Optimistic consumers spend money. Optimistic investors buy stocks. Most important, business leaders who view the future positively will invest in growth. The optimism unleashed on November 8, 2016, was astonishing. The very next month, consumer confidence soared to a 15-year high, according to the Conference Board, well ahead of analysts' expectations. To be precise, the index rose to 107.1 from 98.6; economic gurus were forecasting 101.5. It wasnt the current conditions survey that popped, but rather the future outlook that jumped to the highest level since 2003. The University of Michigan also saw their consumer confidence index leap. The initial reaction of consumers to Trump's victory was to express greater optimism about their personal finances as well as improved prospects for the national economy," Richard Curtin, the survey's chief economist, said at the time. Gallup, too, in its polls, noted a jump in optimism post-election. They reported that the survey bumped into positive territory (most people think conditions are good) for the first time since early 2015. Consumers were not alone. Small business owners were also cheered by Trumps election. The National Federation of Independent Business reported an immediate surge in optimism among its members, with its confidence index rising to 105.8, its highest level since the end of 2004. The December gain was 7.4 points, the biggest monthly leap since 1980. The outlook from corporate CEOs, too, turned more positive. In fact, nearly every measure of manufacturing and business sentiment improved in the weeks following the election. What Obama never understood is that there is a close and important correlation between optimism and growth. Optimistic consumers spend money. Optimistic investors buy stocks. Most important, business leaders who view the future positively will invest in growth. Michelle Meyer, chief U.S. economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, wrote in the weeks following the election that a pickup in business confidence normally boosts capital expenditures within a fairly short time frame, while rising consumer confidence can predict higher spending. That is, of course, exactly what happened. Last years holiday spending was the highest in five years, up 4.8 percent after gains of 3.8 percent and 3.1 percent in the two prior years. In early January, the NFIBs chief economist Bill Dunkelberg wrote, we are also finding evidence that higher optimism is leading to increased business activity, such as capital investment. This is a simple concept, but only if you believe Mitt Romneys assertion that Corporations are people. Liberals trashed Romney for that remark, but he was right, of course. What he meant was that people are in charge of businesses, and responsible for the decisions they make. Cheery CEOs can do wonders for the country by hiring people and investing in new plants and equipment. Democrats consider corporate America the enemy. Chuck Schumer derides the GOP tax plan as a handout to Big Business, as though the interests of that group are antithetical to those of working class Americans. Obama, sharing that sentiment, never reached out to the business community, never tried to understand and alleviate their concerns. Trump is doing that. Make no mistake: Trump needs to deliver on his campaign promises. It looks like the tax bill will pass, and thats an important achievement. But we also need the infrastructure program he promised, as well as beefed-up job training, better public education, more favorable trade treaties, and we need to take a whack at out-of-control entitlements like Medicaid. And we need job gains to boost wages, which they inevitably will. Obama left a long to-do list. He also left an economy that had disappointed millions of middle class Americans, who rewarded him by electing President Trump. Virginia Rep. Barbara Comstock, leading efforts to expose sexual misconduct on Capitol Hill, acknowledged Sunday that shes bothered that President Trump and other Washington Republicans are backing GOP Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore amid sexual misconduct allegations and suggested that Moore, if elected this week, will face a congressional ethics investigation. It doesnt represent me, Comstock told Fox News Sunday about Trump and the Republican National Committee in recent weeks backing Moore, who has a single-digit lead with Election Day on Tuesday. I don't think it represents most of the Republican women as well as my colleagues like (Republican) Senator(s) Tim Scott and Corey Gardner and others have made clear, continued Comstock, among the first of the Republican women calling for Moore to quit the race and who has helped lead efforts in the GOP-controlled House for mandatory sexual-harassment training. The two-term congresswoman, among the most vulnerable House Republicans in next years congressional races, said Alabama voters will ultimately decide on whether Moore should serve in the Senate. But I think they're going to have an ethics investigation, said Comstock, a member of the House Administration Committee, which is investigating the wave of sexual-harassment allegations that have engulfed Capitol Hill and other workplaces and high-profile industries across the country. Just last week, two House members and one senator resigned amid such allegations, by women. And three other congressional members are under pressure to resign. I think the voters are going to hold everybody accountable, whether you're Republican or Democrat, when the 2018 campaign happens, Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., said in joining Comstock on Fox News Sunday. This has been probably one of the most difficult weeks of my career. This has been going on for a very long time. We know what our values are. I dont consider this a partisan issue. Moore leads Democratic rival Doug Jones by about 2 percentage points, according to the most recent RealClearPolitics' polls average. They are competing for the Senate seat left open when Republlcan Jeff Sessions became U.S. attorney general. Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-Va., said on Sunday that it bothers her that President Trump and the Republican National Committee (RNC) have thrown their support behind Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore in the wake of numerous sexual misconduct allegations against him. Fox News' Chris Wallace asked Comstock whether Trump and the RNC's support bothered her as a Republican woman on "Fox News Sunday." "Yes, I mean it doesn't represent me. I don't think it represents most of the Republican women, as well, as my colleagues like Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., have made clear," Comstock said. The voters are going to decide on Tuesday, but I think they're going to have an ethics investigation and what we've been doing on my committee is that we've been hearing the voices of the women and the victims, and that is what is going to happen because every woman has a story. Jeff Sessions said he believed these women, and I think if Roy Moore doesn't underperform like he has in the past, then he'll be facing the ethics committee," she said. Comstock's comments come days before Moore faces off with his Democratic opponent Doug Jones for Attorney General Jeff Sessions' former Senate seat. Allegations of sexual misconduct against minors have plagued Moore for the past month of the race. However, Trump has endorsed the candidate, urging people to get out and vote for him at a rally on Friday. The RNC also reinstated its support earlier this month, after pulling back in the wake of the allegations. Former Pennsylvania state Rep. Marc Gergely who resigned last month is awaiting sentencing on corruption charges in relation to an illegal gambling machine ring. Gergely, 48, a Democrat from Allegheny County who served in the state House for seven terms, is set to appear in court Monday for his sentencing on charges of conspiracy and violating the states campaign finance laws on cash contributions. He was forced to step down from his state House seat in November as a condition of a plea deal he entered in August for the two misdemeanor charges. Gergely was accused of working in tandem with liquor attorney Louis Caputo and using his position to enrich and protect Ronald Porky Melocchi a former owner of video gaming machines. He reportedly exerted his influence to convince business owners, skeptical of gambling, to install machines owned by Melocchi. While other vendors could at times offer more lucrative terms in an effort to secure new stops, Melocchi would rely upon the character and business traits that he possessed as well as his connections to compete with these other vendors, the state grand jury wrote, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It added: Whereas Melocchi might not be able or willing to offer large amounts of money to the owners/operators of prospective stops, he could introduce them to Gergely and Caputo as a show of strength in terms of the people with whom he had a connection. Prosecutor Mark Serge said in April that both Gergely and Caputo gave the appearance of Melocchi having friends in high places. In addition to conspiracy charges, Gergely was also accused of passing along a contribution from Melocchi to another individual in violation of the states campaign finance laws on anonymous or third-party contributions, the Post-Gazette reported. Caputo was found guilty of criminal solicitation last summer and sentenced to five years of probation. Melocchi pleaded guilty in 2015 to charges of being involved with corrupt organizations and gambling devices. He was sentenced to 10 years of probation. Before Gergely resigned last month he also pushed for a gambling expansion bill that would permit the placement of gambling machines at truck stops in Pennsylvania. The bill passed in October and has since been signed by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. The special election to select Gergely's successor will be held Jan. 23, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Washington Post reporter whom President Trump wants fired for a misleading tweet about a recent Trump rally resigned from the newspaper years ago for disparaging Republicans in a string of emails. The reporter, Dave Weigel, was hired by the Post in 2010 to blog about conservatives and resigned three months later, the paper reported at the time. Weigel's resignation came after he posted personal, caustic emails on an off-the-record listserv about Texas GOP Rep. Ron Paul, conservative syndicated radio personality Rush Limbaugh and others. Among the leaked comments on the Journolist listserv was that Paul, elected in the 2010 Tea Party wave, was part of the Paultard Tea Party. Weigel apologized for the comment, and offered his resignation, which was accepted by then-Managing Editor Raju Narisetti, according to the Post. Weigel was rehired in 2015. Weigel has also apologized for what the called the bad tweet he sent Friday night -- a picture of the crowd before Trump began his rally in Pensacola, Fla. He tweeted the photo of a half-empty arena to mock Trump for saying the rally was packed to the rafters. It was a bad tweet on my personal account, not a story for Washington Post. I deleted it after like 20 minutes. Very fair to call me out, Weigel tweeted after being criticized about the now-deleted Twitter post. However, his mea culpa is not enough for Trump, who wants Weigel fired, in the presidents efforts to expose what he considers unfair reporting by the mainstream media. Trump tweeted twice Saturday on the matter. @DaveWeigel @WashingtonPost put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo! the president tweeted. He followed by tweeting: .@daveweigel of the Washington Post just admitted that his picture was a FAKE (fraud?) showing an almost empty arena last night for my speech in Pensacola when, in fact, he knew the arena was packed (as shown also on T.V.). FAKE NEWS, he should be fired. Weigel declined Sunday morning to comment about his 2010 resignation and referred the request to the paper's public relations department, which has yet to respond. However, the paper issued a response Sunday about Weigel's tweet last week: "Dave Weigel relied on an inaccurate image in tweeting about President Trumps rally in Pensacola. When others pointed out the mistake to Weigel, he quickly deleted the tweet. And when he was later addressed by the president on Twitter, he promptly apologized for it," Kris Coratti, a vice president of communications for the paper, said in a statement to Fox News. Other reported posts by Weigel in 2010 include him writing that Matt Drudge should "handle his emotional problems more responsibly and set himself on fire." Limbaugh had called for then-President Barack Obama to fail. And when Limbaugh was hospitalized with chest pains, Weigel wrote, "I hope he fails," according to The Daily Caller. Journolist was started in 2007 by Ezra Klein, who was a liberal-leaning blogger for The Post. Fox News' Alex Pappas contributed to this report. EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been corrected to indicate that Weigel disparaged Republicans on an email listserv, not social media. Ahead of Tuesdays special election in Alabama, Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore, who has been battling accusations of past sexual misconduct, denied in a new interview that he ever dated underaged girls. These allegations are completely false. I did not date underaged women. I did not molest anyone. And so these allegations are false, Moore said during the interview with The Voice of Alabama Politics, a television news show affiliated with the website The Alabama Political Reporter. I do not know them. I had no encounter with them. I never molested anyone. And for them to say that, I dont know why theyre saying it, but its not true, the 70-year-old Moore said. I said I did not know any of the women who have charged me with sexual allegation of molestation. And I did not know any of the women, Moore added. When I saw these pictures on the advertisements of my opponent, I did not recognize any of those people. I did not know them. Moore is trying to win Tuesdays election against Democrat Doug Jones, a contest that initially was seen an easy GOP victory until November, when a number of women stepped forward to accuse Moore of engaging in sexual misconduct when he was in his 30s and they were teenagers as young as 14. Moore, in an interview last month following the initial set of accusations, did say he may have dated women in their later teens during that time in his life. Not generally, no. If I did, Im not going to dispute anything but I dont remember anything like that, Moore told Sean Hannity during an interview on his radio show when asked about dating women as young as 17. The age of consent in Alabama is 16. In the Hannity interview, Moore acknowledged that he remembered two of the women, Debbie Wesson Gibson and Gloria Thacker Deason, who both spoke to The Washington Post for the newspapers first story. Gibson told the Post that she was 17 years old when Moore asked her out, while Deason said she went out with Moore when she was 18. Its inconceivable to think someone would wait 40 years because they were embarrassed or ashamed of something, and then less than 30 days before the general election come out and make allegations and then appear on a political advertisement, Moore said. Moore told The Voice of Alabama Politics he feels attacked on moral issues because hes stood for values of decency and virtue, adding that its a scheme of political contenders today to degrade their opponents to make themselves look better. President Donald Trump has been stepping up his support for Moore, who analysts say needs the votes of the GOP base to pull off a win. The president, who officially endorsed Moore last week after previously giving lukewarm support, on Saturday tweeted his support for Moore while painting Democratic nominee Doug Jones as a liberal who will vote against his agenda. On Friday night, as Fox News reported, the president talked up his support for Moore during a rally in Pensacola, Florida just across the state line from South Alabama. 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. The Associated Press contributed to this report. President Trump on Sunday slammed the Fake News Media, which he called out of control, after a string of major errors in reporting on his presidency emerged over the past week. Very little discussion of all the purposely false and defamatory stories put out this week by the Fake News Media, he tweeted. They are out of control - correct reporting means nothing to them. The president continued, Major lies written, then forced to be withdrawn after they are exposed...a stain on America! Trumps comments came after a Washington Post reporter tweeted a misleading photo about the crowd size at Fridays rally in Pensacola, Fla., during which Trump took aim at ABC News Brian Ross and CNN. In a now-deleted tweet, the Posts Dave Weigel posted a photo of a half-empty arena to mock Trump for saying the rally was packed to the rafters. But that photo was not taken while Trump was speaking. Trump tweeted photos showing the arena when it was full. .@daveweigel @washingtonpost put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in, he tweeted. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo! Weigel tweeted, Sure thing: I apologize, saying he deleted the photo after another reporter informed him he had gotten it wrong. It was a bad tweet on my personal account, not a story for Washington Post. I deleted it after like 20 minutes. Very fair to call me out, Weigel said in another tweet. Trump later called for Weigel to be fired. Earlier at the Friday rally itself, Trump slammed ABC News Brian Ross. They took this fraudster from ABC -- they suspended him for a month, he said. They should have fired him for what he wrote. Ross was suspended for four weeks without pay after he reported that former national security adviser Michael Flynn had been directed by Trump -- when he was a candidate for president -- to make contact with the Russians. ABC News later corrected the report to note that the order to Flynn came when Trump was already president-elect. Trump also said Friday that CNN had apologized just a little while ago for a reporting error. They apologized! Oh thank you, CNN. Thank you so much. You should have been apologizing for the last two years, he said. CNN had to correct a story that suggested the Trump campaign, including Donald Trump Jr., had been tipped off early about hacked DNC emails from WikiLeaks when it later emerged that the alert was about material already publicly available. CNN responded, 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. No disciplinary action will be taken in the matter, a CNN official said in a tweet. On Saturday, Trump accused CNN of a vicious and purposeful mistake. Fox News Brian Flood and The Associated Press contributed to this report. This weekends snowstorm is majorly affecting travel. The severity of the storm have forced Delta Air Lines to cancel 625 scheduled flights in Atlanta the worlds busiest airport. MAN APOLOGIZES TO RACIST WOMAN WHO SHAMED HIM IN AIRPORT The Georgia-based airliner had to increase cancellations throughout Friday as crews worked to remove ice from aircrafts. Atlanta is under a winter storm warning until 10 a.m. Saturday morning according to the National Weather Service. Airliners all over the worlds had canceled at least 947 flights into, out of or within the United States by Friday afternoon, FlightAware.com reported, with the most grounded flights coming from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS As of Sunday, the airport reported only six cancelations. Overnight, the snowstorm had dropped at least six inches of snow in the Atlanta area, with some parts of the metropolitan area reporting up to a foot of snow. California Gov. Jerry Brown said Saturday that the destructive wildfires that have scorched the southern part of the state are "the new normal." "We're about ready to have firefighting at Christmas," Brown said after surveying damage from a deadly Ventura County fire that has caused the most destruction and is still burning out of control. The governor warned that 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. Despite southern California entering what's considered the wet season, there's been nary a drop of rain. That could spell more disaster for a region that just emerged this spring from a yearslong drought and now has firefighters on edge because of parched conditions and no end in sight to the typical fire season. Even as firefighters made progress containing six major wildfires from Santa Barbara to San Diego County and most evacuees were allowed to return home, predicted gusts of up to 50 mph through Sunday posed a threat of flaring up existing blazes or spreading new ones. High fire risk is expected to last into January. Overall, the fires have destroyed nearly 800 homes and other buildings, killed dozens of horses and forced more than 200,000 people to flee flames that have burned over 270 square miles since Monday. One death, so far, a 70-year-old woman who crashed her car on an evacuation route, is attributed to the fire in Santa Paula, a small city next to Ventura where the fire began. The Ventura blaze continued to burn into rugged mountains in the Los Padres National Forest near the little town of Ojai and toward a preserve established for endangered California condors. While many evacuation orders were lifted, new ones were established as the fire grew. Brown said he had witnessed the "vagaries of the wind" that had destroyed some houses and left others standing and expressed concern for those who lost everything. "What can you say?" he asked. "When you lose your house and your belongings and people lose their animals, it is a horror and it's a horror we want to minimize." Firefighters were on high alert for dangerous fire potential even before the first blazes broke out. On Dec. 1, they began planning for extreme winds forecast in the week ahead. Ken Pimlott, chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said authorities were prepared for destruction on the level of 2003 and 2007 firestorms in Southern California and possibly those in Northern California that killed 44 people and destroyed nearly 9,000 homes and other buildings in October. By Monday, officials had brought in fire crews from the northern part of the state as reinforcements and marshaled engines, bulldozers and aircraft. On Tuesday they brought in more helicopters from the National Guard and "every last plane we could find in the nation," said Thom Porter, southern chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The military provided C-130 planes for firefighting, said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Office of Emergency Services. More than 290 fire engines came from Montana, Utah, New Mexico, Idaho, Arizona, Oregon and Nevada. But when flames met ferocious winds, crews were largely powerless to stop them. Even fire-attacking aircraft were helpless while being grounded at times because of night, high winds or smoke. As fires burned in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, firefighters from other states were already in place north of San Diego on Thursday when a major fire erupted and rapidly spread in the Fallbrook area, known for its avocado groves and horse stables in the rolling hills. "We had many resources in the area very quickly on this incident, but unfortunately within several minutes the fire had gotten out of control and well-established, and necessitated massive evacuations," said Steve Abbott, chief of the North County Fire Protection District. The fire swept through the San Luis Rey Training Facility, where it killed more than 40 elite thoroughbreds and destroyed more than 100 homes -- most of them in the Rancho Monserate Country Club retirement community. Three people were burned trying to escape the fire that continued to smolder Saturday. Most of this week's fires were in places that burned in the past, including one in the ritzy Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel-Air that burned six homes and another in the city's rugged foothills above the community of Sylmar and in Santa Paula. The fire in Fallbrook was no exception. Ten years ago, during a deadly spate of Santa Ana wind-driven infernos, flames wiped out most of the more than 200 homes in the Valley Oaks Mobile Home Park. Memories of that blaze were fresh as flames approached Thursday and sheriff's deputies told residents to leave immediately. By the time he got the order to go, Mateo Gonzalez had already helped his brother move out of his nearby place and packed all of his important belongings. In the 2007 firestorm, he had almost no warning before his house was destroyed, only four months after moving in. "We weren't prepared the first time around. This time we were," said Saturday, the day after he returned to his undamaged home. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A South Carolina man convicted of killing seven people says he has more victims who have not been discovered. The Herald-Journal of Spartanburg reports that, in an eight-page letter, Todd Kohlhepp wrote that he tried to tell investigators and informed the FBI, but he said "it was blown off." He also wrote, "At this point, I really don't see reason to give numbers or locations." Don Wood, chief division counsel with the FBI's Columbia office, said the agency has a pending investigation, but wouldn't comment specifically on what the FBI is doing. The 46-year-old Kohlhepp pleaded guilty in May to seven counts of murder for killings that took place over more than a decade, all as he ran a real estate business. He was sentenced to life in prison. His string of crimes was uncovered in 2016 after police rescued a woman chained at the neck in a storage container and investigators found a body buried in a shallow grave. The woman told investigators she saw Kohlhepp shoot and kill her boyfriend, who went with her for a cleaning job on the suspect's property. A South Carolina man who admitted to killing seven people earlier this year has claimed to have more victims whose remains have not been discovered. In an eight-page letter to the Herald-Journal of Spartanburg, Todd Kohlhepp wrote that he tried to tell investigators about the other killings and informed the FBI, but he said "it was blown off." "At this point, I really don't see reason to give numbers or locations," Kohlhepp also wrote. Kohlhepp, 46, was arrested last year after police rescued a woman chained at the neck in a storage container and investigators found a body buried in a shallow grave. The woman told investigators she saw Kohlhepp shoot and kill her boyfriend, 32-year-old Charles David Carter who went with her for a cleaning job on the suspect's property. In addition to Carter, Kohlhepp also pleaded guilty this past May to killing husband-and-wife Johnny and Meagan Coxie in December 2015, as well as four people at local motorcycle shop in 2003. He is currently serving seven consecutive life terms plus 60 years on kidnapping, sexual assault and other charges. He is not eligible for parole. At the time of Kohlhepp's sentencing, his attorney told the court there were no other victims. But in his letter to the Herald-Journal, Kohlhepp wrote that his murder trail, "leaves the state and leaves the country." Kohlhepp moved to South Carolina in 2001 shortly after 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping in Arizona. Authorities there said the then 15-year-old forced a 14-year-old neighbor back to his home at gunpoint, tied her up and raped her. Anderson Police Capt. Mike Walters told the paper he does not believe Kholhepp is tied to any more local cases, but suspects he may have victims out of state. "I'm sure there are more. Im just thinking theyre more likely in Florida or elsewhere," Walters said. "People like him, they want the cops to get the notoriety. Theyre always going to throw bait out there often to keep their name out there." Click for more from GoUpstate.com. The Associated Press contributed to 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. The intruder shot and killed by an elderly Pennsylvania homeowner during a home invasion attempt last week turned out to be the mans nephew-in-law. Dennis Mercadante, 49, and another man broke into the home at around 1:20 a.m. on Friday, Ellwood City police said. Mercadante was shot after a struggle in the hallway with homeowner Don Lutz, investigators said. The other man took off. Im a hard believer of guns not gun control. We should never stop law-abiding people from having guns, Lutz told the Ellwood City Ledger. PENNSYLVANIA MAN, 84, SHOOTS AND KILLS HOME INVADER, FIGHTS OFF ANOTHER Mercadante was identified through facial recognition and fingerprints, and he turned out to be a nephew-in-law of Lutz, police Lt. David Kingston told the paper. He said it was unlikely that any charges will be filed against Lutz, who hurt his right arm in the fight. Ive never been afraid in my life, Lutz, a Korean War vet, told WTAE. God has always been with me, and Im a hard believer in God and Jesus Christ, and God was with me tonight. Police are still investigating and havent identified the second intruder. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Latest on California wildfires (all times local): 5:25 p.m. Fire officials say the most destructive of the Southern California wildfires has burned more than 270 square miles and is only 15 percent contained. Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown says the containment number will likely go down not because of a lack of progress, but because of the fire's expected growth. Ventura County fire behavioral analyst Brendan Ripley says he believes the fire is the fifth largest in California's history. More than 30,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders. Authorities warned residents at a community meeting Sunday in Santa Barbara not to ignore evacuation orders. ___ 12:30 p.m. Forecasters say gusty, dry Santa Ana winds will continue in Southern California for at least another day in areas where crews are battling wildfires, including one that is threatening a seaside city. The National Weather Service has extended red flag warnings until Monday night for parts of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Powerful gusts are expected through late Sunday in mountains of Santa Barbara County, where firefighters are protecting homes from flames moving down hillsides toward coastal neighborhoods. New evacuations were ordered Sunday for the city of Carpinteria, which has been under threat for days from a huge and destructive wildfire that's still pushing west nearly a week after breaking out. Crews have made progress on other fronts of that fire and on separate blazes in Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside counties. ___ Noon Officials say smoke from wind-whipped wildfires is causing unhealthy air for large swaths of Southern California. A flare-up Sunday on the western edge of a huge fire burning in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties sent up a new plume that added to heavy smoke already choking areas around the cities of Ventura, Oxnard and Santa Paula. The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District says air quality is especially bad in the Ojai Valley, where it has at times reached hazardous levels as flames burned surrounding hillsides. To the southeast, regulators warned Saturday of unhealthy air across parts of greater Los Angeles despite progress being made against several wildfires burning there. The South Coast Air Quality Management District urged residents to avoid vigorous outdoor activities. ____ 9:05 a.m. A major flare-up on the western edge of Southern California's largest and most destructive wildfire has sent residents fleeing as flames churned through canyons and down hillsides toward coastal towns. New evacuations were ordered Sunday in Carpinteria, a seaside city northwest of Los Angeles. Santa Barbara County Fire spokesman Mike Eliason says crews saved several homes as unpredictable winds fanned the blaze. The department posted a photo of one residence engulfed in flames. It's unclear whether other structures burned. Firefighters made significant progress on other fronts of the enormous fire that started Dec. 4 in Ventura County. Forecasters say Santa Ana winds that whipped several fires across the region are expected to die down later Sunday. Containment is way up on blazes in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties. A viral video shows a group of conservative Fordham University students in New York City being kicked out of a campus coffeehouse after being told their pro-Trump Make America Great Again hats violated the shops safe space policy. "Fox & Friends" aired on Sunday a portion of the video, which shows the group being told, I dont want people like you supporting this club. The video was shot Thursday at Fordhams student-run Rodrigues Coffee House. No one here wants people like you supporting our club, a Rods student volunteer employee is heard saying. Im giving you 5 minutes. She goes on to say, You are threatening the integrity of our club. This is a community standard. You are wearing hats that completely violate safe space policy. You have to take if off or you have to go. Fordham junior Aaron Spring, 20, says he just wanted a cup of coffee. I didnt make any noise, he said, according to "Fox & Friends." I wasnt rude. I didnt curse at anybody. I was just sitting enjoying a cup of coffee with friends. The video was first shown by Campus Reform. It has been viewed more than 67,000 times as of Sunday. The website reported that Spring and his pals were given a handout titled Rodrigues Coffee Shop has a safer space policy, prohibiting racism, sexism and homophobia and urging patrons to be mindful of the ways in which their words and actions can impact others. A Fordham spokesman told Fox News in a statement Sunday that there is no such policy on campus. There is no University safe space policy, nor one that excludes any members of the Fordham community from any public spaces on the basis of their political views, spokesman Bob Howe said. He said Fordham is a community that values diverse opinions, and in which students should disagree with one another in a civil fashion. Howe said Fordham is investigating the incident. A spokesman says former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge expects to leave a Texas medical facility in time to be home in Maryland for Christmas. Ridge suffered a heart attack on Nov. 16 while attending a Republican Governors Association conference in Austin, Texas. He's been recovering at a local rehabilitation center. The 72-year-old Republican served two terms as Pennsylvania's governor, from 1995 to 2001. He was the first homeland security secretary, serving under President George W. Bush until 2005. Ridge's spokesman, Steve Aaron, also said Sunday that Ridge's hospitalization won't affect his security firm's contract with the Transport Workers Union of America to review airplane maintenance outsourcing to overseas companies. Aaron says Ridge will be involved but that the work is being handled by a team at his firm. A Rutgers University professor accused of posting anti-Semitic rants on his Facebook page will lose his role as a director and no longer will be allowed to teach required classes, the school announced. Michael Chikindas, a professor in the food science department, reportedly posted dozens of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel comments on his page over several months, as Fox News has reported. One of his posts said the Armenian genocide was orchestrated by Jews, for example. Although the professor claimed his Facebook page was hacked, he did not deny sharing some of the images, comments and cartoons considered to be anti-Semitic. Rutgers President Robert Barchi, who previously said the professors posts were protected by academic freedom, said in a Dec. 8 statement to the university community that Chikindas no longer will teach required courses and will be removed from his post as director of the Center for Digestive Health at the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health. Chikindas, a professor at Rutgers since 1998 who earned tenure in 2007, will undergo cultural sensitivity training and will be subject to ongoing monitoring if and when he returns to the classroom, Barchi said. This has been a sad and deeply troubling situation for our students and our staff, and for our faculty, who stand for much nobler values than those expressed by this particular professor, Barchi told the university in his statement. RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SAYS PROFESSORS ANTI-SEMITIC REMARKS PROTECTED BY ACADEMIC FREEDOM The university also is seeking further disciplinary action through procedures required by Appendix H of the collective bargaining agreement with its faculty union. While the university is and should always be a place that challenges students to grapple with complex and even controversial ideas, this situation has threatened the trust between professors and students that is a prerequisite to learning. He continued: It is our hope that we can navigate these difficult conversations together and that, having been tested by these challenges, we can emerge stronger and with renewed appreciation of our common bonds. Chikindas did not return an email seeking comment on this latest development from NJ.com, but he told the outlet in October: I do not identify myself as anti-Semite. It is my lifelong credo that all people are born equal regardless of their ethnicity, religion and wealth. I am equally intolerant to all forms of racism, without any exclusions, Chikindas said via email. The pictures I shared from other Facebook pages were not removed by the Facebook mediators which made me think they are not violating any rules while raising a question of possible racist nature of Zionism. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday described Israel as a terrorist state and said that it kills children, leading to a sharp rebuke from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Palestine is an innocent victim As for Israel, it is a terrorist state, yes, terrorist! Erdogan said in a speech in the central city of Sivas, AFP reported. We will not abandon Jerusalem to the mercy of a state that kills children. He spoke days after President Trump announced the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and ordered the State Department to start the process of moving the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at a news conference in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron after the two leaders met, responded to Erdogan: Im not used to receiving lectures about morality from a leader who bombs Kurdish villages in his native Turkey, who jails journalists, helps Iran go around international sanctions and who helps terrorists, including in Gaza, kill innocent people, Netanyahu said, according to Reuters. The fallout from President Trumps decision continued as Lebanese security forces used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters near the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon. Thousands of demonstrators chanted slogans against Trump and waved Palestinian flags, while some threw rocks and set tires and a trash can on fire. A report from the human rights group Defense for Children International (DCI) found that Israeli forces killed 32 children in 2016 during raids and confrontations with the army, making it one of the deadliest years on record. AL QAEDA CALLS FOR ATTACKS AGAINST US AFTER TRUMP'S JERUSALEM DECISION There also has been an upswing in violence in Jerusalem, according to DCI, since October 2015, with 36 Israelis killed in stabbings and shootings. Of the Palestinians killed, 19 people were ages 16 to 17, and 13 more were 13 to 15, DCI reports. According to the United Nations, some 450,000 Palestinians live in Lebanon, primarily spread across 12 refugee camps. Trumps decision, which was widely condemned across the Arabic world and by U.S. allies across Europe, dealt a blow to the long-held international view that Jerusalems fate would be decided in future negotiations as part of a long-term peace agreement. Palestinians see occupied east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The Times of Israel reported that tens of thousands of protesters, waving Palestinian flags, rallied in Moroccos capital Rabat on Sunday against President Trumps declaration of Jerusalem as Israels capital. One banner carried by protesters reportedly read Jerusalem, capital of Palestine! The Palestinian people have suffered so much and continue to suffer because of Israels barbaric colonization, one of the protesters, 43-year-old Mustapha, told the Times of Israel. BAHRAIN FAITH GROUP VISITS ISRAEL AMID JERUSALEM TENSIONS In a Twitter post, Lebanons Prime Minister Saad Hariri wrote that Lebanon declares on this day the highest degree of solidarity with the Palestinian people and its right to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. Reuters reports the head of the Arab League called Trumps decision dangerous and unacceptable and a flagrant attack on a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In Indonesia, which has the worlds largest Muslim population, 10,000 people rallied on Sunday outside the American Embassy in the capital, Jakarta. Meanwhile, two Hamas members were killed early Saturday by Israeli airstrikes following a rocket attack on Israel, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Israeli military said it targeted four Hamas facilities in response to rockets that were launched the previous evening. Saturday saw a drop in the scope of the protests after clashes erupted between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops in dozens of West Bank hot spots and along the Gaza border. Crowds of worshippers staged anti-U.S. marches, stomping on posters of Trump and burning American flags. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Whether at a lubricant factory, orphanage, potato company or fish-pickling plant, Kim Jong Un has conducted sporadic visits to odd and quirky North Korean sites throughout the years. Through the years, Kim has visited several companies, including a "newly-remodeled" Pyongyang Teacher Training College and trackless trolley factory, around the regimes capital to provide "field guidance," according to North Korean propaganda. The despot is often photographed with a massive grin and interacting with factory workers as several officials stand in the background taking notes -- about something -- during the visit. The only details released about the trips come through the official state news agency, KCNA. Kim usually includes praise for the workers. At times, hes joined by his rarely-seen wife, Ri Sol Ju, and his sister, Kim Yo Jong, with the women often seen peering at glass cases of beauty products or standing -- smiling -- behind the despot. Here are some of the more bizarre photos of Kim during his visits. 2013 to 2016: Kim at a foodstuff factory Kim was photographed visiting foodstuff factories several times since assuming power in 2011. He inspected biscuits at Foodstuff Factory No. 354 in 2013 while officials took notes behind him. The leader visited Pyongyang Chidrens Foodstuff Factory in 2014 wearing a large furry hat and lab coat while holding a package of food. Another visit in 2015 had him giggling in front of a glass case of packaged food. The leaders visit to Kumkop General Foodstuff Factory for Sportspersons came after the facility went through a complete renovation, KCNA reported. The state-run news agency added Kim was "pleased" that production was occurring on a "highly intensive basis." August 2014: Kim at a lubricant factory The leader was all smiles while watching an unknown substance squeeze out of a machine and into a blue canister at the Chonji Lubricant Factory. Kim reportedly praised factory employees for their work and thanked them for producing a product North Korea previously imported. He called for "steadily improving technical specifications" to improve "international competitiveness." August 2014: Kim at a hosiery factory Kim gave some "field guidance" at Pyongyang Hosiery Factory and was seen talking to workers as they stood in front of a wall of colorful socks. The North Korean despot made the visit because he was reportedly deeply "concerned" about "consumer goods for peoples life," Yonhap News Agency reported. "The production capacity of the factory is very big, he noted, calling for operating all production processes in full capacity so as to meet the demands of people for hosiery," KCNA said in its statement. 2014 to 2015: Kim at Pyongyang Baby Home and Orphanage Kim's first visit to the orphanage was in 2014, when the facility was under construction. Kim returned the next year to a new building filled with bright-colored furniture. He is seen laughing as he played with children and toys. Another photo showed a hoard of toddlers coming toward Kim. September 2017: Kim at a farm Kim gave more "field guidance" during a visit to Farm No. 1116, strolling through a field of unknown plants and then picking up a vegetable and inspecting the quality of it. He was also pictured marveling at apples in an orchard. October 2017: Kim at a footwear factory Kim and his wife visited Ryuwon Footwear Factory in early October. This was the first time his wife was spotted in public in months. He watched a worker at a sewing machine and looked at childrens shoes. The photos were released with a scathing threat that called President Trump a "rabid man in the White House." October 2017: Kim at a cosmetics factory Kim visited the remodeled Pyongyang Cosmetics Factory and was "very pleased" with the products, which were aimed to make North Korean women "more beautiful." "He said he felt good as the factory has been remodeled to be proud of in the world so that it would be flawless in the distant future, too," KCNA said in a statement Sunday. Kim also discussed "important tasks" for the next phase of modernizing the factory. Details of the plans were not released. November 2017: Kumsong Tractor Factory Kim had some fun at a tractor factory in November while, once again, giving field guidance, KCNA said. The despot was even pictured in the drivers seat of a tractor with his hands on the wheel. A group of people were seen taking notes as Kim talked to them. December 2017: Kim at a tire and potato flour factories Just three days after launching the Hwasong-15 ICBM, Kim visited a factory and thanked workers for making the tires for the vehicle that transported the missile. The workers built large-size tires for the 9-axle missile truck. Kim also called for efforts to raise production to "satisfy the daily-increasing needs in developing the country's economy and beefing up national defense capabilities," KCNA stated. Kim in September tasked the Amnokgang Tire Factory with making the tires for the "great event in November," the agency reported. The next week, the dictator was photographed in front of a mountain of potatoes during an "inspection" of a potato flour factory. Snow was also seen on the roofs of the building while Kim, wearing his black peacoat and hat, was surrounded by his officials. December 2017: Kim at the "sublime mountain of revolution" Kim strolled Mouth Paektu, an inactive volcano and North Koreas highest peak the regime dubbed the "sublime mountain of revolution," with several officials to celebrate the rogue nation's Nov. 29 missile launch. "Imposingly standing on Janggun Peak, the respected Supreme Leader gave a familiar look for a while at the dizzy cliffs and the sea of trees, recalling the emotion-charged days when he realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force without yielding even a moment and with the indomitable faith and will of Paektu," KCNA said in a statement. The state-run media boasted about the "nice weather" seen during the visit. Kim also spoke about building a new hotel and better facilities around Paektu station for tourism. January 2018: Kim at newly-remodeled school Kim visited a newly-remodeled Pyongyang Teacher Training College on Jan. 17 and checked the classrooms for their desks and technology. In one photo, Kim is seen looking at a projection of cartoon students sitting in desks possibly a demonstration on how the classroom would appear with children. On Jan. 25 Kim and his wife Ri also did a "field guidance" at Pyongyang Pharmaceutical Factory. Officials took notes during the visit, though its unclear what information he provided. Just before the month ended, Kim also visited factory workers at the "newly remodeled" trolley bus factory. "Looking at the factory with a bright smile on his face, he said that all buildings are neat and fine," KCNA said in a statement. "[Kim] stressed that officials and workers of the factory should bear in mind the honor and pride of working at the glorious worksite associated with patriotic sweats of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il and their love for people and make constant innovations." And to celebrate Kims New Years Day address, KCNA also released a stamp of the despot from the speech. August 2018: Kim at a fish-pickling factory Kim and his wife were seen inspecting a fish-pickling factory in Kumsunpo in North Koreas South Hwanghae Province. Photos released by KCNA showed the despot wearing a white T-shirt and hat an unusually light and casual outfit, compared to the Mao-style suits he usually wears. Kim told factory workers they "did a lot of work" when he heard the facility made 30 pickled fish products, including shrimp, eel, anchovy and shellfish. On Aug. 13, KCNA announced Kim visited one of the regimes livestock farms, and he was seen walking through the cow pens with his group of officials towing behind him. "[Kim] underscored the need to scrupulously organize scientific and technological work for preventing degeneration of fine breeds and keeping the characteristics of pure breeds and change the cow breeds of low weight increment, poor taste and milk into good breeds," KCNA said in a statement. On the same day, the North Korean leader also visited a fish farm used to breed fish for the man-made lake in Kaechon City. Kim stressed to officials the importance of "massively [raising] mandarin fishes and other young fishes" for the lake to become functional. April 2019: Kim at a department store Kim provided "field guidance" at a recently remodeled department store, Taesong Department Store, in Pyongyang ahead of its grand opening, KCNA reported. The despot was pictured looking at shoes while his officials stood behind him taking notes. "Now that the modern department store has been completed, it has become possible to provide citizens of the capital with different varieties of more quality foodstuffs, clothing, footwear, household articles, sundry goods for daily use, school things and goods for cultural use," Kim was quoted saying during the visit. The North Korean leader donned a Mao-style suit for the visit. October 2019: Kim on horseback Kim opted for a more active photoshoot this time round, channeling his inner Vladimir Putin with images of him riding horseback on a sacred mountain. The undated images, released by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shoed Kim dressed in a long winter coat riding a white horse on snow-covered Mount Paektu, the highest point on the Korean peninsula. The government-run agency also said that during a visit later that day in Samjiyon County, Kim lamented over the U.S.-led U.N. sanctions that were imposed after nuclear talks broke down. The Associated Press contributed to this report. As bitcoins value continues to surge, North Korean hackers are taking advantage by targeting exchanges to gain financial profit, experts said on Friday as sanctions against Kim Jong Un's regime threaten to impede on economic development. Bitcoins value has skyrocketed this year, especially in the last week when the volatile digital currency hit above $17,000 after the value see-sawed for a few hours. One bitcoin was worth less than $1,000 at the start of the year. The increasing price is not only attractive to investors, but to hackers working for the Hermit Kingdom, Ashley Shen, an independent security researcher, told Sky News. "We assume one of the reasons why Bitcoin is being attacked is because the price keeps increasing and we think it's reasonable for hackers [to target], Shen told Sky News. "Digital currency might be easier to gain than physical currency. So I think it's reasonable." Shen said she and other researchers have been tracking Lazarus, Bluenoroff and Andariel hacking groups suspected of being backed by North Korea and attacks done on banks in Europe and South Korea, an ATM company and bitcoin exchange. She told Sky News cyberattacks are usually conducted to gain confidential information, but they have been recently veered toward gaining digital currency. NORTH KOREAN HACKERS TARGETING BITCOINS TO FUND KIM JONG UN, REPORT SAYS "Before, when we tracked nation-state attackers, they usually perform cyberattacks which are aimed for confidential data and intelligence, Shen said. "However, recently we've discovered that some of the APT [Advanced Persistent Threat] groups are trying to hack financial institutions like banks and Bitcoin exchanges to gain financial profit." The expert said the cyberattacks have been unsuccessful, but believes they will continue because bitcoins increasing value makes it a good investment. She added, So I assume they will do more Bitcoin attacks and of course they will keep targeting banks because that's what they did before. A researcher who remained anonymous because she works for a South Korean bank also noted possible financial difficulties North Korea is facing because of the increase in hacks. "Just a few years ago the attacks were initiated to paralyze the society, but for some time now they've been hacking for money so I kind of wonder if they are facing financial difficulties, the researcher said. OPINION: NORTH KOREA WON'T START A WAR -- TRUMP SHOULDN'T LAUNCH AN ATTACK North Korea has faced tougher sanctions since it conducted its sixth nuclear test in September. The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved sanctions against North Korea after the test. The Trump administration then imposed new sanctions in late November on a slew of North Korean shipping firms and Chinese trading companies. South Korea also announced on Sunday 20 North Korean organizations and 12 individuals that will be placed in its own sanctions blacklist its response to Kims latest ICBM launch. Security firm FireEye also revealed in a report in September that hackers linked to North Korea have stolen bitcoins from at least three South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges since May 2017. Now, we may be witnessing a second wave of this campaign: state-sponsored actors seeking to steal bitcoin and other virtual currencies as a means of evading sanctions and obtaining hard currencies to fund the regime, the report stated. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Sitting atop the largest pyramid in the world in northern Guatemalas ancient Mayan city El Mirador, I tried to imagine how the city below looked nearly 2,500 years ago. Standing nearby, the sites principal archaeologist, Dr. Richard Hansen, explained how this had been one of the greatest cities of the ancient world, filled with dozens of grand palaces, pyramids and temples painted in vivid red, green, yellow and white hues, and adorned with elaborately carved images. Now mostly covered by forest, the 10-square-mile city also boasted the worlds first highway system with hundreds of miles of raised causeways, up to 150 feet wide, sealed with a thick layer of white limestone plaster. I couldnt help wondering how it was possible for such an advanced civilization to have disappeared so suddenly and completely? To unravel this and other Mayan mysteries, I joined a tour called The Lost Kingdoms of the Mayas, led by two remarkable guides from Bella Guatemala TravelJose Antonio Gonzalez and Emilio Faillace. For 10 days our small group explored colonial cities, lakes, jungles and Mayan museums and ruins scattered across Guatemala and western Honduras. Jose Antonio shared his boundless enthusiasm for Mayan archaeology, frequently reminding us that archaeology turns mystery into history. We were surprised to learn that while Europe lay mired in the Dark Ages, Maya kingdoms spread across much of Central America were flourishing. Their architecture, art, science and writing placed the Mayan culture among the most advanced in the world. Remarkably, many centuries-old Mayan traditions still flourish throughout Guatemala, as I witnessed in archaeological sites where spiritual guides or shamans performed traditional ceremonies around fire rings to bring better health, wealth or happiness to their clients. Our guides pointed out that Guatemala is bordered by Mexico, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador, and depends on agriculture, textiles and tourism to sustain its 16 million people. In the past, many travelers considered Guatemala unsafe: Following its independence from Spain in 1821, Guatemala endured significant political tumult, culminating in a vicious civil war from 1960 to 1996. But the country has recovered and I felt completely safe and grateful to be among a growing number of visitors. My highlights: The helicopter ride to El Mirador took us over the largest remaining rain forest in Central America. I felt like Indiana Jones as we spent hours with Dr. Hansen, exploring the mysterious site. Tikal, a UNESCO World Heritage site and national park, offered wildlife (coatis, monkeys, birds) and impressive ruins. Our guide, Jose Antonio, explained that at its peak, A.D. 200 to 900, Tikal was one of the largest and most powerful Mayan cities. As we walked the vast complex of pyramids and palaces, I was struck by how little most of us knew about the impressive Mayan civilization. Las Lagunas Boutique Hotel, on a lake in northern Guatemala, provided us luxurious cottages perched over water, with private, indoor Jacuzzis and large windows. We asked to see the owners private Mayan collection, with artifacts that stunned even Dr. Hansen. In Antigua, a city renowned for its Spanish colonial architecture, we started at a former Dominican convent that now offers an upscale hotel, restaurant, Mayan museum and large gardens. Next was a coffee plantation, La Azotea, that offered samples of locally grown coffee and had an intriguing art and music cultural museum. Later, we sampled Guatemalas Zacapa rum, often rated the worlds finest, at classy Casa del Ron. Lake Atitlan sits in a giant crater in the southwest highlands, ringed by 18 villages and three towering, cone-shaped volcanoes. We stayed in Panajachel, a rather nondescript town filled with small tourist shops. But across the lake, in the small town of Santiago, we had an unforgettable experience observing a team of spiritual guides giving offerings to the sacred image of the Mayan diety, Maximon. In the Catholic church nearby, the symbols and decorative neck scarves adorning several religious statues demonstrated how traditional Mayan beliefs have been blended with modern Christianity. Perhaps my favorite Mayan site was Copan, in western Honduras. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Copan was once a dominant kingdom in the region. I felt awed by its elaborate sculptures and impressive palaces, temples, ball courts, stele (stone slabs) and pyramids that covered the verdant valley. The Copan museum was my favorite museum of the trip, a place not to be missed. We entered via a long tunnel that led to a large, open display area dominated by a full-scale replica of a Mayan temple painted in the same colors (red, yellow, green, white) as the sacred scarlet macaws that still soar among the ruins. I came away knowing we had been fortunate to see and learn so much about both the ancient Mayan civilization and modern-day Guatemala. Over the years I had heard consistent praise about Guatemala from other travelers, and now Im grateful to have finally been able to traverse this road less traveled. If I asked you to name a man born in Culpeper who had two towns, three rivers, a national monument (three different sites) and a major dam named after him, I wager you couldnt do it. I pride myself in knowing as much as anyone about Culpeper history, but I would not have had a clue until last summer. Then a friend, Jim Hoy, who knows I love local history, told me about John Day, a name he had come to know while working for the Army Corps of Engineers in Oregon. Suddenly I was on a mission to find out more. It was a month or two later that Tim Thompson, who is also a history buff, sent me a 1915 postcard that he had picked up somewhere. Shown here, it is of the Day House, which at that time was reputed to be the oldest home in the town of Culpeper. Then I went looking in the libraries at the Culpeper Library and found that a man named John Day, presumably the father or uncle of the man Im going to tell you about, was on the Culpeper Minuteman muster roll during the French and Indian War before Culpeper was even a separate county. Suddenly, a lost piece of local history was coming together. Despite months of research, I have not conclusively been able to link the Day House with John Day. But circumstantial evidence that part of his family lived there is pretty strong. John Day was born somewhere in Culpeper County in about 1771, according to the National Park Service. He was reportedly an outdoorsman (handsome and robust) from his youth. Culpeper was on the edge of the wilderness then. Sometime, probably when he was in his late teens, he followed Daniel Boones trail west into Kentucky (Boone had lived in Culpeper for a few years). By the age of 27, Day had made his way into the unknown Indian territories along the upper Missouri River (now Montana) as one of the earliest American trappers and as a miner. This was nearly a decade before the Lewis and Clark Expedition explored the headwaters of the Missouri. In 1810, Day joined John Jacob Astors expedition to establish a fur trading post (Astoria) at the mouth of the Columbia River in what is now Oregon. He signed on as a hunter and trapper. As the expedition moved into the Snake River country (now Idaho), Day was left behind at one point to attend to a sick and dying member of the party named Ramsey Crooks. Thus began an incredible five-month adventure where the will to live defied the odds of dying. While waiting for Crooks to recover, Day came down with scurvy. But even in his weakened condition, he had enough strength of shoot and kill a wolf that tried to finish off the two infirmed men. According to legend, Day and Crooks lived on the meat and bone marrow of the wolf until they regained their strength. Then the two men again moved westward in order to catch up with the Astor expedition. But trouble found the Culpeper native again. One morning in Oregon, at the mouth of the river that now bears his name, a party of seemingly friendly Indians greeted the two men on the riverbank. What Day and his companion did not know was that the Astor expedition, part of the Pacific Fur Co., had killed two members of this tribe a few weeks earlier. The warriors were out for revenge. At one point, so the story goes, one brave asked to see Days rifle to measure it. Suddenly, his weapon gone, Day and Crooks found themselves surrounded by hostile Indians with guns and bows pointed at them. Day, refusing to give up, drew his knife, but the odds were too overwhelming. Once they had completely disarmed the two frontiersmen, the younger Indians debated killing them, but older members of the party talked them out of it, so the legend goes. Instead, they stripped Day and Crooks of their clothes and every item they carried and left them to die. This was in the early spring, when it was still cold and snowy in the mountains. For four days, the legend says, the two men struggled west along the Columbia, expecting to be killed at any moment, afraid even to try to make a fire. But Day and his companion somehow survived and five months later were rescued by members of the Astor party, who had written them off as dead. Day, however, never fully recovered from this ordeal and, again according to legend, went mad while on his way back to St. Louis with a companion. There are varying accounts of his death, but the most reliable states that he died on Feb. 20, 1820, along the Little Lost River in southern Idaho, a place that became known as Days Defile. He would have been about 50, old for a trapper of his time. There are two townsDayville and John Daynamed after him in Central Oregon, as well as three forks and the main stream of the John Day River. There are three separate John Day Fossil Bed National Monument sites in northern Oregon and the huge John Day Dam is located on the mighty Columbia River (two rivers in Idaho were named in his honor, but later changed). John Day was one of the greatest explorers of his time and he was born right here in Culpeper. And until last summer, I had never heard of him. Perhaps there should be some historical marker established here for one of the first white men to ever cross over South Pass, through Oregon and on to the Pacific Ocean. Seems only fitting. As for the Day House, well, the late Culpeper historian Russell Guinn believed it was located on the southwest corner of Williams and East streets. It was torn down in the 1980s to make room for an apartment house. For some reason, I woke up today with the Big Three national parks on my mind. Every American ought to try to seeat the very leastthese three landmarks among the 59 national parks. Its an unofficial designation, calling the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks the Big Three. But by general consensus, I believe, those are the grandest of the spectacular parks, and I sure wouldnt begrudge them that title. Each is entirely different, not only from the others but from anyplace else, anywhere. If there are grand monuments in stone like Yosemites, I have not seen them. If there is a mammoth crevice in earths crust like Grand Canyon, Im unaware of it; and if there is a display and exposure of the forces within the planets central molten core to compare with Yellowstone, well, I havent heard of that, either. If I had to pick a nit with calling them the Big Three, Id say perhaps one of the eastern parks should have been included. If that were done, my hands-down choice would be Great Smoky Mountains, in the huge old hills of western North Carolina and east Tennessee. That park is far and away the most visited of any in the entire system. Even then, rather than dump one of the other three parks from the list, Id have to instead call them the Big Four parks. The Grand Canyon isnt exactly in my backyard in my little place near Prescott, Ariz., where it sits just below that states border with Utah, but I drive up there often now that I can do it in less than two hours. Thats time to drive to the South Rim. Going all the way around and then south again to reach the higherand for my money lovelierNorth Rim just about doubles the drive. But the North Rim is worth the extra drive, sitting a thousand feet above the South Rim, cooler, with far fewer visitors and heavily forested. Yosemite, in the California Sierras, is just jaw-dropping, although all three of these parks really stagger the imagination. When at last I made my short visit to Yosemite in summer 16, it seemed each view was more amazing than the last. No trip there is complete without seeing the park from Glacier Point. Every American has a right to see that view; to spend a couple of hours just soaking it in. I learned, as Im sure others have, that no photograph can do it justice. Now I know why John Muir insisted on taking Teddy Roosevelt to Glacier Point. Their visit to the rocky outcrop, more than half a mile above Yosemite Valley, was a watershed moment in the lives of both men. Ultimately, it lead to the establishment of the National Park System. It is as easy to lay on the superlatives about Yellowstone as the other two parks. This is the place where the inner-earth shows itself to those of us who inhabit the surface. And to glimpse these marvels is not only instructive and thought-provoking but seems somehow to defy belief. A naturalist at the Yellowstone told me when I visited in 2003, that tourists visit a couple of dozen spots renowned for their springs, shooting towers of water, colorful pools of steaming water or other amazing sights. But those, including Old Faithful, Yellowstones iconic geyser, are a mere handful of the 10,000 known geothermal sights in the sprawling park. Of the three parks, Id love to see them all again. But Ive had a good look at Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. If I could spend time in only one, it would have to be Yosemite, which offers far more than its centerpiece, Yosemite Valley, amazing though that is. Last year was the centennial of the National Park System. As young as we think of our country beingand it is compared to many othersit is remarkable to think that these special places were set aside in posterity for us all. By Congress and various presidents. So skip Paris, London and/or Tokyo next summer. Make it the summer of the Big Three here at home. You will not regret it. Paul Sullivan of Spotsylvania County, a former Free LanceStar reporter, is a freelance writer. Email him at pbsullivan22@gmail.com. Forty-five years ago this month, astronauts last walked on the lunar surface. While Apollo 17 marked the last human mission to the moon in 1972, it was my first view of the NASA space program. My elementary school teacher told our class about Apollo 17 and allowed us to watch the mission on our classrooms black-and-white television. Seeing those images of the astronauts walking on the moons surface had a profound effect on me as I became permanently interested in astronomy and the space program. Apollo 17 was the most sophisticated of all the Apollo missions, as it included extended hardware capability, more scientific instruments and the Lunar Roving Vehicle. Apollo 17 also included the first scientist, a geologist named Harrison (Jack) Schmitt, to walk on the moon. His name might sound familiar as he went on to become New Mexicos senator from 197783 after leaving NASA. He is also the last living astronaut from Apollo 17 after the deaths of fellow astronauts Ronald Evans and Eugene Cernan in 1990 and 2017, respectively. The Apollo 17 astronauts spent 75 hours on the moon and drove around 18 miles along lunar surface using the LRV. They also retrieved 243 pounds of materials consisting of rocks and soil from the lunar surface which continue to be studied to determine the moons origin. The beautiful and mysterious moon will always be our constant companion, so as you gaze at it under the cold, dark sky this month, remember those astronauts who walked on its surface so long ago and brought it a bit closer to us on Earth. December Skies Mars and Jupiter are visible in the morning sky this month. Look for Mars to be near the moon on the morning of the 13th while Jupiter will be near the moon on the 14th. The Geminid meteor shower peaks during the late night of the 13th into the morning of the 14th. No binoculars or telescopes are required to see this annual sky show, so find a dark sky location and look up to enjoy the view. The winter solstice arrives on the 21st, with the shortest days and longest nights of the year. David Abbou of Stafford County is a volunteer for the NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors Program and is a member of the Rappahannock Astronomy Club. Contact him at davidastronomy@comcast.net. Gusty winds and January-like chill will dominate Sundays weather in Fredericksburg. Okay, before going any further lets address this weekends snow event. There are several reasons for the lower than expected snow totals in the Fredericksburg area, the warm ground and moisture robbing by thunderstorms off the Carolina coastline being two main factors. However what most folks care about is the fact that there wasnt as much snow in their backyard as predicted. In defense of the general weather community this was a very tough winter weather forecast. A persistent lack of agreement between forecast models created enough uncertainty for me to stick with National Weather Service prognostications instead of going out on my own limb. Unfortunately even the government pros got it wrong for Fredericksburg and vicinity. Despite plenty of evidence that current weather forecasts are much more accurate than those a decade ago this event gave a black eye (and lots of migraines) to many forecasters. Now for todays Sundays weather. An Alberta clipper (see graphic) scooted across the Mid-Atlantic last night and left open the front door for some chilly Canadian air to enter Fredericksburg. Despite the sunshine temperatures will struggle to climb above the 40 degree mark this afternoon while winds gust over 20 mph. Thats about ten degrees below average highs for the second weekend of December. Monday will be mostly sunny as thermometers creep into the mid-40s by mid-afternoon after starting the morning in the mid-20s. Wind chills wont be a factor tomorrow since breezes will remain relatively light. Then several more clipper systems will dive through the area this week as they pinwheel around a much larger low pressure system anchored over Hudson Bay in Canada. A couple of these systems will provide chances of light wintry precipitation especially with the one arriving late Monday night. But the main effect of this train of clippers will be to drag very cold air into Fredericksburg and vicinity. Thus by midweek local temperatures will be 15-20 degrees below average as Arctic air arrives via blustery northwesterly winds. Overall no major storms are expected for the next several days. But folks may need to bundle up against the rather cold conditions during midweek. AT GOV. Terry McAuliffes direction, Virginias Air Pol- lution Control Board recently granted preliminary approval for a cap-and-trade scheme that would severely limit carbon dioxide emissions from most of the power plants in the commonwealth. Starting in 2020, the board unanimously agreed to cap carbon emissions 30 percent by 2030. In addition, Virginia would join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cooperative effort among the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont to cap and reduce CO2 emissions from the power sector. But cap and trade is a discredited idea that wont result in cleaner air, though it will result in higher electric bills for state residents. Under a cap-and-trade system, emitters of greenhouse gases buy an allowancea permit that allows them to trade emissions that exceed a mandated cap to another entity that supposedly offsets the emissions through such activities as planting trees. Note that while money changes hands in this scenario, the amount of actual emissions does not change. The main idea behind cap-and-trade is to make the cost of an allowance so high that the greenhouse gas emitter in question reduces its emissions for financial reasons. The obvious flaw in the logic is that utilities can just raise their rates to pay for the offsets, often to private firms that promise to sequester carbonfor a price. The losers in all of this are the consumers whose electricity bills necessarily skyrocket as a result. And sometimes, the government loses as well. The European Unions highly publicized 2005 Emission Trading Scheme proved to be a spectacular failure. Not only did it fail to significantly reduce emissions, it became a magnet for tax fraud on a grand scale, costing European governments an estimated 5 billion euros, according to a 2009 article in the EU Observer. An investigation by Europol also found that that up to 90 percent of the entire market volume on emissions exchanges was caused by fraudulent activity. Several attempts to impose cap and trade nationally failed in Congress after the public recognized it for what it was: a wealth-transfer scheme that allows polluters to buy their way out of compliance with environmental regulations using other peoples money. Californias state-based cap-and-trade scheme has already cost companies there about $5 billion and added 11 cents to the price of a gallon of gasoline since the state-run auctions for permits began in 2012, according to the Sacramento Bee. The newspaper also noted that while greenhouse gas emissions declined about 1.5 percent in 2015, analysts say other, lesser-known programs are the main reason why. Cap-and-trade programs such as Californias are universally failing to meaningfully limit greenhouse gas emissions, agreed Gary Libecap, senior fellow at Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution. Had the theory been followed, the permit market would have resulted in decreases in emissions and there would have been little role for politicians and regulators, other than setting the cap. But, naturally, the theory has not been followed. Instead, politicians, regulators and green interest groups in California and the EU have become fixated on the opportunities to fund new climate change mandates that both displace voluntary market-based cap and trade and raise the costs of compliance, Libecap explained. As a result, the California Air Resources Board acknowledges that cap and trade may account for 20 percent or less of the states greenhouse-gas control efforts. There is no real environmental market there or in Europe. Then theres the leakage problem, and its not only limited to cap-and-trade states inability to prevent their cleaner air from blowing away. So long as these so-called cap-and-trade programs are limited to certain states and countries, citizens can migrate to avoid the costs, Libecap points out. And since Virginia would be the only Southern state to impose cap and trade, which is in effect a major energy tax, it would put the commonwealth at a competitive disadvantage in attracting new companies, which are the key to creating economic growth. The plan is now subject to public comment before the board approves a final version. But the failure of cap and trade in both Europe and California suggests that Virginia needs to take a different approach. 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. Farmers are risking fines of up to 10m and lengthy prison sentences because they are unaware of tougher health and safety laws, a risk expert has warned. Judges could previously only impose custodial sentences in very specific circumstances, with fines in the lower courts limited to 20,000. But laws introduced in February last year handed authorities the power to fine businesses according to their turnover if they breached the Health and Safety at Work Act. Richard Wade of Lycetts Risk Management Services warned that farms with a turnover of up to 2m could now be fined as much as 450,000, while larger businesses, making in excess of 50m, could be forced to pay 10m. And any individuals found guilty of breaching the law can be handed unlimited fines or face a two-year prison sentence, Mr Wade said. Farmings accident record In 2016-17, 30 people were killed in agriculture At 7.61 deaths per 100,000 people, it is the worst fatality rate across industries The rate is 18 times higher than the average industry figure The financial risks do not stop when self-employed workers or contractors are used. The farmer will remain responsible, to a full extent, unless they have put in place a demonstrable system of checks and balances that will pass the liability to the third party, Mr Wade explained. When third parties are engaged to work, whether on a self-employed basis or as a contractor, it will be up to the farmer to demonstrate that they have taken all reasonable steps to ensure the other people are competent and can work safely, he said. For farm construction projects, Mr Wade said the farmer, as the client, had specific responsibilities under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. They have to notify the Health and Safety Executive [HSE] for certain works to commence and are responsible for appointing competent designers and contractors. All of which will need to be documented. They also need to satisfy themselves that third parties are adequately resourced to work in accordance with HSE laws and have provisions in place for emergencies such as fire and first aid. See also: Opinion: Has health and safety gone mad? Not really Despite these risks, farmers appear to be unaware of how severe the new penalties can be. Mr Wade said he had uncovered a worrying lack of knowledge among the farming community about the Health and Safety Sentencing Guidelines particularly that fines were now based on turnover. Our feedback from farmers suggests many may not fully comprehend how business-critical a breach can be. It is no longer a slap on the wrist and a fine amounting to hundreds of pounds. Farmers who are lax with their health and safety procedures can expect to feel the full force of the law, Mr Wade said. As well as turnover, other factors are also taken into account when deciding punishment, including the level of culpability, the risk of causing harm and the level of potential harm. These guidelines are meant to act as a deterrent and farmers should be aware that lapses in judgement, or a failure to take a proactive approach to safety, could cripple their operations. Thomas Sharpton, assistant professor of microbiology at Oregon State University, will review "I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life" by Ed Yong at noon on Wednesday the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library as part of the Random Review program. What are we humans made of? In addition to our human cells, a roughly equal portion of our cellular selves is made of trillions of microbes, mostly bacteria, known as our microbiome. Our own cells and microbial cells evolved together and are interdependent. In I Contain Multitudes Yong tells the captivating story of how the science of the microbiome developed and the current state of this extremely active field of research. Yongs vivid and very informed writing style make him an award-winning writer and an excellent guide to what is currently known about the microbes that are as much a part of our life force as our own cells. Sharpton earned his doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley in 2009 and received his postdoctoral training at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco. In 2013 he joined the OSU faculty in the Departments of Microbiology and Statistics. He is director of the OSU Microbiome Initiative. Sharpton uses molecular, computational, and statistical methods to determine how the gut microbiome influences vertebrate health and evolution. His laboratory develops cutting-edge microbiome research techniques that are used worldwide. He and his family live in Corvallis where he spends his free time working wood. The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Librarys Random Review program, and is free to the public. Coffee, tea and cookies will be served. A hearing loop system is available in the Main Meeting Room. If any member of the public has a disability and needs accommodations to attend this event, please call 541-766-6928, allowing 48 hours notice for this service. Up next: Next month's program on Jan. 10 will feature "Evicted: Profit and Poverty in the American City" by Matthew Desmond. The review will be by retired city of Corvallis housing official Bob Loewen. Of note: The date of the March Random Review has been changed from March 14 to March 7. In a letter to the editor of the La Crosse (Wisconsin) Tribune, psychologist Afton Koball and two colleagues raise objections to a recent column in which I asserted that one can be parented badly and still parent well. It comes down to ones perspective, and is, therefore, a matter of choice. Said another way, parenting is influential but not deterministic. Koball contends that I am ignoring research linking high levels of toxic stress in childhood to chronic health conditions and even a reduced lifespan. Noted, but that was not the subject of the column in question. Furthermore, I contend that even someone who experienced an adverse childhood and suffers compromised health as a result can still be a very good parent. Furthermore, studies report norms, not individual outcomes. Undoubtedly, there were subjects in the study Koball cites who suffered adverse childhoods but who as adults did not suffer chronic health issues. Some of these individuals may even have had abnormally healthy adulthoods. The link in question does not, by a long shot, refer to a one-to-one correspondence. Said otherwise, what is toxic stress to some is not to others. The question becomes: How is it that some abused children fare rather well as adults, even as parents? The list of high-functioning individuals who experienced significant hardship, even abuse, as children is quite long. It includes Oprah, Howard Schultz of Starbucks, Louis Armstrong, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Many such individuals attribute their success as adults, at least in part, to the adversity they experienced as kids. Numerous studies corroborate my contention that it is not abuse or adversity itself that disposes one to a negative outcome, but rather the individuals mental response to the abuse or adversity. All of these studies including the ongoing Kauai Longitudinal Study begun in 1955 and a 2010 study done at the University of Oxford cite folks who did well despite bad childhoods. Koball ends his letter by saying that people who have experienced adverse childhoods need counseling. That is psychologys central narrative, but speaking of studies, no consistent body of research compels the conclusion that any form of mental health counseling/therapy can be relied upon to produce positive results. In fact, a significant percentage of consumers report that mental health counseling was a negative experience, that it made matters worse. Writing in the Wall Street Journal (November 10, 2017), clinical psychologist Meg Jay shares the story of two brothers raised in a home in which the father was a violent alcoholic. One brother is a drinker and an abuser, while the other is abstinent and a model parent. When asked how they came to be who they were, both brothers gave the same answer: Given who my father was, how could I not? The anecdote illustrates my point: Whether flight or fight, an individuals response to adversity is clearly a matter of choice. As the old parenting proverb has it, every child has a mind of his own. Nine years ago, a research committee with Greater Albany Public Schools made a recommendation: Create a dual language immersion program for students to become bilingual. Younger children learn languages more quickly, so the thought was to start them out in kindergarten. The idea was to not only help native Spanish-speakers master English, but give native English-speakers a step up on a second language in an increasingly global world. The Albany School Board agreed, and the following year, a Spanish-English program began at South Shore Elementary School. The program started small: just kindergarten and first grade, and only if parents wanted it. An English-only class remained an option. But it grew over time, eventually leading South Shore to become an all-school dual immersion program and the district to expand offerings in Spanish, first to North Albany Middle School and then to South Albany High School. Only a handful of those original 76 students are left. Some moved, some changed schools and some dropped out in favor of other electives once they reached middle school. But a handful of the students who experienced that first South Shore class are now freshmen in a dual language immersion class at South Albany High School, and they say they plan to see it through to graduation. "All of us really like to stick together," said Liliana Ochoa, who started at South Shore as a first-grader in the fall of 2009. "That class, it feels like home." How it works The dual language immersion program has added a class each year as the original students progress through the grade levels. It will expand to 10th grade next year as the South students become sophomores. Right now, South Albany offers just one freshman dual-immersion class. It's a yearlong ninth grade history class that earns students half a credit each in both history and electives. (The situation is similar at North Albany Middle School, which offers language arts in Spanish as an elective at all three grade levels.) Melissa Carrillo, the teacher and adviser for the South Albany program, said next year's freshmen also will take the history class and the sophomores will move to a Spanish language and literature class. As juniors they can take Advanced Placement Spanish, which depending on how they score on the AP test is a necessary element of receiving the "Oregon Biliteracy Seal" on their diplomas, first made available in 2014. (The Corvallis School District was part of the pilot program that created the seal.) As seniors they'll likely work on a "capstone" project that brings together various elements of their learning. That's still under development, Carrillo said. Carrillo has just 15 students in her history class. Larger cohorts are coming, however: North Albany Middle School has two classes for its seventh- and eighth-graders and three for sixth grade. "We anticipate having a lot more students in the next years," she said. The increase means the need for more teachers. Greater Albany anticipates increasing the full time equivalent positions at the middle school program next year from 1.0 to 1.75, and South Albany's from 0.25 to 0.75. Program challenges The staffing increase will take place assuming the right people can be found. Hiring has long been a challenge for dual immersion programs, mostly because people who can speak both Spanish and English and are also certified to teach core subjects are in short supply. That's partly why South offers just the one class: Carrillo has the background and content vocabulary to teach history in Spanish, but not math or science. Curriculum has been another challenge. Every program is different and teachers are still finding out about one another, Carrillo said, so many simply build their own class content. She's often in contact with Amanda Filloy Sharp, the Bilingual Seal Program coordinator for the Corvallis School District, and with resources at Oregon State University for ideas. Districts have to make a financial commitment to keep things going. Direct costs for staffing and materials started at $46,155 in 2008-09, when Greater Albany Public Schools was still in the planning stages. Costs reached $217,356 this year, according to the district's business office. Next year's bill is estimated to be $340,000, all but $25,000 of that in personnel. Perpetuating student interest can be another obstacle. Students who choose to remain in the program have to use up a schedule slot for an elective, which is why many quit in favor of music or art when they left elementary school. Those who stay will see the benefits, however, Carrillo stressed. "I think it's really great," she said. "We're trying to make it a quality program. More than anything, I want kids to have a unique experience in their education." Freshman year is meant to set up the support for a successful high school experience, she continued. "They've put a lot of work into becoming proficient. ... We want them to leave here feeling really accomplished in that sense." Students in Carrillo's class include both native English speakers as well as native Spanish speakers. Both groups say they see value in staying. "I have younger siblings and they're all in the Spanish program too, and I think it'd be good to set a good example," said Jonathan Winnie, whose first language was English. Winnie said his parents felt the opportunity to learn Spanish would be good for his future, and he agrees. Without it, he said, "I think I wouldn't know anything about this language." Marlin Perez, 14, who was one of South Shore's original dual language first-graders, was born into a Spanish-speaking household but hadn't learned to read or write in that language. She said the dual language program taught her that, along with the English she wanted to learn for her future. Liliana Ochoa agreed, but said her experience was slightly different. Her father is from Mexico and her mother is not, and as soon as she enrolled in preschool, she began losing her Spanish. "My parents wanted me to keep speaking Spanish, for jobs, and also to be able to talk to my family who only speak Spanish," she said. She plans to stay to gain her biliteracy seal, figuring it will be an advantage on college applications. "You know you only have four years left," noted classmate Kylie Sanchez. "So why quit now?" How it started The dual language program grew from a decision by the Albany School Board in 2008 to look for ways of better serving the district's native Spanish speakers. The board commissioned a fact-finding panel that researched the idea for six months. Members found two-way immersion in which both native Spanish and English speakers spend part of each day speaking and learning in both languages has the best results for both short-term English absorption and long-term academic achievement. The committee recommended the program start at South Shore because it already had bilingual teachers for both kindergarten and first grade, and because it was expecting three classes at each of those grade levels for the 2009-10 school year. That way, two of the classes could be paired to swap teacher time, and the third class could be an English-only option. In fall 2009, the program began. Two kindergarten classrooms and one first-grade classroom participated, with all students present by parent request. That inaugural year, first-graders stayed in one room and alternated languages depending on the day of the week. Kindergartners spoke Spanish in one classroom for part of the day, then switched to English in a separate classroom for the other part. The program grew with the students, expanding in 2014 to add a class to each grade level at North Albany Middle School. South Shore eliminated its English-only option as of fall 2015. It hasn't been smooth sailing. North Albany, which has had three different principals in the past three years, has struggled to find both staff and curriculum for its one-class Spanish elective. South freshman Liliana Ochoa remembers both the elementary and middle school programs having "suffered from constantly changing teachers" and said some teachers were no benefit at all. "They think because we were in the dual language, they expected that we already knew everything," she said. "They just sort of threw stuff at us and didn't really 'teach.'" Even the South Albany program doesn't hit as hard on reading and writing as Ochoa would like. Carrillo, she said, sometimes "doesn't understand we need more help. She just gives us more assignments. We kinda need some more teaching of Spanish." District officials have tried to respond. Scheduling limits and lack of staff make it problematic to have more than one dual language class at the secondary level. At the elementary level, Principal Kraig Sproles joined the South Shore staff in 2015. He made changes to ensure students had practice with both languages every day. Now, kindergartners stay in a self-contained classroom where they speak both English and Spanish. First and second grades make up three classrooms each: one that's self-contained, and two that swap places each day for their language experience. Third, fourth and fifth grades practice their language arts skills each day in both Spanish and English, but math is English only and science might have some Spanish involved, depending on the teacher and the lesson. More intense language lessons, meant as either intervention or enrichment, are available for each grade level. Sproles also made hiring both bilingual and bicultural teachers a priority. As of this year, each grade level has one bilingual teacher. Of the 34 special education assistants at the school, 26 are bilingual and 21 are of Hispanic heritage. All the office staff members are bilingual. (Sproles himself is not but says he's continuing to practice.) In all, only about 40 percent of South Shore's staff is Hispanic. But it's still a larger percentage than the rest of the district, which averages lower than 10 percent, he said. When the dual immersion program began, district report cards show, 24 percent of South Shore's 340 students spoke English as a second language. Even then, it had the largest percentage in the district. By 2016-17, the school had gained more than 60 students and the percentage of English Language Learners had jumped to 54 percent, nearly double the population of any other district elementary school (About a quarter of the total number of elementary students in the district are English Language Learners, with most of them listing Spanish as their first language.) "It's important for kids to see teachers who look like them," Sproles said. "If there's no one like you, it's really hard for you to envision how you could be that person, to envision how to see the value in what you're teaching them." Effects so far Eight years have passed since that first class at South Shore, but educators say it's still too soon to tell whether Albany's dual immersion program will boost test scores or improve biliteracy. A 2002 study published in the National Association for Bilingual Education Journal of Research and Practice delved deep into achievement for students in two-way double immersion. The researchers found students in the English Language Learner category usually score poorly on standardized English tests as youngsters, but start to pull ahead of their peers by middle school. By graduation, they outperform even native English speakers. A three-year study done in Portland schools for grades 3-8 backs those results. Researchers with the RAND Corp. found in 2015 that dual language immersion students outperformed their classmates on state assessment tests for language arts by almost a school year's worth by the end of middle school. The Corvallis School District is following that trend so far. The district began a dual language program in 2001 at Garfield Elementary School and added one at Lincoln three years later. According to an April 2016 presentation to the Corvallis School Board, Corvallis dual language students who took the state's Smarter Balanced tests in both math and reading lagged behind their classmates in third and fifth grade but surpassed them in both eighth and 11th grades. It will be four more years before the first state test scores come back for South Albany High School students and even then, they will be impossible to compare to previous accomplishments because the state has ditched the Smarter Balanced tests for high school and hasn't yet chosen a replacement. The district also can't compare middle school data yet, either, as it has just one year of scores from North Albany Middle School: 2016-17, when the South freshmen were eighth-graders. That report shows that even though only 41.9 percent of North Albany's English Language Learners passed the state language arts test, the score topped both the state average and the like-school average, both 36 percent. (Math and science, at 17.4 and 34.6 percent respectively, were slightly lower than both the state and like-school averages.) South Shore's state test scores appear to follow the low-achievement model predicted by the 2002 Thomas & Collier study. Last year's English Language Learner passing rate for language arts was just 21.9 percent and math was 15.6 percent, well below both state and like-school averages for ELL students in both subjects. Assistant Superintendent Tonja Everest said that's not unexpected: The students are being asked to master two different types of "cognitive load" at the same time. Native Spanish speakers who come into regular English-speaking schools have just the new language to master, she said. But dual immersion asks them to learn to read and write at grade level in both Spanish and English something they don't necessarily know how to do even if they can speak one fluently. Combine that effort with learning the academic content needed to pass the state's Smarter Balanced assessment and scores are almost bound to come in low, researchers found. And that test, as Sproles noted, is given only in English, which is taught at South Shore only about half the day. But even though the scores have remained low, South Shore's ELL students have improved their marks each year for the past three years, he said. "Typically when looking at our data, I try to compare our growth to other dual language schools around the state," he said. "We far outperform all the DL (dual language) schools in Woodburn, outperform the DL school in Eugene, about half of them in Forest Grove and are slightly below the two dual language schools in Corvallis." The state tests are unable to measure some of the most important parts of a dual immersion program, Sproles added, such as the cultural and ethnic diversity the Spanish-speaking students bring to the school. They also don't take into account the effort to help students leave South Shore with a solid foundation in both English and Spanish no matter which one they first learned at home. By fifth grade, he said, an English-speaking student may not yet be able to carry on a conversation in Mexico City, but he is usually reading Spanish at grade level. South Albany's students say they don't necessarily feel fluent "I can't imagine myself in the middle of Mexico," Ochoa said but believe they're at least on their way. "If you're bilingual, you have more opportunities. You can get a better job," said Briana Salas. "And there are more jobs that are open," added Kamarie Buen. "And more colleges." "It's good that they're trying to build it," Ochoa said, adding that she hopes the dual immersion program will be even more beneficial for students coming up behind. "We were the first ones," she said. "We were the trial ones." 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. bohlah at 9-12-2017 07:07 PM (4 years ago) (m) One of the recent female Libya returnees, identified as Miss Loveth Ekumabo, has revealed that her fathers incestuous behaviour chased her out of Nigeria. One of the recent female Libya returnees, identified as Miss Loveth Ekumabo, has revealed that her fathers incestuous behaviour chased her out of Nigeria. The 25-year-old said she had to flee for safety from her father, and also in search of greener pasture Ekumabo also recounted how she she became a victim of serial Rape by an Arab man as she sought passage to Europe, a move that turned out futile, Dailpostlearnt. Ekumabo, from Uhunwode local government, is one of the hundreds of Edo indigenes that have been repatriated from Libya. They are currently in the custody of the state government undergoing rehabilitation for effective integration into the society. The returnee, who spent seven months in the North African country, spoke with reporters at the rehabilitation camp. She shared her ordeal as thus: The 25-year-old said she had to flee for safety from her father, and also in search of greener pasture Ekumabo also recounted how she she became a victim of serial Rape by an Arab man as she sought passage to Europe, a move that turned out futile, Dailpostlearnt.Ekumabo, from Uhunwode local government, is one of the hundreds of Edo indigenes that have been repatriated from Libya. They are currently in the custody of the state government undergoing rehabilitation for effective integration into the society.The returnee, who spent seven months in the North African country, spoke with reporters at the rehabilitation camp. Quote I went to stay with my friend who introduced me to the man that helped people to Europe. I did not have any money; so, I was made to swear to an oath in a shrine in Benin that I will pay back every kobo when I get to Europe. We agreed that I will pay back N200,000. I left Benin for Kano in April 2017. From Kano, we were transported in a Hilux truck through the desert, with no food or water, to Agadez in Niger Republic and from there to Tripoli in Libya. If you want to cross from Agadez to Tripoli without money, you either get raped as a girl or get beaten up as a boy. The agency can also sell you out as slave to get their money before you are allowed to cross to Tripoli with your new owner. I saw dead people; boys being killed; girls Raped to death; and people sold as slaves. The worst part is that Nigerians are among those Arabs who treat fellow Nigerians badly. It was while I was about to cross to Tripoli that four Arab men The church where Nigerians worship in Tripoli advised me to go back to Nigeria since I cannot do any other work here now that I am pregnant. When I called my family that I was coming back, my mother asked them to tell me to stay back and try my best to cross to Europe. But I said to myself that since she was not the one who sent me to Libya, she had no right to tell me to cross to Europe. After I exposed what my father wanted to do to me, fight broke out at home and I had to run away for my safety.I went to stay with my friend who introduced me to the man that helped people to Europe.I did not have any money; so, I was made to swear to an oath in a shrine in Benin that I will pay back every kobo when I get to Europe.We agreed that I will pay back N200,000. I left Benin for Kano in April 2017. From Kano, we were transported in a Hilux truck through the desert, with no food or water, to Agadez in Niger Republic and from there to Tripoli in Libya.If you want to cross from Agadez to Tripoli without money, you either get raped as a girl or get beaten up as a boy. The agency can also sell you out as slave to get their money before you are allowed to cross to Tripoli with your new owner.I saw dead people; boys being killed; girls Raped to death; and people sold as slaves.The worst part is that Nigerians are among those Arabs who treat fellow Nigerians badly.It was while I was about to cross to Tripoli that four Arab men [email protected] me continuously without stop, after which I was allowed to cross to Tripoli where I discovered that I was pregnant.The church where Nigerians worship in Tripoli advised me to go back to Nigeria since I cannot do any other work here now that I am pregnant.When I called my family that I was coming back, my mother asked them to tell me to stay back and try my best to cross to Europe.But I said to myself that since she was not the one who sent me to Libya, she had no right to tell me to cross to Europe. Post Reply I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist Posted: at 9-12-2017 07:07 PM (4 years ago) | Addicted Hero bohlah at 10-12-2017 07:29 AM (4 years ago) (m) Sandra knew there was always a chance that her clients would kill her. For three years, she was forced to work as a prostitute on the streets of Moscow, repaying a $45,000 debt to the trafficker who brought her from Nigeria. There were five of them, she recalls of one occasion. They were brutal, they beat me up; they brought out a knife and tried to stab me. Instead, they pushed her out of the two-story window for not submitting. Oftentimes, there were more men 10, 15, 20 per call. They might even kill you if you try to defend yourself, she says. Thats the reason why it is very horrible. And in that process most Nigerian girls lose their lives, because not every girl can withstand the pressure of 10 men. Sandra, not her real name, is one of tens of thousands of Nigerian women who have been trafficked into Europe for segxwal exploitation. And many of those women come from a single city. For decades, Benin-City, the capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria, has been tied to trafficking to Europe. Here, a potent mix of poverty and spiritualism drives thousands of young women to make the dangerous journey. Along its often unpaved, mud-ridden streets there are houses with wide gates and high walls. These belong to the families with a relation who has made it, says Roland Nwoha, a local NGO worker who has devoted his career to stopping the trade. Almost every family has a contact in Europe. Organizations like Nwohas help educate people about the risks. But he says these few stories of success continue to be a powerful motivator in a city where so many live in desperate conditions. And in Benin City, the push to leave comes from every direction. Trapped by fear Sandra says she was convinced to go by a man she met at church, who said he was an assistant pastor. She says he told her he had a vision from God that she travelled overseas, that his sister in Russia could get a job in a hair salon. For added insurance, the man had given the items she left behind to a traditional priest. We always have had this belief that your future lies in the hand of God, says Nwoha. Religious leaders, both the traditional and the Christian, are capitalizing on this. Like so many, Sandra feared the juju traditional witchcraft as much as she trusted her friend. Her trafficker took much more than just her passport. My pants, my bra, the hair from my head, the armpit and my private parts, she says. The items were for a juju oath, so powerful, a local priest said, that no one dares break it. Forlorn-looking Nigerian ladies who are victims of human trafficking evacuated from Bamako, Mali and facilitated by the office of Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora on arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. For Sandra, it bound her to her home thousands of miles away in Benin-City, and the assistant pastor that convinced her to go. I saw it with my own eyes. Its like a danger to weak girls, especially when it has to do with sensitive parts of your body. She believed that her passage to Europe would cost her no more than $2,000. She ended up owing her trafficker $45,000. The average debt for girls trafficked from Nigeria is around $25,000, but it can be as much as $60,000. None of them have any idea that they will owe these extortionate amounts. The debt, and the fear of juju, keeps them trapped. Sea of misery Sandras journey took her through Lagos and then an onward flight to Europe. But increasingly the trafficking trade is flowing through the lawlessness of Libya and across the Mediterranean where, according to the UNs International Organization for Migration (IOM), over the past three years there has been a 600 per cent rise in the number of potential sex trafficking victims arriving into Italy by sea. The IOM estimates 80 per cent are from Nigeria. The majority are from Benin=City. When the Europeans started their search and rescue operations, many people in Benin said, the road has opened, once you get on the boats you will be rescued, says Nwoha. But just last month, the bodies of 26 Nigerian women were recovered from the Mediterranean in a single day, bringing this years total number of migrant deaths in that sea to at least 3,000. Often, the journey ends in tragedy. More often, the tragedy happens in Libya. Edes story Physically, 28-year-old Ede is finally free, but the pain of what she endured is still raw. He used to hurt me, apart from work, she says of the man who purchased her. She was sold into segxwal slavery in Libya as she tried to make her way to Europe. That is how they do there, says Ede, When you finish paying your money [to your captor], if you are staying with a wicked somebody, they will sell you to another people so you start all over again. She was freed after a police raid and eventually deported to Nigeria. Now, back in Benin City, she sits next to 18-year-old Jennifer, who is too traumatized to talk. They are recent rescues, kept in a safe house run by the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). Sandra knew there was always a chance that her clients would kill her. For three years, she was forced to work as a prostitute on the streets of Moscow, repaying a $45,000 debt to the trafficker who brought her from Nigeria.There were five of them, she recalls of one occasion. They were brutal, they beat me up; they brought out a knife and tried to stab me. Instead, they pushed her out of the two-story window for not submitting. Oftentimes, there were more men 10, 15, 20 per call. They might even kill you if you try to defend yourself, she says. Thats the reason why it is very horrible. And in that process most Nigerian girls lose their lives, because not every girl can withstand the pressure of 10 men. Sandra, not her real name, is one of tens of thousands of Nigerian women who have been trafficked into Europe for segxwal exploitation. And many of those women come from a single city.For decades, Benin-City, the capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria, has been tied to trafficking to Europe. Here, a potent mix of poverty and spiritualism drives thousands of young women to make the dangerous journey. Along its often unpaved, mud-ridden streets there are houses with wide gates and high walls.These belong to the families with a relation who has made it, says Roland Nwoha, a local NGO worker who has devoted his career to stopping the trade. Almost every family has a contact in Europe. Organizations like Nwohas help educate people about the risks. But he says these few stories of success continue to be a powerful motivator in a city where so many live in desperate conditions. And in Benin City, the push to leave comes from every direction.Sandra says she was convinced to go by a man she met at church, who said he was an assistant pastor. She says he told her he had a vision from God that she travelled overseas, that his sister in Russia could get a job in a hair salon. For added insurance, the man had given the items she left behind to a traditional priest.We always have had this belief that your future lies in the hand of God, says Nwoha. Religious leaders, both the traditional and the Christian, are capitalizing on this. Like so many, Sandra feared the juju traditional witchcraft as much as she trusted her friend. Her trafficker took much more than just her passport. My pants, my bra, the hair from my head, the armpit and my private parts, she says. The items were for a juju oath, so powerful, a local priest said, that no one dares break it.For Sandra, it bound her to her home thousands of miles away in Benin-City, and the assistant pastor that convinced her to go. I saw it with my own eyes. Its like a danger to weak girls, especially when it has to do with sensitive parts of your body. She believed that her passage to Europe would cost her no more than $2,000. She ended up owing her trafficker $45,000. The average debt for girls trafficked from Nigeria is around $25,000, but it can be as much as $60,000. None of them have any idea that they will owe these extortionate amounts. The debt, and the fear of juju, keeps them trapped.Sandras journey took her through Lagos and then an onward flight to Europe. But increasingly the trafficking trade is flowing through the lawlessness of Libya and across the Mediterranean where, according to the UNs International Organization for Migration (IOM), over the past three years there has been a 600 per cent rise in the number of potential sex trafficking victims arriving into Italy by sea. The IOM estimates 80 per cent are from Nigeria.The majority are from Benin=City. When the Europeans started their search and rescue operations, many people in Benin said, the road has opened, once you get on the boats you will be rescued, says Nwoha. But just last month, the bodies of 26 Nigerian women were recovered from the Mediterranean in a single day, bringing this years total number of migrant deaths in that sea to at least 3,000. Often, the journey ends in tragedy. More often, the tragedy happens in Libya.Physically, 28-year-old Ede is finally free, but the pain of what she endured is still raw.He used to hurt me, apart from work, she says of the man who purchased her. She was sold into segxwal slavery in Libya as she tried to make her way to Europe. That is how they do there, says Ede, When you finish paying your money [to your captor], if you are staying with a wicked somebody, they will sell you to another people so you start all over again.She was freed after a police raid and eventually deported to Nigeria. Now, back in Benin City, she sits next to 18-year-old Jennifer, who is too traumatized to talk. They are recent rescues, kept in a safe house run by the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). Especially they hate us, we Nigerians they dont even want to hear anything concerning Nigerians, Ede remembers. They treated us like a slave, as if we are nothing. So we went through a lot there. Outside, the house is a non-descript, high walled compound, just like the others in the neighborhood. Inside, the young women sit in a dark living room, where the hum of an overhead fan, and the Nigerian soap opera on TV are the few comforts in this temporary home as they wait for their cases to be investigated and to be reunited with their families. Reducing demand But few cases end up in court. Fewer still end in convictions. According the US State Departments latest Trafficking In Persons report, last year NAPTIP reported 654 investigations, with 23 convictions for trafficking offenses. Were prosecuting the small fries in Nigeria, says Julie Okah-Donli, director general of NAPTIP. Absolutely the number one problem is the inability of destination countries to clamp down on their own criminal networks. Weve looked at the root causes in Nigeria without addressing the root causes in the destination countries, she says. What is being done to reduce the demand for this crime? Sandras case is one of the rare prosecutions. Her trafficker was arrested, as was his sister, who was Sandras madam in Russia, pimping her out to clients. They are both awaiting trial. When I was in Russia I said to myself, if I get back to Nigeria alive I will expose her, says Sandra. She is not going to go unpunished. The wicked dont have any place here; they have to face the law. Her former church admits her trafficker was a member of the congregation but denies that he was an assistant pastor. Pastor Etinosa Osiomwanhi interacts with his congregation during a Sunday service. He denies that Sandras trafficker was an assistant pastor at his church. You know pastors do certain things, he said. I dont call them pastors. I call them herbalists or native doctors in suits who would do such. The betrayal that stretched across two continents is now even closer to Sandra. Even my own father said I am not his daughter, she says. The trafficking is not Nigerias problem to solve alone, says Okah-Donli, but it is Nigerias tragedy. Its our young boys and girls who are trafficked. Many are not making it back alive and the ones that do are battered and bruised. Especially they hate us, we Nigerians they dont even want to hear anything concerning Nigerians, Ede remembers. They treated us like a slave, as if we are nothing. So we went through a lot there. Outside, the house is a non-descript, high walled compound, just like the others in the neighborhood.Inside, the young women sit in a dark living room, where the hum of an overhead fan, and the Nigerian soap opera on TV are the few comforts in this temporary home as they wait for their cases to be investigated and to be reunited with their families.But few cases end up in court. Fewer still end in convictions.According the US State Departments latest Trafficking In Persons report, last year NAPTIP reported 654 investigations, with 23 convictions for trafficking offenses.Were prosecuting the small fries in Nigeria, says Julie Okah-Donli, director general of NAPTIP. Absolutely the number one problem is the inability of destination countries to clamp down on their own criminal networks.Weve looked at the root causes in Nigeria without addressing the root causes in the destination countries, she says.What is being done to reduce the demand for this crime? Sandras case is one of the rare prosecutions. Her trafficker was arrested, as was his sister, who was Sandras madam in Russia, pimping her out to clients. They are both awaiting trial.When I was in Russia I said to myself, if I get back to Nigeria alive I will expose her, says Sandra. She is not going to go unpunished. The wicked dont have any place here; they have to face the law. Her former church admits her trafficker was a member of the congregation but denies that he was an assistant pastor.Pastor Etinosa Osiomwanhi interacts with his congregation during a Sunday service. He denies that Sandras trafficker was an assistant pastor at his church. You know pastors do certain things, he said. I dont call them pastors.I call them herbalists or native doctors in suits who would do such. The betrayal that stretched across two continents is now even closer to Sandra. Even my own father said I am not his daughter, she says. The trafficking is not Nigerias problem to solve alone, says Okah-Donli, but it is Nigerias tragedy.Its our young boys and girls who are trafficked. Many are not making it back alive and the ones that do are battered and bruised. Post Reply I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist Posted: at 10-12-2017 07:29 AM (4 years ago) | Addicted Hero Nigerian Man Who Just Married A Nigerian Wife Seeks Advice Over Pregnant Indonesian Girlfriend xspraise at 10-12-2017 10:07 PM (4 years ago) (m) A Nigerian man, MicMayray Alakaia Onuora, took to Facebook to seek advice after his Indonesian girlfriend disclosed that shes one month pregnant for him shortly after his marriage to his Nigerian wife, Vivian Ogu. A Nigerian man, MicMayray Alakaia Onuora, took to Facebook to seek advice after his Indonesian girlfriend disclosed that shes one month pregnant for him shortly after his marriage to his Nigerian wife, Vivian Ogu. Onuora based in Jakarta Indonesia, but currently in Nigeria wrote; My brothers and sisters, please i really need an advice from youthis matter has been eaten me up but i dont know what to do about itI am an anti-2 wives and i have vowed not to marry 2 wives as i knew the consquences Onuora based in Jakarta Indonesia, but currently in Nigeria wrote;My brothers and sisters, please i really need an advice from youthis matter has been eaten me up but i dont know what to do about itI am an anti-2 wives and i have vowed not to marry 2 wives as i knew the consquences Quote Here comes my story, this is my white girl friend and we have dated for 2 years, all these while she had been pregnant but to my greatest surprise, a month after i came down to Nigeria to marry she told me that was pregnant and by then i have done the introduction and collecting of list as i dont want to waste time for my marriage, secondly she is a muslim and i am christian and if i have to marry her i must follow their muslim rulesmy head is hot now please what should i do??? Your kind advice is appreciated thanks.. Post Reply I am Victor, I write reportage on sport news and latest metro happenings in Nigeria. Posted: at 10-12-2017 10:07 PM (4 years ago) | Hero tonyigho at 11-12-2017 12:38 AM (4 years ago) (m) Just listen to yourself, you are anti 2 wives but you playing double game. Posted: at 11-12-2017 12:38 AM (4 years ago) | Gistmaniac Just listen to yourself, you are anti 2 wives but you playing double game. Reply vinotum at 11-12-2017 02:51 AM (4 years ago) (m) dateing u 4ttwo yrs means she love u and will like to spend de rest of her life wit u MARRY HER. Posted: at 11-12-2017 02:51 AM (4 years ago) | Newbie dateing u 4ttwo yrs means she love u and will like to spend de rest of her life wit u MARRY HER. Reply kacylee at 11-12-2017 06:25 AM (4 years ago) (f) those are ur medals u keep them, u try sha ooo I have been reporting for several years now and I am very interested in visual news reportage with strong inclusion of photos and video multimedia. Posted: at 11-12-2017 06:25 AM (4 years ago) | Addicted Hero those are ur medals u keep them, u try sha ooo Reply cypanyahucha at 11-12-2017 07:51 AM (4 years ago) (m) Advice ko advice ni!!!! Posted: at 11-12-2017 07:51 AM (4 years ago) | Gistmaniac Advice ko advice ni!!!! Reply Bebold at 11-12-2017 09:30 AM (4 years ago) (m) Liar keep deceiving yourself now you cant go back to Indonesia without fear 2 yeast and u were chopping her puff puff and you never thought of that thief now after you don chop puf puff finish idiot Posted: at 11-12-2017 09:30 AM (4 years ago) | Gistmaniac Liar keep deceiving yourself now you cant go back to Indonesia without fear 2 yeast and u were chopping her puff puff and you never thought of that thief now after you don chop puf puff finish idiot Reply felicilin at 11-12-2017 10:37 AM (4 years ago) (f) ok ooo. its a sorry case Posted: at 11-12-2017 10:37 AM (4 years ago) | Hero ok ooo. its a sorry case Reply ruthie at 11-12-2017 11:51 AM (4 years ago) (f) USELESS FELLOW....U SEE YOUR LIFE....WHAT YOU EXPECT? DATING TWO WOMEN...DEAL WITH THE RESULTS & LEAVE US THE HELL ALONE! Posted: at 11-12-2017 11:51 AM (4 years ago) | Hero USELESS FELLOW....U SEE YOUR LIFE....WHAT YOU EXPECT? DATING TWO WOMEN...DEAL WITH THE RESULTS & LEAVE US THE HELL ALONE! Reply Upbendel at 11-12-2017 12:59 PM (4 years ago) (m) Problem with one particular tribe in this country...............Stay in America for twenty years come home to marry local stay in Germany for 40 years come home to marry Ugbue-ke. stay in Ido for 12 years come home to arrange marriage. My advice is don't go back to indo for now na from Airport you dey jail........if she is a Muslim you have a second chance because of religion! Posted: at 11-12-2017 12:59 PM (4 years ago) | Upcoming Problem with one particular tribe in this country...............Stay in America for twenty years come home to marry localstay in Germany for 40 years come home to marry Ugbue-ke.stay in Ido for 12 years come home to arrange marriage.My advice is don't go back to indo for now na from Airport you dey jail........if she is a Muslim you have a second chance because of religion! Reply gogoman at 11-12-2017 02:04 PM (4 years ago) (m) ha ha ha small pikin! u no get LIVER , but u dey chop too tomatoes Posted: at 11-12-2017 02:04 PM (4 years ago) | Grande Master ha ha ha small pikin! u no get LIVER , but u dey chop too tomatoes Reply In the May 2010 Danville City Council election, one name was missing from the ballot: Ruby Archie. The 16-year council veteran had decided not to seek re-election, deciding it was time for new faces in Danville leadership, but she also wanted to pick up the pace of her travels. And then there was that 5-year-old grandson she wanted to spend more time with. But just a month later on June 26, five days before her term was to expire, Archie passed away at Danville Regional Medical Center. Her sudden death stunned friends and colleagues in the city she called home. Archie was a pioneering woman in Danville over the course of five decades. She was a longtime educator in the Danville Public School system, going back to the days of Jim Crow segregation. She taught for 37 years at Langston and George Washington high schools before retiring in 1993. On council, she was a strong advocate for public education, and recognizing and honoring her leadership, her colleagues selected her as mayor, the first African-American woman ever to serve in that post. Earlier this fall, more than seven years after her death, Danville resident Renita Townes filed an application with the city to name the main branch of the Danville Public Library on Patton Street in honor of Archie. We cant think of a greater honor for a woman who knew the value of education, who knew how a love of reading could open worlds of possibilities for the poorest of children and whose entire professional life had been lived to give others a leg up in life. But there was one hitch. A city ordinance dating back to 2001 puts the onus of any costs associated with the renaming of a city building on the person or group filing the application. Townes, just one woman on a mission to honor one of Danvilles quiet servant-leaders, just wasnt able to raise the $2,000 or so an architectural consultant told the city it would cost to add Mayor Archies name to the library sign. It began to look as though the effort was dead until Danville City Councilman Gary Miller volunteered to take over fundraising, with a volunteer committee. As of Dec. 7, he told the Register & Bee the committee has commitments and pledges totaling almost $3,500. As of Friday, Alpha Kappa Alpha, one of the nations premiere black sororities, had taken the lead in fundraising. Archie was a member of the sorority and its regional director in Virginia and North Carolina. With the increased strength behind the renaming efforts, the scope of the project to honor Archies life and service has expanded. Organizers hope to use any money after the cost of signage changes to install a plaque inside the library recounting her lifes achievements and public service and possibly fund a scholarship in her memory. Good. But we have a another idea for council: Find a way to waive the cost of the signage change all together and join with Councilman Miller, his volunteer committee and AKA to raise the funds to make this honor one that will live on in the lives of Danvilles residents for generations to come. Waiving the signage costs would allow that much money to go toward scholarships for city students, an enduring way to honor Mayor Archies commitment to Danvilles children. We can understand the rationale behind the 2001 ordinance you dont want someone deciding it would be nice to name an equipment shed at Public Works after dear, old Uncle Joe and petitioning council for a nice, engraved sign on the structure. But the effort to name the main branch of the public library after Mayor Archie is entirely different. Just consider the reactions of her colleagues and friends back in 2010 as news of her sudden death spread in the community: Im just heartbroken. She was one fine lady. [She] always kept the citizens of Danville first and foremost in her mind. then-Councilman Buddy Rawley. Ruby was such a wonderful person. Everyone had so much respect for her. She was an inspiration to everyone who knew her. then-Vice Mayor Wayne Oakes. That smile, that smile beautiful smile. [She was] very supportive, very encouraging, dependable, and [she] gave you a strong sense of security. former Mayor Sherman Saunders. This tribute to Mayor Archie is overdue long overdue. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Five area school districts will open two hours late Monday. In a message on its website, Rockingham County Schools said it's delaying the start of school "to err on the side of caution" after this weekend's snowfall. The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, Davidson, Caswell and Stokes county districts also announced two-hour delays for Monday. As of 8:20 p.m. Sunday, Guilford County Schools will operate on a normal schedule Monday. A winter weather advisory for the area expired Sunday morning. The National Weather Service said Sunday night's lows will get down into the mid 20s but warm up Monday into the mid 40s. The forecast predicts no precipitation this week. President Donald Trump on Saturday evening issued a call for a reporter with The Washington Post to be fired because of a quickly deleted tweet that presented a misleading impression of Trump's rally crowd in Florida. The Post reporter, David Weigel, had earlier tweeted a photo of the crowd gathered at Pensacola Bay Center for Trump's speech there Friday evening, showing numerous empty seats. He removed the tweet after being told by others that the photo was taken before the venue filled up and apologized in a later Twitter exchange with the president. Trump's public response: ".@daveweigel of the Washington Post just admitted that his picture was a FAKE (fraud?) showing an almost empty arena last night for my speech in Pensacola when, in fact, he knew the arena was packed (as shown also on T.V.). FAKE NEWS, he should be fired." On Saturday night, The Washington Post released a statement. "Dave Weigel relied on an inaccurate image in tweeting about President Trump's rally in Pensacola," the paper's vice president of communications, Kristine Coratti Kelly, said. "When others pointed out the mistake to Weigel, he quickly deleted the tweet. And when he was later addressed by the president on Twitter, he promptly apologized for it." Trump has frequently lashed out at media figures in very personal terms. It was not the first time the White House had called for a journalist's firing: In September, after ESPN commentator Jemele Hill called the president a "white supremacist" in a tweet, his press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said in a White House press briefing that it was a "fireable offense." Earlier Saturday, Trump similarly lashed out at two other media organizations, ABC and CNN, that had issued corrections on stories about Trump in recent days. "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?" he tweeted. Early Saturday morning, Trump tweeted about the "GREAT EVENING last night" at his rally in Pensacola, Florida, where he told the audience, among other things, to "get out and vote for Roy Moore," Alabama's Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, who has been accused of sexual misconduct with teenage girls. "Arena was packed to the rafters, the crowd was loud, loving and really smart," Trump wrote. A short time later, Weigel quoted Trump's tweet and wrote "Packed to the rafters," attaching a photo that showed hundreds of available seats in the lower and upper levels. He deleted it about 20 minutes later. Around 5 p.m., Trump addressed Weigel's tweet with his own: ".@DaveWeigel @WashingtonPost put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo!" the president wrote, including pictures of the venue's seats filled as he was onstage. Weigel tweeted back almost immediately. "Sure thing: I apologize. I deleted the photo after @dmartosko told me I'd gotten it wrong," Weigel wrote, referring to David Martosko, U.S. political editor of the Daily Mail's website. "Was confused by the image of you walking in the bottom right corner." In a later tweet, Weigel wrote: "It was a bad tweet on my personal account, not a story for Washington Post. . . . Very fair to call me out." Among Trump's grievances with the media, he is notably sensitive about crowd size at his events. After images circulated on social media in January that showed fewer people at his inauguration than former president Barack Obama's, then-press secretary Sean Spicer was dispatched to tell the press, "This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration - period - both in person and around the globe." trump-reporter Washington Post News Service (DC) 12/9/2017 9:51:10 PM Central Standard Time This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Expulsions in Connecticut public schools are declining overall, but minority students continue to be kicked out in numbers disproportionate to their representation, new data show. Black males make up 13 percent of the male student population but account for 26 percent of expulsions. Hispanic females make up 24 percent of the female student population but account for 38 percent of female expulsions. Black females account for 12.8 percent of the female student population but 34.3 percent of female students expelled. It is unfortunate but undeniable that the face of expulsion is youth of color, said Marisa Masolo Halm, an attorney with the Center for Childrens Advocacy, who works primarily to defend the educational rights of children. And because many of the states large city school districts have high minority populations, the disparity is more obvious in the big city schools. I dont have the answer, Allan Taylor, chairman of the state Board of Education, said. Is a societal problem part of it? Commissioner of Education Dianna Wentzell was also reluctant to lay blame, saying it was important for the state to know the what behind expulsions even when it doesnt know the why. We are really looking for guidance from the board, Wentzell said. More Information Number of School Expulsions District Enrollment 2015-16 2016-17 Ansonia 2,364 8 18 Achievement First Bridgeport 1,044 9 * Bridgeport 21,222 76 90 Derby 1,387 17 11 Fairfield 10.027 * * Hartford 20,892 * 65 New Haven 21,981 * 17 Milford 5,926 * 9 Monroe 3,189 * * Oxford 1,952 * * Region 9 970 * * Shelton 4,815 * 7 The Bridge Academy 281 * * Trumbull 6,685 * 7 Westport 5.623 * * See More Collapse The what A student is expelled when he or she is excluded from school for more than 10 consecutive days in a school year. In Connecticut public schools last year, the average expulsion lasted 115 days. In 2016-17, there were 750 expulsions in the state compared, with 954 in 2012-13. One-fifth of the expulsions occurred in the states neediest school districts, with most in the largest cities: Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, Norwalk and Stamford. Four out of five students expelled are high school students. Elementary students account for less than 2 percent. State law requires expulsion hearings when a student is found with drugs or weapons. Those categories account for half of all suspensions. In most other cases, however, expulsion is a discretionary punishment meted out for fights, theft, disruptive behavior, threatening behavior and policy violations. Erik Clemons, a state Board of Education member from New Haven, said hed like to know how many minorities are expelled for exhibiting threatening behavior. If race is really threaded throughout this conversation, maybe race should be a data point, Clemons said. Policy violations accounted for 11 percent of all suspensions in 2016-17 nearly double the number from two school years ago said Camera Stokes-Hudson, an associate policy fellow for Connecticut Voices For Children, a New Haven-based advocacy group. We need to dig deeper to understand how permissible policy violation expulsions are occurring, Stokes-Hudson said. And who its impacting. The impact Kathryn Meyer, another attorney for the Center for Childrens Advocacy, has had many clients affected by expulsion. One, she said, was a Fairfield County high school student expelled last year for having an emotional outburst triggered by a mental-health issue. Instead of getting her immediate help, the 16-year-old was led from the school in handcuffs and then expelled, Meyer said. She so wanted to be in school and graduate on time, and both the student and her mother felt race played a role in the expulsion, Meyer said. The mom was overwhelmed, Meyer said, and didnt understand the process or her rights. She felt she let the situation get away from her, Meyer said. Appealing an expulsion is next to impossible, since an expelled student has no right of appeal to court, Meyer said. Instead, the advocate petitioned for an early readmission, which was granted. The student, a junior, missed only a couple months of school. It was a positive result, Meyer said. I wish it could have happened earlier. The consequences Students who are expelled run a greater risk of academic failure, dropping out and ending up in the juvenile justice system. In Connecticut, 46 percent of expelled students get homework assignments, 14 percent get tutoring and 23 percent are put into an alternative education setting. Nearly one in 10 gets nothing. A new state law requires the state Board of Education to develop guidelines for educating expelled students, including the kind of instruction and number of hours to be provided. It is a work in progress. Beyond providing guidance once students are expelled, Wentzell said, more work needs to be done to prevent expulsions. Expulsion is the most extreme use of exclusionary discipline possible, Wentzell said. It really is the modern-day equivalent of the Greeks method of disciplining by ostracizing. ... It is the opposite of what we are trying to do. The alternatives In Bridgeport, where expulsions have risen for the past three years to 90 in 2016-17, four schools are in a pilot program to work on restorative justice the practice of working to repair a wrong rather than simply punish. Done right, it should lower expulsions, said Kate Rivera, a social justice advocate and former Bridgeport Board of Education member. Meyer agrees. She does training for Bridgeport administrators. In Shelton, where there were seven expulsions last year, Schools Superintendent Chris Clouet said the number might have been higher if not for a Youth Services Board that helps adjudicate student disciplinary issues. Clouet called it Sheltons form of restorative justice. In New Haven highlighted by the state as a city that seems to be getting it right there is restorative justice fueled by a $300,000 grant, said Kermit Carolina, supervisor of youth development and engagement. All expulsions in the district must go through Carolina. Few make it. This is very personal work for me as a black man, as a father to two black boys and someone who has mentored young black boys for over three decades, Carolina said. In five years, New Haven has seen its annual school expulsion rate plummet from 86 to 17. We provide alternatives to expulsion, Carolina said. Officials, he added, have to be mindful of poverty, relationships between staff and students and school practices. I always ask principals one question, Carolina said. How many days does it take to change behavior? We push for 180 days (for expulsions). Do you expect behavior to change in 180 days? GREENWICH The Board of Education approved a new meeting schedule for next school year that changes how and when they discuss education issues. The new schedule, proposed by Superintendent of Schools Jill Gildea, requires 20 regular meetings next school year, down from 23 regular meetings this year. It replaces monthly school board work sessions with six topic-specific meetings, three retreats and three professional development workshops, held on Thursday nights throughout the year. The school board will continue to hold business meetings, where public comment is accepted, once a month on Thursday evenings. 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Sunday, December 10, the President will meet representatives of the Haitian community living in Paris More details : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22908-haiti-flash-diaspora-president-moise-will-soon-be-in-france.html Tuesday, December 12, the Head of State will participate in the Summit on the financing of Climate Action (One Planet) which will gather on this occasion several Heads of State and Government. On the sidelines of this Summit, President Moise will meet with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron to discuss bilateral cooperation between France and Haiti. His agenda also includes meetings with: Remy Rioux, the Director General of the French Development Agency (AFD), Michaelle Jean, the Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), and Audrey Azoulay, the Director General of UNESCO. The Head of State will introduce the members of the private sector of the Affairs of Haiti to the representatives of the French Patronage during a big meeting with the movement of the Enterprises of France (MEDEF). He will also visit Normandy, where he will visit the Water Agency, an important institution that finances works and actions that help preserve water resources and fight against pollution. On Wednesday, December 13, President Moise will visit Belgium where a busy agenda awaits him. To begin, the Head of State accompanied by Haitian businessmen, will meet with the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce of Brussels and Anvers. He will have lunch later, with Rudy Demotte, the Minister-President of Wallonia / Brussels Then Moise will visit the headquarters of the European Union (EU) where he will have an initial meeting with Ms Frederica Mogherini, 2nd Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Soon after, he will meet with Pim Van Ballekom, Vice President of the European Investment Bank (EIB). In the evening he will meet the Haitian community at a reception organized by the Embassy of Haiti Details and reservations : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22932-haiti-flash-jovenel-moise-will-be-received-by-the-king-and-the-queen-of-the-belgians.html Thursday, December 14, a meeting is scheduled with Neven Mimica, the European Commissioner for International Development Cooperation before ending his tour of Belgium with a meeting at the Palais de Bruxelles where he will be received in audience with his wife by their Majesties the King and the Queen of the Belgians (Philippe and Mathilde) President Jovenel Moise will return to Haiti on December 16, 2017. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22932-haiti-flash-jovenel-moise-will-be-received-by-the-king-and-the-queen-of-the-belgians.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22908-haiti-flash-diaspora-president-moise-will-soon-be-in-france.html HL/ SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Tourism : The reception of visitors a priority of the Ministry Thursday as the high tourist season approaches, Colombe Emilie Jessy Menos, Minister of Tourism held a major working session on the need to improve visitor reception in Haiti. This meeting, which took place in the conference room of the Ministry, brought together the representatives of different institutions concerned: Raina Forbin, Vice President of the Tourism Association of Haiti (ATH), Pierre Chauvet of the Agence Citadelle, Ernst Renaud, Deputy Director of the National Airport Authority (AAN), Previlon Renel, Director General Administration of Customs (AGD), Oliver Jean, Director General of the National Office of Civil Aviation (OFNAC), officials of the Ministry of Tourism and members of the private cabinet of Minister Menos. The management of the flow of flights at the airport, the organization of reception facilities at departure and arrival and the development of the overall space of the airport were on the agenda of this meeting . "We must offer visitors to the destination Haiti a quality service," insisted Minister Menos recalling that major events are expected in the country with many visitors including in this end of the year and early 2018. Remember that this kind of session is a practice established in recent months by the Ministry of Tourism. Thus, weekly meetings are organized at the AAN to meet the various challenges to meet to better welcome tourists in Haiti. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22767-haiti-tourism-the-future-of-tourism-in-the-north.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22731-haiti-tourism-beginning-of-training-of-the-3rd-promotion-of-politour.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22351-haiti-tourism-minister-menos-on-tour-in-dr.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22250-haiti-tourism-top-resa-2017-international-fair.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : The Government reassures the contractuals in the public administration During a press conference given at his official residence, Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant, accompanied by Josue Pierre-Louis, the General Coordinator of the Office of Management and Human Resources (OMRH), made the point Thursday. on the situation of contract workers in public administration who are assigned to permanent posts... The Prime Minister reported on a set of measures that he will adopt in the coming days to streamline the process of recruitment of public officials of the state, recalling "It is in this sense, that a set of Circulars were taken as early as April shortly after taking office." Addressing the situation of contract workers in the Public Administration, the Prime Minister recalled that there was no contract for life, highlighting the imbalance created by the status of contractual compared to that of permanent which is the sole function of officials. The Head of Government pointed out that contract workers are not entitled to social benefits such as insurance and the civil pension, which he considers abnormal. He recalled that according to article 6 of the decree of 17 May 2005 which deals with permanent posts, it is stipulated that the latter are provided by public officials with the status of civil servants. Non-permanent jobs correspond to a seasonal or occasional need, are provided by public employees having the status of contractual. In order to reassure the contractuals the Prime Minister has announced that a three-month contract for the period October-December will be signed between the administrations and the contract employees of the administrative staff before the start of the regularization operations of the latter scheduled for next January. He also took the opportunity to announce the recruitment of 200 operators for the piloting of heavy machinery for public works. For Josue Pierre-Louis, there will be no measures taken for contractuals who are part of the administrative staff (accountants, administrators, executive secretaries, administrative secretaries, financial controllers, etc.), stating, on the other hand, that "Contractuals will be appointed and appointed from January, [...]". Note that the contracts of consultants, advisers and project managers are not affected by this measure, which is only intended to regularize the situation of contract employees assigned to permanent positions... HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Environment : The Minister Pierre Simon Georges in Kenya At the 3rd United Nations Environment Assembly held in Nairobi, Kenya (East Africa) from 4 to 8 December, Pierre Simon Georges, the Minister of the Environment represented Haiti alongside delegates and ministers of the environment around the world, come to discuss the best solutions to Combat Pollution. On the sidelines of this meeting, the Minister Georges met among others with the Director and Representative of the UN Environment Program (UNEP) for the region of Latin America and the Caribbean. In his address at the podium, Minister Georges recalled the commitments already made in Haiti by the Government Moise to fight against pollution and pleaded for "the small countries victims of pollution like Haiti to be strongly assisted in the repair of the environment." Excerpts from the statement of the Minister of the Environment, Pierre Simon Georges : "[...] I have the honor to speak at this 3rd United Nations Environment Assembly on behalf of the Government of Haiti. 'A Pollution-Free World' has been chosen as a theme to catalyze a tangible number of commitments to fight pollution [...] Approximately 3 million people die each year from pollution [...] [...] We know that pollution-related morbidity and mortality are preventable and we are here to make decisions to say no to pollution. Taking into account the impacts of pollution on human health and ecosystems, the Government of Haiti is engaged, under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Haiti, His Excellency Jovenel Moise, to fight against pollution in all its forms for this purpose several activities have been carried out : The inauguration of the first Germplasm Center, last Saturday with an annual production capacity 4.5 million forest and fruit species https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-22875-icihaiti-environment-inauguration-of-the-plant-propagation-center-south.html Three others are already under construction and six more are planned for the year 2018. This will make it possible to work resolutely and irreversibly on the reforestation of the country. ; The fight to eradicate the cholera epidemic through a vast project to capture and purify water sources ; Conducting a survey on the management of hazardous chemical waste in four major cities of the country ; The signing of an Interministerial Memorandum of Understanding for the Promotion of Hygiene, Sanitation and Living Environment ; Strengthening waste legislation by adopting the law establishing the National Service for the Management of Solid Waste. This law is published on September 21, 2017 ; The triggering of the accession and / or ratification process to the Cartagena, Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm and Minamata Conventions ; The publication of a Presidential Order elevating the National Agency of Protected Areas to the rank of Autonomous Directorate, which has enabled the creation of a network of 25 protected areas, including 11 marine areas. All these actions are aimed at combating pollution in order to create a healthy and pleasant living environment. However, Mr. President, much remains to be done to significantly reduce the impact of pollution on human health and the environment in Haiti. Waste management is a major concern for the Government of Haiti. It is on the basis of these considerations, that the Government of Haiti takes advantage of this forum to ask, that countries victims of pollution like Haiti already too vulnerable by the climatic changes, are strongly assisted in the repair of the environment [...]" HL/ TB/ HaitiLibre Vietnam advised to import electricity from Laos VietNamNet Bridge - The Mekong Connection Initiative, including the Stimson Center, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Nature Conservancy and the University of California Berkeley (UCB), believes that Vietnam should become the major importer of electricity from Laos. Vietnam has high demand for electricity If Vietnam doesnt import electricity from Laos, it will have to build more coal-fired thermal power plants and depend on coal imports. RELATED NEWS Brian Eyler from Stimson Center said that he had met Lao government officials and raised questions about the countrys demand, purposes and plans to develop hydropower.According to the expert, hydropower projects in Laos depend completely on foreign investors. Once investors want to develop projects, the government will grant licenses.Lao doesnt use up the electricity output generated in the country, but it exports excess electricity to neighboring countries. Thailand is one of the importers. However, the country has found that its demand is not as high as predicted.Meanwhile, imports face opposition from the public, while renewable energy projects have been applied domestically.Vietnam is now the only neighboring country which has high demand for electricity and is a potential importer.Vietnam is the only country that could be a major market in the future for power generated in Laos. Power purchase agreements will determine which hydropower projects will be developed, and the voice of Vietnam in international energy negotiations will be more weighty, he said.If Vietnam doesnt import electricity from Laos, it will have to build more coal-fired thermal power plants and depend on coal imports.Many experts have also advised Vietnam to import electricity from Laos. They said the electricity purchases from Laos will help diversify the supply sources and allow Vietnam to ease reliance on China.Meanwhile, Vietnamese environmental experts dont think this is a good idea.The development of thermal power projects on the Mekong upper course will bring economic benefits to Laos, but will have adverse effects on the environment and peoples livelihood on the lower course.According to Dao Trong Tu, director of the Center for Sustainable Development of Water Resources and Climate Change Adaptation, the purchase of electricity from Laos contradicts Vietnam's efforts to protect the Mekong Delta from the challenges of the upper course development and climate change.Vu Trong Hong, chair of the Vietnam Water Resources Association, said this is a delicate issue.Vietnam doesnt want Laos to build hydropower plants on Mekong mainstream because this will cause water shortages to Vietnam, he said. We should not think of buying electricity from Laos. If we do, we will encourage them to build more power plants. EVENTS in and around Henley have been called off after heavy snow. The Railway Nativity due to take place at Fawley Hill tonight (Sunday) was cancelled this morning. Hilly roads around the estate have been covered in snow overnight and it makes accessing the site difficult. The annual event, which is hosted by Sir William and Lady McAlpine, was due to take place for the 13th time at Somersham station in the grounds of the estate. A statement on the Fawley Hill website said: Please note that this event has been cancelled due to the weather. Accessing the site is very difficult in this weather so please stay safe and enjoy the snow at home. Other events today have been cancelled due to the weather including a Christmas lunch in Bix and the South Oxfordshire Mencap Christmas party in Harpsden. The Santa sleigh run around Henley was due to begin tonight between 6pm and 8pm but has been called off. It was due to visit the Greys Road and Greys Hill area. Organiser Pam Phillips, of St Marks Road, said she hoped to rearrange to visit the area on December 21. But the Festive Sunday Shopping, hosted by Henley Town Council, went ahead. Some shops were offering special festive treats for the day and there were activities in Falaise Square and at the town hall. The Henley Living Advent Calendar, which was due to take place in Falaise Square at 6.15pm, has been moved into the town hall for safety reasons. Sports fixtures have also been effected with Henley Hawks womens side having their fixture against Cheltenham Tigers cancelled. The match between Emmer Green FC and Polonia Reading, at Emmer Green Park, was also called off. A yellow weather for snow and ice is in place for Henley until about noon tomorrow (Monday). There could be delays on the roads and public transport. Vehicles are using most of the main roads around South Oxfordshire and Berkshire but police are urging drivers to take care. Ch Insp Henry Parsons, of the joint operations unit for roads policing, said: The message to motorists is do not travel today unless it is absolutely unavoidable. Do not put your life and the lives of others at risk. Many of the roads in the Thames Valley have been blocked and, as temperatures plummet, will become extremely icy and dangerous. Keep up to date with the weather forecasts and advice over the next few days and ensure you can safely complete journeys and, when it is safe to drive, ensure you drive in accordance with the road conditions. There will come a time, hopefully before long, when it wont 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 were not at that point yet. Hence the need for Tuesdays 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, its 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 Kagans 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 lets 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 theres 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 isnt 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 dont 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 cant do it to racial and religious minorities, women and the disabled, you shouldnt be able to do it to gay people. Follow Dana Milbank on Twitter, @Milbank. Sen. Al Franken was not kicked out of Congress. He decided to resign. That distinction should not be lost on either Congress or the American people, especially if Roy Moore wins next weeks Alabama Senate election. Franken, D-Minn., could have remained in Congress to fight the numerous allegations of sexual misconduct against him. He chose not to only after intense partisan pressure: Its one thing to be ostracized within your party; its another to cost your party its credibility in an intense cultural debate. If the Democratic Party wants to send the message that it does not tolerate harassment, the theory goes, then it could not accept Frankens continued presence in the Senate. Besides, a Democratic governor will appoint Frankens successor, and in the special election to replace him, Democrats will be favored to win. Principles are so much easier to keep when the politics work out. That is not the case for Republicans and Moore. The accusations against Moore are both more numerous and more serious than those against Franken, and party leaders initially urged him to withdraw and said they believed the women who accused him. As Election Day approaches, however, the party has resumed its funding of Moores campaign. Yet Republicans shouldnt fool themselves: If Moore is elected on Tuesday, their dilemma gets even more fraught. Should he be expelled, as some have suggested? They should think twice before taking such action for misdeeds alleged or confessed committed decades before an election and known to the public. Other than those who supported the Confederacy, the last senator to be expelled was Tennessees William Blount in 1797. The charge was treason. The bar for expulsion, rightly, is high: The Senate has never expelled a member for acts committed prior to election. Granted, others have resigned rather than risk expulsion, and several have been censured. And many more have faced ethics investigations, which Moore can and should expect if he is elected. Just because senators were right to pressure Franken to resign, however, does not mean they would be right to expel Moore. Democracy is a messy business in part because people are flawed. The right to judge those flaws, and weigh them against political considerations, belongs to voters. HICKORY Challenger Early College High School Principal Heather Benfield and Lenoir-Rhyne University President Fred Whitt are two of the newest members of the K-64 team. During Thursdays board meeting, K-64 Chief Executive Officer Mark Story announced Benfield was hired as Catawba Valley Community Colleges Executive Director, Student Career Services and Business Community Engagement. Benfield will step down as principal in February. In this newly created position, she will work with Story at the college as part of the K-64 staff, according to a K-64 press release. Benfield is only the second principal since Challenger opened and served in the office the last seven years. Whitt was introduced as the newest ex-officio (non-voting) member of the board as well. Benfield will provide strategic direction for the colleges career services and engagement programs and assure coordination with local public school districts and other outside agencies. As part of the early college movement, I knew that my career and life's work would be part of the state's vision in educational innovation, Benfield said via a press release. The last 12 years serving the early college system have been truly rewarding. The K-64 initiative is one of the most innovative in our nation because it fosters partnerships among local school districts, higher education and local businesses to increase pathways to future careers for students and adults. Whitt said he looked forward to working with the K-64 board, helping to foster and encourage the educational journey of students in the county. You look at what we can do, and I think we can do something pretty significant that will hopefully help keep the students here, Whitt said. Guy Guarino, of Catawba Valley Hospital, was confirmed as a new member of the K-64 Character Education committee as well. Story told the board the seventh-grade 1-to-world pilot program was ready to be launched after the holidays. In November, the board approved a plan to provide Chromebooks for the 1,900 seventh grade students in Catawba County, across all three school districts: Hickory Public Schools, Newton-Conover City Schools and Catawba County Schools. Funding came from Peoples Bank with a total cost of $435,100. Story said five municipalities in Catawba County have contributed $11,890 as well to help with the costs for protective cases for the Chromebooks. The original funding did not factor in this cost. Theyre only ten dollars each but when youre buying the quantity were buying, it adds up quickly, Story said. Its about $20,000, so I thought it would be good to find some sponsorships for the cases. He said Conover was the first town to make the offer to sponsor cases for the school in their area. Story decided to ask others, and at this time he has commitments from Newton, Claremont, Maiden and Hickory. Cindy Geddes, Newton-Conover City Schools Director of Technology and Accountability said the school districts are expecting to receive the Chromebooks next week. This gives us enough time for our technology departments to inventory them and have them bar coded for each student, Geddes said. The devices will be distributed in January with specific dates still to come. Each district is using the time to get all their seventh grade teachers trained on how best to use the Chromebooks in their classes. In total, recent public and private donations to K-64 total more than $1.2 million. Along with the countys contribution of $558,755.85 other donations came from the George Foundation Inc. with $100,000; CommScope with $50,000; the Corning Foundation Grant with $25,000; A.A. Shuford Foundation Shurtape with $20,000; Corning with $25,000; Temprano Techvestors, Inc. with $10,000; Graystone with $10,000; ZF North America Inc. with $5,000; Parker and Stephen Shuford Foundation with $2,000; and $400 in individual donations. K-64 connects students and employers through local educational programs that help shape future careers and meet workforce demands. K-64 increases access to school-based programs that are proven best practices for preparing a qualified workforce by identifying and expanding programs that are effectively collaborating with local employers to align courses of study with workforce needs, according to the release. The program exposes students to real-world careers and related curriculum choices and enables adults to update their skills and enhance their employability in a dynamic work environment. K-64 is a public/private sector initiative managed by Catawba Valley Community College. For more information, visit www.k-64learning.com. Ramdas Athawale, the Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment, said on Sunday that the BJP would retain power in Gujarat despite an aggressive campaign by the opposition Congress. Speaking to reporters in Vadodara, Athawale said the percentage of votes for the Congress will definitely go up thanks to its campaign as well as the backing of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS). Athawale said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a great strategist ably supported by BJP party president Amit Shah and both being sons-of-the-soil of Gujarat were aware of the ground situation in the state. He also questioned the decision of PAAS leader Hardik Patel to align with the Congress. What was Hardik Patels logic behind supporting the opposition Congress party which will sit in opposition even after the polls? If Patel had approached me, I would have resolved the Patel reservation issue by taking it up with PM Modi, Athawale said. He reiterated that the ceiling for reservations in jobs should go up from the present 49.5% to 75% on the basis of economic criteria and added that upper castes should also be beneficiaries of it. He demanded an amendment in the Constitution to accommodate 25% reservation for job for upper castes. Only 25% of the total jobs should be left for general category who will get jobs through competitions, he said. Athawale however added, This should not disturb the existing reservation system benefitting the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). He lauded the leadership of PM Modi who he said believed in development for all without caste discrimination unlike the Congress which he said wanted to divide the country on the basis of caste. After witnessing a 66% turnout in phase-I of Gujarat Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi continued on their campaign trail on Sunday ahead of the second phase of voting. Modi visited Palanpur, Sanand, Kalol and Vadodara while Gandhi campaigned in Kheda, Aravali, Banaskantha and ends at Gandhinagar. Below are the updates: 9:08 pm: Congress dismisses PM Modis allegation of its party members meeting Pakistani envoy as baseless. Holding the countrys topmost post, Modiji is making baseless allegations. Modiji is worried, dejected, angry. Such a statement has no truth or fact, and is based on lies. Such a behaviour is unbecoming of a prime minister, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters in Ahmedabad. Modi alleged that former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Mani Shankar Aiyar had met the Pakistani high commissioner in India and an ex-Pakistani foreign minister at the residence of Aiyar recently. 8:40 pm: When our soldiers were fighting in Doklam, Congress leaders were meeting Chinese Ambassador. When asked why, he said - to get a sense of what is happening in Doklam. Now, you tell me - in such times should we trust our authorities more or the Chinese: PM Modi in Vadodara My Govt is for the poor. I cant understand the lies Congress keeps saying. When we build a state of the art bus terminus for Vadodara, do we do it because Mukesh Ambani, Tata or Birla uses it? No we make this to serve the poor: Modi. 8:37pm: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi came down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that his words had ceased to carry weight since he was lying through his teeth on the promises made to Gujarat and the country. Addressing a series of election rallies in North and Central Gujarat, Gandhi recalled how Modi had promised during the 2014 Lok Sabha election to bring back black money stashed abroad and then deposit Rs 15 lakh into each Indians bank account. Narendra Modi had said you will get Rs 15 lakh in your bank accounts, you did not get even 15 paise, Gandhi said in Deodar. 7:30 pm: BJP president Amit Shah accused the Congress of indulging in politics of minority appeasement during the Gujarat polls as the latter was sure of its defeat. The Congress first indulged in caste politics. Now, 2-3 days prior to the first phase of voting, when they could see their defeat, the Congress has gone back to politics of minority appeasement, Shah said in Ahmedabad. 6:59 pm: Rahul Gandhi said that he could not understand Prime Minister Narendra Modis obsession with the Congress, despite his claims to have wiped the party out of India. On one side, Modiji says that he has wiped Congress out of India. If that is so, why he ends up speaking about the Congress half the time in his election rallies, he said at a public meeting here, reiterating that the election is neither about him nor Modi but about the future of Gujarat and Gujaratis. 6:30 pm: Modi ji keeps using bad words against me in his speeches, even today he did so. Rahul Gandhi respects the post of PM. No matter what PM says about me, but I wont utter even a single bad word about the PM: Rahul Gandhi in Kalol 6:18 pm: The CPI accused the BJP of resorting to a dangerous election campaign in Gujarat and said the partys model of development in the state stood exposed. BJP is indulging in personalised campaign in Gujarat. It seeks to polarise and divide people on communal and caste lines for votes, taking politics to a low level, CPI national secretary D Raja. 6:00 pm: Lalu Prasad asserted that the Congress will form the government in Gujarat as people have voted heavily in its favour in the first phase of polls. 5:23 pm: The first phase of Gujarat assembly elections on Saturday saw a 66.75 per cent turnout, according to final figures released by the Election Commission on Sunday. 4:41 pm: Taking a dig at the Congress over its leader Mani Shankar Aiyars neech remark , Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the party was roaming around with axes and chisels to damage the tree roots nourished by their ancestors. 4:27 pm: Former chief minister Shankarsinh Vaghela is convinced that the Congress has deliberately lost out to the BJP, which will end up with a majority in the state Assembly elections. Vagela, who quit the Congress earlier this year, believed that the opposition partys central leadership had taken a supari (contract) from the BJP to lose the Assembly elections and predicted a clear majority for the ruling party in the state. 3:58 pm: Union minister Ramdas Athawale says BJP would retain power in Gujarat despite the aggressive campaign of the opposition Congress. Athawale said that the percentage of votes for the Congress will definitely go up thanks to its campaign as well as the backing of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS). 3:48 pm: Crowd shouts Modi Modi chants when Rahul Gandhi was exiting from Shree Ranchhodji Temple. The Congress vice president keeps walking with a smile on his face. 3:30pm: Salman Nizami who has vowed for Kashmirs freedom, is being launched for campaigning in Gujarat and this is being leaked for the consolidation of vote bank. People of Gujarat can see through the cunning ways of Congress, says Shah. 3:20pm: Shah reiterates Modis charge of Pakistans interference in the state elections. Pakistans envoy, former PM Manmohan Singh and former VP Hamid Ansari had a meeting with Mani Shankar Aiyar. Right before Gujarat election, without informing MEA conducting a meeting with Pak envoy... I dont know what message does it convey. 3:15pm: Amit Shah targets Congress over its ties with Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani. Mewanis pictures of accepting money from PFI has gone viral. PFI has always indulged in anti-national activities. Rahul Gandhi meets such a person who has relations with an anti-national outfit & Congress gives up its seat for him for vote bank consolidation... They (Congress) knew of the relations so they made him contest as an independent candidate and supported him from outside. 3:07pm: Amit Shah says Congress is raising the issue of the 2002 communal riots to polarise the vote bank. Entire nation knows the allegations levelled against Modiji by Congress-backed NGO were all false and he is spotless. Yet for vote bank consolidation, 2002 is being raised in 2017, says Shah. 3:05pm: Congress laid the foundation of Gujarat election on casteism. The would-be President of Congress (Rahul Gandhi) started hopping from temple to temple. Congress has been the creator of polarisation in India, says Amit Shah. 3pm: BJP president Amit Shah addresses a press conference in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, ahead of second phase of state polls. 2:45pm: Narendra Modi had said you will get Rs 15 Lakh in your bank accounts, you did not get even 15 paise, says Rahul Gandhi, attacking Modi over last years demonetisation move. 2:30pm: Rahul Gandhi continues campaigning in Aravali. 1pm: The money of all thieves in India was turned white by Modi Ji: Rahul Gandhi. 12:57pm: Yesterday, I listened to PM Modis speech in which he mostly spoke of himself, says Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi. 12:55pm: Congress vice presidents rally begins in Khedas Dakor. 12:45pm: With the coming of the DMIC, Banaskantha will become a transport hub. This will provide opportunities to the youth of this region: PM Modi. 12:40pm: The same Mani Shankar Aiyar, who insulted Gujarat, held secret meetings with Pakistan High Commissioner. What was the reason? Why are people who previously held high posts in intelligence establishment of Pak writing that we should help make Ahmed Patel the CM?, asks PM Modi. 12:35pm: The entire nation is seeing the wonders of Banaskantha in agriculture, particularly in potato cultivation: PM Narendra Modi in in Banaskanthas Palanpur. 12:30pm: PM Modi will be addressing an election rally in Palanpur. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday Prime Minister Narendra Modi leads people away from real issues like a magician diverts audiences attention while performing tricks. At a rally in Modis 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. 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 Modi ji, he added. Modi, at an election rally on Friday, 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. Modi ji 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 Modi ji says, Mani Sankar Aiyar said a bad thing about me, so this will be my election issue, Gandhi remarked. 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% 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, famers, 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. Gandhi also questioned Modis silence on the issue of corruption, especially the graft allegation against BJP president Amit Shahs 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. 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. BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday accused the Congress of indulging in politics of minority appeasement during the Gujarat polls as the latter was sure of its defeat. The Congress first indulged in caste politics. Now, 2-3 days prior to the first phase of voting, when they could see their defeat, the Congress has gone back to politics of minority appeasement, Shah told reporters here. Shah said it began with the words used by suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar against the prime minister. Now fact has emerged that former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former vice president Hamid Ansari along with Aiyar had met the Pakistani high commissioner for over three hours without the knowledge of the external affairs ministry. I cannot comprehend the reason for such a meeting, he said. A day after the meeting, Aiyar used derogatory language against Modi, he said, wondering what message the Congress was sending through this. Accusing the Congress of minority appeasement, Shah said a spokesperson for the party, Charan Singh, had on television asked the prime minister to visit the Jama Masjid to seek forgiveness for the 2002 Gujarat riots. The entire country knows that allegations by Congress-backed NGOs against Modi regarding the 2002 riots were rejected by the Supreme Court. But this Congress leader in 2017, for the sake of vote bank politics, is asking Modi to go to the Jama Masjid to apologise for the 2002 riots, Shah said. Shah said the party had deployed its leader Salman Nizami to campaign in Gujarat. Nizami believes in freedom of Kashmir and has made statements that Afzals (Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru) would be born in every home of the state, Shah said. Speaking about Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, Shah alleged he accepted donations from an outfit linked to the PFI (Popular Front of India). The Congress extended its support to Mevani from Vadgam and not put up any candidate against him after Mevani met Rahul Gandhi, he said. Mevanis photographs accepting funds from a PFI-linked outfit went viral (on social media). The entire country knows about the anti-national activities of PFI, he said, claiming the organisation was trying to recruit people for terror group ISIS. He said PFI activists have been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and a recent sting operation showed its role in love jihad incidents. Its activists were also involved in chopping the hands of professor TJ Joseph in Kerala, Shah said. He said the Congress would have allowed Mevani to contest on its election symbol but chose to only extend support to him after his connection with PFI became known. Shah said the BJP is fighting the Gujarat polls only on the plank of development. The first phase of assembly polls, covering 89 seats, was held yesterday, while the second and final round of voting will take place on December 14. Mumbai police opened an investigation for molestation and sexual abuse of a minor against a flyer, who was arrested late Sunday, after a National Award-winning actor posted a social media video narrating how she was touched inappropriately during a Delhi-Mumbai flight the night before. The suspect a 39-year-old businessman from Mumbai was identified with the help of the airline and description provided by the actor, whose name is being withheld due to legal protocols that protect the identity of victims in sexual crimes. He will be produced in a magistrate court on Monday. Shaken and in tears, the 17-year-old actor said in an Instagram video that a man sitting behind her repeatedly put his feet on her back and neck. This is not the way, this is not (how) a girl should be made to feel because this is terrible. Is this how they are doing to take care of girls? the actor said in the video made shortly after landing late on Saturday. According to the Sahar police, a FIR was lodged based on her oral complaint under section 354 (assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of Indian Penal code (IPC) and section 8 (sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the unknown passenger. Jayant Sinha, the junior minister for civil aviation, said the suspect will be put on the national no-fly list if the allegations are true. Condemnation against the incident poured in from celebrities and political leaders. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said she was appalled by the incident and demanded swift action against the culprit. Any harassment/crime against women should be dealt with swiftly and effectively. As a mother of two daughters, I am appalled at what happened, she tweeted. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah also demanded action against the passenger. The passenger should be identified to the police by @airvistara and a case filed for legal action. None of this he fell at my feet so I forgive him rubbish! Abdullah posted. The airline, Vistara, said it was investigating the complaint and would extend all help to the teenaged actor. According to news agency ANI, Vistara later submitted a report to the aviation regulator DGCA. We have submitted an initial incident report to the DGCA, and have also submitted all necessary details to the Police. Members of our senior management have flown to Mumbai to meet (the victim) and assist in the investigation process, the airline was quoted as saying by ANI. The actor is initially believed to have indicated that the flight staff did not act despite her raising the issue, but she did not file a complaint against the airline with the police. The Delhi Commission for Women, which was formed with an aim to probe matters relating to the safeguards provided to women under the Constitution, issued a notice to Vistara and sought a response following media reports about the incident. The Commission views this matter extremely seriously, DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal said. (With agency inputs from Delhi) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said she was appalled to hear about the molestation of a teenage Bollywood actor on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight by a co-passenger. Any harassment or crime against women should be dealt with swiftly and effectively, she wrote on her Twitter page reacting to the actors statement. As a mother of two daughters, I am appalled at what happened with the actor, she said. She urged the authorities to take strict action. Any harassment/crime against women shld be dealt with swiftly & effectively. As a mother of 2 daughters I am appalled at what happened with @zairawasimz. Hope the relevant authorities take strict action @airvistara @Ashok_Gajapathi @jayantsinha Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) December 10, 2017 The 17-year-old actor complained about her ordeal, claiming that a middle-aged man seated behind her moved his foot up and down her neck and back. All progress depends on the unreasonable man, said George Bernard Shaw in a different age. He was right, but only partly. While improvisation, imagination and some amount of rule-breaking are essential to overcome unexpected challenges and unplanned situations, success depends less on depending on intuitive responses than experience. Creativity drives innovation, no doubt, but it has to be backed by experience and knowledge. Author Stephen Asma, who is the professor of philosophy at Columbia College Chicago and a professional jazz/blues musician who has played with greats like Buddy Guy, B.B. King and Koko Taylor, uses the music metaphor to emphasise that experience is the biggest predictor of quality improvisation. Whether it is Miles Davis creative improvisations that exploited tonal patterns, inside jokes and climactic finales, stand-up comedians quirky responses to banal situations, or hackers evasion of firewalls with quicksilver ease all display creativity in diverse situations, improvisation is needed for decision-making and problem-solving at every step of our lives. Experience is what helps the human mind dip into the past to retrieve potential possibilities to face and overcome the unexpected. Asma effortlessly flits between philosophy, neuroscience, evolution, anthropology, archaeology, psychology and modern life to burrow deep into the human psyche to explain how creativity goes beyond experience to help us build something unexpected and magical. Bureaucracies and large corporations take decision-making out of the hands of individuals and replace them with simple and inflexible institutional structures, (Chinese principle of Xingming, that holds the best workers are those that follow rules, not impulses), but most innovations emerge out of disruptive deviations from the norm. Even there, individuals who improvise because others cannot or refuse to, are the ones that stand out. Whether it is turning inventing the wheel or using two stones to start a fire or sending, humans have thrived because they have been improvising and creating since the Paeleolithic era. Since being creative is about quickly adapting and responding to unexpected changes in the environment by repurposing existing tools to new functions, a deficit in resources very often drives spontaneous creativity. The idea, in turn, feeds on experiences, emotions and associations to produce something that delights or benefits people, both individually and as a society. The Evolution of Imagination Author: Stephen T. Asma Publisher: University of Chicago Press Price: Hardcover Rs 1,516.40; Kindle Rs 1,102.99 SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bitcoin will make its debut on a major exchange Sunday, a landmark for the cryptocurrency that has generated enthusiasm among some investors and more than a little anxiety from others. The Cboe Futures Exchange in Chicago will open trading in bitcoin futures at 2300 GMT on Sunday, a move that is expected to be followed a week later by a rival listing on Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Bitcoin bonanza takes hold of world markets, proclaimed the front page of the Times of London on Friday, reporting on the latest record price of the digital currency. Among those cheering the launch are the Winklevoss twins, who have been called the first bitcoin billionaires. Critics include financial commentator Jim Cramer, who warns that prices could tumble once the new trading venues open the door to short sellers, who bet on downward moves in assets. The two launches were made possible after a key US regulator, the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission, gave the green light to the exchanges on December 1, while warning of the potentially high level of volatility and risk in trading these contracts. Anticipation of the first mainstream listings for the digital currency has been a catalyst for a sharp price increase in recent weeks. Bitcoin opened 2017 at around $1,000, surged past $10,000 for the first time last month and soared as high as $16,777 on Thursday before retreating somewhat. The actual opening of the Cboe market, an electronic trading venue, is expected to be a low-key affair, lacking the pomp of an initial public offering, which is often marked by the new entrant ringing the bell of the New York Stock Exchange. There wont be any ceremony, no champagne, said a person close to the Cboe process. Its going to happen quietly, a switch flipping, the person added. There are not going to be many people in the office. - Going mainstream - The embrace by mainstream exchanges of bitcoin futures -- a type of derivative contract that allows trading based on bitcoins movement, without taking ownership of the currency itself -- marks a sea change from the days when the digital currency was associated with drug dealing and other illicit activities. Still, plenty of key figures in and around markets are taking a cautious approach to bitcoin, which has no central bank backing it, and no legal exchange rate. The Futures Industry Association, which includes some of the worlds biggest derivatives brokerages, criticized the CFTCs move in a letter to the regulator, saying contracts are being rushed through without properly weighing the risks. A more thorough and considered process would have allowed for a robust public discussion among clearing member firms, exchanges and clearing houses, the association said. Several leading financial heavyweights are still studying bitcoin and not serving as financial intermediaries. This group includes JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Barclays, Morgan Stanley and Societe Generale, said people close to the matter. Of the larger banks, only Goldman Sachs and ABN Amro are serving as intermediaries for the trades. That means most of the terrain will be dominated by smaller entities that are typically requiring larger than usual margin requirements -- funds set aside as collateral in case of losses. Wedbush Securities has lifted its margin requirements and is only permitting trades from clients on a selected basis, said Bob Fitzsimmons, a managing director for the firm. We are commissioning only the select clients who have experience in bitcoins, he said. Our risk systems are ready and we have made sure we have our customers and firm protected by increased margins and increased scrutiny. After hiking cooking gas LPG price by Rs 76.5 in 19 installments in 17 months, national oil companies skipped the monthly revision in rates this month ahead of elections in Gujarat. State-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) have been since July last year raising price of LPG on 1st of every month with a view to eliminating government subsidies on the fuel by 2018. The oil companies however skipped the hike this month. Yes it is true that we have not done a revision in subsidised LPG price this month, said a top executive at one of the three retailers requesting not to be quoted. I am not in a position to specify what promoted this (decision). It is a routine management decision. Asked if the government had asked the oil companies to skip the monthly revision, the official refused comments. The price of subsidised LPG was last raised by Rs 4.50 per cylinder on November 1 to Rs 495.69, according to a price notification issued by state-owned firms. The government last year had asked state-run oil firms to raise prices every month to eliminate all the subsidies by March 2018. Since the implementation of the policy of monthly increases from July last year, subsidised LPG rates have gone up by Rs 76.51 per cylinder. A 14.2-kg LPG cylinder was priced at Rs 419.18 in June 2016. Every household is entitled to 12 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at subsidised rates in a year. Any requirement beyond that is to be purchased at market price. LPG Consumption (PTI Graphic) Initially, the hike in LPG rate was Rs 2 per month which was raised to Rs 3 from May this year. The November 1 hike in the LPG price was the sixth since the May 30 order of the oil ministry to raise rates by Rs 4 per cylinder every month. According to the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) of the Oil Ministry, there is a subsidy of Rs 251.31 on every 14.2-kg subsidised LPG cylinder. Incidentally, the non-subsidised or market priced LPG rates were raised by Rs 5 per cylinder to Rs 747 a bottle on December 1. Non-subsidised LPG rates have moved in tandem with their cost since December 2013. There are as many as 18.11 crore customers of subsidised LPG in the country. These include over 3 crore poor women who were given free connections during the last one year under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna. There are 2.66 crore users of non-subsidised cooking gas including those who gave up subsidy on call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A six-year-old girl was found murdered with grave sexual injuries in Hisar district, triggering outrage in the area. The girl went missing shortly after the family went to sleep on Friday, and her body was found in the village the next morning, police officials said. Her parents agreed to cremate the body on Sunday after the police promised to catch the suspect, as yet unidentified, within 48 hours. The brutality was such that child was found in a pool of blood, and the autopsy said that the stick had perforated her uterus and intestines, a stark reminder of the gangrape-murder in Delhi almost 5 years ago that was seen as a watershed moment for Indias approach to sexual crimes. As pressure from the family and opposition political parties mounted, the administration announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh, a house and jobs for two family members of the family as well as a BPL card. The family belongs to a Dalit community and lived in a tent on an abandoned plot off a secluded street in Uklana block. The parents work as labourers. The police has formed a special investigation team (SIT) under DSP Jaipal Singh to probe the case. Till now the incident is a blind rape and murder for us. There has been no clue and the area has very few CCTV cameras that are of almost no help. We are rounding up local criminals, drug addicts and history-sheeters to investigate more, DSP Jaipal told HT. The parents of the victim want capital punishment for the accused. Angry opposition parties and locals thronged Uklana to meet the bereaved family and demonstrate against the government. The Khattar government is sleeping while incidents of rape and murder take place every other day, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said. Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, while demanding an immediate arrest of the accused, said such barbaric incidents showed that law and order machinery in the state under the BJP government had collapsed. Things have come to such a pass that children were neither safe in their schools nor at homes, Hooda said. DEHRADUN: The Doon police will soon file a charge sheet in connection with the interstate kidney racket that was busted at a hospital on the outskirts of the Uttarakhand capital three months ago. A total of 14 accused, including alleged mastermind Dr Amit Kumar Raut, have been arrested in the organ ring case that was unearthed at Gangotri Charitable Hospital, around 30 km from Dehradun, on September 11. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the police that probed the racket has prepared the charge sheet. We will file the charge sheet in the kidney racket case in the court very soon. We have gathered evidence against the accused and are hopeful of building a strong case against the accused (in the court), Dehradun superintendent of police (rural) Sarita Dobhal, who is leading the SIT, told HT. Once the charge sheet is submitted, the court decides if the accused can be put on trial based on the evidence against him or her. Besides forensic and documentary evidence, the police are also counting on the statements of four persons who were brought to Dehradun from other states on the promise of being given Rs 3 lakh per kidney by the touts working for the racket. They had later turned approvers, whose statements will help us in nailing the accused, Dobhal said, referring to three persons from West Bengal and one from Gujarat who were apprehended by the Haridwar police while on their way from the hospital to Delhi, which eventually led to the unearthing of the kidney racket. The police arrested a doctor couple, Sanjay Das and wife Sushma, who allegedly travelled from Nepal to Uttarakhand for assisting in the illegal kidney surgeries, from Ghaziabad on November 26. Another accused Dr Akshay Raut, the son of kidney rackets alleged kingpin, continues to be at large. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A six-member gang, who operated a fake education board which was busted by Delhi Police on Friday, did not even spare people who obtained board exam certificates from them, investigators have found. The fake education board, named Board of Higher Secondary Education, Delhi, allegedly dished out class X and XII marksheets and certificates as well as offered affiliations to nearly 300 schools mainly in towns and villages in north India. Six members of the gang, including its chairman Shiv Prasad Pandey, were arrested by the police on Friday. The police, after examining nearly 17,000 fake or forged recovered documents, said that the gang indulged in blackmailing and extortion from candidates who came to them. Nearly five dozen documents were pending verification requests at the time of seizure. Candidates used the boards certificates to land jobs. Before joining, the recruiting agency would often send requests to the board to verify the authenticity of a candidates documents. Basically, a fake board was asked to verify a fake certificate, Ravindra Yadav, joint CP (eastern range), told HT. The verification requests were received from various agencies such as the Indian Army, the paramilitary forces, the Indian Railways and even anganwadi centres, added Nupur Prasad, DCP (Shahdara). When the board received such requests, it would call up the candidates and tell them that their employment depended on the feedback provided by them. They would then use the situation to blackmail the candidates and extort anywhere between Rs 10,000 and Rs 50,000, said Prasad. On Friday, the police had said that thousands of people had benefited from this fake board and had landed jobs with several government agencies. In Lucknow in 2012, thousands of youngsters had taken passports on these fake documents. Many had even landed jobs abroad. The police are now going through all the documents recovered from the gang and are identifying the beneficiaries. There were two kinds of beneficiaries. Individuals who took fake board exam certificates and those who obtained forged degrees of genuine institutes and schools. We are identifying all such beneficiaries and will inform the concerned ministries and departments to pursue legal action against them, said DCP Prasad. Other beneficiaries, polcie said, may remain undetected until their employers found out. But as per law, they all stand the risk of being jailed when their fraud is discovered, Ravindra Yadav had said on Friday. Its a bright, sunny afternoon, and Delhis signature smog has dissipated to reveal a clear blue sky. Neelam Pathak is busy in a closed-door meeting with her clientparents of a girl desperately looking for a match for their engineer daughterat her sixth-floor office in a dark corridor of Janakpuris district centre. The multi-storeyed towers of west Delhis first and once-fashionable, high-rise office-cum-retail-space built in the 1990s have fallen into decay over the years and shoppers have switched to malls but Pathaks establishment Pathakjee, one of the city oldest matrimonial bureaus set up by her father-in-law in 1972 is going as strong as ever. But technology, Pathak says, has made her job difficult. What bothers Neelam Pathak is not the increasing number of match-making websites and apps. It is the beauty apps that are worrying her. These days, almost every boy and girl whose profile I get looks so pretty in pictures. These beauty apps have made it possible for everyone to look fair and lovely, says Pathak. The problem arises when I set up a meeting between boy and girl who look not so pretty in real life. My efforts at matchmaking end there and then, leaving me red-faced, says the matchmaker, sitting in her small chamber. Hanging on the wall behind her are the framed photographs of her late husband and father-in-law. A hoarding outside the office says the firm provides matches for all religions, caste, ages, status and budget. A hand-painted message on the doors glass, says: No admission without permission. One has to ring the bell to seek permission. As we talk , the bell rings and Pathak lets us know politely we will have to finish the conversation fast. We are the number one matrimonial consultant in the city, she says with her daughter Dimple Vohra and grandson by her side. We are busy like never before, what with peoples rising expectations and their never-ending search for a perfect life partner. Pathak is not the only one in the professionDelhi has an estimated 3,000 matrimonial bureaus --and half of them have come up in the past five years. Some are hole-in-the wall affairs, some run out of homes, others have pretty chic offices. Their job involves searching suitable profiles, arranging meetings between families, conveying messages to both sides, negotiating wedding budgets, among others. They all claim their own specialty: some such as Global Alliance Matrimony cites its association with elite branded families as its strength. Others such as Guptaji Marriage Bureau in Shakti Nagar claim to specialize in fixing marriages in the Vaishya community. Its website lists some of the citys big business families as its clients. The names of many marriage bureaus begin with community surnames: Pathakjee, Khannaji, Sharmaji, Guptaji. The favourite catchphrase of most of them is Rishte hi Rishte (matches unlimited), made famous in the 1970s by a matrimonial bureau of the same name in Karol Bagh set up by Dharam Chand Arora, Delhis first and legendary matchmaker. Most of the matrimonial bureaus charge a registration fee that ranges from Rs 5, 000 to 50,000. Others take a commission on the total cost of the marriage. They all unanimously dismiss the challenge from the growing number of online matrimonial services, contending that technology is no match for their match-making skills. A lot of profiles available online are fake, no one knows better than us who is who and what is what in the marriage market, says Pathak. These apps are for migrants who come to the city for jobs and do not have social connections. We deal with the high-status, wealthy families and they do not look for grooms and brides for their children through apps, says Manoj Garg, who runs Guptaji Marriage Bureau (GMB) with his brother Shree Garg. The brothers sit across a large desk in their teak-panelled office in north Delhis Shakti Nagar. On the wall behind them are glass shelves with dozens of folders marked B and G. B is for boys and G for girls, explains Shree Garg. Both men are busy these days. Shree Garg says he returns every day at 3 am after attending 2-3 wedding ceremonies on an average. One of the biggest changes I have witnessed during a wedding is ego clashes, a reason why marriage brokers are needed more than ever before. A lot of disputes are over how the relatives of boys are welcomed during marriage rituals. It can test your patience and persuasive skills. Curiously, the Gargs manufactured soaps before they found their calling in match-making. But I do not want my children to get into this, says Shree Garg, whose mobile phone rings every few minutes. The callers are his clients. It is 11 am and he orders a quick breakfast of samosas in his office. An office assistant tells him that the venue of a meeting between the families of a prospective couple he is supposed to attend in the afternoon has changed from Taj Hotel to Hyatt. Manoj Garg says the marriages they broker cost anything between 1 and 20 crore. And how much does he charge for his services? One per cent of the money spent on the marriage, he says. For most marriage bureaus, the money mainly comes from the registration fee. Vikas Bhardwaj runs Global Vivah Matrimony from a small flat in a run-down, middle-class locality in Rohini. The only sign that it is a commercial establishment is a designer nameplate at the door bearing the name of his matrimonial firm. Bhardwaj says the number of marriage bureaus in the city has doubled in the past few years because there is a lot of money to be made from selling registrations. Shree Garg(R) with his father RK Garg at Shakti Nagar in New Delhi. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO) Unfortunately, a lot of them have become sales-based enterprises that promise to send perfect profiles, says Bhardwaj with sanctimonious disapproval. Even if you sell two registrations every day at Rs 5,000, you earn Rs10,000 a day. But many marriage bureaus do not care about the suitability of profiles they send to their clients. Many families register with multiple bureaus hoping to find that perfect match for their children. Suman Taneja, who runs Sindoor Matchmakers from her home in Kirti Nagar, calls herself a writer, poet, painter, and, of course, a matchmaker. She says a lot of matchmakers are now collaborating with each other on WhatsApp groups. In many cases, boys and girls families have their own matchmakers. No wonder then, a lot of people have begun to look upon match-makers as property dealers, says a soft-spoken Taneja. Taneja used to work as a marriage planner with a company before she turned a matchmaker. I used to meet a lot of matchmakers for generating business. They felt I had the perfect personality for this job, says Taneja. I treat every child as my own. I personally visit families to verify their claims regarding jobs, business and property. Matchmaking is my passion, not profession. Her own son though found his own life partner. He is married to a French girl, she says. In fact, these matchmakers give you pretty interesting insights into how marriage has changed or not changed in India over the years. A lot of marriages, Taneja says, are happening during the day. The biggest change, Pathak points out, is that caste and cash is the last thing on the minds of people. But that does not mean there is no greed, it is just that the idea of a suitable girl has changed, she says. In the past, she points out, the suitable girl was someone tall, slim, fair and a teacher. And now? Someone tall, slim, and an IT professional, she says. Pathak should know. After all, her firms catchphrase in the last 45 years has been: Dulhan wahi jo Pathakjee dilwayein (the perfect bride is the one that Pathakjee gets you). Now families look for a girl who is well-paid, it does not matter if she is not so slim and fair. But education is a new status symbol and even parents education can make and break ones chances , says Pathak. But what has not changed, she says, are peoples faith in horoscopes. Ninety per cent of people believe in them. And what does a suitable girl expect from a suitable boy? Until the mid-1990s, the upwardly mobile girls would often demand a family with a Mercedes car, now they put premium on education and sophistication. Big cars are no more a status symbol, says Pathak. She says the marriage age has been rising constantly, and now it is 30 for girls and 35-40 for boys. The reason, Vikas Bhardwaj says, is high expectation. Many boys and girls of marriageable age keep rejecting each other in search of that perfect life partner till they are in their mid-thirties. And then begins a phase of compromises. In most cases, it is too late by then, says Bhardwaj. But unfortunately, it means more business for matrimonial firms and more desperation for parents. Delhi has an estimated 3,000 matrimonial bureaus --and half of them have come up in the past five years (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO) In 2007, when sub-inspector Mahesh Kumar bought a flat in Shri Sai Kunj, a private residential colony in south Delhis Mehrauli, he thought his struggle to own a house was over. Little did Kumar posted in the Delhi lieutenant governors security know that 10 years later, he would find it difficult to sell his three-BHK apartment even as the fate of the colony -- whether it will be demolished or not -- hangs in the balance. Ever since I moved here with my wife, children and brother, the thought of demolition has been haunting us, said Kumar, who lived with his uncle after moving from Bihar before buying the house. Like Mukesh, over 150 families owning flats in the colony are caught in a bind as the legal status of the gated society in the middle-class neighbourhood near Heritage school in Vasant Kunj remains uncertain. I pay loan to the bank. I am even ready to sell it. But no one wants to buy, he said. Liable to be demolished The latest blow was Wednesdays Supreme Court order, which pointed out that the authorities allowed the unauthorised colony to be built on agricultural land. The court made the observation on a report submitted by its own monitoring panel that said the colony was liable to be demolished. The committee set up in 2006 was asked to keep a tab on unauthorised constructions in the capital. In 2012, however, the court asked the panel to stop sealing premises. On Wednesday, the top court said it might revive its sealing powers. No protection is available to the society under NCT Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) second (Amendment) Act, 2014 for unauthorised construction and is therefore liable to be demolished, said the panel comprising former election commission advisor K J Rao, Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority chairman Bhure Lal and Major General Som Jhingan. The report said that the plot spread over four acres of land did not have any construction before March 31, 2002. The agricultural land was purchased by Shanmugananda Welfare Association for Rs 2.15 crore, as per the sale deed signed in March 2009. We were a group of people who wanted to use our savings and buy houses where we could stay after retirement. That is how the 198 members pooled in money in 1997 to buy the land with 198 plots, said BN Pancholi, president of the association who retired as a professor in Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha in 2000. There are 1,700 unauthorised colonies in Delhi. I do not know why they are after us, said Pancholi, who lives alone in a four-BHK house, a few blocks away from a huge under-construction Sai temple. The SC monitoring panel said in its report that the colony is not even an unauthorised colony though it had filed an application in 2007. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo) Not even an unauthorised colony Before moving to his second floor, two-BHK flat in one of the five-storeyed buildings, Umesh Singh was told the unauthorised colony would be regularised soon. But Singh, a government employee from Rajasthan, got the shock of his life when he was told that the maps of the houses had not been cleared. I thought living in an unauthorised colony is not an issue in Delhi. Had I known it is not even an unauthorised colony, I would never have shifted from my rented house in Chhattarpur, he said. The monitoring panel said in its report that the colony is not even an unauthorised colony though it had filed an application in 2007. But, it said, due to change in the layout plan, the authenticity of the regularisation claim remains null and void. Instead of 198 plots as mentioned in the layout plan, which it was supposed to be, the owners constructed group housing by amalgamation of plots, so the authenticity of regularisation remains null and void, said the report, a copy of which is with Hindustan Times. The report cites two lists of unauthorised colonies of the Delhi government with only one having the name of the colony in it. On the list, the colony is on number 506. It is one among the colonies that have applied for regularisation and are subject to a review. Controversys favourite colony The colony hit rough weather for the first time on February 12, 2013, when the committee pointed out unauthorised construction at the site. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) was quick to react to seal 48 flats a day later, soon to be followed by a demolition order that was stayed by the National Dispute Redressal Commission after the residents welfare association approached it. After site inspections that followed, the SDMC passed demolition order on October 14, 2011, again stayed by the Appellate Tribunal where the welfare association got relief. Even then L-G Tejendra Khanna sought action against the illegal colony. Police after registering an FIR arrested five persons, including R Kumar, secretary of the societys association. We were given a provisional regularisation certificate by the government in 2008. We built houses before that with the hope that the colony would be regularised like other ones. That is why we invested our money, said Kumar, who is out on bail. Since then, right under the nose of the government watchdog bodies the civic agency, the police and the revenue department the colony grew into a society housing 150 families. SDMC commissioner Puneet Goel said the corporation was examining the SC order for more action. On political agenda The successive governments in Delhi have promised to regularise the unauthorised colonies, perhaps, eyeing their 50 lakh population. The incumbent AAP government said in 2015 that it will start registration of 1,650 unauthorised colonies. The process remains stuck with the Union government, which wants the Delhi government to submit details of plot size and population. As many as 895 colonies were regularised in 2012 by the then Sheila Dikshit government. Local MLA Suresh Yadav, who is helping build approach roads to the colony, said he didnt know it was illegal. I got DSIIDC to get an estimate of the work required for the road. I though the colony was in the unauthorised list, said Yadav, whose name finds place at the billboards at the under-construction site near the colony. Property rates down According to local property dealers, no one wants to buy the flats in the colony due to the controversy even though people are ready to sell at half the prices Had it not been for the illegal status, the two-BHK flat would sell at Rs 70-75 lakh in the colony. But it is available at Rs 35 lakh and no one is buying, said a property dealer Arun Lamba. (Names of residents have been changed) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON When a sexagenarian wobbled up to the podium at the Frank Anthony Public School in Lajpat Nagar on Saturday, clad in a brown saree, a beige button-down cardigan and sporting a bindi, like every other Indian grandmother you meet in India, the words out of her mouth seemed misplaced. I am Rukmini*, and I am an alcoholic. Rukmini, who has been sober since May 1995, is one of the 30-35 women who are part of the all female Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) group, Shakti, in Delhi, and played a major role setting up the group. According to members of Shakti, the Delhi group has the highest number of women as compared to similar groups of other states. This raises the question: have the number of women consuming alcohol in the national capital increased? Female drinkers in Delhi According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), in the decade between 2005-2006 and 2015-2016, the percentage of men and women who consumed alcohol in India and the percentage of the male population in Delhi who consumed alcohol has reduced. However, the percentage of women in Delhi who consumed alcohol has gone up from 0.4% of the female population in 2005-2006, to 0.7% in 2015-2016. Other states like Chandigarh, Goa, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have also seen a rise in women drinkers, and in some of these states the proportion is higher than that of Delhi. So what brings out more women in Delhi to seek help? Is it because it is easier to get it in Delhi than in other states? And are these women from all walks of life? Stigma around alcoholism For 55-year-old Neha*, who has now been sober for 18 years, drinking was a private affair. I would get sloshed. But I would do it in the privacy of my home because I did not want to be shamed for it. I was the mother of three daughters, and I felt people would question my morals, values and character if I got drunk in public. Men were allowed to drink. It was an accreditation of their masculinity if they drank. It is not the same for women, said Neha, who had started drinking to cope with an abusive marriage. According to Dr Samir Parikh, a psychiatrist at the Fortis Hospital, there are strong stigmas attached to all mental health issues, and alcoholism is no different. However, what sets it apart is that comes with the added baggage of a gender bias against women. I would go as far as to say that around 90% of the people who admit they have a problem and seek help are men. Even if a woman is ready to admit she has a problem, she may not get the help she needs because she will be shamed for it, said Dr Veena Kapoor, former president of the Indian Association of Private Psychiatry in Delhi, and a practising psychiatrist in south Delhi. It seems that the younger lot are able to accept the disease because of increased information. It may still be an uphill task for the older generation to accept the problem, as shown in the case of 26-year-old Liya, the youngest of the group, when she told her mother-in-law to be about her addiction. She jumped out of her skin. She kept telling me how they came from a simple good family. I dont think she could even fathom it, said Liya, who first started drinking at the age of 13. Priya*, 29, had vowed that she would never touch alcohol after growing up watching her alcoholic father. However, when she was 17, her father sobered up, and Priya had her first taste of a cocktail a mojito. What had first started as a social lubricant, alcohol soon started to dictate her life. Priya hit rock bottom when she had a blackout and fell from the second floor balcony and had to be hospitalised. She went into recovery when she was 23, and has not had a drink since. She now volunteers with AA and travels around to help create more awareness about the problem and the programme. It is not that Delhi has a bigger problem. I have been to north eastern states, where almost every second or third house has a female alcoholic. It is also because some of these states are matriarchal. In Delhi, I think we are just more accepting, which makes it easier for women to seek help. I remember my mother was not ashamed when I had to check in to rehabilitation centre. We did not shout it from the rooftops, but she was more concerned about my well being than what others would think, she said. For 37-year-old south Delhi girl Kritika*, who has now been sober for around two and a half years, the stigma is a matter of the past. There is no stigma anymore, at least I have not faced it in my circles. You go to Hauz Khas Village right now, and you will see how many people are getting drunk. So people are used to drinking problems. Addiction is a pathological dependence on a substance. If anyone is going to stigmatise that, you are destroying other peoples lives, she said, while admitting that she may be afforded the luxury because of her socioeconomic background. (*Names changed to protect identity) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON She was recently crowned the most beautiful woman on the planet, when she won the Miss World 2017 contest in China. And Manushi Chhillar from Haryana is clearly revelling in her victory as she is seen boasting statement hairstyles, stunning make-up and breathtaking, often unexpected, ensembles. Manushis style is modern, relaxed and on-trend, while still being classic and elegant. We cant get enough of her effortless elan. We love how Manushi tends towards timeless, traditional or high fashion looks, while also being willing to take a risk with more casual and trendy items. With an eye for what is simple and striking, Manushi favours straight-forward looks with bold colours. Her ensembles may be very different from ours shes after all an international beauty pageant winner her style is something all of us could learn from. Heres a rundown of 10 stunning outfits worn by Miss World 2017 after winning the crown: A post shared by Manushi Chhillar (@manushi_chhillar) on Nov 25, 2017 at 3:44pm PST 1. Manushi having a Cinderella moment in an off-white Karleo gown on November 25. A post shared by Sheefa J Gilani (@stylestashofficial) on Nov 28, 2017 at 8:14am PST 2. Manushi at her success party in a beaded dress by designer Manish Malhotra on November 27. A post shared by Sheefa J Gilani (@stylestashofficial) on Dec 3, 2017 at 12:35am PST 3. Manushi looking gorgeous in a cobalt blue statement suit by Lola by Suman at an event in Delhi on December 3. A post shared by Falguni Shane Peacock India (@falgunishanepeacockindia) on Dec 3, 2017 at 5:29am PST 4. Manushi stuns in a Falguni and Shane Peacock gown at the Filmfare Glamour and Style Awards in December. A post shared by Tarun Tahiliani (@taruntahiliani) on Nov 29, 2017 at 3:41am PST 5. Manushi in a jade anarkali with an emerald green dupatta by designer Tarun Tahiliani for her first press conference in India after winning the Miss World 2017 pageant on November 27. A post shared by FancyPantsTheStore (@fancypantsthestore) on Dec 4, 2017 at 12:13am PST 6. Manushi looks ready for Delhi chill in FancyPantsTheStores scarlett sage jacket on December 2. A post shared by Sheefa J Gilani (@stylestashofficial) on Nov 29, 2017 at 10:59pm PST 7. Manushi kept it simple and classy in an ivory anarkali with beads and threadwork by Kehia by Kashmiraa to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 30. A post shared by Gauri & Nainika (@gauriandnainika) on Nov 30, 2017 at 5:01am PST 8. Manushi in a green Gauri and Nainika pencil dress on November 27. A post shared by Tarun Tahiliani (@taruntahiliani) on Nov 30, 2017 at 7:35am PST 9. Manushi in a Tarun Tahiliani couture sari at the Global Entrepreneurs Summit on November 28. A post shared by Arpita Mehta Official Page (@arpitamehtaofficial) on Dec 5, 2017 at 6:06am PST 10. Manushi in a lotus hand-embroidered jacket with 3D birds and a two-layered midnight blue skirt by Arpita Mehta at her welcome parade in Mumbai on December 2. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more The proposed underground U-turn on the national highway near the Ambience Mall may see light of the day soon, as the Ambience mall developer has in principle agreed to pay its share in the project. The authorities, however, said they are waiting for the consent in writing so that the formalities are finalised. The cost of building the underpass will be shared between National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Ambience and DLF Limited. While the NHAI will share 50% of the cost, Ambience and DLF will foot 25% each. While the NHAI said it is prepared to complete the formalities before starting construction, the only hold-up is the delay in the official confirmation of coast sharing by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG). As soon as we get an official communication from Ambience Group on sharing the cost of constructing the underpass, as discussed in a meeting held earlier, we will convey our consent to the NHAI. We are expecting the consent from the Ambience Group to come through soon, V Umashankar, MCG commissioner, said, adding that the underpass on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, between Udyog Vihar and Ambience mall is critical for ensuring safe passage of commuters. It (discussion on cost sharing) was all recorded in minutes of the meeting held earlier. We have received confirmation from the DLF, the MCG commissioner said. Read I Gurgaon: Ambience Mall officials seek changes to proposed underground U-turn The U-turn underpass will decongest Shankar Chowk as well and make it easier for commuters to cross the expressway from Udyog Vihar to the other side. The officials of NHAI, MCG and representatives of the two stakeholders Ambience and DLF held a meeting at the road authoritys office on September 18. During the meeting, both the stakeholders recorded their consent to share the cost of construction. Raj Singh Gahlot, chairman, Ambience Group, said, We will communicate our official consent to share 25% of the construction cost to the MCG very soon. Ashok Sharma, project director (PD), NHAI, Gurgaon, said, The NHAI has not yet received the consent from the MCG on sharing 50% of the construction cost. Once the consent comes through, the DPR (detailed project report) will be processed further to begin construction of the underpass. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A case of culpable homicide was filed against a doctor of the Gurgaons Fortis Hospital on Saturday on the complaint of the Haryana health department. The hospital is accused of medical negligence leading to the death of a seven-year-old girl due to dengue and overcharging her family in September. The case was filed at Sushant Lok police station against a doctor with the paediatric department under section 304 part 2 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) that carries a maximum punishment of 10 years. We have submitted our findings of the inquiry that we conducted last month on November 23 to the police which states that the hospital had overcharged the family of the deceased, said BK Rajora, chief medical officer, civil hospital, Gurgaon. The complaint was submitted to the police on Saturday and the case was registered on Sunday, the police said. We received a 49-page complaint against the hospital by the health department. A case has been registered, said inspector Gaurav Phoghat, station house officer, Sushant Lok police station. The matter came to light in mid-November after a family friend of the patient posted on social media images of the itemised bills of over Rs 16 lakh. The 20-page bill included charges for 660 syringes and 2,700 gloves, and triggered 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. 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 has also asked the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to look into the possibility of cancelling the hospitals land lease. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The parents and neighbours of a 16-year-old girl, who was allegedly sexually assaulted by two male nurses of a private hospital last month, protested in front of the hospital on Sunday demanding its shutdown. Though both the nurses were arrested on November 27 after the girls mother had filed a complaint at the Sector 14 police station, the parents, however, demanded the cancellation of the registration of Shiva Hospital, which is situated on Sector 12 road in Acharya Puri of Gurgaon. It can happen with any girl or woman patient. The hospital is responsible for the action of its staff. My daughter is not able to lead a normal life because of the incident, the girls mother said. She also pointed out that the hospital management had failed to provide footage of CCTV cameras to the police and alleged that this is also an irresponsible act. Action should be taken against the hospital management, she said. She alleged that when her daughter was admitted to the hospital, there was no woman staff during the night and the men allegedly molested her. My husband was not allowed to go inside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) even when my daughter was shouting. This is clear evidence that the hospital is aware of these incidents, the mother alleged. Another protester said, It is just not acceptable how unsafe our children are in hospitals these days. We cannot trust anyone. Around 2.30 pm, more than 20 people gathered outside the hospital and raised slogans against the hospital management. The police were called to the spot and an officer tried to talk to the agitated neighbours and parents to control the situation. Subinspector Aman Singh, officiating SHO of Sector 14 police station, said, We have already given a report to the chief medical officer regarding the findings and have arrested the accused. We can take action against the hospital management only after we are directed by the health department. The victim was admitted to the hospital on November 16 as she had mistakenly drunk from a bottle of insecticide. Both the accused allegedly touched the victim inappropriately, removed her clothes and threatened to kill her if she revealed the incident, while she was at the ICU in the hospital. Meanwhile, the hospital administration said that they are cooperating with the police in the investigation. We are taking all precautions in the hospital after that incident. We have provided all information to the police regarding the case. We have not received any further complaint regarding the matter, Amit Dagar, managing director, Shiva Hospital, said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The former husband of Norwegian King Haralds daughter is alleging that actor Kevin Spacey groped him during the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo. Ari Behn, Princess Martha Louises husband for 14 years, told Norwegian radio that Spacey, who sat next to him, suddenly said hey, lets go out and have a cigarette, before he touched me on the genitals. He said Wednesday that he declined Spaceys 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 December 11, 2007 event, has faced numerous sexual misconduct and assault allegations, but he has remained mostly silent. Follow @htshowbiz for more Thirty two years after it was signed to end an anti-alien agitation, a separate office has been set up to implement the Assam Accord. The office for the Assam Accord implementation department was inaugurated by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who heads the states first Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, in Guwahati on Sunday. The six-year-long agitation against illegal migrants from Bangladesh ended in 1985 after an accord was signed by the Centre, Assam government and All Assam Students Union, which had led the mass movement. The agitation had claimed lives of 855 people, largely from the action by the police and paramilitary forces. Most parts of the Accord, which included fencing of the Indo-Bangladesh border, remain to be implemented. The implementation department has been in existence since 1985, but successive governments have been accused of going slow on executing the clauses of the Accord. Besides fencing the border, recommendations included ending illegal immigration, deporting foreigners and taking up the controversial exercise to update the National Register of Citizens. A separate office to implement the Accord would speed up the process that hasnt seen much action. We hope all the provisions would get implemented soon, the CM said. Sunday also witnessed several functions across the state to mark Shahid Diwas in memory of those killed in the agitation. Sonowal attended a programme at the house of Khargeswar Talukdar, the 22-year-old who was the agitations first victim, and promised to construct a stadium in his memory. Assam agitation was a unique peoples movement, which was democratic and non-violent. We plan to publish a book on the movement so that people across India and outside know about it, said Sonowal. The governments efforts have been welcomed, but many feel a lot needs to be done to ensure the remaining clauses of the Accord are implemented. Its fine to hold programmes, publish books, pay tributes and open offices. But the souls of the martyrs would find peace only when the Accord gets implemented, said AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) was injured when the Pakistani forces violated ceasefire by firing at Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, an Army official said on Sunday. Pak troops fired at forward posts along the LoC in Bhawani belt of Noushera sector in Rajouri last evening, an Army officer said. In the firing, one JCO - a subedar was injured, he said. The JCO was hospitalised and is reported to be stable, he added. Reports said he was hit by a sniper fire. Earlier, on the night of December 7, an Army jawan was injured when Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing from small arms, automatics and mortars along the LoC in Poonch sectors Digwar area. Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively, officials said. On December 8 also, Pak army resorted to firing and shelling in Kalal, Laam and Jangarh sub-sectors of Noushera sector in Rajouri district. According to Union Home Ministry data, Pakistani forces have violated ceasefire 724 times along the international border and the LoC till October this year in comparison to 449 times in 2016. Two factions of the CPI(M), led by general secretary Sitaram Yechury and his predecessor Prakash Karat, failed to arrive at an understanding on the partys tactical line towards the Congress at a two-day politburo meeting that ended on Sunday. The matter was referred to the partys central committee after both Yechury and Karat presented contrasting notes on the matter. The politburo discussed the draft political report for the 22nd Congress. These discussions will now be placed for the central committees consideration at its forthcoming meeting from January 19 to 21 at Kolkata, a party statement said. While Yechury and some leaders believe that the party must open channels for achieving a political understanding with the Congress, the powerful Karat lobby will have none of it. The CPI(M) had supported the first Congress-led UPA government at the Centre for four years, but their relationship ended on a bitter note. Decades ago, the CPI(M) had dumped its political policy of maintaining equidistance from the BJP and the Congress to counter the rise of the saffron party by presenting a united opposition. However, in its 2016 party Congress, the Leftist party resolved against having any direct or indirect truck with the Congress and instead focus on strengthening Left democratic parties. The resolution further stated that the CPI(M) should seek the cooperation of all non-Left parties (other than the Congress) to oust the Narendra Modi government. Now, Yechury wants the line of not having any understanding with the Congress dropped for acquiring more manoeuvring space to deal with an increasingly formidable BJP. The issue of reaching a tacit understanding with the Congress has generated friction in the organisation on many past occasions. The CPI(M)s West Bengal unit was snubbed by party for joining hands with the Congress in the last state assembly polls. The Kerala lobby did not allow a third term for Yechury in the Rajya Sabha earlier this year because it would require Congress support for the party chief. While Karat is vehemently opposed to any understanding with the Congress, his note stated that the CPI(M) can tie up with other parties even if they are Congress allies. Sources said this move was aimed at sending a signal to leaders such as Rashtriya Janata Dal head Lalu Prasad in Bihar and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief K Karunanidhi in Tamil Nadu. Party leaders said attempts will be made to arrive at a consensus in the politburo before the draft tactical line is tabled in the central committee meeting. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A French journalist has been arrested in Srinagar for allegedly flouting visa norms to cover anti-establishment protests, officials told HT on Sunday. Inspector general of police (Kashmir range) Muneer Khan confirmed the development. Sources said Paul Comiti, a well-known war correspondent employed by a French television channel, was trying to conduct a recce for a documentary film on pellet victims when he was arrested from Kothi Bagh on Saturday. Comiti had arrived on a business visa that did not allow him to undertake journalistic work, they added. The French embassy has reportedly been informed about the arrest. Considered a sinking ship not so long ago, the Congress in poll-bound Tripura has received a shot in the arm by a ghar wapsi of a different kind. On Friday, about 1,000 members returned to the Congress after less than two years with the Trinamool Congress (TMC). They had followed six Congress MLAs who had joined TMC in June last year to protest the partys alliance with the Left Front for the West Bengal assembly polls. The six, led by former state Congress chief Sudip Roy Barman, quit TMC to join Bharatiya Janata Party in August this year. Tapan Datta, a BJP leader returned to the Congress too. He was a former Congress district president and a close associate of Barman. I was misguided by some workers to join the Trinamool. I realised my mistake and returned to my own party. I am now committed to work for better prospects of the Congress, said Mujibar Islam, a former Congress general secretary and state president of the NSUI, the student wing of the party. He had contested against Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar in 1998. Islams father Munsur Ali, also a Congress leader, was agriculture minister for two terms. The TMCs graph in Tripura had soared after the six Congress MLAs switched over last year. But it nosedived 14 months later after the six donned the saffron colour. Senior Congress leaders said the return of the deserters has fired up the party again at the grassroots level. People at the grassroots still have faith in the Congress and believe that our party is the only alternative to the Left Front in Tripura. The BJP cannot lure people through their false promises anymore, Congress MLA Gopal Roy said. Congress working president Pradyot Kishore Deb Burman, also the head of the royal family of Tripura, had spoken to party deserters a few days ago and urged them for ghar wapsi. This is just the beginning. Many others including BJP leaders are in the line, Congress vice-president Tapas Dey said. Last month, the Congress swept a by-election in Dhaniacherra Autonomous District Council village under Pecharthal Block of North Tripura district. Congress candidate Gonaban Chakma got 197 votes to beat CPM candidate Bijoy Singh Chakma who secured 181 votes. The BJP candidate was a poor third with only 24 votes. Tripura will go to poll early next year. A 30-year-old Muslim man from Hyderabad was shot in his right cheek by an unidentified assailant after an argument at a parking lot in Chicago last Wednesday. Mohammad Akbar, who was studying for his postgraduate degree in computer systems networking and telecommunications at DeVry University in the US city, is undergoing treatment Illinois Masonic Medical Center for a bullet wound. His condition is said to be serious. He has been in Chicago for the past three years and currently staying in a flat on Whipple Street. The attack happened at the Albany Park neighbourhood, which is around 4km from his flat. Mohammad Yousuf, a resident of Meerpet in Hyderabad, said his son was shot at when he was walking towards his car in Albany Park around 8.45am local time (8.15pm IST). Akbars elder brothers, Shafi and Ashraf, told reporters that his jaw needed two surgeries. Akbars friends told the family that a man fire at him after an argument. Residents and passersby reportedly rushed to Akbars help after hearing the gunshot and took him to hospital. We are yet to know more We have applied for an emergency visa to go to the US, Shafi said. The family has approached the Telangana government as well as external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj for help. Chicago police said they were not treating the attack as hate crime. Nobody has been arrested yet. The shooting triggered concern as there have been a growing attacks on Indians and Americans of Indian descent in recent months, sometimes mistaken for west Asians. Srinivas Kuchibhotla, a software engineer from India, was fatally shot in Olathe, Kansas, in February by a US navy veteran who had told him and his friend at a bar to go back to their country. Weeks later, a Sikh man was shot in his arm in his driveway in Kent, Washington state, by a masked man who had told him go back to his own country. In 2016, there were 307 cases of hate crimes against Muslims, a group targeted by President Donald Trump in his rhetoric and policies such as a travel ban. The number is up from 257 in 2015 and 154 in 2014, according to recent reports from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. There were 10 cases of hate crimes against Hindus and seven against Sikhs among more than 6,000 attacks motivated by biases towards religions, race or ethnicity and sexual orientation in 2016. (with inputs from Yashwant Raj in Washington) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The body of a 34-year-old man, who jumped into Chenab river last month, was recovered by Pakistani rangers and handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) in Suchetgarh sector here, a police official said on Sunday. Kulwinder Singh, resident of Sanjay Nagar locality, had allegedly committed suicide by jumping into the river at the Akhnoor bridge on November 25, he said. Despite hectic efforts his body could not be recovered and Pakistani authorities were alerted about the possibility it being carried by water current to other side of the international border. Pakistani rangers recovered the body on Saturday and handed it over to BSF in Suchetgarh sector, the official said. A police team from Gharota police station recovered the body from BSF and handed it over to the family for last rites, he added. An umbrella organisation of separatists in Srinagar on Sunday urged the United Nations to dedicate a special day -- International Day of Solidarity -- for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. In a memorandum addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) said such a day will provide an opportunity to remind the international community of the unresolved Kashmir issue. The memorandum was released to the press after the police foiled the JRLs march to the local UN office earlier in the day. The JRL, comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, also asked the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to fulfil its obligations towards ensuring peace along the Line of Control. Ceasefire cannot be monitored from Srinagar or Muzaffarabad offices. Something tangible needs to be done for achieving the objective. The least it can do is to bring the belligerents to the negotiating table. The hostilities must stop immediately to save further loss of life and property, the memorandum read. The separatists on Thursday had asked people to observe a shutdown today -- the International Human Rights Day -- and march towards the office of UNMOGIP at Sonwar here to protest alleged rights violations. Authorities imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar to maintain law and order in view of the strike and the march to the local office of the United Nations called by separatists. The man who allegedly molested a national award-winning actor on a flight will be put on the no-fly list if the allegations are found to be true, said junior civil aviation minister Jayant Sinha in Ranchi on Sunday. The actor posted a video on Instagram immediately after landing in Delhi on Saturday, narrating the alleged incident in tears. According to her, the man, whom she identified as middle-aged, touched her several times on her back and neck. They were on a Vistara flight from Mumbai. HT is not disclosing her identity due to legal protocols that are meant to protect victims of sexual crimes. Under no-fly list guidelines of civil aviation, a passenger can be banned from travelling by air in the country for a period of three months to lifetime Minister Sinha said the incident was unfortunate and his department stands in support of the actor. He was in Ranchi to attend an executive committee meeting of the Jharkhand Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Under the no-fly list guidelines of the civil aviation, a passenger can be banned from travelling by air in the country for a period of three months to lifetime, depending on the severity of offence. Mumbai police registered an FIR on Sunday against the unidentified passenger after the 17-year-old actor shared her ordeal. The case was registered under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). Vistara said it was investigating the complaint and would extend all help to the actor, adding it had zero tolerance for such behaviour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has set a very ambitious target for India to reduce its carbon intensity, is committed to moving the country to a lower carbon renewable energy future, World bank President Jim Yong Kim has said. I am very optimistic about what could happen with renewable energy (in India). The other thing thats so important is Prime Minister Modi is very personal, very public and very strong support of moving India to a lower carbon renewable energy future, Kim told reporters in a conference call ahead of the One Planet Summit in France. In an interaction with reporters on banks continuing work on climate change mitigation and its efforts at helping developing countries implement the Paris Agreement, Kim said he and the World Bank has worked very closely with Modi. Among one of the major projects that were putting on the table at the summit is an ultra-mega project in India for solar, he said on Saturday in response to a question. Prime Minister Modi has made a very ambitious target for India to reduce its carbon intensity. Especially in the areas of solar and hydro, India is really leading. The Solar Alliance that Prime Minister Modi is spearheading has also been extremely important, Kim said. But there is still a lot of work to do, he observed. I think the Indian government is very much aware of that. Kim said there are two most encouraging things for India. One is that the cost of solar and the both the cost and size of battery storage is progressing so quickly...the lowest price per kilowatt hour that weve seen so far is in Mexico one point seven cents a kilowatt hour which for many countries makes solar less than half the cost of coal, he said. Then also what we have seen is the rapid advances in battery storage technology. So experts have said at one point that there is an actual physical limit to the size and the cost of a battery storage technology and weve already broken through that supposed physical limit quite aggressively, he added. In France, Kim would be hosting the One Planet summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and UN secretary general Antonio Guterres to mark the two-year anniversary of the signing of the Paris agreement. We are coming together not only to reaffirm our commitment to the agreement and to showcase some of the work taking place, but more importantly to look at ways to mobilize the scale of financing needed to create a low carbon climate resilient future for the economies of the world, Kim said. The family of Afrazul Khan, who was brutally hacked and then burnt alive by a man in Rajasthans Rajsamand district in an alleged hate crime, is planning to move the Calcutta high court seeking transfer of the case to West Bengal, citing fear over safety travelling to Rajasthan for the trial. We have held discussions with the lawyers. Local people will gather at our place tonight to decide on it. Some leaders from the Congress and the (ruling) Trinamool Congress are also expected to attend the meeting, said Rezina, the victim labourers daughter. We do not feel safe in going to Rajasthan at all. After the discussion with the neighbours tonight, we will seek West Bengal governments help in seeing that the trial is held in West Bengal, the chief minister added. Khan, 50, is survived by his wife and three daughters, two of them married and the youngest, Habiba Khatun, is in Class IX. Rajasthan police have arrested Shambhu Lal Regar, the man who hacked Khan before setting him on fire while Khan was still breathing. Regars nephew, a minor who recorded the video, has been sent to a home for juveniles. Shakil Chowdhury, a neighbour, said that Khans family will also file a case with the state human rights commission. It is learnt that CM Mamata Banerjee has encouraged the family to move the human rights commission. Khan was killed on Wednesday and the video went viral on Thursday. His body reached his home at Kaliachak, Malda on Friday evening. The motive behind his killing remains unknown. The West Bengal government has announced a grant of ~3 lakh to the family and a job for a member of the family. Rajasthan government, too, has announced a compensation of ~5 lakh. Members of Khans family, however, said they are yet to receive any communication from the Rajasthan government in this regard. Over the past couple of days, a number of political leaders belonging to the TMC, Congress and the Left Front have visited Khans home. Rallies were taken out in Malda and Kolkata to protest the murder which the people of Bengal continued to hold on Saturday. The director general of Bengal police spoke to his counterpart in Rajasthan, requesting him to ensure the safety of migrant workers. Development projects worth more than Rs 40,000 crore, including one related to the new capital city, are in a limbo as the Andhra Pradesh government is caught in a fix over the utilisation of funds under the Externally-Aided Projects (EAPs). Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu himself sounded sceptical about the benefits of the EAPs but it was a political decision which he now cannot shy away from. It is difficult to understand about the immediate benefit that would accrue to the state which is struggling to put its finances in order, while ensuring investments in capital works, so that growth does not suffer, he told the Legislative Assembly in the just-concluded session. Under the Special Assistance Measure, announced by the Centre in September 2016 in lieu of Special Category Status to AP, the former was to fund the state for EAPs only signed and disbursed during 2015-16 to 2019-20. The AP government anticipated an amount of Rs 20,010 crore under the Special Assistance Measure (SAM) but expressed inability to spend it within the stipulated five years. As such, the state wanted the Centre to permit it to clear other outstanding loans towards EAPs and also use the gap to pay interest commitments to the Government of India, Nabard and other external agencies, a senior bureaucrat told PTI. The Union finance ministry rejected this proposal and also refused to concede the states demand to not make the SAM a part of the FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) limit. It is an area of concern for us. The chief minister is pursuing the issue with the Centre since the state is not directly lending the money. As such, our contention is that it should be out of the FRBM limit, the bureaucrat said. For over two years now, the state government has been requesting that the borrowing limit under FRBM Act be raised to 4 per cent of the GSDP, given the states precarious financial position post-bifurcation. The Centre, however, has not agreed to it either, even as the state has been borrowing quite heavily to make ends meet. AP targeted to borrow Rs 30,019 crore during the current financial year, excluding the EAPs. Among the 13 EAPs proposed by the state, the Amaravati Capital City Development Project is critical besides the Vizag -Chennai Industrial Corridor Development Programme. Though the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), under the Union finance ministry, cleared the states proposal for a $ 500 million loan in 2016, the World Bank is yet to approve and sanction it. Of the total project cost of Rs 4,749 crore, the World Bank is expected to lend Rs 3,324 crore for the Amaravati project, under which critical infrastructure in the new capital is supposed to be developed. The chief minister wrote a letter to Union finance minister Arun Jaitley on October 24, 2016 proposing to take up construction of residential school buildings in the state at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore with funding from AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. A government note on the latest status of EAPs states that the above proposal is in final stage (with the state government) and not yet submitted to the DEA. The state government also proposed the AP Rural Road Project at a cost of Rs 4,234 crore with funding from the AIIB for providing new connectivity to unconnected habitations. The DEA sought comments of the Union Rural Development Ministry in May this year. The ministry, in turn, wrote a letter to the state government on July 31 asking it to recast the proposal. The state government is yet to do that. Similarly, the Rs 4,500 crore AP Rural Water Supply Project is stuck after the Screening Committee of the DEA asked the state to recast the project financials by restricting to $ 500 million. The Union Health Ministry sought comments from the state government last year on curtailing the AP Health System Strengthening Project cost from the proposed Rs 4,807 crore to Rs 2,900 crore but the states comments are (still) awaited. In all, seven projects worth a total Rs 18,313 crore are languishing due to no response from the state government, a senior official pursuing the EAPs said. Though the Amaravati Capital City Development Project, too, has been shown as approved, among the six EAPs totalling Rs 19,162 crore, it cannot actually take off till the World Bank sanctions the loan, he added. Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik was arrested in Srinagar on Sunday while leading a protest march. Malik, who had gone underground for two days, emerged in uptown Maisuma locality leading a group of protesters and began walking towards the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in the city. Police arrested Malik and lodged him in the Kothibagh police station. Separatists had called for a protest march to UNMOGIP headquarters in Srinagar to highlight what they said were human rights violations in Kashmir. Restrictions have been placed in most areas of Srinagar to prevent the separatist-called march on Sunday, coinciding with World Human Rights Day. Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Syed Ali Geelani, two other senior separatist leaders, have been put under house arrest to prevent their participation in the protest. A 15-year-old-girl suffering from blood cancer was allegedly raped by three men at two secluded places in a village on the outskirts of Lucknow on Saturday night. Her neighbour and his friend took turns to rape her and then a man on a motorcycle, who assured her help after she was abandoned by the first two men, raped her again, police said on Sunday. Additional superintendent of police (East) Sarvesh Mishra said residents spotted the girl walking alone around midnight and informed Bijnore police outpost. The girl narrated her ordeal to police, following which her family was informed. Police arrested the motorcyclist after registering an FIR. The other two men are on the run. The girl told police that the two men met her when she had gone to an eatery near her house around 5pm. She said they offered her a lift on their motorcycle but took her to a deserted place, where she was held hostage for about six hours and raped. They allegedly dumped her on a road and threatened to kill her if she spoke to anyone about the crime. When she was waiting by the roadside for help, the motorcyclist arrived and promised to drop her home, she told police. On the way, she revealed her ordeal and the man took her to another deserted spot, raped her and escaped, leaving her at the spot, an officer said. According to the girls parents, her cancer was detected four years ago and she is under treatment in Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in the Uttar Pradesh capital. As she is sick, we try not to refuse any of her demands and allowed her to go to the eatery, her father said. She was sent for a medical examination and police contacted a social organisation to counsel the traumatized girl. Officer Mishra said the investigation officer has been directed to get the girls statement recorded before a judicial magistrate and nab the suspects at the earliest. Ajmer: Two brothers and their families still stay out of their village in Vijayanagar block of Rajasthans Ajmer district after a mob of upper caste Rajputs attacked them on October 20. According to an FIR lodged at Vijayanagar police station, the mob of over 100 people beat up the family members, looted their house and shop, set their vehicles on fire, misbehaved with womenfolk and drove them out of Sethana village. The FIR said Kushal Singh Rathore, Jagdev Singh Rathore, Sanjay Singh Rathore and Narendra Singh led the mob. Fearing for their life, the brothers, Narayan Nath and Kalu Nath, and their 20 family members live in a two-room rented house in Vijaynagar, leaving behind their newly constructed big house in the village. They are OBCs. In a written submission to Vijayanagar SDM Suresh Chawla on Saturday, Narayan Nath and his son Raju Nath complained that the accused were not allowing them to enter their village. Mustering courage, we went to the village but were asked to leave; we were told not to dare to come again, Narayan said. They (the accused) told villagers not to keep social relations with us; villagers were warned that whosoever flouts the diktat will have to pay a fine of Rs 11000, he alleged. Chawla said he had ordered an inquiry, and action would be taken against the guilty. The brothers have provided video and photo evidence to the police about the mob attack, but no arrests have been made. We are examining the photos and videos provided to us to find out if the accused were present at the time of the attack; we will soon make arrests, said Bhawani Singh, Vijayanagar police station SHO. Asked about the reason for the attack, Kalu Nath said, Animosity has been brewing in their hearts after my brother Narayan fought panchayat election against Kushal Singh, one of the accused. They attacked us on the pretext that my nephew Raju Nath was involved in an attack on a dhaba owned by Singhs friend on 19 October. He added: He (Raju) was not in the village that day Kalu. Our economic prosperity also fuelled the animosity. They vandalised and looted our house and shop, cutting every means of our income. Narayan Nath said they had knocked every possible door -- from chief minister to SDM -- but no arrests have been made despite assurances. Board exams are nearing. In this small house, there is no space for my three grandchildren, who are in class 10 and 12, to do their studies, he said. Senior members of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Rajasthan are miffed with state in-charge, Kumar Vishwas for allegedly not devoting time and resources to the party. They wrote a letter to him last week expressing their angst, saying that his prolonged absence from the state has deeply damaged the party. The letter, signed by over two dozen office bearers, reads that it has been over seven months since Kumar was made the in-charge of state and the party organisation is still in poor shape. We lag behind in preparations for the 2018 assembly polls and are fast losing the opportunity to contest elections as a party with mature understanding, reads the letter. It further alleges that Kumar has visited the state only four times since he was entrusted with the job of overseeing the party affairs in the state. In addition, the senior members have been trying to meet Vishwas for the past two months but have not been given time. The members also raised the issue of funds saying that not a single rupee has been given to the state unit of the party and even the internet connection of the partys state office has been severed. Electricity connection can be cut any day. The kitchen has been shut. If any worker visits the office, he finds the office door locked, claims the letter. They demanded that Vishwas should spend at least three days a week in the state and work for party organisation as promised earlier and resolve the fund related issues. Furthermore, they expressed their discontent with the actions of party supervisor appointed by Vishwas and suggested that organisation work be given to members from Rajasthan. When contacted over phone, Ashok Jain, member of Rajasthan AAP discipline committee, confirmed that the letter was sent but added that the situation of AAP in Rajasthan is alright. These things keep happening. Im sure Kumar Vishwas Ji will give new direction to the party in the state, he added. While Kumar Vishwas did not personally respond to questions, he asked Pankaj Sharma, Rajasthan AAP coordinator to respond on his behalf. Due to delay in some of partys internal decisions, Kumar Vishwas Ji could not begin work for the first two months. But after that, we have been working according to our strategy, said Sharma. Working doesnt necessarily have to be through physical presence. Kumar Vishwas Ji has been constantly in touch with the members in Rajasthan. We have also invited them to Delhi for talks on Tuesday. As per our strategy, full-fledged organisation and election work will begin from January, he added. The Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal has announced attractive sops for pilgrims attending the upcoming Gangasagar fair in an apparent attempt to reach out to Hindu voters and counter the BJPs charges of alleged minority appeasement. Addressing a high-level meeting held at the state secretariat on Friday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced that pilgrims coming to Gangasagar next year will be covered by life insurance amounting to Rs 5 lakh each. The premium in this regard will be borne entirely by the state government. Around five to six lakh pilgrims attend the Gangasagar fair on the occasion of Makar Sankranti at the confluence of the Ganges in Sagra Islands, South 24 Parganas district. It is scheduled for the second week of January. This decision is being viewed as a direct attempt by the state government to counter BJP propaganda that the Rs 10-lakh compensation recently announced for deceased Haj pilgrims was nothing but minority appeasement. Bengal panchayat affairs and rural development minister Subrata Mukherjee, who was present at the meeting, confirmed the decision. Never before has any state government announced such a huge compensation for a fair attended by so many lakhs of people. The first thing our government did after coming to power in 2011 was discard the tourism tax that the erstwhile Left Front government used to charge. And now, we have announced such a huge insurance cover (for Hindu pilgrims), he told HT. Several deaths caused mostly due to stampedes, sinking boats, fire and the cold are reported from Gangasagar every year. The death of six pilgrims during this years edition of the fair resulted in a verbal battle between the Union and state governments. While the Narendra Modi government at the Centre claimed that the pilgrims died in a stampede, the Bengal administration maintained that they occurred due to age-related ailments and the cold. As tempers rose, the state government even termed the ex-gratia compensation announced by the Prime Minister for the deceaseds families as an attack on the federal structure of the country. The BJP, as expected, was not impressed with the announcement of life insurance. Terming the state governments decision as a desperate attempt to cover up its Muslim appeasement policy, BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha said, This is obviously the fallout of the six deaths that occurred at the Gangasagar fair in January. But, more than that, the chief minister is starting to feel that her appeasement policy is sending out a negative signal to the masses. The annual Geminid meteor shower has arrived and it will put on a dazzling show for skywatchers when it peaks overnight on December 13 and14, according to NASA. 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 Augusts Perseids obscured by bright moonlight, the Geminids will be the best shower this year, said Bill Cooke with NASAs Meteoroid Environment Office. The thin, waning crescent Moon wont 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 Earths atmosphere in a flurry of shooting stars. Phaethons nature is debated, said Cooke. Its 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, said a statement from NASA. 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 NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more A 24-year-old man from Oshiwara was allegedly stabbed to death by three men on Saturday, when he confronted them, suspecting they had burnt his bike last month. The Oshiwara police has arrested one of the accused, who has a criminal record, while two of them are at large. According to the police, the incident took place at around 9.15 pm on Saturday in Gulshan Nagar, Jogeshwari (West), where the deceased, Sufiyan Khan and the arrested accused 24-year-old Asif Batla reside. Khan suspected that Batla had burnt his bike on November 23 and based on some leads, confronted him regarding the same. This led to a heated argument and Batla and his two aides stabbed Khan four times on his chest, hands and legs. Khan was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. Batla fled from the spot but the police tracked him down, said inspector Shashank Bhandare. Based on the statement of Sufiyans father -- Mohamed, the police on Saturday, registered an FIR against the accused for attempt to murder, under the Indian Penal Code. After Khans death on Sunday, the police added a murder section to the case. Batla will be produced before a magistrate court on Monday. A probe is on to track his aides. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON An RTI query has revealed that after resigning as revenue minister from the BJP-led state government, senior party leader Eknath Khadse is yet to pay the charges for overstaying at the posh government bungalow Ramtek. The state public works department (PWD) has also sent him a notice of Rs15.50 lakh, asking him to pay the charges as early as possible. However, Khadse clarified that the rent was charged for overstaying for five months, whereas he stayed only for three months. He has also filed an appeal before chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in this regard. Following a series of graft allegations, Khadse, who was considered number two in the BJP government, was forced to resign from the ministers post on June 4. As a senior minister, he was allotted the sprawling 8,857-square-feet bungalow, Ramtek, located at upmarket Malabar Hill. According to the reminder notice issued by the PWD on November 18, for the next three months June 20, 2016 to September 19, 2016, he was charged with Rs25 per sq ft as rent for the bungalow, while for the next two months until November 11 the same year, the rent charged was doubled up, as per the existing rules. However, Khadse said he vacated the bungalow in September itself. A letter in this regard was also sent to the general administration department (GAD). This notice of recovery has been issued by PWD, against which he has filed an appeal before the CM. Its a case of miscommunication, as I had vacated the bungalow before the deadline of three months that ended on September 19, and also have a copy of the letter that was sent to GAD informing the same. Why should I pay when I havent stayed there? My appeal is pending before the CM, Khadse told HT. He further said that he has paid rent for overstaying for first three months at Ramtek. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The leopard that killed seven people in and around Chalisgaon taluka in Junnar district, was shot dead on Saturday night, said forest officers. Experts, however, are skeptical if the animal that was shot was the leopard they were looking for. The state forest department on December 2 issued a shoot-and-kill order for the animal. Private hunters, too, were called in to track the leopard in a 5-km radius around the Chalisgaon range. Forest officials said the animal was killed by shooter Nawab Shafath Ali Khan, secretary of the Wildlife Tranquil Force, Hyderabad, at Varkhede village in Chailsgaon around 10pm on Saturday. We can confirm that this was the problem animal as its movement was observed maximum in this village, said AK Misra, principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) (wildlife), state forest department. There has been one attack in this village, and considering the animals behaviour, the chances of another attack were likely on Saturday itself. Before that could happen, the animal was shot dead. Experts, however, were sceptical about the claims. The forest department itself had said the leopard began moving towards Nashik. It is not clear whether this is the animal. In such situations, another leopard has often been found in the area, said Vidya Athreya, wildlife biologist. This is the problem when private marksmen are hired, as they will kill some animal or the other, and claim that it was the animal responsible for the deaths. Khan said he had been in Chalisgaon since December 5 and spotted a leopard thrice, but did not attack as they needed confirmation whether the animal was the killer leopard. On Saturday night, we spotted the leopard moving carefully along one end of the road as people were walking by on the other. The leopard hid in a nearby field. As soon as it rushed towards a group of people, I shot him dead, he said. The attacks began from July and the leopard killed its seventh victim last Wednesday, a seven-year-old boy near Sakur village, adjoining Chalisgaon, where most of the attacks have taken place. The forest department had set up several camera traps, 10 watchtowers and had 120 forest staff monitoring the leopard, but failed to find him. Soon after the leopard was killed, images of local BJP MLA Unmesh Patil and local leaders standing with the leopards carcass went viral on social media portals. The leopards carcass was shoved at the backseat of a vehicle. Killing a leopard is being boasted like a trophy, said a local activist from Jalgaon, on the condition of anonymity. We are lucky to have had Khan and officers from the forest department to tackle this problem. It had gone out of hand and become an emergency situation. We hope the problem animal has been killed, Patil told HT. Meanwhile, other wildlife experts said the forest department needed to equip themselves to handle such situations scientifically. Right from the first attack, if the local forest department would have carefully tracked the animals movement using camera traps, the attacks would not have lasted for so long, said Anish Andheria, president, Wildlife Conservation Trust. The inefficiency only leads to calling in blood thirsty sport hunters to eliminate carnivores. There is nothing illegal about calling in a private hunter, said Misra. When shoot-and-kill orders are issued, the local police and forest department are present at the location. However, since these sharp shooters are better trained and can ensure no harm can come to the local population, they are deployed to carry out this activity. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON After raising their voice over the agrarian crisis and loan waiver over the past few months, the Opposition is all set to corner the government over these issues in the winter session of the state Assembly starting in Nagpur from Monday. The Opposition is also likely to raise corruption charges against ministers, rise in crime rate and voice of dissent of elected representatives of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to corner the government. The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders have been vocal about the distress among farmers. The NCP started Halla Bol march covering 160km in Vidarbha to draw attention to farmers crisis 10 days ago. They have touched upon delay in disbursement of loan waiver, dozens of deaths of farmers and farm labourers due to inhalation of poisonous insecticides, loss of cotton crop due to a pest attack, among others. The march will culminate in a massive rally in Nagpur on Tuesday. NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Congress leader Gulab Nabi Azad will participate in the rally, which coincides with the 77the birthday of Pawar. The Opposition will also bring up allegations of corruption against BJP ministers Prakash Mehta and Subhash Desai (against whom the Opposition had compelled the government to initiate action in the monsoon session held in August) and may insist on resignation of the two ministers. Mehta is accused of granting additional floor space index (FSI) to a private developer by violating rules, which is believed to have cost the exchequer Rs500 crore. Desai was accused of flouting norms while allegedly denotifying around 12,000 hectares of MIDC Nashik land to favour private builders. Moreover, the exit of senior BJP leader Nana Patole and his resignation from Lok Sabha may buoy the Oppositions efforts to nail the Devendra Fadnavis government. Partys Nagpur MLA Ashish Deshmukhs letter to the chief minister raising question over its policies, too, may act as ammunition. Although Fadnavis announced a loan waiver of Rs34,022 crore to be benefit 89 lakh farmers, the actual amount and number of beneficiaries are low. There is no coordination among BJP ministers over such an important scheme. This has distressed farmers further, said Dhananjay Munde, leader of Opposition in the legislative council. They are also insisting on compensation to farmers affected by pink bollworm attack on their cotton crop and the farmers and farm labourers who died because of pesticide poisoning in Vidarbha region. As witnessed in the earlier sessions, BJPs ruling partner Shiv Sena, too, is expected to join the Opposition over farmers issues. To counter the attack from the Opposition, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Sunday that his government will expose the Opposition by unveiling the scams and misappropriation by Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) regime until 2014. Fadnavis said the government will also reveal the detailed information about the irrigation scam very soon. The Opposition parties have announced Halla Bol rally at Vidhan Bhavan on Tuesday to highlight the issues of the farmers in distress and held government policies responsible for it. The Opposition parties, while boycotting the customary tea party on the eve of the winter session beginning on Monday, announced to expose the government on various issues in both the houses. Replying to it, CM said that the government was ready to face the challenge and the comparative figures of the performance of the government will be given in the house. My government is all set to produce figures comparing the performance of our regime of three years against their rule of 15 years. The Opposition is not able to digest the transparent governance we have introduced as they have been firm believer in the scams and misappropriations in administration. They have no right to blame us for the pathetic condition of the farmers, as their three term rule is responsible for it, he said. The CM said the Rs5,000-crore scam in the scholarship during the Congress-NCP rule was an example of their corrupt rule. When asked why the government was sitting on the inquiry related to the irrigation scam, the CM said that he will soon share detailed information about the investigation. He said that four first information reports have been filed and few more will soon be filed in the irregularities. The charge sheet in one of the cases has been submitted. We have been avoiding speaking about it, but now the time has come to speak up. I will soon share detailed information about the investigation, he said. Leader of Opposition in the state council Dhananjay Munde had also alleged on Sunday that noted criminal from Nagpur Munna Yadav was close to the CM and this can be proved if the mobile phone records are examined. Munde also had alleged a scam in the online disbursement of the loan waiver and scholarship to the students from scholarships to the scheduled caste students. The CM dared Munde and said he was ready to hand over his phone to prove any such conversation. It may be recalled that the government has warned the opposition with initiating old scams whenever the opposition tried to expose the government. CM Fadnavis had in the past said that he has many cases of scams by the earlier government and its ministers. Fadnavis said that the government has brought transparency in the entire loan waiver disbursement system. 41 lakh farmers will get the benefits of the waiver credited in their accounts within next two weeks, he said. Actor Anil Kapoor has received a Rs4,500 notice from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in charges for demolishing illegal portions of his 2,500-square-foot office used by his production firm in Santacruz (West). The firm, Anil Kapoor Films, in situated on the fifth floor of the six-storey commercial building on Dattatray Road in Hasmukh Nagar. The notice was issued by the H-West ward office. Sharad Ughade, assistant commissioner of the H-West ward, said, We have sent a notice to Anil Kapoor to pay up the charges. Hindustan Times tried contacting Kapoor, but he remained unavailable for a comment. He will have to pay up wages of BMC workers employed to demolish the portion of the building. He is also being charged for the cost of equipment and government machinery. Ughade said, Every individual booked under the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act of is charged for the cost incurred by the civic body to carry out the action. Earlier in November, the BMC demolished unauthorised wooden partitions, which were used for internal cabinets, in Kapoors office. The addition was in contravention to the approved plan of the six-storey commercial building. After a month of under-cover operation, the anti-narcotics cell (ANC) of the Mumbai crime branch,on Saturday, arrested a 45-year-old man with a commercial quantity of LSD and cocaine worth Rs12.48 lakh, that was being supplied to struggling models and actors staying in the western suburbs. The accused has been identified as Bakul Chanderia, who runs a big video library at Pali Hill in Bandra. He was running the drug racket under the guise of running his library. We have seized 106 gram of cocaine worth Rs8.48 lakh and LSD dots worth Rs4 lakh. The total seizure is worth Rs14.56 lakh, including cash found from the accuseds residence, Shivdeep Lande, deputy commissioner of police, ANC, told HT. The ANCs Azad Maidan unit had kept an eye on Chanderias activities. Acting on a tip off that Chanderia had kept drugs at his home, a team led by unit head inspector Santosh Bhalekar, and comprising of assistant inspector Pramod Kumbhar and constables Arun Kedar and Nilesh Nimbalkar, raided his flat in Khar (west) when his wife and children were not there. Two cell phones belonging to Chanderia have also been seized. He was produced before a magistrate court and remanded to police custody till December 16. Incidentally, he has a criminal record where the Khar police, in 2012, had arrested him for possessing 4 grams of cocaine at a terrace party where celebrities and IPL players were caught consuming drugs. About 100 persons were detained and their samples seized. About 86 of them, including two IPL players and an actor couple had tested positive for drugs. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A private bus fell into a 60-70 feet deep creek at Ambadi road, towards Vajreshwari in Bhiwandi, on Sunday evening after the driver lost control over the vehicle while crossing the Shaitani bridge. Thirty-two people were injured, but no casualties were reported. A police officer at the Ganeshpuri Bhiwandi rural police station said, the passengers in the bus included the groom and his relatives, who are residents of Chittod village in Dhule. They were on their way to the wedding location in Vasai, where the brides family resides. According to the passengers statements to the police, some of them had warned the driver to drive slowly. While the bus had 55 passenger seats, 65 people were found to be travelling in the vehicle. The injured passengers were immediately rushed to the hospital and a case has been registered against the bus driver. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Maldives, an island paradise for tourists, is ruled by a geopolitical serpent. The Maldivian president, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, has been using Chinese money and Saudi Arabia-backed Islamicism to throttle his countrys democratic polity. The direction he is taking the strategically important Indian Ocean archipelagic state is raising eyebrows in New Delhi. Yameen just completed a four-day state visit to Beijing where he signed free trade and maritime agreements with China. In of themselves, these are innocuous. Placed in the ways and means of Yameens past four years of rule, his actions are less benign. We are weighing our options, said a senior Indian official when asked about developments in the Maldives. Yameen defeated the liberal candidate, Mohamed Nasheed, in elections in 2013. Since then, however, he has used his hold of the police and judiciary to persecute his political opponents. With presidential elections due next year, Yameens tastes for foreign funding and repressions have increased. The political winds dont favour him. In local council elections in May, Nasheeds Maldivian Democratic Party and its allies won 319 seats against the ruling partys 191. The Maldivian president has been throwing around China cards since he came to power. Xi Jinping became the first Chinese leader to visit the country in 2014. China was then granted large scale infrastructure contracts, including a bridge connecting the main Maldivian islands, port facilities and an airport. The IMF has projected the Maldives external debt, presently 34.7%, will reach 51% of GDP by 2021. Two thirds of this debt is Chinese held. By Indian assessments these projects carry price tags two to three times higher than normal. The assumption is Yameen and his cronies have been lining their pockets. The piper has already begun calling the tune. Three Chinese naval ships docked in Male in August and the Maldives has endorsed the Belt Road Initiative. India has seen this script before: It is a rerun of Mahinda Rajapaksa governments attempt to leverage Beijing and distance himself from New Delhi. India is also watching Yameens other international link: Saudi Arabia. The Maldivian president has used local gangs with Islamicist links to muscle his domestic opponents. A number of liberal bloggers and journalists have since been killed or disappeared. At Riyadhs behest, Yameen has broken relations with Iran and Qatar. More dangerously, about 100 to 200 Maldivians have joined the ranks of Islamic State. However, Yameens relations were with Saudi Arabian factions who were recently purged by the present crown prince. New Delhi is already in communication with Riyadh. New Delhi has shown its displeasure indirectly. The Maldives is the only South Asian neighbour that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not visited. It is likely India will wait to see what happens in the elections next year. The ballot box helped remove Rajapaksa from office. The danger is that Yameen seems to be trying to ensure the elections will not matter. At that point, Indias options may narrow dramatically. pchaudhuri@hindustantimes.com So, the Sri Lankans have handed over Hambantota port, to the Chinese for 99 years, since they were in Chinese debt. Sri Lanka is one of the 34 biodiversity hot-spots of the world, with several endemic species-species found nowhere else in the world. Tourists love to visit for its natural beauty. A few years ago, I drove from Colombo via Hambantota (already by then being developed) to Yala National Park. With me was a superbly informed Sri Lankan naturalist-turned-guide, Mevan Piyasena. Hed point out the extraordinarily fragile eco-system, untouched and flourishing during the years of the war. We stopped at a turtle breeding project, and several ocean-life rich spots. It was truly enchanting. Hed mentioned Hambantota, and the fear of its ruining the seas. Ports dont safeguard the waters. Theres enormous pollution from the fuel used contaminating the air, the noise from the ships and actual dumping in the waters from waste, which also implies sedimentation. Some of this is toxic too, and greasy. All these activities also change the temperature of the waters in the port, drastically impacting which creatures survive and which ones dont. Several international agencies concur. Now that the Chinese have this asset, it is their responsibility to safeguard Sri Lankan biodiversity from negative port impacts. China must show the world what the greenest port on the planet looks like, on a fragile island, in the era of climate change. I am not anti-Chinese, its just that I care for the planet more. For me-and for us all-nothing less will do. (The writer is the founder and director of the Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In 1963, Ram Manohar Lohia wrote a pamphlet highlighting the Rs 25,000 per day spent on Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehrus security, which was in stark contrast to the daily life of Indias poor, who had to survive on 3 annas a day. Nehru debated the figure in Parliament, citing Planning Commission statistics to state that the daily income was 15 annas a day. Lohia and Nehru had a round of great debates on issues concerning economic inequality, with member after member of Parliament giving up their allotted speaking time to have these two oratory giants debate an issue to its end. And yet, that debate was civil, marked by only the towering tones of soaring rhetoric and grim statistics, with not a disruption or bout of aggression shown. Our political debates have seemingly coarsened ever since. Consider the great debate over the Hindu Code Bill. The bill, as drafted by a select committee under BR Ambedkar in 1948, was highly controversial, as it sought to codify and replace a variety of personal and local civil laws with a codified law that did away with the legal importance of caste, made divorce feasible and opened up property rights further to widows and women. The motion to begin the discussion on the Hindu Code Bill was debated for over 50 hours. In Parliament, the bill was compared with the Rowlett Act and highlighted as discriminatory by luminaries like Rajendra Prasad, with some members commenting that the Hindu religion was in danger. Others like Ambedkar stated that Hindu society had to evolve with the times. Furthermore, consider other great speeches that have been the hallmark of our Parliament. Ambedkars speech in November 1949 on the Grammar of Anarchy highlighted the importance of holding fast to constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives and abandoning the method of civil disobedience, non-cooperation and satyagraha. Piloo Mody grilled Indira Gandhi on the launch of Indias first satellite, by stating Madam Prime Minister, we know our scientists have taken great strides in technology, I would be obliged if you could enlighten us as to why our telephones dont work. Despite significant political differences in the early days of our Parliament, there was a feeling of camaraderie, with a shared project of nation-building. And this wasnt just elitism run amok our Parliamentarians from the 1st Lok Sabha represented a cornucopia of regions and ethnicities; the hinterland was represented. India was perhaps lucky post Independence, luminaries like Nehru, Patel and Lohia sought to encourage democratic temper, passionately discussing varying topics without giving into rank populism and invective. As Nehru once stated, parliamentary democracy then demanded many virtues a certain devotion to work and a large measure of cooperation, self-discipline and restraint. Prime Minister AB Vajpayee built on this narrative, initiating coalition dharma, crossing political lines and seeking genuine legislative achievement instead of credit. Parliament was supposed to be union of soaring rhetoric, albeit with a grassroots touch. Parliamentary debates once focused on national and international issues of critical issues we once even had a session devoted just to the Korean War in August 1950. One would inherently expect politicians in Parliament, at the opportune moment, to give grandiloquent speeches that sway opinion and unlock legislative logjam and yet such oratory is missing. Speeches have been denigrated into indistinguishable sound bites and borrowed words a race to aggression has been launched. One thirsts for the historical moments witnessed in Parliament once while rejecting an amendment moved by Rajaji, Nehru said: You see Rajaji, the majority is with me. Rajaji retorted: Yes, Jawaharlal, the majority is with you but the logic is with me. This poor standard of debate reflects the state of our national discourse. Our debates have become a jousting sport, made perhaps more for the 8pm TV news. The rise of populism has infantilised speeches, encrusting them with cheap rhetorical styles the brief introduction to a distressing or uplifting personal story, followed by single-issue solutions that solve nothing. Once the great debate of the time was about launching rockets; now its about presenting ones version of ancient history. Political rhetoric was once considered a respected skill. This shaping of democracies has been guided, supported and hastened by public speakers of great persuasive ability, whether a Nehru, Burke or Churchill. The public forum, as Parliament truly is, offers the modern MP a chance to critique, challenge, encourage and advocate real change through a conversation, infused with rhetoric. This idea of a constructive Parliament, one where legislation is vigorously debated, has been embedded in our national fabric for decades. But to carry this forward, we need to clean the Augean stables. Varun Gandhi is BJP national general secretary and a Lok Sabha MP The views expressed are personal Bihar police arrested contract killer Avinash Kumar Srivastva, son of a slain RJD leader, along with his mother and an accomplice in Vaishali on Saturday for murdering a retired teacher in Bidupur last week. Avinash (36), alias Amit, was an IT professional working with Infosys before his father, Lallan Srivastava was killed by Pappu Khan in 2003, which he avenged by pumping 32 bullets into Khans body. He claims to have turned a contract killer after that. Inspired by the Hindi film Gangs of Wasseypur 2, he terms himself a psycho killer and told police that details about him can be found on Google. Vaishali SP Rakesh Kumar said Avinash was arrested on July 26 last year along with accomplices for attempting to rob a bank in Mahua. A month back, he was bailed out, and shot dead a retired teacher at Bidupur a week back, Kumar said. On Saturday, police arrested Avinash with an accomplice Satish Paswan, who drove his bike while committing the crime, and his mother on charges of tampering with evidence and sheltering him after the crimes. Another accomplice, Dharmendra Kumar is absconding. Kumar said that Avinash had taken Rs 80,000 for killing the retired teacher. Quoting Avinashs confession, the officer said he had written a book on Jehanabad jail break and introduces himself as a Google-figuring psycho-killer. He also confessed to his involvement in 18 cases of murders since 2003. The police seized pistols, cartridges, two bikes and three cell phones from the Avinashs hideouts. Speaking to HT outside the SPs office, Avinash said, I can be free of crime only at my death. He also told some media persons in English that details of his crimes were available on Google. Just type Avinash psychopathic killer and get details of my crimes. Avinash admitted that his life as an IT professional was going well until his father was gunned down in Patna. Two contract employees with a hotel at Dugri Road were killed after inhaling poisonous fumes inside a manhole on Saturday afternoon. Three other employees, also on contract, are critical and are admitted at the Deep Hospital in Model Town. Those dead are Deepak, 36, the hotel guard, and Kohinoor alias Armaan. Those critical and admitted at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are electrician Sonu, Krish and Sameer. Family members of the victims allege that the management of the hotel, Grand Marian, asked the staff to enter the sewer line, even though none of them had any experience of the job. No safety equipment was provided, they also claim. Former president of the District Bar Association, Vijay B Verma owns the hotel. His son, Chetan Varma, is now the general secretary of the association. Ludhiana DCP Dhruman Nimble said an FIR had been lodged against the hotel owners under Section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code Sources said Deepak had gone to clean the manhole located at the basement of the hotel. However, he inhaled the poisonous fumes and lost consciousness. When he failed to respond to calls, other hotel employees raised an alarm and the four also entered the manhole. They lost consiouness as well. Later, all five were rushed to hospital where Deepak and Kohinoor were declared brought dead. The family members of the victims protested outside the hotel on Saturday, accusing the management of negligence and forcing the men to clean the sewer. My cousin Deepak, a guard, was asked to clean the sewer line. Why did the hotel do this? The contractor who got him this job and the hotel owner should be punished. Deepak leaves behind a five-year-old son. Who will bear the responsibility?, said Vikas, a cousin of Deepak. Hotel owner Verma said, I am out of station. My employees have informed me of the tragedy. I will comment after I reach the city. Congress leader in-charge of Halqa Atam Nagar Kamaljit Singh Karwal visited the hospital. I will bear the expenses of the treatment as the families of the men are poor, he said. Sources said one of the dead, Kohinoor, was a minor. This could mean that the hotel violated labour laws, though police have said no one involved in the incident is a minor. Kohinoors family was yet to arrive at the hotel. I have no clue about his age, his uncle Sidharth said. With input from PTI A bag containing three grenades and nine magazines of AK-47 rifles was found near the Border Security Forces 14 Battalion headquarters in Khemkaran on Saturday night. Battalion commandant Varun Partap said, The black bag containing the ammunition was found hidden near the boundary wall of the BSF building. He added, The recovery was made during a weed-out operation we are carrying out in the area. He said, All the authorities concerned, including the Khemkaran police, have been informed in this regard. On the complaint of the commandant, the Khemkaran police have booked unidentified persons for allegedly hiding the bag. Station house officer (SHO) Manjinder Singh said, A case under various sections of the Arms Act and the Explosives Act has been registered against some unidentified persons at Khemkaran police station. The bag appears quite old. Further investigations are on, he added. Earlier on Saturday evening, the Gurdaspur district police went into a tizzy after receiving information that an armed man, in army fatigue, was spotted behaving in a suspicious manner near Alia Chak village under Dinanagar police station. They had launched a combing operation, but failed to nab the suspect. A day after a high drama in Kishangarh, a local court on Saturday sent two brothers both officials of an IT Park-based firm to 14-day judicial custody in two cases. Sahil, 26, and Saumil, 22, both residents of Sector 42, were presented before duty magistrate Gaurav Datta in the afternoon. While both have been booked for kidnapping and assaulting cops, Sahil has also been booked for outraging modesty of a Patiala woman, with whom he was to get married. They were arrested the previous evening at the Shastrinagar light point, where they had entered into a scuffle with two policemen. The two cops head constables Shub Karan and Manoj Kumar of the IT Park police station had reportedly gone to their firms office to probe the sexual harassment complaint made by the Patiala woman. When they asked Sahil to accompany them to the police station, the two brothers took the cops in their BMW car, but allegedly took a detour. When the car stopped, both sides exchanged blows. The drama continued for half an hour till a police team reached there. The brothers were arrested while the two cops were suspended for professional misconduct. Accused recorded video However, the defence on Saturday added bribery angle to the case. Defence counsel Kamal Grover told the court that the two cops demanded 1 lakh from the brothers, and Sahil even had a video recording in his phone. Making a case for booking the cops under the Prevention of Corruption Act and handing over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Grover alleged the cops entered into an argument with the duo and concocted the kidnapping story to cover up the matter. The defence even filed an application to prevent any harm to Sahils mobile phone, which is in police custody, as they needed the alleged bribery video data. The accused have filed a bail application, which will be taken up on Monday along with the defence plea. The defence also said a video footage shows the cops in civil dress beating the two youths, who then retaliated. It was further alleged the cops failed to follow the rules as they simply went to the accuseds office instead of summoning them to the police station. Meanwhile, deputy superintendent of police (DSP, east) Satish Kumar, said: Let the accused produce the bribery video in court. We will initiate appropriate action. Was to get married with complainant In the sexual harassment case against Sahil, the Patiala woman, who worked at the same IT firm, recorded her statement before the duty magistrate under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The woman reportedly said Sahil was to marry her and she had even met his family, but later he refused. Things turned ugly after he allegedly used abusive language with her and even tried to pull her clothes near her office in IT Park on November 27. After he misbehaved with her again, she approached the police. However, the defence counsel claimed the couple had been in a relationship for six months, and when Sahil sought some more time for marriage, the girl and her family beaome anxious. Sources said due to astrological incompatibility between the two, Sahils parents were concerned about the relationship. A few mails exchanged between the couple, wherein the woman allegedly got abusive, were also presented in court during the arguments. The brothers have been booked under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) was added against Sahil in a separate FIR on the womans complaint to the senior superintendent of police. Accused is PEC graduate, entrepreneur Sahil Kohli, 26, the main accused in the molestation case, holds a Punjab Engineering College degree. He is a startup entrepreneur and co-founder of a mobile application development company in IT Park. His brother Saumil Kohli, 22, is a Bitcoin investor and launched a platform to trade cryptocurrencies. Accused Sahil, Saumil sent to judicial custody, file regular bail plea; Counter-allegations emerge after victim records statement in court in sexual harassment case A student of Khalsa High School, he could read and write Punjabi very well. He had great reverence for the mool mantra, a seminal Sikh hymn describing God, and had it framed in the lobby of his official residence when he became the chief of the Pakistan army. Former Pakistan president Gen Ayub Khan sprang to life in the very first session on 'Indo-Pak War 1965' as Punjab finance minister Manpreet Badal painted a vivid picture of a Hazara, who rose to become the first martial ruler of Pakistan. Ayub, recounted Badal, was a Hazara from Haripur district named after legendary General Hari Singh Nalwa. Studying at a school in Rihana village, Ayub, a naughty brat, often got a hiding from the strict headmaster, Jodh Singh. "One day, he ran away from school. He was wandering in the streets of the village when he met this elder Sikh, who asked him why he wasn't in the school. He said, Master bahut marda hai (The master beats too much)." The Sikh taught him the mool mantra, saying it would ensure he never got a beating again. Badal claims Khan continued to do this all his life. The 6'4" tall would-be chief of the Pakistani army, who trained at the Sandhurst academy, also almost got court-martialed when he was suspended for visible cowardice during the Burma campaign while commanding 1 Assam. He was a very strong friend and an equally strong enemy," said Brig Sukhjit Singh (retd), recounting how the late-riser, who was often disturbed by the aazaan, once took his AK 47 and blasted the loudspeakers of a mosque. Badal said Ayub's son, Aurangzeb Gul, an alumnus of Doon School, had a soft spot for Indians and enjoyed visiting the Indian embassy to meet the high commissioner. Once the ISI agents hauled him out of his car when he was coming out of the embassy, and asked him "Kya karne gaye the?" The redoubtable Gul quipped, "Pakistan ko bechne gaya tha. Hindu ne kharida nahin, daam bahut kam de raha tha." In 1965, when the US envoy told Ayub that Indians had him by the throat, he famously shot back, "Any hand on Pakistani throat will be cut off. " And then he gave his famous speech in Urdu that galvanised his soldiers. Badal said even today, the Noorjehan song "Ae puttar hathan de na vikde" has tears rolling down the eyes of Pakistanis. For the third year in a row, Haryana has recorded the highest rate of gangrape per one lakh population in country, as per the recent report of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) of 2016. The gang-rape rate of Haryana in 2016 was 1.5 per one lakh female population of the state. The state recorded as many as 191 cases of gangrapes in 2016, which, though less than last years 204, was still the highest in India. As per the data, Rajasthan and Delhi are the distant second and third with gang-rape rates of 1 and 0.9, respectively. According to NCRB, the crime rate, defined as the number of crimes reported per lakh population, is universally taken as a realistic indicator since it balances the effect of growth in population and size of the state. Haryana had earned this dubious distinction in 2014 and 2015 as well, with gangrape rates of 1.9 and 1.6, respectively. The data before 2014 is not available. Despite several steps taken by the state government, heinous crimes against women are on a rise in the state. The state recorded a total of 1,187 incidents of rape in 2016, which was 11% more than previous years 1,070. Overall crime against women in Haryana also rose to 9,839 in 2016 from 9,511 in 2015. This includes a 7% rise in incidents of dowry deaths and 15% rise in cases of kidnapping. A Pakistani court here has acquitted a man allegedly involved in the kidnap-cum-murder of an Indian-Canadian businesswoman. Additional district and sessions Lahore judge Irfan Basra on Saturday acquitted Hafiz Shahzad in the murder of Rajvindar Kaur Gill after the prosecution failed to establish the charges against him. The court gave the suspect benefit of the doubt. Kaur, a distant relative of former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, had disappeared shortly after she arrived in Lahore in August, 2012 to attend a conference. Lahore police had registered a murder case against Hafiz Shahzad, Shahid Ghazanfar alias Karishna Roy and some unidentified accused on the complaint of the woman victims father. According to the FIR, Kaur reached Lahore from Canada on August 25, 2012 and also confirmed her arrival to the family over telephone. When she reached Lahore she had Canadian passport, cash, a laptop, gold ornaments and other valuables. The complainant said Kaur was in regular contact with Shahid Ghazanfar alias Karishna Roy, Hafiz Shahzad and others. Ghazanfar in connivance with Shahzad and other accomplices kidnapped her to rob her of money and later killed her, the complainant said. Sikandar Singh Gills counsel Aftab Ahmad Bajwa said the accused had made a confession before the magistrate that he and other accomplices had killed Kaur over monetary matter and thrown her body into Khanpur canal on Sheikhupura Road (some 50-km from Lahore) the day she reached Lahore. We will challenge the acquittal in the Lahore high court as police have enough evidence against the accused, advocate Bajwa said. Ghazanfar who managed to leave Pakistan after allegedly committing the crime is reportedly facing trial in Canada. My daughter had fallen in love with a man who introduced him to her as Krishna based in Lahore on Facebook. Primarily, she went to Lahore to meet Krishna, said her father Sikandar Singh Gill. Her case was taken up by Sukhbir Badal with chief minister of Pakistans Punjab Shahbaz Sharif , after Singh sought his intervention. In a letter to Badal, which he handed over to Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif on his Lahore visit the same year, Singh had stated: I served the Indian Air Force before I moved to Canada 13 years ago. My other family members including Ravindar Kaur who is in her 30s also joined me in 2007. My daughter then moved to Switzerland after she got a job in a bank in Zurich. She went to Lahore to attend a conference in August 2012 and remained in touch with me for few days. She also went to Gurdawar Janamasthan, Nankana Sahib. She told me that she was going to meet a journalist Iqbal Hussain of News One, before we lost contact with her. Dear Brother! Since I know you have strong relations with the Pakistan Punjab chief minister and we are optimistic that she will be brought to home safely. After learning this Sharif got into action and ordered the authorities concerned to arrest the culprits. A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped by an unidentified man when she stepped out of her house in Jamshedpurs Chhota Govindpur locality to answer a call of nature on Sunday morning. The girl was rushed to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College Hospital by family members after she complained of pain in her lower abdomen and private parts. Sources said a toilet was under construction in the victims house. Rajiv Ranjan, the officer-in-charge of the Govindpur police station, said police were to receive reports of the medical tests conducted on the girl. Nevertheless, a first information report has been lodged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act. The culprit is yet to be identified. We have lodged an FIR and initiated our investigation, the officer said. Doctors stated that the girl sustained injuries, but is out of danger. The girls relatives blamed the delay in constructing the indoor toilet for the incident. Our daughter would have been safe today if the district administration had only completed the work on time, the minors mother said. Jamshedpur block development officer (BDO) Parul Singh said around 40 toilets were yet to be constructed in the Chhota Govindpur area. The process had to be halted after the forest department raised objections, she added. According to sources, many houses in the area have been constructed on encroached forest land. Fatah called on Palestinians to keep up their demonstrations over Washingtons policy shift on Jerusalem as the movement confirmed its leader will refuse to meet with US Vice President later this month in protest at the controversial decision. After protests gripped the West Bank and Gaza for a third straight day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due in Paris on Sunday where demonstrators had rallied on the eve of his arrival. Arab League ministers, meeting in an emergency meeting in Cairo late Saturday, meanwhile urged Washington to rescind its Jerusalem decision. President Donald Trumps decision on Wednesday to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital upended decades of American diplomacy, causing an overwhelming global diplomatic backlash. Four Palestinians have now been killed and dozens wounded since Trump announced the new policy, which drew criticism from every other UN Security Council member at an emergency meeting on Friday. In a statement Fatah urged Palestinians to keep up confrontation and broaden it to all points where the Israeli army is present in the West Bank. Its leader -- Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas -- also became the latest influential Arab figure to pull out of talks with Pence who will travel to the region later this month. 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. Egypts Coptic Pope Tawadros II also cancelled a meeting with Pence, saying Trumps announcement had failed to take into account the feelings of millions of Arabs. Ahmed al-Tayeb who heads Al-Azhar, Egypts top Sunni Muslim institution, has also pulled out of a planned meet. - New clashes - There were fresh clashes Saturday as Palestinian protesters in the occupied West Bank hurled stones at Israeli troops who responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds. Retaliatory Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip killed two Hamas militants on Saturday while two others died near the border fence the day before. Mourners vented their anger at the funerals of those killed while a bus was also stoned near Arab towns in Israels northern Wadi Ara district, injuring the driver. An Israeli army statement said violent riots have erupted at approximately 20 locations in the West Bank and Gaza with soldiers using riot dispersal means that lightly injured three Palestinians. The Palestinian Red Crescent gave a higher toll of 171 hurt in the West Bank and 60 in Gaza, with injuries ranging from gunshot wounds to tear gas inhalation and beating by security forces. In Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, police fired stun grenades to disperse Palestinian demonstrators on the main Salahedin Street, an AFP cameraman said. An Israeli police statement said four policemen were slightly injured and 13 protesters arrested. - US isolated - 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 militant group both renewed that call on Saturday. Tens of thousands have 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. It said aircraft targeted four facilities belonging to the Hamas terror organisation a day after three rocket attacks from the Palestinian enclave into southern Israel. One rocket hit the southern Israeli town of Sderot but did not cause any casualties. Israel had already responded on Friday to rocket fire with air strikes which the Gaza health ministry said wounded 14 people, including women and children. The Hamas health ministry in Gaza said the two men killed on Saturday were in the movements armed wing, which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008. - US isolated - 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 Washington has found itself increasingly isolated on the global stage. Five European countries on the Security Council insisted the new US policy was inconsistent with past resolutions, including one declaring east Jerusalem to be Israeli-occupied. The UN meeting was largely symbolic as no vote on a resolution was planned because the US wields veto power. After an emergency meeting on Saturday, Arab League foreign ministers released a resolution calling on Washington to reverse its Jerusalem policy. The decision is likely to impact domestic Palestinian politics, particularly between Abbass Fatah and the Islamist Hamas, now at a key stage in a fragile reconciliation process after a decade of bitter enmity. Hamas, which violently seized Gaza from Fatah in 2017, is due to formally hand back power on Sunday. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said Saturday the group reiterated its commitment to all that has been signed and agreed upon and the completion of the handover. burs/scw/srm/jta/fa Facebook US police detectives are investigating the shooting of a 30-year-old Indian man of Muslim descent as he walked to his car in the Albany Park neighbourhood in Chicago last Wednesday. But it was not being treated as a hate crime, the police said. The assailant had walked up to the man and opened fire, the police had told reporters then. The victim was shot in the cheek and taken in serious condition to Illinois Masonic Medical Center. The police have not identified the victim and told Hindustan Times they could only say he is of Muslim descent. But media reports in India named the victim as Mohammed Akbar, a university student from Hyderabad. His family has said Akbar was shot at around 8:45 am on Wednesday, and has sought the governments help to reach the US to be with him, according to the reports. The family has approached both the Telangana government and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, the reports said. The case is classified as aggravated battery with handgun, Chicago police said in a statement. Area North Detectives are still investigating. Listed under report # JA538605. No further details. Nobody has been arrested yet. The police said the case was not listed as hate crime, which was a concern as there have been increasing number of attacks on Indians and Indian-descent Americans in recent months, sometimes mistaken for West Asians. Srinivas Kuchibhotla, a software engineer from India, was fatally shot in Olathe, Kansas, in February by a US navy veteran who had told him and his friend at a bar to go back to their country. Weeks later, a Sikh man was shot in his arm in his driveway in Kent, Washington state, by a masked man who had told him go back to his own country. In 2016, there were 307 incidents of hate crimes against Muslims, a group targeted by Donald Trump both as candidate and president in his rhetoric and policies such as the travel ban. The number is up from 257 in 2015 and 154 in 2014, according to recent reports from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. There were 10 incidents of hate crimes against Hindus and seven against Sikhs among more than 6,000 such incidents motivated by biases towards religions, race or ethnicity and sexual orientation in 2016, the year of the rise of Trump as a politician and election as president. An Iraqi military parade celebrating final victory over Islamic State is underway in Baghdads heavily fortified Green Zone, an Iraqi military spokesman told Reuters on Sunday. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared final victory over Islamic State on Saturday after Iraqi forces drove its last remnants from the country, three years after the militant group captured about a third of Iraqs territory. Iraqi forces recaptured the last areas still under Islamic State control along the border with Syria and secured the western desert, Abadi said, thus marking the end of the war against the militants. His announcement comes two days after the Russian military announced the defeat of the militants in neighbouring Syria, where Moscow is backing Syrian government forces. Abadi declared Dec. 10 an annual national holiday. The parade was not being broadcast live and only state media was allowed to attend, but several squadrons of Iraqi helicopters flew over Baghdad on Saturday carrying Iraqi flags in an rehearsal for the victory parade. Fighter jets were seen and heard flying over Baghdads skies on Sunday. Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water cannons on Sunday at demonstrators near the US embassy as they protested Washingtons decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. An AFP correspondent in Awkar outside the capital Beirut said several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators had gathered near the US embassy, located in the area. They were blocked from reaching the complex by a metal gate sealing the road leading to the embassy, and security forces fired tear gas and water cannons to repel demonstrators who tried to open the gate by force. Several people were injured by rocks and tear gas, the correspondent said. There was no immediate comment from security forces. Protestors waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags, and sporting black-and-white checked keffiyeh scarves, chanted slogans against President Donald Trump, who on Wednesday recognised Jerusalem as Israels capital. A group of demonstrators set alight an effigy of the US president, whose decision has upended decades of American diplomacy and an international consensus to leave the status of Jerusalem to be resolved in negotiations. The demonstrators included members of Palestinian parties, as well as Lebanese Islamists and leftists. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon, including those who fled or were expelled from their homes after Israels founding, as well as their descendants. Israel occupied southern Lebanon for 22 years before withdrawing in 2000, but the two countries remain technically at war. In 2006, Israel fought a devastating war against Hezbollah in Lebanon that killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 120 Israelis, most of them soldiers. sah/dv The Malaysian franchise of McDonalds Corp said it was disappointed with calls on social media to boycott the fast food restaurant chain in apparent retaliation to the United States recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Social media users in the Muslim-majority country called on boycotting various U.S. companies following U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to relocate the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a city important to both Israelis and Muslims. One user of Twitter Incs microblogging platform, TheUsopIbrahim, stated without citing sources that U.S.-headquartered McDonalds channelled funds to Israel. The post has been retweeted 320 times and liked 138 times. TheUsopIbrahim did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. McDonalds Malaysia, in a statement on Facebook Incs social media platform on Saturday, said the chain does not support or engage in any political or religious conflicts. The claim that McDonalds channels funds to Israel is a false accusation, a lie, fake and slanderous. The charges made by an irresponsible party in (Facebooks) Whatsapp messages are also unsubstantiated, said Azmir Jaafar, managing director and operating partner of franchisee Gerbang Alaf Restaurants Sdn Bhd, without specifying any social media posts. Azmir also said Gerbangs largest shareholder is Muslim. The Malaysian and Singaporean franchise rights were bought by Saudi Arabias Lionhorn Pte Ltd a year ago, as part the U.S. parents strategy of moving away from direct ownership in Asia. The Malaysian franchise also faced boycott calls in 2014 when social media posts alleged, without citing sources, that the restaurant chain was helping fund Israeli attacks on Gaza. The company denied the allegation. On Friday, Malaysian protesters condemned the U.S. action, burning an effigy of Trump in front of the American embassy. The Left alliance in Nepal has won clear majority in federal parliament elections, winning 83 out of 165 seats, and will form the new government. They will also rule in all seven provinces, a first of its kind in Nepals history. The democratic alliance led by ruling Nepali Congress party managed only 15 seats and two separate Madhes-based factions were struggling below 10 seats as of Sunday evening. The Left alliance is leading in several constituencies while Nepali Congress is struggling to make it beyond 15 seats. Former prime minister KP Oli looked set for a return to power after winning his seat, and his Communist UML party and Maoist allies on course to win a comfortable majority. Counting is still under way following the elections that finished on Thursday, capping a near-decade long transition to democracy from monarchy and a civil war in which more than 17,000 people died. Oli, 65, had vowed to form a government that lasts its full five-year term, something no prime minister has achieved since parliamentary democracy was established in 1990. His campaign had called for the extension of the Chinese railway network into Nepal and implement of hydroelectric, airport and other infrastructure projects to create jobs. We can expect Oli to lead a stable government with the Maoists as strong allies, said Bipin Adhikari, a constitutional expert. Once there is political stability he can implement a development agenda and attract foreign investment. Instability has spooked investors, curbed growth, spurred corruption and slowed reconstruction after a 2015 earthquake that killed 9,000 people. Nepal is a natural buffer between China and India, with the ruling Nepali Congress party considered pro-India and the left alliance seen closer to China. If Oli leads the new government, he will be forced to be pragmatic in maintaining a geo-political balance with both, said Kunda Dixit, editor of the weekly Nepali Times. Final election results are expected to take about a week, election officials said. Home to Mount Everest, Nepal is one of the worlds poorest countries. Some experts have described Nepal elections as a contest between India and China as many suggest the Left alliance is backed by Beijing. Several NC leaders including its second senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel have lost the elections. Some top Madhes-based leaders have also secured their positions in federal parliament but could not show satisfactory results. The RJP, an alliance of seven Madhes-based parties, has won only three seats so far. (With inputs from agencies) A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli security guard at Jerusalems main bus station on Sunday, police said, and violence flared near the US Embassy in Beirut over US President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. Four days of street protests in the Palestinian territories over Trumps announcement on Wednesday have largely died down, but his overturning of long-standing US policy on Jerusalem -- a city holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians -- drew more Arab warnings of potential damage to prospects for Middle East peace. Our hope is that everything is calming down and that we are returning to a path of normal life without riots and without violence, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Army Radio. But in Jerusalem, a security guard was in critical condition after a 24-year-old Palestinian man from the occupied West Bank stabbed him after approaching a metal detector at an entrance to the citys central bus station, police said. The alleged assailant was taken into custody after a passer-by tackled him. In Beirut, meanwhile, Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water canons at protesters, some of them waving Palestinian flags, near the US Embassy. Demonstrators set fires in the street, torched US and Israeli flags and threw projectiles towards security forces that had barricaded the main road to the complex. In public remarks on Sunday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, a frequent critic of Israel, called it an invader state and a terror state. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory and say the status of the city should be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks. Israel says that all of Jerusalem is its capital, while Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. Arab foreign ministers who met in Cairo on Saturday urged the United States to abandon its decision on Jerusalem and said the move would spur violence throughout the region. Echoing that view, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan, the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates, said the US move could throw a lifebuoy to terrorist and armed groups, which have begun to lose ground in the Middle East. Palestinian protesters run for cover from teargas fired by Israeli troops during clashes on the Israeli border with Gaza, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. (AP) GAZA TUNNEL Along Israels tense frontier with the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military on Sunday destroyed what it described as a significant cross-border attack tunnel dug by the enclaves dominant Islamist group, Hamas. There was no immediate comment from Hamas on the demolition, which came as Palestinian factions tried to meet Sundays deadline for an Egyptian-mediated handover of Gaza by Hamas to Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas after a decades schism. Pre-dawn Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Saturday killed two Palestinian gunmen after militants fired rockets from the area into Israel on Friday. In the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Sunday, thousands protested outside the US embassy, many waving banners saying Palestine is in our hearts. Leaders in Indonesia, home to the worlds largest Muslim population, have joined a global chorus of condemnation of Trumps announcement, including from Western allies. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to critics in a statement before talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Sunday, to be followed by a meeting with European foreign ministers in Brussels. I hear (from Europe) voices of condemnation over President Trumps historic announcement, but I have not heard any condemnation for the rocket firing against Israel that has come (after the announcement) and the awful incitement against us, Netanyahu said. Palestinians burn tires during clashes with Israeli troops following a protest against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the West Bank City of Nablus, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. (AP) The Trump administration has said it is still committed to reviving Palestinian-Israeli talks that collapsed in 2014, and jettisoning old policies is necessary to break the deadlock. It said Israels capital would be in Jerusalem under any serious peace plan, and it has not taken a position with regard to the citys borders. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki has said the Palestinians will be looking for a new peace talks broker instead of the United States and would seek a United Nations Security Council resolution over Trumps decision. Pope Francis on Sunday renewed a call for wisdom and prudence over US President Donald Trumps controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital, which has sparked protests and clashes. The Holy Father renews his appeal for the wisdom and prudence of everyone, and raises fervent prayers so that the leaders of nations, in this time of special gravity, commit themselves to avert a new spiral of violence, a statement from the Vatican said. There were fresh protests in the Middle East and elsewhere Sunday over Trumps declaration, a move that drew global condemnation and sparked days of unrest in the Palestinian territories. Noting that Jerusalem was sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims, the pope reiterated the churchs well-known position concerning the singular character of the Holy City and the essential need for respecting the status quo. At the same time the Holy See reiterates its own conviction that only a negotiated solution between Israelis and Palestinians can bring a stable and lasting peace, and guarantee the peaceful co-existence of two states within internationally recognised borders, the statement added. Calls for nuclear disarmament, climate-change solutions Pope Francis called on world leaders to work in favour of nuclear disarmament to protect human rights, particularly those of weaker and underprivileged people. Addressing the faithful Sunday in St. Peters Square, he stressed what he called the strong link between human rights and nuclear disarmament. Francis said working to protect the dignity of the weakest and most disadvantaged implies also working with determination to build a world without nuclear arms. He urged people to put intelligence and technology at the service of peace and true progress. A strong crusader for the environment, Francis also expressed hope that people will realize the need to adopt truly efficient decisions to fight climate change while also combatting poverty. Francis then cited the suffering from a cyclone in India that has left fishermen missing and from flooding in Albania. One of the most gripping moments in Part 1 of the Chronicle's series examining Houston's epic flooding during Hurricane Harvey comes when Aaron Byrd, a federal research engineer, pulls up Google Earth in the hours after officials began releasing water from the Addicks and Barker reservoirs. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wanted to know which homes would flood so emergency crews could be notified. Byrd looked at the map and felt like falling out of his chair. "It showed row after row of homes in the flood pools, thousands of them," Chronicle investigative reporter Susan Carroll writes. She describes how Byrd looked at the sprawling subdivisions of two-story homes at the bottom of the spillway, and how he turned to a fellow researcher and asked: "How did they get permission to build there?" How, indeed. This is the question we all need to be asking, and keep asking. Yes, we need to ask the elected officials and the decision-makers that the Chronicle is holding accountable in a multipart series that began Saturday called Developing Storm. But we also need to ask ourselves. If we are honest, we know the blame also lies with the folks who call this region home and have come to tolerate and even expect irresponsible sprawl, policies that favor developer profits over public safety, and lack of public investment in critical infrastructure, such as a long-needed third reservoir. Sure, a deep journalistic dive may point us to the exact policy or to the actual bureaucrat who permitted a developer to build family homes in the bottom of a spillway. But the officials who wrote that policy, the bureaucrat who stamped that document - they work for us, the citizens, the voters. Whether due to apathy or resignation or ignorance or even eternal optimism, residents have not demanded responsible governance on flooding mitigation and damage prevention. In our silence, we have given tacit permission for officials to do the bare minimum to protect our lives and property and our economy. Many paid dearly. Hurricane Harvey and associated flooding claimed more than 75 lives. Total estimated losses from the storm approach $200 billion. Dangerous dams Some officials are calling for reforms, but without constant vigilance on the public's part, those calls will amount to little more than a few mild policy tweaks accompanied by photo ops. The only way to prevent the biblical disaster we saw this summer is to understand how it happened in the first place. The Chronicle's series, the product of months of investigative reporting, is essential in that process. It forces us to wrestle with uncomfortable questions, including the simple fact that unmitigated risk has been an essential ingredient in the Houston region's growth formula. As Carroll reports, that attractive mix of abundant, cheap housing and lax regulation "suddenly had a death toll in the dozens and a price tag in the billions." The series explores how the National Flood Insurance Program actually encourages people to build in vulnerable areas. It looks at how Addicks and Barker were never supposed to be enough to keep us safe. Original plans in the 1940s, when Houston was just 385,000 souls, called for a third reservoir that was never built, along with a levee north of the Addicks and a system of discharge canals that also never were built. Instead, as the population of the Houston region ballooned to 6.6 million, officials allowed Addicks and Barker to deteriorate to the point that they made it on the list of the nation's most dangerous dams. And the Corps never got the measly $3 million it requested for years to study the future and safety of the reservoirs. Harvey, of course, did what no study could ever do. It showed us in stark, torrential, deadly, unceasing reality a nightmarish scenario that engineers had only warned about. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett has called this the "wow factor" - the feeling of shock, or paradigm-shifting astonishment - that could help stave off complacency and motivate us to finally take bold action. Limits to development But change has to mean more than policy. It has to mean a change in mindset as well. We have to come to terms with uncomfortable truths, including one borderline blasphemous ideal that might seem downright un-Houstonian: There are limits to the amount of prosperity that our risk-tolerant, wildcatter approach to growth and development can yield. At some point, risk costs more than it provides. Years ago, I remember debating the logic of the Grand Parkway with Emmett. He argued we needed the costly, controversial and environmentally problematic third concentric traffic ring around Houston because people wanted to move out there and they needed a road. I don't remember if Exxon's behemoth campus came up or not, but certainly that was a factor as well. I argued that the parkway didn't just accommodate growth; it created it - all the while gobbling up precious flood-mitigating prairie land. Environmental lawyer Jim Blackburn says the project is about leaders caring more about the folks yet to come than the ones already here. Since Harvey, I've been wanting to ask Emmett about the parkway again. I did last week, and his take hadn't changed much. He pointed out that the parkway he supported decades ago as a lawmaker was never supposed to be the big honking highway it has become as a state project. But he maintained that the Grand Parkway "was a desperately needed facility," and that officials and planners can't ignore suburban growth fueled by families, many simply seeking quality schools for their children. "I've said for years that the Grand Parkway was going to be the last concentric ring around Houston," Emmett said. "It can't keep growing with bigger and bigger rings. Pretty soon, you're around San Antonio." Of course. But it seems we went too far long ago. We allowed this Richard Long would likely agree. For years, Carroll reported, the 61-year-old Corps of Engineers natural resource manager had warned that development upstream of the reservoirs was harmful, that every new inch of concrete worsened flooding into the Addicks and Barker reservoirs. That included the Grand Parkway upstream from Addicks. He wrote internal emails opposing it. It didn't matter. The parkway came. And so did the concrete. And so did the people. And so did Harvey. "The city with no limits" is a fine slogan. It's not good policy. Emmett, to his credit, has embraced new limits in some areas, including recently passed tougher elevation requirements in flood-prone unincorporated Harris County areas. But every official, every citizen concerned about storms and flooding in this region needs to read the Chronicle series with this question in mind: "How did they get permission to build there?" We gave it to them. All of us. And we have the power and, after Harvey, the moral imperative, to take it back. Jurors in Hidalgo County this week returned an extraordinary verdict. A timely one, too, given our ongoing national discussions about abuse of power - although the case at hand is one that has haunted the Rio Grande Valley for more than half a century. On April 16, 1960, Irene Garza, a 25-year-old schoolteacher, drove to the Sacred Heart Church in McAllen. It was the Saturday evening before Easter, and she planned to go to confession. Garza never came home. Several days later, police found her body floating in a canal. An autopsy determined that she had been beaten into a coma, then raped, before her body was discarded. In 2016, a former priest, John Feit, was charged with Garza's murder. And Thursday, after a six-day trial, he was convicted. The news that he had been found guilty would have come as no surprise to Garza's friends or family. Nicolas and Josefina Garza, for example, passed away before Feit was brought to trial, but they suspected he was their daughter's killer from from the outset. In 2005, journalist Pamela Colloff examined the case for Texas Monthly, and her story, "Unholy Act," makes it clear how much evidence pointed in that direction. At the time, Feit declined Colloff's request to be interviewed about the subject. "The speculation intrigues me," he told Colloff, after she knocked on his front door in Arizona. He added, "God bless you, dear," as he shut it. Feit, who was in the Rio Grande Valley for a year of pastoral training, had been at Sacred Heart that evening. He acknowledged being alone with Garza that night, and taking her confession at the rectory. Later, after midnight Mass, several of the people with whom he was drinking coffee noticed that he had scratches on his hands. After investigators found a long black cord at the bottom of the canal where the body had been found, Feit came forward; he was, he volunteered, its original owner. Further, Feit was an obvious person of interest in an attack on another young woman, Maria America Guerra, that had taken place in the Sacred Heart Church in nearby Edinburg several weeks prior to Garza's murder. Guerra, who had fought off her attacker, had picked Feit out of a lineup. So had another eyewitness. In June, while Feit was being questioned as part of the investigation into both of these crimes, he told the polygraph examiner that it was possible he had "said something or acted in some way" to cause Garza's death. But he denied having attacked Guerra, or killed Garza. And there would be no way of convicting him of either crime, he added, without his confession. A confession That prediction proved more than correct. In August 1960, Feit was charged with the assault on Garza; the result was a mistrial, and in 1962, he pleaded no contest to reduced charges. And more than four decades later, he had yet to be charged with anything in relation to Garza's murder. But Feit, as Colloff reported, had already confessed to it. In 2002, a man named Dale Tacheny, who was then living in Oklahoma City, had called the homicide division of the San Antonio police department to tell them an extraordinary story. In 1963, Tacheny explained, he had been living at a Trappist monastery in Missouri, and the abbot asked him to counsel a young priest who was living among the novices. The priest was Feit, and during the course of their sessions he told Tacheny that he had murdered a young woman. The latter had, at the time, felt obligated to keep Feit's secret. But the knowledge gnawed at him until he came forward, years later. Tacheny's account was relayed to the Texas Rangers, who brought it to the attention of the longtime Hidalgo County District Attorney, Rene Guerra, who responded by deciding not to ask a grand jury to consider it. "Why would anyone be haunted by her death?" Guerrera asked rhetorically in 2002, after the Rangers' cold-case unit decided to re-open the investigation. "She died. Her killer got away." In 2014, he was unseated by Ricardo Rodriguez, who had campaigned, in part, on a promise not to be so callously indifferent about the subject. Measure of justice The resulting conviction has been a relief to the Texans who never forgot about this horrible crime and who never gave up hope that Garza's family might someday see a measure of justice. It's a lesson to us all, too. Realistically, the odds of Garza's killer being brought to justice were minimal, after the initial investigation stalled. But the fact that Feit was never charged in the first place was, in itself, a stunning injustice, considering that in addition to the evidence against him, the police had no other suspects. Tacheny, who is also now in his 80s, testified in the recent trial that during their counseling sessions in Missouri, Feit explained that the Catholic Church, along with local law enforcement officials, had helped protect him. Reluctancy Neither of those institutions were actually on trial last week, but it's not hard to believe that they could have helped him. Feit, who had completed his seminary training in San Antonio, was new to the Rio Grande Valley, but he was a stranger in a position of power in the community. "Priests were viewed as literal men of God, absent of moral failings, not the subjects of criminal inquiries," wrote Colloff in 2005, explaining why so many locals were reluctant to broach what were clearly - and not just in retrospect - reasonable suspicions. Some leaders may have been dissuaded, consciously or not, by the fact that the stakes might have seemed unusually high. There was a presidential election that year, and Texas, which was then under Democratic control, was considered crucial to the party's prospects of retaking the White House. At the 1960 Democratic National Convention in July, John F. Kennedy chose Lyndon Johnson as his running mate in part because he thought the latter's presence on the ticket would help shore up support in the state, with its 24 electoral votes. In the end, Kennedy carried the state by just two points. And Kennedy was, of course, the first Catholic to win a major party's presidential nomination. The "so-called religious issue" loomed over his campaign from the outset, as he acknowledged himself. "I do not speak for my church on public matters - and the church does not speak for me," he told the Greater Houston Ministerial Association in September that year, vowing that if elected president, he would make his decisions after consulting his own conscience, and in consideration of the national interest. The fact that Kennedy had to say that is, of course, a measure of religious intolerance that would hardly have been allayed by the news that less than five months earlier a young woman in South Texas had been brutally murdered by a priest, who had sought to use his status as a religious authority to shield him from the consequences of his actions. Garza's family had no such status. But they deserved a measure of justice regardless, and so this week's verdict, so many years later, is a testament to their faith. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate AUSTIN -- It happened at lunch in the eighth grade. Andrew White admits he threw the piece of broccoli and hit the wrong kid, setting off an epic food fight that got him and many of his classmates an in-school suspension for several days. Three decades later, White, now 45 and a successful Houston entrepreneur, is running for governor as a conservative, Democrat, a seeming contradiction in terms that has many of the party's liberal faithful girding for another fight, a political throw down over the future of the Texas Democratic Party -- especially if White should be successful. "It was one of those big food fights you see on shows where food is going everywhere at the same time," he said in recalling his youthful experience at Austin's O. Henry Middle School, while his father was the governor of Texas. "He didn't think it was a great idea, no." With Texas campaign-filing period closing Monday, White's entry into the predictably liberal Texas Democratic Party primary is just one of several surprises to emerge so far that promise to make the 2018 elections perhaps one of the most fractious in years, for both Democrats and Republicans. "(President) Trump has radicalized a lot of Democrats in the mid-term elections and that's why a lot of people are filing," said Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political scientist who has been watching the gubernatorial race grow in recent weeks. "Andrew White is part of the Democrats who think the party has gone too far left, and are out of sync with Texas, but there are a lot of other Democrats who think the party is right where it needs to be. That's where the fight's going to be in this primary." White describes himself as pro business and "personally pro life" but as someone who respects the Roe v Wade decision, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion in the United States, Within hours of White's announcement on Thursday, the fight had begun. White, who also touts himself as a "common-sense Texan" who eschews labels, was under fire from party stalwarts like Ed Espinoza, executive director of Progress Texas, an organization of progressive Democrats in Austin. Espinoza suggested that White's personal stands on abortion and other hot-button issues are not in sync with most Democrats -- and that goes even for his self-professed "conservative" label. Democratic Party strategists and consultants agreed, but suggested that White represents an element of their party that thinks it has gone too far left, and wants to bring it back more to the center. That's where they think it has a better chance of attracting more Texans who are disgusted with how far right the Republican Party has gone. For his part, White thinks his more moderate positions on a number of issues than the other Democratic Party primary candidates for governor will appeal to a broader cross-section of Texans than the party has in recent years, including many that were referred to as "WD40s" (White Democrats over 40) when they fled the party starting 20 years ago to vote Republican. In fact, White said his hope is that he will be able to get the votes of large numbers moderate Republicans who might vote for a Democrat for the first time -- or the first time in many years. "It will be a tough race" White said, "but I think I am the electable candidate against Greg Abbott after the primary. I want to bring the race to Gov. Abbott." At the same time, Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez filed to challenge Abbott as a Democrat, the candidate with likely the best name ID among the eight on the Democrats' primary ticket and the one that party officials see as their front-runner with the best appeal to the party's deep-blue base. She is Hispanic, pro-choice, liberal and, as a lesbian, is pro-LGBT issues. "For far too long hard working Texans have been left behind, left out and quite frankly attacked for who they are, where they come from and who they love," she said. "I'm stepping up for Texas, for everyone's fair shot to get ahead. I'm in." Manny Garcia, deputy executive director for the Texas Democratic Party, said after White's announcement that the Democrats' candidate field should now be complete. He acknowledged the upcoming fight between various factions represented by the Democrats' top two candidates, in a field that is historically large. The party has fielded at least one candidate in all major statewide races. "We look forward to a robust primary to talk about what kind of party we want to be," he said. Others besides White and Valdez who have filed as Democrats to challenge Abbott include Houston electronics businessman Joe Mumbach, Dallas financial analyst Adrian Ocegueda, retired Flint teacher Grady Yarbrough, former Balch Springs Mayor Cedric Davis Sr. and San Antonio businessman Tom Wakely. With that inter-party debate now certain, Democratic Party activists say they look forward to it -- and hope it energizes turnout in the general election. Even so, some doubt that may be the result. "It's a good debate to have, but I don't see a big likelihood that (White) prevails in the primary" against Valdez, who will be supported by the party base, said Harold Cook, a longtime Democratic strategist and consultant. "There are a lot of unknowns: What if she turns out to be a crummy candidate who can't raise money? What if he turns out to be a really dynamic candidate who energizes voters? Or vice versa? "I still think he's dead wrong in thinking he can win over a lot of (Democratic) primary voters." 'Never say never' Abbott campaign officials have declined to react to any of the Democratic Party filings, even though some GOP supporters have privately characterized the opposing field like this: "Santa has come early for us." Republican strategists say this is the reason: To oppose Abbott, a popular governor in a GOP donated state, Democrats have fielded Valdez, a lesbian; Jeffrey Payne, a gay Dallas businessman, and White, a political novice whose father was voted out after one term because he raised taxes. None have any significant statewide name ID, a key to winning a general election. Bottom line: The Democrats who have filed so far are not going to appeal to Republican voters, even those who are disgusted by their party's hard turn to the right. And because Republicans far outnumber Democrats, and because they are more likely to vote Republican in a general election in November, the Blue Party stands little chance. "Never say never, but I don't see any chance of an upset -- even if Andrew White wins the primary, which at this point I don't think he will," said Cal Jillson a political scientist at Southern Methodist University who has followed state political trends for years. For Republicans, the expected primary fights -- reserved Land Commissioner George P. Bush facing his colorful and outspoken predecessor Jerry Patterson, colorful and outspoken Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller facing lobbyist and Austin attorney Trey Blocker -- are expected to play out to give Republican voters a GOP choice. Strategists said they do not expect the contested primaries to push GOP voters to switch their general-election allegiance to Democrats, even in districts in Houston and other cities where ultra-conservative Republicans are running against moderate Republicans. While political analysts and consultants in both parties agree that the outcome of the Democrats' gubernatorial primary will give a clear picture of where the Texas Democratic Party will go in coming years -- liberal or more moderate -- the Republican primary winners could show how strong a hold the party's ultra-conservative wing will have on state politics entering the 2019 legislative session. "While White may trespass on some Republican issues in the Democratic primary, the base of the party is not likely to vote for a moderate -- and any inter-party battle creates hard feelings that carry into the general election and cause people to stay home," Rottinghaus said. "The Democrats don't need that to happen in the fall." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Sisters Fereshte, 19, and Fayezeh Karimi, 15, learned something Saturday that could forever alter their future: Even as refugees from Iran, they can still apply to college and for financial aid in the United States. "With good grades, we really can pursue our education," the elder sister said. "It's not impossible." Superintendent Richard Carranza emphasized the importance of higher education to the high school students who attended the Houston Independent School District's third annual Dream Summit, which helps students of all immigration statuses plan for college. This year's workshop comes at a particularly tense time as the Supreme Court last week allowed President Donald Trump's so-called Muslim ban to go into full effect and as Congress has yet to pass a solution for young adults who were granted temporary reprieve from deportation under the rescinded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. All the uncertainty swirls as college application season is about to begin in full swing. As immigrants, the hundreds of students at the summit are part of the American dream, and their personal goals must be valued, Carranza said. "A dream is the cornerstone on which this country was founded," he said. The elder Karimi sister, a sophomore, said she dreams of becoming a cyber security expert. It would allow her to apply her love of coding to an increasingly important industry. Her younger sister, a freshman, hopes to one day save lives as a cardiologist. As refugees, both are concerned with how long they will be allowed to stay in the U.S. The national immigration landscape has become increasingly filled with rhetoric and policies that leave the Karimi sisters and thousands of others in fear. Yet non-citizen students remain undeterred. "We're going to seek out our education no matter what happens," Fayezeh Karimi said. David, 16, who asked not to be named in full because he is undocumented, has already applied to three state colleges. Recently arriving from Nigeria with his family, the high school senior said he dreams of one day becoming an airline pilot through which he will be able to see the world. On Saturday, he scribbled notes in an attendee pamphlet on how to apply for scholarships. "Apply every week. If you don't apply, you won't get the funds," said Angela Conley, an academic program manager for the Emerge HISD program. Conley noted that undocumented students, even those with top grades, often shy away from seeking help in applying for colleges and universities, unsure of whether they would qualify due to their legal status. After speaking to a packed room about meeting scholarship deadlines and fine-tuning personal essays, Conley led David over to members of the immigration advocacy group, FIEL, where he could learn more about his rights as an undocumented individual as he completes his high school education. "They must not give up hope," Conley said. Shanda King pulled on a second pair of pants and a fleece sweatshirt before heading out the door Friday afternoon. She tossed a tent into her trunk, just in case she'd be required to wait outside in the cold. She grabbed a bucket, too, in case there wasn't a bathroom for those in line. Then she got in her car and drove west, away from Baytown and, she hoped, all her problems. King, 41, couldn't believe it when a friend told her about the two-day mobile clinic held Saturday and Sunday at the Chua Vien Thong Tu Buddhist Temple in west Houston. Free medical care. Free vision screenings and prescription glasses. And, most important to King, free dental. This was the chance she'd been waiting for. To gain access to the Remote Area Medical clinic, she just needed to be one of the first 400 people in line before it opened 6 a.m. Saturday. King wasn't taking any chances. When she arrived at 4 p.m. Friday a full 14 hours early she was the first. Thirty minutes later, another car parked behind her outside the temple, a retired husband and wife who'd driven four hours from Dallas, hoping for new dentures. An hour later, another car pulled up, this one driven by a retail worker from Pearland who'd gone four years without new glasses. Then another, a 19-year-old construction worker from Dickinson who for more than a year had suffered the constant pain of an untreated toothache. More Information RAM's free clinic will be open again Sunday at 17355 Groeschke Road in Houston. Services offered include dental cleanings, dental fillings, dental extractions, dental x-rays, eye exams, eyeglass prescriptions, free eyeglasses, women's health care, general medical exams and flu vaccinations. Patients can come as early as 3 a.m. to reserve a spot and should arrive no later than 10 a.m. See More Collapse By 3 a.m., a few dozen cars had lined up behind King, each carrying a story of despair. Similar scenes play out every time Remote Area Medical arrives in a town. The Tennessee-based nonprofit, better known as RAM, has hosted similar clinics across the country, each time drawing massive crowds. In a country where more than 114 million people have no dental coverage far more than the 28 million who lack medical coverage RAM clinics and others like them are a lifeline for those most desperate for help. "There are tens of thousands of people in Houston who lack access to affordable care," said Stan Brock, who founded RAM in 1985 and, of late, has made headlines by inviting President Donald Trump to attend one of his events. "No matter how much we talk about improving our health care system, unless we add vision and dental coverage, people will continue to be in pain and suffering." King has endured her share of pain and suffering, but she didn't want to dwell on her past as she waited at the front of the line Saturday morning. She leaned back in her driver's seat and tried to sleep, but she couldn't. She distracted herself by reading on her phone or listening to the radio, but mostly she just sat in silence, daydreaming. She thought about what her life would be like after RAM's volunteer dentists implanted bridges and crowns in her mouth to replace the teeth that she'd lost to tooth decay. She imagined how she'd look without the "ragged smile" that has made her embarrassed to even smirk in public. King described the hopeless cycle that's led her here: Without a steady job and dental coverage, she can't afford to see a dentist; as a result, her teeth look terrible, which makes it harder to land a job. She doesn't blame employers for passing her over after they see the gaps in her teeth. "A person's smile is like a window into their soul," King said around 4 a.m. "This is a chance for me to regain that and to start letting people see me for who I really am. This is my big break." An hour later, she got out to stretch her legs and noticed a parking lot full of medical volunteers. She lifted a hand to hide the grin forming at the edges of her mouth, a self-conscious reflex she soon hoped to shake. "I've just been sitting here thinking about the after," King said. "This isn't winning the lottery, but that's what it feels like to me." At 5:45 a.m., a volunteer signaled for everyone to step out of their cars. After a night of waiting in bitter cold, the time had finally come: "May I have your attention please," he shouted. "The clinic is starting." King swayed to stay warm as she stood at the front of a line outside the temple, where nearly 300 volunteers from all over the country had helped set up. Inside the temple's fellowship hall, dozens of dentists and dental hygienists stood at the feet of more than 30 portable dental chairs, waiting. "What's your main dental issue?" a woman asked King at a registration table. "I need bridges," she said, opening her mouth and pointing to one of the gaps. Her teeth didn't always look that way, but that's what happens when you go years without dental care. The issue is more than cosmetic; without a fix, she's at risk of additional tooth decay and other structural problems that might soon make it difficult for her to eat. "I'm going to get my old smile back," King told the nurse taking her blood pressure. A minute later, a volunteer led her and several others to a staging area for those seeking dental work. King sat down. A few feet away, 19-year-old Joshua Valdivia opened his mouth and pointed to a decaying black molar that sometimes hurts so bad, he's had to call off work. "It's been a year like that," Valdivia told one of the dental assistants. "Oh my God, I just want it out." Soon, a volunteer dentist would relieve him of his suffering. King was next. She sat with the woman screening patients and again pointed to the gaps in her teeth. The dental assistant frowned. Then she shook her head. "What?" King said, with a look of panic on her face. A minute later, she stood up abruptly, biting her lip as she walked. The buzz of dental drills echoed through the temple as she rushed for the exit. Outside, she leaned against a wall, and began to sob. "They can't help me," she said, pulling her sweatshirt over her face to hide her tears. She had been mistaken, filled with false hope after reading about more advanced dental services offered at previous RAM clinics in Tennessee and Virginia. A charity organizer explained the confusion: While it's true that RAM offers free denture fittings and other dental services at clinics near its Knoxville, Tenn., headquarters, it's impossible to offer those multi-day treatments at its more remote events, like the one in Houston this weekend. When more than 40 percent of Americans lack basic dental care, there's only so much one free clinic can do. King sat on a cold bench as dozens of people filtered past her, filling the clinic's dental chairs. She cried as she talked about mistakes in her life, about her decades-long struggle with depression, about the renewed sense of joy and purpose she's felt since her grandchildren were born a few years ago. She wanted her smile to match her new, happier outlook. She wanted to finally put her past behind her, she said, and start fresh. "Oh well," King said, before getting up and heading for her car, after 16 hours of waiting. "I guess some people don't get a second chance." ___ Mike Hixenbaugh writes about health care and medicine for the Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Send him tips at mike.hixenbaugh@chron.com. JACKSON, Miss. - President Donald Trump's presence jolted the opening of a civil rights museum here Saturday, generating boycotts from some leaders in the movement and small protests by activists as the state's attempt to confront its racially violent past clashed with more recent divisions wrought by Trump's presidency. As the country's first state-sponsored museum on the South's civil rights struggle opened its doors, Trump gave brief remarks, largely sticking to his prepared script as he hailed the icons of the civil rights movement and rejected the racism and hatred on display in the new museum. "The civil rights museum records oppression, cruelty and injustice inflicted on the African-American community," Trump, who had ignored calls to back out of the event by some civil rights veterans, said after a brief tour of the museum. "The fight to end slavery, to break down Jim Crow, to end segregation, to gain the right to vote, and to achieve the sacred birthright of equality - that's big stuff," Trump added. "Those are very big phrases, very big words." "Here we memorialize the brave men and women who struggled to sacrifice and sacrificed so much so that others might live in freedom," the president said, speaking to a small group of dignitaries in the museum. A larger audience of several hundred Mississippi residents assembled outside for the official ceremony. Activists feel insulted Paired with a second museum that aims to document the state's overall history, the civil rights museum has drawn praise from the movement's veterans as an honest depiction of Mississippi's past. Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African-American boy, was lynched in 1955 by a white mob in Money, Miss. And one of the most infamous episodes of the civil rights era took place in Philadelphia, Miss., where three civil rights activists - Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman - were killed while trying to register voters in 1964. Those who made a point of skipping the president's speech - including Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., a civil rights leader - cited Trump's remarks after the summer's racially tinged violence in Charlottesville, Va., and described Trump's policies toward Mexicans, Muslims and other minorities as an insult to the museum's purpose. At a news conference before Air Force One touched down in Jackson, national activists and local African-American politicians said they were disappointed that the president had chosen to participate in the event. "Today may be a grand opening, but there will be a grander opening," said state Sen. Sollie Norwood of Jackson, who declined to attend Trump's speech. He said he was looking forward to seeing the museum after the president left. "That will be the day that all of us will walk in." Amos Brown, the longtime pastor of the historic Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, listed a number of times Trump had failed to speak up for civil rights causes. "Since Donald Trump did not show up when we needed him to speak a word on behalf of blacks who have experienced police brutality," Brown said, "he does not deserve to be in Jackson for the celebration of the civil rights museum." Medgar Evers remembered Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of Medgar Wiley Evers, a black civil rights activist who was shot in the back by a member of the Ku Klux Klan in 1963, and Charles Evers, his brother, attended Trump's speech. Trump acknowledged the death of Evers, calling him a martyr who had fought during World War II and then returned to Mississippi to fight for the "same rights and freedoms that he had defended in the war" by helping to register blacks to vote. For that work, Trump said, Evers was "assassinated by a member of the KKK." The president recognized Evers-Williams, calling her "his incredible widow," and thanking her for carrying on "Medgar's legacy." He also thanked the people of Mississippi, a state, he said, "where I've had great success." Invited by Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republican, Trump attended the event Saturday in the hopes of helping to unify a country that has been struggling to repair its lingering racial schisms. But if he thought his presence here would prove to be a bridge, he may have been mistaken. "He's expressed a blatant and wanton disregard for human rights," said Chokwe Antar Lumumba, mayor of Jackson, who skipped the museum's opening. "He's done so through the discriminatory policy he implements. He's done so with respect to a failure to denounce the alt-right." Now that the Senate passed its version of tax reform, the bill heads to the House for reconciliation before the final version can be sent to President Trump. The two bills have much in common - cuts in corporate tax rates, elimination of personal tax deductions, changes in the estate tax - as well as a key difference that has not received significant attention and could cripple this region's economy for decades to come. The House version would tax graduate-student tuition waivers, tax-free money that graduate students receive to pay tuition and fees. The stakes are high, for the students and the local economy but also for the nation's long-term future. In my institution, the University of Houston, tuition waivers for graduate students are competitively awarded through the Graduate Tuition Fellowship program, which covers the cost of in-state tuition and mandatory fees for qualified graduate students. To receive the GTF, graduate students have to have a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 out of 4.0, have satisfactory progress in course work and timely progress toward their degree. Graduate students also pay rent, buy groceries and, yes, go to the movies (occasionally), so depending on their program they also receive a monthly stipend that ranges from $600 to $2,500 during the academic year. In exchange they work 20 hours a week on classroom instruction, academic advising, reading papers and examinations, supervision, research (in more than 60 percent of the inventions produced in 2017, graduate students are listed as co-inventors) or other administrative responsibilities, in addition to their school work. What could happen under the current tax reform? The House version would basically treat tuition waivers as taxable income, while the Senate bill leaves graduate-tuition waivers untaxed. If the Senate version prevails, the status quo will remain in place. If the House version prevails, however, graduate students would be hit hard. So would universities and the Houston region. A student earning a stipend of $18,000 a year and receiving a waiver for about $10,000 in tuition and fees, for example, currently pays around $750 in federal income tax. If the tuition and fees were counted as taxable income, the student's tax bill would go up to about $1,850 a year under the House plan. Why should we care about affordable graduate education? Although paying $1,850 a year on federal taxes rather than $760 might seem modest, it could price graduate school out of reach, especially for students from lower-income families, or it could mean a months' worth of rent, food and gas for many others. The true damage, however, is not only the personal cost, but the risk that the United States and Houston fall behind in the global race to create cutting-edge technologies, knowledge, art and music. America's universities are not only the quintessential driver of the American Dream, they are generators of human capital that have kept the United States at the forefront of innovation. Taxing graduate education will destroy this country's renowned ingenuity and will make us less competitive and more dependent on other countries' technologies, which clearly is not the right way to make America great again. Cortina is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Houston. 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. Malaysian government has issued a warning to employers amid concerns some companies are firing local staff in order to hire international employees.Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Abdul Muttalib pointed to Section 60 of the Employment Act 1955 during a recent speech.The act states that no employer operating in the nation can arbitrarily terminate the employment of local workers to employ foreign workers.Ismail also reminded employers that failure to comply could lead to conviction and a fine of up to RM10,000.In an advisory issued by the Malaysian government, companies are allowed to accept foreign workers for additional manpower, and not for replacement of local employees.Ismail also said employees are entitled to their rights when they are terminated regardless of whether they are a Malaysian national or not."Employees who are suddenly laid-off are entitled to a number of basic protections. Among others, employers shall give sufficient notice period or remuneration in accordance with the work contract, but not less than stipulated under Section 12 (2) of the Employment Act, he said."Employers are also obliged to pay retrenchment benefits in accordance with the work service contracts, which must not be less than the rate prescribed in the Employment (Termination and Lay-Off Benefits) Regulations 1980.While replacing locals with international staff is banned, Malaysia is still very much in need of overseas labour however, migrants are only allowed to work in certain sectors. These include agriculture, construction, manufacturing, mining, plantation and within the service sector. Imperial Valley News Center Former CEO And CFO Of Digital Sign Company Charged With Conspiracy To Commit Wire Fraud And Obstruction Of The Securities And Exchange Commission San Francisco, California - Donald MacCord, formerly a resident Washington State, and Shannon Doyle, a resident of Maryland, were arrested Monday for their role in an alleged conspiracy and fraud scheme, announced United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett, and Securities and Exchange Commission-Inspector General Carl W. Hoecker. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a parallel civil action against MacCord and Doyle today in the Western District of Washington. According to the indictment, from at least 2013 to 2017, MacCord and Doyle conspired in a scheme to defraud by making misrepresentations to raise money for Digi Outdoor Media, Inc. (Digi), and then by misappropriating that money from Digi through an entity called Signworks, LLC (Signworks). They then both concealed their misstatements and misappropriation in various ways, and obstructed the investigation of the Securities and Exchange Commission in San Francisco into their conduct. According to the indictment unsealed today, MacCord and Doyle, both 50, were the CEO and CFO of Digi, respectively. Digi was, and is, in the business of obtaining leases for and installing digital advertising signs. MacCord and Doyle raised money for Digi in various ways, including by soliciting investments. They solicited investments both directly and through other entities and individuals, including an investment advisor firm registered with the SEC and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). According to the indictment, MacCord and Doyle made various misrepresentations, both to the investment advisor firm and investors, including misrepresentations regarding the number of leases into which Digi had entered or had negotiated with landlords and was prepared to enter, about the number of sites committed for sign installation, and that the funds would be used to pay for the construction, installation, and maintenance of signs. MacCord and Doyle then diverted Digi funds, including money raised from investors, to Signworks, concealing their diversion with fake invoices purporting to bill Digi for work done on non-existent sites. From Signworks, MacCord and Doyle misappropriated the funds to their own personal use. As part of their conspiracy to defraud, MacCord and Doyle also lied in various other ways about the number of leases Digi had obtained. Specifically, MacCord and Doyle caused Digi to file a Form S-1 registration statement with the SEC to sell Digi shares publicly. The registration statement overstated the number of leases into which Digi had entered and the number of sign locations for which Digi had a right to install, and it failed to disclose MacCords and Doyles self-dealing with respect to Signworks. According to the indictment, MacCord and Doyle also misrepresented to a joint venture partner and to a public accounting firm that was auditing Digis financial statements in connection with the S-1 the number of leases and lease sites into which Digi had entered. According to the indictment, MacCord and Doyle then concealed their conspiracy to defraud and obstructed the SECs investigation into it. MacCord shared falsely executed leases with several partiesthe investment advisor firm, the joint venture partner, and the accounting firm. These leases contained the forged signatures of the purported counterparties, along with various other false statements. The day after Digi received a subpoena from the SEC, MacCord deleted some of these leases from a Dropbox folder shared with the investment advisor firm, and then produced a set of executed leases to the SEC. Both MacCord and Doyle then testified falsely, evasively, and non-responsively in proceedings of the SEC. MacCord and Doyle were both charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1349, and obstruction of official proceedings, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1512(c)(2). MacCord was also charged with false writings to a government agency, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001(a)(3), and destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1519. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the maximum penalty for each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, obstruction of official proceedings, and destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations is twenty years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for each count of false writings to a government agency five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. 3553. MacCord surrendered to FBI custody today in Seattle, Washington, and Doyle surrendered to FBI custody today in Greenbelt, Maryland. Both made appearances in court and were released. Doyle is scheduled to appear on December 15, 2017, at 9:30 a.m., and MacCord on December 18, 2017, at 9:30 a.m., both in San Francisco, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth D. Laporte, for arraignment. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Kingsley is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Claudia Hyslop and Bridget Kilkenny. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the SEC-Office of the Inspector General. Imperial Valley News Center Foreign Minor Attempting to Meet a U.S. Sex Offender Intercepted by CBP officers at LAX Los Angeles, California - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers assigned to the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) intercepted a 17-year-old male citizen of New Zealand on Monday who was traveling alone on a one-way ticket to visit a male family member in Michigan who has two felony convictions for sexual conduct with a person under 13. The minor, who was traveling with $26, indicated he was visiting a family in Howell, Michigan, whom he met on social media websites approximately four years ago but has never met in person. During the course of the inspection, CBP officers found that the male member of the family is a registered sex offender with two felony convictions in 2001, including criminal sexual conduct with a person under 13 and 2nd degree sexual assault. CBP follows strict federal standards in the protection and well-being of minors traveling alone, said Carlos C. Martel, CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles. Minors are particularly vulnerable to sexual predators that commonly present themselves as individuals they can trust. CBP officers took decisive action to protect a potential victim from a convicted criminal. Under visa waiver provisions the minor was found inadmissible into the U.S. and was returned to New Zealand, where he lives with a caregiver. CBP Office of Field Operations is the largest component in CBP and is responsible for border security - including anti-terrorism, immigration, anti-smuggling, trade compliance, and agriculture protection - while simultaneously facilitating the lawful trade and travel at U.S. ports of entry that is critical to our Nations economy. Oroville Man Sentenced To 14 Years In Prison For Receiving Child Pornography From The Dark Web Sacramento, California - Jason Sebastian Sparks, 29, of Oroville, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to 14 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. U.S. Attorney Talbert stated: This sentence sends a strong message to those who try to remain anonymous while committing child exploitation crimes on the Internet that no matter what techniques they use, they risk being caught and prosecuted. Law enforcement is continually developing new ways to detect such criminals and bring them to justice. My office is committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society and to working with our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners to prosecute those involved with the exploitation of children. Victims of child pornography arent just pixels on a screen, said Sean Ragan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. They are real children subject to horrific abuse. The internet may provide users with a veil of anonymity, but the FBI and our partners will overcome challenges to track down offenders and bring justice to innocent victims. According to court documents, this case arose from an FBI undercover investigation into Playpen, a highly sophisticated, hidden website dedicated to the advertisement and distribution of child pornography that operated on the Tor network from August 2014 until March 2015. The Tor network offers users anonymity by concealing the actual Internet Protocol (IP) address of its users. In February 2015, the FBI seized the computer server hosting Playpen from a webhosting facility in North Carolina. Pursuant to a federal court order in the Eastern District of Virginia, the website operated under FBI supervision for a two-week period, during which the FBI collected information to identify users of Playpen. Playpen had more than 150,000 members who created and viewed tens of thousands of postings related to the sexual abuse of children. Images and videos shared through the site were highly categorized according to victim age and gender, as well as the type of sexual abuse depicted in the various images. The site also included discussion forums that included tips for grooming children and avoiding detection by law enforcement. During its investigation, the FBI determined that a user connected to an IP address operating at Sparks Oroville residence had accessed Playpen for approximately three hours and 13 minutes over a two-day period in March 2015. Investigators subsequently searched Sparks residence and seized a computer that Sparks used to download child pornography from the Tor network. In a statement to investigators, Sparks admitted to accessing Playpen and to using the Tor network to download child pornography. Sparks also admitted that he had previously sexually abused an approximately six-year-old child on five occasions. As a result of the FBIs operation, at least 350 U.S.-based individuals have been arrested nationwide, 25 producers of child pornography have been prosecuted, 51 alleged hands-on abusers have been prosecuted and 55 American children who were subjected to sexual abuse have been identified or rescued. This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Shelley Weger is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. John Bryan Murphy Arrested for Wire Fraud and Money Laundering in Ponzi-Style Investment Fraud Scheme San Francisco, California - A former Bay Area resident was arrested Wednesday in Barnstable, Massachusetts on charges related to a long-running investment fraud scheme. John Bryan Murphy was charged on November 30, 2017, by a federal grand jury in San Francisco with wire fraud and money laundering announced United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett. The indictment was unsealed late yesterday following Murphys arrest. According to the indictment, between 2012 and 2017, Murphy, 44, who currently resides in Massachusetts, solicited investments from numerous individuals on the premise that their money would be professionally invested. After receiving these solicitations, several victim investors provided funds to Murphy for the purpose of allowing him to invest those funds on their behalf. In fact, Murphy primarily used these investments to support his personal lifestyle, to speculate on the stock market in an account in his name, and/or to repay other victims a portion of their investments. The indictment alleges that Murphy made payments to various victims that were designed to lull them into a false sense of security, lead them to believe that the promises made to them would be fulfilled, postpone or prevent the victims complaints to law enforcement, conceal and prevent detection of the scheme and artifice, and induce victims to invest more money with Murphy. The indictment alleges that Murphy obtained over $700,000 in fraudulently solicited funds from victims of the scheme. The indictment charges Murphy with ten counts of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1343, and two counts of money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1957. After his arrest, Murphy made his initial appearance in United States District Court in Boston, Massachusetts, and was detained pending further proceedings. A detention hearing is scheduled for Friday, December 8, 2017, before Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell in Boston. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment on each wire fraud count and 10 years imprisonment on each money laundering count, fines of $250,000 on each count in the indictment, and restitution for the losses he is alleged to have caused. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. 3553. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Rees and Kyle Waldinger are prosecuting the case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Brawley Man Sentenced for Stealing More Than $250,000 from Local Farm Brawley, California - Former bookkeeper Claude Theodore Riley was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to 24 months in prison for embezzling from his former employer and failing to pay taxes on the stolen funds. He was also ordered to pay $273,000 in restitution to the employer and $75,000 to the Internal Revenue Service. Riley pleaded guilty in September to wire fraud and making a false tax return in a five-year scheme in which he stole stealing from his employer, an Imperial Valley farm. Riley stole approximately $272,984.00 from his employer, filed fraudulent tax returns, and failed to file required employment tax returns resulting in a $1.5-million-dollar tax lien against the farm. Riley served as the farms bookkeeper from 2010 to 2015, overseeing the farms entire annual budget. As the bookkeeper, Riley had access to the farms bank accounts, paychecks, and bookkeeping records. Riley forged certain IRS documents to hide his embezzlement from the employer. For his scheme, Riley made 148 transactions out of the employers bank account, fictitiously entered various vendors to be paid into the bookkeeping records, and generated checks made payable to himself. His employer trusted Riley to safeguard the fruits of their labor, but he diverted hundreds of thousands of those hard-earned dollars into his own pocket, said U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman. Today, the defendant pays the price for his deception. Mr. Riley took advantage of the trust of his employer for his own benefit, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric S. Birnbaum. Today, justice is served for this Imperial Valley farm family. This case is an excellent example to illustrate how the FBI works to uncover fraud schemes that have a significant impact on the Valley's hard-working farming industry. The farming industry is an important source of Imperial Valleys economy and producer of agriculture for the nation. Imperial Valley is one of Californias top producers of agriculture, which generates income for local families in the Southern District of California. DEFENDANT Criminal Case No. 17CR2721-BAS Claude Theodore Riley Age: 56 Brawley, California Governor Brown to Represent U.S. at One Planet Climate Summit on Anniversary of Paris Agreement Paris, France - At the invitation of France's President Emmanuel Macron, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. will represent the United States and states and regions around the world at the One Planet Summit on Tuesday, the two-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement. The Governor will deliver keynote remarks on the acceleration of local and regional climate action and discuss the devastating impacts of California's now nearly year-round fire season, which has been exacerbated by extreme weather and a changing climate. This year's fires have been among the most costly and destructive on record in California. Yesterday, Governor Brown met with residents impacted by the fires and joined fire and emergency management officials for a briefing in Ventura County. Last week, the Governor announced that the state secured a presidential declaration providing direct federal assistance to support the response to the Southern California wildfires, following emergency proclamations issued for Santa Barbara, San Diego, Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The summit will convene more than 100 regional and national leaders, including the United Nations Secretary-General, the World Bank Group President and a number of heads of state and environment ministers to drive further action to finance and scale up global efforts to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. On Wednesday, the Governor will be awarded an honorary doctorate degree by Ecole Normale Superieure (ENS) before returning to California on Thursday. Lawrence Nassar Sentenced To 60 Years In Federal Prison Grand Rapids, Michigan - Lawrence Gerard Nassar, 54, of Holt, Michigan, was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for child-pornography and obstruction-of-justice offenses, U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced today. U.S. District Judge Janet T. Neff ordered the federal sentence to be served consecutive to the sentences he receives in state court. In addition to the prison term, Nassar must also register as a sex offender, and, if released from prison, he will be subject to a lifetime term of supervised release. In July of this year, Nassar pleaded guilty in federal court to receiving child pornography in 2004, possessing child pornography from 2003 to 2016, and destroying and concealing evidence in 2016 when he believed, correctly, that ongoing investigation by law enforcement would reveal his child-pornography activities. As part of a plea agreement, Nassar agreed not to oppose a sentencing enhancement for engaging in a pattern of activity involving the sexual abuse or exploitation of minors. That enhancement, based on his extensive history of personally sexually molesting minors, increased his advisory U.S. Sentencing Guideline range by over 70%. This is the same enhancement that would have applied had he been convicted of additional federal charges related to his hands-on misconduct, such as for traveling interstate with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. By the time of his sentencing, Nassar faced an advisory guideline range of 30 years to life in prison, capped by the combined statutory maximum for the three counts of 60 years. Dozens of victims participated in the federal sentencing proceeding by submitting written victim-impact statements to the Court. The victims wrote about the pain and trauma Nassar caused them, their shattered trust and innocence, the enduring impact this conduct has had on their lives, and their desire to see justice. The victims called on the Court to severely punish Nassar and protect others from further acts of sexual predation. In announcing the sentence, Judge Neff left no doubt that maximum potential penalties are in order here. She found the case unique. The images Nassar collected were numerous and like none other that Ive seen. She expressed dismay that Nassar was a doctor and was troubled by the thought that he might have felt omnipotent for getting away with sexually assaulting his victims when their mother was in the room. I am a mom. I cannot imagine [the anguish those mothers must feel]. She chastised Nassar for violating the most basic tenant of medicine Do no harm. Finally, the Judge expressed deep concern for the victims sense of self-worth that was destroyed. She concluded that Nassar is, was, and will be a danger to children. It is through consecutive sentencing that I can protect young children. Following the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Birge said: Today was a day of reckoning for Larry Nassar. He more than deserves this punishment for what he did. He consumed child pornography on a massive scale. We found 37,000 images of child pornography on his computers. Insatiable hunger of that nature simply encourages those who produce such images to continue to sexually exploit children. Compounding his danger to the public, Nassar was an insidious hands-on child predator in his own right. He took advantage of family friendships. And he treated his license to practice medicine as a license to sexually molest children. Thanks to the brave victims who came forward, we learned the full scope of his depravity. The breadth and dark depth of his heinous acts are extraordinary. U.S. Attorney Birge added: My heart goes out to the victims-- those in the images and those he personally sexually molested. With todays sentencing, I hope his victims find a sense of renewed self-worth in knowing their role in this outcome. And I hope they and the public find some measure of solace and reassurance in knowing that Nassar has been held accountable for his actions. Anyone who exploits children will be found out and held accountable regardless of their position or station in life. U.S. Attorney Birge then expressed his thanks to the victims for making the outcome possible in this case and he thanked the FBI and Michigan State University Police for their efforts in support of the charges. Todays sentencing represents an important achievement as we take another step in this long process of holding Nassar accountable for his shocking predatory acts of child sexual abuse and exploitation, said David P. Gelios, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Division of the FBI. I want to thank those involved at the FBI in Detroit and Los Angeles, Michigan State University Police Department, and the U.S. Attorneys Office for their tireless work to bring Nassar to justice. This punishment of a man who once held a position of trust and enjoyed the trust and respect of many should serve as a warning to those who prey upon and sexually exploit children that there will be severe consequences for crimes of this nature. My thoughts are with all the victims whose lives have been forever impacted. Michigan State University Police Chief Jim Dunlap commented that: The Michigan State University Police Department appreciates the effective collaboration with the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office to achieve a measure of justice for the survivors. This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney's Office, county prosecutor's offices, the Internet Crimes Against Children task force (ICAC), federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation, and to teach children how to protect themselves. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit the following web site: www.projectsafechildhood.gov. Individuals with information or concerns about possible child exploitation should contact local law enforcement officials. The Detroit and Los Angeles Divisions of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Michigan State University Police Department (MSUPD) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Lewis prosecuted the case. U.S. Applauds Iraqi Government's Announcement of the Full Liberation of Iraqi Territory From ISIS Control Washington, DC - After a courageous three year campaign of intense fighting, Prime Minister Abadi has announced the complete liberation of all Iraqi territory from ISIS control. The United States applauds the leadership of Prime Minister Abadi, and we offer our sincere congratulations to the Iraqi people and to the brave Iraqi Security Forces, many of whom lost their lives heroically fighting ISIS. The Iraqi announcement signals the last remnants of ISISs self-proclaimed caliphate in Iraq have been erased and the people living in those areas have been freed from ISISs brutal control. 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. The United States, along with the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, will continue to partner with the Iraqi Security Forces, advising, training, and equipping them. 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. Throughout its vile occupation of large areas of Iraq, ISIS showed its despicable nature by using children and other civilians as human shields and turning hospitals, mosques, universities, and schools into weapons-making and storage facilities and bases for its terrorist operations. The Global Coalition has been proud to support the Iraqi Security Forces who fought bravely to defeat these terrorists. Beyond human casualties, ISIS left a trail of destruction in its wake, with an unprecedented number of Iraqis displaced from their homes and massive damage to infrastructure. The United States has contributed nearly $1.7 billion in humanitarian assistance and committed more than $265 million in stabilization assistance to Iraq since 2014. The United States has also contributed $112 million to assist in clearing improvised explosive devices, mines, and unexploded ordinance, as well as educating Iraqis on the dangers of explosive hazards that ISIS left behind. These efforts have helped facilitate the safe and voluntary return of more than 2.7 million Iraqis to their homes. Working by, with, and through the Government of Iraq, we will continue to help our displaced Iraqi friends return to their communities and support them as they begin to reestablish their lives. We remain committed to standing with the Government of Iraq and the Iraqi people to stabilize areas liberated from ISIS control. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} After what feels like an eternity of waiting, Star Wars: The Last Jedi has finally been seen by people outside of LucasFilm and Disney. Following the world premiere attended Mark Hamill, Rian Johnson, Daisy Ridley, and other Star Wars alumni journalists were permitted to Tweet brief social media reactions to the movie. While not full reviews, the response has been overwhelmingly glowing. According to the critics, the blockbuster pulls some huge emotional punches and looks astoundingly good. Of course, people are already comparing The Last Jedi with other Star Wars entries, many holding that the Episode VIII marks the best since Empire Strikes Back. Then again, thats been said of almost every Disney-released Star Wars movie so far Read the reactions below. A word of warning regarding social media: beware spoilers. Unfortunately, due to the movie now being available to certain few, details may emerge online. So tread carefully! Speaking at the premiere, Johnson dedicated the movie to Carrie Fisher, who plays Princess/General Leia. Once the audience sees her performance in this movie, shes going to be there in all our hearts," he said. "Its bizarre not having her here tonight. She would be the life of the party. Meanwhile, for those wanting to catch up on all the other Star Wars movies, weve discussed which is the best order to watch them here. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Show all 46 1 /46 Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Here we are, the new Star Wars trailer! Kicking things off is Kylo Ren looking over something being built by the First Order. Look closely and you can just about spot some AT-STs lurking around. Over the top we hear Snoke: When I found you Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Some of the new-look AT-ATs, now known as AT-M6. Seeing as the original initials stood for All Terrain Armoured Transport, these new beasts known as the All Terrain MegaCaliber Six. Not quite as catchy but sure to sell a few more toys. Above them is Kylos Upsilon-class command shuttle. Anyway, were on Crait, a mineral planet which once housed the Rebel Alliance base during the Galactic Civil War. We later see Leia here, the General having decided to bring the Resistance to the planet. Were sure to see a large battle here, perhaps like the opening of Empire Strikes Back? Snoke, who we presume is talking about Kylo, continues: I saw raw Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Untamed power. Snokes grizzled voice echoes out as Kylo marches into battle. Thanks to the red, we presume the villain is still on Crait. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown and beyond that Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown something truly special Where exactly this shot fits into the timeline remains unclear. Were also not sure where this ominous red-room is. Twin Peaks? More likely Snokes throne room, considering there are two of his Elite Praetorian Guards behind the lightsaber. Seeing as Snokes talking about why he chose Kylo as an apprentice, could this be a flashback? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Just as Snoke finishes saying special we suddenly cut to Rey on Ahch-To, wielding Lukes weapon. Could Snoke have actually been speaking to her? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown The handing of the baton. Turns out Luke did take the lightsaber at the end of The Force Awakens! Rey says: Something inside of me has always been there Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Lukes in unhappy shock. Angry? Annoyed? What Luke?!?! Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Rey approaches a haunted looking tree. Now, weve actually seen this before, but not on film. During Marvels tie-in comic called Shattered Empire which takes place moments after Return of the Jedi we see Poe Damerons mother rescue a Force-sensitive tree. She takes one part of the tree while Luke takes the other. Turns out, that tree has something of a big part to play. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown but not its awake. The Force has truly awoken inside of Rey, after being hidden there for some time. Inside the tree, we see a book, possibly the Journal of the Whills. Originally created by George Lucas as a plot device, the journal was intended to contain all of the Jedi adventures. Come the novelisation of The Force Awakens and the journal was made canon. The question is, whats Luke doing with it? Learning about the ways of the Jedi? Has Luke decided their should be no Jedi because whenever the Jedi exist, so do the Sith? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Some stunning shots of Rey trailing on Ahch-To. Rey continues: and I need help. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Cinematographer Steve Yedlin, who previously worked with Rian Johnson on Looper, has done a amazing job. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Luke looks highly concerned as Rey begins tearing apart the island with the Force. Again, another similarity to Empire: were seeing Luke fulfil the Yoda role, training Rey. However, this time, theres fear in Lukes heart. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Another great shot, previously seen in the first trailer, showing off Reys strength. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Ive seen this raw strength only once before Luke is completely shaken by Reys strength. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown It didnt scare me enough then An extended version of the flashback seen during The Force Awakens when Rey touches the lightsaber for the first time. Lukes seen Kylo Ren, then Ben Solo, destroy an entire Jedi order before. Seeing someone with those abilities once more can only mean something bads going to happen. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown It does now. Another scene from the flashback. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Just to make sure we know who Lukes referring to, a shot of Kylo Ren looking very Darth Vader. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown A new look at Kylos scare, caused by Rey during Episode VIIs final battle. Let the past diem the messed up young man says while smashing a wall. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Kylos flying off into battle. Could he be aiming to literally kill the past off and murder another parent? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown The kid obviously has his grandfathers piloting skills. Hes driving the newly tweaked TIE silencer towards Leias main ship. Has the battle on Crait already happened and theyve had to leave? Or have they landed on the planet because of the aerial attack? We hear Kylo say Kill it if you have to, aimed at his mother? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown A few shots of the late Carrie Fisher as Leia. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown From the intertwining shots of Leia and Kylo, theres a connection between the two, perhaps even some sort of communication? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Thats the only way you will become what you meant to be, says Kylo as his ship locks onto, then fires, at Leia. The General cant die, surely? They wouldnt spoil that in the trailer? The question here, really, is who is Kylo talking to? Presumably, considering the final moments of the trailer, Rey. By saying kill the past, can we assume Kylos telling Rey to kill her new mentor and join the Dark side? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Here comes the Millenium Falcon. Are we on Crait once more? Has Chewy gone to help the Resistance? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Ah, the Porgs. The most GIFable moment from the trailer. Toy shops are stocking up now as these are bound to become best sellers. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Poe Damerons back and under fire. He looks almost surprised at the attack. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown We have to assume hes heading out to meet Kylo and defend General Leia from the oncoming attack. We have a spark, that will light the fire, that will burn the First Order down, says Poe. Whats the spark, though? Defeating someone in battle? Finding Luke? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Meanwhile, Captain Phasmas also back Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown And battling Finn. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown These shots are amazing. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Wow. Hopefully Phasma will actually have something interesting to do this time around. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown BB-8! But the guy has been hit. Poor BB-8. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Luke looks terrified once more, as if struck down by someone. Has Rey turned on the mentor? Or has Kylo arrived and beaten Luke? Were still on Ach-To, so can we presume Kylo finds a way to find the Skywalker(s)? This is not going to go the way you think, the fallen Jedi says. Referring to Rey or Kylo? Likely the latter, who turned to the dark side, but who knows. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Another new creature, sure to sell a few toys. Back on Criat again. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Big door, mysterious character. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Its Leia, looking remarkably sad. Has Kylo finally come for her? She looks like an upset mother, for sure. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Reys let her hair down, styling her new Jedi look. She seems to be chasing Luke as he runs away. Or perhaps just more training. Or running away from Kylo? We have a lot of questions Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown A shot of Finn, captured by the First Order. What fate awaits the former Storm Trooper? Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Another look at the First Order, looking ready to great a powerful figure, likely Snoke. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown The battle of Crait will surely be another brilliant Star Wars set piece. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Now, heres something really interesting: a first look at Supreme Leader Snoke, who is nether a giant nor a hologram. The character is even wearing a golden outfit. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Whats this! Hes torturing Rey! Has she been captured by Kylo?! Does that mean Luke has fallen?! Fulfil your destiny, the Dark Lord says, likely trying to persuade Rey to accept her fate as a powerful warrior for evil, rather than good. Will she turn to the Dark side?! Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Rey: I need someone to show me my place in all this. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown Kylo. Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer - shot-by-shot breakdown An outstretched hand. Kylo asking Rey to join the evil cause? Are we going to see Rey turn evil? Or perhaps become the first Grey Jedi, one who balances good and evil? Whatever the case, were hugely excited for the film, which touches down 15 December. Star Wars: The Last Jedi reaches UK cinemas 14 December. 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 Trump reportedly spends up to eight hours of his day in front of television. According to the New York Times, he begins his daily White House routine at 5:30am with the television in his master bedroom. The newspaper interviewed 60 advisers, friends, and members of Congress to get a picture of the day-to-day life of the President. Recommended Donald Trump attacks CNN in series of tweets Usual morning shows include "Fox & Freinds," the programme and network are known to be more friendly to the President's agenda. But, he also tunes into CNN, an outlet he has routinely referred to as "fake news," and MSNBC's "Morning Joe" programme "because, friends suspect, it fires him up for the day." Mr Trump has had several public rows with co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, who were once friends of the former real estate magnate. "Energized, infuriated often a gumbo of both," Mr Trump then takes to Twitter because "the ammunition for his Twitter war is television," the newspaper reported. Through the course of his day, he spends at least four - but often up to eight - hours a day watching news channels. Sometimes he will leave them on mute, but he uses it as a way to keep track of what the media is saying about him, his presidency, and the investigation into alleged collusion between his campaign team and Russian officials during the 2016 US election. Barack Obama advises Trump to 'think before you tweet' Aboard Air Force One during his recent Asia tour, Mr Trump responded to fact-checking questions regarding his television watching habits by saying: "I do not watch much television...I know they like to say people that dont know me they like to say I watch television. People with fake sources you know, fake reporters, fake sources. But I dont get to watch much television, primarily because of documents. Im reading documents a lot. Sources say the President, nearing the end of his first year in office, still views himself more as a "maligned outsider engaged in a struggle to be taken seriously" rather than the leader of the free world. He told aides after his historic election victory that ever day of his time in office should be seen as a television show during which he "vanquishes rivals." Senator Lindsey Graham felt that mentality is a problem. He said: "theres a difference between running for the office and being president. Youve got to find that sweet spot between being a fighter and being president. "His approach got him to the White House, Mr. Trump reasons, so it must be the right one," the New York Times reported. Yet, Mr Trump's job approval rating is at a historically low 32 per cent even while he dominates media coverage. 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 John Kelly, White House chief of staff and a retired Marine General, has attempted to "quietly and respectfully, to reduce the amount of free time the president has for fiery tweets by accelerating the start of his workday." Mr Kelly has also tried to reign in the chaos of a White House full of staff that have never worked in the federal government before. He limits the President's meetings and exposure to a myriad of opinions from advisers. Mr Trump, "who enjoyed complete control over his business empire, has made significant concessions after trying to micromanage his first months in office," according to the newspaper. Psychiatrist: Trump's mental state is an 'enormous present danger' However, sources say the rule in the White House is that no one touches the remote control except for Mr Trump and technical staff. If he misses a news report, he has a "Super TiVo" system that records hours of news footage for him to view at a later time. Still, the President - despite daily briefings and access to government resources - tends to only believe information if it comes from his small "bubble" of trusted advisers, sources said. Aides told the newspaper they "bemoan his tenuous grasp of facts, jack-rabbit attention span and propensity for conspiracy theories." After a day of meetings and phone calls, often to associates Mr Kelly has gotten rid of for riling the President up like Sebastian Gorka or Steve Bannon, Mr Trump watches the evening news programmes of Sean Hannity, Jennine Pirro, and Laura Ingraham on Fox News and sometimes "hate watches" CNN only to restart the process again the next day. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} They say we all cross paths with the person we ultimately settle down with before meeting them, but one couple have been able to pinpoint the exact moment that happened - with pictorial evidence. Upon looking back at an old childhood family photo of his fiancee, a man spotted himself in the background. Verona Koliqi, who lives in London but is originally from Kosovo, was visiting a beach in Montenegro with her family a decade ago when the photo was taken. When she and her fiance Mirand Buzaku examined the photo of the children on the beach, they noticed a young boy floating on a lilo in the sea behind the Koliqi and her family. He noticed the kid in the back had the same shirt, shorts and floaty as him, Koliqi said. Tinder is reinforcing ancient mating habits, study finds Recommended Woman dumps husband after catching him cheating on Instagram We analysed further and confirmed with family members that its him photobombing my family photo. The couple didnt believe it could be possible at first - after all, what are the chances that they were both on holiday at the same place, at the exact same beach, at the same time? - but Buzakus family members confirmed that theyd been there when the photo was taken. They never actually met as children and it wasnt until the summer of 2016 that the couples paths crossed again in Kosovo - a year later they were engaged. After sharing her story on Instagram, Koliqis post has received over 30,000 likes and many gushing comments. Many people decided to share their own stories of coincidence and love. Tinder couple whose 3 years of messages went viral debriefs on first date in Hawaii My boyfriend and I discovered that we were unknowingly were at the same small concert (which maybe 50 people attended) about four years before we met, one person wrote. It's wonderful and no coincidence. You're meant to be! Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check 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 Health Check email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The boss of one of the largest and busiest NHS trusts in the UK has resigned in protest at the Governments unrealistic expectations on saving costs. Bob Kerslake, former chairman of the Kings College hospital board in London, which treated victims of recent terror attacks and the Grenfell Tower fire, stepped down from his post while calling for a fundamental rethink of how the NHS is funded. In an op-ed for the Guardian, Mr Kerslake, the former head of the civil service, claimed the Government was in denial about how much money the NHS needs. My two and half years at Kings have been in equal parts inspiring and frustrating. There are undoubtedly things that I and the trust could have done better there always are but fundamentally our problems lie in the way that the NHS is funded and organised. We desperately need a fundamental rethink. Until then, we are simply kicking the can down the road, he wrote. Mr Kerslake had been in the role for less than three years. Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis except themselves Show all 6 1 /6 Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis except themselves Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis except themselves The elderly We acknowledge that there are pressures on the health service, there are always extra pressures on the NHS in the winter, but we have the added pressures of the ageing population and the growing complex needs of the population, Theresa May has said. Waits of over 12 hours in A&E among elderly people have more than doubled in two years, according to figures from NHS Digital. Getty Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis except themselves Patients going to A&E instead of seeing their GPs Jeremy Hunt has called for a honest discussion with the public about the purpose of A&E departments, saying that around a third of A&E patients were in hospital unnecessarily. Mr Hunt told Radio 4s Today programme the NHS now had more doctors, nurses and funding than ever, but explained what he called very serious problems at some hospitals by suggesting pressures were increasing in part because people are going to A&Es when they should not. He urged patients to visit their GP for non-emergency illnesses, outlined plans to release time for family doctors to support urgent care work, and said the NHS will soon be able to deliver seven-day access to a GP from 8am to 8pm. But doctors struggling amid a GP recruitment crisis said Mr Hunts plans were unrealistic and demanded the Government commit to investing in all areas of the overstretched health service. Getty Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis except themselves Simon Stevens, head of NHS England Reports that key members of Ms Mays team used internal meetings to accuse Simon Stevens, head of NHS England, of being unenthusiastic and unresponsive have been rejected by Downing Street. Mr Stevens had allegedly rejected claims made by Ms May that the NHS had been given more funding than required. Getty Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis except themselves Previous health policy, not funding In an interview with Sky Newss Sophy Ridge, Ms May acknowledged the NHS faced pressures but said it was a problem that had been ducked by government over the years. She refuted the claim that hospitals were tackling a humanitarian crisis and said health funding was at record levels. We asked the NHS a while back to set out what it needed over the next five years in terms of its plan for the future and the funding that it would need, said the Prime Minister. They did that, we gave them that funding, in fact we gave them more funding than they required Funding is now at record levels for the NHS, more money has been going in. But doctors accused Ms May of being in denial about how the lack of additional funding provided for health and social care were behind a spiralling crisis in NHS hospitals. Getty Images Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis except themselves Target to treat all A&E patients within four hours Mr Hunt was accused of watering down the flagship target to treat all A&E patients within four hours. The Health Secretary told MPs the promise introduced by Tony Blairs government in 2000 should only be for those who actually need it. Amid jeers in the Commons, Mr Hunt said only four other countries pledged to treat all patients within a similar timeframe and all had less stringent rules. But Ms May has now said the Government will stand by the four-hour target for A&E, which says 95 per cent of patients must be dealt with within that time frame. Getty Images Everyone the Government blames for the NHS crisis except themselves No one Mr Hunt was accused of hiding from the public eye following news of the Red Crosss comments and didnt make an official statement for two days. He was also filmed refusing to answer questions from journalists who pursued him down the street yesterday to ask whether he planned to scrap the four-hour A&E waiting time target. Sky News reporter Beth Rigby pressed the Health Secretary on his position on the matter, saying the public will want to know, Mr Hunt. Sorry Beth, Ive answered questions about this already, replied Mr Hunt. But you didnt answer questions on this. You said it was over-interpreted in the House of Commons and you didnt want to water it down. Is that what youre saying? said Ms Rigby. Its very difficult, because how are we going to explain to the public what your intention is, when you change your position and then wont answer the question, Mr Hunt. But the Health Secretary maintained his silence until he reached his car and got in. Getty He also tweeted: I do not do this lightly as I love King's but believe the Govt & regulator are unrealistic about the scale of the challenge facing the NHS & the Trust. I want to pay tribute to the staff & their excellent patient care. Mr Kerslakes departure comes days before the trust is anticipated to be put into special measures as it failed to stick to its budget this year. Budget 2017: Hammond promises NHS 350m patch for winter Mr Kerslake argued that the trust had made savings of 80 million in each of the last two years, but the trust struggled since taking on responsibility for Bromleys Princess Royal University hospital in 2014. He added that rising demand, squeezed spending and increased costs caused financial strain. Kings has built a reputation at home and abroad for pioneering treatment in areas such as liver disease, diabetes and neurosciences. His words follow NHS chief executive Simon Stevens' call for an emergency cash injection of 4 billion. Chancellor Philip Hammond dismissed the call, saying public services and government departments always came to him before a budget asking for very large numbers, hinting that otherwise Armageddon will arrive. Mr Stevens asked the Government in 2014 for 10 billion by 2020, and Mr Hammond said the Government agreed to that although Mr Stevens had failed to deliver on his five-year plan. 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 federal US appeals court has upheld the conviction of Brendan Dassey, the subject of the Netflix documentary "Making a Murderer". In 2016 Dassey's conviction was overturned because a judge ruled his confession had been coerced due to his age - he was just 16 at the time - and that he did not have a guardian present during the questioning. The US Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision on 8 December and Dassey will continue to serve his life sentence. Recommended Making a Murderer subject Steven Avery denied a new trial Dassey and his uncle Steven Avery were convicted in 2007 for the murder of Wisconsin photographer Theresa Halbach two years earlier. Dassey confessed that he had helped Avery rape, kill, and burn the body of Ms Halbach. Her remains were found on the Avery family property. Hi lawyers went through the state and federal appeals process, arguing he was coerced into confessing and that his IQ was "low to borderline," meaning he may not have understood what he was doing while giving the confession. The federal court's decision to reverse the 2016 ruling was split 4-3 in favour of keeping the convinction. 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 Judge David Hamilton wrote in the opinion: "Dassey spoke with the interrogators freely, after receiving and understanding Miranda warnings, and with his mother's consent." However, the three dissenting judges called the decision "a profound miscarriage of justice." Judge Ilana Rovner wrote that Dassey was an "intellectually impaired juvenile" who was "subjected to [a] myriad [of] psychologically coercive techniques but the state court did not review his interrogation with the special care required by Supreme Court precedent." Dassey's lawyers at the Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth have said they plan on taking the case to the US Supreme Court because "interrogation tactics that may not be coercive when applied to adults are coercive when applied to children and the mentally impaired". He has remained in prison during the appeals process. Avery is also serving a life sentence, but maintained that was framed and innocent of Ms Halbach's murder. The Netflix documentary premiered in December 2015. The ten-part series investigated Ms Halbach's death, the court cases that followed, and Avery and Dassey's legal troubles. 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 }} Police believe they have exposed a new grooming gang in London as officers warn widespread abuse is taking place across the country. Four girls between the age of 13 and 15 have reported being raped by a group based around a McDonalds in Stratford, triggering a crackdown that has so far identified at least 30 potential victims. Detectives believe the number will grow as they appeal for others to come forward, after arresting three boys and three men in Stratford. Operation Sanctuary: "We do not believe that what we have uncovered is unique to Newcastle" Police are already arresting around 420 men every month over child sexual exploitation across England and Wales, and the numbers continue to grow. Detective Inspector Laura Hillier, of the Metropolitan Polices sexual exploitation team, said an operation codenamed Grandbye was launched after the four victims came forward separately in Newham. They had all been met by males at the McDonalds on the Broadway in Stratford and been taken to different places where they were sexually assaulted, she told The Independent. We think the scale of it is wider than initially thought the number of victims could increase. Investigators say the Stratford Centre, which sits opposite Westfield and houses McDonalds, is a pick-up point for grooming gang members seen congregating there with young girls. They believe some are local to the area, but others have been drawn in from surrounding boroughs in northeast London by messages linked to criminal gangs offering gifts or money for drug running on social media. Some girls felt they were in a relationship but others were there to either make money or do a job in relation to drugs, Ms Hillier said. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA Other girls are just there to meet up, then find themselves becoming victims of crime. Drugs and alcohol are frequently used by grooming gangs to incapacitate girls or coerce them into sex, with the criminality later discouraging victims from going to police. There are several methods of grooming, with the best-known boyfriend model seeing an abusive relationship used to force victims into sex with others. NSPCC encourages people to say something about child abuse with 'Say Something' advert Children can also be trafficked, befriended online or in the so-called party model targeted by groups of men who lure them to gatherings with offers of drinks, drugs, money and car rides. In high-profile cases such as Rotherham and Rochdale, gang leaders have been much older than their victims, but police say peer-on-peer abuse by teenagers from the same school or area is far more prolific. Ms Hillier said although older men are involved, the boys used as a hook are of a similar age to the teenage victims. Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs Council lead for child protection, said it was broadly representative of whats taking place across the UK. I think grooming is taking place in towns and cities up and down the country, he told The Independent. I think more children are being exploited because the volume of reports we are receiving just keeps on growing and there are far more victims than there are offenders. The same warning has been sounded by campaigners including Rotherham survivor Sammy Woodhouse, who said she was receiving a lot of new complaints from areas not previously known for grooming. She is campaigning for a law that would prevent victims being prosecuted for offences committed under duress a move supported by police trying to combat under-reporting. Mr Bailey said much of the abuse was associated with county lines, which sees criminal gangs expand drug dealing from cities into rural areas frequently using children to run the contraband in efforts to evade police. There is a really strong link between drug trafficking and the sexual exploitation of both girls and boys, he warned. The Muslim grooming gangs are just one model of child sexual exploitation and not the most prolific. The most prolific is peer-on-peer abuse and one form of that is in a gang environment, with the exploitation of people who are wrapped up in drug trafficking and then abused. There are no known common racial or religious characteristics with the Newham case and officials have warned that focusing on one kind of perpetrator will cause abuse to be missed. Police say Muslim-majority grooming gangs, like that convicted in Newcastle earlier this year, are not the most common type (PA) Its important to understand there is a real diversity between victims, perpetrators and how grooming happens, said Carly Adams, a specialist in child sexual exploitation at the Childrens Society. She also believes abuse is happening across the UK, telling The Independent: I would be shocked to my core if there was a place not experiencing some form of sexual exploitation. Any areas claiming they dont have a problem should have a look at what they understand sexual exploitation to be. The Childrens Society has specialist officers based in policing regions and is running prevention programmes around the country, including training security guards to spot grooming behaviour. Other charities are bolstering police efforts to educate children about the risk, going into schools and encouraging parents to get hands-on about their childrens internet usage. Police are also calling on companies to better monitor sites being used by groomers and advocating stronger age restrictions on extreme pornography linked to peer-to-peer sexual abuse. The youngest suspects arrested in connection with Operation Grandbye are just 15 years old and the investigation continues. A 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of rape and intent to supply cannabis and a 21-year-old was arrested and charged with cannabis possession. Another 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of breaching bail conditions by being in the Broadway McDonalds and a 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of robbery. One 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of robbery and another for intent to supply drugs. Westfield is a major shopping hub in east London (Getty) He was also served with a Child Abduction Warning Notice, which police say they are using in attempts to prevent sexual exploitation. The notices are being issued to grooming suspects before any offence is proven, listing the potential victims name, age, photograph and a statement from parents or guardians saying they do not want the alleged abuser to approach them. We find them a good disruptive tool, Ms Hillier said. Its a warning and from that we have been successful in proving to courts that perpetrators know a childs age. Police have handed out the notices to several suspects in Stratford, while working to disrupt potential grooming by alerting with shop staff, giving out information and flagging girls at risk at multi-agency safeguarding meetings. Ms Adams said that although awareness around grooming had improved dramatically, there was still a disparity in different areas of the UK. Were doing better but we could be doing more, she added. The Metropolitan Police are urging people to look out for the following possible signs of exploitation: Young people who appear secretive by trying to hide where they are going and who they will be with; Young people who, although with peers, look uncomfortable or under duress; Adults befriending young people, including buying them food and drinks; Young people being picked up and taken to hotels, particularly at odd times of the day and night; Adults who frequently come into premises with different young people. We cannot tackle this issue alone, Ms Hillier said. We need the assistance of the public, calling in any concerns which could provide officers with the opportunity to intervene before any harm occurs. Anyone concerned is asked to call police on 101. 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 }} A man who was targeted in a vicious acid attack earlier this year has called for better mental health support for victims. Jameel Muhktar, 37, suffered serious burns to his head and body after the attack in Beckton, east London, on 21 June. His cousin Resham Khan, 21, was also left severely injured after the perpetrator threw a corrosive substance through the windows of the car they were travelling in. I feel like its destroyed my life, Mr Muhktar told Sky News. Im still in severe pain. I cant move my head left to right. Im deaf in one ear. I can hardly walk. Ive had all sorts of skin grafts. He said he had ended up living in a bedsit alone and had suffered a breakdown because of the trauma he had endured. I dont think they (the NHS) understand about these attacks, he said, adding that he wanted counselling. Ms Khan has blogged about her experience and recovery online, as well as the lasting impact the attack left on her in the months afterwards. Today I was too petrified to walk to my local shop, she wrote in July. Too scared to face the world. Too scared of the looks I might get. Too scared to tackle the question how are you. Just too scared. Thats all Ive been. Terrified and reluctant. My life on pause, frozen with fear. John Tomlin, 25, of Canning Town in east London, has pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He is due to be sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 26 January. The UK now has one of the highest number of recorded acid attacks per person of any country in the world, with more than 800 reported attacks a year, the police warned this week. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty As well as the significant harm caused to individuals, the NHS estimates the average cost of care for a victim requiring specialist burns treatment, eye care, rehabilitation and mental health treatment is 34,500. Professor Chris Moran, national clinical director for trauma at NHS England, said: Whilst this type of criminal assault remains rare, the NHS is caring for an increasing number of people who have fallen victim to these cowardly attacks. One moment of thoughtless violence can result in serious physical pain and mental trauma, which can involve months if not years of costly and specialist NHS treatment. 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 }} EU member states have no right to deport EU citizens for being homeless, the European Commission has said, raising urgent questions about the legality of Home Office policy of removing European rough sleepers from the UK. The Independent revealed earlier this year that deportations of EU citizens from the UK have soared since Brexit, in part as a result of new Government guidelines stating that EU nationals sleeping rough in the UK should be removed. Almost 5,000 EU citizens were deported from Britain in the last 12 months the highest number since current records began and an increase of 14 per cent in the last year alone. Legal experts have warned that some of the deportations are illegal and have no basis in EU law a claim that appears to have been endorsed by the European Commission. In response to a European Parliament question from Danish MEP Ole Christensen, Vera Jourova, the Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, confirmed that EU citizens have a right to live in other EU countries irrespective of whether they are homeless or not. She said: The details of conditions for EU citizens to have a right of residence in another Member State are set out in the Free Movement Directive 2004/38/EC. Residence up to three months requires holding a valid passport or ID card, and longer residence essentially requires that the EU citizen is economically active, or, if not, can show sufficient resources not to be a burden on public funds and comprehensive sickness insurance. EC law on free movement precludes a Member State from making the right of residence of an EU citizen in another Member State subject to a condition of having a permanent or temporary address. EU citizens who meet the conditions set out in Directive 2004/38/EC have a right of residence, irrespective of whether they are homeless or not. A spokesman for the Commission also confirmed to The Independent that it is investigating the UKs deportations policy. He said: We are aware of an increase in the number of EU nationals who are being detained and facing removal from the UK for immigration reasons. We are looking into this issue. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA Should the Commission formally rule that the deportations are illegal, the UK Government would be forced to stop the policy or face punishment by Brussels. The case could be referred to the European Court of Justice while the UK still remains an EU member. Under the deal agreed between Theresa May and EU leaders this week, the ECJ will have powers over the rights of EU citizens living in the UK for eight years after Britain leaves the union. Under EU law, anyone who has lived in the UK for five years consecutively has the right to permanent residency regardless of other factors. Campaigners working with migrants say they believe some of those who have been removed fall in to this category. Even those who have lived in Britain for less than five years cannot be removed without good reason generally interpreted as having acted fraudulently or criminally, or being a burden on the state. Rough sleepers who are removed from the UK are not allowed to re-enter the country within 12 months. The Home Office guidance on deporting rough sleepers is already the subject of a judicial review in the UK and the Commissions response places renewed policy on the Government over a policy that has already been widely criticised by charities and campaigners working with migrants. The number of EU citizens being removed from the UK has increased fivefold since 2010, reaching 4,754 in 2016 up from just 973 in the year the Conservatives came to power. The rapid rise followed a fall of more than 74 per cent in the previous six years, down from 3,779 in 2004. The change stems partly from new immigration regulations introduced by the then Home Secretary Theresa May in May 2016. The new criteria state that rough sleepers are misusing their EU treaty rights and make clear that no other criteria for removal must be met in order to deport someone for sleeping rough. The document says: You may consider the administrative removal of EEA nationals or their family members who are sleeping rough, even if they have been in the UK for less than 3 months [and] are otherwise exercising Treaty Rights. The advice to immigration officers adds: Rough sleeping may be a misuse of a right to reside, therefore EEA nationals or their family members encountered sleeping rough may be subject to administrative removal. The guidelines use a hypothetical example of an EU citizen who is sleeping rough whilst working, to avoid accommodation costs, or who is persistently sleeping rough as someone who it would be proportionate to deport. Legal experts have consistently raised questions about the legality of the practice, and said Commissioner Jourovas response confirmed the Home Office is acting illegally. Lara ten Caten, a lawyer at human rights charity Liberty, said: The Governments self-titled hostile environment spreads far and wide, making life as unbearable as possible for migrants but the Commission has dealt it a significant blow. Deporting rough sleepers simply because they are homeless has no basis in EU law, as the Commission has confirmed. Many of those detained and removed for misusing their free movement rights were actually in work and some even had permanent right of residency, but in breach of their own policy the Home Office didnt care to check. This unlawful treatment of EU citizens who have fallen on hard times must now come to an end. Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA The claim that the Home Office is acting illegally was also backed by Nicolas Rollason, a prominent immigration lawyer and member of the European Immigration Lawyers Network. He told The Independent: There are very real concerns about the legality of what the Home Office in doing in relation to some very vulnerable EU nationals who are homeless. The UK Government deporting people solely on the basis of them sleeping rough, even when they are otherwise exercising their rights as EU citizens, has no basis in European law and should therefore be considered illegal. Professor Catherine Baynard, an expert in EU law at the University of Cambridge, said EU nationals who do not have sufficient resources can be removed from the UK, but that it is likely that the Government is not following legal due process. She said: Under EU law, people have to be given procedural protections and there must be case-by-case consideration. They should also be given a months notice to leave. I suspect what the UK Government is doing is just rounding up people and getting rid of them. My sense is that this is what is happening, and that would be unlawful. If theyre just being rounded up and shoved on a plane or a boat, that would be in breach of EU law. Despite deporting record numbers of EU citizens, ministers have repeatedly said they want to guarantee the rights of EU citizens after Brexit. In a major speech on Brexit delivered in Florence last month, Ms May said: I want to repeat to the 600,000 Italians in the UK and indeed to all EU citizens who have made their lives in our country that we want you to stay; we value you; and we thank you for your contribution to our national life and it has been, and remains, one of my first goals in this negotiation to ensure that you can carry on living your lives as before. I am clear that the guarantee I am giving on your rights is real. In light of the European Commissions clarification, Labour called on the Government to urgently review the legality of its deportations policy. Diane Abbott, the partys Shadow Home Secretary, told The Independent: Such treatment of the homeless is morally questionable within itself, and the Home Office cannot continue to act with impunity. The Government must urgently clarify the legality of their actions. Ms Abbott also claimed the surge in deportations of EU citizens could prove a barrier during Brexit talks. She said: I cant imagine that the illicit deportation of vulnerable EU nationals will have a positive impact on the UKs ongoing Brexit negotiations. Some of those sleeping rough would previously have qualified for housing benefit to help them find a home. However, in 2014 the government announced that EU nationals who were looking for work would no longer be able to receive housing benefit. A Home Office spokesperson said: No one should come to the UK with the intention of sleeping rough, and we will consider carefully the immigration status of those who are encountered doing so. We work closely with councils and homelessness outreach services to ensure that those who are vulnerable receive the care they need, while supporting local authorities to tackle the issue of migrants in their communities who have no right to be in the UK. 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 SNPs Westminster leader has marked Human Rights Day by calling on the British Government to uphold to the letter the rights of every citizen in the UK. Ian Blackford MP warned that leaving the EU must not result in the erosion of citizens rights as powers are transferred from Brussels to Westminster. Mr Blackford urged the UK Government to reverse the decision not to retain the EU charter of fundamental rights in UK law post-Brexit. Recommended Michael Gove is waving the white flag over Brexit Theresa Mays Government has said it is not necessary to keep the charter in order to retain its laws, principles and rights as these will already be converted into domestic law through the EU Withdrawal Bill. But Mr Blackford said the removal of the charter risked creating extra legal uncertainty and instability. He said: UN Human Rights Day is such an important opportunity for us all to acknowledge the progress we have made, but also the work that still has to be done to ensure those rights are never challenged or put at any risk. However, as the UK edges ever closer to exiting the EU, we must also make clear that the UK Government cannot and will not get away with any curbs on citizens rights and any attempt to move away from the guarantees within the charter of fundamental rights. It is important, as EU law is transferred to UK domestic law, that the Tory Government ensures that they uphold to the letter the rights of every single citizen in the UK regardless of their background and beliefs. Those rights are paramount and unassailable. Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA However, the rhetoric of the past few months and the long-term infliction of Tory austerity is a reflection of a Government pushing ahead with regressive policies that is pushing more and more people into desperation and poverty. The UN has repeatedly warned of the impact this Governments policies are having on disabled and vulnerable people, coupled with the dangers raised of the UKs threat of withdrawing from the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights). The SNP will fight tooth and nail to ensure that those rights that benefit us all are never put into question. PA 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 }} Teachers are demanding schools ban energy drinks after research found children were buying the drinks because they were cheaper than water. The NASUWT, of the UKs largest teaching unions, called energy drinks readily available legal highs as they contain huge amounts of sugar and caffeine and can have side effects such as headaches and palpitations. It comes after research by Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, found that energy drinks were as cheap as 25p and children as young as 10 reportedly bought them to fit in or look tough. Recommended Teenager dies in classroom after downing caffeinated drinks Fuse found that a 500ml can of a popular energy drink contains around 160mg of caffeine, well over the European Food Safety Authoritys daily recommended limit for an average 11-year-old. Darren Northcott, NASUWT national official for education, told the BBC that consuming excessive quantities of energy drinks can cause poor behaviour in children. "They are popular among young people who often think they are just another soft drink, and young people and parents are often not aware of the very high levels of stimulants that these drinks contain, he said. How to pack a healthier lunch Show all 6 1 /6 How to pack a healthier lunch How to pack a healthier lunch Kilner Salad-on-the-go jar, 9.99, lakeland.co.uk How to pack a healthier lunch Zaytoun Olive oil 500ml, 11.45, zaytoun.org How to pack a healthier lunch Clearspring Nori flakes, 1.99, clearspring.co.uk How to pack a healthier lunch MealPal Free app or mealpal.co.uk How to pack a healthier lunch Monbento Bento box, 27.50, monbento.co.uk How to pack a healthier lunch Merchant Gourmet Wholegrain rice, 2.30, merchant-gourmet.com "They are readily available legal highs sold in vending machines, supermarkets and corner shops." Children in the UK are among the highest consumers of energy drinks in Europe. One in six children believe energy drinks are necessary for survival - London Live The British Soft Drinks Association found that energy drink sales shot up by 185 per cent between 2006 and 2015. The BSA, which represents manufacturers, said the drinks were safe for young people. "Energy drinks and their ingredients have been deemed safe by regulatory authorities around the world," the BSA statement read. "In 2010 we introduced a voluntary Code of Practice to support consumers who want to make informed choices. In 2015 this was updated to include more stringent guidelines around marketing and promoting, including reference to in and around schools." 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 }} The historic Old Spitalfields Market in London has announced traders will no longer be able to sell fur from the beginning of next year. Following a review carried out by the Market, we have taken the decision to request stall holders do not offer animal fur for sale from the beginning of next year, a statement posted on the markets Facebook page reads. The exact wording and details are still being worked out but we thought wed share this now. The news is being hailed as progress by animal rights activists. Humane Society International UK (HSI) director Claire Bass said: HSI is delighted that Old Spitalfields Market has made the compassionate decision to request that its stallholders no longer sell animal fur. Real fur is extremely cruel, environmentally-unfriendly and should be confined to the history books. Earlier this year, fashion giant Gucci announced it would stop using fur from 2018. Although fur farming was banned in the UK in 2000, Britain has imported at least 650m worth of fur since then, according to HSI. The majority of the fur comes from farms overseas, including from China and eastern Europe. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA Earlier this year, an investigation by the Humane Society International and Sky News revealed many trusted retailers, including Missguided and House of Fraser, had been inadvertently selling real animal fur instead of fake fur. Some of the items being labelled as faux fur were actually found to contain cat fur. 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 }} Britain's human rights watchdog is to launch an inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire. Independent public body The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will examine whether the Government and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea failed in their duties to protect life and provide safe housing. The new probe comes after the main public inquiry, which is chaired by retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick, got underway. The official investigation has come under fire for excluding the role social housing policy played in the disaster. We think the human rights dimension to Grenfell Tower is absolutely fundamental and is currently overlooked," EHRC chair David Isaac told The Oberver. "Grenfell for most people in this country, particularly in the way the government has reacted, is a pretty defining moment in terms of how inequality is perceived." He said lessons needed to be learned from the June blaze, which killed 71 people. The EHRC inquiry will be carried out by a panel of legal experts who will focus on the obligations of both central and local government under the the Human Rights Act. A number of attempts to dismantle the Act have been made by Conservatives in recent years, with Theresa May denouncing the legislation a number of times as Home Secretary. The EHRC inquiry will examine whether the state fulfilled its obligations to residents in the aftermath of the fire and will look into whether the public inquiry is satisfactory. It will also look into whether the housing provided for the block's residence was adequate and safe, whether certain groups were discriminated against, and whether survivors of the fire have suffered "inhuman and degrading treatment". UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA Six months on from the fire, four out of five families made homeless are still searching for houses, while almost half could face Christmas in a hotel. In June, the Prime Minister promised families would be rehoused within three weeks. Many survivors and families of the victims have warned Ms May they may not participate in the official public inquiry unless they are allowed to take an increased role in the review. A petition calling on the Prime Minister to allow lawyers for bereaved families to see all the evidence and to question witnesses is seeking 100,000 signatures. 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 }} A group of good samaritans have been praised after spending half an hour pushing a stranded ambulance out from the snow. Joy Lyons, 39, posted a heartwarming picture of the three residents attempting to free the vehicle. The mum-of-three told of how they had to push it up a hill for around 30 minutes before the paramedics were able to drive away. Recommended Britain could get even colder tonight as snow continues to fall The helpful trio have attracted praise after the picture - which was taken at around 8.30am on Saturday in Ladywood, Birmingham - was shared on Twitter by Ms Lyons. The full-time mum, of Ladywood, Birmingham, said: "It was so heartwarming to see, I felt as though I just had to share it with people. Three men help the ambulance in the snow in Ladywood, Birmingham (Joy Lyons / SWNS.com) "I literally woke up to the sound of wheels screeching, and when I saw them out there trying to push the ambulance, it really put a smile on my face. "There's so much bad stuff going on in the world, that it's really nice to see people going out their way to help others. "You'd half expect no one to go out there and help, given all the negative stories you hear about bystanders, so this was really nice. She added: "I cannot praise the ambulance services enough for what they do, and it's fantastic to see people supporting them. "I would have gone out myself to help, but I have a severely bad back and have advised not to strain it at all. I was desperate to be out there pushing it too. "They spent about 20 minutes pushing it up the hill, but then once they got to the top, it got stuck again. "It took another 10 minutes or so to get it moving again, so it was a fair old time that they were out there. "I don't envy them because it was absolutely freezing, but it was a fantastic thing that they did. I just loved it, the whole thing. It's such a nice selfless thing to do, and it's nice to see people getting into the Christmas spirit." Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures A snowplough clears a closed road on the A470 from Merthyr Tydfil to Brecon PA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Pedestrians walk over the Millennium Bridge with St Paul's Cathedral pictured in the background as snow falls AFP/Getty Images Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Snow in Wood Green Rex Features Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures People walk through the snow in a park in north London EPA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Two girls make a snowman on Primrose Hill PA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures People wake up to a blanket of overnight snowfall in Stoke On Trent Getty Images Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Harlequins win a line-out in heavy snow during the European Rugby Champions Cup match against Ulster Rugby at Twickenham Stoop Getty Images for Harlequins Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures A train travels along snow covered tracks in High Wycombe EPA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Families take to the hills with sledges near Edale in Derbyshire AFP/Getty Images Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures People push a car up a snowy hill in north London EPA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures A crashed lorry on the A50 is tended to by police as the snow falls near Uttoxeter REUTERS Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures People go sledding on Primrose Hill PA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Motorists brave the snow in Worcester PA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures An abandoned car on the roadside on the Snake Pass in the Peak District PA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Heavy snow falls on sheep in the hills near Sennybridge, Wales REUTERS Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Snow falling on Westminster Bridge Rex Features Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Walkers on The Long Walk at Windsor PA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Motorist braves snowy conditions on the M2 motorway near Gillingham PA The image was shared on Saturday by West Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic Rob Moore, who said: "Check out this #BlueLightHappy moment from @jojo_lyons_1978 in Ladywood Birmingham this morning, some helpful people giving one of our ambulance crews a hand in the snow." Reacting to the tweet, Lesley (@SisterLesley29) said: "Great to see folks helping in times like this." Paul Hickman (original_tveng) posted: "Good work those citizens!" SWNS 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 }} Up to 20 centimetres (eight inches) of snow is expected to fall on some parts of the UK into Sunday, with travel disruption expected to follow. Large parts of the UK will see at least a few centimetres of snow, including a central swathe of England and Wales and parts of Scotland. The Met Office has warned that rural communities could be cut off as roads become hazardous, particularly in places where snow has fallen heavily. Recommended Blanket of snow covers mountains in Hawaii Sun shone over much of the country on Saturday, with temperatures only floating a few degrees above freezing in most parts. Rain and snow lurks off the west coast, however, and will start sweeping in during the early hours of Sunday morning, forecasters said. Heavy snow is expected to fall over the Midlands and Wales in the morning, thinning into lighter showers as the day progresses. London and the rest of southern England and Wales will instead be lashed by strong winds and rain, where gusts could reach 70mph, according to the Met Office. Storm Caroline brings snow to the UK Show all 12 1 /12 Storm Caroline brings snow to the UK Storm Caroline brings snow to the UK Walkers at Ribblehead Viaduct in Yorkshire PA Storm Caroline brings snow to the UK Snow falls in Chester PA Storm Caroline brings snow to the UK The scene near Ribblehead in Yorkshire PA Storm Caroline brings snow to the UK Josh Clewley harvests Brussels sprouts at Essington Farm in Wolverhampton in the run up to Christmas PA Storm Caroline brings snow to the UK A young schoolboy runs through the snow near Crumlin in Belfast Getty Images Storm Caroline brings snow to the UK Ribblehead Viaduct bathed morning sunlight in Yorkshire PA Storm Caroline brings snow to the UK Snow falls in Chester PA Storm Caroline brings snow to the UK The scene in Austwick, North Yorkshire, as parts of Britain woke up to a blanket of snow caused by an Arctic airflow in the wake of Storm Caroline PA Storm Caroline brings snow to the UK Children off from school due to the weather make their way past a large snowman on Black mountain in Belfast Getty Storm Caroline brings snow to the UK A vehicle near Ribblehead in Yorkshire PA Storm Caroline brings snow to the UK Snow falls in Chester PA Storm Caroline brings snow to the UK A truck near Ribblehead in Yorkshire PA An amber warning of snow will come into force at 4am on Sunday, affecting Wales, the Midlands and parts of northern and eastern England. 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. The onslaught of snow could also disrupt the skies, with Birmingham Airport writing on Twitter: If youre 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 which could bring short-term loss of power and other services, as well as transport disruption. Temperatures are due to sink to minus double-digits in areas of Scotland overnight, while few places outside of southern England are expected to get above zero. Accumulations of 10cm (4in) of snow are expected widely in the warning areas, while 15-20cm (6in-8in) is possible in worst-hit areas. Highways England issued advice for drivers travelling through the North-west and North-east of England and the Midlands to check the forecast and road conditions before they travel. The organisation said motorists should prepare for any eventuality by carrying warm clothing, food, drink, required medication, boots, shovel and a torch. Some 18,000 homes were reconnected after losing power as a result of stormy weather on Friday, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said. The Met Office is also warning more potentially disruptive weather could be on its way for southern areas of the country early next week. Storm Ana, named by the Spanish weather service, is expected to move into France on Monday and may bring a spell of wet and windy weather to parts of southern England, with the potential for more snow. PA 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 }} Universities offering shorter degrees will be able to charge up to 11,100 a year for the courses under controversial Government proposals. Although students undertaking accelerated courses, which typically take two years, will be left with a smaller overall debt, they will cost almost 2,000 per year more than the traditional three-year degrees. The Department of Education said this offers students a saving of 20 per cent on tuition fees, as well as saving them a year where they would have to study and not work. The proposals are part of Government plans to encourage more institutions to offer shorter, more intense courses, with ministers arguing that traditional degrees do not suit all students, such as mature learners. The number of part-time learners has tumbled by 56 per cent over the past two years, with a similar drop in the number of mature students, following a steady decline over the past decade, in line with the soaring costs of higher education. Currently only around 2,500 undergraduates opt for accelerated degrees, while a limited numbers of such courses are on offer. Under the proposals, universities in England will be able to charge a maximum of 11,100 for a two-year degree. The current maximum tuition fee for a typical three-year undergraduate course is 9,250. A student on a shorter course would pay 22,200 in tuition fees, compared with 27,750 for a standard three-year degree. Concerns have been raised about the impact shorter courses could have on issues such as university staff contracts and research, as well as the quality of the degrees with some suggesting they do not allow enough time for intellectual development in a subject. Students choosing accelerated courses have to work more intensively, while their holidays would be significantly shorter than on traditional degree programmes. An amendment to the Higher Education Bill, allowing the Secretary of State to set higher fees for accelerated courses, was made earlier this year, and the Government is consulting on the detail of how it will be implemented. If approved by Parliament, the changes would apply to shorter courses starting from autumn 2019. Universities minister Jo Johnson said: For too long we have been stuck with a system that has increasingly focused on offering only one way of benefiting from higher education, via the classic three-year degree programme. The passage of the Higher Education and Research Act this year has finally enabled us to break the mould of this one-size-fits-all system so students have much more choice over how they learn. Many will want to stick with the classic three-year university experience, but for highly motivated students hungry for a faster pace of learning and a quicker route into or back into work, at lower overall cost, two-year degrees will be well worth considering. 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 A spokesman for the Russell Group, which represents 24 leading UK universities, expressed a note of caution, saying: I dont think any university is necessarily ruling two-year courses out, but there are practical reasons why three-year programmes have generally been considered the most appropriate way to deliver courses at research-intensive institutions. Three-year courses provide opportunities to build the social and cultural capital of students beyond the remit of their degree programme. Summer is also traditionally a time when academics put a real focus on work with postgraduate students and move forwards with research. Ultimately, universities need to have the freedom to deliver courses in the way which lets them provide students with the best possible learning experience. 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 }} The UK is experiencing the worst snowfall in years as an even colder night was predicted for Sunday night, with the Met Office warning of chaos for commuters on Monday. Around 10cm to 20cm of snow was expected to fall today across the Midlands, northern and eastern England and Wales amid fears rural areas could become completely cut off. Saturday night was the coldest night of the year with -11C recorded in Dalwhinnie, Scotland but there is a high chance it could be colder tonight, forecasters warned. Were likely to see it keep snowing today but it will gradually peter out by the end of night but due to tonights cold weather it is likely there will be more issues tomorrow. An amber warning was issued for central UK yesterday but has now been updated to cover more of the South Midlands, parts of Gloucestershire and northern Home Counties. Amber warning means that areas affected will see 10cm to 20cm of snow with some disruption while London has been given a separate yellow warning which means 2cm to 5cm. The Met Office said: Our main message today is to stay at home, if you dont need to travel dont and keep track of weather updates as it could change. Flights have been temporarily suspended at Birmingham Airport due to the heavy snow with flights due to resume once the airport has cleared the runway. The airport said on its website: "Our teams are working hard to get flights in/out as soon as they can. In preparation for icy conditions Highways England have warned motorists to pack a winter kit with blankets, warm clothes and a shovel, as travel services brace themselves for delays. UK hit by snow in pictures Show all 6 1 /6 UK hit by snow in pictures UK hit by snow in pictures Peak District Snow covers the landscape in the Hope Valley, Peak District National Park. PA UK hit by snow in pictures London A woman waits as her pet dog sniffs along the first snow to settle in the year. REUTERS UK hit by snow in pictures Mam Tor A man walks his dog near Mam Tor in the Peak District National Park, PA UK hit by snow in pictures Berkshire A young child walks through snow in reading, Berkshire. PA UK hit by snow in pictures London People walk in the first snow to settle in the year in Wanstead. REUTERS UK hit by snow in pictures Mam Tor People take a photograph near a snowman on the trig point of Mam Tor in the Peak District National Park, PA South Western Railways has also warned that it is being affected by high winds in the south, with some routes given speed restrictions. Despite snow expected to stop during the night commuters should prepare themselves for more issues tomorrow. It wont be falling out of the sky on Monday morning but it will could be faced with a tricky commute, the Met Office said. The last time we had a warning of this scale, with so much of the UK affected, was 22 March 2013. 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 }} More than two thirds of women murdered by a man last year were killed by a partner or former partner, new findings reveal. A total of 113 women were killed by men in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2016 and 90 per cent of these victims were murdered by someone they knew, according to the latest Femicide Census report. Seventy-eight of the women were murdered by their current or former intimate partner, with three quarters (77 per cent) of those killed by their ex-partner or ex-spouse taking place within the first year that followed the separation. Three quarters (75 per cent) of all femicides took place in the womans own home. The figures, which constitute the most up-to-date information on femicide in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, serve as a stark reminder of the devastating effects of domestic violence, as well as fatal attacks on women by men they dont know. The annual Femicide Census, which collates the details of femicides committed by men to explore where lessons can be learnt by viewing cases together, also shows that one in six women were killed by either a stranger or someone they knew who wasnt an intimate partner or family member. In more than a third of cases, perpetrators used a sharp instrument to kill the victim. The greatest number of femicides occurred within the London Metropolitan, South Wales and Greater Manchester police force areas. The figures have prompted a renewed call for more to be done to address fatal violence against women by men, and for ministers to urgently put the prevention of femicide at the centre of its work to combat male violence against women and girls. In light of the census, Katie Ghose, chief executive of Womens Aid, said: More needs to be done to address mens fatal violence against women, as once again the Femicide Census reveals fatalities not as isolated incidents but as part of a repeated pattern of male violence against women. The Government must urgently put the prevention of femicide at the centre of its work to combat male violence against women and girls. She added that refuges must be given more funding in order to ensure women are able to escape from dangerous situations, highlighting that recent government proposals mean more than 4,000 women and children fleeing domestic abuse face being locked out of womens shelters. Every woman should be safe in her own home. Until that day, refuges are a vital lifeline, not an optional extra; they are not just a bed for a night but essential for women to safely escape domestic abuse and rebuild their lives away from the perpetrator, Ms Ghose said. A crucial part of preventing more fatalities must be to ensure sufficient provision for domestic abuse and sexual violence services, including refuges. Yet the governments proposed changes to supported housing funding for refuges plan to remove refuges last secure form of funding. Without a safe space to escape to, more women will be killed by men they know. The Government must act now. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty Karen Ingala Smith, chief executive of domestic violence charity the Nia Project, who developed the Census, said: Men are killing women and girls; most often women and girls that they are related to. Nine out of ten women killed by men in the census were killed by someone they knew. By breaking the barriers through which we contextualise violent crime, were able to build a different picture, a broader picture, about what causes and influences violence violence that is largely perpetrated by men. I really hope that the lessons that can be learned from the Femicide Census are taken seriously. The Home Office has been approached for comment. 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 }} Theresa May and the EU have announced that Brexit talks can move onto the issue of future trade after the DUP agreed to amendments over the issue of the Irish border. The Prime Ministers last attempt at a deal was vetoed by Northern Irelands unionist party after it objected to keeping the country in line with EU regulations and giving it special status apart from Britain. But the addition of a key paragraph in the 7,200-word joint report appears to have broken the deadlock, with regulatory alignment the phrase that so angered the DUP replaced in the text with no new regulatory barriers. Paragraph 48 reads: In the absence of agreed solutions, as set out in the previous paragraph, 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. The wording means that regulatory divergence between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK will be possible if and when UK law moves away from EU law but only if Stormont, Northern Irelands parliament, agrees. The wording has been criticised in some quarters as a means of kicking the issue into the long grass, with the UK promising to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland to protect the Good Friday Agreement, without providing a plan of how to stop it. Ms May admitted on Friday morning that specific solutions to what are the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland would still need to be found suggesting the deal was partly a fudge. 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 Irelands foreign affairs minister, Simon Coveney, said it was the extra paragraph that got the deal through. We have no issue with that paragraph at all, he told RTEs Morning Ireland show. It is saying that while there is full protection for full trade on the island of Ireland, the British Government is also saying they will ensure there are no barriers to trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. In Belfast, DUP leader Arlene Foster said she had secured six substantive changes to the text. There is no red line down the Irish Sea and clear confirmation that the entirety of the UK is leaving the European Union, leaving the single market and leaving the customs union, she said. But she warned: There are still matters there that we would have liked to see clarified. We ran out of time, essentially. We think we needed to go back again and talk about those matters, but the Prime Minister has decided to go to Brussels. Ms Foster suggested the DUP could still vote against the final Brexit deal. 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 beaming smile Theresa May wore as she shook Jean Claude Junkers hand on Friday morning bore out the relief she must have felt after finally locking in a settlement for the first phase of Brexit talks. With a deadline having been set for midnight on Sunday, early progress was by no means certain and not even expected as midnight approached, with intense international calls being made from 10 Downing Street. For most of the day Ms Mays Europe advisor Olly Robbins had been in constant contact with Sabine Weyand, the deputy to chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier, laying ground for progress. Recommended Theresa May agrees breakthrough Irish border deal with EU leaders Meanwhile, other Downing Street staffers prepared to have their work Christmas party, which continued during the night as cross-channel negotiations lit up the phone lines. A Number 10 spokesperson said: We made progress throughout the day yesterday. But it was late in the evening, when we felt everything was in the right place and we could move forward together. The first sign to the wider world that things were moving towards a conclusion was around 6pm on Thursday, when officials for the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, announced that he would make a statement in the morning. 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 Around the same time sources at the European Parliament began to say a deal had been done, but even at this point it was not set in stone. With Downing Street desperate to avoid another PR disaster following the collapse of Ms Mays first proposed withdrawal settlement, Number 10 officials warned journalists against jumping to conclusions. At 7.35pm Mr Junckers spokesperson confirmed the commission President had spoken to both Ms May and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. Mr Juncker and Mr Tusk had cleared their dinner diaries in case the deal was to be sealed early but doubt remained over whether an agreement was within reach. The critical period appears to have come between 9pm and midnight, when the Prime Minister took two calls in quick succession with the DUPs Arlene Foster. It was the Northern Irish political leaders eleventh-hour intervention on Monday that scuppered the last settlement. But with some changes to the text, she now gave her approval for things to move forward. Her permission was only given on the continued understanding that there are still outstanding issues around the Irish border that need to be agreed, something the text of the settlement outlines and Downing Street confirmed on Friday morning. Brexit: Theresa May agrees breakthrough Irish border deal with EU leaders While Ms May was finessing the agreement with the EU, Dublin and the DUP, and with the staff party going on around her, the Chief Whip was trying to ensure the parliamentary party felt included in the process. Julian Smith MP sent out a series of messages aimed at Tory backbenchers who may still baulk at how the settlement paves the way for the UK to remain in regulatory alignment in Europe, and who will see the Treasury handing over almost 40bn to Brussels as anything but a victory. Number 10 officials said Ms May had not had phone calls with key cabinet Brexiteers Boris Johnson and Michael Gove last night, central figures in demanding the Prime Minister stand her ground against Brussels demands in negotiations. Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster gives her leaders speech during the annual DUP party conference earlier this year (Getty) But Mr Smith did post a picture on social media showing Mr Johnson met Ms May for a quick update on progress during the evening. The Downing Street spokesperson said: The PM had a tough day. There was a lot of work to be done, a lot of conversations to be had. We are pleased we got to the place we are at this morning. Confirming that the PM only had a couple of hours sleep, he added: It was a late finish and an early start. Ms May was up and ready to leave Downing Street around 3.30am, with her official car whisking her and her bleary-eyed team to RAF Northolt to catch one of the UK Governments jets to Brussels. Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA In Belgium, journalists were told to expect her arrival around 6am, and around 30 minutes later Mr Junckers chief of staff Martin Selmayr tweeted out a picture of white smoke frothing out of a chimney a possible reference to the Vaticans practice of letting off smoke when a new pope has been selected. The irony of referencing a Catholic tradition, when the key stumbling block to the earlier settlement had been the staunchly protestant Northern Irish DUP, was not lost on social media. Moments later, pictures were published of Ms May, Brexit Secretary David Davis and Mr Robbins sitting opposite Mr Selmayr, Mr Juncker and Mr Barnier over a breakfast of coffee, pastries and orange juice. As the Prime Minister headed back to London, Environment Secretary Mr Gove shared a tweet saying she had won for the UK. 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 }} Labours Shadow Brexit Secretary says he believes this weeks deal with the EU means the UK will be linked with the single market in perpetuity. Labour supports keeping the closest possible trading ties with the European Union after Brexit and will lobby Prime Minister Theresa May to stick to that, the partys Brexit policy chief Sir Keir Starmer said on Sunday. Asked by the BBCs Andrew Marr whether you really think that the agreement that Theresa May struck this week means that Britain will, in perpetuity, stay very, very close to the single market and the customs union? he said: Yes. He added: And I think thats the right thing and I think we should hold her to that. Sir Keir said: What are the benefits of the single market and the customs union? They are no tariffs and they are alignment of regulations and standards and that means that for goods and services we can trade successfully in the future. Thats what we want. The way weve put it is that we would start with viable options, staying in a customs union and a single market variant which means full participation in the single market. Sir Keir has consistently said Labour would seek a deal that retains the benefits of single market and customs union membership, a position that would mean maintaining free movement of people from other EU countries. Asked about this, Sir Keir said he favoured a system of easy movement for EU nationals. The end of free movement doesnt mean no movement, he said. Of course we would want people to come from the EU to work here, we would want people who are here to go to work in the EU. He said Labours policy would be to stay aligned to the EU after Brexit, which could include making payments to the EU budget, as Norway does. We do have a choice, do we want to stay aligned so that we can trade successfully or do we want to tear apart and I say we should stay aligned, he said. You cant sweep the customs union and the single market off the table on the one hand and also say you dont want a hard border in Northern Ireland...You cant have no hard border if you dont have alignment. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA Labour has previously been criticised for appearing divided on the issue of the future relationship with the EU. Shadow International Trade Secretary Barry Gardiner described continued single market and customs union membership post Brexit as akin to becoming a vassal state of the EU. But senior party figures appeared united over Sir Keirs approach, with Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry later telling the BBCs Sunday Politics program that the UK did not need to go a long way from its current arrangement in order to reshape its future trade policy. We would always have prioritised the economy and trade when it came to negotiations and people should be in no doubt, it would be economically ridiculous to march off into the middle of the Atlantic and turn our backs on the European Union, she said. If you want to export vacuum cleaners to Europe, they need to have the same safety standards to the rest of Europe. Nobody wants environmental controls, employment controls, all of these different things to be less in Britain than elsewhere in Europe, well, some Tories do, but we dont and were quite clear about that. Ms May clinched a last-minute deal on Friday after a fraught few days in which an earlier agreement seemed to have been reached before the DUP stepped in to veto it. She pledged that the entire UK would maintain full alignment with those rules of the Internal Market and the Customs Union, where they applied to avoiding a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. Though the Prime Minister later said the UK would leave both the customs union and single market, EU figures said it was hard to reconcile that aim with the agreement to avoid a hard border. 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 }} A large majority of British people think the Governments struggle for a Brexit deal has become so all-encompassing that other crucial challenges have been forgotten about, a poll has revealed. The exclusive survey for The Independent by BMG Research showed some 60 per cent of people believe important domestic issues are being ignored by ministers as Brexit relentlessly diverts their attention, with problems faced by the NHS and the housing market consistently appearing in surveys of voter concerns. Whitehall departments are undertaking a major recruitment drive to hire thousands of new civil servants to cope with the burden of Brexit, while the Government admitted last week it has not carried out any impact assessments into the implications of leaving the EU on the British economy. Recommended Brexit trade talks could still be months away despite breakthrough Conducted amid the turmoil of last weeks fraught Brexit negotiations, the new poll shows Labour edging ahead of the Conservatives by three points and Jeremy Corbyns satisfaction ratings outstripping those of Theresa May. Pressure on Ms May to push Brexit talks forward was momentarily lifted earlier this week when she secured a withdrawal deal, ending phase one of negotiations. But the progress followed a week in which her political agenda was dominated by Brexit issues both in Brussels and in the House of Commons. That in turn followed weeks of rolling negotiations with EU diplomats and different factions on her own backbenches to ensure any deal did not destroy her administration. 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 Asked to what extent they agreed with the statement, the Government has spent too much time focusing on Brexit and has forgotten about important domestic issues, a majority backed it. Overall 19 per cent strongly agreed and 41 per cent somewhat agreed meaning 59 per cent agreed to some extent. A fifth, 20 per cent, neither agreed nor disagreed, seven per cent did not know, while 12 per cent disagreed somewhat and only three per cent disagreed strongly giving a total of those who disagreed of just 14 per cent. When dont knows were redistributed the total who agreed critical domestic issues are being forgotten hit 63 per cent, and 15 per cent disagreed. The data is a stark warning for a party stung at the election by a public tired of austerity, angry about the housing crisis and worried about the state of the NHS. In October, it emerged that the civil service will have to hire an extra 8,000 staff to deal specifically with Brexit, a sign of how its resources are being diverted towards the challenges of leaving the EU. Philip Hammond has warned that diverting money to Brexit preparations could squeeze the NHS (Getty) Nearly 3,000 new posts have already been created to help face what will be the biggest administrative challenge they have faced for half a century. Brexit Secretary David Davis told Cabinet colleagues that Her Majestys Revenue and Customs will also have to recruit between 3,000 and 5,000 new members of staff next year. If the new recruits earn an average of 50,000 each, the wage bill would top 400m. But thats a drop in the ocean compared to the 35bn to 39bn the UK will have to pay the EU as part of its divorce settlement a figure many expect to rise higher. That also does not include the cost of new technology and extra infrastructure at borders that may be needed, which Chancellor Philip Hammond has suggested could divert funds from the NHS and education. The UK has not conducted a Brexit impact assessment on any sector, says David Davis Mr Davis faced a grilling on Wednesday when he admitted the Government had not conducted impact assessments into the effects on specific sectors of Brexit, or on the wider economy of leaving the EUs customs union. The new polling was taken between 5-8 December, as Ms May desperately struggled to secure a withdrawal deal after her Northern Irish political partners scuppered an earlier attempt. The furore appears to have not helped her or her partys public ratings, with Labour opening up a three-point lead, rising to 40 per cent once dont knows are excluded, compared to the Conservatives 37 per cent. In terms of leaders satisfaction ratings, Ms May hit minus 30 (35 per cent satisfied, and 65 per cent dissatisfied) while Mr Corbyn had a rating of minus 12 (44 per cent satisfied and 56 per cent dissatisfied). Asked who people would prefer to see as the next prime minister, the pair were effectively tied. Once dont knows were redistributed, Ms May had the backing of 32 per cent and Mr Corbyn the support of 33 per cent of people. BMG interviewed a representative sample of 1,509 adults living in Great Britain on 5-8 December. Data are weighted. BMG are members of the British Polling Council and abide by its rules. Full details at bmgresearch.co.uk/polling 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 }} Brexit Secretary David Davis has said the UK can have a Canada plus plus plus trade deal with the EU after Brexit. He said the deal would involve Canada plus the best of Japan, the best of South Korea and that the bit that is missing, which is the services. His words come as non-EU countries are reported to have told the EU that the UK should not be given a trade agreement that is favourable to other third countries. No non-EU member state has negotiated trade terms with the EU that extends to services, particularly financial services. Asked by the BBCs Andrew Marr about the kind of deal the UK would seek with the EU the Brexit Secretary said: Canada plus plus plus would be one way of putting it. Mr Davis said that the agreement that was reached on Friday over the first phase of the negotiations meant that the odds of a WTO, no-deal outcome have dropped dramatically. He said a deal with the European Union could be signed the minute after the UK formally leaves the EU in March 2019. EU officials have cautioned the process is likely to take years. The Brexit Secretary confirmed the so-called divorce settlement with the EU would total 35bn to 39bn, as has been reported, but described the deal as a statement of intent and was not legally enforceable. If the UK failed to agree a trade deal with the EU it would not be compelled to hand over the money. The comments appeared to contradict those of Chancellor Philip Hammond, who has said it would be inconceivable the UK would fail to honour its international obligations. Asked about Mr Hammonds comments regarding the exit payment, Mr Davis said: No. It is conditional on an outcome. I am afraid that wasnt quite right. It is conditional. It is conditional on getting an implementation period. Conditional on a trade outcome. No deal means that we wont be paying the money. Asked if the Chancellor was wrong, Mr Davis said: It has been made clear by No 10 already. So thats not actually new. The Brexit Secretary also said the UK was committed to keeping a frictionless and invisible Irish border and would find a way to do this if there was a no-deal Brexit. 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 }} Labour is considering moving the Bank of England to Birmingham as part of plans to rebalance the economy and strengthen the regions. A report commissioned by Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has concluded that the Banks London base is unsatisfactory and leads to the regions being underweighted in policy decisions. Part of its recommendations include moving some functions to Birmingham. Labour already plans to create a National Investment Bank and Strategic Investment Board if it wins the general election, which would also be based in Birmingham alongside certain functions from the Bank of England. All three, side-by-side, would constitute a new economic policy hub, says the report by consultants GFC Economics and Clearpoint Corporation Management. Mr McDonnell told the Financial Times the important report drums home the message that our financial system isnt delivering enough investment across the whole country. All or part of Channel 4 may also be about to move to Birmingham after Theresa May pledged to move the broadcaster out of London. Birmingham has played a significant role in recent Conservative strategy to take on traditional Labour voting areas, which is partially down to the efforts of Ms Mays ex-chief of staff, Nick Timothy, who is from the city. The party worked hard to get former John Lewis chief executive Andy Street elected as its first mayor in May this year. The report also criticises the BoEs Financial Policy Committee, which it claims is ignoring investment and makes no distinction between unproductive and productive lending. The Bank of England has been in its home on Threadneedle Street in the heart of the City of London since 1734. 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 }} A court case in which British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was expected to have her jail sentence in Iran extended has been postponed, campaigners said, following a visit to the country by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Mr Johnson spent the weekend in Tehran meeting the Iranian Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and other officials, with whom he raised the case of Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, but no agreement for her release was reached. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been detained in Iran since April of last year, when she was arrested during a family holiday. She was expected to appear in court today over charges of espionage, which could lengthen her jail sentence from five years to ten. Her husband Richard Ratcliffe said: Our family has no doubt that [the Foreign Secretarys] presence and efforts to discuss Nazanins case with the Iranian authorities yesterday made a difference to what happened to Nazanins court case today. And we hope for what might happen in a near tomorrow. Nazanins court case was not held today in the wake of the Foreign Secretarys visit. This is undoubtedly a good sign. The Foreign Secretary also met with Nazanins family last night to reassure them that Nazanin was a close concern, and that her case had been discussed in every meeting he held. I am expecting a fuller debrief from the Foreign Office on the Foreign Secretarys efforts on Nazanins case once he returns from the region, either Monday or Tuesday. Mr Johnson said he had held frank discussions in Tehran on Saturday with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, which was described as a constructive meeting. Ms Zaghhari-Ratcliffe has been charged with seeking to undermine the Iranian state. Tehran does not recognise Zaghari-Ratcliffes dual UK-Iranian nationality, and refuses her access to representatives of the British authorities. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was in Iran last April to show her 22-month-old daughter to her parents. She works for the charitable foundation connected to the news company Thomson Reuters, but is not a journalist. Last month, Boris Johnson erroneously told a parliamentary committee Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been in Iran training journalists. Since then she has seen the possibility of a charge of espionage be added to her sentence, which could extend it by five years. The couples daughter Gabriella is now living in Iran with her grandparents. In an interview with The Independent Mr Ratcliffe said she had lost what little amount of English she had spoken before her her mother was detained, and that he now communicates with her via an interpreter. He said: Gabriella is three, three and a half now. 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. 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 }} Pro-European Conservatives are threatening to inflict Theresa Mays first Commons defeat on her Brexit bill in a last-ditch bid to have a meaningful vote on the terms and conditions of the UKs exit package. Government Whips are said to be concerned the Prime Minister could face an embarrassing defeat if enough Tory rebels vote with the majority of opposition MPs over a crucial amendment to the bill next week. A statement signed by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on EU relations, shown to the Observer, says that Parliament must be sovereign as Brexiteers have themselves demanded and give the final seal of approval to MPs. Recommended British people think Government ignoring critical issues due to Brexit The group, co-chaired by former Tory minister Anna Soubry and Labours Labours Chuka Umunna, urged all MPs to put the national interest, not party politics, first. It has been said that in the EU referendum last year, the British people voted to take back control of our laws. For many, that means a powerful reassertion of parliamentary sovereignty. As such, we parliamentarians have a solemn duty to scrutinise the actions of the executive. Of no subject is this scrutiny more important and more necessary than Brexit. The statement continued: Members of all parties have already provided valuable scrutiny to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, and we have forced the government into some concessions. 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 But little of that will matter unless we can have a truly meaningful vote on the withdrawal agreement the government negotiates with the European Union. The so-called meaningful vote amendment 7 drafted by former attorney general Dominic Grieve calls for MPs to have the final say on any financial settlement and trading arrangements before the UKs departure becomes law. It is aimed at ensuring the softest Brexit possible with the hope of retaining access to the single market and customs union in return for continued payments into the EU budget. Recommended The economic story of Brexit started decades before the EU referendum The EU Withdrawal Bill passed its second Commons Reading by 326 votes to 290 in September and is currently going through line-by-line scrutiny by a Committee of the Whole House, with Brexit Secretary David Davis set to face another grilling this week. The Government was able to defeat the first opposition amendments to its Brexit bill last month but with a total of 400 amendments tabled, the opportunity for rebellion remains. The cross-party EU relations group, which includes around a dozen Tory backbenchers and former ministers, believes it has the numbers to force through the meaningful vote amendment if just 11 Conservative MPs vote with them and the expected number of pro-Brexit Labour MPs support the Government. Ten Conservative MPs have put their names to the amendment, with the vote due to take place on Wednesday. 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 }} 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, Republican John Lewis, 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 honouring the incredible sacrifice rights leaders made to right the injustices in our history," press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement - without recognising 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 scepticism 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 towards people of colour. Most respondents - 57 per cent - said they did not believe that Trump respects people of colour as much as he does white people. Among whites, 50 per cent held that view. Among black Americans, the number was 86 per cent. 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 colour 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 per cent 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 per cent - said that he was, but 83 per cent of black Americans did. Seven per cent of Trump's own supporters thought he was racist. 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 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. (C) Washington Post Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A former Fox News anchor has claimed President Donald Trump tried to kiss her in a lift inside Trump Tower. Juliet Huddy said the alleged incident took place after the pair had lunch together in the 58-storey skyscraper, which is the headquarter of The Trump Organisation, in either 2005 or 2006. President Trump married First Lady Melania Trump in Florida in January 2005. Ms Huddy, who now hosts a radio show on US station WABC Radio, claimed Mr Trump leaned in for a kiss on the lips rather than the cheek when the pair said goodbye. She claimed President Trump made a joke about the alleged incident when appearing on her show at a date, saying: I tried hitting on her but she blew me off. He took me for lunch at Trump Tower, just us two. He said goodbye to me in an elevator while his security guy was there, rather than kiss me on the cheek he leaned in to kiss me on the lips, she said on a podcast called Mornin!!! With Bill Schulz. I wasnt offended, I was kind of like, Oh my god." 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 She added: I was surprised that he went for the lips. But I didnt feel threatened he took me out to lunch to talk about maybe me doing something with The Apprentice. He used to watch Fox & Friends, the show I was hosting on the weekend. Whatever, everything was fine. It was a weird moment. He never tried anything after that, and I was never alone with him. The former TV anchor said President Trump joked about the alleged incident when he later made an appearance on her show. She said: Trump was a guest and he came on stage. He said, to the audience and producers, not on camera, I tried hitting on her but she blew me off. He was laughing. Ms Huddy has since said the alleged incident, first revealed in the New York Posts Page Six column, did take place but attempt to downplay it. She tweeted: Re: Page Six 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. Julie Roginsky, a former Fox News contributor, also supported Ms Huddys claim. Recommended Trump leaves Democrats off his Hanukkah party guest list For all those who are doubting Juliet Huddy's story, please stop. She told me this story many years ago, well before Trump was running for anything. She has absolutely no agenda other than the truth here, she said. Ms Huddys claim shares parallels with those made by other women who allege Mr Trump made unwanted advances towards them. President Trump has consistently denied all allegations of historical sexual abuse or harassment brought by more than a dozen women since he became a candidate in the US election last year. President Trump has come under heavy fire for the now infamous 2005 Access Hollywood tape which was leaked last year. In the tape, Mr Trump could be heard bragging about groping and making unwanted advances on women and saying he was such a star that he could grab women by the pussy. The former billionaire property tycoon initially attempted to dismiss the obscene and degrading comments as nothing more than "locker room" banter but later released a 90-second long apology for the remarks. The Independent contacted the White House for comment. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Advancing flames pushed more Californians out of their homes as a massive wildfire continued to advance across a swathe of states southern portion. As of Sunday morning, the Thomas Fire had blackened some 173,000 acres across Santa Barbara County and Ventura County, incinerating more than 750 structures and endangering another 15,000. Firefighters had only contained about 15 per cent of the sprawling inferno, which expanded overnight as Santa Ana winds persisted. Residents of the towns of Carpinteria and Montecito were told to evacuate, with Cal Fire noting significant growth and predicting the flames would continue to spread, and people in the wider area threatened by the fires were urged to remain vigilant and prepare to flee. Now is the time to gather your family members, pets, irreplaceable and necessary items including prescriptions and documents in case you are ordered to evacuate. If you are ordered to evacuate, leave immediately, an alert from the Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Office said. If at any point you feel threatened, dont wait for a mandatory order. Complicating peoples ability to get information about the fires, power and internet outages were widespread. Power company Southern California Edison estimated that the Thomas Fire had deprived nearly 90,000 customers of power. Strong winds have helped push fires through dry brush and impeded firefighting efforts. The National Weather Service predicted that strong Santa Ana winds would continue blowing through Monday, gusting up to 45 miles per hour. 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 A combination of gusty winds and low relative humidity can contribute to extreme fire behaviour, the service warned. While the Thomas Fire was the most dire threat, it was one of six different fires that burned across hundreds of miles and multiple metropolitan areas in California. Hundreds of thousands of people have been pushed from their homes in the week since the blazes ignited, though some began to return as firefighters made progress against Los Angeles area conflagrations. California fires: Six major fires continue to ravage southern California Threats from the three fires that had menaced Los Angeles and Los Angeles County had been largely neutralised. Two fires that burned across the countys northern end were at 90 per cent containment after having destroyed some 130 structures, including at least 60 homes, and a blaze that consumed hundreds of acres around an affluent Los Angeles enclave was 75 per cent contained. Another fire in San Diego County was more than half contained, having scorched around 4,100 acres and destroyed 182 structures. An update from Cal Fire said firefighters had expanded containment lines as they took advantage of more favourable weather conditions, with high winds staying away from the epicenter of the fight. 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 }} Five months after legalising recreational marijuana, there are more than 16,000 Uruguayans registered to buy the drug from pharmacies, up from 5,000 users in July. People in Uruguay can also grow plants at home, or become a member of a local Cannabis Club to withdraw up to 40g of marijuana per month. There are 70 membership clubs, according to data from the Institute for Regulation and Control of Cannabis website. With many countries around the world campaigning to legalise the sale and purchase of marijuana, the worlds eyes are on countries like Uruguay to see how the government coped with the new system and what obstacles they encountered. Recommended Poland legalises medical cannabis Uruguay became the first country in the world to legalise the sale of recreational marijuana across all of its territory giving new access to highs for its population of 3.4 million people. Campaigners say legalising marijuana helps to end drug trafficking and can save lives as illegal drugs are often mixed with ingredients that are dangerous to consume. Since July, the government has worked to provide high-quality, low-cost marijuana to registered users, although the existing law has been accused of lacking clarity as to what other vendors can sell the drug and how to classify a pharmacy. In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Show all 26 1 /26 In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A man wears a marijuana leaf mask during the annual 4/20 cannabis culture celebration at Sunset Beach in Vancouver, British Columbia AP In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A lady smokes marijuana on Parliament Hill on 4/20 in Ottawa, Ontario Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies James Reed smokes a joint during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies People sign a 4/20 sign on Parliament Hill on in Ottawa, Ontario Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A woman smokes marijuana on Parliament Hill on 4/20 in Ottawa, Ontario. Polling released showed strong support in Canada for a government drive to legalise recreational use of marijuana, but many would like the proposed minimum age for consumption to be raised. Sixty-three percent of respondents told the Angus Reid Institute they support legalisation Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A man smokes marijuana during the annual 4/20 marijuana rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Reuters In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Demonstrators smoke marijuana during the '4/20 Santiago' rally in favour of legalisation in front of the La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago, as part of the Global Marijuana March which is being held in hundreds of cities worldwide Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies People play with a mock marijuana joint during a 4/20 party to demand legalisation and to celebrate marijuana culture outside the Senate building in Mexico City, Mexico Reuters In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Adam Eidinger, co-founder of DCMJ, hands out free marijuana joints to DC residents who worked on Capitol Hill as part of the 1st Annual Joint Session to mark '4/20' day and promote legalising marijuana on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Police arrest Rachel Ramone Donlan after she handed out free marijuana joints to DC residents who worked on Capitol Hill as part of the 1st Annual Joint Session to mark '4/20' day and promote legalising marijuana on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC AFP/Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Police arrest Rachel Ramone Donlan after she handed out free marijuana joints to DC residents who worked on Capitol Hill as part of the 1st Annual Joint Session to mark '4/20' day and promote legalising marijuana on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Thousands of people gather to smoke marijuana during the '420 Santiago'rally in front of the La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies People attend the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Kevin Barron and Lasean Moore of Raleigh, North Carolina, share a joint during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Nic Ruhl takes a pull on a giant hand rolled joint at precisely 4:20pm MDT during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Various cannabis paraphernalia on display at a vendor's stall during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Mo Banez, of Austin, Texas, lights a joint during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A man displays a large container of cannabis during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado. The rally, held annually, is a celebration of both the legalisation of cannabis and cannabis culture. Colorado is one of twenty-six U.S. states along with the District of Columbia that has legalised the use of cannabis either recreationally or medically AFP/Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Sitting in small groups on mats shaded by trees in the Rose Garden just across from the Knesset, participants lit up as the clock struck 4:20 for the local version of the traditional worldwide April 20 pro-marijuana events, known as '420' rallies Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies An Israeli smokes a marijuana joint in Jerusalem during a rally at the Rose garden Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Sitting in small groups on mats shaded by trees in the Rose Garden just across from the Knesset, participants lit up as the clock struck 4:20 for the local version of the traditional worldwide April 20 pro-marijuana events, known as '420' rallies Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies An Israeli girl poses with a mock marijuana joint in Jerusalem during a rally at the Rose garden, to celebrate 420 and to express their defiance of current laws Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies aelis pass around a marijuana joint in Jerusalem during a rally at the Rose garden, to celebrate 420 and to express their defiance of current laws Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies An Israeli smokes a marijuana joint in Jerusalem during a rally at the Rose garden, to celebrate 420 and to express their defiance of current law Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies An Israeli smokes a marijuana joint in Jerusalem on April 20, 2017 during a rally opposite the Knesset to celebrate 420 and express defiance of current laws AFP/Getty Images At the pharmacies, people are vetted via a fingerprint scan and handed a thermosealed pack, as much as $70 cheaper than much lesser quality substance on the streets. Thanks to the separation of church and state in the Catholic country, Uruguay has been at the forefront of liberal policies compared to its much larger South American neighbours. 4/20 London - Should marijuana be legal? While women can be imprisoned for suffering a miscarriage in places like El Salvador, abortion was legalised in 2012 in Uruguay, and is only one of two countries alongside Cuba to have done so in the region. However, the sale of medical marijuana is illegal in Uruguay, while medical marijuana is slowly being adopted across many other countries including the US and Canada. Marijuana is also banned for foreign tourists. And even with recreational marijuana, there have been obstacles, with only a handful of pharmacists signing up to serve government-registered consumers, as reported by the Guardian. There are reportedly 11 provinces that do not have any legal vendors, and the government is considering opening marijuana kiosks in those areas, offering 5-gram cannabis sachets alongside chocolate and cookies. Despite resistance from pharmacists and the banks handling their accounts, the government has upped the content of tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component of the drug, from 2 per cent on the first batch to 9 per cent. 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 }} Twenty-two Arab states including close US allies have urged Donald Trump to reconsider a "dangerous" decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The Arab League warned the move "deepens tension, ignites anger and threatens to plunge region into more violence and chaos," in a strongly critical statement issued following an emergency meeting attended by the foreign ministers of each member nation. The White House announcement about Jerusalem this week overturned decades of US neutrality on one of the Middle East's most sensitive issues, sparking violence in Gaza and protests elsewhere in the region. Recommended Trump risks uniting the entire Arab world against the US The US President's endorsement of Israel's claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital reverses Washington's stance that the city's status must be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The Arab League statement described the decision as a "dangerous violation of international law" which had no legal impact and was "void". It said it would seek a United Nations Security Council resolution rejecting the US move. "The decision has no legal effect... it deepens tension, ignites anger and threatens to plunge region into more violence and chaos," the statement, issued at 3am local time after hours of meetings that began on Saturday evening in Cairo. Lebanon's foreign minister Gebran Bassil suggested Arab nations should also consider imposing economic sanctions against the United States to prevent it moving its Israel embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. "Pre-emptive measures [must be] taken ... beginning with diplomatic measures, then political, then economic and financial sanctions," he said. But the Arab League statement made no mention of economic sanctions and included no other punitive actions against the US, such as a boycott of American products or downgrading of ties with Washington. 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 Arab criticism of Mr Trump's plan contrasted sharply with the praise Washington's traditional Arab allies heaped on him at the beginning of his administration in January. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan have each issued individual statements criticising the Jerusalem decision. "This step represents a big bias against the historic rights of the Palestinians and a big regression in the efforts to push the peace process forward," said the Saudi royal court in a statement to Al Jazeera. "It is a violation of the American neutral position towards Jerusalem. A Jordanian government spokesman, Muhammad al-Momani, said the US move was false and illegal because it consolidates the occupation. About 10,000 people rallied on Sunday outside the US Embassy in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta to denounce Mr Trump's announcement. Demonstrators carried banners reading "US Embassy, Gets Out from Al Quds", "Free Jerusalem and Palestinians" and "We are with the Palestinians". Indonesian President Joko Widodo has strongly condemned the US announcement, which he described as a violation of UN resolutions. Donald Trump officially recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Meanwhile, Israel's defence minister called for a boycott of Arab businesses in an area where there riots following the Jerusalem decision. Avigdor Lieberman said the Arabs of Wadi Ara, in northern Israel were "not part of us" and Jewish Israelis should no longer visit their villages and buy their products. He spoke to Army Radio after hundreds of Israeli Arabs protested on Saturday along a major road, with dozens of masked rioters hurling stones at bus and police vehicles. Three Israeli people were wounded and several vehicles damaged. The protests were part of a Palestinian "day of rage" following Mr Trump's announcement. Israeli air strikes killed two Palestinian gunmen on Saturday after militants fired rockets from Gaza into Israel on Friday. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A 17-year-old actress claimed she was molested by a "middle-aged man" during a flight in India. Zaira Wasim, who recently starred in the largest grossing Bollywood film in history, said a man behind her on a flight from Delhi to Mumbai ran his foot up and down her back and prodded her shoulder. The man, who has not been identified, reportedly stuck his bare foot through the gap between the window and her seat when she was half-asleep. Recommended Dustin Hoffman faces new allegations of sexual harassment The teenager described what happened in an Instagram video, in which she was visibly distressed. She explained that the alleged incident lasted for as long as 10 minutes and he kept nudging [her] shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down [her] back and neck. This is terrible, she said. This is not the way we should feel. She added: "No one will help us unless we decide to help ourselves. "This is the worst thing." Kevin Spacey: his accusers Show all 6 1 /6 Kevin Spacey: his accusers Kevin Spacey: his accusers Anthony Rapp In an interview with Buzzfeed, he claimed that Spacey had made sexual advances on him when he was 14 years old, attending a party at the actor's apartment. Spacey responded to Rapp's allegations in a statement, saying he is beyond horrified to hear his story but does not remember the incident Rex Kevin Spacey: his accusers Roberto Cavazos The actor wrote on Facebook that he encountered Spacey at the bar of London's Old Vic Theatre, where Spacey was artistic director from 2004-15, and that the actor tried to grope him against his will Twitter Kevin Spacey: his accusers Daniel Beal The British barman alleged the actor approached him as he took a cigarette break while working at a West Sussex hotel, sitting down beside the then 19-year-old on a bench, flashing his privates and telling him, "It's big, isn't it?", before trying to pull his hand toward him. When Beal returned to the bar to work, Spacey allegedly followed him and insisted on giving him a Swiss watch worth 5,000 in value. "I thought he was joking but he took off his watch and gave it to me," Beal stated. "Looking back I realise it was to keep me quiet." Dan Beal/Facebook Kevin Spacey: his accusers Tony Montana The filmmaker has accused Spacey of groping him while he was in an LA bar in 2003. "I went up to order a drink and Kevin came up to me and put his arm around me," he said. "He was telling me to come with him, to leave the bar. He put his hand on my crotch forcefully and grabbed my whole package." Youtube Kevin Spacey: his accusers Anonymous A man, identified as John, which is not his real name, said he was left traumatised after waking up to find Spacey lying on him in the 1980s BBC Kevin Spacey: his accusers Harry Dreyfuss The son of actor Richard Dreyfuss, Dreyfuss junior has claimed that Spacey groped him while his father and Spacey were rehearsing for a play in London in 2008 Wasim said she did not notice his foot at first due to the turbulence of the flight, and that she also tried to film his behaviour but it was too dark. The airline, Air Vistara, said it was investigating and posted a statement on social media. It appears crew only became aware of something amiss during final descent when they were seated for landing, the statement read. It added: We apologise for what Ms Wasim experienced and we have zero tolerance for such behaviour. Wasim starred in the film Dangal last year. She was awarded the National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement in 2017 by Indias President Ram Nath Kovind. Wasims account comes as more people are speaking out about sexual abuse and harassment, partly thanks to the viral MeToo hashtag. 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 }} Geologists have detected two tectonic tremors that they say are probably aftershocks from North Korean nuclear tests conducted over three months ago. The artificial explosion created near a known nuclear testing site in North Korea had moved the Earths crust and subsequent seismic activity showed the regions underlying geology settling back down, experts said. The aftershocks, of magnitude 2.9 and 2.4, were detected at 6.13am and 6.40am GMT on Saturday respectively, said the US Geological Survey (USGS). Recommended South Korea imposes strong new sanctions on North Korea Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation, said analysts had confirmed that the activity was tectonic in origin. A USGS official said the tremors had occurred near the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, where North Korea conducted its sixth and largest underground nuclear test on 3 September. 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 claimed the September test was of a thermonuclear hydrogen bomb, and experts have estimated it was 10 times more powerful than the US 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. US air force carries out drill over Korean Peninsula triggering Pyongyang nuclear war warning South Koreas spy agency told the countrys 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 US 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 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 North Koreas official media reported on Saturday that national leader Kim Jong-un had scaled Mount Paektu with senior military officials to emphasise his military vision after completion of the countrys nuclear force. But pictures released by the official KCNA news agency showed him wearing smart black leather shoes and carrying no specialised equipment. Mr 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. South Korea said Pyongyang still needed to prove it has mastered critical missile technology, such as re-entry, terminal stage guidance and warhead activation, however. Additional reporting by agencies 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 }} In Tianyar village in Bali, thousands of people are waiting to find out when, if ever, they will be able to return to their homes. As Mount Agung continues to spew clouds of white and dark gray ash as far as 7,600m into the atmosphere, Indonesians fear the volcano could be on the brink of eruption. The 3,000m volcano has shown a marked increase in activity over the last few weeks, stoking fears of an eruption similar to the one in 1963 that killed more than 1,000 people. Residents living within a 10km radius of the crater have been forced to leave their homes, with as many as 65,000 people living in shelters, according to Indonesias disaster mitigation agency. Recommended Indonesia urges anyone in Bali volcano danger zone to get out Organisations like the East Bali Poverty Project (EBPP) have risen to the challenge, seeking to provide shelter and food to thousands of displaced people. I am proud of the resilience of these thousands of people, but sad that they cannot risk going home until Mount Agung has erupted or gone back to sleep, East Bali Poverty Project founder David Booth told The Independent. The EBPP has been providing shelter and food to more than 750 people forced to flee the Desa Ban area, which sits just north of Mount Agung. My heart was overflowing with both joy and sadness but also pride for the dignity our communities, from the young infants barely walking to the very old and wrinkled who all were steadfast and shared smiles. One woman who has benefited from EBPPs services described having to move from shelter to shelter while she was pregnant, before being forced to have a cesarian section in order to have her baby safely. Now, the baby is running a fever and has an infected umbilical cord due to the lack of washing supplies in the camp. The mother, Wayan Tangkih, told photographer and Photographers Without Borders founder Danielle Da Silva she had to move from shelter to shelter after being forced to leave her home over fears of Mount Agung erupting. I was really panicked, I was crying and traumatised, Ms Tangkih told Ms Da Silva. I have to bring along this little baby at such a young age. It worries me every day. 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 Japanese company will send drones blaring loud music around its offices late at night in a bid to force workers to go home. Construction firm Tasei has announced its new T-Friend drone will hover over the desks of employees who refuse to leave at the end of the day. Those reluctant to clock out will be blasted with a recording of Scottish folk song Auld Lang Syne, commonly used by shops in Japan as a warning they are preparing to close. Tasei expects to see the autonomous drone, which is being produced by Blue Innovation and telecoms company NTT East, patrolling its offices by April next year. Recommended Japan struggling to attract migrant workers In a statement, the company said: T-Friend not only strengthens the security of the office space at night, but also urges departure by regular patrol. It has effects such as restraining overtime work and can be used to improve workplace environment for reform of workers. The user will be able to perform a tour around the office by setting the drone travelling time and route. It will encourage employees who are present at the drone patrol time to leave, not only to promote employee health but also to conduct internal security management. Karoshi, which translated means overwork death, has long been a problem in Japan, with cases of workers dying due to stress and long hours being so widespread the government publishes official statistics on the phenomenon. Dronestagram: Winning photos revealed Show all 10 1 /10 Dronestagram: Winning photos revealed Dronestagram: Winning photos revealed 1st Prize Winner: Fog in Germany by SkyPro Dronestagram: Winning photos revealed 2nd Prize Winner: Church of Paracatu by Alexandre Salem Dronestagram: Winning photos revealed 3rd Prize winner: Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia by Yuyusera Dronestagram: Winning photos revealed 4th Prize Winner: Wind Power near Berlin by King-Fisher Dronestagram: Winning photos revealed 5th Prize Winner: Energy Active Office Building, Genk, Belgium by Drone-Partner Dronestagram: Winning photos revealed 6th Prize Winner: Holbury, New Forest, UK by Mark Baker Dronestagram: Winning photos revealed 7th Prize Winner: Tiny island in the lake of Galve by Karolis Janulis Dronestagram: Winning photos revealed 8th Prize Winner: High Tide in La Jolla, California by Kdilliard Dronestagram: Winning photos revealed 9th Prize Winner: Dhaka, Bangladesh by Zayedh Dronestagram: Winning photos revealed 10th Prize Winner: Paracatu Cemiterio by Alexandre Salem Many corporations have taken steps to combat the issue, including limiting overtime hours and attempting to force employees to leave their desks at a certain time. The T-Friend has been criticised by a number of experts in Japan, who doubt its ability to prevent workers staying late at the office. Scott North, professor of sociology at Osaka University, told the BBC: "Even if this robotic harassment gets workers to leave the office, they will take work home with them if they have unfinished assignments." "To cut overtime hours, it is necessary to reduce workloads, either by reducing the time-wasting tasks and tournament-style competitions for which Japanese workplaces are notorious, or by hiring more workers." 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 }} South Korea says it is imposing a new round of economic sanctions on its neighbour North Korea, going above and beyond the measures of its international partners. The foreign ministry in Seoul said that adding another 20 North Korean companies and 12 individuals to its blacklist would stem the flow of illegal funding going towards Pyongyangs nuclear and missile programmes, Yonhap reported. The new measures will go into effect on Monday, the news agency reported. They come just days after Seoul put 18 North Korean banking officials on a blacklist after its foreign ministry said they had worked overseas, representing North Korean banks and getting involved in supplying money needed to develop weapons of mass destruction. Firms targeted by the new restrictions included Korea Daebong and Yusong shipping companies, Koryo Commercial Bank, Agricultural Development Bank and Cheil Credit Bank. The individuals targeted by sanctions included a spy and several bankers. The move is largely symbolic as trade and financial exchanges between the two Koreas have been barred since May 2010, following the torpedoing of a South Korean warship, which the North denied. Pyongyang has been hit by repeated rounds of UN sanctions after its missile and nuclear tests this year. Its sixth and most powerful nuclear detonation came on 3 September. That month China, its sole major ally, ordered all North Korean companies inside its borders to close in the face of intense international pressure. 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 Also on Monday, the South will begin two days of missile tracking drills alongside the US and Japan. The coming exercises will be the sixth drills sharing information in tracking ballistic missiles among the three nations, Japans military said. It did not say whether the controversial Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system would be involved. The installation of the US THAAD system in South Korea has angered China, which fears its powerful radar could look deep into the country and threaten its own security. Additional reporting by agencies 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 }} Eager to invade France, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler demanded a new weapon that could easily pierce the concrete fortifications of the French Maginot Line the only major physical barrier standing between him and the rest of Western Europe. In 1941, the year after France fell, German steelmaker and arms manufacturer Friedrich Krupp A.G. company began constructing Hitler's Gustav gun, according to "Top Secret Weapons" documentary. The four-story, 155-foot-long gun, which weighs 1,350 tons, shot 10,000-pound shells from its mammoth 98-foot bore. The massive weapon was presented to the Nazis free of charge to show Krupp's contribution to the German war effort, according to historian C. Peter Chen. In spring 1942, the Gustav gun made its debut at the siege of Sevastopol. The 31-inch gun barrel fired 300 shells on the Crimean city. The weaponry demanded extensive resources and required a crew of 2,000 to function Business Insider (Business Insider) As the Nazis would soon find out, however, the ostentatious gun had some serious disadvantages: Its size made it an easy target for Allied bombers flying overhead Its weight meant it could be transported only via a costly specialised railway (which the Nazis had to build in advance) It required a crew of 2,000 to operate The five-part gun took four days to assemble in the field and hours to calibrate for a single shot It could fire only 14 rounds a day Within a year, the Nazis discontinued the Gustav gun, and Chen notes that Allied forces eventually scrapped the massive weapon Read more: This chart is easy to interpret: It says we're screwed How Uber became the world's most valuable startup These 4 things could trigger the next crisis in Europe Read the original article on Business Insider UK. 2017. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter. 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 Hungarian MP has shared a photo of a dead pig on Facebook etched with the words O Volt A Soros in what some critics have called a reference to billionaire hedge fund manager George Soros. Janos Pocs, a lawmaker from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbans ruling party, said the photo was sent to him by someone in his electoral district. The photo shows a group of people posing next to a slaughtered pig that has the words O volt a Soros inscribed on its charred skin. The phrase can either translate as he was next in line or as This was Soros. One pig less over there. Bon appetit! Mr Pocs wrote on Facebook on Friday. He has since denied there is any connection between Soros, who is a leading Democratic donor, and the pigs engraving, telling Budapest-based news site 444.hu the two things are wholly unrelated. (Facebook / Pocs Janos (Facebook / Pocs Janos) The Open Society Foundation, an international organisation founded by Soros which seeks to promote democracy, has condemned the shocking photo and argued it plays on antisemitic tropes. This is a shocking attack against George Soros by a Fidesz member of the Hungarian Parliament, a representative for the foundation said in a statement sent to The Independent. The photo Mr Pocs decided to publish is in a long and dark tradition of antisemitic imagery dating back to the Middle-Ages. It is another example of officially accepted antisemitism in Viktor Orbans Hungary, they continued. Born in Budapest in 1930, George Soros escaped the Holocaust by hiding his Jewish identity during the Nazi occupation of Hungary. To this day, George Soross support for Hungarians has totalled roughly 350 million since 1984 and has included scholarships, health care services, and humanitarian efforts. Soros, who was born in Hungary to a non-observant Jewish company, survived Nazi-Occupied Hungary and emigrated to England in 1947. The philanthropist is a long-standing critic of Mr Orbans right-wing government and has been a long-time champion of groups promoting liberal, democratic and open-border values in eastern Europe. Mr Orban, who has rejected the EUs vision of liberal democracy, has made Soros a frequent victim of political campaigns and is even centring his 2018 election campaign on him. His billboard campaign rallying against migration and foreign influence went so far as to use an image of Soros who he has accused of undermining his anti-immigrant policies by putting his weight behind non-governmental organisations - smiling against a blue background. It included the words Dont let George Soros have the last laugh. Some of the billboards were defaced with the racist epithet stinking Jew in marker pen. 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 a rare statement released back in July, Soros argued the campaign was antisemitic. I am distressed by the current Hungarian regimes use of antisemitic imagery as part of its deliberate disinformation campaign," the 87-year-old said. At the time, a spokesman for Mr Orban, who has a wide lead in polls as he strives for a third consecutive term, insisted the campaign had nothing to do with antisemitism. Around 100,000 Jews live in the Hungary but antisemitism remains a recurring problem in the country. The far right have become increasingly emboldened in Hungary as anti-migrant sentiment has swelled. Mr Orbans government strengthened Hungarys southern border in 2015 against a big influx of migrants from the Middle East and Africa into the EU. Recommended The nationalist Hungarian Government is endangering Jewish people Soros made headlines in October for giving 13.7 billion ($18 billion) to Open Society Foundation in one of the biggest transfers of wealth ever made by a private donor to a single institution. Soros, who made substantial donations to Hillary Clintons unsuccessful bid to be president, has donated the majority of his estimated $24.6 billion fortune to Open Society Foundations. The organisation, which has branches in 37 countries, strives to promote democracy across the world with the explicit aim of advancing justice, education, independent media and public health. It has parted with nearly $14bn since it was established back in 1979 and has invested in programs which protect gays and lesbians and seek to tackle abuses by the police. Soros' generously hefty contribution makes the foundation the third largest in the world just behind the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. Soros, who ranks 20th on Forbes magazines list of the 400 wealthiest Americans, rose to fame by betting against the pound in 1992 and used Quantum Fund to bet successfully that sterling was over-valued against the Deutsche Mark, forcing then Prime Minister John Major to pull the pound out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. He studied at the London School of Economics while juggling jobs as a railway porter and waiting tables but it was in the US where he made his fortune. 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 woman has spoken out about the torture she endured for years as a child at the hands of her abusive father. Maude Julien, who is now 60 and a renowned psychotherapist, was forced to hold onto an electric fence for 10 minutes at a time without showing feeling. The ritual, which she endured twice a week, was considered to be a test of her willpower by her father, who wanted to make Ms Julien superhuman. I held on with both hands, and it was most important to show no reaction at the moment of the power surges, she told the New York Post. Decades later, Ms Julien, who now lives in Paris, has recorded her cruel childhood in her memoir The Only Girl in the World. She says she was subjected to 18 years of controlling and manipulative behaviour by her father Louis Didier, who was an alcoholic and belonged to an esoteric lodge of Freemasonry which believed in the occult. Didier reportedly believed his daughter had been chosen as his protector, so sought to indoctrinate her and make her withstand torment by making her participate in cruel experiments. Once a month, Ms Julien writes, she was locked overnight in a rat-infested cellar to meditate about death. He also forced her to drink whiskey before making her walk in a straight line, which she says led to the liver damage she lives with to this day. Didier, who died aged 79 in 1981, adopted a six-year-old girl called Jeannine in 1936, who he groomed to become his wife. In 1957, Jeannine gave birth to his child, Ms Julien. The three lived in a remote mansion in northern France, which Ms Julien was forbidden to leave for a decade. Ms Julien says she was sexually abused between the ages of three and 13 by a labourer working in the estate. She eventually managed to escape her father when her allowed her to take music lessons with tutor Andre Molin, who managed to gain the trust of Didier. The tutor convinced him to let Ms Julien take lessons at his shop in the nearby town, where she met a young musician who also received lessons with Mr Molin. 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 At the age of 18, her father allowed her to marry the musician on the basis she return home a virgin after six months, but she fled for good. The couple stayed together six years and had a daughter but separated and Ms Julien remarried and had a second daughter in 1990. Ms Julien received intensive therapy to cope with the trauma of her childhood and now works as a therapist. 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 }} On Saturday, five months late, Russias most controversial ballet in years opened at the Bolshoi. Nureyev, which traces the life and Aids-related death of Soviet dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nureyev, had been pulled just two days before its scheduled premiere in July. Insiders suggested the ballets frank treatment of homosexuality and a reported intervention by the culture ministry lay behind the dramatic decision to cancel. The parallel investigation and August arrest of the ballets director, Kirill Serebrennikov, added to those suspicions. Right up until the last moment, there were doubts that the premiere would ever happen. Speaking on Friday, lead dancer Vladislav Lantratov, who plays Nureyev, said the experience in July had been very difficult. The cast had dreamed the show would happen, he said. Looking at the audience, you could be forgiven for wondering what all the fuss was about. Moscows elite was out in force, with many an advert for the citys plastic surgeons. Ministers, ex-ministers, ambassadors and several top oligarchs all made an appearance. They gestured and waved to one another in the hall. Vladimir Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov and ice dancer Tatiana Navka were among the Moscow elite in attendance (TASS via Getty) (TASS via Getty Images) Given the absence of director Serebrennikov, however, it was a bizarre and emotional scene. His absence was drilled home at final curtain when the creative team appeared on stage wearing Free the director T-shirts. The Cannes-winning director remains under house arrest, awaiting trial. He is unable to work, talk to the press or see his elderly, infirm parents. He was not allowed to play any direct role in the final preparations of the ballet. State investigators accuse him of embezzling 68m roubles (850,000). Among other charges, they alleged his production company falsely claimed to have produced a version of A Midsummer Nights Dream. In fact, the show ran and had even been nominated for a prestigious Golden Mask theatrical award. The detail was later dropped from the charge-sheet. Serebrennikovs supporters say the allegations are politically motivated. They say his experimental Gogol Centre theatre has irked the Kremlins conservative wing. Lawyers argue there is no evidence of enrichment by either Serebrennikov or his co-defendants. Officially, the case is about financial impropriety but things look very different from our point of view, says Valery Pecheykin, a playwright at Gogol Centre and one of few people prepared to speak on record. The real issue, he says, was that Serebrennikov stood out as the only director prepared to stage provocative, independent, tolerant works and to cover the full range of human sexuality. The investigations around Gogol Centre and the cancellation of Julys premiere at the Bolshoi are obviously linked by homophobia, insists Pecheykin: Its Russias best export. We dont manufacture telephones and rockets keep falling out of the sky, but our homophobia is flying high. Pecheykin recalls the day Serebrennikov told him about the fate of Nureyev: Kirill came back from the Bolshoi the evening just after he learned his show had been banned, and we were, as it happens, running through A Midsummer Nights Dream at the Gogol Centre. I remember what he said: Ive just come from a play that wont happen to a play that doesnt exist. On Saturday night the production did finally make it to stage. Mixing ballet, opera and theatre, it skips through Rudolf Nureyevs story from his time in Russia, through his defection to the West and to scenes in France, where he spent the latter part of his life and ultimately died. It has already been hailed as a creative triumph. From a transvestite serenade in the Bois de Boulogne, through an orgy of leather-capped, bare-chested dancers, intimate diaries and a scene depicting Nureyevs famous naked photoshoot with Richard Avedon, the production retains obvious shock value. But there was also one clear absence from the old version of the production, seen in leaked rehearsal videos. In those videos, the most famous picture from Avedons photoshoot Nureyev in full-frontal mode was projected onto a large backdrop screen. Insiders reported that it was this detail that had proven to be the most controversial for authorities. By Saturday, the 10-second scene had been cut undermining the theatres narrative that politics had not played a role in the original cancellation. Russias political elite seems far from united on the affair. The influential former deputy prime minister Alexei Kudrin and current presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov were both in the audience and uttered words of support. It was unfair that Serebrennikov was not present at his own premiere, Kudrin told journalists. President Putin has made contradictory statements on Serebrennikovs detention. At one point, he called investigators fools, but has since undone that statement by saying the case was about serious economic crimes. 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 According to the prominent rights activist and journalist Zoya Svetova, a delegation of influential figures has lobbied the President to release Serebrennikov. So far, those efforts have come to nothing. Putin has it in his mind that Serebrennikov is some petty criminal, and then there is all this gay stuff in the background, Svetova told The Independent. There are absolutely no signs hes about to pardon him. 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 }} Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Sunday he hoped the violent protests by Palestinians against US President Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital were coming to an end. Our hope is that everything is calming down and that we are returning to a path of normal life without riots and without violence, Lieberman told an interviewer on Army Radio. Violence erupted for a third day on Saturday in Gaza and the occupied West Bank in response to Mr Trump's announcement on Wednesday in which he overturned decades of US policy towards the Middle East. Pre-dawn Israeli air strikes on Saturday killed two Palestinian gunmen after militants fired rockets from the enclave into Israel on Friday. However, street protests in Gaza and the West Bank were less intense on Saturday than on the previous two days and the military said there were no rocket launchings on Saturday night. Mr Trump's recognition of Jerusalem has infuriated the Arab world and upset Western allies, who say it is a blow to peace efforts and risks causing further unrest in the Middle East. Late on Saturday, Arab foreign ministers urged the United States to abandon its decision and said the move would spur violence throughout the region. Israel says that all of Jerusalem is its capital. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory, and say the status of the city should be left to be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks. The Trump administration says it is still committed to Palestinian-Israeli talks, that Israel's capital would be in Jerusalem under any serious peace plan, and that it has not taken a position on the city's borders. It says the moribund negotiations can be revived only by ditching outdated policies. 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 }} Israeli police say that a security guard has been stabbed near Jerusalem's central bus station. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says the guard was seriously wounded Sunday and his attacker arrested. The Magen David Adom medical service says a 30-year-old male suffered a stabbing wound in his upper body. The incident appeared to be the first attack since President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The announcement set off protests and demonstration across the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, and demonstrations around the world. Israel launched fresh air strikes on the Gaza Strip on Saturday in response to rocket fire. The Islamist group Hamas said the strikes had killed two of its gunmen. Meanwhile two more Palestinians were killed in further clashes on the Gaza border on Friday in a "day of rage" and scores more were wounded in the occupied West Bank during protests. In more than two years of intermittent attacks, Palestinians have killed more than 50 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks. Israeli forces have killed more than 260 Palestinians in that time, mostly attackers. The Arab League warned that the decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital would "deepen tension, ignite anger and threaten to plunge region into more violence and chaos". The 22 nations, including close US allies, have urged Mr Trump to reverse which they called a "dangerous violation of international law" and announced it would seek a United Nations Security Council resolution rejecting the move. 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 Such a measure is unlikely to pass as the US has a veto as a permanent member of the Security Council. Most countries have not recognised 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 final status peace negotiations. Israel says it hopes others will follow the US President's lead, but the United States found itself alone in the UN 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. Additional reporting by agencies 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 }} Lebanese security forces have fired tear gas and water canons at protesters near the US Embassy in Beirut during a demonstration against Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Demonstrators waved the Palestinian flag as they lit fires in the street and threw projectiles towards the security forces, who had barricaded the main road leading to the embassy in the Awkar area of the capital's north-east. Some protestors burned an effigy of the US President, as well as American and Israeli flags and piles of garbage, sending plumes of smoke into the air. As they hurled stones, security forces responded with tear gas and water cannons, TV footage showed. Recommended US allies among Arab states urging Trump to reconsider Jerusalem move Lebanon is home to 450,000 Palestinian refugees, amounting to nearly 10 per cent of the population. The White House announcement on Jerusalem this week has ignited protests across the Middle East, where it is widely seen as a blatantly pro-Israel move that threatens the decades-old peace process. Washington had long held that the city's status must be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The protests in Lebanon came as 10,000 people rallied outside the US Embassy in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on Sunday, and followed three days of demonstrations in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Four Palestinians have been killed by Israeli air strikes after rockets were fired across the border from Gaza. 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 Addressing protesters in Beirut, the head of the Lebanese Communist Party Hanna Gharib declared the United States "the enemy of Palestine". He called for the closure of the US Embassy, which he said was a "a symbol of imperialist aggression". The country's government has condemned Mr Trump's decision, which Lebanese president Michel Aoun warned was a threat to the stability of the Middle East. The powerful Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah has called for a new Palestinian uprising against Israel in response to the US decision. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah also called for a protests in Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut. Lebanon's foreign minister Gebran Bassil, speaking at an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers on Saturday, suggested nations should also consider imposing economic sanctions against the US to stop it moving its Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. "Pre-emptive measures [must be] taken ... beginning with diplomatic measures, then political, then economic and financial sanctions," he said. The 22-state Arab League, which includes several close US allies, said it would seek a United Nations Security Council resolution rejecting the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "The decision has no legal effect... it deepens tension, ignites anger and threatens to plunge region into more violence and chaos," said the group's resolution, issued at 3am local time after hours of meetings that began on Saturday evening. But the Arab League statement made no mention of economic sanctions and included no other punitive actions against the US, such as a boycott of American products or downgrading of ties with Washington. 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 }} Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told French President Emmanuel Macron, Paris is the capital of France, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, as they met in Paris amid heightened tensions in the West Bank. Mr Macron and Mr Netanyahu conceded that they held opposing views on US President Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital during a joint press conference on Sunday. The French President reaffirmed his disapproval of Mr Trumps controversial move, saying the US had unilaterally recognised something that is not complying with the international law. However, Mr Netanyahu, who has previously celebrated Mr Trumps declaration, told Mr Macron the city had been the capital of Israel for 3,000 years. Recommended Mr Macron appealed for calm in the Middle East and asked the Israeli premier to give peace a chance by offering a gesture to Palestinians, such as a settlement freeze on the West Bank. Mr Netanyahu said: Paris is the capital of France, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel it has been the capital of Israel for 3,000 years and the capital of the Jewish state for 70 years. We respect your history and choices and we know that France will respect ours. I think this is essential for peace, what peace requires is to be built on a foundation of truth, on the facts of the past and the present. This is the only way you can be realistic and build a successful future. 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 Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has stoked tensions across the Middle East, leading to widespread protests and unrest, as well as condemnation from key US allies in Europe and the Arab world. Lebanese security forces fired tear gas at demonstrators outside the US embassy in Beirut on Sunday, while the Arab League has called on Mr Trump to reverse his decision. At least two people died and 200 were injured during clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian protestors on the Israel-Gaza border on Friday. And in Jerusalem on Sunday, an Israeli security guard was targeted in a stabbing attack at the citys central bus station. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the guard was seriously wounded and his attacker arrested. The Magen David Adom medical service said a 30-year-old male suffered a stab wound to his upper body. Ahead of Mr Netanyahu and Mr Macrons joint news conference, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan often a critic of Israel called it an invader state, a terror state. We will not abandon Jerusalem to the mercy of a state that kills children, he said at a political congress. Asked about the comments in Paris, Mr Netanyahu responded: Im not used to receiving lectures about morality from a leader who bombs Kurdish villages in his native Turkey, who jails journalists, helps Iran go around international sanctions and who helps terrorists, including in Gaza, to kill innocent people. Additional reporting by Associated Press 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 }} Tens of thousands of travellers are beginning the working week far from where they planned to be. The first snowstorm of winter triggered the cancellation of hundreds of flights and brought roads and railways to a halt in many parts of England and Wales. While the snow was worst in parts of Wales and the Midlands, the biggest effect was felt in south-east England and in particular at Heathrow airport, the busiest in Europe. Although Heathrow remained open throughout the day, around 150 inbound and outbound flights were cancelled partly because of a reduction in the arrivals rate stipulated by air-traffic controllers, and partly due to delays in de-icing. British Airways (BA) was worst affected, with 24 long-haul departures cancelled as well as dozens of short-haul flights. While efforts are always made to try to protect intercontinental flights, time after time crew went out of hours. Three New York services were cancelled as well as two each to Dubai and Toronto, with many Asian flights also cancelled. A BA spokesperson told The Independent: Were very sorry that some of our customers travel plans have been affected by severe adverse weather conditions. Heavy rain overnight and snowfall this morning, combined with a reduction in the number of flights able to land at Heathrow, have caused disruption to our flight schedule. Like other airlines, we are experiencing some delays and cancellations. Red alert: cancellations of some of Sundays flights on British Airways (BA) (British Airways) With around 20,000 passengers cancelled today, and the possibility of further disruption, the airline is offering passengers booked to fly on Monday the option to re-book on alternative flights up to Monday 18 December, free of charge. Other airlines including Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines and Swiss cancelled services from their hubs to Heathrow and back. Flybes domestic services were also hit. Recommended UK braced for more snow and freezing weather in wake of Storm Caroline A Heathrow spokesperson said: Heathrow airport remains open however we regret that weather across the UK is resulting in some passengers experiencing disruption to their travel arrangements. Airlines are responsible for ensuring their flights are fully de-iced before they are operated and this is resulting in some delays and cancellations. At Stansted, around 50 flights were cancelled because the runway was closed for much of the morning. Passengers on Ryanair were worst affected, but at least 10 easyJet flights were also cancelled. The unluckiest passengers were around 300 people aboard a TUI Airways flight from Barbados to Birmingham that was due to land at around 4am on Sunday. The departure from the Caribbean was delayed by two hours, and by the time the plane approached Birmingham snow had started to fall and the runway was closed. The aircraft and passengers ended up at Gatwick. East Midlands and Luton airports were also closed for part of the day. Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures A snowplough clears a closed road on the A470 from Merthyr Tydfil to Brecon PA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Pedestrians walk over the Millennium Bridge with St Paul's Cathedral pictured in the background as snow falls AFP/Getty Images Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Snow in Wood Green Rex Features Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures People walk through the snow in a park in north London EPA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Two girls make a snowman on Primrose Hill PA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures People wake up to a blanket of overnight snowfall in Stoke On Trent Getty Images Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Harlequins win a line-out in heavy snow during the European Rugby Champions Cup match against Ulster Rugby at Twickenham Stoop Getty Images for Harlequins Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures A train travels along snow covered tracks in High Wycombe EPA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Families take to the hills with sledges near Edale in Derbyshire AFP/Getty Images Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures People push a car up a snowy hill in north London EPA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures A crashed lorry on the A50 is tended to by police as the snow falls near Uttoxeter REUTERS Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures People go sledding on Primrose Hill PA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Motorists brave the snow in Worcester PA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures An abandoned car on the roadside on the Snake Pass in the Peak District PA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Heavy snow falls on sheep in the hills near Sennybridge, Wales REUTERS Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Snow falling on Westminster Bridge Rex Features Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Walkers on The Long Walk at Windsor PA Heavy snowfall across Britain: in pictures Motorist braves snowy conditions on the M2 motorway near Gillingham PA The fragile state of Britains infrastructure was emphasised by the fact that many passengers on cancelled flights from Heathrow and Stansted might not have reached the airport anyway due to severe disruption on Londons Piccadilly Line and the Stansted Express. The first day for two brand-new rail franchises turned out to be a shambles. West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway, which took over from London Midland at 2am on Sunday morning, issued a joint statement saying: Do not travel. A spokesperson for the two operators said: While we have done all we can to prepare our trains, stations and depots, road access is proving the biggest challenge of all. Our main priorities are to run what services we can safely and make preparations to protect the start of commuter services on Monday morning. Chiltern Railway services to and from Stratford-upon-Avon and Amersham were cancelled, with delays of up to an hour on the main London Marylebone-Birmingham Snow Hill line. A train travels along snow covered tracks in High Wycombe (EPA) CrossCountry passengers battled with a previously announced strike as well as a landslide between Birmingham and Bristol. The busiest sea link to and from Britain, Dover-Calais, was temporarily closed after a P&O ferry ran aground when leaving the French port. No injuries were reported aboard the Pride of Kent, which was refloated after two hours. With a frost forecast for large parts of Britain for Monday, travellers face further problems. Trains at the start of the working week will be busier than usual with passengers who postponed their journeys on Sunday. 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 }} Severe weather in Britain and abroad is causing severe problems for tens of thousands of travellers. The busiest sea link to and from Britain, Dover-Calais, was closed after a P&O ferry ran aground when leaving the French port. No injuries were reported aboard the 300 passengers on board Pride of Kent, but services were brought to a standstill. P&O Ferries said: We are extremely sorry for the inconvenience passengers have been caused. Please be assured that we are doing everything we can to bring the ship back into operation. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled, diverted or heavily delayed, with Stansted and Luton airports closed for the first half of the day. At Heathrow, the flow rate of arrivals has been reduced by air-traffic controllers, leading to widespread delays and cancellations. British Airways has so far cancelled flights almost 100 flights to and from Heathrow. Most are domestic and European departures, but long-haul services to Washington DC, Toronto and Luanda have been grounded. A BA spokesperson told The Independent: Were very sorry that some of our customers travel plans have been affected by severe adverse weather conditions. Heavy rain overnight and snowfall this morning, combined with a reduction in the number of flights able to land at Heathrow have caused disruption to our flight schedule. Like other airlines, we are experiencing some delays and cancellations. Were asking customers to check for information about their flights on ba.com before they set off for the airport, and not to come to the airport unless their flight is operating. The airline is offering passengers due to fly between Europe and Heathrow today, Sunday December 10, to re-book for travel on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Other airlines including Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines and Swiss have cancelled services from their hubs to Heathrow and back. Flybes domestic services are also hit. Because so many gates are occupied by aircraft which have not been able to depart, passengers on some arriving aircraft report having to wait several hours to disembark. To add to the problems, the Piccadilly Line of the Underground is severely disrupted to and from Heathrow because of power-supply problems. A Heathrow spokesperson said: Weather across the UK and Europe is resulting in some passengers experiencing disruption to their journeys. Passengers are advised to check their flight status with their airline before coming to the airport. Our operations team is working closely with the airports on-site Met Office, to monitor weather forecasts and minimise disruption to passenger journeys. At Stansted, 24 Ryanair departures and arrivals have so far been cancelled but more are expected. Ten flights have been cancelled by easyJet, and other airlines are also affected. The Stansted Express rail service is severely disrupted. Greater Anglia said: Owing to points failures at various locations, trains between London Liverpool Street and Hertford East, Stansted Airport and Cambridge are subject to delays, alteration and cancellations. Birmingham airport closed at around 6am with all flights temporarily suspended following heavy snowfall. Dozens of flights have been cancelled, with Ryanair and Flybe worst affected. Inbound flights from Barbados on TUI, Dublin and Barcelona on Ryanair, Frankfurt on Lufthansa, Istanbul on Turkish Airlines and Vienna on Austrian have been diverted. Elsewhere, bad weather at Amsterdam airport has wrecked travel plans. A statement from the airport said: Due to expected snowfall and strong winds on Sunday 10 December, flights from and to Schiphol may be delayed or cancelled, and travel times to the airport may be longer than usual. Dozens of short-haul flights between Amsterdam and the UK have been cancelled, including links to and from Bristol, Cardiff, Gatwick, Heathrow, Humberside, Leeds-Bradford, Luton, Manchester and Newcastle. Hundreds of thousands of rail travellers face delays and disruption. In the Midlands, the first day at work for two brand-new train operators, West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway, could not have got off to a worse start. Shortly before 11am they issued a joint statement saying: Do not travel Many mainline services are also affected, particularly through Birmingham New Street, the biggest rail hub outside London. Virgin Trains on the West Coast line has lifted all restrictions, saying: Your tickets will be valid for travel at any time today. Chiltern Railway services to and from Stratford-upon-Avon and Amersham were cancelled, with delays of up to an hour on the main London Marylebone-Birmingham Snow Hill line. On Great Northern services from London KIngs Cross, passengers are being advised not to travel unless it is absolutely necessary following three separate issues between the capital and Stevenage: an electricity supply failure between Knebworth and Stevenage, an object is caught on the overhead electric wires near Potters Bar, and overrunning engineering work on the Hertford North line The Central Motorway Police Group tweeted: Lots of snow overnight and its still falling, difficult driving conditions across the motorway network & regions roads please only travel if absolutely necessary, make sure your car is fit to travel in & take extra clothes, drinks and snacks in case you get stuck or delayed. Anyone planning to travel anywhere south of the M62 corridor or north of the M4 corridor, by road or rail, should be prepared for delays and disruption. Click here to compare flight options with Skyscanner Pakistan Air Force Chief Threatens to Shoot Down US Drones By Brecht Jonkers December 09, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - The head of the Pakistani Air Force, Sohail Aman, has stated that Pakistan will shoot down any and all illegally operating combat drones in Pakistani airspace, even if those drones are from the United States. We will not allow anyone to violate our airspace, Aman stated during a speech on the new Pakistani aerial defence policy, adding that he ordered PAF to shoot down drones, including those of the US, if they enter our airspace, violating the countrys sovereignty and territorial integrity. US military and private paramilitary forces have routinely carried out drone strikes and targeted killings on Pakistani soil for years, ever since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. This was confirmed by former CIA agent John Kiriakou, who used to lead a so-called counterterrorism unit in Pakistan. Never Miss Another Story Get Your Free Daily Newsletter Pakistan has regularly condemned the US drone strikes, that usually take place without permission of Islamabad, and often even without prior knowledge by the Pakistani government. The high toll in civilian casualties caused by the US drone operations have led to widespread outcry all over Pakistan. However, the new policy of the Pakistani Air Force marks the first ever time that the country has resolved to actually respond to illegal US drone transgressions by military means. This article was originally published by AMN - ==== ==== Join the Discussion Syria - ISIS Is Defeated - The U.S. Is Next In Line December 09, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - 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 . Never Miss Another Story Get Your Free Daily Newsletter 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. This article was originally published by Moon Of Alabama - ==== Defector says thousands of Islamic State fighters left Raqqa under a secret, U.S.-approved deal ==== Join the Discussion It is not necessary for ICH readers to register before placing a comment. This website encourages readers to use the "Report" link found at the base of each comment. When a predetermined number of ICH readers click on the "Report" link, the comment will be automatically sent to "moderation". This would appear to be the most logical way to allow open comments, where you the reader/supporter, can determine what is acceptable speech. Please don't use the report feature simply because you disagree with the author point of view. Treat others with respect, remembering that "A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still."- Benjamin Franklin. Please read our Comment Policy before posting - Leave Syria Or Else! ; Iranian General To The US Could Al-Hasaka 2018 become Beirut 1983? By Elijah J. Magnier @ejmalrai December 09, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Well informed sources have said the 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. The Russians are not against the US presence and can adapt to this after defining the demarcation lines to avoid any clash. But Iran has a clear position and has decided not to abandon the Syrian President alone to face the US forces, if these stay behind. Soleimanis letter to the US clearly indicated the promise of surprise measures against the US: You shall face soldiers and forces you have not experienced before in Syria and you will leave the country sooner or later. Russia conveyed to the US that Iran will stay in Syria as long as President Assad decides, he who insists in liberating the entire territory from all forces without exception. Russia confirmed to the US its intention to refrain from offering any air support to Iran and its allies in the case of attacks on US forces. From the Russian perspective, the Iran-US dispute is not its concern nor on its agenda. Mike Pompeo, the US central Agency Director, said last week that he had sent a letter to Soleimani expressing his concern about Irans intention to attack American interests and will hold Soleimani and Iran accountable for any attack in Iraq. Never Miss Another Story Get Your Free Daily Newsletter Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, a senior aid to the Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei confirmed Pompeos attempt to send a letter but said Soleimani refused to read it or to take it because he has nothing further to add. Sources in the area believe it is not unlikely that Kurdish groups operating in al-Hasaka and who are faithful to the government of Damascus are willing to be spearheaded against the US forces. Many of these groups remained loyal to Syria: they reject any occupation forces on its land or the partition of the country. Al-Hasaka 2018 is being widely referred to, those 1983 events where hundreds of US Marines and French paratroopers were killed following double suicide attacks by Islamists in Beirut. The multinational forces became hostile rather than peacekeepers and were pushed to leave Lebanon in a rush as a consequence of this attack. The future could well mirror these past events. This article was originally published by Elijah J M - ==== Defector says thousands of Islamic State fighters left Raqqa under a secret, U.S.-approved deal US To Illegally Occupy Syria Indefinitely, Pentagon Officials Say ==== Join the Discussion The National Chairman of Labour Party, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, has echoed the voices of some persons in the country, that the All Progressives Congress government led by President Muhammadu Buhari has failed woefully in its over two years in office. Abdulsalam who spoke at a press conference on Friday in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, also accused Buhari of sectional appointment and development. The LP chairman also said there was an all-pervading hunger in the land with anger written on faces of Nigerians. Abdulsalam equally carpeted the APC-led administration on the recently inaugurated committee on new minimum wage. He argued that with salary arrears running into over six months hanging on the neck of some governors, salary increment might not be feasible. He said, APC has failed woefully. Let me tell you why APC failed. Buhari belongs to APC. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his group belong to the Action Congress of Nigeria. Rochas Okorocha belongs to All Progressives Grand Alliance. Dr Ogbonaya Onu belongs to All Nigeria Peoples Party. So, you will discover that five political parties are operating independently. The other parties have been subjected to nothing. Only Congress for Progressive Change has been benefiting in sectional appointment and development, so to say. You can see now that Buhari is trying to mend fences with Tinubu. So, If I am to rate APC performance in Nigeria they wont get more than 5 per cent. When Buhari went to present 2018 Budget there were protests by the senators and members of House of Representatives and it took Saraki and Dogara some time to appease them. How could you have a budget for three years and you could not implement 20 per cent of the budget? Where is that done? In terms of healthcare delivery, they have performed woefully. If Buhari has headache, ear pain or nose, he would run to London. So, they have failed the country woefully. Everybody in this country today is hungry. There is hunger on the streets and there is anger on the faces of the people because APC has failed totally. The LP chairman said the opposition party would not zone its governorship slot in Ogun State, but assured of the partys readiness to take over from Governor Ibikunle Amosun in 2019. He said, We dont support zoning here. That is what is killing the so-called big political parties. Anybody who comes and is acceptable to all of you and you elect him in the primaries, so be it. While dismissing crisis in LP, Abdulsalam said: I remain the authentic national chairman. Source: ( Punch Newspaper ) Governor of Imo State , Chief Rochas Okorocha, has said that the exit of Ex- Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar from the ruling All Progressives Congress was not a good development for the party. Atiku who was a former Vice-President recently defected from the ruling party to the Peoples Democratic Party. Okorocha, who spoke with journalists after receiving an honorary doctorate degree at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State on Saturday, however, described Abubakar as a heavyweight politician. He said, I have taken a holistic view of our party, it (Atikus exit) is not the best because no matter how anybody thinks, Atiku carries some political weight. His leaving our party is not the best. The Imo State Governor, however, noted that since Atiku had decided to move on politically by going to another political party, the APC would make amend and his (Atiku) place will be filled up accordingly. Reacting to the recent statement credited to the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, which said there would be no automatic ticket for President Muhammadu Buhari ahead the 2019 Presidential Election, against the position of the APC governors, Okorocha maintained that he would support Buhari for a second term. The chairman of the APC Governors Forum had earlier said all the governors would support the partys sole candidacy of President Buhari in 2019 election but Tinubu disagreed insisting that the APCs presidential candidate must emerge through a primary. Okorocha said, The (Tinubus) statement came to me as a surprise, come to think of it, I never referred to him. I refer to the governors of Nigeria including the PDP governors and I said only one or two of them have not joined yet. Since I made the statement, no governor has said something contrary to what I said. I am surprised that Asiwaju will now be speaking for the governors. He looks like somebody crying more than the bereaved. I did not see reason for the statement actually. But he commands my respect and I dont want to join issue with the National Leader of my party. What I mentioned was for the governors and secondly what I said is support. The word I use is support that does not mean there will not be primary. Governors can only contribute only 37 votes, we still have over 5,000 votes up there. What I was talking about was governors. I was not talking about other party members. Governors alone do not determine the flagbearer of a party. If you recall, I said but for Buhari, I would have run for presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. But I found in him a man credible and he still has four years term to do. I will allow him to complete and I will go back to my political trenches because I would still run for presidency anyhow. I consider myself young enough to wait until 2023 and I dont hide my stand on any issue. But for now, my support goes to President Muhammadu Buhari. Source: ( Punch Newspaper ) The Emir of Katagum in Bauchi State, Kabir Umar, is dead, he died on Saturday and is expected to be buried on Sunday according to Islamic rights. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, described the death of the monarch as a big loss. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, on Saturday in Abuja, Mr. Dogara stated that the late monarch was a father and mentor to many including himself. We have lost one of our finest and highly revered Royal Fathers. A patriot and an elder statesman. He was a man of integrity and impeachable character who dedicated his life to service of humanity, development of Katagum emirate and Bauchi State. I condole with his immediate family, all sons and daughters of Katagum emirate as well as Bauchi State. May God grant us all the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. In his reaction, Ibrahim Baba, a member of the House of Representatives, said the monarch will be remembered as a father of all. The lawmaker prayed that God give the family and the entire people of Katagum and Bauchi State fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. Source: ( Premium Times ) An Indian man from Uttrakhand was denied a visa to work in Dubai after he was wrongly diagnosed as being HIV positive by a lab in south Delhi. Salim Ahmed was referred to Neutech Medical Centre in New Friends Colony, Delhi, by a tout to get a mandatory medical check-up that is needed before applying for a work visa to United Arab Emirates. The lab later told him that he was HIV positive. Since the UAE restricts the entry of people who are HIV positive from seeking jobs and residence in the country, Ahmed was declared unfit for travel to Dubai based on the HIV positive report from the diagnostic centre on February 1. However, to confirm the diagnosis, Ahmed got himself retested at a private laboratory in Gurugram on February 10 and again at a Community Health Centre in Jaspur, Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand on February 13. He tested negative for HIV in both places, according to Hindustantimes. Delhi Medical Council has called for strict action against the erring centre as such a centre may not be equipped or have proper qualified doctors to run laboratory test. Source: ( AFP ) Popular actress, Foluke Daramola-Salako, speaks about fond memories of her trip to Canada. What country did you visit recently and why did you go there? That would be Canada. I went there for a programme. How long did you spend there? I was there for about two weeks and I lodged at the Le Meridien in Toronto, Canada. After the programme, I went to Maryland, USA, and afterwards, I travelled to New York to meet my family. I travelled with my family out of Nigeria but I went to Canada alone. What did you enjoy most about your trip? The serenity and beauty of the country is what I enjoyed the most. Canada is one of the most child-friendly countries that I have ever been to. The country is just like a combination of the conservative United Kingdom and the liberal United States of America. What will a first-time visitor find interesting about Canada? What any one will find interesting about Canada is the fact that even though it is so close to the US, they are so different. Like I said, it is a conservative country. For a first-time visitor, being hard-working and focused will take you very far. One thing you will not get away with in Canada is engaging in any form of illegal activity. Canadians dont mind immigrants coming into their country but they also want professionals to come on board too. Did you try any of their local dishes? I didnt come across any traditional dish, apart from the foods that are common in the US as well. What shocking things did you discover about Canada? The fact that they do not encourage abortion. During my trip, I noticed a lot of elderly people carrying placards condemning abortion. The fact that they say no to abortion really caught my attention because I run an NGO that is committed to fighting rape and other forms of abuse against women. To them, if a woman is raped, gets pregnant or finds herself in a situation where she is carrying an unwanted pregnancy, they will rally around her instead of condemning her. They encourage and give you a shoulder to lean on. They are very friendly and happy people. What did you see in Canada that you will like to have replicated in Nigeria? I was impressed by the child-friendly environment and how its people coexist peacefully. Nigerians are religious but not Christ-like. We have religious houses everywhere but they dont contribute (positively) to the lives of Nigerians. Take for instance, this recent news about some Nigerians who are being held (as slaves) in Libya; it would not be too much for just one church in Nigeria to accommodate those who have been evacuated to Nigeria, give them jobs and help them to start new lives. That is what being a Christian truly means to me. Do Canadians know about Nigeria? Of course. There is hardly anywhere in the world where people dont know about Nigeria. Canadians have been relating with Nigerians for many years, so I believe they know a lot about us. But it is so unfortunate that they may know more of negative things, rather than the positive ones about us. What travel advice can you offer? The only travel advice I can give is that when Nigerians go abroad, they should look out for things that they can replicate in Nigeria. We have the resources to be a great nation and there is absolutely no reason we cannot be like other technologically-advanced countries. Even if we cant be on the same level, the disparity should not be too much. source: Stargist President Muhammadu Buhari will on Monday depart Nigeria for Paris, France where he will join over 50 world leaders in the One Planet Summit, which holds on Tuesday. According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President will be accompanied by the governors of Adamawa, Kano, and Ondo States as well as the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Environment. He is expected back in the country on Thursday. The summit, jointly organised by the United Nations, the World Bank Group, and the French Government in partnership with non-governmental organisations concerned about reversing the negative effects of climate change, like Bloomberg Philanthropies, holds at the eco-friendly La Seine Musicale, situated on the picturesque Seguin Island in western Paris. The main focus of the summit, with the theme, Climate Change Financing, according to the organisers, will be to innovatively pool public and private finance to support and accelerate our common efforts to fight climate change. While recognising that all countries are affected by the effects of climate change under One Planet but some are more vulnerable, the summit seeks for tangible collective action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The statement read in part, Before heading for the Summit venue, the Nigerian leader will attend a lunch hosted by President Emmanuel Macron of France for Heads of State and Governments at the Elysee Palace. President Buhari and other world leaders and participants will make presentations under four sub-themes namely: Scaling-up Finance for Climate Action; Greening Finance for Sustainable Business; Accelerating Local and Regional Climate Action; Strengthening Policies for Ecological and Inclusive Transition. It would be recalled that while signing the Paris Agreement on Climate Change at the sidelines of the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 22, 2016, President Buhari had said it demonstrated Nigerias commitment to global efforts to reverse the effects of the negative trend. He followed that significant step by signing the Instrument of Ratification of the Paris Agreement on March 28, 2017 at the State House, Abuja, making Nigeria the 146th party to the Paris Treaty. It became binding on the country effective June 15, 2017, one month after the submission of the Ratification instrument to the United Nations on May 16, 2017 by Nigerias Permanent Representative to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande. Adesina said the participation of Nigerias delegation at the One Planet Summit will reinforce the countrys commitment to realising the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Source: ( Punch Newspaper ) Gardai are appealing for witnesses after a stabbing in County Waterford in the early hours of yesterday morning. A man in his thirties was seriously injured after being stabbed during a row between two men shorty after 3am on Keating Street in Dungarvan. Arab foreign ministers have demanded that the United States rescind Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, calling it a "grave" development that puts Washington on the same side as "occupation" and the violation of international law. In a resolution long on rhetoric but short on concrete actions, the ministers also called for the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning the US President's decision, but acknowledged that Washington would most likely veto it. If the US vetoes the resolution, the Arabs would seek a similar resolution in the UN General Assembly, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki told a pre-dawn news conference in Cairo. A two-page resolution adopted by the emergency meeting, which began Saturday night, did not include any punitive actions against the United States, like a call for a boycott of American products or suspending or downgrading ties with Washington. It also appeared to fall short of matching the anger felt by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, which have seen three days of violent protests against Mr Trump's decision. "We have taken a political decision not meant to reflect (what is going on in) the streets. Political work is responsible work," said Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit. "Jerusalem has been occupied for 50 years. This is an extended battle, a battle that will be escalated," he told the news conference. The resolution said the ministers would meet again within a month and held out the possibility that an emergency Arab summit would be held in Jordan to discuss Jerusalem. Mr Trump's December 6 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. Jerusalem's status lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Mr 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. Arab diplomats said some Arab League members had wanted a more hard-line resolution, including punitive measures against countries that follow the US example and recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. That was considered too radical by moderate Arab nations and eventually dropped, according to the diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media. But Mr Al-Maliki, the Palestinian Foreign Minister, sought to play down differences, saying the meeting produced "complete" unity among Arab nations. "There were differences in assessment when we moved to specifying measures," he said. "But in the end we agreed on gradually escalating measures." Both Mr Aboul-Gheit and Mr Al-Maliki said Arab nations remained committed to a 2002 Arab peace plan that provides for recognition of Israel in exchange for lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. "That plan is a key reference in the Middle East peace process," Mr Al-Maliki told the news conference. Mr Trump's decision, according to the Arab resolution, was "illegal" and a "dangerous violation" of international law. "It's a dangerous development that places the United States at a position of bias in favour of the occupation and the violation of international law and resolutions." AP #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... The latest happened around 11:45 a.m. at the BB&T Bank at 606 College Road, according to a police news release. The man entered the bank, showed a note to a teller demanding money, and fled on foot after receiving the cash. The warm, yellow glow shining from within Wise Man Brewing Company was an appropriate backdrop for the Healthy, Wealthy & Wise event on Wednesday. A run club with a purpose, the Healthy, Wealthy & Wise event benefits a different organization each week and the latest festivities raised funds for HOPE (Help Our People Eat) of Winston-Salem in conjunction with Signature Real Estate LLC. Founded by Marty and Ben Tennille, H.O.P.E. of Winston-Salem is dedicated to preparing and transporting nutritious meals on Sundays to children in neighborhoods with high food insecurity. Four years ago, Ben and I both retired and we decided we wanted to do something to help children who dont get enough to eat, said Marty Tennille. A lot of children start school on Mondays too hungry to learn, so we committed to providing meals on Sunday. Were now serving 1,200 children every weekend. Scott Best is the executive director for HOPE. He said the organization also provides assistance with weekly meals. We work with local sources and provide families with a bag of produce that they can use throughout the week, Best said. Some of the organizations and individuals that support us are farmers. As part of the Healthy Wealthy & Wise night, Hilder, Djosen and Audrina Vilnor served up dinner offerings from the King Queen Haitian Cuisine food truck. Inside, Signature Real Estate was well represented with attendees from the company including Jalisa Wilson, Meika Sherrard and Grayson, Renee and Gray Harper on hand along with their canine companions. Dana Slawter of Signature Real Estate chatted with Heather Gould Smith. Slawter said it was important for the company to help assist children living in food desert areas throughout the city, adding that the collaboration with Wise Man Brewing would raise money through a portion of the nights sales. I knew HOPE did good things, but I didnt have a grasp on how they integrated fresh produce into the assistance, Smith said. Having enough food is an important part of any childs success, so its wonderful to see what is happening through this organization. K.C. Dobbins and Harper Wilson stopped for a quick photo with Griffin, a three-and-a-half year old yellow lab. Phillip Skipper, Susan Morris and Greg Sigmon, all board members, reiterated their commitment to H.O.P.E.s mission. Childhood hunger is, obviously, an epidemic throughout the Triad, said Sigmon. It is so important to their education and development for children to have healthy meals. This organization helps fill in the gaps on weekends when kids arent guaranteed a meal at school. Kevin. J. Williams, present of the board, talked with Eric Tomlinson, president of Innovation Quarter. I had no idea about the degree of hunger among children in our area before meeting Marty and Ben, Williams said. I joined the board to help and the immediate impact I saw was dramatic. Dan Rossow is the tap room manager for Wise Man Brewing. He said that one of the goals for Wise Man is to support the community with a number of initiatives. We have weekly events for organizations, but we also do things including live music throughout the week and trivia on Mondays, Rossow said. Were really beer-centric and we are actually launching a barrel program soon that will set us apart from other breweries and include beers weve already aged in barrels from bourbon to chardonnay. All of our beers are named after quotes and we have a food truck here every day. Its a fun place to come and spend some time enjoying great beer. Marty Tennille, formerly a pediatrician, said that HOPE will continue to support local children with both meals and parent education efforts. We want to not just feed children, but to also empower families, she said. We teach parents how to use the produce we provide and even how to stretch their food dollars. We pull in other groups to help us educate and well soon have our own building in the Kimberly Park neighborhood and will be able to do more. There are a lot of opportunities for people to help. I needed a reminder of what Lincoln called the better angels of our nature, the American good stuff somewhere deep down in our hearts and souls still. Abdul Rasheed brought it. He rolled into Winston-Salem the other day, bearing the legacy of a 20th-century Tarheel hero whose lessons are sorely needed now. Weve got all this conflict and fear and chaos, Rasheed told a group of Journal leaders. If we continue to go as were going, it threatens our democracy. Weve just got to figure out a way to come back together. Amen. Rasheed is the executive director of the William C. Friday Fellowship for Human Relations, a Raleigh-based group that nurtures leaders of divergent political stripes to find common ground and work for basics in their communities such as good public education, health care and public safety. Its named for UNC system President Bill Friday, a lawyer and World War II Naval vet renowned for his ability to bring varied people together for beneficial causes. Friday, who died five years ago the age of 92, stood up strong for causes including academic freedom, integration and affordable higher education. As Rasheed has noted, Friday once said: The greatest need in our state and country is for a generation of leaders with moral principles and ethical standardswith an unshakeable commitment to courage and fairness with grace and courtesy and decency. Rasheed, who came to know Friday through their mutual friend George Esser, said that Friday was a giant. Rasheed is ideally suited to carry on Fridays work. Born Humphrey Cobb (his mother was a Humphrey Bogart fan), he grew up in modest means in Henderson, where he still lives. In his 30s, he changed his name to Abdul Rasheed, a reflection of his search for his African roots and the Islam he was studying at the time. Now, he identifies himself as more spiritual than religious, a man with a solid knowledge of his roots, where hes going and where he wants our state to go. Hes 68 and was just recovering from prostate cancer when he was tapped to lead the Friday Fellowship about a year ago. By then, Rasheed had made his name in other ventures, most notably, as the head of the North Carolina Community Development Initiative. He successfully led in programs including economic development and housing. In his new post, hes trying to ramp up and expand the work of the fellowship that started in 1994, building on past efforts. He realizes that wont be easy. Weve allowed ourselves to get trapped in our silos, he said. Back in the early 1960s, with Friday and others at the helm, our state led the Old South to the New South. North Carolina rocked, rightly leading the South in integration that was often peaceful as other states degenerated into violence. From the 1970s and into the 1990s, Democratic leaders worked with Republican ones, such as Govs. Jim Holshouser and Jim Martin, to move our state to the fore. Now, our state and the rest of the country are once again divided on issues of race and class. Both major parties have moved away from the center where things get done. Blacks of modest means and whites of modest means feel left behind by the economic recovery, even as some of our politicians play up their differences and divide them. Rasheed strides into that climate trying to build union. He said he has a conservative side he was raised on the values of hard work and accountability and a liberal side: I want everyone to have equal opportunity. He said the fellowships enhanced work will emphasize the human values we all share: respect, accountability, equity, transparency, patience and civility. If we start with these values, then we can make our Constitution work for everybody, he said. Rasheed is leading in programs to encourage the 200 existing Friday fellows and the ones to come to work in their communities on projects that those communities determine to be worthwhile. Personal relationships are key, he suggests, not impersonal communication on email and Facebook. Its just a little harder for me to say youre a bad person when I know you as a person, he said. These programs, he suggested, will involve the brand of listening for which Bill Friday was known. It will require dreaming as well. Im dreaming now, Rasheed said. He has transformed dreams into action in his past work, building on the values that built our country, and, on our best days, unite us. Such work is harder now, but it must continue. Those values abide. Correspondent of the week ANN GUILL, Winston-Salem An amazing gift My husband and I recently became grandparents for the first time. As I flew west to meet our baby granddaughter, the pilot chose to fly low over the mountains and plains and canyons. Through the small airplane portal I was overcome by the shapes and shadows below, shades of purple and red, dark hues and lush greens, the subtleties of brown and gray, the snow on peaks above vast arid expanses. The occasion was profoundly moving, in and of itself. The vast, rolling, rugged, spectacular vistas made it simply beyond description. The majesty of this great land is an amazing gift, beyond our understanding, one that Native Americans treasured deeply and fought to preserve. It deserves our highest stewardship. We can each do so much more to revere and protect what has been entrusted to us. Our children and grandchildren will thank us, or hold us accountable. Lets not let them down. RONDIE HICKMAN, Winston-Salem Anti-Muslim propaganda I realize theres a new outrage from President Trump today, just like yesterday, but we cant move on too quickly from his anti-Muslim propaganda. It was bigoted and un-American. Like it or not, there are many American Muslims. The vast majority of them are law-abiding and pay their taxes and live their lives like anyone else. In contrast to the way Trump would like to portray them, theyre not running around throwing people off rooftops. His re-tweeting of videos from a far-right anti-Muslim group in Great Britain is meant to foment hatred and fear of people who have done nothing wrong. It reminds me of nothing so much as the Nazis lies about Jews. In response to questions about the videos, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told CBS Newss Major Garrett: Whether its a real video, the threat is real. So the White House that complains all day long about fake news doesnt care if the videos it promotes are real. This is nothing but propaganda and lies from the president of the United States and well all be better off when he is removed from office. ****** BROOKS JONES, Winston-Salem Utter transparency Its easy to see right through the GOP tax bill recently passed along strict party lines in the U.S. Senate. Their vile plan to give huge tax breaks to businesses and the wealthiest Americans is paid for by increasing the burden in a variety of sneaky, insidious ways on the dwindling middle class. (Just one example: increasing taxes on graduate students by up to 400 percent). In a few years, conservatives will point at the ballooning deficit as justification to further cut spending on essential public services like education, veterans benefits and Medicaid. If this bill was so great for constituents, why did lawmakers pass it in the dead of night, without any hearings, all while repeatedly lying about its contents? I hope voters will join me next fall in rejecting Republicans, in both chambers, who voted for this monstrosity. This is not the way to make America great again. *** GERALD G.B. HILL, Winston-Salem Journalism dead? On ABC News on Dec. 1, journalist Brian Ross reported that former Gen. Michael Flynn was going to testify that Donald Trump, as a candidate, instructed him to reach out to Russian officials during the presidential campaign. The network later corrected the story to note that Trump instructed Flynn to reach out to Russian officials during the presidential transition, after Trump was elected president. It was a serious error. After ABC corrected the error, Ross paid for it by being suspended for four weeks without pay. On Dec. 4, Fox News commentator Sean Hannity complained about Ross actions and said, And it proves what we have been saying on this program since 08: Journalism in America is dead. He is 100-percent wrong. What happened proves that journalism in America is alive and well. Ross admitted his error. He was disciplined for it. Thats exactly what should happen at a credible news network. If Hannity is trying to suggest that a news organization must be perfect and never err, his own has a long way to go. He has a long way to go. Ill never understand why some people see admitting an error as a weakness. The alternative is to lie. Fox News may have had some value at some point, despite the way it gets so many things wrong. But in the Trump era, it is little more than de facto state-sponsored TV, just like Pravda in Russia. *** ROGER L. MACK, Winston-Salem Trump bashing What is this Trump bashing I keep hearing about? President Trump is an employee of the citizens of the United States. Our taxes pay his salary (and I dont care that he claims to give it away; its still our money). Hes not a king. Hes sure not a pope. Hes not perfect or free from responsibility by virtue of being elected by the Electoral College. He owes us. So if he lies to the American people (as he does all the time), is it Trump bashing to point it out? If he engaged a foreign government (Russia) to help win the election, is it Trump bashing to reveal it? If he breaks his promises to provide health care that is far less expensive and far better to all Americans, is it Trump bashing to concede his failure? Back in my day, we just called this telling the truth. Please submit letters online to Letters@wsjournal.com or mail letters to: The Readers Forum, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102. Letters are subject to editing and are limited to 250 words. For more guidelines and advice on writing letters, go to journalnow.com/opinion/submit_a_letter. The current exhibitions in Salem Colleges Elberson Fine Arts Center serve as object lessons in abstraction, figuration and conceptual art. The works on view exemplify some of the myriad options available to artists working in any of these three modes. In the main exhibition space known as the Mary Davis Holt Gallery, paintings and mixed-media pieces by Paul Travis Phillips make up a show whose title phonetically subdivides the word empty. Thats empty, em(p)te/. Phillips earned a masters degree in conceptual studio art last year at UNC-Chapel Hill, and he currently teaches art at Rowan Cabarrus Community College in Salisbury. His 41 works on view are from four different series that reflect on the minds appetite for knowledge and insight, as he explains in an accompanying statement. These works relate to minimalism and geometric abstraction, but theyre rooted in conceptual art. Theyre about philosophy and the limits of language, both written and spoken, although thats not so readily apparent. One of the shows first features that viewers are likely to notice is the contrast between the more monochromatic, predominantly black and white pieces and those featuring bold shades of yellow and pink. The latter are from Phillips highlighter series, named for the ink markers typically used to highlight passages of text in a book or other printed document. Phillips employs these markers for purposes that might appear strictly visual, setting off densely spaced, free-handed lines of the contrasting colors against each other on mid-sized canvases. This strategy visually emphasizes the relationships of two neon-bright colors that cross and coincide within the same composition. Phillips theoretical statements about these works are posted on his website (www.paultravisphillips.com). Casual viewers who neglect to read them might perceive in these works a superficial relationship to op art, with its patterns of contrasting fluorescent colors. This segment of his audience is almost certain to overlook his stated intention of illuminating the structural format of the text itself, precisely because there are no texts in these works at least not in the conventionally understood form of printed language. And yet, ironically, some verbal information is crucial to understanding his thematic intentions. Its a conundrum that Phillips surely appreciates and perhaps enjoys. Also included in the highlighter series are two small, freestanding canvases that flout conventional presentation. Instead of being wall-mounted they rest upended inside masking-taped squares on the wooden floor. The one thats painted bright pink on its front-facing surface is titled surface. The white front surface of the other one, titled frame, has been left unpainted, while its reverse side with the exposed wooden stretcher bars is painted pink and yellow. Most of Phillips black and white pieces are from his studio notes series, which references and in some cases exemplifies his use of masking tape in his art practice. Again, an understanding of these works requires familiarity with what he has written about them. In this case, he writes, the process of taping and re-taping sections of painting has become a seductive metaphor for the way my mind digests thoughts and questions, and has led me to more seriously consider the relationship between the real and the illusion in relation to the pursuit of knowledge. And again, casual viewers who dont read his theoretical commentary will surely miss this thematic nuance. Those determined to see pictorial imagery in any and every work of visual art might insist that these works depict mini-blinds, since a number of them feature stacks of horizontal white lines set off against coal-black grounds. More attentive viewers will see otherwise, even without reference to Phillips comments on the series. These viewers will also appreciate the fact that several works incorporate strips of real masking tape stuck to their surfaces, while a few others include precisely painted, realistic depictions of masking tape subtle hints of an otherwise hidden talent for representational drawing. Considering the reliance of Phillips work on written explanations, its somewhat surprising to discover that he considers reading an arduous task, as he writes on his website. Words, specifically written words, are very slippery things, he continues. It is a time-consuming and exhausting task to get them to stay put long enough for me to grasp their structure and syntax, let alone their meaning in relation to each other. His expressed difficulty with reading is a reference point for the other two related series represented in his show. The discarded series consists of books he found and covered with graphite and charcoal. What remains of them are small black slabs that constantly shed black dust. To create the drawings in the fourth series, impressions of a book, he submerged the pages of discarded books into a solution of graphite and binder, then applied them to previously blank paper surfaces to create overlapping and intertwined lines. The results in both series are book-related works that defy conventional reading. Excerpted images recombined SR Sanders has written in some detail about his intentions in creating the works that make up his exhibition Relationships and Dialogues, on view in the Elberson Centers front hallway, also known as the Velma Mason Davis Gallery. But instead of relying so much on theoretical explanations, these works invite appreciation solely for their visual qualities. Sanders excerpts passages of imagery and rich, gradated color from his own photographs and digitally recombines them to create symmetrical, sometimes kaleidoscopic compositions in which details are de-emphasized in the service of shapes, textures and overall form. Most of these works initially read as harmoniously balanced, geometric abstractions. In some cases closer scrutiny reveals pictorial details of the original photographed imagery, such as the vertically oriented metal pipes in his piece titled embrace, which emphasizes interactions among shades of yellow, orange and green. Another of Sanders more striking compositions is extrovert, which symmetrically juxtaposes images of a metal wheel with vertical stripes and what appear to be images of decorative gold wallpaper. Pastel-colored ribbons curvaceously positioned on identically colored backdrops are the subjects of three pieces Sanders has displayed together and respectively titled shame, consummate and contentment. The most overtly pictorial of Sanders works is hesitation, a landscape-derived panorama dominated by lakeside images of bare-limbed trees darkly silhouetted against a twilight sky. Candy-colored whimsies Also on view at Salem, in the Fine Arts Centers back hallway (officially dubbed the June Porter Johnson Gallery), is an exhibition by Marta Blades, a retired gallery director. This shows inclusion of 75 pieces more than Sanders and Phillips shows combined indicates a prolific output. These paintings and mixed-media pieces include lyrical, abstract-expressionist compositions and straightforwardly presented imagery, sometimes accompanied by stencil-painted texts. Blades work is whimsical and tends to be chromatically repetitious, with an emphasis on bright, primary colors. Rendered on prefabricated canvases, these works range in size from roughly 8-inch squares to 4-foot squares. Blades larger works include a series of text-augmented celebrations of the four seasons. In Sweet Liberty, most likely inspired by a song from the Broadway musical, Jane Eyre, Blades adds painted fabric loosely bunched and glued to the canvas a technique pioneered by and usually associated with the late Benny Andrews. The title of Blades exhibition, Lullabies of Broadway, reportedly refers to her passion for musical theater; a number of Blades exhibited works include collaged, miniaturized covers of Playbill, a monthly theater magazine. 2017 Census of Agriculture is underway LINCOLN The U.S. Department of Agricultures (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) are now the 2017 Census of Agriculture to Nebraska producers. Conducted once every five years, the census aims to get a complete and accurate picture of American agriculture. The resulting data are used by farmers, ranchers, trade associations, researchers and policy makers. The data can play a vital role in community planning, farm assistance programs, technology development, farm advocacy, agribusiness setup and rural development. The census will mail in several phases through December. Farm operations of all sizes that in 2017 produced and sold or normally would have sold $1,000 or more of agricultural product are included in the census. The census is the only source of uniform, comprehensive and impartial agriculture data for every state and county in the nation. NASS revised the census questionnaire in an attempt to better document change and emerging trends in the industry. Changes to the form include expanded questions about food marketing practices, as well as questions about on-farm decision-making, to help better capture the roles and contributions of beginning farmers, women farmers and others involved in running a farm enterprise. Producers can respond to the census online or by mail. The USDA recommends the updated online questionnaire, which has time-saving features such as automatic calculations. NRDs taking tree and shrub seedling orders The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) is encouraging landowners to invest in trees this year. The NRDs Conservation Tree Program assists property owners with windbreaks and many other benefits. Hundreds of thousands of tree seedlings are planted across Nebraska every year with the help of the NRDs. Our NRD Tree Program planted more than 700,000 tree and shrub seedlings last year across the state and we hope to do more this year, said Jim Bendfeldt, president of the NARD. The program offers landowners an inexpensive way to enhance their properties, whether for functional use, wildlife habitat or beautifying the land. For often less than a dollar or two a tree, conservation trees shade and shelter homes, reduce energy costs, protect and increase crop yields, reduce soil erosion caused by water and wind, improve water quality, control snow and preserve winter moisture, protect livestock, provide food and cover for wildlife, control noise, capture atmospheric carbon, raise property values and add beauty to our landscape. Each of the 23 NRDs administer its own tree program. Available species and tree and shrub options may differ from district to district depending on what grows well in different areas of the state. NRD staff is available to assist landowners in determining the right trees and locations. Not only are we seeing farmers and ranchers investing back into trees, but families with small acreages too, Bendfeldt said. The cost is very reasonable. Many NRD Conservation Tree Program order deadlines are due as early as March. Interested participants may put in orders at the local NRD. Farmers and rural residents also can go to nrdnet.org or nrdtrees.org to see the selection of trees and shrubs being offered. Sorghum producers to award scholarship The Nebraska Grain Sorghum Producers Associations annual $400 scholarship will be awarded to a graduating high school senior or to a student currently enrolled in post-high school education. To qualify, the student must plan to pursue a course of study in preparation for a career in agriculture or an ag-related field. If the applicant is currently enrolled in college, his/her studies must be ag-oriented. The applicants parents or guardian must be a member of the Nebraska Grain Sorghum Producers Association. The screening and selection of the scholarship recipient will be done by a committee appointed by the association. Notification will be made by May 1, 2018, in time for spring commencement ceremonies, if appropriate. The deadline to apply is Feb. 1. Application forms are currently available by contacting a school guidance counselor or vocational ag teacher, or the Ne- GSPA office at P.O. Box 94982, Lincoln, Nebraska, NE 68509. More information can be obtained by calling (402) 471-3552 or sending an email to sorghum.board@nebraska.gov. A new partnership led by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is helping agricultural producers explore emerging technologies and identify ways to strengthen profitability without increasing risk during the growing season. Organized by Nebraska Extension and the Nebraska Water Balance Alliance, the UNL Testing Ag Performance Solutions competition involved managing center pivot-irrigated corn. Seventeen farm producers squared off against university scientists and two student groups in three categories: most profitable farm, highest input use efficiency and greatest grain yield. We came up with the idea for the UNL-TAPS competition as a way to help producers become familiar with new ag technologies and techniques, while also leveraging a peer-to-peer exchange of information, said Daran Rudnick, assistant professor of biological systems engineering and agricultural water management specialist with Nebraska Extension. The competition took place at the universitys West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte. Each participant managed three small plots under a variable rate irrigation system. Preseason decisions included hybrid selection, population density and crop insurance selection. Each week, participants made decisions regarding irrigation and nitrogen management and grain marketing. Decisions were submitted through a password-protected website, which also included in-season photographs of the plots, weather data and additional farm management resources. With todays low commodity prices, we really wanted to focus on profitability, said Chuck Burr, an extension educator. Its not just about highest yield; its about highest economic yield, meaning at what cost did it take to achieve a certain yield. The competition attracted the attention of several industry partners, who were curious about the management practices being used. The industry representatives were able to share information about their new technologies with producers. John Walz owns and operates a farm 22 miles north of North Platte. He participated in the competition because the knowledge needed to manage an operation is constantly expanding. Ive really learned a lot by participating in the UNL-TAPS competition, he said. There were a lot of really cool tools at our disposal, and weve had the opportunity to see if they can add value to our operation without risk. Some of the participating producers implemented the same management practices they use on their farms, while others used the competition to evaluate different practices. Not only were producers able to expand their knowledge, but the contest allowed Nebraska Extension to expand its expertise. We recognize that the university plot might not be the most successful one in the group, but that provides a great learning opportunity, Rudnick said. Its critical for us to understand different management practices that take place on individual operations so that when a grower comes to us and asks, Why?, we have actual scientific background on why that outcome took place. In the coming weeks, each producer will share their management strategies and discuss their successes and challenges during educational workshops. Others involved in launching the competition were Matt Stockton, UNL associate professor of agricultural economics, and Rodrigo Werle, assistant professor of agronomy and horticulture. The competition was supported by Nebraskas Natural Resource Districts, the Nebraska Corn Board, AquaMart and several industry partners. SCOTTSBLUFF Scotts Bluff County 4-H held the annual Achievement Celebration on Sunday, Nov. 5, at the University of Nebraskas Panhandle Research and Extension Center. The theme was Far Out, Funky 4-H Achievement Fandango and the purpose of the event was to celebrate the end of a successful 4-H year and to award and honor volunteers, leaders, and 4-H members. In addition, the 4-H Council for 2018 was elected at this event. The 4-H Council, in collaboration with Extension staff, determines the needs of 4-H youth in the county and how to meet those needs. This is done through program planning, policy making, resource development, linkages within the program and in the community, and accountability. The volunteers who serve on the 4-H Council take on the roles and tasks to ensure that this 4-H program empowers youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with caring adults. As per the Constitution and By-Laws of the 4-H Council, officers are elected by ballot at the 4-H Achievement event by 4-H membership at large to begin their term in January of the following year. The 4-H Council members elected for 2018 are: President Wendi Callenius Vice-President Patty Pittman Secretary Tanya Lake Treasurer Julie Lane, Youth Representatives Alexis Souza and Autumn Pittman. Youth award highlights include: The I Dare You Leadership Award was first offered to young people in the United States in 1941 by William H. Danforth, founder of the Ralston Purina Company in St. Louis. He dared young people to achieve their highest potential and to influence others through lives of leadership and service. The I Dare You Award recognizes those who, with a little encouragement, are ready to see themselves as leadersyoung adults who are ready to take the dare. Qualifying 4- H members are 16 to 18 years old by January 1 of the current year and have demonstrated personal integrity, lead well-rounded lives and possess a willingness to assume responsibility. They do not need to hold leadership positions currently but should be recognized by their peers and adults who work with them as emerging leaders. Recipients get an award and a $200 college scholarship. This award was presented to Megan Rudy by 4-H Council Vice President Patty Pittman. The 4-H Career Portfolio is the annual record-keeping system used by Nebraska Youth. It is a composite of all 4-H and non-4-H projects and activities throughout the individuals 4-H career. The overall portfolio winner recognizes two members at each level who have done an outstanding job in documenting their 4-H career. These members receive certificates and cash awards of $50 for 1st place and $25 for 2nd place. This years winners were: 1st Junior Division Jessica Wilkinson 2nd Junior Division Ethan Bomberger 1st Senior Division Brilea Sinner 2nd Senior Division Autumn Pittman Additional Career Portfolio Awards were presented as follows: Junior Division Animal Science - Cacee Colson, Kristy Colson, Justin Keller, Laurence Keller, Sophia Pitts, Jarrett Shepperson, Justin Vance and Kathryn Vance. Junior Division Consumer & Family Science - Sheridan Lathrop and Justine Wilkinson Junior Division Healthy Lifestyles - Gabriella Anderson Senior Division Animal Science - Katie Colson, Clayton Haug, Elizabeth Shepperson and Alexis Souza Senior Division Consumer & Family Science - Mirka Anguiano The Nebraska 4-H Diamond Clover Program is designed to encourage 4-H youth to engage in a variety of projects and activities that will enable members to acquire the life skills necessary to lead successful lives as competent, caring and contributing citizens. The programs overall goal is to provide 4-H members a rich and diverse learning experience. The program consists of six levels that require a 4-H member to plan and report a broad range of age appropriate accomplishments. The program is designed to enable every 4-H member willing to exert the effort an opportunity to be recognized, regardless of how they are involved in 4-H. Amethyst Clover pins were awarded to: Cacee Colson, Laurence Keller, Sheridan Lathrop and Jarrett Shepperson. Aquamarine Clover pins were awarded to: Katie Colson, Kristy Colson, Justin Keller, Elizabeth Shepperson and Justine Wilkinson. Ruby Clover pins were awarded to: Sophia Pitts, Autumn Pittman and Jessica Wilkinson To achieve the Nebraska 4-H Diamond Clover Programs highest honor, Diamond, a 4-H member must complete a major service-learning project that benefits his/her community. The project must be of lasting value and be large enough in size and/or scope to be worthy of Diamond Clover recognition. It may take up to 24 months to complete this project. Alexis Souza was presented an award to recognize that she is working on the Diamond Clover Award. Often the appearance of animals at the county fair is the first impression the public has of 4-H and the livestock industry. The focus of good herdsmanship is teamwork, showing pride in their animal exhibits, and learning to pick-up and take care of the area. Herdsmanship also includes proper care of animals, making sure there is enough water and the pens are clean. A Herdsmanship Award is given to a club for excelling in these efforts. June Castillo, the 2017 4-H Herdsmanship Superintendent presented these awards. Beef Herdsmanship was awarded to the Panhandle Livestock 4-H Club Sheep Herdsmanship was awarded to the Fairview 50 4-H Club Meat Goat Herdsmanship, Swine Herdsmanship and All Around Herdsmanship were all presented to the Just Kidding Around 4-H Club The Tom Holman Spirit of 4-H Award is to honor the memory of Tom Holman, long-time Extension Educator in Scotts Bluff County. It is given to 4-H members in their first few years of membership who are trying out a variety of project areas, learn by doing, and show the true spirit of the 4-H program. This award was presented to Kyle Kizzire by Julie Lane, 4-H Council Secretary. An award for Outstanding Rabbit and Poultry Club Member was presented to Devin Suhr by Jana Schwartz from the Scotts Bluff County Extension Office. Awards were also presented to all first year 4-H members, graduating senior 4-H members and Clover Kids. The Clover Kids are 4-Hers who are 5 to 7 years old and who participate in hands-on activities designed to build lots of different skills. This is a strictly non-competitive program with the emphasis on fun and learning. Leaders are the foundation of the 4-H program. Leaders teach many important life skills, help youth learn by doing, voluntarily give of their caring and kind words and provide opportunities to succeed and fail in a safe environment. Special pins are awarded in five year intervals to volunteers who continue to be committed to the 4-H Program. Receiving pins this year were: Five years (silver pin) Patricia Beals, Kaden Hubbard, Melissa Mosher, Catherine Reynolds, Cori Sherrod and Jason Wilkinson Ten years (gold pin) Julia Jacobs Fifteen years (pearl pin) Paul Callenius and Donna Jenne Thirty years (ruby pin) Val Baker The Leaders of the Year Award recognizes an enrolled 4-H volunteer leader. This person or persons may be a club leader, project leader, special interest leader, community leader or a resource leader. Becky Ulrich was recognized as 4-H Leader of the Year for all of her time, hard work, contributions and support of 4-H. This award was presented by members of the 4-H Rabbit and Poultry projects. The Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes individuals who go above and beyond in giving service to the 4-H program. The recipient does not need to be an enrolled 4-H volunteer leader. This awarded was presented to June Castillo for her significant contributions to Scotts Bluff County 4-H by serving as superintendent of both the Awards Committee and the Herdsmanship Committee. Her service was greatly appreciated by 4-H members, volunteers and Extension Office staff! The Friend of 4-H Award recognizes someone who has been a true friend in providing support to the 4-H program. This award was presented by Wendi Callenius, 4-H Council President, to Scotts Bluff County Farm Bureau. Farm Bureau has provided generous support of the Scotts Bluff County 4-H program, including funds to pay for the online Quality Assurance Program for 4-H members and registration fees for the 4-H Robotics program. 4-H continues to be able to provide programming thanks to partners like Farm Bureau. Scotts Bluff County 4-H would like to thank the Achievement Committee Julie Lane, Wendi Callenius, Paul Callenius, Tanya Lake, Patty Pittman, Autumn Pittman, Alexis Souza, and Jana Schwartz for all of their work in planning this event, and also special thanks to Paul Callenius for serving as the emcee for the program. SCOTTSBLUFF When you put that spoonful of sugar into your morning coffee, little thought will be paid to how it got there beyond buying the bag off the shelf of your local supermarket. According to Western Sugar agronomist Michael Ann Relka, Western Sugar employs about 390 personnel at its Scottsbluff factory, contributing roughly $124 million a year to the local economy. While it was originally built in 1910, Since 2002, the factory has been owned by a cooperative of sugarbeet growers, who grow the crop locally. Yearly agreements are signed, wherein growers get their share of profits off the beets grown based on the acreage planted. Today, all of the sugarbeets in America have been genetically modified to resist glyphosate, an herbicide more commonly known as Round-up. The advent of GMO sugarbeets has actually allowed for farmers to make fewer pesticide applications to their fields, limiting the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as well as preventing erosion and limiting soil compaction in fields. At harvest, sugarbeets are pulled from the ground using special harvesting equipment and transported by the semi-load to the factory where they are weighed and placed into piles. The beets are floated into the factory by water in a flume, which washes off trash, weeds, leaves and residue. From there they are washed again before heading to a hopper above slices which cut them into potato-chip like slices called cossettes. The sugar is extracted from the cossettes in diffusers, which use osmosis (soaking in water) to extract the beet juice. The raw juice is purified and filtrated through multiple chemical processes before heading to an evaporator. By this point, roughly 80 percent of the beets water content has been removed, and the concentrate is boiled and placed in a centrifuge where the remaining impurities are spun out. After multiple stages of crystallization, the finished sugar is finally ready to bag and ship. Recent expansions to the Scottsbluff factory means that molasses and thick juice can be collected to be reboiled and further processed into sugar, which Production superintendent Tracy Bentley said means the Scottsbluff Factory can operate up to 11 months out of the year. We had a few hiccups after the expansion last year, but the factory is performing much better now, Bentley said. Melinda Steele, packaging and warehouse manager for Western Sugar, said that the sugar is stored in silos and can be loaded and unloaded from trucks and train cars and vice-versa, to be made into five different varieties, including three types of brown sugar, industrial sugar (regular granulated white sugar), powdered sugar. The machines at the factory can produce 93 four-pound bags per-minute, 74 four- or ten-pound bags per minute. The industrial line can produce about 4 to 5 bags per-minute for 25- and 50-pound bags. And powder and brown sugar machines work about 50 to 33 bags per-minute. You have a potential for quite a few bags per-minute per-hour, Steele said. A three-year study conducted by Simanti Banerjee, assistant professor of agricultural economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, offers insights about how producers can be incentivized to implement pro-environmental land-use practices. In an effort to conserve and restore natural habitat and other environmental functions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has implemented Payment for Ecosystem Services schemes to encourage voluntary participation. In exchange for a yearly rental payment, producers enrolled in a PES scheme, such as the Conservation Reserve Program: -- Agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production, or -- Implement various practices on their working lands under the Conservation Stewardship Program. While the schemes address enrollment and acreage objectives, Banerjees research considers enrollment across adjacent properties that may require coordination between neighboring producers. For instance, the habitat and water quality on a producers parcels adjacent to a neighbors CRP land may affect the biodiversity of the enrolled, environmentally-sensitive land. Since these programs are an integral part of the agricultural system of the U.S., scientific investigation is important to identify economic and non-economic mechanisms that can generate environmental benefits for agricultural communities and society at large, Banerjee said. Banerjees research considered the Agglomeration Bonus, which pays producers more if their neighbor implements the same environmentally friendly land-use practice. Examples include riparian buffers, windbreaks or foraging patches for pollinators. Two coordinating mechanisms were tested during the study. The first focused on money only, and varied the payment amounts based on the amount of coordination. The second format was not monetary, but nudged producers with information about land-use practices of participants belonging to another community. Results indicate that coordinated land-use rates are higher if payments associated with coordination are higher, which aligns with conventional economic thinking. Having information about outcomes of the Agglomeration Bonus scheme from other communities also improves coordination rates in both communities, meaning that the nudge is effective. This result is in line with behavioral economic findings. The mechanisms were tested on 144 university students in a lab-controlled environment. The next step for Banerjees research will be to conduct similar field experiments with producers. The combination of evidence from both lab and field studies is essential for making the case for implementing PES schemes with an Agglomeration Bonus format, Banerjee said. The experimental evidence I find would support a case to legislators to consider adopting this policy as part of a local or federal conservation program. Banerjee said the study highlights the role behavioral economics and economic experimentation can play in answering questions important to agriculture, the environment and society. Evidence on the cost-effectiveness of PES schemes is mixed, which is why the information nudge Banerjee explored could be appealing to regulators. Fund disbursal from the schemes is subject to budget constraints, so being able to rely on information about land-use choices of other producers, without having to change payment amounts, could be an affordable option. Results of the study were published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. ALLIANCE 2017 was WESTCOs eighth best year on record, with the 76-year-old cooperative generating $135 million in sales with $4.4 million in net savings. Board Chairman Mark Buskirk said Monday that the board had approved the equity redemption for all members age 70 and older. In total, WESTCO is returning $1.8 million in cash back to members. However, next year, the numbers may be uncertain. At the companys annual meeting at the Alliance High School on Monday, David Briggs, WESTCO general manager, told the crowd of roughly 200 people that dividends from its parent cooperative, Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota-based CHS, would not be paid out to members in 2018. CHS suffered a 45.2 million net loss in the third quarter of 2017, but the problems came to light earlier in the year. CHS had extended $230 million in credit and other funds to Seara Ind e Com de Produtos Agropecuas Ltda, a Brazillian commodities trader which filed for bankruptcy protection in April. The Brazilian firm is the source of much of the grain CHS exports around the world. Zeeland, Michigan-based farm giant Boesen Farms Inc. also defaulted on a $145.3 million loan it owes to a CHS subsidiary, CHS Capital LLC, creating ripples for member-owned cooperatives around the country. If you show a loss, its good coop principles to not pay out dividends, Briggs said at the meeting Monday. Of the total $4.4 million in net savings from WESTCO this year, $700,000 of that was CHS dividends, Briggs said in a follow-up interview Wednesday. It will have some effect on the local area, but its not going to be an end of the world-type situation, Briggs said. The profitability of their refinery sector coupled with the (Brazil and Michigan) hiccups created a negative year for them. In other areas, WESTCO had a good year across its seven divisions, especially in agriculture. It was a very good year, unless you got hail, Briggs told shareholders Monday. Weve had lots of beans that came in at over 30 bags an acre, lot of corn at 220 bushel (per acre) and sugarbeets at over 30 ton an acre, with some guys getting about 40 ton an acre. They were outstanding crops, but of course the low prices beat pretty good crops, but overall we had a good year he said. WESTCOs New Alliance division completed its largest bean harvest ever at about 1 million bags hundredweight, and it would have been larger had two hail storms not hit parts of Box Butte County making harvest difficult, Briggs said. Briggs said there are plans to expand the holding capacity at Alliance facility by another 120,000 bags are in the works, which would increase the overall capacity by 1/3. However, the surplus in beans will mean lower prices for 2018 as the cooperative sets to sell of the inventory it currently has. At the end of the meeting Craig Henkel of Bayard, and Dan Oligmueller of Alliance, were both re-elected to the Board of Directors for another term. 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. LINCOLN At a candlelight vigil Saturday evening, Sydney Loofe, whose disappearance and death have drawn national attention, was remembered as a caring person who would help people she barely knew. Addison Mills, who worked with the 24-year-old Loofe at a Menards store, said that Loofe took in a male co-worker who didnt have a place to live and was down on his luck. Over several months, she helped the co-worker clean up, get to work on time and get caught up on his bills, Mills said. Shed give everything off her back to someone if they needed it, she said. She was the most caring person I ever met. Loofe, who lived in a duplex in Lincoln, went missing after going on a date with a women set up via an online dating site on Nov. 15. A body believed to be Loofes was found Monday after nearly two weeks of searches. Foul play is suspected, and authorities have detained two persons of interest for questioning. Matthew Steele of Lincoln said he and his fiancee, Jessica Watson, organized the event even though theyd never met Loofe. Steele said he and Watson have a 2-year-old son, and learning that a family had lost someone so tragically really hit close to home. Memorial services for Loofe will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Grace Lutheran Church in Neligh, her hometown. Visitation with the family will be today from 4 to 7 p.m. at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that a monetary donation be made to be used for a memorial at Omahas Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Beyer Snider Memorial Funeral Home in Neligh. Hans Granholm pictured with his dog Parker in Edmonton, Alta., on Thursday December 7, 2017. Parker is not yet five years old and has been giving blood regularly for nearly three of them. "He just gave his 12th donation," said Hans Granholm of Edmonton. The rescue dog, which had to go through a series of tests to make sure he was eligible to donate, doesn't seem to mind the donor sessions at all. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson Lawyer Adam Savaglio poses in the offices of Scarfing Hawkins LLP in Hamilton, Ont., on Thursday, December 7, 2017. Savaglio is representing a woman (who doesnAot want to be identified) who filed a human rights complaint after being sexually assaulted. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, leaves after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Sunday, Dec.10, 2017. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters have demonstrated in Paris against the arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying his visit 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. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) If being in business for three decades is any measure, the Kenosha Flea Market has been a roaring success. Early next year, Don and Beth Goll might start their 33rd year in business at 5535 22nd Ave., but its more likely they will have moved on. According to the Golls, the owners of the massive building at the northeast corner of 22nd Avenue and 56th Street, formerly home of Vincent-McCall, want them out. However, they have received no official notice to vacate. Its getting tougher to operate in the space. There are only two heaters for the entire upstairs selling space. Windows have been covered cosmetically, but are not particularly airtight. The roof leaks in many places, and stock is often covered with tented tarps. They have been working and doing different things on the building, said Don, the 88-year-old Korean War veteran who has run the flea market with his wife since the beginning. Theyve been testing timbers and things like that. We used to have the whole second floor, but when the new owners came in they chased us out of some (of that space). We had a lot of merchandise in those areas. But for now, the Golls are preparing for a future that doesnt include the Kenosha Flea Market. At one time, the market included more than 20 vendors, as well as new and used goods sold by the Golls. Weve advertised (in the past), and some people who came in never knew we were here, Don said. Today, three vendors have stayed on and Beth said she expects they will stick with the flea market until the very end. But, she added, it gets more difficult to run the business. The older we get, the harder it is, Beth said. Im 67. She is afraid their departure will leave a gap in the neighborhood, which is without a grocery store. People depend on us, Beth said. They come in for cereal or canned goods, toilet paper, dish soap things that they need. Business has slowed down a bit in recent years. But we still have a neighborhood trade. We have people coming in whose parents used to bring them in when they were kids 30 years ago. Flea market finds The goods for sale at the Kenosha Flea Market range from the standard used household goods to the unusual. Harley-Davidson branded clothing is right across the aisle from furniture and Matchbox collectible cars. Beer signs share space with posters and small appliances. Beth showed off one of her favorites, an early 20th century camp stove/lamp that she said was often used to heat the undersides of Model T Fords in winter. We had a six-sided harmonica one time, Beth said. Seriously, you had to spin it around to play it. It was like a rolling pin. That was kind of weird. But somebody liked it and bought it. We have a lot of strange items, Don said. We even had an old wood stove from a train. And a Michael Jordan autographed Wheaties box. Ive been here 33 years, said Ralph Castillo, a vendor selling everything from tools to watches. Ive been here for a long time, and all of a sudden youve got to go. A lot of people come in here. Castillo said, like everything, business has its good days and bad days. You name it, we got it, said Castillo, 75. Im one of the oldest guys here. Goll said the closing is tearing us apart from longtime friends. Its killing us, she said. We have people who bring their kids and grandkids in here. Changing neighborhood The changing nature of the neighborhood has contributed to the fading fortunes of the business, the couple said. Weve had a bad time with some of the neighbors, but 99.9 percent of the neighbors are excellent, Beth said. Theyve backed us if we have had a problem. And we do have a problem now and then with the kids. The neighbors treat us right, and we treat them right. Our customers are so good with us, and we try to be good with them. The couple donates goods to a nearby group home for mentally impaired adults, and they have provided clothing and assistance to neighbors who dont have the money to buy what they need. They have even lent money to neighbors and customers when they see an immediate need. Years ago, we made a good living here, Don said, and we only came in three days a week and we didnt start on Friday until noon. But we had American Motors and the Brassworks. Thats all gone. And people dont have the money they used to have. Its a good thing for us to be getting out of here. If we could have stayed in this neighborhood, we would have been OK because our customers would have stayed with us, Beth said. As it is, everything is up in the air. Nowhere to move The couple considered a move to a storefront, but thought they could not take their vendors with them. And the available empty space that could hold a market as big as theirs is in short supply in Kenosha, they said. For now, boxes of items can be found all around the market space carrying a $5 price. Its the easiest way they see to sell a lot of their goods in a hurry. There might be $20 to $30 of merchandise in a box, Don said. Losing the space, we knew that was coming, Beth said. But its hard to deal with the uncertainty. But I give the people who are taking over credit, if they think they can do something with the building. Were still open for business and were going to hang in there. Well be here until they tell us we have to get out, Don said. Kenosha News journalist Daniel Gaitan contributed to this report. DUBAI, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Iraq has signed an agreement with Iran to export crude oil from its Kirkuk oilfield with a rate of between 30,000 and 60,000 barrels per day, an Iraqi oil official said on Saturday. Iraq plans to double its production from oilfields in Kirkuk to one million barrels per day, its oil minister said last month. Exports from oilfields in Kirkuk have been on hold since Iraqi forces took back control of the fields from the Kurds in October. Local Iraqi private broadcaster Alsumariya earlier said the deal had been signed in Tehran, citing Iraqi Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi. (Reporting by Rania El Gamal; Writing by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Maher Chmaytelli) Dec 11 (Reuters) - Cleanaway Waste Management said on Monday it would buy smaller rival Tox Free Solutions for A$3.425 per share in cash, valuing Tox at A$671 million ($503.72 million) on a diluted basis. The Cleanaway offer is at a 20.6 percent premium to Tox's closing level on Friday of A$2.84. Under the deal, Tox shareholders will be entitled to receive an interim dividend of A$0.05 per share in fiscal 2018, the company said in a statement. In a separate statement, directors of Tox Free said they unanimously recommended that shareholders vote in favour of the Cleanaway offer. ($1 = 1.3321 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Susan Mathew in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Cooney) DUBAI, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Foreign investors turned net buyers of Saudi Arabian shares in the last week, suggesting concern about the impact of a sweeping crackdown on corruption has faded, exchange data showed on Sunday. Foreigners were net sellers of Saudi stocks for four straight weeks after authorities launched the purge in early November, detaining dozens of top officials and businessmen and freezing over 2,000 bank accounts. In the last couple of weeks, however, the risk of damage to the economy has appeared to ease, with the number of frozen accounts falling and some suspects reaching settlements with the government. A purchasing managers' survey showed most of the private sector operating as normal in November. Foreign investors bought 718 million riyals ($191 million) worth of stocks in the week through Dec. 7 and sold 674 million riyals worth, resulting in 44 million riyals of net buying. In the week to Nov. 9, immediately after the crackdown was announced, there was net selling of 1.08 billion riyals worth of shares, and net selling decreased in every week after that. The latest data also showed Saudi individual investors bought stocks worth 17.53 billion riyals last week and sold 19.21 billion riyals, resulting in net selling of 1.68 billion riyals, down from net sales of 2.19 billion riyals in the previous week. Saudi institutional investors bought 2.83 billion riyals of stocks in the latest week and sold 1.31 billion riyals, for net buying of 1.52 billion riyals. (Reporting by Andrew Torchia; Editing by Greg Mahlich) (Refiles with extraneous text removed) WELLINGTON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - New Zealand's Finance Minister Grant Robertson said on Monday that the government would soon move to extend the so-called bright line test to five years from two currently as it seeks to crack down on foreign speculators in the housing market. The government had said in October that a ban on foreigners buying existing homes would begin in early 2018, as it tries tackle what it has called a "housing crisis" inherited from the previous government. "We have already begun work on addressing demand-side pressures with the introduction of the ban on overseas speculators buying residential property," Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in a speech to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. "We will shortly move to extend the bright line test to five years and crack down on the use of negative gearing." (Reporting by Ana Nicolaci da Costa; Editing by Catherine Evans) Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. 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. President Moon Jae-in, center, urges his ministers to come up with a policy encouraging innovation at a meeting in Seoul last month. / Yonhap Asia's No. 4 economy urged to adopt all-in-one approach By Park Hyong-ki The United States is leading in artificial intelligence (AI) and driverless vehicles. China has the world's top drone maker, while Japan has a thriving robotics industry. Germany is paving the way in factory automation. What does Korea have at the moment that can help sustain itself in the new age of the digital revolution? Asia's fourth-largest economy may achieve 3 percent growth this year on the global economic recovery, but the question remains how long it can keep its momentum by solely depending on the capital-intensive production of semiconductors and hardware. There is a big question mark about the future of Korea. The incumbent administration of President Moon Jae-in has mobilized all of its state agencies to come up with a new, concerted policy that can help drive innovation and change the business landscape here. They will unveil their innovation policy next month which would most likely include more measures to spur tech startups and their ecosystems and fundamentally and structurally change the economy. This new policy is expected to go hand in hand with Moon's income-led growth policy, analysts say. "The innovation policy will come to light out of need to change this economy to be more creative, get people a different kind of education and embrace a culture of high risk, high return," said Kim Doo-un, an economist at Hana Financial Investment. "Income-led growth, on the other hand, is part of a global trend to reduce inequality and boost private consumption." The former is about making a change, while the latter is about fairness in wealth redistribution, he added. "We cannot see and separate them as some sort of ideological differences. Korea needs both to be implemented in a balanced way in the long term," Kim said. They are practically "two sides of the same coin." There are concerns Moon's innovation policy could take a form similar to the "creative economy policy" of his predecessor Park Geun-hye, who was ousted by the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court. Park had poured a lot of public money into trying to build a new business ecosystem around startups, but her policy efforts in the end came to be overshadowed by her scandal. The question is: Will it be different this time? Deputy Prime Minister Kim Dong-yeon questions the future of Korea's growth at a meeting in Seoul last month. / Yonhap By Rachel Lee North Korea has again hit out at a U.S. suggestion of a naval blockade, saying any such action would be considered a declaration of war. Pyongyang said such a move would be a "wanton violation of the country's sovereignty and dignity" that would be considered a declaration of war, the state-run Rodong Shinmun reported Sunday. "Once we discover a small movement to implement the naval blockade plan, there should follow our prompt, brutal and self-defensive response against the movement," the newspaper said. North Korea said the U.S. and its followers should stop this "useless" plan and think carefully about the "catastrophic" outcome. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson recently mentioned the "right to interdict maritime traffic transporting goods" to and from the North, after its Nov. 29 test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, accompanied by aides, looks around the snow-covered Cheonji crater lake on Mt. Baekdu. The Korean Central News Agency released the photograph Saturday. / Yonhap By Yi Whan-woo North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's rare visit to the peak of Mt. Baekdu, Saturday, is raising questions over whether he will come up with another drastic plan to tighten his brutal grip on power. The 2,744 meters high Mt. Baekdu is the tallest mountain on the Korean Peninsula and is significant in the setting of the repressive state's mythology aimed at propagandizing the third-generation lineage of its dynastic leadership. Kim Jong-un purportedly trekked up the "sacred" mountain often after taking power in December 2011, as his late grandfather Kim Il-sung and late father Kim Jong-il did in bids to consolidate their respective leaderships. The young tyrant first visited the mountain shortly before he executed his uncle Jang Song-thaek, who was considered the country's No. 2 and a mentor to Kim, in December 2013. He visited the mountain again in November 2014, when he sought to come up with a new vision for state affairs ahead of the third anniversary of his father's death. Given this climate, analysts said Sunday that the dictator's visit to the "sacred mountain" may also have a political message. A doctor from Saudi Arabia, left, visiting Korea on a training program for foreign doctors, observes a Korean surgeon perform an operation on a patient at Asan Medical Center in Seoul. / Courtesy of Asan Medical Center 'After medical training, I am very satisfied that I came to Korea' By Lee Kyung-min Dr. Rafat Bahjat Zahid, the deputy director of Multi-Organ Transplant Center (MOTC) at the Prince Sultan Military Medical City (PSMMC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, said he would recommend any medical professionals come to Korea. He underwent an 11-month training program at Asan Medical Center (AMC) in southern Seoul to learn laparoscopic surgery, or minimally invasive surgery, from urologist Hong Bum-sik. The urology specialist at the PSMMC, a leading hospital in the Middle East specializing in organ transplant, visited by around 40,000 outpatients, decided to come to Korea to improve his surgical skills and better integrate his medical knowledge into treating patients. "To be honest, I would have never thought of coming to Korea on my own for advanced medical training," he said. One of his trusted friends and colleagues in Saudi Arabia recommended he go to Korea, saying he studied at an online training center for endourology at Yonsei Severance Hospital in Seoul, through the Endourological Society, a nonprofit organization comprised of international urologists. "I said Korea? I have never heard of it in my entire life.' But after training, I am very satisfied that I came to Korea and I am grateful to my friend." By the time his training ended, he observed 114 surgeries, during which he provided surgical assistant roles. In the process, Hong, who has performed over 13,000 surgeries, gave advice in detail and made sure he understood the procedure fully. "Many surgeons in Saudi Arabia seek training in Korea where most patients have operations in the early stages as a result of regular checkups, which means surgeons in Korea have ample experience. Learning from Hong definitely helped my practice. I strongly recommend others come to Korea to learn." After he returned home, he performed 50 successful laparoscopic hand-assisted donor nephrectomy (LHADN) operations and established a multi-organ transplant center at which he is a deputy director. He is among 42 doctors who have completed or are undergoing the medical training program between Korea and Saudi Arabia launched in 2014. It was organized by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, a health ministry-supervised organization. Korea is the fourth country to have the government-level bilateral program with Saudi Arabia after the U.S., Canada and France. Mongolia and Russia began sending doctors to Korea, in 2012 and 2013, respectively, for them to learn advanced medical technology on a state-organized program. A total of 133 doctors from Moglia and 56 from Russia have undergone training thus far. A total of 596 foreign doctors have undergone training in Korea on state-organized program between 2007 and Dec. 11. Korea recognized for world-class medical technology The steady number of foreign doctors continues to visit Korea amid growing recognition of its world-class medical technology. A surgical oncologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center asked for his mother, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer in a hospital in Los Angeles, to undergo treatment at Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) in 2008. MGH is the largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and a biomedical research facility located in Boston. SNUH Stomach Cancer Center Director Yang Han-kwang who performed the operation said the surgeon from the U.S., a country where most doctors wish to go training for advanced medical technology, chose the hospital in Korea which has the highest success rate for stomach cancer treatments. "His mother was covered under the highest quality medical insurance in the U.S., but chose to come to Korea," Yang said. The surgical oncologist from MGH even received additional training in stomach cancer surgery at SNUH, which performs around 1,000 stomach cancer surgeries per year, the highest number of treatments. It has the lowest postoperative mortality rate of 0.6 percent, far less than the 10 percent of Europe. "About 1,000 medical professionals undergo training in Korea from world-class surgeons every year. How Korean surgeons perform surgery is featured in medical textbooks as an example," said Yang. Varvara Kirchner from the University of Minnesota Medical School in the U.S., who learned the surgical techniques from Lee Sung-gyu, a liver transplantation expert at Asan Medical Center, said the achievements made by some Korean hospitals are comparable to those of world-class hospitals such as the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Cleveland Clinic. She came from the hospital in Minnesota, where 226 senior professors from Korea visited as part of "the Minnesota Project" between 1955 and 1961. Korea has built its medical and engineering infrastructure through the U.S. government-sponsored program. In about five decades later, medical technology in Korea has since made groundbreaking achievements, with the country now sought by top global doctors to learn from. "Korea running many training programs for foreign doctors is among many indicators how the country has improved its recognition and standing on the global medical stage," said Dr. Rha Koon-ho, a urology professor and director of the Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery Center at Yonsei University Health System. He has trained five Saudi doctors that came to Korea with the Saudi government-organized program since June 2014. "It is important for the trainees to get back to their country and be fully functional," he said. "In order to do that, medical training programs should offer more chances for both professors and trainees to exchange opinions." Rep. Choo Mi-ae By Choi Ha-young Rep. Choo Mi-ae, chairwoman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), left for Russia, Monday, to discuss issues related to North Korea and the Winter Olympics, the party said. For eight days, the five-term lawmaker will meet high-ranking officials to talk about Russia's role in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the expansion of trade between the two countries. A meeting with Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of the Russian parliament, is scheduled, according to DPK spokeswoman Rep. Back Hye-ryun, Sunday. "In the meeting with President Vladimir Putin's associate, Choo will seek to deepen collaboration between President Moon Jae-in's New Northern Policy and Russia's New Eastern Policy," said Back. The chairwoman will ask for the Russian parliament's support of President Moon's "nine-bridge strategy." In his visit to Vladivostok in September, Moon called for bilateral cooperation in gas, railroads, ports, electricity, sea lanes, shipbuilding, job creation, and agriculture and fisheries projects. The government is seeking better relations with Eurasian countries to find new growth engines and secure peace on the peninsula. As a part of this vision, Moon launched the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation (PCNEC), Dec. 7. Seoul is also preparing to start negotiations for a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union, comprised of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Choo is planning to reiterate the goal in upcoming meetings with Yury Trutnev, deputy prime minister and presidential envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, and Alexander Galuska, minister for the development of the Russian Far East. "Through the meetings, Choo will point to the need to sign a memorandum of understanding between the PCNEC and the Russian vice prime minister's office, and the establishment of a council of businessmen from the two countries," Back added. The chairwoman will have talks with Boris Gryzlov, chairman of the Supreme Council of the ruling United Russia Party (URP), and sign an agreement between the DPK and the URP. The envisioned agreement aims to facilitate communication between two parties. During her visit to Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Choo will encourage South Korean businessmen who are based in Russia. "In Saint Petersburg, where there is a core group of Korean firms, Choo will seek active administrative help from officials for the South Korean companies," Back said. Choo will also take discuss the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which is facing problems after the International Olympic Committee banned Russia for state-sponsored doping by athletes. "Choo will actively make a request to Russian decision makers to encourage their athletes to compete in the Winter Games individually," Back said. "She will outline the government's plan to support Russian participants and the idea of forming a cheering party for them." The DPK head has made a flurry of diplomatic moves recently. She ended a six-day trip to the United States last month and met Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to China from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3. By Rachel Lee The ASEAN-Korea Center sent an investment and market research mission to Hanoi, Vietnam, from Dec. 6 to 9, in cooperation with the Vietnam Automation Association (VAA) and the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement (KIRIA). The mission included representatives from the robotics and automation sectors. As the leaders of Korea and Vietnam agreed to increase their trade to $100 billion by 2020 during a summit last month, this program aims to further accelerate trade ties in the sectors in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the organization said. "With an aim to achieve industrialization and modernization by 2020, the Vietnamese government is very active in upgrading their science and technology sectors as well as in attracting foreign investments in relevant industries," ASEAN-Korea Center Secretary General Kim Young-sun said. Robotics is among the most promising industries _ selected as a priority direction in the strategy for science and technology development for 2011-20 _ to allow Vietnam to participate in global supply chains, the secretary general said. As part of the program, the mission attended the Korea-Vietnam Investment Forum on Dec. 8 in Hanoi. Kim, VAA Chairman Nguyen Quan and Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Lee Hyuk attended the opening ceremony. In the following sessions, senior officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam and the Vietnam Robotics Association gave briefings on Vietnam's investment promotion policies, incentives for high-tech and robotic industries and the current investment projects in the industries. Experts from KIRIA gave an overview of the robotics industry in Korea. Later, business networking sessions allowed mission members to introduce their company profiles to their Vietnamese counterparts and a build network for future cooperation. During his tour of the ASEAN area last month, Korean President Moon Jae-in unveiled the ASEAN-ROK Future Community Vision, vowing to boost cooperation in a vast range of areas, including information and communications technology (ICT). In line with the growing needs of ASEAN countries to foster high-tech industries, the organization has introduced trade and investment programs in the sectors of ICT, smart city, smart manufacturing, robotics and e-commerce. The organization also hosted a workshop titled Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) Tourism for Sustainable Regional Development in ASEAN at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Jeju International Training Center (JITC), Dec. 5-9 The UNITAR Centre International de Formation des Autorites et Leaders (CIFAL)/JITC, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, the United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific (UCLG ASPAC) and the Jeju Tourism Organization co-hosted the event attended by policymakers and professionals from the 10 ASEAN member states. Jeju Island is both home to UNESCO Natural Heritage Sites and a popular MICE destination that is ranked seventh in Asia and 27th globally, the secretary general said. "At the ASEAN-Korea Tourism Capacity-Building Workshop, organized by the ASEAN-Korea Center in Davao, Philippines, this January, local tourism professionals benchmarked Jeju's MICE strategies," Kim said. "As this year marks the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, we are at the most appropriate venue at the most opportune time, dealing with the most timely topic." During the four-day training program, experts gave presentations and lectures on topics including an "Overview of Sustainable Tourism Development in the Asia-Pacific Region," "Understanding MICE Tourism," "Global Trends of Tourism and MICE Industry," "Adopting Sustainability in Convention and Hotel Management," "ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2016-2025," "Marketing for MICE Destinations: Challenges and Opportunities," and "Sustainable Consumption and Production for MICE Tourism." To enable in-depth learning, participants took part in the simulation of policy implementation, a self-assessment exercise, group work and discussion, as well as action plan presentations. In line with the key element of the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2016-2025, the organization has focused on sustainable tourism for development. The programs include the Community-based Tourism Program under the theme of "Youth Fostering Sustainable Tourism Development" in Chiang Mai, Thailand (January 2018), as well as the Capacity Building Workshops in Vang Vieng, Lao PDR, and Bagan, Myanmar (February 2018). By Rachel Lee The New Zealand embassy has appointed Dongwon Group Vice Chairman Park In-gu as the new honorary consul for the country _ resident in Busan _ for three years from Dec. 1. Park will have jurisdiction throughout South Gyeongsang Province and is expected to play a role in pursuing the New Zealand government's foreign relations and trade objectives, including protecting the rights and security of New Zealand citizens abroad in the region, the embassy said. To celebrate the appointment, New Zealand Ambassador Clare Fearnley, with Korea's Deputy Foreign Minister Yoon Soon-Gu, hosted a dinner at the ambassador's residence in Seoul on Nov. 29, drawing together senior participants from government and business. Fearnley said Park has been a "great friend of New Zealand over many years, particularly supporting our trade relations with Korea." "We are confident he will hugely contribute to enhancing New Zealand's foreign relations with the region." Park has previously worked at Korea's Ministry of Trade and Industry and has been Dongwon Group vice chairman since 2006. By Yi Whan-woo U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) commander Gen. Vincent Brooks visited Washington D.C. and New York recently to discuss security on the Korean Peninsula with lawmakers and scholars, according to the Republic of Korea (ROK)-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), Sunday. The CFC said Brooks talked about North Korea's saber rattling and the allies' defense posture with members of Congress as well as scholars from the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for a New American Security, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Brookings Institution. According to USFK spokesman Army Col. Chad Carroll, Gen. Brooks completed the short visits to Washington and New York where he provided a firsthand account of the situation in Korea and the quality of the ROK-U.S. alliance. Carroll said the USFK chief takes his role to educate the U.S. leadership about the security situation on the peninsula "very seriously." His visit came after Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) warned of a possible pre-emptive strike against North Korea in the wake of Pyongyang's third intercontinental ballistic missile test, Nov. 29. Hours after the ICBM test, he told CNN that the U.S., if necessary, would "have to go to war to stop" North Korea and that the country is "headed toward a war if things don't change." Three workers were killed and four others injured after a high-rise crane collapsed at a construction site in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, police said Saturday. / Yonhap Three workers were killed and four others injured after a high-rise crane collapsed at a construction site in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, police said Saturday. The 90-meter-tall tower crane snapped and fell to the ground at a construction site for a distribution center in Yongin, 50 kilometers south of Seoul, around 1:11 p.m., according to police. Seven workers on the crane fell from 78 meters. Three were confirmed dead at the scene and four seriously injured were rushed to nearby hospitals. The police said they will look into what caused the accident and whether the workers followed safety measures at the construction site. (Yonhap) Participants of the "no-plug" project in Seoul stack bales of hay into walls of a cafe being constructed at Seoul Innovation Park on Nov. 17. Through the city-backed project, citizens are learning from Japanese inventor Fujimura Yasuyuki how to reduce dependency on electricity and chemical substances in their daily lives. Courtesy of Atelier Non-Electric Seoul Citizens learn about low-energy, chemical-free lifestyle from Japanese inventor By Kim Bo-eun Despite the dreary weather, over a dozen people gathered outside Seoul Innovation Park to take part in the construction of a coffee shop on Nov. 17. The cafe is not another shop that can be spotted on any street of the city. It has been designed as to not to use electricity. The building uses bales of hay as construction material. Its high insulation value eliminates the need for energy for heating and cooling. After setting up the wall frames and creating the roof in earlier workshops, participants stacked the hay to form the walls. The construction is part of the "no-plug" project in Seoul, which is a city-backed effort to spread the practice of minimizing the use of energy and chemical substance, to protect the environment and lead to healthier lifestyles. Fujimura Yasuyuki, a Japanese inventor who set up "Atelier Non-Electric" in Nasu in the northern Tochigi Prefecture of Japan, visits Seoul every month to teach citizens how to create various substitutes for everyday appliances. The bottom line is to make the substitutes as easily and cost-effectively as possible, and to spread the movement. Since May, citizens have learned to make a water purifier that does not use electricity, a solar food dehydrator and a wood-fired oven. Hay-bale construction was the final workshop for this year. "Most people think making substitutes lies outside their capacity but this is not true," Fujimura said after the workshop. "Regardless of age, gender and whether one has an engineering background or not this is something anyone can do." Ryu Kwang-il, 32, came from Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, to participate. "I developed an interest in the lifestyle after reading Dr. Fujimura's books and watching a documentary," he said. "In the past, I didn't really think about using electricity but the workshop provided me more time to think about it I wish more of these projects would be initiated." Construction of the coffee shop is set to be completed next June. "The cafe will not have any artificial lighting _ it will be lit with natural light and candles," project manager Lee Jae-eun said. "The idea is to provide visitors an experience they are unable to access in a city full of high-rise concrete buildings offering them the opportunity to reflect on their daily lives. Fujimura presides over workshops and lectures in Seoul which are open to the public. After the workshop, the professor of engineering spoke about reducing the use of energy, and how this is done at Atelier Non-Electric in Nasu. Kim Kyung-mi, 29, who is one of the 12 citizens selected by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to learn from Fujimura over a one-year period, said it has changed her lifestyle to some extent. "When I recently moved to a new place, I changed my fridge to a much smaller one. I also realized I don't need a vacuum cleaner, so I clean using a broom," she said. Another aim of Fujimura's skill-teaching is to help people lead independent lives. "I had been accustomed to a life centered on consumption, but as I learnt various skills through the workshops, I gained confidence that I can make things myself _ instead of relying on a technician to do the work," Kim said. On Dec. 16, project participants will promote their activities at Marche@, an eco-friendly market in Seoul. By Kang Seung-woo President Moon Jae-in is urged to have it out with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping over China's still lingering snub to Korean electric vehicle (EV) battery makers. Moon is scheduled to make a four-day state visit to Beijing later this week for a summit. Despite recent signs of a thaw in relations between the two countries, Samsung SDI and LG Chem failed again last week to make the list of battery manufactures that are eligible for Chinese government subsidies. To put it more accurately, electric cars powered by Korean batteries have been excluded from state subsidies since last year due to Seoul's decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here, and China's subsequent economic retaliation. This year alone, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced subsidy beneficiaries on 11 occasions. Earlier this year, SK Innovation halted operation of its battery packing plant in China amid the economic retaliation. The two nations agreed to normalize ties in October and Moon asked Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang to stop his country's discrimination against Korean firms the following month. It raised hopes that the Chinese government would include local battery makers on the approved list this month. Officials from the local EV battery industry have called for Moon to make a strong appeal to Xi about the subsidy case. "Korean products have struggled in China for more than a year due to the Chinese government. In comparison, Chinese BYD's electric buses receive a subsidy worth 100 million won ($91,000) each from the Korean government," said an official of the battery sector, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue. "Moon needs to deal with the issue during the summit." LG Display's long-stalled plan to build a factory for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou is likely to be approved by the government on the occasion of Moon's state visit, according to the display sector. An industry source advised Moon to stand by the give-and-take principle in the summit rather than just offering "gifts" to his counterparts. When U.S. President Donald Trump made his state visit to Korea, last month, the Korean government agreed to order billions of dollars of American strategic weapons to improve its own military capabilities. However, critics suspect that Moon did not ask Trump to help Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) win a bid for the U.S. Advanced Pilot Training (APT) project, aimed at supplying 350 supersonic trainers to the U.S. Air Force. The KAI is pushing the T-50A advanced trainer in the competition, worth 17 trillion won, partnering with U.S. aerospace giant Lockheed Martin. By Park Si-soo Japan plans to buy offensive air-to-surface missiles capable of striking North Korea. Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera announced the plan on Friday. Onodera said his ministry would request a special budget for the fiscal year starting April 2018 to buy the missiles, which are designed to be launched from military aircraft to hit targets on land or at sea. The move comes after North Korea tested a new type of intercontinental missile that landed in the sea within Japan's economic zone on Nov. 29. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has repeatedly called for Japan's weapon system to be reinforced for self-defense, saying the North's missile tests were an "imminent threat" to Japan and that talking to Pyongyang was "meaningless." "We are planning to introduce the JSM (Joint Strike Missile) that will be mounted on the F-35A (stealth fighter) as standoff' missiles that can be fired beyond the range of enemy threats," Onodera said. The JSM, designed by Norway's Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace, has a range of 500 kilometers (310 miles) and the JASSM-ER can hit targets 1,000 kilometers away. Japan is also looking to mount Lockheed Martin's extended-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM-ER) on its F-15 fighters, according to Japanese media. The plan instantly sparked controversy because the purchase could be seen as a step against Japan's post-World War II pacifist Constitution that bans the use of force as a way to settle international disputes. The defense minister denied the allegations, saying the missiles would be for defense and Japan would rely on the United States to strike foreign countries. By Park Si-sooU.S. President Donald Trump's recent slurred speech has sparked international concern about his health.Trump slurred his words during a policy address about Israel on Wednesday. The White House swiftly reacted, saying he had a dry throat.White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump would have a health checkup early next year and the results would be made public."The President's throat was dry, nothing more than that," Sanders said, shortly after the address.Related video: https://goo.gl/9Vyo65 CNN suspected ill-fitting dentures could be the culprit. Whatever, the slurred speech should be as equally an important issue for South Korea as the U.S. because his decision on North Korea could be decisive in shaping its future.Trump turned 71, the oldest president elected to his first term.It was not the first time Trump had trouble during a speech. According to reports, he appeared to have difficulty breathing in November during a televised speech about his trip to Asia. He then stopped his speech to drink water from a bottle.During the presidential campaign, Trump continually sniffed and seemed to breathe heavily during the second debate with Hillary Clinton. He later denied having any respiratory issues.During the campaign, his physician, Dr. Harold Bornstein, released a letter that said, in part: "Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency." Republican tax plans are working their way through Congress. If the House and Senate can agree on a final bill, will you owe more or less? The answer, of course, is it depends. It depends on how much you make, but also on other factors, such as whether you own or rent, whether you have kids and whether youre a student. To try to figure out how Californians would be affected, we asked Times readers to provide us their 2016 tax returns. We then took a sampling of those returns, and with the help of accounting firm Marcum, applied key elements of the different tax plans passed by the House and Senate. The result is a set of hypothetical returns that show what taxpayers would have owed had either of those plans been law last year. Though they are just a snapshot, the returns suggest that there will be winners and losers under either version. Renters and other taxpayers who dont take many deductions may see their tax bills fall. Homeowners, especially ones with pricier properties, could pay more. Still, Rob Babek, a Marcum partner who reviewed returns for The Times, cautioned that much of this could change as GOP leaders work to reconcile the two bills into one tax plan. In one of these examples, someone would pay $800 more under the House version but save $500 in the Senate plan, Babek said. Its really hard to tell where someone is going to end up until they come up with a final document. Dontrelle Nettles, a product planner, made $43,000 last year. Hed get a tax cut of about $900 under the Senate tax plan and about $1,000 under the House plan. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) (Los Angeles Times) Dontrelle Nettles, a 27-year-old South Los Angeles resident, would see his federal tax bill go down under both the House and Senate plans. Nettles made about $43,000 in 2016 working for now-defunct fashion retailer and manufacturer American Apparel. Hes now a product planner at Hollywood fashion retailer Chrome Hearts. Nettles is single and has no children, so he took a single exemption that cut $4,050 from his taxable income. He rents a home, so he can't deduct mortgage interest or property taxes. He could have deducted his California income taxes, but those amounted to just about $1,200, so he was better off taking the standard deduction of $6,300. That left him with taxable income of $32,734. He paid as much as 15% in taxes on part of that income, giving him a federal tax bill of $4,445 last year. Both plans eliminate personal exemptions but also nearly double the size of the standard deduction to $12,000 or more, meaning Nettles would see his taxable income fall. Hed also pay a lower marginal tax rate, owing at most 12% on any portion of his income, and get a new $300 tax credit under the House bill. That means his taxes would fall $905 under the Senate plan and $1,039 under the House plan. Though the tax overhaul could put more money in his pocket, Nettles said that even the greater benefits of the Senate plan wouldnt be a game-changer for him and he worries about the long-term effects on the nation. Like many opponents of the tax overhaul, hes concerned that it provides much larger benefits to the wealthy and could lead to larger deficits and eventually cuts in programs such as Social Security and Medicare. I have quite a while before I retire, but I wonder how little changes now may affect me later, he said. Elizabeth Floyd, a graduate student at UC Santa Barbara, would get a tax cut under the Senate plan but would pay more under the House plan, which would count some of her free tuition as taxable income. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) (Los Angeles Times) Elizabeth Floyd, a 30-year-old graduate student and teaching assistant at UC Santa Barbara, would see her tax bill cut by the Senate changes but would face an increase under the House plan. Floyd, whos studying post-World War II British literature, made about $30,500 as a teaching assistant and summer school instructor in 2016. She also paid nothing in tuition. Last year, her federal tax bill totaled $2,569. Under the Senate plan, shed see her federal tax bill go down. She took the standard deduction last year because she doesnt own a home and doesnt pay much in state income taxes. With the standard deduction nearly doubling to $12,000 and lower marginal tax rates, shed owe $2,033, a tax cut of $536. But under the House plan, she would owe more money even though its standard deduction is $200 more generous than the Senate version. Thats because the House proposes to count her free tuition as income a change from the current tax code. Taxing her free grad school tuition of $12,276 would increase her income to almost $43,000. (If she were attending a private university where tuition can be nearly four times that, she would be worse off.) Despite the larger standard deduction, a lower marginal tax rate and a $300 tax credit, her tax bill would climb to $3,373, an increase of $804. Floyd said her budget is already tight. Living in pricey Santa Barbara, she shares a two-bedroom apartment and pays $1,150 a month in rent, which eats up about half her take-home pay. Im very much living paycheck to paycheck, and my income is only guaranteed for nine months of the year, she said. Whatever Im able to save is so I can get through the other three months. Like many graduate students, shes concerned that the House plan would make post-graduate education unaffordable for more would-be students. You want a well-educated society, she said. People getting PhDs, theyre the future educators of America. And having graduate students makes universities function. Tuition remission is one of the few benefits we get. Matthew Pratt, left, a chemistry professor at USC, and Maya Bader, a grants manager at a medical research nonprofit, would pay more in federal taxes under both the House and Senate plans. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) (Los Angeles Times) Maya Bader, 39, is a grants manager at the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, an area nonprofit. Her husband, Matthew Pratt, 40, is a chemistry professor at USC. The pair, who have doctorates, have two children a 5-year-old and a 15-month-old and about $174,000 in combined annual income. They also have a new house, with a big mortgage and a big property tax bill. In March 2016, they bought the home, their first, paying $915,000, which got them three bedrooms and two baths in Redondo Beach. After exemptions for themselves and their kids, and after taking big deductions for their property taxes, mortgage interest and California income taxes, Bader and Pratt had taxable income of less than $100,000 and a federal tax bill of $15,997. Under both the House and Senate tax plans, they would pay more, though not by much. Like all taxpayers, they would lose $4,050 personal exemptions for themselves and their kids. They also would no longer be able to deduct their state income taxes, which were more than $12,000 last year, and would be unable to deduct all their property taxes. They paid nearly $14,000 in property taxes last year, but would be able to deduct only $10,000 under both the House and Senate plans. They would, however, still be able to deduct most or all of the interest stemming from their home debt. Under the Senate plan, they would be able to deduct all the interest on their $732,000 first mortgage, but would lose the interest write-off on a $90,000 home equity loan they took out for the purchase. Under the House plan, they could deduct the interest on both (though future home buyers would be unable to deduct interest on mortgage debt above $500,000 and any interest for new home-equity loans.) Compensating for their loss of exemptions and deductions, though, are more generous child tax credits. Those credits last year would have knocked $1,000 per child off their tax bill, but Bader and Pratt made too much to qualify. Under the new proposals, the credits would get larger $1,600 per child in the House plan, $2,000 in the Senate version and be available to families that make more money. The House plan would also provide a $300 credit to Bader and Pratt themselves. All told, under the House plan theyd see a tax increase of $1,321; under the Senate plan it would be $1,520. Thats not make-or-break money for Bader and Pratt, and they arent bothered at the notion of paying more. Theyre big believers in government programs Pratt noted that much of his research is funded by government grants and said they were surprised by how little they paid in federal taxes last year. I think were undertaxed, Pratt said. It was quite surprising to me, once we started itemizing our deductions, how little we pay. They would prefer, however, that their small tax increase help pay for schools or medical research or affordable housing instead of a lower corporate tax rate and an exemption that would allow more wealthy families to avoid paying the estate tax. Were not mad about the taxes, Bader said. Were mad about what theyre being used for. David Amejka, left, and Anett Seifert, of Sherman Oaks would see their taxes go down significantly under both the House and Senate plans. (Maria Alejandra Cardona / Los Angeles Times) (Los Angeles Times) Anett Seifert, 33, and David Amejka, 39, are a married couple who make good money, dont have children and rent their house a combination that results in a high federal tax bill. Shes an account manager at a Burbank aerospace firm; hes an engineer for Mercedes-Benz in Long Beach. Together, they made about $217,000 last year and paid about $41,000 in federal income tax. They took a total of about $24,000 in exemptions and deductions: Almost $16,000 in deductible state income taxes, plus personal exemptions of $4,050 apiece. Without owning a home, they cant take the deductions for mortgage interest or property taxes items that result in big tax savings for homeowners in pricey Southern California. (By comparison, Bader and Pratt deducted about $27,000 in mortgage interest alone last year.) Under both the House and Senate plans, Seifert and Amejka would no longer be able to deduct their state taxes and would lose their personal exemptions, but theyd still wind up with sizable tax cuts. Both plans call for a larger standard deduction $24,400 in the House plan for couples, $24,000 in the Senate that would essentially match their current exemptions and deductions without itemizing. That means they'd be paying federal taxes on almost exactly the same amount of taxable income, while lower marginal tax rates in both plans would result in thousands in savings. Last year, they paid as much as 28% on some of their income. Under the House plan, they'd pay no more than 25%; the Senate plan would charge them no more than 24%. All told, the House plan would give them an estimated tax cut of $5,167 and the Senate, $5,615. The couple would be happy to the get a tax break but still thinks the plans dont go far enough to even the playing field between homeowners and renters. We have a lot of housing costs, too, said Seifert, noting the couple pays $3,500 a month for their home. But we rent and theres no incentive for that. Seifert and Amejka described their financial situation as comfortable and said they are not interested in buying a home at least not for the seven-figure price tags that are common in their neighborhood. "We have no debt," Amejka said. "We dont owe anybody anything. I like it that way." How we did it: Participants submitted copies of their 2016 federal tax returns, which were shared with accountants at Marcum. The Times and Marcum used income, deduction, family size and filing status from those returns and applied major elements of the tax plans approved by the House and Senate to compile two estimated tax bills for each filer. If the House and Senate agree to a reconciled tax plan that is signed into law by President Trump, the changes would take effect in 2018 and not affect tax returns for the 2017 tax year. james.koren@latimes.com Follow me: @jrkoren George Balanchines The Nutcracker Miami City Ballet is joined a live orchestra, the Los Angeles Childrens Chorus and student dancers for a world-premiere production based on Balanchines classic choreography. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A. Ends Sun., noon and 4 p.m. $34 and up. (213) 972-0711. The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker The Debbie Allen Dance Academy presents Allens update of the holiday favorite. Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 E. Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach. Sun., 2 p.m. $50-$95. www.thehotchocolatenutcracker.com. The Nutcracker American Ballet Theatre performs, accompanied by Pacific Symphony. Segerstrom Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Sun., next Sun., 12:30 and 5:30 p.m.; Wed.-Fri., 7 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 7 p.m.; ends Dec. 17. $29 and up. (714) 556-2787. Advertisement The Nutcracker Ballet Etudes performs. Huntington Beach High School Auditorium, 1905 Main St., Huntington Beach. Sun., 2 p.m. 10. $15-$35. (855) 222-2849. The Nutcracker Ballet Repertory Theatre performs. Golden West College Mainstage Theater, 15751 Gothard St., Huntington Beach. Sun., next Sun., 1 and 5 p.m.; Fri., 7 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 7 p.m.; ends Dec. 24. $15, $19. (714) 895-8150. The Nutcracker Festival Ballet Theatre and guest artists from San Francisco Ballet perform. Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine. Sun., next Sun., 1 and 6 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 7 p.m.; ends Dec. 24. $42-$75. (949) 854-4646. The Nutcracker Inland Pacific Ballet performs. Bridges Auditorium, Pomona College, 450 N. College Way, Claremont. Sun., 2 p.m. (909) 607-1139. $39 and up; discounts available. Also, Lewis Family Playhouse, 12505 Cultural Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga. Fri., 7:30 p.m., Sat., 2 and 7:30 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m. (877) 858-8422. Also in Riverside (Dec. 22-23). www.IPBallet.org The Nutcracker Los Angeles Ballet performs. Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Sun., 2 p.m. Also, Royce Hall, UCLA, 340 Royce Drive, Westwood. Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat.-next Sun., 1 and 5 p.m. Also in Hollywood (Dec. 23-24) and Redondo Beach (Dec. 29-31). $31-$99; discounts available. (310) 998-7782. The Nutcracker Marat Daukayev Ballet Theatre performs. The Luckman Theatre, Cal State LA, 5151 State University Drive, L.A. Sun., 11:30 and 4:30 p.m. $42. (800) 838-3006. The Nutcracker Pasadena Dance Theatre performs. San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, 320 S. Mission Drive, San Gabriel. Sun., Sat.-next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Dec. 23. $20-$65. (626) 683-3459. The Nutcracker Suite American Contemporary Ballet presents an immersive staging of the holiday favorite. The Bloc, 32nd floor, 700 S. Flower St., L.A. Sun., next Sun., 2 and 5 p.m.; Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 5 p.m.; ends Dec. 23. $40-$105. (213) 304-3408. Great Russian Nutcracker Moscow Ballets touring production of the holiday favorite returns. The Wiltern Theatre, 3790 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Fri., 7 p.m.; Sat., 1 and 5 p.m. $43 and up. (800) 745-3000. The Snow Queen California Contemporary Ballet stages an adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. Glendale Community College Performing Arts Theatre, 1500 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale. Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat.-next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Dec. 17. $23-$33. (818) 583-7406. Viennese Winter Gala Luminario Ballets annual fundraiser includes a performance of Schuberts Winterreise. The California Club, 538 S. Flower St., L.A. Fri., 7:30 p.m. $300 and up. (818) 235-6588. Bouquet Sophia Stollers Iris Company offers a collection of new immersive dance works. Basic Flowers, 242 S. Broadway, L.A. Sat., 6 and 9 p.m. $20-$25. www.sophiastoller.com Navidad en Whittier Ballet folklorico company Danza Floricanto/USA performs a Christmas show. Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, 6760 Painter Ave., Whittier. Sat., 7:30 p.m. $20, $25. (562) 907-4203. The Nutcracker Long Beach Ballet performs with a full symphony orchestra and guest dancers from Pacific Northwest Ballet. Terrace Theater, Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. Sat., 2 and 7:30 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Dec. 24. $34-$115; discounts available. (877) 852-3177. The Nutcracker South Bay Ballet performs. Marsee Auditorium, El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance. Sat.-next Sun., 2 p.m. $24, $34. (800) 832-2787. Here are the 2018 SAG Awards nominees reactions to their nods The on-camera talent recognized during the 24th Screen Actors Guild Award nominations on Wednesday shared their excitement and gratitude for the special honor bestowed upon them by the acting community. The SAG Awards serve up laurels for actors and ensemble casts working in television and film as voted by their peers. The awards show, hosted by The Good Place star Kristen Bell, will take place on Jan. 21. LIST: The 2018 SAG Award nominees In statements to the Los Angeles Times, several nominees repeatedly thanked their drama families, particularly the casts and crews of their respective projects. Heres what some of them had to say about the recognition: Alison Brie. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) Alison Brie, GLOW It is such a great honor to be recognized by my fellow actors with this nomination. I am so proud to be part of a show that celebrates the craft of acting, with all its pitfalls and glories, and to be able to work with such a diverse group of insanely talented women. GLOW has meant the world to me and Im deeply thankful for this recognition for me and the cast. Thank you SAG-AFTRA!! Millie Bobby Brown. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things Screen Actors Guild! Thank you SO much for recognizing me and our cast for the second year in a row! This means the world coming from you, our peers. I am so lucky and honored to have the privilege of playing Eleven a strong, powerful, badass, strange, wonderful character! Cant wait to celebrate with my Stranger Things family! Timothee Chalamet. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name What an incredible morning! This nomination is very close to my heart because its from the actor. When we made Call Me By Your Name, we had no idea what it would turn into. The experience in making the film with Armie [Hammer] was so special, and yet, we just didnt know. Simply put, Ive been blown away by the response this film has received. And, to be included in ensemble along with my Lady Bird family (congrats, Saoirse [Ronan]!) makes this recognition that much more special. David Harbour. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) David Harbour, Stranger Things If it isnt wildly apparent by now, Ill say it directly I love actors! To be recognized by my peers in such distinguished company gives me a special joy. And Millie [Bobby Brown] and the show! Beyond. When I act, when I create, I feel alive, full to bursting, and I feel of service to the mysterious goodness that firmly exists in this world. I have been rewarded with a life that indulges in the primacy of self, but at its core and at its purest and its best, it is a life of service. A service to audiences. To prod and poke when necessary, to comfort and entertain when times seem dark, to ever expand the human experience, to offer a reason to live, to celebrate to the gods the great gift and scourge that is consciousness. Sometimes it means expressing iron intellect and rigorous truth that bonds us all in the achingly profound wisdom of no escape. Sometimes it means revealing the intimate moments of endurance, of unexpected kindness, unasked for love. And sometimes it simply means making a fierce and joyful noise, to spin, to twirl, to throw your hands up with the relentless dips and climb aboard this roller coaster of life. Ya know, to dance. *insert Hopper dancing gif* Thank you for recognizing me, as it might mean itll be easier to get more jobs doing it. Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water I am beyond thrilled to have received the honor of this nomination. And to receive it from fellow colleagues is huge to me. Guillermo [del Toro], this film and the entire cast and crew hold a very special place in my heart and always will. Each and every one of them made me better. I am truly delighted more than I can really express in words but my heart is fit to burst with pride for us all. Thank you dearest SAG members. Thank you for your embrace. Sean Hayes. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Sean Hayes, Will & Grace I am so honored to be recognized in this category with these extraordinary actors. I love acting because I love actors. I also like to bake sometimes. Richard Jenkins. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water I am thrilled and humbled to be nominated by my peers for a SAG Award. This union is very close to my heart. Well, the SAG card is in my wallet, so its a little further south. Zoe Kazan. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Zoe Kazan, The Big Sick Thank you to SAG for honoring The Big Sick ensemble with a nomination. It means so much to us, especially from our acting peers. I am deeply proud to be a part of this film and to have brought Kumail [Nanjiani] and Emily [V. Gordon]s story into the world, especially at this time. We are particularly moved to have been recognized as an ensemble, as this was such an extraordinary collaborative experience Im excited to be reunited once more with my movie family, and to share this with Kumail, Holly [Hunter], Ray [Romano], Zenobia [Shroff], Anupam [Kher], and Adeel [Akhtar] and everyone else who helped bring The Big Sick to life. Nicole Kidman. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies What an amazing morning! Thank you to SAG-AFTRA for recognizing Big Little Lies in such a significant way. Ive been acting since I was 14 and have dedicated an enormous amount of my life to my craft so to be acknowledged by my acting family is the most incredible honor. Jason Bateman and Laura Linney. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) Laura Linney, Ozark I am so proud to be included in a list of such wonderful actresses who have raised the bar so high. What an amazing year for women in television. And I am especially proud to be representing Ozark with my TV spouse, the ever deserving Jason Bateman! Thank you SAG-AFTRA! Marc Maron. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times) Marc Maron, GLOW I am stunned and excited to be recognized by other actors in this way. I really never thought this was possible in my life. It helps to be surrounded by amazing actors and to have such a defined and well written character as Sam Sylvia and to be on a show as unique as GLOW. I am just a small part. So, thanks SAG for recognizing me and the mind-blowing ensemble that is GLOW. Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, The Big Sick We are so lucky to have been graced with the enormous talents of every single member of our cast. They each put a piece of themselves into our story and we are thrilled at being recognized. Thank you. And a special shout out to Holly Hunters individual nomination! Now we have to go tell our real parents that they arent actually nominated. Bob Odenkirk. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul I am thrilled to get this nomination from my fellow actors! At Better Call Saul I am surrounded by an ensemble of excellence Michael McKean, Rhea Seehorn, Jonathan Banks, everybody raises my game. Thank you to SAG-AFTRA. Gary Oldman. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) Gary Oldman, The Darkest Hour No actor could ever deny the special satisfaction that comes from being recognized by your fellow artists we all share the same challenges, insecurities, and uncertainties, chief among them, the question am I any good? this nomination, and in the wonderful company of the other nominees, is so very satisfying. Margot Robbie. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) Margot Robbie, I, Tonya Im so incredibly moved and excited to be nominated by my fellow actors. I feel very fortunate to be able to have had the opportunity to bring Tonyas story to the big screen. Thank you to Steven [Rogers] for his brilliant and unique script, to Allison [Janney] and Sebastian [Stan] for being such incredible screen partners and to Craig [Gillespie] for his amazing direction and perfectly capturing the tone and essence of the film. Im so honored to be recognized among the truly powerful and wonderful women in the category. I cant wait to celebrate with everyone. Sam Rockwell. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri It is such an honor to be nominated by your fellow actors, I have been a proud member of the Screen Actors Guild for as long as I can remember. To share it with this wonderful ensemble whom I have had the pleasure to work with over the years and others I got to collaborate with for the first time is truly special. I want to thank Martin McDonagh, our director and writer, for crafting these characters, as well as Woody [Harrelson], Fran [McDormand] and the rest of the cast who brought the town of Ebbing to life on screen. I am thrilled. Ray Romano. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) Ray Romano, The Big Sick This is awesome but I wont believe it till the recount. A brush fire in Monrovia that prompted residents and a group of Boy Scouts to evacuate Saturday night has been contained, officials said. The five-acre fire broke out about 7:30 p.m. near the foothills of the Angeles National Forest, north of the 210 Freeway, according to the city of Monrovia. The Monrovia Fire Department, aided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department and U.S. Forest Service, responded to the blaze and brought it under control before midnight. Firefighting personnel remained on the scene throughout the evening. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Advertisement All mandatory evacuation orders were lifted except for the 500 block of Norumbega Drive. Displaced residents can take shelter at the Monrovia Community Center, located at 119 West Palm Ave., according to a city statement. Full coverage: Southern California fires The evacuees included a group of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts who were spending the weekend at Camp Trask in the foothills of the national forest. A member of the group, David Hilton, estimated there were as many as 150 people at the camp. He said the Scouts learned about the fire from a forest ranger, who came to tell them they were all being evacuated. anna.phillips@latimes.com Twitter: @annamphillips ALSO Firefighters begin to turn the tide on Southern California wildfires At least 46 horses dead after San Diego County wildfire Dogs trained for disaster relief were displaced by the Thomas fire. Their trainers are using it as a learning experience UPDATES: Dec. 10, 1:05 a.m.: This article was updated after the fire was contained. This article was originally published Dec. 9 at 9:40 p.m. Palestinian rights groups rallied in Los Angeles Sunday afternoon against President Trumps announcement that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. More than 300 protesters gathered peacefully outside the federal building on Wilshire Boulevard near UCLA, holding signs that proclaimed Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine. They chanted, Free, free Palestine, occupation is a crime, and, No wall, no ban, no embassy on stolen land. Jerusalem is, and will remain a Palestinian city, said Amani Barakat, national chair of Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return, who organized the rally. A city of inclusion and coexistence rather than exclusion and bigotry. Advertisement A group of about 30 counter-protesters gathered across the street holding Stand with Israel signs and yelling, Stand with Gods people. Many protesters were Trump supporters and familiar faces at Southern California rallies. Rabbi Moshe Parry, who held a flag of Israel, said he came to show that Israel belongs to Jewish people and has for thousands of years. God gave it to us, he said. Trump made the announcement on Wednesday, saying old challenges demand new approaches, and he initiated a process to transfer the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to the ancient city. Today we finally acknowledge the obvious: that Jerusalem is Israels capital, he declared in a speech at the White House. This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do. The change reversed decades of U.S. policy and sparked widespread international criticism. Sundays protesters said Palestinians have endured discrimination, ethnic cleansing and occupation, with illegal Israeli settlements built on land they see as a future Palestinian state. Many said they recognize that Jerusalem is an important site for Jewish people, but said it should be regarded as important for people of other faiths as well. Protesters were unsurprised by Trumps announcement but saw it as a reckless move that crossed the line and eroded chances for both sides to reach a peaceful agreement. I thought it was wrongheaded and dangerous, said Estee Chandler of the group Jewish Voice for Peace. I fear for the safety and security of all people in the Middle East. The protesters also took aim at Saturdays bombing of Gaza by Israel. Israeli airstrikes killed two Hamas members early Saturday following a rocket attack on Israel, according to the Associated Press. 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. Trumps announcement sparked protests around the world. Others were not as peaceful as in Los Angeles. Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water cannons Sunday into crowds gathered near the U.S. embassy in Beirut. The New York Times reported that thousands of protesters chanted slogans against Trumps orders. Some threw rocks and set tires and a large trash container on fire outside the embassys gated compound. Other news outlets reported Sunday that a security guard was stabbed in Jerusalem in what appeared to be the first attack since Trumps announcement. Trumps declaration proves the very points we have been making for years: The U.S. is incapable of being an even-handed mediator, said Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights. andrea.castillo@latimes.com @andreamcastillo UPDATES: 6:15 p.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from protesters and counter-protesters at the rally and information about violence at other protests in the Middle East. This article was originally published at 2:30 p.m. Gov. Jerry Brown surveyed the devastation Saturday in Ventura the area hardest hit by firestorms that have displaced nearly 90,000 people in Southern California calling it the new normal. The visit came four days after Brown declared a state of emergency in response to the wildfires. In all, blazes from Ojai to Oceanside have destroyed more than 790 structures and burned 175,000 acres. During a news conference at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, Brown said climate change may exacerbate the weather conditions that caused the wildfires to explode. He expressed sympathy for residents who had lost their homes and animals, saying the fires were horrific and a terrible tragedy for so many people. Advertisement Gov. Jerry Brown speaks about the Southern California wildfires during a news conference at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images ) This could be something that happens every year or every few years, he said. Were about to have a firefighting Christmas. By Saturday evening, officials said, the Thomas fire had crossed into Santa Barbara County. Residents in coastal communities, including Carpinteria, were told to be prepared to leave if necessary. Dave Russell, a deputy incident commander for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said his greatest concern for Carpinteria is if the fire moves into nearby creek beds, which can have a chimney-like effect, pushing the fire quickly along the creeks path. Fifty fire engines sat waiting across Carpinteria on Saturday evening, along with strike teams that could spring into action if the fire moved toward the coastal community. Still, the approximately 8,500 firefighters battling the six wildfires were making progress. As Santa Ana winds finally died down Friday, crews began to bring some of the largest fires under control. But red flag warnings remained in effect, and forecasters said the Santa Anas were expected to return to Southern California Saturday evening. Firefighters had a successful day battling flames on the southern edge of the Thomas fire working toward the coast as well as parts of Ojai thanks to wind conditions and crews ability to improve the fire lines they had established, according to Bill Murphy, a Cal Fire spokesman. In the last six days, the Thomas fire has burned 155,000 acres and forced 88,000 people to flee their homes. Official estimates have put the cost of combating the fire at $25 million. Across Ventura County, blackened hillsides and charred palm trees with only their trunks remaining have become a common sight. By Saturday evening, the blaze was 15% contained. Evacuations had been lifted for most of the city of Ventura and for Santa Paula. The cause of the fire, which began Monday east of Highway 150 near Thomas Aquinas College, is under investigation. Firefighters continued to encounter difficulty on the east side of the blaze, where helicopter crews dropped water above the city of Fillmore. But they made progress near Highway 33 and the 101 Freeway, on the west side of the blaze. This is a complex fire, said Rich Macklin, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. There are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of men and women with packs on their backs, squirting the hills, putting the wet stuff on the red stuff. Detritus from the Lilac fire in Bonsall, Calif. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times ) Meteorologists had advised fire officials that if Santa Anas returned Saturday afternoon, they would push the fire toward Santa Barbara County, Sespe Wilderness and the Sespe Condor Sanctuary. Ventura County Sheriffs Sgt. Kevin Donoghue said firefighters were benefiting from lower winds than what was expected. With improved air quality Saturday morning, residents in the Ondulando neighborhood of Ventura returned to check on their homes. Members of the National Guard stood on street corners to protect peoples homes. The neighborhood was one of the hardest hit. Rows of homes on streets near the hillside were incinerated. Terry Davis and his wife, Tahnil Davis, inspected their home on Via Arroyo Street, which had been spared by the fire. They credited their 12-year-old daughters passion for softball for saving their house, as well as their neighbors. We happened to be building a batting cage for her, so our backyard was completely gutted, Tahnil Davis said. Firefighters were able to park their truck in our backyard and save homes. At UC Santa Barbara, smoke from the Thomas fire drove Student Body President Hieu Le to write a letter to Chancellor Henry Yang, asking that classes be canceled until the air quality improves. Lee has received more than 4,000 petition signatures since Thursday, backing him up. Many students wrote that their throats hurt and that they were having trouble breathing and focusing. Students and staff should not have to choose between their health and money and/or grades, one student wrote. The response from the university has been unacceptable. In Los Angeles County, firefighters made progress on blazes in Sylmar, Santa Clarita and Bel-Air. The Creek fire was 85% contained, and the Rye fire was 80% contained. The Skirball fire was 75% contained. In northern San Diego County, the Lilac fire, which was 50% contained, had burned 4,100 acres and destroyed 182 structures along the Highway 76 corridor that stretches west from the 15 Freeway through Bonsall and Fallbrook. Officials cautioned that dry, swirling Santa Ana winds could kick up embers that might start new fires. Tom Marshall walks a lost pony to his property in Bonsall, Calif., on Saturday. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times ) At least 46 horses were killed at a thoroughbred training facility, San Luis Rey Downs in Bonsall, where an estimated 450 were stabled. Mike Marten, a spokesman for the California Horse Racing Board, said Saturday that a small number of horses had escaped to the wilderness through a fence that was knocked down and had yet to be found. 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. About 360 surviving horses from San Luis Rey Downs were moved to the Del Mar Fairgrounds. By Saturday, some 850 horses evacuated during the fires were stabled there. ruben.vives@latimes.com melissa.etehad@latimes.com jaclyn.cosgrove@latimes.com Times staff writers Andrea Castillo and Sarah Parvini in Los Angeles contributed to this report. Santa Barbara County was under siege from the Thomas fire Sunday as fire crews fought to keep the destructive blaze from the regions picturesque beach communities. Authorities said the out-of-control blaze had scorched 230,000 acres by Sunday evening, making it the fifth largest wildfire in modern California history. The fire grew by more than 50,000 acres during the day, triggering new evacuation orders for about 5,000 county residents, including those east of Mission Canyon and north of Highway 192. An additional 30,000 residents west of Mission Canyon to Highway 154 and south of Highway 192 to the county line were told to prepare to leave. Advertisement As the fire grew Sunday, containment dropped from 15% to 10%, authorities said. The blaze has destroyed 524 structures and damaged 135 in the city of Ventura. In the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, 266 structures have been destroyed, while 56 were damaged. The fire consumed six structures on Sunday in beach town of Carpinteria, authorities said. Santa Ana winds, aided by extremely low humidity, pushed the Ventura County fire over the Santa Barbara County line Saturday night. The winds that bedeviled fire crews from San Diego to Ojai last week were gusting at speeds of up to 35 mph, fire officials said. Their greatest concern was for Carpinteria. The fire was moving west above the city in an area of very dry vegetation that hasnt burned in about 100 years, said Steve Swindle, spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. The fuels in there are thick and theyre dead so theyre very receptive to fire, Swindle said. Watch huge smoke plume from the Thomas fire Sunday morning. (Video by Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Fire officials feared that if the fire moves into nearby creek beds, it might create a chimney-like effect, sending the flames roaring along the creeks path. Firefighters on Sunday morning were making a stand at a cluster of homes on Shepard Mesa Road where flames threatened to sweep through the area, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. Crews were cutting lines outside the city in an effort to keep flames from further encroachment and contingency strike teams were dispatched throughout Carpinteria in case the blaze manages to cross fire lines, said Newport Beach firefighter Jude Olivas, a spokesman for the Thomas fire response. Most school districts in Santa Barbara County canceled Mondays classes, officials announced late Sunday. Several of those including Carpinteria Unified, Montecito Unified, Cold Spring, Santa Barbara Unified, Hope Elementary and Goleta will be closed until after the New Year. Meanwhile, UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Henry T. Yang announced that the university has postponed final exams until next year. Power outages and air quality issues, along with the confusion over an emergency alert that buzzed cellphones countywide around 2 a.m. have only continued to raise the level of anxiety at an already stressful time, Yang wrote in a letter to the campus. Continuation of scheduled exams has become untenable. Southern California Edison officials said Sunday that up to 85,000 customers in Santa Barbara County were without power. The Santa Barbara Zoo was closed to the public Sunday, and its 500 animals were confined to their night quarters. The zoo was outside the evacuation area and not in immediate danger, but there was smoke and ash on the 30-acre property. We drill for and are prepared for emergencies, zoo director Nancy McToldridge said in a Facebook post. We are taking all precautions to ensure the safety of our animals and our staff. The animal care staff was providing enrichment, including toys, treats and puzzles, to prevent the zoo residents from becoming bored inside, said director of marketing Dean Noble. The gorillas like music, Noble said. Even as the Thomas fire surged, the approximately 8,500 firefighters battling the six wildfires across Southern California were making progress. Firefighters had a successful day Saturday battling flames on the southern edge of the Thomas fire working toward the coast as well as parts of Ojai thanks to wind conditions and crews ability to improve the fire lines they had established, according to Bill Murphy, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. The Thomas fire has forced 88,000 people to flee their homes. Official estimates have put the cost of combating the fire at $25 million. Across Ventura County, blackened hillsides and charred palm trees with only their trunks remaining have become a common sight. By Sunday morning, evacuations had been lifted for most of the city of Ventura and for Santa Paula. The cause of the fire, which began Monday east of Highway 150 near Thomas Aquinas College, is under investigation. During a news conference at the Ventura County Fairgrounds on Saturday, Gov. Jerry Brown said climate change may exacerbate the weather conditions that caused the wildfires to explode. He expressed sympathy for residents who had lost their homes and animals, saying the fires were horrific and a terrible tragedy for so many people. This could be something that happens every year or every few years, he said. Were about to have a firefighting Christmas. In Los Angeles County, firefighters made progress on blazes in Sylmar, Santa Clarita and Bel-Air. The Creek fire was 90% contained, and the Rye fire was 90% contained as of Sunday morning. The Skirball fire was 75% contained. In northern San Diego County, the Lilac fire, which was 60% contained, had burned 4,100 acres and destroyed 182 structures along the Highway 76 corridor that stretches west from the 15 Freeway through Bonsall and Fallbrook. Officials cautioned that dry, swirling Santa Ana winds could kick up embers that might start new fires. At least 46 horses were killed at a thoroughbred training facility, San Luis Rey Downs in Bonsall, where an estimated 450 were stabled. Mike Marten, a spokesman for the California Horse Racing Board, said Saturday that a small number of horses had escaped to the wilderness through a fence that was knocked down and had yet to be found. ALSO Fire crews fighting to defend Carpinteria from reenergized Thomas fire Track the key details on Southern Californias fires Residents return to rubble as fire crews make progress on San Diego and Los Angeles wildfires A pre-winter storm that roared through the Deep South and coated half of North Carolina and portions of Virginia in snow pushed northward on Saturday, leaving motorists to brave potentially icy roads and utility crews trying to restore heat and light to thousands. Forecasters were warning that the slush created during daylight would turn to ice from temperatures dropping below freezing, creating black ice on roads, bridges and other elevated surfaces. That catches people more off guard than when you see snow, said National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Moneypenny of the Raleigh, N.C., office. Advertisement Before Friday, the forecast for North Carolina called for little more than an inch of snow for the central counties, with more expected in the higher elevations. The frigid temperatures behind a cold front combined with moisture off the Gulf of Mexico to bring the unusual wintry weather to parts of the South. By Saturday, Burnsville had reported 14 inches of snow. The Hendersonville area had 12 inches, and Asheville recorded 8 inches. Full coverage: Energy and Environment in the West Across the South, preliminary reports to the National Weather Service showed up to 10 inches of snowfall in northwest Georgia, with 7 inches of accumulation in parts of metro Atlanta. Ten inches of snow was reported in Anniston, Ala., while up to 7 inches was reported in Mississippi. Rare flurries were even reported in New Orleans. Its very, very abnormal and rare that we would get totals like that this time of year, said Sid King, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in the Atlanta area. Its really not even winter yet. I would not be surprised if we broke a lot of records. By Saturday evening, Duke Energy was reporting 22,340 customers without power in North Carolina, down from more than 39,000 earlier in the day. A winter storm warning was scheduled to expire at 7 p.m. Saturday for parts of Virginia. Richmond had 3 inches of snow, as did Prince Edward County. Virginia State Police reported hundreds of crashes blamed on icy road conditions. Temperatures forecast for Sunday werent favorable for melting the snow, according to forecasters. Highs across much of North Carolina were not expected to get out of the 30s on Sunday, and after a brief warmup on Monday, a second round of cold air was likely to stall the melting. At the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which sees more passengers annually than any other airport in the world, spokesman Reese McCranie said more than 400 flights were canceled Saturday. Thats after nearly 1,200 cancellations Friday. A freeze warning was in effect Saturday for parts of northern Florida, southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia. The weather service said freezing temperatures can harm vulnerable plants and animals. Parts of the Northeast including New England are also expecting a share of the snowfall this weekend. A day after Republican Rep. Trent Franks announced he would resign early next year, he abruptly stepped down Friday after a former aide told the Associated Press that he had offered her $5 million to act as a surrogate mother. In making his departure effective immediately, the eight-term Arizona lawmaker bowed to an ultimatum from House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.). Ryan told Franks that he would refer allegations against him to the Ethics Committee and urged him to step aside. The former staffer said the congressman asked at least four times if shed be willing to act as a surrogate in exchange for money. Franks, in his statement announcing his resignation, said he and his wife had struggled with infertility and have twins who were carried through surrogacy. Advertisement The former aide said that the conversations took place in private, sometimes in the congressmans car, and that she repeatedly told him she wasnt interested. She said that she never filed a formal complaint because until recently she didnt know where to go, but that his behavior had made her feel uncomfortable. The Associated Press verified the identity of the staffer and confirmed that she worked in Franks office. She asked that her name be withheld out of concern for her privacy. 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. She cited the surrogacy requests as a main reason for leaving the office. After turning down the congressman, she said, she felt that Franks retaliated against her ignoring her and giving her fewer assignments. A spokesman for Franks would not comment on whether the congressman offered aides money to act as surrogates. Franks, a staunch conservative, said in his statement Thursday that he never physically intimidated, coerced or attempted to have sexual contact with any member of his congressional staff. The surrogacy process typically involves removing an egg from the mother, fertilizing it with sperm from the father, then placing the fertilized egg in the uterus of the surrogate, who carries it to term. Franks, 60, said he had become familiar with the surrogacy process in recent years and became insensitive as to how the discussion of such an intensely personal topic might affect others. He said he regrets that his discussion of this option and process in the workplace with two female staffers made them feel uncomfortable. A senior congressional official said Ryans general counsel was contacted about two weeks ago by someone with information about troubling behavior by Franks involving a former staffer. Ryans lawyer interviewed two women with similar complaints and verified them through a third party. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the deliberations. Andrea Lafferty, president of Traditional Values Coalition, said she reported Franks conduct to the speakers office. Lafferty said she contacted Ryans office last month after the staffer agreed to discuss the incident with leadership. I was approached last year about the situation; she came to me wanting some advice about how to handle this. She came to me shaking and sobbing, and she shared a story that I think is horrific, a powerful man hiring young women, procuring staff, to potentially surrogate children for him, Lafferty said. I accompanied [the former aide] to the meeting in the speakers office, where she said congressman Trent Franks offered her $5 million if she conceived him a child. Franks is one of three lawmakers who resigned last week as sexual misconduct allegations rocked the Capitol. On Thursday, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), announced his resignation after facing allegations of sexual misconduct by at least eight women. Franken said that some of those accusations were false and that he remembered other incidents differently than his accusers did. He said hed depart in a few weeks. On Tuesday, Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) resigned effective immediately, ending a 53-year congressional career. He faces sexual harassment accusations from several female former aides, which hes contesting. Some of President Trumps biggest fans have declared war against special counsel Robert Mueller and given Trumps television-watching habits, hes surely listening. Mueller is corrupt. The senior FBI is corrupt. The system is corrupt, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said on Fox News last week. A disgrace to the American justice system, Fox News host Sean Hannity, a Trump favorite, declared. The head of the snake. Mueller has put the country on the brink of becoming a banana republic, he charged. Advertisement Mueller poses an existential threat to the Trump presidency, warned Christopher Ruddy, a longtime Trump friend who runs the conservative Newsmax website. The anti-Mueller campaign isnt just noisy; its dangerous. Even the Wall Street Journal published an editorial calling on the special counsel to quit. Mueller is too conflicted to investigate the FBI and should step down in favor of someone more credible, the newspaper argued. Other conservatives, including members of Congress, have joined a chorus of complaints about the special counsel, the FBI and the Justice Department even though all three are led by Trump appointees. It all looks and sounds like a concerted campaign to delegitimize Muellers investigation, launched in May to look into evidence that Russia tampered with the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Trumps most fervent supporters disliked the idea from the start, but anti-Mueller fury stepped up markedly after the prosecutor indicted former national security advisor Michael Flynn this month. Flynns cooperation could enable Mueller to charge Trump with obstruction of justice, although theres no sign that the prosecutor plans to take that step. The anti-Mueller campaign isnt just noisy; its dangerous. Gingrich, Hannity and Ruddy are people Trump listens to. Fox News is the channel he watches. Whether or not they persuade the president that he ought to fire Mueller, they are clearly paving the way by convincing Trumps political base, the Fox News-watching public, that dismissing the prosecutor would be justified. A CBS News Poll this month found that Americans overall are evenly divided over whether Muellers investigation is fair or politically motivated. But there was a stark partisan split: 81% of Republicans said the probe is politically motivated, while only 23% of Democrats agreed. That suggests that if Trump fired Mueller, he would get nearly automatic support from his partys voters. Despite the high volume, the case against Mueller is thin. One major talking point is that although the special counsel is a Republican, many of the lawyers he has hired are Democrats. Six of Muellers top 15 aides donated money to Hillary Clintons campaign, according to Politifact; at least one gave to Republicans. Critics have also complained that some of the FBI agents working on the investigation also worked on the 2016 investigation of Clintons emails, which they consider a whitewash. Among them, one agent has attracted particular attention: Peter Strzok, who was moved off the team by Mueller after he sent a derisive text message about Trump. GOP members of Congress are particularly angry that they didnt learn about the incident until months later. And they have charged that Mueller aide Andrew Weissmann, a career Justice Department official, is biased. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Weissmann attended Hillary Clintons election night party in November. So, yes, the investigation like every other part of the federal bureaucracy includes Democrats. Theres no cure for that. Federal regulations prohibit the Justice Department from considering career appointees political affiliation. That didnt stop House Republicans from criticizing FBI Director Christopher Wray, another Trump appointee, when he appeared before them last week. If you kicked everybody off of Muellers team who was anti-Trump, I dont think thered be anyone left, griped Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). I am emphasizing in every audience I can inside the bureau that our decisions need to be made based on nothing other than the facts and the law, Wray replied. Im not aware of any senior FBI executives who are allowing improper political considerations to affect their work. Trumps lawyers say hes never even considered firing the special counsel. But experts who worked on earlier investigations, both Republicans and Democrats, told me that Trump is essentially free to fire Mueller and, in effect, shut the inquest down if hes willing to take some political heat. That doesnt mean Muellers evidence will disappear. It will remain in the hands of the Justice Department. At that point, Congress can summon Mueller to disclose what he learned. Congress can also press for a new special counsel or begin impeachment proceedings. But Republican voters, primed by the delegitimization campaign, will press GOP senators and representatives to support Trump, not Mueller. Judging from the lawmakers performance so far, theres little reason to expect that many would defy both their president and their most loyal voters. doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com Twitter: @DoyleMcManus Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook. Trump promotes sons Justice with Judge Jeanine interview President Trump promoted via Twitter an interview with his son Eric Trump just before it aired Saturday night on Fox News Justice with Judge Jeanine. Eric Trump on @JudgeJeanine on @FoxNews now! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2018 Eric Trump called into the show to defend his father from criticism prompted by the first government shutdown in more than four years, as well as a series of Womens March events that saw protesters in dozens of cities take to the streets to oppose the presidents policies. .@EricTrump joined me over the phone from Mar-a-Lago ! pic.twitter.com/Hro3TzUW52 Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) January 21, 2018 Speaking to host Jeannine Piro who is reportedly an old friend of the presidents Eric Trump offered effusive praise for his father, ticking off glowing statistics to illustrate the strength of the U.S. economy and gains against Islamic State fighters overseas. My fathers working like no ones ever worked before to bring back this country and to fulfill his promise to make America great again, said the executive vice president of the Trump Organization. He also repeated a sentiment recently expressed on Twitter by his father: That Democratic lawmakers forced a government shutdown on the anniversary of the presidents inauguration in a bid to distract from his achievements. You look at this whole government shutdown, and the only reason they want to shut down government is to distract and to stop his momentum, Eric Trump said. I mean, my father has had incredible momentum. Hes gotten more done in one year than arguably any president in history. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump tweets: a perfect day for all Women to March President Trump hailed the nationwide Womens March gatherings Saturday. On Twitter, the president called it a perfect day for all Women to March, seeming to imply that those taking part were celebrating his administrations accomplishments: Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March. Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. Lowest female unemployment in 18 years! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Participants in the marches across the United States were actually seeking to deliver a powerful rebuke to Trumps policies and mount a crucial mobilization for this years midterm elections. But Trump continued to tout his administrations unprecedented success in tweets sent later in the day: Unprecedented success for our Country, in so many ways, since the Election. Record Stock Market, Strong on Military, Crime, Borders, & ISIS, Judicial Strength & Numbers, Lowest Unemployment for Women & ALL, Massive Tax Cuts, end of Individual Mandate - and so much more. Big 2018! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 The Trump Administration has terminated more UNNECESSARY Regulation, in just twelve months, than any other Administration has terminated during their full term in office, no matter what the length. The good news is, THERE IS MUCH MORE TO COME! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2018 In addition to the roll call of major American cities where womens marches took place including New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta protesters also raised their voices in suburbs and small towns, reflecting the aim of coalescing a broad-based movement on the anniversary of Trumps inauguration to oppose the presidents stance on immigration, healthcare, racial divides and an array of other issues. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Laura King. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump calls shutdown a present from Democrats By Associated Press President Trump is blaming Democrats for the government shutdown tweeting that they wanted to give him a nice present to mark the one-year anniversary of his inauguration: This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present. #DemocratShutdown Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 That comes after Senate Democrats late Friday killed a GOP-written House-passed measure that would have kept agencies functioning for four weeks. Democrats were seeking a stopgap bill of just a few days in hopes that would build pressure on Republicans, and they were opposing a three-week alternative offered by GOP leaders. Democrats have insisted they would back legislation reopening the government once theres a bipartisan agreement to preserve protections against deporting about 700,000 immigrants known as Dreamers who arrived in the United States illegally as children. Trump on Saturday accused Democrats of holding our Military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration: Democrats are holding our Military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration. Cant let that happen! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Democrats are laying fault for the shutdown on Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and the White House and have struggled with building internal consensus. In a series of tweets hours after the shutdown began, the president tried to make the case for Americans to elect more Republicans to Congress in November in order to power through this mess: Democrats are far more concerned with Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous Southern Border. They could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead. #WeNeedMoreRepublicansIn18 in order to power through mess! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 He noted that there are 51 Republicans in the 100-member Senate, and it often takes 60 votes to advance legislation: For those asking, the Republicans only have 51 votes in the Senate, and they need 60. That is why we need to win more Republicans in 2018 Election! We can then be even tougher on Crime (and Border), and even better to our Military & Veterans! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 #AMERICA FIRST! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 The stopgap spending measure won 50 votes in the Senate, including five from Democrats. Although the House and Senate were in session Saturday, it was unclear whether lawmakers would take any votes of consequence. Trump had been set to leave Friday afternoon for a fundraiser at his estate in Palm Beach, Fla., where he intended to mark the inauguration anniversary. But he remained in Washington and ended up scrapping his plans to attend the Saturday fundraiser. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump tweet casts doubt on likelihood of averting shutdown President Trump appeared to cast doubt on the likelihood of reaching a deal to avert a government shutdown Friday night in a tweet. Trump also sought to blame Democrats for what would be the first shutdown since 2013. His message came just hours before the midnight deadline by which lawmakers must pass a measure to fund government agencies, or some operations will cease. Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border. Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Despite last-minute negotiations Friday between Trump and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, Congress remained deadlocked over a spending bill and the federal government was headed toward a shutdown at midnight. Senate Democrats joined by some GOP deficit hawks and immigration allies were set to filibuster a stopgap funding bill approved by the House on Thursday. A Senate vote was planned for 10 p.m. Eastern, and even White House officials predicted it would fail. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Lisa Mascaro. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump signs surveillance law after confusing tweets By Associated Press President Trump on Friday signed a bill into law to renew a foreign intelligence surveillance program, announcing his action in the latest in a series of confusing tweets about the spy program: Just signed 702 Bill to reauthorize foreign intelligence collection. This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election. I will always do the right thing for our country and put the safety of the American people first! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2018 Trumps tweet on Jan. 11 created chaos in the House just before it voted to reauthorize what is known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. He linked the intelligence program to a dossier that alleges his presidential campaign had ties to Russia. That caused people to wonder if he didnt support the program that allows U.S. spy agencies to collect intelligence on foreign targets abroad. Trump and other Republicans have alleged that Obama administration officials improperly shared the identities of Trump presidential transition team members mentioned in intelligence reports. Democrats say there is no evidence that happened. Shortly before the House vote, and after conferring with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Trump did an apparent about-face. This vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land, he tweeted. We need it! Get smart! In his tweet announcing that he had just signed the bill, Trump wrote: This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election. I will always do the right thing for our country and put the safety of the American people first! There are no obvious links between the dossier Trump spoke of, which includes salacious but unsubstantiated allegations against him, and the reauthorization of the spying program, or between the program and Trumps oft-repeated claims that the Obama administration conducted surveillance on Trump Tower during the presidential campaign. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print In tweet, Trump suggests that Pennsylvania trip is a political one The White House press office was once again forced to walk back a tweet from President Trump on Thursday morning after he described a trip to Pennsylvania later in the day as a political one a statement that would force the Republican Party, not taxpayers, to pay for the journey. The White House had said Trump was going to an industrial equipment company outside of Pittsburgh to highlight the good economy and new tax cuts, making it an official, policy-oriented event. It was widely assumed that the trip had a political cast the area is holding a special election to fill a congressional seat vacated by a Republican who resigned. Trump, by his tweet, seemed to confirm that politics was the whole purpose: Will be going to Pennsylvania today in order to give my total support to RICK SACCONE, running for Congress in a Special Election (March 13). Rick is a great guy. We need more Republicans to continue our already successful agenda! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 Trump later shared via Twitter a pair of video clips of his speech at H&K Equipment, in which he touted the tax cuts he signed into law just before Christmas and tried to turn the conversation back to his accomplishments after weeks dominated by distractions, including questions about his mental health and comments about immigration that some considered racist: Departing Pittsburgh now, where it was my great honor to stand with our incredible workers, and to show the world that AMERICA is back - and we are coming back bigger and better and stronger than ever before! pic.twitter.com/kWPgylqFzj Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 AMERICA will once again be a NATION that thinks big, dreams bigger, and always reaches for the stars. YOU are the ones who will shape Americas destiny. YOU are the ones who will restore our prosperity. And YOU are the ones who are MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! #MAGA pic.twitter.com/f2abNK47II Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 The Republican National Committee, rather than the White House, is supposed to pay for political travel so that taxpayers are not financing party activities; for trips that combine policy and politics, parties have split the cost under past presidents. Neither the RNC nor the White House responded to emails sent Thursday asking who would pay. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement later Thursday suggesting that taxpayers would foot the bill. She insisted that Trump would be conducting government business while in Pennsylvania. Read More This post contains reporting from the Associated Press and Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump tweets praise of Bob Dole after awarding him Congressional Gold Medal By Associated Press Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole knew the art of the deal before President Trump published the 1987 book of the same name. The two shared a stage under the Capitol dome Wednesday as Dole, 94, accepted Congress highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, for his World War II service and decades of work in the House and Senate. Trump later praised Dole in a tweet, attaching to his message a video composed of clips from the ceremony: Today, we witnessed an incredible moment in history the presentation of Congress highest civilian honor to our friend, and true AMERICAN HERO, Bob Dole. #CongressionalGoldMedal pic.twitter.com/qNQqDLRmCk Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 17, 2018 At the ceremony, the president saluted Dole as a patriot and gave tribute to Doles struggle as a veteran who worked his way back from a grievous shoulder wound he suffered in Italy. He knows about grit, said Trump. But it was Doles penchant for working across the aisle that earned him his latest award, according to the legislation. Bob Dole was known for his ability to work across the aisle and embrace practical bipartisanship, reads the legislation Trump signed in September. Some of the awards 300 recipients include George Washington and Mother Teresa, according to the Congressional Research Service. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump touts report that seeks to link terrorism cases with immigration By Joseph Tanfani The Trump administration on Tuesday released a report attempting to link terrorism with migration, arguing that it was evidence of the need to dramatically reshape the nations immigration system. New report from DOJ & DHS shows that nearly 3 in 4 individuals convicted of terrorism-related charges are foreign-born. We have submitted to Congress a list of resources and reforms.... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 ....we need to keep America safe, including moving away from a random chain migration and lottery system, to one that is merit-based. https://t.co/7PtoSFK1n2 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The report, ordered by President Trump in an executive order last year, said that 75% of the 549 people convicted of terrorism charges since 9/11 were born outside the U.S. Administration officials called that a sign that the U.S. needs to scrap its policy of family preferences for visas, which they call chain migration, and a diversity visa lottery program. But the report did not specify how many if any of the convicted terrorists entered the country through those means. It also did not detail how many of the convictions were related to attacks or plans in the U.S. versus overseas and how many involved people who went to fight overseas for the Islamic State or another terrorist group. Those details were not available, officials said. The report, due last year, is being released in a highly charged moment in the immigration debate, as Trump and some Republicans in Congress seek tough new border and immigration measures in return for a deal protecting the 690,000 people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Trump also fired off a pair of tweets on the topic earlier Tuesday: We must have Security at our VERY DANGEROUS SOUTHERN BORDER, and we must have a great WALL to help protect us, and to help stop the massive inflow of drugs pouring into our country! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The Democrats want to shut down the Government over Amnesty for all and Border Security. The biggest loser will be our rapidly rebuilding Military, at a time we need it more than ever. We need a merit based system of immigration, and we need it now! No more dangerous Lottery. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The focus of our immigration system should be assimilation, a senior administration official said on Tuesday, speaking on condition that his name not be used. He said the nation should give priority to potential immigrants who speak English, who have an education and those who are committed to supporting our values not family members of people already here. The official said the timing of the report was coincidental. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump tweets welcome to president of Kazakhstan By Associated Press President Trump said Tuesday that he and the president of Kazakhstan are united in a shared determination to prevent North Korea from threatening the world with nuclear devastation. Trump and President Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed North Korea along with other issues during meetings at the White House. Today, it was my honor to welcome President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan to the @WhiteHouse! pic.twitter.com/TerYFZViax Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 Trump said Kazakhstan, once part of the Soviet Union, is a valued partner in our efforts to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons. Together we are determined to prevent the North Korean regime from threatening the world with nuclear devastation, he said, as both presidents addressed journalists between meetings. Nazarbayev noted that his country once had one of the worlds largest nuclear arsenals but voluntarily gave it up after the Soviet Union collapsed. He said his country is in talks with Iran, which was the focus of a global deal that lifted some economic sanctions in exchange for Irans curbing its nuclear program. Trump has sharply criticized the Iran nuclear deal and threatened last week to pull out soon unless other countries fix what he says are terrible flaws. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump falsely claims his approval rating among black Americans has doubled By Alex Wigglesworth President Trump lashed out at the news media Tuesday morning in a tweet denouncing the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion among members of his campaign team. Do you notice the Fake News Mainstream Media never likes covering the great and record setting economic news, but rather talks about anything negative or that can be turned into the negative. The Russian Collusion Hoax is dead, except as it pertains to the Dems. Public gets it! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 It wasnt immediately clear exactly what prompted the presidents tweet, but it appeared as though he was watching Fox & Friends. A short time later, Trump tweeted a headline from a report that aired during that mornings episode: 90% of Trump 2017 news coverage was negative -and much of it contrived!@foxandfriends Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The segment focused on the latest survey results from conservative watchdog Media Research Center, which purportedly analyzed the evening news broadcasts on ABC, CBS and NBC from Jan. 20 to Dec. 31 and found that 90% of the statements made about Trump were negative. Study: 90% of Trump media coverage in 2017 was negative pic.twitter.com/vbrwup4Drg FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 16, 2018 But believe it or not, through all this negative coverage, they did a survey of 600,000 people about how black America views this president, co-host Brian Kilmeade said. His numbers have actually doubled in approval. Trump highlighted the statement in another tweet: Unemployment for Black Americans is the lowest ever recorded. Trump approval ratings with Black Americans has doubled. Thank you, and it will get even (much) better! @FoxNews Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 But its not true. The claim appears to have originated from a misreading of data from the online polling firm SurveyMonkey, according to factcheck.org. The firm polled 600,000 Americans in 2017 and found that Trumps approval rating among blacks actually dropped from 23% early in his presidency to about 17%, as of the week ending Jan. 3. Some conservative outlets, including Breitbart, produced an average from those and other SurveyMonkey figures and compared them to the scores Trump received from black voters in the 2016 exit polls. That methodology is not sound. And since the statistics measure different things, the comparison is misleading. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump goes after senator who surfaced his immigration remark By Associated Press President Trump turned his Twitter torment Monday on the Democrat in the room where immigration talks with lawmakers took a famously coarse turn, saying Sen. Richard J. Durbin misrepresented what he had said about African nations and Haiti and, in the process, undermined the trust needed to make a deal. Senator Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting, Trump tweeted, using a nickname to needle the Illinois senator. Deals cant get made when there is no trust! Durbin blew DACA and is hurting our Military. Senator Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting. Deals cant get made when there is no trust! Durbin blew DACA and is hurting our Military. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 Trump was referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects young people who came to the United States illegally as children. Members of Congress from both parties are trying to strike a deal that Trump would support to extend that protection. Trump also cast doubt on the likelihood of reaching an agreement in tweets sent earlier Monday: Statement by me last night in Florida: Honestly, I dont think the Democrats want to make a deal. They talk about DACA, but they dont want to help..We are ready, willing and able to make a deal but they dont want to. They dont want security at the border, they dont want..... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 ...to stop drugs, they want to take money away from our military which we cannot do. My standard is very simple, AMERICA FIRST & MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 On a day of remembrance for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Trump spent time at his golf course with no public events, bypassing the acts of service that his predecessors staged in honor of the civil rights leader. Instead, Trump dedicated his weekly address to Kings memory, saying Kings dream and Americas are the same: A world where people are judged by who they are, not how they look or where they come from. That message was a distinct counterpoint to words attributed to Trump by Durbin and others at a meeting last week, when the question of where immigrants come from seemed at the forefront of Trumps concerns. Some participants and others familiar with the conversation said Trump challenged immigration from shithole countries of Africa and disparaged Haiti as well. Without explicitly denying using that word, Trump lashed out at the Democratic senator, who said Trump uttered it on several occasions. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump thanks pundit for laudatory Fox & Friends spot By Alex Wigglesworth President Trump thanked Fox News personality Stuart Varney after Varney praised Trump during an appearance on Fox & Friends. In a pair of tweets early Sunday, Trump quoted from Varneys commentary, in which he argued that Trump deserves more credit for the booming economy. The pundit, who also hosts a show on Fox Business Network, cited moves by some corporations to raise workers minimum wage or pay out one-time bonuses in response to the GOP tax cuts. President Trump is not getting the credit he deserves for the economy. Tax Cut bonuses to more than 2,000,000 workers. Most explosive Stock Market rally that weve seen in modern times. 18,000 to 26,000 from Election, and grounded in profitability and growth. All Trump, not 0... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2018 ...big unnecessary regulation cuts made it all possible (among many other things). President Trump reversed the policies of President Obama, and reversed our economic decline. Thank you Stuart Varney. @foxandfriends Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2018 Varney was reacting to a quote from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who on Thursday called the bonuses handed down to workers pathetic in comparison to the gains corporations are expected to see from the tax cuts. In terms of the bonus that corporate America received versus the crumbs that they are giving to workers to kind of put the schmooze on is so pathetic, Pelosi told reporters. Its pathetic. Varney shot back Sunday that the bonuses, along with explosive stock market growth, are enriching all Americans. This is a huge shot in the arm, its the result of this tax cut deal and I think President Trump should get the credit for it, he said. .@Varneyco Sets the economic record straight after Nancy Pelosi calls U.S. mass bonuses crumbs pic.twitter.com/BvjIHGm3HE FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 14, 2018 The sweeping tax plan passed last month lowers the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and cuts personal income taxes. Analysts say the benefits will largely flow to corporations and the wealthy, as theyre more likely to be in positions to share in corporate profits. For instance, Wells Fargo & Co., which responded to news of the tax overhaul by announcing it will raise workers pay to at least $15 an hour, also reported that it expects to pay an effective tax rate of 19% this year, down from about 31% in previous years. That should amount to tax savings of more than $3 billion annually. On average, middle-class Americans are expected to see a very small tax cut in the near term and a tax increase after 2025, when all of the tax cuts for individuals expire. The tax cuts for corporations, however, are permanent. This post contains reporting from Times staff writer James Rufus Koren. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump touts MLK proclamation in tweet, but ceremony is overshadowed by reports of racist remarks By Associated Press President Trump signed a proclamation Friday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, noting the contributions of a great American hero. Today, it was my great honor to proclaim January 15, 2018, as Martin Luther King Jr., Federal Holiday. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate civic, community, and service activities in honor of Dr. King's life and legacy. pic.twitter.com/samlJsz1Nt Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018 Overshadowing the event was mounting backlash from Trumps comments during a private meeting with lawmakers the day before. A short time after the meeting, which was called to discuss a possible immigration deal, reports emerged that Trump had asked participants why the United States should accept immigrants from shithole countries in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin, the Senates second-ranking Democrat, appeared to confirm those reports on Friday. Trump did not respond Friday to several questions about the incident, including whether he actually used vulgar language to describe African nations, or if he is racist. The president said at the White House that love was central to the slain civil rights leader. Trump said the nation celebrates King for standing up for the self-evident truth Americans hold so dear, that no matter what the color of our skin or place of our birth, we are all created equal by God. This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump criticizes Democrats in tweet calling for stricter immigration rules President Trump hit out at Democrats on Thursday night in a tweet calling for stricter immigration rules. Trump wrote that members of the party seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the border with Mexico: The Democrats seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the Southern Border, risking thousands of lives in the process. It is my duty to protect the lives and safety of all Americans. We must build a Great Wall, think Merit and end Lottery & Chain. USA! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018 It wasnt immediately clear exactly what prompted the tweet. Earlier Thursday, Trump rejected a bipartisan compromise to resolve the standoff over so-called Dreamers, young immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children but have temporary permits to work, attend school or serve in the military. The president drew widespread condemnation after reports emerged that he had asked participants in an Oval Office meeting about the proposal why the United States should accept immigrants from shithole countries in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump touts bill aimed at improving border screening for fentanyl By Associated Press President Trump signed legislation Wednesday aimed at giving Customs and Border Protection agents additional screening devices and other tools to stop the flow of illicit drugs. Speaking at a surprise bill-signing ceremony while flanked by members of Congress from both parties in the Oval Office, Trump described the bill as a significant step forward in the fight against powerful opioids such as fentanyl, which he called our new big scourge. He echoed that language Thursday in a tweet: Yesterday, I signed the #INTERDICTAct (H.R. 2142) with bipartisan members of Congress to help end the flow of drugs into our country. Together, we are committed to doing everything we can to combat the deadly scourge of drug addiction and overdose in the United States! pic.twitter.com/ELZvFol5Lo Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018 The legislation will pay for new portable and fixed chemical screening devices to detect and intercept fentanyl at ports of entry and in the mail, along with other laboratory equipment and personnel, including scientists. Trump has made fighting the opioid epidemic a centerpiece of his administration, though critics say he hasnt dedicated nearly enough money or resources to make a difference. Trump suggested during his remarks on Wednesday that hed like to take a more aggressive approach to the drug crisis but the countrys not ready for what he has in mind. So were going to sign this. And its a step. And it feels like a very giant step, but unfortunately, its not going to be a giant step, because no matter what you do, this is something that keeps pouring in, he said. And were going to find the answer. There is an answer. I think I actually know the answer, but Im not sure the countrys ready for it yet, he added. Does anybody know what I mean? I think so. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump applauds news that Toyota-Mazda plant is slated for Alabama By Associated Press Japanese automakers Toyota and Mazda on Wednesday announced plans to build a mammoth, $1.6-billion joint-venture plant in Alabama that will eventually employ about 4,000 people. President Trump lauded the news in a tweet: Cutting taxes and simplifying regulations makes America the place to invest! Great news as Toyota and Mazda announce they are bringing 4,000 JOBS and investing $1.6 BILLION in Alabama, helping to further grow our economy! pic.twitter.com/Kcg8IVH6iA Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Good news: Toyota and Mazda announce giant new Huntsville, Alabama, plant which will produce over 300,000 cars and SUVs a year and employ 4000 people. Companies are coming back to the U.S. in a very big way. Congratulations Alabama! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018 Several states had competed for the project, which will be able to turn out 300,000 vehicles per year and produce the Toyota Corolla compact car for North America and a new small SUV from Mazda. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and company executives held a news conference to announce that the facility is coming to the Huntsville area not far from the Tennessee line. Production is expected to begin by 2021. The decision to pick Alabama is another example of foreign-based automakers building U.S. factories in the South. To entice manufacturers, Southern states have used a combination of lucrative incentive packages, low-cost labor and a pro-business labor environment, because the United Auto Workers union is stronger in Northern states. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump highlights call for border wall in tweets on visit with Norways prime minister By Associated Press President Trump praised Norways prime minister in a tweet on Wednesday after Erna Solberg became the first foreign leader to visit with the president in 2018. Today, it was my great honor to welcome Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway to the @WhiteHouse - a great friend and ally of the United States! Joint press conference: https://t.co/qWR1BhfQZI pic.twitter.com/PJvwznjRCO Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Trump also shared via Twitter a video clip of a joint news conference he held with Solberg on Wednesday afternoon. In the clip, Trump responds to a question from a reporter by saying there can be no bipartisan immigration deal absent funding for his long-promised wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been seeking a solution for hundreds of thousands of so-called Dreamers, young people who were brought to the United States as children and are living here illegally. The United States needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border, which must be part of any DACA approval. The safety and security of our country is #1! pic.twitter.com/4CFzQXb5aS Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 We need the wall for security, we need the wall for safety, we need the wall for stopping the drugs from pouring in, Trump said Wednesday. Any solution has to include the wall because without the wall, it all doesnt work. On Tuesday, Trump drew widespread attention when he said during a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers that he would be agreeable to signing a stand-alone bill to protect the Dreamers, before moving on to a more comprehensive immigration bill. That contradicted the Republican consensus that Dreamers fate needed to be part of a broader immigration bill that would include some version of Trumps promised border wall and other immigration reforms. Trump backed away from a stand-alone Dreamer bill in subsequent tweets and public comments. Read More This post contains reporting from Los Angeles Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump praises Cabinet in tweet touting meeting By Associated Press President Trump promoted a meeting of his Cabinet on Wednesday, sharing via Twitter a link to a video of the session posted on the White House YouTube account. In his tweet, Trump thanked his Cabinet for working tirelessly on behalf of our country and wrote that the last year has been one of monumental achievement. I want to thank my @Cabinet for working tirelessly on behalf of our country. 2017 was a year of monumental achievement and we look forward to the year ahead. Together, we are delivering results and MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! https://t.co/ptXa1hAPwW pic.twitter.com/yv6RALkQf3 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 The former reality television star continued to dispense accolades at the meeting Wednesday, greeting reporters in the Cabinet Room by saying: Welcome back to the studio. Then he proceeded to relive a Cabinet Room session from the prior day, when he had allowed reporters and TV cameras to stick around for much of his meeting with a bipartisan group of legislators on the thorny issue of immigration. It was a tremendous meeting. Actually, it was reported as incredibly good. And my performance you know, some of them called it a performance I consider it work, Trump said. Trump went on to say he had received letters from news anchors calling it one of the greatest meetings theyve ever witnessed. He added that the media will ultimately support Trump in the end, because theyre going to say, if Trump doesnt win in three years, theyre all out of business. Asked for examples of letters received from news anchors, the White House said it had received private communications. It also offered a series of positive on-air comments and tweets from journalists about the unusual access to the meeting. During his remarks, Trump swung from praising his own meeting coverage to telling journalists that they were dependent on his presidency for ratings to threatening a strong look at libel laws. Still, Trump thanked the journalists in front of him, joking: Youve gotten very familiar with this room. I appreciate your nice comments yesterday. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump blasts DACA ruling in tweet calling courts broken and unfair By Lisa Mascaro President Trump denounced the federal courts Wednesday as broken and unfair after a district judge in San Francisco issued a nationwide injunction keeping protections in place for so-called Dreamers. Trump tweeted: It just shows everyone how broken and unfair our Court System is when the opposing side in a case (such as DACA) always runs to the 9th Circuit and almost always wins before being reversed by higher courts. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 On Tuesday night, U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco temporarily blocked the Trump administrations decision to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, which has protected from deportation some 700,000 people who came to the country illegally as children. Alsup granted a request by the state of California, the University of California and other plaintiffs to stop Trump from ending DACA on March 5. The administrations decision to end DACA, which was announced in September, was based on a flawed legal analysis, Alsup wrote in his decision. Dreamers would be irreparably harmed if their DACA protections, which allow them to live and work legally in the U.S., were stripped away before the courts had a chance to fully consider their claims, he ruled. The action is the mirror image of a ruling in 2015 by a federal judge in Texas who ruled in favor of that state when it sought to block President Obama from expanding DACA to include the parents of Dreamers. Trump administration officials praised that judicial ruling. By contrast, they sharply criticized Alsups decision. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump thanks lawmakers for productive immigration meeting, says deal must include border wall President Trump thanked a bipartisan group of lawmakers for participating in a meeting on immigration legislation on Tuesday. Much of the discussion involved so-called Dreamers, an estimated 700,000 young people who were brought to the country illegally as children and are now facing deportation. In a tweet, Trump wrote that there was strong agreement to negotiate a bill to protect Dreamers, as well as put into place some of the reforms favored by Republicans. Thanks to all of the Republican and Democratic lawmakers for todays very productive meeting on immigration reform. There was strong agreement to negotiate a bill that deals with border security, chain migration, lottery and DACA. https://t.co/SdqAQ3aL3z pic.twitter.com/8DYHZHspAy Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 The most notable exchange of the meeting came when Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the San Francisco Democrat, asked Trump whether he would be agreeable to signing a stand-alone bill to protect the Dreamers, before moving on to a more comprehensive immigration bill. Yeah, I would like to do it, Trump responded. The statement drew widespread attention because it contradicted the Republican consensus that Dreamers fate needed to be part of a broader immigration bill that would include some version of Trumps promised border wall and other immigration reforms. Trump later backed away from a stand-alone Dreamer bill, tweeting that a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico must be part of any deal: As I made very clear today, our country needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border, which must be part of any DACA approval. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Pressure has been mounting for Congress to broker an immigration deal by Jan. 19 as part of a must-pass budget package to fund the government. This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump thanks officers and veterans in tweets President Trump doled out a slew of accolades Tuesday via Twitter. He thanked the nations law enforcement officers, including in his message a hashtag denoting a day of appreciation organized by a national support group for law enforcement families. On behalf of the American people, THANK YOU to our incredible law enforcement officers. As President of the United States - I will fight for you, and I will never, ever let you down. Now, more than ever, we must support the men and women in blue! #LawEnforcementAppreciationDay pic.twitter.com/Qb4uxB4JRm Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 Trump later expressed gratitude for federal immigration agents, in particular: .@ICEgov HSI agents and ERO officers, on behalf of an entire Nation, THANK YOU for what you are doing 24/7/365 to keep fellow Americans SAFE. Everyone is so grateful!#LawEnforcementAppreciationDay President @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/HXCpTlruVo Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 The president thanked veterans as he cited his administrations efforts to curb the number of veteran suicides by improving mental health treatment for the high-risk group: Today, it was my great honor to sign a new Executive Order to ensure Veterans have the resources they need as they transition back to civilian life. We must ensure that our HEROES are given the care and support they so richly deserve! https://t.co/0MdP9DDIAS pic.twitter.com/LP2a8KCBAp Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 Trumps tweet included photos of the president signing an executive order Tuesday directing the secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs to develop a plan to provide seamless access to mental health and suicide prevention resources for 12 months for members leaving the armed forces. Also on Tuesday, Trump touted a law he signed the day before designating the birthplace of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. a national historic park: It was my great honor to sign H.R. 267, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Act, which redesignates the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State of Georgia as the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. https://t.co/Qe0b6HBFTY pic.twitter.com/QTgaqTawPT Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 And he thanked House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) for sharing a video compilation comprised of clips of politicians and commentators praising the GOPs tax cut bill: Thank you @GOPLeader Kevin McCarthy! Couldnt agree w/you more. TOGETHER, we are #MAGA https://t.co/QaxtqpyXTR Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 This post contains reporting from the Associated Press and Times staff writer Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump hails tax bill in tweets recapping speech to farmers By Associated Press Connecting with rural Americans, President Trump on Monday hailed his tax overhaul as a victory for family farmers. Farm country is Gods country, Trump told the annual convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Trump became the first president in a quarter-century to address the federations convention. His Southern swing also included a stop in Atlanta for the national college football championship game. Cant wait to be back in the amazing state of Tennessee to address the 99th American @FarmBureau Federations Annual Convention in Nashville! #AFBF18 On my way now - join me LIVE at 4:00pmE: https://t.co/QaljAqekdD. pic.twitter.com/Wm7Io0hYT8 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Joined by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and a group of Tennessee lawmakers, Trump said most of the benefits of the tax legislation are going to working families, small businesses, and who the family farmer. The package Trump signed into law last month provides generous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, and more modest reductions for middle- and low-income individuals and families. In every decision we make, we are honoring Americas PROUD FARMING LEGACY. Years of crushing taxes, crippling regs, & corrupt politics left our communities hurting, our economy stagnant, & millions of hardworking Americans COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN. But they are not forgotten ANYMORE! pic.twitter.com/MdYS7xnukQ Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 The president vastly inflated the value of the package in his speech, citing a total of $5.5 trillion in tax cuts, with most of those benefits going to working families, small businesses and who? The family farmer. The estimated value of the tax cuts is actually $1.5 trillion for families and businesses because of cuts in deductions and the use of other steps to generate offsetting tax revenue. We have been working every day to DELIVER for Americas Farmers just as they work every day to deliver FOR US. #AFBF18 pic.twitter.com/QDH7fvFkZ7 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 From Nashville, Trump traveled to Atlanta to watch Alabamas Crimson Tide and Georgias Bulldogs face off Monday night in the College Football Playoff National Championship. We are fighting for our farmers, for our country, and for our GREAT AMERICAN FLAG. We want our flag respected - and we want our NATIONAL ANTHEM respected also! pic.twitter.com/16eOLXg6Fi Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Before departing for the game, Trump referenced his ongoing defense of the American flag and the national anthem, saying there was enough space for people to express their views. We love our flag and we love our anthem, and we want to keep it that way, he said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump tweet hails drop in unemployment rate for African Americans By Associated Press President Trump touted a drop in the unemployment rate for African Americans on Monday in a tweet. African American unemployment is the lowest ever recorded in our country. The Hispanic unemployment rate dropped a full point in the last year and is close to the lowest in recorded history. Dems did nothing for you but get your vote! #NeverForget @foxandfriends Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 The rate fell to 6.8% in December, the lowest level since the government began tracking such data in 1972. The reasons range from a greater number of black Americans with college degrees to a growing need for employers in a tight job market to widen the pool of people they hire from. Trump also hailed the development via Twitter on Saturday. His latest tweet on the topic came about an hour after it was discussed during an episode of Fox & Friends, according to Mediaite. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump talks up the economy and dresses down the media in Sunday tweets With President Trump cheering from the sidelines, the White House on Sunday pressed its defense of the presidents fitness to govern, as fired former aide Stephen K. Bannon reversed course and apologized for his role in a new books explosive portrait of Trump. The presidents critics, meanwhile, said Trumps stream of taunts and insults in response to the book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, released last week served only to underscore the authors unsettling portrayal of Trumps year-old presidency, depicting a leader whose own aides consider him childish, ignorant and dangerously erratic. Trump provided more ammunition Sunday morning, as he continued to attack the book via Twitter while preparing to depart Camp David for the White House: Leaving Camp David for the White House. Great meetings with the Cabinet and Military on many very important subjects including Border Security & the desperately needed Wall, the ever increasing Drug and Opioid Problem, Infrastructure, Military, Budget, Trade and DACA. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Ive had to put up with the Fake News from the first day I announced that I would be running for President. Now I have to put up with a Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author. Ronald Reagan had the same problem and handled it well. So will I! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 The most vehement defense of Trump on Sunday came from senior advisor Stephen Miller, a onetime Bannon acolyte who distanced himself from his former mentor. In a combative appearance Sunday on CNNs State of the Union, Miller called the book grotesque and writer Michael Wolff the garbage author of a garbage book. Trump is known to closely monitor aides televised performances in putting forth his case, and he gleefully weighed in within moments of Millers televised clash with host Jake Tapper. CNN has long been a particular target of Trumps ire. Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Trumps reaction, however, seemed to bolster Tappers on-air depiction of Miller as using his appearance on the show to play to the president rather than addressing questions put to him. I get it theres one viewer that you care about, the host said exasperatedly after Miller turned the discussion repeatedly to negative news coverage of the president while deflecting specific queries. Later on Twitter, Trump took up two themes that have been prevalent on his social media feeds recently. The president again went after the news media, tweeting that the recipients of his self-proclaimed most dishonest & corrupt media awards of the year, which he promised earlier in the week to announce on Monday, would actually be revealed the following Wednesday: The Fake News Awards, those going to the most corrupt & biased of the Mainstream Media, will be presented to the losers on Wednesday, January 17th, rather than this coming Monday. The interest in, and importance of, these awards is far greater than anyone could have anticipated! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Trump later lauded a New York Post opinion piece that compared him favorably with his predecessor, President Obama, as well as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. In quoting the op-ed, Trump initally misspelled consequential as consensual, but he deleted those tweets and re-sent the messages. His is turning out to be an enormously consequential presidency. So much so that, despite my own frustration over his missteps, there has never been a day when I wished Hillary Clinton were president. Not one. Indeed, as Trumps accomplishments accumulate, the mere thought of... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 ...Clinton in the WH, doubling down on Barack Obamas failed policies, washes away any doubts that America made the right choice. This was truly a change election and the changes Trump is bringing are far-reaching & necessary. Thank you Michael Goodwin! https://t.co/4fHNcx2Ydg Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Trump also continued talking up the economy, which has been enjoying a period of strong gains. The Stock Market has been creating tremendous benefits for our country in the form of not only Record Setting Stock Prices, but present and future Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Seven TRILLION dollars of value created since our big election win! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 In addition to Miller, other senior administration officials made the rounds of Sunday news talk shows to decry the claims made in Wolffs book. CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Wolffs characterization of Trump as averse to digesting classified briefing material was ludicrous, and the ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, insisted that that those around Trump love their country and respect their president. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Laura King. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Responding to book that mocks his intelligence, Trump tweets hes like, really smart By Tracy Wilkinson President Trump declared himself a very stable genius on Twitter on Saturday and later in a televised news conference called the author of a book that questioned his mental fitness a fraud. His comments came on a bone-cold day at Camp David during a weekend retreat with top administration officials and Republican congressional leaders strategizing on the years legislative agenda, including matters such as infrastructure, immigration, welfare reform and national security. Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence..... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 ....Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star..... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 ....to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 Still, Trumps explosive rebuttal to author Michael Wolffs claims not only opened the day, but it also ensured the presidents capability to fill the highest office in the land was a topic that would not go away. In his early-morning tweets, Trump said two of his greatest assets have been mental stability, and being, like, really smart. He noted that his former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, played these cards [about competence] very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star to President of the United States (on my first try). Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement In morning tweets, Trump touts job numbers and takes digs at news media By Associated Press President Trump used Twitter on Saturday morning to tout a drop in the unemployment rate for African Americans. He also used the tweets as an opportunity to take digs at media outlets whose past coverage he has found to be critical. The African American unemployment rate fell to 6.8%, the lowest rate in 45 years. I am so happy about this News! And, in the Washington Post (of all places), headline states, Trumps first year jobs numbers were very, very good. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 The unemployment rate for African Americans fell to 6.8% in December, the lowest level since the government began tracking such data in 1972. The reasons range from a greater number of black Americans with college degrees to a growing need for employers in a tight job market to widen the pool of people they hire from. Still, the rate for black workers remains well above those for whites and some other groups, something experts attribute in large part to decades of discrimination and disadvantages. Robust job creation has lowered unemployment for all Americans. U.S. employers added nearly 2.1 million jobs in 2017 the seventh straight year that hiring has topped 2 million. In his tweet, Trump praised a report that noted the numbers, touting the fact that it appeared in the Washington Post (of all places). Minutes later, Trump renewed his attack on an ABC News reporter who was suspended last month after filing an erroneous report on Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security advisor. Brian Ross, the reporter who made a fraudulent live newscast about me that drove the Stock Market down 350 points (billions of dollars), was suspended for a month but is now back at ABC NEWS in a lower capacity. He is no longer allowed to report on Trump. Should have been fired! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 The reporter, Brian Ross, was reportedly reassigned within ABC News upon returning from his unpaid suspension. But on Saturday, Trump wrote that he should have been fired. Trumps tweets came hours before he was set to host congressional Republicans and administration officials at Camp David. The meeting scheduled to begin at midmorning Saturday was expected to touch on the budget, infrastructure, immigration, welfare reform and the shape of the midterm election this fall. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump commends Sen. Rand Paul after he proposes eliminating all U.S. aid to Pakistan President Trump commended Sen. Rand Paul after the Kentucky Republican announced plans to introduce legislation that would eliminate all U.S. aid to Pakistan. Trump tweeted Friday night: Good idea Rand! https://t.co/55sqUDiC0s Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 On Thursday, the Trump administration announced it was suspending security assistance to Islamabad until the country moves aggressively against local militants who have attacked U.S. troops in neighboring Afghanistan. Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration at the apparent inability of Pakistani authorities to rein in militants who cross out of the countrys rugged tribal areas to attack U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump continues to lash out at Sloppy Steve Bannon in tweets on tell-all book By Associated Press President Trump is praising a major Republican donor family for distancing themselves from his former advisor Steve Bannon. Trump tweeted Friday: The Mercer Family recently dumped the leaker known as Sloppy Steve Bannon. Smart! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Trump has continued to lash out at Bannon over an explosive new book that quoted his former aide as questioning Trumps competence and describing a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower among Donald Trump Jr., Trump campaign aides and a Russian lawyer as treasonous and unpatriotic. On Thursday, billionaire GOP donor Rebekah Mercer issued a statement distancing her family from Bannon. Mercer is a co-owner of Breitbart, the populist website Bannon helps run. I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected, Mercer said. My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements. The book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, quickly shot atop Amazons best-seller list, and the publisher moved up its release date by four days, to Friday. Trump took up the topic again on Twitter on Friday night, denouncing both Bannon and the books author, Michael Wolff, in starkly personal terms: Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad! https://t.co/mEeUhk5ZV9 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 Trumps message linked to a meme depicting a parody book cover titled, Liar and Phony, that featured a photo of Wolff and disparaging quotes about the author. In a tweet sent earlier Friday morning, Trump suggested the book was intended to serve as a distraction from the FBIs investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, which Trump wrote is proving to be a total hoax. Well, now that collusion with Russia is proving to be a total hoax and the only collusion is with Hillary Clinton and the FBI/Russia, the Fake News Media (Mainstream) and this phony new book are hitting out at every new front imaginable. They should try winning an election. Sad! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 That came amid reports that Trump directed his White House counsel to tell Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions to not recuse himself from the Justice Departments Russia investigation. Trumps effort to keep Sessions, a vocal and loyal supporter of his election bid, in charge of an investigation into his campaign offers special counsel Robert Mueller yet another avenue to explore as his prosecutors work to untangle potential evidence of obstruction. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump praises the economy ahead of meetings at Camp David By Associated Press President Trump is praising the strength of the U.S. economy ahead of meetings at Camp David with congressional Republicans. Trump tweeted early Friday: Dow goes from 18,589 on November 9, 2016, to 25,075 today, for a new all-time Record. Jumped 1000 points in last 5 weeks, Record fastest 1000 point move in history. This is all about the Make America Great Again agenda! Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Six trillion dollars in value created! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 The president also told reporters on the South Lawn that the tax cuts are really kicking in after Congress passed a package of tax cuts at the end of 2017. And the president praised the December jobs report, which found U.S. employers added 148,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate stayed at 4.1%, the lowest level since 2000. The modest but steady pace of hiring is a reassuring sign for investors who have been buoyed by the just-passed Republican tax plan and have been sending stock market indexes roaring to uncharted heights. The president is meeting with Republican congressional leaders and members of his Cabinet on Friday and Saturday to discuss the 2018 agenda. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump tweets as Dow crashes through 25,000 By Associated Press President Trump dispatched a congratulatory tweet as the Dow Jones industrial average rose above the 25,000-point mark Thursday, just five weeks after its first close above 24,000. Dow just crashes through 25,000. Congrats! Big cuts in unnecessary regulations continuing. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 After the Dow closed above 25,000, Trump shared a graphic depicting the stock indexs record-setting rise. MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/iONbr1DkVk Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Later in the day, the president was back on Twitter, complaining that news outlets had barely covered the stock market milestone. He suggested that the strength of the economy would be the biggest story on earth, had it unfolded during the presidency of his predecessor. The Fake News Media barely mentions the fact that the Stock Market just hit another New Record and that business in the U.S. is booming...but the people know! Can you imagine if O was president and had these numbers - would be biggest story on earth! Dow now over 25,000. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 The Dow broke past 1,000-point barriers in 2017 on its way to a 25% gain for the year, as an eight-year rally since the Great Recession continued to confound skeptics. Strong global economic growth and good prospects for higher company earnings have analysts predicting more gains, although the market may not stay as calm as it has been recently. The Dow has made a rapid trip since it reached 24,000 points Nov. 30, partly on enthusiasm over passage of the Republican-backed tax package, which could boost company profits this year with across-the-board cuts to corporate taxes. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump reacts to Fire and Fury book in tweet lashing out at author and Sloppy Steve President Trump lashed out at the author of a soon-to-be-released book about the chaotic first year of his presidency Thursday night. In a tweet, Trump called Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, a phony book and claimed that hed never spoken to its author, Michael Wolff. Look at this guys past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve! Trump wrote. He appeared to be referring to former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, whose stunning criticisms of Trump and his circle figure prominently in the title. I authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times) for author of phony book! I never spoke to him for book. Full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that dont exist. Look at this guys past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Trumps tweet came hours after he had his lawyer demand that Henry Holt & Co. and Wolff stop publication the book. Instead, the publisher expedited the books release to Friday, four days before it was slated to hit bookstore shelves, in response to unprecedented demand. Published excerpts on Wednesday and Thursday whetted that appetite and roiled Washington. Bannons comments, including that it was treasonous and unpatriotic for Trumps son Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and campaign manager Paul Manafort to have met in 2016 with Russians said to have dirt on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, prompted Trump on Wednesday to rebuke his former advisor, saying Bannon had lost his mind. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writers Brian Bennett and Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump thanks senators who attended meeting on immigration President Trump tweeted thanks to Republican senators who attended a meeting about possible immigration legislation on Thursday. In his message, Trump also listed his top priorities when it comes to any type of overhaul of the nations immigration system. Thank you to the great Republican Senators who showed up to our mtg on immigration reform. We must BUILD THE WALL, stop illegal immigration, end chain migration & cancel the visa lottery. The current system is unsafe & unfair to the great people of our country - time for change! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Trumps tweet echoed his remarks at the beginning of Thursdays meeting, when he insisted again that constructing a border wall and overhauling two legal immigration programs must be part of any deal with Democrats to protect the so-called Dreamers from deportation. Two-year deportation protections and work permits given under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program begin to expire March 6 under an executive order. Trump announced in September that he was ending the Obama-era program, but told Congress to draft a law to continue protections for people brought to the country illegally as children a group that has widespread public support. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Brian Bennett. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump resumes Twitter war against kneeling NFL players President Trump has resumed his Twitter war against NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest social injustice and racial inequality. In a tweet early Thursday, Trump replied to a supporter who shared a meme that appears to depict family members lying on the grave of a fallen soldier with the caption: This is why we stand. Show this picture to the NFL players who still kneel! Trump wrote. So beautiful....Show this picture to the NFL players who still kneel! https://t.co/tJLM1tvbvb Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 The president has denounced players who kneel during the anthem in previous tweets. Hes also called for the firing of players who do so. His latest message came amid news that the NFL finished the regular season with TV ratings that fell nearly 10% below the previous season. Analysts attribute the drop to controversies facing the league, as well as changing viewing habits and a possible saturation point in the number of games available. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writers Stephen Battaglio and Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump credits himself with facilitating talks between North and South Korea By Associated Press President Trump says his tough stance on nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula is helping push North Korea and South Korea to talk. Trump tweeted early Thursday: With all of the failed experts weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasnt firm, strong and willing to commit our total might against the North. Fools, but talks are a good thing! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 That assertion is in conflict with some of the presidents own statements. Last year, he ridiculed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for talking about negotiations with the North. This week, Trump seemed open to the possibility of an inter-Korean dialogue after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a rare overture toward South Korea in a New Years Day address. But Trumps ambassador to the United Nations insisted that talks wont be meaningful unless the North is getting rid of its nuclear weapons. The overture about talks came after Trump and Kim traded more bellicose claims about their nuclear weapons. In his New Years Day address, Kim repeated fiery nuclear threats against the United States. Kim said he has a nuclear button on his office desk and warned that the whole territory of the U.S. is within the range of our nuclear strike. Trump mocked that assertion Tuesday evening in a tweet. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print After disbanding his vote fraud panel, Trump still says voting system is rigged By Brian Bennett One day after disbanding his troubled voter fraud commission without any findings of fraud, President Trump continued to call the U.S. voting system rigged and said states should require that Americans have voter-identification cards. In two tweets on Thursday morning, Trump blamed the commissions failure on the lack of cooperation from mostly Democrat States that refused to hand over voter rolls because they know that many people are voting illegally. However, voting supervisors in Republican-led states refused as well, objecting on privacy and other grounds. Many mostly Democrat States refused to hand over data from the 2016 Election to the Commission On Voter Fraud. They fought hard that the Commission not see their records or methods because they know that many people are voting illegally. System is rigged, must go to Voter I.D. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 As Americans, you need identification, sometimes in a very strong and accurate form, for almost everything you do.....except when it comes to the most important thing, VOTING for the people that run your country. Push hard for Voter Identification! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Despite Trumps assertions, analysts have not found evidence of widespread voter fraud. Trump created the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity in May after alleging, without proof, that millions of illegal votes were cast for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Trump was elected after winning a majority in the electoral college, but the nationwide count showed Clinton received nearly 3 million more votes. The commission sought personal data on voters across the country and faced mounting lawsuits in recent months over privacy concerns. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump touts another good day for stocks, credits tax cut By Associated Press President Trump touted another good day for the stock market Wednesday in a tweet. Stock Market had another good day but, now that the Tax Cut Bill has passed, we have tremendous upward potential. Dow just short of 25,000, a number that few thought would be possible this soon into my administration. Also, unemployment went down to 4.1%. Only getting better! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Big gains for technology and healthcare stocks helped U.S. indexes set records again Wednesday. Some analysts attributed the surge to investor enthusiasm for Trumps $1.5-trillion tax cut. All told, Wall Street analysts estimate the tax package should boost earnings for companies in the Standard & Poors 500 index by roughly 8% this year. Thats much more generous than the average tax cut of 1.6% that middle-class families will receive, according to the Tax Policy Center. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 The public has been less enthusiastic about the tax law. A Monmouth University poll last month found that nearly half of Americans disapproved of it, with only 26% in support. Still, as Trump also noted on Twitter, some workers have seen a benefit: So far, dozens of companies have announced bonuses and higher minimum wages as a result of the tax cut. AT&T, Comcast, Bank of America, and American Airlines have all pledged to pay $1,000 bonuses to their employees. Some 40 U.S. companies have responded to President Trumps tax cut and reform victory in Congress last year by handing out bonuses up to $2,000, increases in 401k matches and spending on charity, a much higher number than previously known. https://t.co/bmWrwWzxMR Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Investors also appear less concerned than many politicians about how the additional profits will be used. The Trump administration says it expects companies will plow much of the extra profit back into their businesses, purchasing more software, machinery, and other equipment. Those investments will make workers more productive and provide a key boost to the economys long-run growth. They should also boost wages and salaries for employees. Opponents of the tax law respond that companies are more likely to pass the windfall on to shareholders in the form of higher dividend payments and share buybacks, which raise the price of those shares still in investors hands. Previous cuts in corporate tax rates, in the United States and overseas, havent always led to higher wages. For Wall Street, its all good, at least in the short run. Most analysts take the view that either way, companies and the economy will benefit. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump reacts to death of Mormon Church president By Associated Press President Trump mourned the death of Mormon Church leader Thomas S. Monson on Wednesday evening. Trump tweeted a link to a statement in which he said that Monson demonstrated wisdom, inspired leadership, and great compassion and delivered a message of optimism, forgiveness, and faith. Melania and I are deeply saddened by the death of Thomas S. Monson, a beloved President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...https://t.co/ETD3fWtfU3 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 A church bishop at the age of 22, Monson became the youngest church apostle ever in 1963 at the age of 36. He served as a counselor for three church presidents before assuming the role of the top leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 2008. After a life of church service, Monson died Tuesday at his home in Salt Lake City, according to church spokesman Eric Hawkins. He was 90. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump tweets that Iranian protesters will see great U.S. support at the appropriate time By Associated Press President Trump continued to express support for Irans anti-government protesters on Wednesday. In a tweet, Trump commended the protesters and pledged that the United States will support them at the appropriate time. Such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government. You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Trumps tweet Wednesday morning came as Iranian Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo sent a letter to United Nations officials complaining that Washington was intervening in a grotesque way in Irans internal affairs. The President and Vice-President of the United States, in their numerous absurd tweets, incited Iranians to engage in disruptive acts, the ambassador wrote to the U.N. Security Council president and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The U.S. didnt immediately respond to the letter, which maintains that Washington has crossed every limit in flouting rules and principles of international law governing the civilized conduct of international relations. At least 21 people have been killed and hundreds arrested in Iran during a week of anti-government protests and unrest over economic woes and official corruption. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people took part in counter-demonstrations Wednesday backing the clerically overseen government, which has said enemies of Iran are fomenting the protests. Trump has unleashed a series of tweets in recent days backing the protesters, saying Iran is failing at every level and declaring that it is time for change in the Islamic Republic. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump congratulates Sen. Orrin Hatch upon news of his retirement By Associated Press President Trump congratulated Sen. Orrin Hatch for an absolutely incredible career upon news of Hatchs impending retirement. In a tweet Tuesday afternoon, Trump called Hatch a tremendous supporter and wrote that he will be greatly missed in the Senate. Congratulations to Senator Orrin Hatch on an absolutely incredible career. He has been a tremendous supporter, and I will never forget the (beyond kind) statements he has made about me as President. He is my friend and he will be greatly missed in the U.S. Senate! pic.twitter.com/0VjzLEeHTl Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Hatchs decision to retire from the Senate after four decades lets the Utah Republican walk away at the height of his power after helping to push through an overhaul of the tax code and persuading Trump to downsize two national monuments. Retirement also preserves the 83-year-olds legacy by allowing him to avoid a bruising reelection battle that would have broken his promise not to seek an eighth term. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump tweet exaggerates progress in improving veterans care By Associated Press President Trump played up tremendous progress in improving care for veterans in his first year on Tuesday in a tweet. His message linked to an Instagram video describing eight accomplishments that show Trump is fighting for our veterans. But it overstates the impact of these steps. We will not rest until all of Americas GREAT VETERANS can receive the care they so richly deserve. Tremendous progress has been made in a short period of time. Keep up the great work @SecShulkin @DeptVetAffairs! https://t.co/ir25vW15hx pic.twitter.com/OtuzIgxMn6 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Of the eight achievements cited, two are ceremonial proclamations recognizing National Veterans and Military Families Month and National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Two are pieces of legislation that extended the troubled Veterans Choice program on a temporary basis. This became necessary because the Trump administration repeatedly miscalculated the amount of taxpayer dollars available to pay for care from private doctors outside the Veterans Affairs system when veterans had to endure long waits for treatment at VA medical centers. The departments poor budget planning caught lawmakers off guard. A fifth claim involves telehealth, a step letting doctors practice medicine across state lines using digital technology. Announced in August, it has yet to take full effect because a proposed VA regulation hasnt been completed. The VA wants authority to practice across state lines to come from legislation, not a regulation. On Wednesday, the Senate approved a telehealth measure that now goes to the House. A sixth claim refers to legislation that streamlines the appeals process for disability compensation claims within the VA. This step has had limited effect so far because it applies to new disability claims, not the 470,000 pending claims. The last two initiatives make it easier for the VA to discipline employees. The department has pointed to more than 1,300 employees who have been fired under Trumps watch. Because their infractions are not detailed in public documents, the effect on veterans care is not fully known. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump unleashes his first tweetstorm of 2018 By Noah Bierman President Trump clearly didnt resolve to change his Twitter habits this year. With nine disparate tweets over three hours on Tuesday morning, the first working day of 2018, Trump continued to exploit social media to be the most aggressive commentator in chief in American history. For any other president, his posts would have made for a monumental day of (mis-)statements. Yet for Trump, the series attacks on political foes and media, provocations of foreign leaders and self-praise for events he had nothing to do with was all but unremarkable. His Twitter barrage sent between 7:09 a.m. and 10:16 a.m. reflected a familiar gamut after nearly a year in office: Attacks on political foes: Nearly 14 months after his election, Trump called for the jailing of Huma Abedin, Crooked Hillary Clintons top aid (his misspelling, another occasional feature of Trump tweets). Crooked Hillary Clintons top aid, Huma Abedin, has been accused of disregarding basic security protocols. She put Classified Passwords into the hands of foreign agents. Remember sailors pictures on submarine? Jail! Deep State Justice Dept must finally act? Also on Comey & others Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 In the same tweet, he disparaged the Deep State Justice Dept, headed of course by his appointees, calling on it to act against James B. Comey, the FBI director he fired for investigating the Russia thing. Diplomatic provocations: Trump again called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Rocket man, ridiculed the volatile nuclear-armed foe for recent military defections and openly speculated about potential talks between North and South Korea. Sanctions and other pressures are beginning to have a big impact on North Korea. Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea. Rocket man now wants to talk to South Korea for first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not - we will see! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not we will see! Trump wrote. Later Tuesday, Trump tweeted: North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times. Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Also later Tuesday, Trump tweeted an attack on Pakistan, his second in as many days, and added a new one against Palestinians: It's not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They dont even want to negotiate a long overdue... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 ...peace treaty with Israel. We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more. But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Undermining media: Trump offered Congratulations! to A.G. Sulzberger, who took over as publisher of the New York Times this week. The Failing New York Times has a new publisher, A.G. Sulzberger. Congratulations! Here is a last chance for the Times to fulfill the vision of its Founder, Adolph Ochs, to give the news impartially, without fear or FAVOR, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved. Get... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 ....impartial journalists of a much higher standard, lose all of your phony and non-existent sources, and treat the President of the United States FAIRLY, so that the next time I (and the people) win, you wont have to write an apology to your readers for a job poorly done! GL Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 But the two-part post was really yet another slam against a perceived media foe: Trump said the paper had a last chance to fulfill its journalistic mission, and accused it of relying on phony sources and substandard reporters just days after he granted another exclusive interview to the paper. As a bonus, the tweet contained a recycled falsehood, that the paper apologized after the election for reporting on him unfairly. It didnt. Trump later said on Twitter that he would soon announce the most dishonest & corrupt media awards of the year. Stay tuned! I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 oclock. Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 The president also tweeted a quote from Fox Business Networks Lou Dobbs Tonight, which aired a segment praising Trumps first-year accomplishments. Dobbs reportedly joined Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday for a gala to celebrate New Years Eve. President Trump has something now he didnt have a year ago, that is a set of accomplishments that nobody can deny. The accomplishments are there, look at his record, he has had a very significant first year. @LouDobbs Show,David Asman & Ed Rollins Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Taking credit: Trump congratulated himself for policing the border with Mexico, an area where his policies and anti-immigration rhetoric are believed to have had some effect on reducing illegal crossings. Thank you to Brandon Judd of the National Border Patrol Council for your kind words on how well we are doing at the Border. We will be bringing in more & more of your great folks and will build the desperately needed WALL! @foxandfriends Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 He took credit for employee bonuses by companies after he signed Republican tax cuts into law last month. Companies are giving big bonuses to their workers because of the Tax Cut Bill. Really great! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 But the jaw-dropper was Trump congratulating himself for planes not crashing. Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation. Good news - it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 It was the safest year on record worldwide, but the American streak without commercial jet passenger deaths goes back to 2009. Trump, who has promoted deregulation as one of his top accomplishments, has not signed off on any new airline safety regulations. The White House pointed to new security screening of passengers, to electronic devices to prevent terrorist attacks and to Trumps support for privatizing air traffic control a proposal that has gotten nowhere in Congress. Falsehoods: Trump said President Obama, in brokering the 2015 nuclear arms limitation deal with Iran, foolishly gave money to the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. He didnt. The people of Iran are finally acting against the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. All of the money that President Obama so foolishly gave them went into terrorism and into their pockets. The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. The U.S. is watching! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 The nuclear deal, which included major U.S. allies as signators, released Irans own funds that had long been frozen. Trumps art of the deal: When Trump sees a big deal looming, he often blasts the other side to gain leverage, as hes written. This week he resumes a showdown with Democratic lawmakers over funding the government and immigration protections for so-called Dreamers, who were brought to the country illegally as children. Democrats are doing nothing for DACA - just interested in politics. DACA activists and Hispanics will go hard against Dems, will start falling in love with Republicans and their President! We are about RESULTS. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Trump, who in September ordered a gradual end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, sought to shift blame for the resulting controversy, saying Democrats are doing nothing for DACA and are just interested in politics. Trump has insisted that any help for Dreamers be paired with funding for a border wall and a crackdown on legal immigration. Democrats, and some Republicans, are opposed. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement In tweet, Trump suggests U.S. will withdraw financial assistance to Pakistan By Shashank Bengali Pakistan lashed out Monday after President Trump accused its leaders of lies & deceit and suggested the United States would withdraw financial assistance to the nuclear-armed nation it once saw as a key ally against terrorism. It was the presidents latest broadside against Pakistan after a speech in August in which he demanded its leaders crack down on the safe havens enjoyed by Taliban militants fighting U.S.-backed forces in neighboring Afghanistan. The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018 U.S. Ambassador David Hale was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to discuss the presidents statement, U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said. Pakistan lodged a strongly worded protest and asked for clarification about Trumps comments, according to two foreign office officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Pakistans prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, called a Cabinet meeting for Tuesday and a meeting of the National Security Committee on Wednesday to discuss Trumps New Years Day tweet. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump continues to tweet in support of Iranian protesters By Laura King President Trump expressed renewed support Sunday for protesters in Iran, declaring that people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. In a tweet from his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, the president said the nationwide economic protests that began on Thursday and have taken on wider political overtones as they have grown in size were a signal that Iranians will not take it any longer. Big protests in Iran. The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer. The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Trump has tweeted about the protests for three days straight as Iranians took to the streets despite a heavy police presence, tear gas and scores of arrests. The defiance gained urgency after two people were reported shot to death in the city of Dorud, about 200 miles southwest of Tehran. As the conflict escalated, Iranian authorities on Sunday slapped a temporary ban on Instagram and the messaging app Telegram, which were widely used to fan protest fervor. Iran, the Number One State of Sponsored Terror with numerous violations of Human Rights occurring on an hourly basis, has now closed down the Internet so that peaceful demonstrators cannot communicate. Not good! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Irans leaders already are casting Trumps increasingly effusive expressions of support for the demonstrators as opportunistic meddling and are painting the demonstrators as foreign pawns, adopting a strategy that some analysts say could jeopardize the legitimacy of the nascent antigovernment protests. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump tweets condolences after Colorado deputies are shot in ambush, one fatally By Associated Press A man fired more than 100 rounds at sheriffs deputies in Colorado early Sunday, killing one and injuring four others, before being fatally shot himself in what authorities called an ambush. Two civilians were also injured. President Trump expressed sorrow, writing on Twitter: My deepest condolences to the victims of the terrible shooting in Douglas County @DCSheriff, and their families. We love our police and law enforcement - God Bless them all! #LESM Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said deputies came under fire almost 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 Mike and Katrina Tschida love to travel, rambling across the globe to play polo in Buenos Aires, go on nature walks in the Galapagos Islands and ride the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul. Earlier this year, the Long Beach couple cruised to Antarctica, where they camped out and kayaked in the land of penguins and icebergs. Several cruise companies go there, but some dont even let their passengers go ashore, Mike Tschida said. We wanted something that offered adventure options. Advertisement The cruise company they chose was Poseidon Expeditions even though they had to wait more than a year for an open cabin. But it was worth it, they said. They got to spend a night on the ice and snow and paddle through the spectacular polar landscape. Many people wait until the last minute to book a cruise. But sometimes the only way to have the experience you want is by booking far in advance, as the Tschidas did. Here are some instances when its makes sense to do so. Holidays. In general, to get the best deals, you should either book early or book last minute, said Bob Levinstein, chief executive of CruiseCompete.com. Book early if its a busy time of year, such as Christmas or other holidays. Cabins may cost more at those desired times, and so will airfare. Youll want to buy both as early as possible to save money. School breaks. Be sure to buy a cruise early for those times when parents or grandparents will be traveling with kids, said Colleen McDaniel, senior executive editor of CruiseCritic.com. Spring break, summer vacation, winter holidays youll want to purchase your cruise as soon as youre able, she said. By booking early, youll have your top pick of things like sail dates and cabin types. Cruisers can also sometimes take advantage of beverage packages and on-board credit, perks that are offered to entice early booking. Group travel. If your family is planning a reunion cruise or your high school drama club is thinking about a European river trip, be sure to make arrangements early. You dont want the vessel to fill before everyone has had a chance to book and make airline reservations. Special rooms. Singles searching for those hard-to-find solo rooms or disabled passengers seeking a room that is wheelchair accessible should begin looking early. Cruise lines offer a limited number of accessible cabins, McDaniel said, so book as soon as you can to snag one. The same advice holds true for passengers looking for unique cabins, such as those with premium views or oversize balconies. If you have your heart set on one of these cabins, dont wait, McDaniel said. If you do, you could end up missing out. Exotic cruises or inaugural sailings. If you would like your next cruise to take you to an unusual destination, such as the Marquesas or Galapagos Islands, book well in advance. Ditto if youd like to try out a ship on its first cruise. Although things dont always go smoothly on a first sail, you do get an unblemished product and, of course, bragging rights. But sometimes it also makes sense to book late. Levinstein said you should do so if: You really want a bargain. Youre not very particular about where you sail or what ship you take. You dont care whether you can drive or take a short flight to the port. One more tip: Cruise prices often drop in the two weeks after final payments are due, Levinstein said. If youre interested in a specific cruise sailing, check to see when the cruise line requires final payment. Each cruise line has a final payment deadline thats based on the length of the cruise it can vary from 60 to 120 days. Once passengers who booked are locked in, prices are often lowered to fill remaining berths, and deals on specific cabin categories can come and go very quickly, so its smart to pay attention. travel@latimes.com travel@latimes.com @latimestravel His knees swaying and his smooth face shadowed by an oversized helmet, Amir Khan Mohammad Naim did not look like an elite law enforcement officer. But when a call went out in his rural hometown for recruits to join Afghanistans police commandos, the 21-year-old farmers son from the quiet province of Daykundi did not hesitate. My duty is to secure Afghanistan, meter by meter, Naim said recently between drills at a police training center north of Kabul, where NATO advisors are overseeing part of a major transformation in Afghan security forces. While conventional Afghan soldiers and police struggle to hold their ground against insurgents, the countrys special forces have been a rare success story, routinely responding first to attacks and leading the majority of offensive operations. Now the U.S.-led coalition is backing a plan to nearly double the size of the elite units in an effort to take back territory from the militants. The $200-million effort is part of a four-year plan to bolster security at a time when government forces have seen their grip on the country slip to its weakest since 2001. More than one-third of Afghanistans 33 million people live in areas either controlled or contested by the Taliban, Islamic State or other insurgent groups, according to the most recent U.S. military estimates. Left: Sgt. Matthew Hanlon, an American military advisor, debriefs with flight instructor Lt. Habibulah Noor, right, after their training mission in a Mi-17 helicopter. Right: New recruits for the 777 Special Mission Wing take a seat for pilot classes. (Photographs by Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) At the same time, Afghan forces are suffering heavy casualties, with nearly 800 soldiers and police killed in one recent month alone. The units targeted for growth including paramilitary police forces, army commandos and a burgeoning air wing are widely seen as the countrys most capable fighters. They now form less than 6% of Afghanistans 350,000-member security forces. The plan will raise the number of elite army, police and air forces from 19,000 to nearly 34,000, according to the U.S.-led military coalition training Afghan troops. That will require attracting new recruits, converting some conventional soldiers to commandos, furnishing them with better training and more logistical support, and ensuring they arent assigned to static duties like manning checkpoints, where they are vulnerable to ambushes. This approach focuses increased attention and resources on forces that have proven most effective on the battlefield, the Pentagon said in a June report to Congress. More than 16 years into the Afghan war, the U.S. has already spent nearly $70 billion to build, train and equip the Afghan army and police, which still routinely fail to secure territory, prevent major insurgent attacks and conduct coordinated operations without assistance from coalition advisors. Clockwise from top left: New recruits march in Camp Lion, Afghanistan. A training exercise is held outside an abandoned building at the Special Police Training Center. Members of the General Command Police Special Unit demonstrate fighting tactics. New recruits get a lesson in laws and regulations. (Photographs by Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Atiqullah Baryalai, a former Afghan deputy defense minister, said the plan could be effective if it allows government troops to conduct more aggressive operations. Most of the casualties in the security forces result from sitting on defense lines, he said. The reinforcement of special operations forces will help them to be in an offensive position which will consequently result in a reduction of casualties. But critics said the emphasis on special forces risks diluting the quality of the elite units. A recent commentary published by the Afghanistan Analysts Network, a Kabul-based research organization, said the strategy also could paper over the problem that the regular army and police are apparently not up to their main task, which would be bearing the brunt of the fight, in both offensive operations to wrestle territory back from the insurgency and defensive operations to hold captured areas. Coalition officials say an increase in the size of the NATO training mission including nearly 4,000 additional U.S. forces authorized by President Trump will bring the number of international troops in Afghanistan to 20,000 by next year and allow for closer advising of Afghan soldiers and police, including the elite units. The paramilitary police include a rapid-action force that has conducted more than 1,500 operations this year, the vast majority without NATO advisors, Afghan officials said. The Crisis Response Unit, also known as the 222, is often the first to arrive and neutralize high-profile attacks such as in March, when militants dressed in lab coats opened fire inside Kabuls main military hospital, killing 50 people. The interior ministry plans to add three new units totaling about 2,000 police to the existing force of 7,200. Many of the recruits undergoing the six-month training program are high school graduates who have never served in the security forces before, but simply answered ads in the media. Most are volunteers who want to serve their country, said Maj. Mohammad Asif Nawabi, commander of the Special Police Training Center in Kabul. They dont worry about being killed or injured. Once they finish our training, they are prepared to fight. Top: Mi-17 helicopters flown by members of the 777 Special Mission Wing on their training mission around Kabul. Bottom left: Crew members work on maintaining a Mi-17 helicopter. Bottom right: The unit is set to grow from 826 troops to nearly 1,300 and expand its fleet of American-made PC-12 surveillance aircraft. (Photographs by Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) U.S. officials said Afghans continue to struggle with providing logistical support to units in the field. Part of the expansion plan includes developing the capability of the Special Mission Wing, a small aerial unit that provides transport and limited artillery support to elite ground forces. The unit is set to grow from 826 troops to nearly 1,300 and beef up its fleet of American-made PC-12 surveillance aircraft and Russian Mi-17 helicopters, Afghan officials said. In the past it has had trouble finding enough qualified pilots and maintenance personnel, leaving many of its aircraft grounded with no one to fly them. It takes two to three years to train one pilot, and its very expensive, said Brig. Gen. Fahim Ramin, the units commander. So were going to grow slowly. We dont need quantity. We need quality. The units importance was clear during the hospital attack in March, when Ramin himself piloted a helicopter to the roof of the building twice, dropping off 40 paramilitaries who helped quell the firing inside. I wasnt sure if that roof could handle a 26,000-pound helicopter, but we did it, Ramin said. I think it was good for our morale our ground troops have to know that we can support them. The largest special operations unit, the Afghan army commandos, will see the greatest expansion, growing from 11,300 to 23,300. That will include the addition of two armored vehicle brigades, giving the commandos better ground assault capability, U.S. officials said. Afghan officials are racing to train men to fill those ranks. At a graduation ceremony in Kabul in October, 830 newly minted commandos donned the units maroon berets and showed off their M4 rifles. Within weeks, commanders said, the graduates, including many conventional soldiers who underwent additional training, would be deployed to outlying provinces. U.S.-led coalition is backing a plan to nearly double the size of the elite units in Afghanistan. A former army battalion commander, 45-year-old Abdul Wahid Jabali, said he was drawn to the commandos by seeing them on the battlefield, sometimes accompanied by U.S. special operations trainers, including Army Rangers. A strapping former boxer with thick gray sideburns, Jabali said the commandos seemed better equipped and organized than his forces. The father of seven said there were other perks: a salary of $270 a month, compared to $200 in the regular army, plus more frequent leave. My eldest son is 20 and I want him to be a commando as well, Jabali said. shashank.bengali@latimes.com Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia Easton Area School District administrators believe the disadvantaged children at Paxinosa Elementary School desperately need an afterschool program their parents can count on. The Life Church will pay for it so taxpayers don't have to. It's putting up the funds for an afterschool daycare in the Easton school, according to Easton Area School District Superintendent John Reinhart. The Allentown-based church has helped fund similar programs in the Allentown and Bethlehem Area school districts. "We hope that we can replicate that relationship here in Easton," Reinhart said. "They care about families and communities and I am thrilled to welcome them as one of our community school partners in Easton." The program for school children won't be religious, according to Frank Pintabone. He was instrumental in getting the Life Church's involvement approved by the school board before Pintabone resigned from the board Dec. 5. "At no time while they're working with our students or our parents is it Biblical based," Pintabone said. The church is based in Allentown but has services at Broughal Middle School in Bethlehem, a location in Pocono Pines, a warehouse in Lower Macungie Township and the Carpenter's Community Church building in Lower Nazareth Township. The church will have access to the school for rent-free Sunday services. The church will pay for security and for the janitors who clean up after its programs. "The district is gaining everything and not losing anything," Pintabone said. The church provided some outreach programs in the months leading up to its approval for Sunday services, according to church spokeswoman Tara Craig. The church arranged for free haircuts at the school, for instance. She said the church will offer evening community get-togethers before Sunday services arrive. Now that Life Church has agreed to fund the program, the district will put out a request for proposals, Reinhart said. Organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club of Easton, the Easton Area Community Center or the Easton Area Neighborhood Center can bid for the right to run the afterschool program, Reinhart said. Pintabone said he attended a Thanksgiving dinner run by Life Church at Donegan Elementary School in Bethlehem. He said he's heard stories about the church paying for car repairs desperately needed by parents. The school district wants to improve the climate for learning at Paxinosa Elementary. If a partnership with the church can help, it's worth a shot, he said. "We felt called there," Craig said. "We feel it's where we're supposed to be and are excited to see it happen." Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. The Lehigh County coroner has ruled out any foul play as a cause of death for an elderly woman who wandered away from an Alzheimer facility in Salisbury Township. But Audrey Penn's body was so decomposed when she was discovered that the coroner can't definitively determine her cause and manner of death. The 77-year-old woman's body was found Sept. 17 in a drainage swale at Hamilton Boulevard and Kressler Road in Lower Macungie Township. She was reported missing Aug. 23 from the Woodland Terrace at Oaks Senior Living Community, about two miles away from where she was found. She was identified through dental records on Sept. 18, according to Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim. An autopsy was performed Sept. 19, but it the coroner needed the results from forensic tests before announcing on Friday, Dec. 8, that the investigation was concluded. "There was no evidence of trauma or foul play," Grim said in a news release Friday. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services revoked Woodland Terrace's license after the incident based on its "failure to comply with the department's regulations and gross incompetence, negligence and misconduct." Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. The , a Lower Mount Bethel Township man shot and killed in a suicidal confrontation with Pennsylvania State Police last May, has drawn badly needed attention to a rift in Pennsylvania's law enforcement community. The issue is whether the state police Major Case team or district attorneys should have primary jurisdiction over the investigation of trooper-involved shootings. The Major Case team now has first crack at investigating these incidents, though final say resides with prosecutors. As pennlive.com reported last week, an increasing number of district attorneys are asserting their authority to take the lead in these sensitive cases. Last year the state District Attorneys Association issued guidelines advising just that in cases of officer-involved shootings. Ardo's death has sparked a turf battle between state police and Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli, who wanted his office to ride herd over the shooting. After initially saying they'd yield, the state police pivoted and refused to give ground. What had been a private tragedy for Ardo's family expanded into a very public court fight over a Northampton County grand jury's review of how officer-involved shootings are investigated -- and whether those findings should be made public. A bit of background: Between 2012 and 2016, state troopers were responsible for 23 shooting deaths; all were found to be justified, agency data indicated. During that same time period, eight troopers were disciplined for inappropriate use of force. There's no reason to believe those investigations were not handled appropriately. Last summer Morganelli announced he'd conduct a separate investigation, letting a grand jury decide whether the troopers were justified in using lethal force. After reviewing the evidence, the grand jury unanimously determined the troopers were justified. Nonetheless, the panel decided it wanted to weigh in on how the state police conducted the investigation and on its policies for responding to officer-involved shootings. The state police sought to block that, saying the grand jury doesn't have that authority. It said its policies for trooper-involved shootings "cannot be based merely on the existence of another organization's (i.e., the DA association's) policy preferences or upon an unfounded perceived bias." Still, at a time of heightened public awareness of officer-involved shootings and the admittedly strained relations between America's minority communities and law enforcement, police should be erring on the side of maximum transparency, not moving to block the public's view of such incidents. That sentiment was reflected by Northampton County President Judge Stephen Baratta, who rebuked the state police for trying to "silence the citizens who are on that grand jury." Craig Staudenmeier, an attorney representing media organizations, including PennLive, who joined with Morganelli to make the grand jury's proceedings public, said state police "should be as open and transparent as possible without undermining the investigative process." That is a balance, to be sure, but it is one that can be reached and maintained. Meanwhile, the contents of the second grand jury report, still unknown, could be released later this month or early next year. The only thing that should matter in cases of trooper-involved shootings is getting to the truth as quickly, efficiently, and fairly as possible. At a time of great trauma, the last thing that the state police and victims' families need is a protracted and nasty turf fight. We believe these investigations should be turned over to the Office of Attorney General for investigation. That's how New York state handles such cases. But law enforcement speaks with a strong voice in the state Capitol, and there's been little appetite for police reform. That needs to change. Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Gov. Tom Wolf should step up and support such a reform. The Legislature should move in good faith to approve a bill that would ensure independent, transparent investigations. -- pennlive.com. As part of the 2017 Creative Ireland Programme the Laois Arthouse Gallery, Stradbally will host an exhibition of photographs titled Heart. It comprises of a vibrant and unique collection of photographs created by dance artist Erica Pessanha Borges and photographer Terry Conroy. The beauty and richness of some of County Laois Heritage sites form the backdrop to the dance forms captured in this collection of photographs. The exhibition will be officially launched this Tuesday, December 12 at 7.30pm by Jazmin Chiodi of Iseli-Chiodi Dance Company. Jazmin is a co-founders and co-director of Iseli-Chiodi Dance Company, dedicated to contemporary dance creation and collaboration with other artists. The company is based in Ireland. Since 2008, questioning feelings on the history and building structures of some of Laois Heritage & tourist places, Heart is a choreographic investigation inspired by Trisha Browns (Post-Modern dance choreographer, dancer) idea of integrating performing and visual arts with the use of improvisation. Heart has also been inspired by one the first Jesuit priests to live in Emo Court, Father Francis Browne, a well-known photographer who captured life and decisive moments during the first half of the 20th century. Erica Pessanha Borges, Dance artist and artistic Director of Laois Youth Dance Ensemble and Laois Dance Platform. Brazilian born, Erica believes that dance encourages us to stay rooted in our bodies as we act, make decisions, and participate in the world; it all transpires from the personal. She is nurturing and enabling people to become involved in dance so they can better understand and appreciate it. Terry Conroy is an Irish Photographic Federation Licentiateship and Gold medallist of IPF Midlands, West regional. A Laois photographer, passionate about capturing images in the best possible way. Terry is delighted to collaborate on this project by capturing dance movement injecting life into Laois Heritage Sites. The exhibition runs until 26th January. Big night out for the staff of the Midlands Prison - pictures. Christmas is all wrapped up at the Dunamaise Arts Centre. 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 Laois project that has welcomed Syrian refugees to Ireland has won a national award. The Cluid Housing Association, Syrian Refugee Resettlement, Portlaoise has won the Community Integration in Housing award in the Community & Social Housing Awards 2017. In 2014, Ireland welcomed 90 Syrian refugees. Cluid Housing committed to providing homes to 13 families, a total of 54 people in Portlaoise. The community rallied around in support and now there is a three year integration plan. The Portlaoise Syrian project featured in an exhibition that showcase the diversity and innovative work of the housing associations, housing cooperatives and local authorities participating. Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) say the Portlaoise initiative and others submitted for the Awards are local responses to local housing need. The Irish Council for Social Housing celebrated the winners of the ICSH Community Housing Awards 2017 on Wednesday, November 15 at the Irish Architectural Archive in Dubln. Donal McManus, Chief Executive, ICSH, said that record entries for this years awards. Celebrating the winners of the Irish Council for Social Housing Community Housing Award were, from left: Radwan and his daughter Naya both Syrian Refugees with Catherine Oakley Dickson from Cluid Housing Association and Mahammad Omish. The cast of LARK's latest production 'Into the Woods' have been busy posing for promotional photographs. The piece was specially commissioned to announce the cast of the show and wet the appetites of their ever growing audience. According to PRO Kym Kelly the cast of their much anticipated 2018 Stephen Sondheim show were photographed by Les Kelly in the specially commissioned fairytail photo-shoot. The cast were so talented and professional from young to old, it was a pleasure to work with them and I delighted with the final product, said Les Kelly From the building of the set to working with the creative team, the process was flawless. Ticket announcements will be made in early January and with the hugely successful Oliver 2017 still in peoples minds, tickets are bound to sell out fast, she added. LARKs cast this year has been described as a "power force of talent",the best of the best will grace the stage for this production which opens on March 19 in the CMWS Hall, Kildare Town Ticket announcements will be made in early January and with the hugely successful Oliver 2017 still in peoples minds, tickets are bound to sell out fast, she added. Meanwhile a lot of work went on behind the scenes for the shoot. Make up was by Sharon Slevin; hair by Shauna OReilly; Props: Brid McCarthy and Helena Duggan; Direction by Padraig J. Dunne; Stage Manager byNoreen Quinlivan and the backdrop to the shoot was Lumville House. This year's musical director is Lisa Nagle and Choreographer is Deirdre Browne Cinematography was by Jon Jones. Theres a case to be made for restoring town councils or at least some of them. Thats the feeling of more than a few politicians. Naas Town Council (NTC) had a budget and it had powers, it collected rates from the business community and was answerable to the community. The abolition of the town councils took place in 2014 and local elections followed. There was no hue and cry when some 80 town councils were done away with under legislation brought in by then Fine Gael Minister Phil Hogan. Most of us think that getting rid of politicians is a good ideas. Because theyre worthless. And there are too many of them. Right ? Wrong. The more politicians there are, the more access you have. Sure they can be criticised and often times they dont have the powers to do all that they want. But there is a balance to be struck between running a town or a geographical area on policies agreed centrally one hand and on the wishes of the people who represent us locally , on the other. The effect of the abolition of the councils nationwide was to drastically reduce the number of councillors per capita. It would be wrong to infer that Naas went to pot when it lost its local authority after 600 years around mid-2014. But the assimilation of Naas into the Naas Municipal District (one of five municipal districts covering the entire county) has not obviously improved the town. That said, the NMD is very well run. The councillors by and large leave party politics out of meetings and, unlike many other local authorities, they can and do work together. Current Mayor Rob Power is striving to make the workings of the NMD as transparent as possible for the public and to engage us. The NMD embraces the areas of Kilcullen, Kill, Sallins, Johnstown, Kill and Sallins. Its given rise to the perception that the influence of Naas has been diluted. The other towns were always represented at Kildare County Council level anyway. At the time the town councils were gotten rid off, Hogan said that the it would save around 400m, but its hard to see that much of that was spent around Naas. Fianna Fail may be playing politics but it wants the town councils restored. Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin is on record as saying that the decision to abolish the council was the worst made in four years. According to local politician Seamie Moore the quality of services has fallen . He has also said that the population of the town is to increase to 50,000 in less than 20 years. Its hard to argue with him when he says that it would be very silly to have a town with that population but no town council. Cllr Darren Scully has also said that a full time council official is needed in Naas because it is major population centre. At a more recent NMD meeting Cllr Scully pointed to a lack of focus on Naas and agreement to provide facilities that havent arrived. A recent example of how the NTC or Naas Urban District Council as it was previously known is missed is the new parking rules. New wardens enforcing rules work for a private company, Apcoa. The idea is that new arrangements will bring improve the parking regime and bring in more money for Kildare County Council and, of course, Apcoa. However there is was little enough debate about this at NMD level and Naas residents are not fully aware of all the rules now operating since these were changed. Question, questions and more questions. It's all I get these days. Car journeys are lace with them. They come mostly from Aidan but Sarah has plenty of them too. I have to admit it's mostly cute and funny but they ask me the most random things. Sometimes I genuinely don't have the answers and that doesn't sit too well with them, particularly Aidan. They like to keep themselves occupied in the car so I reckon they just stare out the window, see things and then think of the most random question to ask me about said things. On Wednesday evening we were driving down to my mother's house for a visit and Aidan wanted to know what butterflies eat. Sure I don't have a notion what they eat. To keep him happy I told him that butterflies eat spiders. That seemed to keep him happy. For a few minutes at least! When I arrived at my mother's out of curiosity I asked Google what butterflies eat and it turns out that they eat flower nectar, sap from flowers, rotting fruits, bird droppings and animal dung. So, if your child ever asks you what they eat, you now have your answer. I actually think there should be a book with a huge list of questions that a four-year-old is likely to ask you. It would be fierce handy altogether! I would carry it around in my handbag all the time. On the same car journey last Wednesday evening, Aidan asked me who built St Conleth's Church. So as I always do, I told him Bob the Builder did. This is wearing thin now though because he wasn't accepting that as an answer. I was informed that there is no way that Bob the Builder built all the building in the world. Fair point I guess. Aidan is anything but stupid! So I then told him that just a builder built St Conleth's Church. But what was his name mammy? he asked. I told him I didn't know and he so wasn't impressed. I thought you knew everything, he said to me in such a disappointed voice. I felt like such a let down! I looked online for the answer and actually couldn't find out who built St Conleth's Church. If you happen to know will you get in touch so I can inform the small boy! Sarah, not yet three, asked me where babies came from the other day. Luckily I am able to fob her off much more easily. She was informed that a mammy eats a seed like the ones in the middle of an apple and the seed grows in to a baby and then the doctor cuts the baby out. She was delighted to know where she came from and was telling anyone that would listen for days after! I just love the innocence. She also asked me last week why bananas are foggy. This, I must admit stumped me. She said she had a foggy banana in granny's house and that it scared her! I figured out that the banana was, in fact, not foggy but soggy, or badly bruised to you and me! Aidan is definately out in front though when it comes to the random question. In the past he has asked me where he got his nose. I wasn't in the humour of going in to it too deeply so I just told him I bought it in Tesco. There's a lamp post opposite the entrance to Dunnes Stores in Newbridge that damaged and bent over. Every single time we pass it he asks me who broke it. Without fail. I tell him that I don't know but he likes to speculate. So far he reckons a 'baddy' done it. Another day he suggested a donkey was the offender. You never know, there could be a random donkey doing the rounds and vandalising things when we are all asleep in our beds! The latest theory on the bent lamp post is that the Incredible Hulk did it. In fairness, he is menacing and would have the strength to do it! The funniest question I got recently was, 'mammy, will you wipe my bum?' Pretty normal for a four year old except he was standing in the petrol station in Tougher's with his trousers and underwear down around his ankles! We went in for a coffee and were sitting down when he announced he needed the loo. He's very independent and insisted he was going on his own. I had no problem with that but I didn't expect him to come back out and ask me to wipe his bum with his pride and joy on show to all the people trying to relax and have a coffee and a scone! He's a gas wee man. You can contact me on ruth@itsjustaphase.ie; Twitter - @_itsjustaphase_; Instagram - @itsjustaphaseblog, or youll find more of my musings at www.itsjustaphase.ie. CLUB Limerick Dublin has helped to close a historical gap by honouring the role played and contribution made to the nation by many members of the Sheehy family from Broadford. Earlier this year, the Broadford Historical Society honoured two of the parishs noble sons, Fr Eugene Sheehy, the Land League priest, and his brother David, the Irish Parliamentary Party MP by unveiling a plaque and story board within sight of their home place. But on Saturday, members of the society travelled to Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin where for a century, the final resting place of the two men was inconspicuous. Now, thanks to the efforts of Club Limerick Dublin, and with the backing and support of the Broadford Historical Society, a memorial stands in their honour, which also honours other family members. Retired teacher, historian and Broadford native, John OSullivan first brought the story of the Sheehy brothers to the attention of Club Limerick Dublin last year. The genesis of the idea took place last October, John explained after Saturdays unveiling. Having laid a wreath on the grave, we said well do something about this if its possible at all. An approach was made to the family and the project took off from there. It was important that the project take place in 2017, the centenary of Fr Eugenes death, John continued. A former curate in Kilmallock and Parish Priest of Bruree, Eugene was radicalised by the local political fervour in that area and he became a key activist within the National Land League serving time in jail with Charles Stewart Parnell on one occasion. On their release they went together on a lecture tour of the USA. He was a confidante of Tom Clarke, John Devoy and others in the IRB and when the Rising broke in 1916, he headed for the GPO where he offered spiritual assistance to the rebels, he explained. David Sheehy, who died on 20 December 1932, was a very influential figure in the Irish National League and played a key role in the land war in the late 19th century. He was an MP from 1885 for over 30 years and served as party secretary to the Irish Parliamentary Party for whom he was also its director of elections,Mr OSullivan added. He would have been expected to be a senior minister in a Home Rule parliament and his elegant home at No 2 Belvedere Place was a meeting place for the young generation of nationalists and literati. David was father of Hannah Sheehy Skeffington the trade unionist and suffragist and grandfather to Conor Cruise OBrien, author, diplomat and one-time Labour Party minister. Speaking at Glasnevin, descendant Fr Richard Sheehy said: If there is one thing we can say about Eugene and David, and I think it has been true of the succeeding generations, its that they were people of conviction who were not content to sit back on their laurels while other people especially the poor were suffering. They were not ready to tolerate injustice. They had a highly developed social conscience and allowed that conscience to direct how they would live and act. Acting in this way they were not concerned how others might think or how it would look. Also remembered in the memorial is Land League supporter Richard Sheehy of Broadford, father of the Sheehy brothers, who moved to Dublin following the death of his wife, Johanna Shea and who is buried there along with their daughter Mary who died in 1908. Davids wife Elizabeth Bessie McCoy from Loughill, who was described as a woman of strong qualities and strong independence of mind is also there in the grave alongside the remains of another Sheehy brother, Richard Dick Sheehy a barrister and a Professor of Law at UCC who died in 1923. The grave also contains the remains of an unrelated child, Jane Farren, who died in 1870. Club Limerick Dublin chairman Paul Stapleton summed it up well. We are not here today just to honour two brothers but the whole Sheehy family who made a huge contribution to public life in Ireland. We hope that in commemorating the family in this the centenary of the death of Fr. Eugene that it will inspire other Limerick people of today to give their all and be an inspiration to us whether its in public life or on the field of play. Among those attending Saturdays ceremony was Matthew OCasey, the grandson of Margaret Sheehy, a daughter of David and Bessie who is buried in Glasnevin. Margaret wasnt as politically motivated as her family. Her passion was the dramatic arts, he explained. She was a playwright and actor. A LIMERICK man has been ordered to stay away from a fast food restaurant in the city centre after he was charged in relation to a fight which erupted inside the premises. Bobby Moran, aged 37, of Johnsgate village was brought before Limerick District Court Court after he was charged with affray under the provisions of section 16 of the Public Order Act. It is alleged that having entered the Supermacs premises at OConnell Street shortly after 11pm on November 29 last, he became involved in a physical altercation with another man. It is the State case that at one point the fight moved behind the main counter at the restaurant an area which is not open to the public. Judge Marian OLeary was told there was no garda objection to bail subject to the defendant complying with a number of conditions. Mr Moran, who was represented by solicitor Ted McCarthy, was ordered to live at his home address and he must obey a nightly curfew. He must also sign on at Henry Street garda station three times a week as a condition of his bail. The defendant has supplied gardai with details of his mobile phone number and he must keep the phone charged and in credit at all times. Sergeant Donal Cronin, prosecuting, sought an additional condition that Mr Moran not have any contact with a named individual who gardai believe was also involved in the altercation. It is understood that man was hospitalised following the incident. A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions and the case was adjourned to later this month for directions. A PLANNING application for flood defences across Limerick city is to be made early in 2018, it has been confirmed. The long-awaited move comes after the Minister with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW) Kevin Boxer' Moran visited flood-hit communities across Limerick. The Independent Alliance TD Kevin Boxer Moran was in the city on Friday at the invite of Senator Kieran ODonnell, where he met people in Annacotty, Castleconnell, Corbally and the docklands area. He also took a tour of the St Marys Park area, which was hit with devastating flooding in early 2014. And he reaffirmed the governments commitment to delivering 55m for flood defences, adding a Cfram report outlining what needs doing will be made available by the end of the month. We have identified a number of schemes in and around the Limerick area, and particularly where we are in the Kings Island. Government is fully committed to delivering this for the people of Limerick. They have listened to a great amount of talk for the last number of years. But we have 440m for five major schemes around the country, and Limerick is one of them, Mr Moran said. The minister said as a way of getting the flood defence projects through planning quickly, some could be designated as strategic infrastructural development, which would mean they bypass local planning offices. And he pledged that even if the government were to fall, the funding is safe. Seanie Quinlivan, who lives in St Marys Park, welcomed the fact a wall has been erected in Verdant Place. But he said it is high time the sandbags on the rest of the island bank are replaced with a more permanent structure. Were delighted with the wall at Verdant Place. But we want to see work on the bank. It is one of the most beautiful walks in Limerick. There are lots of senior citizens who like to walk the bank. Im getting a commitment from Boxer Moran it is in the plan, he said. What we witnessed in 2014 was really frightening, and we hope this never happens again. The fact of the matter is the threat of it is there, with global warming. This is why we need to fast-track the bank, he added. Sinn Fein TD Maurice Quinlivan gave a cautious welcome to the news of funding. He said: This is what we were told in 2014 when the then Minister [Brian Hayes] came down and promised whatever we needed would be delivered. But three years on, some of the work has been done, but it should have happened before. Mr ODonnell who will run in the general election for Fine Gael- described the minister as being a breath of fresh air. We need to get all these projects in Limerick in for planning and design and have them built as quickly as possible. This was my objective in bringing Boxer Moran down here, he told the Limerick Leader. Residents in St Marys Park will be able to attend an information session relating to flood defences on the week commencing Monday, December 18. Former Education Minister Jan OSullivan said: I am particularly pleased that the Minister took the time to meet residents in St Marys Park and Corbally and that he was happy and willing to engage with them. A PENSIONER who died earlier this year developed lung cancer as a direct result of his exposure to asbestos while working 50 years ago, his inquest in Limerick was told. Limerick Coroners Court was told Daniel McCarthy (71) from Charleville died at Milford Hospice on the afternoon of April 3, last. Garda Ger Summerly said a garda investigation into his sudden death was launched at the request of Coroner John McNamara given his exposure to asbestos while working in the UK in the 1960s. Mr McCarthy, the inquest heard, was admitted to Milford Hospice a fortnight before he died. Consultant Pathologist, Dr Terezia Laszlo, told the inquest that a post mortem examination which was conducted at University Hospital Limerick showed Mr McCarthy was suffering from a number of conditions including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and bronchopneumonia. She confirmed that mass legions and fibrosis were also found during the examination and that there were tumours of both of his lungs. Dr Laszlo said Mr McCarthy had also developed mesothelioma in Leoma which, she said, was directly related to his exposure to asbestos. She said the cause of death was due to acute respiratory failure secondary to a malignant tumour. When informed the pensioner had been exposed to asbestos while working in the construction industry over a five-year period, she said the intensity and level of exposure is a more relevant factor that the length of exposure. Having considered the medical evidence, Mr McNamara said he was of the view that a verdict of Occupation Related Disease was appropriate in the circumstances. Without the asbestos, it would be regarded as natural causes. That changes because of his exposure to asbestos, he said. Returning a verdict, the jury of four men and two women agreed with the corners recommendation. Condolences were expressed to members of Mr McCarthys family who were present. A LIMERICK pensioner has described how he no longer feels safe in his own home following a burglary during which a rifle and cash were taken. The 76-year-old made his comments in a victim impact statement which was read at Limerick Circuit Court during the sentencing hearing of one of the intruders. Tyrone OConnor, aged 28, who has an address at St Brendans Drive, Charleville, has pleaded guilty to burglary relating to an incident at a house at Lackelly, Knocklong, on March 31, last. Garda Cathal Ryan said the house was broken into by a number of men late at night while the occupant was not at home. However, on his return to the house, he could see lights on and figures inside so he rang his son who lives nearby. Garda Ryan told Lily Buckley BL, prosecuting, the house had been ransacked and the gun safe forced open by the culprits. In addition to a legally-held rifle, several thousand euro in cash was taken along with the CCTV recording system. Two men, including the accused, were arrested a short time later by gardai having been observed hiding in a nearby field. Judge Tom ODonnell was told the rifle was found outside the house along with a mobile phone which did not belong to the pensioner. A sledgehammer and a crowbar were found inside the house and there was evidence the kitchen window had been forced open. OConnor, who has more than 30 previous convictions, was interviewed on three separate occasions following his arrest. He made admissions in relation to his role in the incident telling gardai it was he who had taken the CCTV recorder. In a brief victim impact statement, the pensioner said he has had many sleepless nights since the incident and that he no longer feels safe in his own home as a result of what happened. Brian McInerney BL sais his client, who has three young children has a difficulty with tablets. He said the break-in was not pre-planned and that the house was targeted because it was unoccupied on the night. He said OConnor had made full and detailed admissions in relation to his involvement and that he wishes to apologise to the homeowner. Having heard the evidence, Judge ODonnell indicated he will finalise the matter next week. 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. Cohoes Domestic abuse allegations involving Cohoes Mayor Shawn Morse stretch back more than two decades, including an incident in the mid-1990s when a woman he dated for several years called police and said Morse had grabbed her neck and lifted her off the ground during an argument at her downtown apartment, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. The woman, now 46, dated Morse for several years in the 1990s. She confirmed the police call when contacted recently by the Times Union, but declined additional comment for this story. The Times Union is not identifying the woman because she is an alleged victim of domestic violence. Two people close to the woman, including a local businesswoman, and a third person with knowledge of the incident, said the woman called Cohoes police multiple times in the mid-1990s to report abusive behavior by Morse, including allegations that he grabbed her, spit on her and destroyed property inside the Grant Street apartment where she lived at the time. "The police did nothing. It was a helpless and hopeless situation," said the businesswoman, who spoke to the Times Union on the condition she not be identified. Details about the alleged history of abusive behavior are surfacing as State Police investigate a domestic violence incident on the morning of Nov. 10 when Morse's wife, Brenda, called 911 and told a dispatcher that her husband "grabbed her by the throat and threw her to the ground," according to a police record. Morse and his wife have declined to authorize the release of her 911 call. Several women who know Morse and the woman he dated in the mid-1990s said the recent domestic violence report was not the first time that Cohoes police have responded to allegations of physical abuse by Morse. A person with knowledge of multiple police responses to the Grant Street apartment where Morse's former girlfriend lived in the mid-1990s said then-Cohoes police Officer Gary Ethier responded to several of the calls for help. The incidents never resulted in an arrest, the person said. Ethier resigned from the Cohoes police department in 2003. "I do remember responding to a call, yes," Ethier said, adding that he could not recall the details of the woman's allegations. Ethier also acknowledged he was dispatched to the residence for domestic problems involving Morse and the ex-girlfriend. There were also other instances of alleged physical abuse involving Morse. The local businesswoman, who attended Cohoes High School with a woman who dated Morse in the 1980s, said that woman, now a Waterford resident, had been roughed up by Morse multiple times. The Waterford woman, 48, did not respond to a request to be interviewed by the Times Union. Another person familiar with that earlier relationship said Morse once grabbed the woman by her hair and dragged her out of a city pharmacy where she worked at the time. Assemblyman John McDonald, a former city mayor whose family has operated Marra's Pharmacy in Cohoes for decades, confirmed Friday that the Waterford woman worked at his family's pharmacy, and that he recalled the incident. He said it took place after Morse entered the pharmacy and began arguing with the woman. McDonald declined additional comment, citing concern for the woman's privacy. On Friday, Morse's attorney, Joseph Ahearn, issued a statement in response to written questions about the 911 call, the pharmacy incident and the police calls to Morse's ex-girlfriend's residence in the mid-1990s. "As the attorney for Mayor Morse, I have reviewed the proposed questions regarding the mayor's personal life," Ahearn wrote. "Due to the involvement of the State Police in this matter, I have advised the mayor to refrain from discussing any aspects of his personal life out of an abundance of caution. The mayor is confident that after a thorough investigation by the State Police, it will be evident that the mayor did not engage in any wrongdoing or criminal conduct." The 911 call placed by Morse's wife last month was not the first time she has accused Morse of physical abuse. Information obtained by the Times Union shows Brenda Morse told Cohoes police officers who came to the couple's Grandview Avenue residence that morning that there had been prior incidents of physical abuse involving her husband, including about a week earlier, but that she did not involve police. She also told officers that her husband grabbed her cellphone and threw it against a wall as she tried to film the alleged assault on Nov. 10. Morse has acknowledged that he and his wife had a heated argument that day, but he disputed grabbing his wife by the neck or physically harming her. He also has claimed that some details in the police report cited by the Times Union were inaccurate, including that their older daughter was home at the time. Morse has stated publicly that their argument stemmed from a disciplinary problem with their younger 15-year-old daughter, who was also not at the residence. But several people briefed on the investigation said Morse and his wife both told police that their fight that day stemmed from a separate marital issue. Morse has said that he left his residence after the fight and before his wife called 911. He said he visited City Hall, drove by a local park where a dedication ceremony was planned for the following day, and also stopped to pick up coffee on his way back home. He denied that a scratch that was visible under his left eye the following day was related to the couple's fight. But Brenda Morse told police that she scratched at her husband's face when he was holding her down and had begun to choke her, according to information about the investigation obtained by the Times Union. Morse and his wife both were interviewed by State Police last month. That agency is leading the investigation after Cohoes police turned the case over to them due to the potential conflict of interest. As mayor, Morse also serves as public safety commissioner and has oversight of the police force. State Police used a search warrant to seize Morse's mobile phone last month while he was interviewed by investigators at Troop G headquarters in Latham. Morse told investigators that when he left his residence on the morning of the fight, he also visited a local landfill as well as City Hall and the coffee shop. State Police have not recovered the mobile phone that Brenda Morse told police officers her husband threw against a wall during the incident. The three people familiar with the incidents involving Morse in the mid-1990s said his ex-girlfriend's parents, longtime Cohoes residents who are now deceased, had kept copies of police reports documenting the abuse allegations, and also took photographs of bruises they said she suffered during some of the alleged incidents. They said that the woman said Morse never hit her, and that she only reported physical abuse to police for the incident in which he allegedly grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off her feet. Stacey Bonnar, who has been friends with Morse's ex-girlfriend for about two decades, said the woman later told her about the alleged mental and physical abuse. She said the ex-girlfriend also showed her copies of police reports, photographs and orders of protection that the woman's parents had kept in a file. "I can recall seeing the stack of (police reports and court papers) I can see her name, his name," said Bonnar, who now lives in another state. Bonnar said in the mid-1990s Morse's ex-girlfriend "got to talking to me about it and she's like, 'I went to the cops so many times I finally gave up.' ... She said, 'We can't do anything he's a firefighter, he's got juice.'" Bonnar said she read news reports last month about the 911 call placed by Morse's wife. "I was not surprised when I read about Brenda's call because ... it's expected," she said. "I wasn't shocked at all. I'm just surprised that it took so long for something else to leak out." Morse, 50, was elected Cohoes mayor in 2015. Before becoming mayor in the city where he grew up, he was chairman of the Albany County Legislature, a powerful figure in the county's Democratic machine, and was employed as a Cohoes firefighter from 1989 to 2015. The Times Union filed a Freedom of Information Law request with the city of Cohoes on Nov. 27 seeking copies of any records of police calls to the ex-girlfriend's Grant Street apartment during that time period. Acting police Chief Tom Ross said the department is conducting a search for the records but that, if they exist, they may be buried in thousands of pages of police files that are stored in City Hall. Some of those records, he said, were damaged during a flood several years ago. "We lost a lot," Ross said. "The other problem is we never get rid of a lot of stuff. There's hundreds of thousands of papers and boxes in these rooms. ... They're going to be very difficult to find." The office of Albany County District Attorney David Soares is monitoring the ongoing State Police investigation of the Nov. 10 incident. The statement issued by Cohoes police last month said the decision to turn the case over to State Police was not related to the work of the three officers who initially responded to the call. "In the interest of maintaining the integrity of the mayor's office of Cohoes and the Cohoes Police Department, and in the spirit of full transparency, the investigation will be turned over to the New York State Police for investigation," the statement read. "The transfer of the case was encouraged and embraced by the mayor." blyons@timesunion.com 518-454-5547 @brendan_lyonstu It was swift and the judgement final. The second suspect arrested in Liberty County for indecent exposure has pleaded guilty and is now behind bars. Randy Earl Jones, Jr., 25, who was taken into custody by the Cleveland Police Department and placed in Liberty County jail facing Class B misdemeanor charges for indecent exposure accepted a plea offer and is now behind bars in Liberty County Jail. "I put in a plea offer and I wasn't in court, but [Assistant County Attorney] Gary Dennison took the plea deal to the in-custody hearing and he took it," said County Attorney Matt Poston. Dennison, senior counsel for Liberty County Attorney's Office, was surprised Jones took the deal, but Jones seemed ready to get on with it. Poston explained that each Monday and Thursday afternoon, every person that is still in jail on a misdemeanor comes to an in-custody court. They are asked if they have counsel or need counsel appointed for them, or they may want to talk to the county attorney or his representatives and work out a plea deal. With the deals, Poston can accept or reject a deal or even the defendant can accept or reject the deal. "Typically it's an opportunity to get appointed, review our files, and then negotiate with us. If we're able to negotiate something out, we'll go ahead with the plea then," he said. Jones waived his right to an attorney and accepted the plea deal. Jones received the maximum penalty of 180 days with credit for six days served and must pay for court costs. Jones is already on the Texas State Sexual Offenders List for a charge in April of 2016 for an indecent exposure charge with a 48-year-old female victim. He received two years of probation and community supervision. Since he is already on probation with San Jacinto County for a similar charge, it is likely that it will be revoked and he may go to jail on that charge after the Liberty County conviction, Poston said. Earlier, a second Liberty County man, Gilbert Charles Trahan III, of Liberty, appeared before Judge Tommy Chambers in the Liberty County Court at Law. "The judge set the bond for both of his indecent exposure cases at $250,000 and added a number of conditions to the bond," Poston said. Some of the conditions for Trahan were not to set foot on the premises of the Liberty Walmart or Stripes in Dayton, or go near any of the victims of his crimes and the judge took a tough stance ordering him not to drive a motor vehicle and a few other items. "The judge had some concerns about community safety following the reports of his reoffending," the county attorney said. There was also some testimony about his mental state. He will remain in the Liberty County jail until his trial. "This is still a very young case, but we would want to try this case as soon as possible," Poston added. He does not expect the trial to begin until late December at the earliest, but because of potential motions that might be coming from the defense, the trial could be delayed for a couple of months, leaving Trahan behind bars the entire time. Trahan was rearrested just before the Thanksgiving holidays after an Attorney General's warrant apprehension unit found Trahan hiding in a neighborhood near Reliant Center in Houston. Since he missed the only day for bond hearings during the holiday week, he sat in jail until Monday after Thanksgiving when he went before Chambers. He was rearrested after it was discovered Trahan had been out on bond with three trials pending when he was arrested again for the second time in just a week for allegedly exposing himself, the last time at a Stripes gas station in Dayton. Police officers found him sitting in his car and detained him while they heard the victim's story. After reviewing the surveillance tape at the gas station which showed him exposing his private parts and pleasing himself in front of the clerk, Trahan was arrested and transported to the Liberty County Jail. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A few dozen local children received an early Christmas surprise on Dec. 8 at the Shop with a Cop event. Shop with a Cop is an annual event held at the Walmart store in Cleveland. The event is hosted by the store and Resurrection Ministries, a local organization consisting of various congregations working to pay it forward for those in need. "This year we were able to help out 33 kids," said Debra Terry of Walmart. According to Walmart Asset Protection Manager Tim Hughes, five more children were helped at his year's event compare to last year's Shop with a Cop. "It's all about giving more than you get," he said. "It's about paying it forward." Children who participate in Shop with a Cop typically come from underprivileged families who might not be able to give Christmas to them. These children are given gift cards to shop around the store either for themselves or for others. "We put them together with a cop and they shop," said Terry. Law enforcement officers from Liberty County's constable offices, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the Texas Highway Patrol, Cleveland ISD's Police Department and others participated in the event. According to Terry, Shop with a Cop pairs children with law enforcement officers in order to teach them not to be afraid of the police when they encounter them in public. "Not all officers are bad," she said. Juanita Lewis of Resurrection Ministries says the organization could not pull off the event without help from others. "We're just thankful for all the donations that came in to meet the kids' needs," she said. CARACAS, Venezuela - 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 Venezuela's 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 "Ramirez's 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. 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. "I've been removed because of my opinions, I will continue to be, no matter what, loyal to Commander Chavez," he tweeted. 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 Chavez's daughter, Maria Gabriela Chavez, who has worked with him at Venezuela's mission at the United Nations since 2015. In mid-November, Ramirez published an article on a leftist website in which he criticized the Maduro administration's handling of the economy. Ramirez's 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 Pino's detention as an attempt to purge government officials who aren't completely loyal to Maduro. "I think there's a growing desperation within Maduro's 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 Maduro's cleanup operation is Venezuela's 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. Venezuela's 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 he's leading to "clean PDVSA" doesn't have political undertones. "That wretched argument is absolutely false," he said. Last Sunday, in Maduro's weekly show on state TV, Venezuela's leader said the jailed oil officials had "stabbed me in the back. I still feel the wound, but we'll fix it with work and unity to save PDVSA." But observers say the objective is not to improve the company's precarious situation but rather ensure that the officials running the most important economic sector in Venezuela are loyal. If government authorities were serious, "they would've 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. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Fallbrook, Calif. A week of destructive fires in Southern California is ending but danger still looms. Well into what's considered the wet season, there's been nary a drop of rain. That's good for sun-seeking tourists, but could spell more disaster for a region that emerged this spring from a yearslong drought and now has firefighters on edge because of parched conditions and no end in sight to the typical fire season. "This is the new normal," Gov. Jerry Brown warned Saturday after surveying damage from the deadly Ventura County fire that has caused the most destruction and continued burning out of control. "We're about ready to have firefighting at Christmas. This is very odd and unusual." Even as firefighters made progress containing six major wildfires from Santa Barbara to San Diego County and most evacuees were allowed to return home, predicted gusts of up to 50 mph through Sunday posed a threat of flaring up existing blazes or spreading new ones. High fire risk is expected to last into January and the governor and experts said climate change is making it a year-round threat. Overall, the fires have destroyed nearly 800 homes and other buildings, killed dozens of horses and forced more than 200,000 people to flee flames that have burned over 270 square miles since Monday. One death, so far, a 70-year-old woman who crashed her car on an evacuation route, is attributed to the fire in Santa Paula, a small city next to Ventura where the fire began. The Ventura blaze continued to burn into rugged mountains in the Los Padres National Forest near the little town of Ojai and toward a preserve established for endangered California condors. While many evacuation orders were lifted, new ones were established as the fire grew. Brown said he had witnessed the "vagaries of the wind" that had destroyed some houses and left others standing and expressed concern for those who lost everything. "What can you say?" he asked. "When you lose your house and your belongings and people lose their animals, it is a horror and it's a horror we want to minimize." Firefighters were on high alert for dangerous fire potential even before the first blazes broke out. On Dec. 1, they began planning for extreme winds forecast in the week ahead. Ken Pimlott, chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said authorities were prepared for destruction on the level of 2003 and 2007 firestorms in Southern California and possibly those in Northern California that killed 44 people and destroyed nearly 9,000 homes and other buildings in October. By Monday, officials had brought in fire crews from the northern part of the state as reinforcements and marshaled engines, bulldozers and aircraft. On Tuesday they brought in more helicopters from the National Guard and "every last plane we could find in the nation," said Thom Porter, southern chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The military provided C-130 planes for firefighting, said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Office of Emergency Services. More than 290 fire engines came from Montana, Utah, New Mexico, Idaho, Arizona, Oregon and Nevada. But when flames met ferocious winds, crews were largely powerless to stop them. Even fire-attacking aircraft were helpless while being grounded at times because of night, high winds or smoke. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Baghdad After more than three years of combat operations, Iraq announced Saturday that the fight against the Islamic State group is over after the country's security forces drove the extremists from all of the territory they once held. Iraqi and American officials warned, however, that key challenges remain despite the military victory. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi formally announced the victory in an address to the nation aired on Iraqi state television Saturday evening. "Honorable Iraqis, your land has been completely liberated," he said. "The liberation dream has become a reality. We achieved victory in difficult circumstances and with God's help, the steadfastness of our people and the bravery of our heroic forces we prevailed." "The flag of Iraq is flying high today over all Iraqi territory and at the farthest point on the border," he added, standing before the most senior members of Iraq's security forces. Following al-Abadi's remarks, his office declared a public holiday Sunday in celebration of the victory, according to an official statement from the prime minister's office. Iraqi forces mopped up the last pockets of IS fighters from Iraq's western deserts Saturday, securing the country's border with Syria, a step that marked the end of combat operations against the extremists. "All Iraqi lands are liberated from terrorist Daesh gangs and our forces completely control the international Iraqi-Syrian border," said Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah, a senior Iraqi military commander, in a statement Saturday afternoon. The U.S. applauded the prime minister's announcement. 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," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a written statement, using an alternative acronym for IS. "Our coalition will continue to stand with Iraq to support its security forces, economy and stabilization to help ensure that ISIS can never again threaten Iraq's people or use its territory as a haven," said Brett McGurk, U.S. special presidential envoy to the anti-IS coalition, in a statement posted to his official Twitter account. "We mark today's historic victory mindful of the work that remains," he added. Iraq's government remains faced with significant security threats, an economic crisis and the enormous task of rebuilding swaths of territory decimated by the IS fight. BEIRUT - Lebanese security forces clashed Sunday with demonstrators near the U.S. Embassy in Beirut as hundreds protested President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. The Lebanese army fired water cannons and tear gas as youths hurled stones and burned effigies of Trump. Hundreds attended the Sunday morning protest on the edge of Beirut, many wrapped in Palestinian scarves and flags. Injured demonstrators were carried away from the front line of the clashes, which took place less than a mile from the highly secured embassy compound. The Health Ministry later said eight people had been hospitalized and 43 people treated at the scene. Lebanon is home to more than 500,000 Palestinian refugees, many of whom fled modern-day Israel and the West Bank during the wars of 1948 and 1967. The Lebanese government has never formally recognized their status as refugees, and Palestinians are barred from dozens of professions. The White House's Jerusalem announcement on Wednesday triggered widespread protests, with tens of thousands across the region venting their anger. In Jerusalem itself, violence has been limited to small confrontations between protesters and Israeli security forces. The larger demonstrations and clashes in the occupied West Bank and Gaza had largely died out by Sunday, although skirmishes between protesters and security forces were reported in Ramallah and near Hebron in the West Bank. But predictions of explosive violence across the region have not come true, and traditional allies of the Palestinians have offered little concrete support. Hezbollah - the Lebanese militia movement founded in response to the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon - has condemned Trump's decision, although its first mass rally will not take place until Tuesday. Arab foreign ministers on Sunday demanded that the United States rescind Trump's decision, calling it a violation of international law and a "grave" development that puts Washington on the same side as the "occupation." But a resolution they put forward was short on concrete actions while condemning Trump's decision. The group also called on the U.N. Security Council to adopt the resolution. However, Washington is expected to veto any such measure. "We have taken a political decision not meant to reflect [what is going on in] the streets. Political work is responsible work," Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit said at a news conference. "Jerusalem has been occupied for 50 years. This is an extended battle, a battle that will be escalated." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has often sought to position himself as a leader of the Islamic world, on Sunday described Israel as a "terror state." "We won't leave Jerusalem to the mercy of a child-murdering country," Erdogan said, accusing Israel of having no values other than "occupation and plunder." There were, however, no indications that Turkey would sever its diplomatic relations with the country. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said Trump's decision means an end to the historic role the United States has played as a broker of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, and his aides have indicated Abbas will not meet Vice President Pence as planned when he visits the region next week. "It's unfortunate that the Palestinian Authority is walking away again from an opportunity to discuss the future of the region," Alyssa Farah, a spokeswoman for Pence, said in a statement. "But the administration remains undeterred in its efforts to help achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians and our peace team remains hard at work putting together a plan." U.S. Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt and Trump son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner have been tasked with putting together a peace plan, expected to be unveiled next year. Trump's announcement leaves Abbas hamstrung. Throughout his presidency, Abbas has attempted to convince skeptical Palestinians that negotiations rather than violence are the way to achieve independence. After more than a decade in power, however, he has nothing to show for such a strategy, with the Jerusalem decision another blow. Analysts said Trump's move has further undermined a weak Abbas, and a meeting with Pence at this time would have been deeply unpopular with Palestinians. Standing at the far edge of Sunday's protest in Beirut, Faraj Shahin, a Palestinian, described the Middle East's leaders as "traitors" who had sold out her countrymen. "Arab leaders sold al-Aqsa for dollars. Shame on them," she said, in reference to al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, one of Islam's holiest shrines. With his face buried in a scarf to shield his eyes from the acrid tear gas, an 18-year-old protester described the small-scale clashes Sunday as an attempt to "liberate" al-Aqsa from Israel. Hours later, it was all over. Video footage from the aftermath showed street cleaners sweeping the area, wiping clean the soot left by a dumpster truck the protesters set alight. --- The Washington Post's Loveday Morris in Jerusalem and James McAuley in Paris contributed to this report. MONROEVILLE, Ala. - For Democrats to win a Senate race in a state as red as Alabama, which President Donald Trump carried by 28 points last year, everything needs to break their way. Doug Jones must persuade significant numbers of Republicans to back him in next week's special election over Roy Moore, but victory also requires a level of black turnout not seen since Barack Obama's 2008 election. Even with so much working in his favor, that remains a very tall order. Two dozen interviews with African Americans on Thursday in this rural town of 6,500 showed that Jones still has his work cut out for him. The conversations revealed deep distaste for Trump but also disillusionment with the political process. Paulette Williams, 62, will vote for Jones, but she lamented that most people she knows are apathetic and predicted that he will not win. She said Republicans are going to pull the lever for Moore despite allegations of sexual misconduct against him, but too many Democrats can't be bothered. "People died to have the right to vote. Now that people have the privilege, they waste it," said Williams, who retired after 33 years as a technical inspector at a pulp and paper mill. "People talk more about the Alabama-Auburn game than politics. Everything President Obama implemented, Trump is trying to reverse: civil rights, equal rights, helping the poor, all of it. But they're more interested in Alabama versus Auburn than what's going wrong in the country." Monroeville was Harper Lee's hometown, and she used it as the model for Maycomb in "To Kill a Mockingbird," her classic novel about racial injustice in the South during the Jim Crow era. Midway between the port in Mobile and the capital in Montgomery, the city is part of what's known as the Black Belt. The region was originally named for its dark top soil but is now known for heavy concentrations of African Americans and persistent poverty. Turnout in this region historically lags the rest of the state. African Americans account for 27 percent of Alabama's population. Trump carried Monroe County last year with 57 percent to Hillary Clinton's 42 percent. Reflecting deep polarization along racial lines, the county's population is 55 percent white and 42 percent black. Each of the 10 whites I talked with here Thursday said they plan to vote for Moore. The Washington Post-Schar School poll, which gave Jones a narrow lead that is within the margin of error, found that he has the support of 93 percent of blacks and 33 percent of whites statewide. The open question, though, isn't whether African Americans will support the Democrat. It's whether they'll go to the polls. Charles Robbins Kidd, 77, said he thinks both Trump and Moore try to capitalize on racial division for political advantage, which makes him bearish on Jones's odds. "He might win. I hope he wins. I'm going to vote for him. . . . But I know it'll be hard," Kidd said. "It'll be so hard for Doug Jones to win because there are so many white folks against black folks. I don't know why, but they are." Kidd operated a dye machine at a textile mill. But he quit to paint houses, he said, when he realized that he was getting paid less than white men for the same work. "I don't know why white folks are so against black folks. Black folks never did anything but work hard," said Kidd, who wore an elegant gray hat with a feather and has two gold front teeth. "They're tough around here on black folks." Most of the folks I talked with in the Monroeville town square, directly across the street from the old courthouse described vividly in "Mockingbird," said they are depressed about the direction of the country but feel powerless to do anything about it. For the first time in a long time, their votes could have a real impact on national politics. But they don't see it that way. John Dewayne Richardson is an unemployed construction worker with three kids. His dad drove him to the post office Thursday in a red pick-up truck so that he could check on his claim for jobless benefits. It got rejected, he complained, because his last employer didn't fill out required paperwork. Richardson said he keeps hearing on TV that the economy is doing well. "But I haven't seen a change," he said. Now he's thinking about moving out of state to find work. The 35-year-old hasn't paid close attention to the election but says he'd still like to vote next week. He believes George W. Bush stole the 2000 election with shenanigans in Florida, and he thinks Republicans will probably steal this election if Moore doesn't get the most votes. "Do you get where I'm coming from?" he asked. "People don't vote because they don't feel their votes matter because nothing is going to change. What difference is it going to make?" Jessica Nettles, 28, voted for the first time in 2008, so that she could support Obama, but she stayed home in 2012 because she felt he had been co-opted by Wall Street. She didn't vote in 2016 either because she did not see any meaningful difference between Trump and Clinton. If she had been forced to vote, she said, she would have written in Bernie Sanders. "I don't vote because I don't feel like there's a purpose," she said on her lunch break. "I feel like Republicans and Democrats all work together. I just feel like it's all one big setup. . . . Nothing changes. It's the same thing no matter who is in power. . . . All hope goes out the window when you realize what's really going on. At the end of the day, the real players in this country are not going to let the people make changes." -- Jones is working hard to galvanize the African American community in the final days. As a U.S. attorney, he successfully prosecuted two Ku Klux Klan members for their role in the 1963 Birmingham church bombing that killed four black girls. For his closing argument, Jones has contrasted his work on that case with the allegations that Moore improperly pursued teenage girls when he was an assistant district attorney in his 30s. One woman has said she was 14 when Moore touched her sexually. "Men who hurt little girls should go to jail, not the United States Senate," Jones, 63, said in a speech Tuesday. (Moore, now 70, has denied any wrongdoing.) In mailers to black households, the Jones campaign has highlighted the allegations and suggested that an African American man would not be treated the same way if he was accused of similar sexual misconduct. Without prompting, several black voters I interviewed praised Jones for going after the KKK. "I pray that we get some Christian people that just do what's right and vote for Doug Jones," said Edith Ruffin, 66, who recently retired from a plant in Monroeville that manufactures bras. "It's not that I dislike the other candidate, but I like what he did for the little black girls in Birmingham. He got justice for them." There are other important contrasts between the candidates. An African American man asked Moore during a campaign event when he thought America was last "great." "I think it was great at the time when families were united - even though we had slavery - they cared for one another," he said in September, according to the Los Angeles Times. "Our families were strong. Our country had a direction." Moore has twice been removed from the Alabama Supreme Court for refusing to respect the judicial process. He once opposed removing segregationist language from the state constitution, he says Muslims should not be allowed to serve in Congress, and he is a birther. Trump has now conceded, at least publicly, that Obama was a natural-born citizen, but Moore has continued to say - even after the 2016 election - that he still doesn't think so. Jones spoke last Friday in a black church to mark the anniversary of Rosa Parks's 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her seat on the bus. Then he marched Saturday in Selma's Christmas parade and visited nine predominantly African American churches in Tuscaloosa on Sunday. He's held several rallies at historically black colleges, including Tuskegee University, Alabama State University and Alabama A&M. He's been a regular guest on radio programs popular with African Americans. This weekend,surrogates are mobilizing across the Black Belt and in urban areas like Birmingham to make the case for voting. Rep. Terri A. Sewell, D-Ala., has been organizing a slate of Sunday campaign events that will feature Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and former Gov. Deval Patrick, D-Mass. "Our campaign is running the largest, most active get-out-the-vote program Alabama has seen in a generation," said Jones campaign spokesman Sebastian Kitchen. -- Why Jones still has a shot: Moore has routinely underperformed compared to other Republicans. As part of an excellent deep dive into the political geography of Alabama, The Post's Darla Cameron, Dan Keating and Kim Soffen discovered that lots of Republicans are accustomed to not voting for him. Moore won his 2012 race for chief justice of the state Supreme Court by just four points, for example, on the same day Mitt Romney won by 22 points. With Breanne Deppisch and Joanie Greve 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. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Human Rights: Basic Issues From N.C.s Writings Human Rights Day is observed on December 10 every year commemorating the day, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To mark the occasion we are reproducing the following article N.C. wrote twenty five years ago. The governments decision to set up a National Human Rights Commission is a significant indication of its being able to read the signs of the times. The Prime Minister has made the eloquent claim about his governments commit-ment to upholding human rights: We must send a clear message that we do not tolerate violation of human rights. He at the same time conceded that there is need to identify the weaknesses, the gaps between pronouncements and action, and between legislation and its implementation. There is a veritable wave on the global plane today for the assertion of human rights. This is part of the democratic upsurge on a world scale. Long before the present ground-swell for human rights in many parts of the world, it is worth recalling that our country has had a long tradition of struggle for human rights. Before independence, this was known as the movement for civil liberties. In fact, this was an offshoot of the freedom struggle, because one of the tenets of the Indian independence movement was that it never deviated in its commitment to democracy, and therefore, its leaders upheld civil liberties. In the thirties, Jawaharlal Nehru himself was once the President of the All India Civil Liberties Union. This was not a party outfit of the Congressits separate identity was always respected just as it could attract many persona-lities of a liberal disposition who would not toe the Congress line at that time. The Civil Liberties Union survived after independence, though its complexion was perceptibly changed by then; the ruling Congress establishment lapsed into inactivity, while the radical and Left critics of the government became more prominent in it, and only a handful of liberals who could keep their rapport with the radical activists, only they stayed on in the Civil Liberties Union. Chakkarai Chettiar, a grand old liberal from the South, was its last President, sometime about 1950-51. After that the organisation was hardly heard of, and it ceased to be even a letter-head organisation. With the promulgation of the Constitution and the setting up of elected governments both at the Centre and the States, the impression went round that a civil liberties organisation would have little to do in the new democratic dispensation ushered in by the new Consti-tution. This was not a very far-fetched impression, particularly in the first two decades after independence. There prevailed in the country what can be termed as the Nehru stamp on our political functioning, and this spread over the entire public life. Cases of repression were few and far between in that period. The scenario changed to a large extent after that period. Roughly it was from the mid-sixties that one could discern a perceptible change. An important area of conflict could be identified in the rural sector. Roughly this was the period of the Green Revolution. Alongwith increased food production, the Green Revolution brought about a significant change in agrarian relations. The increased food production as a result of the new agricultural technique set by the Green Revolution was not evenly distributed. It was cornered by the rich farmer community who owned the land and had the means to exploit the new facilities offered by the intensive cultivation prescribed by the Green Revolution. At the other end, the poor peasant and the agricultural labourer were reduced to the category of wage-earners. The old feudal relations were replaced by the more palpable class antagonism of the modern market. Clashes and tensions spread in many parts of the countryside. This was the objective backdrop of the wave of militant activism in the rural sector, symbo-lised by what has come to be known as Naxalism. The rich farmer, more powerful than his effete zamindar predecessor, could afford to keep his armed gang in place of the old lathials, and the militant activist also resorted to the guninspired at the beginning by Maos teachings and clung on to them even when Maoism was dethroned on its native soil. It is worth recalling that about this time, a Union Home Ministry in-house survey of the new surge of armed conflicts in the countryside, delivered a very significant warning that the Green Revolution might turn red. At the national political level, the scene had changed considerably by then. The old monolith of power that the Congress had been at the time of independence was broken. The party began to lose power in different parts of the country, and with the onset of the seventies, the party itself got split. Followed a new phase of lacerated politics, in which all sorts of permutations and combi-nations among political parties led to almost chronic instability. Regional parties got an opening and the entire political spectrum became a veritable mosaic of motley combinations. The inexorable climax was reached by Indira Gandhis imposition of the Emergency, when democratic liberties were snuffed out and for the first time since independence, an authoritarian rule emerged in this country. The Emergency itself was the barometer of the political insecurity that gripped Indira Gandhi, and it meant the total suppression of all civil liberties. Human rights became an anathema for the new establishment. The experience of the Emergency made large sections of public opinion aware of the need for a movement of civil liberties and democratic rights, and the collapse of the Emergency provided the necessary fillip for such a movement. That was how there came up immediately after the 1977 general elections, a whole host of organi-sations and initiatives among political workers, social activists, lawyers, journalists and among the youth which led to the formation of active human rights organisations in this country. It was due to this new awareness in concerned sections of the public, coupled with an alerted press, that many of the blatant violations of human rights got exposed. The exposure of the killing of activists in custody with the pretence of their being victims of encounters with the police got widespread publicity and in some cases even judicial strictures. The barbarous torture of suspects in police lock-up; the inhuman incarceration of undertrial prisoners for years, sometimes for decades; the infamous Bhagalpur blindingsall these and many other forms of atrocity, the climax reaching with the pogrom of the Sikh community in November 1984all these could be highlighted in a systematic manner through the services of human rights organisations. With the proliferation of social evils like dowry deaths, caste oppression and the revival of some of the superstitious practices, the role and responsibility of the human rights move-ments have grown tremendously in our country. With the spread of violent confrontation between militant groups and the armed forces of the state involving largely police and para-military forces apart from the Army at some places, new challenges confronted the human rights organisations. These armed confrontations have international dimensions as in the case of Kashmir and Punjab. Naturally, in such confron-tations innocent people become the victim in many cases. This raises a very complex question before the human rights activists: should those, who observe no human rights principles in dealing with their adversaries in open armed combat, be entitled to the protection of the human rights movement? In other words, should human rights be extended to those who in practice violate human rights in dealing with their adversaries? This is a question which baffled many a society over the centuries. Much can be said in favour of it or in opposing it, and such debates can go on endlessly until the cattle come home. There is the more fundamental question which has confronted many all over the world. In a society where there is blatant inequity, and a large section of the population is condemned, for no fault of their own, to a life of persecution and constant deprivation, would not any talk of defending human rights be reduced to a luxury of the rich and the powerful? The Black in the USA or South Africa, the Harijan in India, or the underdog in any of the developed societyis he or she not entitled to the Right to be Human before one talks of human rights to them? But there is another way of looking at the same question: if human rights are enforced and democratic liberties ensured, that itself helps to a large measure, the fight against social injustices. One hopes that the National Human Rights Commission, when it is set up, will take up its mission with such basic issues in mind, and not reduce itself to a post office for complaints and grievances. (Mainstream, October 3, 1992) "Eighty Years of Caldecott Books," an exhibit celebrating the winners of the prestigious Caldecott Medal since its inception, opens Tuesday at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst. The coveted annual medal is "awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published in the United States during the preceding year," and is named in honor of 19th century British illustrator Randolph Caldecott. The exhibit, the Carle's first book-focused exhibit, presents a chronological look at the winning titles from 1938 to the present, and features illustrations from several of them. Related programming includes a presentation on Dec. 16 by artist and author Javaka Steptoe who won the 2017 Caldecott Medal for his book, "Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat." "Eighty Years of Caldecott Books is a celebration of artistic achievement," said Ellen Keiter, the museum's chief curator. "We have included original illustrations from several winning titles, many drawn from the Carle's permanent collection." On view are three artworks by Marcia Brown, one from each of her three Caldecott Medal books: "Cinderella," or "The Little Glass Slipper" (1995),"Once a Mouse" (1962) and "Shadow" (1983)." "Remarkably, Brown won her Caldecotts in three separate decades and, by employing watercolor, woodcut and collage, gave each of her winning titles distinctly different styles. Brown was also awarded Caldecott Honors an astounding six times." Keiter noted. David Wiesner is the only other illustrator to win three Caldecott Medals for "Tuesday" (1992), "The Three Pigs" (2002) and "Flotsam (2007). The winner of the first Caldecott Medal was illustrator Dorothy P. Lathrop's "Animals of the Bible, A Picture Book." Besides Steptoe, other artists with illustrations from winning Caldecott books on exhibit are: Ed Emberley, "Drummer Hoff" (1968); Uri Shulevitz, "The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship" (1969); Arnold Lobel, "Fables" (1981); Chris Van Allsburg, "The Polar Express" (1986); David Macaulay, "Black and White" (1991); Emily Arnold McCully, "Mirette on the High Wire" (1993); Paul O. Zelinsky, "Rapunzel" (1998); Simms Taback, "Joseph Had a Little Overcoat" (2000), and Mordicai Gerstein, "The Man Who Walked Between the Towers" (2004). The exhibit will be on view through May 13, 2018 and will add a new book - the 2018 Caldecott Medal winner - when it is announced on Feb. 12 Keiter called the books in the show "valuable historical artifacts." "While we always have books available for visitors to read in our galleries, the books in this exhibition are the art objects themselves. As first editions, they are valuable historical artifacts," said Keiter in a statement about the exhibit. Each year the Association for Library Service to Children - a division of the American Library Association - selects the 15 members who form the Caldecott committee. Other book and media awards through the division include the Newbery, Sibert, Wilder, Carnegie, Batchelder, Belpre, Geisel, and Odyssey awards and the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture. Exhibit visitors will be able to cast their votes in the gallery for the book they believe should win the next Caldecott. Online visitors to the museum's website can vote too. Keiter organized the exhibition with Barbara Elleman, former editor-in-chief of "Book Links," a quarterly supplement to "Booklist" published by the ALA, and who served as distinguished scholar of children's literature at Wisconsin's Marquette University. The schedule of programs, as announced and all free with museum admission, is as follows: "The Best of the Best in 2017" Dec. 16, 11 a.m. Susan Bloom and Cathryn M. Mercier from the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Boston's Simmons College will share their favorite books of the past year. "Meet Javaka Steptoe" Dec. 16, 1 p.m. Artist and author Javaka Steptoe won the 2017 Caldecott Medal for his book, "Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat." Hear Steptoe discuss his research and art for "Radiant Child," and what his year has been like following a Caldecott win. Book signing follows. Signed books may be reserved online or contact the Carle Bookshop at shop@carlemuseum.org. "Randolph Caldecott: The Man Who Could Not Stop Drawing" with children's book historian, author, and critic Leonard S. Marcus April 7, 2018, 1 p.m. This illustrated talk introduces Caldecott and his kinetic drawing style credited with the invention of the modern picture book for children. The 8th Annual Barbara Elleman Research Library Lecture "Celebrating the Caldecott: The stories behind some of the great Caldecott Medal and Honor Books" with editor, author, and scholar Anita Silvey April 28, 2 p.m. The Barbara Elleman Research Library (BERL) Lecture is an annual event featuring the country's preeminent scholars, book collectors, researchers, editors, authors, and illustrators in the field of children's literature. Five years ago, this week, a gunman killed 26 people, including 20 children, at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. President Barack Obama declared from the White House, that "Our hearts are broken today" and he called for "meaningful action" to prevent such shootings in the future. The 20-year-old killer, Adam Lanza, committed suicide at the school. From the December 15, 2012 edition of The Republican Back in 1967, U.S. officials announced that 10,500 paratrooper reinforcements had been flown to South Vietnam from the United States. This movement of troops was described, "as the biggest airlift of troops to a war zone in history." The paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division flew from Fort Campbell, Ky., to the Bien Hoa airbase near Saigon. This was part of a troop buildup that would lead to 525,000 "fighting men in Vietnam" by early 1968. Also that week, the 7.5 mile stretch of Interstate 91 between Holy and Northampton opened for traffic. The northbound lane through Northampton was expected to open in the following weeks, allowing travel on 91 between Holyoke to Vermont. From the December 14, 1967 edition of The Springfield Union These are some of the headlines you'll see from Page 1 of The Republican and its predecessors over the past fifty years for the week of December 10 - December 16. Each week I'll put together a slideshow of Page 1 images from selected years over the course of that week. We're starting with a look back at one, five, thirty, forty and fifty years ago, with Page 1s from each day of the week for those years. The slideshow for December 10 - December 16 is embedded at the top of this article. We'll also find some humor printed out on page one over the years. In 1967 'Dennis The Menace' could be found on the bottom of page one six days a week. From the December 14, 1967 edition of The Springfield Union Also back from 1967, Springfield police announced the rising number of car thefts in the city. While 900 cars were stolen in 1964, by December 4, 1967, 1500 vehicles had been stolen. Police suggested that the community was offering an, "open invitation" to cars thieves by leaving keys in the car, and by leaving cars running while owners ran into a store. Of the cars stolen, about 90 percent were recovered after they were left parked without fuel. And from 1977 an example of the shopping days until Christmas countdown that was out on page one for decades. From the December 10, 1977 edition of The Morning Union As you'll find with looking through the slideshow, that while many stories come and go, many of the issues and topics that affected lives in the past, continue to have an impact on our lives today. Copies of these and other stories can be found in the online archives. The Historic Archive includes stories from 1824 to 1989, and the Newsbank Archive covers 1988 through the present day. NORTHAMPTON - Even as snow fell heavily in the streets outside hundreds of people crowded into The Waterfront tavern in Holyoke Saturday afternoon to celebrate the life of Zoe Rosenthal, 52, a Northampton teacher who was fatally struck by a car while walking her dog, Chester, by their Holyoke home on Nov. 27. Rosenthal was an employee with The Literacy Project, a Greenfield-based education program with a chapter in Northampton. There, she taught adult students who were "beginning readers," many of whom were either learning English for the first time or had previously suffered from undiagnosed learning disabilities. Beyond her work as an educator, those who knew Rosenthal described her as a devoted mother, a loyal friend, and above all a giving person who saw potential in others. Born in Boston, Rosenthal moved to New York during her younger years. Eventually she moved back to Massachusetts, settling in the Pioneer Valley to raise her two daughters, Chelsea and Tiffany, as a single mother. Along the way, her vibrant personality and generosity earned her a wide array of friends, those who knew her said. A warm and resilient woman Attendees of the celebration took turns speaking, reliving memorable instances from Rosenthal's life and occasionally breaking down into tears. Rosenthal's daughters Chelsea and Tiffany Castillo, now adults, spoke briefly, remembering their mother as a strong, resilient and loving woman who had weathered "rough patches" throughout her life and brought warmth to the people whose lives she touched. "I've been through it all with my mom, I don't even know where to start," said Tiffany Castillo, speaking before the crowd while holding her daughter, Rosenthal's granddaughter, Luna. Castillo said that she was lucky enough to have spent one final weekend with her mother a week before the fatal accident happened, for which she said she was "grateful." Rosenthal's friend of 25 years, Lisa Anair, described her as a "survivor," someone who persisted despite times of adversity. "Even though Zoe didn't have much, she made the lives of her children and the lives of the people around her rich," Anair said. Anair met Rosenthal in the early 1990s through her then-boyfriend, and the two, whose young daughters were the same age, quickly bonded. "We connected," she said, in an interview. "Nobody's perfect, everybody has their moments," Anair said. "But even through those moments, she made the best out of everything." A love for people and education As much as she was remembered as generous in her personal life, Rosenthal was thought of similarly by her co-workers and students. Margaret Anderson, the program director for The Literacy Project, described Rosenthal as "very warm," a quick learner who gave everything she had to teaching because she saw it as a form of empowerment for others. "I think it was obvious that she really believed in people, she cared about them and she knew that education was the thing they needed to be what they want to be or could be," Anderson said. Anair similarly described education as a means by which Zoe was able to empower others. "Education was so important to her" because "education is how people get a better life," Anair said. Indeed, several of Rosenthal's former students spoke Saturday, describing the ways in which their former teacher had touched their lives. Stephanie, who described herself as a frequent "pain in the butt" for Rosenthal, nevertheless said the teacher constantly reminded her that she "had a lot going for her," that she had a bright future, continually encouraging her to stay an independent woman. "She was a fabulous person," said Sheila Murphy, the site director for the organization's Northampton chapter, where Rosenthal worked. "Always willing to do whatever needed to be done." Judith Roberts, the Director of The Literacy Project, said that Rosenthal "mothered" her students and "pushed" them, fostering a familial atmosphere in her classroom. "I'm very grateful for the time we had with her," Roberts said. A Massachusetts man and Connecticut woman are facing federal sex trafficking crimes after authorities say they forced women into prostitution, including one victim who had just been released from a detox facility. Duhamel Cassagnol, 30, of Milton, was charged with committing sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; engaging in a conspiracy to commit sex trafficking; and transporting an individual for prostitution last week in U.S. District Court. His co-conspirator, 23-year-old Geneiva Whaley of Connecticut, was charged with transporting an individual for prostitution. The U.S. Attorney's Office said between July 2014 and February 2016, Cassagnol took woman across state lines to New York and Connecticut and forced them to have sex for money. Authorities say Whaley took one of the women from Massachusetts to Connecticut in October 2015 in order for the victim to work as a prostitute. "Specifically, Whaley allegedly recruited the victim, who had just been released from a detox facility, and worked with Cassagnol to keep the victim in various motels or hotels in Connecticut, which were rented in Whaley's name," investigators said. "While at the motels, Whaley assisted in prostituting the victim. Cassagnol and Whaley also allegedly supplied the victim with drugs while she stayed at the motels." Federal records list three victims in the case. A former California man now living in Massachusetts is being held in federal custody after he was nabbed last week on federal charges for running what authorities called a long-running investment fraud scheme. John Bryan Murphy, 44, was living in Barnstable when he was arrested last week on wire fraud and money laundering charges. He was charged on Nov. 30 by a federal grand jury in San Francisco, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of California. Murphy appeared in a Boston federal court Friday and remains in federal custody. Authorities accuse Murphy of taking money from several people between 2012 and 2017 and claiming their investments would be professionally invested. "After receiving these solicitations, several victim investors provided funds to Murphy for the purpose of allowing him to invest those funds on their behalf," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "In fact, Murphy primarily used these 'investments' to support his personal lifestyle, to speculate on the stock market in an account in his name, and/or to repay other victims a portion of their investments." Investigators say Murphy stole $700,000 from people. He gave money to some people, but authorities say it was only to prevent victims from complaining to law enforcement and prevent from being caught. Murphy is facing 10 counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering. "Its not about the painting. Its not about the walls. Its not about the stage," said kindergarten teacher Melissa Soucy. "Its about the passion for every teacher and how they bring it into the classroom in their own way." By MATT HOFFMAN Billings Gazette https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/ap_news/montana/billings-school-uses-unusual-classroom-management-style/article_0c22e55a-735f-5845-abff-3d2bf71f7fce.html For years, many cities have pushed their residents to adopt car-free lifestyles. Doing so can help limit further traffic congestion and pollution, while also saving people money and improving their physical fitness. by Mike Maciag http://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/gov-car-free-households-cities.html Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke spent more than $53,000 on three helicopter trips this summer, including one that allowed him to return to Washington in time for a horseback ride with Vice President Mike Pence, newly released records show. By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press http://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/zinke-spent-more-than-k-on-helicopter-trips/article_d1dd58ce-ae1a-5b7a-9f9c-cf9d198798a9.html#tracking-source=home-featured Congress has the unenviable job of deciding who wins big and who will be hurt by tax reform. One decision that should be easy for lawmakers is to retain the tax tool that has resulted in the development of more than 7,000 affordable homes, access to home ownership for 42,000 Montana families, and $2.87 billion in financing of critical projects for rural Montana hospitals. Private Activity Bonds are responsible for the public-private partnerships that have allowed us to invest in Montana communities over the last 40 years. Congress is considering eliminating Private Activity Bonds, a move that would deal a devastating blow to the health of our state and have immediate and long-term impacts on our residents. ADAM GILL http://mtstandard.com/news/local/tax-bill-threatens-bonds-that-build-montana-communities/article_2b39b955-9996-5e69-b1ac-609394e32135.html Do you want to learn how to create a great resume fast? Whether youre starting from scratch or updating an existing document, creating a great resume does not have to take a lot of time. Eric Titner, The Job Network https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/careers/resumes-cover-letters/2017/12/10/create-a-great-resume-in-10-minutes/108069172/ A Marion felon charged in June and July of this year on drug- and weapon-related offenses was given at least seven-and-a-half years in prison in McDowell County Superior Court. Jayson Michael Gibson, 37, of Sinclair Avenue in Marion was found guilty of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, possession with intent to sell or deliver marijuana, felony possession of marijuana, simple possession of a schedule II controlled substance, two counts of possession of methamphetamine, two counts of possession of a stolen firearm and three counts of possession of a firearm by a felon. For each judgment, Gibson was sentenced to: 24 to 38 months in prison; eight to 19 months in prison consecutive to previous judgment; 24 to 38 months in prison consecutive to previous judgment and 20 to 33 months in prison consecutive to previous judgment. At approximately 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, Deputy Steven McPeters of the McDowell County Sheriffs Office responded to a domestic dispute at 89 Dogwood Acres Loop. While on scene, the deputy found Gibson standing on the carport arguing with a female. Gibson had arrived at the residence on a 2007 Kawasaki motorcycle reported stolen by Savanna Rose Epley out of Burke County, which led to a charge of possession of stolen motor vehicle. A subsequent search of the suspect and his belongings turned up two stolen handguns, 15 grams of meth and 2.75 ounces of marijuana. Three weeks later on Saturday, July 8 at approximately 8:30 a.m., McDowell deputies responded to a cemetery on Jacktown Road in reference to a Chrysler 300 that had been parked there for an hour with a subject inside. Upon arrival, Gibson was found asleep with the car running. A subsequent search of the vehicle by deputies and Marion police officers turned up small amounts of methamphetamine and marijuana, as well as drug paraphernalia. Gibson was indicted on all charges in August. According to N.C. Department of Public Safety records, Gibson has a criminal record as early as 1997, with multiple convictions in McDowell that include larceny of a motor vehicle, felony breaking and entering and possession of a firearm by a felon. The following cases were heard in McDowell County Superior Court during the week of Nov. 27: Jeffery J. Brown Jr., 25, of Old Glenwood Road, Marion Correctional Institution, was found guilty of assault with physical injury on law enforcement probation/parole officer. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail. He was given a six- to 17-month suspended sentence. He must serve 36 months of supervised probation. He must pay a court-appointed attorney $3,000. Heather Renee Causby, 32, of Gaddy Road, Nebo, was found guilty of larceny by employee. She was given an 11- to 23-month suspended sentence. She must serve 30 months of supervised probation. She must pay $100 restitution to the victim. She must pay court costs. Timothy Edward Coldwell, 51, of Shea Drive, Marion, was found guilty of two counts of probation violation. His probation was revoked. Timothy Allen Davidson, 30, of Hedge Drive, Marion, was found guilty of failure to reduce speed. He was fined $25. He must pay court costs. Scott Ray Davis, 38, of Penelope Street, Black Mountain, was found guilty of manufacturing marijuana. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail. He was given a six to 17 month suspended sentence. She must serve 30 months of supervised probation. He must pay court costs. Marissa Ashley Dulaney, 29, of Mashburn Branch Road, Old Fort, was found guilty of two counts of probation violation. Her probation was extended 12 months. Samuel McKeen Elliot, 31, of West Market Street, Greensboro, was found guilty of criminal contempt. He was given credit for five days time served. Dustin Anthony Foust, 34, of Cleveland, Ohio, was found guilty of breaking or entering and two counts of larceny after breaking or entering. He was sentenced to five to 15 months in prison. He was given credit for 156 days time served. Jason R. Holtz, 37, of Lukes Loop, Marion, was found guilty of violating a domestic protective order and possession of a firearm by a felon. He was given credit for 69 days time served. He was given a 17 to 30 month suspended sentence. He must serve 36 months of supervised probation. He must pay a court-appointed attorney $1,230. He must pay court costs. Joshua Michael Lipe, 36, of Indian Waters Drive, Old Fort, was found guilty of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He must serve 12 months of supervised probation consecutive to previous judgment. He must perform 72 hours of community service. He must pay $737 restitution to the victim. He must pay court costs. Patrick Alton Locklear, 26, of Old Glenwood Road, Marion Correctional Institution, was found guilty of two counts of burning personal property. He was sentenced to 67 to 93 months in prison consecutive to previous judgment. Robert John Lyttle, 27, of Fairview Road, Marion, was found guilty of possession of methamphetamine. He was given a six- to 17-month suspended sentence. He must serve 30 months of supervised probation. He must pay $600 restitution to the victim. He must pay court costs. Justin James McKinney, 26, of Sixth EM Street, Marion, was found guilty of felony possession of a schedule II controlled substance. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail. He was given a six- to 17-month suspended sentence. He must serve 30 months of supervised probation. He must pay court costs. Christopher Lee McPeters, 33, of Morehead Road, Marion, was found guilty of felony probation violation out of county. His probation was revoked. He was given credit for 237 days time served. Eunice Tanya Morgan, 43, of Wheeler Drive, Nebo, was found guilty of felony probation violation. Her probation was extended 12 months. Carl B. Primus, 25, of Old Glenwood Road, Marion Correctional Institution, was found guilty of assault with physical injury on a detention employee. He was sentenced to six- to 17-months in prison consecutive to previous judgment. Michael Coy Reed, 23, of Baldwin Avenue, Marion, was found guilty of felony possession of a schedule II controlled substance. He was given a six- to 17-month suspended sentence. He must serve 30 months of supervised probation. He must pay a court-appointed attorney $120. He must pay court costs. Regermaine S. Ross, 36, of Old Glenwood Road, Marion Correctional Institution, was found guilty of habitual felon and assault with physical injury on law enforcement, parole or probation officer. He was sentenced to 44-to 65 months in prison consecutive to previous judgment. Elizabeth Ann Russell, 48, of Ponderosa Park, Marion, was found guilty of misdemeanor larceny. She was given credit for 23 days time served. She must serve 12 months of supervised probation. She must pay a court-appointed attorney $720. She must pay court costs. Marcus D. Shareef, 29, of Old Glenwood Road, Marion Correctional Institution, was found guilty of habitual felon and assault with physical injury on law enforcement, parole or probation officer. He was sentenced to 35 to 54 months in prison consecutive to previous judgment. Starla Michelle Shifflett, 21, of Ray Roland Drive, Marion, was found guilty of probation violation. She was given credit for 46 days time served. Josue Jeremiah Umana, 21, of Tunnel Road, Marion, was found guilty of four counts of indecent liberties with a child. He was given credit for 68 days time served. For each charge, he was given a 19- to 32-month suspended sentence consecutive to each judgment. He must serve 36 months of supervised probation. He must not have contact with the victim. He must pay a court-appointed attorney $210. He must pay court costs. Rodrigo Daniel Valdez, 19, of Old Highway 10 West, Marion, was found guilty of probation violation. His probation was revoked. He was sentenced to six to 17 months in prison. Jamie Nichole Vascellaro, 35, of West Crawford Street, Old Fort, was found guilty of felony probation violation out of county. Her probation was revoked. Vascellaro was also found guilty of possession of heroin. She was sentenced to 90 days in jail. She was given credit for five days time served. She was given a six- to 17-month suspended sentence. She must serve 30 months of supervised probation. She must pay a court-appointed attorney $1,140. She must pay court costs. Taylon Nolan Williams, 18, of Matilda Avenue, Marion, was found guilty of five counts of sexual battery. For each charge, he must serve 30 months of supervised probation consecutive to previous judgment. William Ray Willis Jr., 46, of Morgan Cove Road, Candler, pleaded no contest and was found guilty of obtaining property under false pretense. He was given credit for 99 days time served. He was given a six to 17 month suspended sentence. He must serve 18 months of supervised probation. He must pay court costs. This Christmas, Nebo Crossing is inviting the local community to take a spiritual journey down Bethlehem Rd. Just looking around our community, we are trying to write the Christmas story into McDowell County, said Brad Rickard, worship pastor for Nebo Crossing. Rickard is also the director of a new 30-minute film titled Bethlehem Rd. This film, a production by the large church on Harmony Grove Road in Nebo, depicts what it could be like if the story of Christmas happens in our time and in our community. Pastor Bob Ritter said the idea behind this film came about because of two events that are held by the church during the Christmas season. Nebo Crossing first holds it Community Christmas Celebration and then later in the month there is Shop with a Hero. During Shop with a Hero, children get a gift card to buy Christmas for themselves with the guidance of a hero (members of local public safety agencies and the military) and their parents. They purchase items like warm coats, clothes, books and undergarments. The event is a partnership between Nebo Crossing and the local law enforcement. This year, it will be on the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 17 at the Walmart in Marion. Anyone wishing to give towards Shop with a Hero can mail a check to Nebo Crossing at 963 Harmony Grove Road, Nebo, NC 28761 (write Shop with a Hero in the memo line), or you can give online at nebocrossing.com. Anyone wishing to participate as a Hero shopper should contact David Likins at david@nebocrossingacademy.com. This year, members of Nebo Crossing wanted to find something that would connect the Christmas celebration and Shop with a Hero. Our idea was to sort of span the space between the two, said Ritter. Ritter and the other church leaders saw a short film about a modern-day Mary and Joseph. They thought why not create their own film which would be longer and involve all aspects of the local community. It would depict what it could be like if the Christmas story happened now and here in McDowell County. You can see a trailer for Bethlehem Rd here: https://youtu.be/QEmvX4rwhxU We wanted to bring the community to the manger, said Ritter. We go to the manger in its setting, almost as visitors. What if it profoundly changed us as being our story? In our setting? Earlier this year, church leaders began working to create this film. Ritter said he drew up storyboards and Rickard would be the director. They enlisted various members of the church to be actors and a camera crew. The result is Bethlehem Rd, which lasts around 30 minutes. There is a Bethlehem Road in McDowell County, located near Old Fort, and church leaders said the title seemed very appropriate. The idea is to bring the Christmas story to our setting. So often, when we read the Christmas story, we go to the little town of Bethlehem as merely observers or bystanders, reads a news release. We view the manger in its setting, halfway across the world, and we see the characters mentioned in the narrative as superhuman, perfect people. Nothing like us. Bethlehem Rd tells a story about a young engaged couple in McDowell. The young woman is pregnant even though she is a virgin. Her fiancee has to deal with the reality of this situation and what he should do. It is the same situation that confronted Mary and Joseph in Nazareth 2,000 years ago. We read the Christmas story from such a sterile, clinical mindset that we overlook some of the tension and drama that most certainly would have been in the atmosphere, reads the news release. Theres a young virgin who is all of a sudden an unwed mother, and according to the Jewish Law, she should have been stoned for her condition. Theres a broken hearted young man, thinking of never speaking to his fiance again, whos being asked to believe the impossible that she carries in her womb the Messiah, the Son of God, and the long awaited answer to a promise spoken thousands of years earlier. Supernatural events occur, like angels appearing in dreams and filling the skies with song, and a new star is seen in the sky after 400 years of hearing only silence from God. And then, this tiny baby is born. Hes to be the King of Kings, who would change everything. But Hes born on a quiet night, with only his parents there, alone in a barn. Its the greatest story ever told, the greatest drama ever written, and we, the Church, are tasked with telling the world about it! The church started filming Bethlehem Rd during the first week of November. Church members, including Marion police officers, emergency personnel with the McDowell EMS and the 911 communications center, were able to lend a feeling of authenticity to the production. Special help was provided by Blackbeard Outdoor World, State Farm, Long Brothers Enterprises and the Womens Health Group. The scene when the young woman learns she is pregnant was shot at Marion Medical Plaza on Sugar Hill Road. It was very much a church-wide effort and all of the church members volunteered their time and talents, said Ritter and Rickard. Appropriately, one of the police officers in the film has the last name of Shepherd and one of the DSS workers has the last name of Wiseman. As we began working on our storyboard, we took a look around our county, reads the news release. We were trying to write the Christmas story into our local narrative, and so we needed to address some of the biggest issues that we face. Our premise was that it would profoundly affect McDowell County if we could truly see the Savior, here, now, with us. We are called to glorify God, and He gets His glory when the people of our county see Him in His rightful place. His rightful place is this county! McDowell County is HIS not ours! Ritter and Rickard said the film is still being edited. It is being shown at Nebo Crossing in 10-minute segments. The first one was shown on Sunday, Dec. 3. The next installment will be presented this Sunday during the 10 a.m. worship service. The third and final segment will be shown on Sunday, Dec. 17. The complete film will be shown during the 10 a.m. service on Sunday, Dec. 24, which is Christmas Eve. Ritter will preach a message to go along with Bethlehem Rd. I think next year, we will have one showing for anyone who wants to see it again and then put it away, said Ritter. This is not the first film made by Rickard. He made the short video about the Blue Ridge Recovery Rally, which was held by Freedom Life Ministries earlier this year in downtown Marion. The budget for Bethlehem Rd was approximately $3,500, which included cameras and props. Rickard also provided the music for the film. Brad has done a phenomenal job, said Ritter. Ritter said Bethlehem Rd is telling a story with a spiritual lesson which is straight from the Bible. Jesus often told captivating, detailed stories, that explained His principles in ways that the people He was speaking to would understand, reads the news release. He called these parables. The most powerful form of storytelling in our generation right now is movies. And so, our desire with this project is to tell the Greatest Story in a way that is culturally relevant, to bring the manger to our little community, and let it profoundly change our lives today, as it must have changed theirs. So come with us on this journey to Bethlehem Rd. Youll find that hope sometimes shows up in unexpected places. 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 Advertisement Future research should now focus on identifying environmental risk factors observed during the early stages of industrialization of society in order to highlight avenues to prevent the development of the disease. The data also highlights the need for research into prevention of inflammatory bowel disease and innovations in health-care systems to manage this complex and costly disease.The study, published in The Lancet, was a systematic review of 147 world-wide observational studies reporting on the incidence or prevalence of two of the main conditions of inflammatory bowel disease - Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis - between 1990 and 2016.Professor Subrata Ghosh, Director of the Institute of Translational Medicine, said: "Our study shows that, at the turn of the 21st century, inflammatory bowel disease has become a global disease with accelerating incidence in newly industrialised countries whose societies have become more westernised."We have shown an accelerating incidence in countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America that mirrors inflammatory bowel disease incidence in the Western world during the latter half of the 20th century."Dr Gilaad Kaplan, of the University of Calgary in Canada, said: "While our study demonstrates a paradigm shift whereby the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in most Western countries has begun to stabilize and in some regions decrease, it is important to note that the prevalence of the disease is now 0.3% of the population in North America, Australia and most countries in Europe."The high prevalence of this disease in the Western world will challenge clinicians and health policy makers to provide quality and cost-efficient care to patients with this condition."Professor Siew Ng, of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, adds: "The rapid increase in incidence in many countries, especially in children, within one to two decades suggests strong environmental influence within a genetically susceptible population."The peak in the incidence of this disease has likely not transpired in newly industrialized countries. Consequently, these countries will need to prepare their clinical infrastructure and personnel to manage what is a complex and costly disease to treat."Source: Eurekalert 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. 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. 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. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim leaves after opening news conference as a part of the IMF/World Bank annual meetings in Washington, U.S., October 12, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC1E51021BC0 Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has set a very ambitious target for India to reduce its carbon intensity, is committed to moving the country to a lower carbon renewable energy future, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim has said. "I am very optimistic about what could happen with renewable energy (in India). The other thing that's so important is Prime Minister Modi is very personal, very public and very strong support of moving India to a lower carbon renewable energy future," Kim told reporters in a conference call ahead of the One Planet Summit in France on Monday. In an interaction with reporters on bank's continuing work on climate change mitigation and its efforts at helping developing countries implement the Paris Agreement, Kim said he and the World Bank has worked very closely with Modi. "Among one of the major projects that we're putting on the table at the summit is an ultra-mega project in India for solar," he said yesterday in response to a question. "Prime Minister Modi has made a very ambitious target for India to reduce its carbon intensity. Especially in the areas of solar and hydro, India is really leading. The Solar Alliance that Prime Minister Modi is spearheading has also been extremely important," Kim said. But there is still a lot of work to do, he observed. "I think the Indian government is very much aware of that." Kim said there are two most encouraging things for India. "One is that the cost of solar and both the cost and size of battery storage is progressing so quickly...the lowest price per kilowatt hour that we've seen so far is in Mexico one point seven cents a kilowatt hour which for many countries makes solar less than half the cost of coal," he said. "Then also what we've seen is the rapid advances in battery storage technology. So experts have said at one point that there is an actual physical limit to the size and the cost of a battery storage technology and we've already broken through that supposed physical limit quite aggressively," he said. In France, Kim would be hosting the One Planet summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to mark the two-year anniversary of the signing of the Paris agreement. "We are coming together not only to reaffirm our commitment to the agreement and to showcase some of the work taking place, but more importantly to look at ways to mobilize the scale of financing needed to create a low carbon climate resilient future for the economies of the world," Kim said. Baba Ramdev-led Patanjali Ayurved, known for its swadeshi Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) products, is now venturing into solar equipment manufacturing, a top company official said. The Haridwar-based firm is investing around Rs 100 crore in its Greater Noida facility, and the plant would be inaugurated next month. "We would start manufacturing solar panels. The factory is near Greater Noida industrial area and would be inaugurated in January," Patanjali Ayurved MD & CEO Acharya Balakrishna told PTI. "We have invested around Rs 50-60 crore so far and the total investment would be over Rs 100 crore," he said further. The company has also acquired one Advance Navigation and Solar Technologies earlier this year. "We would manufacture solar panels here (Noida plant). We have also plans to manufacture chips and photovoltaic sells etc for it," Balakrishna added. Initially, the company would source the components from other domestic producers but later would manufacturer itself. It is installing required machineries from Germany and China. When asked what prompted Patanjali to venture into this sector, he said the company was purchasing solar panel and street lights at its facility, then came to know that all solar related works are imported from countries as china. "Then we planned that at least for own requirements, we should manufacture ourself. We had done some workout and found that it was doable," he said. Initially, the company would consume all the solar panel internally by installing on rooftops of all its manufacturing units and centres. "Right now we are putting solar on the rooftops of our all factories such as Tezpur plant (Assam)," he said. On commercial production, he said: "If people come to purchase from us then we would sell also." However, when asked that whether Patanjali would venture into setting up major solar farms for commercially producing solar energy and supply to the grid, Balakrishna said, "Let it start first." Besides FMCG segment, Patanjali Ayurved is present in other sectors as education and healthcare. Last fiscal, it had crossed a turnover of Rs 10,500 crore and aims a two-fold growth this fiscal. Senior BJP leader Bijay Mohapatra today described the Centre's affidavit in the Supreme Court on Mahanadi water row as a move to forge "friendship with Chhattisgarh and enmity with Odisha." The affidavit filed by the Ministry of Water Resources, accusing the state of not providing enough evidence to justify the formation of a tribunal, is a big blow to Odisha's pride, Mohapatra told reporters here. "The Centre's affidavit in the Supreme Court is a move to forge a friendship with Chhattisgarh and an enmity with Odisha. How can the Centre be partial to Chhattisgarh?" he said. The Centre had four days ago filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, alleging that Odisha did not provide sufficient information for setting up a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute. It also said that both states can resolve the issue through negotiation. The ministry's affidavit exposes the "double standards" of the Centre, the BJP leader alleged. "The Centre finds fault only with Odisha government but not Chhattisgarh, even when the neighbouring state violated several laws," Mohapatra said, referring to the affidavit. The Odisha government had moved the Centre for an inter-state tribunal only after a negotiation failed with Chhattishgarh in November, last year, he explained. "Union Minister of State Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, had said that a decision has been taken to set up a tribunal. However, now when it's time to constitute one, the Centre is raising unacceptable questions," he said. The senior BJP leader said the neighbouring state and the Centre have conspired against and its people. "The conspiracy was hatched by the Chhattisgarh government with active support from the central government." Odisha had been opposing Chhattisgarh's plans to build 13 barrages and seven pick up weirs (small dams) on the upstream of Mahanadi river. The BJD government asserted that the construction would adversely affect the interests of its farmers. The father of the 7-year-old girl who died of dengue at the Fortis Hospital in Gurgaon, has filed a police complaint against the hospital group, but no FIR has been registered in the case, police said today. In his complaint, Jayant Singh, urged the police to register the FIR for "culpable homicide" owing to criminal negligence against Fortis Hospital, Gurgaon, and also, forgery and destruction of evidence by the hospital management and doctors. Singh held that the hospital was "criminally negligent in the course of his daughter's treatment". Singh also alleged in the complaint that the hospital forged the parents' signatures in "crucial and important treatment-related documents, that is, consent forms". "The father of the deceased child filed the complaint at Sushant Lok police station on Friday," SHO Gaurav Phogat said. "But we have not filed an FIR yet as a preliminary investigation is on in the matter. We are waiting for an official copy of the inquiry report on the matter by a government panel," he said. Fortis Healthcare, however, maintained that they were "yet to receive any formal complaint". BSF A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) was injured when the Pakistani forces violated ceasefire by firing at Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, an Army official said on Sunday. Pak troops fired at forward posts along the LoC in Bhawani belt of Noushera sector in Rajouri last evening, an Army officer said. In the firing, one JCO - a subedar was injured, he said. The JCO was hospitalized and is reported to be stable, he added. Reports said he was hit by a sniper fire. Earlier, on the night of December 7, an Army jawan was injured when Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing from small arms, automatics and mortars along the LoC in Poonch sector's Digwar area. Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively, officials said. On December 8 also, Pak army resorted to firing and shelling in Kalal, Laam and Jangarh sub-sectors of Noushera sector in Rajouri district. According to Union Home Ministry data, Pakistani forces have violated ceasefire 724 times along the international border and the LoC till October this year in comparison to 449 times in 2016. at in US, says kin Hyderabad youth studying in Chicago (U.S.) shot at by assailants, presently under observation. Family members say 'request Government of India to help us, tweets ANI 20:14 Body of Jasprit Bumrah's grandfather found in river; suicide suspected The body of Indian cricketer Jasprit Bumrah's grandfather was today found in the Sabarmati river here, two days after he had gone missing, in what police suspect is a case of suicide. Santok Singh Bumrah's body was fished out from the river this morning, Dharmendra Singh Solanki, Police Station Officer of the Sabarmati Riverfront (East) police station, told PTI. The police suspect Santok Bumrah, 84, committed suicide. His daughter-in-law Rajinder Bumrah had filed a missing person's complaint on Friday at the Vastrapur police station here, Solanki said. 19:57 Jab tak mai zinda hoon, mai aapka pyaar nahi bhoolne wala jo aapne pichle 3 mahine mein dikhaya.Aapko meri zarurat kabhi bhi ho, sirf mujhe bulaao, order do aur mai karke dikhaunga.Aapne mere saath rishta bana liya hai,ye zindagi ka rishta hai, tootega nahi: Rahul Gandhi in Kalol ,tweets ANI 19:55 Congress suspended Mani Shankar Aiyar as it wanted to get rid of him: Uma Bharti Union Minister Uma Bharti said the Congress suspended Mani Shankar Aiyar after his controversial remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi just to get rid of him as he had become a burden on the party. Talking to reporters in Vrindavan last evening, she said, the Congress was looking for a way to get rid of Aiyar. "It (the Congress) found an easy way to expel Aiyar after his utterances against Prime Minister Modi," the minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation said. The Congress on December 7 suspended Aiyar from the primary membership of the party and issued him a show cause notice after he called the prime minister a "neech kism ka aadmi" (vile sort of man). 19:16 'Delhi girls prefer safety quotient over college ranking' The study titled 'Safety First: Perceived Risk of Street Harassment and Educational Choices of Women' analysed the college choices made by 4,000 girls of the city. 19:15 Right policies to help India achieve $1 trillion digital services by 2022: Report 19:13 18:38 While the country has achieved remarkable success in recent times in improving the global ranking in the 'Ease of Doing Business', the digital industry has some specific concerns that need to be addressed to ensure the Indian digital sector reaches its full potential, the report added.The announcement of Rahul Gandhi's elevation, however, is likely to be made on Monday, the last date of withdrawal of nomination for the election of the Congress president which is a one horse race.neech Taking a dig at the Congress over its leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's "neech" remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today said the party was "roaming around with axes and chisels to damage the tree roots nourished by their ancestors". 17:58 Airtel to connect over 2,100 uncovered villages in North East Telecom services provider Airtel said on Sunday it will provide mobile connectivity in 2,100 uncovered villages and on national highways in north-eastern states in next 18 months. Bharti Airtel DoT USOF Mizoram Arunachal Airtel has signed an agreement with Department of Telecom () and the Universal Service Obligation Fund () for provision of mobile services in identified uncovered villages and national highways in the north-eastern states of Assam, Manipur,, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura andPradesh,said in a statement. Under the agreement, it said that Airtel will set up over 2,000 mobile towers/sites in unconnected pockets of the region and deliver telecom connectivity to citizens in over 2,100 villages over the next 18 months. 17:53 IBBI provides regulations for complaint redressal against service providers The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) on Sunday notified regulations for handling complaints and grievances filed against service providers including insolvency professionals, agencies and information utilities. These regulations are effective from December 7, 2017. According a New Indian Express report, the Ministry of Finance laid out regulations to provide for an objective and transparent procedure for disposal of grievances and complaints by the IBBI, that does not spare a mischievous service provider, but does not harass an innocent service provider. A stakeholder is required to file a grievance with details of the conduct of the service provider that has caused suffering to the aggrieved; details of suffering, whether pecuniary or otherwise, the aggrieved has undergone; how the conduct of the service provider has caused the suffering of the aggrieved; details of his efforts to get the grievance redressed from the service provider; and how the grievance may be redressed. Stakeholders will also need to pay a fee of Rs. 2,500 along with the complaint. If the complaint is not frivolous or malicious, the fee will be refunded, the Finance Ministry said. 17:48 Thousands of Indonesians again protest Trump's Jerusalem move Thousands protested outside the U.S. Embassy in the Indonesian capital on Sunday against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, many waving banners saying "Palestine is in our hearts". Leaders in Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, have joined a global chorus of condemnation of Trump's announcement, including Western allies who say it is a blow to peace efforts and risks sparking more violence. 17:23 Air India seeks Rs. 1,100 crore for modifying PM,VVIP airplanes Air India is seeking loan worth over Rs. 1,100 crore for modification of two Boeing aircraft scheduled to be acquired next month for ferrying VVIPs, according to an official document. The two Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft are to be delivered in January 2018 and the cost for "modification in its (planes) interior configuration" is estimated to be USD 180 million. At current exchange rates, the amount will translate to over Rs. 1,160 crore. These planes will be used to ferry the President, Vice President and Prime Minister. In a tender document, the national carrier said it would like to avail a bridge loan of up to $180 million to finance the cost of modification. 17:02 Govt hints at reviewing rates in top 28% 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. "We have already reduced GST slabs of 12 percent to 5 percent and 5 percent to zero percent (on 16:32 When I first stated my intent to ensure electrification of villages in Gujarat, the state Congress leaders mocked me. They said it can never happen, they also asked me- you have not headed a Panchayat how can you promise this? We proved them wrong, ensured villages get power: PM, tweets ANI. 16:29 BJP is fighting these elections on the issue of development. Congress is back to their old tricks. A generational shift has not brought in a new political culture for the party. They rely on their same divide and rule politics: PM Modi in Kaalol, tweets ANI. 16:29 The Centre had four days ago filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, alleging that Odisha did not provide sufficient information for setting up a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute. 16:09 Patanjali to manufacture solar energy equipment Baba Ramdev-led Patanjali Ayurved, known for its swadeshi FMCG products, is now venturing into solar equipment manufacturing, a top company official said. The Haridwar-based firm is investing around Rs 100 crore in its Greater Noida facility, near here, for this and the plant would be inaugurated next month. "We would start manufacturing solar panels. The factory is near Greater Noida industrial area and would be inaugurated in January," Patanjali Ayurved MD & CEO Acharya Balakrishna told PTI. "We have invested around Rs 50-60 crore so far and the total investment would be over Rs 100 crore," he said further. 15:52 Salman Nizami who has vowed for Kashmir's 'freedom', is being launched for campaigning in Gujarat and this is being leaked for the consolidation of vote bank. People of Gujarat can see through the cunning ways of Congress: Amit Shah in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, tweets ANI 15:51 People in Godhra want to talk about jobs, power They would rather discuss jobs, persistent power cuts and poor infrastructure which Godhra's voters believe are issues of concern in the ongoing state Assembly election. Read the story here 15:30 Fortis case: Victim's father files police complaint The father of the 7-year-old girl who died of dengue at the Fortis Hospital in Gurgaon, has filed a police complaint against the hospital group, but no FIR has been registered in the case, police said today. In his complaint, Jayant Singh, urged the police to register the FIR for "culpable homicide" owing to criminal negligence against Fortis Hospital, Gurgaon, and also, forgery and destruction of evidence by the hospital management and doctors. Singh held that the hospital was "criminally negligent in the course of his daughter's treatment". Singh also alleged in the complaint that the hospital forged the parents' signatures in "crucial and important treatment-related documents, that is, consent forms". 14:55 McDonald's may appoint new partner for north & east India After months of intense battle with its Indian joint venture partner Vikram Bakshi, fast food giant McDonald's India may soon appoint a licensee partner for the north and east India region. In August this year, McDonald's had terminated franchise agreement for 169 out of its 430 fastfood outlets operated by Bakshi-led Connaught Plaza Restaurant Ltd (CPRL) in north and east India, alleging breach of contract terms and payment default by the operator. Post franchise agreement termination, both the sides are locked in a protracted legal battle at various courts, including National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and the Delhi high court. 14:36 Infosys' settlement move with SEBI is fine, says former Infy CFO Mohandas Pai The Infosys' move to settle with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) the alleged disclosure lapses involving a severance pact is "perfectly fine", the company's former chief financial officer, T V Mohandas Pai, said today. He disagreed with the whistleblower who has reportedly asked the market regulator SEBI to prosecute the IT giant's management and the Board. "Settlement is a normal process. Anybody can file for settlement consent decree from SEBI. There are very clear norms. SEBI can do it; it's SEBI's prerogative," Pai said. 14:14 FPIs net outflow from equities at Rs 4,000 cr in December so far Foreign investors have pulled out more than Rs 4,000 crore from the country's stock markets this month so far, mainly due to rising crude prices and widening fiscal deficit. The outflow comes following an eight-month high inflow of Rs 19,728 crore in November, mainly due to the government's plan to recapitalise PSU banks and surge in India's ranking in the World Bank's ease of doing business. 13:52 Japan, US, South Korea to hold missile tracking drill amid North Korea crisis The United States, Japan and South Korea will hold two days of missile tracking drills starting on Monday, Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force said, as tensions rise in the region over North Korea's fast-developing weapons programmes. The United States and South Korea conducted large-scale military drills last week, which the North said made the outbreak of war "an established fact". 13:42 After bitcoin's wild week, traders brace for futures launch The newest way to bet on bitcoin, the cyptocurrency that has taken Wall Street by storm with its stratospheric price rise and wild daily gyrations, will arrive on Sunday when bitcoin futures start trading. The first bitcoin future trades are set to kick off at 6 pm EST (2300 GMT) on Cboe Global Markets Inc's Cboe Futures Exchange. 13:33 Uber agrees to settle civil lawsuit with Indian woman Uber has agreed to settle a civil lawsuit with an Indian woman who accused the ride-hailing company and its top executives of "unlawfully" obtaining her medical records and engaging in offensive conspiracy theories after a company driver raped her, according to a media report.The 2014 incident in New Delhi had triggered scrutiny into Uber by the Indian government and the company was banned from operating in the national capital till June 2015. 13:22 Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017: This constituency helped turn CM Modi into PM Modi Situated just 21 kilometres from Ahmedabad, Sanand is an important marker on India's industrial map. The city came into prominence close to a decade ago when Tata Motors shifted its Nano car project here from West Bengal's Singur in the wake of a farmers' agitation. Narendra Modi was Gujarat's chief minister at the time and his decision to rescue Tata's dream of making a car for the common man cemented his image as a progressive leader. Some political pundits say it was this masterstroke that propelled him from chief minister to prime minister. Read our full story here 13:11 Modi committed to moving India to lower carbon renewable energy future: World Bank Chief Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has set a very ambitious target for India to reduce its carbon intensity, is committed to moving the country to a lower carbon renewable energy future, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim has said. "I am very optimistic about what could happen with renewable energy (in India). The other thing that's so important is Prime Minister Modi is very personal, very public and very strong support of moving India to a lower carbon renewable energy future," Kim told reporters in a conference call ahead of the One Planet Summit in France on Monday. 12:48 Bitcoin surge, ICOs raise regulatory hackles on 'e-ponzi' fears A gravity-defying bitcoin rally to over Rs 10 lakh apiece, interspersed with 'stories' of people making crores from thousands, has left the regulators flummoxed amid fears that a complete lack of regulatory regime for such cryptocurrencies may give rise to 'e-ponzi' scams. The financial sector watchdogs, including RBI and Sebi, as also various government agencies, will soon get into a huddle to prepare a framework to safeguard the gullible investors and to clamp down on the fraudsters who may try to manipulate the regulatory gaps, a senior official said. 12:41 RBI takes to SMS, missed-call helpline against prize frauds Taking the fight to the arena used by fraudsters promising prize money from the RBI, the central bank has itself launched an SMS campaign and a 'missed-call' helpline to warn people against such scams. Typically, such fraudsters make calls or send SMS and emails to gullible people promising lotteries and prize money from the Reserve Bank -- at times from the RBI Governor himself -- to trap them into sharing their banking account details or paying some 'fees or charges' to get the money. 12:27 Know chalk from cheese! How Parag Milk Foods founder built a Rs 2,000-cr dairy giant Two of the best byproducts of milk butter and cheese are derived from the edible liquid itself. And the chief of one of Indias largest dairy sector players drew inspiration from this inward introspection looking within to see the change outside. When it comes to starting up something on your own, always look for the opportunities around you in your immediate environment, said Devendra Shah, founder of Parag Milk Foods. Read our full story here 12:12 Telecom Commission to consider IMG recommendations on Dec 21 The Telecom Commission is likely to discuss the relief package recommended by an inter-ministerial group for the sector in its meeting scheduled for December 21, a senior official said. The panel, the apex decision making the body of the Telecom Department, may also discuss opening of a new set of spectrum - E-band (71-76 Gigahertz frequency and 81-86 Ghz) and V- band (57-64 Ghz frequency range) for telecom services, the official said. 12:04 Train delays: Railways send 33 lakh SMS warnings in a month Railways have sent out more than 33 lakh text messages to passengers alerting them of their trains being delayed for over an hour since it launched the service last month. The service was started for 102 premium trains on November 3 and till December 7, passengers of 23 pairs of Rajdhani and 26 pairs of Shatabdi and one pair each of Tejas and Gatiman trains have received 33,08,632 SMSes sent out by the Railways at its own expense. 11:55 Budget not likely to be 'populist', says PMEAC Member Rathin Roy The Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Panel Member Rathin Roy has expressed hope that the forthcoming budget will not be 'populist' and will reflect the commitment of the government to improve quality of expenditure. The government, Roy said, will come with yet another good budget, which is likely to be presented on February 1. "I would not think any populism is permissible. I think the government will present a responsible budget, which will reflect its expenditure quality and commitments, he said. 11:35 Govt hints at reviewing rates in top 28% GST bracket After slashing the GST rates of over 200 items last month, the government has 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. "We have already reduced GST slabs of 12 percent to 5 percent and 5 percent to zero percent (on six items). Going forward, we may look at reviewing the 28 per cent slab," Union Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla said at an event here this evening. 11:10 Whistleblower tells SEBI to prosecute Infy board in severance pay case Market regulator SEBI should not let Infosys settle the former CFO Rajiv Bansal's severance case via the 'back door', a whistleblower told the regulator in a letter. The whistleblower urged the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to deny the company's consent plea and hold management accountable in the case. Earlier this week, Infosys had submitted a settlement application to SEBI with regard to issues surrounding the severance package of its former Chief Financial Officer. In the letter, the whistleblower said that the internal probe done the company was a 'real mockery of justice' as the management that precipitated excesses supervised it. 10:40 Rohit Sharma to lead Team India in freezing Dharamsala A confident Indian side will take on Sri Lanka in the first One Day International (ODI) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday. Play begins at 11.30am. The match is a part of the three-match ODI series between the two subcontinent sides. The ODI series follows a three-match Test series between the two sides, played over November. India trumped Sri Lanka 1-0 in the series, with most Indian batsmen scoring lots of runs and making the Lankans toil hard on the field for the better part of all three matches. 10:20 ED seizes assets worth Rs 10.35 cr linked to former IPL chief Amin The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said it has seized mutual funds valued at Rs 10.35 crore under the FEMA law of a company "controlled" by businessman and former IPL Chairman Chirayu Amin in the Panama Papers case. The central probe agency said it seized mutual funds of Whitefield Chemtech Private Limited, "which is controlled by Amin and his family", under section 37A of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). The names of Amin and his family members, it said in a statement, had figured in the Panama Papers case with respect to their stakes/interests in the firm in the British Virgin Islands. 09:55 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. The bank has put up the list of branches with old and new names and IFSC codes on its website. 09:41 Dangal actress alleges sexual harassment on Vistara flight Zaira Wasim, the 17-year-old star of films such as Dangal and Secret Superstar, on Sunday alleged that she was sexually harassed by a co-passenger on a Mumbai-bound Vistara flight. In an Instagram Live video, a tearful Wasim said she was on an Air Vistara flight from Delhi to Mumbai when a co-passenger allegedly started caressing her neck while she was asleep. The teenager said she tried to record the harassment when she felt his hand, but couldnt as the lights were dim. This is not done, I am disturbed Is this how youre going to take care of girls? Wasim said in the video after landing. She also expressed her disappointment at Vistaras cabin crew, saying they failed to help her. Vistara issued a statement saying it was carrying out a detailed investigation and would support the actress in every way required. "We have zero tolerance for such behaviour," the airline said on Twitter. 09:35 US hails end of Islamic State's 'vile occupation' in Iraq The United States hailed the end of the Islamic State group's "vile occupation" of Iraq on Saturday after the Baghdad government declared victory in a three-year war, but warned that the jihadists still posed 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," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. Narendra Modi's BJP EVMs Good morning and welcome to our news blog. It was a busy Saturday on the political front as voting in the first phase of the high-stakes Gujarat elections took place. Almost half of the 182 constituencies in Prime Ministerhome state went to the polls, with a turnout of 68 percent recorded. Thesaid it was confident of a landslide victory. The Congress, meanwhile, alleged that tampering oftook place via Bluetooth a charge that the Election Commission has denied. Nitish Kumar Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Sunday pitched for a nationwide ban on alcohol, and asked party activists to raise awareness among people about the ill effects of liquor consumption. Hitting out at the Congress and left parties, he asked why they could not support ban on liquor and campaign against its consumption. "When Gujarat could implement liquor ban, Bihar could show that it could also be banned in the state, why it cannot be banned in the entire country?" Kumar said addressing a party event here. Stressing that all religions including Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism criticise the liquor consumption, he said ban on liquor in the entire country would be the biggest sign of communal harmony and respect to all the religions. The Bihar chief minister also listed out various benefits of ban on liquor like fall in crime rate, road accidents and various diseases. The Bihar government had imposed a ban on sale and manufacturing of liquor in April, 2016. JD(U) Delhi unit president Narsingh Shah, addressing the event, said the main aim of the party in national capital would be to regularise over 1,600 unauthorised colony if it comes to power. He said the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have failed to fulfill their promise to regularise these colonies where the living condition is "very pathetic". A showroom attendant cleans a Mahindra XUV500 car inside the company's showroom in Mumbai May 30, 2013. Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd , India's biggest utility vehicle manufacturer, said on Thursday consolidated operating margin for the fiscal fourth quarter rose to 14.4 percent from 12 percent a year earlier. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Mahindra & Mahindra, a leading player in electric vehicles in the country, has now set eyes on electrification of some of the models of its South Korean arm SsangYong Motor, a top company official said. The company, which already sells electric vehicles like e-Verito and e2o, is also working to develop electric three-wheelers using a lithium-ion battery. "Mahindra Electric is working with SsangYong to electrify some of their products," the company's CEO Mahesh Babu told PTI. Mahindra Electric, the manufacturer of electric vehicles of the diversified USD 17.8 billion Mahindra Group, will play a key role in the electrification of existing products such as e- Verito and e-Supro for Mahindra's auto division. "We will play a similar role for SsangYong," Babu said. Elaborating on the SsangYong project, he said Mahindra Electric will sell some of the powertrains and electric parts to the South Korean auto firm. "We will supply some electric parts to them and also to Mahindra and they will sell the cars," Babu said. Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) had inked a pact in 2010 to acquire majority stake in SsangYong. When asked about the company's strategy regarding electric vehicles in the domestic market, Babu said: "We have now products in the mass market segment...as part of our strategy going ahead we will get into new technologies with higher power voltage powertrains and higher range products". With already few electric products under its kitty, the company will now focus at expanding its base on the back of new products with higher range and performance, he added. "We are now working to develop three wheelers based on lithium-ion batteries," Babu said. In September, the company had introduced e-rickshaw -- e-Alpha Mini - to cater to last mile connectivity. M&M has earmarked an investment of Rs 600 crore over the next two-three years to expand its electric vehicle production capacity from 500 to 5,000 units a month. The capital will also be utilised to develop new technologies and come up with the infrastructure to produce battery components. The company is also looking to ink joint ventures in the field of power electronics and motors. When asked about the proposed joint ventures, Babu said: "The process is going on. It hasn't yet concluded." Girls in the national capital take into account the distance, route and transport availability while choosing a college than the institution's credentials due to safety concerns, says a study by Brown University PhD scholar Girija Borker. The study titled 'Safety First: Perceived Risk of Street Harassment and Educational Choices of Women' analysed the college choices made by 4,000 girls of the city. "Women are willing to attend a college that is 13.04 percentage points lower in quality than the institution they are eligible for, if they feel the journey will be safer. This is equivalent to choosing a college that is 8.5 ranks lower," the study said. "Men, on the other hand, are willing to attend a college that is only 1.37 percentage points (or 0.9 ranks) lower in quality," it said. The research scholar also pointed out in the study that girls are willing to spend more on travelling to colleges to ensure the safety aspect than boys. "Girls are willing to travel as much as 40 minutes more for a safer journey, whereas boys will increase their travel time by just four minutes for the same reason," the study said. "The survey also indicates that street harassment imposes an external constraint on women's behaviour that could potentially lead to sub-optimal choices. Choosing a worst- ranked college is likely to have long-term consequences since college quality affects a student's academic training, network of peers, access to opportunities and lifetime earnings," Borker stated. Protesters hold a rally outside the U.S. embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, to condemn the U.S. decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, December 10, 2017. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside Thousands protested outside the U.S. Embassy in the Indonesian capital on Sunday against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, many waving banners saying "Palestine is in our hearts". Leaders in Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, have joined a global chorus of condemnation of Trump's announcement, including Western allies who say it is a blow to peace efforts and risks sparking more violence. Thousands of protesters in Muslim-majority countries in Asia have rallied in recent days to condemn the U.S. move. Israel maintains that all of Jerusalem is its capital. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state and say Trump's move has left them completely sidelined. Palestinian people were among the first to recognise Indonesia's independence in 1945, Sohibul Iman, president of the controversial Islamist opposition Prosperous Justice Party which organised the rally, told protesters. Indonesia should be more proactive in "urging the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) member states and U.N. Security Council and the international community to respond immediately with more decisive and concrete political and diplomatic actions in saving the Palestinians from the Israeli occupation and its collaborator, the United States of America," Iman said. "Indonesia as the world's largest Muslim country has the largest responsibility toward the independence of Palestine and the management of Jerusalem," he told reporters, adding that he hoped Indonesia would take a leading role within the OIC on the matter. "Trump has disrupted world peace. It's terrible," one protester, Yusri, told Reuters. The decision was "a major disaster for the Palestinian people, while the Palestinian's own rights have been taken away for a long time," said Septi, a student at the rally. Violence erupted for a third day in Gaza on Saturday in response to Trump's decision, which overturned decades of U.S. policy towards the Middle East. Indonesia's foreign minister left for Jordan on Sunday to meet the Palestinian and Jordanian foreign ministers "to convey Indonesia's full support for Palestine". US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital could provide a lifeline to militants after the setbacks they suffered this year, the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has warned. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan also said that the UAE hopes that Washington would reconsider its decision. Trump's announcement has sparked widespread opposition across the Middle East, with many warning it could affect Washington's role as a Middle East peace broker. "The U.S. move could throw a lifebuoy to terrorist and armed groups, which have begun to lose ground in the region," said Sheikh Mohammed, speaking to a delegation from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The comments were carried in a report on state news agency WAM published late on Saturday. Iraq on Saturday declared final victory over Islamic State after Iraqi forces drove its last remnants from the country, while the group is on the back foot in neighbouring Syria, where an offensive backed by Russia has driven the group out of most of its strongholds. Palestinians want Arab East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, to be the capital of a state they hope would be emerge from peace talks with Israel. Israel has annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally and regards the area as part of its capital. Sheikh Mohammed said Trump's unilateral decision violates U.N. resolutions, and urged Washington to "reconsider its move and work basically in an effective and neutral manner to draft true principles for peace that serve all and realise development and stability in the region", according to WAM. Turning to Yemen, Sheikh Mohammed said the Saudi-led Arab coalition, which includes the UAE, remained committed to a political solution to end the war that began in 2015 when the Iran-aligned Houthis advanced on the southern port city of Aden forcing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee into exile. But he said that any solution "will also not be at the expense of enabling a military militia that operates outside the state authority and posing a direct threat to the security and stability of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the region at large." (Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Keith Weir) The United States hailed the end of the Islamic State group's "vile occupation" of Iraq on Saturday after the Baghdad government declared victory in a three-year war, but warned that the jihadists still posed 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," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. "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 a statement. "We must be vigilant in countering all extremist ideologies to prevent the return of ISIS or the emergence of threats by other terrorist groups." IS seized vast areas north and west of Baghdad in a lightning offensive in 2014, and at its height endangered Iraq's very existence. Iraq fought back with the support of an air campaign waged by a US-led coalition, recapturing town after town from the clutches of the jihadists, often in fierce urban warfare. "Throughout its vile occupation of large areas of Iraq, ISIS showed its despicable nature by using children and other civilians as human shields and turning hospitals, mosques, universities and schools into weapons-making and storage facilities and bases for its terrorist operations," Nauert said. "The global coalition has been proud to support the Iraqi security forces who fought bravely to defeat these terrorists. Leading US defence firms are pushing for a specific framework in India to ensure the safety and security of critical technology and classified defence information when they are shared with the Indian private sector for joint ventures in India. A top official of the US-India Business Council (USIBC) said they also want a government-to-government agreement to facilitate the transfer of classified defence technology and information to the Indian private sector besides clarity on issues relating to liability, intellectual property rights and industrial safety. Benjamin Schwartz, Senior Director for Defense and Aerospace at the Washington-based USIBC, said there was no provision for sharing classified defence information by American companies with the Indian private sector at present and a government-to-government agreement was necessary to facilitate it. "US companies are willing to ensure transfer of critical technology to India but the Indian government has to ensure protection of critical and classified technology," he told PTI in an interview. Schwartz, who held extensive talks with the defence establishment here on several sticky issues during a visit to India, said under the existing framework, American companies can share classified information and technology with India's defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) and not with the private sector. "Right now, there is no mechanism in place to allow the US companies to extend classified information to private Indian industries," he said, adding it was for New Delhi to initiate the process for a government-to-government agreement to remove the hurdle. The USIBC has been playing a pro-active role in forging greater collaboration between Indian and American defence industries. Holding that the American industry was very supportive of India's strategic partnership model, he said the Indian government needed to come out with a timeline for various acquisition programmes, besides establishing a framework for the safety of classified information and technology. "They need to establish procedures to ensure security of defence technology here. What I mean by it is that the reality in India and also in the US and around the world is that information is being stolen...We have to set up procedures to make sure that our defence technology is secure (in India)," he said. Schwartz said Washington "definitely" wanted to go for an agreement to facilitate the transfer of classified information and technology by American companies to India and that "it is about getting things done in New Delhi." He said the American private defence industry was in touch with the Trump administration on the issue of technology transfer to India and the US government has been very supportive of such collaborations. "We held extensive conversations with the US government on technology transfer. We are very pleased that there has been a lot of continuity in US policy. The Trump administration wants to continue to prioritise technology release to India. It is also going to be re-articulated in US law this year," he said. Schwartz said the USIBC supports Modi government's policy initiative to ensure a level playing field for the DPSUs and India's private sector defence industry. "We can help support this through an agreement that will allow us to share classified information with the private sector industry," he said. A number of American defence giants including Boeing and Lockheed Martin are eyeing billions of dollars of contracts in India and have already offered to manufacture some of their key military platforms in India while forging joint ventures with Indian companies. Schwartz said liability issues, intellectual property rights issues and industrial security procedures are some of the key areas the US firms want clarity on. "I think we are quite hopeful that with communication and goodwill we can reach out solutions." Indo-US defence ties are on an upswing and both New Delhi and Washington have said they are committed to expanding it further. In June 2016, the US had designated India a "Major Defence Partner" intending to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners. State officials announce $2.85M for new police station in Upper Moreland December 10, 2017 Weekly Review And Open Thread 2017-45 Last week's posts on Moon of Alabama: Dec 4 - Yemen Without Saleh The unexpected end of Yemen's former president Saleh was followed by a Houthi campaign against his functionaries in Sanaa. At the same time the Saudi and UAE proxy forces in south-Yemen renewed their attacks towards Sanaa. The Houthi need to hold back on revenge against Saleh followers and concentrate on defense against the advancing enemy forces. Dec 5 - Slapstick In Kiev Saakashvili escaped the police, first by fleeing over the roofs of Kiev and then by being freed from a police car through the help of his supporters. He has since been apprehended again and is now in jail. No noise was heard from those foreign powers who supported the 2014 coup in Kiev. Only a few neocons still seem to hope that Saakashvili can play a role in their games. But without a big push from outside in favor of Saak the nazis and oligarchs that rule Kiev will let him rot in jail. That would a well deserved end of his career. Dec 6 - Trump Settles Debt With Zionists - Confirms That Iran's Struggle Is Righteous The "Arab leaders", aka the Gulf sheiks, have been mostly mum about Trump's prostration to the Zionists. The mildly criticizes his Jerusalem decision but took no action at all. Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah and leaders of militia in Iraq and Syria have publicly shown some backbone and called fro active resistance. They have a long-term strategy of building up forces to tackle Israel. The decisive action following from Trump's remarks on Jerusalem is still years away. Dec 7 - Republican 'Deficit Hawks' Republican's betray their voters. Nothing new here, so do the Democrats. A welcome side-effect of the whole Russia-gate theater is to detract from the Democrats support for the Republican agenda. Dec 8 - Trump Is Bashing The 'Salvator Saudi' - Why? Yesterday the WSJ and the NYT had pieces on the changed atmosphere between Trump and the Saudis. But just like us they found no clue of what is really going on behind the scene. A head-fake? Dec 9 - Syria - ISIS Is Defeated - The U.S. Is Next In Line The Iranian General Soleimani is warning the U.S. military to leave Syria. He predicts that it can not hold the ground. The Kurds are slowly moving back into the Syrian-Russian-Iranian camp. The neocons at the British Henry Jackson Society are already up in arms about this and foresee the end of the U.S. occupation. How do they feel about being in the same camp as Soleimani? Please use the comments as open thread ... Posted by b on December 10, 2017 at 16:13 UTC | Permalink Comments Thanks to Nigel the Nutcracker from The Warehouse, we are granting wishes across the country! There is a consensus that U.S. shale producers are winning the tug of war with members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. One reason is that the two sides are playing different games, said John Harpole, founder and president of Littleton, Colorado-based Mercator Energy. Harpole, addressing last weeks annual CO2/ROZ Conference at the Horseshoe, told his audience that OPEC countries dont understand capitalism or property rights. They dont understand what were doing. State-owned oil companies are playing a long-term game, he said, while American shale producers are playing a short-term investment cycle game, Harpole said. I dont think OPEC understands that business model. They dont understand capitalism or fee ownership. And how to you explain George Mitchell and his persistence? he said, referring to the founder of Mitchell Energy, who found a way to utilize hydraulic fracturing to crack open shale rocks. The efficiencies that have been gained in the last few years were unimaginable just 10 years ago, he said. Having to report to your shareholders every week, every day, how efficient you are, has driven efficiency. State-owned companies dont grasp that, he said. The nations shale revolution is building an economic backbone that provides the nation with energy security that will let it withstand the threat of being cut off from Middle Eastern oil, Harpole said. The United States is forecast to exit 2018 producing 9.6 million barrels of oil per day, he said. From 2009 to 2014, 55 percent of the growth in petroleum and natural gas liquids came from the United States. Harpole went on to discuss uncertainties facing the industry, including the threat of a war with North Korea and how that could impact U.S. exports to that region. He said 10 percent of South Koreas liquefied natural gas comes from Cheniere Energys Sabine Pass facility. Other uncertainties are the unrest in Venezuela; what would happen in a face-off between Saudi Arabia and Iran; and the battle between China, Japan and the Philippines over the South China Sea. He said a third of the worlds crude and more than half of its LNG come through the South China Sea. The growth in U.S. crude and natural gas production has the country poised to meet any decline in worldwide production for the foreseeable future, Harpole said. In the meantime, efficiency, efficiency, efficiency is driving growth in domestic oil field activity, he said. Half of the drilling rigs that have been put to work have been added in the Permian Basin, but there are sweet spots in other basins, Harpole said. Ray Benson and his western swing band Asleep at the Wheel have been part of the fabric of Texas music culture since 1973. Willie Nelson, Robert Earl Keen and Dale Watson read like a list of music icons from the Lone Star state but they are also Bensons friends and contemporaries. Benson is important to Texas music today and yesterday but it was the tuba that got him on his way. I played the tuba for the orchestra in high school, he said in a phone interview from Austin. Benson also played bass fiddle, but the tuba made some kind of impression on him. He enjoyed playing in brass quintets during the holidays. He even joined some jazz combos. His time playing in the high school orchestra and marching band is what led him all the way to Thursdays performance benefiting the Midland Odessa Symphony and Chorale. IF YOU GO: "Merry Texas Christmas Y'all" with Asleep at the Wheel benefiting the Midland Odessa Symphony and Chorale. 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center, 1310 N. Farm-to-Market Road 1788. $25-$75. MOSC.org. See More Collapse Oh, yeah, that time really taught me about music but I didn't know I was gonna be a professional musician, he said. The only advice I got at that time was that if I wanted to play the tuba, I wasnt going to meet any girls. Now he supports symphonies and orchestras as much as he can. The band has teamed up with MOSC before, and hes also played with other symphonies throughout the state. He can even relate to them in his own way. Music is so important, and it can be difficult with all the players. I got a big band with eight members and thats tough to keep going. So I love supporting music organizations like the symphony with all their players. The cities that have a symphony or orchestra -- those are the lucky ones, he said. Benson, a former member of the Texas Cultural Trust, is in full support of the arts as organizations struggle to obtain funding. He said the arts generate an economy but also are nice to have. He said the main thing is, the arts make life better. And for musically inclined youth, theres an added benefit. For young people, music really opens up the brain and can translate into far many other things, he said. Thats what happens when you include music in your life and appreciate the great music of the world. Bensons appreciation for music culture goes in another direction as well. He supports and promotes the work by the nonprofit Texas Dance Hall Preservation that endeavors to save dance halls and its culture. Thats where we started, Benson said. We were living in the Bay area in California before coming to Texas, and they had no idea how to dance to this music there. We came to Texas and played nothing but dance halls with people doing the two-step and Cotton-Eyed Joe. The band has performed on the Texas Dance Hall Tour, bringing out people for a night of dancing to live music to perpetuate the Texana aspect. In smaller town, they are falling down. But they werent just dance halls; they were community gathering places. And they were all over. Theres still about 400 left, he said. Gruene Hall in New Braunfels is one of the more familiar and famous ones, and Sons of Hermann Hall in Dallas continues to host dance nights and campfire jams. Many of the old halls were built by German or Czech communities in Central and East Texas. But Benson said West Texas had its share. There was a line of them throughout the area, I believe, starting in Lubbock, he said. These are the places where Ray Price, George Strait and Willie cut their teeth. Its our history. He isnt sure if folks will be dancing at the Wagner Noel, but he hopes some will get up during the bands Merry Texas Christmas Yall show. With three albums and a streak of clever humor, Asleep at the Wheel has embraced the holiday but also practically defined Christmas in Texas. The nice thing about Christmas music is its secular and religious so its good for everyone. But we like doing it our own way with our western swing and sense of humor -- which people can tell when we perform Christmas in Jail, Benson said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate THE FACILITY Walking through the sliding doors of the Ally Outdoors facility, what comes into view is not the expected sight of a retail gun store. Visitors walk through an elegant open entryway, past a trendy cafe, and into a well-lit showroom with high-quality outdoor items displayed openly. A very Texan, come and stay a while mentality pervades the showroom, as customers are invited to handle the items on display. At one end of the store, two customers pass a CZ 12 gauge shotgun between them, discussing the reliability of the gas operating system, and at another end of the showroom, a customer hoists a Leupold rifle scope up to his eyes, testing the clarity of the glass firsthand before making a purchase. The 60,000 square-foot facility, featuring a range, gunsmith, VIP lounge and restaurant, is one of the largest indoor range facilities in the state of Texas, according to Ally Outdoors officials. Midland had a need, says Collier Pennington, chief operations officer of Ally Outdoors. We can expand the quality of life as far as finding outdoor items and helping people out. James Gripp, chief executive officer, agreed, saying Ally is not a place for just certain people. Its a place for everybody. Families, women, children, everybody can come enjoy this place. An on-site cafe features products from Midland Meat Company and also offers a kids menu. Local Midlander Kali Davis, chef of the Ally cafe, said she is really proud of this new place in Midland for local people to come eat fresh food, good food, for lunch hour. Im proud that Midland is getting some cool new places, Davis said. Speaking with the owners and employees of Ally Outdoors, it is obvious how proud they all are of what Ally Outdoors brings to the Permian Basin. Its finally here and its better than we expected, Pennington said THE RANGE The Ally Outdoors range features 35 individual shooting lanes. The total divides out to five 100-yard lanes, 12 standard 25-yard lanes, six tactical 25-yard lanes, six VIP membership lanes and six archery/pellet gun lanes. Isaac Urias, range manager at Ally Outdoors, brags that it is very rare for an indoor range to have 100-yard lanes. It allows you to get that perfect zero, said Urias, and you dont have to worry about the outside conditions. Urias is also quick to address a common issue that comes with shooting a rifle at an indoor range; excessive noise. Urias pointed out baffling installed at the end of the lane openings that serve to keep muzzle blast from entering the adjacent lanes. Sound deadening material and angular baffling was also present on the walls and ceiling the entire length of the 100-yard bay. It has been my personal experience when shooting common sporting rifles at indoor ranges that wearing foam ear plugs under ear muffs (doubling up the ear protection) is the most comfortable way to endure the noise. At Ally Outdoors, I removed the foam plugs and was completely comfortable with a standard ear muff, without electronic noise dampening, even standing a few feet from a rifle featuring an aggressive muzzle brake. Moving on to the standard 25-yard bays, they appeared similar to those in other indoor ranges. I did notice an abundance of sound deadening material in these bays as well. The target controls are electronic and represent the latest in range technology. The real fun began once I entered the tactical bays. Tactical bays are available to those who choose to pay for the mid-level and high-level club memberships. They feature wider lanes with smart target carriers that have interactive drills. Digital touch screens are positioned in each bay and are used to control the interactive shooting experience. Targets will change distance and present themselves at randomly timed intervals, increasing the level of marksmanship and discretion that is required to make a hit. The top tier VIP membership package ensures access to the same tactical bays but in a separate, private VIP area. THE RETAIL SPACE The 60,000 square foot facility dedicates 8,500 square feet to retail sales. Friendly staff members appeared eager to assist and were seen conversing with customers. Dane Bowden, retail manager at Ally Outdoors, rattled off a list of premium outdoor clothing brands represented in the store, including Arcteryx, Vertx, First Lite, Sitka and Oakley. Fishing equipment, clothing and knives abound in the store, but when it comes to guns, the amount of inventory on hand at Ally Outdoors is staggering to behold. Many of the popular sporting arms are displayed on open racks where prospective customers can handle them to their hearts content. Gun prices at Ally Outdoors are competitive, even compared to internet sellers, and many hard-to-find items were on hand at reasonable prices. Pistols in the Sig Sauer Legion series are popular at the moment, and there were three variations displayed at Ally Outdoors, including a less common single-action P226 version. The price on that particular firearm was identical to the lowest advertised price I could find online using a popular price-scouring search engine. I also noticed two uncommon Glock 19 models in inventory, one a RTF (Rough Textured Frame) and the other a Gen 4 in full flat dark earth livery, and both were within $50 of the lowest advertised price I could find online. After adding shipping and FFL transfer fees the difference in price for the online items is hardly noticeable. SAFETY It was apparent that safety was a top priority at Ally Outdoors. The staff is in constant communication via radio headsets and all areas of the facility are monitored. Guns enter and exit the range in closed cases. New shooters, identified via a questionnaire on the mandatory waiver, receive extra attention. Ranges are monitored remotely, via computer and human overwatch. I witnessed this system in action during my visit to the 100-yard range, when the door to the bay did not close completely. Within one minute the automated range software identified a fault with the door that could affect the ventilation and notified staff members to close the door. MEMBERSHIP (Prices are introductory rates and are subject to change after Dec. 15) Military/Law Enforcement/First Responder discount - Half-off registration fee, $10 off monthly Non-member walk-ins $20/hr 25-yard range $30/hr 100-yard range Standard Individual Membership 25-yard bay access 100-yard bay access at $10/hr Ability to reserve your lane online Eye and ear protection provided Two basic standard targets/day provided $10 for each additional guest One-time registration fee: $100 Monthly membership fee: $50 (discounted rate for paying one year up front: $550) Standard Family Membership Primary user, secondary user, 2 kids under 21 years old 25-yard bay access 100-yard bay access at $10/hr Ability to reserve your lane online Eye and ear protection provided Two basic standard targets/day provided $10 for each additional guest One-time registration fee: $150 Monthly membership fee: $75 (discounted rate for paying one year up front: $825) Tactical Individual Membership Tactical 25-yard bay access 100-yard bay access Ability to reserve your lane online Eye and ear protection provided Basic standard targets provided One specialty target/day provided 25 guest passes/year $10 for each additional guest Two complimentary FFL transfers/year 5 percent retail discount 10 percent training/event discount One-time registration fee: $150 Monthly membership fee: $125 (discounted rate for paying one year up front: $1,375) Tactical Family Membership Primary user, secondary user, 2 kids under 21 years old Tactical 25-yard bay access 100-yard bay access Ability to reserve your lane online Eye and ear protection provided Basic standard targets provided One specialty target/day provided 25 guest passes/year $10 for each additional guest Two complimentary FFL transfers/year 5 percent retail discount 10 percent training/event discount One-time registration fee: $200 Monthly membership fee: $185 (discounted rate for paying one year up front: $2,035) Small Business Membership Four members Tactical 25-yard bay access 100-yard bay access Ability to reserve your lane online Eye and ear protection provided Basic standard targets provided One specialty target/day provided 100 guest passes/year $10 for each additional guest Two complimentary FFL transfers/year 5 percent retail discount 10 percent training/event discount One-time registration fee: $1,500 Monthly membership fee: $200 (discounted rate for paying one year up front: $2200) VIP Membership Primary user, secondary user, 2 kids under 21 years old Private tactical 25-yard bay access 100-yard bay access Ability to reserve your lane online Eye and ear protection provided Basic standard targets provided Specialty targets provided 25 guest passes/year $10 for each additional guest Two complimentary FFL transfers/year 10 percent retail discount 15 percent training/event discount Free basic rentals Free basic machine gun rentals 15 percent private event discount VIP lounge access with concierge Conference room access Snacks and drinks One-time registration fee: $3,000 Monthly membership fee: $250 (discounted rate for paying one year up front: $2,750) VIP Corporate Membership Four members Private tactical 25-yard bay access 100-yard bay access Ability to reserve your lane online Eye and ear protection provided Basic standard targets provided Specialty targets provided 100 guest passes/year $10 for each additional guest Two complimentary FFL transfers/year 10 percent retail discount 15 percent training/event discount Free basic rentals Free basic machine gun rentals 15 percent private event discount VIP lounge access with concierge Conference room access Snacks and drinks One-time registration fee: $6,000 Monthly membership fee: $400 (discounted rate for paying one year up front: $4,400) Lynette Oakes wanted to develop the character she portrays for Back to Bethlehem. For the last few years, members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church have recreated a setting designed to show how Bethlehem might have looked when Jesus was born. Guests, who walk through the churchs Community Life Center at Military and Lincoln avenues, can see a little town that includes church members dressed as shopkeepers, shepherds, centurions and Mary and Joseph. Many years, a baby not a doll plays the starring role of baby Jesus. Its fun to see the kids and their eyes as they enter Back to Bethlehem, Oakes said. I think theyre amazed by it all. This year, the little town of Bethlehem will come to life once again from 5-7:30 p.m. Sunday in the Community Life Center. Admission is free. Guests can meander down streets of the small, recreated town which features a few live animals. Attendees are treated to free coffee, water, hot chocolate and cookies. Bell ringers perform in the sanctuary. Oakes, who plays a candle maker, created a little story she could tell guests. She portrays a widow with many children, who must sell candles to help support her family. I had people starting to try to buy my candles, because of my story, she said. Grandparents were giving their grandkids money to put in my little tin cup. She tried to dissuade guests from doing that, but theyd say: No, we want you to have this. Oakes made sure the money went into the church offering. That was not a planned thing, she said. But now the shopkeepers give little mementos to the children. When the children come in, theyre given a little bag with play money coins with which they can buy items. Oakes gives little candles. A basket weaver provides little baskets and a potter gives little items made of a generic Play Doh. The program has evolved. Every year, weve added more and more, Oakes said. Butch McDuffee and Dallas Webb portray Roman centurions. Its fun, McDuffee said. I get to wander around and talk to all the kids. As soon as people walk in they are greeted by a census taker (because in the Bible, a census was being taken and Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem to register). The census taker asks guests to sign in, writing their names and where they were born on a list. People from Japan, New York and Hawaii have signed the list. Its a neat thing, McDuffee said. Dee Thomas, leadership council member, said at least 75 volunteers help with the project, which draws people from Fremont and surrounding areas. Its an outreach to the public to start the Christmas season, Thomas said. Turnout for the annual event has been good and future plans are to continue hosting it. As far as I know, were going to keep doing this every year, Thomas said. Its been a good thing. Tax receipt results were mixed for area communities in the Heralds coverage area according to a recent report on sales tax allocations to area communities and counties by Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar. This week, Hegar announced that his office would be sending, counties, transit systems and special purpose taxing districts nearly $695 million in local sales tax allocations for December, 10.8 percent more than in December 2016. These allocations are based on sales made in October by businesses that report tax monthly. Billy Wayne Sinclair, a convicted killer who won awards as an inmate journalist and called attention to a 1980s Louisiana pardon-selling scandal, was out of prison and on his way to Houston Monday night. Sinclair had served 40 years of a 90-year sentence for killing a Baton Rouge convenience store clerk in a 1965 robbery. He won a parole Friday on a 3-0 vote, said Margaretta Blades of the parole board. "He plans to live in Texas," Blades said. "The parole is for him to move to that state." Reached on her cell phone, Sinclair's wife, Jodie, confirmed the couple was driving to Texas. She refused further comment. His lawyer, Charles "C.D." Jones, also declined to comment. Sinclair gained fame for his work on The Angolite, the inmate publication at Louisiana State Penitentiary, and often traveled _ unshackled but accompanied by guards _ for speaking engagements outside prison walls. He became known as a journalist along with Wilbert Rideau, a fellow Angola inmate who was released from prison last year. Sinclair also came into the public eye as a government witness who helped expose a 1980s pardon-selling scandal in Louisiana. He told authorities what he knew after rejecting an offer for his release for a $15,000 bribe. The state Pardon Board voted in 1991 to cut Sinclair's no-parole life sentence to 75 years, but Gov. Buddy Roemer put the sentence at 90 years, making his earliest possible good-behavior release date April 2011. Because of stiff opposition from family and friends of the victim, J.C. Bodden, the Louisiana Parole Board had refused to set him free. "I'm not happy about it at all," Bodden's sister, Flo Babin, said Monday night. "I was told, let the system work _ let the judicial system work. I was at the trial. I attended every day of it. He got the death sentence. He was going to be electrocuted. Well, the death penalty, they ruled that part of it was unconstitutional, the Supreme Court did. The system didn't work. It failed me." Once Sinclair escaped execution, Babin said she and the rest of the family counted on his being in prison for the rest of his life. "Well, that part didn't work out," Babin said. "His sentence got commuted and they said, in the year 2011, he would be paroled. Again, the system didn't work. Today, he's free from prison. The system failed us." Sinclair had not been allowed to speak with a reporter from prison for the past 10 years. After he cooperated with the FBI, he was sent to a minimum-security prison in Baton Rouge, but was jerked out and sent to the maximum-security Wade Correctional Center in 1994 _ for kissing his wife in the prison parking lot _ at least according to the state police commander at the time. Sinclair claimed the transfer was in retaliation for his cooperation in the pardon-selling investigation that brought down Pardon Board chairman Howard Marsellus. The scandal occurred during the third administration of Gov. Edwin Edwards; the transfer took place during Edwards' fourth administration. Rideau and Sinclair were both spared execution when the Supreme Court overturned the death penalty laws that existed in 1972. Their magazine won national prizes including the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award and the George Polk Award for special interest reporting. He and Rideau often traveled together for speaking engagements outside prison walls. While at Wade during the late 1990s, Sinclair wrote a book "A Life in the Balance" about his early life at the hands of a violent father, the crime that landed him on death row, the bloodshed years at the Angola penitentiary in the 1970s and the pardon-selling scandal. Sinclair is in poor health, afflicted by Kearns-Sayre syndrome, a rare neuromuscular disorder that creates heart and vision problems, according to his wife. Jodie Sinclair, a one-time television journalist who met Sinclair at the Louisiana State Penitentiary while interviewing him in the early 1980s, said her husband cannot open his eyes because of the disease. He also has heart problems, she said. As anyone who's flown in or out of SFO knows, San Francisco takes on a special allure from the air. Way up high, the bay's natural beauty is even more striking, accentuated on two sides by the region's signature bridges. It's a beauty that local photographer Michael Shainblum knows well, as evidenced by his recent collection of aerial photographs over the city. Shainblum, who specializes in timelapse, aerial and Milky Way photography, first shot SF from a chopper in 2014, when he split a ride with two friends. Since that first helicopter ride, he's had the opportunity to take flights over the Rockies, Kauai and Los Angeles. "My favorite sight is when the city lights are on after dark, being right on the top over the downtown skyline," Shainblum said. "Seeing the little cars below and watching the vivid city lights from a high perspective." SEE MORE: Shainblum captures magical Milky Way photos of Bay Area His favorite San Francisco shot is one he captured of the Bay Bridge being framed by Coit Tower, Nob Hill and the Transamerica Pyramid (image three in the above slideshow). Now Playing: Google Earth gives an aerial view of the San Francisco and some of its most famous landmarks. Video: Google Earth "It is a unique perspective of the city skyline that really shows of San Francisco's layers and hills," he said. "It is also cool to see Mount Diablo in the background through the sunrise haze." If you're interested in seeing more of Shainblum's work he's also collaborated with big-name clients like Nike, Disney and BMW you can check out his website or follow him on Instagram. More of his aerial images can be seen in the gallery above. A researcher is suing Stanton Glantz, a prominent UCSF professor and anti-tobacco crusader, accusing him of sexual harassing her when she worked for him. Eunice Neeley, a postdoctoral researcher for Glantz from 2015 to June 2017, said the professor repeatedly stared at her body and chest, leered at her, forced her to hug him on several occasions and made sexually charged remarks, according to the suit filed in San Francisco Superior Court Wednesday. Neeley reported the harassment to the university, but no immediate action was taken to protect her and other female subordinates from misogynistic and racially insensitive behavior, according to the suit. Neeley, who is African American, says the university and Glantz, who is white, retaliated against her for reporting the behavior, and removed authorship credit for a paper she researched and wrote. Neeley is seeking emotional distress damages but has not requested a specific amount, said Kelly Armstrong, her attorney. Glantz, director of the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, denied the charges. On Thursday, he posted a statement on the centers website denying every claim reported to be included in this lawsuit. The same allegations were made to the University of California in March, and the university has yet to complete its investigation into the matter, he wrote. Glantz said he has been cooperating with the investigation and has provided documentation that he says will show the allegations are not supported. The suit was first reported by Buzzfeed. It is not the first time the UC system has come under scrutiny for the way it handles sexual harassment allegations. From 2013 to 2016, the university fired less than half of the 57 employees who sexually assaulted or inappropriately touched students, colleagues or patients, The Chronicle reported in March. In April, the UC regents agreed to pay $1.7 million to settle a lawsuit saying former Berkeley Law School Dean Sujit Choudhry inappropriately touched and kissed a former assistant. Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Western Connecticut received several inches of snow Saturday according to the National Weather Service. Snowfall reported late Saturday ranged from about four inches in Stratford and Milford to seven inches or so in Shelton, New Canaan and Monroe. Danbury reported about six inches, according to the National Weather Service. Easton and Fairfield had about six inches as well. Stamford and Seymour had about 5.5 inches, Weston had five inches and Darien, Greenwich and the Bridgeport airport reported about 4.5 inches, according to the National Weather Services last snowfall report, which was published Sunday morning. The National Weather Service issued a statement around 5:45 a.m. Sunday, reminding drivers to be careful of black ice. Some roadways and walkways across the region are either snow covered, slushy, or wet. Temperatures will remain at or below freezing through mid morning, resulting in icy conditions,especially on any untreated surfaces, according to the National Weather Services statement. More for you Snow totals for western Connecticut State police responded to about 354 motor vehicle accidents between 8 a.m. Saturday and 6:30 a.m. Sunday. Of those, 31 incidents had minor injuries. Troopers also responded to about 228 motorist assists, which includes spin-outs and disabled vehicles, said Sgt. Eric Haglund. Local police departments also reported a lot of motor vehicle accidents due to the snow on Saturday. Bethel responded to 15 motor vehicle accidents for the entire day on Saturday and Ridgefield had at least 20 accidents. Greenwich also reported a lot of minor motor vehicle accidents, but none with injuries. A Stamford dispatcher said they didnt have a lot of motor vehicle accidents late Saturday because not many people were on the road. Everyone stayed in once it got dark, the dispatcher said. Area families got a boost to their holiday cheer during a toy distribution held by members of the New York Fire Department and other volunteers at Community Christian Church in Orange Saturday. Retired and active members of the NYFD held the event at three area churches, including North Baptist Church in Orange and St. Anthony's Basilica in Beaumont. It was part of the Stephen Siller Foundation Tunnel to Towers' efforts to help bring Christmas to families throughout Southeast Texas in the wake of Tropical Storm Harvey's devastating impact on the community. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Jury foreman Mixtli Bolanos, 9, and his friend wanted to convict Santa Claus of endangering children and violating the law that separates church and state. But the other jurors, also fourth-graders at James Bonham Academy, brought Mixtli around Saturday morning, reminding him what happened after Santa passed out candy in the federal courtroom. They called my bluff, and they said that I ate the candy, Mixtli said. And I did. Thus Santa, aka Kris Kringle or Luis Miranda, walked free after the 24th annual mock trial inspired by the movie Miracle on 34th Street. In addition to filling the jury, Bonham fourth-graders served as clerks and bailiffs. Prosecuting and defense attorneys were Boy Scouts from Troop 285 working toward citizenship badges. The U.S. District Court Committee and the San Antonio Bar Association helped organize the trial, with federal Judge Henry J. Bemporad presiding. The annual mock trial began with Burnet Elementary, but it has been a Bonham project since Burnet closed almost 20 years ago. Its just a really fun thing for the kids to learn how the judicial process works, said Sona Ramirez, a partner at Strasburger & Price and a member of the federal court committee. The case began with the San Antonio Police Department arresting Santa at 1 p.m. Wednesday as he was passing out candy and toys at Bonham. He is tried on similar charges every year in federal court. Hes always been acquitted except once a few years ago, when the prosecutors did an especially good job and Santa did not tamper with the jury enough, Ramirez said. Santas tampering Saturday took the form of passing out candy to jurors, court staffers, Bemporad and the audience. The defense will also say that Kris is a nice and innocent man who is just spreading joy to children, Gage Lagueux, 13, the lead prosecutor, said during opening arguments. Hes allowed to do this, just not at public schools. The fact of the matter is, he broke the law, and no one not me, not you, or even the president is above the law. After that argument, Santa handed out lumps of coal to the four prosecutors. The principal does not care about the happiness of the kids that are receiving the gifts, said Quinn Niebergall, 13, the lead defense attorney. He only cares about his job and making sure that he doesnt get in trouble with the board of education. On the stand, Santa maintained that he has a toy factory at the North Pole, from which his reindeer fly to deliver presents to the worlds children in one night because it makes them happy. No-ho-ho-ho, he sobbed as prosecutors and witnesses attacked him. Sean Hughes, father of a Scout defense attorney, testified for the prosecution in the assumed role of psychiatrist and author of the book Delusions of the Elderly. Another Scout father posed as a cultural anthropologist who argued that gift-giving is not a uniquely Christian pastime, and a third became a postman who gave Santa federal recognition by delivering him letters. Jake Ryan Stroope, 4, the son of an attorney at Strasburger & Price, took the stand to answer confidently that Santa makes him happy and Kris Kringle is Santa Claus. It took the jury almost 20 minutes to acquit. Santa didnt do anything to deserve this, Mixtli said after announcing the verdict. He brings families together. Tomorrow or the next day, I will decorate for Christmas. Yes, time is ticking. Isnt it always? Im not worried. Christmas will happen at my house. All the things I need or want to do will either get done or they wont. And it will still be Christmas. Pretty soon Ill wade hipdeep into shopping and baking and decorating. But not today. Today, my husband and I are still recovering from a 12-hour drive from California, where we visited family, to our home in Las Vegas, where we can sleep, hallelujah, in our own bed. No matter the location, or how high the thread count, no bed on Earth is as good as your own. We pulled into the garage and unpacked the car. Then I fell into bed and slept 10 hours. Ive been drinking coffee for three days and Im still not caffeinated enough to decorate a tree. On the drive home, we talked about maybe not doing a tree this year. Its just the two of us. We could go out to dinner, keep it simple. I was almost sold on it. This changed my mind. Near Sonoma, we drove past hills that had been blackened by wildfires a month ago. More than 8,000 homes and other buildings were destroyed, and countless lives devastated. But recent rains had drenched those hills. And on the ground beneath fire-scorched oaks, new grass was bursting forth in a dazzling green promise that hope rises even from ashes. Life persists. And so does the spirit of Christmas. You cant call it up on speed dial. You can shop and bake and decorate, crank up the Christmas music, watch Its a Wonderful Life and hang colored lights around your neck. But you wont feel the spirit of Christmas until it finds you. Its a gift that opens in your heart the moment you are ready to receive it. Until then, all you can do is wait for it, and watch for it, and believe in it. When it shows up, youll find yourself smiling in wonder and surprise. So what makes us ready to open the Christmas spirit gift? For me, its something different most every year: Seeing my dad, when I was 5, down on his knees, swearing under his breath, assembling the dollhouse of my dreams. Finding my toddler grinning like a mule eating briars under the Christmas tree, where he had removed every stick-on bow from every package and stuck them all on his head. Directing 20 kids, including my three, in a church Christmas pageant in which my oldest, a shepherd, brought down the house by using the crook of his staff to snag a wandering sheep. Leaning out of an upstairs window with my first husband, three weeks before he lost his battle with cancer, and listening to carolers on the street sing my favorite carol, O Holy Night. Driving to Yosemite with two of my grown children to spend Christmas in a hotel room with their brother, who was working that year in the park. Laughing at my new husband in our new home in Las Vegas, hearing him swear under his breath while hanging Christmas lights on the back fence. This year, Christmas found me early, when I saw green grass growing on fire-ravaged hills. Tomorrow, or the next day, when Im more caffeinated, Ill drag the fake tree in from the garage. (Here in the desert, fresh-cut trees stay fresh about 5 minutes.) My husband will help, and hell try not to swear. We will celebrate Christmas, just the two of us, for our family and friends, wherever they may be, from California to Carolina, or in heaven above. But mostly we will celebrate for us for the blessed gift of life and love that was born in poverty long ago, and is reborn each day in our hearts and hopes and dreams, and in green grass on fire-ravaged hills. May the spirit of Christmas find you and never let you go. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Alexandro M. Luna Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Alexandro M. Luna Show More Show Less 3 of 3 A man was shot and killed Saturday night while stopped at a red light on the Northeast Side, police said. San Antonio police Sgt. John Carey said police received multiple calls of a shooting around 9:12 p.m. near the 6500 block of Rittiman Road and FM 78. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Babies cried, older children stuck their fingers in their ears, and unwary tourists at La Villita were shaken Saturday afternoon as blasts of cannon fire and musket shots replaced the quaint tranquillity. Oh my god. I wasnt expecting this. My heart is pounding, Allie Vallery, 53, visiting from California, said after she and daughter Anna were caught in a street battle between brightly uniformed Mexican soldiers and a ragtag force of Texian rebels. We just walked into this. I saw the costumes, and I said, This could be good, But we got more than our moneys worth, Vallery said of the re-enactment of the Battle of Bejar presented by the San Antonio Living History Association. The annual event commemorates the December 1835 battle to end the siege of San Antonio and liberate it from Mexican federal forces. The city was occupied by a Mexican army of about 600 men led by Gen. Martin Perfecto de Cos who had been sent by President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna to reassert federal control over the rebellious citizens of the north. Instead, after marching into San Antonio de Bejar, Cos and his army found themselves trapped and surrounded. They were eventually forced to surrender. The 1835 military confrontation culminated in the capitulation of Cos in a private residence at La Villita, since known as the Cos House. That ceremony was re-enacted Saturday in Maverick Plaza after an ear-splitting battle between the two armies that filled the plaza with gray smoke. The Saturday surrender ended with the symbolic handover of a sword by a Mexican officer to rebel leader Gen. Edward Burleson, played by Bart Tyler. The terms of the capitulation were also read one by one Saturday. One of them proved not to be binding on Cos. Although Cos had agreed not to again make war in Texas, in return for safe passage back to Mexico, he returned a few months later with Santa Anna for the siege of the Alamo. He also fought in the battle of San Jacinto in which the Mexican forces were routed, and Texas independence was won. Unlike many historical events, this one was long on action and short on lectures. Led by Bob Benavides, chairman of the Living History Association, a group of about 60 people took what was billed as a Historical Walking Tour of La Villita. Along the way, they were repeatedly confronted by both Mexican and Texian combatants, who warned the civilians to clear the area for their own safety. Are you aware the city is under siege? My men have been engaging the rebels all day. Why are you here? asked a glowering Mexican officer wearing a tall plumed hat, played by Phillip De La Pena. De La Pena, 34, has had the role of Col. Nicolas Condelle, commander of the Morelos Battalion, for the last three years, and been a re-enactor for almost two decades. We tend to think of it all through the lens of the Alamo, but the Siege of Bejar was the first major conflict, and its a story in itself, he said. It led to more support from the U.S. for the Texians, and it convinced Santa Anna to take a much harsher approach. Thats why you saw no quarter at the Alamo and the executions at Goliad. He saw them as mercenaries and soldiers of fortune, he said. With a formidable mustache and standing well over 6 feet tall, Dean Patterson, 61, of Denton cut an impressive figure as Ben Milam, the rebel leader who died in the battle, but not before rallying the troops with a famous plea. Who will go with old Ben Milam into San Antonio? he asked in 1835, and 300 men responded. Patterson said he was a late recruit for the role. Being unfamiliar with the script, he relied on prompting from others, even about when to get shot. I had a guy behind me say, Go fall down, he confided. He was also frustrated with his brand-new muzzle loader gun, which failed him early in the decisive battle. Ive never operated it before. I think I only got two shots out of it before I got shot, he said. Despite the glitches, he said, I enjoyed it immensely, as did some of the spectators. Among them was Donald Thompson, the kitchen manager at Little Rhein Steakhouse who took a break from work Saturday, when the procession passed by, and recorded some of the action on his smartphone. I think its awesome. Im going to show it to my kids, he said, adding, Im 50 years old. Ive lived here all my life. Its good to learn the history of where you come from. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Alexandro M. Luna Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Alexandro M. Luna Show More Show Less 3 of 3 San Antonio police are searching for multiple suspects after they say a man was robbed and then shot on the near North Side Saturday evening. Officers responded about around 5:45 p.m. to a shooting at the 7500 Block of South Sea Lane, near Nimitz Middle School, according to Sergeant Reed Hensley. The San Antonio City Council is considering raising the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21. This proposal is flawed on many levels. It sends young people a troubling message about adulthood and the role of government, it will not serve the stated purpose of limiting tobacco use, and it will hurt San Antonio businesses. The significance of reaching the legal status of adulthood cannot be overstated. The personal freedom to negotiate life choices and consequences is a very big deal. It is the very foundation of adulthood. If passed, this ordinance would strip away the dignity of reaching this milestone for young adults in San Antonio. It sends the message that we are going to continue your parenting from City Hall. Young adults between 18 and 21 are actively recruited to serve in the military and defend freedom. The fact that they would be denied their own personal freedom to use tobacco is beyond ironic. That city officials can accept that young adults are responsible enough to make many decisions including whether to adopt a child, get married, enter into legal contracts and vote on candidates and issues but are not responsible enough to make the decision to use tobacco is ludicrous. This ordinance will also carry a penalty for the possession and use of tobacco products. This is astoundingly unfair. Young adults, whether they are visiting Grandma or SeaWorld, will become outlaws simply by crossing the San Antonio city limits in possession of a product that is legal everywhere else in the state. There is no legal limbo about age when it comes to criminal behavior. In Texas, 17 is the age individuals must be charged, tried and, if found guilty, punished as an adult. Proponents of this ordinance are careful to explain that the intent of the criminal penalty is to funnel young people into programs that promote healthy alternatives to tobacco use. I do not doubt their intentions, but the fact is that these penalties will disproportionally affect the poor and marginalized young people in our society who exit the foster care system at the very moment they became legal adults. Without family support, facing a criminal charge, even a minor one, results in fees they cannot afford and community programs they cannot easily access. As retailers, we are active participants in the effort to protect children from bad decisions. We are the underage police. We enforce the decisions of parents, educators and health advocates by remaining vigilant and turning away children who attempt to make adult decisions in our stores. We are proud of our compliance record in San Antonio. Here is why this ordinance will not achieve the stated goal of limiting access to tobacco products. There are no less than 24 surrounding communities just outside the reach of the city of San Antonio. It is ludicrous to assume that young adults, who were of legal age yesterday, wont simply drive down the road to another jurisdiction to make a purchase. Sometimes it means only crossing the street. Finally, it is important that the San Antonio City Council consider that the sales tax generated by San Antonio retailers of tobacco products is a reliable and consistent source of revenue. While, it is impossible to predict the exact loss of revenue this ordinance will impose, I can say my customers who are 18, 19 and 20 years old are a loyal demographic. They may purchase tobacco products, but they also buy gas, sodas, groceries and trinkets. They are anywhere from 25 to 30 percent of my business. These young people rely on short-term retail needs. This ordinance will not change their behavior, but it will change where they shop. On top of that, the city could conceivably waste resources on enforcement if police manpower is employed to patrol the streets looking for young smokers. The bottom line is that the city of San Antonio loses out on sales tax revenue while sending the message to young adults in San Antonio that they are judged and targeted by the city. Anwar Tahir is president of the Association of Convenience Store Retailers, representing more than 350 stores in San Antonio. To be in the business of health means much more today than physicians providing medical care, insurers paying claims, and the bioscience sector creating therapies each in their own silos. The American population is growing and living longer, but, people are getting sicker. To effectively tackle the challenge of making whole communities healthier, people from across the industry are getting together and collaborating on solutions then putting them into action. In San Antonio, the population grew by nearly 25,000 people from 2015 to 2016 alone, making us the third fastest growing city in the United States. Chronic conditions continue to strike the community, with coronary artery disease accounting for nearly 28 percent of deaths each year, and diabetes afflicting 14.2 percent of the population throughout Bexar County much higher than the national average. Not to mention, lung diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, make breathing difficult and negatively affect quality of life. These are complex conditions that are not solved overnight. As a physician, my colleagues and I have often felt frustrated knowing our patients are faced with challenges beyond their control that affect their health. Social determinants of health, such as access to healthy food, clean air and a livable income, highly impact a persons well-being. Its imperative to take a holistic view, incorporating all the key players of the health care industry, to solve these matters for current and future generations. This collaborative approach is the foundation of The Health Cell, the organization that brings together San Antonios health and bioscience industry to engage leaders who will propel the community toward maximum sector success. We recently co-hosted an event with Humana, The 360 Approach to a Stronger Healthcare System, bringing together health care leaders to rally around a common vision of healthier patients and communities. The 200 attendees from all facets of the health care field learned from a TED Talk-style presentation centered on a patient navigating through the system to receive coordinated care. Speakers represented the various health care perspectives, including the physician, specialist, hospital, payer and community, showing the value of having a team-based approach to help patients overcome obstacles, clearly articulating how everyone plays a role in population health even unexpected parties such as payers. To that end, Humana has been working with San Antonio leaders on a Bold Goal initiative to make the community 20 percent healthier by 2020. Believing that San Antonio is ready to become one of the healthiest cities in America, the goal is to reduce the number of unhealthy days from 10.5 to 8.4, as measured by a tool created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Through The Health Cell event, local health leaders were able to not only learn other sectors perspectives on the patient experience but also network to build relationships to leverage in order to solve health cares toughest issues. Moving forward, we will continue to build on the excitement of promoting health and well-being. We know there is an appetite to put our collective ideas into action, confirmed by the high attendance on the eve of Hurricane Harvey. I implore all of us the green and seasoned alike, in every corner of the health care sector to get involved with our partners across the industry. We all bring critical information and new ideas to the table, and we are stronger when we work together. Please feel free to reach out to me to learn more at Diana.henderson2@MHShealth.com. Dr. Diana Henderson is the chief medical officer of Metropolitan Methodist Hospital. As a local ethnographic photographer who photographs buildings in San Antonio, I feel a responsibility to get involved in saving structures and views that have historical significance. Developers Mitch Meyer and Alamo Beer owner Eugene Simor want to build a four-story mixed-use apartment complex that will block the best full view of the Hays Street Bridge, a local and national historical landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. During the first and only community meeting to discuss the complex at the Alamo Beer Co. recently, Simor and his team made it clear that despite pending Texas Supreme Court litigation and the very vocal opposition of many San Antonio residents, this development was moving forward. On Wednesday, the citys Historic Design and Review Commission rejected the project. But we suspect the developers will be back and well be prepared. A photo highlights the entire structure of the Hays Street Bridge from the best perspective left available. It captures the entire bridge and includes the iconic San Antonio cityscape. This exact location happens to be within the middle of where the four-story complex would be built, a location currently within the chain-link fence installed by Simor and company. A little engineering history on why a Hays Street Bridge complete viewshed is important; this comes from the American Society of Civil Engineers and the San Antonio Express-News: The bridge itself was constructed by the Phoenix Bridge Co., connecting the East Side and downtown in 1910. The Hays Street Bridge utilizes the Pratt design, part of the wing design for the first successful Wright Brothers airplane. The Pratt truss of the bridge spans 130 feet, and the Murphy-Whipple (the same construction used to construct the Eiffel Tower) is 225 feet. It is actually these two styles of bridges originally built in 1880 and reconstructed together at its current location in 1910. Viewshed is the geographical area that is visible from a location, including all surrounding points that are in view within that location. An example of the magnitude of ignoring viewshed is the Pearl Brewery development. While considered a success by developers, the 10-story building and surrounding development dwarf the once dramatic view that could be seen from every direction. We dont often see the jewel in the rough until someone comes along and sheds light on it. The Hays Street Bridge has become an iconic location shown in countless advertisements, in engagement photos, in Police Department promotions, in a video rebranding of San Antonio. It is one of the top Instagram locations in San Antonio. Can you imagine this location with a park in the foreground featuring a local artist installation, a lighted walking trail around the park, a dog park and a restroom facility? Simor mentioned that the homeless (or what he calls urban campers) will be eliminated by diversifying the East Side with more upper-class residents in this complex. You dont solve homelessness issues by installing fences or committing cultural suicide with the noose of rapid overdevelopment, but rather by looking at historically ignored social issues and addressing inequality in education, a lack of livable wages, the lack of mental health care and health care generally, and the lack of truly affordable housing (not $1,000 for a 500-square-foot studio). This complex, if moved forward, will block the view of this 100-plus-year-old gem. This gesture reaches back to the mandated segregation of this side of town, robbing residents of an iconic symbol they take pride in and worked hard to save in order to connect the East Side to the heart of the city. We need to continue to demand that San Antonio acknowledge its history, and recognize our historic buildings and views as treasures. The City Council should demand the same standards in new development. We want new development, but we expect that it be thoughtful, respectful and beautiful in design. If this development moves forward, this precious view will no longer be enjoyed by everyone in the city but rather become another historical commodity that 25 residents will pay the premium for from their upscale apartment window Kristel A. Orta-Puente is a professional photographer in San Antonio specializing in commercial, ethnographic portraiture. Northeast Lakeview Colleges decadelong struggle to gain accreditation is finally over, and that is welcome news for students and area employers. The Southern Association of Colleges and School Commission on Colleges gave the Alamo Colleges Districts newest campus the coveted status at its semiannual meeting in Dallas on Tuesday. The agency also lifted the warning status it had given Northwest Vista, St. Philips and San Antonio College. The warnings were issued last winter after a finding that the three district campuses lacked administrative autonomy. Policy changes by the districts board of trustees resolved those issues. The road toward accreditation for Northeast Lakeview was much longer than the last time the college district sought accreditation for a new campus. The accreditation process for Northwest Vista in the late 1990s took three years. Lakeview, located in far Northeast Bexar County near Interstate 35 and Loop 1604, applied for accreditation four times starting in 2007 before receiving candidacy status in 2016. The college has about 6,000 students and was built to accommodate a population of 10,000. Until this fall, most of the students were technically enrolled at San Antonio College so they could receive federal financial aid. College students must be enrolled in accredited schools to qualify for federal education dollars, but an exception was made for Northeast Lakeview due to it anticipated accreditation. Lack of accreditation has not kept Northeast Lakeview College from educating students, but it has limited its growth potential. Its newly acquired status is expected to boost enrollment and allow the school to expand its class offerings, district board trustees told the Express-News Editorial Board last week. The campus has been offering only academic programs. Accreditation was necessary for the district to move forward with plans to offer workforce programs. College officials said they will work closely with the community to determine what kind of training is in demand before seeking approval for new programs from the Higher Education Coordinating Board. They anticipate some will be information technology-related due to the campuss proximity to Rackspace. The favorable news from the college accrediting agency positions the community district well as it moves forward with a national search to replace Chancellor Bruce Leslie, who has announced his plans to retire next fall. AXED Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Professor Jonathan Moyo turned against the people who helped him rise in politics, especially those from Tsholotsho, to the extent of no longer talking to them, a former top ally has revealed. In an interview with Sunday News on Friday, Cde Believe Gaule who was close to Prof Moyo from 2000 to 2015, said he was one of the people dumped by the self-exiled and disgraced politician. Cde Gaule said he and others fell out with Prof Moyo over the latters G40 factional activities and uncalled for attacks on then Vice-President Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa. After Prof Moyo won that by-election in 2015, he started changing as he became evasive to some of us who had worked closely with him and we had gone through political hardships together. Remember, I had worked with him closely while I was the (District Co-ordinating Committee) chairman for Tsholotsho and we were expelled together for being the brains behind the so-called Tsholotsho Declaration of 2004 that was held at Dinyane High School. So I was better positioned to talk to him but he started telling us that Cde Mnangagwa was against him assuming certain positions in both party and Government. I told him point blank that it was not possible for ED to do that because he was not the appointing authority It looks like he was being supported by Saviour Kasukuwere When I tried to advise him that he was wrong, then our relationship broke down. He went on: Prof Moyo tried to push the provincial chairman, Cde Richard Moyo, to make sure we were expelled from the party but he was repulsed. Credit goes to Cde Moyo and other senior party members from the province who were putting their political careers on the line by refusing to pander to those political whims. He had a final word for Prof Moyo. If he was to come to Tsholotsho today, Jonathan would be shocked at the excitement that has gripped our area since President Mnangagwa took over. The Kutonga Kwaro hit is the song of the moment. Some people have been asking me when their President is going to visit Tsholotsho. If an election was to be held today, President Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF would make a clean sweep. People everywhere in Tsholotsho are still celebrating the coming in of President Mnangagwa. Mwanwhile, two of Mugabes key confidants and their families are said to have sought refuge in Kenya after the long-serving head of state was ousted from power in a bloodless military intervention, various Kenyan and South African media have reported. Unverified reports from Kenya further allege that Moyo and Kasukuwere were seeking asylum in Kenya. Further reports are that Professor Jonathan Moyo, together with another Mugabes ally Saviour Kasukuwere, who was the Zanu PF National Commissar and Minister of Local Government during Mugabes last days as ruler of this country, fled to Kenya after Zimbabwean military seized the capital, Harare, and placed the former President under house detention on November 14th. Breaking News via Email After the budget presentation by Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa that amended the indigenisation law to reassure investors, re-engaged with global lenders and curbed profligate spending all issues on the top of the opposition wish-list analysts said the opposition strategists must be scratching their heads. Chinamasa presented on Thursday Zimbabwes final budget for 2018, which highlights the first fiscal policy direction move of the new administration past Robert Mugabes presidency, suggesting stronger cooperation with the international community. The national budget was presented under the banner: Towards a New Economic Order and acknowledges that a decline in domestic and foreign investor confidence has led to a disappointing economic performance over recent years. The new policy shift highlighted in the final budget paper focuses therefore on economic recovery, supported by foreign direct investment under a market economy principle. On the expenditure side, the focus was on ruthless cuts and austerity to try to reverse the ruinous deficits that the government has been running. The big move was on the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act of 2009, which required all companies operating in Zimbabwe to be 51 percent or more owned by black Zimbabweans. Chinamasa said that the indigenisation policy will henceforth apply only to diamond and platinum mining. Apparently, taking a cue from his principal, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Chinamasa announced a raft of economic changes that also included retiring civil servants over 65 years as well as collapsing jobs of over 3 500 so-called youth officers. The Finance minister said all civil servants older than 65 will have to take retirement, and a freeze on civil service recruitment will be kept in place. Former MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirais advisor during the inclusive government era, Alex Magaisa, said Chinamasa budget reflects the thinking in the opposition. Indeed, opposition strategists must be scratching their heads because the budget statement could well be a part of their manifesto as it carries a number of issues that would be at the top of the opposition wish-list, Magaisa said. Reading through the budget, its as if the new Mnangagwa administration is a former opposition party that has taken office after the Mugabe administration. The budget statement chronicles the ills of the Mugabe administration that the opposition has always raised in the past and promises to deal with them. The challenge, of course, is in the implementation. If the new administration fails to live up to its undertakings, the opposition will still have good ground to stand on in their campaign. Stephen Chan, a professor of world politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London in the United Kingdom, said the budget is a good start and could in the long term attract investors and help ending unemployment which currently hovers around 90 percent. This is a good budget within its limits. Chinamasa had very little room in which to move but it remains to be seen whether the budget will attract investors, he said. The investment has to come very fast or there will have to be another print run of bond notes and that will in itself destabilise any sense of optimism among possible investors. There is no quick budgetary fix possible from either the government or the opposition. And Chinamasa has got to find a way to pay the $9 billion arrears owing the IMF before any, almost certainly very strict IMF rescue package can be negotiated. Chan said that such a rescue package that the opposition has in the past promised to secure will demand public sector job cuts. Basically, Zimbabwe now faces the legacy of the later Mugabe years when people thought the economy was something to loot, while playing party politics and succession games, he said. In 2012, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai outlined his economic revival plans that included, trimming government expenditure, slashing the wage bill, privatising parastatals, slashing foreign travel, re-engaging western governments, repealing the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act, eradicating corruption and sacking ghost workers something that Chinamasa did with finesse in his budget presentation Political analyst Maxwell Saungweme said ahead of next year watershed elections, the opposition has to come up with better economic blueprints that go further in addressing the countrys urgent needs. The opposition needs to re-brand itself now that Mugabe is gone. The Mugabe must go mantra no longer has buyers. Now that the regime has embraced neo-liberal economics, the opposition can no longer ride on this. It is a good lesson for them. They have to start focusing on real issues, to remove a Zanu PF governance patronage system, not individuals. They have to go back to basics and sell pro-poor economic blue prints. They can also still ride and peg their campaigns on human rights issues, as the regime does not seem keen at addressing human rights abuses, Saungweme said Breaking News via Email The shock resignation by Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) chairperson Rita Makarau a mere eight months before the country holds its make-or-break national elections next year has cast a huge shadow on the eagerly-awaited polls, which a fearful opposition want to be monitored by international observers. Makarau also a respected Supreme Court judge and the secretary of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) stunned the country on Friday when she abruptly resigned from her post without giving any reasons, amid a plethora of political conspiracies. Well-placed sources at the Zec who spoke to the Daily News on Sunday yesterday also said Makaraus unexpected departure had left a of lot of questions unanswered, as days before she quit she had been in jovial mood in meetings with stakeholders at the national elections management body. It appears as if she may have been pushed. Her email signalling her intention to resign came as a complete shock to us. It came after we had just had an important meeting with one of our stakeholders during the week, and there was no sign whatsoever that she was on her way out. In fact she was as calm and as cheerful as she always is. So, you can imagine our surprise when we received that email. It definitely suggested that she may have been pushed before she jumped. We are all trying to put the pieces together and make sense of everything, as her email never stated her reasons for that very sudden move, one of the sources said. New Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi confirmed Makaraus resignation at the weekend and also said the Supreme Court judge had not given reasons for leaving the post. In the meantime, her sudden departure has elicited myriad conspiracy theories, with the opposition and political analysts also warning that it is now mandatory that the international community watches over the 2018 polls which must be held by August next year. It has also emerged that one of the oppositions charges is that Makaraus alleged forced resignation from Zec is meant to allow the current dominant faction in Zanu PF to manipulate the vote in its favour next year. During the heights of the ugly factional brawling in the ruling party which pitted the Generation 40 (G40) faction against the Team Lacoste camp, which was rooting for new President Emmerson Mnangagwa Makarau was viewed favourably by the G40 group which wanted her to become the countrys chief justice after the late Godfrey Chidyausiku. Matters came to a head during the interviews for that position when the two major Zanu PF factions fought ugly and open battles to have their preferred candidates take over from Chidyausiku. In the end, Makarau came second to the countrys new CJ, Luke Malaba, while George Chiweshe who was preferred by Team Lacoste pulled out of the selection process after it was challenged in the High Court. Former deputy prime minister in Zimbabwes short-lived inclusive government, Arthur Mutambara, was among those who have claimed that Makarau may have been forced to resign from Zec due to factional interests in the ruling party. The electoral agenda should be to enable and facilitate free, fair and credible elections, and not settle Zanu PF factional disputes. The regime must reach out to civic society and the opposition parties and establish a clear and inclusive roadmap to free, fair and credible elections in 2018, Mutambara said. According to the Constitution, the head of Zec must be either a judge or a former judge, or a person who qualifies for appointment as a judge. Professor of World Politics, Stephen Chan, said yesterday that the position of chairperson of Zec was pivotal, and required an appointment of the highest calibre and integrity. The international community will be looking to the elections as the clinching signal that Zimbabwe is climbing its way upwards to probity and transparency. If Zimbabwe wants to rejoin the Commonwealth and attract wider investment, there will have to be a Commonwealth Observer Group and, ideally, a European Observer Group, and they will scrutinise the Zec and its chair with attention to minute detail. The shortcomings of observer groups were exposed in Kenya, so they will arrive in Zimbabwe having upped their own game, Chan told the Daily News On Sunday. The countrys main opposition party, the MDC, said while it welcomed Makaraus resignation, its suddenness was both a surprise and a concern. Rita Makaraus resignation opens a can of worms. Why is she resigning just a few months before Election 2018? Has she been forced to resign? Was she pushing a factional agenda during her term of office as ZEC chairperson? Is she really her own person? MDC spokesperson Obert Gutu queried. Makaraus resignation came as Zec, as well as local election observer groups, are intensifying their efforts to have millions of prospective voters register in the ongoing biometric voter registration (BVR) exercise, which is now approaching its final phase. Zimbabwe is using the BVR system for registration for next years elections for the first time. Zec is targeting seven million voters for the current BVR registration exercise ahead of the much-awaited 2018 polls, which could see Mnangagwa facing a grand coalition of opposition parties in that plebiscite. The opposition and civic groups have also been agitating for sweeping electoral reforms ahead of the crunch elections which they say must be held in an environment which doesnt promote disputes like what happened during the 2008 and 2013 polls. In the hotly-disputed 2008 elections, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai beat former president Robert Mugabe hands down. However, the results of those polls were withheld for six long weeks by stunned authorities, amid widespread allegations of ballot tampering and fraud which were later revealed by former bigwigs of the ruling party. Mugabes defeat was widely blamed on an internal rebellion which was said to have been led by officials loyal to former vice president Joice Mujuru and her late husband Solomon a plot that came to be known as Bhora Musango. In the ensuing sham presidential run-off, which authorities claimed was needed to determine the winner, Zanu PF apparatchiks engaged in a murderous orgy of violence in which hundreds of Tsvangirais supporters were killed in cold blood, forcing the former prime minister in the inclusive government to withdraw from the discredited race altogether. Mugabe went on to stand in a widely-condemned one-man race in which he declared himself the winner. However, Sadc and the rest of the international community would have none of it, forcing the nonagenarian to share power with Tsvangirai for five years, to prevent the country from imploding completely. Breaking News via Email Khuluma Afrika has received several unconfirmed reports claiming that controversial and flamboyant businessman Wicknell Chivayo, commonly known as Sir Wicknell was picked up by officers from Serious Fraud Squad at his residence this morning. Chivayos company, Intratek Zimbabwe, was awarded a $200 million USD tender by Zimbabwes power utility company ZESA. He was also awarded a further $73 million for the refurbishment of the Harare Power Station, $163 million for the restoration of the Munyati Power Station, and $248 million for the Gairezi Power project by the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) a subsidiary of Zesa Holdings. An advance payment of $5 million was made to Chivayo for the Gwanda Solar projects pre-commencement works, despite him not providing a performance guarantee as required by law. The performance guarantee acts as financial security and is supposed to be presented by the contractor before commencement of works. It insulates the client if the contractor fails to fulfill obligations set out in the contract. A year after winning the multi-million-dollar tender and despite getting the US$5 million payment for pre-commencement works, Intratrek Zimbabwe reportedly abandoned the project site after only three months work. The US$5 million covered feasibility studies, topographical surveys, borehole sinking, site clearance, geo-technical surveying, site fencing, way-leaves and construction of administrative structures. A report carried in the Zimbabwe Independent claimed that Chivayo had been asked to return the $5 million by ZESA. Another report, stated that, ZESAs board will meet next week to deliberate on energy contracts awarded to Chivayo. Parliament also turned its heat towards the dodgy businessman. The chairperson of the Energy portfolio committee, Daniel Shumba, was quoted by the Daily News as having said that, We would want to investigate if proper procedure was followed. So, we will not rush to allege. If any procedure, standards and corporate governance issues were violated, then we will take it from there. Chivayo has been convicted of fraud in the past, and earned himself a jail term. He is believed to have avoided prosecution on several other charges largely because of his relationship with former President Robert Mugabe, and his wife former first lady Grace Mugabe. Rumours of Chivayos imminent arrest began to swirl as soon as President Mugabe resigned, and Emmerson Mnangagwa inaugurated as the countrys new President. His associate, close friend, and dodgy businessman Philip Chiyangwa was the recipient of similar rumours. Chivayo was forced to deny the arrest rumours just days ago, but the heat surrounding his ZESA deals did not die down. Khuluma Afrika was unable to confirm at the time of writing if Chivayo had indeed been arrested. His cellphone went straight to voicemail, while WhatsApp messages were not delivered, indicating his phone was off. Late last night, Chivayo had tried to reach our correspondent. His calls were missed. Chivayos close friend confirmed the arrest via WhatsApp. Police were unavailable for comment. Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Charity Charambas cell number rang unanswered. Breaking News via Email Nineteen members of the uniformed forces manning roadblock duties at 60km peg along Birchenough Bridge-Mount Selinda road were arrested on Saturday (yesterday) for allegedly soliciting for a five dollar bribe from a motorist. According to a leaked Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) memorandum directed to Officer Commanding Police Manicaland Province, nine Zimbabwe Republic Police members and 10 members of the Zimbabwe National Army are currently assisting police with investigations over criminal abuse of duty as public officials. The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers are Noel Marima (34), Tinashe Leornard Chigodho (34), Mercy Jumburu (33), Donga Trust (32), George Dliwayo (29), Clemance Manuere (23), Moreblessing Sibanda (30), Peter Tevera (32) and Brighton Benhura (34). While, members of the military are, Donald Fungai Musapatike (34), Richard Tauya (24), Proud Madzivanyika (28), Collen Tawanda (26),Johanne Chindova(28), Edward Tapiwa Bonde (31) Tichaona Chimonera (34), Briefin Zimunya (29) and Remember Masuku (26). The memorandum reads, On 9 December 2017 the accused persons were on roadblock duties at 60 km peg along Birchenough Bridge Mount Selinda Road, Chipinge, Acting in common purpose, they hatched a plan to solicit for bribes from passing motorists. During the tour of their duty, the team is alleged to have solicited for a five dollar ($5) bribe from the complainant who was a passenger in a Public Service Vehicle, Commuter Omnibus that was coming from Chipinge Town en-route to Mutare. This did not go down well with the complainant, who reported the corruption activities by the accused persons. On the same day, the accused persons were arrested and are assisting with investigations. The accused persons were interviewed and denied having received a bribe from the complainant. The bribe money was not recovered. Meanwhile, the matter was reported under police RRB 3127194 Breaking News via Email The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa says the renaming of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) barracks marks exorcising of the ghost of colonialism. President Mnangagwa said this when he officially renamed the King George VI Barracks to Josiah Magama Tongogara Barracks in Harare this morning. Cde Tongogaras widow Amai Angeline Tongogara and children who include Hondo, Conrad, Tichafa, Bvumai, Granger and Nyaradzo also attended the event. Meanwhile, on Sunday, four days after the renaming of the barracks, state broadcaster, ZBC, visited Tongogaras widow, Gogo Angeline Tongogara nee Gamanya at her place of residence where she was interviewed. The widow, who was sobbing throughout the interview, revealed that since 26 December 1979 when she received the sad news from President Mugabe, Solomon Mujuru and others, informing her that her husband had died in a car accident in Mozambique, till today nearly 40 years later she has not been allowed to visit the accident scene. The government has never given us an opportunity as a family to go and see where the accident that killed my husband took place. They have never given us an explanation why we have been taken to the accident scene. All I hear is that the place is protected, she said. In 2012, Gogo Angeline Tongogara, who sired four children with Zanla commander General Josiah Magama Tongogara, demanded that she be driven to the scene of the accident where her husband died mysteriously over three decades ago, saying the circumstances surrounding his death were still haunting her. Angeline told the State-owned Sunday Mail newspaper that she was still in the dark over the cause of the accident and was bitter over the way President Robert Mugabes Zanu PF government had handled her husbands death. I was just told he was involved in an accident. His usual driver, the one I knew, didnt go with him on this day. He went with another driver. His secretary was Oppah Muchinguri and she was in the same car with him when the accident happened. I was told that he was the only one who had died. As the wife of Cde Tongo and as the mother of his four children, my request is that: Please, please can you arrange for me to go and see where my husband died? As long as I am alive, it still troubles me, she said. Former President Robert Mugabe has completely ignored Gogo Angeline Tongogaras request to be taken to the accident scene, supposedly for reasons best known to himself. She also claimed she was not afforded an opportunity to carry out a full body viewing of her husbands corpse nor was she invited to witness the exhumation and reburial of his remains at the National Heroes Acre in 1981. I removed the cloth starting from the head and I saw the wounds, but as I was about to pull away the cloth so I could see the whole body, Josiah Tungamirai came and said: Why are you letting her touch this body? I was injected and I passed out. I dont know what happened from there. When I woke up, I was now at the President (Robert Mugabe)s house. General Tongo, as the late Zanla commander was affectionately known, died on the spot after his vehicle crashed in Mozambique on December 26, 1979 as most war cadres were heading home after a ceasefire had been declared. Former Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith also insisted in his memoirs that Tongogaras own people killed him, and that he had disclosed at the Lancaster House talks in London earlier that year that Tongogara was under threat. I made a point of discussing his death with our police commissioner and head of Special Branch, and both assured me that Tongogara had been assassinated, Smith wrote. A former detective in the Law and Order section of the now defunct BSA Police (replaced by the Zimbabwe Republic Police) saw photographs of Tongogaras body. The photographs showed three wounds, consistent with gunshot wounds, in his upper torso. The undertakers statement was not a formal autopsy report and as such was dismissed by all, but senior Zanu politburo members. ALSO READ:Cleansing Ceremony: Mugabe haunted by Tongogaras ghost at State House for 6 months? Breaking News via Email By Express News Service BENGALURU: A day after the arrest of tabloid editor Ravi Belagere by the Central Crime Branch on charges of paying a hitman to eliminate a former colleague, the target, Suneel Heggaravalli on Saturday recorded his statement before CCB officials and told them that this was not the first time that Belagere had tried to get him killed. Arrested Bengaluru journalist Ravi Belagere kept asking cops for cigarettes, blank papers In his statement, Heggaravalli said Belagere had called him to a TV news channel office in Koramangala a few months ago on the pretext of introducing him to new investors for the channel. As soon as he entered the office, he noticed a couple of sharpshooters at the entrance and this made him suspicious. When Belagere made him wait for two hours, he suspected some conspiracy as relations between them were strained. Heggaravalli then left the premises on the pretext of attending to an emergency phone call from his family and informed a senior police officer, a CCB officer said. His statement will be recorded before a magistrate on Monday. Hitman worked at Bengaluru journalist Ravi Belageres school, office: Police The officer said the assailants were after Heggaravalli for three months. A senior police officer said that on Saturday, Belagere confessed to a rivalry with his former colleague. But he reportedly told the police that he had not given his weapon to sharpshooter Shashidhar Mundewadi. It is too early to reveal the details of our investigation as we are gathering all evidence to establish that Belagere had given supari to Mundewadi to kill Heggaravalli. We believe that it is a well-planned crime and efforts are on to nab some more accused in the case, the officer said. Not the first time journalist Ravi Belagere tried to kill me, says former 'Hai Bangalore' employee Belagere is in police custody for four days and he is lodged at the CCB headquarters, where a team headed by a DCP and ACP began interrogation him. On Friday, a court had rejected Belageres bail plea as he was held under Arms Act and on charges of hiring a killer. Belagere was taken into custody from his office-cum-residence on Friday by a CCB team after supari killer Mundewadi, who was arrested on Thursday, revealed that the weapon the police had seized from him belonged to Belagere. BENGALURU: A day after the arrest of tabloid editor Ravi Belagere by the Central Crime Branch on charges of paying a hitman to eliminate a former colleague, the target, Suneel Heggaravalli on Saturday recorded his statement before CCB officials and told them that this was not the first time that Belagere had tried to get him killed. Arrested Bengaluru journalist Ravi Belagere kept asking cops for cigarettes, blank papers In his statement, Heggaravalli said Belagere had called him to a TV news channel office in Koramangala a few months ago on the pretext of introducing him to new investors for the channel. As soon as he entered the office, he noticed a couple of sharpshooters at the entrance and this made him suspicious. When Belagere made him wait for two hours, he suspected some conspiracy as relations between them were strained. Heggaravalli then left the premises on the pretext of attending to an emergency phone call from his family and informed a senior police officer, a CCB officer said. His statement will be recorded before a magistrate on Monday. Hitman worked at Bengaluru journalist Ravi Belageres school, office: Police The officer said the assailants were after Heggaravalli for three months. A senior police officer said that on Saturday, Belagere confessed to a rivalry with his former colleague. But he reportedly told the police that he had not given his weapon to sharpshooter Shashidhar Mundewadi. It is too early to reveal the details of our investigation as we are gathering all evidence to establish that Belagere had given supari to Mundewadi to kill Heggaravalli. We believe that it is a well-planned crime and efforts are on to nab some more accused in the case, the officer said. Not the first time journalist Ravi Belagere tried to kill me, says former 'Hai Bangalore' employee Belagere is in police custody for four days and he is lodged at the CCB headquarters, where a team headed by a DCP and ACP began interrogation him. On Friday, a court had rejected Belageres bail plea as he was held under Arms Act and on charges of hiring a killer. Belagere was taken into custody from his office-cum-residence on Friday by a CCB team after supari killer Mundewadi, who was arrested on Thursday, revealed that the weapon the police had seized from him belonged to Belagere. 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) Kumar Vikram By NEW DELHI: The first phase of the high-pitched electoral battle in Gujarat witnessed a high turnout of 68 per cent, but was marred by complaints and controversies about the malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs). READ | 68 per cent voting in first phase, expected to cross 70 per cent: EC The complaint which grabbed the maximum attention on social media was by senior state Congress leader and its Porbandar candidate Arjun Modhwadia, who alleged that EVMs were getting connected to mobile phones through bluetooth technology. However, senior deputy election commissioner Umesh Sinha asserted that it was completely baseless. ASLO READ | Gujarat election UPDATES: EC rejects EVM tampering allegations However, senior deputy election commissioner Umesh Sinha asserted that it was completely baseless. Explaining further, deputy election commissioner Sudeep Jain said, A team was sent and after investigation, it was found to be a false alarm There is no receptor in EVMs and there is not any wired connection to the device Jain, however, admitted there were many complaints about technical glitches and all machines were accordingly replaced immediately. He said a total of 714 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs) machines, 181 ballot units and 223 control units were replaced. The Election Commission (EC) used 27,158 EVMs with VVPATs at 24,689 polling stations in the first phase. The fate of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani and Modhwadia, among others, is now sealed in the EVMs. Earlier, reacting to Congress leaders allegations of EVM tampering, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, The Congress is searching for an excuse even before the results are out as it stares at a loss... They are trying to hide behind EVMs. Allegations of EVM tampering also surfaced at Surat, Jetpur and Navsari. Officials said the EC has ordered a probe. Commenting on the high voting percentage, Congress communication in-charge Randeep Surjewala said it reflected that the state was ready for a change. We are confident we will form the government, he said. On Saturday, polling was held for the 89 Assembly seats in 19 districts of Saurashtra and South Gujarat, with over 2.123 crore registered voters. A total 977 contestants, including 58 women, were in the fray. The BJP and the Congress fielded 89 and 86 candidates, respectively, while there were 442 independent candidates. Phase I of the elections in Gujarat is being considered crucial following the high-octane campaigning by the Congress and Hardik Patel. The BJP too left no stone unturned with the Prime Minister himself addressing 17 rallies. The Election Commission (EC) used 27,158 EVMs with VVPATs at 24,689 polling stations in the first phase. Fate of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani and Modhwadia, among others, is now sealed in EVMs. Earlier, reacting to Congress leaders allegations of EVMs tampering, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, 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. Allegations of EVM tampering also surfaced at Surat, Jetpur and Navsari. Officials said the Election Commission has ordered a probe. On Saturday, polling was held for the 89 assembly seats in 19 districts of Saurashtra and South Gujarat, having over 2.123 crore registered voters. A total 977 contestants, including 58 women, were in the fray. The BJP and the Congress fielded 89 and 86 candidates, respectively, while there were 442 independent candidates. Phase I of elections in Gujarat is being considered crucial following the high-octane campaigning. 0 votes in village due to water woes Zero voting was recorded at Gajadi village in Morbi district as the 1,000 registered voters, fed up with water shortage, boycotted polling. When we told them there are plans to lay a new pipeline, villagers asked us to give the assurance on paper, said the Collector. 397 crorepati candidates in fray As many as 397 crorepati candidates are in the fray for the Gujarat Assembly elections, an analysis of election affidavits by two NGOs has found. Of these 397, as many as 131 candidates have declared assets worth over J5 crore. Of the 1,828 contestants, only 118 are women. NEW DELHI: The first phase of the high-pitched electoral battle in Gujarat witnessed a high turnout of 68 per cent, but was marred by complaints and controversies about the malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs). READ | 68 per cent voting in first phase, expected to cross 70 per cent: EC The complaint which grabbed the maximum attention on social media was by senior state Congress leader and its Porbandar candidate Arjun Modhwadia, who alleged that EVMs were getting connected to mobile phones through bluetooth technology. However, senior deputy election commissioner Umesh Sinha asserted that it was completely baseless. ASLO READ | Gujarat election UPDATES: EC rejects EVM tampering allegations However, senior deputy election commissioner Umesh Sinha asserted that it was completely baseless. Explaining further, deputy election commissioner Sudeep Jain said, A team was sent and after investigation, it was found to be a false alarm There is no receptor in EVMs and there is not any wired connection to the device Jain, however, admitted there were many complaints about technical glitches and all machines were accordingly replaced immediately. He said a total of 714 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs) machines, 181 ballot units and 223 control units were replaced. The Election Commission (EC) used 27,158 EVMs with VVPATs at 24,689 polling stations in the first phase. The fate of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani and Modhwadia, among others, is now sealed in the EVMs. Earlier, reacting to Congress leaders allegations of EVM tampering, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, The Congress is searching for an excuse even before the results are out as it stares at a loss... They are trying to hide behind EVMs. Allegations of EVM tampering also surfaced at Surat, Jetpur and Navsari. Officials said the EC has ordered a probe. Commenting on the high voting percentage, Congress communication in-charge Randeep Surjewala said it reflected that the state was ready for a change. We are confident we will form the government, he said. On Saturday, polling was held for the 89 Assembly seats in 19 districts of Saurashtra and South Gujarat, with over 2.123 crore registered voters. A total 977 contestants, including 58 women, were in the fray. The BJP and the Congress fielded 89 and 86 candidates, respectively, while there were 442 independent candidates. Phase I of the elections in Gujarat is being considered crucial following the high-octane campaigning by the Congress and Hardik Patel. The BJP too left no stone unturned with the Prime Minister himself addressing 17 rallies. The Election Commission (EC) used 27,158 EVMs with VVPATs at 24,689 polling stations in the first phase. Fate of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani and Modhwadia, among others, is now sealed in EVMs. Earlier, reacting to Congress leaders allegations of EVMs tampering, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, 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. Allegations of EVM tampering also surfaced at Surat, Jetpur and Navsari. Officials said the Election Commission has ordered a probe. On Saturday, polling was held for the 89 assembly seats in 19 districts of Saurashtra and South Gujarat, having over 2.123 crore registered voters. A total 977 contestants, including 58 women, were in the fray. The BJP and the Congress fielded 89 and 86 candidates, respectively, while there were 442 independent candidates. Phase I of elections in Gujarat is being considered crucial following the high-octane campaigning. 0 votes in village due to water woes Zero voting was recorded at Gajadi village in Morbi district as the 1,000 registered voters, fed up with water shortage, boycotted polling. When we told them there are plans to lay a new pipeline, villagers asked us to give the assurance on paper, said the Collector. 397 crorepati candidates in fray As many as 397 crorepati candidates are in the fray for the Gujarat Assembly elections, an analysis of election affidavits by two NGOs has found. Of these 397, as many as 131 candidates have declared assets worth over J5 crore. Of the 1,828 contestants, only 118 are women. MASON CITY | City officials head to Des Moines on Friday confident they are in good position to receive state funding for the River City Renaissance project. The officials will meet with representatives of the Iowa Economic Development Authority which oversees the Iowa Reinvestment Act. "We are an 'action item' on the agenda," Mayor Eric Bookmeyer said Friday. "We're optimistic when the meeting is over, Mason City will have reason to celebrate." The city is seeking up to $10 million in Reinvestment Act funding to leverage the $38 million River City Renaissance project that includes a hotel and museum connected to The Music Man Square via a skywalk; a conference center inside The Music Man Square; a music pavilion at the north entrance to Southbridge Mall; and an ice arena/multipurpose center in the space formerly occupied by J.C. Penney's in the mall. The state pre-approved the city for $7.1 million with the invitation to submit a final application. When more state funds became available, the city upped its request to $10 million. City officials have made several trips to Des Moines in the past two years to update IEDA officials on changes as they occurred. And there have been many. The original application, from G8 Development of San Diego, had plans for a hotel in the west parking lot of City Hall as well as other amenities. It was presented to state officials by Bookmeyer, then-City Administrator Brent Trout and City Councilman Alex Kuhn. Friday's entourage will include Bookmeyer, who leaves office in three weeks, Interim City Administrator Kevin Jacobson and Development Services Director Steven Van Steenhuyse. Van Steenhuyse said, "Although some of the players are different, the project is essentially unchanged." The original plan fell through when G8 failed to meet deadlines for construction, in violation of his development agreement. The city then requested qualifications from other interested developers. They received two -- from Gatehouse Capital and from G8. In March, the City Council chose to go with Gatehouse which proposed the plan to build the hotel and connect it to The Music Man Square. Subsequently, Gatehouse made so many changes in the original proposal that, under the law, it became a new proposal. So the city was obligated to open up the process to new bidders. G8 once again submitted a plan, this one to build the hotel and other amenities on the same site as the Gatehouse plan. The City Council considered its bid competitive and voted last week to go with G8, citing considerable savings to taxpayers compared to Gatehouse's offer. So city officials will be talking to the state about the same plan but with a different developer. "I'm sure the IEDA will have questions for us," said Bookmeyer. "But there are no surprises. We have been keeping them up to date on everything, including the change to G8." By ANI GOTHENBURG: Unidentified men have reportedly hurled firebombs at a synagogue in Sweden hours after locals marched in the city against the United States recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. CNN quoted a Police inspector Peter Nordengard as saying that the fire department extinguished the flames from the objects, which did not cause the building to catch fire or cause any injuries. Some media reports have also claimed that fire incident took place due to a party that was being held by Jewish students inside the synagogue. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. The United States has become the first country in the world to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel following Trumps decision. Photos from the scene of the synagogue firebombing in Gothenburg, Sweden. (GP) pic.twitter.com/osfUkH4i99 Avi Mayer (@AviMayer) December 9, 2017 In line with this announcement, the US is also shifting its embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city, again becoming the first country to take such a step. With this step, Trump has fulfilled one of its campaign promises and reversed decades-long US policy on this matter. The United States' decision has sparked widespread furore in the Arab world and condemnation from various nations. GOTHENBURG: Unidentified men have reportedly hurled firebombs at a synagogue in Sweden hours after locals marched in the city against the United States recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. CNN quoted a Police inspector Peter Nordengard as saying that the fire department extinguished the flames from the objects, which did not cause the building to catch fire or cause any injuries. Some media reports have also claimed that fire incident took place due to a party that was being held by Jewish students inside the synagogue. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. The United States has become the first country in the world to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel following Trumps decision. Photos from the scene of the synagogue firebombing in Gothenburg, Sweden. (GP) pic.twitter.com/osfUkH4i99 Avi Mayer (@AviMayer) December 9, 2017 In line with this announcement, the US is also shifting its embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city, again becoming the first country to take such a step. With this step, Trump has fulfilled one of its campaign promises and reversed decades-long US policy on this matter. The United States' decision has sparked widespread furore in the Arab world and condemnation from various nations. MASON CITY | A man was shot Saturday evening in a Mason City home and neighbors across the street called for help after the victim came to their house, according to a witness. Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley said later Saturday night that there was no threat to the public but he declined to release information about the suspect. Mason City Police responded to the call at 6:47 p.m. on the 200 block of 12th Street Southeast. Jeff Beebe, a neighbor across the street from where the shooting took place, said the victim was shot in a home and then crossed 12th shirtless to another neighbor's home. Those residents then called 911. Police said the victim suffered a single gunshot wound "to his upper body." He was transported to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa by fire medics. They characterized his injuries as non-life threatening. Police and detectives were at the scene, searching sidewalks and walking through the second level of a home. They also looked into vehicles with flashlights. Brinkley said officials believe "the incident is contained to the household." Officials were waiting for a judge to sign a warrant before executing a search of the house. Beebe works the third shift and was trying to sleep when lights filled the neighborhood. When asked if he heard any gunfire, he said, "Lights woke me up before anything else." The 12th Street was also taped off between South Pennsylvania and South Georgia. Police said the investigation "is still active." Champaign, IL (61820) Today Cloudy skies. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies. Low 22F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. New Delhi: South Asian countries will be greatly benefited by a single interconnected power market that will also give India a chance to replace its fossil fuel-based generation with cleaner hydropower from countries like Bhutan and Nepal, according to Asian Development Bank. The unanticipated shortages in one country's power grid can be readily solved by imports from a neighbouring grid, said a blog written by Priyantha Wijayatunga, ADB Director (Energy Division) for South Asia Regional Department. A single interconnected power market is a clear win for the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) countries as the power systems of all countries would be integrated through adequate cross border transmission capacity to share power with each other, he said. "Under this arrangement, smaller countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka would rely on market to provide reserve generation capacity, lowering their own investment costs, while fossil fuel-based generation in Bangladesh and India would be replaced with cleaner hydropower from Bhutan and Nepal." Besides, given the different times of peak power demands of neighbouring national grids, one grid doesn't need to generate all its power to meet peak demand, it can instead buy from another grid for partial requirements, and vice versa, Wijayatunga wrote. This "resulting diversity" reduces overall investment needs in national energy generation plans, he said. It is beneficial to have a grid-to-grid connection for direct transfer of power from one national grid to another instead of exporting power from a generation plant to a grid, the blog said. Like in case of India-Bangladesh power trade agreement, the latter now imports up to 500 megawatts from India under a 2013 project supported by a USD 112 million ADB loan, he said. This grid-to-grid connection has significantly improved power supply and cost as well as power interruptions in Bangladesh, where shortages are rampant. "The two countries are now looking to double capacity of their power trading arrangement financed through another ADB loan of USD 120 million," he said in the blog. Wijayatunga further said the current bilateral power trade agreement among SASEC countries need to gradually expand in volume as well as beyond two-country agreements. "Some initiatives in this regard can already be seen, like the agreement to export power from a specific generator in Nepal to Bangladesh through transmission grid in India, and preliminary discussions for Bangladesh to invest in a hydropower plant in Bhutan," he said. "We hope they will further expand in the near future. More bilateral and multilateral power trading can pave the way to developing a single interconnected power market in the SASEC region that will benefit all countries," the blog said. New Delhi: Second-year MA History students of Banaras Hindu University, while appearing for an exam, were asked questions relating to Rani Padmini and her Jauhar (sacrifice by self-immolation). The fabled queen of Chittor, who featured in Malik Muhammad Jayasis 16th-century poem, inspired director Sanjay Leela Bhansalis magnum opus Padmavati, which has been at the heart of a raging. The students, who were taking the third-semester exam on Society and Culture in Medieval India, were asked to answer a 10-mark question on Rani Padminis Jauhar a medieval Hindu tradition wherein women would resort to self-immolation to avoid capture by invading forces. The question read, What do you mean by Jauhar tradition? Describe Rani Padmavatis Jauhar in the period of Alauddin Khilji. This exam was held before the recently reported controversy in BHU, where students taking a political science paper were asked to answer questions on GST in Kautilyas Arthshastra as well as globalisation as Manus theory. While Rajput folklore swears by the tale of Rani Padmini, also referred to as Padmavati, many historians remain unsure of the veracity of the legend. Fables say, Padmini was a princess of the Singhal kingdom (present-day Sri Lanka). After Ratan Sen, the Rajput ruler of Chittor, won her hand in marriage and brought her to his kingdom, Delhis Sultan Alauddin Khilji also heard of her beauty and laid siege to Chittor in order to obtain her. Eventually, the fort was taken but Padmini and her companions committed Jauhar. Khiljis siege of 1303 CE is a well-documented event but Padminis story cannot be verified. Even Amir Khusrao, Khiljis court poet, scribe and companion in the siege wrote nothing of Rani Padmini or her sacrifice in his battle accounts. There was, though, a mention of Jauhar in the account of Khiljis victory at Ranthambhore, which took place before the Chittor siege. The earliest available record of Rani Padmini was written over 200 years after the Battle of Chittor. Concurrently, students were also asked to discuss teen talaq and halala as a social evil in Islam. Students say the Medieval India syllabus does not include the topic of teen talaq or Halala. According to practice, the question paper is usually set by a professor who teaches the subject. It is then vetted and approved by a moderation board of the University that constitutes of other professors. Students in the main university campus say there was a special class held on the issue of the wretched condition of women during times of Delhi sultans but it wasnt related to Rani Padmini. However, it is not clear whether the same was done for students studying in colleges affiliated to BHU. Chandigarh: An FIR was lodged against the Fortis hospital in Gurgaon on Saturday in connection with the death of a 7-year-old dengue patient, the Haryana government said. Both civil and criminal action was being initiated against the hospital which was severely indicted of lapses by a probe panel in its report pertaining to the death of the 7- year-old girl, an official spokesperson said. On the basis of the report, an FIR was registered today against the hospital under section 304 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the Sushant Lok Police Station (Gurgaon). The other criminal action against the hospital is being taken under the Epidemic Diseases Act, the spokesperson said. This is being done on the directions by state Health Minister Anil Vij, the spokesperson said in an official release. A probe committee constituted to investigate the matter had earlier submitted its report to the health department. The department has directed the Civil Surgeon, Gurgaon, to provide one copy each of the report to the parents of the child and the hospital, and one copy to the police with instructions to initiate criminal inquiry against the hospital, the spokesperson said in the statement. The release quoting Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon, Vinay Pratap Singh, said instructions had been issued to all hospitals in Gurgaon that in cases of dengue or swine flu, they should inform the health department, but the Fortis Hospital allegedly did not do so. For this negligence, the health department would get a case registered against the hospital under section 188 of the IPC (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), the spokesperson said. Besides the two criminal inquiries, civil action on three counts was also being taken against hospital, he added. The Drug Controller Department has issued notice to the pharmacy running in the hospital for various shortcomings found and a reply is awaited. The State Drug Controller would take a decision on the reply and license of the pharmacy may be suspended under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1945, or may be cancelled, the spokesman said. Similarly, on the basis of the report of the probe committee, a notice has also been issued to the blood bank of the hospital for which 15 days have been given to file a reply, he added. On the basis of the reply, action would be taken against the blood bank under which its license may even be suspended or cancelled, the spokesman added. Apart from this, the health department has also directed the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to check the norms and agreement pertaining to the treatment facility to the economically weaker sections. If any negligence is found, action would be taken against the hospital, he added. On Saturday, Health Minister Anil Vij said had said that his department had written to HUDA to cancel the lease of land to Fortis hospital in Gurgaon due to alleged violations of the terms and conditions of the agreement. A state government panel probing allegations of overcharging against Gurgaon's Fortis hospital had found "several irregularities" including protocols not being followed in a case related to the death of a 7-year-old girl. The bill for the treatment of seven-year-old Adya Singh had shot over Rs 15 lakh even as she died of dengue, according to officials. The Fortis group, had earlier said that all documents, statements and details required by the probe team of the Haryana government were provided. A committee headed by Dr Rajiv Vadhera, Additional DG, Health, Haryana was set up by the state government on November 21 to probe allegations that the private hospital overcharged the girl's family. The Centre had asked the Haryana government to initiate an urgent inquiry into the case. The hospital had earlier refuted the charges, claiming the patient's family was duly informed about the bill on a daily basis and that there was no medical negligence. In Delhi also, another leading private hospital has been facing the heat after the state government decided to cancel its licence over alleged medical negligence, including in a case where an alive baby was wrongly declared dead. New Delhi: After Sanjay Gandhis death in a plane crash, his mother Indira Gandhi wanted her other son Rajiv to give up being a professional pilot and enter politics and she sought the help of Oshos secretary Laxmi to persuade him, claims a new book. Indira Gandhi, India's fourth prime minister, was interested in spiritual life like her father Jawaharlal Nehru, says poet-artist Rashid Maxwell in The Only Life: Osho, Laxmi, and the World in Crisis. "From an early age, she had been touched by the words and the being of Osho. She was, however, first and foremost an ambitious politician so she never actually came to his ashram even when she was in Poona because Osho was already a controversial figure by then," the book says. Until 1977 when Indira Gandhi was temporarily deposed from power, Laxmi was given a 'green pass', an entitlement to visit the Congress leader in her home or office at any time, it says. In 1980, when Indira Gandhi was again Prime Minister, her son and heir Sanjay died in a plane crash. When Laxmi visited her, Indira Gandhi entreated her to go and talk with Rajiv Gandhi. "She wanted Laxmi's help to persuade Rajiv to give up being a professional pilot and enter politics. Laxmi went to his room and spoke with him for a long time concerning the contribution he might make to the country's progress in the 20th century," Maxwell writes in the book, published by Simon & Schuster. Rajiv Gandhi was reluctant but he subsequently entered politics, he adds. He became the Prime Minister following his mothers assassination in 1984. "The Only Life: Osho, Laxmi, and the World in Crisis" is a biography of Laxmi, a woman who blazed a path for herself and others in the presence of the mystic Osho. Growing up in British India and apparently rendered powerless in a domineering world, Laxmi went on to become Osho's first disciple and secretary. The book also describes the ups and downs in Laxmi's life - how she was at the helm of the massive international movement that grew around Osho in the 1970s and 80s to how she was ostracised and later banished and had to wander in the wastelands of America in isolation. New Delhi: The Opposition has accused the BJP-led central government of hiding a vital indicator on farmers distress in the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data. It has alleged that the omission of data on suicides in 2016 is an attempt to evade public scrutiny ahead of Gujarat Assembly elections and the Winter Session of Parliament. BJP-ruled states have done nothing to address farmer distress which primarily includes farm debt and distress sale of crops well below the minimum support price and the cost of production. Additionally, Gujarat has no scheme for helping families of farmers who killed themselves, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told News18. The NCRB report for 2016 was released last week, after a delay of almost four months. Conspicuously missing in this years data were figures for suicides in the country. Concerns on the omission have also been raised by CPM leader Brinda Karat who felt that the Bureau owes an explanation on the issue. It is for the NCRB to clarify whether there is anything political about it, she said. Refuting the allegations, the BJP sought to turn the tables on the Congress. From 2014 to 2015, farmer suicides in Karnataka, which is ruled by the Congress, have seen a tremendous increase from 321 to 1,197. They have paid no heed to their own crisis. They must explain their previous record, said BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao. The NCRB has attributed the procedural delay in releasing suicide figures to some issues regarding recording suicides by few states. Responding to a query by News18, NCRB said: The Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India-2016 will be published in the third or last week of December. 2015 Report: Which State Recorded The Most Number Of Suicides? In 2015, the maximum number of suicides were reported in Maharashtra (16,970) followed by Tamil Nadu (15,777) and West Bengal (14,602), accounting for 12.7%, 11.8% and 10.9% of total suicides reported in the country, respectively. Maharashtra reported the highest number of suicidal deaths in 2013, 2014 and 2015, followed by Tamil Nadu in the last three years. Delhi has reported the highest number of suicides (1,845) among Union Territories, followed by Puducherry (711). Seven UTs together accounted for 2.2% of total suicides in the country. A total of 19,665 suicides were reported in the 53 mega cities of the country during the 2015. According to the data released for 2015, the states and UTs which have reported significant percentage increase in suicides in 2015 over 2014 were Uttarakhand (129.5%), Meghalaya (73.7%), Lakshadweep (66.7%), Nagaland (61.5%) and Jammu & Kashmir (44.2%) while highest percentage decrease was reported in Jharkhand (35.8%), Bihar (28.2%), Manipur (26.0), Rajasthan (22.5%) and Himachal Pradesh (15.7%). New Delhi: If pharmacies in India are trained to recognise the symptoms of tuberculosis (TB) they can help control both the spread of the disease and resistance to first-line antibiotics, says a new paper in the Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and other Mycobacterial Diseases, published December 8, 2017. Co-authored by Dr. Madhukar Pai, one of the world's leading experts on TB, it examined two recent studies across four Indian cities, that examine the role of pharmacies, often the first point of contact between patients and medical help. Though urban pharmacists do a poor job of asking enough questions about a patient's symptoms to refer them to doctors, the studies found that no pharmacy sold first line anti-TB medicine without prescriptions, in the 1533 encounters between patients and pharmacists in four cities. Pharmacies can tilt the management of TB patients for the better or worse through their sheer number -- about 800,000 pan India -- their availability and long open hours and the fact that most medication, including antibiotics, is available over the counter (OTC), noted the paper. However, the authors eschewed personal profit as the reason for pharmacists selling drugs OTC and not referring suspected TB patients to hospitals, pinning this behaviour on poor training instead. The paper said, pharmacists do deviate from accepted norms when diagnosis is unknown or uncertain. But their behavior improves markedly when diagnoses are more apparent. "Pharmacists can be engaged for a variety of TB services across the cascade of care, and private pharmacies have been actively engaged in novel PPM models in India that have dramatically increased private sector TB case notifications in the country and improved quality of TB care in the private sector," it added. Pharmacies are supposed to serve patients according to guidelines set out by the central government and the Indian Pharmaceutical Association. Referral to a healthcare provider without selling antibiotics or steroids is deemed 'correct' management. The studies found that the standardised patients (SPs) were correctly managed from 13 percent to 62 percent, increasing with the certainty of the TB diagnosis. SPs who came in with non-specific symptoms of cough and fever, consistent with many differential diagnoses, were correctly managed only in 13 percent of the times. However, as the probability of TB increased so did better management. The suggestion of TB, due to close contact with a relative with TB, increased this figure to 45 percent. Even though Indian pharmacies are known for selling antibiotics OTC, the paper noted "there positive findings". First, antibiotic use more than halved when SPs explained they had been in contact with an infected individual or had a confirmed diagnosis, compared to those only presenting symptoms suggestive of TB. Second, the use of restricted Schedule H1 medicines was low in all cities. Third, out of 1533 SP encounters across 4 cities, not a single pharmacy dispensed first-line anti-TB medications without a prescription. This crucial engagement of pharmacists in finding and sending TB patients for correct care has only recently started, with memorandums of understanding being signed between the Central TB Division and the Indian Pharmaceutical Association, the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists, the Pharmacy Council of India and the SEARPharm forum. This policy shift is important as India's TB numbers dictate the world's TB numbers, which are still worryingly high, as another recent paper, in the medical journal The Lancet found. The Global Burden of Tuberculosis, based on the Global Burden of Disease Study, 2015, published December 6, 2017, said that cases of TB in parts of Asia, eastern Europe, sub-Saharan Africa had a higher than expected TB burden (in HIV negative people) given their socio-demographic index, and these countries needed to investigate why. The study broke down some of the key factors leading to deaths of HIV negative TB patients. Alcohol was found finance 11.4 percent of deaths, diabetes 10.4 percent and smoking 7.8 percent. The prevalence of all three in India is known to be high. Perhaps that's why the incidence of TB cases was higher than expected (more than 210/10000 population) in India, along with Indonesia, the Philippines, and 14 sub-Saharan African countries. In 2015, said the study, globally there were 10.2 million incident cases of TB (i.e. newly diagnosed cases), 10.1 million prevalent cases (i.e. cases where the disease and/or the diagnosis existed before the study) and 1.3 million deaths. Of these 8.8 million incident cases, 8.9 million prevalent cases and 1.1 million deaths were in HIV negative patients. Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday accused former Defence Minister A K 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. Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has set a very ambitious target for India to reduce its carbon intensity, is committed to moving the country to a lower carbon renewable energy future, World bank President Jim Yong Kim has said. "I am very optimistic about what could happen with renewable energy (in India). The other thing that's so important is Prime Minister Modi is very personal, very public and very strong support of moving India to a lower carbon renewable energy future," Kim told reporters in a conference call ahead of the One Planet Summit in France on Monday. In an interaction with reporters on bank's continuing work on climate change mitigation and its efforts at helping developing countries implement the Paris Agreement, Kim said he and the World Bank has worked very closely with Modi. "Among one of the major projects that we're putting on the table at the summit is a ultra-mega project in India for solar," he said on Saturday in response to a question. "Prime Minister Modi has made a very ambitious target for India to reduce its carbon intensity. Especially in the areas of solar and hydro, India is really leading. The Solar Alliance that Prime Minister Modi is spearheading has also been extremely important," Kim said. But there is still a lot of work to do, he observed. "I think the Indian government is very much aware of that." Kim said there are two most encouraging things for India. "One is that the cost of solar and the both the cost and size of battery storage is progressing so quickly...the lowest price per kilowatt hour that we've seen so far is in Mexico one point seven cents a kilowatt hour which for many countries makes solar less than half the cost of coal," he said. "Then also what we've seen is the rapid advances in battery storage technology. So experts have said at one point that there is an actual physical limit to the size and the cost of a battery storage technology and we've already broken through that supposed physical limit quite aggressively," he said. In France, Kim would be hosting the One Planet summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to mark the two-year anniversary of the signing of the Paris agreement. "We are coming together not only to reaffirm our commitment to the agreement and to showcase some of the work taking place, but more importantly to look at ways to mobilize the scale of financing needed to create a low carbon climate resilient future for the economies of the world," Kim said. New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi is likely to assume the reins of the Congress on December 16, marking a generational shift in the grand old party when his mother and its longest-serving president would formally hand over the baton to him. While pageantry would herald the dawn of a new era in the party which has ruled the country for over half-a-century since independence, the 47-year-old scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family will face the daunting task of restoring lost glory to the party whose fortunes have been dwindling in the recent past. Today, the party, which once controlled almost the entire country, has its governments in just five states and the Union Territory of Puducherry. The announcement of Rahul Gandhi's elevation, however, is likely to be made on Monday, the last date of withdrawal of nomination for the election of the Congress president which is a one horse race. Altogether 89 nominations received in his favour were found to be valid during scrutiny. The Congress's Central Election Authority chairman Mullapally Ramachandran, and CEA members Madhusudan Mistry and Bhubaneswar Kalita will announce that Gandhi's was the only nomination for the top job ON tomorrow. Rahul Gandhi would, however, be handed over the certificate appointing him the party president on December 16 in the presence of Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders, Ramachandran said. Sonia Gandhi will officially hand over the mantle of the 132-year-old party to her son around 11 AM after which Rahul Gandhi will meet leaders from across the country at the Congresss headquarters, party sources said. The Congress has been losing state after state since the 2014 Lok Sabha election with the exception of Punjab. Rahul Gandhi's elevation would come just two days ahead of the counting of votes for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly poll. A sure-footed Rahul Gandhi powered a spirited campaign for the Congress in Gujarat, and a win in the election, which many analysts say could be dead heat between the two parties, would come as a massive boost for him. "Delivering in Gujarat will be important as it is the immediate test facing Rahul Gandhi, who has mounted a strong anti-BJP campaign in the state and led personally from the front. We are looking at victory in Gujarat," said a Congress leader and former chief minister. Mahila Congress chief and party spokesperson Sushmita Dev said reorganising the party would be another major task for him. "Every post comes with a challenge. He has to rebuild the party at the grassroots and strengthen the ideological base. His undisputed election as party president is a sign of his strength. He will have to take everyone along from the AICC level right up to the states," she told PTI. Striking a balance between the old guard and the young leaders would be a key to running the organisation which has many seasoned politicians whose wisdom he could use as he steers the party. Gandhi had said in the past that he would draw upon a blend of experience of the old and the energy of the young. "Initial signs are encouraging since he put veterans like Ashok Gehlot and Sushil KumarShinde in charge of elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh respectively and was willing to bank on them," said a leader. He also got appointed young leaders as secretaries. Clarity on the party's ideological stand on the issue of Hindutva would also be important as he is being seen as projecting the Congresss soft Hindutva with his visit to temples in Gujarat. He has also proclaimed himself a "Shiv bhakt". These visits are also being seen as an attempt to blunt the BJPs accusation against the party of Muslim appeasement. "This is to course-correct after it was felt that an overtly pro-minority image of the Congress undermined its electoral prospects on the eve of 2014 Lok Sabha elections," a party veteran noted, adding cobbling together electoral alliances will also be key to the future growth of the party. Another former Union minister said every state had its own set of challenges and Gandhi would be expected to take informed decisions in each by taking everyone along. Gandhi has already been taking all major decisions in the party even though his formal elevation was delayed due to a long-drawn internal election process. The deadline set by the Election Commission for conclusion of the organisational elections in the Congress expires on December 31. Organisational elections in the Congress were due in 2015. The party constitution provides for elections to be held every five years. The last such polls were held in 2010. Rahul Gandhi, who was initially hesitant about taking over the reins from Sonia Gandhi, who held the party?s top post for 19 years, will be the sixth member and fifth generation leader of the Nehru-Gandhi clan to occupy the post. These include Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and now Rahul Gandhi. Some eminent leaders who held the post in the pre- independence era included Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Abul Kalam Azad, Vallabhai Patel and Rajendra Prasad. Eminent people like Madan Mohan Malviya, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Dadabhai Naoroji, Annie Besant and Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee, the first party president, also led the party in the pre-independence era. By Dr. Uzma Azhar Ali Sar chadh kar bolta hai Urdu zuban ka jadoo. These words of Jashn e Rekhtas theme song perfectly sum up the spirit at the festival. As you enter the gates at National Stadium and one of the 16 e-rickshaws drop you at the main venue inside, the friendly faces and presence of old and young, men and women from all backgrounds strike you. The 4th edition of Jashn e Rekhta kicked off at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, India Gate, on a cold 8th December evening warmed by Sanjeev Sarafs (founder of Rekhta) welcome address, Pandit Jasraj and Waheeda Rehmans speeches inaugurating the festival and musical performance by Ustad Rashid Khan. When lights went out for few minutes during his performance, Ustad Rashid sahib did not stop singing, and the audience did not panic or became restless, but switched on the lights on their phones. It was quite symbolic of the love that the festival has received from people of Delhi. The festival started at IIC in 2015 then IGNCA hosted Rekhta festival twice and this years choice of National stadium shows the manifold increase of the audience in thousands over the years. Participants and public from outside Delhi visiting the festival have also gone up. For the first day, many felt the crowd was very good this year. The festival of Urdu or Rekhta as the language was referred earlier, stresses on the composite culture through which the language emerged with both Hindus and Muslims as its speakers. Rekhta sessions are a balanced mix of music, poetry, serious literary discussions to sessions hosted by Bollywood film personalities. Films and their Urdu connection is explored in detail in every Jashn e Rekhta. The food section curated by Anubhav Sapra (Delhi Food Walks) offers diverse food choices from Bihar, Rampur, Odisha, Lucknow, Shahjahanabad and Afghanistan (women refugee group now in food catering) as well, apart from Delhi snack options like Cheela from Karol Bagh, Omlette from Dwarka, Daulat ki chaat and sweets from Sheeren Bhawan, Old Delhi,. Rampuri kebabs and Afghani food were specially recommended for the food lovers at Jashn e Rekhta. Apart from the main sessions and events the space at National stadium is aesthetically decorated and dotted with various cut outs of famous Urdu poets and their celebrated couplets. Rekhta bazaar has stalls of Khwab Tanha, Arty Kite, SHURUA(R)T, ear rings, Khadi products, calligraphic posters and a working calligraphy artist, book publications, etc. First day evening is usually spent in walking around and discovering the space. On Saturday, 9th Dec. second day of the festival morning sessions started with Sadaa e Faqeer, melodious soulful Sufi Tasawwuf renditions by Madan Gopal Singh and Chaar Yaar. The range of Urdu language beautifully captured with various performances in different musical formats. The afternoon session saw Shubha Mudgal singing poetry of protest and dissent of Faiz, Kaifi Azmi and others, narrated by Sohail Hashmi. The Courtesan Project was enacted early evening by Manjari Chaturvedi and Neelesh Misra who brought Mirza Ghalib and Nawabjans story on stage interspersed with poetry, music and Kathak dance. Around the same time, Parvaaz, a band from Bangalore, in the open area created a fusion of rock and Urdu for the young audience. Serious discussions on Urdu literature started with Dakani Urdu and its poetic forms. Prof Gopi Chand Narang talked about mythologys presence in Urdu poetry in the afternoon session. Medieval India, much in discussion in recent times, its cultural and literary interactions were explored by Prof Harbans Mukhia with Prof Rizwan Qaiser. Urdu afsana form was discussed in the late afternoon session. Gulzar Dehalvi , noted Urdu poet and scholar had a session with Farhat Ehsas. Film personalities from Mumbai had different sessions throughout the day. Imtiaz Ali started with the morning session and spoke about his films and his idea of imagination and reality. Nandita Das and Nawazuddin Siddiqui talked about their film Manto and shared the process of its making. Shabana Azmi, Muzaffar Ali and Waheeda Rehman discussed the Muslim social films and the depiction of Urdu culture in them. All of these sessions saw very large audience as the stars of Bollywood always pull in public. Radio stars sessions were very well attended as well. RJ Sayema had a session where she read out poetry, and RJ Neelesh Misra had a session with Saif Mahmood where he discussed the role of stories in sensitizing the other. Misra discussed trying to reach the interiors of India through his Gaon Connection project and his journey as a lyricist in Bollywood. Salman Akhtars couplet shared in the session, referred to Ramayans characters while talking about the struggles one faces in life, was most appreciated: Itna kab azaad hai jo chahe kar le jab kaho Dil ke Dashrath ko mili hain Kaykayi majbooriyan Poetry-sessions started with Open house in the morning session, then mazahiya (humorous/ witty) poetry, Young poets session in the afternoon, Women poets session in the late afternoon. Dr. Saif Mahmood had a session on satire and humor in Urdu and enthralled his audience with various gems of witty poetry. When there was shortage of meat in Delhi a few years back, Sagar Khayyami wrote: Ek mahina ho chukka hai bandd hai hum par mutton Daawaton me kha rahe hain bhindiyan ahl e sukhan Kha ke ghuiyyan kya dikhlaayein shayari ka baankpan Ho gaya palak ka patta nazuki se gulbadan Nafraton ke daur me dekho to kya kya ho gaya Sabziyan Hindu huin, Bakra Musalman ho gaya In the present times, when food is being linked to religion, it was appropriately cherished and liked by the audience. The day ended with well known Urdu poets Mushaira, like Shamim Abbas, Shariq Kaifi, Rahat Indori, Javed Akhtar and others. The underlying theme at Jashn e Rekhta has always been to emphasize on the Indiannes of Urdu, its inclusivity and the various forms in which they have been richly explored. Its efforts like this by Sanjeev Saraf and his Rekhta team that the vicious communal politics of the present era can be dealt with and defeated. Shamim Abbass couplet in the Mushaira met with loud cheers: Muntazir hum bhi hain us din ke ho Ram ka Raj Par yeh Ravan ki Jo Lanka hai ye dhaayi jaaye. TORONTO, Dec. 10, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Fraser Institutes Report Card on Ontarios Elementary Schoolsnow in its 15th yearis out today. This years Report Cardthe go-to source for measuring academic performanceranks more than 3,000 anglophone and francophone public and Catholic schools (and a small number of independent schools) based on nine academic indicators from results of annual province-wide reading, writing and math tests. The Report Card is a valuable tool for parents and educators, who can use it to find schools serving similar students elsewhere in the province that consistently perform better. By doing so, they can access success demonstrated by other similar schools so to improve their own schools performance, said Peter Cowley, director of School Performance Studies at the Fraser Institute. Province-wide test results and the report card help spotlight successful schools across the province that can serve as an example for others to follow. This year, for example, several schools achieved high ratings despite serving higher-than-average percentages of special needs students. The Grade 6 class at Ferris Glen Public School in Corbeil, just outside North Bay, has 61.5 per cent special needs students and yet it achieved an outstanding overall rating of 7.6 out of 10 in 2017. (The average rating for elementary schools in Ontario this year is 6.0 out of 10.) St. Ann in Thunder Bay has 57.1 per cent special needs students in grade six and achieved a rating of 7.2 out of 10. And, Aytons Normanby Community School in southwestern Ontario also scored 7.2 out of 10 even though special needs students comprise 50 per cent of the student body. All too often, principals and teachers try to excuse a schools poor overall performance by blaming the characteristics of the students or their families, but the results presented in the Report Card show that any school, no matter what challenges its students face, can succeed. For the complete results on all ranked schools, and to easily compare the performance of different schools, visit www.compareschoolrankings.org. MEDIA CONTACT: Peter Cowley Director of School Performance Studies, Fraser Institute Cell: (604) 789-0475 Office: (604) 714-4556 E-mail: peter.cowley@fraserinstitute.org Bryn Weese Media Relations Specialist, Fraser Institute Cell: (604) 250-8076 Office: (604) 688-0221 Ext. 589 E-mail: bryn.weese@fraserinstitute.org Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter | Like us on Facebook The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institutes independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org Ahmedabad: Congress heir apparent Rahul Gandhi continued his temple run in Gujarat on Sunday as he kicked off his campaign for the second phase of the assembly election with a visit to the Ranchhodji Temple in Kheda district. Like his previous temple stopovers, this one too did not pass off without controversy. This time, BJP workers gathered outside the temple to spoil his visit and chanted slogans in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. When Rahul walked out of the temple and started headed towards his car, the crowd of BJP men was heard chanting Modi-Modi. This, however, did not deter him and he continued smiling and waving to the crowd. Rahul Gandhi offers prayers at the temple in Kheda on Sunday. The Congress scion went to the temple ahead of a series of rallies he held on Sunday, all the way from Kheda to Gandhinagar. He also offered prayers at the Shamlaji Temple in Aravalli district. There has been a lot of debate in political circles over the visits ahead of the elections, signifying a shift in his campaigning style to woo Hindu vote base. According to Congress leaders, he has completed visits to 25 temples, including Dwarkadheesh temple, Chamunda Devi temple as well as Akshardham temple. The BJP has been irked by the visits and have accused him of flaunting religion to garner votes. Senior BJP leader and finance minister Arun Jaitley had also attacked Rahul for his temple run, saying when the original Hindutva party was available, people would reject its clone. Mainpuri: Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday claimed that the five candidates fielded by his son Akhilesh Yadav in the Gujarat Assembly elections would lose. "Akhilesh has fielded five candidates in Gujarat Assembly elections but they will lose all the seats," he told reporters here after attending a private function. "...Akhilesh had taken a wrong decision to forge a political alliance with the Congress and had suffered on that account," he said, referring to the tie-up between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in February-March this year. The BJP swept the elections, winning 312 seats out of the total 403. The Samajwadi Party won 47 and the Congress seven. Yadav also said that Mainpuri was his home turf and in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, he will contest from the Mainpuri parliamentary constituency. Replying to a question related to the issues surrounding the use of electronic voting machines EVMs), he said: "EVMs were imported from Japan, but Japan has returned to ballot paper system of voting." The SP patron reiterated that Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar should be expelled from the party for his "neech" remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) is an elected leader and the comments were worst in the civilised society and the person making such comments should be expelled from the party," Yadav said. He said positive politics has virtually vanished, and "politics of mud-slinging" has become a common norm, pointing out that "there has been a paradigm shift in the country's politics." Aiyar was suspended from Congress earlier this week after he called Modi a 'neech kism ka aadmi' (vile sort of man). New Delhi: The riots of 1984 and 1992 re-entered political discourse with Congress leader Charan Singh Sapra daring PM Narendra Modi to apologise in Jama Masjid like Sonia Gandhi had done in Amritsars Golden Temple. Neither my party nor do I support the 1984 (anti-Sikh) riots. Sonia Gandhi visited Golden Temple and apologised in front of the media. Manmohan Singh also apologised in Parliament. In the last 33 years, the BJP has been adding insult to our injury. Can Narendra Modi visit the Jama Masjid and apologise for 1992 riots? the Congress leader from Punjab said at an event organized by News18 India. The 1984 riots were triggered by the assassination of then PM Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguard months after Operation Blue Star. The 1992 riots broke out following the demolition of Ayodhyas Babri Masjid by kar sevaks. Hitting back, BJP chief Amit Shah said the Congress was raking up the riots to get electoral mileage in Gujarat. 2002 2002 NGO , : @AmitShah BJP (@BJP4India) December 10, 2017 Jignesh Mewani's pictures of accepting money from PFI has gone viral. PFI has always indulged in anti-national activities. Rahul Gandhi meets such a person who has relations with an anti-national outfit & Congress gives up its seat for him for vote bank consolidation, Shah said at a press conference. Sapras comments come amid a heated campaign in Gujarat where the BJP is attempting to retain power for the fifth consecutive term while the Congress is gunning for a revival. Phase 1 of the voting in Saurashtra and south Gujarat regions was held on Saturday and saw a 68% turnout, while the second round will be held on December 14. Addressing an election rally in Banaskanthas Palanpur, Modi on Sunday against launched a scathing attack on suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for his neech remark. The same Mani Shankar Aiyar who insulted Gujarat held secret meetings with the Pakistan High Commissioner. Why? Why are people who held posts in Pakistans military establishment pitching for (Congress leader) Ahmed Patel to be CM? Why is Pakistan interfering in Gujarat elections? Modi was referring to an appeal purportedly by former director general of the Pakistan Army, Sardar Arshad Rafiq, that Ahmed Patel be made Gujarat CM. "There were media reports yesterday about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. It was attended by Pakistan's high commissioner, Pakistan's former foreign minister, India's former vice president and former prime minister Manmohan Singh. The meeting at Aiyar's house carried on for almost three hours. The next day, Mani Shankar Aiyar said Modi was 'neech'. This is a serious matter, the PM said. "(On one side) Pakistan Army's former DG is interfering in Gujarat's election, on the other side, Pakistan's people are holding a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house," he said. Soon-to-be Congress chief Rahul Gandhi also kept up his attack on the PM, saying he talks only of himself. I listened to Modis speech yesterday. Almost 90% of the speech was about him, Gandhi said at a rally in Dakor region of Gujarat. However, referring to Aiyars remark against the PM, Gandhi reiterated that no Congressman should use foul language against the PM. He is the PM. Dont use abusive words. The prestige battle between the two parties will be decided on December 18 when counting for the Gujarat elections is held. New Delhi: Congress leader Randeep Surjewala launched a counter-attack at Narendra Modi on Sunday after the Prime Minister alleged that Pakistan was interfering in the Gujarat election to help the Congress and asked why he had made a surprise stopover in the neighbouring country nearly two years ago. The PM made a stopover in Pakistan to attend a marriage ceremony in PM Nawaz Sharifs family. Was he invited there? Surjewala asked, referring to Modis December 2015 visit, the first by an Indian premier in over 10 years. The Congress communications in charge also asked Modi why officials from Pakistan were made to visit the Pathankot terror attack site. The government had faced criticism for allowing a Joint Investigation Team to visit the air force station in March 2016 as Pakistan has not acted against the perpetrators. PM Modi had earlier in the day sought an explanation from the Congress over why a former Pakistan army director general insisted on making Ahmed Patel, political advisor of Congress president Sonia, as the chief minister of Gujarat. Addressing a poll rally in Palanpur, Modi said that before suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar called him "neech", top Congressmen had met the Pakistan High Commissioner and foreign minister at Aiyars house. "There were media reports yesterday about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. It was attended by Pakistan's high commissioner, Pakistan's former foreign minister, India's former vice president and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh," Modi said. The meeting at Aiyar's house carried on for almost three hours, Modi said. "The next day, Mani Shankar Aiyar said Modi was 'neech'. This is a serious matter," he said. "After that meeting, people of Gujarat, backward communities, poor people and Modi were insulted. Don't you think such events raise doubts," Modi asked. He said the Congress should inform the people of the country what exactly it was up to. Palanpur (Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday alleged that senior Congress leaders held a meeting with Pakistans former foreign minister and High Commissioner to India at Mani Shankar Aiyars residence a day before he made the neech comment. Addressing a poll rally in Palanpur, the Prime Minister claimed that the meeting pointed to Pakistans interference in the Gujarat election and sought an explanation from the Congress. He also raised questions over the alleged appeal by former director general of the Pakistan Army, Sardar Arshad Rafiq, that senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel be made the chief minister of Gujarat. There were media reports yesterday about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. It was attended by Pakistan's high commissioner, Pakistan's former foreign minister, India's former vice president and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Modi said. The meeting at Aiyar's house carried on for almost three hours, Modi said. "The next day, Mani Shankar Aiyar said Modi was 'neech'. This is a serious matter," he said. Modi added that Rafiq had backed Ahmed Patel as the next chief minister of Gujarat. "(On one side) Pakistan Army's former DG is interfering in Gujarat's election, on the other side, Pakistan's people are holding a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house," he said. "And, after that meeting, people of Gujarat, backward communities, poor people and Modi were insulted. Don't you think such events raise doubts," Modi asked. He said the Congress should inform the people of the country what exactly it was up to. Modi was speaking at the rally for the ongoing state Assembly polls. The second phase of polling in north and central Gujarat, including the Banaskantha district, will be held on December 14. Washington: A Washington Post reporter on Sunday had to tender an apology after US President Donald Trump asked him to do so for posting an erroneous tweet about his rally in Florida. Dave Weigel, who covers politics for the newspaper, had posted a picture on his Twitter account which showed an empty arena when Trump was addressing a public meeting. Trump, in a tweet, said, "Weigel put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before he arrived at the venue, with thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo!" said the US President as he posted pictures of the event. .@DaveWeigel @WashingtonPost put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo! pic.twitter.com/XAblFGh1ob Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017 Weigel apologised within minutes, and tweeted, "Sure thing: I apologise. I deleted the photo after David Martosko of Daily Mail told me I'd gotten it wrong. Was confused by the image of you walking in the bottom right corner." Sure thing: I apologize. I deleted the photo after @dmartosko told me I'd gotten it wrong. Was confused by the image of you walking in the bottom right corner. https://t.co/fQY7GMNSaD Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) December 9, 2017 Despite Weigel's apology, Trump in a follow-up tweet demanded that he be fired. "Weigel of the Washington Post just admitted that his picture was a FAKE (fraud?) showing an almost empty arena last night for my speech in Pensacola when, in fact, he knew the arena was packed (as shown also on TV). FAKE NEWS, he should be fired," he said. .@daveweigel of the Washington Post just admitted that his picture was a FAKE (fraud?) showing an almost empty arena last night for my speech in Pensacola when, in fact, he knew the arena was packed (as shown also on T.V.). FAKE NEWS, he should be fired. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017 Early in the morning, Trump targeted CNN for its alleged inaccurate reporting. "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?" he asked. 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 CNN, in another tweet, he said, is 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!" said the US President. New Delhi: Google, on Sunday, dedicated its doodle to German physician and microbiologist Robert Koch. Well known for identifying the specific causative agents of tuberculosis, cholera, and anthrax, while providing experimental support for the concept of infectious disease, Koch's lived during the mid-19th century. He was born in Clausthal in Hanover, Germany on December 11, 1843, and died on May 27, 1910, in Baden-Baden, Germany. The son of a mining engineer, Koch had apparently announced to his parents that at the age of five that he had taught himself to read, thanks to newspapers. He developed a new experimental method to test whether a particular micro-organism is the cause of a disease. Interestingly, his assistant, Julius Richard Petri, developed the Petri dish, making the observation of bacteria easier. The physician's research led to the creation of Kochs postulates, a series of four generalised principles linking specific micro-organisms to specific diseases that even today are considered the 'gold standard' in medical microbiology. As a result of his groundbreaking research on tuberculosis, Koch received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1905. Jerusalem: A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli security guard at Jerusalem's main bus station on Sunday, police said, and violence flared near the US Embassy in Beirut over US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Four days of street protests in the Palestinian territories over Trump's announcement on Wednesday have largely died down, but his overturning of long-standing US policy on Jerusalem - a city holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians - drew more Arab warnings of potential damage to prospects for Middle East peace. "Our hope is that everything is calming down and that we are returning to a path of normal life without riots and without violence," Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Army Radio. But in Jerusalem, a security guard was in critical condition after a 24-year-old Palestinian man from the occupied West Bank stabbed him after approaching a metal detector at an entrance to the city's central bus station, police said. The alleged assailant was taken into custody after a passer-by tackled him. In Beirut, meanwhile, Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water canons at protesters, some of them waving Palestinian flags, near the US Embassy. Demonstrators set fires in the street, torched US and Israeli flags and threw projectiles towards security forces that had barricaded the main road to the complex. In public remarks on Sunday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, a frequent critic of Israel, called it an "invader state" and a "terror state". Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory and say the status of the city should be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks. Israel says that all of Jerusalem is its capital, while Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. Arab foreign ministers who met in Cairo on Saturday urged the United States to abandon its decision on Jerusalem and said the move would spur violence throughout the region. Echoing that view, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan, the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates, said the US move "could throw a lifebuoy to terrorist and armed groups, which have begun to lose ground" in the Middle East. GAZA TUNNEL Along Israel's tense frontier with the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military on Sunday destroyed what it described as a "significant" cross-border attack tunnel dug by the enclave's dominant Islamist group, Hamas. There was no immediate comment from Hamas on the demolition, which came as Palestinian factions tried to meet Sunday's deadline for an Egyptian-mediated handover of Gaza by Hamas to Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas after a decade's schism. Pre-dawn Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Saturday killed two Palestinian gunmen after militants fired rockets from the area into Israel on Friday. In the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Sunday, thousands protested outside the US embassy, many waving banners saying "Palestine is in our hearts". Leaders in Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, have joined a global chorus of condemnation of Trump's announcement, including from Western allies. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to critics in a statement before talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Sunday, to be followed by a meeting with European foreign ministers in Brussels. "I hear (from Europe) voices of condemnation over President Trump's historic announcement, but I have not heard any condemnation for the rocket firing against Israel that has come (after the announcement) and the awful incitement against us," Netanyahu said. The Trump administration has said it is still committed to reviving Palestinian-Israeli talks that collapsed in 2014, and jettisoning old policies is necessary to break the deadlock. It said Israel's capital would be in Jerusalem under any serious peace plan, and it has not taken a position with regard to the city's borders. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki has said the Palestinians will be looking for a new peace talks broker instead of the United States and would seek a United Nations Security Council resolution over Trump's decision. Cairo/Gaza: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not meet US Vice President Mike Pence during Pence's visit to the region this month, in a snub over the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the Palestinian Foreign Minister said on Saturday. Violence erupted for a third day in Gaza in response to President Donald Trump's announcement on Wednesday, which overturned decades of US policy towards the Middle East. Israeli air strikes killed two Palestinian gunmen on Saturday after militants fired rockets from the enclave into Israel on Friday, which had been declared a "day of rage" by Palestinian factions. Trump's recognition of Jerusalem 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. Israel says all of Jerusalem is its capital. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory, and say the status of the city should be left to be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks. The Trump administration says it is still committed to Palestinian-Israeli talks, that Israel's capital would be in Jerusalem under any serious peace plan, and that it has not taken a position on the city's borders. It says the moribund negotiations can be revived only by ditching outdated policies. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said the Palestinians will be looking for a new peace talks broker instead of the United States and would seek a UN Security Council resolution over Trump's decision. "We will seek a new mediator from our Arab brothers and the international community," Maliki told reporters in Cairo before an Arab League meeting to discuss Trump's Jerusalem decision. A Turkish presidential source said Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron will work together to try to persuade the United States to reconsider the move. A possible meeting with Pence has also been turned down by Egypt's Coptic Church, MENA state news agency reported. White House officials could not immediately be reached for comment and State Department officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Palestinian officials said Pence had been due to meet Abbas on Dec. 19. Trump's adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is leading efforts to restart negotiations, though his bid has shown little public progress so far. ROCKETS, AIR STRIKES Palestinian militants launched at least three rockets towards Israeli towns from Gaza after dark on Friday and Israel said it responded with air strikes that targeted a weapons depot, a military compound and two weapons manufacturing facilities. Hamas, which controls Gaza, confirmed the two men killed in the pre-dawn strikes belonged to the group, which has urged Palestinians to keep up the confrontation with Israeli forces. However, 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 occupied West Bank, Palestinians set fire to tyres and threw stones and fire-bombs at Israeli troops, who responded with tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets and, in a few instances, live fire. 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. Thirteen demonstrators were arrested and four officers were lightly injured by stones, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. 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. 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, 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 senior United Arab Emirates (UAE) official said on Saturday that Trump's move was 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. Vatican City: Pope Francis on Sunday renewed a call for "wisdom and prudence" over US President Donald Trump's controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, which has sparked protests and clashes. "The Holy Father renews his appeal for the wisdom and prudence of everyone, and raises fervent prayers so that the leaders of nations, in this time of special gravity, commit themselves to avert a new spiral of violence," a statement from the Vatican said. There were fresh protests in the Middle East and elsewhere Sunday over Trump's declaration, a move that drew global condemnation and sparked days of unrest in the Palestinian territories. Noting that Jerusalem was sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims, the pope reiterated the church's "well-known position concerning the singular character of the Holy City and the essential need for respecting the status quo". "At the same time the Holy See reiterates its own conviction that only a negotiated solution between Israelis and Palestinians can bring a stable and lasting peace, and guarantee the peaceful co-existence of two states within internationally recognised borders," the statement added. Artprice confirms the contents of its press release of 8 December and, today (9 December), adds further explanations concerning this historic sale: 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. 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 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://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/zJssd https://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 Geneva: The Syrian government's delegation returned to Geneva on Sunday for the resumption of talks with United Nations mediator Staffan de Mistura after more than a week's absence, but Western diplomats voiced scepticism about its willingness to engage. Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syria's ambassador to the U.N. and chief negotiator in talks aimed at finding a political solution to end the nearly seven-year-old war, landed in a snowstorm on a flight from Beirut, a Reuters reporter on board said. Ja'afari declined to comment. De Mistura convened an eighth round of separate talks with the government and unified opposition delegations on November 28, focusing on constitutional reform as well as elections. But Ja'afari arrived a day late and left after two days, saying the opposition had "mined the road" to the talks by insisting that President Bashar al-Assad could not play any interim role in Syria's political transition. De Mistura told reporters last Thursday that he would assess this week whether either side is trying to "sabotage" the process. "The opposition has been extremely constructive and willing to get down to it," a senior Western diplomat said. "They are in a difficult place while being criticised internally and pressured by the fact that the regime is bombing away in eastern Ghouta and other places." The diplomat told Reuters that the government's failure to return as scheduled on Dec. 5 had been "a clear sign of not being interested in engaging in the political process". Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested holding a Syrian congress in the Russian city of Sochi early in 2018. Diplomats see his plan as a bid to draw a line under the war and celebrate Moscow's role as the power that tipped the balance of the war and became the key player in the peace process. Istanbul: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday described Israel as a terrorist state and vowed to use all means to fight against the US recognition of Jerusalem as the countrys capital. Palestine is an innocent victim... As for Israel, it is a terrorist state, yes, terrorist! Erdogan said in a speech in the central city of Sivas. We will not abandon Jerusalem to the mercy of a state that kills children. His speech came days after US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, angering Palestinians and sparking protests in Muslim and Arab countries. Four Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in violence following the US announcement. Rockets were fired from Gaza and Israeli warplanes carried out raids on the territory. Erdogan earlier described the status of Jerusalem, whose eastern sector Palestinians see as the capital of their future state, as a red line for Muslims. He called Trump's declaration null and void. The Turkish president has used his position as the current chairman of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to call a summit of the pan-Islamic group on Wednesday. We will show that applying the measure will not be as easy as that, he added on Sunday. During his speech, Erdogan held a picture of what he said was a 14-year-old Palestinian boy from Hebron, in the Occupied West Bank, being dragged away by Israeli soldiers. Turkey and Israel normalised their relations in recent years but Erdogan has continued to defend the Palestinian cause and has regularly criticised Israeli policy. Berlin: 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. "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. Washington: UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Sunday she believes any woman who has felt violated or mistreated by a man has every right to speak up, even if it is President Donald Trump they are accusing. Accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior or misconduct have led to the resignations of three members of Congress this month. The growing wave of women reporting abuse or misconduct has brought down powerful men from Hollywood to Washington, from movie producer Harvey Weinstein to popular television personality Matt Lauer. More than 10 women have accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct before he was president, and Trump, while filming a segment of the television program "Access Hollywood," said he has kissed and groped women. The tape emerged during the 2016 presidential campaign. Haley, discussing a cultural shift of women coming forward on the CBS "Face the Nation" program, applauded women who have come forward: "I'm proud of their strength. I'm proud of their courage." Asked how people should assess the accusers of the president, Haley said, it was "the same thing." "Women who accuse anyone should be heard. They should be heard and they should be dealt with, and I think we heard them prior to the election," she said. "I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way - they have every right to speak up." Whether Trump's election settled the matter was "for the people to decide," Haley said. "I know that he was elected but women should always feel comfortable coming forward and we should all be willing to listen to them." Dubai: Yemen's Houthi group has buried the body of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa, allowing only a handful of relatives to attend, sources from his General People's Congress (GPC) party said on Sunday. Saleh, 75, was killed by the Iran-aligned Houthis on Monday, after he had called for a "new page" in ties with a Saudi-led coalition that his supporters together with the Houthis had fought for nearly three years. A GPC source, who has asked not to be identified, said the Houthis allowed less than 10 people from Saleh's relatives to attend the night-time burial in the capital Sanaa, but gave no details on the exact location. GPC Secretary-General Aref al-Zouka, who was killed with Saleh, was buried on Saturday in his native al-Saeed district of Shabwa province in southern Yemen after the Houthis handed over his body to tribal leaders, media and GPC officials said. Relatives said on Thursday that Saleh's family had refused conditions demanded by the Houthis for handing over the body. Some said they wanted to bury the body in the courtyard of a mosque he had built near the presidential compound in southern Sanaa. Saleh ruled Yemen for 33 years before being forced to step down in 2012 in a Gulf-brokered transition plan following months of Arab Spring protests demanding democracy. He remained in politics as the head of the GPC, Yemen's largest political party, and in 2015 he joined forces with the Iran-aligned Houthis after they captured the capital Sanaa in a move that precipitated Saudi-led military intervention on the side of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Leigh McConaghy still remembers when Tammy Blunt, a certified medical assistant at Lynchburg Hematology and Oncology Clinic, died unexpectedly in 2014 at the age of 41. Her co-workers were heartbroken, McConaghy said. We all adored her, McConaghy said. It was their boss Dr. Dwight Oldham, she said, who arranged for a service for Blunt at his church and paid for a reception at the cancer center for her family and the whole cancer center. Hes kind; hes just kind, McConaghy said Thursday as she tried to piece together why the Lynchburg oncologist was suspended by Centra Health after more than 30 years with Lynchburg Hematology and Oncology Clinic, which Centra purchased in 2014. This past Tuesday, Centra CEO E.W. Tibbs emailed a letter to all Centra staff that said Oldham had been removed from the workplace and asked not to return to any Centra facility unless he is seeking medical care for himself or a family member. Oldham was not a Centra employee but did have a service agreement with Centra, which he and fellow physicians signed in 2014 when Centra purchased their eight-doctor private medical practice, which was operating out of a rented office on the second floor of Centras Alan B. Pearson Regional Cancer Center. Tibbs wrote in his letter to staff Centra became aware of a pattern of behavior by Dr. Oldham that resulted in a work environment for our team members that was both hostile and unsafe. When given the opportunity, Dr. Oldham did not deny the allegations made against him. While we recognize this is a highly charged matter, and we respect all those affected, we are obligated to protect our employees and patients. Reached Tuesday for clarification about the alleged behavior, Centra spokesperson Diane Ludwig said in an email, Dr. Oldham over the years has provided high quality healthcare to his patients. This is not about the level of care he has provided, and we have no knowledge that any harm or bad outcomes came as a result of his behaviors. Ludwig would not comment further. Until June 1, Oldham was medical director of medical oncology for Centra; at which point he became co-medical director of medical oncology with another physician in the group. In April he stopped seeing patients in the Lynchburg office because he planned to retire fully July 1, 2018. He continued to see patients one day per week at Centra Southside Community Hospital in Farmville. On Nov. 29, after seeing patients in Farmville, Oldham was approached by security, human resources and a hospital administrator who notified him of his suspension. He turned over his keys and badge, according to family. In a phone interview Tuesday night, Oldham declined to comment on the situation but did take a moment to defend himself. The letter implied that Im a danger to patient care which is an absolute falsehood, Oldham said. As far as the allegations he is a danger to staff, he said he never threatened or touched anyone or made a direct comment to anyone. I think theres some people there that need to find other work, and Ive said that publicly and in many forms, which is where this is coming from, he said. On Thursday night, Oldham reached out to his former staff via his private email. Greetings from my early retirement, which I am enjoying very much, Oldham wrote. Many of you are wondering what happened, and put simply, my dissenting voice has been silenced. The suggestion that I was physically threatening to anyone is both false and ludicrous. The suggestion that I have ever endangered patient care or safety in any way is also false and absurd. My goals have always been the best patient care possible, and loyalty to and protection of you, our staff, he said. His letter goes on to say he regrets his termination has unnecessarily involved the staff and alleges Centra has forgotten the importance of free speech and genuine, rather than feigned collaboration. Oldham first was issued a medical license in 1977, and his license still is active. According to the Virginia Board of Medicine, there are no records of any complaints against him. There also are no records of any felony convictions, actions against him by other states or organizations and no record of any malpractice claims paid out on his behalf in the last 10 years (which is the period of time the agency tracks malpractice claims), according to the state board. According to Lynchburg court records, Oldham is not facing any lawsuits. On Tuesday, Oldham still was among the listed providers on Centras Alan B. Pearson Regional Cancer Center web page. On Wednesday, his name and image had been removed, although he is listed elsewhere on Centras website as a provider. Cancer survivor Leecy Fink heard the news of the suspension from Oldham himself on Monday. Starting a petition was her first reaction to the news, she said. Oldham, she said, was the kind of physician who would find you in a room of 20 waiting patients and come over to ask if you needed anything. He just has a different touch, as a human being, said Fink, who is hurt not only by Oldhams departure but by the things written about him and now made public. Hes not someone to stir up trouble, but hes also not one to keep his opinion to himself. If theres an opportunity for him to say that patients are not the priority, hes going to tell the administration that. Hes earned the right to say, Hey, we have a problem here, Fink said. Notified of the petition Tuesday night, Oldham was grateful for the support. I would like to thank everyone for their support, and Im very touched, he said. Cancer survivor Martha Leverette is one of the more than 1,000 people as of Friday who now have signed that online petition, shared on Facebook, in support of Oldham. Reactions on Facebook this week have ranged from shock to outrage. Just one of the more than 100 comments posted by Friday supports Centras action. In a public Facebook comment, Donald Harris wrote he would not be signing the petition. While he is undoubtedly good at what he does as a Doctor, I assure you that Centra's decision has next to nothing to do with patient care, and almost everything to do with lack of care/consideration/professionalism within the workplace itself. He declined to be interviewed when contacted for more information. The vast majority simply want answers. Something just doesnt add up to those of us who have had him as doctor, Leverettesaid after learning of Oldhams departure through social media. He was everything you would want in a physician: compassionate, very knowledgeable, you know, he definitely had the experience . He just has a quiet strength about him, so not [an] overly emotional person, but he realized that his job was dealing with life and death, and I think he took that role very seriously. Connie Gunter-Miller worked for Oldham from 1982 until January 2015. She said Oldhams compassion extended to patients loved ones as he worked to make sure they were involved in patients care and taken care of. As far as the employees, he will never know what he meant to the employees, she said, describing how Oldham cared for them both personally and professionally. I feel that I owe such a great deal for my knowledge and my nursing skills to him, Gunter-Miller said. Mary Beth Durocher worked with Oldham daily in oncology for more than six years. She particularly is concerned about how his departure will affect cancer patients at the center. Its heartbreaking now for his patients. I cant imagine the fear and frustration they that must have right now, she said. Leverette, who is one of those patients, is struggling to square the behavior she witnessed for years with what Centra wrote about Oldham and distributed to Centra staff. In my four years of knowing him, I never found him to be hostile to anyone, she said. I would say theres not a hostile bone in his body. He is a kind, compassionate person. When I was there, everyone held him in the highest regard; you could tell people really loved him, said Leverette, who has a story she tells about Alan B. Pearson praising Oldham. It was Pearson, who died in 2014, who put forth the money to build the cancer center now named after him. Leverette said Pearson said, Young lady, you hit the jackpot, when he learned Oldham was caring for her. She said she signed the petition as soon as she learned of Oldhams dismissal. Its just a great loss, and I think the reason that I want to speak out is just to say this was not just a job for him this has been his life, and his reputation is on the line here, and I just want to speak out to say he was an excellent physician, and I would pick him again 100 times. I just feel so fortunate and blessed to have had him guiding me through the whole process, Leverette said. McConaghy worked alongside Oldham for more than 30 years and said the bottom line is he was incredibly intelligent and wanted to improve cancer care in Lynchburg. When he saw something wrong, he said something, and he expected the best from those he worked with, she said. Supporters, she said, will work to counter the message about him in the Centra email last week. Were not going to let this die, hes not going to let this die, hes not going to go out this way the man deserves a portrait of himself [in the cancer center] with all he did, McConaghy said. I was also encouraged by some of the actions taken this week, and so, I had high expectations for this cabinet. I never expected him to appoint a government of national unity. I always felt there was insufficient time in the run-up to the elections, but I really hoped that he would reach out and get some good technocrats involved use the five Cabinet posts reserved to him in terms of the Constitution to do that, and also perhaps to bring in some younger blood from within Zanu PF. Joice Mujurus National Peoples Party (NPP) has claimed that its party has been infiltrated at all levels by the ruling party in a bid to weaken it head of the key 2018 elections. Mujuru, who was expelled from Zanu PF in 2014 after being accused of plotting to topple former president Robert Mugabe, has seen her party hit by successive defections as scores of her followers retrace their steps to the ruling party. NPP secretary-general Gift Nyandoro, who doubles as Mujurus spokesperson, claimed that 500 State agents that had infiltrated the opposition party were now publicly rejoining Zanu PF. He spoke after 20 NPP youths last week crossed floors back to Zanu PF. NPP under the able and iconic revolutionary leadership of ... Mujuru dismisses the so-called 20 NPP youths defection inside Zanu PF Shake-Shake headquarters at Jongwe house as the highest level of ideological bankruptcy and a parading of a failed political infiltration of NPP by the agents of a regime that is confronting the reality of ultimate decimation in 2018 harmonised elections, Nyandoro fumed. Zimbabweans need to know that there is a world of difference between political defection and political drowning. There is no way a hyena can purport to defect from a herd of sheep and join a grouping of hyenas in the name of a defection. A hyena remains as such and it remains a hyena. Zanu PF secretary for youths Pupurai Togarepi told the Daily News on Sunday that contrary to allegations by Mujurus party that NPP has been infiltrated, the ruling party has no reason at all to focus on weakening an already weak opposition. If you are in contest for love and you lose to somebody, you will say that the woman was ugly but that might not necessarily be the case. The youths who came from Mujurus party, some of them we know them and we will work with them, Togarepi said. In a statement, the defecting youths said they strongly believed in and adhered to the founding values of the liberation struggle. These were discarded when Zanu PF was captured by the former first lady Grace Mugabe and her G40 cabal. It was in defence of the revolutionary legacy that we stood by Mai Mujuru, the former vice president of Zimbabwe when she was ill-treated by the former first lady. Now that Operation Restore Legacy has successfully brought back order in the country, we have, therefore, freely and willingly decided to rejoin the revolutionary party, Zanu PF, and work together with our freedom fighters and all willing citizens to rebuild our country. This is effective immediately. A Zanu PF politburo member who declined to be named said Mujuru was wasting her time leading a very small organisation that is no threat to the status quo. Togarepi claimed Mujurus home is Zanu PF, and there is no way the ruling party would work on destroying one of its own. Mujuru should do the right thing and come back home, she should not waste time in opposition, we want her back. The youths who came are ours and we know them, ngavauye kumusha amai Mujuru, she is a revolutionary, she should come and work with other comrades, Togarepi said. Nyandoro said NPPs primary cause is never political expediency and opportunism. The cause remains that of persistent and consistent pursuit of the dismantling of Mugabeism system of impunity. Mugabeism consists of the repressive systems, institutions, cultures and values that defined and characterised Mugabe s corrupt, incompetent and autocratic rule. The tragedy of Mugabeism is that it is a self-defeating strategy of leadership where Zanu PF parades its own agents whom it would have planted in progressive organisations like NPP as defections. Zimbabweans should never be made to believe that the new administration represents a new order, rather it remains the old order that uses tired and archaic methods of mobilisation. Its unfortunate that the self parading of own failed agents of infiltration is a drift back in the past of political hypocrisy. Nyandoro said Mujuru would stay put in NPP. She has no desire to go back to Egypt. As NPP goes through the intensive revolutionary cleansing of weeding out saboteurs of the peoples cause, victory becomes a reality and a certainty come 2018 harmonised elections, Nyandoro said. daily News Idaho Cops: Actually, There Could Be a Threat to the Community News VIDEO: Chinese President admonishes Trudeau, Everything we discussed was leaked... This is not appropriate This came in a video clip circulating from the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, where Xi Jinping said: Everything we talked about was leaked to the newspapers, which is not appropriate. That's not how negotiations work. If there is sincerity in dealing, we can talk with mutual respect, otherwise (waving his hands) it is difficult to say. Here's the perfect gift for that struggling, maybe not-so-gifted actor on your shopping list: Acting class, taught by none other than Samuel L Jackson. As Time reports, the Hollywood icon is making a foray into teaching his craft, via online learning portal Masterclass, which makes it not only accessible, but relatively affordable at $90. Included are 21 videos, workbook with lesson recaps, assignments, and supplements; students can ask Jackson questions via video, though it's up to him what he responds to. Jackson joins the likes of Steve Martin, Ron Howard, Usher, Steph Curry, Judy Blume, and Thomas Keller, all of whom teach their craft on the website. (Read more Samuel L. Jackson stories.) Police say a getaway car ran out of gas after an armed robbery near Atlanta, leading to the speedy arrest of two suspects. Gwinnett County police Cpl. Michele Pihera says 18-year-old Najee Logan and 21-year-old Justin Larry were charged with armed robbery after their arrest early Tuesday after officers found the car on empty. Pihera's statement says the victim surrendered a wallet to two men at gunpoint in a grocery store parking lot about 1am Tuesday in Stone Mountain, Ga., reports the AP. Police say officers found the car about 15 minutes later with Logan and Larry inside; they had made it about two miles down the road before running out of gas, notes the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Both men were jailed, and police didn't say if they have lawyers. Pihera says it's fortunate the victim wasn't hurt, chalking up the arrests to what she called "poor planning" by the suspects. (Read more getaway stories.) 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, the AP reports. 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. 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. The fire also is burning toward a sanctuary for the endangered California condors in Los Padres National Forest. (Read more California wildfires stories.) A South Carolina man convicted of killing seven people says he has more victims who have not been discovered. The Herald-Journal of Spartanburg reports that, in an eight-page letter, Todd Kohlhepp wrote that he tried to tell investigators and informed the FBI, but he said "it was blown off." He also wrote, "At this point, I really don't see reason to give numbers or locations." Don Wood, chief division counsel with the FBI's Columbia office, said the agency has a pending investigation, but wouldn't comment specifically on what the FBI is doing, the AP reports. The 46-year-old Kohlhepp pleaded guilty in May to seven counts of murder for killings that took place over more than a decade, all as he ran a real estate business. He was sentenced to life in prison. His string of crimes was uncovered in 2016 after police rescued a woman chained at the neck in a storage container and investigators found a body buried in a shallow grave. The woman told investigators she saw Kohlhepp shoot and kill her boyfriend, who went with her for a cleaning job on the suspect's property. (Read more FBI stories.) Sorry! This content is not available in your region We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. 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: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a poll rally in Banaskantha of Palanpur district on Sunday. Over 68 per cent turnout was recorded in the first phase of polling for 89 Assembly seats on Saturday. The second phase of polling in 93 seats will be held on December 14 while the counting of votes is scheduled on December 18. Here are the highlights- # They said it can never happen, they also asked me- you have not headed a Panchayat how can you promise this? We proved them wrong, ensured villages get power: PM # When I first stated my intent to ensure electrification of villages in Gujarat, the state Congress leaders mocked me: PM Modi # A generational shift has not brought in a new political culture for the party. They rely on their same divide and rule politics: PM Modi in Kaalol # Congress is back to their old tricks, says PM Modi # PM Modi, while addressing a rally in Kaalol, said BJP is fighting these elections on the issue of development # With the coming of the DMIC, Banaskantha will become a transport hub. It will provide job opportunities to the youth: PM Modi # Why are people who previously held high posts in military-intelligence establishment of Pak writing that we should help make Ahmed Patel the CM?: PM Modi # The same Mani Shankar Aiyar, who insulted Gujarat, held secret meetings with Pakistan High Commissioner. What was the reason?: PM Modi # The entire nation is seeing the wonders of Banaskantha in agriculture, particularly in potato cultivation: PM Narendra Modi The prime minister had thanked the people of Gujarat for turning out in record numbers. "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 had tweeted. Palanpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday alleged Pakistan was interfering in Gujarat Assembly polls, and sought an explanation from the Congress over its top partymen who are said to have recently met leaders from the neighbouring country. Addressing a poll rally here, the prime minister also raised questions over the alleged appeal by the former director general of the Pakistan Army, Sardar Arshad Rafiq, that senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel be made chief minister of Gujarat. Modi said (former Congress minister) Mani Shankar Aiyar had called him neech (vile) a day after the alleged meeting of Pakistani leaders with top Congressmen. There were media reports yesterday about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyars house. It was attended by Pakistans high commissioner, Pakistans former foreign minister, Indias former vice president and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Modi said. The meeting at Aiyars house carried on for almost three hours, Modi said. The next day, Mani Shankar Aiyar said Modi was neech. This is a serious matter, he said. Modi added that Rafiq had backed Ahmed Patel as the next chief minister of Gujarat. (On one side) Pakistan Armys former DG is interfering in Gujarats election, on the other side, Pakistans people are holding a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyars house, he said. And, after that meeting, people of Gujarat, backward communities, poor people and Modi were insulted. Dont you think such events raise doubts, Modi asked. He said the Congress should inform the people of the country what exactly it was up to. Modi was speaking at the rally for the ongoing state Assembly polls. The second phase of polling in north and central Gujarat, including the Banaskantha district, will be held on December 14. Raipur: Constable Sanath Kumar Yadav, who was arrested for allegedly killing four colleagues including two seniors on Saturday evening at Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district, on Sunday claimed himself to be innocent. Kumar told media, I am innocent and being framed in the fratricidal killing case. He added, After completing my duty hours, I returned to my barrack. Around 5pm on hearing bullet firing I took position. Kumar further told the media that after firing was stopped, company commander along with other colleagues took me in custody. I dont know, who opened fire and who all were killed or injured in the firing incident. The weapon used in the killing is another not mine, added the constable. Kumar further told the media, We work together. Small disputes do tend to happen. It does not mean I or anyone will go on a killing spree. I am hear to earn bread and butter for my family, so are my colleagues. Deputy Inspector General of Police (Dantewada range) Sundarraj P on Saturday had said, A fatal incident of fratricide took place after a brawl in the camp. Also read: CRPF jawan opens fire at colleagues, 4 dead, 1 injured He had then said that in their initial investigation they have learnt that constable Sanath Kumar had allegedly opened fire with his service weapon, an AK 47 rifle, leaving four personnel dead including two sub-inspectors on the spot and another injured. Also read: CPI-Maoist central committee decides to involve women in all fronts Other senior officials said that Kumar was overpowered and apprehended by other colleagues who were present in the camp. The CRPF is deployed in Chhattisgarh to support state police in countering CPI-Maoist cadres. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Delhi: A day after Delhi Medical Association (DMA) wrote to Chief Minister seeking the withdrawal of the order cancelling the license of Max Super Specialty Hospital in Shalimar Bagh, Arvind Kejriwal said he admires work of the doctors but saddened with the way corporate owned private hospitals exploit them. Kejriwal on Sunday during a program at Delhis Mundka said, Delhi government is not against private hospitals and is full aware of their importance. The Delhi chief minister added, Max Shalimar Bagh left us with no option other than to take action. Our conscience would have pricked us had we remained silent on such inhuman criminal negligence. Arvind Kejriwal further stated that the doctors are saviours and he salutes their work. We admire their work but it is sad the way corporate owned private hospitals exploit them, said the Delhi chief minister. Also read| Delhi govt won't hesitate to act against erring pvt hospitals: Arvind Kejriwal Delhi Medical Council (DMC) on Saturday in its letter marked to Arvind Kejriwal and state Health Minister Satyendra Jain said that the government should wait for the report of the on the issue which is expected in a few days. The DMA has opposed the Delhi governments order and had said that it would give a call for strike, if needed. Also read: Withdraw order cancelling Max Hospital's license, says Delhi Medical Association The Delhi government had cancelled the license of the hospital for an 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. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Jamshedpur: A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped by an unidentified person in Jharkhand's steel city Jamshedpur on Sunday. The girl had gone out of her house in the morning to attend nature's call when she was allegedly raped by the person, the police said. The locals found her lying unconscious in a field near her house. She also had injury marks on her face, the police said. She was rushed to Telco Main Hospital and latershifted to state-run M G M Hospital. A case has been registered at Govindpur policestation under relevant India Penal Code (IPC) sections and POSCO Act. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Palanpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sparred in battleground Gujarat on Sunday where the former claimed leaders of the opposition party held a secret meeting with current and former Pakistani officials a day ahead of Mani Shankar Aiyar's "neech" jibe against him. Modi claimed there was an attempt by Pakistan to interfere in the Gujarat polls. Alleged Muslim appeasement and the Gujarat riots were also back on the table even as BJP chief Amit Shah raked up the issue of funding of Congress-backed Dalit candidate Jignesh Mewani by hardline Muslim outfit PFI. Rahul Gandhi, set to assume the reins of the Congress in a few days from now, amid the acrimony-filled campaign, attacked Modi but promised he would not use even one "galat shabd" (wrong word) against the prime minister, remarks that came in the wake of Aiyar's "neech" barb that may not have gone down well with a section of Gujarati voters. Modi also raised questions about the alleged appeal by former director general (DG) of the Pakistan Army Sardar Arshad Rafiq for making senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel the chief minister of Gujarat. "There were media reports yesterday about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. It was attended by Pakistan's high commissioner, Pakistan's former foreign minister, India's former vice president and former prime minister Manmohan Singh," Modi told an election rally at Palanpur. The meeting at Aiyar's house continued for almost three hours, Modi said, adding "the next day, Mani Shankar Aiyar said Modi is "neech" (a vile man). This is a serious matter." "(On one hand) Pakistan Army's former DG is interfering in Gujarat's election, on the other, Pakistani people are holding a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. After that meeting, people of Gujarat, backward communities, poor people and Modi were insulted. Don't you think such events raise doubts?" Modi said. Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala, however, rubbished Modi's claim, terming it as "baseless". "Holding the country's topmost post, Modiji is making baseless allegations. Modiji is worried, dejected, angry. Such a statement has no truth or fact, and is based on lies. Such a behaviour is unbecoming of a prime minister," Surjewala told reporters in Ahmedabad. The prime minister, who did not speak much due to sore throat at the Palanpur rally, slammed the Congress for spreading a "false propaganda" that the Modi government worked only for the rich. Modi cited the case of Genabhai Patel, a progressive farmer from Banaskantha district who was recently conferred with 'Padma Shri', to claim his government's pro-poor credentials. Gandhi, who began his second day of campaigning for the second phase of poll scheduled for December 14 after offering prayers at Lord Krishna's Ranchhod Raiji Mandir here, claimed Modi frequently changed the election planks and now he was left with nothing to speak about but himself and the Congress. "You claim you have finished the Congress. If it were so, why would you devote half your speech to Congress and half to yourself?" he asked the prime minister. "I have respect for the post of the prime minister. He can say whatever he wants to, I will not use a single (galat shabd) wrong word against him," Gandhi told an election rally in Kalol. Gandhi, who is all set to become Congress president in a few days from now, said "truth has cornered" the prime minister and that the Congress will "defeat the BJP, not by anger, but with love". He accused the prime minister of making "false promises" to people about employment, depositing Rs 15 lakh in the accounts of each person from black money brought back from abroad, and remunerative prices for farm produce. Gandhi alleged the Modi government gave benefits to the tune of Rs 33,000 crore to the Tatas for the Nano car project. "Over six-and-a-half lakh acres were acquired by the government and thousands of acres given to the Tatas. People did not get water from Narmada, but the Tatas got," he said. Earlier, addressing a rally at Dakor, the Congress leader attacked Modi over demonetisation and GST, saying the note ban helped all "thieves" convert their "black money into white" and the "Gabbar Singh Tax" destroyed small businesses and rendered one lakh people jobless. The issue of 2002 communal riots and Muslim appeasement was back in the electoral discourse, with BJP chief Amit Shah claiming Charan Singh, a Congress spokesman, had asked the prime minister on television to visit the Jama Masjid to seek forgiveness for the 2002 Gujarat riots. "The entire country knows that allegations by Congress-backed NGOs against Modi regarding the 2002 riots were rejected by the Supreme Court. But this Congress leader in 2017, for the sake of vote bank politics, is asking Modi to go to the Jama Masjid to apologise for the 2002 riots," Shah told reporters in Ahmedabad. Also read| PM Modi: Why does Pak Army ex-DG want Ahmed Patel as Gujarat CM Speaking about Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, Shah alleged he accepted donations from an outfit linked to the PFI (Popular Front of India). "Mevani's photographs accepting funds from a PFI-linked outfit went viral (on social media). The entire country knows about the anti-national activities of PFI," he said, claiming the organisation was trying to recruit people for terror group ISIS. Also read: Gujarat polls 2017 | PM Modi says Congress back to old tricks, they are back to divide and rule politics "The Congress first indulged in caste politics. Now, 2-3 days prior to the first phase of voting, when they could see their defeat, the Congress has gone back to politics of minority appeasement," Shah said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Hisar: A six-year-old girl was raped and killed in Haryana's Hisar. Police said, the victim was abducted from her residence by unidentified men and allegedly gangraped. Her body was recovered from a deserted street in Uklana with wooden stick inserted in her private part. The victim's body was cremated on Sunday amid tight security, as the agitated locals protested over the gruesome crime. Police said that some unidentified men had allegedly abducted the girl on Friday night when she was sleeping with her sister and mother in their home in a slum area. The men then raped and killed her, the police said. The doctors of Civil Hospital who conducted the post-mortem examination said that the accused inserted a wooden stick into the girl's private parts, which ruptured her intestine. "When the body was handed over to us it was soaked inblood," a kin of the girl told reporters here. Angered over the incident, the opposition parties, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Congress and the local residents demonstrated against the Manohar Lal Khattar led government, on the cremation ground. "The Khattar government is sleeping while incidents ofrape and murder take place every other day," senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said. Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda while demanding an immediate arrest of the accused, said such barbaric incidents showed that law and order machinery in the state under the BJP government had collapsed. Things have come to such a pass that children were neither safe in their schools nor at homes, Hooda said. The barbaric incident was a chilling reminder of theDecember 16 gangrape case in Delhi in 2012 involving a youngwoman, he said. Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala and party's Hisar MLAKamal Gupta and other leaders were also present there. A case under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including murder, rape, kidnapping, besides, under the provisions of the POCSO Act has been registered. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also been formed to probe the incident. However, no arrest has been made in the case, said a police spokesman. The police is checking CCTV footage of the area togather clues, he said. The incident came to light yesterday when passers by noticed the body of the girl on a deserted street, the police said. The victim's family, who work as labourers, belong to the Sapera community hailing from Tohana town in Fatehabad district. They were living near railway lines in Uklana forthe last couple of years. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Jammu: The body of a 34-year-old man, who jumped into Chenab river last month, was recovered by Pakistani rangers and handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) in Suchetgarh sector, a police official said on Sunday. Kulwinder Singh, resident of Sanjay Nagar locality, had allegedly committed suicide by jumping into the river at the Akhnoor bridge on November 25, he said. Despite hectic efforts his body could not be recovered and Pakistani authorities were alerted about the possibility it being carried by water current to other side of the international border. Pakistani rangers recovered the body on Saturday and handed it over to BSF in Suchetgarh sector, the official said. A police team from Gharota police station recovered the body from BSF and handed it over to the family for last rites, he added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Tokyo: Japan will hold a drill with the United States and South Korea this week to practise jointly detecting airborne missiles, officials said on Sunday amid rising security threats from North Korea. The announcement of the joint exercise, a sixth such drill since 2016, comes less than two weeks after Pyongyang test-fired a ballistic missile which dropped into the sea inside Japan's exclusive economic zone in late November. The drill will be held in waters near Japan on Monday and Tuesday, Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said as he visited a garrison in northern Japan. It is aimed at "practising tracking an object and sharing information on it among the three countries," said a defence official who declined to be named. "It will translate into a measure against ballistic missiles," the official said. Also Read| US, South Korea begin largest-ever joint air drill Tensions over the North's weapons programmes have soared this year, with Pyongyang carrying out its sixth nuclear test as well as a series of missile launches in defiance of multiple sets of UN sanctions. The US State Department's special representative for North Korea policy will travel to Japan and Thailand this week for talks on efforts to build pressure against Pyongyang after its latest ballistic missile test. "The United States looks forward to continuing its partnership with both these nations so that the DPRK will return to credible talks on denuclearisation," the department said in a statement. A senior UN envoy warned Saturday there was a grave risk that a miscalculation could trigger conflict with North Korea as he urged Pyongyang to keep communication channels open after a rare visit to the seclusive state. Also Read| North Korea's new missile could reach Washington: Seoul Jeffrey Feltman's trip to the North -- the first by such a high-ranking UN diplomat since 2010 -- also came after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise. North Korea 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". For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. 2017-12-10 16:02:49 US Air Forces Central Command, Russian/Syrian aircraft crossed a de-confliction line into coalition airspace east of the Euphrates River 6-8 times a day in late November. The greatest concern is that we could shoot down these aircraft because of their actions are seen as a threat to coalition forces, the source claimed recently together with CNN. In turn, Assads allies announced that most of greeknation A Danbury law firm has joined a growing national effort punish the drug industry for its role in the opioid epidemic. Ventura Law is asking town and cities across Fairfield County to join a potential suit against the pharmaceutical companies to recoup the costs of combatting the crisis. We feel we have a moral obligation to rectify the wrongs and take a stand against the pharmaceutical companies for creating the problem in this way, said Kelly Fitzpatrick, a partner with Ventura. With the state on track to lose 1,000 people to accidental drug overdose deaths by the end of the year, public officials are scrambling to fund programs to help those addicted to opiates. Ventura is working with a Nashville-based firm, Branstetter Stranch & Jennings, which is representing counties across Tennessee in suits against the pharmaceutical industry. The effort is just part of a nationwide campaign against the pharmaceutical industry. Attorneys general in 41 states, including Connecticut, have mounted a joint effort against the companies. In September, the states issued subpoenas seeking information about how prescription opioids were marketed and sold. And earlier this year, the city of Waterbury sued several drug companies, including Stamford-based Purdue Pharma, which manufactures the painkiller OxyContin. About 20 other Connecticut communities, including Danbury and New Milford, are considering joining the suit, led by the Simmons Hanly Conroy firm from New York City. In its suit, Ventura hopes to show that drug companies falsely advertised opioids, downplaying their addictive nature, and that they were unjustly enriched at the expense of local communities, Fitzpatrick said in a presentation last week to the Brookfield Board of Selectmen. Fitzpatrick said the aim of the suit is to teach the pharmaceutical companies a lesson as well as gain money for participating municipalities through a settlement. Its to recoup the money that was lost by the towns related to the opioid crisis and to be equipped to handle the crest of the wave that is essentially coming from the crisis, she said to the selectmen. Brookfield First Selectman Steve Dunn said the town will decide whether to join the suit after researching how much emergency services has spent because of the crisis. Dunn added that bigger cities likely have spent more and would have more to gain from the suit, but he agreed with Ventura that the pharmaceutical companies negligence has worsened the crisis. Its a huge problem because people are getting addicted to these things without even knowing they're getting addicted, he said. It runs across all ages, groups. Its scary as hell, he added. Ventura also has approached Danbury, Ridgefield, Bethel, Westport, Stratford and other area towns about joining its suit, but none have yet agreed to join the suit. Until they do, Fitzpatrick said, she cannot say how much money the communities have spent combatting the epidemic. But in her presentation to Brookfield, she suggested that municipalities should think about what they have spent on drug treatment facilities or programs and opioid-related costs to social services agencies, the school system, the health department and emergency services. The suit also seeks compensation for costs of dealing with infants exposed to opiates in the womb, said Gerard Stranch, a managing partner with the Tennessee firm. Such infants are often addicted at birth, and are diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS. The number of Connecticut babies diagnosed with NAS more than doubled from 2003 to 2014, according to a report from the state Department of Health. Hospital costs for newborns with NAS were $66,700 on average, compared to $3,500 for healthy babies, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.The state health department estimates that effective prevention would save more than $8.7 million in hospitalization costs statewide in 2014 . All this means the epidemic will continue to cost municipalities, even if opiates disappeared overnight, Stranch said. You still are going to have a 20- to 30-year tale of dealing with the children who were born with NAS, in addition to the addiction and the other problems youre going to have to deal with, Stranch said. Funding is needed for early intervention and special education for children with NAS, Stranch said. These are true innocents, he said. These kids didnt do anything to deserve this. Its going to affect every portion of their life. Fitzpatrick said joining the suit would not cost the municipalities anything, nor would they be liable if the case were unsuccessful. If the case were successful, 25 percent of the settlement would go to Ventura. Bethel First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said he has asked police to estimate how much the department has spent on training first responders and equipping officers with Naloxone, a life-saving drug that can prevent an overdose death. Knickerbocker said the Board of Selectmen likely will decide whether to join the Ventura or Waterbury suit at a meeting later this month. Ridgefield, however, has declined to join either suit. First Selectman Rudy Marconi has long been vocal about addressing the opioid crisis, but he worries that a lawsuit could take five to seven years to conclude, while people struggling with addiction need more immediate help. We could losein a five-to-seven-year lawsuit5,000 to 7,000 people, Marconi. We need to do something now. Marconi wants to focus instead on education and prevention programs in Ridgefield and surrounding communities, even if it means working with the companies that says caused the crisis. One example is a pilot program being developed by the Housatonic Valley Coalition Against Substance Abuse along with other regional action councils and a pharmaceutical company. Allison Fulton, executive director at HVCASA, said the program is intended to educate people about opiates and prevent addiction. She said the program could be used in schools and other community groups across the state and country. Drug companies, such as Purdue Pharma, have previously given HVCASA money to support awareness programs. Fulton said she understands why towns are tempted to sue the companies. But HVCASAs first priority is prevention. We want to see something people can take action on tomorrow, the next day, because too many people are dying, Fulton said. We cant wait around for lawsuits. Marconi also predicts that towns would not get much money from any settlement in any case. We need action now, Marconi said, not the promise of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. A national and statewide surge in incidents of hate speech following the presidential election has still not tapered off a year later, prompting some Connecticut towns to explore how best to address incidents in their own communities. The Anti-Defamation League, a watchdog group that tracks incidents of anti-Semitism, released a report last month that showed the number of these types of incidents in the state so far this year are more than double the disturbing number the group reported at this point last year. Unfortunately, they have not been calming down, said Andy Friedland, assistant director of Connecticuts Anti-Defamation League. (Its still) alarmingly high. The league receives reports of all types of hate speech incidents, but only tracks data for those that are anti-Semitic, he said. In the first nine months of this year, there were 1,299 such incidents across the country, 35 of which were in Connecticut. The numbers represent a 67 percent increase nationally and a 106 percent statewide increase over those reported in the same time period last year, Friedland said. The most common anti-Semitism reports in Connecticut were of vandalism or in-school bullying, he said, adding that the ADL tracks all kinds of incidents even those that dont rise to the level of a hate crime. Friedland said its hard to credit the spike to just one factor, but certain public displays of hate speech could provoke an increase in incidents. He pointed out that there was a national 182 percent increase in hate speech immediately following the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. When stuff like that is out in the open and people think its part of the political discourse, they think, We can just say these things and thats fair game for an argument or conversation, Friedland said. Then you have a lot more people calling our office. An increase in reported incidents also means more calls requesting help from the league as communities figure out how to deal with the issue, Friedland said. Its really not the measure of a community that incidents like this happen because they do and have happened everywhere, he said. The measure of the community is how they respond. Marji Lipshez-Shapiro, who leads diversity training as senior associate director with the Connecticut ADL, said a towns most common response to incidents of hate speech is often to hold programs for the schools. But Lipshez-Shapiro said schools should be treated as just a piece of an overall community conversation, as they were in Ridgefield recently. She led a diversity workshop for 45 of the towns public officials last week. Ridgefield High School also held an ADL program last week, as it has for several years. I want it not to be an or students or adults, Lipshez-Shapiro said. I want it to be an and. I think kids have enough wisdom that if we sat around more often with kids and adults we would learn from each other. Its not one-way. Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi set up the workshop for town officials after noticing what he called a general undertone of intolerance. There have been at least five incidents of racist graffiti in town over the last 18 months, including swastikas drawn at Ballard Park and at the high school. Residents and officials in New Milford had a similar response when racist graffiti was found on a restaurant owned by the Thompsons, an interracial family, over the summer. The New Milford Clergy Association and residents created a community group, recently named New Milford United, to facilitate townwide programs or training about diversity. One member, Darlene Alvarez-Maddern, who used to work for the ADL, attended the workshop in Ridgefield in the hopes of bringing a similar training to members of the New Milford group. Alvarez-Maddern said she got involved after noticing that residents didnt seem to realize racism already existed in New Milford. She hopes informing the community about everyday prejudice will spur more people to help prevent such incidents. Ive lived in New Milford for 20 years and while Im not aware of anything like (the graffiti), I am very much aware of the everyday racism, stereotyping and prejudice that goes on in the community, Alvarez-Maddern said. (The groups hope) is as people become more aware, they would be doing things to help. Lipshez-Shapiro said another common response after an incident of hate speech is for community leaders to start a more informal anti-hate campaign that involves holding a vigil or posting signs. Both Ridgefield and New Milford held community gatherings or clean-up events following incidents of racist graffiti. A rare occurrence is for towns to start groups or commission trainings even before incidents of hate speech happen, though some towns have done so, Lipshez-Shapiro said. One such group, which is no longer active, ran in Danbury for two decades and was started by Barbara Levitt, who now is a member of New Milford United. The group held trainings for the police department, principals, hospital workers and other members of the community, Levitt said, with the hope that diversity education would help prevent incidents of hate speech. Although responses and preventative efforts might look different in each town, the most important thing is that they help support the victims of hate speech, Lipshez-Shapiro said. For the target of any hate incidentwhen they hear about a group of people on their own say not in our town, thats where the healing starts, Lipshez-Shapiro said. Friedland agreed that the most important thing is that the town responds at all. Some, he said, can become closed off because they are concerned talking about it could damage the towns reputation or encourage copycats. But while those concerns are often legitimate, the most successful responses are those that start a townwide conversation. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, Friedland said. The only answer for speech, in this case hateful speech that you disagree with, is more speech good speech that promotes equality, respect and tolerance to counteract that hateful speech were all fed up with. Steven Block of Cheshire, who teaches criminology at Central Connecticut State University, has a pretty flexible schedule, so when he was looking for a way to give back, he volunteered to drive cancer patients to and from their treatments and doctors appointments. Since June 2016, Block has been one of about 300 volunteers across the state taking part in the American Cancer Societys Road to Recovery program. My wife and I had volunteered for a long time in other ways, especially at animal shelters, Block said. This just seemed like a good fit to help people out who are in need. The cancer society needs more volunteers like Block. The need is so high, especially in Connecticut, said Samantha Martinez, program manager for mission delivery for the American Cancer Societys Connecticut branch. We dont have the greatest transportation here in a small state. In 2016, the cancer society provided 6,857 rides to 408 patients in Connecticut, Martinez said. Right now in New Haven County were at 34 percent unmet ride needs, she said. Out of the requests that we receive, which would be around 1,500, that would be 500 unmet rides so far for this year because we dont have volunteers who can fulfill those rides. Martinez said the cancer society could easily accommodate 100 new volunteers, especially in New Haven County, which includes Waterbury. Theres just so many treatment centers that are located in a small radius that we can utilize, she said. Block said hes gotten to meet a lot of different people, united only by being in cancer treatment. The people that Ive driven have been fairly diverse, middle age to older patients, he said. I dont ask them at all about their situations unless they volunteer the information. It can be a little bit of an emotionally difficult process because some of the people are really struggling, he said. It is true that participating in this does make you appreciate the health you have and that of family and friends. When you just see the variety of people whose lives are disrupted by cancer, it just shows you how many people it can affect in all walks of life, Block said. Some of the people are quite able-bodied or people who you wouldnt recognize that they have cancer if you saw them in a different context. Volunteering is a pretty straightforward process, Martinez said. Theres an hourlong online training session, which includes privacy rules. Then the volunteer goes onto a website and enters their availability and how far theyre willing to drive, she said. The volunteer then chooses from a list of patients addresses. Anyone from 18 to 85 can volunteer and theres no minimum number of rides that a driver has to sign up for. Most of them are retired, looking for something to do just looking for their purpose in life and looking to get involved, Martinez said. Block one of the younger drivers at 33 said he looks for people whom he has driven in the past. Its something I particularly try to do if its someone Ive driven before, he said. You realize some similarities you have, even though you may be from separate generations. Block said that if the patients appointment goes on for several hours, he can leave and the hospital will call 15 to 30 minutes before the patient is ready to leave. Generally, I wait for them because in my case I always have my own work to do, he said. Kevin Gibbons, who also lives in Cheshire, is retired from a sales job in the medical device industry, so I know where all the hospitals are in New England I know about HIPAA [patient privacy law] and I can do CPR and all that stuff. I enjoy it. Its painless, he said. The people are nice and theyre mostly open about whats going on in their life and theyre appreciative of me volunteering my time and car. Gibbons has made himself available within a 60-mile radius. One fellow I drove from Avon to St. Francis Hospital in Hartford two or three times and he was from Russia and his wife is in a wheelchair at home and he really has nobody. Gibbons has driven patients twice a week in the past, though hes only doing it once a week now. But I intend after the holiday season to try to schedule two a week, he said. Ive probably done at least 40 rides and theres only a few that are the same. Hes even stopped at a store on the way home as a favor to the patient. But while the volunteering isnt difficult, each trip can be time-consuming, Gibbons said. Each event is probably three to four hours, he said. Its at least a half a day of commitment. Gibbons said he thinks a lot of people would be interested if they were aware of the opportunity, but youve got to follow through. After youve signed up, to me its a piece of cake. To volunteer, call the cancer society at 800-227-2345 or go to http://cancer.org/drive. Contact Ed Stannard at edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com or 203-680-9382. 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. Some of the victims Nigerians who have just returned from the troubled nation of Libya, have recounted the horrors they experienced. In one month, the Edo State Government has received 1,100 indigenes who were deported from Libya. They left the state for Europe through Libya in search of greener pasture. Many of them died on the way, many others were sold as slaves, while many who were held in Libyan prisons were severely tortured. Some of the returnees in Benin spoke to Daily Trust on Sunday about their harrowing experiences. I was sold for N300,000 - Harrison Okotie (35) A friend of mine sold the idea of travelling to Europe to me and my sister, who we travelled together with, assisted me with some money. We paid the traffickers N600, 000 each to take us to Libya. When we got to Libya, we were arrested and sold to Arabs at N300,000 each. I never knew I was being sold because they would tell you that, they were taking you to cross over to Italy. It is only when you reach their destination that you would know that you were sold as slave. From that moment, you would be under his rules and regulations until you are able to pay double the amount he claimed to have paid for your freedom. I was tortured daily, they even stabbed me on my back for not being able to pay a ransom. They will tell you to control your family at home to bring money, but if the money was not forthcoming you would face severe torture. A Nigerian was shot in the presence of our ambassador for attempting to join the queue to register for deportation. Four people died in my presence due to torture. Our suffering in the hands of the Arab increased when we started telling the United Nations that we wanted to go home. The Arabs would always ask us to tell the UN that we needed food and clothes but we would tell them that we wanted to go home due to the way and manner we were being tortured. By the time the UN personnel leave, it would be 24 hours torture and we would be denied the loaf of bread we were given each. Even if I am given the opportunity again, I will never go to any Arab country. I left my wife and two children here in search of a greener pasture only to face torture. I was shot for attempting to register for deportation - Amos Oghogho (25) I left Benin on June 24 this year and within a week I was in Libya. While there, I was working in a car wash in Saba city. My suffering started when I had to leave for Subuata town because of too many kidnappings and slavery. As soon as I got to Subuata, war broke out between militants. As I was going to work, the police arrested me and took me to prison. Nigerians at the prison were more than 1,000, and because of the number, we were moved to a prison in the desert. There they used to drug our food because as soon as you eat that food, you go to sleep immediately. For the three months I stayed in prison I never had a bath. They were using us to trade because as soon as they release you after paying ransom, another group would arrest you and the torture continued. All the months I spent in prison, it was only macaroni they fed us and it was once a day. I was shot while trying to register to be deported back to Nigeria. When I wanted to join the queue, the police asked me to go back, but as I was explaining to him my intention, another one shot me on the hand. They later took me to a hospital where they performed surgery on the hand. I can never advise anybody to go to Libya. I saw my twin brother shot dead for not being able to pay ransom - Abel Osifo Christopher (36) My destination was Italy and not Libya but I was not able to cross before we were bundled into prison. The journey cost me N680,000. I sold my car to raise the money and move on June 13, this year. My experience in Libya was disastrous and painful: life there was full of agony and sorrow and to worsen it, I lost my twin brother there. They shot him because we could not pay the ransom on time. When they kidnapped us, they asked us to pay 5000 dinar (N500, 000). However, before we could raise the money from Nigeria, they shot and killed him. Many Nigerians died in Libya. I regretted going to Libya and cant even advise anybody to go. I regret going to Libya - Abieyuwe Igue (24) I left Nigeria last year not knowing that I was pregnant. I spent one year four months and my baby is 10 months old now. My intention was to go to Europe through Libya but I was not able to cross before we were caught. I paid N400,000 to get to Libya. I was a stylist here but decided to go to Europe for a greener pasture. I was beaten severally for no just cause, but never sexually assaulted. I will never go to Libya again because it is too risky and I regret going there. Im happy to be home Josphine - Ajagbor (33) I left with my son of three years to Libya in June this year. When they arrested us they took us to prison and we were living on macaroni and bread daily. The food was cooked without salt and pepper and we only ate twice a day. My son had to get used to the suffering too. I was a caterer before I left Nigeria. *** Culled from Daily Trust Happy New Month Nigeria! Welcome to the month of June. As the world searches for a respite from all its troubles since 2020 began, one can ... Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as the enemy of Nigeria, saying it would ta... Atiku stated this in a congratulatory message to the newly elected national chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus and other officials elected at the just concluded national convention of the party.The statement, released by his media office on Sunday said the immediate challenge before the newly elected national officers of the PDP was to run an all-inclusive administration where the various interests within the party can find accommodation.He added that Nigerians are looking up to the PDP for unity in the party, because it takes a united and coherent PDP to sack the APC government in 2019.The statement said, Our great party, the PDP, is, again, at the threshold of an historical moment. Just as we mobilised to put an end to prolonged military rule in 1999, the people of Nigeria at this moment look up to us to rescue the country from the mis-government of the APC.Arising from our elective congress, there should be no victor and no vanquished. Our paramount attention should be focused at sacking a government that deceived the people of Nigeria into power by promising our youths three million jobs annually, only to deliver three million job losses annually; a government that is repeatedly living in denial of its commitment to restructuring. We must be united to take power back to where it belongs: the Nigerian people.As members of the PDP, we must take pride in being able to hold a national convention and in so doing live up to the bill of being a truly democratic political party. Our major opponent has not been able to achieve this feat and I join millions of our party members to congratulate the Ahmed Makarfi-led national caretaker committee.I understand that there are complaints and grievances from many of the co-contestants in the congress. I am aware that the PDP has a mechanism for addressing such complaints and it is important that such avenues of redress are made available for members to explore without let or hindrance. Meantime, I call on all our leaders and members to rally the new executive for the sake of our party, Nigeria and the good of our people. Prince Uche Secondus was coasting home to victory as the next national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last night amid... PDP 2017 Convention Unity List Prince Uche Secondus was coasting home to victory as the next national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last night amidst signs of a fresh crisis in the once ruling party.Secondus closest rival, Professor Tunde Adeniran stormed out of the Eagle Square, Abuja, venue of the PDP national election, alleging fraud.He protested the emergence of a unity list (which contained the names of favoured candidates for the 21 positions available for election yesterday), alleged compulsion of delegates to vote for those on the list, alleged stuffing of ballot boxes and sudden change of ballot boxes midway into the election of candidates.Adeniran, Education Minister during the Obasanjo presidency, said the affairs of the party should be handed over to the Board of Trustees (BoT) which should conduct a fresh election.Media mogul and another chairmanship candidate, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, also decried irregularities and malpractices during the proceedings.Secondus, enjoying the massive backing of PDP governors, was number one on the unity list.He took a wide lead once counting of the votes began last night.Adeniran and Dokpesi were left to struggle for a few votes.Worried by the development, Adeniran walked out of the convention venue.According to poll trend monitored by our correspondent, the delegates overwhelmingly endorsed and voted for Secondus.A former minister, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said:The PDP governors and some of our respected elders did their homework and we all agreed to adopt the Unity List which is fair to all.We reached a consensus on Secondus and all those on the list as the next members of the National Working Committee.The election was a walkover for Secondus and 20 others whose victory will soon be announced.In fact, some of those who stepped down earlier also adopted the Unity List and mobilized their state delegates to vote along the list.Adeniran and some of his supporters walked out of the Eagle Square, Abuja at about 9.11pm in protest against the adoption of the Unity List and compelling of delegates to vote for those on the list.The Director of Media of his Campaign Organization, Mr. Taiwo Akeju said the process was highly compromised to achieve a predetermined end.He accused Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his Ekiti State counterpart, Ayo Fayose of imposing Secondus on the party.His words: ?We reject the entire electoral process. The election has been grossly compromised to achieve a predetermined end. The illegal unity list was prepared by Governors Wike and Ayodele Fayose to foist on the entire delegates.Consequently, we submit that this election is a sham and the result therefore is unacceptable and rejected in its entirety.We consider this so-called election as a travesty of democracy and due ?process, which further entrenches the unwholesome culture of impunity that has done a great deal of damage to the party? in the past.Our candidate, Prof. Adeniran and his supporters have just walked out of the convention because the election was a sham.The PDP governors came up with Unity List and they and their foot soldiers were forcing delegates to vote for those on the list.We were shocked to witness open stuffing of ballot boxes and replacement of boxes against our candidate. The election was not free and fair, it was a sad day for democracy in Nigeria.A former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Olanrewaju Suleiman said he would not accept the result of election into the office of the National Publicity Secretary because the ballot box omitted one of his names, leaving delegates confused.I wont accept the results, I have written the electoral committee and I will go to court, he said.Suleiman, in his petition entitled Unlawful Exclusion of Prof. Abubakar Olanrewaju Suleiman and the Demand For Cancellation of Election into the office of National Publicity Secretary said: I am constrained to write to demand for cancelation of election into the office of National Publicity Secretary of our great Party in the on-going Elective Party Convention on the ground of unlawful exclusion of my name as one of candidates contesting for the above mentioned post of Party.I am one of the candidates of the above mentioned post in the ongoing elective party convention having obtained application form, duly screened and my candidacy approved to stand for the election.I have also campaigned across the Nation seeking the support of the bonafide delegates to the convention.To my chagrin and utter constellation, I was informed that my name was conspicuously missing from the list of candidates vying for the post of National Publicity Secretary which lists were pasted in booths earmarked for voting into the office of National Publicity Secretary.My names are Prof Abubakar Olanrewaju Suleiman, with Suleiman as my surname, a name I have borne and by which I am known by all and sundry. Needless to say this is the name by which I am identify by my teeming supporters who where unlawfully disenfranchised. Suffice to mention that at no time did I hold myself out to bear other name without any other name but ABUBAKAR OLANREWAJU SULEIMAN, Olanrewaju merely being my middle name.I therefore pray that the august body would do right by me by cancelling the purported election of todayA former Political Editor of ThisDay, Mr. Kola Ologbodiyan was the favoured candidate for the national publicity secretary on the Unity List.Ologbodiyan has the backing of former Senate President David Mark.The PDP has been enmeshed in a serious leadership crisis since losing power in the 2015 presidential election.It broke into two factions with Senator Ali Modu Sheriff leading one and Senator Ahmed Makarfi leading the other until the Supreme Court proclaimed the Makarfi faction as the legal one.The Makarfi-led interim National Committee was formally dissolved yesterday.S/N POSITION NAME STATE ZONE1 NATIONAL CHAIRMAN PRINCE UCHE SECONDUS RIVERS SOUTH-SOUTH2 DEPUTY NAT. CHAIR. SOUTH ELDER YEMI AKINWONMI OGUN SOUTH-WEST3 DEP. NAT. CHAIRMAN NORTH SEN. GAMAWA BABAWA GARBA BAUCHI NORTH EAST4 NATIONAL SECRETARY SENATOR IBRAHIM TSAURI KATSINA NORTH-WEST5 DEPUTY NAT. SECRETARY DR. AGBO EMMANUEL BENUE NORTH-CENTRAL6 NATIONAL TREASURER HON. ARIBISALA ADEWALE EKITI SOUTH-WEST7 DEP. NATIONAL TREASURER ALH. WADA MASU KANO NORTH-WEST8 FINANCIAL SECRETARY ABDULLHAI HUSSEINI MAIBASARA NIGER NORTH-CENTRAL9 DEP. FIN. SEC HON. IRONA ALPHONSUS GERALD IMO SOUTH-EAST10 NAT. ORG. SECRETARY COL. AUSTIN AKOBUNDU (RTD) ABIA SOUTH-EAST11 DEP. NAT. ORG. SECRETARY BARR. HASSAN YAKUBU NASARAWA NORTH-EAST12 PUBLICITY SECRETARY KOLA OLOGBONDIYAN KOGI NORTH-CENTRAL13 DEP. NAT. PUB. SECRETARY HON. DIRAN ODEYEMI OSUN SOUTH-WEST14 NATIONAL LEGAL ADVISER BAR. EMMANUEL ENOIDEM AKWA IBOM SOUTH-SOUTH15 DEP. NAT. LEGAL ADVISER BAR. AHMED BELLO LIMAN SOKOTO NORTH-WEST16 NATIONAL AUDITOR MAI ADAMU MUSTAFA YOBE NORTH-EAST17 DEP. NAT. AUDITOR MISS DIVINE AMINA ARONG CROSS RIVER SOUTH SOUTH18 NATIONAL WOMEN LEADER HAJ. MARIYA WAZIRI KEBBI NORTH-WEST19 DEP. NAT. WOMEN LEADER UMORU ADIZET AUDREY HADIZAT EDO SOUTH-SOUTH20 NAT. YOUTH LEADER RT. HON. UDEH OKOYE ENUGU SOUTH-EAST21 DEP. NAT. YOUTH LEADER UMAR BABANGIDA MAINA ADAMAWA NORTH-EAST. President Muhammadu Buhari will participate alongside over 50 world leaders in the One Planet Summit in Paris, France on Tuesday. President Muhammadu Buhari will participate alongside over 50 world leaders in the One Planet Summit in Paris, France on Tuesday.The summit, jointly organised by the United Nations, the World Bank Group, and the French Government in partnership with non-governmental organisations concerned about reversing the negative effects of climate change, like Bloomberg Philanthropies, holds at the eco-friendly La Seine Musicale, situated on the picturesque Seguin Island in western Paris.The main focus of the summit, with the theme, Climate Change Financing,according to the organisers, will be to innovatively pool public and private finance to support and accelerate our common efforts to fight climate change.While recognising that all countries are affected by the effects of climate change under One Planet but some are more vulnerable, the summit seeks for tangible collective action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Before heading for the Summit venue, a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, said that the Nigerian leader will attend a lunch hosted by President Emmanuel Macron of France for Heads of State and Governments at the Elysee Palace.President Buhari and other world leaders and participants will make presentations under four sub-themes namely: Scaling-up Finance for Climate Action; Greening Finance for Sustainable Business; Accelerating Local and Regional Climate Action; and Strengthening Policies for Ecological and Inclusive Transition.It would be recalled that while signing the Paris Agreement on Climate Change at the sidelines of the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 22, 2016, President Buhari had said it demonstrated Nigerias commitment to global efforts to reverse the effects of the negative trend.He followed that significant step by signing the Instrument of Ratification of the Paris Agreement on March 28, 2017 at the State House, Abuja, making Nigeria the 146th party to the Paris Treaty. It became binding on the country effective June 15, 2017, one month after the submission of the Ratification instrument to the United Nations on May 16, 2017 by Nigerias Permanent Representative to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande.The participation of Nigerias delegation at the One Planet Summit will reinforce the countrys commitment to realising the objectives of the Paris Agreement.The President, who will depart for Paris on Monday, accompanied by the governors of Adamawa, Kano and Ondo States, and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Environment, will return to Abuja on Thursday. By Reno Omokri Rochas Okorocha, a man who has spent more money on statues than he has on living human beings has now appointed his biolo... 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 Fulfillment. 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 projects RAGE rather than joy.Perhaps she should have been made Imo states commissioner for DEFENSE? 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 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 office 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 dramatized 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 Progressive 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 of 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?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 have a job, your APC Governor may prefer to use their salaries to erect statues for leaders of distant lands. If all of that does not happen, kidnappers are there to fulfill 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 being 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 Southeast began checking out?And speaking of leadership, if you 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%) 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. By Femi Aribisala The fear of Daddy-Freeze is the beginning of mischief in Nigerian churches. Nothing in recent memory seems to have... The fear of Daddy-Freeze is the beginning of mischief in Nigerian churches. Nothing in recent memory seems to have affected the bank-balances of Nigerian pastors as Daddy Freezes exposure of the deception of tithing in the churches.Nigerian tithe-collecting pastors are up in arms, throwing every possible missile at him, including death threats.Jesus says: Whoever desires to save his life will lose it. (Matthew 16:25). Since Freezes exposure, tithe-collecting pastors have been spouting fire and brimstone, hopelessly trying to save their lives.The assault on Freeze brings to mind the assault of Jewish pastors on Jesus when he also exposed their deception and hypocrisy. The upshot of this was the decision to have Jesus killed with extreme prejudice. Similarly, Daddy Freeze says a pastor, whose church he attended for 11 good tithe-paying years, has placed a death-sentence on him for preaching against tithing. The pastor prophesied that Freeze would die within 2 years. Jesus says: An evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45). You can easily tell that this so-called pastor is a charlatan masquerading as a child of God. Not only does he curse his enemies contrary to the way of Christ, even his curses are fake. Otherwise, why wait for two years for Freeze to die? Why not kill him right now?Perhaps that anonymous pastor learnt a lesson from another endangered tithe-collector: self-styled Apostle Suleiman. The apostle exposed himself by foolishly prophesying that Nasir El-Rufai, the Governor of Kaduna State, would die within two weeks. Unfortunately for him, the Governor obstinately refused to die. Apostle Suleiman is so riled up over Daddy Freezes preachments against tithing, he announced the decision to raise his tithe from 10% to 30% in retaliation. Clearly, the apostle needs to go back to bible school. So doing, he would learn that a tithe is 10% and can never be 30%. Rather than boast publicly about fictitious increases in his tithes, his eminence the apostle should endeavour to listen to Jesus: Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. (Matthew 6:1). When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:3-4).On his part, tithe-collecting Paul Adefarasin took the whole debate to stratospheric levels, the better to make tithing unassailable to fastidious bible scholars. He said: God created the universe, he took a tithe: the Milky Way. God created the Milky Way, he took a tithe: the Galaxy. God created the Galaxy, he took a tithe: our Solar System. God created the Solar System, he took a tithe: Planet Earth. God created the Planet Earth, he took a tithe: Israel. God created Israel, he took a tithe: Jerusalem. At this juncture, I began to wonder if it could equally be postulated that God created Lagos, he took a tithe: Adefarasins House on the Rock! Who ever heard of God paying tithes? By the time the erudite pastor waxed lyrical and refashioned Jesus as: a tithe, holding a tithe, going into a tithe, his congregation could not bear it any longer. They burst into wild applause which I took to mean: This pastor of ours is just too much!But the response to Freeze that took the cake came from Matthew Ashimolowo of Kingsway International Christian Centre. He felt so threatened by Daddy Freeze, he dropped his mask of holiness and became abusive. He told Daddy Freeze to Shut up! Said Ashimolowo ex cathedra: Some bunch of yoyo somewhere should not determine what we believe. Some guy who beats his wife, throws her out, throws his children out of the house should not determine what we believe. Not only that, he broke his own sons knees while trying to defend his wife. Not only that, he drinks alcohol, sleeps with women and he is trying to preach to preacher? But, while we are on the subject, should Ashimolowo himself be telling anybody what to believe? Not according to Jesus. Jesus says: Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brothers eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers eye. (Matthew 7:3-5). Ashimolowos hypocrisy is mind-boggling. Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.Some years back, Ashimolowo advertised a crusade in Port Harcourt, captioned The Coming Wealth Transfer. This was based on the spurious pie-in-the-sky notion that God is soon going to transfer the wealth of non-Christians to Christians. However, officials of the Charity Commission in England, an organisation which routinely polices the affairs of nominally non-profit organisations including churches, detected a more genuine wealth transfer taking place in Ashimolowos KICC. That wealth transfer was not from God to the members of Ashimolowos church: it was from members of the church to Ashimolowo.The Commission discovered serious misconduct and mismanagement in the finances of KICC. It alleged that hundreds of thousands of pounds were dubiously transferred overseas. A 120,000 birthday party was given for Ashimolowo, out of which 80,000 was used to buy him a spanking Mercedes Benz. It was also reported that Ashimolowo used the churchs visa card to buy a timeshare apartment in Florida. Should a man with this questionable CV tell Christians what they should believe and give? You be the judge. The Commission maintained Ashimolowo acted as both trustee and paid employee of KICC, in contravention of British charity law.He allegedly approved suspicious payments and benefits to himself and his wife made to his private companies operated illegally from church premises. As a result of these irregularities, KICC was placed in the hands of receivers, new trustee managers were appointed and Ashimolowo was asked to repay 200,000 to the church. The upshot of this was that Ashimolowo relocated temporarily to Nigeria, where he started preaching about Sweat-less Wealth, and Twenty-Four Hour Miracles.The latter required the gullible to give their monies, cars, televisions, stereos, cell-phones and even the Certificates of Occupancy of their houses to preachers in order to receive fictitious financial windfalls from heaven within 24 hours. A few of my acquaintances were scammed at these 419 crusades.God says: Among my people are found wicked men; they lie in wait as one who sets snares; they set a trap; they catch men. (Jeremiah 5:26). Daddy Freeze has put these tithe-collecting fraudsters on the warpath, fighting to defend their bank-balances. Surely, he did not expect them to surrender their meal-tickets without a fight. Who is afraid of Daddy Freeze? Thief- and-robber pastors. The fear of Daddy Freeze is the beginning of mischief in Nigerian churches. Three people were injured in a Saturday afternoon crash in Maurice River Township. New Jersey State Police spokesman Sgt. Jeffery Flynn said a Dodge was traveling eastbound at 3:51 p.m. on Route 49 near milepost 47.1 when it lost control, crossed over the centerlines and struck a Ford headed in the westbound direction. A 65-year-old Ocean City woman riding in the Dodge suffered serious injuries and was taken to Atlanticare Regional Medical Center where she was listed in stable condition. The two drivers suffered non-life threatening injuries. The crash shut down Route 49 for a period while emergency crews were on the scene to tend to injuries and investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. State Police continue to investigate the matter. The Maurice River crash was one of the many calls the New Jersey State Police responded on Saturday. According to the agency's Facebook Page, State Police responded to 303 motor vehicle crashes statewide. From Saturday 12 a.m. to Saturday 11:59 p.m., State Police responded to 303 MV crashes and 363 motorist aids in NJSP patrolled areas. Crashes and aids not necessarily snow related. #snow Posted by New Jersey State Police on Sunday, December 10, 2017 Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews. Find NJ.com on Facebook A Rutgers professor accused of posting anti-Semitic posts on his Facebook page over several months earlier this year will lose his role as a director and will no longer be allowed to teach required classes, officials announced. The school is also seeking further punishments under its faculty agreement. Rutgers Professor Michael Chikindas. (Courtesy of Rutgers University) Michael Chikindas, a veteran professor in the food science department, reportedly posted dozens of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel comments on his page over several months, including some saying the Armenian genocide was orchestrated by Jews. Chikindas claimed his Facebook page was hacked but did not deny sharing some of the cartoons, images and comments considered anti-Semitic. Rutgers President Robert Barchi said Chikindas will no longer teach required courses and will be removed from his post as director of the Center for Digestive Health at the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health. Chikindas, a Rutgers professor since 1998 who earned tenure in 2007, will undergo cultural sensitivity training and will be "subject to ongoing monitoring if and when he returns to the classroom," Barchi said. He said Rutgers is also seeking further disciplinary action through Appendix H of the collective bargaining agreement with the faculty union, which outlines the process of faculty suspensions at less than full pay. "The faculty contract requires that a specific process be followed in making a determination if a suspension of a faculty member is unpaid or at reduced pay," Dory Devlin, a spokeswoman for the university, said. "That process is being followed as the faculty contract requires." Barchi, in his statement, said: "This has been a sad and deeply troubling situation for our students and our staff, and for our faculty, who stand for much nobler values than those expressed by this particular professor. "While the university is and should always be a place that challenges students to grapple with complex and even controversial ideas, this situation has threatened the trust between professors and students that is a prerequisite to learning." He continued: "It is our hope that we can navigate these difficult conversations together and that, having been tested by these challenges, we can emerge stronger and with renewed appreciation of our common bonds." Chikindas did not immediately return an email seeking comment. The posts were deleted after several blogs posted them online, but several of the comments remain on these websites. In one post, Chikindas' account shared a story with the headline, "The Globalists: Who Controls Us! (Full Info)". Above the link is a comment that reads, in part, "These jewish motherf****** do not control me. They can go and f*** each other in their fat arses (sic)." The professor's account also posted racist cartoon-images depicting Jews and a link to a conspiracy theorists claiming the 9/11 attacks were planned by Israel and American Jews, according to accounts in the Jewish press. In other posts, Chikindas referred to Israeli and American women, including first lady Melania Trump and Ivanka Trump, as "sluts" and "bitches." In an email to NJ Advance Media in October, Chikindas denied his posts were anti-Semitic and claimed his account was hacked. "As a result of my account being hacked, I cannot say with confidence that everything on my page was shared by me: There is a good chance for some things being placed on my page by those who hacked my account," he said. He did not, however, deny sharing some of the cartoons and images. "I do not identify myself as anti-Semite. It is my lifelong credo that all people are born equal regardless of their ethnicity, religion and wealth. I am equally intolerant to all forms of racism, without any exclusions," Chikindas said in his email. "The pictures I shared from other Facebook pages were not removed by the Facebook mediators which made me think they are not violating any rules while raising a question of possible racist nature of Zionism." StandWithUs, a non-profit Israel education organization, commended the Rutgers Hillel organization for holding Chikindas accountable and said the Rutgers administration "did the right thing in the end." "I'm proud of the students at Rutgers who stood up and sent a clear message that racism and homophobia have no place on campus," said Rena Nasar, Tri-State Campus Director for StandWithUs. NJ Advance Media reporter Kelly Heyboer contributed to this report. Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. A controversial ban that blocks landscapers and other businesses from using gas-powered leaf blowers in a New Jersey town is headed to court. The New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association and nine individual landscape companies filed a civil suit this October against the town of Maplewood, and its mayor and township committee, claiming the ban discriminates against the businesses, and has cost them big bucks. The leaf blower ban, which the town passed in April after residents complained a less-restrictive leaf blower rule was not being enforced, prohibits commercial landscapers from using gas-powered blowers during summer months. The town's lawmakers said the ban was meant to decrease noise and environmental pollution in the community. The problem, the landscapers say, is that the rule doesn't apply to everyone. Private residents, non-commercial associations, and even the town's own leaf cleaning crew can use the noisy machines, the landscapers say in their suit. The town owns and operates five gas-powered blowers, the suit says. And, the suit claims, while the law imposes fines of up to $1,500 on landscapers who don't comply, residents and entities that violate other parts of the town's ordinance -- like restrictions on the hours during which the machines can be used -- don't face any penalties at all. The lawsuit calls the town's policy "discriminatory" and "obviously irrational." "Does (a homeowner's) equipment cause less harm and noise than a contractor's?" Nelson Lee, the association's president, said in an interview with NJ Advance Media. "It's a discrimination factor." Landscapers have been forced to use "inefficient and time-consuming methods such as rakes, brooms, and hoses," to clear leaves, leading to "...an adverse impact on business and goodwill, which threatens the continued operation of such businesses," the suit says. While the suit seeks unspecified damages and the revocation of the ban, the group's attorney, David Mairo, said it is about more than lost income. "The ordinance as it is currently written is unconstitutional," Mairo, of Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC, said in a phone interview. "It targets a certain group." While the association acknowledges other towns in the state have leaf blowing restrictions in place, those are more fair because they apply to everyone, the group says. The Oct. 20 filing is the second challenge the group has made against the ban. The first filed earlier this year was dismissed on what Mairo called a "technicality." The association was not permitted by the court to file suit on its own, he said. In the latest suit, nine individual landscapers signed joined the complaint. Otherwise, he said, the suit is mostly the same as the original one filed. Maplewood Mayor Victor DeLuca declined to comment on the suit, citing its status as ongoing litigation. The township recently received an extension and is now set to answer the complaint by Jan. 4, 2018, Mairo said. Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Names and faces Anne Sherwood has joined the Helena law office of Morrison, Sherwood, Wilson & Deola, PLLP as an associate attorney. Sherwood graduated with honors from the University of Montana School of Law in 2017 after receiving her master's degree in communication from UM in 2014. Sherwood previously interned for the Montana Office of the Commissioner of Political Practices and in the Montana Attorney Generals Office in the Consumer Protection Division. A Helena native, Sherwood will practice law alongside her father, Rick Sherwood, and focus her practice in the areas of consumer protection, campaign finance, employment, personal injury, intellectual property and constitutional law. Sherwood can be reached at anne@mswdlaw.com or by calling MSWD at 442-3261. *** Patrick Newby, a licensed professional counselor, has joined Cornerstone Counseling. Newby has nine years of mental health care experience. He provides counseling and neurofeedback treatment for children, adolescents and adults. Neurofeedback can be effective in improving brain efficiency and reducing or eliminating a variety of mental health difficulties. Contact Newby at 449-4800 extension 5. *** First Community Bank has announced that Austin Gleich has joined the organization as a residential loan officer based in the Helena office. Gleich is responsible for originating residential loans of all types. Gleich comes to First Community Bank with more than five years of banking experience. Prior to joining First Community Bank, Gleich was a customer service representative at Valley Bank in Helena. Gleich may be reached at 449-9800 or at the Helena Real Estate Branch of First Community Bank, 212 N. Rodney St. News and notes Workers receive ServSafe certification The following individuals have completed a 16-hour ServSafe managers certification class offered by Lewis and Clark Public Health. The class trains workers in how to store, prepare, and serve food to the public safely. Emilee Donaldson and Dawn Lee, Apple Rehabilitation Cooney; Carrie Branson, Bobs Valley Market; Luis Marquez, Cafe 406; Jeanie Weasel Tail, Cookie Bar Express; Tatiyana Grotbo, Just for Kids Daycare; Valorie Duvall and Roy Putra, Lincoln Log Hotel; Jesse Worthen, Montana Club; Amanda Rios, Mountain View Co-op; Misty Jepson and Shawn Russell, Real Food Market & Deli; Emmet Matthews, Residence Inn; Casey Curley, David Marshall, Josh Schwen, and Joel Shockley, Steves Cafe; Tim Draper, Town Pump; and Michael Broadbrooks and Katie Christenson, Windbag Saloon. *** Providers selected for leadership program The Montana Medical Association announced local physicians Keith Foster, M.D. of Shodair Childrens Hospital and Timothy Wetherill, M.D. of Fort Harrisons Veterans Affairs Medical Center have been nominated for participation in the MMA Physician Leadership Effectiveness Program. In addition, the program has expanded to include nurse practitioners. Britt Ballinger, NP-C, of St. Peters Medical Group of Helena, will be the first nurse practitioner participating in the program. The MMA Physician Leadership Effectiveness Program, designed by physicians, expands the leadership skills of Montana physicians preparing them for the emerging leadership roles within health care practices and systems and to have impactful influence on health care policy. Participating physician leaders will come together for seven sessions, located across the state over the course of eight months, to hold conversations on leadership and to learn about health care policy challenges facing Montana. For more information visit www.mmaoffice.org or contact Jean Branscum, CEO of the Montana Medical Association at 443-4000. Guidelines The IR welcomes reports of hiring, promotions, awards, recognition, learning opportunities and other news from local companies and nonprofits. We accept press releases and photos (digital images at 300 dpi or more are preferred). Email your information to irstaff@helenair.com. There is no charge for items appearing in the Business Briefcase. Items are run on a space-available basis, and we reserve the right to edit and use information as we see fit. The deadline is Tuesday at noon to be considered for publication the following Sunday. Police took to social media Saturday to urge possible pranksters to stop stealing the street sign for Pussy Willow Court in Washington Township, Gloucester County. "Our Public Works Department has replaced the Pussy Willow Court sign 5 times this year," a message on a Facebook post said. "Probably considered a prank, the thefts are costly and puts property & lives at risk." The post included a photo of a sign pole with no sign. There were no comments on the post at 6:22 p.m. Saturday. Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook. E-books and audio books are the wave of the future and they have their merits. But there is something more satisfying about holding a book in your hands and turning the pages. Here are some selections you might consider as adult Christmas gifts for your family, friends or colleagues. "Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ," by Timothy Keller, Viking, 2016. Hardcover, 147 pages, $20. "God's Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs," by Timothy Keller with Kathy Keller, Viking, 2017. Hardcover, 381 pages, $20. Almost everyone knows the Christmas story, perhaps the most famous in the world. But what does it really mean? Christmas has become so secularized that its importance may be overshadowed by the commercial push to simply give gifts to others. The Rev. Timothy Keller, who pastors a megachurch in the metropolitan area, mines the ordinariness and simplicity of the birth of Christ and its implications for personal conversion and renewal. I admire that President Trump wants us all to say "Merry Christmas." Wish, though, he would live up to what Christ would do. Keller and his wife, Kathy, have taken the Old Testament Book of Proverbs and provided a year's wortj of daily reflections. Each day includes a Scripture passage, reflection and page. I checked out my birthday, July 10, and his advice: "We are to be truth tellers." I guess I am in the right profession. "Caritas: The Illustrated History of Christian Charity," by Juan Maria Laboa, Paulist Press, 2014. Hardcover, 239 pages, $79.95. This sumptuous coffee table book is more than pictures, though the photography is stunning. It tells the history of Christianity and Catholicism through its evolving charity and social justice. From the early concerns for widows and orphans to the Franciscan charisms, worker priests and the Catholic Worker movement of Dorothy Day up to Pope Francis' mercy of Jesus and much, much more. It is well worth the hefty price for this theological tome. "The Meaning of Belief: Religion From an Atheist's Point of View," by Tim Crane, Harvard University Press, 2017. Hardcover, 224 pages, $24.95. Back at the turn of the millennium, I heard Carlo Cardinal Martini, a Jesuit who headed the Milan Archdiocese, the largest in the world, talk about packing his cathedral when he would dialogue with atheists, agnostics and those hostile to religion. He struggled to find the word "lung" because he was making an analogy between how two lungs that make us breathe is like dialoguing with non-believers. Crane's book does this because he shows more respect for religion than current best-seller atheists like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. "We should try to understand religion because without such an understanding we lack an adequate sense of the fundamental part of human civilization and its history,'' he writes, "and we therefore lack a proper understanding of ourselves." "Vatican Treasures - Art and Faith," DVD distributed by Paulist Press, 70 minutes, $5.95. This historical panorama of Christian and Catholic art reveals the riches of the Vatican museums and which popes have been patrons of the arts. It also shows how historical periods influenced the church. Cartography, for example, rose during the age of exploration. The Enlightenment welcomed art from other religions. Napoleon sacked Rome, John XXIII brought in modern art, and the Sistine Chapel Restoration in 1994 is shown in its magnificence. If you plan to visit the Vatican, watch this first. "We Are Blessed: Illustrated Reminders of God's Grace," Workman, 2017. Paperback, 206 pages, $12.95. This is one is a series of illustrated books by Workman Publishing that combines letterpress art and illustrations with biblical verses, psalms, prayers, hymns and quotes by well-known Christian thinkers. Since I pastor Our Lady of Grace and that was my mother's name, I searched for grace quotes like "Grace Changes Everything," and "The Grace of God is Glue." This book is so neat, I made it my daily Advent reading. It can fit in a stocking and in your pocket to bring on the train. EDITOR'S NOTE: The Rev. Alexander Santora is the pastor of Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph, 400 Willow Ave., Hoboken, 07030, FAX: 201-659-5833; Email: padrealex@yahoo.com; Twitter: @padrehoboken. BAYONNE -- A 32-year-old woman has been charged with stealing 144 bottles of nail polish from CVS last month, authorities said. Jamie Esposito, of Kennedy Boulevard, was arrested on Wednesday after she was caught shoplifting from another pharmacy, Bayonne police said in a statement. Officers were called to the Rite Aid on Broadway on reports of a shoplifter. Esposito allegedly admitted to taking $63.98 worth of formula and was found carrying a hypodermic needle and drugs, police said. While being processed on last week's arrest, police determined Esposito was responsible for the Nov. 6 shoplifting incident at CVS on Avenue C. In that theft she allegedly stole $1,400 worth of nail polish. Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. A woman trapped inside a vehicle after an accident on Saturday in Clinton Township was extricated by firefighters and emergency squad members. The accident was reported at 1:30 p.m. on Cokesbury Road. A Dodge Durango was traveling north when it crashed into a tree. The road was wet and slick from snow. The woman, whose identity was available on Sunday, was transported to Morristown Medical Center by Clinton First Aid and Rescue Squad and paramedics from Hunterdon Medical Center in Raritan Township. Also responding to the crash were the Clinton Township police, Annandale Hose Company and Lebanon Borough Fire Department. Dec. 8 At 10:59 p.m. officers responded to the 600 block of Euclid Avenue concerning a fight in progress. The parties involved in the disturbance have been identified and the officer is still investigating. Dec. 9 At 12:26 p.m. an officer took a report of a stolen utility side-by-side from a business in the 1800 block of North Last Chance Gulch. The red 2016 Honda Pioneer 1000 was taken from the business lot. At 2:08 p.m. an officer took a report of criminal mischief to, and theft from, a motor vehicle in the 1500 block of LeGrande Cannon Blvd. The owner reported a window had been broken out of their parked car and several items missing from it. At 3:37 p.m. an officer took a report of a stolen cellphone in the 500 block of Logan Street. At 7:33 p.m. an officer arrested a 25-year-old Helena woman on warrants out of Gallatin County. She was booked at the detention center. At 11:27 p.m. an officer stopped a vehicle near the intersection of Custer Avenue and Henderson Street for a traffic violation. After investigation, the officer arrested the 19-year-old male driver for second offense driving under the influence, second offense aggravated DUI, no insurance, fail to drive on right side of roadway, underage possession of alcohol, and criminal child endangerment as he had several younger juveniles in the vehicle at the time of the offense. He was booked at the detention center. At 11:35 p.m. an officer took a report of a criminal mischief to a vehicle in the 900 block of Kessler Street. The owner reported a window broken out of their vehicle. Dec. 10 At 1:55 a.m. an officer investigated a reported assault in the area of North Last Chance Gulch and Broadway. After investigation, the officer cited a 37-year-old male (no permanent address listed) with misdemeanor assault. He was cited and released. Former President Donald Trump is preparing to launch his third campaign for the White House with an announcement Tuesday night. Trump is looking to move on from disappointing midterm defeats and defy history amid signs that his grip on the Republican Party may be waning. The former president had hoped to use the GOP's expected gains in last week's elections as a springboard to win his party's nomination by locking in early support and keeping potential challengers at bay. Instead, Trump now finds himself being blamed for backing a series of losing candidates in last week's midterm elections. Today Sun and clouds mixed. High 54F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight Mainly clear skies. Low near 40F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. High 56F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Today Sunshine 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. CLARINDA In an effort to have a plan and goals for the future, Page County Board of Supervisors held a conference call Dec. 5 with Deirdre Devine, who owns her own consulting service in Kansas City, Missouri. Last month, Supervisor Chuck Morris suggested meeting with a strategic planner to help the county create goals and projects for the future considering the countys shifts in population and economics, The Valley News reported. No action was taken. A lot of people talk about it, but dont do it, Devine said about wanting to have a strategic plan. Her 25 years of experience includes health care and corporations but nothing specific to rural, county government. She has worked with Clarinda Regional Health Center. For Page County, Devine estimated a series of meetings over a three-month plan costing up to $20,000. Morris was influenced by considering a strategic planner knowing the county is installing a new, $1.6 million 911 communication system and expects the county to prepare for a new jail within the next 10 years. Knowing those projects are on tap, combined with annual, routine projects, Morris wants the county to be wise with decisions that impact the future. Weve never done this before, but know things will need attention in the next few years. I want to get a better picture for what the taxpayers want, he said. How can we be a thriving county and not reactionary to population shifts? Devine suggested one challenge will be the kind of information to receive and how to process. The problem is only analyzing data and not talking and moving quickly to what priorities should and could be, she said. Im sure you have a list of people who share their opinion with you. Devine said information-gathering options include creating a focus group that reaches out to the residents or using online surveys. Supervisor Alan Armstrong suggested including economic development officials in Clarinda, Shenandoah and Essex if some kind of strategic-planning committee is formed. Knowing the impact supervisors have on property taxes, Armstrong said it would be ideal to have the input from those people knowing they try to expand and recruit new business to the county. Devine understood Armstrongs view. Make sure all are on one side of the table and be thoughtful to the group of people. Its hard for one person to convince everyone else to come with them, she said. She said through her experience she has learned how rural areas typically have groups of people who think where they live is the best place and how there are selling points of the benefits of starting or raising families in rural areas. But rural areas are not any different with strategic planning. Rural may be smaller, but not any less complex, she said. The U.S. Congress, with the support of Montanas Sen. Steve Daines and Congressman Greg Gianforte, appears ready to pass the most sweeping tax bill in recent history, which will send even more of our nations treasure to the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. The richest among us will make billions of dollars at the expense of the middle class, the working poor, and retired Americans. The Montana Alliance for Retired Americans stands in strong opposition to this tax bill for five central reasons. First, thousands of retired Montanans will see a tax increase when the tax bill goes to President Trumps desk. The AARP Public Policy Institute reports that taxpayers 65 and older, which make up 18 percent of Montanas population (2016 US Census Bureau estimate) with an income below $65,150 will see ever increasing taxes when the tax bill becomes law. Second, the tax bill will force cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. Under the tax bills blueprint, there will be $473 billion in cuts to Medicare and $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid over the next 10 years. Thousands of Montana seniors lives literally depend on these programs. Cutting them for the benefit of the super-rich is callous and beyond cruel. Third, the tax bill ends medical expense deductions. Today taxpayers over 65 can deduct unreimbursed medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of their adjusted gross income. Older Americans with high nursing home costs or high medical or dental expenses will no longer be able to deduct these costs from their taxes. Fourth, the tax bill puts caps on pre-tax contributions to 401(k) plans. Currently, workers can defer paying taxes on contributions to a 401(k) plan. More specifically, those over 50 are allowed to contribute up to $24,000 in pre-tax income to their 401(k). The tax bill could prohibit these kinds of catch-up 401(k) contributions. Fifth, the tax bill will increase the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion. Increased deficits will put pressure on the Medicare and Medicaid programs and will make it easier for Congress to come back and cut these programs next year. Furthermore, additional deficit spending will break the promise of Social Security, which workers have paid into their whole working lives with the understanding that Social Security will be there as a foundation for a secure retirement. As the population ages, the fiscal demands on Social Security will continue to grow and, according to budget experts, the tax bill will only make the situation worse. This is horrible news for the majority of Montanas seniors and future retirees who will depend on Social Security in order to make ends meet each and every month. The bottom-line is this: Montanas two millionaire Representatives in Congress, Sen. Daines and Rep. Gianforte are doing just fine. In fact, theyre doing great and they are selling out Montana seniors and workers to line their already full pockets with more of our hard-earned dollars by supporting this tax giveaway. The richest 10 percent of Americans already own half of our nations wealth. We dont need to be giving them even more tax breaks at the expense of low and middle-income Montana seniors. Instead, we should be strengthening Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security and making it easier for workers to eventually retire in dignity. Call Senator Daines and Congressman Gianforte and tell them to vote no and not to sell out Montanas seniors and workers. Jay Reardon is the statewide coordinator for the Alliance for Retired Americans, an affiliate of the Montana AFL-CIO. The waves of runners and walkers flowed west from the North Platte Recreation Center on a beautiful day as the 17th year of the Platte River Fitness Series came to a close. On Saturday, the Jingle Bell Run, the final event in the series had a large number of participants. This is our 20th event (for 2017), said Trudy Merritt, series director. The Jingle Bell has an interesting history, because the first year we started we had about 89 participants and now to have a fitness event in North Platte, Nebraska, with 500 participants, thats something were very proud of. Merritt said the best part about the series is what she hears from people. The Platte River Fitness Series is about the stories that come from it and the way that people use these events to motivate themselves to not only get healthy, but to overcome a lot of things, Merritt said. She said the year has been tremendously successful. As a community culture, we feel North Platte is seen outside its borders as an active community, Merritt said. It has a strong reputation that this is a place where you can actively engage in fitness. The original goal of the series, Merritt added, was to create a cultural shift, and move people from an inactive, unhealthy lifestyle to a much healthier lifestyle. Dana Hinkle, director of Patient Financial Services at Great Plains Health and her crew joined in the fun. We just thought wed come out today and support the run and do it as a whole group, Hinkle said. We have about 30 employees on that second floor and decided it would be a fun thing to do for Christmas. She said Great Plains Health, the corporate sponsor of the event, encourages its employees to participate in the series. The hospital likes to see people get out and do exercising, Hinkle said. They do support a lot of these races, which is awesome. Before Merritt sent the participants out on their run, she thanked Great Plains Health, the Platte River Fitness Series and Nebraskaland National Bank for their support of the Jingle Bell Run and the series itself. Look for results from the Jingle Bell Run in a future edition of the Telegraph. A change in procedure is intended to bring more transparency as the North Platte Board of Education follows a recent opinion from the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission. Claims for reimbursement of expenses from board members will now be taken individually as action items. Previously the items were included on the consent agenda. The change is among several agenda items the board will discuss Monday. The regular monthly meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at McKinley Education Center. We found out through a series of meetings we attended that every time our board members travel (and turn in expenses), to be more transparent, were going to have our board members approve travel expenses for meetings they attend, said Stuart Simpson, the school districts executive director of finance. For example, Skip Altig went to the state school board conference, so board members will vote on his travel expenses and he will abstain from the vote. Expenses for travel to the state conference will also be up for approval for Mike Morrell and Jo Ann Lundgreen. Eleven teacher resignations are on the consent agenda. All but one have chosen to retire at the end of the 2017-18 school year. One will retire effective Dec. 22. We typically average about 30 teachers, or about 10 percent, turnover every year, Superintendent Ron Hanson said. Simpson said the district has monitored the turnover trend. We took a look at that because people thought teachers were leaving the district, but our trend has always been 10 percent, Simpson said. They move for family, they move to change jobs, they move to retirement, and theres a myriad of reasons. NPPS has received its Gallup Student Engagement Poll results, and administrators, staff and students will analyze results and come up with action plans to increase student engagement. The district has participated in the poll for two years, he said. Hanson said the national trend is the longer students are in school, the less engagement they have. We match that, but we are seeing a little bit of a bump at the senior level, Hanson said and added with a laugh that perhaps it is because the students are happy about getting out soon. He said, however, that the district does take the poll results seriously. We want to advocate it very seriously because an engaged student and a student who has a sense of hope, their academic performance and their career path is a little more defined for them, Hanson said. Simpson will give the monthly budget update. He said the finance committee looks not only at the current budget, but is constantly working on the next school years budget as well. The budget is a never-ending process, Hanson said. I think the patrons understand its not an August-September decision, the board works on that every month. Both Hanson and Simpson said it is important to stay on top of the budget process for the following year. You have to take it in chunks or otherwise you can get overwhelmed with numbers, Simpson said. The board will also discuss the superintendent evaluation and discuss Hansons contract in executive session before sharing the results of the discussion publicly. Following the presentation, the board will take action on authorizing the board president to sign the superintendents contract on June 30, 2018. His current three-year contract will end on that date. The new contract will be for three years through June 30, 2021. Hanson said that technically the board cannot approve a 3-year contract, so consequently the earliest the new contract can be signed is June 30. The compensation package will be determined later. Former Times Assistant Managing Editor Justin Breen left his position as senior editor of the now-defunct DNAinfo Chicago this spring to launch the public relations firm BrEpic Communications, which is looking to break into the Northwest Indiana market. The Chicago-based PR firm produces stories on commission and pitches them to publications across the country. Clients include The Allstate Foundation, The Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Chicago Academy for the Arts, MeMA-Music and law firms. "I started the firm to spend more quality time with my family and to use the skills I acquired as a journalist in a new way," Breen said. "At DNAinfo, I essentially was doing the same thing I'm doing at BrEpic: writing a story and then sharing a story with other mainstream media. At DNAinfo, I would usually have an exclusive or scoop; then I would send that story to other media hoping they would do their own version and cite DNAinfo in their stories to get the DNAinfo name out there as I always had a startup and underdog mentality. With BrEpic, I massage some of the client's info into the story and then market that story to mainstream media." Breen is currently BrEpic's sole staffer but may hire freelancers as his business grows. "The beauty of BrEpic is, as long as there is a good story to tell, it works with any business," he said. "I will not sign with a client unless I think there are marketable stories to tell the masses and media." He's been looking to expand the business, which runs national media campaigns for The Allstate Foundation and LISC, into Northwest Indiana. "The NWI region is a key market for me because I spent more than a decade living and working there at three papers News-Dispatch, Post-Tribune and The Times while I was a Michigan City and Merrillville resident. As a former member of the Junior Achievement board of Northwest Indiana and a graduate of Leadership Northwest Indiana, I have built up a legion of contacts both in the business community and with media." Drawing on his media experience, Breen takes a different approach to publicity than many PR firms that blast out untargeted press releases to mailing lists and hope for the best. "As a journalist, I received hundreds of emails a day; most of them were press releases that were immediately deleted," he said. "From those experiences, I determined that BrEpic's model of writing actual stories and then individually marketing those stories to media across the country would be far more beneficial not only to my clients, but to media as well." iStock/Thinkstock(BAGHDAD) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has declared victory against ISIS after three years of war. In an announcement in Baghdad on Saturday, the prime minister said Iraqi forces were in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border. "Our enemy wanted to kill our civilization, but we have won through our unity and our determination," Abadi said according to the BBC. "We have triumphed in little time." In January 2014, Iraq lost control of Fallujah and Ramadi to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In June, the liberation of Mosul marked a turning point in Iraq's war against ISIS. U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert released a statement after the announcement, offering "congratulations to the Iraqi people and to the brave Iraqi Security Forces, many of whom lost their lives heroically fighting ISIS." Nauert added that the prime minister's announcement "does not mean the fight against terrorism, and even against ISIS, in Iraq is over." "The United States, along with the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, will continue to partner with the Iraqi Security Forces, advising, training, and equipping them," she said in the statement. "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." Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. After reading the articles in Mondays paper (Dec. 4) written by Dana Milbank and John Ilgenfritz, I feel it is time for someone with a different view to say something. There are a few things that President Trump has done right. The stock market is at an all-time high, our GDP is over 3 percent, unemployment is the lowest its been in 15 years. He got us out of the Paris Climate Agreement that we were the biggest source of funding for. This agreement was costing us large sums of monies and jobs. While we spent millions and lost many jobs, India and China, two of the biggest offenders, said they may do something about pollution in 20 years. He told the UN members to pay their shares for running the organization or get out; they are paying. The president at least got North Koreas attention with his hard talk about their nuclear power program. This may not be the best way to go about this, but it beats sending them more money and asking them to please stop their program like we have been doing for the last 40 years. You can see what that policy has produced. He is pulling in on the reins of the EPA and the CPA so they cannot continue making outrageous demands on people, imposing fines on them and refusing them any legal recourse. This has been long overdue. Foreign governments are starting to trust us and show us some respect again after only 11 months. In China last month he was greeted with full military honors, big gala affairs, and a group of young Chinese people waving American flags. He did not have to get off the rear of the plane with almost no one to greet him like a recent president did. At this point, less than one year into his term, our foreign relations are looking a lot better than they were a year ago. For a year now the left has been trying to connect him to colluding with Russia to impact our elections, as of this date no evidence of this has come forward. He is trying to pass a tax bill that he feels will benefit all Americans. The left has done exactly as Sen. Chuck Schumer has told them to do and voted against it. Too expensive they say, it may put us into additional debt by $1.5 trillion in 10 years. This coming from a group of people who have extended our debt by over a trillion dollars a year for the last eight years. Granted, Trump is a little rude, texts a lot and will not take any crap from anyone, but from where I sit he is doing one hell of a job. Wayne Losey Helena Gary Public Transportation Corp. officials will announce the launch date and service schedules for the bus line's new Broadway Metro Express during a public event Wednesday at Gary Metro Center. The event, set to begin at 3:30 p.m., will also include presentations on a new mobile fare payment program and other events surrounding launch of the express route. The Broadway Metro Express "will reduce travel times, increase frequency and bring sustainable features to Broadway," according to GPTC. The line will run 11 miles from Metro Center through Merrillville to Methodist Hospitals Southlake Campus in Merrillville, with service every 20 minutes. The service has 17 stops and includes new feeder lines, also to be announced Wednesday. The state's Broadway rehabilitation project this year included bus lanes and new shelters at stops. Broadway Metro Express operations are initially being funded through a U.S. Department of Transportation grant. Merrillville is funding a new Merrillville Shuttle. The project's capital cost of $9.5 million was funded by Gary, Merillville, the Gary Stormwater District, Legacy Foundation and INDOT. The Broadway Metro Express project is part of a larger Livable Broadway initiative. Visit www.livablebroadway.com for information on both. Our most recent trip to Prestonsburg, Kentucky, was a bit different than others we have taken. The beauty of the mountains and the area itself were eye-openers for our travelers. The area set in the foothills of the mountains at Jenny Wiley State Park was unique and different from the usual hotels/motels we've stayed at. Group members enjoyed many activities including tasting the "moonshine," listening to the hoedown music and riding the paddle boat on the river. Thanks to Yvonne and helper Gerry, in addition to the driver and guide. Fritzi recently led a trip to Branson, Missouri, for all the Christmas shows in town this season. This year we enjoyed the first-ever Golden Times cruise on the Serenade of the Seas, one of the many ships that belong to Royal Caribbean fleet. Needless to say, it was an exciting seven-day vacation for 42 Golden Times members. Each day there were opportunities for many activities including taking a dance class, trying one's luck at the casino and unforgettable sightseeing at each of the ports of call. We had three days of fog before we finally reached sunshine in Canada's Halifax port. The food and service on the ship was fantastic. And the staff on board, who represented 65 countries, made our vacation a pleasure. Thanks to all who joined us. Merry Christmas and happy, healthy New Year from all of us at Golden Times. We now have 770 members and are delighted to have some "baby-boomers" who joined this year. Upcoming event: Dec. 31: New Years Eve party. Cost is $35 per person. Location is Villa Cesare. Live music will be provided by Swing-In-Times. Doors open at 11 a.m. with lunch at noon. No tickets will be sold at the door. Call Pat Holman at 219-865-2745. Make checks payable to Golden Times. Please put membership number on your check. The 2018 newsletter will be mailed to all members on Jan. 16. You must have your membership number prior to booking any travel. All payments are made payable to Golden Times and mailed to the person handling the event after you make the reservation. Your check is your guaranteed reservation, and a separate check is required for each event. For more information, visit GoldenTimesSeniors.com. Lake Central schools Superintendent Larry Veracco said he anticipates a discussion of policies for drug testing teachers more often at Monday night's School Board meeting, in the wake of a Lake Central High School teacher recently allegedly caught using cocaine in the classroom. Samantha Cox, 24, of Cedar Lake, was removed from the classroom Nov. 22 and held at the Lake County Jail until she posted a $10,000 bond later that same day. She is on paid administrative leave. The teacher allegedly told police after her arrest she purchased $160 worth of cocaine that morning before coming to school, according to court records released after the incident by the Lake County prosecutor's office. Cox told police she usually purchased "dope" after school, but was feeling sick that morning, records state. She said she had used cocaine for four years, since her freshman year at college, according to court records. Cox told police she snorted the cocaine at 10:20 a.m. while alone in her classroom, records state. She said the door was locked, but students must have seen her through the door window. Some students took video of the incident and posted it online, where it went viral. Veracco said, "We currently randomly test student-drivers and those in extracurricular activities. I do not know the specifics of what our current health plan covers but do plan to get a handle on that prior to Mondays meeting, in case the question comes up. I am unaware of any school districts currently testing new hires or current staff members other than bus drivers." No law requires random teacher drug tests State law requires school districts to randomly drug test bus drivers, and some school districts drug test all new employees, but most administrators said it is unlikely they would consider random drug tests for teachers. Every school district in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties also offers an employee assistance program. Terry Spradlin, executive director of the Indiana School Board Association, said according to Lisa Tanselle, ISBA general counsel, courts have not allowed random drug testing of public employees unless they are in safety- sensitive positions, such as school bus drivers. Indiana State Teachers Association President Teresa Meredith said, Schools already have the ability to test educators for substance abuse if they have probable cause. "Apparently, the administration did not have reasonable suspicion prior to the incident," Spradlin said of the Lake Central incident. GlenEva Dunham, president of the Indiana Federation of Teachers and the Gary Teachers Union, said sometimes teachers are on medication that can be mistaken for an illicit drug. "We do criminal background checks," she said. "I don't think we should set the tone that we think people are on drugs. I don't think that's something the union would support. It's never been a problem before." Similar drug test policies throughout Region Whiting schools Superintendent Cindy Scroggins said all new employees are drug tested, along with their physical exam, before they are board-approved. "After hire, the only personnel that participate in random drug testing are the CDL bus drivers, which is required by law and the Department of Transportation, and any employees that drives other school-owned vehicles," Scroggins said. "We also do believe in the importance for support for our employees, and we do have a board policy for an employee assistance program." Similarly, Michigan City Area Schools spokeswoman Betsy Kohn said MCAS does not randomly drug test students or employees. The exception is bus drivers, who are tested as part of the hiring process and if a bus driver is involved in an accident. "We have an EAP program in place for all MCAS employees," she said. "Our School Board has discussed drug testing for students involved in extracurriculars, but has not moved forward on a testing program due to cost and logistics. They may revisit this in the future, however," Kohn said. No plans to require random tests Union Township schools Superintendent John Hunter said the district performs random drug tests on students involved in extracurricular activities and those who drive to school as well as bus drivers. "At this time, we do not perform random drug tests on other employee groups and have no plans to do so at this time," he said. East Porter County schools Superintendent Rod Gardin said "random drug testing is conducted for students in grades seven through 12 and bus drivers." "If we have a suspicion that an employee is impaired, ... we can require that employee to submit to an evaluation. In the 13 years that I have been in East Porter County, there hasn't been an occasion where an employee has appeared to be impaired." Gardin said he intends to bring the topic up with the School Board to see if they want to add a drug screen as an employment condition. Hebron schools Superintendent Nathan Kleefisch said the district conducts a national criminal background check on potential employees, and about a year ago began doing a check through the Department of Children and Family Services. "It's a sad day in our educational community to see any person, especially a young teacher, be caught up in this," he said, echoing the comments of several other superintendents. "This is a relatively new situation and hasn't been discussed. We will have conversations with the School Board and the teachers union to see how they feel about it." Dana Teasley, general counsel for 21st Century Charter School in Gary, said it does not have a policy of random testing but follows all state and federal laws should there be a suspicion of drug use, as required by the Drug-Free Workplace Act. Highland schools Superintendent Brian Smith said they don't plan to "randomly drug test the employees." Munster schools Superintendent Jeff Hendrix said, "Although we do not have a random drug-testing program for staff, the district can request a Fitness of Duty Examination, which could include testing for illegal drugs. This would only be implemented if a supervisor observed (questionable) actions." Hammond Academy of Science and Technology Principal Sean Egan said it does not require any kind of testing, random or otherwise, for staff or students. Former state Sen. Earline Rogers remembers the first time she met Quentin P. Smith when she was a student at Roosevelt High School in Gary. He walked into her English classroom at the start of the 1951-1952 school year. With chalk in hand, he began writing the beginning of a sentence with his left hand and completed the sentence with his right hand. He was, she said, one of the most impressive men she ever met and one of her inspirations for becoming a teacher. "I will never forget the kind of teacher he was. I never again ran into a teacher like that. He was innovative," said Rogers, admitting then that she and many of her female classmates had crushes on Smith, whom she described as tall and handsome. Sixty-five years later, Rogers said one of Smith's quotes still rings with her: "Everything you think of shows up in the expressions of your face." Rogers' impression of Smith isn't unusual. Those who knew him called Smith an imposing figure, standing more than 6 feet tall, with a booming voice, sharp sense of humor and stories to tell. Smith, who died at age 94 on Jan. 15, 2013, lived a life full of stories. He is one of two members of the 2017 Class for the South Shore Wall of Legends, joining prominent Region figures including early flight pioneer Octave Chanute; "A Christmas Story" author Jean Shepherd; popcorn magnate Orville Redenbacher; ecologist Henry Chandler Cowles and astronaut Jerry Ross in the South Shore Wall of Legends. All are honored in a hall of fame-like wall display at the Indiana Welcome Center, 7770 Corinne Drive in Hammond. The early years Born July 30, 1918, in Texas, Smith was a child when his family moved to Northwest Indiana, where his father took a job in a steel mill. That, Gary attorney Greg Reising said, was a story all by itself. Reising met Smith in the 1970s, Reising recalled, when Smith was an educator in Gary public schools and Reising and others were concerned about books being used by students. Reising, who nominated Smith for the 2017 South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority Wall of Legends recognition, said Smith told him his father had been a semi-successful farmer in Texas until he had a run-in with a local deputy sheriff. The dispute, Reising said, ended in Smith's father hopping aboard a train and relocating to the Region. "He was the only truly great man I ever met," Reising said about Smith. "He was a very large man and very well educated. He had a great sense of humor and told great stories. He was an amazing man." After graduating from Washington High School in East Chicago, Smith attended Indiana State University in Terre Haute, where he earned a master's degree in English in 1940, according to his obituary. He returned to Gary where he began to teach. Then World War II broke out. Tuskegee Airman Smith joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and became a member of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen 477th Composite Group. In the 1940s, all military planes were assigned to white pilots, so Smith flew "primary" planes, or service aircraft, and served as a flight instructor at the Tuskegee Institute. Because of his size, he couldn't fit into fighter planes and became a bombardier. Reising said one of Smith's proudest moments was when he nearly landed in jail for life. Transferred to Freeman Field in Seymour, Indiana, Smith, now a first lieutenant, and some 100 other black officers were arrested for defying orders not to enter the base's officers club. The Army sent the officers to Fort Leavenworth, but that Kansas base was not prepared to handle so many African-American detainees, and they were sent back to Freeman Field. Facing 20-year sentences at the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas, the men were defended by Thurgood Marshall, an NAACP attorney who would go on to become the first black U.S. Supreme Court justice. He won their case, and the men were released. Smith was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal years after his service. 'Education was his passion' Smith returned to Gary, where he took up his career in education as a teacher and guidance counselor. He would serve as principal at Roosevelt Junior High School and West Side High School before becoming director of curriculum for the district. He is also credited with creating the Emerson High School for Visual and Performing Arts. Education was his passion, said Dennis Rittenmeyer, former president of Calumet College of St. Joseph. Smith was vice chairman of the board of the college when Rittenmeyer was hired. "He was a mountain of a man. When Quentin was in the room, you saw him, heard that booming voice. He was a gentle giant, a wonderful man committed to his community. He wasn't unwilling to stick his neck out," Rittenmeyer said. "He was a Republican, but he was progressive. He was a man with his heart in the right place. He was very, very gregarious and had a strong personality." "He was an extraordinary man who lived in an extraordinary time and represented the best in us," John Davies, South Shore Legends founder and coordinator, said about Smith. "There was a greatness about the man, not only in how he carried himself, but in what he experienced. There were so many layers," said Davies, adding Smith exemplified the four pillars of the legend recognition: exploration, courage, creativity and innovation. Davies said Smith was an enduring figure of "this is the right thing to do and I will do it, despite the consequences." Smith also served on the Gary City Council and several municipal boards. After Smith's death, a bridge on U.S. 12/20 near the Gary/Chicago International Airport, was named in his honor. Smith also served as a member of the Gary Airport Authority, including, tenure as president. County government isn't found just behind a courthouse facade in Northwest Indiana. It also travels Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties on the wheels of 969 vehicles ranging from high-speed police interceptors to lumbering asphalt rollers. They have a collective sticker price of more than $34 million and cost more than $4.4 million annually to fuel, maintain and insure. Lake County commissioners recently announced they would have to get a firmer grip on the steering wheel of their fleet, even if it meant taking over the sheriff's garage and turning it into their centralized auto workshop, to ensure maintenance costs don't veer out of control. Lake County's vehicle inventory includes 233 Sheriff's Department sedans, SUVs, vans, minivans, and pickup trucks, three sheriff's helicopters for aerial reconnaissance and four sheriff's marine vessels for use on Lake Michigan. Lake's other departments have another 283 cars, tractors highway graders, backhoes, street sweepers, skid-steer loaders and one self-propelled ice-resurfacer to groom the ice rinks at the county's Deep River Water Park. Lake County government, which is self-insured, paid damage claims of at least $95,000, for 36 accidents involving sheriff's vehicles out of a total of 48 accidents involving all county vehicles, Lake County Attorney John Dull said. Porter County owns 111 vehicles used by the sheriff's police, 65 by the highway department, six by Emergency Management Agency, and 35 by a dozen other county departments. County vehicles had been involved in 13 traffic accidents so far this year, Porter County Commissioner Jeff Good, R-Center, said. LaPorte County Auditor Joie Winski said the county has a total of 236 vehicles. She didn't provide what they cost to purchase. LaPorte County Sheriff John Boyd said his department uses 79 vehicles. The keys to the fleet While Lake commissioners hold ownership title papers to county government's 516 vehicles, the sheriff, county highway, county parks and recreations and 13 other departments hold the keys. Commission President Mike Repay, D-Hammond, said this fractured hierarchy hasn't always resulted in the most efficient maintenance practices. He said he became frustrated over the Sheriff's Department's past refusal to service nonpolice vehicles, forcing those departments to bear the expense of paying private vendors for oil and tire changes. Last summer, commissioners and the County Council were framing a budget that would have transferred the Sheriff's Department garage over to commissioners' control. That crisis was headed off Aug. 24 when a U.S. District Court jury removed former Sheriff John Buncich from office for accepting bribes from towing firms doing business with his department. His replacement, Sheriff Oscar Martinez, promised cooperation with commissioners on future county vehicle maintenance. Repay said he is expecting action before the end of the year. County Police Chief William Paterson, the sheriff's second-in-command, said, "The department plans to work hand-in-hand with the commissioners to put the department on the safest and most cost-effective method of procuring only the necessary amount of new vehicles. We will be looking at all options, purchasing and leasing. Our goal is to get the officers the needed equipment to service the public in the most effective and efficient manner." Not the first car troubles Lake officials had to placate an angry public about a decade ago when former Surveyor George Van Til lent one of his department's newest vehicles to his son to drive to high school, and one of the surveyor employees was caught filling up Van Til's personal SUV at the county sheriff's gasoline pump. This combined with an efficiency study advising the county to eliminate take-home vehicles, and general displeasure over government automotive spending, prompted county commissioners and the County Council to curtail take-home vehicles and access to the county's fuel pump. State law requires the county to furnish the sheriff a county-owned vehicle. Paterson said 151 of the county's 158 police officers have take-home vehicles. Repay said the county also provides take-home vehicles to the prosecutor and coroner, and soon will provide one to the highway superintendent. Repay said in the past a take-home car was considered a legitimate perk belonging to an elected official's or department head's compensation package, but today, "the rule of thumb I use is whether someone has to respond to an emergency situation at the scene." Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds said he provides take-home cars to his police officers to reduce response time and deter crime by creating a more visible police presence throughout the county. "This makes our officers ready for service from their house," Reynolds said. "We are a large county. It's 35 minutes from The Pines to Hebron or the Kankakee River, and we are one of the fastest-growing counties in the state and our unincorporated areas are much larger than many other larger populated counties." Good said civilian take-home vehicles are assigned to the highway department's director, assistant director and three district foremen, three building facility technicians, the public safety director, E-911 director and the emergency management director. LaPorte County Sheriff John Boyd said the county allows its police officers to take their squad cars home unless they live outside the county. "We are so short of manpower, oftentimes, the first responding officer to the scene of a call for service is an off-duty officer. They are required to have their radio on when they are in their car and off-duty. "It helps with deputies assigned to emergency response, our SWAT team, our scuba team, our crash reconstructionists or crisis negotiators. It absolutely increases our response time," Boyd said. Name: 20th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Hometown: Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties Known for: Distinguished fighting on the front lines of several major Civil War battles Crown Point Civil War Col. John Wheeler enjoyed a career as a farmer, teacher and publisher of the Crown Point Register. But he left that all behind in 1861 to fight for the Union cause in the Civil War. He used his own money and influence to raise a company of local volunteers for service in the war. The company elected him captain of the 20th Indiana Volunteer Regiment, Company B. Two years later, in 1863,Wheeler was promoted to colonel and assumed command of the entire regiment. He led his troops in action at the key battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, the bloodiest battle of America's bloodiest war. The 20th Indiana Infantry fought in nearly every major battle of the Civil War's eastern theater and included more than 300 Lake, Porter and LaPorte county men in its ranks. Wheeler fell on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, dying from a Confederate sharpshooters bullet. The efforts of Wheeler and 94,000 other Union forces in the three-day battle thwarted an invasion of Pennsylvania by Confederate soldiers. It was considered a turning point in the war. Wheelers body was returned to Crown Point and buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Crown Point. Wheeler and his 20th Indiana Volunteer Infantry were inducted into the South Shore Wall of Legends in 2015. Col. John Wheeler Middle School in Crown Point is named in his honor. Name: Tuskegee Airmen Hometown: Across the Region Known for: African-American fighter pilots during World War ll The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black servicemen to serve as military aviators in the U.S. armed forces, flying with distinction during World War ll. During World War ll, the American military was racially segregated, as was much of the federal government. The Tuskegee program to train the black aviators officially began in June 1941 at Tuskegee University in Alabama. Though subject to racial discrimination at home and abroad, the 996 pilots and more than 15,000 ground personnel who served with the all-black units would be credited with 15,500 combat missions and earn more than 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses for their achievements. The highly publicized successes of the Tuskegee Airmen helped pave the way for the eventual integration of the U.S. armed forces by President Harry Truman in 1948. Lake County was home to seven Tuskegee Airmen: Quentin Smith, Rixie McCarroll, Gordon Rapier, Carl Ellis, Lloyd McKeethen, Sylvester Hurd and Louis Murray. The Tuskegee Airmen were inducted into the South Shore Wall of Legends in 2007. Quentin Smith is being individually inducted Thursday. MERRILLVILLE Centier Bank continued its longstanding support of The Caring Place as associates presented a $25,000 donation to support the construction of organizations new $2.8 million facility. The Caring Place has been an important resource for thousands of women and children over the years, and we are thrilled to see they are able to help more people in need with a project like this, said Mike Schrage, president and CEO of Centier Bank. Culture and values come first at Centier, and we are proud to be involved in this milestone project that will safeguard victims of domestic violence for decades to come. The Caring Place is a nonprofit social service organization serving victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Lake, Porter and Starke counties. Currently, The Caring Place operates a 24-bed, 3,000-square-foot shelter in Northwest Indiana. The new 8,000-square-foot facility will double capacity to 48 beds, allowing the organization to serve more women and children in need. Centiers donation of $25,000 will allow The Caring Place to construct one of the rooms in the new facility. Without the support of community-focused organizations like Centier Bank, we would not have been able to help so many over the years, said Mary Beth Schultz, executive director of The Caring Place. This donation is going directly to putting a roof over the head of thousands of victims of abuse in the coming years. Thanks to Centiers contribution, we are now closer to our goal of opening our new facility. Established in 1977, The Caring Place has been a safe shelter for women in Northwest Indiana. In addition to the shelter, The Caring Place provides services including awareness and educational opportunities, support groups, advocacy, support, legal counseling and more. CROWN POINT The long-empty Hallmark building on the northeast corner of Main and Summit streets could remain just that following a decision this week by the Crown Point City Council. Petitioners for the proposed Kiddie Academy that would take over the site were seeking designation for the site as an economic revitalization area to obtain a tax abatement. After the Crown Point Economic Development Committee narrowly passed a favorable recommendation to the council for the declaration, the council voted it down 4-3. "Hopefully some other economic incentives are out there that will save this deal," said Mayor David Uran. Uran also challenged the council members who voted the tax abatement down to come up with other ways to help projects like that move forward. "It's a blighted corner," he told them. "It's had no economic life for 10 years. You said no." Council President Laura Sauerman, who voted against the resolution, said the "no" was for the tax abatement not the project, "which has been supported from the beginning." Petitioners for Kiddie Academy already received various use approvals from the city (including a $25,000 facade grant) to move forward with the child education center. It's part of a national franchise, which would make Crown Point it's first location in Northwest Indiana. Jim Weiser, the attorney representing the petitioners, said the cost for the project initially was more than $2 million for land acquisition and structure improvements. However, after an additional entrance/exit was added along Summit because of city suggestions it meant "substantial monies needed." So the cost of the project was no longer in the scope of their budget, Weiser said. "It is absolutely essential to make this project work and provide this city and the residents with that kind of alternative form of education," Weiser said. "This tax abatement is needed." Sauerman said those who voted no believe the area is not in need of overall economic revitalization. She said the corner has a Walgreens, two banks and a car lot. "It is a vital commercial area in our city," she said. Indiana code indicates that to obtain such a designation, an area has to be uninhabitable, Sauerman argued. "I don't think it fits," she said. City attorney David Nicholls said that site is in need of more help than just about anywhere in the city. Councilman Scott Evorik said he's voted no to some tax abatements in the past, "so I can't say yes to this one." "I'm not a hypocrite," he said. Joining Evorik and Sauerman in voting against the resolution were council members T.J. Wigmore and Carol Drasga. Voting in favor of it were Andrew Kyres, Chad Jeffries and Bob Clemons. Site petitioner Rahul Patel said he appreciates the council hearing the request but is disappointed in the outcome. "I think the council failed to see this as the win-win that it was, which would still have resulted in much greater tax revenue for the city than what the property currently generates," Patel said. Tour of Lights sign-ups CROWN POINT Mayor David Urans Office of Special Events will again host a Tour of Lights within the Crown Point city limits. The event will take place Dec. 11-16. If you would like your home to be on the route for all to enjoy, call the Special Events Office at 219-662-3290 to sign up. Lansing Santa House The Lansing Santa House will be open from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 13, 15, 20 and 22 and from 1 to 3 p.m Dec. 16 and 23 at 18106 Henry St. Photos are welcome. Call 708-895-7208. Holiday Fest with Santa Brightwood College in Hammond will host its second annual Holiday Fest with Santa from 2 to 4 p.m. Dec. 13 at the campus, 7833 Indianapolis Blvd. The event is free and open to the public, as the community is invited to join Brightwood College for family friendly activities and holiday cheer, including photos with Santa and writing thank you notes for military troops in partnership with Operation Gratitude. The event will feature refreshments, a tacky sweater contest, crafts, giveaways and more. Attendees 18 and older can enter to win prizes such as Amazon gift cards. Wag your Tail Wednesday HAMMOND The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority will once again hold Wag Your Tail Wednesdays in conjunction with the "A Christmas Story" Comes Home exhibit. From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 13 and Dec. 20, well-behaved pets are invited to have their picture taken with Santa atop Santas Mountain. Cost is $6 a photo and portions of the proceeds will be donated to local pet rescues. In addition to Wag your Tail Wednesdays, Santa will be available for photos leading up to Christmas. Santa will visit the Indiana Welcome Center Saturdays and Sundays from Thanksgiving to Christmas from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A Holiday Festival Celebration Aspire Charter Academy presents its visual and performing arts students in a holiday festival celebration at 2 p.m. Dec. 16 at the academy, 4900 W. 15th Ave. The public is invited and all pledges are sold in advance. Cost for adults is $5, for students $3. The event will feature First Lady of House Music, Kym Mazelle, of London. Call 219-944-7400. Christmas concert HAMMOND The annual Bishop Noll Christmas concert will be performed at 6 p.m. Dec. 17 in the auditorium. The concert will feature the Bishop Noll choir followed by the Bishop Noll concert band. Santa's visit will allow the entire family to get a photo. The concert is free. Before the concert, the Bishop Noll Band will host its annual spaghetti dinner fundraiser from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the school cafeteria. This all-you-can-eat meal is $7 and proceeds benefit the BNI band program. Visit bishopnoll.org for information. Spirit of Christmas dinner State Rep. Vernon G. Smith, D-Gary, announced the Spirit of Christmas Dinner will be back again this year at the Genesis Convention Center, 1 Genesis Center Plaza in Gary, from 1-4 p.m. on Christmas Day. Smith hosts the Spirit of Christmas Dinner every year to honor his deceased mother, the Rev. Julia E. Smith, and a teacher, Patricia Tillotson, who made a positive impact on his life. Transportation is available to the dinner. Call Smith at 219-887-2046 to schedule transportation, reserve a place for dinner, donate, volunteer or obtain additional information about the Spirit of Christmas Dinner. The event is primarily for residents of Gary, Merrillville, Griffith, New Chicago, Lake Station and Hobart. However, Smith said anyone from Lake County or anywhere else is welcome to share the holiday and a good meal at the Spirit of Christmas Dinner. CROWN POINT Kindergarten students at St. Mary Catholic Community School in Crown Point are learning about the different traditions, cultures and ways Christmas is celebrated in five countries. Kindergarten teacher Candace Wadas and aide Dawn Krajci are using Google Earth to travel to Russia, Mexico, France, Germany and then back to the United States. The students all received their own airline ticket and have visited Russia, where they learned about the Nutcracker and the ballet, and poinsettias that are native to Mexico. France and Germany are scheduled for next week, then finally they return back to the United States. VALPARAISO More than 100 first responders from Northwest Indiana gathered for a pep talk and training at the first Fire Service Leadership Seminar at the Multi-Agency Academic Cooperative Saturday morning. The pep talk came from keynote speaker Bobby Halton, editor of Fire Engineering magazine and retired chief of the Coppell, Texas, fire department. Halton encouraged the group to avoid becoming discouraged for living the values that he believes are sometimes considered regressive, antiquated and ignorant. Men and women like us, we feel woefully out of place in social settings, and are sometimes almost apologetic for our way of life, our values firefighter values, Halton said. We never feel that way among our fellow firefighters, cops and war fighters, where words like duty, God, honor and country need no explanation. Halton said while firefighters have a contract with the cities and towns they serve, they have a covenant with the people they protect. A covenant isnt about interests; its about identity, Halton said. A covenant is not about me; its about all of us together. Its about the bonds of belonging and sacred responsibilities. In that covenant, Halton said, firefighters lives are meaningful and purposeful. Dan DeGryse is Chicago Fire Department Battalion 1 chief and director of the Rosecrance Florian Program, which provides mental health and substance abuse treatment for first responders. He spoke about mental and emotional wellness. Because of the situations they witness in their daily jobs, first responders are highly susceptible to irritability, anger, and depression that can manifest as relationship issues, sleep deprivation, substance abuse and sometimes suicidal thoughts, DeGryse said. Some of us have a tendency to use maladaptive coping skills to try to numb that, DeGryse said. DeGryse said sleep problems are a common problem among first responders. How many people here have some sort of sleep disturbance? DeGryse asked. Hands across the room shot up in response. DeGryse said the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) lists 31 different sleep disturbances. The only thing that has more is substance abuse disorder, DeGryse said. He warned the group to take steps to improve both their physical and mental health. If you dont recover, youre not going to be that great firefighter, DeGryse said. Other speakers included Billy Goldfeder, deputy fire chief of the Loveland-Symmes Fire Department in Ohio; Joe Martin, Griffith Fire Department lieutenant; Ryan Cusak, Crown Point Fire Rescue lieutenant; Tom Fieffer, Portage Fire Department chief; and Stewart McMillan, Task Force Tips CEO. Founded in 2016, the MAAC is an emergency response training campus for firefighters and first responders. Marion Bochart said now that he is retired, he would like to be able to spend some time outside his Chesterton-area home without having to hear the near-constant gunfire from the nearby North Porter County Conservation Club. "I can't even keep my front door open in the summer time," he said. "It's so loud you can't hear anything." The shots also can be heard inside the house where he has lived for 50 years. The noise has worsened with the increased use of semiautomatic guns and night shooting at the club, at 933 N. Calumet Ave. in Liberty Township, Bochart said. "If they want to shoot, that's fine," said Bochart, who is himself a gun owner. "But they really need to slow it down and give us one or two evenings a week so we can enjoy our property." Mark Wolfe, a trustee at the club, said with a few exceptions, all shooting after dark is carried out by the various police departments that use the site for training. "We do this as a club as a service to the community," he said, referring to allowing police to use the site day and night. Wolfe was unsure how often police shoot after dark, but he said a few civilian club members will join in at those times. Porter County Sheriff Dave Reynolds said his department shoots once a month at the club, and two of those days each year are after dark. "They've been gracious hosts for us," he said. The Valparaiso Police Department shoots at the site about 25 times each year, with three of those visits taking place after dark, Sgt. Mike Grennes said. The officers are often at the club shooting at the same time as other departments, he said. Police go door to door notifying neighbors on days when shooting is planned after dark, county police said. Looking for alternative range Reynolds was stymied in his efforts two years ago to build a gun range to be shared by local, state and federal police agencies at 751 W. County Road 350 South in Porter Township. That proposal was shut down by opposition from some area home and business owners, who feared negative impacts such as noise, lower property values, interference with their businesses and a lower quality of life. Reynolds was directed at the time to explore an alternative site just behind the jail along Ind. 49. But he said last week that another potential has since surfaced opening a range and training facility on 60 acres of land the county Parks Department acquired from the Westville Correctional Facility near the Porter-LaPorte County Line Road in Pine Township. "It would give us more room," he said. There are also fewer neighbors near the proposed Pine Township site, Reynolds said, but no decision has been made. Porter County Commissioner Jim Biggs, R-North, said after hearing complaints from neighbors, he met last summer with a representative of the gun club, who agreed to look into the concerns. The complaints are only going to increase as more development occurs around the club, he said. If the concerns cannot be resolved by the club, Biggs said county government may have to get involved, which could result in an ordinance to address any problems. He did not know of any existing county ordinances involving shooting times. "I don't have an issue with the gun club," Biggs said. But he is watching the situation. "Now I want to know what you're (the gun club) going to do," he said. No answers in state law There is nothing in state firearms statutes about shooting after dark, according to Indiana State Police spokeswoman Sgt. Ann Wojas. There are also no blanket restrictions on hunting after dark, but there are regulations that vary on species of animal, said Marty Benson, assistant director of communications at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. State shooting ranges close at sunset, he said. "Each one can set its own rules," Benson said. Wolfe had not heard about the potential for local action on the matter. "I hope there's some way to resolve this with the neighbors," he said. "We've tried to be a good neighbor." Valparaiso University has received more than $1.1 million from the estate of Dale F. Kempf 62, a longtime faculty member in engineering and physics, for endowed faculty development funds in the College of Engineering. The gift supports Forever Valpo: The Campaign for Our Future and will be divided between the newly established Dale F. Kempf College of Engineering Faculty Development Endowment Fund and the Dale F. Kempf Endowed Professorship of Emerging Technology, an endowed fund that he created in 1994. Kempf earned a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Valpo in 1962 and went on to Stanford University, where he earned a master of science in electrical engineering in 1964. After graduating from Stanford, Kempf returned to Valpo as member of the engineering faculty from 1964 to 1969. Kempf had a successful career with Kodak, at a time when the company held a dominant market share of film and camera sales in the United States. He was one of three co-inventors on a U.S. patent owned by Kodak to create a camera-processor for recording and developing images. Valpo is very fortunate to have many alumni who give back with their expertise in the classroom, their philanthropic support, and their love for the university, said Mark A. Heckler, president of Valparaiso University. The impact of Dales generosity will live on in perpetuity, as the endowed funds will provide permanent resources for engineering faculty development. He was deeply committed to and a wonderful exemplar of the mission of Valparaiso University. Kempf retired from Kodak as a senior research scientist in the early 1990s and brought his expertise back to Valpo, serving for more than 20 years as adjunct faculty in engineering and physics. He was granted emeritus status upon his retirement in 2014. Kempfs estate gift will continue to advance engineering education through an endowed professorship and faculty development in the College of Engineering. His commitment supports Forever Valpo: The Campaign for Our Future, a $250 million endowment campaign focused on raising permanent support for student scholarships, faculty development and programs that prepare students for lives of leadership and service. The campaign was officially launched on Sept. 23, 2016, and has raised more than $163 million. The Salvation Army is the worlds largest social service provider. Its mission is to advance the Christian religion through education, the relief of poverty, and other charitable objects beneficial to society or the community of mankind as a whole. The original Salvation Army was founded in 1865 when London minister William Booth decided to take his message to the streets where it would reach the poor, homeless and hungry. He originally hoped to send converts to church, but soon realized these people did not feel welcome in most churches. Booth decided to create a church especially for them. The Lee County Salvation Army was founded in 2000 and provides year-round services which include an emergency food pantry, homeless prevention, Meals-on-Wheels and The Salvation Army thrift store. One of our strengths is that we have a retail store open six days a week, said local Director Annabelle Tsui. The retail store not only sells clothes and household items, but is available to assist with victims of house fires, domestic violence and crimes. They also assist with homeless and veterans needs. Anyone that needs help, The Salvation Army is where they should start, Tsui said. One specific way The Salvation Army helps the homeless is emergency shelter and Greyhound Bus transportation to seek shelter in other cities. Meals-on-on-Wheels is a senior feeding project that delivers hot meals twice each week to shut-in seniors. The program, which also provides walfare assistance, is currently serving 76 seniors in the area. This program is to let the struggling seniors know they are not left hungry or forgotten, Tsui said. Christmas campaigns The Salvation Army has several projects centered around Christmas each year. One Christmastime project The Salvation Army is well known for is the Red Kettle Campaign. From the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve, volunteers ring bells and collect money in red kettles. The reason we need to raise kettle funds is for emergency assistance funds in 2018, Tsui said. She added that the Red Kettle Campaign is really The Salvation Armys only fundraiser and that many families and civic groups volunteer to ring bells. For a lot of people, its a fun service project, she said. A lot of people say you dont realize Christmas is here until you hear The Salvation Army bells ring. The Salvation Army Angel Tree project provides an average of 400 local children of low-income families Christmas gifts each year. Angel Christmas trees are placed at locations throughout the area and those wanting to give simply select an angel from the tree. Each angel has a tag which provides a local child in needs name, age, gender and wish list. There is also an Angel Tree project for shut-in seniors in which comforting items are provided to the Meals-on-Wheels home bound seniors. This year's distribution day was Friday as 15 city of Auburn employees volunteered their time to help distribute the gifts. The day was designated as a Day of Caring for city employees who could spend their day volunteering with different organizations if they wished to do so. We are grateful for many generous individuals, Auburn communitys support to sponsor the children, as well as volunteers to help organize the gifts, Tsui said. Tsui added that The Salvation Army couldnt do all it does without the help of the community. Were not able to do these big projects without a lot of ingredients. Volunteers are the most important ingredient, she said. I want to thank everyone in the community. We are very blessed to have a generous community. Nonprofit Spotlight : Name : The Lee County Salvation Army Phone : 334-826-0073 Location : 1038 Opelika Road , Auburn Dear Dr. Roach: My husband has been diagnosed with a rectal fissure. It has been a couple of months, and it isn't any better. He has been treated only with a stool softener. What do you suggest? -- A.T.S. A: Anal fissures are painful. Although a stool softener is one part of management for people who have constipation, additional treatments also are appropriate, including a sitz bath, which is just a few inches of warm water in a basin or tub that you soak your bottom in. When I was an intern, I wondered about the origin of the term "sitz bath." My resident, Dr. Lynn Brown, told me that it's because you "sitz" in them, and it turns out she was right: It's from the German "sitzen," meaning "to sit." Other treatments include increased fiber and a topical painkiller (there are many over-the-counter preparations in ointment form). These treatments help heal the fissure by relieving anal spasms caused by a painful bowel movement. I'm afraid your husband hasn't had adequate treatment, leading to a vicious cycle of pain, spasm and nonhealing. In addition to these treatments, fissures heal more quickly with a medication to increase blood flow to the area: Nitroglycerin is available as a prescription ointment, and nifedipine can be compounded for topical use by a pharmacist, with better healing and fewer side effects than nitroglycerin (but both of these work better than no treatment). If this isn't effective after a month, he should be re-evaluated. There are other options available before considering surgical treatment. A gastroenterologist is a good resource if his primary doctor hasn't been successful. One other concern is that occasionally anal fissures are a sign of Crohn's disease, a serious inflammatory bowel disease. People with recurrent, atypical (not in the midline) or nonhealing fissures should be evaluated for Crohn's disease. Rhabdomyolysis Dear Dr. Roach: You recently wrote about exercise causing rhabdomyolysis, and I have a question about that. My 92-year-old mother-in-law fell, and wasn't sure how long she laid there, but the doctors said she had no broken bones. However, she did develop rhabdomyolysis. Since she does not exercise, how did she acquire this condition? The only medication she is on is one for blood pressure. -- G.M. A: Rhabdomyolysis is a very serious condition of muscle breakdown. The most common cause I have seen is your mother-in-law's: pressure on muscle in someone who is unconscious or unable to move for a prolonged period (in normal sleep, the body changes position frequently, which prevents this). However, it can happen in untrained people after heavy workouts, or even in trained athletes who do extreme workouts, especially in hot and humid conditions. Some medications rarely can cause it, such as colchicine or statin drugs. Rhabdomyolysis is treated conservatively, by removing the underlying cause, and trying to prevent damage to the kidney. For elderly or frail people who live alone, I recommend a device that can be easily carried and pressed to get help. Some of these can recognize a fall and will send a signal automatically. Falls are common in the elderly, and these devices can help prevent some of the serious consequences of falling. * * * Readers: The booklet on sodium, potassium chloride and bicarbonate explains the functions of these body chemicals and how low or high readings are corrected. To obtain a copy, write: Dr. Roach, Book No. 202, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 with the recipient's printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery. "People want to be able to live safely and in affordable homes," Patsy Jones said. "And economically, you have to always think in terms of people having jobs good jobs where they can adequately take care of themselves and their families. Patsy Parker, chairperson of the Lee County Democratic Party, said she wants a focus on the needs of minorities, "which are the needs of society in general," she said, listing education of children and the health and welfare of children and the elderly as specific needs. And these may be some of the major concerns of the black community, but if you think about it, these are the concerns of everybody, Parker further stated. Fair wages and fair opportunity for everybody. Gerald Knight, chairman of the Lee County Republican Party Executive Committee, shared his view of what he is looking for in a candidate. We need someone who is going to support Conservative values, Knight said. And wed like someone who is going to support President Trump and the constitution of the United States of America. We also want a senator to support the nominations for all judges that President Trump nominates to the supreme court and all other federal courts. In discussing Conservative values, Knight said, Were a free-spirited country, and we want to protect our country. Were strong in military and as a free-market society, as well as freedom of religion. And these are the types of values in Alabama that we cherish. Rev. Clifford Jones, pastor of Greater Peace Missionary Baptist Church in Opelika, is certain: Whoever is elected to the Senate to represent the state will do so positively or negatively. Im looking for a candidate who is trustworthy, who will stand on sound principles and allow the truth to be the ruling for their decision-making, Clifford Jones said. The moral issues are very important to us as a society, he continued. And as Christians, we should not sway from our evangelical beliefs to accept any person because of political ideology. The issues that African Americans and minorities face often do not appear to be addressed at the national level, Clifford Jones also said, further stating, The economic issues, job issues, the housing issues all of those things that affect many African Americans and minorities seem to be wanted cut out of the budget, along with health care concerns. Women's issues Cory Unruh, the co-president of the League of Women Voters of East Alabama, emphasized that women's issues do not necessarily pertain to just women. "Many of our members believe that 'women's issues' affect everyone in Alabama," she said. "We want whoever is chosen to represent Alabama in the Senate to fight for affordable health care for everyone, fair pay for women, access to quality education, clean air and water, and employment opportunities for Alabama citizens." Unruh said the league is a non-partisan political organization so they do not endorse candidates or parties. This means their membership includes Republicans, Democrats and Independents. From the discussion amongst that group, Unruh said her takeaway is that the election is important to the state and the country. "Even though it's a state election, it affects the political climate of the country," Unruh said. "Women voters, just like men voters, want their U.S. senators to be intelligent, dedicated, respectful and to work hard for the citizens of Alabama." Unruh noted this is the first time in more than two decades that one of the state's Senate seats does not have an incumbent in the running, meaning no matter who wins it will be new representation. "Elections are always exciting, but given the current political climate, and the amount of national attention our state is getting, (this) special election seems especially important," Unruh said. "Both political candidates have stirred up a lot of support in the state, and whoever wins the election will play a large role in determining the future of our state and country." Below is a breakdown of where Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Roy Moore stand on various issues, taken from information on their official campaign website as well as quotes from campaign events. Healthcare Jones: Believes that the Affordable Care Act needs improvement, but does not support the idea of totally repealing the law. On his website, Jones states, As a senator, I would adamantly oppose any proposal that does not protect Alabamians from rising healthcare costs, higher premiums, and out-of-pocket expenses while ensuring those with preexisting conditions cannot be denied coverage or charged more. Moore: Believes that Obamacare should be completely repealed as soon as possible, according to his website. Moores site also states his belief that socialized medicine ultimately will lead to loss of quality and affordability of health care. He says businesses should receive tax credits for employee coverage, and health insurance should be available between the states for competition and quality care. Gay Marriage Jones: In October, Jones was endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign, the nations largest LGBTQ rights group. I believe that we are all created equal in the eyes of the Lord and the law, Jones website states under a section titled Civil rights. While we have made progress on civil rights as a nation, we cannot be complacent with continued threats to equality and justice. Moore: Opposes same-sex marriage and civil unions. A strong family based on marriage between one man and one woman is and should remain our only guide and model, his website states. He was removed from his office as Alabama Chief Justice last September after instructing state probate judges to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Abortion Jones: Believes no woman should be denied coverage of any services based on the religious views of her employer. During a campaign event at Auburn University in October, an audience member asked him about his stance on abortion. Jones said, I support the law thats been on the books for decades. And I do believe that at the end of the dayyou and I really need to let a woman make that call. Moore: Opposes abortion at any stage. Federal funding for Planned Parenthood and any form of abortion should be stopped, he says on his website. The economy Jones: We must focus on life-long training and education that meets the needs of employees and employers as the economy continues to grow and change, Jones states on his website. Providing a quality education to all children is the key to a long-term thriving economy. As a senator, he says, he will work to extend the spirit of the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, to mandate that two people working the same job receive equal pay, regardless of gender. Moore: Supports implementing a flat tax or fair tax, which is a tax on goods and services provided, rather than a tax on income. We should cut the deficit and balance the budget using accurate data, unlike budget projections used by past administrations, Moore states on his website. Lower taxes, smaller government and less spending will reduce the deficit and enable economic growth and a truly stimulated economy. He also supports bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States by rescinding unfair fair trade agreements. Energy Jones: Encourages investment in renewable energy and conservation. The consequences of our unchecked use of fossil fuels for our planet and our health have been clear for decades, he says on his website. Clean air and clean water are not controversial. They are essential to our health, our prosperity, and our quality of life. Moore: Supports coal mining and oil drilling, subject to regulations. To gain independence from foreign oil, we need to foster development of our own natural resources involving nuclear, solar, wind and fossil fuels, he says on his website. Maybe youve heard of shingles, that ghost of chicken pox past thats undoubtedly hiding in your nervous system, waiting for a chance to make a comeback with a blistering rash and persistent nerve pain. Shingles and chicken pox are both caused by the same virus, varicella zoster. Maybe youve heard of, or even gotten, the shingles vaccine, which is intended to head off that comeback. That shot, Zostavax, was recommended for people age 60 and over. It reduces the risk of developing shingles by 51 percent, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now, however, theres a new vaccine, approved in October by an advisory committee to the CDC. That one, called Shingrix, is recommended for people age 50 and older. And this new one is more than 90 percent effective. The best news, said Dr. Rudolf Kotula, an infectious disease physician with Methodist Physicians Clinic in Omaha, is that the new vaccine remains more than 90 percent effective even as people age. The older vaccines effectiveness drops off significantly over the decades. If you are 80, its still more than 90 percent effective to prevent shingles, which is amazing, he said. Thats important, because the risk of developing shingles also increases with age. While it can occur at any age, the risk begins to rise at age 50 and increases at age 60. About half of all cases occur in people age 60 or older. And one in three people will get it, to the tune of a million cases a year in the United States. And though recommendations havent been written yet, Kotula said he expects Shingrix to be available even to those with compromised immune systems, a group that includes a significant number of older people. Thats because Shingrix is formulated from a killed version of the virus, while the older version of the vaccine is based on a weakened live virus. People with immune systems compromised by anything from cancer treatments to HIV are more vulnerable to shingles. Some people with shingles might have no symptoms other than itching, Kotula said. The virus usually appears as a rash or blisters on one side of the body. But the blisters can become painful, and they can spread. And it can lead to complications, the most common of which is nerve pain, or post-herpetic neuralgia, which can be severe and debilitating. While it usually resolves in a few weeks or months, the CDC said, the pain can persist for years. Shingles also can lead to serious complications involving the eyes. Very rarely, it can lead to pneumonia, hearing problems and brain inflammation. Despite all that, only 30 percent of those age 60 and older have been immunized, Kotula said. I look at it as a very inexpensive way to prevent illness, he said. As yet, the new vaccine isnt available to the public. Kotula estimated it will be sometime early next year. It will be a two-shot course with the doses two to six months apart. The reason for the second dose, Kotula, said is to generate a strong, long-lasting immune response. In fact, the earlier vaccine, Zostavax, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for people age 50 and older. But the CDC did not recommend routine use in people 50 to 59, noting that people who got it before age 60 might not be protected later in life, when the risk of developing shingles is greater. According to the CDC, the new Shingrix vaccine, developed by drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, is recommended for adults who previously have gotten the earlier vaccine. Kotula said the cost of the new vaccine has been estimated at about $300 for the two-shot course. It likely will be covered by insurance, he said, but that may take some time. Im very thrilled that this vaccine is available, Kotula said. It took almost 20 years to develop it. Editor's note: This article originally was published on March 5, 1995. When car No. 1011 rolled to a stop 40 years ago today, it marked the end of the line for the Omaha streetcar system a system that once had ranked among the nation's largest. The Omaha-Council Bluffs streetcar era began in 1868. By 1890, the metropolitan area had 90 miles of tracks more than any city except Boston, said Richard Orr, an Omahan who is writing a local history of the streetcar. The trolleys, powered by electrical lines overhead, carried 51 million commuters, shoppers and others to and from the Omaha suburbs of Florence, Benson, Dundee and South Omaha by 1907, according to government figures. The system thrived through the 1920s, Orr said, and enjoyed a resurgence during World War II. A decade later, though, the automobile and urban sprawl proved to be a one-two knockout combination. Omaha junked its streetcars in favor of buses, which had been winning over streetcar passengers for years. "We knew it was inevitable, " Orr said. "And we knew it was the end of an era." The last ride on March 5, 1955, was ceremonial, with city officials and business leaders riding a bunting-draped trolley from Dundee to a streetcar barn at 10th and Pierce Streets. (The U.S. Postal Service now owns the property.) On the eve of the last public ride, passengers scavenged for souvenirs. They took the metal handholds used by standing riders, signs, posters, pieces of wood even the rear-view mirror. Most Omahans, Orr said, were glad to see the trolleys go. The cars were wide enough to stop two lanes of traffic when loading and unloading passengers and often clogged Farnam Street and other thoroughfares during rush hour. The World-Herald joined the not-so-fond farewell in an editorial a month before the final trolley run. "San Francisco may cling to its obsolete cable cars, but we surmise there will be few lamentations when the last of Omaha's streetcars goes out of service, " the editorial said. "With buses on Farnam, Dodge, North Fortieth, etc., the moving roadblocks-on-rails will be eliminated, and street capacity will be substantially increased." Orr, a 70-year-old retired printer who lives near 65th Street and Western Avenue, was 30 when the streetcar made its final run. He took pictures to preserve the event. In fact, the Omahan has spent much of the past two decades preserving the memory of the era. Orr and the late Carl Hehl produced and sold streetcar calendars from 1972 to 1980. Orr published a 32- page picture book last year called "Omaha Streetcars Revisited." He said he has been working six years on a larger book, "O & CB, " a tribute to the Omaha & Council Bluffs Street Railway Company, which ran Omaha's streetcar lines. He hopes the book will be published in the spring of 1996. He also has 8-millimeter film of streetcars that he plans to turn into a video. Orr grew up north of Benson High School. Since his father, Willard, did not own an automobile, Orr climbed aboard a streetcar whenever he wanted to go downtown, even on dates. His first ride probably came when he was 4 or 5, when a quarter bought four tokens, which paid for four rides. The fare eventually climbed to three tokens for a quarter. The public, Orr said, put up a fuss when the streetcar company proposed raising the fare to two tokens for a quarter in 1949. Opponents said they collected almost 10,000 signatures in protest. By that time, the city's streetcar system was 80 years old. The early cars were drawn by horses or mules from Ninth and Farnam Streets to 16th Street and Capitol Avenue. Ninth and Farnam was the heart of downtown, Orr said, and 16th was as far west as the line could go without heading uphill. The cars helped Omahans get out of the mud, Ted Landale wrote in a 1955 World-Herald article. Downtown streets were dirt, and in wet weather, Landale wrote, they had ankle-deep mud. The first electric cars ran in 1889. Omaha also had cable cars from 1886 to 1894. The city had as many as 25 streetcar companies late in the century, Orr said, but at least half never advanced beyond the planning stages. In 1902, the surviving companies consolidated into the Omaha & Council Bluffs Street Railway Company. By World War I, the streetcars had fare boxes. Before that, a conductor moved through crowded cars, collecting passengers' money. "The conductor naturally had to have a memory for faces, " Landale wrote, "and many was the argument of a tough who said, 'I paid my fare!' and didn't. The conductor who couldn't handle the toughest fare was a gone gosling." The streetcar company ran an amusement park at Lake Manawa south of Council Bluffs from the 1890s to 1918. Round trip from Omaha was 25 cents, five times the typical fare. A nickel would buy a ride on the park's roller coaster or a hot dog. Frank Comine, a 51-year-employee of the city's bus and streetcar system, told The World-Herald in 1973 that he remembered when 25 to 30 streetcars were lined up at 24th and N Streets in South Omaha, leaving at one-minute intervals to take people to the nearby packinghouses. A trolley line along Dodge Street carried students to and from what now is Omaha Central High School. "The boys would accumulate on the back platform, " Landale wrote, "and, bending their knees in unison, rock the car forward and back, while the ... young ladies screamed. "Once in a while the boys would succeed in rocking the car clear off the track." Orr said the city's westernmost streetcar line reached 65th Avenue in Benson. In the second decade of the 20th century, he said, there was a plan to extend service to 72nd Street. If that had happened, Orr said, it could have drastically accelerated the city's western expansion. Instead, it was Henry Ford's automobile that led to urban sprawl. Streetcar traffic started to fall off in the 1930s, Orr said, as more people bought cars. Trolley business hit its peak during World War II, Landale wrote, because gasoline was rationed and cars were not being manufactured. But by then, some streetcar lines already were gone, including one to Florence and another south along 13th Street to Missouri Avenue. By the 1950s, Orr said, only five lines remained in operation. Attitudes toward public transportation had changed. "People became more independent, " Orr said. "They had the money to buy the cars, since Henry Ford produced them in mass and could lower the price. "People decided they didn't want to wait on the corner to ride." LINCOLN An FBI spokesman said Friday that speculation about sex trafficking or other motives that might have led to Sydney Loofes death is just that. Ive heard a lot of things going around, but its all speculative at this point, said FBI spokesman Huston Pullen. Loofe, 24, of Lincoln disappeared after going on a date with Bailey Boswell on Nov. 15. The two women met on Tinder, and the dating site said its fully cooperating with the FBI. Boswell, 23, and Aubrey Trail, 51, are in custody as persons of interest in the case. In one homemade video, Trail said Boswell had a separate phone to access Tinder. Authorities in sex trafficking say that having multiple cellphones or disposable phones is not uncommon for those involved in that activity, and that using a separate phone for such dates makes it harder to trace. However, authorities have not announced any connection to sex trafficking in the Loofe case. Meanwhile, Pullen said law enforcement teams were out Friday combing ditches for evidence west of Wilber, where Trail and Boswell last lived in a basement apartment. Small evidence flags were visible along Highway 41 west of Wilber on Saturday. Similar flags that had lined a gravel road where a body believed to be Loofes was found north of the village of Edgar had been removed by Saturday. Dozens of law enforcement officers, including some from the FBI, combed the two areas beginning Nov. 27 and had planted the flags, presumably as evidence markers. Janet Haney of rural Edgar said some evidence was recovered from a marsh on her farm. The more I hear about (the case), the more scared I get, Haney said Saturday. Pullen said that some details are not being revealed to maintain the integrity of the investigation. Though RideKC is the star of the newest American streetcars, the Cincinnati Bell Connector is sort of the little engine that couldnt at least, not yet. The $148 million Cincinnati streetcar, which began running in September 2016, has struggled to attract riders. It has been plagued by service delays and financial problems. The original route was pared back from 5 miles to 3.6, and it almost didnt even get built due to political opposition. That included Ohio Gov. John Kasichs scuttling the state funding that would build the line to the Uptown area, home to the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center. The Cincinnati streetcar was projected to have about 3,200 riders a day. It has had about two-thirds that many. It has been credited, however, with boosting economic redevelopment, and its finances have improved. Still, its on the list of modern streetcars that have struggled to attract as many riders as projected, including Atlanta; Tampa, Florida; Detroit; and Little Rock, Arkansas. Kansas City is probably the best of them, by far the most successful, but thats only relative to other streetcar cities, said Jeffrey Brown, an urban planning professor at Florida State University. He has been studying the streetcar trend and is a skeptic. The Cincinnati Bell Connectors challenges track back to a factor common among underperforming streetcars. It doesnt really go where people want to go, Brown said. Also, its not free. Ridership took a dive in Cincinnati, as in Atlanta and other cities, when the streetcar started charging a fare. For a streetcar to work well, it must have three characteristics, said Yonah Freemark, a nationally known blogger and founder of the Transport Politic website. They have to be fast, reliable and frequent, Freemark said. Without those things, theyre not going to be effective. Streetcars should have their own dedicated lanes, he said. However, streetcars that share lanes with cars do better when theyre on wide streets, as Kansas Citys mostly are, than on constricted ones, as in Cincinnati and Atlanta. The streetcar in Tucson, Arizona, which charges a fare, has exceeded ridership projections. It connects downtown Tucson with the University of Arizona and the distinctive Mercado district of shops, restaurants and bars. Brown said cities considering streetcars need to ask whos going to ride them and why. And they need to consider what all has happened such as prior economic development and careful route planning in cities where they work. Clark County public health officials will be sending out letters this week to a select group of parents in Vancouver, urging them to have their children tested for tuberculosis. The county plans to set up at a screening clinic, said Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County public health official. Last week, health authorities told families with students at Wy'East Middle School that they had identified a case of tuberculosis at the school. They have not named that person and have declined to say whether it involved a student or staff member to protect that person's privacy, Melnick said. "There's a stigma attached to it," he said. He said the general public has no reason to worry. "It's not very contagious," Melnick said, "that's why the public isn't at risk." Only staff and students in a few classes at the school might have been exposed, Melnick said. They're the ones public health officials are concerned about. "The people who should get tested are those at the highest risk," Melnick said. Anyone who tests positive for the bacteria -- even if they have a latent form -- will be treated. The bacteria can stay dormant in the body for years. Cases of latent TB are not contagious. The disease is spread through the air by coughing, but the bug doesn't live long in the environment, unlike influenza or measles. "It's not that contagious," Melnick said. Clark County health officials are currently following about 10 cases, including the one at Wy'East, he said. All of the patients have been treated or are undergoing treatment, he said. He expects all of them to make a full recovery. The person at Wy'East has either returned to school or will return shortly, he said. There were nearly 9,300 cases in the U.S. last year. They included eight patients in Clark County, with a total of 205 in Washington state as a whole. That compares with 70 cases in Oregon, including 25 in Multnomah County. Animals can get TB, too. Early this year, Packy, the much-loved elephant at the Oregon Zoo, was euthanized at 54 following recurring bouts with the disease. People usually become infected abroad. Tuberculosis is still a problem in developing countries. Those with the most cases include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, South Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Viet Nam and Zimbabwe, according to the World Health Organization. Every year yearly 2 million die. There's a vaccine but it isn't very effective, Melnick said. The bug is very slow growing and can affect any part of the body. Melnick has seen cases of infection in the eye, spine and skin. People are only contagious when they get tuberculosis in the lung and start coughing. Other symptoms include fever, night sweats and weight loss. Tuberculosis is treated with four antibiotics that have to be taken for up to nine months. It's important to take them for the full course to kill all the germs, Melnick said. If not, any surviving bacteria can mutate and become resistant to one or more antibiotics. There have been cases of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in Clark County, Melnick said. All of those people have been cured. He's seen cases involving elderly people on hospice. He said they were treated, cured and came off hospice. Health officials will follow all cases, to ensure that people are isolated when they're contagious and take the antibiotics for the full course. They'll also be continually tested to see whether they're still contagious. Usually people are not contagious after taking antibiotics for a few weeks, Melnick said. -- Lynne Terry People driving to Portland's Washington Park often take a detour. They start, innocently enough, down Southwest Kingston Avenue, and notice the grand estates built a century ago in affluent Arlington Heights. They slow down. Look around. Point at a mansion, the Aaron H. Maegly House at 226 SW Kingston Ave., which was inspired by Italian Renaissance architecture and is fronted by a semi-circular driveway. They wonder if it's an embassy. No, it's a private house, built in 1915 and designed by architect John V. Bennes II, who moved to Portland from Chicago. The property is on the market at $3.5 million and has a pending offer. Passersby may also notice other estates with clay roof tiles and terraces, and imagine the city and mountain views from these vaulted perches. They may turn at a street that loops along the ridge and stop at 288 SW Parkside Dr. What's the story with this Mediterranean Revival-style house? It was also designed by Bennes, a second-generation architect who was influenced by Chicago-based Louis Sullivan and contemporary Frank Lloyd Wright's early Prairie School houses, which are mostly seen in the Midwest. Bennes is best known here for the Spanish Colonial Revival-style Hollywood Theatre in Northeast Portland. Over his career, Bennes also designed more than 30 buildings for Oregon State University's campus. He only planned a small number of residences, including his own house on nearby Southwest Marconi Avenue, which was a blend of Prairie School and Italian Renaissance. The mansion on Parkside Drive was completed in 1923, the same year as the Astoria Savings Bank, which Bennes also designed. The bank, like so many others, closed in 1929 at the start of the Depression. A decade later, the bank building was converted into Astoria's City Hall and remains a contributing part of the Astoria Downtown Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Back in Portland, the 4,403-square-foot Parkside Drive house has stucco walls that rise to a clay tile hip roof with overhanging eaves and exposed rafters. Exterior adornments include wrought iron, cast stone and plaster decorations. A round arch introduces the entrance porch. Inside, there are five bedrooms, three full baths and a powder room, according to listing agents Marilyn Brown and Paige Stefani of Where, who placed the property on the market Dec. 5 at $2.15 million. The property's original owner was Alec G. Riddell. Since 1990, the deed has been held by Richard Craig Estey, who owned tourist lodges at Oregon's Crater Lake and Oregon Caves when video poker machines were legalized in the early 1990s. In 1991, Estey founded a chain of gambling taverns called Dotty's in Oregon that later spread to Nevada, Montana and Illinois. In 2007, the casino owner and slot machine maker sold his 26 video gambling parlors in Oregon for about $15 million, as reported by Oregonian/OregonLive columnist Steve Duin. Who will be the next owner? -- Janet Eastman jeastman@oregonian.com 503-799-8739 @janeteastman By Ron Wyden Nyssa. La Pine. Springfield. Astoria. Gold Beach. Southeast Portland. These are all among the Oregon communities that hosted one of my 80 town hall meetings this year. The town halls were in counties Donald Trump won by 20 points, Hillary Clinton won by 20 points, and everything in between. One constant in all of them during this tumultuous political year has been Oregonians' unprecedented interest in fixing broken government policies. Because of this interest, I decided Oregonians deserved unprecedented access to town halls. More than ever, I wanted to listen. As you can imagine, what I heard was that Oregonians are frustrated with Washington, D.C. For example, 2017 was supposed to be the year of the working person -- when the forgotten middle class was forgotten no longer. Yet Oregonians filled town halls furious that a totally broken tax code isn't just going unfixed, it will get worse. The new tax law barreling toward passage leaves little for working families, and even less for Oregonians who bill supporters somehow believe have "too many children." Yet faceless multinational corporations collect generous servings of permanent tax relief. The story is similar for containing healthcare costs. Oregonians at town halls ask why won't the federal government challenge the pharmaceutical monopolies and push them to hold down the cost of medicine. Similar questions arise for roads, bridges and rail. Namely, why can't federal officials act like adults and repair the country's scandalously outdated infrastructure? All heartfelt and understandable questions. How can I be encouraged when I hear what I just detailed? Because honoring my pledge to hold my annual town halls this year in each of our 36 counties re-affirmed how participatory democracy is alive and well in Oregon. I call this ethos the "Oregon Way." Washington, D.C., would do well to emulate it. I am happy to report that Oregonians have lifted the Oregon Way to new heights in each town hall. Oregonians overwhelmingly came seeking solutions, not senseless standoffs. They showed the key is to have civil conversations that generate the best ideas for creating good-paying jobs, ensuring fairness in the tax code, providing quality health care and protecting our natural treasures. I am proud that at this year's town halls - and at the 861 I've held as a senator - we had those conversations by insisting no topic is off-limits. Just as the Founding Fathers intended, citizens must always have every right to hold their elected representative responsible by asking them questions face to face. At last Sunday's 80th town hall this year, I was proud to accept the Town Hall Project's MVP award for holding the most town halls this year of any U.S. senator. But that award really belongs to the tens of thousands of Oregonians who attended town halls this year in every part of our state. It's all of us as Oregonians who have given the entire nation this year a "people power" model to emulate. These town halls are more important than ever before because it is clearer than ever that political change doesn't start in a government building and somehow trickle down. Political change starts in these town halls where people power comes out in full force. That's what happened at my 80 Oregon town halls in 2017. And as Oregonians prepare for the holidays and the new year, I hope to see even more of you at my town halls in 2018. Let's build on the "Oregon Way" momentum we achieved this year and keep it going in each of Oregon's 36 counties in the days ahead. Democrat Ron Wyden represents Oregon in the U.S. Senate. Find town hall schedules at Wyden.senate.gov/Oregon/events and on Twitter at @RonWyden. Share your opinion Submit your 500-word essay on a highly topical issue or a theme of particular relevance to the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and the Portland area to commentary@oregonlive.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification. By Diane Wiscarson In October, Portland Public Schools announced that Access Academy, a school for talented and gifted students, would be broken into smaller groups located at different schools next year. But parents revolted and district leaders decided to keep Access students together, but at a new location. Now Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero says Access will be moved into a building that's long been home to Pioneer Special School. Pioneer is a separate school for special education students, all with Individualized Education Programs (IEP). The district's plan is to scatter Pioneer's middle and high school students among their neighborhood schools, while the elementary students will move to a different building. This kind of move will have a major impact on these children's educations. I am a parent of three boys, one of whom needed an IEP to get through public school. I'm also an attorney dedicated to the needs of special education children. Regardless of where the dust settles with Access and Pioneer, there are several conversations that must happen before these proposed changes come next year. District officials must talk to the students who will be impacted the most, yet have had little input on the discussion so far. These students deserve to be heard and to hear an explanation from district leaders. For some of these students, even minor transitions are difficult. The district should take the time to prepare and inform these students of the transitions before implementation. And while next year could bring disruption for both Pioneer and Access students as they navigate new geographic locations and environments, thousands of students without special education needs throughout the district's schools also may be impacted as those students enter their school environments. District leaders should also talk to parents. They are the partners and participants in the education of their children, whether they have IEPs or not. District leaders should listen to the parents and better inform them of the timelines and the processes for changes that will affect their children. Lastly, district officials should talk to educators. Portland teachers, aides and school administrators were surprised by the Access and Pioneer announcements. The district staff who provide day-to-day instruction and oversee the buildings where these students learn need to be a part of the discussions and the decisions impacting their current and future students. These educators have a wealth of knowledge and resources on how to make changes work and how to minimize the impact on each child. Emotions are running high on all sides and likely, there's no perfect solution for all students. Children, their families and their building educators will all be affected by district leaders' decisions. Their voices should all be heard. Beyond the politics, geography and passionate rhetoric, are the students. They are at an amazing, yet vulnerable, time of their lives. They must be considered more carefully and their individual needs addressed when these educational decisions are made. Diane Wiscarson is an attorney with Wiscarson Law, the only firm in Oregon that emphasizes special education law for families as its primary practice area. Share your opinion Submit your 500-word essay on a highly topical issue or a theme of particular relevance to the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and the Portland area to commentary@oregonlive.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification. By Tim Nesbitt We all know what it's like to be stuck in traffic when we are trying to get to an urgent appointment. Most of the time, we get there eventually. We adjust our schedules, prioritize our obligations and get the most important things done. But it's not the same when we suffer gridlock in our politics. The things that don't get done are invariably the big things. They pile up, slow us down and close off new opportunities. No, I'm not talking about the U.S. Congress, much as it deserves our righteous road rage. I'm talking about what I see in the worsening congestion of Oregon politics that we tolerate in the spirit of "Oregon nice." First, there is the still unsolved problem of the Public Employees Retirement System. There are solutions that I have described in prior columns. They're doable, we just haven't gotten them done. And, as I read through the report by the task force Gov. Kate Brown appointed to look into the pension system's unfunded actuarial liability, it struck me that our failure to stem rising PERS costs for schools and public services has already compromised our future. We've bemoaned the PERS problem as one of legacy costs: burdens shifted from one generation to the next, mistakes afflicting those who didn't make them, unfairness at every turn. But the task force report revealed another aspect of the problem -- what economists call "opportunity costs." The report lists billions of dollars in potential state resources to dedicate to the pension system. I couldn't help thinking of where else those resources could have been applied. To complete the earthquake readiness of our school buildings? Upgrade our infrastructure to better cope with a changing climate? Build out high-speed broadband in all of our communities? Second, we have tied ourselves in knots over tax reform. Businesses in Oregon have benefited from three decades of tax cutting that has reduced their support for education to record lows. But those tax savings have become part of their bottom lines, which are increasingly sensitive to competitive forces. At the same time, working families have been shouldering too much of our state and local tax burden. So we get stuck in endless debates over who can or should pay more, even when we all agree that we need to do more for kids in today's classrooms. We just never get there. Yes, these are hard problems to solve. But each one deserves a solution on its own merits. Instead, we've let PERS reform and tax reform get wedged together like tractor trailers trying to squeeze through a construction zone. Both are stalled. Neither wants to go first. And so things that would be hard enough to do one at a time become that much harder, if not impossible, to do together. Meanwhile, we continue to think big about our future. Last Monday's Oregon Leadership Summit was a demonstration of these contrasts. Business and government leaders spent most of the morning recommitting to breaking the gridlock on PERS and taxes - in 2019! Then, in the afternoon, "futurist" Steve Brown took to the stage to warn us that, if we want to maintain our firing-on-all-cylinders economy, we will have to shift our attention to our most innovative industries and most promising technologies. Every year, new priorities squeeze onto our policy roadways. Next up: A "cap-and-invest" regime to finance investments in a carbon-reducing future, which Gov. Brown has promised to make a top priority in the 2018 legislative session. But does that mean that issues like PERS and tax reform will get left behind? Years from now, will we think of PERS as an unfortunate but immutable feature of the public sector in Oregon that makes government programs here cost-prohibitive? And will business support for public education stall out at today's low levels? Maybe we'll do okay by pushing old policy wrecks to the side of the road and fashioning workarounds for our new economy. Perhaps we'll have enough talent in the new people who are drawn to Oregon's Pacific Rim location and way of life that we can get by without a forward-moving public investment strategy. But, if that's the case, it's unlikely that we'll reach our full potential. Doing okay is not doing our best. And just getting by will leave a lot of our kids behind without an on-ramp to opportunity in our new economy. Tim Nesbitt can be reached at nesbitt.columns@gmail.com. Amy Fabbrini and Eric Ziegler sat silently in court this week as attorneys argued over whether they are intellectually capable of raising their sons. A bench trial underway in Deschutes County will determine if the state can keep custody of 9-month-old Hunter and terminate their parental rights to 4-year-old Christopher. Both boys have been in foster care almost since birth, after Fabbrini's family raised concerns to the state. This isn't a case about abuse or neglect. The crux of the state's argument is that the Redmond couple would be unable to anticipate and meet the needs of their children. Fabbrini's IQ has tested at 72, Ziegler's at 66, whereas the average IQ falls between 90 and 110. Taking away parental rights is one of the most severe steps the state can take, so it ought to be an exhaustive, intensively researched ordeal. As such, five attorneys are on the case: one for each parent, one from the Department of Justice representing the Department of Human Services, one from the District Attorney's office representing the state, and one appointed to represent the two children. Each child also has a Court Appointed Special Advocate in the courtroom. Family court records are sealed to public review, but anyone (except pending witnesses) can sit in the gallery while court is in session. In the day and a half of testimony I watched, the two major witnesses were psychologists. One had evaluated the father but had never seen the children; the other had evaluated the older child but had never met his parents. Admittedly, this was only a small portion of what will be an eight-day trial, but this doesn't seem the strongest way to make a case about parenting. William Trueblood, a Bend neuropsychologist, testified that Zeigler had "below average cognitive skills." While he performed better than expected on learning and memory testing, overall, Trueblood said, "the expectation would be for below average performance in terms of planning, organizing, thinking flexibly." He said intellectual shortcomings could lead Ziegler to get frustrated more easily and have a difficult time regulating his emotions. "Would Mr. Zeigler's cognitive ability have some impact on his understanding of general duties and general obligations as a parent?" asked deputy district attorney Jason Kropf. "Yes," Trueblood said. But Trueblood has never seen Ziegler parent, nor, he said, is he trained to evaluate someone's ability to parent. On cross examination, Ziegler's attorney Terry Rahmsdorff asked, "Is there as correlation between a high intellect and the ability to parent?" "I would just say I don't know," Trueblood said. Ziegler has a standard diploma from Bend High School, where he received a 3.02 GPA, his attorney said. He has a driver's license, has served on a jury, pays his bills. Rahmsdorff asked if there was a minimum IQ required to be a competent parent. "I don't think there's a specific cutoff number," Trueblood said. Fabbrini's attorney, Jaime Gerlitz, pointed out that people with high IQs can have a difficult time managing emotions and frustration, too. Child psychologist Roxanne Edwinson evaluated Christopher twice, once when he was 2 and again when he was 3, to determine if he had special needs. Edwinson said Christopher was behind development in language and some skills. "Just a lot of love and support won't help this child," Edwinson said of the parenting skills needed to help Christopher. "It's working with different providers, it's listening to doctor recommendations, it's making sure that they make all their appointments. It's really following through on all the different varieties of homework that you're given." If those supports weren't given, she said, Christopher could plateau in his development or even regress. But Edwinson has never met Christopher's biological parents, she testified, so she was unable to speak to whether they could provide those needs. She also spoke to the damage that would be done if the healthy attachment to his foster parents were severed but she had never been asked to evaluate Christopher's attachment or relationship with his biological parents. Attorney Karen Stanley, representing the Department of Human Services, said attachment to foster parents would not be a basis to terminate parental rights, but "it is a factor, I believe, as to whether or not these parents can sufficiently parent this child." Circuit Judge Bethany Flint was skeptical. "I don't think you can bootstrap an argument about whether they're capable of helping him with the grief, the breaking of an attachment that was created by the removal of the child by the state," Flint said. "I don't think can be a basis or an element or a component or a factor to be considered in the termination of parental rights." The case is scheduled for an eight-day trial but at the rate I witnessed, it could go longer. Deschutes County, as Fabbrini's attorney pointed out to me, was once home to the longest trial in Oregon history a child abuse case that lasted 14 months. -- Samantha Swindler @editorswindler / 503-294-4031 sswindler@oregonian.com Two diaspora Armenian winemakers are facing off in a Yerevan appeals court over a trademark dispute. The dispute pits Tierras de Armenia (the company founded by Argentine tycoon Eduardo Eurnekian which produces the Karas line of wines) against Zorik Gharibyan, who produces the Zorah line of wines. Its the labelling on the Zorah bottle (top photo, left), that prompted Eurnekians company to go to court. The company argues that Gharibyan is using the main element of its KARAS trademark, (the word KARAS) to sell his wine, and that this is a trademark infringement. (Readers will note that the Zorah bottle and box display the words Z KARASi ZORAH) Eurnekians company won the first round in a lower court, but Gharibyan is fighting back. This is what happened. In May 2016, Tierras de Armenia filed a lawsuit against the Intellectual Property Agency of the Armenias Ministry of Economy (presently, the Ministry of Economic Development and Investment). Saki and Sons CJSC, which produces Karasi Zorah, is a third-party litigant. "I could never think that I would go to court against another diaspora Armenian. Hes a winemaker himself and he tries to hinder me. It's absurd, says winemaker Zorik Gharibyan, whose 2010 Zorah Karasi Areni Noir, a dry red, made it to Bloomberg Business Weeklys top ten of the world's best wines. Tierras de Armenia is demanding the cancellation of a February 2, 2012 state registration agency decision registering the "Z KARASi ZORAH" trademark. In May 2016, Administrative Court Judge Hrach Ayvazyan rejected the claim, noting that according to the Administrative Procedure Code, the plaintiff missed the two-month deadline to challenge the administrative act. (Ayvazyan has since found in favor of Tierras de Armenia). Tierras de Armenia then applied again to the court, noting that they based their claim on the Law on Trademarks, under which the disputation deadline was five years. Judge Ayvazyan didnt change his previous decision, and the winemaking company applied to the Court of Appeals. The latter, recognizing that there was a legislative contradiction, satisfied the complaint and sent the case back to the lower court. In September 2016, the suit was reinstated to Ayvazyan. One diasporan winemaker sues another Tierras de Armenia CJSC has stated in its claim that the company filed an application to the Intellectual Property Agency for registering the KARAS trademark on September 17, 2011. Saki and Sons filed an application with the same agency on October 4, 2011, to register the Z KARASi ZORAH trademark. In December, Tierras de Armenia filed a written complaint against Saki and Sons application, arguing it was subject to refusal since the Z KARASi ZORAH trademark was similar to its KARAS trademark. The agency rejected the complaint and registered the Z KARASi ZORAH trademark in March 2012, and KARAS was registered in June same year. Four years after the registration, Eurnekian's team decided to sue the state department and Zorik Gharibyans winemaking company. The representative of Tierras de Armenia stated in the court that they had submitted the application for the registration of the trademark earlier, so they were the legal owners of the KARAS trademark, insisting that Z KARASi ZORAH is extremely similar to their trademark. In addition, in the Z KARASi ZORAH the word KARASi occupies a central and dominant position, and it resembles their KARAS in all senses. The Intellectual Property Agency (IPA) rejected the claim, saying that the plaintiff's trademark consists of a large picture of a karas (amphora/clay vessel), below which KARAS is written in big Latin letters. The disputed trademark is composed of Armenian letter Z, followed by KARASi (written in a smaller size), below which is written 2010. In the lower part of the label, ZORAH is written in Latin letters. Thus, argued the IPA, the trademarks are completely different. Tierras de Armenia claims that KARASi, the main visual element, can be easily confused with their KARAS. The IPA replied that the only written word in the plaintiff's trademark is KARAS, while the readable elements of the disputed trademark are Z, KARASi, ZORAH, 2010. The IPA argued that the main visual item in the disputed trademark is the letter Z, since it occupies one third of the label, and the word ZORAH, which is stressed by the size. As to the plaintiff's claim that the main visual element is the word KARASi, the IPA found the claim groundless, since KARASi is written in a smaller size and is less noticeable than the Z and ZORAH. The IPA added that the word KARASi is only there to indicate that the wine was produced in a karas (amphora). The agency noted that consumers usually thoroughly study beverage labels before buying them. Before going to court, Tierras de Armenia ordered a marketing study to bolster its claim. The study placed presented the names of the two wines (KARAS and Z KARASi ZORAH) before consumers for a side-by-side comparison. Allegedly, most respondents said that both wines were "produced by the same producer" or "they were different classes of the same wine". In response, the IPA noted that it was guided by legislation, not such studies. Lower court finds in favor of KARAS; Gharibyan appeals On September 13 of this year, Judge Hrach Ayvazyan found in favor of Eduardo Eurnekian, recognizing the Z KARASi ZORAH trademark invalid. In October, Zorik Gharibyan's company appealed the verdict, and the case is now being heard by the Court of Appeals. After winning the above case in the lower court, Tierras de Armenia proceeded to the next step. On October 18, it again sued the IPA, as well as Voskevaz Wine Factory LLC. The claim is the same- to recognize the disputed trademark registration invalid. The importance of the karas (amphora) tradition Zorik Gharibyan says he decided that he would produce wine exclusively stored in amphorae. He recalls going to villages and collecting old clay vessels before starting the production. "My karases are the basis of my winemaking factory, and my visitors know that. Obviously, I was the first in Armenia to start experimenting with karases; they were my pride. We sell Zorah Karasi in every country, and we try to revive the karas tradition in Armenia, says the winemaker, adding that Fine Wine magazine recently published an eight-page article about his clay vessels. In the village of Rind in Armenia, where Gharibyan operates, theres a class about making the clay vessels. A craftsman goes from Sisian to Rind (77 km) to teach the children. With the help of the master, the schoolchildren have started preparing their first amphorae. A matter of principle, says a defiant Gharibyan Zorik Gharibyan says he didnt want to go public with the dispute. Up till now, I have struggled to find a common language with them, not to make it public. But, as we saw, the lower court decided against us, concluding that the first thing a person sees when looking at the Zorah Karasi label is KARASi, says the winemaker. Gharibyan says this is his first legal dispute during his thirty years of making wine. "The funniest thing is that another diaspora Armenian took me to court. I was very disappointed. From the very first day, I was told that I should be careful in Armenia, careful with Armenians, the Armenian government. Everybody in diaspora says so. I must say that so far neither local Armenians nor the Armenian government have created any obstacles for me," says Zorik Gharibyan. The winemaker says his reputation is at stake. "I would like this topic to be concluded in Armenia, but I have no problem going abroad. I feel self-assured abroad. I have lawyers in London, Milan and Dublin. They are ready to petition the European Court of Human Rights," he says, adding that his lawyers are convinced he will win in the foreign courts. Gharibyan says if Tierras de Armenia wins, the word "karas" cannot be on any other label apart from theirs. Meanwhile, he believes, using amphorae is becoming a global trend. Armenia is also experiencing a rebirth of amphora usage in winemaking. "Theres a new wave in Armenia. Theres already 3-4 winemakers who have started experimenting with amphorae. This wave will gradually increase. Because of the monopoly of the name Karas, our future generations will not be able to use it. When we go abroad and are asked where we store our wine, what word should we use instead? If this word is monopolized, it means no one else can use it, says Zorik Gharibyan. The winemaker is surprised to see that after years of registering the wines trademark, Eurnekian's company went to court. He says the crux of the matter is that a big company wants to appropriate a part of Armenian culture. "One of our winemakers named his wine Karasi Collection, but I never thought of suing him. Its not my property - it's our culture," says Zorik Gharibyan. He cites the example of Georgia, which received $ 1 million from the World Bank for a karas-making school. "The Georgians are so clever that they use this as a marketing tool. Tomorrow I will go to France to promote my wine. Im now thinking, if I do not use that word, what else should I say, the Georgian word? I'm ready to finish this fight. It's a matter of principle for me, says Gharibyan. Photos by Narek Aleksanyan and from the Internet 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. The following press release was issued by the Armenian Bar Associations Armenian Rights Watch Committee. There are often comedic moments that expose some rather serious truths. This is, of course, the essence of a good joke: a light-hearted gest that passingly reveals an underlying, formidable truth. We have all seen it performed on an improv stage. However, when it is performed by a country, it sometimes exposes matters of legal consequenceand we notice. On November 3, 2017, the Armenian Rights Watch CommitteeARWC of the Armenian Bar Association was alerted to the fact that one of its co-chairs, Garo Ghazarian, had been placed on a list of people declared personae non grata by Azerbaijan. The list is an interesting assortment of international figures: lords and ministers of parliament from across Europe, journalists from internationally renowned publications, writers, professors, musicians, an astronautand even Anthony Bourdain. The sin of these nearly 450 publicly-declared undesirables: they traveled to Artsakh without permission from Baku. First, nostra culpa: Mr. Ghazarian did recently travel to the Artsakh Republicagain. When presenting himself at the border, however, he was greeted by Artsakh passport control. It is they who granted Mr. Ghazarian access to the Artsakh Republicnot Azerbaijan. In fact, Azerbaijani authorities were nowhere to be found. Mr. Ghazarian presented his passport and, upon being granted entry, traveled to Stepanakert and met with the Artsakh Republics Human Rights Ombudsman to lay the foundation for a ground-breaking legal clinic at Artsakh State University. In fact, just a few weeks ago, we announced the opening of the legal clinic in Stepanakert, which was made possible by an amazing collaboration among the Armenian Bar Association, Yerevan State University and Artsakh State University. Azerbaijan must have become aware of Mr. Ghazarians travels in the Artsakh Republicbut not as a result of any sovereign functions on the ground like Azerbaijani police contact, the work of Azerbaijani clandestine services and/or informants operating within the territory of the Artsakh Republic. Azerbaijan likely became aware of Mr. Ghazarians travels by trolling the Armenian Bar Associations Facebook page. Stellar work. Perhaps by hitting the like button, they could have greater access to our work in Artsakh including, of course, our upcoming annual meeting scheduled to take place in Stepanakert in May 2018. But, like everything absurd, there is a revealing truth laying just beneath the surface. Beneath this public relations charade by Azerbaijan is the reality that the Artsakh Republic is, in truth and in fact, already a state under international law. While an expose on the subject is beyond the scope of this statement, we stress that our reference to Artsakh statehood is not a political position, but a legally impregnable fact under international law. And to be clear, Azerbaijans placing of our ARWC co-chair on its list of undesirablesalong with those 400 or so other unsavory political leaders, human rights activists, performers, writers, a chef and an astronautreveals the utter absurdity in Azerbaijans puerile mulishness in itself not recognizing the Artsakh Republic. Rather than shaming an Armenian Bar board member and the other undesirables, Azerbaijans list only evidences nervous impotence breeding a patently vacuous exercise of state powerdeclaring personae non gratae. This, while the Artsakh Republic, in fact and on the ground, continues to provide hope, progress and society for its citizenswhile protecting them from what otherwise would be the certainty of utter annihilation. And this is not conjecture. We know that the Azerbaijanis had lists of undesirables during Sumgait pogroms in 1988. We know that the Turks had lists of undesirables during the Istanbul pogroms in 1955. And, of course, we know that the Ottomans had lists of undesirables in 1915. The fact that Azerbaijan has a list of undesirables today may be ridiculousbut its not funny. Armenian Rights Watch CommitteeARWC ARMENIAN BAR ASSOCIATION BLOOMINGTON Boughs of holly, roasted chestnuts and halls of splendor were on display Saturday at three decorated mansions in Bloomington-Normal. The 18th annual Christmas at the Mansions tour attracted nearly 1,400 people to see historic holiday decor at Ewing Manor and David Davis Mansion, both in Bloomington, and a mystery house at 1004 Broadway Ave. in Normal. Bloomington sisters Lori Brennan, Mary Kay Killian and Julie Stoeckel marveled over a towering evergreen tree in the formal living room of Ewing Manor. Its stunning, said Stoeckel. Its gorgeous. I wish my house was decorated like this, said Brennan. Such elegance I love it, said Killian. Live greenery was draped over doorways and mantels in every room and wrapped the three-story spiral staircase in the center of the 1929 manor. When visitors walk in, they are hit with that smell of Christmas because we dont use artificial greenery, said Toni Tucker, Ewing Cultural Center director. Original Christmas cards from Ewing family and friends were on display in the library. In the dining room, greenery wound through silver flatware and fine china on the table. We set the table with the silver and china set that Hazle and Davis (Ewing) received as a wedding gift in 1907, said Tucker. The Ewing family did not decorate as elaborately at the time, said Tucker. A single, four-foot tree was displayed and a long stocking was hung from the spiral staircase. The Ewing grandchildren would help decorate the tree. After touring Ewing, tour visitors stopped at the mystery house in Normal: the DeGarmo House, built in 1887. The Queen Anne-style home was built by Charles DeGarmo, who graduated from and taught at Illinois State Normal University. ISNU teacher Herman Schroeder also lived in the home at one time. Live greenery draped the houses porch railings and decorated trees shone in many of the rooms. Across town at David Davis Mansion, the theme of Charles Dickens was present in each room. Judge David Davis and his wife Sarah lived in the house, built in 1872, and Davis had an interest in Dickens after hearing the author give a reading of A Christmas Carol in Washington, D.C. Decorative nods to Dickens Christmas stories included roasted chestnuts, holly sprigs, mistletoe, a cricket on the hearth and Christmas baskets for those in need. I never knew that Davis heard Dickens speak, said Kay Henrichs of Bloomington, touring with her sister Lisa Kemnetz of Chatsworth. Its great to come here to get in the Christmas spirit. Mansion program coordinator Audrey Paulson said the Davises traditionally decorated with simple greenery and a few small trees. But on Saturday, elaborate decorations, tour guides in period clothing and traditional music set a festive mood in the 36-room Victorian home. Reece Nyberg, 11, was surprised with mansion tour tickets by her mom, Michele Carey of Bloomington, and grandma, Sheree Wagner of Sun City, Ariz. Ive been wanting to come here since I was, like, 7, said Reece after finishing the David Davis tour. Its really cool to see all this old stuff that hasnt been around in years. Its fun to spend time with my mom and grandma, too. Its really nice to see this local history at Christmas, said Carey. NORMAL Public colleges and universities, confronted with diminishing and inconsistent state funding, are increasingly turning to private partnerships to provide the resources needed to educate today's students for tomorrow's jobs. But the obstacles to achieving the state's goal of having 60 percent of adults in Illinois with a post-secondary degree or career credential by 2025 are more than just financial. Those working toward the goal also must overcome myths related to the value and cost of post-secondary education, say higher education officials. The myth that worries me the most, particularly because it's about the future of our students, is the argument that a college education isn't worth it, said James Applegate, former executive director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education. A college degree, and especially a four-year college degree is more economically valuable now than any time since we started keeping data, added Applegate, a visiting professor at Illinois State University's Center for the Study of Education Policy. In 2016, the median usual weekly earnings for workers age 25 and over with a bachelor's degree was $1,156 compared to $692 for those with only a high school diploma, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The same report said the unemployment rate for those with a bachelor's degree was 2.7 percent compared to 5.2 percent for those with only a high school diploma. Meanwhile, state support for higher education has been declining and not just in Illinois. A report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has found that 44 states, including Illinois, spent less per student in the 2017 school year than in 2008. In 2015, before cuts during the budget impasse, state funding represented only 21 percent of funding for Illinois public universities. In fiscal year 2008, the state appropriated $83 million for higher education. That rose to $85 million the next two years, but has been in steady decline to $72 million in FY 2015 and $65 million in the current fiscal year. States have retreated from funding higher education and left students holding the bag, said Applegate. Turning to partnerships One way schools have attempted to make up for lost state dollars, besides raising tuition, is to turn to partnerships with businesses and other organizations. One example is the partnership between ISU and State Farm to create a new cybersecurity major at ISU. "State Farm was finding that students graduating from ISU did not have the skill set necessary for positions in cybersecurity that we needed to fill," said State Farm spokeswoman Missy Dundov. She said the State Farm cybersecurity team and Business Higher Education Forum "worked in partnership to serve as a consultant to ISU in providing input into curriculum ideas that met industry standards to equip students with the right skills." When nearby Heartland Community College developed its physical therapy assistant program, it received donations, including needed equipment, from businesses likely to employ graduates of the program. Recently, Advocate BroMenn Medical Center donated hospital beds to Heartland's nursing program so students are able to learn with up-to-date equipment. Partnerships also result in internships, mentorships and guest speakers. State Farm also is involved with programs from kindergarten through high school to encourage careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Dundov said the partnerships are important to provide a future pipeline for employees with skills in technology. Community colleges and universities also develop partnerships with each other and K-12 schools, in addition to employers. For example, dual credit programs allow students to earn college credits while still in high school. Asked about the importance of those partnership, Rick Pearce, Heartland's vice president for learning and student success, said, Critical is the only way to describe it. Things are moving so quickly, if we aren't all connected along the pipeline, people are going to fall out. Heartland sets up industry visioning meetings with representatives in different career clusters, including health care, hospitality, information technology, agriculture, business management, manufacturing and transportation-distribution-logistics. College officials meet with each industry group in a three-year rotation to see if needs are being met and, more importantly, what needs are on the horizon, said Sarah Diel-Hunt, Heartland's associate vice president for academic affairs. If there's a silver lining to all this, it's that our partnership with secondary education and businesses are better than they've ever been, said Diel-Hunt. NORMAL Myths about higher education could worsen funding problems and deter people from attending college, a former top state executive fears. James Applegate, former executive director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, said misinformation about the value of education, student debt and college funding can harm individuals and society. If we start with misconceptions, we get bad policy, he said, adding bachelor's degrees are more valuable than ever. Rick Pearce, vice president for learning and student success at Heartland Community College, said, I hate to have people lock themselves out (of a college education) because they hear it's not worth it. There are people who question the value of a college degree, but they aren't the employers, added Sarah Diel-Hunt, Heartland's associate vice president for academic affairs. A study by Georgetown University showed that workers with a bachelor's degree or higher are taking almost all the jobs in high- and middle-skill occupations. People wildly overestimate how much money they need to go to college, said Applegate, a visiting professor in Illinois State University's Center for the Study of Education Policy. He worries that when people hear about $1 trillion in student debt, they might decide they can't afford college. But Applegate said nearly half that debt is owed by graduate and professional school students, such as lawyers and doctors, who make up only 14 percent of all students. More than one-third of four-year university students graduate with no debt, he said. For those who do have school loans to pay, the average debt in 2015 for for a bachelor's degree graduate in Illinois was $29,304, according to Applegate. He said that compares to a nice new car that, unlike a college degree, depreciates in value. Another myth cited by Applegate is the belief that Illinois' public universities receive most of their funding from the state. In fact, he said, only 21 percent of university funding came from the state in 2015. Fundraising can't replace lost state funding because most public universities have modest endowments and, in many cases, donors restrict how the money they give can be spent, noted Applegate. Another misconception, said Applegate, is claims that college administrations in Illinois are bloated or have bloated salaries. All the state's public universities, except Chicago State University, are at the median or lower than peer institutions when it comes to administrative costs, he said. If the bloat argument continues to be used to justify underfunding, that's very dangerous, said Applegate. BLOOMINGTON For years, Kim Wells has fought against domestic violence as executive director of the Bloomington-based Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence. Founded by business leaders and focused on the workplace, the alliance has been combating domestic violence since 1995 and, in recent years, also sexual assault bringing together companies to share information and collaborate on projects. But Wells, of Danvers, didn't publicly discuss her personal experience until recently after sexual assault allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein resulted in the #metoo movement that has led many women to talk about their experiences of being harassed and assaulted. That included Wells, 54, who disclosed that she was raped in her car by a co-worker when she was in her 20s. At the time, Wells was a graduate student working part-time as a telemarketer in the Chicago area. When she left work one night, she was attacked by a co-worker and sexually assaulted in her car, she said. In shock and unaware of her rights, she told no one. "I had no idea what I should do," Wells said last week. "I didn't know that I should tell my job. I do wish I had told my workplace because I hate the idea that it might have happened to someone else." She did warn co-workers to stay away from her attacker. Later, she told her husband. When she decided recently to share her story, she told her parents for the first time. "It's been kind of freeing," said Wells. "I felt I needed to discuss it because it wasn't my boss," she said, explaining that many of the powerful men accused in recent weeks had power over those they allegedly assaulted. In her case, "It was a co-worker." Wells hopes sharing her story encourages other sexual assault survivors to come forward. "If something happened to you, it's not your fault," she said. "Tell someone." "I was not drunk. I was not dressed inappropriately. But the law doesn't care what you wore anyway. It's about consent. "Someone decided they wanted power and control. I don't think the guy who assaulted me thought he did anything wrong. It's important for people to know that it's not about sex. It's power and control." During the past few weeks, congressional Republicans have introduced and voted on tax legislation that shifts the tax burden from the wealthiest and most-privileged Americans to working individuals, students, teachers, and the under-served. As an ISU graduate student, I am deeply concerned about how this tax legislation will impact my financial position. This tax legislation would count waived tuition as income, nearly doubling income tax liabilities for graduate students. This would cut into graduate students poverty-level wages and would further discourage prospective students from joining graduate programs. While criticism by educators and graduate students grow nationwide, Republican lawmakers are still choosing to support this legislation. Even U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, who represents ISU and four other universities, voted in support of this harmful legislation. U.S. Rep. Davis sold out graduate students to fund tax breaks for the wealthy and big business interests. Wednesday, ISU students, faculty, and community members spoke out against U.S. Rep. Davis decision to support this tax bill. Lets work towards winning our graduate student union so that we have a voice in our working conditions locally and nationally. J.D.Lewis, Normal J.D. Lewis 100 years ago Dec. 10, 1917: Bloomington was in the grips of an unexpected cold snap this weekend. It was six below zero Saturday night and five below on Sunday morning. Coal for home heating is already running low. And the police had more drunks to handle than usual Saturday night. 75 years ago Dec. 10, 1942: A statewide search is on for retiring Ford County Treasurer John Crammond. He is missing, along with over $33,000 from the county coffers. The incoming treasurer found the shortage and notified the county board, who then ordered that Crammond be apprehended. 50 years ago Dec. 10, 1967: A new furniture store Biederman National is coming to the southeast corner of Route 66 and Empire Street. Biedermans is a St. Louis-based group. There is speculation the store could anchor a whole new shopping center. 25 years ago Dec. 10, 1992: Illinois Power Co. apologized to residents after their angry backlash over tree trimming in Ewing Park. The utility didnt check with the city first, which it was supposed to do. IP routinely trims branches to keep them from endangering overhead power lines. A few recent headlines could be filed under the category "Racism Is Bad and Wrong." First up, a controversy in which an African-American nurse working at the Indiana University Health system posted this screed on Twitter: "Every white woman raises a detriment to society when they raise a son. Someone with the HIGHEST propensity to be a terrorist, rapist, racist, killer and domestic violence all star. Historically every son you had should be sacrificed to the wolves." She was promptly fired. In the Chicago suburb of Lake Villa, a Hispanic detective who was in the process of conducting a theft investigation responded to a group of teen suspects who asked why they were being detained with: "Because you're white." It was a bizarre thing to say Lake Villa is a predominantly white outer-ring suburb. If you watch the video, which immediately went viral, the comment came totally out of the blue, since the teens had not made any references to race or police mistreatment or anything that would seem to elicit such a response. The detective who apologized to the teen who filmed the video was disciplined. Lastly, the University Star, the student newspaper of Texas State University, recently came under fire for printing a student's guest op-ed column titled "Your DNA is an abomination." The student, who is Hispanic, wrote, among other explosive things: "Ontologically speaking, white death will mean liberation for all. To you good-hearted liberals, apathetic nihilists and right-wing extremists: accept this death as the first step toward defining yourself as something other than the oppressor. Until then, remember this: I hate you because you shouldn't exist. You are both the dominant apparatus on the planet and the void in which all other cultures, upon meeting you, die." The university president, Denise M. Trauth, released a statement declaring, "the column's central theme was abhorrent and is contrary to the core values of inclusion and unity that our Bobcat students, faculty and staff hold dear. As president of a university that celebrates its inclusive culture, I detest racism in any manifestation." The student newspaper issued its own statement in which it apologized for having "caused hurt" within the campus community. The incident had the net effect of serving as more kindling on the fire for those who feel that (a) American colleges and universities seem to exist solely to indoctrinate students with far-left propaganda and (b) the only logical response to hatred is more, and harsher, hatred. The pendulum is swinging back and forth at a dizzying speed, with dueling finger-pointing at others' poor behavior (as if everyone started out on equal economic, social and political footing). The result is escalating vitriol from two sides digging in their heels and increasingly acting as if racism either barely exists or overlays every human interaction in America. But when people of color start seeing all white people as racist monsters, white people start seeing all people of color as racism accusers. When genocide terminology gets bandied about by either camp, it's pretty clear everyone needs a reminder that two wrongs don't make a right. "Racism is racism, period," said Gustavo Arellano, author of several books about Mexican culture, former editor of OC Weekly and creator of the popular "Ask A Mexican!" column. "Some people say that people of color can't be racist because they don't come from white privilege, but they're wrong, because that denies basic humanity none of us are perfect, we all have our own bigotries. Taking out our frustrations (over injustices towards non-whites) on white people doesn't solve anything." Arellano told me the same thing my parents said as I was growing up: "There are bad white people, bad African-Americans, bad Hispanics, bad all kinds of people, but we can't paint everyone with one big paintbrush." When stories circulate about white-profiling detectives of color and students who consider white people "an aberration," they have the effect of making minorities even more of a target for hatred by people who already think we don't belong. And the same goes for white people the vast majority cringe at the very notion that they might be envisioned by others as torch-wielding white supremacists. Before you make any snap judgments about people, remember that racism cuts both ways, damaging relations that may yet have a chance at taking a turn for the better. Trump's recent decision to break from decades of diplomatic standards and declare his recognition of Jerusalem rather than Tel Aviv the capital of Israel has rocked the world. Currently, both Israelis and Palestinians claim the city as their political capital and a sacred religious site, though Israel controls the city. The issue of Jerusalem was typically thought to be one that would be resolved as part of a future peace deal presumably one brokered by the U.S. but Trump's decision has called that likelihood into question. Palestinians have been protesting for the past three days, and arrests have been made as citizens clash with the Israeli forces in the West Bank and along the Gaza border. One person who has lent their support to the Palestinian cause is supermodel Bella Hadid. Related | Bella Hadid Like You've Never Seen Her Before Bella and her sister Gigi are half-Palestinian, with their father Mohamed claiming Palestinian heritage. Bella previously protested Trump's immigration stance and has taken to social media before to express her disapproval of his administration's policies. In this case, Bella first wrote a long post on Instagram about her support for the Palestinian people, writing, "Seeing the sadness of my father, cousins, and Palestinian family that are feeling for our Palestinian ancestors makes this even harder to write. Jerusalem is home of all religions. For this to happen, I feel, makes us take 5 steps back making it harder to live in a world of peace." She then attended a public protest in London on Friday after celebrating the opening of Tag Heuer's new flagship store, still clad in her floor-length gown from the event. (She was accompanied by her bodyguard). Image via Instagram Patna: Congress leaders in Patna on Saturday celebrated the 71st birthday of Congress Chairperson Sonia Gandhi by cutting a cake for her and feeding the cake to her picture a practice, though silly, now quite common among leaders of all parties. Celebrating her birthday at the Sadaqat Ashram, the party headquarters in Patna, leaders shared cakes and sweets among each other calling Gandhi a true leader who 'led the party to outstanding victories in the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections.' Party state President Kaukab Qadri, congratulating Gandhi on her birthday, thanked her for her leadership for the past 19 years saying despite having been elected its leader twice by the Congress Parliamentary Party, she chose to make Dr. Manmohan Singh, a member of a minority community, the Prime Minister of India. On the occasion, members of the Youth Congress planted a tree in honor of the Congress leader. As reported, Mrs. Gandhi is all set to abdicate her position in favor of her son Rahul Gandhi who has already been determined the next President of the Congress Party and is also seen as the party's nominee for the Prime Minister's post in the next Parliamentary polls. News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. 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 nations 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 Banks 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. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A decade after construction began, Senegal opened a new airport on Thursday, the centerpiece of an ambitious plan to try to catapult the nation to become a top economic player in West Africa. President Macky Sall and other officials gathered at the $575 million airport, about a 90-minute drive from the center of Dakar, the capital, for an inaugural flight Thursday morning. Mr. Sall told crowds holding posters of him that it was now open for business. He boarded a plane that rushed down the runway as helicopters and military jets buzzed around the terminal. The new Blaise Diagne International Airport is part of the presidents Emerging Senegal plan. He hopes to energize the economy by creating both the airport and new city outside Dakar. The development includes a conference center, new research centers, hotels and a special economic zone intended to lure new industries. All are along a new asphalt toll road leading from Dakars center. Mr. Sall is trying to position Senegal to expand its steadily growing economy, which in past years has slowly diversified beyond the peanut farming that the country relied on when it broke free of colonial ties to France decades ago. Besides peanuts, it now grows rice and cotton, and the nation has also developed its fisheries and its mining industry. With a currency guaranteed by the French treasury and most important its long-stable political environment, Senegal has huge potential, according to analysts. Optimism is palpable in Dakar, where pounding from hammers rings out all day at construction sites for seaside apartment complexes and offices. The nations stable democracy compensates for some weaknesses Senegal might have, said Aurelien Mali, a senior analytical adviser for Africa for Moodys. One weak spot is the nations huge debt level, which amounts to 60 percent of its annual economy. The country also has vast numbers of unemployed young people, some of whom risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean to get to Europe in the hope of finding work. Other countries in the region, including Mali and Burkina Faso, have growing economies, and Nigeria is a top economy on the continent. Senegals chief rival is Ivory Coast, which has a much larger economy. But Ivory Coast was shaken when civil war broke out in the early 2000s, and aid groups and corporations moved their headquarters to Dakar. More recently it has experienced two terrorist attacks at hotels, scaring off potential tourists and businesses. The new airport may give an edge to Senegal. Its one of the biggest and most expensive compared with several that have recently replaced older airports in Ivory Coast and Togo or are in the works elsewhere in the region. Senegal also has a geographic edge over other nations: It is the closest point on the continent to the Americas. Senegalese officials hope the airport serves three million passengers in its first year.Our goal is to make Senegal a leader in air transportation in the region and a major player in the international airline business, said Mohamed Habiboulah Fall, a spokesman for the new airport.A recent discovery of offshore oil and gas near the border of Mauritania has left officials giddy at the opportunity to transform Senegals economy and create new jobs. But analysts point out that the region offers numerous cautionary tales of the widespread corruption that can come with oil revenues.The new airport, halfway between Dakar and a popular beach resort area, will probably help increase tourism, said Mayoro Racine, chief executive officer for Aerospace Consulting and Engineering in Dakar.But merely building an expensive airport is not enough, he said.For the airport to fully function and generate income, Mr. Racine said, it should be able to take care of the welfare of travelers and help make travel easy. Source: New York Times/VOA 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 Kenyas opposition coalition, National Super Alliances Peoples Assembly, NASA has laid out plans for Tuesdays planned inauguration of Raila Odinga as the peoples president. The venue of the planned meeting that the government has already warned against is however still being kept a secret. We are not turning back. Actually, Nasas vehicle has no reverse gear and from tomorrow, it will not have brakes, Oduor Ongwen, a member of the National Super Alliances Peoples Assembly Organising Committee. Shortly after the swearing-in ceremony of president-elect Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenyas main opposition leader Raila Odinga announced that he too would be sworn in on December 12. The countrys attorney general has since warned that such an action would be an illegality attracting charges of treason. The United States has also called on Raila Odinga to call off the planned inauguration ceremony arguing that it would only serve to further polarise the country. These proclamations have however failed to dissuade the opposition coalition who are planning an event that will be celebrated like a typical national event. According to the NASA officials, the programme will start with the national anthem, followed by prayers, then announcement and adoption of the agenda. There will then be a ceremony to install the peoples leader, after which speeches shall be conducted. A peoples assembly shall also be installed followed by speeches from representatives of counties. Raila Odinga and other NASA leaders are expected to head out after the event and hold rallies across the country. Source: Africannews.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 The Office of HE John Dramani Mahama has described as irresponsible and reckless, an allegation by Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul that the former president is occupying or has appropriated a land or property belonging to the Ghana Armed Forces. In a statement released Thursday evening, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, Special Aide to the Former President, said while the minister did not provide any details of the said property, 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, Joyce Mogtari stated. According to the statement, the former president and his family as is commonly known, currently resides in a residential estate developed by a private real estate development company. The estate has been in existence for several years and the former first family lives peacefully with several Ghanaian and expatriate neighbours. This Office is appalled at the minister's unfounded accusation because any serious Defence Minister, with the Military Intelligence apparatus under him would know that President Mahama has no claim to the ownership of the land of the property in which he resides. The statement reminded the Defence Minister to concentrate on the responsibilities of his office instead of making spurious allegations against the former president. 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, the statement ended. Source: http://johnmahama.org 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 Audio Attachment: Lawyer Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe has slated President Akufo Addo for flouting his own directive. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo few months into his administration asked workers to eschew the habit of using working hours for prayers. He epressed worry over the current trend where people seem to think that success in fields of endeavour depended on miracles, not hard work. To him, spending the first hour or more of work on prayers, going to all night prayers and coming to work tired and unfit for purpose draws the country back and does not result in the productivity needed to develop the country. We come to work and spend the first hour and more not on the job we are paid to do but on prayers. We go to all night prayers and come to work the next day tired and unfit for the purpose. We take out a week for every funeral and expect our businesses to thrive because we evoke the name of the Almighty The Good Book says there is a time and place for everything. We cannot, and should not, continue to hide behind religiosity to indulge in the practice that has characterised our attitude to work," he stated at the International Conference on Entrepreneurship, Business and Technology, held in March this year in Accra. Almost a year after assuming office, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government organised a thanksgiving ceremony in the morning of Thursday, December 7, to mark one year anniversary of the 2016 elections which brought them into power. Analyzing the two instances, Lawyer Tamakloe expressed shock that the President could flout his own directive by holding a relgious service on a working day. It came to me as a big shock when the president who is the chief public worker at the time Ghanaian workers are supposed to be at work was at the conference centre praying and doing the very things he had admonished Ghanaian workers againstSo the very architecture of our public service was disobeying what the president himself had said in the name of thanksgiving he said during a panel discussion on Saturdays edition of Radio Golds political platform, "Alhaji and Alhaji". Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Audio Attachment: click to listen to Felix Kwakye Ofosu A former Deputy Minister for Communication in the erstwhile John Mahama administration is asking why the ruling Nana Addo led government used state resources to fund a thanksgiving event held to mark the one year anniversary of the 2016 elections which brought them into power. According to Felix Ofosu Kwakye, Mustapha Hamid, Minister for Information, in an interview with an undisclosed media house, said the event was sponsored by the presidency. Speaking during a panel discussion on Radio Golds "Alhaji and Alhaji", Felix Ofosu-Kwakye who described the event as "an exercise in self-gratification", said it does not make sense to use state funds to sponsor a political party's programme. It is not clear to me what they wanted to celebrate. It was a completely unnecessary event. It was an exercise in self-gratificationWhat happened at the Accra International Conference Centre was an NPP event so it does not make sense that it was sponsored by the state he indicated. Background The New Patriotic Party (NPP) today, [Thursday], December 7, 2017, held a thanksgiving service at the Accra International Conference Centre to mark a year after the party won the 2016 general elections. The event, which was held at the Accra International Conference Center, marks exactly a year since the party wrestled power from the John Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government. President Akufo Addo, his Vice, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and other leading members of the party attended. Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video From all indications, former president John Dramani Mahama is bent on occupying the highest position of the land again in 2020 and so he is prepared to do whatever he can to realize this ambition. Reports reaching Daily Guide indicate that the ex-president is planning to take advantage of the ongoing funeral rites of the late Asantehemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II, in Kumasi, to enhance his presidential ambition. According to the reports, members of Mr. Mahamas camp have realized that the entire countrys focus is on the Asantehemaas funeral and so they believe they can take advantage of the solemn event to push their political agenda. Asantehemaas Funeral The funeral rites of the Asante queen mother started a week ago and so far, no political party has displayed its colours at the forecourt of the Manhyia Palace, venue for the grand funeral. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia have attended the funeral on two occasions in less than one week, but on all the occasions, the New Patriotic Partys (NPPs) colours were missing. Incumbent John Mahama, who was heavily defeated during the 2016 presidential polls by Nana Akufo-Addo, has been absent since the funeral started. His absence had even sparked a debate among some of the mourners. The reason why the former president has not turned up for the funeral was explained by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, on Wednesday at the Manhyia Palace. According to him, Mr. Mahama is currently on an important mission to South Africa, adding that the former Ghanaian leader would attend the Asantehemaas thanksgiving service at the St. Cyprians Anglican Church on Sunday. Mahamas Strategy This paper learnt that Mr. Mahamas camp is planning to accord him a rousing welcome to Kumasi either Saturday evening or early Sunday morning, for the thanksgiving service. The NDC members, according to information, would be dressed in T-shirts that have been branded with huge images of Mahama with inscriptions that would make him seem the only suitable person to lead the party for the 2020 polls. A source close to the NDC, who spoke to Daily Guide, stated that some of the inscriptions in the T-shirts would read We want you back, indicating that Ghanaians are yearning for the return of Mr. Mahama as president, and JM 2020 surest bet. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has observed that one may need some special grace and mercy to be able to do the kind of work that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo does. According to him, the president hardly sleeps at night when everybody, including some of his own appointees, may be snoring in beds. Dr Bawumia claims that sometimes people, including himself, wonder where the man derives his energy from if not by the grace of God. The vice president made this observation yesterday when a special Islamic thanksgiving service was held at the Central Mosque as part of the national expression of gratitude to God as the country marked the one-year anniversary of the peaceful and successful elections last year. Speaking after a Quranic recital led by the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharebutu in Accra, Dr Bawumia indicated that his admiration for President Akufo-Addo had grown hundred-fold since they took over the reins of government. According to him, He works and works us all myself, the ministers and the DCEs and so on. He works us all very hard; sometimes when we close cabinet at 9:30 pm, we are happy because it is early. Stunning Revelation I remember once we closed cabinet at 2am and this is the nature of the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo hes got a passion to move this country so much and that passion is what is driving him; and it is a passion to uplift the poor and the disadvantaged in this country. This is what is driving him and this is what we are supporting him to achieve, he told an enthusiastic crowd that had gathered at the Abossey Okai Central Mosque after the prayers. So when you see what he is trying to do in this country, it is about helping the poor and the disadvantaged; when he says Free SHS, it is about the poor and the disadvantaged, when he says One village, One dam, it is to help the poor, one district, one factory, it is to help the poor and the disadvantaged; and Ive grown to respect him so much about the passion, Dr Bawumia spoke highly of the first gentleman of the land. The vice president has therefore asked Ghanaians for their prayers and support for President Akufo-Addo and his New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to govern the country with humility and compassion. He said, I can assure you that we will work very hard and will work honestly, eulogizing the president as a man who can never be corrupted. With Akufo-Addo at the helm of affairs, Dr Bawumia was of the firm belief that Ghana will move beyond aid into prosperity. Nostalgic Memories He recalled with nostalgia the long and tortuous road to victory right from the 2008 general elections to the 2012 elections, which ended in the Supreme Court, until victory finally came in 2016. In 2008, he asked me to partner him and I was very privileged and honoured to do so; we together won the first round but missed winning 50 percent plus one just by 23,000 votes in the first round. So we came very close. I think it was 49.8 percent or something in the first round. We didnt win the second round; we lost by about 40,000 votes out of over eight million votes, he recalled. For him, that was nothing but a heartbreaking loss, because we were so close. Painful as it was, Dr Bawumia said President Akufo-Addo encouraged him with the following words, We will live to fight another day and so lets give it to God and soldier on. Then came the 2012 general elections which the NPP was optimistic of winning but eventually ended up in the Supreme Court after the party had challenged the results of the presidential poll as declared by the Electoral Commission. But after eight long months of back-and-forth, the Supreme Court declared the results against the NPP. Dr Bawumia recounted, And then again, when we came home, quite for me heartbroken in a way because we had made our case in the Supreme Court, Nana Akufo-Addo said to me lets get out and speak to the country; we have to make sure that peace and stability pertain in this country. So he came out and said well I am not quite comfortable with the decision; I dont agree but I accept it in the interest of the peace of this country and I think that day my respect for him went up even much more. I understood that this is a man who is in politics not for his own self but for the sake of the country, Vice President Bawumia said they were third time lucky when they decided to let the good Lord fight their battle for them, for which they chose The battle is the Lords, which eventually saw them winning the 2016 polls. He, therefore, thanked God for how far He had brought Ghana and the NPP as a party. The national chief imam had earlier reminded Muslims about the importance of thanksgiving because as he put it, God has told us that when we express gratitude for what He has done for us, He will add more to it. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video FILE - In this April 10, 2008 file photo, a North Atlantic right whale breaks the ocean surface off Provincetown, Mass., in Cape Cod Bay. Officials with the federal government say itAos time to consider the possibility that endangered right whales could become extinct unless new steps are taken to protect them. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, File) Opinion Nick Cunningham: The one indicator OPEC must watch The target is to bring global oil inventories back down to the five-year average. We will not let go of our current approach until we reach a balanced market, Saudi oil minister Khalid al-Falih said Monday at a news conference in Riyadh. OPEC ended months of speculation last week when it decided to extend its production cuts through the end of 2018, easing concerns that the limits would be lifted before the oil market was ready. But while it put some uncertainty to rest, the next question is what OPEC does when the oil market becomes balanced? What is the exit strategy ? There isn't one at the moment, and we can assume OPEC doesn't know what comes next. But we do know that the group has one key metric in mind: inventories. The target is to bring global oil inventories back down to the five-year average. Oil inventories exploded between 2014 and 2017, hitting record levels that left the world awash in oil. That metric, arguably more than any other, exemplified the glut of supply that led to the crash of prices. It has been a stubborn thing, getting those inventories back down to average levels. A wave of shale bankruptcies didn't do it, the vanishing rig count didn't do it either. That led OPEC and a handful of non-OPEC countries led by Russia to limit their production. But even that deal didn't seem to be doing the trick at the start of 2017, as inventories remained stuck at elevated levels. The euphoria that followed the announcement of the initial deal gave way to a renewed sense of gloom, which pushed WTI back down into the low-$40s by mid-2017. However, by the end of summer, the inventories finally started to move. And the declines accelerated in recent months, draining stocks at a rapid clip. Total crude and refined product inventories in OECD countries (the most visible and transparent metric used) has dropped to only 140 million barrels above the five-year average as of October, cutting the surplus from the start of 2017 by more than half. The big question is when that surplus shrinks to zero. Saudi oil minister Khalid al-Falih warned that winter months tend to bring a dip in demand, which could meant the drawdowns slow for the rest of this year and in the first quarter of 2018. As such, the real progress won't begin until probably the second quarter. Aiding in OPEC's effort is that the definition of average is constantly changing . With each passing day, the previous five years is increasingly made up of periods of time in which the oil market was in a glut. So, the average level for oil inventories today is a lot higher than it was three years ago. That means OPEC could achieve its objective with a lot more ease than if the target level was a fixed figure. Demand is growing strongly, which will help soak up excess barrels as we head into next year. The supply picture is mixed, however. There is rising production in the U.S., Canada, Brazil and some other non-OPEC countries. On the other hand, OPEC countries will keep their output in check, and the inclusion of Nigeria and Libya under the cap will keep supply off the market. And Venezuela's production will continue to fall. Although estimates vary, the IEA sees the supply surplus returningin the first quarter of 2018, the energy agency sees a glut of 0.6 mb/d . In other words, inventories could swell for a period of time, although OPEC is not as pessimistic. But both agree that by mid-year, the drawdowns will really pick up pace, and the objective of balancing the market will draw near. That makes the review period for OPEC's production limits in June very important. At that point, OPEC and non-OPEC countries will have to come up with an exit strategy. The outlook for when we will hit the balanced market will be clearer in June, and we will start thinking of what we will do in 2019, al-Falih told reporters on Monday. The intent is not overnight to open the taps and flood the market. By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com Nick Cunningham is a freelance writer on oil and gas, renewable energy, climate change, energy policy and geopolitics. He is based in Pittsburgh, PA. Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views. Editor's Note: This commentary was originally published by Oilprice.com , 11/09/201 7. Petroleumworld reprint this article in association with Oil Price.com. Link to original article. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest of our readers and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. 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We welcome the use of Petroleumworld stories by anyone provided it mentions Petroleumworld.com as the source. Other stories you have to get authorization by its authors.Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated. Petroleumworld welcomes your feedback and comments, share your thoughts on this article, your feed. back is important to us! We invite all our readers to share with us their views and comments about this article. Write to editor@petroleumworld.com By using this link, you agree to allow PW to publish your comments on our letters page. Any question or suggestions, please write to: editor@petroleumworld.com The corner at 10th and Spruce Streets, it seems, was destined to rekindle its kebab magic. But even Konstantinos Pitsillides, a man so intense he's widely known among colleagues for his "Cypriot death stare," acknowledges he hemmed and hawed over what do with the vacant space for well more than a year. "I'm as flaky as yufka," he conceded, referring to Cypriot phyllo dough. Of course, Pitsillides also wrung his hands with worry when he vacated this space in 2015 and moved Kanella, his hit BYOB, to a fancier, liquor-licensed restaurant in Queen Village. That project, Kanella South, has been a resounding success with more resources to explore the full culinary tradition of his Cypriot heritage. It was on my Top 25 list last year, and remains a favorite. But Pitsillides knew he had left behind a devoted clientele in Washington Square West. So when he and his partner, ex-wife Caroline Christian, finally decided, after settling some personal issues, to reclaim that simple corner space trimmed with sky-blue awnings, white stucco arches, exposed brick walls, and country tables covered in blue checked tablecloths, they gave those locals the ultimate neighborhood concept: a Cypriot kebab house. Casual, cheap, and cheerful, as Pitsillides says, the kebab house is a fixture in Cypriot villages, with a rollicking ambience akin to a Greek taverna and a grill-centric menu built on vividly spiced meats and fresh salads. Many of these specialties, from the sweet-spiced lamb kofta skewers to the grilled sheep's milk halloumi cheese and coriander-laced meats, were at the core of the original Kanella's menu. But as Pitsillides' cuisine takes on more refinements at Kanella South, reviving the minimalist confines of Kanella Grill to refocus a spotlight more squarely on Cyprus' street-food standards has resulted in one of the more compelling dining bargains in town, with an all-day menu whose platters top out at $16. A three-course mezze feast option goes for $35 per person at dinner and requires a minimum of four diners, and is such a tremendous value, I have used it for several of my own family's events each one a resounding success. A change to allow credit cards (it was previously cash only) has made it far more convenient, and so while I still love Kanella South, the Grill is the now Kanella I tend to use most. A BYOB policy adds to the value factor. Try a good xinomavro from Greece, like the Ramnista by Kir Yianni, which is perfect for the grilled meats. Laid-back but friendly and outgoing service and a seemingly simple menu pick your skewer for a pita sandwich or platter with houmous and salads gives the impression of a no-fuss concept. But there's no compromise from the kitchen when it comes to crafting distinct flavors with each dish, many of which have a kind of shut-your-eyes effect when you take that first bite. The gyro is a perfect example. The savory power of the meat's unique marinade is already deep enough the vertical rotisserie stack of layered pork and beef seasoned with oregano, garlic, coriander, and the unexpected piquant zing of anchovy. But once it's spin-roasted to a savory crisp, it's shaved thin and then rolled up inside pita with a chopped cucumber-tomato salad, yogurt sauce, and, yes, a fistful of hot french fries, and the whole thing rises to another dimension. The hot meat crackles against the cool crunch of veggies, the tartness of the tzanziki yogurt drizzle, the hot crust and soft puff of the freshly fried potatoes. The shawarma is a convincingly different look altogether, a whole bone-in leg of lamb roasted in an aromatic rub of cumin, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, and herbs that gets sliced down into a pile of incredibly tender, juicy meat best served on a platter. With a thick smear of lemony houmous on the side, a pile of "jeweled" rice studded with raisins and capers, a spicy chopped-tomato salad, plus Cypriot pickles and a fresh pita, these platters make for a complete meal. That's a level of quality, flavors, and freshness difficult to find for $15 or less, which explains the high rating. That, and the fact I could happily eat there every week. The other meats were delicious, too, including the kofta special, whose ground lamb is tinted with exotic ras el hanout spice and lightly sweetened with apricots and pistachios. It's served over a creamy house-strained labne cheese made from fermented kefir dusted with earthy za'atar and sumac. The siftalia, the national sausage of Cyprus, brought a cinnamon- and mint-scented blend of ground pork and veal wrapped inside a sheer and grill-crisped casing. Thick chunks of a grilled mako shark special brought a satisfying fish counterpart to the meats. Barramundi has been an equally delicious recent feature. The juicy chicken, intensely flavored from a marinade in whole branches of Greek oregano and lemon zest, was also delicious. For the most part, this kitchen hit a perfect midpoint of retaining juiciness from its grilled meats without overcooking, and fully seasoning its dishes without going overboard. And the prominence of vegetables, both in featured dishes and sides, was a reflection of the freshness and rustic Mediterranean spirit characteristic of Cypriot cooking. Kanella's vegetarian sandwich is every bit as great and complex as the gyro, with char-grilled slabs of salty, stretchy, minted halloumi cheese layered inside a pita with a cold salad of herb-blasted and juicy tomatoes. The house falafel platter is now one of my favorites in town (after Mama's Vegetarian and Goldie's), the crisp round chickpea fritters greened with cilantro and shaded with coriander, cumin, and fennel. More recently, our falafel fritters were tinted crimson with the earthy surprise of beets. I also loved the spinach pie, whose stuffing was sweetened with melted leeks, dill, and nutmeg, plus creamy crumbles of Bulgarian feta. The refreshing tabuleh sparked with mint and pomegranate, and fingerling potato salad tart with red wine vinegar and toasted coriander seeds were also spot-on. The "Greek chips" (one of Pitsillides' few nods to Cyprus' neighbor) were also outstanding examples of the wedge fry genre, and a tempting alternative to the rice. Even several of the nonalcoholic Cypriot drinks pay an appealing homage to the produce department, from the thick apricot juice scented with cinnamon (a.k.a. "kanella"), to cucumber and mint juice blended with yogurt that's essentially a light, tart smoothie. The traditional soumada made of toasted and ground almonds, meanwhile, may be sweet enough for dessert. But, of course, Kanella Grill serves two classic sweets that really shouldn't be missed: one of the most buttery baklavas anywhere, its flaky layers stuffed with pistachios and walnuts, then soaked in orange syrup; and a galatopoureko that wraps phyllo around a thick semolina custard rich with vanilla. If you've spent much time over the years eating at 10th and Spruce, those desserts will be familiar. But my guess is that, because Pitsillides revived that corner as Kanella Grill, they taste sweeter than ever. Welcome back. Authentic Neapolitan pizza. A big open kitchen with a wood-fired hearth and grill. Fresh semolina pasta in sauce that isn't "red gravy." Salumi cured on-site. House-spun gelati. Such handcrafted delights may seem almost common these days. But when Osteria opened just over a decade ago, it was the first to put them all together under one roof with an ambitious scope and level of artisanship that set the bar for those trends citywide. And more than a few were skeptical such a place would last long on a stretch of North Broad Street that didn't know its salumi from its Subarus. But what a decade it's been, filled with so many francobolli robiola raviolis the size of postage stamps, so much rigatoni tossed in the rustic savor of chicken liver rage, so many spit-roasted porchettas and antipasti platters with charred Brussels sprouts, so many wine dinners and Lombarda pizzas topped with cotechino and cracked eggs, that it's quite possible Osteria lately has been a little taken for granted. Even as it remains one of the busiest, most reliable all-event destinations in town. Which is why I worried, of course, when it was sold two years to Urban Outfitters along with most of the other Vetri restaurants. I fretted even more recently when two of Osteria's three cofounders, Marc Vetri and Jeff Benjamin, officially left Urban, too. Pizzeria Vetri? Ready-made to for corporate expansion. Even the slightly simpler Roman fare at Amis seems "scalable" enough for Urban to replicate, as it already has in Connecticut and will in Devon soon. But Osteria is a unique and complex creature (as the failure of its outpost in the Moorestown Mall proved). Urban has shown some effort to keep it fresh. It invested "a couple hundred thousand" last year to brighten the industrial space with wood accents, new tables, chandeliers, and a fresh blush of cherry stain for the poured-concrete floor. The deep Italian wine cellar has grown larger than ever to almost 400 labels under sommelier Frank Kinyon, earning a recent upgrade award from the Wine Spectator. But my concerns were also put temporarily at ease at a very recent visit, when I found cofounder Jeff Michaud in his chef whites working the open kitchen and dining room, where we also spotted star chef Greg Vernick off-duty and showing some chef friends from out of town one of his local favorites. "I'm here four to five nights a week," says Michaud, who is also Urban's culinary director for Terrain. "Osteria is still my baby." With young chef de cuisine Jesse Grossman tending the wood-fired grill, we had one of our best Osteria meals in recent memory. A massive pork chop was slow-cooked over the embers to juicy seasonal perfection, with roasted moons of delicata squash and rich walnut pesto. In years past, I've enjoyed it with peaches and porcini. The classic francobolli were as amazing as ever, with huge bursts of pungent cheese flavor from the tiny ravioli ("that's our sexy pasta," says Michaud.) A pheasant rage appeared to be deceptively plain. But the ground meat sauce, accented with a fennel hit of Strega liqueur, carried a deep resonance inside the tubes and ridges of house-extruded cresto di gallo, pasta, a macaroni whose elbow shapes are edged with a fin of pasta reminiscent of a cockscomb. That knack for capturing memorable flavors from rustic cooking is consistent from years past, whether it was Michaud's famous rabbit "casalinga" over soft polenta, or an old-school veal breast trussed, rubbed with anchovy, and roasted over flames, braised tender and then finished to an outer crisp atop a creamy salsa gribiche. Perhaps the most memorable dish of my recent dinner, though, was also the most unexpected, a "carpaccio" of fresh figs whose ripe ruby center flesh was pressed on the plate into a round scattered with toasted pistachios, delicate watercress and a snow of frozen Gorgonzola shavings. There was something so purely luscious about the contrast of that sweet pulp against the snap of lacy greens and toasty nuts, and then the finishing tang of that sweet blue melting in the heat of each bite, that I hardly missed the meat normally associated with carpaccio. I was also reminded that another of Osteria's great contributions to Philadelphia's dining scene was its reverence for and mastery of vegetarian cooking. The antipasto plate (sometimes more bountiful than others), with charred Brussels sprouts, multicolored beets, fennel and other delights, is the most famous example, and still an essential starter. But something about that fig dish carried something extra. It was inspired by the fig trees that ring the house of Michaud's mother-in-law in Bergamo, Italy, Giuseppina Carrara, whose land is so rich with the fruit that her family would never deign to eat the skin. Just the heart of those ripe jewels get scooped out for their enjoyment. And it is that wondrous bounty of the Italian good life that Michaud and his crew still manage to channel here. It's genuine taste of Italy personalized and deftly updated by one of Philly's most accomplished chefs that is still alive and well at Osteria. Look for the glowing red lantern. It hangs like a mysterious beacon in the quiet heart of residential Queen Village, the only sign that something might be happening behind this nameless brick facade at Second and Fulton. But something is definitely going on behind the innocuous blue door of Royal Izakaya. Something very special. The land of the "shiny fish. " A sake lover's dream. A gastropub pioneer's vision for a tavern where Tokyo meets Philly over chashu pork wrapped in pillowy buns, grilled skewers, and karaage chicken wings that crackle with serrano heat in tangy vinegar and soy. Royal Izakaya also features the legacy of a Japanese master chef passing the spotlight and torch to his talented son. Literally. Boosh! A jet of blue flame blasts from a canister in Jesse Ito's fist as he flashes the skin along a slice of raw "kinki," a rarely seen scorpion fish imported from Japan for the rarefied omakase tastings he serves in the new sushi room. Heat brings the oils to the surface of the skin, which puckers with smoky char and snaps beneath a pinch of chives against the dense white flesh. We're tucked behind a curtain in a small room at the back of the izakaya, where eight lucky souls have secured a reservations-only seat around the gorgeous mahogany sushi counter. There's chatty fish talk between Jesse and his guests as he works away, plating fish with a finishing brush of soy before handing each piece over individually. But, mostly, this room is serene, punctuated by exclamations of pleasure as people wrap their lips around sweet ivory discs of truffle-dabbed live scallops or the luxury of Turkish bluefin tuna belly so marbled with fat it dissolves into an Omega 3 hum at the warm embrace of a bite. The deep orange plumes of plump Hokkaido uni? They're firm for a moment then melt into a briny-sweet cream that triggers a giddy shudder, then a silent nod between me and my guest. The energetic pulse of '70s glam rock and a boisterous barroom filters in as the curtain to the front room is pulled back, and I'm reminded Royal Izakaya is really a multifaceted project. In fact, it's two restaurants in one: the recently opened sushi room, a reservations-only haven where the prix-fixe menus go for $125 (18 pieces) and $65 (10 pieces); and the much larger, far more casual no-reservations izakaya pub up front with a massive menu of cooked small plates that comes with a more limited selection of sushi. It's also one of the most interesting new places to drink in town, with a deep roster of premium Japanese whiskeys, myriad sakes, shochus, and craft beers, both Japanese and Japan-inspired locals, like the house lager from Tired Hands made with Royal Izakaya's sushi rice and yuzu. It might take a few shots of top-shelf Nikka whiskey and a sense of culinary adventure before it all comes into focus, this darkly lit tavern space clad in century-old red tin ceilings and exposed brick, where Japanese anime cartoons flutter across the walls to the bopping tunes of Van Morisson and the tables are covered with skewers of grilled chicken thighs snug between charred scallions, sake-splashed clams, and stacks of deep-fried Miyagi oysters. But one thing is clear: This isn't your parents' Japanese restaurant. No rice paper walls, Kabuki sound track, or samurai swords in frames. None of the understated elegance that characterized Fuji, the beloved South Jersey institution, first in Cinnaminson then Haddonfield, where Jesse's father, Masaharu "Matt" Ito, wowed fans for 37 years with exceptional kaiseki menus of cooked Japanese cuisine. Matt and his ex-wife and partner, Yeonghui Ito, sold Fuji at the end of 2015. But he is very much involved here as a partner with Jesse, along with Steven Simmons and David Frank, owners of Khyber Pass, Royal Tavern, and the Cantinas, who have cultivated the idea of a Japanese pub in the former La Grolla space for six years, and who were simply waiting for the right chefs. Matt oversees the hot-food kitchen, and though he's not cooking the creative fine-dining fare he was known for ("maybe one day again"), his experienced hand ensures this is some of the best Japanese comfort food around. True to izakaya form, the menu offers too many options to eat in just a couple of visits (80-plus in all), but virtually all of them were delicious. Among my favorites were the crunchy burdock root salad glazed in sesame oil and soy, as well as the blanched spinach over sweet black sesame and dashi. I loved the tender pads of ginger-sauced pork, and a kinoko soba noodle soup steeped in a deeply woodsy mushroom broth. There is an array of both fried and steamed items try the kushiage sticks threaded with panko-crusted cipollini, quail eggs, shiitakes, and kabocha pumpkin. But I was drawn to heartier compositions, like the perfectly fried Berkshire pork tonkatsu cutlet, those zesty chicken wings (among the best in town), and the fried agedashi cubes tiered up into a tower of crispy tofu power. For more adventurous eaters, the ankimo sunomono monkfish liver pate is like a ponzu-splashed slice of liverwurst from the sea. Fatty strips of kurobuta pork jowl are seared with lemon and soy into savory nuggets of uncured Japanese bacon. A roasted yellowtail collar, meanwhile, remains an underappreciated pleasure, a big triangle of downy, moist flesh still on the bone. Only the extra-rubbery chew of an octo sunomono salad left me cold. It's all great fun when paired with the right things to drink something our outstanding servers carried off with lucid and enthusiastic advice, offering tastes of various spirits before we commit to an Otter Fest junmai daiginjo, or the punchy Bushido on draft over rocks, or an earthy shochu made from sweet potato. Jesse's sushi, though, is the best reason to come. He started as a 5-year-old washing the rice in his father's restaurant, eventually taking over as head sushi chef. The prices at Royal Izakaya may be startling, but they're on par for the quality with, say, Morimoto, where seasonal omakases can hit $150. If you have the cash and the craving, this experience is worth it, as Jesse's omakases reveal not just artistry and pristine ingredients, but also a compelling vision for the order of tastes, where the often subtle differences between one raw fish or another are suddenly vividly clear. It begins with the leaner fish, which vary in the density of snap (the kinki and striped beaked bream, ishidai, were my favorites). Then the buttery richness of Ora king salmon belly. An entire chapter of "shiny fish" whose silvery skins and dusky flesh ratcheted intensity up from delicate sayori needlefish to gizzard shad, then tiny iwashi sardines tempered in a wash of vinegar and soy. Three distinctly different cuts from the same bluefin tuna, all sublime. And then a rousing final parade of rich, raw seafood the geoduck clam's massive organ humbled into a crunchy fringe over rice, a Stellar Bay oyster with caviar and then that gorgeous uni and truffled scallop. A silent nod. A splash of sake. And we rose with a sushi buzz that left us aglow as we headed out past the illuminated red lantern and off into the Queen Village night. Doug Jones campaign volunteer Dana Ellis, right, talks to Ebonique Jiles, top left, and her son on Saturday in Birmingham, Ala., about voting on Tuesdays senatorial election, The Jones campaign is targeting African-Americans. Read more BIRMINGHAM, Ala. On a cold December day, as gray as the steel that used to roll out of the smoky mills in this formerly industrial city, Jimmy Lee Shields, a 50-something man who lives on disability payments, walked downtown and took a seat on a stone wall in front of Birmingham's civil rights landmark, the 16th Street Baptist Church, where four black girls were killed in a 1963 explosion triggered by the Ku Klux Klan. Unlike the carloads that come from out of state to look at the church and then visit the impressive Civil Rights Institute across the street, Shields born the year after the killings was just looking for a spot to rest his feet. And he didn't want to talk too much about the hottest topic in Alabama this week the neck-and-neck Senate race between the GOP's Roy Moore, battered by sexual-predator allegations, and Doug Jones, a Democrat looking for an upset in one of America's reddest states. But when pressed, Shields an African American man wearing a black hat that read "Jesus Is My King, Amen" said he was planning to vote for the Democrat because of the one thing he knows about him that Jones was the U.S. attorney who won convictions of two KKK members involved in the church bombings in the early 2000s, after a gap of nearly four decades. "Because of what he did for those four little girls," Shields said. If Jones has any chance of winning on Tuesday, he's going to need tens of thousands more voters like Shields African Americans who are now the heart and soul of the Democratic Party in Alabama and across the Deep South, and who have the ability to tip the scales in what's expected, despite all the national publicity, to be a low-turnout election. In a state that forged its reputation for many modern Americans with its pitched battles over civil rights, on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, in the schoolhouse door where George Wallace stood in Tuscaloosa, and in the streets near the 16th Street church, where marchers led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were met by fire hoses and police dogs, there's a weird dynamic around race and the Senate race. Black voters make up roughly 29 percent of the Alabama electorate, but in a December election where experts think just 20 percent to 25 percent of those eligible might go to the polls, a surge in African American turnout could make the difference. Yet Jones probably can't win without also gaining white votes, particularly from upscale Republicans, especially women, more likely to be offended by Moore and his alleged molestations. That means that Jones has generally avoided grand gestures to call attention to his black support, not bringing in former President Barack Obama, who recently campaigned for Democrats in New Jersey and Virginia but was deeply unpopular with white voters in the South. When I saw Jones campaign in Huntsville last week, he did appear with a leading local African American politician, Anthony Daniels, the new minority leader in the state House. But he spoke longer about matters that might appeal to wavering Republicans, like veterans affairs and his support, as a hunter, for the Second Amendment, than about bread-and-butter issues. The danger of this strategy is an enthusiasm gap in the black community, even after recent reports that the GOP's Moore told a black questioner in September that families were stronger and America was better in the slavery era. Last month, a New York Times reporter visited a strip mall outside of Selma and found six of 10 black voters chosen randomly didn't even know about the election. A Washington Post poll suggested the problem isn't quite that bad, but it did find that white voters were following the election more closely than blacks. When I asked Daniels about the seeming lack of energy in the black community, he insisted that Alabama's African American voters aren't an enthusiastic lot until Election Day arrives. "I don't know if you saw energy even with Obama until they got out to the polls," he said. In this final weekend of the campaign, the Jones campaign did bring in prominent outsiders, like New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker seemingly a belated acknowledgement that more work needed to be done in predominantly black neighborhoods. Even though the election has been portrayed as hanging on how voters perceive the allegations against Moore, or Jones' controversial support for abortion rights, black voters say the biggest factor in the Senate election, as in most contests here, is driven by the tribal loyalty that whites have shown to the GOP that began evolving in 1964, when then-Democratic President Lyndon Johnson embraced civil rights legislation. A sense of bitterness is palpable along Fourth Avenue South in Birmingham, home to a small block of black-owned stores and restaurants, as well as Jones' statewide campaign office. At the Yeh-man restaurant, serving up Caribbean food next door to Jones' headquarters, there's a "Your Vote Matters" poster, seen at many black-owned businesses, but the counter man who didn't want his name used voiced cynicism. "It's a matter of black and white," he told me. "Doug Jones is the black candidate, and Roy Moore is the white candidate. That's just the way it is." The hard-won black voting rights have meant some impressive results on the local level, like Birmingham's new progressive mayor, Randall Woodfin, but have done little for African Americans on the state level, as Alabama moved to the extreme. That outcome feels particularly fraught in the shadow of the 16th Street Baptist Church and the civil rights museum, where visitors see a replica of the Freedom Riders' Greyhound bus that was burned by white vigilantes in 1961, and the actual shoe that was blown off 11-year-old victim Denise McNair two years later. On Fourth Avenue, at the Talk of the Town barber shop, the husband of a woman whose sister died in the bombing still gets his hair cut every week. But "it's still Alabama, it's still a red state," shrugged Charles Hicks, 55, one of the two barbers at the shop, a center for grooming and political gossip since the early 1970s. Republicans like Moore remain a mystery, he said, because they never bother to campaign for black votes. "He's scared to come to the neighborhood," Hicks said. But Hicks and his fellow barber Eugene Jones who wears a T-shirt saying he's a "Birmingham 1963 Foot Soldier are genuinely enthusiastic about Doug Jones, who's dropped by their shop a couple of times. "The change he is for is a powerful change," said Jones, citing his courage in prosecuting members of the Klan. "Those people will come after you," he said. Behind the barber as he shaved the back of a customer's head, a large white placard declared "Register to vote. Here. Now." Eugene Jones said the sign was carried in a Selma voting-rights march and has been in the barber shop since the day it opened. It served as a stark reminder of what remains at stake in Tuesday's election the stakes that too many folks don't talk about often enough. The decline in oil prices over the past few years has dramatically impacted the oil and gas industry's ability to pay dividends to shareholders. Cash flows shrank as oil plunged, which forced most producers to cut back spending to survive. In many cases, one of the first outflows to go were dividends, because producers needed the cash to finance in-process growth projects. That said, several larger oil producers were able to withstand the market downturn and not only maintain their dividend payouts but continue growing them even as they kept investing in the future. Now, with oil prices stabilizing in the upper $50s and those investments starting to come online, these companies have an even greater ability to keep increasing their already above-average payouts. That ability to survive and now thrive makes them excellent oil dividend stocks to buy now, with the following five standing out as the top options: Oil Dividend Stock Current Yield Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE: CNQ) 2.36% Chevron (NYSE: CVX) 3.60% ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) 3.69% Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) 4.39% Suncor Energy (NYSE: SU) 2.84% A gusher of cash flow is coming down the pipeline With a strong balance sheet heading into the oil market downturn, Canadian Natural Resources had the financial flexibility to continue investing in growth initiatives while still paying a growing dividend, which it has now increased for 17 straight years after boosting it an impressive 17% last year. Those investments to expand its production position the Canadian energy giant to generate a gusher of cash flow in the years to come. In fact, the company currently expects to produce enough cash to finance 4.3 billion Canadian dollars ($3.3 billion) of new investments next year and pay its dividend with CA$2.3 billion to CA$2.7 billion ($1.8 billion to $2.1 billion) left over at current oil prices. That ability to generate substantial excess cash even though oil remains relatively low suggests the payout is on solid ground. In fact, it's likely that Canadian Natural Resources will continue growing the dividend by a peer-leading rate in 2018 and beyond given its expectation that cash flow will increase by a 13% compound annual rate through 2021. Flipping the switch on cash flow Chevron has also continued investing during the oil market downturn while increasing its dividend, which is something it has done for 30 straight years. While many questioned the sustainability of the payout in 2015 and 2016 as the company outspent cash flow by an average of $12 billion each year, those concerns have faded away this year given that the oil giant has generated $500 million in free cash flow after paying the dividend. Meanwhile, despite tacking on a significant amount of debt to finance its growth initiatives during the downturn, the company's leverage ratio remains in a comfortable range. As a result, Chevron will likely continue increasing its dividend in the coming years, especially given its forecast for free cash flow, which could reach $4 billion by 2020 even if oil stays at $50 a barrel. And if crude prices rise, so would the company's excess cash, with Chevron projecting the potential to produce nearly $8 billion in free cash flow in 2020 if crude is in the $60s, and as much as $12 billion if it tops $70 a barrel. Quickly fading fears ExxonMobil also resisted calls to cut its dividend during the dark days of the oil market downturn when it was vastly outspending cash flow to finance expansion projects. However, like Chevron and Canadian Natural Resources, it could afford to keep spending thanks to its top-tier balance sheet. Meanwhile, with oil prices now having improved a bit, those investments are starting to pay off. So far this year the company has generated $22.7 billion in cash from operations, which more than covered its $9.7 billion dividend outlay and the $10.9 billion it spent on additional growth projects, leaving it with excess cash to repurchase $500 million in stock and pay off some debt. Meanwhile, with more growth projects coming on stream, and oil prices likely to remain stable, if not head higher, Exxon should be able to continue increasing its dividend, which is something this Dividend Aristocrat has done for 35 straight years. Building a firm foundation at $40 a barrel Like most oil companies, Occidental Petroleum worked hard during the oil market downturn to get to the point where it could thrive on lower oil prices. It aims to be able to fund its dividend and the capital needed to keep production flat on the cash flow it would pull in at $40 oil, which would then enable it to increase output by a 5% to 8% annual rate at $50 oil. While the company hasn't reached this level just yet, it has a clear path to get there soon. Furthermore, it has ample liquidity to stay on plan even if oil falls. Therefore it looks increasingly likely that Occidental Petroleum will be able to keep growing its dividend as has been the case in each of the last 15 years. On pace for double-digit annual increases through 2019 Canadian oil sands giant Suncor Energy has also increased its payout for 15 straight years. However, that streak doesn't appear to be ending anytime soon given that the company is in the process of completing two major growth projects, which, when combined with some recent acquisitions, position it to grow production by a 10% compound annual rate through 2019. That output should generate more than enough cash at current oil prices to enable Suncor Energy to continue investing in expansion projects, grow its dividend along with production, and repurchase CA$1 billion to CA$2 billion ($780 million to $1.6 billion) in shares per year. Plus, if oil falls, the company can tap the brakes on the buyback since it can amply cover the dividend and its current annual capital spending level even if crude fell back to $40. Core oil stocks for almost any portfolio One thing all five of these oil stocks have in common is that each can generate the cash needed to maintain their dividend and invest in growth projects at current oil prices. Consequently, all should have no problem continuing to pay (and likely grow) shareholder payouts even if the price of oil remains relatively low. That makes them excellent choices for investors who are seeking to add an oil-fueled dividend to their portfolio. 10 stocks we like better than ExxonMobil When 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 ExxonMobil 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, 2017 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. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Vice President Pence is planning on visiting Israel, occupied Palestinian territories, and other countries in the nearby region later this month, but thanks to President Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, multiple religious leaders have opted not to meet with Pence. The latest is Egypts Coptic Church. In a statement, a spokesman for the church said it had excused itself from hosting the vice president, arguing that Trumps move was inappropriate and without consideration for the feelings of millions of people. In addition to the Egyptian Coptic Church, Jibril Rajoub, who serves as Secretary General of the Central Committee for Palestines Fatah Central Committee, said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would not be meeting with Pence. In the name of Fatah I say that we will not welcome Trumps deputy in the Palestinian Territories, Rajoub said. He asked to meet [Abbas] on the 19th of this month in Bethlehem, such a meeting will not take place. Though White House officials said the vice president still intends to meet Abbas, arguing that it would be counterproductive not to do so, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat also said there would be no talks with Pence until President Trump reverses his Jerusalem decision. Trump delivered an 11-minute speech on Wednesday from the White Houses Diplomatic Reception Room making the declaration. Today we finally acknowledge the obvious: that Jerusalem is Israels capital, he said. This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do. Its something that has to be done. The move to affirm Jerusalem as Israels capital has been denounced by U.S. enemies and allies alike, including the president of Turkey, the Hezbollah in Lebanon, Irans army chief, the prime minister of Iraq, and the governments of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates; all argue that Trumps verdict is likely to spark chaos, violence, and division in an already unstable region of the world. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print A fiercely divided Supreme Court voted 5-4 on Friday to lift an order filed by San Francisco District Judge William Alsup requiring the Trump administration to produce documents outlining the decision to end theDeferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The documents the order sought included emails, departmental memoranda, policy directives, meeting minutes, materials considered by Secretary Dukes subordinates, communications from White House officials or staff, communications from the Department of Justice, and communications between DHS and state authorities. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, and Elena Kagan voted against; Justices Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch voted in favor. Unsurprisingly, all who voted against are Democrats, while those who voted in favor are Republicans. All three women justices sit on the blue side of the aisle. By 5-to-4 vote, Supreme Court lets Trump administration shield documents in cases challenging DACA termination pic.twitter.com/kxyeLKmvu6 Adam Liptak (@adamliptak) December 8, 2017 Fifteen states, several DACA recipients, and the University of California are suing the government over the decision to end the Obama-era program, and Judge Alsup issued the order for additional documents arguing that the Trump administration could not say they had to rescind DACA because it exceeded the lawful authority of the agency while simultaneously refusing to disclose the legal research that led to that conclusion. Had Alsups order been upheld, officials would have had to review roughly 1.6 million documents by December 22, which Trumps camp insisted would have taken up too much of the Department of Homeland Security and Justice Departments resources. Justice Brayer, joined by the other three Democratic judges, issued a 10-page dissent following the courts ruling. In my view, the Governments arguments do not come close to carrying the heavy burden that the Government bears in seeking such extraordinary relief, Breyer wrote. He further added that, The Government also complains about the burden imposed by the District Courts order, but that argument is also beside the point. The Government complains that it must review 21,000 documents as potentially part of the administrative record. But the underlying agency action here is important, and that is by no means an unusually large number of documents; administrative records often contain hundreds of thousands of documents. After Mondays ruling allowing Trumps travel ban to take full effect, this is the second major blow the Supreme Court deals immigrants in just one week. Three months ago the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension turned over its file in the July 15 shooting of Justine Damond by Minneapolis Police Officer Mohamed Noor to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman. Freeman has vowed to make the prosecutorial decision himself rather than submit the case to a grand jury. We therefore await Freemans charging decision in this apparently outrageous case. Its an important case. Justice is due the friends and family of Ms. Damond, but the case is important for another reason as well. It opens one more window onto the Minneapolis kakistocracy. When we last checked in on the story this past October, the Star Tribune had reported a story by Adam Belz on the strained relationship between former Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and former Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau. Noor himself isnt talking, but Belz reported toward the bottom of his story: When the BCA said July 18 that Noor shot from the squad car and Damond was unarmed, Harteau said she realized the full weight of the situation, because Noors partner, Officer Matthew Harrity, offered no defense of the shooting. It was clear to me that he didnt know why this happened, Harteau said. That may be the most illuminating piece of information reported since the initial flurry of stories following Damonds killing. As we have awaited Freemans charging decision for too long now, several readers have written to ask what is happening. The song remains the same: we await Freemans charging decision. In todays Star Tribune, Brandon Stahl returns to the story to remind us: we await Freemans charging decision. Stahl doesnt add much to the story, but he notes that Freemans decision should be imminent: he promised to announce his decision before the end of this year. Stahls story at least makes it clear that the case has not been forgotten. Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. Holocaust survivor tells his story to EHT students {child_byline}CLAIRE LOWE Staff Writer {/child_byline} EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP As perhaps the last generation to hear directly from survivors and veterans of World War II, Egg Harbor Township High School students were charged Wednesday with carrying on the story of the Holocaust to future generations. You now become de facto witnesses, said Doug Cervi, who helped bring Polish Holocaust survivor-turned-World War II veteran David Wisnia to the district. If youre having a bad day, wait until you hear the story he has. Cervi is an adjunct professor at Stockton University and former history teacher at Oakcrest High School in Mays Landing who helps coordinate Wisnias appearances. He has been working with Wisnia for two decades. The two men met on a trip to Auschwitz in 1996. Cervi convinced the Levittown, Pennsylvania, resident to share his story with students in Cervis history class. I actually had six students at Oakcrest that told me that the Holocaust did not happen, Cervi said. Think about that. From there, Wisnia has continued to speak and sing at schools. He was featured in a Buzzfeed video in August. Cervi helped Wisnia write a book about his life, One Voice, Two Lives. The students listened patiently to Wisnia, who admittedly rambled at times, as he described the story of his life as a Jewish child in Nazi-occupied Poland during the 1930s and 40s. Its not a pretty one to begin with, even though the ending is quite wonderful, which is quite unusual for a Holocaust story, Wisnia said. Wisnia was a child when Adolf Hitlers Nazi army in Germany invaded Poland and forced his family and other Jewish people into the Warsaw Ghetto. One day, when he fatefully took his fathers place at work, he came back to find his whole family murdered during a raid in the ghetto. Thats when all hell broke loose in Warsaw, Wisnia said. He ran away, but was captured and taken to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Wisnia used his charm and singing talent to get preferred treatment, which he credits with helping him survive several years of detention. According to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, more than 1 million people died there from 1940 to 1945. Auschwitz-Birkenau was a jungle, Wisnia said. Of the more than 1,500 prisoners he rode with on a train to Auschwitz, six marched out of the camp in 1944. Can you picture that? Wisnia asked. From Auschwitz, Wisnia was sent to Dachau in Germany. On a work assignment in 1945, Wisnia was headed by train to Austria and was able to escape as the train took fire from Russian and U.S. air forces. He eventually came upon American soldiers traveling in a tank. All of this was my first life, Wisnia said. From there, Wisnia joined the war effort with the Americans, serving as a translator until the war was over. After the war, Wisnia returned to Auschwitz before moving to the United States, where he raised his family. I really appreciate what this country gave me, Wisnia said. I understand what the United States is all about. Each year, Wisnia attends the reunion of the U.S. Army 101st airborne division in Florida. He is one of only seven veterans still living and able to attend. It makes it very real for them. I can sit here in the classroom and talk until Im blue in the face, social studies teacher Rachel Worrall said. But when they hear it from the person who lived it, it really drives it home. Maddie Hart, 17, said because she is Jewish, she was particularly interested in hearing Wisnias story firsthand and being able to share that with her future family. I couldnt even image, she said. Im getting a book, and Im getting pictures. I want to be able to tell my kids about it. {child_tagline} {/child_tagline} ATLANTIC CITY Its been five years since Hurricane Sandy, but local officials and environmental advocates havent stopped discussing the storm and its consequences. At a climate change and energy town hall Saturday, local experts drew attention to environmental equity and how to prevent communities from falling through the cracks. The forum, How Climate Change & Dirty Energy Impact Our Communities, was sponsored by Food & Water Watch, ReThink Energy NJ, the Pinelands Preservation Alliance and the National Institute for Healthy Human Spaces. The afternoon forum addressed concepts such as climate change, flood prevention and ways to mitigate storm repercussions in the area and it all drew back to Atlantic City. Carol Ruffu, president of the Chelsea Neighborhood Association who came to the forum to discuss the fight to prevent the Municipal Utilities Authority from being privatized, said construction was completed last month on her Chelsea Heights home that was damaged during Sandy. I know the frustrations that are out there, she said. And several Jersey Shore residents are still waiting to get back into their homes after the storm, said Priscilla Robinson, an organizer with the New Jersey Organizing Project. This forum was really to ensure that were prepared for the next storm, she said, adding people have had trouble moving back in, health and financial consequences from the damage, and frustrations with recovery aid. People have depleted everything just trying to rebuild their homes, she said. Roy Jones, executive director of the National Institute for Healthy Human Spaces, discussed how Atlantic City and the region surrounding it must protect itself from future storms. Even when theres no storm, theres flooding, he said. Jones cited the prevalence of flooding in Atlantic City as an example, and brought up potential solutions to overflowing bays and storm damage prevention. He cited sea level rise and a lack of storm barriers around parts of South Jersey coastal islands. With the right push for funding, he said, communities can properly raise roads, bridges and homes and flood-proof homes and businesses. Unless we do something today, Atlantic City could basically become a river, he said. The forum also addressed environmental equity around the state with keynote speaker Nicky Sheats, director of the Center for the Urban Environment at Thomas Edison State University. He spoke on environmental justice and the need to protect all neighborhoods from pollution. He showed the relationships between pollution and minority communities, and pollution and poverty. If you live in New Jersey, the amount of pollution in your neighborhood is connected to race and income: the amount in your pocket, and the color of your skin, he said. CAIRO, Dec. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Moneyfellows of Egypt has been announced winner of the MetLife Foundation Inclusion Plus competition in Egypt & Lebanon. The competition was open to entrepreneurs, businesses and non-profit organizations and aimed to discover innovative solutions to promote financial capability and access to financial services. With more than 30 entries, Moneyfellows won the grand prize and collected a grant of $50,000. Moneyfellows is a web and mobile-based platform that enables people to access interest-free credit and saving achievements powered by their personal network. This is accomplished by digitizing the traditional offline Rotating Saving and Credit Association (ROSCA) model and by utilizing alternative models for credit scoring users. By making ROSCAs digital, this popular option the world-over becomes safer, more transparent, scalable and organized. MetLife Foundation is proud to support this first-of-its-kind innovation competition that supports entrepreneurs at the forefront of financial inclusion in Egypt and Lebanon. More than 50 MetLife volunteers acted as mentors and judges, providing advice, support, and partnership that will help the ventures develop and grow. "Without our MetLife mentors, it would have been much tougher to be honest. They were the ones that really pushed us to improve our application, our presentation, and even the content itself," said Ahmed Wadi, Founder and CEO of Moneyfellows. "We look forward to continue working with them and the MetLife team as a whole." ReAble of Lebanon, in second place, won $25,000 and received in-kind support from VIP Judge, Jihad Bitar, to be part of Lebanon's Smart ESA accelerator. PayMob of Egypt, in third place, took home $12,000 and Alashanek ya Balady for Sustainable Development of Egypt, Al Majmoua of Lebanon and AID:Tech of Lebanon were each awarded $5,000. "It is one of MetLife Egypt's priorities to support SMEs and entrepreneurs, which contributes to MetLife Foundation's financial inclusion efforts to empower this important segment in the community," said Elena Butarova, Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of MetLife in Egypt. "It is very encouraging to see how corporate foundations and multinational businesses can partner with social entrepreneurs to fuel innovation and impact. The MetLife Foundation, MetLife Egypt and MetLife Lebanon have come together to demonstrate how competitions can be a powerful engine to help address some of the world's biggest economic problems," said Verb Co-Founder and CEO, Suzi Sosa. "We congratulate the winners who have developed a powerful new way to include more people in planning for their financial futures." The Inclusion Plus Egypt & Lebanon competition is part of a broader partnership between MetLife Foundation and Verb that will run across ten countries over a three-year period. Competitions have been completed in Ireland, China, India and Mexico. These competitions help advance financial inclusion for the estimated two billion people globally who do not currently have access to formal financial services. To learn more about the competitions, visit inclusionplus.com. About MetLife Foundation MetLife Foundation was created in 1976 to continue MetLife's long tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Since its founding through the end of 2016, MetLife Foundation has provided more than $744 million in grants and $70 million in program-related investments to organizations addressing issues that have a positive impact in their communities. In 2013, the Foundation committed $200 million to financial inclusion, and our work to date has reached more than 3.5 million low-income individuals in 39 countries. To learn more about MetLife Foundation, visit metlife.org. About Verb, Inc. Verb is a social enterprise that produces global social entrepreneurship competitions and delivers employee engagement in partnership with companies, foundations and governments. Verb competitions mobilize thousands of teams from around the world to solve the planet's most pressing social and environmental problems. Founded in 2013 by Austin entrepreneurs Suzi Sosa and Tom Meredith, Verb leverages its online platform, innovation expertise, and entrepreneur network to produce a social innovation engagement experience unlike any other. For more information, please visit www.verb.net/. About MetLife MetLife, Inc., through its subsidiaries and affiliates ("MetLife"), is one of the world's leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to help its individual and institutional customers navigate their changing world. Founded in 1868, MetLife has operations in more than 40 countries and holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com. Related Links http://www.verb.net SOURCE Verb, Inc. 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 Associate Editor John Nichols has been with The Capital Times since 1993 and has become one of Wisconsin's best-known progressive voices. He is the author of seven books on politics and the media and he also writes about electoral politics and public policy for The Nation magazine. Tokyo, Dec 8 : Two women were killed and another person was injured in a stabbing incident at a shrine in Tokyo, with the male suspect appearing to have committed suicide, Japanese authorities said on Friday. The incident took place on Thursday night at the Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine, east of Tokyo, reports Efe news. The assailant, identified as 56-year-old Shigenaga Tomioka, attacked his 58-year-old sister sister Nagako Tomioka, the shrine's chief priestess,with a Samurai sword and killed her after she got off from a chauffeur-driven car. Later, the attacker's girlfriend, reportedly in her 30s, and who was at the entrance of the shrine at the time, chased the fleeing chauffeur for more than 100 metres before slashing him on the shoulder with a sword, police sources told state-owned broadcaster NHK. Tomioka then fatally stabbed his girlfriend and committed suicide with the weapon used in the attack, according to the police, who reached the scene of the crime after receiving calls from residents. The attacker was the chief priest of the shrine more than a decade ago, but was demoted from the post and succeeded by his sister. He was arrested in 2006 after sending his sister letters with death threats, according to the Asahi daily. The attacker and his sister belong to a family that has managed the Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine for generations since its founding in 1627. Srinagar, Dec 9 : Authorities on Saturday disallowed a seminar on human rights organised by Kashmiri separatist leaders in the house of senior Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani here. JKLF chief Yasin Malik, who was also slated to take part, subsequently went underground to evade arrest as he intends to lead the separatists' protest on Sunday against the US move to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The joint resistance leadership (JRL), a separatist conglomerate headed by Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Malik had organised the seminar at Geelani's Hyderpora residence. Titled, 'Human rights violations in Kashmir and criminal silence of World community', the seminar could not be held as a heavy contingent of police and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) outside Geelani's residence did not allow anyone to enter the house. Geelani has been under house arrest for nearly one year as authorities fear his participation in separatist protests could result in a major law and order problem. Umer Farooq was placed under house arrest by police on Thursday. Gaza, Dec 9 : Israel has targeted a number of sites of militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for earlier rocket strikes. The Israeli military said it hit a weapons manufacturing site and an ammunition store early on Saturday while a Hamas military post was also pounded by the Israeli war jets with two missiles in northern Gaza on Friday evening, the BBC reported. Ten Palestinians were hurt in the reprisal bombing, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The Israel shelling came after three rockets were fired from Gaza to Israel in the past day, with one hitting the southern city of Sderot. Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have increased since US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Two Palestinians were killed and more than 300 others were wounded during Friday protests in Gaza and West Bank. Mahmoud al-Masry, 30, was fatally shot during a "Days of Rage" protest in the Gaza town of Khan Younis, while 54-year-old Maher Atallah died at the hands of Israeli troops in the northern part of Gaza, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Another 340 Palestinians were wounded by rubber bullets or live rounds, said the Ministry, while nearly 750 required medical attention for teargas inhalation and blows, Efe news reported. Though the largest number of wounded was in the West Bank, the most serious injuries occurred in Gaza, where 170 people were shot. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said that 4,500 Palestinians took part in "violent demonstrations" in Gaza hurling burning tires and rocks at troops and police. Twenty-eight protesters were arrested in the West Bank, the IDF said. The US saw itself isolated at the Security Council session in New York as members of the UNSC criticised its Jerusalem stand and warned that it would raise tensions in the area. The political conflict over Jerusalem could turn into an unrelenting religious conflict, France's Permanent Representative Francois Delattre said. Citing several Council resolutions, he said that any unilateral changes to the city's status would be null and void. US Permanent Representative Nikki Haley said the US "recognises the obvious, that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel". She said the US continued to be "committed to achieving a lasting peace agreement", and accused the UN of bias, saying it "has outrageously been one of the world's foremost centres of hostility towards Israel". "Israel will never be, and never should be, bullied into an agreement by the UN or by any collection of countries that have proven their disregard for Israel's security," Haley said. Elsewhere, demonstrations against Trump's announcement have spread as thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters held rallies in Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, Tunisia and Iran. Demonstrations were also held in Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country. Gaza/West Bank, Dec 9 : Rescue teams on Saturday found a body of a Palestinian killed in last night's Israeli airstrikes on northern Gaza Strip, raising the death toll to three. Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qedra told reporters that two other Palestinians were killed in the clashes on the borders and 170 people were wounded. Israeli war jets carried out fresh airstrikes at around 3.45 a.m. on Saturday. They struck with missiles three military posts that belong to Hamas in northern, central and southern Gaza Strip, Xinhua news agency reported. 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 to carry on with the "uprising" all over the Palestinian territories. Clashes were renewed in the morning east of Gaza City and east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip between schoolchildren and Israeli soldiers. One school boy was injured, according to officials. Meanwhile, violence also broke out in West Bank city of Bethlehem between Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces stationed at the northern entrance of the city. Political factions called for more protests in the West Bank. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was expected to head a series of meetings of the political leadership and his own Fatah party later in the day. Mumbai, Dec 10 : Actor Gavie Chahal says working with superstar Salman Khan on "Tiger Zinda Hai" was an enriching experience. "Tiger Zinda Hai" is a sequel to the 2012 blockbuster "Ek Tha Tiger". It also features actress Katrina Kaif. Gavie was in the first part as well as captain Abrar. "Ek Tha Tiger" centered on the life of a RAW agent (Salman), code-named Tiger, who falls in love with a Pakistani spy (Katrina) during an investigation, and how Tiger's ideology and principles change over time. "It was amazing to rejoin the Tiger and Zoya (Katrina) team. I was so enthusiastic about it. We have put in a lot of effort in the film as we know the high expectations people have from this film," Gavie said in a statement. Talking about working on the sequel, he said: "I learnt so much from Salman Khan. I still remember how he encouraged us to shoot in extreme temperatures. He would say 'Focus on your vision, keep doing hard work and always be extra alert. But don't put the extra and unwanted burden on you'." The first part was directed by Kabir Khan, and the sequel has been helmed by Ali Abbas Zafar. Gavie says he can't differentiate between the directors. "They both are masters in their work in their own ways, and I enjoyed and learned a lot. It was amazing working with Kabir and Ali sir," he said. The team of "Tiger Zinda Hai" was shot in scenic locales of Austria and Abu Dhabi. The film will release on December 22. London, Dec 10 : British Prime Minister Theresa May on Saturday congratulated her Iraqi counterpart Haider Abadi over the Islamic State victory, but warned the militant group is "not yet defeated". Extremists are "still pose a threat to Iraq, including from over the Syrian border", May said in a statement issued here after the Iraqi prime minister claimed an end to the fight against the terrorist group earlier Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported. Abadi announced that the Islamic State no longer occupies significant territory in Iraq, and the fight against Islamic State was over after more than three years of combat operations. "I congratulate prime minister Abadi and all Iraqis on this historic moment," May said. "This signals a new chapter towards a more peaceful, prosperous country." "We must be clear however, that whilst Da'esh is failing, they are not yet defeated," she said. "They still pose a threat to Iraq, including from over the Syrian border." Iraqi forces mopped up the last pockets of IS fighters from Iraq's western deserts on Saturday, securing the country's border with Syria, a step that marked the end of combat operations against the extremists. IS, which stands for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, rapidly captured large territories in Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate in 2014. The group controlled more than 34,000 square miles of territory from the Mediterranean coast to south of Baghdad. The campaign to eradicate the Islamic State took more than three years and about 25,000 coalition air strikes. Iraqi forces have increasingly been pushing IS out of the country over the past few months. Troops last month retook the town of Rawa, one of IS' last footholds in the country. At that point, only pockets of IS resistance remained. Cairo, Dec 10 : The Foreign Minister of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) said here on Saturday that with President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital the US had taken sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and forfeited its role as mediator. Riyad al-Maliki made his remarks at a press conference before an extraordinary meeting of Arab League foreign leaders in Cairo, Efe news agency reported. "By making this decision, the US administration transferred itself from the role of mediator to becoming a side in the conflict," al-Maliki was quoted as saying by Palestinian news agency WAFA. He stressed that there will be no official contact between any Palestinian and American officials, noting that the PNA will seek a "new international focal point for ending the occupation." Al-Maliki pointed out that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced on Saturday that in response to Trump's decision he will not meet with US Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the region this month. Despite this change in the US position, the foreign minister said Palestinians will not withdraw from the peace process. "We will ask all countries that recognize Palestine to recognize East Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the state of Palestine, for both Christians and Muslims," al-Maliki added. Srinagar, Dec 10 : Restrictions were imposed in many parts of Srinagar on Sunday to prevent a separatist-called protest march, police said. The areas under restrictions were Khanyar, Nowhatta, Rainawari, M.R. Gunj, Safa Kadal, Maisuma and Kralkhud. "Partial restrictions have also been imposed in Kothibagh and Ram Munshibagh areas," the police said. The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), a separatist conglomerate, has called the protest march to the headquarters of the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in Sonawar to highlight human rights violations in Kashmir. The march coincides with the World Human Rights Day observed annually on December 10. Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman, Muhammad Yasin Malik has gone underground. Authorities have already placed Mirwaiz Umer Farooq under house arrest while the octogenarian senior separatist leader, Syed Ali Geelani continues to remain under house arrest for nearly a year. Heavy contingents of police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed in the areas placed under restrictions. Amreli (Gujarat), Dec 10 : Patidars, whose movement for job reservation has created a stir in Gujarat in the last few years, are a divided lot with youth in the rural areas appearing to be providing strong support to their leader Hardik Patil, while those in urban areas may not be that enthusiastic about him. Travelling through Patidar-dominated areas in Mehsana, Amreli, Vadodara and Surat, a visiting IANS correspondent found the reaction mixed in the community -- divided between supporters and opponents of Hardik Patel, the 24-year-old youth leader who has created a storm in the state. Youngsters in rural areas appear to be hard-core supporters of Hardik Patel while in urban pockets, the community seems to be divided between the BJP and Hardik-led Paatidar Anaamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) fighting for reservation for the affluent and landed Patels. Deepak Bhai Patel, who runs a medical shop in the Mehsana Assembly constituency in Mehsana district, the bastion of the Patidar community and a BJP citadel, said that the community needs reservations because those who come from families with small landholdings are in a poor condition and need justice. When reminded about the constitutional cap of 50 per cent on reservations, he said: "Kuch na kuch rasta niklega (Some way will be found). If they don't find a way, they will suffer as elections will again come." Mehsana is the home district of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel represents it in the Assembly. Patel is locked in a tough contest against Congress candidate Jivabhai Patel, a former MP. A Patidar youth in Surat, Amit Patel, said: "Anamat mile na mile, bhai, bhai ko hi favour karega (We may or may not get reservations but a brother will only favour his brother)." However, there are youths like Parvej Patel and Chirag Patel, who are not bothered about reservations. Parvej Patel, a Chartered Accountant in Vadodara, said: "Patidars here are affluent. Most of them are in business and they don't care about education. Their priority is business. So where does reservation matter to them?" Chirag Patel, a businessman in Surat, said: "We want security and the BJP provides that. Due to GST, we faced a lot of trouble, but they are taking corrective measures too. It will benefit us and the country as well in the long term." Despite anger and displeasure with the BJP, there are many like Parvej and Chirag who vow to vote for the saffron party to keep the Congress out of power, as they feel they would be insecure if the BJP loses. There are many assembly constituencies in Mehsana, Surat and Amreli which have been witnessing a pitched battle between the BJP and the Patidars. Patidars are categorised under various sub-castes dominated by Leuva and Kadva, who claim their ancestry to the sons of Lord Ram: Luv and Kush. Leuva Patels claim that they are the descendants of Luv, Lord Ram's elder son, and Kadvas of Kush, the younger son. Since Hardik Patel is a Kadva Patel, he has been successful in mobilising them. He has formed committees of youth Patidars in many of the villages. Worried by the Hardik factor, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to woo the OBCs. In Saurashtra, North and South Gujarat, the Patidars hold the key in many of the seats and an overwhelming majority of them had been supporters of the BJP in previous elections, but this time many from the community have joined hands with Hardik, which is likely to benefit the Congress. A discussion at a tea stall in the Sardar circle area of Amreli in Saurashtra presented a typical scene that is prevalent in the state. The discussion took an ugly turn when journalists sought to know the mood of the Patidars. Pareek Sohaliya, a B.Com student, claimed that Paresh Dhanani, the Congress candidate, will win as he has the support of the Patidars. "A lot of development work has been initiated by Paresh Bhai. He has defeated BJP ministers like Purshottam Rupala and Dilip Bhai Sanghani. This time, the BJP candidate will lose his deposit," Sohaliya, a Patidar, said. But Balji Bhai, also a Patidar, countered his claim. "Come with me. I will show you the development of Amreli. The underground gutter project has not yet been completed. Roads are pot-holed and due to this, the people of the area suffer." Asked about the Hardik Patel factor, Balji Bhai said, he is not worth a dime. "To win the elections, the Congress has adopted the three monkeys of Gandhiji (Gandhiji ke teen bandar). Hardik, Alpesh and Jignesh." The BJP has fielded Bhavku Bhai Undhad, a Patidar and a former Congressmen who joined the saffron party before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. He represented Lathi constituency in the outgoing assembly. Sanghani, the former agriculture minister, is contesting from adjoining Dhari constituency. Rupala is a minister in the Narendra Modi government. (Brajendra Nath Singh can be contacted at brajendra.n@ians.in ) Women chant slogans and wave Palestinian flags during a protest at the Unknown Soldier Square in Gaza City on Wednesday over U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he plans to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Laharwalpora (Jammu And Kashmir), Dec 10 : Bilal Ahmad Dar, 18, is ready to start his daily journey into the Wular Lake, said to be Asia's largest fresh-water lake, early in the morning on a bitterly cold December day. For the last four years, this teenaged breadwinner of the family has been collecting plastic bottles, metal scrap, empty tetra packs and other waste left behind by locals and tourists, who come to visit the lake and end up littering it. Bilal does not go to school like other boys of his age. He had to hang up his school bag when his father, Muhammad Ramzan, died five years ago leaving behind his mother, Mugli, elder sister Kulsuma, younger sister Rakshana and Bilal. Fate forced Bilal to make a living for his poor family by collecting refuse and trash from Wular Lake and selling it to scrap buyers. In the process, this teenager has been doing what the government failed to do -- cleaning the famous lake, the community's lifeline -- which was his passion even as a kid. "Wular Lake is our life. I have always been pained to see people leaving behind metallic, plastic and other waste while they come here for sightseeing. Even when my father was alive, I used to go to the bank of the lake and try to remove unhealthy waste left there. When my father died, I had no option but to give up my studies and start earning for myself and my family. "I decided to make a living by chasing my passion to preserve the lake on whose banks I was born and brought up," Bilal told IANS. The small, apparently unnoticed effort was lauded by none other than the country's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who made a special mention of Bilal and his effort in his "Mann Ki Baat" address to the nation. Bilal said, "I did not know about the development till officials and media people came to our village. It is really encouraging that the Prime Minister made a mention of my work. "This has created a huge difference in my life. I would earn around a hundred rupees daily by selling the scrap collected from the lake, but that income depended on good weather and other factors which are necessary before one rows his boat into the lake." Prompted by Modi's mention, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation designated Bilal as its brand ambassador to attract attention towards the deteriorating condition of the Dal Lake in Srinagar city and other water bodies here. The municipality has fixed a monthly honorarium of Rs 8,000 for Bilal to continue his work. "The first 'tankha' (salary) was credited to my account last month. I am now able to live a better life and pursue my work more effectively. Other boys and even elderly people have been encouraged to do their bit regarding the cleaning of the lake. "My first request to everybody living around or coming to visit the lake is not to leave behind waste either on the lake's banks or in it. "After one takes a pledge not to pollute the water body, the second thing is to help remove the waste that is already there," he said. He says it is not possible to clear everything through an individual effort. "Carcasses of animals can also been seen floating on the lake these days. It is the same lake whose water my mother says people could drink directly in the past without any fear of getting sick," he pointed out. The instant recognition of his effort at the highest level has made a difference in Bilal's life and, more than that, the teenager feels this would one day make a difference in the environment and ecology of the lake on whose banks he was born. "I am now confident everybody, big or small, will contribute to help Wular Lake regain its lost glory. The least all of us can do is to stop polluting the water bodies around us. If our rivers and lakes die, how can Kashmir live?" asked Bilal before starting his daily journey into the lake. (This feature is part of a special series whose purpose is to do uplifting stories of people and communities who are making a difference in creating a better India or who are seeking to preserve India's plurality and secular culture. It is made possible by a collaboration between IANS and the Frank Islam Foundation. Sheikh Qayoom can be contacted at sheikhqayoom@gmail.com ) New Delhi, Dec 10 : The witty litle Amul girl -- known for her almost-daily one-liners -- has morphed into a pro-Congress figure as part of a social media campaign for the Gujarat election, asking people to use their "Amulya" (invaluable) vote to oust the BJP from a state it has ruled for over two decades. With the common tagline "Kyunki aapka vote bohut AMULya hai" (Because your vote is invaluable) and "Parivartan hai lana, saathi haath badhaana" (Join hands to bring change), the poster campaign by a loose group of artists -- mostly from Kerala -- is a take-off on the iconic daCunha Communications advertisements for the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation that created the popular Amul dairy products brand. Ten different theme-based posters of the campaign have gone viral on different social media platforms. The posters talk about "fear" in Gujarat, effects of demonetisation and GST, education of the girl child, the meteoric rise in the business assets of BJP chief Amit Shah's son, Jay Shah, and the bullet train. The posters, of course, don't feature the blue-haired "Amul Girl" -- but a boy resembling her. Those behind the pro-Congress campaign say they are not official Congress workers or the party's supporters, and have taken a cue from Rahul Gandhi's speeches in which he had said his Gujarat battle is "cooperatives" versus the corporate world. "Rahul Gandhi has been saying in his speeches that they will follow the Amul model of cooperation and cooperatives where everybody is allowed a say in participation," one of the artists told IANS. They refused to be named because they "don't want to come into the political limelight". Asked about the inspiration, the artist said the Amul theme has been popular across India for decades and talks about day-to-day issues affecting the common citizen. "This is innocent and disarming while being critical -- also without being abusive... that's why we chose this style," the artist said. Does the boy in the campaign depict Rahul Gandhi? "No," the artist said. "Amul has a little girl and we made this boy -- a common man. We didn't want the same character due to copyright issues," said another artist, quickly adding: "Naturally, the thing is Rahul takes a potshot (against BJP leaders) almost on every issue, every day." The artists said the campaign has so far covered a range of topics central to Gujarat elections, focusing on economic issues like "the harassment first caused by demonetisation and then GST". There is one on schoolchildren. "Lots of kids have dropped out of schools or colleges because their parents' incomes have halved after the GST, because of loss of business. "There is a whole chain in the textile industry that has been affected. They have lost money and their children got affected," said a visualiser from the group. So what do the posters on GST and demonetisation say? One of them shows a group of men and women chasing a bearded "dacoit" holding a rifle. The dacoit depicts the villain, Gabbar Singh from the cult Bollywood movie "Sholay". And the boy comes with a punchline in the corner: "Bohut tax khaya, ab panja kha!" The "panja", or palm, is the Congress symbol. "There is a theme featuring fear in Gujarat. People are afraid there. Lots of people don't want to say anything because they are afraid. We addressed the fear issue. "Remove the fear, rest -- propaganda, hunger, corruption -- will disappear." Another poster shows a bearded man holding a weighing scale tilted towards the end holding businessmen. One of them is drinking milk from a baby feeder. The scale is tilted towards the businessmen because "Jay Shah -- Jyada cheese kha gaya". Then, there is the bullet train. The artists said people in Surat had been demanding a Metro and never got it, but Gujarat is getting a bullet train which won't be of much use to anyone. "Bullet train meri jaan, hey jumlon ka nishan" (Bullet train is a symbol of rhetoric), reads the poster showing a bullet train with a bearded man on its front. Aadhaar has not figured individually in the campaign, otherwise linked with almost everything that the Congress has been targeting the BJP with in the elections. But there is a reference to it. "BJP ke teen bandar -- GST, Notebandi, Aadhaar Number." Asked if the artists received any appreciation from the Congress, they said whosoever saw it has liked the campaign. "It has not become a part of the official Congress campaign. I am sure the Congress leaders are going to appreciate it." Talking about the Congress's way of reaching out to its targeted voters, they said the BJP has obviously been more creative. "But the Congress has also been changing its reach-out with new and more creative communication. Perhaps a Rahul Gandhi effect," one of them said. (Sarwar Kashani can be contacted at sarwar.k@ians.in ) Mumbai, Dec 10 : "Dangal" actress Zaira Wasim has detailed a harrowing experience of being allegedly molested by a middle-aged man while she was on a flight from Delhi to Mumbai. Women commissions have urged her to file a police complaint. The 17-year-old National Award winner shared her ordeal on a Vistara Airlines flight on Saturday night via Instagram. She shared a snapshot of the man's foot which was rested on her arm rest and detailed her experience of how the man "kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck". In a self-shot video for Instagram live chat, Zaira, who is from Jammu and Kashmir, is also seen breaking down. "I just landed, the whole irony of this that I yelled... and this is not done... this is not how you should be treated or made to feel. This is terrible. This is how they will take care of girls? No one will help us if we don't decide to help ourselves and that is the worst thing," she said, looking visibly disturbed. The National Commission for Women (NCW) as well as the Delhi and Maharashtra commisions for women on Sunday urged the actress to approach the police. NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said she was horrified. "I am taking suo moto cognizance and giving notice to Vistara and a copy to DCP Maharashtra to act against the airline. We would like to tell Zaira that we are there to help her out in any way we can," Sharma told the media. Swati Maliwal of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) also condemned the incident. "Urge Zaira Wasim to file police complaint. Accused should be arrested. Since flight was from Delhi to Mumbai, the DCW is issuing notice to Vistara Airlines seeking details of man, action taken by airlines and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) followed in such matters. Now even flights are unsafe for girls," Maliwal tweeted. Calling it a "shameful incident", Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said: "MSCW will direct DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) to conduct an inquiry in the matter. We will inquire into the steps taken by Vistara to address the complaint. "There should be inquiry about why the cabin crew did not help her. We have directed the Mumbai Police to look into the matter immediately." Vistara Airlines has said it will investigate the issue. "We have seen the reports regarding Zaira Wasim's experience with another customer... We are carrying out detailed investigation and will support Zaira in every way required. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour," read a post on the Airlines' official Twitter page. The airline apologized to Zaira and said it was carrying out a detailed investigation. "We will support Wasim in every way required and also if she decides to report this matter to the police... We apologize for what Wasim experienced and we have zero tolerance for such behaviour," read a post on the Airlines' official Twitter page. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the passenger should be identified by Air Vistara and a case should be filed. Mumbai, Dec 10 : Actress Suchitra Pillai, who won the Best Lead Actress honour at the Milan International Filmmaker Festival earlier this month, is ecstatic about the recognition. Suchitra couldn't make it to the festival, so the American indie movie's director Saila Kariat received it on her behalf. "I am on cloud nine, I can't express it in words. I am just waiting now to have the award in my hands," Suchitra said in a statement. The movie's plot, which brings out an important message on depression, follows a distraught father as he searches for answers after his college-age daughter's suicide. "Films with such topics are to be handled with care and Saila as a director has nailed it," Suchitra added. Kariat said: "It's only Suchitra who could do justice to the role she played and I am glad with the love and affection the film has been receiving internationally." Cairo, Dec 10 : Arab Foreign Ministers declared on Sunday that the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital is illegal, and warned it could lead to further violence in the region. The ministers from member states of the Arab League held a prolonged urgent meeting here from Saturday evening, and urged the US to withdraw its decision, which they described as a violation of international law, Xinhua news agency reported. US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he acknowledged Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and decided to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem - an announcement that received wide criticism and opposition from Arab and Muslim countries. The US decision has no legal effect, the Arab ministers said in their final statement, adding that it undermines peace efforts, deepens tension, provokes anger and pushes the region into violence and instability. They urged world countries to recognise an independent Palestinian state on the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital. They have pointed out that the US has isolated itself as a peace mediator and sponsor after making this decision. They stressed adherence to peace based on the two-state solution, calling for a UN Security Council resolution to affirm that the US decision goes against the resolutions of international legitimacy. Before the meeting, the Palestinian National Authority's Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said that with Trump's decision, the US had taken sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and forfeited its role as mediator. He stressed that there will be no official contact between any Palestinian and American officials, and that the Palestinians will seek a "new international focal point for ending the occupation" but not withdraw from the peace process. Jerusalem lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Israel took over East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war and declared the whole city as its eternal indivisible capital in 1980, but this had not been recognised by the international community. The Palestinians insist that they should establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital in the final settlement. Under the previous Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, the status of Jerusalem should be determined through the final status talks between Israel and the Palestinians. New Delhi, Dec 10 : The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) on Sunday notified the regulations to deal with complaints and grievances filed against service providers including insolvency professionals, agencies and information utilities. The regulations are effective from December 7, a Finance Ministry release said here, adding they "provide for an objective and transparent procedure for disposal of grievances and complaints by the IBBI, that does not spare a mischievous service provider, but does not harass an innocent service provider". "Stakeholders who can file a complaint include debtors, creditors, claimants, service providers, resolution applicants or any other person having an interest in an insolvency resolution, liquidation, voluntary liquidation or bankruptcy transaction under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016," it said. "On the other hand, a service provider, against whom a complaint can be filed by a stakeholder under the Regulations, includes insolvency professional agency, insolvency professional, insolvency professional entity or information utility," it added. Stakeholders will need to pay a fee of Rs 2,500 along with the complaint. "If the complaint is not frivolous or malicious, the fee will be refunded," the Ministry said. As regards the working of the IBBI, set up under the IBC, which, became operational in December 2016 and provides for a time-bound insolvency resolution process, 11 out of the 12 cases chosen by the Reserve Bank to undergo bankruptcy proceedings are in the process of auctioning their assets. Another 29 companies have also been identified by the RBI and are set to head to the bankruptcy court if the banks are unable to resolve their cases by December 13. Last month, the government brought in an ordinance to prevent wilful defaulters and promoters who have not settled their debts from bidding in the auctions for stressed assets, to block failed promoters from regaining control of companies facing insolvency proceedings and also curb promoters of companies identified for insolvency proceedings from bidding for their stressed assets. The government also announced last month that insolvent corporates seeking a resolution plan under the new law will now be subject to more stringent tests regarding creditworthiness and credibility by the IBBI. Gandhinagar, Dec 10 : Accusing the Congress of indulging in "politics of caste and appeasement", BJP President Amit Shah on Sunday said that the Congress decision to support Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani is a pre-planned move to take elections towards this purpose. He alleged that the Congress "must be aware of Mewani's links with the Popular Front of India (PFI) that has been found indulging in anti-national activites", and that is why it did not give Mewani its own party symbol but "supported him from outside". "Rahul Gandhi meets Jignesh Mewani and leaves one seat for him, that is, the Congress does not field its candidate on Vadgaon assembly seats in Banaskantha district. I believe there can't be any better example of vote bank politics than this," Shah said at a press conference here. He said that the BJP is contesting elections "only on development plank". "Ever since the BJP came to power in Gujarat in 1995, the state has achieved new milestones be it in ease of doing business, consistently high growth rate, higher per capita income, agricultural development or infrastructure development," the BJP chief said. "I request to the people of Gujarat to reject the politics of vote bank and appeasement," he said. Kolkata, Dec 10 : A 72-member delegation from Bangladesh will participate in Vijay Diwas celebrations to be organised by the Indian Army's Eastern Command to commemorate the Indian armed forces' victory in the 1971 war, an Army official said on Sunday. He said a 30-member delegation from India, including four serving defence officers, will join in an event in Bangladesh capital Dhaka to commemorate the Indian victory in the India-Pakistan war that led to the creation of an independent Bangladesh, which was earlier called East Pakistan. The Bangladeshi delegation will comprise senior Army officers, Mukti Joddhas (freedom fighters) and MPs. "The Indian delegation will include -- apart from two serving officers from the Indian Army and one each from Indian Air Force and Indian Navy -- war veterans and other dignitaries," Major General R. Nagraj of Eastern Command Headquarters said. December 16 is celebrated as Victory Day in Bangladesh and Vijay Diwas in India. About 93,000 Pakistani soldiers, on this day in 1971, surrendered to the Indian forces. The Vijay Diwas celebrations will commence here on December 13 with the arrival of a Bangladeshi delegation in the city. A host of events have been scheduled for the celebrations in Kolkata, including a military band concert and a horse show. On December 16, wreaths would be laid at the Vijay Smarak or the Victory Memorial by members of both countries. Jerusalem, Dec 10 : An Israeli security guard was seriously wounded on Sunday by a Palestinian knifeman outside Jerusalem's central bus station, the police said. The suspect, a 24-year-old Palestinian resident of the West Bank, stabbed the security guard and fled the scene, said a police statement, describing it as a "terror attack", Xinhua news agency reported. He was chased and arrested by a civilian and a policeman nearby, it added. Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service said that the 25-year-old Israeli guard sustained serious injuries and was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. The incident occurred amid growing tensions over US President Donald Trump's recent decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israeli capital despite strong opposition and protests from the Palestinians and Muslims across the world. Trump also ordered the State Department to start immediately the process of relocating the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. To protest Trump's announcement, the Palestinians called for three "days of rage." Protests were held in the past days in the Palestinian territories, many cities in Muslim countries, as well as some European capitals. Four Palestinians were killed and dozens of others were injured in their clashes with Israeli security forces in the Gaza Strip and West Bank over the weekend. On Friday, two Palestinian protesters were killed and 98 others were wounded in clashes in the Palestinian territories. A number of Palestinian protesters were also arrested at the Damascus Gate in East Jerusalem during skirmishes with Israeli security forces after the Friday prayers. The two other Palestinians killed were believed to be Hamas members, who lost their lives in Gaza Strip Friday during airstrikes launched by Israeli military in retaliation against Hamas' firing of three rockets into Israel from the enclave. New Delhi, Dec 10 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said his government is not against private hospitals, but can't maintain silence on their inhuman criminal negligence. His remarks came in the wake of protest staged on Saturday by the employees of Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh area of north Delhi after the government on Friday cancelled its licence with immediate effect for erroneously declaring a newborn dead. "Delhi government is not against private hospitals and is fully aware of their importance. But Max hospital left us with no option other than to take action. This is not happened first time. Such kind of erronous act was done by the hospital on many occasions in the past too," Kejriwal said at a public gathering in west Delhi's Mundka. "Our conscience would have pricked us. Had we remained silent on such inhuman criminal negligence? Doctors are saviours and we salute the work they do. Their hard work is admirable. But, if any hospital does wrong with people, we will not spare it and maintain silence. We will take action." The Chief Minister said that he had been informed about the corporate owned private hospitals who exploit their own doctors and do not give their salaries on time. He also slammed Bharatiya Janata Party Delhi state President Manoj Tiwari for supporting Max hospital and opposing Delhi Government's decision to cancel its license. A baby boy was declared dead by Max Hospital on November 30 and handed over to the parents in a plastic bag, along with its still-born sister. However, the baby started moving while being taken for burial. The baby was then admitted in a clinic in Pitampura, but died on Wednesday. They were too late for birthday presents, but with some assistance from SOS, Dwayne Berg finally got his puzzles. He was also able to piece together an explanation for what took so long. Berg, of Brooklyn, said that after a trip to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September, he enlisted the services of a German company called puzzleYOU to make a pair of puzzles from two of his vacation photos. One is of his traveling companions and their guide in Yellowstone. The other looks out over Colter Bay at sunrise in the Grand Tetons. On Sept. 22, the company let him know his puzzles had been shipped via FedEx, he said. Two days later, FedEx let him know they had arrived in Memphis, and two days after that, they were in transit presumably to his house. Then, well, nothing. Berg said he made multiple inquiries to FedEx in October and was repeatedly told that his shipment was being tracked. Finally, he just asked for a refund of the money hed spent on the puzzles and the shipping, or $102.67. On Nov. 4, he wrote SOS: Still no call and no check 39 days since my package left Memphis. This may seem like a small amount but it is extremely irritating. I have missed giving two birthday presents. FedEx was similarly unresponsive to SOS first inquiry on Nov. 10, but 10 days later a live FedEx employee answered the phone and agreed to look into Bergs situation. On Nov. 22, FedEx senior communications specialist Davina Cole provided a statement regretting the delay in resolving Mr. Bergs claim. We have contacted the shipper and Mr. Berg and have now reached a resolution, she said. In the meantime, Berg said he had emailed puzzleYOU and they offered to send him replacement puzzles. They arrived at his home on Nov. 24 by UPS. A Nov. 30 email to Berg from puzzleYOU said the company is in negotiations with FedEx to receive compensation for the replacement puzzles. Berg said the day before he received his puzzles, he got a call from FedEx saying the original box had fallen off the truck and the boxes were damaged and they had the pieces in a plastic bag and would I like to receive them? They were very apologetic, he added. Ahmedabad, Dec 10 : The Congress on Sunday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order an impartial probe into the note-ban decision that the opposition party dubbed the "biggest scam ever and the largest money-laundering scheme". "In September 2016 (before demonetisation announced on November 8, 2016), a whopping Rs 5,88,600 crore was deposited in banks, of which Rs 3 lakh crore was in fixed deposits. Whose money was it and what happened to it?" Congress Spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said at a press conference here. "In October 2016, the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar purchased eight properties. In Odisha, it purchased 18 properties, just ahead of demonetisation. Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah tell the people as to how many properties they purchased just before demonetisation? Will they disclose the details of the party's bank accounts of the months preceding demonetisation?" Surjewala said. Modi had announced the demonetisation of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. "Also, Rs 500 crore was deposited in the Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank three days before demonetisation. Amit Shah is a Director of this bank. Was he questioned by the Income Tax Department or the Enforcement Directorate regarding this money?" he said. The Congress leader said that after demonetisation, Rs 10.1 crore was seized from a Vaidyanath Cooperative Urban Development Bank van, in which BJP leader and Maharashtra Minister Pankaja Munde has a stake. "It is public knowledge that the cooperative banks were not given any new currency. Then how come this cooperative bank got new currency of Rs 10 crore? Whose money was it? Is there any probe into this case?" Surjewala said. He said at a time when the common people were struggling in bank queues to get a few lakh of rupees in new currency for their daughters' weddings, mining baron G. Janardan Reddy splurged Rs 500 crore on his daughter's wedding. "The BJP top brass made a beeline to this function as Reddy is considered very dear to Prime Minister Modi. Why was no investigation launched against Reddy as to where from he got so much money in new currency, when notes were being rationed to the common people?" Surjewala said. "We challenge the Prime Minister to order an impartial probe into all these cases, and many more such cases, and bring out the facts before the people," he added. The Congress leader called All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi as the "B-team of BJP" and said people should not pay attention to the polarising antics of such people. Giftster On-List Product Search box with international selector ...a simple but powerful option for those who need a little inspiration when making a wish list for themselves. We think our On-List Product Search adds some delight to the experience when adding items to your list. --Ian Fitzpatrick, Giftster co-founder Giftster, experiencing another record breaking year of growth, today announces the release of On-List Product Search for the website at giftster.com. On-List Product Search is a Giftster first: search on keywords like "iPhone X case" and Giftster slides out up to 24 matching results right on the member's wish list. A single click adds an item from the search results to their list. Now making a detailed gift wish list with item images, price, name, description and a link to the online store that sells it is as simple as a few mouse clicks, without ever leaving the list itself. Ian Fitzpatrick, Giftster co-founder, says, "We always wanted to offer a simple but powerful option for those who need a little inspiration when making a wish list for themselves. We think our On-List Product Search adds some delight to the experience when adding items to your list." With the new addition of On-List Product Search, Giftster now has a simple way to add items to a member's wish list to suit anybody's preferences for list making: search by keyword and add items with one click without leaving the list (new On-List Product Search) paste a web link (URL) from any website in the world and Giftster automatically fills out the item details (Fetch) use a keyboard to enter a few words like "bbq tools" and press save (add item) while shopping an online store, click a browser button to add the item to a Giftster list (Giftster browser extensions for Chrome and Safari) on the mobile apps, shop for and add items in a few touches (Browse'n'Fetch) On-List Product Search was released specifically for the website at giftster.com. Included is a country selector, so members can choose to shop for items that will ship from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy or Germany. About Giftster Giftster defines the standard for an easy-to-use universal gift registry for family and close friends. Giftster wish lists contain gift ideas from any store in the world, and the Giftster platform includes the website at giftster.com, mobile web for small screen devices at m.giftster.com, and apps for iOS in the Apple App Store and Android devices in Google Play and Amazon App Store. Giftster is the popular choice for families wishing to simplify Christmas holiday and birthday gift giving, and for creating baby, wedding and donation registries. her incredible management and professional capabilities will invaluably serve Viora and continue to push the company to new heights Viora, a leading medical aesthetics solutions provider, today announces the appointment of Mrs. Andrea Trofimuk as Chief Executive Officer of Viora Inc. Mrs. Trofimuk will take on full responsibility for all activities and operations of Viora Inc. in the United States of America and continue to drive consistent growth and expansion that the company has seen in recent years. Andrea has displayed incredible devotion and loyalty to Viora, and consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, integrity, commitment, and professionalism, said Eliran Almog, CEO, Viora Inc. I am excited to see where Andrea will lead the company in the future and we have full confidence and belief in her talents and abilities to continue leading Viora. On behalf of the board and all of our employees, I would like to personally congratulate Andrea on the appointment of her new position, commented Josef Ran, Chairman of the Board. I am positive that her incredible management and professional capabilities will invaluably serve Viora and continue to push the company to new heights. Mrs. Trofimuk has been in Viora for over 8 years in a range of positions, and her deep understanding of the medical aesthetic industry a will bring immense value to the new appointment. About Viora Viora is a market-leading aesthetic solutions provider for skincare applications for patients seeking the most advanced developments for the most requested treatments: rejuvenation, resurfacing, body & facial contouring, cellulite reduction, acne control, lightening, hydration, hair removal, exfoliation and more. Vioras expertise in developing solutions and technology for these applications ensures greater physician and client satisfaction. Vioras extensive knowledge and experience is forged from its expansive and deep connections to the aesthetic community and has allowed Viora to create the most sought after solutions, and achieve the most effective results. For more information, visit http://www.vioramed.com. Interjet announced today, special anniversary airfares to celebrate 12 years of service flying domestic and international passengers. These new fares offer discounts of up to 60% off regular fares for travel between Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. In just a few short years, Interjet Airlines has exceeded all expectations, to rise from our humble beginnings with just three aircraft to become one of Mexicos leading and most admired airlines, said Jose Luis Garza, CEO of Interjet. This year we were named by TripAdvisors 2017 Travelers Choice Winner as Best Mexican Airline, and to celebrate our anniversary, we are offering special fares to say thank you to our customers for their loyalty and continued support, he added. I am also very proud of what Interjet has achieved these past 12 years, added Julio Gamero, Interjets Chief Commercial Officer. As we look towards the future, Interjet will continue to expand our international service flying to new countries and new markets, he said. Following its launch in 2005, Interjet has become one of the fastest growing carriers in North America and while 2017 was a year filled with enormous challenges for the airline industry, Interjet transported more than 226 thousand international passengers through October, 2017 a healthy 25 per cent increase over the previous year, according to statistics from the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC). In 2018, we will continue to offer our unique brand of lower fares with free checked bags using our Priority fare, more legroom between seats and our great service that has been embraced everywhere we fly, Garza said. For more information regarding Interjet or to make a reservation, visit http://www.interjet.com or in the U.S, call 1-866-285-9525. About Interjet Interjet is an international airline based in Mexico City providing air service to 53 destinations in eight countries, including 34 cities in Mexico. Its international network includes service to nine U.S. markets: Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando/Sanford and San Antonio. Other international routes include Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, Canada; Havana, Santa Clara and Varadero, Cuba; Bogota, Colombia; Guatemala City, Guatemala; Lima, Peru; and San Jose, Costa Rica. The airline operates a fleet of more than 78 aircraft including three Airbus A320neos, 47 Airbus A320s, six Airbus A321s and 22 Superjet 100s. Redpoint Positioning Corporation, an up-and-coming leader in the real-time location systems (or RTLS) industry, announced the establishment of a new branch in Beijing, China. Redpoints CTO Chunjie Duan expressed a goal to expand their commercial presence in China and the Asia-Pacific market, as well as partner with Chinese businesses to integrate Redpoints indoor RTLS solution with other products. The crew in Beijing is so happy to become members of the Redpoint Positioning family, Eric Peng, General Manager of Redpoint China, said. In the US, Redpoint has made some great achievements in products and market. We hope that our Beijing team can do the same thing as we did in the US, providing good products and excellent service to our customers in China. Redpoint has had strong ties to China since our inception, but I am still extremely excited that we are now officially operating in China, Chunjie Duan, CTO of Redpoint, said. We will have a much stronger presence to capture the market opportunities in Great China and Asia-Pacific region, where we have seen tremendous demands for solid indoor RTLS solutions. Redpoint has been developing their high-precision, ultra-wideband indoor RTLS solution since Duan founded the company in 2010 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Now headquartered in Boston, Redpoint has a branch in Kharkiv, Ukraine in addition to their Beijing office. Boof for Release "Every Veteran is a true hero." "It's time we all got along," says Antil. "It's time we put politics aside and set an example that we are the giving, caring people we once were." To make his statement, every VA Hospital in Louisiana (first) and then every VA Hospital in America, will receive a carton filled with various Antil books for their libraries. "Veterans are our heroes," says Antil. "Hospitalized veterans often times go forgotten." One More Last Dance, by Antil, is launching on Christmas day with 'starred', and 'recommended read' reviews, both in America and in the UK. Interestingly the novel is about an aging, retired army officer who happens to be black. An adventure-driven novel chronicles an eventful road trip taken by a dying man and the Cajun French version of Forrest Gump. Boudreaux Clemont Finch generally responds to Peckshort for Peckerwooda moniker he was given as a child for his imprudent loquaciousness. Peck works at a hospice in Carencro, Louisiana, as a yardman and caretaker, and one of the patientsGabe Jordanconspires to escape with his help. Gabe, an older man whos dying from stomach cancer, is a widower whose son died while serving in Iraq. He wants to make his way to Newport, Rhode Island, for a jazz festival there, but due to Pecks errant navigation, they find themselves in New Orleans. Gabe decides to make the best of their detour, and they head to famous Frenchman Street to hear some jazz... ...Antil (Return to Tiffanys, 2017, etc.) has a gift for conjuring magnetically complex characters, with Peck the best of them: an illiterate, nearly incomprehensible, French-speaking 25-year-old man whos so deeply sensitive hes irresistible to women... ...But the story as a whole brims with charm and authentic emotions. A delightfully quirky tale both unpredictable and affecting." KIRKUS Recommended Review Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said he remembers Highway M as a standard country road when he was growing up in Middleton. Thats not the case anymore, as the countys population has doubled since he was born and commuters now clog the thoroughfare that connects Middleton to Waunakee across the north side of Lake Mendota. As part of the recently adopted budget, the county will fund a $2 million study into the 5.5-mile stretch of the highway that has long been a thoroughfare and traffic headache for commuters. Its beyond super busy, said Sup. Dave Ripp, whose District 29 includes that section of the highway. As it cuts through Middleton, Highway M has four lanes, but just two blocks east of Highway Q, it narrows to two. It travels five miles before another lane is added in Waunakee, less than a mile west of Highway 113. Commuters from Waunakee, DeForest and Madisons North Side use Highway M to get to work on the West Side because it is the quickest route around Lake Mendota. For years though, Ripp said its been clear that Highway M needs more lanes and a redesign of the intersection with Highway K. This isnt a new conversation for the county either. For decades, the county has studied and made plans for some sort of improvements to transit north of Lake Mendota. The county was close to creating a North Mendota Parkway in 2004 which would have created a sort of North Beltline from Interstate 39-90 near Windsor to Highway 12 near Middleton. The debate continued for years. In 2010 the board recommendations from the North Mendota Parkway Implementation Oversight Committee, but funding for the project was never secured. Chairwoman Sharon Corrigan, whose District 26 includes Middleton, said the study funded in the budget must document the need for expansion of Highway M or funding for the project might not be secured this time as well. Its not something the county would be footing the whole bill for. We would be looking for partner dollars, Corrigan said, adding that those partners will need confidence that their money is necessary. Parisi said that the project is an easier sell than the North Mendota Parkway. Looking to expand an existing roadway to four lanes is a more possible or practical approach, Parisi said. Dane Countys increasing population has affected the thoroughfare, Corrigan said. Commuters traveling from either side of Madison and its suburbs has led to heavy build-ups of traffic, particularly near the intersection with Highway K. Even with congestion, Highway M is still the fastest route, Ripp said, but it can be frustrating. Ripp said the traffic has made it risky for bicyclists to ride along the highway as drivers get frustrated and will occasionally pass on the right shoulder. Theres a lot of dangerous things happening, Ripp said. In 2012, bicyclist Carrie Pete was struck and killed on Highway M when a fatigued driver veered onto the shoulder. Corrigan said one of the goals of the study and its preliminary design is to determine where to place bike paths to improve safety for cyclists. Other points of the study include how to incorporate roadside stops or shelters for possible mass transit along the highway. The stretch north of Lake Mendota isnt the only section of Highway M to see improvements. On Madisons Far West Side to Verona from Valley View Road to Cross Country Road Highway M is currently under construction to expand from two to four lanes and even six lanes in sections. The intersection with Highway PD will also see improvements during the project, which is set to finish in fall 2019. The county isnt just working on Highway M. Other transportation projects are planned or underway around the county. Parisi said the work is needed to keep up with the population growth in the area. Its not a project thats being done in a vacuum, Parisi said. The study of Highway M and expansions of other county roads will be funded in part by a county vehicle registration fee that will go into effect next year. Parisi said the county was no longer able to fund transportation projects just based on the property tax. If money wasnt brought in, he said the county would have to kick necessary projects down the road. Looking to expand an existing roadway to four lanes is a more possible or practical approach. Joe Parisi, Dane County executive Its not something the county would be footing the whole bill for. We would be looking for partner dollars. Sharon Corrigan, chairwoman of the North Mendota Parkway Implementation Oversight Committee 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! When Bon Appetit announced its list of America's best new restaurants for 2017, the No. 1 spot came as somewhat of a shock. Instead of an elegant sit-down Italian restaurant or an upscale icon, the publication crowned Turkey and the Wolf a sandwich joint in New Orleans where nothing costs more than $13 the best new restaurant of the year. "What they are offering wildly inventive sandwiches, salads tossed with ingredients like pig's ear cracklin's, and cheeky snacks like homemade Bagel Bites is as difficult to pull off as most tweezer-built dishes found at so-called serious restaurants," Andrew Knowlton wrote of the restaurant. With such effusive praise for a restaurant famous for its fried bologna sandwiches, I knew I had to visit. So, on a recent trip to New Orleans, I decided to stop by Turkey and the Wolf to see if it lived up to the hype. Turkey and the Wolf is located in a mostly residential neighborhood called Irish Channel, a few blocks off of busy Magazine Street. It's a simple operation, with customers ordering at the counter and workers yelling to each other in the kitchen. We arrived right at opening time 11 a.m. to beat the crowd, but we weren't the only ones waiting outside when the doors opened. The menu copies suburban childhood classics bologna sandwiches, wedge salads, and tacos made with American cheese. With a wave of restaurants "elevating" various cultures' street food, Turkey and the Wolf is serving an updated version of the nutritionally empty foods that many Americans ate growing up in the '80s and '90s. I ordered the fried bologna. It is one of the restaurant's best-known sandwiches, made with local bologna, shredded lettuce (or "shrettuce"), American cheese, and the most revelatory addition potato chips. This is a monstrously thick sandwich. I basically had to unhinge my jaw to eat it, and I got mustard and mayo all over my face as I smashed the sandwich into my mouth. But the decadent combination of fried meat and American cheese, cut with the chips and hot mustard, was nothing less than heavenly. My friend ordered the collard green melt, which Bon Appetit's Knowlton called the "best sandwich Ive ever crammed into my mouth." The sandwich served, like all Turkey and the Wolf sandwiches, on mismatched kids' plates is on rye bread and made with slow-cooked collard greens, cole slaw, Swiss cheese, and pickled cherry pepper dressing. The Reuben-esque sandwich partners the savory, Swiss-cheese-covered greens with a surprising punch from the pickled cherry pepper. I wouldn't go so far as to call it the best sandwich I've ever eaten or even the best sandwich I ate at Turkey and the Wolf but it was pretty damn good. Beyond sandwiches, the wedge salad was enough to convince me that iceberg lettuce is due for a comeback. The crisp, over-sized wedge is covered with everything bagel "crunchy stuff," which I now believe should be a wedge salad standard. Turkey and the Wolf also serves up cocktails, with prices topping out at $9. Intrigued by the combination of tequila, paprika, almond milk, and sweet potato syrup, I ordered the "Nothing Goes According to Plan," a tasty drink with an almost pumpkin-spice-like kick. I also snuck a sip of my friend's refreshing and delicious E-Honda's Hundred Hand Slap, made with pecan vodka, satsuma shrub, and soda. Halfway through my sandwich plus sampling others' meals I was stuffed. But, the food was so good that I pushed onward. Turkey and the Wolf's sandwiches are pretty incredible. I ate the bologna sandwich a week ago, and I've thought about it almost every day since. I loved it so much, I made it my iPhone background. But, does a handful of tasty sandwiches mean that Turkey and the Wolf is actually the best new restaurant in America? The thing that tips any restaurant towards or away from true greatness is its atmosphere the experience as a whole. Many see the low-budget goofiness as part of Turkey and the Wolf's charm. Others believe the restaurant has received unearned praise with it tongue-in-cheek takes on childhood classics. "If the ownership and staff of Turkey and the Wolf were to be replaced exclusively with black New Orleanians, it would hardly be interesting to most food publications," chef and writer Tunde Wey wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle. "Its kitsch would be deigned bad design; its off-kilter take on conventional staples would be judged too baroque and gauche; that charming laid-back service would be registered as rude and incompetent." For some, Turkey and the Wolf's self-indulgent quirkiness inspires eye rolls. However, for people who embrace the '90s-inspired absurdity, it could very well be the best new restaurant in America. Mirroring the explosive growth in bicycle-sharing across the Unites States, Madison BCycle is on target to record its highest annual ride total since selling its first ride more than six years ago. Questions remain for BCycle and other bike-sharing ventures, though, about whether they should aspire to be privately run and profitable or something like government-subsidized public transit. More than 100,000 rides had already been logged with Madison BCycle as of late November, according to the companys executive director, Morgan Ramaker, and shes expecting about 110,000 by years end. Thats up from more than 20,000 rides in 2011 after BCycles launch in May of that year. Checking out a bicycle and checking it back in again at one of BCycles self-service docking stations counts as one ride. Ramaker said BCycle began with 27 stations and 270 bicycles and saw steady growth into 2014, when rides started leveling off. The subsidiary of Waterloo-based bike-maker Trek slowly added more stations including seven this year and now has a total of 44 stations and 350 bicycles, and it has seen its annual and monthly members rise to more than 3,700. It had 500 annual members in 2011 and no monthly program. BCycle has also expanded into 43 other cities, providing equipment and technology sometimes under the names of other bike-sharing operators, including Bublr Bikes in Milwaukee. The goal has been to get more people on bikes such that it becomes part of what people do, Ramaker said, and top-of-mind when thinking about transit options. Its bike-share as the bikes role in public transit, she said. Popular on campus On a recent Monday morning, a BCycle employee had just finished moving several bikes from the 17-dock station outside UW-Madisons Union South when, over the course of about 20 minutes, four BCycle customers pulled up to return their bikes. David Lee, a 37-year-old UW-Madison computer programmer who lives in Middleton, used a BCycle bike to get from Memorial Library, a ride of just less than a mile. He drives to work but uses Metro Transit or BCycle to get around campus during the day. The parking on campus isnt too bad but theres very limited short-term parking on campus, said Lee, a BCycle member for several years. UW-Madison engineering major Isaiah Scott, 22, said hes been a BCycle member since last summer, when he needed to get to an internship on Madisons East Side, and now uses the service about five times a week. Zach Self, also 22, said hes been a BCycle member for three years and often bikes from his home to the engineering building. He said he likes that he can choose to walk back home if he likes. With cheap bikes available on Craigslist and at thrift stores, why dont people like Scott and Self simply buy their own wheels? Ive had two bikes get stolen on campus, Scott said, despite being locked up. Self said he opts for BCycle just so I dont have to keep track of a bike of his own. Ive not really had any problems at all with availability or mechanical problems, said Lee, although Scott said he has occasionally encountered a docking station without any bikes he could use or stations that were full, meaning he couldnt return a bike he was already using. The Union South station is one of BCycles busiest for members, Ramaker said, as are two on University Avenue at North Charter and North Lake streets. For what she called the casual riders, or those using day passes, some of the busiest stations are at Memorial Union, Law Park along Lake Monona and the Sheraton hotel farther south on John Nolen Drive. Rapid growth A few modern bike-sharing programs had been around for more than 10 years in Europe by the time the first ones arrived in the United States and other countries in 2008, according to a 2009 paper in the Journal of Public Transportation by Paul DeMaio, a bike-sharing consultant and blogger. The National Association of City Transportation Officials counted 55 bike-sharing systems with 42,000 total bikes in the United States last year, although a more recent count from a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group puts the number of systems at more than 100. NACTO estimated the number of trips taken had grown from about 320,000 in 2010 to about 28 million in 2016. Eric Sundquist, a BCycle member and director of the Madison-based State Smart Transportation Initiative, said he mostly rides his own bike but that BCycle is a fill in the gap service, or a first- or last-mile solution, for when the distance to be covered is too far to walk but too short for a bus or a car ride. Its an incredibly important component to an overall multi-modal transportation system, said Robbie Webber, an SSTI senior associate and former Madison City Council member. Sundquist said the next advance in bike-sharing is the dock-less system, and possibly adding electric bikes to the mix of shared bikes. Dockless-system bikes can be rented, locked and unlocked via smart phone app and can essentially be left anywhere. They have started to turn up in Seattle and Washington, D.C., among other places. Business model evolving BCycles increasing popularity isnt enough to allow it to forgo an annual subsidy from Trek. Ramaker declined to reveal the amount of that subsidy or the companys revenues, but said BCycles other sources of revenue are user fees, advertising and sponsorships, typically from organizations that want bikes and a docking station near their offices. Figuring out the revenue model for it has been an evolving process, she said. In that, BCycle is not alone. Some cities subsidize their local, privately run bike-sharing systems. Other systems are getting venture, corporate or federal funding. Milwaukees Bublr is a nonprofit. Chicago owns its bike-share bikes and stations, but a private company manages them. The economic side of the industry is where all the questions are these days, said Hart Posen, a UW-Madison associate professor of business who tracks sharing economies. The barriers to starting a bike-sharing company are relatively low, and theres a lot of competition, he said, and then there are contracts bike-sharing companies sign with cities. Its still too early to know whether this will be profitable, he said of U.S. bike-sharing companies. Ramaker, BCycles executive director, compared bike-sharing to other forms of public transit, which she noted generally dont pay for themselves through ridership alone. Peggy Johnson is Microsoft's executive vice president of business development, the company's top dealmaker. She was one of Satya Nadella's first new hires when he was promoted t0 CEO in 2014. Johnson and her team work on everything from partnerships to acquisitions (like LinkedIn). Plus she manages Microsoft's VC fund And none of it would have happened if not for a fluke errand she ran in college, she revealed on a post on LinkedIn. She was born to a big family, No. 14 out of 15 kids, and when she went to college she followed in the footsteps of her older siblings and majored in business. She got a job on campus and one day had to deliver a package to someone in the engineering department. She had never been there and got lost so she went to the department's executive assistants offices intending to ask for directions. Little did she know that right before she walked in, those assistants were discussing how to attract more women into the program. They didn't know Johnson was just there to deliver some mail. They thought a woman had strolled in to enroll in the engineering department. They invited her to sit and they quizzed her. They asked her what she was studying, if she liked math and science and solving problems and what made her consider engineering. But she had never considered engineering before. So their questions made her think. "The truth was that I loved math and I loved science. I took two years of calculus in high school, and nearly every science class my school offered. But nobody had ever taken the time to encourage me in that direction. Nobody had asked me those questions," Johnson recounted in the post. The very next day, she switched her major to engineering. She graduated with a degree in electrical engineering and landed a job at one of the major San Diego tech companies, Qualcomm where she had a 25-year career working her way up to executive vice president before Nadella poached her. The statement, signed by the President of OVA noted: I believe most of you have read or heard of the stabbing to death of an Old Vandal by a man who is believed to be an intruder.The incident happened at about 1830 hours GMT on Saturday, 9 December 2017, at the "Charging Grounds" in the Commonwealth Hall.It started as a mere argument between the two (the deceased and the killer) in the OVA bus on our way from Amrahia to campus (after attending the funeral of the late Vandal Lion).The argument became heated and the two had to be separated on several occasions by others. It went on and on. So, when we got to Atomic Junction, the driver was advised to stop and the two were thrown out of the bus. Others joined them.When they got to the Hall, they had not stopped. It was at this time that the killer allegedly grabbed the knife of the khebab seller and cut the victim several times with it. The victim bled profusely and was rushed to the Legon Hospital by the killer and some Vandals.The Doctors could not save his life. He was pronounced dead around 1900 hours GMT. 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". He also highlighted terrorism incidents the West African sub-region to make his point. Speaking at the 'Meet the Press' series on Thursday December 7, the Defence Minister said lands will be acquired at Poduase in the Eastern Region, Bawa Barracks and Daboya in the Northern Region and Shai Hills in the Greater Accra Region "to facilitate the establishment of Special Forces Units to counter the emerging threats, in particular terrorism." According to him, the move is also to ensure the combat readiness of the Armed Forces. "The dynamics in global threats and the ever-increasing role of non-state actors in conflict situation require our dedicated officers and men to live up to expectation," he said. "So far, our troops hav demonstrated the resilience, mental stamina and robustness and the preparedness to deal with any of such threats," he added. He called for the debate over "bread and butter needs" to be raised to another level since the country needs enduring peace and stability to develop. His comments follow US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In a statement, Ghana's Foreign Ministry said emphasised that the Speaker's views on Jerusalem are his personal views which he is entitled. Ghana has always supported the position that the Palestinian-Isreali conflict should be resolved peacefully between the parties themselves and all the stakeholders involved. It is therefore important to all stakeholders and observers to remain neutral until final resolution by partners, it said. The statement added that: While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration does not wish to stifle debates on this issue which is of international concern, the Minister will appeal to all well-minded persons to take cognisance of the sensitivity of the issues." Israel seized Arab east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community. READ ALSO: Isolated US defends on US President on Jerusalem at the UN The Palestinians want the eastern sector as the capital of their future state. Rabih Haddad was remanded into police custody after his bail application on medical grounds was dismissed by an Accra Central District Court. The suspect's lawyer had expressed in his failed bail application that his client had a serious medical condition and would die if remanded in police custody. Hadded was arrested around 11:45 pm on Sunday after he was said to have forcibly had sex with the victim around 5 pm on Saturday in the absence of his wife and other occupants of his household. The victim, whose name has been withheld said ever since she started work in November, she has been harassed by him for sex anytime his wife was not at home. According to her, last Saturdays event was the fourth time the suspect had raped her. She said the suspect threw her out of the room after raping her twice on Saturday and she bled profusely. She was, however, able to get help from some police officers on duty at a nearby house, who arrested the suspect and took him to the Airport Police Station. But a policewoman on duty led the team back to the suspects house and allegedly took GH350 from the suspect as the salary for the victim for the month of November 2017and gave it to her. The victim subsequently packed her belongings out of the suspects home and went to her fathers. The Speaker of Parliament has been quoted to have told Israeli-based iNews24 that whatever Israel wants, we in Ghana will go by that, because that is essentially an internal decision. His comments follow US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Reacting to the Speaker's comments, the Kumbungu legislature noted he has no authority to speak on Ghana's foreign policy. According to him, the Speaker's position is not only prejudicial but also a complete departure from Ghana's position on the Palestine-Israeli fued. "I hope the Speaker didnt say what hes been reported to have said but if the report is accurate, I would say its simply disgraceful. Speaker of Parliament cannot be commenting on governments foreign policy," he said. "Hes not a member of the Executive. Not only would such comments be prejudicial but a complete departure from Ghanas position on the Israeli Palestinian issue. Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry has distanced the government from Prof Oquaye's comments, saying the comments were his personal views. Ghana has always supported the position that the Palestinian-Isreali conflict should be resolved peacefully between the parties themselves and all the stakeholders involved. It is therefore important to all stakeholders and observers to remain neutral until final resolution by partners, it said in a statement. The statement added that: While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration does not wish to stifle debates on this issue which is of international concern, the Minister will appeal to all well-minded persons to take cognisance of the sensitivity of the issues." Israel seized Arab east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community. READ ALSO: Isolated US defends on US President on Jerusalem at the UN The Palestinians want the eastern sector as the capital of their future state. Seselj himself will be absent during the day-long hearing, refusing to travel back from Belgrade to hear prosecutors present their oral arguments to a five-judge appeals bench of the UN's Mechanism for International Tribunals (MICT). It will be the first hearing since Bosnian Croat military commander Slobodan Praljak committed suicide on November 29 during the final case before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Praljak died after drinking cyanide in the courtroom when his 20-year jail term was upheld on appeal, in a case now being investigated by Dutch prosecutors. The MICT, based in the same building in The Hague, is handling the final appeal cases left by the ICTY. UN prosecutors are appealing after the ICTY judges found Seselj, 63, not guilty on nine counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the 1990s Balkans wars. 'Spare no one' Prosecutors insist Seselj -- once a stocky outspoken paramilitary commander -- was behind the murders of many Croats, Muslims and other non-Serb civilians in an unrelenting quest to create a "Greater Serbia". He was also accused of forcibly deporting "tens of thousands" from large areas of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia. But in their surprise majority ruling, UN judges found the prosecution had failed to prove "there was a widespread systematic attack against the non-Serb civilian population in large areas of Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina." The chamber also said prosecutors failed to prove any "causal link" between Seselj's fiery speeches and the wave of atrocities. For instance, when Seselj told his troops during the deadly three-month siege of the Croatian town of Vukovar in 1991 "to spare no one", he was merely "participating in the war effort by galvanising Serb forces," the judges concluded. Seselj hailed his acquittal as "honourable and fair", but legal experts and historians reacted with outrage and the verdict left prosecutors baffled. 'Insufficient reasoning' Experts said the judgement overturned international law and rewrote the history of the bloody Balkans conflicts triggered by ethnic upheavals caused as Yugoslavia broke apart in 1991 following the fall of communism. In an unusually strong dissenting opinion, Italian judge Flavia Lattanzi said her two fellow judges used "insufficient reasoning, or no reasoning at all" in their findings. "The majority sets aside all the rules of international humanitarian law that existed before the creation of the tribunal and all the applicable law established since the inception of the tribunal," she said. Prosecutors have appealed the acquittal on two grounds: namely that the trial judges "failed to give a reasoned judgement" and that they "erred in fact by acquitting the accused." Seselj surrendered to the Yugoslav war crimes court in 2003. His first trial opened in 2006 but was annulled and restarted in 2007. He told AFP he would not be turning up on Wednesday. "I have nothing to do with the court in The Hague," he said in Belgrade. "I spent 12 years in The Hague waiting for the court to prove the charges against me," Seselj added. "Since I was acquitted in the first instance, I do not see what is left for this mechanism, what it can do with my verdict." He returned to Belgrade in 2014 for treatment for colon cancer and has not travelled back to The Hague since. However, ill-health appears not to have held him back. Under his leadership, his Serbian Radical Party returned to parliament as the largest opposition party, and he is now an MP. He ran, albeit unsuccessfully, as a candidate for the Serbian presidency earlier this year, has been seen publicly burning EU and NATO flags, and appeared on a TV reality show. Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election is ramping up, and with it, President Donald Trump's allies are reaching new heights to discredit Mueller and the Russia probe. The special counsel has so far charged four of Trump's former associates as part of the investigation: former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former adviser and Manafort associate Rick Gates, former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, and former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Mueller is also said to be building an obstruction-of-justice case against the president, stemming mainly from Trump's decision to fire FBI director James Comey in May. As Mueller's investigation pushes on, Trump's loyalists in politics and the media have launched a campaign focused on painting the special counsel and his investigators as biased and partisan, while echoing Trump's demands that the FBI also investigate Comey and Trump's former opponent, Hillary Clinton, over their alleged Russia ties. Conservative talking heads and Trump allies latched onto a string of damaging reports this week about investigators on Mueller's team. The Washington Post reported that Peter Strzok, a widely respected FBI counterintelligence veteran who used to work with Mueller on the Russia investigation, was ousted in July because he exchanged texts with a colleague at the FBI that could have shown that he favored Clinton over Trump. Another report said that Strzok was the official who changed Comey's final characterization of Clinton's use of a private email server from "grossly negligent" which would have carried criminal penalties to "extremely careless." Andrew Weissman, a seasoned prosecutor on Mueller's team who specializes in "flipping" witnesses, was also roped into the controversy when the conservative watchdog group, Judicial Watch, released an email on Tuesday in which Weissman praised former acting attorney general Sally Yates for refusing to defend Trump's initial travel ban in January. It also emerged this week that Weissman attended Clinton's election night party at the Jacob Javits Center in New York last year. Right-wing media lashes out The revelations drew intense backlash from Trump loyalists. Sean Hannity, the Fox News opinion commentator who is one of Trump's staunchest defenders, called Mueller's team "extremely biased" and "hyper-partisan" on Tuesday. He added that Mueller's investigation "has put the country now on the brink of becoming a banana republic." "Mueller's stooges are literally doing everything within their power and then some to try and remove President Trump from office," Hannity told his 3 million viewers. On Hannity's show Wednesday night, Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett called Mueller's investigation "illegitimate and corrupt," and accused the special counsel of using the FBI as a political weapon and acting as "America's secret police." "Secret surveillance, wiretapping, intimidation, harassment and threats," Jarrett said. "It's like the old KGB that comes for you in the dark of the night, banging through your door." Jarrett added that the FBI had turned into a "shadow government." Fox News commentator Laura Ingraham weighed in on the controversy, as well. "What we are seeing here is a pattern and practice of Mueller hiring known Clinton and Obama political insiders and boosters, supporters, to undo a presidential election. That was the election of Donald Trump," she told viewers on Tuesday. The right-leaning Wall Street Journal editorial board published a column on Monday pointing to the Strzok texts as evidence of bias on Mueller's team. The board said Mueller was too conflicted to "investigate the FBI and should step down in favor of someone more credible." Trump, who has frequently referred to the Russia investigation as a politically-motivated "witch hunt," threw in his two cents on the Strzok revelations last week, retweeting Twitter user Paul Sperry, who said Strzok was "busted" and calling for FBI director Chris Wray to "clean house" at the bureau, which he claimed was "infected" by anti-Trump bias. "After years of Comey, with the phony and dishonest Clinton investigation (and more), running the FBI, its reputation is in Tatters - worst in History!" he tweeted. "But fear not, we will bring it back to greatness." A weapon of desperation Former federal prosecutors and FBI agents agreed that investigators should be careful about expressing their personal views while working on politically charged cases, but they pushed back on the claims of bias on Mueller's team from Trump's allies. "I can tell you I never knew what Andrew [Weissman's] politics were when we were in the same office," said Patrick Cotter, a former federal prosecutor and longtime white collar defense lawyer who worked with Weissman in the past. "Politics never comes up between prosecutors in my experience. We have them, of course. We are citizens. But among the feds I worked with, it would have been incredibly inappropriate for anyone to express a political view at work." Cotter also added that in the law enforcement field, it was "rather irrelevant" to point to officials' political affiliation. "If you allege bias by someone carrying out their job, point to facts, not fact-free arguments that all Republicans will be corrupt against Democrats or vice versa," he said. Joseph Pelcher, a former FBI counterintelligence operative who was stationed in Russia and specialized in organized crime, said that while agents should be careful about openly expressing their opinions, "there is certainly nothing wrong with holding political views as long as it doesn't interfere with an investigation." LaRae Quy, who served as a covert operative at the FBI for 24 years, largely echoed that point. "It's very important for agents to appear (and be) apolitical. I know that's 'pie in the sky' since we all have political views," she said. "But the non-partisan aspect of an agent's job is important." That said, "agents are allowed to express their personal opinions ... and encouraged to vote and be responsible citizens," Quy said. "Almost every agent I know votes and upholds the democratic process. They are just smart enough to keep their mouth shut and their minds open." Mainstream conservatives jump on the bandwagon But it looks like the right-wing and far-right talking point has trickled into the comments of more mainstream conservative figures and lawmakers. "If it's true that Andrew Weissmann attended Hillary's victory party, this is getting out of hand," tweeted Ari Fleischer, who served as White House press secretary under President George W. Bush. During a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, in which Wray was testifying, Republican Rep. Steve Chabot called "the depths of this anti-Trump bias" on the special counsel's team "absolutely shocking." Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley said this week that Strzok's behavior and involvement in the Clinton email investigation and the Trump-Russia probe "raises new concerns of inappropriate political influence in the work of the FBI." Grassley also demanded more information about Strzok's communications with Lisa Page, the FBI lawyer with whom he exchanged texts about Clinton and Trump. "The question really is, if Mueller was doing such a great job on investigating the Russian collusion, why could he have not found the conflict of interest within their own agency?" asked Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina. Meadows was likely referring to the 2010 Uranium One deal, which was approved by the Obama administration. After the deal made its way back into headlines in October shortly before Manafort and Gates were indicted a growing chorus of conservative legislators and commentators began calling for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to appoint a second special counsel to investigate Comey's and the Clinton Foundation's roles in the deal's approval. Extensive reporting and fact-checking found no signs of wrongdoing when the Obama administration allowed Rosatom, a Russian nuclear energy firm, to acquire Canada-based Uranium One, which had significant mining stakes in the US. The deal required approval from several government agencies, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which Clinton had no control over. Cotter said Sunday that the emergence of the right wing's argument that Mueller or his investigators are politically biased against Trump seems to be "strong circumstantial evidence that those who fear what the Mueller investigation may find have no actual fact-based criticisms to make." President Donald Trump singled out a Washington Post reporter for repeated criticism Saturday evening, suggesting he be fired even after the reporter apologized for tweeting a misleading photo he had already deleted. The reporter, Dave Weigel, had posted a photo of a near-empty stadium with the caption "Packed to the rafters," inaccurately suggesting it was taken during Trump's Florida rally on Friday. In fact, the photo was taken before the rally began. "@DaveWeigel @WashingtonPost put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in," Trump tweeted. "Real photos now shown as a I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo!" Weigel apologized to Trump within minutes and noted he had already deleted the inaccurate tweet. "Sure thing: I apologize. I deleted the photo after @dmartosko told me I'd gotten it wrong. Was confused by the image of you walking in the bottom right corner," Weigel tweeted. "It was a bad tweet on my personal account, not a story for Washington Post. I deleted it after like 20 minutes. Very fair to call me out," Weigel later tweeted. But Trump continued to target Weigel even after the apology, accusing him of being deliberately misleading. Knowing she would likely be homeless after moving back to Madison, Ray Straub was looking to board her two cats while she got back on her feet after years of medical problems. She even considered euthanizing one of the cats, Roscoe, because he was extremely ill and needed veterinary care treatment she knew she couldnt afford while trying to pay for groceries and rent. Roscoe was very, very sick, she said. I knew I couldnt afford the lab work to even figure out what was wrong with him, let alone probably the care. But thanks to the Wisconsin Companion Animal Resources, Education, and Social Services, the approximately 15-year-old Roscoe is back to his mischievous old self after being diagnosed with diabetes and receiving care to stabilize him. The program provides free veterinary care coupled with some social services to homeless pet owners and those in precarious housing situations in Dane County. At this point, it looks like hes never been sick a day in his life, Straub, 53, said. Hes into everything hes throwing things on the floor and tipping over water bowls. The clinic provides basic veterinary care for free to homeless pet owners and those in unstable housing situations. Human clients can also work with social workers and are offered information for linking up to other social services like housing and landlord assistance. We hear very frequently that if someone cant afford veterinary medical care, they dont deserve to have a pet, said Amanda Arrington, director of Pets for Life, a Humane Society of the United States program that provides veterinary care and resources to low-income communities and those with a lack of care providers. What we have seen is people who are struggling financially and dont have a lot, that pet means so much more to them, she said. Thats why theres such an immense need for us to honor the love people have for their pets. Now in its third year of helping pets and their owners, WisCARES is planning to ditch the crowded Quonset hut it currently occupies on Fish Hatchery Road for a much larger building to increase the number of veterinary services it offers and expand its services to other low-income people who struggle to afford medical care for their pets. Weve outgrown the space were in, said William Gilles, director and co-founder of WisCARES. Its a big step for us ... for staff and volunteers, it cannot come soon enough. Although a lease isnt finalized, Gilles said he expects the new space to be about 4,000 square feet much larger than the 1,000-square-foot building the facility is in today and will likely be near the South Side location the office currently rents. More services for more people The number of clients the clinic serves has increased since it started in 2014, jumping from 65 in the first year, to 225 the second and to about 450 today, Gilles said. Services include a pet food and supply pantry, chronic disease management, basic diagnostics, check-ups, some vaccines, flea and tick prevention, rabies tags and certificates. It also provides pet boarding for owners who need to access health care or go to a shelter. Social workers and students are also available to point owners to social services, health care and housing. The program doesnt offer emergency veterinary services and hasnt done surgery or spay and neuter clinics. But with the planned expansion, the program hopes to increase its diagnostic capabilities and begin offering some surgical procedures. The program hasnt finalized eligibility requirements for its new low-cost or subsidized care, Gilles said, but they will be geared toward the estimated 40 percent or so of Dane County residents who dont have discretionary income to pay for veterinary care. That number is based on a 2016 United Way report, which found that 41 percent of Dane Countys residents lived either below the poverty line or just above it yet still below a basic household survival threshold of $28,608 a year for an individual and more than $69,000 for a family of four. Theres these just kind of invisible pet-owner populations that we really need to start working with because they very much care about their pets and they deserve access to that care as well, he said. So thats one of the big things that a new space will bring us. WisCARES which is funded through grants, donations and money from UW-Madison also provides an opportunity for veterinary, pharmacy and social work students to gain work experience. Gilles said he expected the programs current $200,000 budget to more than double under the proposed expansion. The program has two full-time and nine part-time staff members and more than 100 volunteers, Gilles said. Most part-timers and volunteers are students. A vast need Although there are a few other rescue-based places in the Madison area where low-income pet owners can get some free or subsidized veterinary care, WisCARES is unique because it also focuses on social services and human health, Gilles said. The program a partnership between UW-Madisons veterinary and social work schools, among others was designed to keep owners with their pets while providing both with resources. WisCARES and its staff is among a growing number of veterinary care providers offering free or low-cost care to owners who couldnt otherwise afford it. Its exciting to see that its starting to get some more attention, Gilles said. Its a big cultural shift that were needing to make. As of 2016, an estimated 23 million pets live in families at or below the national poverty line, or $11,880 for a single person and $24,300 for a four-person family, according to the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association. And 5 to 10 percent of homeless people own cats or dogs, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Keeping a pet, especially during traumatic or difficult situations like homelessness, can be therapeutic, help encourage social interaction and may even decrease an individuals likelihood to engage in substance abuse or criminal activity, Gilles said. Often, individuals choose to keep their pet over accessing social services like shelter and mental health or substance abuse treatment because those facilities often dont allow pets. While there are more options today for those who cant afford medical care for their pets, theres still a vast need for low cost and free services, Arrington said. Without WisCARES and other low-cost care providers in Madison, Straub would have been one of those owners forced to choose between keeping pets and paying for food and housing. Though Straub said shes getting back on her feet after a few years of health problems, homelessness and less-than-ideal housing situations, she said its comforting to know she can at least count on getting help with the cats. My whole life seems like for the last couple years, is just upside down. The only stable thing I have is my cats. Its my family, she said. Its nice to know, if I ever get in that position again ... that theyre here. In a statement from the hospital, Giuliano Testa, M.D., the principal investigator of the uterine transplant clinical trial at the hospital, said the birth was a milestone and "a beautiful moment of love and hope for a mother who had been told she would never be able to carry her own child. According to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, the transplant was part of a clinical trial to study infertility treatment options for women who dont have a functioning uterus, known as Uterine Factor Infertility. CNN says that this condition, which affects five percent of women worldwide, includes women who were born without a uterus, lost their uterus, or no longer have a functioning uterus. Having a baby after a uterus transplant is no easy feat, and the hospital spelled out exactly how the whole thing worked: The woman underwent IVF to retrieve her own eggs, which were fertilized and then frozen as embryos. Then, the donor womb and cervix were implanted into her body. She had to take immunosuppressive drugs so that her body wouldnt reject the new organs and, a year after the transplant, an embryo was transferred to her uterus. She gave birth via Cesarean section. While this mom is the first woman to give birth via a transplanted uterus in the U.S., she's not the first everthat happened in Sweden in 2014. Since then, eight more babies have been born to moms with transplanted uteruses at the at hospital, CNN reports. The Cleveland Clinic also performed a successful uterus transplant in 2016, but the uterus had to be removed after the patient developed a yeast infection. The Summit, which would be attended by over 50 world leaders, is scheduled to hold on Wednesday, December 12,at the eco-friendly La Seine Musicale, situated on the picturesque Seguin Island in western Paris. The President's Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, disclosed this on Sunday, December 10, in a statement issued in Abuja. Quoting the organizers of the event, he said the main focus of the summit, with the theme, "Climate Change Financing", would be to innovatively pool public and private finance "to support and accelerate our common efforts to fight climate change." "While recognising that all countries are affected by the effects of climate change under 'One Planet' but some are more vulnerable, the summit seeks for tangible collective action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions". Adesina revealed that before heading for the Summit venue, the Buhari would attend a lunch hosted by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, for Heads of State and Governments at the Elysee Palace. He said Buhari and other world leaders and participants would make presentations under four sub-themes namely: Scaling-up Finance for Climate Action; Greening Finance for Sustainable Business; Accelerating Local and Regional Climate Action; and Strengthening Policies for Ecological and Inclusive Transition. The Presidential spokesman recalled that while signing the Paris Agreement on Climate Change at the sidelines of the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 22, 2016, Buhari had said it "demonstrated Nigerias commitment to global efforts to reverse the effects of the negative trend." He said the president followed that significant step by signing the Instrument of Ratification of the Paris Agreement on March 28, at the State House, Abuja, making Nigeria the 146th party to the Paris Treaty. Adesina noted that the participation of Nigeria's delegation at the One Planet Summit would reinforce the countrys commitment to realising the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Buhari is expected to be accompanied to the summit by the governors of Adamawa, Kano and Ondo States, and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Environment. Here are the seven things we learnt from the elective national convention of Nigeria's biggest opposition party.... 1. Southwest is marginalised caucus within PDP Of the nine candidates who vied for the position of chairman of the PDP, seven hailed from the geopolitical Southwest zone. Just hours before the convention however, six of the Southwest candidates had withdrawn from the race, citing non-transparency, flouting of the party's zoning formula and plans to rig the vote in favour of the eventual winner, Uche Secondus. Months before this convention, there was a gentleman's agreement within the PDP ceding the position of Chairman to the Southwest. However, Jimi Agbaje, Bode George, Rasheed Ladoja, Gbenga Daniel announced their withdrawal when it became clear they wouldn't be getting the support of the most powerful blocs within the party. So long, Southwest PDP. 2. Old habits die hard Until it was sent packing from the center in 2015, the PDP carved a reputation for rigging elections, imposing candidates and shunning internal democracy principles. As voting progressed on Saturday, it looked as though the PDP was....well....still the PDP. Some State chapters said their list of delegates had been tampered with. A dead man's name even found its way into a list of accredited delegates. A 'Unity List' soon found its way into the convention venue, specifying which candidates delegates should vote for. It was a list of 'winners' before the election. As it turned out, winners on the Unity List became eventual winners at the close of convention. Meaning that delegate voting mattered little at the end of the day. There was already a list of winners before the first vote was cast in anger. ALSO READ: Here are the new executives of opposition party The era of anointed candidates in the PDP is far from over. Power to the godfathers! 3. Bode George can blow grammar sha When Lagos' PDP godfather, Olabode George announced his decision to withdraw from the chairmanship race, he left us a classic withdrawal press statement to go with it. It was a statement laden with sophistry and plenty 'Oyinbo', you had no choice but to applaud. "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", George wrote. Hold on, there's more from 'boy George': "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. "The PDP has obviously allowed money moguls to dictate its thematic largeness". Ekwe! Here's another collector's item from George's speech-writer, just because you asked. You are welcome: "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, will not partake in this charade. "I, hereby, withdraw from this brazen fraud and absolutely preconceived, monetized, mercantilist convention. "The Yoruba people have been openly maligned. The Yoruba have been savaged, tormented, treated with contempt, scurried, scoffed at, humiliated and denigrated by little men whose sun will soon set". George may have lost the election, but we are just thankful he's won a speech-writer in the process. 4. Governors are still very powerful within PDP Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State appeared on national TV on the eve of convention and declared that Uche Secondus was going to emerge chairman. And so it was. Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State also threw his weight behind Secondus. All the PDP Governors with enormous political clout backed Secondus. As the votes were tallied well into Sunday morning, everyone knew there was going to be only one winner. 5. Political parties still can't conclude elections during the day There were just under 3,000 delegates for the PDP national convention. However, results were announced at 3am on Sunday for a convention that commenced at 11am the previous day. An election of 3,000 persons for a dozen positions couldn't be concluded in record time. Just priceless! It just tells you that politicians love counting their votes at night. They also love their meetings at night time. Nocturnal much? 6. PDP is still a disjointed house The cessation of legal hostilities between Ali Modu Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi was supposed to forge the PDP into a united house capable of giving the governing APC a run for its money in 2019. With several aspirants railing against the PDP's famed strong-arm tactic and imposition techniques after this convention, with some members staging furious walkouts from the convention venue, you have to agree that the PDP is far from a united front at the moment. 7. Olisa Metuh is no longer a PDP big boy Chief Olisa Metuh was once the most vocal member of the PDP while serving as the party's spokesperson. Those were the days when Metuh could saunter into and emerge from any VIP section of a crowd; a spring in his steps. Not anymore. When Metuh attempted to head into the VIP section of the State box where former President Goodluck Jonathan was sitting pretty, he was bounced so hard, the rest of Abuja felt the tremor. The security personnel wouldn't let Metuh proceed even after angry words were exchanged. Recall that Metuh is being prosecuted for allegedly receiving the sum of N400M from former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki. During his trial, Metuh asked Jonathan to come testify as a special witness, but the former president asked his former party spokesperson to pay N1B into his account in transportation and logistic costs, before he'll even consider making the trip from Bayelsa to Abuja. Poor Metuh can't ask Jonathan to testify for him and can't even be allowed to see Jonathan at his party's convention these days. The ruling party stated this in reaction to the just concluded PDP convention. A statement issued on Sunday, December 10, 2017, by the APC spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, said "the biggest political party in Africa has now been reduced to a regional party". "In reacting to revelations of how money-for-votes and systematic rigging was brazenly perpetuated during the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC) is mindful of the popular axiom: A leopard cannot change its spot," the statement said. Some of the contenders in the PDP Chairmanship race, including Chief Raymond Dokpesi, had described the electoral process that produced Uche Secondus as Chairman, as fraudulent. ALSO READ: APC is a dying party Atiku In its taunting statement, the APC further said, "The abnormalities that trailed the PDP national convention have further exposed the PDP as a party is not ready and willing to change. "Indeed, the PDP has once again displayed itself to the generality of Nigerians that it is a Party with corruption deeply rooted in its DNA. "By frustrating south-west chairmanship candidates, it is unfortunate that the PDP has decided to punish the South West for not voting for the Party in 2015. "We urge members of the PDP that can pass the integrity test to join the APC so that we can together bring about the much-needed change the country deserves." He said whether anyone likes it or not, Atiku is a major force to reckon with in Nigeria's political sphere. Atiku recently defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying the APC has failed Nigerians. Okorocha stated this on Saturday, December 9, 2017, after receiving an honorary doctorate degree at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State. "I have taken a holistic view of our party, it (Atikus exit) is not the best because no matter how anybody thinks, Atiku carries some political weight. His leaving our party is not the best," he said. Okorocha, however, said the APC will make amends and fill up the vacuum Atiku left. The Governor also reacted to the statement credited to the APC National Leader, Bola Tinubu, that there would be no automatic ticket for President Muhammadu Buhari ahead the 2019 Presidential Election. He (Okorocha) maintained that he that he would support Buhari for a second term. Earlier, the APC Governors' Forum had said all the governors will support the party's sole candidacy of Buhari in 2019 election. ALSO READ: Nigerians roast Okorocha for appointing sister Commissioner But Tinubu opposed the Forum's stand, insisting that the APC's presidential candidate must emerge through a primary. Okorocha said, "The (Tinubus) statement came to me as a surprise, come to think of it, I never referred to him. I refer to the governors of Nigeria including the PDP governors and I said only one or two of them have not joined yet. "Since I made the statement, no governor has said something contrary to what I said. I am surprised that Asiwaju will now be speaking for the governors. He looks like somebody crying more than the bereaved. I did not see reason for the statement actually. But he commands my respect and I dont want to join issue with the National Leader of my party. "What I mentioned was for the governors and secondly what I said is support. The word I use is support that does not mean there will not be primary. Governors can only contribute only 37 votes, we still have over 5,000 votes up there. What I was talking about was governors. I was not talking about other party members. Governors alone do not determine the flagbearer of a party. "If you recall, I said but for Buhari, I would have run for presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. But I found in him a man credible and he still has four years term to do. I will allow him to complete and I will go back to my political trenches because I would still run for presidency anyhow. I consider myself young enough to wait until 2023 and I dont hide my stand on any issue. But for now, my support goes to President Muhammadu Buhari." Adeniran rejected the electoral process, describing it as fraudulent and unfair. Six other candidates from the South-West had pulled out of the race and reached a consensus to support only Adeniran, so that the zone would stand a better chance of emerging winner. Speaking to newsmen at the venue, Mr. Taiwo Akeju, the director of publicity to Adeniran, said his boss is against the use of a unity list, which he claims was used to rig the process. ALSO READ: Jonathan says PDP is a reference point in Nigeria's democracy If you want to see the Christmas spirit in action and how generous State Journal readers help that cause theres perhaps no better example than what youll find in todays newspaper. The Sunday Best section contains letters written by children as part of our annual Helping Hands feature. Every year, the State Journal invites children and teens to write or email a note about someone in their community who could use a helping hand this holiday season. The children then explain what they would do if they had $200 to help someone, and we fulfill as many of those wishes as we can. The donations you make to the Empty Stocking Club, which is part of our newspapers umbrella charity organization known as Youth Services Inc., form the basis of those special micro-grants, along with additional donations earmarked just for Helping Hands. This year, those grants will put food on tables, gas in cars and warm clothes on children. The hope is they also brighten the holidays and inspire children along the way. That has been the mission of the Empty Stocking Club every year since 1918: to make a difference in the lives of children across southern Wisconsin. The goal is to make sure that every child in our area receives at least one nice gift to open during the holidays. It works like this: Readers donate funds, and we buy the toys and set up the infrastructure to get these toys into the right hands. And they do! We typically give away some 10,000 toys each year. The Empty Stocking Club was started nearly 100 years ago by State Journal staff members who saw a need in their community. They collected old toys and fixed them up for children who would otherwise have empty stockings on Christmas morning. These days, the toys are new, and parents pick them out at a Toy Depot we set up that looks a lot like the aisles of a discount store. We still see needs in our community today, and we know you do, too. With your generosity, we can continue to partner together to do something about it. For your convenience, there is a donation envelope in todays newspaper. You can also donate online at emptystockingclub.com or mail your donation to: The Empty Stocking Club Wisconsin State Journal Box 8056, Madison WI 53708 Trump's move has drawn near universal condemnation, and Palestinian officials say Abbas will refuse to meet US Vice President Mike Pence when he travels to the region later this month. Sisi has invited Abbas "to a bilateral summit for consultations on Monday in Cairo to discuss developments related to the United States' recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital", said Bassam Radi, a spokesman for the Egyptian presidency. Official Palestinian news agency WAFA said Abbas and Sisi spoke by telephone on Sunday and "continued consultations about the latest developments after the US administration's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel". It said that they agreed "to continue consulting to coordinate common positions". Palestine Liberation Organisation official Wasel Abu Yousef told AFP he understood that Jordan's King Abdullah II would also join Monday's meeting, but there was no official confirmation of this. Anger throughout the Muslim and Arab world has included protests in Egypt and Jordan, which also has a special role as the official custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. In Cairo, students and professors demonstrated at the prestigious Al-Azhar University, a university spokesman said, with pictures on social media showing several hundred protesters. Dozens of students protested at two other Cairo universities. Arab foreign ministers on Saturday called on the United States to rescind its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and for the international community to recognise a Palestinian state. In a resolution after an emergency meeting in Cairo, Arab League member ministers said the United States had "withdrawn itself as a sponsor and broker" of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process with its controversial move. The ministers met at the league's headquarters in Cairo to formulate a response to the US decision. Egypt's top Muslim and Christian clerics have both cancelled scheduled meetings with Pence in protest at the Jerusalem decision. Israel seized Arab east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community. The Palestinians want the eastern sector as the capital of their future state. They were blocked from reaching the complex by a metal gate sealing the road leading to the embassy, and security forces fired tear gas and water cannons to repel demonstrators who tried to open the gate by force. An AFP photographer was lightly wounded in the chest when a member of the Lebanese security forces fired a rubber bullet at him. He was among several people hurt in the violence, during which protesters also hurled rocks at the Lebanese forces blocking the way to the US embassy. The police detained some demonstrators but it was not clear how many. Protestors waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags, and sporting black-and-white checked keffiyeh scarves, chanted slogans against President Donald Trump, who on Wednesday recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital. A group of demonstrators set alight an effigy of the US president, whose decision has upended decades of American diplomacy and an international consensus to leave the status of Jerusalem to be resolved in negotiations. "We're here to tell Trump his decision is meaningless. Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine," said Sylvia Ammoud, wearing the trademark keffiyeh headdress tied around her neck as a scarf. "It isn't just a city, it's the struggle in which we grew up to build the Palestinian cause," she said. "We, the people, today want to rise up and get our message across on this issue, because it's an issue that concerns our dignity and our history," said another protester, who gave his name as Khaled. The demonstrators included members of Palestinian parties, as well as Lebanese Islamists and leftists. The head of Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement, Hassan Nasrallah, has called for a mass demonstration against Trump's decision on Monday in the group's stronghold in the southern Beirut suburbs. "I am calling on men, women, young and old, the southern suburbs, Beirut and all those who wish to join in from across Lebanon," Nasrallah said, also inviting residents of Lebanon's 12 Palestinian refugee camps. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon, including those who fled or were expelled from their homes after Israel's founding, as well as their descendants. Israel occupied southern Lebanon for 22 years before withdrawing in 2000, but the two countries remain technically at war. The Communist CPN-UML and the Maoist Party look set for a landslide victory in the landmark polls that mark the end of the Himalayan nation's drawn-out transition to federal democracy 11 years after the end of a brutal civil war. The leftist alliance has won 84 seats in the national parliament and leads in a further 31, securing a majority. The incumbent Nepali Congress has so far won just 13 seats, performing worse than expected. The lower house of parliament comprises 165 seats that are directly elected and a further 110 that are allocated to parties based on proportional representation votes. Early tallies show that the Communist alliance will also dominate in most of the seven newly-created provincial assemblies. "We feel that the people accepted our appeal to vote for the 'Left Alliance' for stability and prosperity," senior CPN-UML leader Pradeep Gyawali told AFP. "Our alliance is strong... We will prepare to form the government." The polls for national and provincial parliaments were held in two phases, with the mountainous north voting on November 26 and the rest of the country on Thursday. They are the first elections held under the country's new federal constitution, which was finally adopted in 2015 nine years after the end of the conflict and mandates a sweeping overhaul of the political system devolving power from the centre to the seven provinces. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the elections as "a historic moment for Nepal in implementing its federal structure as enshrined in the 2015 Constitution". Nepal emerged from a bloody civil war in 2006 and ousted the monarchy two years later, beginning its transition to a federal democratic state. But over the last 11 years a series of short-lived governments have bickered over the country's future, allowing corruption to flourish and growth stagnate. It has also hampered the recovery from a devastating earthquake that hit in 2015, killing 9,000 and destroying more than half a million homes. The left alliance -- which campaigned on a nationalistic platform that was at times anti-India -- was tipped for victory but analysts expressed surprise at the strength of the mandate handed to them by voters. "They cashed in on agendas of development and nationalism," said Sudheer Sharma, editor of the Kantipur newspaper. The next government could be the first to serve a full five-year term as rules under the new constitution make it harder to oust a prime minister. The demonstrators want the withdrawal of proposed legislation that would overhaul Romania's justice system and reduce the powers of the respected anti-corruption directorate, the DNA. Critics say the changes would dent progress in tackling graft, which Brussels has long complained about in the 10 years since Romania joined the European Union. In Bucharest's central Victory Square, thousands gathered holding European Union and Romanian flags and shouted "Resign", while branding the ruling Social Democrats (PSD) "the red plague". "They are doing everything so that they can steal legitimately. They are changing the laws in their favour, not for the benefit of the country," said a 36-year-old who refused to give his name. "Don't force us to leave our country," he said. This week, Romania's prosecutor general Augustin Lazar denounced moves to "weaken the independence of prosecutors". The protests saw several thousands take to the streets of Bucharest. More than 2,000 people demonstrated in the central city of Sibiu and in western Timisoara. The PSD returned to power after a thumping election victory last December but has had a rocky ride. Seoul's new measures, its second set of unilateral sanctions in a month, are likely to draw an angry response from Pyongyang, which views its neighbour as overly-dependent on a hostile Washington. A total of 20 North Korean organisations, including banks and trading companies, and 12 North Korean individuals -- mostly bankers -- will be blacklisted as of Monday, the South's Yonhap news agency reported citing a foreign ministry official. "The organisations and individuals were involved in supplying money needed to develop weapons of mass destruction or illegal trading of sanctioned items," the official said, according to Yonhap. The measures are in addition to those by the UN Security Council, which has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests. China, Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and military ally, has also backed the UN embargoes, but has repeatedly pushed for talks to diffuse tensions. The UN's under secretary general Jeffrey Feltman visited the North just a week after Pyongyang said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. His trip also coincided with the US and South Korea's biggest-ever joint air exercise, which the North slammed as a provocation and revealing an intention to "mount a surprise nuclear pre-emptive strike". Seoul's sanctions will bar South Korean individuals and entities from transacting with those on the list but it will be largely symbolic given a lack of inter-Korean economic ties. Last year, South Korea unilaterally closed operations at the jointly-run Kaesong Industrial Complex, saying cash from the zone was being funnelled to the North's weapons programme. "Turkish Cypriots will never be reduced to the status of a minority, as the Greek Cypriots wish, on an island where they are joint owners," Erdogan told To Vima weekly. "Negotiations are doomed to ineffectiveness if there is no change towards an understanding that Turkish Cypriots are political equals." Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded its northern third in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece. Turkey still maintains around 35,000 troops in the self-declared statelet of around 300,000 people recognised only by Ankara. Efforts to reunify the divided island collapsed at a UN-hosted peace summit in Switzerland in July. In the talks, Greece had sought to end the right of intervention on Cyprus it holds with Britain and Turkey, while the Greek Cypriots also pushed for a withdrawal of Turkish troops from the former British colony which joined the European Union in 2004. "The Greek Cypriots have a serious problem as regards power sharing... they still see Cyprus as a Greek island," Erdogan was quoted as saying. The last major peace push collapsed in 2004 when a proposal worked out by then UN chief Kofi Annan was accepted by most Turkish Cypriots but resoundingly dismissed by Greek Cypriots in twin referendums. There are some 14,000 polling stations country-wide, according to the National Election Council (CNE), which began to open early on Sunday. The main opposition parties are staying away because they say the vote lacks any guarantees of fairness or transparency as voters pick 335 mayors across the country. The lack of a serious challenge to Maduro aligned candidates has led to skepticism in the main cities of Caracas, Maracaibo and San Cristobal. "I'm not going to vote because I don't believe in the transparency of the CNE," said Nerver Huerta, a 38-year-old graphic designer in Caracas. Maduro's ruling socialist party will be aided by the refusal of the three main parties in the opposition coalition Democratic Union Roundtable (MUD) to participate, although smaller parties have decided to contest the election. In the cards is a repeat of the electoral drubbing suffered by the opposition in October's regional elections, which they claim were fraudulent, analysts say. Those supporting the government are a combination of ideological loyalists and pragmatists aware that their electronic Fatherland Card, courtesy of the government, could help them get access to scarce medicine or food. Opposition critics call it bald-faced social control. "The president, despite everything, has helped me. I could not be ungrateful," said William Lugo, 65, as he managed the payment of Christmas bonuses that the government says benefits four million people. "I will vote on Sunday, and if we have to re-elect him, I will be there," he said. Yon Goicoechea is contesting the election against the wishes of his party because he says the opposition must "defend" the political space it occupies. Goicoechea, who is running for mayor in a Caracas municipality, said the government "will try to steal the vote, but we will not give it away." According to electoral expert Eugenio Martinez, the opposition would do well to hold on to even 50 percent of its 72 mayorships. "The absence of the main opposition parties and the pressure of the Chavez machinery make it unfeasible for the opposition to maintain even half of the mayorships it controls," Martinez told AFP. Key opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado and Henrique Capriles left the coalition when four of the five elected opposition governors in the regional elections were sworn in before Maduro's Constituent Assembly, which he formed in July to bypass the opposition-dominated parliament. A replacement for the fifth governor, whose election was nullified due to his refusal, will be elected on Sunday, and any opposition mayors elected will also have to accept to be sworn in before the Assembly. 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 UN News Center, November 15, 2017 A profoundly alarming trend in the cultivation and production of opium in Afghanistan reveals an 87 per cent production increase compared to 2016, the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) said Wednesday in its Afghanistan Opium Survey 2017. It is high time for the international community and Afghanistan to reprioritize drug control, and to acknowledge that every nation has a shared responsibility for this global problem, said UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov. According to the latest figures released by the Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics and UNODC, in addition to an 87 per cent jump to a record level of 9,000 metric tonnes in 2017, the area under opium poppy cultivation also increased to a record 328,000 hectares in 2017, up 63 per cent compared with 201,000 hectares in 2016. "For both Afghanistan, and the world, we are heading towards uncharted territoryAdditionally, the number of poppy-free provinces in the country decreased from 13 to 10 and after more than a decade, Ghazni, Samangan and Nuristan lost their poppy-free status. The number of provinces affected by cultivation increased accordingly from 21 to 24. These frightening figures should give considerable pause for reflection on whether the calculus on the illicit drugs flowing from Afghanistan adds up to a workable and achievable solution, he continued, again urging the international community to revisit its engagement with Afghanistan, and to acknowledge that fresh assessments and policy revisions may be necessary. Pointing to the multiple challenges the increase would pose for the country, Mr. Fedotov stressed, that Afghanistan, already suffering from the opium produced within its borders, the increases will drive drug abuse, an increased dependency on the illicit economy, and rising levels of corruption. Gains on governance and transparency in Afghanistan and surrounding countries will also be challenged by more instability, insecurity, and increased funding to terrorist groups. New actors and markets are likely to emerge; some of these new actors may be terrorist groups attempting to use the drug trade to finance their global operations, Mr. Fedotov explained. Far greater amounts of opium in the worlds consumer markets would increase health and social problems also placing added burdens on already stretched Afghan public health services. The Executive Director called opium cultivation and production a complex development issue and bound to the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, for which partnership and coordination is also needed. UNODC has created initiatives-including the Triangular Initiative, the Paris Pact and the networking the networks activity-to assist, but engagement must be stepped up to increase effectiveness, he stated. RT, November 18, 2017 US military personnel deploying to Afghanistan were taught that child sexual abuse is a culturally accepted practice in the country, a new Pentagon report has revealed. Soldiers who reported the issue were told nothing could be done about it. In some cases, the interviewees explained that they, or someone whom they knew, were told that nothing could be done about child sexual abuse because of Afghanistans status as a sovereign nation, that it was not a priority for the command, the report says. Theres nothing we can do about it, one soldier interviewed for the report said his superior officers told him when he complained. Other comments included it was out of our control, and this is Afghanistan. Titled The Implementation of the DoD Leahy Law Regarding Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse by Members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, the 106-page report was issued in response to a complaint by Representative Duncan Hunter (R-California) about child sexual abuse, particularly against young boys, by Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) personnel. We determined that the DoD [Department of Defense] did not conduct training for personnel on identifying, responding to, or reporting instances of child sexual abuse involving ANDSF personnel before 2015, the Pentagon report said. The military began to investigate pedophilia only after a 2015 New York Times article said US troops were told to ignore sex abuse of boys. At night we can hea r them screaming, but were not allowed to do anything about it, Lance Corporal Gregory Buckley reportedly told his father before being killed in 2012, according to the Times. In 2011, two special forces members were punished for confronting a local commander who abducted an Afghan boy and forced him to become a sex slave. Captain Dan Quinn approached an Afghan police commander about the behavior. After the commander laughed in his face, Quinn picked him up and threw him on the ground in order to make sure the message was understood that if he went back to the boy, that it was not going to be tolerated. Following the incident, the military relieved Quinn of his command and he later resigned. Sergeant First Class Charles Martland was also punished for the same incident. Rep. Hunter intervened on his behalf with the Pentagon, and the decision to expel Martland was overturned in April 2016. The war in Afghanistan is now in its 16th year and has surpassed the Vietnam War as Americas longest-ever conflict. Civilian deaths hit record highs in July 2017, matching the levels seen in 2012. The US troop presence in Afghanistan peaked at 100,000 in 2011 under the Obama administration. Prior to his 2016 presidential election, Trump was a harsh critic of the Afghan war, saying the US "should leave Afghanistan immediately and calling the war "a complete waste. In August 2017, however, Trump announced US troops would remain in Afghanistan for an indefinite period of time. Conditions on the ground not arbitrary timetables will guide our strategy from now on. Americas enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out, he said. Several provisions in the tax bill being advanced by congressional Republicans target student loan borrowers, students and the schools they attend. The impacts will be hurtful. We dont yet know how Congress will resolve the differences between the House and Senate versions of the tax reform plan. But the general outlines are clear: The interests of students, student loan borrowers, and investments in higher education are being sacrificed on the altar of trickle-down economics. Under current versions of the proposed tax plan, graduate students could face massive tax hikes and student loan borrowers will no longer get a tax deduction for a portion of the interest paid on their debt. And to even more radically tip the economic scales toward the wealthy elite, funding for higher education and financial aid is on the chopping block. According to estimates, the Senate version of tax cut legislation would add $1 trillion to the federal budget deficit while the House version would pile on up to $1.5 trillion. For discretionary federal spending such as support for student financial aid, this means cuts, cuts and more cuts. And, as we have seen, reductions in the financial aid for eligible students has been a prime driver of the growing student loan debt crisis that now burdens 44 million Americans with nearly $1.5 trillion in debt. The billions in profits the federal government makes from the interest it charges on student loans will be relied on to help offset the windfall that goes to the wealthiest. That makes Republicans more likely to rebuff a bill proposed by Democrats to allow people to refinance their federal student loan, just like can be done with a mortgage. Even worse are the specific provisions targeting students, borrowers and universities. Under current law, a portion of the interest middle-class student loan borrowers pay on their loans can be deducted on their federal taxes. Under the guise of simplifying the tax code, this modest, targeted deduction is being eliminated. Nationally, the deduction was claimed by more than 12 million Americans in tax year 2015. The House version of the bill contains another onerous and damaging provision calling for tuition assistance for graduate assistants to be taxed as income. This would represent a massive tax hike on the students pursuing advanced degrees, who currently receive a break on the cost of their education in exchange for working as faculty at universities across the country. If this provision passes, experts predict it will worsen the already significant racial disparities that exist on college campuses. Advanced degrees will become even more the exclusive province of those wealthy enough to finance their own educations, or those willing to consign themselves to repaying back massive student loans for the rest of their lives. Even employers who care about a well-trained workforce and the employees seeking to upgrade their skills are targeted. Much like the grad student provisions in the House bill, current law exemptions for employer-provided tuition assistance to employees would be eliminated and the aid would be counted as taxable income. Across the board, the tax schemes of President Donald Trump and the Republicans in control of Congress are unfair, cruel and short-sighted. Nowhere is this more evident than in the shameful attacks on student loan borrowers and higher education. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate , We're sorry, this article is not currently available CHICAGO A few recent headlines could be filed under the category Racism Is Bad and Wrong. First up, a controversy in which an African-American nurse working at the Indiana University Health system posted this screed on Twitter: Every white woman raises a detriment to society when they raise a son. Someone with the HIGHEST propensity to be a terrorist, rapist, racist, killer, and domestic violence all star. Historically every son you had should be sacrificed to the wolves B. She was promptly fired. In Lake Villa, Illinois, a Hispanic detective who was in the process of conducting a theft investigation responded to a group of teen suspects who asked why they were being detained with: Because youre white. It was a bizarre thing to say Lake Villa is a predominantly white outer-ring suburb of Chicago. If you watch the video (http://bit.ly/2AVUXLC), which immediately went viral, the comment came totally out of the blue, since the teens had not made any references to race or police mistreatment or anything that would seem to elicit such a response. The detective who apologized to the teen who filmed the video was disciplined. Lastly, the University Star, the student newspaper of Texas State University, recently came under fire for printing a students guest op-ed column titled Your DNA is an abomination. The student, who is Hispanic, wrote, among other explosive things: Ontologically speaking, white death will mean liberation for all. To you good-hearted liberals, apathetic nihilists and right-wing extremists: accept this death as the first step toward defining yourself as something other than the oppressor. Until then, remember this: I hate you because you shouldnt exist. You are both the dominant apparatus on the planet and the void in which all other cultures, upon meeting you, die. The university president, Denise M. Trauth, released a statement declaring, The columns central theme was abhorrent and is contrary to the core values of inclusion and unity that our Bobcat students, faculty, and staff hold dear. As president of a university that celebrates its inclusive culture, I detest racism in any manifestation. The student newspaper issued its own statement apologizing for having caused hurt within the campus community. The incident had the net effect of serving as more kindling on the fire for those who feel that (a) American colleges and universities seem to exist solely to indoctrinate students with far-left propaganda and (b) the only logical response to hatred is more, and harsher, hatred. The pendulum is swinging back and forth at a dizzying speed, with dueling finger-pointing at others poor behavior (as if everyone started out on equal economic, social and political footing). The result is escalating vitriol from two sides digging in their heels and increasingly acting as if racism either barely exists or overlays every human interaction in America. But when people of color start seeing all white people as racist monsters, white people start seeing all people of color as racism accusers. When genocide terminology gets bandied about by either camp, its pretty clear everyone needs a reminder that two wrongs dont make a right. Racism is racism, period, said Gustavo Arellano, author of several books about Mexican culture, former editor of OC Weekly and creator of the popular Ask A Mexican! column. Some people say that people of color cant be racist because they dont come from white privilege, but theyre wrong, because that denies basic humanity none of us are perfect, we all have our own bigotries. Taking out our frustrations [over injustices towards non-whites] on white people doesnt solve anything. Arellano told me the same thing my parents said as I was growing up: There are bad white people, bad African-Americans, bad Hispanics, bad all kinds of people, but we cant paint everyone with one big paintbrush. When stories circulate about white-profiling detectives of color and students who consider white people an aberration, they have the effect of making minorities even more of a target for hatred by people who already think we dont belong. And the same goes for white people the vast majority cringe at the very notion that they might be envisioned by others as torch-wielding white supremacists. Before you make any snap judgments about people, remember that racism cuts both ways, damaging relations that may yet have a chance at taking a turn for the better. The whistle-blowers letter to Sebi said future disclosures on any wrongdoing could potentially not be exposed if Infosys is let off the hook now. A whistle-blower at Infosys has asked market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), to reject the Bengaluru-headquartered information technology (IT) majors offer to settle the dispute over former chief financial officer (CFO) Rajiv Bansals severance pay. Instead, the whistle-blower has sought an independent forensic investigation of the matter. The anonymous whistle-blower, whose email to Sebi was reviewed by Business Standard, also blamed the Infosys board, currently led by co-founder Nandan Nilekani, for dismissing the allegations. It is a mockery of justice, the whistle-blower, who claims to be an Infosys employee, has written. The impunity with which the board -- both past and present -- dismissed the allegations when they knew they were wrong is unprecedented and just for this reason Sebi should dismiss this settlement overture and prosecute the management and board to set an example, the letter claims. The whistle-blower drew parallels to allegations of fraud at the National Stock Exchange, which was investigated by the company-appointed panel and got a clean chit. The current (NSE) management filed for [a] consent [plea], but Sebi is not accepting that and asking for special investigation. Why Infosys case should be different from the NSE case? Why not Sebi order a fully independent investigation including a forensic investigation and make people accountable? said the letter. An Infosys spokesperson said the company has not seen the letter. In February, the petition by an anonymous whistle-blower to Sebi, alleging irregularities in the acquisition of Israeli technology firm Panaya by Infosys and the subsequent severance pay to Bansal triggered at least two independent investigations. Both gave a clean chit to former chief executive officer Vishal Sikka and the company. However, Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy, who had made public his outrage against the failure of Infosys in disclosing the severance pay to shareholders and regulators, wanted the report to be made public. Infosys declined, saying there were confidential details in the report. The public pressure from Murthy made Sikka quit the company in August. Following this, the board, led by then chairman R Seshasayee, engaged in a public spat with Murthy. Seshasayee and two other board members also ended up quitting the company. As investors fled Infosys after a failed three-year experiment with its first non-founder CEO and the subsequent uncertainty, several board members, investors, and former employees reached out to a reluctant Nilekani to return to the company. One of the commitments made by Nilekani, who returned as non executive chairman, was to look at the probe reports dispassionately and offer his views. In October, he gave a clean chit to Sikka and declined to make the probe report public, citing confidentiality reasons. On December 2, Infosys named Salil S Parekh, a former Capgemini executive, as the next CEO. On Wednesday, Infosys approached Sebi with a consent plea to settle allegations of disclosure lapses on Bansals severance pay, which analysts and former Infosys employees said was an admission of guilt. The latest salvo at Infosys comes at a time when two former board members, T V Mohandas Pai and V Balakrishnan, have asked Infosys to apologise to founder Murthy and also sought the exit of board members who took the previous decisions. Balakrishnan told PTI that Ravi Venkatesan and Roopa Kudva should resign. Some board members tried to respond to the building pressure. I hope you recall that procedural lapses were admitted when Seshasayee apologised at (the) AGM. Settlement is to pay fine for unintended procedural lapses, tweeted Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, an Infosys board member, and chairman and managing director of Biocon. She was responding to a query on the microblogging platform whether she would resign from the Infosys board. The whistle-blowers letter to Sebi said future disclosures on any wrongdoing could potentially not be exposed if Infosys is let off the hook now. This is the first time an internal whistle-blower took pain to unravel a fictitious payment to an ex-CFO and a suspicious acquisition with personal conflicts attributed to senior management. If this case is settled through the backdoor, then no whistle-blower in the future will take the pain to expose such things, the letter said. Photograph: Abhishek N Chinnappa/Reuters. 'Given the growing animus against the Mughals in the Sangh Parivar, only a brave person will be ready to bet that no harm will ever be done by Hindutva storm-troopers to the Taj,' says Amulya Ganguli. Photograph: Jayanta Dey/Reuters Notwithstanding Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's assurance about the security of the Taj Mahal, few will be able to say with certainty that the threat to the monument has disappeared. Similar guarantees were given by another UP chief minister belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party, Kalyan Singh, about the safety of the Babri Masjid. But he could not keep the promise. The 16th century mosque, which was described as an 'ocular provocation' by Lal Kishenchand Advani -- now in retirement but then riding high as a fiery Hindutva warrior -- was brought down by a saffron mob in his presence 25 years ago. The Taj, too, has been castigated as a 'blot' on India's heritage by a BJP legislator while others from his party have been dubbing the Mughals as traitors, rapists, murderers, exploiters and destroyers of Hindu temples. Given the growing animus against the Mughals in the Sangh Parivar (which wasn't there in, say, Atal Bihari Vajpayee's time), only a brave person will be ready to bet that no harm will ever be done by Hindutva storm-troopers to the world famous 17th century mausoleum which, according to BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, was built on stolen property. Not only that, the saffron brigrade claims that the final resting place of Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal was a Shiva temple. Foreign experts were once called to look under the Babri Masjid to see if it was built on a destroyed temple. It will not be surprising if a similar demand about the Taj is made by the Hindutva camp on the plea of resolving the tomb-temple controversy. It is obvious that the longer the BJP stays in power, the antagonism and hostility towards the Mughals will persist in the saffron ranks and tend to intensify, thereby posing an incipient danger to the Taj since there will always be some hotheads who will take it upon themselves at least to damage if not destroy it. It is also obvious that no amount of security will be able to save it just as the Babri Masjid could not be saved. The BJP will no doubt express regret over any attack on the Taj, just as it did after the Babri Masjid demolition. But the deed would have been done and, in course of time, the people of India, and the rest of the world, will come to accept the inevitable as in the case of the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas or of the countless historical artifacts in Syria and Iraq by Islamic State fanatics. Arguably, an electoral impact on the BJP of a similar targeting of the Taj by fanatics will not be of such a dimension as to put it out of business. The last scene in the 1953 version of the movie, ,em>The War of the Worlds, based on H G Wells' famous story about the invasion of Earth by Martians, showed a broken Taj. It is not known whether India is heading in that direction, but a look at some of the typical tactics of the saffron brotherhood is instructive. They comprise the gradual building up of a momentum towards the achievement of a desired objective, not by the main party at first, but by secondary outfits or by stray individuals or mavericks, till a stage is reached when what they have been saying acquires a certain inevitability. The run-up to the destruction of the Babri Masjid started with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad raising the demand for the 'liberation' of Lord Ram's birthplace in 1985 a year after the BJP was reduced to two seats in the Lok Sabha. The connection between the BJP's political woes and the Parivar's outburst of devotion for Lord Ram is obvious. The BJP took up the issue in 1989 and the rest is history including the claim that the Ram Janmabhoomi issue has been there for centuries although it did not feature in any of the Jan Sangh's or the BJP's manifestos earlier. In the case of the Taj, the issue was raised by UP MLA Sangeet Som and has since been followed up by, among others, Subramanian Swamy and an affiliate of the RSS, the Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Samiti which wants that either namaaz be banned or that prayers by Hindus be allowed. A petition has also been filed in an Agra court, demanding that the Taj be declared a temple. For the moment, all this is low key, with the BJP governments at the Centre and in UP pretending that their focus is only on sabka saath, sabka vikas. But the pitch is being prepared. Amulya Ganguli is a writer on current affairs. Search and rescue operations to trace the fishermen missing in the aftermath of Ockhi cyclone continued for the tenth day on Sunday even as 67 persons caught in the storm, returned to Kochi coast. IMAGE: Search and rescue operations have been going on for the past 10 days. Photograph: @SpokespersonMoD/Twitter An Indian Air Force transport aircraft covered 10,880 square nautical miles south of Kanyakumari coast in the Indian ocean, a defence spokesperson said. Another AN-32 aircraft along with local fishermen conducted search and rescue operations. Meanwhile, Latin Catholic Church in Thiruvananthapuram district, to which most of the cyclone-hit fishermen belonged, observed a prayer-day and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the affected coastal belt to take stock of the situation. A message, read out during prayer in the churches, said the cyclone should be declared as a national disaster and centre should provide more funds for rehabilitation of the victims. The community members would hold a march to Raj Bhavan on Monday to press for its charter of demands. As per the Church, more than 300 fishermen were still missing. IMAGE: Navy personnel carry out rescue operations in Lakshadweep. Photograph: PTI Photo According to reports from Kochi, as many as 67 fishermen who had gone to high seas for fishing and caught in the cyclone, returned to the shore. The fishermen reached in six boats separately. While some came on Saturday night, the others arrived in the wee hours of Sunday in their fishing boats, the officials coordinating rescue and relief operations said. Many of them were trapped in Lakshadweep area. Out of 67 fishermen, 49 are from Tamil Nadu, 13 from Kerala, four from Assam and one from Andhra Pradesh, they said. Some of the fishermen who were found exhausted have been admitted to the Kochi government hospital, they added. Meanwhile, a defence spokesman said a fishing vessel which sailed from Kochi had been located safe on return passage in 130 nautical mile North West of Kavaratti, Lakshadweep. He said four fishermen and one medical officer from Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram have joined a navy team conducting search and rescue operations in high seas. IMAGE: About twenty-seven fishermen, who went fishing in deep sea following cyclone Ockhi , returned safely to the district after facing various difficulties. Photograph: PTI Photo On Saturday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, seeking a financial assistance of Rs 1,834 crore in view of the loss suffered by the state due to the cyclone. Vijayan urged the Centre to announce a long-term package similar to the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project considering the gravity of the disaster. The memorandum stated that as per the present estimate, 38 persons have died in the cyclone-related incidents and 96 fishermen were still missing. A total of 771 fishing boats have been affected. Besides, as many as 5,656 fishermen were rescued and 159 out of them were under treatment in hospitals for serious injuries, it was stated. The cyclone had also caused damage to crops in 2,053 hectares of land affecting 15,104 farmers. A total of 207 houses were completely damaged while 2,753 partially suffered damage, the memorandum pointed out. The Kerala government had requested the navy, coast guard and Indian Air Force to continue the search operations for the missing fishermen for another 10 days. Actor Zaira Wasim has alleged she was molested by a co-passenger on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight, prompting the Maharashtra State Commission for Women to seek an inquiry into the shameful incident. The airline said it has already submitted initial report to the regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation about the incident which created an uproar and invited all-round condemnation. The Mumbai police have registered a case against an unknown person in connection with the episode. Vistara, which is run under a JV between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, regretted the unfortunate experience and apologised to Wasim. It also said senior members of the management team have been flown to Mumbai to meet the Dangal actor, who narrated her ordeal on Instagram via live video. Wasim said she was on a Vistara flight on Saturday night from Delhi to Mumbai when a co-passenger sitting behind her put up his feet on her armrest. We are deeply concerned and regret the unfortunate experience Zaira Wasim had onboard our flight last night. We continue to give this case our highest attention and are extending our full support to all relevant authorities for the investigations underway, the airline said in a latest statement issued late Sunday evening. In addition, Vistara has submitted an initial report to the DGCA and also given all necessary details to the police, the airline said. Members of our senior management have flown to Mumbai to meet Wasim and assist in the investigation process, it added. In the video, which Wasim recorded immediately after deboarding the flight, the 17-year-old actor broke down several times. So, I was in a flight travelling from Delhi to Mumbai today and right behind me one middle-aged man who made my two-hour journey miserable. I tried to record it on phone to understand it better because the cabin lights were dimmed, I failed to get it she said. The lights were dimmed, so it was even worse. It continued for another five to ten minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck, the Kashmiri teen, who shot to fame for her stellar performance in Aamir Khans blockbuster Dangal, said in the post. This is not done, I am disturbed... Is this how youre going to take care of girls? This is not the way anybody should be made to feel. This is terrible! she said. No one will help us if we dont decide to help ourselves. And this is the worst thing, she added. Terming the incident as shameful, Maharashtra State Commission for Womens chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said they will seek a detailed inquiry into it from the DGCA. Rahatkar said there should also be an inquiry into why the cabin crew did not help the actor. A woman police official was sent to the hotel in Mumbai where the actor is put up to record her statement, a senior police official said. Based on her statement, a case was registered at Mumbais Sahar police station against the unknown person under IPC section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, since the actor is a minor, Sahars senior police inspector Lata Shirsat said. We are enquiring with the airport authorities and the airline concerned to establish the identity of the person, another police official said. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said she was appalled by the incident and demanded swift action against the culprit. Any harassment/crime against women should be dealt with swiftly and effectively. As a mother of two daughters, I am appalled at what happened with @zairawasimz. Hope the relevant authorities take strict action, she tweeted. Former J-K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also demanded action against the passenger. The passenger should be identified to the police by @airvistara and a case filed for legal action. None of this he fell at my feet so I forgive him rubbish! Abdullah posted. We are carrying out detailed investigation and will support Zaira in every way required. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour, the airline had tweeted immediately after the video went viral on social media. Earlier, Vistara chief strategy and commercial officer Sanjiv Kapoor in a statement said, We are talking to our crew who were serving Wasim to understand the incident at greater length, and reaching out to fellow passengers as well. We apologise for what she experienced and we have zero tolerance for such behaviour, Kapoor said. Condemning the incident, Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said a criminal offence should be registered against the male passenger and he should be asked to apologise for the indecent behaviour. Those travelling by airlines usually work in good positions in companies. If the owners of such companies do not take suitable action against such employees their conduct will never change, Gorhe said. Ensuring safety and security of our customers is of paramount importance to us, and we stand firm against any kind of harassment or such behaviour towards any individual, the airline said in its latest statement. Image: Zaira said she called out to the cabin crew for help, but it was of no use. Photograph: @ZairaWasimm_/Instagram An FIR was lodged against the Fortis hospital in Gurugram on Sunday in connection with the death of a seven-year-old dengue patient, the Haryana government said. Both civil and criminal action was being initiated against the hospital which was severely indicted of lapses by a probe panel in its report pertaining to the death of the seven-year-old girl, an official spokesperson said. On the basis of the report, an FIR was registered today against the hospital under section 304 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the Sushant Lok Police Station (Gurgaon). The other criminal action against the hospital is being taken under the Epidemic Diseases Act, the spokesperson said. This is being done on the directions by state Health Minister Anil Vij, the spokesperson said in an official release. A probe committee constituted to investigate the matter had earlier submitted its report to the health department. The department has directed the Civil Surgeon, Gurgaon, to provide one copy each of the report to the parents of the child and the hospital, and one copy to the police with instructions to initiate criminal inquiry against the hospital, the spokesperson said in the statement. The release quoting Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon, Vinay Pratap Singh, said instructions had been issued to all hospitals in Gurgaon that in cases of dengue or swine flu, they should inform the health department, but the Fortis Hospital allegedly did not do so. For this negligence, the health department would get a case registered against the hospital under section 188 of the IPC (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), the spokesperson said. Besides the two criminal inquiries, civil action on three counts was also being taken against hospital, he added. The Drug Controller Department has issued notice to the pharmacy running in the hospital for various shortcomings found and a reply is awaited. The State Drug Controller would take a decision on the reply and license of the pharmacy may be suspended under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1945, or may be cancelled, the spokesman said. Similarly, on the basis of the report of the probe committee, a notice has also been issued to the blood bank of the hospital for which 15 days have been given to file a reply, he added. On the basis of the reply, action would be taken against the blood bank under which its licence may even be suspended or cancelled, the spokesman added. Apart from this, the health department has also directed the Haryana Urban Development Authority to check the norms and agreement pertaining to the treatment facility to the economically weaker sections. If any negligence is found, action would be taken against the hospital, he added. On Saturday, Health Minister Anil Vij said had said that his department had written to HUDA to cancel the lease of land to Fortis hospital in Gurugram due to alleged violations of the terms and conditions of the agreement. A state government panel probing allegations of overcharging against Gurugrams Fortis hospital had found several irregularities including protocols not being followed in a case related to the death of a 7-year-old girl. The bill for the treatment of seven-year-old Adya Singh had shot over Rs 15 lakh even as she died of dengue, according to officials. The Fortis group, had earlier said that all documents, statements and details required by the probe team of the Haryana government were provided. A committee headed by Dr Rajiv Vadhera, Additional DG, Health, Haryana was set up by the state government on November 21 to probe allegations that the private hospital overcharged the girls family. The Centre had asked the Haryana government to initiate an urgent inquiry into the case. The hospital had earlier refuted the charges, claiming the patients family was duly informed about the bill on a daily basis and that there was no medical negligence. In Delhi also, another leading private hospital has been facing the heat after the state government decided to cancel its licence over alleged medical negligence, including in a case where an alive baby was wrongly declared dead. A day after the Delhi government cancelled the licence of Max Hospital in Delhis Shalimar Bagh, relatives of the patients, who are currently admitted in the hospital, expressed concern regarding further medical treatment. While few of the relatives of the patients claimed the hospital had always given them the best treatment for free, others were concerned about the consequences of shutting the hospital would lead to. I have been coming here for the past five months for routine pregnancy tests of my sister-in-law for free. The gynaecologist wasnt able to sense the heartbeats of the foetus so we came for test yesterday, but the OPD was locked. If the child dies, will the Delhi government take responsibility? a patients relative said. The incident of falsely declaring a newborn dead and giving it away to the parents in a plastic bag by Max Hospital had earlier created uproar. This has led to the state government cancelling the licence of the hospital on Friday, through a four-page order. The father of the children had accused the hospital of deliberately declaring the baby dead and trying to get rid of him after he told the authorities he would not be able to pay Rs 1 lakh per day for their treatment. India Medical Association President KK Aggarwal on Thursday blamed the concerned doctors of committing a gross mistake. They were later terminated from their services by the hospital. Image: Police force deployed outside Max hospital, Shalimar Bagh where a newborn baby was declared dead, in New Delhi. Photograph: PTI Photo A student from Hyderabad was shot at by an unidentified person in Chicago in the United States, his family members said on Sunday. The family said Mohammed Akbar, doing his masters in computer sciences, was injured when a bullet hit his right cheek on December 6. According to his brother Mohammed Ashraf, Akbar, 30, was walking towards his car in a parking area when he was shot at. He was admitted to a hospital. His family said it had requested the Telangana government and the ministry of external affairs to make arrangements for an emergency visa to enable them to visit the US. We have met Telangana Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy and today talked over the phone to officials of the Union ministry of external affairs. They have assured us of all necessary help in this regard, Ashraf said. This is not the first attack that Indians have faced in the US in the recent past. Ever since Donald Trump became the 45th President of the US, many incidents of racial violence against Indian nationals living in the US have come up. In June this year, a 23-year-old man from Telangana was in critical condition after being shot by an unidentified person in California. Mubeen Ahmed, a resident of Sangareddy district in Telangana, had gone to California, USA in February 2015 to pursue his Masters in Engineering. In March this year, a 39-year old Sikh man in Kent, Washington experienced a similar experience when he was asked to go back to his own country and was later shot in the arm by a six-foot-tall white man, wearing a mask covering the lower half of his face. Another horrific instance was in February when two Indian engineers living in Kansas became the target of American navy veteran after he opened fire on them at a bar in the city. One of the techies, Srinivas Kuchibhotla lost his life when he was shot by the assailant who yelled get out of my country before opening fire. -- With inputs from Agencies CHICAGO Anyone with the slightest knowledge of World War II remembers its chief moral: Appeasement is not only futile but contemptible. It signifies cowardice, naivete and moral bankruptcy. Adolf Hitler first marched into the Rhineland with impunity, and then Austria. He threatened war over a part of Czechoslovakia, and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain tried to purchase peace by letting him have it. Donald Trump knows the story of Winston Churchill, whose judgment was: Chamberlain had the choice between war and shame. Now he has chosen shame hell get war later. A year later, he was proved right. But the lesson Trump learned from World War II is that aggression can pay off. Cross a line, and if you get away with it, you can cross another line. Why stop if you pay no price and meet no meaningful resistance? This is not so much how Trump deals with his enemies, though. This is how he deals with his allies. From the beginning of his campaign, he has violated one established Republican norm after another offenses that should have destroyed his candidacy. Instead, he prevailed. And in time, even such GOP rivals as Ted Cruz and Mario Rubio, whom he savaged, meekly endorsed him. They, and Republican voters, chose appeasement over war. Trump tested the will of the party faithful early. Announcing his candidacy, he smeared Mexico, which Ronald Reagan and both George Bushes considered a valuable friend, and slammed the free trade policies the party had long championed. He mocked the heroism of John McCain, who spent more than five years in a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp: I like people that werent captured. He claimed he had been an early opponent of the Iraq War, which was launched by a GOP president amid cheers from the right. Trump, a thrice-married philanderer, radiated indifference to religion, telling a forum of Christian conservatives in Iowa that he had never felt the need to ask God for forgiveness. Referring to Holy Communion, he said, I drink my little wine, which is about the only wine I drink, and have my little cracker. I was there, and I expected to see dozens of people in the audience stand up in disgust and leave. It didnt happen. His brazen aggression against sound principles, particularly conservative ones, went unpunished. Trump thought his outrageous style wouldnt hurt him, and he was right. He ran strongly even among evangelicals and routed a field of rivals with superior conservative credentials. On Election Day 2016, he did about as well among self-identified Republicans as Mitt Romney and John McCain had done. What he established was that Republican voters and leaders would ultimately let him obliterate every norm with impunity. Nothing was sacred; nothing was out of bounds. Nothing he could do making sexist slurs against Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, earning David Dukes endorsement, praising Vladimir Putin, boasting of grabbing women by their genitals was enough to induce mass revulsion in the GOP. All he encountered was appeasement. That is how we got a president who seems intent on repeatedly sinking to depths previously unknown. He named a national security adviser who now admits lying to the FBI about a secret conversation with the Russian ambassador. He turned over a portfolio of major issues to a callow novice who happens to be his son-in-law. Hes trashed the FBI, the CIA and his own attorney general. He spilled sensitive secrets to Putins foreign minister. He lies repeatedly, brazenly, about matters both big and small. He makes excuses for white supremacists. He tweets juvenile insults whenever someone offends him. His administration has been a riot of sleaze, malice and ineptitude. But he keeps finding new ways to degrade his office and pollute our politics. Last week, he heartily endorsed Roy Moore, the Senate candidate who is convincingly accused of molesting a 14-year-old and sexually assaulting two other females while indulging a lust for high school girls. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, have urged Moore to withdraw from the race. But Trump rides roughshod over them. And his voters have stuck with him, with 4 in 5 Republicans approving of his performance compared with 32 percent of independents. Trump has not only aggressed against the party of Lincoln, he has conquered. Trump restored a bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. Its there to remind him of what an enemy of appeasement looks like. Your Business Plans Missing Link-Cybersecurity Is your business prepared in the event of a cybersecurity breach? Now is the time to take stock of your cybersecurity health, including the importance of securing information through best cybersecurity practices; identifying your risk and the types of cyber threats; and learning best practices for guarding against cyber threats. Edward Davis, President of Systems Support Group, Inc. will present the workshop on Jan. 16 at the Chamber from 8:30-10:30 a.m. The fee is $25 per person. Register by calling 860-482-6586 or online at nwctchamberofcommerce.org/calendar. Marketing in the Digital Era Are your marketing efforts successful in growing your small business? Find out what topics and concepts you should consider when creating an effective small business marketing planmarket analysis, business differentiation, brand development, promotional options, internet and social media, etc. Seth Duke, Marketing Director of O&G Industries, a member of SCORE and a Certified Business Mentor will present the workshop on Jan. 26 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at the Chamber. The fee is $25 per person. Register by calling 860-482-6586 or online at nwctchamberofcommerce.org/calendar. Health Council & Manufacturers Coalition The Chambers Health Council and Manufacturers Coalition, peer groups for individuals who work in and with the health care and manufacturing fields, will meet on Friday, Dec. 15 at 8 a.m. at the Chamber office, 333 Kennedy Drive, Torrington. Victor Incerti of CMHA and Maria Coutant-Skinner of McCall Center for Behavioral Health brought an important issue to our attention which will be the focus of the meeting: As health care providers committed to providing high quality, compassionate care in a rural area, we often struggle with recruiting and retaining competent young professionals. Working collaboratively with other health care providers may afford all of us opportunities to market the northwest corner to this demographic. As an area that has been adept at working across traditional organizational boundaries, we are eager to explore this creative endeavor together. Please RSVP on-line at nwctchamberofcommerce.org/calendar or call the Chamber at 860-482-6586. Tommy Martin Fundraiser The Burlington Chamber of Commerce and the Burlington Lions Club invite you to a Pasta Dinner fundraiser to benefit Tommy Martin. Tommy, a member of the Burlington Chamber Board of Directors, was severely injured this fall in an accident. The Pasta Dinner will be held on Saturday, December 16th at the Burlington Mens Club, 44 Covey Road, Burlington. Serving times are 2-4 p.m., 4-6 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, 12 & under $10, 2 & under free with a family max of $50. Attendees are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance, however, walk-ins are welcome. The event will feature a cash bar and raffles. For tickets and information, please call Rob Cook at 860-965-6269, Colleen at 860-916-7732 or Peter at 860-673-1953. Sponsors and raffle prizes are also welcome. Please contact the individuals listed above to contribute. Thank you. Check out our website at www.nwctchamberofcommerce.org for more Chamber happenings. *This institution is an equal opportunity provider* Sometimes a film delivers its most powerful message wordlessly - say, by the clenching of a character's jaw. More often, movie moments are made by the words that are spoken - or shouted - such as Tommy Wiseau in "The Room," wailing, "You're tearing me apart!" (That gem of dialogue, by the way, was stolen from "Rebel Without a Cause," as we learn in the new film "The Disaster Artist," a comedy about the making of Wiseau's so-bad-it's-good masterpiece.) Here are 10 other memorable bits of dialogue from this year's films - some of which are sure to be nominated for screenwriting Oscars, and others that, for reasons that are harder to explain, found their way into this critic's heart - and notebook. - "Lady Bird" Screenwriter: Greta Gerwig Actress Greta Gerwig's solo directorial debut centers on Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson (Saoirse Ronan), a Sacramento high school senior who dismisses her home town as the "Midwest of California." But the headmistress of Lady Bird's Catholic school, Sister Sarah Joan (Lois Smith), thinks she knows better, telling our protagonist that it's obvious, from the way she writes about Sacramento in her college admissions essays, that Lady Bird loves the city. "All I do is pay attention," Lady Bird protests, to which the nun replies: "Don't you think they are the same thing - love and attention?" - "Darkest Hour" Screenwriter: Anthony McCarten Joe Wright's film looks at Winston Churchill's early days as British prime minister. Set in 1940, the film culminates with Churchill (a transformed Gary Oldman) delivering his "We shall fight on the beaches" speech, rousing and reassuring the British government and people on the eve of the Battle of Britain. After listening to the speech, a member of Parliament asks, as though blown away by the words, "What just happened?" And Viscount Halifax (Stephen Dillane) replies: "He mobilized the English language, and sent it into battle." - "The Florida Project" Screenwriters: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch Filmmaker Sean Baker's portrait of the Central Florida underclass focuses on a little girl named Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) who is living with her prostitute mother in a seedy, Orlando-area motel. When Moonee introduces a new friend to her secret hideaway - an uprooted, yet still living, tree - Moonee describes it in a way that offers a metaphor for her own survival instincts: "Do you know why this is my favorite tree? Because it tipped over, and it's still growing." - "The Shape of Water" Screenwriters: Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor Guillermo Del Toro's sci-fi fantasy - half horror story, half swooning romance - is about a mute cleaning woman named Elisa (Sally Hawkins) who falls in love with an amphibious sea creature (Doug Jones) that is being studied in the government lab where she works. Narrated by Richard Jenkins, as Elisa's misfit roommate, Giles, the poetic tale of oddballs seeking to belong ends, fittingly, with a fragment of verse: "When I think of her, of Elisa, all that comes to mind is a poem, made of just a few truthful words, whispered by someone in love, hundreds of years ago: 'Unable to perceive the shape of you, I find you all around me. Your presence fills my eyes with your love. It humbles my heart, for you are everywhere.' " - "Molly's Game" Screenwriter: Aaron Sorkin The Oscar-winning writer of "The Social Network" and the creator of the Emmy-winning "The West Wing" has sometimes been criticized for writing dialogue that doesn't sound the way people normally talk. Making his directorial debut with an adaptation of Molly Bloom's 2014 memoir about running a high-stakes poker game, Aaron Sorkin fills the script with smart (and improbably sassy) zingers, including this put-down, by Bloom's lawyer (Idris Elba), of the cover photo chosen by his client (Jessica Chastain) for her book: "You look like the cat that ate the canary - and then told the canary's parents about it." - "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" Screenwriter: Martin McDonagh Francis McDormand plays Mildred, the grieving - yet scabrously funny - mother of a murdered teenage girl who has installed a series of billboards accusing her town's police chief of inaction. When the local priest (Nick Searcy) stops by to ask her to take them down, Mildred lays into him, citing the Los Angeles County penal code - which considers gang members to be complicit in crimes committed by other gang members - to implicate the padre in pedophilia. "(This) got me thinking, Father, that whole type of situation is kinda similar to you church boys, ain't it? You've got your colors. You've got your clubhouse. You're, for want of a better word, a gang. And if you're upstairs smoking a pipe and reading a Bible while one of your fellow gang members is downstairs f-----g an altar boy, then, Father, just like the Crips, and just like the Bloods, you're culpable. 'Cause you joined the gang, man. And I don't care if you never did s--- or never saw s--- or never heard s---. You joined the gang. You're culpable. And when a person is culpable to altar-boy-f-----g, or any kinda boy-f-----g - I know you guys didn't really narrow it down - then they kinda forfeit the right to come into my house and say a word about me, or my life, or my daughter, or my billboards. So why don't you just finish your tea there, Father, and get the f--k out of my kitchen?" --- "The Big Sick" Screenwriters: Emily Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani Married in real life, Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon collaborated on a funny-sweet screenplay about their courtship - which included Gordon being placed in a medically induced coma after she was taken seriously ill. When stand-up comic Nanjiani, playing himself, meets the parents of his sick girlfriend (Zoe Kasdan), he finds himself in the awkward position of having to simultaneously reassure Mom and Dad (Holly Hunter and Ray Romano) while delivering terrible news: "Apparently, there are good and bad comas. And the kind that they put her in - the medically induced ones - are definitely the good kind of coma. Like, you know how there are good and bad carbs? Gremlins - those can be good or bad." - "Wind River" Screenwriter: Taylor Sheridan Taylor Sheridan's directorial debut - a nouveau Western centering on the investigation of the murder of a Native American girl - features Jeremy Renner as a laconic and methodical agent of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who dispenses such folksy nuggets of wisdom as: "Being careless won't get you anywhere faster" and "A gun is always loaded, even when it ain't." - "Logan" Screenwriters: James Mangold, Scott Frank, Michael Green Director James Mangold's noirish tale of Marvel's X-Men features poignantly broken-down versions of Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), who laments the burden of the mutant hero who, seemingly, can't be killed: "Nature made me a freak. Man made me a weapon. And God made it last too long." - "The Hero" Screenwriters: Brett Haley, Marc Basch Aging cowboy/actor Sam Elliott plays an aging cowboy/actor struggling to find work in an industry whose enduring appeal - part escapism, part voyeurism - he sums up, succinctly: "Movies are other people's dreams." In recent weeks, Democrats have scored huge electoral wins in Virginia, cultivated public opposition to the GOP tax bill, purged two liberal stars accused of sexual misconduct and come close to winning a Senate race in Alabama that should be out of reach in such a conservative state. But they still can't agree on what the party stands for. From immigration to banking reform to taxes to sexual harassment, many in the party believe it does not have a unified message to spread around the country. Those concerns flared up at a party meeting over the weekend in Washington, D.C. "Anybody running for office right now has to talk about the reality that people are facing in their own lives. People aren't interested in abstractions," said Jeff Weaver, the campaign manager for Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential bid. "Obviously, (President Donald) Trump's behavior is in many ways repugnant, and that's obviously an issue. But candidates have to talk about how they're going to improve the lives of ordinary Americans. And if you do that in an authentic way, it will resonate." Democrats tumbled into the #MeToo moment by successfully urging Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., and Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., to resign following accusations of sexual misconduct, and the party triumphed in Virginia in November, winning all three statewide offices on the ballot and more than a dozen legislative seats. Democrats now lead in polling ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. Whether Democratic nominee Doug Jones wins in Alabama, they expect voters to remember Trump's embrace of Republican nominee Roy Moore. But pulling those advantages into a coherent message remains elusive in Trump's Tweet-driven Washington. Instead, Democrats are continuing to argue among themselves over how to present themselves to voters. In addition, the bitterness cultivated during the party's 2016 presidential nominating contest has not fully faded. The Democratic National Committee's Unity Reform Commission, launched to settle disputes that surfaced last year between the Hillary Clinton and Sanders camps, on Friday and Saturday suggested new rules for 2020 intended to open the nominating process up to more voices - and to break the establishment's grip on the process. But the commission has also become a place for each faction of the party to vent about what was lost last year. Commission members from both camps warned that the party has not yet solved the problems with branding and organization that led to its 2016 losses. "All I will do is refer you to all those silly news stories in September of 2016 that said, 'Oh, Hillary Clinton has 77 field offices in Pennsylvania and Donald Trump only has two,'" said Elaine Karmack, a Clinton appointee. "Donald Trump didn't need 77 because he had a fully-fledged, very professional Republican Party that has been operating for decades now. We are constantly beat by these guys." Nomiki Konst, a New York-based Sanders supporter, warned that the party needs to quickly clean up, using the public meeting to accuse past DNC leaders of earmarking hundreds of millions of dollars for no-bid contracts with just a handful of political consultants. "We don't have time. We have ... state legislatures controlled by Republicans and poor state party chairs" struggling to raise money with little support from national Democrats, she said. "All that money went to presidential races, but it was burned - lit on fire," Konst added. "And who suffers as a result of some consultants getting third, fourth and fifth homes? The American people - people being rounded up by ICE." Struggles with branding have been evident in Alabama, where national leaders have worked to avoid linking themselves to Jones. Unlike in Virginia, where DNC Chairman Tom Perez live-tweeted several campaign visits, the party and allies, including Planned Parenthood, have left few footprints. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and other black lawmakers made campaign stops this weekend to build support among black voters to boost Jones' chances. The party's Senate super PAC created an Alabama-centric shell PAC, Highway 31, which has spent $2.9 million and will not have to disclose donors until the election is over. Moore and allies have ripped into Jones' Democratic ties, airing ads with an old photo of Jones smiling next to Clinton. In his fitful endorsements of Moore, which also have been cut into ads, Trump has called the Democrat a "liberal" who would be a "puppet" of Schumer and Pelosi - an example of the basic word associations that can still sting Democrats in red states. Other divisions also linger. Four moderate Democrats joined with Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee to advance rolling back Dodd-Frank restrictions imposed on the industry in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, a move condemned by progressive stars like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. And after spending most of the fall saying they would fight Trump and Republicans to enact two top liberal priorities - changes in immigration policy and shoring up the Affordable Care Act - Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in recent days shifted gears. Now, they are more focused on economic issues that might resonate more in swing districts and red Republican states next year, such as underfunded pensions, boosting funds for infrastructure projects and the need to buoy opioid addiction prevention programs. In the process, they may be signaling that the other goals may have to wait longer. That goal makes some sense, given that Democrats believe they must find a way to reach voters who supported Trump last year if they are to make gains in 2018 and 2020. They continue to struggle: A late-summer push trumpeting an economic theme presenting "A Better Deal" was drowned out. In polling, Democrats and Republicans are trusted about evenly regarding to handle the economy. But recent polls by Quinnipiac and Pew Research find Democrats with a single-digit advantage on trust to handle taxes; a roughly 20-point advantage on trust to handle health care; and a roughly 10-point edge in the generic congressional ballot among registered voters. Trump's continuing low approval ratings also bode well for Democrats. Party leaders seated around the conference room during the weekend meeting said there are encouraging, if small, signs of hope up and down the ballot. "We had 3,000 people show up for our dinner, the Republicans had 500 show up for theirs," said Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price. He added that Democrats "are turning what started as frustration with Washington and what was happening in Des Moines with the state government into energy and action." Nebraska Democratic Party Chairman Jane Kleeb said that her once-depleted organization has recruited more than 55 candidates to run for local and statewide races - up from no more than 30 in past years. "We had 125 people show up on a Sunday for a full day training," she said. "Campaign staff, candidates, grass-roots leaders - and the candidate track was the fullest." But more striking to Kleeb is evidence that what's happening in Washington is seeping into conversations among everyday people far earlier than normal in a political cycle. "I was at the Walgreens and I overheard a guy say on the phone, 'Do you know if your house is worth more than $500,000? You're going to get hurt by the tax bill,'" she said. "In Lincoln, Nebraska! Out smoking on his break." Still, trouble with Conyers, Franken and others has scrambled the party's messaging, especially during its fight against the tax cut, raising questions about how the party is going to win back elusive Trump supporters and find a way to change the subject. Even the party's handling of those accusations of misconduct has created divergent views. Some party leaders and activists said that Democrats did not give Conyers and Franken sufficient time to make their case. Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, D-Ohio, a member of the unity commission, said she believed the accusations, "But when did we become a nation that people are accused, and they have no right to defend themselves? When did we become judge and jury? And while the Franken situation was going on, the only one they were calling to resign was John." Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., the fourth-ranking House Democrat, said his party will focus on Republican lawmakers from high-tax states or suburban districts who vote for the GOP plan. He called the Republican tax plan "egregious" and one that "they'll pay a price for at the voting booths next November. I think they know it, too. I think for some of them it's almost like a suicide pact." Rep. Dennis "Denny" Heck, D-Wash., who is in charge of recruiting new House Democratic candidates, said the Conyers and Franken affairs were merely the "current highest-profile thing" accentuating the strength of his party's record-setting candidate recruitment so far, which already tilted heavily toward female Democrats. "I think that women candidates are going to be stronger than before, I think the women turnout will be stronger than before, I think women's turnout for our candidates will be stronger than it's been before," he said. The employees did not have any doubts about selling the firearms to Mr. Jones or they would not have allowed the sale to be completed and firearms transferred, the store's manager told The Times-Dispatch. LYNCHBURG Izabella Lowe is knitting several hats this month and helping her classmates do the same. Lowe, 19, is a student in the Transition Program at Central Virginia Community College and just learned how to knit three weeks ago. Its pretty easy when you get the hang of it, she said. She and her nine classmates are knitting in their caregiving class held twice per week with teacher Jeni Reffner. In January, the students will take their knitted hats and scarves to Park View Community Mission on Memorial Avenue and the Lynchburg Department of Human Services building on Ninth Street for the second annual Lynchburg Chase the Chill event, which donates knitted scarves, hats and gloves to those in need. The Transition Program is a partnership between Lynchburg City Schools and CVCC for students with disabilities, ages 18 to 22, who already have graduated from high school and need vocational, social, academic and life skills. Students volunteer in the community to gain experience. Reffner decided to get her students involved with the project after she participated in Chase the Chill last year. The project has allowed the students to learn a practical skill and what it feels like to accomplish a difficult task, she said. It was also important to me that the young people learn what its like to give back, she said. She started off by attempting to teach the students crochet, but it wasnt as successful as Reffner had hoped, so the students switched to using a loom, a circular knitting device. I didnt want to give up, she laughed. Weve had to start over some and pull some stitches out, but theyre wonderful about helping each other. Hope McMaster, coordinator and teacher in the Transition Program, said she thinks it will hit home for the students when they deliver their gifts. When they see its going somewhere, its put to life, and they make the connection that theyre serving someone else, she said. Lowe has enjoyed knitting as well as helping her friends in the class make their hats. Its very therapeutic, she said. It helps your stress and your mind think clearly. Lowe has always had a heart for people in need, she said, and if she ever had a million dollars, she would donate it to the homeless. Justin Pannell, 19, has enjoyed the idea of helping people while he knits his hat. Knitting has been a little bit easier and also a little bit more difficult than he expected. Its hard putting it together, he said. But it feels kind and helpful. Problem-solving has been a big task for the class in mastering the project, but Pannell said the students have helped each other. McMaster said the students are a tight-knit bunch and encourage one another when their yarn becomes tangled or they hit a snag. Kate Goodman, a member of the local knitting group, Styx and String the group hosting Chase the Chill said the event already has received 300 knitted items. When she found out about the efforts of the students at CVCC, she was overwhelmed with gratitude. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Corey Stewart planned to fly to Alabama on Sunday evening to campaign for Roy Moore, the candidate involved in a scandal over allegations that he pursued sexual relationships with teens while he was in his 30s. Stewart, who considers himself the likely nominee for Virginia Republicans next year against Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, was the first to announce in a field that includes Del. Nicholas J. Freitas, R-Culpeper, Bishop E.W. Jackson and Ivan Raiklin, a former military diplomat. Stewart will help with get-out-the-vote efforts for Moore, who faces Democrat Doug Jones in a special election Tuesday to fill the seat of former Sen. and now Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Judge Moore, his family, and his supporters have withstood many vicious attacks from Never Trumpers, establishment Republicans and the liberal media who view the South with such high disdain they dont believe Alabamians are fit to elect their own representatives, said Stewart, the chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, in a news release Sunday. Stewarts trip to Alabama in support of Moore follows one by Cynthia Dunbar of Bedford County, Virginias Republican national committeewoman and a candidate for Congress in the 6th District. Among Republicans opposing Moore is Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, who told CNN on Sunday that he has no reason not to believe women who made allegations against Moore and was unable to vote for him. Perhaps the most overrated parlor game in Virginia politics is guessing who a new governor selects for his Cabinet. Its members include 12 secretaries and the governors top aides the chief of staff, deputy chief of staff and legal counsel. All are announced ahead of the inauguration to great fanfare. And many are never heard from again. Thats because more significant than Cabinet appointments are those made by the governor to the roughly 80 agencies overseen by the secretaries but nearly all of whose leaders are picked by the chief executive and serve at his pleasure. These agencies are the workhorses of Virginia government. They get things done, with their bosses empowered by law to do it. There are secretariats that consistently get gobs of attention: finance because it controls the states cash levers; transportation because its responsible for highways and mass transit; and health and human resources because it maintains the social safety net. Gov.-elect Ralph Northam is expected to accelerate the pace of Cabinet, agency and staff announcements over the next two weeks. Its the agencies that really count, delivering services to vast constituencies, driving the economy through their spending, and policing industries, interests and individuals. Its not necessarily newsworthy when agencies do their jobs. Its the news that agencies make when theyre not doing their jobs that governors try to avoid at all costs. Because some agencies are more equal than others, the leadership of perhaps about 15 remain from governorship to governorship the preoccupation of lobbyists, business and professional organizations, legislators and, sometimes, the millions of ordinary Virginians who regularly engage them. These agencies include the Department of General Services, which keeps the lights burning in state office buildings; the Department of Taxation, collector of the lucre that pays for government; the Department of Environmental Quality, protector of air, water and soil; and the Department of Motor Vehicles, which makes sure drivers are street legal. Also, the Department of Corrections, which warehouses felons; the Department of Medical Assistance Services, overseer of health care for the poor; the Department of Health, which protects us from germs; and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, caregiver for those beset by maladies of the spirit. The list goes on: The Department of State Police, the Department of Military Affairs, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Labor and Industry agencies whose names speak to their respective missions. Theres also the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation someone has to keep tabs on auctioneers, barbers and cosmetologists. And dont forget an agency thats usually very busy this time of year: the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, where a monopoly on booze makes for fiscal good cheer. Finally, theres the Department of Human Resource Management, the states personnel agency. Its likely to get special attention from the new administration because of a generational shift in the state workforce. A wave of retirements will leave holes across the government, which has yet to come up with pay-and-benefit packages that attract younger employees. That Northam is succeeding fellow Democrat Terry McAuliffe as governor may augur continuity in agency leadership. But it is not a guarantee. Northam has reappointed McAuliffes Veterans and Defense Affairs Secretary Carlos Hopkins, shifted Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne to finance, and kept McAuliffes deputy chief of staff, Suzette Denslow, as well as two members of the communications department Brian Coy and Heather Fluit and policy director Jennie OHolleran. Too often what the public perceives as the equivalent of a just-departed governors second term Virginia is the only state with a one-and-done rule is mistakenly interpreted by agency directors as a sign they will be reappointed. Twenty-eight years after Doug Wilder became the nations first elective black governor, extending a re-ascendant Democratic Partys statewide win streak to three, there are people who served predecessors Chuck Robb and Jerry Baliles who are still steamed that Wilder didnt keep them around. Ditto Republican agency heads put in place by George Allen but replaced by Jim Gilmore. And as McAuliffe gives way to Northam, there apparently are agency brass whod been told in 2014 that theirs were four-year gigs but who now think mistakenly that they have an inside track on reappointment. As a candidate, Northam wanted to be seen as part of a continuum; that he would perpetuate McAuliffes emphasis on economic development and efforts to wean Virginia from its overreliance on federal largess. But Northam cant overdo it, not if hes intent on establishing for his administration an identity separate and apart from McAuliffes. The politics of a suburban-dominated state demand it. An increasingly diverse electorate expects it. This is a far cry from the heavily rural Virginia of not so long ago. During the conservative Democratic era particularly from 1926, when Harry Byrd Sr. was sworn in as governor, until 1970, when the last Byrd governor, Mills Godwin, left office there was often little turnover at the agency level. The bureaucracy was thick with right-leaning white guys, many of whom would spend their entire careers on the state payroll. This meant government was a living, breathing repository of institutional memory, but one that often resisted even modest change. For example, when the Department of Transportation was solely a road-building agency, perhaps its most powerful commissioner was Douglas Fugate. Though he ran the department from only 1964 until 1972, Fugate had been there since its earliest days, joining in 1927 as a junior engineer with a degree from Virginia Military Institute, Northams alma mater. Fugate always addressed as Mr. Fugate had little use for mass transit and dismissed as anti-progress those who feared that Virginia was paving itself into a corner. To some degree, the state has done just that. Nearly 30 years after Fugates death, an agency few Virginians may know about is now among the most important: the Department of Rail and Public Transportation. Its grown quickly over the past decade and has staff of 50 and an annual budget that exceeds $500 million. Its job: promote alternatives to all those cars and trucks that are turning Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads into parking lots. But when it comes to that political parlor game, its probably not an agency getting many mentions. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. A new Workout Anytime is headed to Franklin County and more locations could be on the way as the franchise expands in Virginia. Owner Jonathan Beckett opened a club at Ridgewood Farms Shopping Center in Salem about two years ago and has selected a spot in Rocky Mount for his second location. The fitness club is going into a 6,000-square-foot spot at 934 Tanyard Drive in a shopping center next to Franklin County High School. As with other Workout Anytime locations, the spot will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It includes cardio machines, free weights, strength training equipment, tanning beds, massage beds, showers and lockers rooms. Personal training and small group classes will also be available. Memberships start at $15 a month and run month-to-month. Construction on the new workout spot began about two weeks ago and should wrap up in January. Beckett said the club likely will start accepting members sometime after Christmas. There are only two Workout Anytime locations in Virginia, with another two under construction, according to Randy Trotter, the company's senior vice president of development. The company is based in Atlanta and started franchising in 2006. He said expansion is going at a much faster pace right now and the company is looking to open more fitness clubs in the Virginia Beach area. He said he also expects more to come to Roanoke in the future. Club members have access to all of the Workout Anytime locations there are about 150 clubs in the U.S. currently open or under construction. BLACKSBURG Naps are no longer just for the pre-K set. Performance-boosting siestas in specially designed sleep pods are being promoted at Google, NASA, and the Cleveland Indians. And now at Virginia Tech. Earlier this year, three futuristic nap pods were installed on the Virginia Tech campus. Looking a bit like space capsules, these domed recliners offer students and staff a private, comfortable place to catch some zs. Soft music blocks out campus noise and light vibrations help the user to relax. The futon-sized pods are growing in popularity as a response to studies that reveal the harms of being sleep-deprived. Sleep pods are popping up at numerous companies, where they are touted for ramping up productivity. Schools hope to enhance student brain power and focus by facilitating catnaps on campus. The request for napping facilities at Virginia Tech first came from the students, says Cathy Kropff, director of Hokie Wellness. Students presented the idea, Kropff said. Our student wellness advisory team identified lack of sleep as a big, big concern at Tech. The average college student sleeps about six hours a night 120 minutes less than what is recommended, according to a University of Georgia survey. People who dont get enough sleep are likely to be cranky and depressed; theyre also prone to getting sick more often. They arent performing at their best and are shortchanging their learning ability by missing out on the REM sleep that allows their brains to process the information theyve taken in during the day. Sleep is now recognized as an important component of wellness, right up there with eating right, exercise and avoiding unhealthy habits, Kropff said. People shouldnt be bragging about how little sleep theyre getting by on but how well theyre taking care of themselves by getting enough sleep. Kropff and the student wellness group organized a sleep awareness week to emphasize the need for sleep. Hokie Wellness also offered a workshop on good sleep techniques. But the students still felt something was missing a good place to sleep during the day. Chris Wise, assistant vice president for student affairs, examined and tried out several models of sleep pods at a student services expo. He was impressed. It was comfortable, semi-private, and maybe a good way to take a nap that might just appeal to our students, as opposed to sleeping in uncomfortable positions on sofas or chairs around campus, Wise said. Wise expects that the presence of these conspicuously modern devices on campus will signal the crucial role that adequate sleep plays in learning. Our goal is to not only provide an opportunity for naps on campus, but more importantly, to use the pods as reminders of the importance of quality sleep for college students, and really all people, he said, as well as the relation of quality sleep to academic success and improved mental and physical health. By the end of April, Virginia Tech was testing an EnergyPod, the signature product of the MetroNaps company. The pod was placed in a high traffic area of Squires Student Center, Techs activity hub. During the hectic final weeks of classes and exam week, students tried out the sleep pod and gave feedback. Their response was overwhelming. They really liked it, Kropff said. So in the summer we bought two more with end-of-fiscal-year savings. EnergyPods arent cheap; they range from just over $8,000 to $13,000, according to the MetroNaps news release. Virginia Tech purchased their sleep pods at the low end of that range, about $8,400, Wise said. He thinks of them as highly visible reminders of the importance of sleep, as well as sites where students and staff can recharge. The sleep pods are tucked into corners just off the main flow at Newman Library, Squires Student Center, and in the Wellness Room of Techs Graduate Life Center. As soon as you position the rotating hood it looks like a huge bike helmet youre enclosed in a comfortable, shady bubble of silence or tranquil music. Occasionally you hear the whoosh of ocean waves. You snooze in anonymity with only your legs visible. The pods are preset for 20 minutes. When its time to awaken, soft lights begin to flicker, the pod vibrates, and the background music becomes gradually louder. Junior computer science major Taylor Thackaberry said her 20 minutes in the Squires EnergyPod was enjoyable but found she couldnt nap. Maybe the waves were a little too loud; maybe I dont think sleep when I hear waves, she said. But it was relaxing. Not everyone falls asleep in the pod, but according to surveys, only 2 or 3 out of 200 said they did not benefit from the respite from everyday stimuli, Wise said. The overwhelming majority felt their EnergyPod session was relaxing. In New Mexico, some health officials give testimony to the pods ability to relieve stressed students headaches and anxiety. Kropff says shes glad to offer tired students an alternative to sleeping on the floor. Ive seen students sleeping in all kinds of places, but especially on the floor. The pods are much more comfortable and hygienic. We have wipes beside the devices so users can sanitize them after use, just like exercise equipment. Im so glad they have another sleep option. Doctors at Kanchipuram hospital have not given any explanation about the complication that occurred during Sarika's routine dialysis nor the reason for the seven-hour delay in getting an ambulance. By Pramod Madhav: A 14-year-old child who had been battling kidney failure died as there was no ambulance available to take her to Chennai hospital for nearly seven hours. Sarika was the daughter of Anandhan, a saree weaver, and had been studying in the tenth standard. Sarika's kidney failed a year ago and had been undergoing dialysis in Chennai's Rajiv Gandhi Hospital. advertisement In a change of schedule, Sarika's family decided to try dialysis at Kanchipuram Government Hospital as they couldn't travel to Chennai often. She was admitted and had been undergoing treatment for a week. Due to unexplained complications, Sarika's health began to deteriorate around 12pm on Sunday. The duty doctor advised that Sarika be moved immediately to Rajiv Gandhi Hospital but no ambulance was available. Sarika's father and mother were at her bedside trying to console her saying that the ambulance would arrive anytime to take her to Chennai and she would be fine soon. Her father couldn't control his tears as he watched his daughter struggle to breathe. For seven hours, no ambulance arrived to transport Sarika to Chennai. Her parents allegedly pleaded with the doctors many times but nothing happened. Finally, they informed the district collector and an ambulance was sent immediately to transport Sarika. Unfortunately the child died on the way to Chennai. Sarika's family blamed the staff of Kanchipuram Hospital for negligence which led to their daughter's death. Doctors at Kanchipuram hospital have not given any explanation about the complication that occured during Sarika's routine dialysis nor the reason for the seven-hour delay in getting an ambulance. The scene of Sarika's father crying and running behind his dead daughter being taken on a stretcher was unbearably painful to others at the hospital. --- ENDS --- CHRISTIANSBURG The Starlite Drive-In may have beaten a noise ordinance charge, but its still unclear if the decades old institution will be able to screen movies in the future without encountering any conflicts with the town. The drive-in is currently awaiting a Montgomery County Circuit Court decision on a declaratory judgement suit seeking an injunction to prevent Christiansburg authorities from filing noise ordinance charges against the theater. The only thing thats been resolved is the noise ordinance violation, which the general district court dismissed, said Gordon Shapiro, the Roanoke-based attorney representing the Starlite. That doesnt prevent them from re-instituting an ordinance violation on another date and time. So for that reason, our declaratory judgement action in circuit court continues. The noise citation charge in general district court stemmed from an incident earlier this year during which authorities deemed that the sound from the shows was excessive. The Starlite has battled the town over noise for more than a year. The general district court judge ruled that the towns law, as presently written, doesnt apply to sounds that businesses in certain zoning districts make as part of their operations. The judge said the town presented no evidence backing its arguments that the Starlites sound levels exceeded what was necessary and incidental. Around the time that the town cited the Starlite, the venues owner, Peggy Beasley, filed the circuit court suit, which also alleges that the towns actions against the theater violates the business state constitutional rights. Among those state constitutional rights is the protected activity of free speech in her display of motion pictures to the public. Beasleys suit was temporarily moved to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia during the summer as its claims at the time included a violation of the 14th Amendment by Christiansburg. Beasley has since dropped that claim and moved the case back to state court. Beasleys circuit court suit was filed against all of Christiansburg Town Council, police chief Mark Sisson and town manager Randy Wingfield. Beasley couldnt be reached for comment on this story. Town spokeswoman Melissa Demmitt wrote in an email this past week that the town is working to revise its ordinance to make it simpler, clearer and to provide for civil penalties versus criminal ones. Mayor Mike Barber declined to elaborate on the case and the towns plans to address its ordinance. At this point, no comment, he said. Ill be glad to sing like a canary once I find out where this other things going. Christiansburgs law states that amplified music or other sounds cant be heard more than 50 feet from their source or inside someone elses home. The ordinance makes an exception for louder sounds if a permit is issued such as for a parade. The ordinance also exempts religious, school and sporting events, as well as the business function Judge Randal Duncan cited in his recent general district court decision. The towns troubles with the Starlite go back the spring of 2016 when the drive-in replaced its car-mounted speakers with an outdoor multi-speaker system. Nearby residents almost immediately began voicing complaints about hearing the shows in their own homes. Beasley has said in past interviews that she decided to replace the car-mounted speakers due to patrons regularly damaging them. The Starlite worked with the town several times before the citation was issued to determine an acceptable sound level. Beasley said the levels town authorities deemed appropriate drove several of her customers away. A Feb. 5 hearing has been scheduled for the circuit court case. The Starlites viewing season usually runs from April to early October. HOT SPRINGS The list of Republicans looking to challenge U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine in 2018 grew this weekend when Del. Nick Freitas jumped into the race, opposing conservative firebrand and former gubernatorial candidate Corey Stewart for the partys nomination. Candidates seeking the Republican nomination for the 6th District Congressional seat, which U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte will vacate next year, also jockeyed for party support at the Republican Party of Virginias annual post-election gathering dubbed the Advance. Under a campaign banner proclaiming Liberty Rising, Freitas, R-Culpeper, announced his Senate bid Friday in a packed hotel suite at the Omni Homestead Resort as state Republicans mustered early excitement for the 2018 elections. Despite winter weather blanketing much of the state, more than 400 Republicans turned out for the weekend-long event. Freitas, a former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces in his second term as a state delegate, will take on Stewart, chairman of the Prince William County board of supervisors. Stewart garnered wide attention during Virginias gubernatorial race when the bombastic Trump supporter came close to defeating establishment Republican Ed Gillespie for the partys nomination. That near-victory led Stewart to believe he could mount a solid campaign against Kaine, D-Va. In his announcement, Freitas said he is driven by his steadfast belief that everyone, no matter where they came from or their current situation, deserves individual liberty. Governments duty is to protect the peoples freedoms, he said. Were not waiting around for some bureaucrat to tell us what is in the realm of possibility, he said. Standing beside his wife and three children, the 38-year-old former Green Beret promised not to bash his Republican competitors as the Senate race progresses. Evangelical pastor and former GOP candidate for lieutenant governor E.W. Jackson plans to launch his campaign this week, according to The Washington Post. Lesser-known candidates John Norton Moore, a University of Virginia law professor, and Ivan Raiklin, an Army veteran, are also exploring Senate bids. Both mingled with fellow Republicans at the gathering. Theyre my fellow Republicans, Freitas said. Im not here to bash my fellow Republicans. Period. The end. In an interview following Freitas announcement, Stewart referred to himself as the likely nominee for the Senate seat. But having a competitive June primary will keep Republicans engaged and will bring more attention to the race, he said. Stewart, who during the gubernatorial race vowed to preserve Confederate flags and monuments, has promised to run a vicious and ruthless campaign against Kaine. But Stewart said hell try to keep the primary race civil. Im going to be nasty in the general, but Ill at least try to be a nice guy with the other Republicans, he said. Democratic Party of Virginia Chairwoman Susan Swecker lumped Freitas and Stewart together, calling them an extremist duo. The fact that Freitas is now allegedly the moderate establishment alternative shows just how out-of-touch the Republican Party of Virginia is, she said in a statement. There is not a dimes worth of difference between the two of them. The Senate race will be tough for Republicans, Freitas said. As a former Richmond mayor, Virginia governor and national candidate, Kaine will have nearly unlimited resources, he said. Republicans havent won a statewide race since 2009 when Bob McDonnell was elected governor. Playing second fiddle to the Senate race, Republican candidates for the 6th Congressional District seat also vied for support over the weekend. Goodlatte announced his retirement last month, inciting a Republican free-for-all for the open seat in the conservative-leaning district, which includes Roanoke. Del. Ben Cline, R-Rockbridge, hosted supporters in his hotel suite. Cline mingled with supporters as they passed to and from the open bar. Individually wrapped Little Debbie sweets and Hersheys Kisses products of the 6th District served as sustenance for party-goers. Clines was the only hospitality suite hosted by a Congressional candidate. The gathering sites were dominated by exploratory and official Senate candidates. Weve got the grassroots momentum and the volunteers to have a successful event like this, but this just scratches the surface of the kind of organization were building across the district in every locality and in every unit, he said. Rockingham County Clerk of Circuit Court Chaz Haywood, who is also vying for the Republican nomination in the 6th District, spent the weekend rekindling relationships and discussing his campaign attendees at the Advance. Haywood entered the race weeks after Cline and Cynthia Dunbar, a Republican National Committee member from Bedford County, but said he has been shockingly surprised at the support hes picking up across the district. The momentum is strong, he said. I heard more of that this weekend. Dunbar was not in attendance because she was in Alabama assisting embattled Republican Roy Moore in his U.S. Senate bid. The senate race between Moore and Democrat Doug Jones has been catapulted into the national spotlight because of allegations that Moore sexually assaulted teenage girls decades ago. President Donald Trump endorsed Moore last week. Alabama voters will vote in the special senatorial election Tuesday. The 6th District GOP Committee will determine its nomination method in January, though the group is likely to pick a convention. If so, Republican candidates will have to sway local party members, as opposed to canvassing door-to-door ahead of a general primary election. District Democrats have elected to hold a primary to choose their nominee. Two Democrats and one independent have entered the race. By PTI: auction New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) Nearly three months after coal was allocated to 10 companies for producing 9,044 MW of electricity under a new ambitious scheme, none of the power producers has been issued the letter of intent due to bureaucratic hurdles. The Association of Power Producers, which represents the companies that were allocated coal linkages, has written three letters to Coal Minister Piyush Goyal and Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha since last month on "inordinate delay in issuance of Letter of Intent (LoI) by Coal India subsidiaries." advertisement "Even after nearly three months, there is no clarity as to when LoI will be issued to the successful bidders," the Association wrote to Goyal on December 7. Under the new scheme to provide coal to private power units having firm power purchase agreements (PPAs) to supply electricity to states at a pre-decided tariff but not having long-term coal supply, 27.18 million tonnes per annum of coal was allocated to the 10 plants through an auction. Coal India had conducted the auction for independent power producers with PPAs on September 11-12 where the bidder quoting a higher discount to its existing tariff would get the coal. Adani Power, GVK Power, Bajaj Hindustan, GMR and Reliance Power quoted discounts in their power tariff in range of 1-4 paise per unit under the Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala Transparently in India (SHAKTI). The 27.18 million tonnes per annum with tariff discounts going up to 4 paise per unit was "expected to result in an annual generation of over 47 billion units per annum from the linkage coal and a savings in tariff of approx Rs 125 crore per annum for period up to 25 years," according to an official statement issued on September 15 after the auction. "In the auction scheme, it was envisaged that LoI will be issued by CIL subsidiaries within 15 days of conclusion of auction," the Association wrote. Once LoI was issued, the power producers were to amend the PPAs within 45 days to reflect the discount they had quoted in the auction and arrange for approval of the electricity regulatory commission. Thereafter, Coal India Ltd (CIL) had 30 days to sign Fuel Supply Agreements (FSAs) with the successful bidders. "Thus, the coal supply was expected to commence within 90 days of conclusion of auction," the Association said adding most of the power producers who had depended upon this linkage auction now face impossible task of arranging coal supplies for immediate operations beyond December 2017. "The situation is compounded by absence of any Special Forward e-Auction from CIL subsidiaries in last four months, which was being used by these power producers to source their coal requirements as a stop gap arrangement till coal linkage auctions was carried out," it wrote. advertisement The 10 plants, it said, will have to "shut down/curtail their operations for want of coal from January 2018 onwards, thereby creating more financial stress to its stakeholders and lenders." "Even the distribution companies, which would have benefited with the discounts discovered through a transparent bidding process under SHAKTI 2017, would now be forced to procure power at higher prices to bridge shortage of power supply under the PPAs," the Association said seeking expeditious issuance of LoIs. PTI ANZ MR --- ENDS --- Political pundits are divided over the voting trends in Gujarat and while many feel the BJP holds an edge, others believe that the Congress' position in the state may get a boost. Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi are leading BJP and Congress election campaign, respectively, in Gujarat. Photos: Reuters. By Kabool Ahmad: After the first phase of voting in Gujarat for 89 Assembly seats, it is difficult to tell which way the wind is blowing as both the ruling BJP, led by Narendra Modi, and Rahul Gandhi-led Congress are locked in a closely-fought battle for power. This time, the voting trend in Gujarat is not clear with varied reports coming from rural and urban Gujarat. This, perhaps, is the reason why both the main political parties, the BJP and the Congress, are claiming to have performed better than previous years. advertisement With the second phase of voting on December 14, both the parties want to build on to the momentum and garner a bigger vote share in the Gujarat Assembly election. Political pundits are divided over the voting trends this year and while many feel the BJP holds an edge in the state, others believe that the Congress' position in the state may get a boost. WHO WILL PATIDARS SUPPORT? On Saturday, Saurashtra-Kutch and south Gujarat voted in the first phase of Gujarat Assembly election. According to the Election Commission, 68 per cent voting was recorded in the first phase, which is a near 3 per cent drop from the 70.75 per cent recorded during the first phase of Gujarat election in 2012. Of the regions that voted in the first phase, Saurashtra holds prominence, accounting for at least 54 Assembly seats in Gujarat. Saurashtra, a Patidar-dominated region, has traditionally been a BJP stronghold. This year, however, the region witnessed 64 per cent voter turnout as against 70 per cent in 2012. The dip in voting percentage across all districts in Saurashtra may be a cause of concern for the BJP. Gujarat Central University professor Jai Prakash Pradhan said that it was believed that the Patidars were angry with the BJP but the same was perhaps not visible during the first-phase voting on Saturday. Political commentator and social activist Ashim Roy, however, said that it could be difficult for the BJP to repeat its previous performances in Saurashtra. He said that the Patidar vote, which earlier went to the BJP, looks divided this time, and the Congress could gain from that. TRIBALS OPT FOR CONGRESS? In south Gujarat, which accounts for 35 Assembly seats, areas like Narmada, Bharuch, Deeng, Tapi and Valsad are tribal-dominated. According to Jai Prakash Pradhan, Chhotubhai Vasava's friendship with the Congress may pose some problems for the BJP in tribal-dominated areas. Ashim Roy said that south Gujarat has a large population of farmers and traders and while the BJP, to a large extent, has managed to address the concerns of traders, it may not have entirely succeeded in dousing the anger of farmers. Rural areas in south Gujarat saw an impressive voter turnout on Saturday. advertisement As political analysts find it difficult to read the Gujarat voter's mind this time, both the BJP and the Congress are confident of a victory in one of the most politically-charged states. WATCH: Battleground Gujarat: Votes divided among Patidars in rural and urban areas --- ENDS --- Rivalry is the life of trade, and it makes for some of the most compelling stories. The pharma industry, one of the fastest-growing economic sectors, too is dotted with many rivalry stories. Let us take you through the battle between Praluent and Repatha, two cholesterol-lowering drugs that belong to the same class known as PCSK9 inhibitors. Praluent, developed by Sanofi (SNY) and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (REGN), was approved by the FDA on July 24, 2015, while Repatha, developed by Amgen Inc. (AMGN), received on August 27, 2015. However, in Europe, Repatha was the first to receive the regulatory nod - i.e. on July 21st, 2015 while Praluent was approved on September 28, 2015. The recommended starting dose of Praluent is 75 mg administered subcutaneously every 2 weeks or alternatively 300 mg every 4 weeks (monthly) for patients who prefer less frequent dosing. The recommended subcutaneous dosage of Repatha is either 140 mg every 2 weeks or 420 mg once monthly. Repatha and Praluent work by blocking PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type-9), a liver-derived protease enzyme. This enzyme controls the number of low-density lipoprotein receptors, which help to regulate blood cholesterol levels. Any mutation in PCSK9 reduces LDL receptor levels in the liver, leading to high levels of LDL cholesterol. Therefore, by blocking PCSK9's ability to work, Repatha and Praluent make more receptors available to get rid of LDL cholesterol from the blood and, as a result, lower LDL cholesterol levels. Since lowering LDL cholesterol reduces the incidence of cardiovascular disease, Repatha and Praluent garnered a lot of attention while in clinical development itself. However, at the time of approval, the cardiovascular outcomes trials on the two PCSK9 drugs were underway, and a clear picture about the drugs' ability to prevent heart attack and stroke was not known then. Even before the two drugs were approved, Amgen had filed a patent infringement suit against Sanofi and Regeneron in October 2014. In March 2016, a jury ruled that two of Amgen's patents on Repatha were valid. Following the patent win, Amgen urged the U.S District Court in Delaware to block the marketing and sale of Sanofi/ Regeneron's Praluent. Over the course of the litigation, there were counter appeals by Sanofi/ Regeneron to reverse the March jury verdict. In January of this year, Delaware federal judge Sue Robinson ruled in favor of Amgen, banning the marketing, selling or manufacturing of Praluent in the U.S. for 12 years. But the ban didn't come into effect immediately as the judge gave Sanofi and Regeneron 30 days time to appeal the verdict, which meant that the ban was to come into effect from February 21st, 2017. But, following the defendants' petition to stay the order pronounced by Judge Sue Robinson, a federal appeals court suspended the permanent injunction on February 8, 2017, allowing Sanofi /Regeneron to continue with the sale of Praluent, pending their appeal. More good news for Sanofi /Regeneron followed - with an Appellate Court, on October 5, 2017, ordering a new trial and vacating the permanent injunction in the ongoing patent case regarding Praluent. Now, let's talk about outcomes... As the bitter patent dispute has been boiling over, the sparring rivals have been providing an update on their respective cholesterol drug trials. Last November, Sanofi/Regeneron announced that their cardiovascular outcome study with Praluent, known as ODYSSEY OUTCOMES, will continue as planned, based on the recommendation of an independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) after it completed a second pre-specified interim analysis. Amgen released the final results from Repatha cardiovascular outcomes study, known as FOURIER, in March of this year. The FOURIER study was designed to evaluate whether treatment with Repatha in combination with statin therapy compared to placebo plus statin therapy reduced cardiovascular events. The trial involved 27,564 patients with cardiovascular disease and LDL cholesterol levels 70 mg/dL or higher on statin therapy. The median duration of follow-up in this trial was 2.2 years. According to the study results, the Repatha arm was associated with a 15 percent reduction in the risk of extended major adverse cardiac events (MACE) composite, i.e., the primary endpoint. The MACE included hospitalization for unstable angina, coronary revascularization, heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death. Repatha also reduced the risks of heart attack, stroke and coronary revascularization by 27%, 21%, and 22%, respectively compared to placebo. However, when individual outcomes were examined, Repatha had no effect on cardiovascular death by itself. The FOURIER trial also demonstrated that Repatha, when added to statin therapy, reduced LDL-C from a median of 92 to 30 mg/dL, a reduction of 59% at week 48, which was sustained throughout the study. The results of new analysis from the FOURIER study presented in September 2017 revealed that the diabetes subgroup experienced a 57 percent mean reduction in LDL-C levels when treated with Repatha while patients in the non-diabetes subgroup treated with Repatha experienced a 60 percent mean reduction at 48 weeks. With the FOURIER trial yielding encouraging results, the FDA deemed it fit to expand the use of Repatha to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and coronary revascularization as recently as December 1, 2017. Pricey price? The U.S. Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC) price of Praluent, excluding discounts, is $14,600 per year, while that of Repatha is $14,100 per year. In a recent oral presentation, Amgen revealed that after rebates and discounts, Repatha's net price ranges between $7,700 and $11,200 a year. In contrast, it reportedly costs only $250 a year when generic statins are used for the treatment of cholesterol. Agreed, Repatha and Praluent lower cholesterol levels even more so than statins without the side effects of statins. The two injectable drugs were even touted to be major moneymakers, with Wall Street analysts expecting them to quickly achieve blockbuster sales. But for all the hype, though, Repatha and Praluent have not lived up to their expectations, and their sales figures bear testimony. The global net sales of Praluent were $116 million in the full year 2016 and $131 million in the first nine months of 2017. And Repatha has fared no better - with sales of $141 million in 2016 and $221 million in the first nine months of 2017. What ails this pair? Due to the high price, patients are unable to get insurance coverage for Repatha and Praluent. Even if they have coverage for these drugs, not many patients fill those prescriptions due to high copays. According to a new study published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation, "less than half of patients received their insurer's approval for prescriptions Repatha and Praluent. About 1 out of 3 patients, who had their prescription approved, did not purchase or receive the medication". Will a middle ground be reached? A recent report compiled by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review states that the value-based price for Repatha should be $1,725 to $2,242 for annual treatment cost. Value-based pricing is the cost of the drug that would align with its benefits to patients. Amgen, on its part, defends its pricing of Repatha citing results from a new Repatha economic analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Cardiology. The economic analysis, conducted by the world's leading cardiologists from UCLA and the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) Study Group, an academic research organization of Brigham & Women's Hospital and an Affiliate of Harvard Medical School, suggests that Repatha used in patients at high-risk for cardiovascular events is cost-effective at net prices at or below $9,669. This estimate is in line with the discount range typical for biologic medicines in the U.S. market when applied to the U.S. list price of Repatha, says Amgen. As mentioned earlier, after rebates and discounts, Repatha's net price is said to range between $7,700 and $11,200 a year. However, even at the discounted price, the drugs are still too pricey, argue some researchers. Will Sanofi/Regeneron's ODYSSEY be a thriller? Sanofi/Regeneron's ongoing ODYSSEY OUTCOMES study is designed to determine whether the addition of Praluent to intensive statin therapy reduces major adverse cardiac events among patients who had previously experienced an acute coronary syndrome, such as a heart attack or unstable angina. The study has enrolled 18,000 patients, and data is expected in early 2018. Closing Thoughts... Unless the doctors and insurers are convinced that Repatha and Praluent are worth the money, they may be reluctant to prescribe or provide coverage for the drugs. Because of the sky-high prices, access to these medicines remains a significant challenge for the patients. Will the companies provide further grounded evidence for the cost-effectiveness of Repatha and Praluent to convince physicians and payers? Will the companies reassess the pricing of the drugs? Maybe a clearer picture will emerge when the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES study results are out. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News The film, Gold, starring Akshay Kumar and Mouni Roy, will release on August 15, 2018. By India Today Web Desk: Akshay Kumar is incredibly busy, as he has several films in the pipeline. He is also very particular that he makes sure to wrap up all his films on time. The Toilet Ek Prem Katha actor recently completed shooting for Gold, and took to social media to express his happiness. He also shared a video of him doing a somersault on a wooden chair on social media. It is extremely commendable that he pulls off the stunt, considering he is wearing a white dhoti and kurta. But that's Akshay, no stunt is impossible for him. advertisement Akshay captioned the video stating, "A good beginning makes a good ending...true story. It's a wrap for #GOLD, an incredible journey with a great team. See you at the movies." A good beginning makes a good ending...true story ??? It's a wrap for #GOLD, an incredible journey with a great team. See you at the movies ??? pic.twitter.com/zBMTw23VGW - Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) December 10, 2017 The film is based on India's historic Olympic gold medal win, after Independence. Directed by Reema Kagti, the film also stars television star Mouni Roy. It will release on August 15, 2018. Meanwhile, Akshay's two films, Padman and 2.0 will release next year. ALSO WATCH | Toilet Ek Prem Katha: Did Akshay Kumar ever jump off the 20th floor? --- ENDS --- By SA Commercial Prop News - AFP Transnet on Tuesday announced plans to create 588,000 jobs in its seven-year, $37.8-billion expansion programme. The 300-billion-rand (30-billion-euro) scheme includes plans to develop railways, sea ports and pipelines to expand freight transport and ease bottlenecks that hamper mining exports, the company said. Rail projects account for about two thirds of the total cost, for a project that will increase the network's capacity from the current 200 million tonnes to 350 million tonnes by 2019, Transnet said. "The increase will have a major impact on the cost of doing business. Studies conducted by Transnet show that rail in South Africa is on average 75 percent cheaper than road transport," it said. "The large-scale shift from road to rail will address costs, congestion and reduce carbon emissions." The expansion will also make Transnet Freight Rail the world's fifth biggest rail freight company, it added. The plan will nearly double the capacity's South Africa's ports, with pipeline capacity growing 17 percent, Transnet said. In seven years, the company predicted a tripling of revenue to 128 billion rands. Exporters blame inadequate railways and congested ports for bottlenecks in shipments of key minerals, including coal, iron and manganese, preventing South Africa from keeping up with global demand. "Transnet's investment programme ... is expected to create and sustain hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs, every year for the next seven years," it said. "In uncertain economic conditions like this, state-owned companies and major businesses have a responsibility to step forward, invest and create jobs." South Africa announced in February a nine-year, 3.2-trillion-rand plan to upgrade the nation's infrastructure to shore up economic growth and create jobs to help reduce an unemployment rate of nearly 24 percent. By PTI: Chandigarh, Dec 10 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and SAD chief Sukhbir Badal today engaged themselves in a prolonged exchange of heated words on Twitter after Akali workers were booked for blocking roads and national highways. The Akalis were protesting against alleged attacks on party workers and registration of what they say were "false" cases against them. advertisement Both Singh and Badal took swipe at each other on their respective Twitter handles. And what followed was claims and counter claims. In a series of tweets Singh wrote: "Shocked at reaction to registration of cases against @Akali_Dal_ dharnas that caused immense inconvenience to people. Does he not know its against the law to block national highways? Or does he simply not care for the law?" "Blocking national highways does not just cause hardships to people, it also cuts off the strategic supply line of our armed forces in Kashmir and other areas, thus undermining our defence strength," he wrote. He alleged that the Akali Dal, "despite their tall claims of being guardians of Sikh religion", dont care that blocking highways would obstruct pilgrims going to Sri Harmandir Sahib. "Theres a difference between a road & a national highway and between a symbolic protest & 24-hour siege. Nobody is denying @Akali_Dal_ its right to protest but is it fair to bring normal life of citizens to a standstill and subject them to miseries as you did?" Singh wrote. Badal responded to Singhs accusation on Twitter. "Your goons forced us to come on roads by beating, shooting and not allowing people to file nominations in municipal polls," Badal said. Reminding Singh of the street protests he had organised, Badal said: "And please dont try to be holier than thou. Posting pic of your supporters blocking national highway by stopping Lahore bus (sic). And heres a pic of you blocking a road. Whom are you trying to fool? SAD will continue to protest for peoples rights." Singh defended his stand, saying, "Right to protest is indisputable in a democracy. But the way @Akali_Dal_ blocked the National Highway was not only illegal but against the interest of the people. Not the sign of a healthy opposition!" But Badal was less than amused. He continued: "Not letting people file nominations is murder of democracy akin to what Congress did in Emergency. SAD will expose you." advertisement Singh replied: "Stop perpetrating lies. If @Akali_Dal_ nominees had been stopped from filing nominations they would have grabbed the extra day given by EC to submit papers. Fact is nobody turned up, clearly exposing your blatant falsehoods." He also equated the Akali Dal with the Aam Aadmi Party. "It seems that @Akali_Dal_ has decided to go the @AamAadmiParty way when it comes to street politics. It seems @officeofssbadal has learnt no lessons from @ArvindKejriwal and his partys poll routs," Singh wrote on Twitter. PTI CHS ABH --- ENDS --- Dear Editor, Re: False alarm and Olo False alarm or not, Olo is absolutely correct to bring up the issue of doing something to eradicate mosquitos in Samoa. They are a problem that will keep tourists away, whether its dengue, Zika, chikuyunga or just plain annoying. Every time I return home I have to be treated at a Canadian medical facility for some disgusting mosquito related infection. If my life was not so entwined with Samoa I would not go there for a vacation because of the mosquito problem. The mosquitos and their constant attacks on me whether I am at home, having dinner at Giordanos or other restaurants, or out visiting a site, they ruin my evening. I have no choice when I am in Samoa but to slather myself with poisonous deet mosquito spray 10 x per day, spray my house with poisonous, expensive spray, breath mosquito coil smoke all day, or suffer in misery while they eat away at me. It is an awful experience and a real tropical paradise does not ignore its mosquito infestation problem. Samoa needs to spray like they must do at Tanoa Tusitala because I dont get eaten alive there. The mosquitos are a real problem in Samoa and its time the PM started using some of his aid money or some of the money he is making through S.I.F.As money laundering and tax haven schemes and to do something about them once and for all. Come on P.M. take some of your tax haven wealth and get rid of the mosquitos. It might help your poor people have a chance at a tourism job. You and your government shouldnt be the only Samoans to be reaping the benefits of Samoa being one of the 17 blacklisted tax haven countries. Share the wealth and help your people by getting rid of the mosquitos. Wendy Wonder Dear Editor, In response to your editorial yesterday titled They are just simple questions from reporter Ilia L. Likou, the sign of things for Samoa Airways dont look good at all but as gloomier as a low front heading towards Samoa weather-wise; storm coming to doom no doubt. Trust you me Mr. Editor, from start, the Samoa government sabotaging of the so many travellers that were booked in advanced to spend the Christmas/New Year holidays in Samoa surely had created many enemies than a fellowship. Keep in mind, we, the regular travellers put bums on seats and thats dollars and cents. Unlike in a general elections, voters can only tick once in every 5 years; big mistake by the government to play with us the expatriate Samoa. You see Mr. Editor, when idiots try to fool around with us, we spin the tide to flow back to make it to become a tsunami. Those who made the stupid fool decision to stop Virgin Australia flying us from Auckland to Apia are so naive and blinded as the flying foxes to calculate the long-term risks and repercussions for their actions. Not a single doubt in my simple mind, Samoa Airways got not a single affected passenger because Virgin Australia instead had flown us all direct from Australia to Apia. Not only that, but Virgin Australia had allowed us with 3 extra excess packages, free beverages, free alcohol, and free hot meals inflight all the way from Australia to Apia. Can Samoa Airways afford that over the top of a $million fortnight and other running costs? Thank you Virgin Australia for looking after us the pawn victims of the irresponsible decision by the Samoa government to sabotage our travel plans. Tofaeono Misatauveve Iosefo Hollywood Springfield Central The green light has been given for the Samoa Solidarity International (S.S.I.) protest march scheduled this Saturday. Senior Lawyer and member of the S.S.I., Unasa Iuni Sapolu, confirmed to the Sunday Samoan that the Ministry of Police has granted the permit. The protest march is set to begin from Vaisigano to Mulinuu, aiming to ensure customary lands are protected under existing laws. The approval of the permit was a result of three letters and a personal visit by Unasa to the Police Station. Yes we've been granted permit with conditions relating to public safety, hydration especially if a sunny day, she said. After three letters and a personal visit, we are grateful that the march will proceed with the help and support from the police. Efforts to get confirmation from the Police were unsuccessful yesterday. During his press conference with the media this week, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said the decision on the permit for the march was entirely up to the Commissioner. That is between them and the Commissioner of Police Services, he said. The Commissioner approached me and I told him the same thing, I dont have any authority over his professional judgement. If anything happens, its the Police who will see it through that this is done in a peaceful manner. This is also for their protection. There are also people who are against this march; most especially there has been negative comment on social media on the issue. So it is duty of the Police Officers to protect those who are creating issues against the government and also the protection of those who are against the march. For any protest in any country, the duty of the Police is to maintain peace, explained the Prime Minister, whose portfolio oversees the Ministry of Police. This is why this matter is not taken lightly by the Commissioner of Police. He gave an example. There was a propose protest back in 1999 due to the separation of the Post Office and Telecommunications, with the idea to commercialize the telecommunications. At the time Leafa (Vitale) was Minister. I told Leafa that I will remove him from E.P.C. so he can focus on separating the two entities as there was much needed commercial development for Telecommunications, and this led to problem (without my knowledge) that led to the death of a Minister (the Late Luagalau Levaula Kamu.) I waited and nothing was done, so I put Leafa in charge of the Ministry of Women. The Prime Minister said another Minister was appointed to see through the separation and the Minister reported back to him that even government officials were part of the proposed march. The following day, I reshuffled the government agencies. Tuialepa then moved to see through the separation of the two entities. At the time the Bill was tabled in Parliament, the protest was planned by government employees against the governments policy reform. Tuilaepa said the Commissioner at the time stopped the protest because he did not want violence from this march. I told him, I wanted to see who is part of the March, against a very important government reform, explained the Prime Minister. It is said that a person is only limited by his willingness to work hard for his goals and that is exactly what Dr. John Bosco Sulifoa, aged 39, from the Solomon Islands believes as he was handed his Doctorate of Philosophy in Agriculture. In a flood of brown graduation gowns worn by the 141 U.S.P. graduates celebrating their graduation yesterday at the E.F.K.S. hall, Sogi, Dr. Sulifoa stood out in his blue and red gown showing nothing but joy in his grand achievement. In beginning his tertiary journey back in 2001 with his undergraduate program at the U.S.P. Alafua Campus, Dr. Sulifoa quickly attained his degree and moved on to completing his masters program. Dr. Sulifoas academic journey concluded on Friday when he was awarded a doctorate certificate out of all the graduates. According to Dr. Sulifoa in an interview with the Sunday Samoan, achieving such a feat holds much difficulty, but through his faith in Gods plan for him, he was able to overcome all obstacles placed before him. No matter the challenges, we have to face them, he explains. So thats why I am very thankful to God because through him, everything is possible. My advice for the next generation is that if you want to reach this far, never forget God. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and everything will be handed unto you. So put God first in everything you do and you will get there. Dr. Sulifoa explains the challenges did not only include being tested mentally, but at times he would also feel emotional pressure. One example of an emotional pressure was being away from his wife who is studying in Hawaii. But that was made a little easier with his children and family being present at yesterdays graduation. As for mental challenges faced by Dr. Sulifoa, he was grateful for all the friends and family who helped push him. The main challenges I faced during my time here was just keeping up with the work, he explains. Its not easy keeping up with your thesis, doing the research and catching up with lectures. Its very difficult. But the upside is that you will always have friends to help you. The one thing with U.S.P. is that all of us islanders work together. As Pacific brothers and sisters, we encourage each other to move forward when we go through these challenges. For example, with me having my wife over in Hawaii, your friends are the ones who will encourage and push you to do your best. My wife may not be here to celebrate with me, but I am glad my children are with me. Asked about any motivational advice for those who wish to reach that same level, Dr. Sulifoa says that hard work is the key. My advice to the future generation is that it doesnt matter how smart a person is, but rather how hard they work, he said. If you are a hard working person, then you may achieve anything, but if you are smart but lazy, you will not get anywhere. You have to use the knowledge that God gave to you and work hard for what you want. God not only gave you a brain, but he also gave you a heart which will push you to greatness. As for future plans, Dr. Sulifoa wishes to pass on what he has learnt to his people back in the Solomon Islands as a lecturer. I will go back to the Solomon Island where I have a job waiting for me, he said. I will be working as a lecturer right away so everything is going according to plan. God has already set a plan for me and its great to see it play out. Dr. Sulifoa expressed his heartfelt thanks to Samoa for hosting him throughout his academic career. I love Samoa, he confessed I love the whole of the Pacific. I just wanted to say thank you very much for taking good care of the students from other countries in a very kind manner. You have been very kind. I would also like to extend thanks to my lecturers, my supervisor and the rest of the staff of U.S.P. (more coverage of U.S.P. graduation and photos on pages 18 and 19) S.P.B.D. Microfinance surpasses US$100million (T$240million) in loans for hardworking, low-income women entrepreneurs The South Pacific Business Development (S.P.B.D.) Microfinance Network achieved an impressive milestone on Saturday, surpassing US$100 million (T$240m) in micro loans disbursed to tens of thousands of women entrepreneurs including thousands in Samoa. Entrepreneur Vilisi Tabua, a fish dealer at the Suva Public Market in Fiji, is the recipient of S.P.B.Ds US$100 millionth loan. Vilisi joined S.P.B.D. in 2012 and successfully grew her fishing business. Her success enabled her to access S.P.B.Ds larger Small-Medium Enterprise (S.M.E) financing, and today she received her 8th loan. With S.P.B.D. support, Vilisi has also significantly improved her housing and living conditions. I would not have been able to achieve much without S.P.B.D, because its very hard to get a loan from banks. I strongly believe that S.P.B.D. brought us up to where we are now, she said. My family and I used to live in inadequate conditions and in order to improve our living space, I took my loan. So much has become possible with S.P.B.D., the benefit has not only been in terms of finance but also things like savings, financial literacy, leadership and independence. Since its launch in 2000, S.P.B.D. has impacted tens of thousands of women like Vilisi. S.P.B.D. has disbursed more than 165,000 very small, micro loans to hardworking, low-income entrepreneurs in the South Pacific, 99% of whom are women. From a one-island, one-country organization, S.P.B.D. now operates in five countries Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. With a dedicated staff of 154, S.P.B.D. currently has 17 offices and offers 16 products and services, including credit, savings, death benefits, financial education and business skills training to its members. In Samoa alone, S.P.B.D. has provided more than 75,500 loans worth US$48million since 2000. S.P.B.D. Samoa has 30 staff and operates two offices on Upolu and Savaii. S.P.B.D. works to advance financial inclusion through microfinance to improve the lives of people across the South Pacific. S.P.B.Ds microfinance program supports the advancement of the UNs Sustainable Development Goals (S.D.Gs). In a recent speech, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Dame Meg Taylor noted that there are links between development finance, the SDGs and financial inclusion. Global experience shows that financial inclusion has a significant impact on lifting the ultra-poor and poor out of poverty in a number of countries, and the Pacific is no exception. Financial inclusion plays a critical role across a range of sectors vital to sustainable development, she said. S.P.B.D. Founder and President Gregory Casagrande reflects, Since our inception in 2000, S.P.B.D. has been on a journey to provide meaningful economic opportunity to underprivileged women micro-entrepreneurs. We invest in women, empower their dreams and deliver impact. S.P.B.D. will continue to expand within its current countries as well as into new country markets throughout the South Pacific, bringing its successful microfinance products and services to new, deserving women entrepreneurs and helping them to improve the standard of living for themselves and their families. Casagrande adds, US$100M is a major milestone in our journey. We look forward to achieving much more in the years to come. With a few days to go until the end of 2017 and with the Church stepping into the Advent season effective from last Sunday 3rd December 2017, the Catholic Church on Thursday night celebrated the 10th anniversary and renewed the Consecration of Samoa and the Archdiocese of Samoa to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at Parliament ground Tiafau. With the help of the Holy Spirit, this was initially proclaimed by His Grace Afioga Archbishop Alapati Lui Mataeliga in Mass on December 7th 2007 attended by government dignitaries and local faithful at the same venue. Led by the Archbishop Mataeliga, the vigil Mass of thanksgiving attended by an estimated 3,000 faithful was also a renewal of that prayer intention corresponding with our Mothers immaculate conception on Friday 8th December which the Church does celebrate every year. It is one of the faithful acts of the Catholic Church in Samoa in dependable honor of Jesus Christs Mother; who is also the Mother of the Church; who unconditionally helps the Church through her intercession before the Throne of the Trinity God. Mother Mary is the Churchs help in times of difficulties, sufferings and trials which are obstacles for the Church to hardly accomplish its core mission - that is - to make all nations disciples and baptize people in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and then bring them all into one fold the Church. With the consecration since 2007, Samoa experienced so many blessings via our mothers intercession and we the people of God have to respond in new joyful songs of praise. Our Lord performs miracles in our lives to enrich us in blessings one way or another and we have to answer back from the heart in singing new tunes of joy, praise, and adoration but not the tunes of deceit, hate and jealousy so and so. We should thank God for hearing our Mothers prayers and intercession and in that connection, the Fraternity of the Missionary Disciples of Our Lady of Fatima was therefore established by Archbishop Mataeliga at the Chapel of the Apparition on September 8th 2017 during a pilgrimage of 40 plus faithful to Rome, Fatima and Lourdes. The returning pilgrims are the first registered members of the Fraternity and its role is to continue with the mission of the first Missionary of Marys work of faith in Samoa and spread the message of Fatima beginning from within the fraternitys individual members, their families in their daily lives in prayers, depending on the help of the Holy Spirit and our Mothers intercession. The group took a sort of vow-like oath during Mass in the presence of the faithful. The renewal call and Fraternity establishment signifies the purpose of the Advent season which is the period for all Christian souls, the interior castle of God as Saint Teresa of Avila puts it, and as the Bible calls it the temples of God to be readily prepared to receive the arrival of the promised Savior of the World the Word Incarnate or Word Made Flesh. The candle light vigil Mass kicked off at 6.00pm opened with the Divine Mercy Chaplet and finally the Fatima Rosary. It is a historical cerebration for the local Catholic Church and our Samoa as well. It will be commemorated by many Catholic generations to come. The National Health Services third and final annual symposium concluded on Friday at the N.H.S. conference room. With the theme The End of the N.H.S. Era and Continuation of the legacy in Service Provision, the objective of the symposium was to ensure that service provision priorities were kept high in the health agenda of the new entity. It is also to highlight the achievements during the N.H.S. era. Minister of Health, Tuitama Dr. Leao Tuitama said the re-merge of the two divisions would not affect the delivery of health services to the people. I encourage all of you to continue the excellent work and to ensure that peoples health is not compromised, he said during his speech. The challenge for the staff of the N.H.S. who will continue to work under the new regime is the ability to articulate work in partnership with the community. Along this vein, the focus for the next decade is on enhancing and sustaining primary care and primary health care services. In saying that, the adage that immediately comes to mind is protection is better than cure. Tuitama said there were steps taken to match the expectations and to further enhance the services provided. Firstly, the separation of the Emergency Department and the Acute Primary Care Clinic so that the functions and services are well define, he said. Secondly, the N.H.S support rendered to professional and technical staff that were fortunate to secure training opportunities to acquire either undergraduate or postgraduate degrees in the different clinical areas as well as technical fields. Thirdly, the implementation of the electronic immunization registry and the inclusion of the community in primary health care programs to ensure that there is a healthy Samoa. Ministry of Healths Director General, Leausa Dr. Take Naseri said the symposium was to acknowledge the N.H.S. employees and to discuss matters relating to re-merging of the two divisions. Some people feel that this is the end for the National Health Services but we just want to clarify this is not the end of the N.H.S. service, he said. But rather it is the continuation of service because the government feels that there is a need to lift the service provided to another level and to be more sensitive to peoples need and the standard of the level of care to help the people and to enforce the involvement of the community and good public health system. And at the same time we acknowledge all the employees of both divisions from the drivers all the way to the management and those long service employees. So there is nothing to worry about, N.H.S. is not coming to an end, but it is rather lifting up the service to another level. The service is still continuing but with the hope that it is going to be better and be more sensitive not only to the needs of the patients, but also to the needs of the service. Rahul Gandhi today accused PM Narendra Modi of moving away from the agenda of development in Gujarat Assembly election. By India Today Web Desk: Addressing an election rally in Kheda district of Gujarat, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of dumping the development agenda and talking only about himself during campaigning for the state polls. Rahul Gandhi said that PM Modi had frequently changed the election planks and now the prime minister was left with nothing to speak about.This is why PM Modi is only talking about himself, Rahul Gandhi said. advertisement Rahul Gandhi said, the BJP started its campaign on the issue of the Narmada. After 4-5 days, the public said they were not getting the river water. Rahul Gandhi also asked Congress workers not to use "wrong words" against the prime minister and said his party will defeat him and the BJP with "love and sweet words". WHAT RAHUL GANDHI SAID AT DAKOR: THINGS TO KNOW "The BJP took a right turn. It said the election will not be contested on Narmada...let's contest it on the issue of other backward classes (OBCs)," he said. "But then the OBCs said the BJP government did not do anything for them. After five-six days, the BJP made a sharp left turn and said it would take out development yatra and talk about 22 years of development," he added. The Congress leader said he listened to the PM's speech yesterday in which "Modiji talked about Modiji for 90 per cent of the time...First right turn, then left turn, then apply brakes." "The election is not about Modiji, nor is it about me. It is neither about the BJP nor the Congress. This election is about the future of the people of Gujarat," Rahul Gandhi said. Criticising Modi over his election rallies which run parallel to his public meetings ahead of the second phase of the polls, Rahul Gandhi accused the prime minister of not talking his future plans for the state and keeping mum on the issue of "corruption." He also questioned the prime minister over his silence on the agitations by various communities, including Patels, Dalits, anganwadi workers, among others. Rahul Gandhi said the truth had caught up with the BJP and it could go nowhere from here. The Congress leader attacked Modi over demonetisation and GST, saying the note ban helped all "thieves" convert their "black money into white" and the "Gabbar Singh Tax" destroyed small businesses and rendered one lakh people jobless. "For 60-70 minutes Modiji talks about himself but does not utter a word about note ban and Gabbar Singh. I was sitting in a tea shop. The tea seller said, Rahulji, I am making Rs 50 instead of Rs 100 I made before GST. He (Modi) has caused us 50 per cent loss," Rahul Gandhi said. Rahul Gandhi also raised the issue of BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah's business dealings whereby he allegedly "converted Rs 50,000 into Rs 80 crore", and the Rafale fighter jet deal. "You must have observed Modiji does not talk about corruption in his speeches. He made you stand in the queue and imposed the Gabbar Singh Tax," he said adding, "Earlier he used to say 'na khaunga na khane dunga'. Now he does not utter a word on corruption," Gandhi added. (With PTI inputs) --- ENDS --- Farming is a good source of income but a steady job that pays on a weekly basis will be even better. That's the wish of Kuresa Uatea, 25, from the village of Faleaseela Lefaga. Mr. Uatea met the Village Voice team while on his way home from his plantation. Mr. Uatea says life is really hard and he is doing all he can to help his family. I am not working at the moment and the only work I am doing to support my family is working on my plantation to get food and firewood, he said. The only way my family is getting money is through my work at one elderly mans residence here in my village. We have eight people in our family and we are relying so much on our plantation and the sea for a living. Mr. Uatea sacrificed his education for his family. I stopped going to school at the age of 15 because my family needed me to support them and my parents were not working. The only thing we have had was the plantation to work on and the sea is there for us to get food from. Mr. Uatea also shared his everyday routine and admitted that he needs a job to support his family right now. Usually I have to get up early and prepare the umu to feed us throughout the day while visiting the sea in the afternoon. Like today (yesterday), I just came back from the plantation and I went to get firewood for my umu tomorrow (today) and the next day. I really need a regular job now to earn a little money to support my family with bill payments. Mr. Uatea believes getting a job will help him counter his struggles. I believe that after getting a job, my family will be okay because I will provide them with money to support them since everything now in Samoa is money. For those willing to provide a job for Mr. Uatea, he can be contacted on mobile phone number 7747559. Samoa has changed a lot. Thats the observation of 58-year-old Matua Uili from the village of Salamumu. Matua believes there have been so many changes our people need to be alert. The huge change that I know of now here in Samoa is the cost of living which has been so high compared to what it was back then, he told the Village Voice team yesterday. This includes the cost and prices of stuff, it is so expensive right now here in Samoa. Another change we have seen here in Samoa is that village councils have forgotten their responsibilities in controlling the villages. This leads to some villages stopped practicing old customs such as Tapu or Sa and that is why issues with youths are growing rapidly. Mr. Uili also mentioned the cost of living is the reason Tafaigata Prison is overcrowded. Cost of living is the reason people are going there to Tafaigata because the expensive cost of things in Samoa nowadays has led them to commit crimes such as stealing money. I also believe that the cost of living has made other people commit crimes such as selling and planting weed. Mr. Uili also noted the changes in peoples attitudes nowadays. The way people act today in their communities have changed too and thats a silly change though. Back then, people always tend to give when the faamolemole word was used, nowadays hardly people are sharing that anymore. Mr. Uili says if such changes continue in Samoa, it would not be a safe place to live in. I must say these changes are bad, and if it is going to continue over time, things will not look good for our treasure island. Supreme Court Justice Tafaoimalo Leilani Tuala-Warren, has served a jail sentence on a 26-year-old man who had a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl who later gave birth. Ioane Solomona Taumaoe of Salelesi and Ululoloa appeared for sentencing on two charges of sexual connection, both of which each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment. The defendant has since pleaded guilty to the sex charges. According to the prosecutions summary of facts, Taumaoe says that twice in 2016 he forced the victim who was 13 years old at the time to have sexual intercourse with him. The accused was 26 years old. As a result the victim fell pregnant. During these times, the victims mother was overseas. The accused and the victim are from the same village. The defendant is married with two children and they are living with his family in Savaii. Justice Tafaoimalo stated from the bench that his wife remains supportive of him even though she has expressed her shock at his offending. She says he is a quiet person and a protective father. The village mayor stated that the accused has been fined 100 boxes of canned fish and has been banned from the village. He confirms the fine has been paid. The mother of the accused says that she has apologised to the victims family. The accused says that the victim seduced him with her looks and her dress. He says this is the reason why they had sex. The defendant is a first time offender, says Justice Tafaoimalo. The victim was 13 years old at the time of the offending. She says she is unhappy with what has happened and wants the accused to be locked up. Her mother said that the victim gave birth in August and the child has been adopted out. She wants the victim to continue her computer studies so that she can secure a stable future. Her heartbreak is evident in the victim impact report. Not only is her child very young, but she worries about the effect this will have on her prospects for the future. She says there has been no reconciliation with the accused or his family. She understands that the village council fined the accused and banned him from their village. This has been confirmed by Probation, says the Supreme Court Justice. Tafaoimalo noted the aggravating factors that the victim is only 13 years old and there is a 13-year age disparity between the accused and the victim. It is also aggravating that the victim fell pregnant as a result of the accuseds actions. She is a child herself and has now had a child. This has a huge impact on this young victim, in terms of her future. According to Tafaoimalo, the Courts attitude to this kind of offence is well established, in cases where the age disparity between the accused and the victim is significant. The sentences imposed by the Court have usually been custodial. Justice Tuatagaloa in Police v Lunai [2015] W.S.S.C. 176 has said that sentences of the Court have usually been custodial where the age gap between the accused and victim is more than 10 years. Her Honour has also helpfully canvassed the range of sentences imposed by the Court for section 59 offending and has found that the range of sentences imposed vary from supervision and community service to imprisonment term. The rationale for this attitude is found in the words of Nelson J in Police v Imoa [2014] W.S.S.C. 144, who said that the law is there to protect young girls from mature men taking advantage of them. The law makes it an offence to have sexual connection with a girl below 16 years. The accused is 13 years older than the victim. He is a mature man, married with two children. Despite what the accused says about the victim and her alluring dress and looks, this is not an excuse. He is the adult and the victim is a child. Tafaoimalo noted the sort of penalty that applies in this case ranges from 12 months to two years where a defendant has pleaded guilty and is a first offender. According to Justice Tafaoimalo, the prosecution has submitted that a starting point of 18 months imprisonment is appropriate in this case. Defence Counsel submits that a non-custodial sentence is appropriate. For the accused today, it will be a custodial sentence. In sentencing, I have regard to the totality of the offending and the overall sentence imposed will reflect the seriousness of that totality. Justice Tafaoimalo sentenced the accused for the first count of sexual connection at 18 months imprisonment, four months for the village penalty, two months deduction for the apology, four months for his guilty pleas. This leaves eight months imprisonment and for his good character prior to offending I have decided on the grounds of mercy to deduct two months. The accused is convicted of each count of sexual connection and sentenced to six months imprisonment and sentencing are to be served concurrently. At some point in every persons life, they come to realize that it is not so much about the journey but rather its about the end result that matters most. As for Fuatino A. Afato-Fatiaki, from the village of Mulifanua and Vailoa Faleata, who was the only Samoan awarded a Masters of Agriculture certificate during the University of the South Pacifics (U.S.P.) Alafua graduation held at the E.F.K.S. hall, Sogi on Friday, the end most definitely justifies the means. Although her academic journey was anything but straightforward, the 25-year-old soldiered through some very tough times to finally say with a sigh of relief Ive made it. Mrs. Fatiakis journey takes us back to 2008 where her father became a missionary in Fiji for the Samoan Church under the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa. In 2009 she enrolled into U.S.P. Laucala, Fiji, as a foundation science student. She made quick work of her foundation studies and moved on to the next stage; thats where things began to get a little more complicated. Upon completion in that year, I enrolled to do my Bachelors Degree in Environmental Science majoring in Chemistry, Mrs. Fatiaki said in an interview with the Samoa Observer. I completed my degree in 2012; however I could not graduate in the Alafua graduation until January, 2013 due to cyclone Evans. After graduating, I got my first job with Women in Business Development Inc. (W.I.B.D.I.) which lasted about three and half months before I returned to Fiji where I got married and had my first child. In returning to Fiji, Mrs. Fatiaki found herself in yet another dilemma; she was unable to find work because the chances of finding a job in a foreign country were slim. This led to her enrolling back into U.S.P. Laucala to undertake a postgraduate diploma in Science majoring in Chemistry. In attempts to help her family, Mrs. Fatiaki opted to become a part-time student because her family found it hard to support her full-time study. But at the end of every dark tunnel, there will always be light. Although for Mrs. Fatiaki there was yet another tunnel after that light. So halfway through my postgraduate diploma in Science, I applied for an Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (A.C.I.A.R.) scholarship, she said. I was hoping to get sponsorship to complete my studies. In 2015, I was fortunate to be given an A.C.I.A.R. scholarship but I had to transition into a completely different field, from chemistry to agriculture. For a young mother to discard all that, she learnt that to pursue something completely different was no easy task but yet again, Mrs. Fatiaki soldiered on. I gave up completing my postgrad in Chemistry and moved back to Samoa for my postgraduate diploma in Agriculture majoring in Crop Science at U.S.P. Alafua, she said. Towards the end of 2015, and of my postgraduate diploma in Agriculture, I applied again for A.C.I.A.R. funding to do Masters in Agriculture. Fortunately, A.C.I.A.R. kindly offered another scholarship for my Masters from 2016 till 2017. And alas, she can finally close her books and look forward to finding work. She explains that her main source of excitement now is being able to support her family and maybe even aspire towards a P.H.D. But that (P.H.D.) will be a journey for another time, she said. God has plans for each and every one of us; put your trust and faith in him always. Asked about her highlights, Mrs. Fatiaki said there was nothing greater than having two daughters after two degrees. Asked for just a few of her personal struggles along the way, she said that there was no shortage of personal hurdles for her. Being a private student was not easy on my family, she said. Both my sister and I were doing our Foundation studies in 2009. We were fulltime students each taking five courses per semester. It was not cheap. Another challenge was relationships; long distance or short you name, I definitely dont discourage it, and Ive been there. But you need to know what and who are important from what and who arent. Passing and making your family proud is more important than failing and losing that boy or girl, trust me. Another major challenge for Mrs. Fatiaki was moral and emotional support. In moving back to Samoa, there was much difficulty in trying to study while taking care of her child. This led to her sending her daughter to Fiji, where her parents resided and that was tough on her emotionally. But after all she went through, it made her nothing but stronger. Her message to all students going through their own personal hurdles is to remember that everything happens for a reason. Live your life where the action is now, she began. Everyone is going through something in their own life right now. Just remember everything happens for a reason. If its good, explore it and excel. If its bad, remember why you started so never ever give up. As she breathes a breath of fresh and pressure-free air, she has nothing but thanks for everyone who helped her along the way. I am greatly indebted to my parents for everything I have attained in life, she began. Thank you also to my late grandmothers and my only living grandfather, Moananu Paniani for their love and prayers. Thank you to the Government of Samoa, to U.S.P Laucala and Alafua and to the A.C.I.R. for getting me to where I am today. Special thanks to my husband and my two daughters for giving me hope and reason to aspire for greater things. A community education and advocacy centre spearheaded by a local law practitioner, has graduated its first batch of 19 students after a six week training programme. Pau Tagaogalupe Mulitalo has represented many of the public inside the court room, but he says theres a better way to deal with crime in Samoa by preventing people from entering court. I believe educating our people, the communities on the law, the different types of courts, the powers of police and their individual rights can help tackle the issue of rising youth crimes, Mulitalo told the Sunday Samoan. His comments were made during the graduation ceremony for the Community Education and Advocacy Centre sponsored by the Saturday Seventh Day Adventist Church in Samoa. The programme focuses on introducing students to the fundamental laws in Samoa. You see many of us here understand that law schools overseas teach New Zealand Laws, and Australian laws, but rarely understand the law spectrum here in Samoa and its hierarchy in the Ministry of Justice, he said. Teaching them the very basics of the law can help them understand crime and in a way really become a part of the solution rather than becoming criminals themselves, said Mulitalo. When asked whether a better understanding of the law would create more cunning criminals, Pau says that was unlikely and is rather not the goal for the programme. The programme is in its beginning phase and pending approval from the Samoa Qualifications Authority, who accredit educational programmes. This is only an informal way to congratulate our group of students who have undertaken the training, and its really a moment to celebrate law education in the communities, he added. Pau says he encourages the graduates to take on another step of law education and consider it as a career. The Bay of Plenty situated in the upper east coast of New Zealand is about to live up to its name because it is becoming one of the fastest growing areas in New Zealand with a noticeable influx of city slickers migrating there for job opportunities and lifestyle changes. But its not just the city folks looking to establish new homes in the sleepy towns around the Bay of Plenty. The town of Tauranga is getting a large dose of Pacific flavor injected into its changing demography - particularly of the Samoan kind. Key Skills Recruitment is a recruiting company in New Zealand that has recently hired 100 Samoans from the quota to fill the growing demand for tradespeople in Tauranga through a programme theyve developed called Malaga Fou. The New Zealand government announced that Tauranga will receive $230 million to build 35,000 homes and two treatment plants as part of their nationwide plan to ease housing pressures. As a result there are hundreds of skilled and unskilled jobs that need filling. Samoan New Zealander, Ati Aaifou-Olive, whose parents come from the villages of Saoluafata and Levi, Saleimoa, is the Tauranga branch manager for Key Skills recruitment and he will be facilitating an open session here in Apia next week to attract locals who have been successful in the quota scheme. Aaifou-Olive has been instrumental in building the programme that will help Samoan workers migrating under the NZ Samoa quota scheme settle into the Bay of Plenty. According to Aaifou-Olive, Samoan migrant workers typically settle in Auckland but he is hoping that Samoans will look to the rural areas of New Zealand as destinations. Auckland is so expensive now, there seems to be a trend with those who come on the quota, go straight to Auckland because of family but Im not sure how our people are going to afford to get their own house there, he said. There is much more affordable housing in Bay of Plenty out in Rotorua, Whakatane, Tokoroa and some parts of Tauranga. We want people not to fail when they get to N.Z. and our goal is to make sure they have the full support to settle them in with no financial stress. Mr. Aaifou-Olive has been in the recruitment business for 16 years and he and his family also swapped the city life in New Zealand for a more relaxed lifestyle in rural Tauranga. During those 16 years, he dealt with many workers from the quota scheme and heard one too many stories of the challenges they faced financially. These challenges not only impacted their success in New Zealand but also their ability to support their families in Samoa which is why he has worked to develop a unique work ready programme to help new Samoan migrants settle into their new surroundings. When I look back at all the quota people I have helped with jobs, majority of them have really come here with only the support of family, with no other pastoral care available to them. We want them to connect with the wider New Zealand community to make their settlement feel like they belong to New Zealand society and be comfortable to live here. We want show them how to do all the basics right, like paying all the bills and the services that are available to them here in NZ, basically how to live a good life in N.Z., with minimal stress. As a first generation immigrant, Aaifou-Olive understands the struggles his parents generation went through and he is motivated by a desire to make things easier for future migrant Samoan families. What motivates me to help our people is seeing those who I have dealt with already fail in ways they should have not failed, our company have dealt with people from Asia, Europe, and the U.K. and most of them are doing well and have set up their families future for success. I dont see why those coming from Samoa should not be able to get ahead as well. I was given every opportunity to succeed here in N.Z., and that started from parents migrating here in the 70s, its time for me to give our people from Samoa their opportunity to come here. Also our people need to add value to New Zealand society as well. Businesses and sporting organization are going to benefit from the hard work our Samoan people will give to them. Aaifou-Olive is an active community leader in the Bay of Plenty and he has collaborated with local M.Ps, Ministry of Education, Bay of Plenty Rugby Union, local charities and local iwi to develop a settlement programme for their Samoan recruits, Our goal is to sustain the settlement of Samoa workers here in Bay of plenty and partner with others to make Bay of Plenty feel like their home. Our local M.P. Simon Bridges is embracing this program ensuring Tauranga is welcoming to those migrating to our region. Everyone who comes to the Bay of Plenty must volunteer as player or volunteer in the club in a small or big capacity. Our people will understand and build relationships with the wider community. The more connection people have the more help they get if they are in need. With the skills and worker shortages in the Bay of Plenty, Key Skills Recruitment is hoping to recruit Samoans from the quota scheme needed in a variety of areas such as forestry, construction, engineering, manufacturing and logistic sectors. They will be holding an open session to provide information at the Hotel Insel Fehmarn on Tuesday, 12th December from 2pm-5pm. A preliminary impact assessment on a response project to support redundant Yazaki E.D.S. workers has unearthed some great results. This was highlighted at the International Labour Organisation (I.L.O.) supported national workshop on coping with disruptions in the global supply chain to reduce impact on youth employment in Apia. Yazaki E.D.S., a Japanese multinational enterprise and largest private employer in Samoa ceased operations in August 2017. After 25 years of operation, about 700 workers, about 60 percent youth, 62 percent women and 50 percent sole family earners were targeted by the project. The car harness manufacture accounted for 60 percent of total national export earnings and is identified in the Samoa National Employment Policy (N.E.P.) as a potential impact to the labour market. An independent national consultant, Afamasaga Jackie Curry-Maulolo conducted the preliminary impact assessment and reviewed the overall I.L.O. project objective and the results of the action programmes by national partners. The national partners included the Samoa National Youth Council (S.N.Y.C.), Samoa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (S.C.C.I.), Samoa First Union and the Small Business Enterprise Center (S.B.E.C.). The objective of the ILO intervention was to strengthen the existing national employment and social protection services that could support the redundant Yazaki workers to secure waged and self-employment, said Satoshi Sasaki, the I.L.O. Specialist for Strategies for Decent Work. In closing the workshop to present the findings, Mr. Sasaki thanked the Samoa National Tripartite Forum (S.N.T.F.) and the national implementing partners for the genuine partnership. Through a jobs fare organized by the I.L.O. within the Yazaki complex, local company Ah Liki Investment employed more than 200 workers. Moe Ioane, a youth who secured a job as a warehouse supervisor at Ah Liki, spoke about how his registration and generation of C.V. by the S.N.Y.C. and his financial management training provided by S.C.C.I. which helped him secure a job. Restaurants, hotels and retail companies also used the opportunity to hire ready for work young people and women. S.B.E.C. conducted skills training and business training to support venerable women sole family earners. Ime Kaisa, a former employee of Yazaki E.D.S., shared her success on starting her elei/fabric printing business and now supplies to a few Farmer Joe Supermarkets in Apia. A major challenge highlighted in the preliminary report was the limited or no knowledge on the rights of workers and their entitlement. The Samoa First Union registered and supported 250 redundant workers and also indicated that through this project they were able to get access to Yazaki complex and discuss with management issues raised by their members. A general agreement by the participants was that there needs to be an understanding of rights of workers from an early age. The S.C.C.I. was instrumental in providing financial training for redundant workers to manage their redundancy package wisely. We tailored our training package so it could relate to the specific situation of the target group, said Lemauga Hobart Vaai, the C.E.O. of S.C.C.I. He further added that the S.C.C.I. also ran internship programmes for selected youths with the aim to secure full time employment with companies. While the 3rd quarter economic outlook for Samoa is under development, including the findings of the 2017 Labour Force Survey (L.F.S.), the Ministry of Finance agreed to consider the I.L.O. Preliminary Impact Assessment as inputs to the national economic outlook and forecast. In conclusion, Mr. Sasaki mentioned that this was a good case study for future national and regional response to multinational closures due to disruptions in the global supply chain resulting in loss of jobs locally. Q: Is there an economic downside to shifting sales from stores to online websites? Kelly Cunningham, National University System Answer: NO Advertisement Clearly there is a downside to stores not adapting to consumers changing online shopping behavior. Many opportunities also exist for retail businesses to benefit from online shopping. Stores can offer personal shopper apps activated when entering the store, mapping and smart navigation to find available in-store inventory, and offer the flexibility of preordering and picking up merchandise in-store or providing home delivery. Traditional retail stores can adapt and thrive or see their business dwindling away. Phil Blair, Manpower Answer: YES We are all trying to do more of everything but at lower costs and still within the 24 hours we are all allotted. The retail trade will never be the same now that the immediate gratification of shopping in a store is now matched with same-day delivery of the exact size and color, and everything is always in stock. Retailing has always been a mainstay for entry-level, white-collar jobs, and especially for teaching essential skills such as customer service, personal interaction and even appearance. How these hundreds of thousands of retail jobs will be replaced in the future is the real concern here. David Ely, San Diego State University Answer: YES Many of the retail organizations that are losing customers to online websites are redesigning and refocusing their brick-and-mortar stores to improve the shopping experience for customers, such as offering more personalized services that cannot be easily duplicated by online retailers. This transition can result in fewer available traditional retail store jobs. Also, as traditional retailers increasingly promote their own online stores, some local brick-and-mortar stores and the associated jobs will disappear. Gina Champion-Cain, American National Investments Answer: YES Online sales export labor and revenue out of local economies. Further damage is caused by store closures, leading to vacancies depressing commercial retail valuations. Online sales not only require less labor but eliminate the all-important human interaction training that occurs in brick-and-mortar stores. Reduced entry-level workforce training opportunities hurt economies. This shift along with increasing minimum wage costs will cause major disruption and hardship for the low skill workforce. Alan Gin, University of San Diego Answer: YES As sales shift to the Internet, traditional brick-and-mortar retailers are closing more stores, which results in less employment in the retail sector. While more people will be employed in online retailing and in delivery services, there will likely be a net decline in employment. While those jobs were not great in terms of pay, they did allow young people to get started in the workforce and provided opportunities for those who could only work part-time. Jamie Moraga, intelliSolutions Answer: YES With approximately 15.9 million people working in the U.S. retail industry, the economic downside includes the loss of jobs for those working at brick-and-mortar stores and the shuttering of stores by retailers to cut costs, leaving vacancies at shopping malls and storefronts. Consumers are all about bargains, convenience, and more options. Spending at online retailers has shot up an estimated 10.7 percent from a year ago. Companies need to adjust quickly to the changing market or face going out of business. James Hamilton, University of California San Diego Answer: YES Many people have invested their lives in making brick-and-mortar sales successful. There is a lot of physical and human capital committed that cannot easily shift to some other activity. Although online sales bring more efficiency to the operation and benefits to customers, adjusting to any new technology always imposes costs on those who have depended on the earlier ways of doing things. Gail Naughton, Histogen Answer: NO Brick-and-mortar businesses must face the fact that they would be foolish to ignore the Internet as a substantial sales channel. If they dont, they will lose significant revenue in a similar way that small mom and pop stores lost their revenue to malls. Online purchases are convenient, support less stocking of product, are not subject to theft, function 24 hours per day, and allow far more marketing data to be collected. Gary London, The London Group Realty Advisors Answer: YES On the macro level, its a wash. People spend what they spend. The only issue is where, and whose economy and government those purchases benefit. Local retailers and shopping centers lose out everytime the purchase is made online. That loss contracts the local economy. Local government doesnt collect the sales tax if the purchase is not made within its jurisdiction. But the state of California collects its taxes regardless. Austin Neudecker, Rev Answer: YES There is economic upside for both consumers and businesses. Small businesses will be disproportionately affected with increased competition from more efficient/cheap labor locations. Many small shops will close. Consumers will lose the ability to try/feel multiple products and the help of sales reps. The upsides, however, include convenience, increased choice, easy comparison/review shopping, and often lower prices for consumers. Businesses that are able to take advantage gain geographic reach, focus, and scale. Norm Miller, University of San Diego Answer: YES There are several observable trends including: smaller stores of all types except for CVS and Walgreens which have expanded; thinner profit margins on all products with more informed consumers; shifting inventory and distribution to cheaper warehouse space; fewer workers per retail dollars spent. There are winners and losers in all such shifts. The percentage of retail tenants that sell no products has increased dramatically in the last decade, such as fitness centers, and this is likely to continue. Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch and Associates Answer: No. Those places that are entertaining and provide an experience that allow people to shop the mall are staying vibrant. Todays consumers yearn for and will continue to visit those high energy, unique shopping places. Locations where people simply go to the store to purchase commodities are feeling the real brunt of that online competition. Hence, the ultimate shift is from mid-market, commodity driven department stores to online. Lynn Reaser, Point Loma Nazarene University Answer: YES All disruptive technologies produce collateral damage, with job and income losses in industries impacted or displaced. The shift to online retailing is no different. However, the overall economic gains will exceed the losses. Consumers are benefiting from greater choice, increased competition, and time savings. Entrepreneurs with new product ideas are gaining easier access to markets. Logistics firms are realizing higher demand. Retailers who cannot adapt will fail, but those who can will survive and thrive. John Sarkisian, SKLZ Answer: Yes Local retail employment will decline. It is unclear how the economy will be impacted by the resulting excess retail space. It may create an economic upside as that space is repurposed to other uses. What I do know is the shift from traditional retail to online is happening quickly. All related businesses will need to adjust to this new way of doing business or find themselves no longer relevant to the consumer. Dan Seiver, Reilly Financial Advisors Answer: YES The Internet has been a disruptive force in many industries, but perhaps none more than retail. The brick-and-mortar segment of retail will probably continue to shrink, which will mean fewer jobs and lower incomes. But disruption also creates new growth in other industries -- example: Amazon warehouses -- and reduces costs and increases choices for consumers. We once employed hundreds of thousands of telephone operators and gas station attendants. Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health Answer: YES The economic downside includes fewer jobs because online transactions dont require the sales and other staff a brick and mortar store does. Online retailers are growing sales by providing lower prices, convenience and greater selection. Traditional retailers will need to differentiate themselves, perhaps by offering personalized customer service and a better shopping experience. If they dont, they will continue to shutter stores. And that will result in the permanent loss of jobs. The new owners of the Santa Fe Depot want to turn the 102-year-old landmark into the go-to place in downtown San Diego. They envision: A first-class restaurant in the waiting room. A food court in the plaza to the south. A boutique hotel or creative office spaces upstairs. A rooftop bar overlooking the bay. The rooftop Santa Fe sign embellished with neon as in the 1940s. The Santa Fe sign may be relit with neon and the tiled towers to the right will be seismically strengthened and repaired under plans in he works by the new owners. To left of the rooftop sign is an outdoor space that could be outfitted as an outdoor bar or event venue. (K.C. Alfred / U-T ) The Santa Fe Depot, an iconic landmark that few people visit, is about to go big time. Advertisement Its new owners, a father-and-son team previously focused on retail strip centers and apartments, imagine much more for the 102-year station at the foot of Broadway. Bankim Ben Shah, 58, and his son Alex, 23, are moving to relight the blue Santa Fe sign with neon that was removed years ago. They talk of locating a boutique hotel or creative offices in the long-vacant second floor where railroad workers once overnighted between shifts. They want to enliven the waiting room with a restaurant, turning the southern fountain plaza into a food court and reopening the upstairs former railroad workers overnight quarters into a boutique hotel or creative offices. All these hopes and dreams came out of conversations with the Shahs, their architect, David Marshall of Heritage Architecture & Planning, and their real estate broker, Kipp Gstettenbauer of Voit Real Estate Services. They plan to spend all of 2018 examining the possibilities and negotiating with Amtrak. Then theyll move forward with an estimated $2 million in repairs, and consider new uses that make the most sense. The goal is to have the depot ready for its new future by 2021. That wow factor we want to bring it back, the glory days of the depot, Ben Shah said. The depots future has been uncertain for more than 40 years, ever since the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe announced plans to replace it with twin office towers. The city leaned on the railroad to keep the 1915 structure intact and it sat largely unchanged as the old transfer warehouses were replaced by high-rise condo towers and the industrial waterfront became a tourist mecca. Architect David Marshall, center, talks with Ben Shaw, left, and his son, Alex, who recently purchased the Santa Fe Depot. (K.C. Alfred / U-T ) Now the Shahs are considering these changes: Depot towers: The two towers show some signs of damage, possibly due to minor earthquakes that have occurred over the last century. Architect Marshall said moisture may have seeped between the cracks and compromised some of the steel framework. The towers may have to be partially dismantled to repair the damage and then restored. Additional seismic strengthening could be added between the hollow towers and the terracotta exterior. The tile domes seem in good shape, he said. The two towers show some signs of damage, possibly due to minor earthquakes that have occurred over the last century. Architect Marshall said moisture may have seeped between the cracks and compromised some of the steel framework. The towers may have to be partially dismantled to repair the damage and then restored. Additional seismic strengthening could be added between the hollow towers and the terracotta exterior. The tile domes seem in good shape, he said. Restrooms: The mens and womens restrooms are larger than necessary and could be rebuilt next to each other and reduced in size. The mens and womens restrooms are larger than necessary and could be rebuilt next to each other and reduced in size. Rooftop bar: An outdoor space of about 3,500 square feet could be redesigned to accommodate a rooftop bar or event space for about 300 people. An outdoor space of about 3,500 square feet could be redesigned to accommodate a rooftop bar or event space for about 300 people. Forecourt: The depot originally had an open forecourt enclosed by arcaded archways on the south side of the property. It could be recreated but in a slightly smaller arrangement, since San Diego Trolley tracks take up some of the former forecourt space; a parking lot replaced the forecourt in the 1950s and a fountain and plaza are there now. The space could be glassed in and covered or left open to the elements and filled with a food court similar to Liberty Stations Liberty Public Market. The depot originally had an open forecourt enclosed by arcaded archways on the south side of the property. It could be recreated but in a slightly smaller arrangement, since San Diego Trolley tracks take up some of the former forecourt space; a parking lot replaced the forecourt in the 1950s and a fountain and plaza are there now. The space could be glassed in and covered or left open to the elements and filled with a food court similar to Liberty Stations Liberty Public Market. Waiting Room: An upscale restaurant could installed in the main space under the historic chandeliers with a kitchen occupying the southeast corner of the building. An upscale restaurant could installed in the main space under the historic chandeliers with a kitchen occupying the southeast corner of the building. Amtrak ticketing operation: The passenger railroad, whose lease expires in early-2021, currently occupies the entire building and now needs decides how much space it will need and what rent to pay. The passenger railroad, whose lease expires in early-2021, currently occupies the entire building and now needs decides how much space it will need and what rent to pay. Hotel or office: Gstettenbauer said several office and hotel companies have contacted him about turning the upstairs space into a boutique hotel of about 30 small rooms or creative office space. The initial buyer had the property in escrow for 30 days and wanted an extension that could have dragged on for six months, said Gstettenbauer, who represented the previous owner, ProLogis. The Shahs offered a $2 million, nonrefundable deposit and were willing to complete the transaction in 15 days. They paid $8.65 million for the property. They were not the first to be chosen, but they made it to the final round, Gstettenbauer said. Ben Shah, whose expertise was in operating about 250 low-cost apartment projects and strip commercial centers, grew up in Mumbai, India, one of 11 siblings. The ocean front attracted me since I was a child, he said, and that memory inspired him to acquire the depot Some of his siblings first migrated to San Diego in the 1950s and became engineers and doctors, and in 1981, he was the last of his generation to move here. His first venture was a photo-processing outlet at Sixth and University avenues in Hillcrest and then he began investing in real estate. His wife, Nita, applied her financial skills learned at USC, UCLA and San Diego State University to become the financial overseer for the company, All-Property Management, and their children pitched in as well. When I was a kid, what Id do was hop in the car with my dad on weekends and go around to different properties around and hed teach me different things, Alex Shah said. He began with cleanup duties, graduated to simple plumbing jobs and came to learn the little details that go into building pride of ownership in properties. Anything you know from the ground up, its always important, he said. At the peak of their business, they owned about 250 apartments and for the most part maintained good relations with their tenants, Alex Shah said. He encouraged tenants to call him in the middle of the night if they needed an emergency repair. KPBS ran stories in 2015 and 2016 about alleged code violations at Shah properties, but Alex said the tenants, some of whom were behind in rent, called the city, not him. Anytime our tenants needed something, we treated them like family, Alex said. The Shahs have since sold their apartments and now own about 25 commercial properties, including the Gelsons Market in Pacific Beach and the Bank of America building in Coronado. Chuck Klein, a Cushman & Wakefield broker who has known the Shahs for years and recently represented them on various acquisitions, called Shah honest, straightforward and a stickler for details. He is really excited about doing something that will be considered somewhat of a legacy that is different from his public perception, Klein said. Ben Tashakorian, a broker at Marcus & Millichap, was equally complimentary of Ben Shah, whom he represented in a number of other transactions. Hes just been a phenomenal person, with a phenomenal family, a real kind of giving guy, Tashakorian said. When asked his advice on buying the depot, he said he told Shah, You cant cut corners on this one. This is the Ellis Island of San Diego. The Shahs said they realize they have taken on a legendary landmark. We want to just make it a place where people can hang out and enjoy it, Alex Shah said. We feel extremely responsible, which is why we took it on and we think we have the right people in place to be responsible for it. Beyond that, he said he and two friends spent much of Thanksgiving Day handing out sleeping bags, pillows and sweatshirts to the homeless huddled around the depot. It was something he did while attending San Diego State University, where he majored in business management, finance and real estate. Obviously, for a lot of these guys, its tough around this time of the year, he said. I wish I could do more, honestly. Business roger.showley@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-1286; Twitter: @rogershowley By PTI: (EDs: Correcting spelling of Bangladesh Army chiefs name) Dehradun, Dec 9 (PTI) Bangladesh Army Chief General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq today asked gentlemen cadets passing out of the IMA to trust their training and take a pledge to serve their respective armies to the best of their ability. General Belal reviewed the ceremonial Passing out Parade (PoP) by the gentlemen cadets at the famous drill square in front of the historic Chetwode Building of the Indian Military Academy (IMA). advertisement The PoP saw a total of 487 gentlemen cadets including 78 from friendly countries being commissioned into the armies of their respective countries after completing their autumn training course at the academy. "Trust the training you have received here, take charge of yourselves and take a pledge to serve your respective armies to the best of your ability even at the cost of your lives," he said in his address after reviewing the parade. The IMA has exceedingly high standards of training. That should enable you to serve your respective armies in the best manner, Gen Belal said. Noting that an army mans life is full of challenges, he said they should learn from every challenge and make sincerity, determination and hard work the guiding principles of their lives. General Belal paid a tribute to Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice during the 1971 war which saw the creation of Bangladesh. He said he felt privileged to address the PoP at the premier institute describing it as a momentous event which will further cement bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Army Chief also presented medals to the best performing gentlemen cadets with the Sword of Honour and the gold medal going to Academy Under Officer Chandrakant Acharya for best overall performance during the autumn course. As the PoP was coming to an end three army choppers flew past the Chetwode Building showering flower petals on the drill square eliciting loud cheers from the audience which consisted of parents and guardians of the passing out cadets in large numbers. Uttar Pradesh topped the list of states from where the highest number of 76 gentlemen cadets were commissioned into the army followed by Haryana (58), Uttarakhand (38), Bihar (25), Maharashtra (24) and Punjab (24). PTI ALM DIP --- ENDS --- Note: In the coming weeks, Michele Parente and Karla Peterson will be reporting on how this watershed moment is playing out in San Diego. You can share your story with them confidentially by phone or email: michele.parente@sduniontribune.com, (619) 293-1868; karla.peterson@sduniontribune.com, (619) 293-1275. It could have happened today or years ago. You could have been at work or just walking to your car. The perpetrator could have been your boss, a friend or a stranger. You might not even have a word for what happened to you, but you know that it wasnt good. Regardless of the circumstances, if the wave of women and men coming forward to talk about sexual harassment and sexual assault has inspired you to take action, you are about to embark on a journey that will be confusing, unpredictable and emotionally challenging. Where youre going might not be clear at first, nor where youll end up. Advertisement But talking to someone is the first step. My key message is, victims are not experts in what crime this is or if this is a crime, and theyre not expected to be, said San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan. The main thing is that the victim get support. The silence is killer. It eats them up inside. It really impacts their life and trust and faith in the people around them. We have seen this with multiple victims. Their life becomes much more open once they start to get help and a support system around them. To help you get that support, we spoke with San Diego women who know about breaking silences. From attorneys and advocates to a psychologist and a survivor, here are their answers to questions about sexual harassment and assault. Their replies have been edited for length and clarity. What if I have been sexually assaulted? If a crime has happened that is sexual in nature rape, attempted rape, attempted molestation, sexual battery report it to the police. If time has passed, and you want to talk with someone who will help you understand your situation, Stephan recommends you call the Rape Crisis Center. Victims often worry that their situations arent serious enough to warrant a call to law enforcement. They may not be sure if what happened to them counts as a crime. Thats where the experts come in. A call to the Rape Crisis Center or the District Attorneys Victims Services Office can help you determine what type of incident you are dealing with and what steps you can take next. More conduct than people know qualifies as criminal conduct, Stephan said. Touching of an intimate part of the body, even over clothing. Grabbing someone and restraining their movement is a crime. It is never too small. If your instincts are that you feel in danger or you feel uncomfortable, you are probably right. After you report an incident, you will be assigned an advocate who will guide you through the process. You will not be forced to testify against your will. You can stop the process at any time and resume it when you are ready. What if I am currently being sexually harassed at work? You should report the harassment immediately, said Kristin Rizzo, a labor and employment law attorney and the newly elected president of the San Diego County Bar Association. Report it in writing to human resources. If the company does not have an HR department, go to a superior. If its your superior who is harassing you, go to your superiors superior. Know your legal rights, and know your companys sexual harassment policy. You can also file a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing or the federal Equal Opportunity Commission. It is important to put the complaint in writing before you talk to the company. You need to make sure the company is hearing your story in your words. A written complaint, if it is done soon after the incident, is a victims best piece of evidence. Sexual harassment is unfortunately a He said, She said, type of story, Rizzo said. And the more evidence the victim has texts, photographs, emails the better. Having corroborating witnesses is also a piece evidence. Laura Fink, one of the women who went public about being harassed by former San Diego mayor Bob Filner, agrees about the importance of telling other people about what happened to you as soon as you can. Corroboration is essential. That can be telling someone youre close to. A lot of these (national) stories are being corroborated by personal friends, spouses and relatives. What if Im sexually harassed outside the workplace? Everyday harassment happens, yes, every day. Whether its your landlord, your boyfriends father or even a catcaller on the street, women face a daily barrage of toxic male behavior. Those are assertions of power, said Fink. If Im harassing a woman on the street, Im asserting my power to evaluate you passing judgment, reminding you where you stand in the pecking order. It doesnt matter how successful you are. She advises women not to disregard their personal safety when considering how to respond. Its a judgment call whether to avoid it, confront it or enlist others to help, Fink said. Were asking the wrong questions. We should be asking the bystanders, the people who witness it, the people who enable it (to act). They need to change when it becomes less acceptable, it happens less. Thats a problem for the collective and uniquely for men. They are the audience for that behavior. When men call out other men, it has a powerful impact and we need to make sure they are speaking up about it. What about harassment that happened in the past? Regardless of when it happened, contact an attorney or an advocate to see if your claim can be brought forward. Most felony sexual conduct has a 10-year statute of limitations, but it can be longer in the case of minors. And coming forward can have an impact, no matter how long it has been since the harassment or assault occurred. If we assume theyre outside the time frame where a legal case could be brought, I would encourage women to come forward anyway why not? Rizzo said. The more victims come forward, the more light is shed on the problem, the more remedies are brought forth, and the more companies take additional action to rectify the harassment. Trauma psychologist Sage Breslin encourages a victimized employee to file a complaint with human resources at any point. But they might want to get some legal backup first. Because of the likelihood that a company will attempt to constrict and shut down around the complaint, I often encourage the victim to engage an attorney before addressing the issue with HR, Breslin said. What will happen to me at work? After you report, the obligation switches to the company, Rizzo said. Companies have legal responsibilities to investigate complaints and rectify the problem if harassment is going on. When an investigation moves forward, prepare for a tough ride. You, your friends and your colleagues may be interviewed. Your harasser may be interviewed. Victims cant request anonymity, and victims of harassment can sometimes become a victim of retaliation. If you are retaliated against, you can sue. Because there is objective documentation, retaliation can be easier to prove than the original harassment that started it all. Many victims of harassment fear that they will be fired if they speak out, Breslin said. While this may be a real concern, if the employee has already retained counsel, any attempts to fire the employee simply because they have identified harassment would be considered wrongful termination. To help victims get a handle on the legal end of things, many attorneys from the Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LIRS) of the San Diego County Bar Association will have you walk through your story then give you some free advice. What should I be prepared for? How tough is it to fight workplace harassment? So tough, sexual harassment is one of the top four reasons women leave the legal profession, according to Olga Alvarez, president of the Lawyers Club of San Diego. (Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that one in four women leave the legal profession because of sexual harassment. In fact, it is one of the top four reasons why women leave.) Its worse at law firms than at Fortune 500 companies, Alvarez said. The irony is you would assume that women attorneys know their rights but they know they might be labeled as hypersensitive, they they cant take a joke or theyll be blacklisted. There really is a risk of losing the job it took seven years to get a degree for. That job is important. Alvarez said 50 percent of women will leave the practice of law within the first five years and 85 percent of women of color will leave the practice of law within eight years. Everywhere around them, women are leaving theres nothing to demonstrate that even if they make a claim that they would win the claim. From the invasive deposition process to the challenge of proving that harassment actually took place, being the plaintiff in a sexual harassment case can be as tough as being a sexual harassment victim. And in the end, you could lose your job. More often than not, my clients will be told they werent fired because of retaliation but because they were bad employees, Rizzo said. Or they will be told that harasser denies all harassment, or the company did everything it could to rectify the situation, or they didnt know about it. Its an extremely daunting process. Daunting? Yes. Worth pursuing? Each victim has to answer for themselves. And finding that answer can be painful. Im not sure it is right for everyone, Rizzo said. Making a complaint and coming forward, it is challenging and it is intense and it is difficult and oftentimes it gets worse before it gets better for these victims. When a person is violated, they go into shock, Breslin said. Victims can feel shame, guilt and embarrassment. They second-guess their decisions and wonder if they did something to cause the harassment or assault to happen. The answer to that, Breslin said, is No. A perpetrator seeks opportunities to prey on others. Victims are either specific to something the perpetrator fancies or are opportune (convenient). Either way, the victim is not responsible for the perpetrators choices. Speaking out about abuse or harassment can lead to victim bashing. People take sides. Reputations are on the line. In addition to losing their jobs, they can lose friends. But the gains can be big, too. I dont think I realized how it affected me until years later, Fink said. It is freeing to tell that truth. You have lost a certain freedom in bearing that burden. I spent years smiling through (Filners) political rise. That has a corrosive effect on your emotional well-being, on your dynamism, on your joy. Do I have to speak out? No, you dont. While the #MeToo movement makes sharing your story and your fury seem like the right thing to do, its not right for everyone. And it is not your only option. If you are not ready to bring your case to your employer or to the police, or even to the social-media arena, consider telling your story to a few close friends. Think about seeing a counselor or joining a support group. Most importantly, think about you. What are you ready for? What do you hope to accomplish? What would help you sleep at night? What would bring you peace? I tell students that whatever feels the most empowering for them is what they should do, said Erin Lovette-Colyer, director of the University of San Diego Womens Center. Whether that is coming forward and reporting and going through the legal process, or whether it is seeking out a person to talk to. There is no one way to respond to the experience of harassment or assault. Everyones healing process is different. Thats why its important to keep talking. California Department of Fair Employment and Housing: dfeh.ca.gov Center for Community Solutions Rape Crisis Hotline: (888) 385-4657 Child Protective Services Hotline: (858) 560-2191 Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention & Response Helpline: (877) 995-5247 District Attorney Victim Assistance Program (619) 531-4041 Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LIRS) of the San Diego County Bar Association: (619) 231-8585; sdcba.org Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN): (800) 656-4673 SDSU Womens Resource Center: (619) 594-2304 Southern Indian Health Council, Inc.: (619) 445-1188 UC San Diegos Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination: ophd.ucsd.edu University of San Diego Womens Center: (619) 260-2396 U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: eeoc.gov Womens Resource Center: (760) 757-3500 michele.parente@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @sdeditgirl A man who spent 15 years in prison for shaking his baby to death was freed Saturday, one day after a judge set aside his conviction. Zavion Johnson, 34, walked out of the Sacramento County jail, where he was being held while his court case was heard. He had been serving a sentence of 25 years to life at a state prison in Vacaville. Johnson was both loving and trying to adjust to freedom, said his attorney, Paige Kaneb, of the Northern California Innocence Project at the Santa Clara University School of Law. Advertisement Johnson was convicted of second-degree murder in the 2001 death of his daughter, Nadia. At trial, more than a dozen witnesses described him as a gentle and caring father. Johnson testified that he accidentally dropped the 4-month-old in the bathtub while rinsing her off in the shower. She hit her head and later stopped breathing, he said. Medical experts testified that the girl had a fractured skull and that her injuries were evidence of abuse. However, two prosecution experts later repudiated some of their testimony and said that based on new scientific views, the evidence didnt clearly rule out an accident. On Friday, a state judge set aside Johnsons conviction. Im hoping for a positive future for my life to begin, Johnson said in a statement released by his attorneys after that ruling. Johnson will remain free while prosecutors decide whether to seek a new trial. His is among a nationwide series of recent legal challenges to what used to be accepted evidence of shaken baby syndrome. At least 14 people nationwide have been exonerated since 2011 in shaken baby cases, attorneys said, citing the National Registry of Exonerations. Northwestern Universitys Medill Justice Project said in 2015 that there were more than 3,000 shaken baby syndrome cases nationwide, though attorneys said its not clear how many might have resulted in wrongful convictions. Research and scientific studies conducted after the date of Zavion Johnsons trial have altered the opinions of the prosecution experts, Sacramento County Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Steve Grippi said in a statement Friday. A prosecutors duty is not simply to win cases but to ensure that each defendant is accorded procedural justice and guilt is decided upon the basis of sufficient evidence. Johnsons attorneys have filed a motion seeking to have any new charges dismissed at his next hearing on Jan. 19, based on a lack of evidence beyond the experts medical testimony. While traffic spikes to new highs in San Diego County, elected officials are scrambling to hire a new leader to run and help rebuild public trust in the regions premier transportation agency. The board of directors for the San Diego Association of Governments is hoping to recruit in coming months a new executive director to replace Gary Gallegos, whose resignation came abruptly this summer amid scandal. The number one thing Im looking for in a new executive director is someone with integrity and a history of doing right by the public, said San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who holds one of the most powerful positions on SANDAGs 21-member board of elected officials from around the county. Advertisement This month, the board voted unanimously to hire CPS HR Consulting to guide the advertisement and recruitment progress for the planning agencys new leader. The first step in the process will be for the board in collaboration with the consulting company to develop a profile of the ideal candidate. Then the company will start a recruitment process, which is expected to run through the spring. SANDAG will likely be looking for a candidate familiar with public messaging and campaigns. Top on the agencys agenda has been trying to convince voters to increase taxes for the first time in more than a decade in order to help pay for everything from trolley lines to express lanes on major highways. It currently operates on one half-cent sales tax known as Transnet, which was extended in 2004 for 40 years. As the regions economy has bounced back, so has traffic congestion. Last year, drivers spent nearly 9.9 million hours stuck in traffic, up sharply from 7.58 million hours in 2006, according to data from Caltrans. Supervisor Ron Roberts, who chairs the SANDAG board, said hes feeling a sense of emergency when it comes to addressing growing commute times and gridlock. We have tremendous needs, Roberts said. Unfortunately, what youre seeing is a very divisive situation. Weve got the people that dont want to spend a penny on public transit, and weve got people that want to spend all the money on public transit. SANDAG has in recent years sustained criticism from across the political spectrum finding itself wedged between opposing sides in the heated debate about whether to prioritize roads or mass transit. We have tremendous needs. Unfortunately, what youre seeing is a very divisive situation. San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts Cars back up along Pala Mission Road during rush hour. (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune ) Car advocates have argued that increasingly cleaner, autonomous vehicles should prevail, undercutting the concerns of environmentalists who have called for almost all new funding to be funneled into public transit. The next executive director, as well as SANDAG itself, should understand that we are an individualist society, and with autonomous vehicles around the corner, able to effectively transport citizens from door to door, improved high-tech freeways and roadways are key not expensive, inflexible, and inconvenient trains and trolleys, said Tony Krvaric, chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego County. At the same time, transit advocates have said SANDAG has shut them out of decisions on transportation for years and are now calling for a new era of transparency at the agency. We want SANDAG to prioritize real public engagement at all levels, for SANDAG to hear from the bottom up and have meaningful meetings with stakeholders to receive their input, said Gretchen Newsom, political director of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, local 569. In August, the agencys once-powerful executive director, Gallegos, resigned amid revelations that a proposed tax increase on the November 2016 ballot wouldve likely brought in billions less than projected for a large suite of projects promised to the public. An independent investigation found that Gallegos and his top staff knew, or should have known, about the accounting error long before the proposed levy went to voters. The measure failed to get the needed two-thirds approval, as ideological factions found common ground in blasting the public agency. Gary Gallegos, former executive director of the San Diego Association of Governments. (Staff / San Diego Union-Tribune ) To secure the contract, CPS HR Consulting touted its recent accomplishments, most notably helping to secure James Corless as the head of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, which guides transportation and land-use planning for six counties. Corless took over in the fall of 2016, just in time to see two counties in his region also narrowly rejected sales-tax increases that would have funded transportation. He said he faces many of the same challenges as San Diego County. The debate over cars versus transit is a 20th Century debate. Its not the right debate to be having, said Corless, who founded the Washington-D.C. advocacy group Transportation for America. Like Gallegos, Corless has said he supports building new public transit while also expanding express lanes on major highways. He said he sees a need for both rail lines as well as roads to carry cleaner, more efficient vehicles. We are going to need in the future high-capacity, high-frequency mass transit, he said. Nothing will be able to compete with a big bus or a train running every 10 to 15 minutes in a major metropolitan region. But you cant give everybody rail service everywhere, and you cant expect that every trip will be on a train. That is unrealistic. Whoever steps in to fill Gallegos shoes will be walking into a politically charged situation. Following the recent scandal, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) pushed a bill through the legislature that gives larger cities more leverage when voting on the SANDAG board. The legislation also establishes an independent auditor and gives the Metropolitan Transit System the authority to put its own tax increases on the ballot. Opponents called the move an assault on local control, while supporters of mass transit hailed the move as a major victory. Under Faulconer, a Republican, the new rules will likely have little impact. However, Democrats hope to retake City Hall in 2020 and could attempt to push through policies opposed by a majority of the SANDAG board. Twitter: @jemersmith Phone: (619) 293-2234 Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com During Simon & Garfunkels legendary concert in New Yorks Central Park in 1981, Paul Simon took a moment to thank those who made the show possible: police and fire departments, parks commissioner, the mayor. Then he made special note of people that never get recognized for doing good things for the city, a group of people that have donated half of the proceeds that theyre making tonight, the guys who are selling loose joints are giving the city half of their income tonight. The crowd roared, Simon laughed and with that he and Art Garfunkel launched into the song America. Advertisement Paul Simon: jokester, musical genius, clairvoyant. Few would have figured some 35 years ago that the savvy street dealers hawking individual joints would give way to what is now called the cannabis industry. Replete with lobbyists, attorneys and business suits, industry leaders are sitting down with government officials on the same side of the table hashing out tax rates and projecting municipal revenues to be gained from legal marijuana. According to some estimates, state and local marijuana taxes in California eventually could surpass 45 percent. The mainstreaming of pot is full of potential promise and peril, and advocates want to make sure the latter doesnt get in the way of the former. The money expected from marijuana, which becomes legal for recreational use in California at the start of the coming year, is staggering. A $5 billion market eventually is expected, with the states treasury boosted by $1 billion. Some think it will be more. The city of San Diego is the only local jurisdiction right now that will allow the sale of recreational cannabis, and has already approved more than two dozen medical marijuana dispensaries. The citys independent budget analyst has projected $22 million in annual city revenues once San Diegos recreational market is in full swing. For perspective, $22 million is more than twice the amount that would have been raised each year to address homelessness under Mayor Kevin Faulconers stalled plan to raise hotel taxes, which also would have been used to expand the convention center and fix roads. Municipalities in Colorado, the first state to legalize recreational pot in 2014, have used marijuana revenue for civic centers, road repairs, scholarships and homeless programs. Concern about the impact of legalization, particularly on youth, remains. One Colorado study said there had been no real change in use before and after. Another study reported a dramatic jump in marijuana-intoxicated teens showing up in Colorado emergency rooms. DUIs citing marijuana dropped by a third in the first quarter of this year, but fatalities involving stoned drivers is up sharply. Colorados marijuana black market also persisted after legalization, and thats a worry across California. The state tax will be 15 percent, with San Diegos initial 5 percent levy on top of that. Theres no doubt that the tax load for legally purchased marijuana is high, said Phil Rath of the United Medical Marijuana Coalition, who helped negotiate the San Diego marijuana ordinance that kicks in next year. But Rath and other advocates say taxes are necessary to help pay for regulation and enforcement, which are supposed to have first dibs on the revenue before it gets spent on anything else. Still, the cost differential could encourage the black market. A $125 legal purchase, for example, might cost $100 under the table, sans taxes. Thats a meaningful difference for some people. Rath said. Another unknown is whether a large number of people will continue to seek certification cards to obtain medical marijuana, which wont be taxed. The hope is government officials will create a more discerning process that weeds out marginal (translation: bogus) reasons for medical marijuana. If you dangle $1 billion before the state of California, Rath said, theyre going to be pretty motivated. The transformation of marijuana from counterculture delectable to common consumer commodity may have seemed destined in recent years. Its remarkable nonetheless. But then, the mainstreaming of other, once-illicit activities also probably seemed weird at the beginning, given years of warnings some legitimate and some not about deleterious effects. Drinking bath tub gin (youll go blind), gambling (youll go broke), watching porn (youll go blind). Pot was supposed to make you crazy (Refer Madness) and, benign as it may be for most folks, theres no joking that it has affected some people badly. I found it mostly made me lethargic, hungry and stupid. Given I already had a running start on all three, I figured out long ago it wasnt for me. (Full disclosure: It took a while.) Not everything illicit is on the path to the mainstream, though. Its still hard to believe that during the 1935-36 California-Pacific International Exposition at Balboa Park there was a nudist colony on display for the paying public. Imagine that taking place in the Jewel of San Diego today. The legalization of marijuana is dandy fine and dandy. But for the mainstreaming of something now verboten, I think Ill wait until officialdom once again allows nude people to hang out en masse in Balboa Park. Tweet of the Week Goes to Kurt Bardella (@kurtbardella), consultant, media political analyst and a former top aide to Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista. The #RNC is following #Trumps lead and getting behind #RoyMoore in #ALSEN. The Republican Party is officially funding a sex predator who preyed on underage teenagers at the local mall. I NEVER want to be affiliate with the #GOP ever again. Im joining the Democratic Party. Two security guards at a Vons in the Midway District were stabbed when they tried to stop a fleeing shoplifter Friday night, San Diego police said. The man stole some items from the grocery story on Midway Drive at Kemper Street in Point Loma Heights about 8:30 p.m., police said. Guards confronted him as he tried to leave and he fought them. He then pulled out a knife and cut one guards finger and stabbed the other in the leg, police said. Other people nearby detained him until officers arrived. He was arrested. Advertisement kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @kristinadavis Its not a ghost town. But visitors to San Diego City College might find themselves asking: Shouldnt there be a lot more students? The century-old college has been going through a $460 million expansion and makeover thats meant to send enrollment soaring to 25,000 from 17,000, and raise the visibility of a campus thats long lived in obscurity in East Village. Advertisement So far, neither is happening. Three years after the construction boom peaked, City College is struggling to prevent enrollment from dropping, even though it is located next to three high schools and the neighborhood is filling with professionals, many of whom might need a class. The school pledged to reintroduce itself to the city in 2014, during its centennial. But the effort didnt take off, partly due to leadership problems. City College has had four presidents in as many years, leaving people to wonder: Who is in charge? The newest president is Ricky Shabazz, a 42-year-old enrollment and outreach expert who addresses problems head on, and publicly. City College is not well known in its own city, said Shabazz, who became president in July. Were going to change that, and grow. Shabazz says City College will do everything from streamline registration for classes to work harder to prepare students to transfer to the California State University system, one of its main missions. The school transferred 361 students to CSU last year, fewer than it sent a decade ago. The campus also is trying to raise more private money so that it can help a select group of students to attend classes for free during their first year. The college draws many of its students from low-income areas of southeast San Diego. Success isnt far off, said Shabazz, who made this prediction: Enrollment is going to be at 20,000 within 3 to 5 five years. For a number of reasons, that will be difficult. Community college enrollment is cyclical, said Lisa Will, a City College astrophysics professor. When the economy is good, fewer people go to school. Enrollment is down at many of the states 114 community colleges. And the economy is solid. The federal government announced Friday that 228,000 jobs were added in November, and that the unemployment rate is 4.1 percent, the lowest since 2000. But many community colleges are growing, including one of Citys sister schools, Miramar College. Since 2013, Miramars enrollment has risen by about 4,400, to a record 16,347. Many of our class rooms used to be in bungalows. Now, they are in world-class buildings, said Brett Bell, vice president of administrative services at Miramar. Thats made a difference. He was referring to Miramars expansion and upgrade programs, which are expected to cost about $355 million by the time theyre finished. Miramar also has benefited from a sharply focused marketing campaign that emphasizes the schools long established programs for training police and emergency workers, and for preparing students to transfer to four year colleges. City College also has respected vocational programs, notably in cosmetology and graphic design. And the schools new buildings especially those devoted to math, science and technology are equal to Miramars. But the school, which is located near Balboa Park and the I-5 freeway, concedes that it hasnt done enough to get the general public involved in the life of the campus. The school also has an identity problem; people arent clear on what opportunities it holds for them. We need to put a foot on the marketing pedal, and not take it off when enrollment goes up, said Sean Bacon, who heads graphic design program at City College. Some of the marketing needs to target existing students, most of whom study part-time. Ive heard some of my students say that its hard to find a place to park here, Will said. The perception is much worse than the reality. Ive also heard students express concern about the homeless. But thats based on peoples interactions in other parts of town. Shabazz is accustomed to turning things around. He was outreach director at Compton College from 2007-14. The school was operating without accreditation. But Shabazz helped the college to more than double its enrollment. Now he finds himself at City College, where the marketing budget is $60,000, a minuscule figure. He didnt seem to mind on Thursday, during an interview in one of the colleges newest buildings. This college is a jewel, Shabazz said. Weve got to get out there and tell our story. The entire college has to do it. We dont want people to drive by City College and have no clue about how good this place is. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds Twitter: @grobbins gary.robbins@sduniontribune.com Of all his former political posts, Antonio Villaraigosa is most widely known for serving eight years as mayor of Los Angeles, a powerful position that hes counting on voters to remember as they scan next years ballot in the race for governor. Except he cant call himself the former mayor. His rival, former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin, cant use her previous title, either. For the record: An earlier version of this column identified Assemblyman Juan Arambula (D-Fresno) as the lawmaker who listed his ballot description as Emergency Room Doctor. The lawmaker was Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno). The state election rules governing a candidates ballot description may have been designed to keep things fair and square, but theyve instead given way to linguistic contortions that often confuse more than clarify. Advertisement It all comes down to three words: the allowed space for candidates to describe their profession, vocation, or occupation. Those descriptions, under California election law, can be rejected when there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonably prudent voter would be misled. But that leaves substantial room for interpretation. In fact, it seems the widely accepted rule of thumb is this: Dont make yourself sound like a politician. Five California incumbents one member of Congress and four members of the Legislature didnt even mention their day jobs in 2016. Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) called himself a Farmer/Small Businessman. Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) was listed only as an Emergency Room Doctor. Other incumbents added some flair to their elected office: business owner, educator, rancher, mother. Over the years, candidates and consultants have gotten very creative in choosing the three-word description, said Thomas Hiltachk, a Republican campaign attorney. Its particularly important in down-ballot races where voters have little to no information about candidates. And in most instances, its an honor system until someone raises a ruckus and heads to court. In 2012, a judge ruled the former Los Angeles city attorney could not be called Los Angeles chief prosecutor in the race for district attorney. Political Road Map: The major parties just arent cutting it for California voters Villaraigosa left the mayors office in 2013; Eastin stepped down as state schools chief in 2003. Contrast that with the other two prominent Democrats in the race Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Treasurer John Chiang, who can both use their impressive titles on the ballot. Some political professionals criticized a recent USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll on this very issue. The pollsters used Villaraigosa and Eastins former titles in gauging support, likely to see what might happen in a campaign where resumes are well known. Eastin, who polled at only 4% among registered voters, may have the most at stake in reminding voters that shes the candidate with significant experience in education policy. In a Sacramento politics newsletter last weekend, the Northern California Democrat was given some free advice on how to spice up her designation. As a campaign advisor, I would tell her to lean on a community college to give her a part-time one class teaching assignment and she could be listed as Educator, wrote Scott Lay, the newsletters author. When I was a community college advocate, I hated it, but lots of great legislators were elected through that strategy. Neither Eastin nor Villaraigosa has decided what they will be called on next years ballot. They also have something else in common: Both are aiming for voters to have more information about them than just those three words. john.myers@latimes.com Follow @johnmyers on Twitter, sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter and listen to the weekly California Politics Podcast ALSO: Political Road Map: The two major political parties would love to kill Californias top-two primary rules Updates on California politics A vocal group of people eager to see President Donald Trumps border wall completed gathered in East Otay Mesa on Saturday at a rally event that briefly turned violent during a clash with counter-protesters. The Build the Wall rally was held in a dirt lot within view of eight border wall prototypes, which were recently finished and are undergoing testing. Dozens of supporters came from around the county, and as far away as Arizona, to cheer on the presidents campaign promise. Sheriffs officials estimated the crowd to be about 60 people, although there appeared to be at least 100. Advertisement Though the event was scheduled for noon, some attendees arrived as early as 10:15 a.m. sporting gear with the presidents tagline Make America Great Again, carrying or wearing American flags, toting megaphones and blasting border-wall themed music. We felt like it was time to give (the border wall effort) a boost to show that the American people are watching, and they expect the ... wall built early next year, said Jeff Schwilk, a rally organizer and founder of the San Diegans for Secure Borders group. Schwilk and fellow organizers Ben Berqguam, founder of Frontline America, and Will Johnson, founder of Unite America First addressed attendees shortly after noon. They also secured speakers such as Rep. Duncan Hunter, former Assemblyman Tim Donnelly and Chis Harris, a union representative for National Border Patrol Councils Local 1613. This is probably my 50th rally asking for the federal government to just do its job, Donnelly said in an interview after his speech. It is an enumerated duty of the Constitution to secure the border. A wall, he said, is needed to ensure the safety and security of Americans and border agents, referencing Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez, who was killed while on patrol in West Texas last month. Im for Trump and for building the wall, said Suellen Shay, 74, of Vista. I just think (the wall) is needed for the sovereignty of our country. Its the same as having your own home. Would you leave your doors open and let everyone come in? Its good for everybody. Its not at all racial. Thats the thing that bothers me. Pro-wall and anti-wall activists clash as law enforcement stands by. (Nancee E. Lewis / San Diego Union-Tribune ) The atmosphere, however, turned from peaceful to hostile when a small group of protesters marched down Enrico Fermi Place toward the rally site. The group of about 15 arrived around 20 minutes into the rally and chanted, No ban. No wall. Amnesty for all and Racists, go home. Though sheriffs deputies were already in place, lined up to separate protesters from the rally site, some rally-goers confronted the marchers, leading to several heated exchanges and at least one fight. Deputies broke up the scuffle within minutes. No one was arrested and sheriffs officials said no injuries were reported. The border wall is a xenophobic act, reminiscent of Nazi Germany, said Rafael Bautista, 33, of southeast San Diego. Bautista, who helped organize the protest but isnt affiliated with a single group, said he migrated to the U.S. from Mexico at the age of 4 and has family on both sides of the border. They want to put up walls between two shades of color, he said. This is exactly the opposite of what we want in this country. Despite the interruption, the rally continued with speakers, including Hunter, R-Alpine, who advocated for the wall and said it was his No. 1 goal. He also told attendees that Republicans in the Senate would likely need to compromise on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, legislation in order to secure the Democratic votes needed to get the wall built. Business jennifer.vangrove@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1840 Twitter: @jbruin After more than a decade of studying wildfires, San Diego County took its final exams last week. Did we pass? Authorities say the region is far better equipped to handle swift, wind-whipped flames than it was during the firestorms of 2007 and 03. Advertisement Were about $460 million more prepared, Supervisor Dianne Jacob said Friday, both on the ground and in the air. Officials cited better communication between fire agencies; more fire engines and air tankers on the front lines, day and night; and better tracking of the flames. Despite these advances, the Lilac Fires first 24 hours consumed 4,100 acres and 85 structures. Sometimes, nature will not be denied. Remember, this was a wind-driven fire, Cal Fire Capt. Kendal Bortisser said. The crews were trying to stay out ahead of this as quickly as they could and, 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 the Santa Ana winds come through, theres no stopping them. A look at what worked, and what didnt: Air power In 2003 and 07, firefighters often looked up and wondered. Where was the air support? U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire helicopters and air tankers had been grounded at sundown to minimize the risk of crashes. Local military commanders insisted they had no authority to dispatch their aerial assets. Thats changed. In the Lilac Fires first 24 hours, 15 helicopters and seven air tankers attacked the flames. This fleet included two helicopters from the Marine Corps and two from the Navy. San Diego Gas & Electric scrambled its massive helitanker, which doused hot spots with 2,650 gallons of water. Pilots also deployed technology that was unavailable in 2007: infrared cameras, which helped them track hot spots at night. It worked very well, Cal Fires Bortisser said. Collaboration and conflict In many ways, the Lilac Fire looked like a model of cooperation. City, county, state and federal agencies worked side by side. There was even a crew of inmates from Nevada City, creating fire breaks in Bonsall. These disparate units were guided by the Emergency Operations Center in Kearny Mesa. This is important for providing timely, accurate information to first responders and the public, said Alex Bell, a spokesperson for the county Office of Emergency Services and Fire Authority. Despite this evidence of harmony, the fire illuminated enduring tensions between county Supervisor Jacob and San Diego Gas & Electric. Im very concerned about SDG&Es policy of de-energizing or shutting off power in the rural areas where people and in many cases the fire agencies depend on well water, Jacob said Friday. You cant get the well water without electricity so that could pose an additional danger. While unaware of any such instances last week, Jacob added, I just hope that it does not. I hope SDG&E knows what theyre doing. I dont have a lot of confidence in that, but lets hope. A utility spokeswoman called these comments insulting, saying employees had worked ceaselessly to ensure public safety. Between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, SDG&E cut power to about 17,000 customers in what the utility called a proactive measure. High winds can sometimes cause power lines to fall, sparking fires. Cal Fire and the California Public Utilities Commission traced numerous 2007 fires to downed utility wires. Another blaze erupted when a Cox Communications wire lashed an SDG&E power line. Last week, Jacob applauded when the PUC denied SDG&Es request that ratepayers cover $379 million in costs from the 2007 fires. The ruling, the supervisor said, brings some justice against a utility that cares more about shareholder profits than public safety. Weather Since 2010, SDG&E has planted 170 small weather stations across the county. Its the largest utility weather network in the country, said Brian DAgostino, manager of the utilitys meteorology program. While its big, the county is bigger. There were no stations inside the Lilac Fire, but two were to the east and one to the south. From those stations, DAgostino knew that the fire began in an area hit by 30 mph winds and dried by low 4 percent humidity. Then we fed the information into fire behavior modeling systems, DAgostino said. We have the ability then to run a fire simulation, that tells us how fast a fire will grow and in what direction it will go. This information, in turn, informs the utilitys Fire Potential Index, a daily report sent to the countys fire agencies. SDG&E also gives a mobile app to firefighters; the data is posted at sdgeweather.com. It has all been a big work in progress, DAgostino said. Planning Firefighting agencies across the county spent thousands of hours and millions of dollars preparing for this conflagration. Some observers, though, say the most critical fire planning should be done by residential developers. Ignoring a building site how the land funnels winds, say, or how close homes are to flammable flora can have lethal consequences. Imagine placing your home on top of a locomotive track, said Christopher Dicus, professor of wildlands fire and fuels management at California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo, and then you try to defend your home. While Southern California has entered a new era of wildfires of increasing frequency and severity, Richard Halsey said authorities seem stuck in the past. Departments and bureaucrats and politicians all say the right things, said Halsey, founder of the California Chaparral Institute. But when you look at whats happening on the ground, people are dying and homes are burning, and thats wrong. Planners still site luxury developments next to wild lands Halsey pointed to the Safari Highlands proposal north of the zoos Safari Park and overlook creative approaches to defeating fire. In Colorado and Australia, for instance, some are installing rooftop sprinklers. Drawing from an onsite reservoir, the systems rapidly drench a homes exterior. You push a button, flip a valve and in a matter of moments the house is in a cascade of water, Halsey said. But innovation is not conducive to your career, Halsey said. Im so frustrated over the unwillingness to examine new solutions. Reporter Rob Nikolewski contributed to this story. Carlsbad resident Stephen Conboy is a specialist in fire suppression and his work takes him around the country protecting lumber used for affordable housing projects against arson. But as wildfires bring danger uncomfortably close to neighborhoods in northern San Diego County, Conboy is using his technique to protect his family and friends houses and his own. Saturday afternoon found him in Vista, spraying a water-based fire inhibitor known as AAF31 on a 3,000-foot California-style ranch house and large yard filled with tall eucalyptus, pines and palms. Advertisement We have to be proactive, we cant be reactive, said Conboy, president of Mighty Fire Suppression, Inc. We cant just watch neighborhoods burn down anymore. Conboy said he has sprayed a half dozen houses over the past couple of days as the Lilac fire which started near Bonsall moved west toward the coast. The house and 1.2-acre property in Vista belong to Greg Huenergardt, who is Conboys dentist. Huenergardt said it is his dream house, where he raised his family, and he hopes to share it one day with his grandchildren. As the wind picked up, Conboys two-man crew sprayed the liquid on wood surfaces, and the propertys numerous trees and bushes. If fire comes, this stuff is going to go up like a matchstick, Huenergardt said. He offered to pay for the service, but Conboy turned him down. Conboys core business involves preventing flames from destroying the lumber used by builders of affordable housing developments, which have been targeted by arsonists in some cities. Conboy has also worked with architects to show them how to protect lumber-built structures from fire. Conboy said his new push to defend homes from wildfires is not a revenue stream for me. We are only trying to teach that we no longer need to lose so many houses to wildfires, he said. Conboys weapon, the AAF31 mixture, comes from a formula devised by an inventor in Malaysia who gave him the North American rights, he said. Conboy wont divulge its contents, but said that the spray received a GreenGuard Gold certification from Underwriter Laboratories, meaning it has been deemed acceptable for use in places like schools and healthcare facilities. The mixture is safe enough to be used around children, he said, and it does not destroy plants. Without rainfall, its protective cover can last for up to three months, he said. sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com @sandradibble By India Today Web Desk: Get ready for yet another action-packed episode of reality show Bigg Boss 11. From a possible eviction to lots of fun with some special guests; here's what you can expect from tonight's episode: Fukrey 2 team's fun interaction with housemates The stars of new movie Fukrey 2 will make an appearance on the show to promote their movie, and while in the house, they will also interact with housemates and make them participate in a fun contest where at one point Hina will be asked to choose between Luv and Priyank. Meanwhile, Luv will also be asked if he really loves Hina. Sultani Akhade mein hoga Shilpa Shinde aur Arshi Khan ke beech muqabla! Tune in tonight at 9 PM only on #WeekendKaVaar. pic.twitter.com/2WCnnSQeya- Bigg Boss (@BiggBoss) December 10, 2017 advertisement The battle between Shilpa and Arshi Host Salman Khan will ask frenemies Shilpa and Arshi to fight it out in the Sultani Akhada in tonight's episode. In an earlier episode, Arshi had alleged that Salman favours Shilpa, so after all the love and hate between the two ladies, who do you think will win the contest? The eviction The two contestants who have been nominated for eviction are Shilpa and Akash. While Salman has already teased Akash about his eviction, this week's elimination will still be a shock to people. Will Akash really walk out of the house tonight? Or is everything a part of some big game plan by Bigg Boss? Your guess is as good as ours. --- ENDS --- Re GOP congressman used public funds to settle claim (Dec. 2): It is impossible to overlook the sexual injuries and abuse committed by our elected officials, but then to use tax money as their hush money is appalling. If you arent disgusted, wake up. We are footing the bill for debauchery. This has to stop now. Eva Shaw Advertisement Carlsbad Re Gold coin worth more than $1,000 dropped in Salvation Army kettle (Dec. 2): After reading about the Gold Coin Phantom who generously drops a gold coin wrapped in a $100 bill into a Salvation Army kettle each year and the thousands of families who will be helped by these generous acts, I can only lament that millions of taxpayer dollars that could have gone to assisting these families have been squandered by congressmen in payoffs for their selfish peccadilloes. We must demand a list of these politicians and the amounts squandered and demand payback with interest and maybe drop it into a kettle to help our struggling fellow Americans in this season of joy. Rick Roessler Encinitas I took issue with the political cartoon you published by Scott Stantis (Bumper stickers, Dec. 4) of the Chicago Tribune. He somehow is comparing Sen. Al Frankens harassment accusations with the child molesting accusations of Sen. Roy Moore. On one hand, we have a senator who admitted and apologized for inappropriate conduct with grown women. A fair punishment might be training in sexual harassment, which might benefit many congressional members. On the other hand, we have a candidate posing as a good Christian who is accused of having stalked, disrobed and molested a minor and targeting other young girls. Instead of prison time, this candidate is still allowed in and may win the Senate race in Alabama. What do we tell our children when we sit and watch our politicians pass this off as acceptable? It makes my stomach sick. John Beliveau Cardiff by the Sea Letters and commentary policy The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below. Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook. Re Solving San Diegos housing shortage (Dec. 3): The article states there is a shortage of 40,500 housing units in San Diego. That is especially interesting given that there are some 10,000 (illegal) whole-home short-term vacation rentals (STVRs). The city could easily eliminate much of the housing shortage simply by enforcing the municipal code that states that STVRs are not allowed in any zone in the city. For some mysterious reason, Mayor Kevin Faulconer has steadfastly refused to enforce the law. Making matters worse, the City Council is proposing new ordinances that will make STVRs legal. If passed, the housing stock will continue to be depleted and the conversion of our neighborhoods into hospitality zones will accelerate. Advertisement The council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to consider these ordinance proposals. Those who care about their neighborhoods should show up and let them know that the code is just fine, as is, and needs to be enforced. David Austin Pacific Beach In regards to the affordable housing crisis, recent articles suggest manufactured housing as a solution (Answer to housing crisis is in plain sight: manufactured homes, Nov. 30) and a letter from Robert Salvi (Is manufactured housing the right solution? Dec. 2) suggests a market correction is the answer. Does Salvi not remember the housing market collapse of 10 years ago with values plummeting 30 percent to 40 percent? The reasons for the housing price bubble can be disputed, but history indicates the gradual return to similar housing price levels. This suggests a free market with supply and demand working as it should, with local neighborhoods reflecting various price levels depending on location and, again, supply and demand. Mike Broder La Mesa The U-T story Homebuilding up in most of region, down in county (Dec. 7) cites an 18 percent drop in housing starts in the first quarter of the year (as compared to last). The U-T story Solving San Diegos housing shortage (Dec. 3) cites $145,816 in developer fees for a single-family home in the city of San Diego (other cities in the county are less, but still significant). Maybe there is a correlation? Lisa Smith College Area Letters and commentary policy The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below. Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook. The Santa Anas are still blowing through San Diego County, mostly in the wind corridors of East County and North County. The National Weather Service says the wind gusted to 75 mph early Sunday at Sill Hill, the high peak near Descanso. The winds are mostly in the 20 to 40 mph range elsewhere. Forecasters say the Santa Anas are angling off Lake Hodges toward the Lilac fire area. The relative humidity also remains below 10 percent across much of the county. The winds will fade Sunday afternoon. The red flag alert is set to expire at 8 p.m. But the region will remain dry, possibly through Christmas. The region is experiencing one of the driest October-through-December periods on record. San Diego has received only 0.02 of rain. Heres a sample of the fastest gusts reported between Saturday afternoon and 8 a.m. Sunday: Hellhole Canyon, 77 mph; Sill Hill (Descanso), 75 mph; Big Black Mountain, 69 mph; Alpine, 66 mph; Otay Mountain, 61 mph; Pine Valley, 54 mph; Julian, 48 mph; Campo, 46 mph; Ramona, 43 mph; Olivenhain, 40 mph; San Diego Country Estates, 38 mph; Valley Center, 38 mph; Fallbrook, 38 mph; Hodges Dam, 38 mph; Lake San Marcos, 38 mph; Escondido, 37 mph. Advertisement Twitter: @grobbins gary.robbins@sduniontribune.com By PTI: Bhubaneswar, Dec 10 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Bijay Mohapatra today described the Centres affidavit in the Supreme Court on Mahanadi water row as a move to forge "friendship with Chhattisgarh and enmity with Odisha." The affidavit filed by the Ministry of Water Resources, accusing the state of not providing enough evidence to justify the formation of a tribunal, is a big blow to Odishas pride, Mohapatra told reporters here. advertisement "The Centres affidavit in the Supreme Court is a move to forge friendship with Chhattisgarh and enmity with Odisha. How can the Centre be partial to Chhattisgarh?" he said. The Centre had four days ago filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, alleging that Odisha did not provide sufficient information for setting up a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute. It also said that both the states can resolve the issue through negotiation. The ministrys affidavit exposes the "double standards" of the Centre, the BJP leader alleged. "The Centre finds fault only with Odisha government but not Chhattisgarh, even when the neighbouring state violated several laws," Mohapatra said, referring to the affidavit. The Odisha government had moved the Centre for an inter-state tribunal only after a negotiation failed with Chhattishgarh in November, last year, he explained. "Union Minister of State Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, had said that a decision has been taken to set up a tribunal. However, now when its time to constitute one, the Centre is raising unacceptable questions," he said. The senior BJP leader said the neighbouring state and the Centre have conspired against and its people. "The conspiracy was hatched by the Chhattishgarh government with active support from the central government." Odisha had been opposing Chhattisgarhs plans to build 13 barrages and seven pick up weirs (small dams) on the upstream of Mahanadi river. The BJD government asserted that the construction would adversely affect the interests of its farmers. PTI AAM RMS --- ENDS --- By PTI: a year: CM Chandigarh, Dec 10 (PTI) The Haryana government has decided to revise the collector rates of properties both in urban and rural areas, twice in a financial year, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said here today. The decision has been taken with a view to bring uniformity, transparency and avoiding any major gap between the market price and collector rates of properties, he said at an event here. advertisement A committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the deputy commissioner concerned for this purpose, Khattar was quoted as saying in an official release. The collector rates fixed by respective DCs would be uploaded on the website for inviting suggestions and objections and would be finalised after due consideration, it said. Khattar said that three years ago, when he had taken over the reins of the administration in the state, he had resolved to put an end to corruption by adopting zero tolerance policy and minimising the scope for discretion. Besides scrapping interview for selection to class III and IV category posts, it was decided to give weightage of five per cent to the candidate in whose family no one is in government job, and the annual income of the family is less than Rs three lakh, he said. Similarly, five per cent weightage would be given to the candidate who lost his father before attaining the age of 15. A provision of five per cent weightage has also been made for the candidates belonging to Denotifed Tribes who have not yet been covered under the Scheduled Castes or Backward Classes, Khattar said. The chief minister said earlier there was rampant corruption in the transfer of employees, particularly of teachers, as their transfer was done manually. "Only ten per cent of the teachers were present in the schools as they had to make frequent rounds of Chandigarh to get postings of their choice. But as a result of the online teachers transfer policy implemented by the present government, transparency was introduced in the system and about 93 per cent teachers got stations of their choice. "Last year, transfer of 42,000 teachers was effected with a single click," he said. While emphasising the need for social security for every individual, he said his government was taking all such steps as were required for the uplift of the needy and the poor. PTI SUN DKS HP KIS --- ENDS --- You think the city council causes Florence people trouble now? Well, you should take a look at the 1892 City Directory. What caught my eye first was what I think would cause great gnashing of teeth now and perhaps it did then. The council, apparently pretty busy dealing with details, was meeting in an old city hall that was destroyed in one of the big 1890s fires that swept away most of the downtown three times. We must remember that the streets were all unpaved, and so were sidewalks, but in places board walkways had been built. Therefore the council decreed that all males 16 to 60 were to work on the streets three to six days during the year, mostly in May and June. Failure to perform would cause the marshal to bring the offending party before him to be dealt with according to law. I dont think it would have led to lashes, but then the directory does not say it didnt. There were exceptions. Members of organized fire companies were exempted from that requirement, as were the intendant, school trustees, city workers and preachers. Im guessing that requirement was put into local law by an earlier council, because just before 1892 Florence had been reorganized as a city and had a head of city government called mayor while during the earlier organization as a town, that office had been called intendant. I also wonder: Would the city council have been included among the city workers among the exceptions? You can bet your bottom dollar, as Little Orphan Annie might say, that they were exempt. Another exception was for those who paid 50 cents to get out of that task. It does not say for how many days, so maybe the judiciary would decide that. Also, failure to either find a legal way to get out of it and still not do his street work would mean the unfortunate 16-60 male would face fines of $10 or five to15 days in the city lodging for those who misbehaved. Speaking of misbehaving, local law forbade smoking in the public market, and profane and obscene language could be costly. There were fines of $2 to $5 per offense. If such were in force today, the city budget would easily be met. Profane writing was also forbidden, but our source does not give us a penalty for that. And then there was to be no state of nudity in public. It does not explain what the states are, but I think in 1892, a bikini might have been a violation since it leaves a great majority of the body unclothed, as does a guy without a shirt but in bermudas. It does not affect only people. No cows, heifers, oxen, calves or other animals were to go at large within the city. Its unclear whether that would include a pet puppy dog. Getting back to care of streets and sidewalks, merchants were required to sweep in front of their establishments. All residents were required to sweep in front of their homes. There was a $1 to $5 fine for failure to do so. I guess the $5 was for repeat offenders. Grocers were forbidden, among other things, to throw meats, bones or any portion of dead animals outside stores. Well, I guess so. Sidewalks were protected by ordinances because horses were forbidden to rest on sidewalks, but in addition to that, barrels and wheelbarrows were to be kept off sidewalks. I guess that meant leaving them there, but that using those on sidewalks for legitimate work would still be OK. One was forbidden to ride or drive faster than a walk past a church in session. Things were to be in order at night. You would have been forbidden to light or extinguish a street lamp, and after 10 p.m., all clamorous singing, whooping wanton and unsavory noises were prohibited. There was to be no public dancing room where women of notoriously ill fame are around, which was a blow to one of the citys main attractions. But to avoid misunderstanding, the ordinance stated that decent or decorous dancing was not prohibited. Electricity and telephones were new then, and autos were not likely to be seen. Its different now. Thom Anderson is a former editor of the Morning News. Email him at thidbit@aol.com. By PTI: says well-calculated killings Raipur, Dec 10 (PTI) CRPF constable Sant Kumar Yadav, accused of shooting dead his four colleagues at a camp in Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district, today said he was being framed in the case, a claim dismissed by an official who called it a "well calculated" killing. YadavA(35)Awas today produced in a Bijapur court which sent him to judicial remand for two weeks, police said. advertisement Four Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, including two sub-inspectors, were killed and another injured yesterday in a gunfire allegedly opened on them by Yadav at the forces 168th battalion G company camp in Basaguda, located around 450 km from here. Yadav told the press on the court premises today that he was not involved in the fratricide. "I completed my duty from 2 to 4 PM on Saturday and then went to get fresh. Around 5 PM, I heard the sound of bullets and ran towards the place. I immediately took position with my weapon like other personnel were doing. Who opened firing and on whom, I dont have any details," he claimed. Yadav, a native of Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh, said the company commander and other troopers held him after the firing saying he had killed the four personnel. "I came to know that they were killed by a different weapon not by mine. I dont know why I am being implicated when I havent done anything," he said. When asked why he was being dragged into the incident without any reason, Yadav said, "Small issues and disputes can be there (among personnel) if we work together but it doesnt mean that anybody will take such an extreme step. I have come here to earn for my family and they also for the same." Meanwhile, a senior police official posted in BijapurA said, the preliminary investigation suggested that it was a "well calculated" attack by Yadav on his colleagues. "After the incident, Yadav surrendered before his company commander and confessed to having committed the crime. However, he retracted his statement this morning," the official who questioned Yadav in the custody told PTI. As per preliminary probe, Yadav was a habitual drinker and used to visit nearby villages in the insurgency-hit forest without informing anyone in the camp in search of locally-made liquor, he said. Yadav, who was earlier posted in the outpost of the CRPFs 168th battalion located close to the main camp of the unit in Basaguda, was shifted to the main camp recently after a complaint was lodged against him in connection with his habits, he said. advertisement The constable also had some issues with the deceased personnel and had altercation with them in the past, according to the official. "After completing his duty yesterday, Yadav went to the officers mess, picked up a weapon of one of his colleagues and sprayed bullets which shows that it was a well-calculated attack as he did not use his weapon," he claimed. Yadav fired more than 90 rounds, the official said. He said the casualties would have been more had some personnel not gone out on some duty at the time of the incident. The deceased included sub-inspectors Vikey Sharma (34) and Megh Singh (52), who hailed from Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir and Ahmedabad in Gujrat, respectively. The other two deceased are Assistant Sub-Inspector Rajveer Singh (48), who hailed from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, and Constable G Sankara Rao (37) from Vijaynagram in Andhra Pradesh. ASI Gajanand (49), a native of Rewari in Haryana, sustained injuries in his side ribs and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Raipur. PTI TKP NSK KIS --- ENDS --- advertisement By PTI: (Eds: Updates with info of case booked by police) Mumbai, Dec 10 (PTI) Actor Zaira Wasim has alleged she was molested by a co-passenger on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight, prompting the Maharashtra State Commission for Women to seek an inquiry into the "shameful" incident. The police has registered a case against an unknown person in connection with the incident. advertisement The airline also apologised to Wasim for the incident and said it was carrying out a probe into it, while asserting that it has "zero tolerance" for such behaviour. The "Dangal" actor narrated her ordeal on Instagram via live video. Wasim said she was on a Vistara flight last night from Delhi to Mumbai when a co-passenger sitting behind her put up his feet on her armrest. "So, I was in a flight travelling from Delhi to Mumbai today and right behind me one middle-aged man who made my two-hour journey miserable. I tried to record it on phone to understand it better because the cabin lights were dimmed, I failed to get it...," she said. "The lights were dimmed, so it was even worse. It continued for another five to ten minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck," the Kashmiri teen, who shot to fame for her stellar performance in Aamir Khans blockbuster "Dangal", said in the post. In the video, which Wasim recorded immediately after deboarding the flight, the 17-year-old actor broke down several times. "This is not done, I am disturbed... Is this how youre going to take care of girls? This is not the way anybody should be made to feel. This is terrible!" she said. "No one will help us if we dont decide to help ourselves. And this is the worst thing," she added. Terming the incident as "shameful", Maharashtra State Commission for Womens (MSCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said they will seek a detailed inquiry into it from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). "The commission will direct the DGCA to conduct an inquiry in the matter and will also inquire into the steps taken by Vistara to address the complaint," Rahatkar said. She demanded that there should also be an inquiry into why the cabin crew did not help the actor. "We have directed the Mumbai Police to look into the matter immediately. It is sad that none of the co-passengers came ahead to help Wasim. We are with her, and will ensure she gets justice," Rahatkar said. A woman police official was sent to the hotel in Mumbai where the actor is put up, to record her statement, a senior police official said. advertisement Based on her statement, a case was registered at the Sahar police station against the unknown person under IPC section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, since the actor is a minor, Sahars senior police inspector Lata Shirsat said. "We are enquiring with the airport authorities and the airline concerned to establish the identity of the person," another police official said. The aviation regulator DGCA has sought a report on the incident from the airline, sources said. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said she was "appalled" by the incident and demanded swift action against the culprit. "Any harassment/crime against women shld be dealt with swiftly and effectively. As a mother of two daughters, I am appalled at what happened with @zairawasimz. Hope the relevant authorities take strict action," she tweeted. Former J and K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also demanded action against the passenger. "The passenger should be identified to the police by @airvistara and a case filed for legal action. None of this "he fell at my feet so I forgive him" rubbish!" Abdullah posted. advertisement Earlier in a statement on Twitter, the airline Vistara said it would look into the complaint, and added that it had "zero tolerance for such behaviour". "We @airvistara have seen the reports regarding @ZairaWasimmm experience with another customer on board our flight last night. We are carrying out detailed investigation and will support Zaira in every way required. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour." Later, Vistaras chief strategy and commercial officer Sanjiv Kapoor in a statement said, "We are aware of the incident reported by Zaira Wasim on board our flight UK981 last night from Delhi to Mumbai. We are carrying out a detailed investigation of the incident which apparently involved a male passenger on the flight." "We are talking to our crew who were serving Wasim to understand the incident at greater length, and reaching out to fellow passengers as well. We will support Wasim in every way required and also if she decides to report the matter to the police," he said. Kapoor said it appears the crew only became aware of something amiss during final descent when they were seated for landing. advertisement Further details will come from the investigation which is currently going on in full force, he said. "We apologise for what she experienced and we have zero tolerance for such behaviour," Kapoor said. Condemning the incident, Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said a criminal offence should be registered against the male passenger and he should be asked to apologise for the indecent behaviour. "Those travelling by airlines usually work on good positions in companies. If the owners of such companies do not take suitable action against such employees their conduct will never change," Gorhe said. PTI SHD IAS MM AVI GK SHD --- ENDS --- The actor posted a distressing Instagram story recounting how a man sitting behind her on a Delhi-Mumbai flight rubbed his foot against her neck and back. By India Today Web Desk: She is an icon for the nation because of her power-packed performance in Dangal but a harrowing experience on a Vistara flight left the actor teary eyed. In an Instagram story, the Dangal girl alleged that a middle-aged man sitting behind her on her Delhi-Mumbai Vistara flight tried to molest her. Police in Mumbai have taken cognizance of the incident and are verifying the facts of her story. advertisement Posting her Instagram story in two videos, one of which she recorded inside the plane and another after landing in Mumbai, she narrated how the man made her two-hour journey "miserable". "It was all chill till I felt somebody brushing against my back while I was half asleep... Guess he couldn't sit like a civilized (sic) human being and placed his feet on my arm rest while he's fully PHELOAOED (spread) his body on his seat," the 17-year-old actor said in her Instagram story. Click here to Enlarge (Clockwise from top left) The actor recounted her ordeal in a series of messages She went on to describe how she initially blamed turbulence for the man's foot being where it was. But, then she woke up to find the foot "rubbing [against her] back and neck." she said she wanted to record the entire episode on camera but the lighting in the flight cabin was too dim, something that made the entire ordeal even "worse". "Slow claps for Vistara's crew guys! Wonderful!" the Dangal girl ended her story. (Anti-clockwise from top left) The man kept rubbing his foot against her neck and back for 5-10 minutes, the actor said. Click here to Enlarge (Anti-clockwise from top left) The man kept rubbing his foot against her neck and back for 5-10 minutes, the actor said. Later, she posted an Instagram live from the Mumbai airport, wherein she fought back her tears as she said, "This is not done! this is not the way anybody should be made to feel! This is terrible!" "Who is going to help us Girls? If we don't help ourselves, nobody will come ahead" the actor ends her video in what seems to be a depressing commentary about the situation in our country. A few hours after she recounted her ordeal on social media, Air Vistara said it had "zero tolerance" for such incidents and that it will support the actor in "every way" required even as the airline itself carries out a "detailed investigation". Meanwhile, the Dangal actor's manager Tuhin Mishra has said the 17-year-old has not decided on any future course of action. "She is in a state of shock," Mishra said as he indicted the flight crew who, he said, did not take any action even after she raised an alarm. advertisement "[The] airline has said they will take action. We will see what they are doing," Mishra said. - Mustafa Sheikh and Sahil Joshi in Mumbai contributed to this report (The story has been updated to include a statement from the actor's manager) --- ENDS --- Press Release December 10, 2017 Lifetime Cellphone Number Act to promote competition among telcos - Gatchalian Senator Win Gatchalian is optimistic that the Lifetime Cellphone Number Act will encourage entry of new players and stimulate healthy competition within the telecommunications industry. "Ang pinakamahalaga dito ay ang pagpasok ng bagong players. Kung may papasok na third, or fourth, or fifth player, hindi na sila (telco companies) mahihirapang kumuha ng customer dahil dala-dala na natin ang ating cellphone number at pwede na tayong lumipat sa mga bagong telcos," he explained in an ambush interview. The Lifetime Cellphone Number Act (Senate Bill No. 1237) aims to provide convenient movement of mobile subscribers from one service provider to another while retaining usage of their existing cellphone numbers, whether prepaid and postpaid. This flawless subscriber-transfer among telco players is seen to generate improved services with better deals to offer which will greatly benefit consumers. During a Technical Working Group hearing on the measure Gatchalian, who is the chairman of the Senate Economic Affairs Committee and principal author of the bill, stressed the need to provide mobile portability completely free of charge to subscribers, noting that imposing an added cost "has always been a barrier to any competition." He suggested that the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) should be given the responsibility to determine guidelines on whether the costs will be absorbed by the recipient provider, or the new service provider of the mobile subscriber. "The regulator and the policy maker, we are in harmony to make it free. But we will include a provision in the law to let the NTC determine who will absorb the costs, if ever. I think that should be left with the regulator to determine. It is too fluid to include in the law, but we will give the NTC flexibility to determine...but from a consumer's standpoint, it will be free," he said. Press Release December 10, 2017 GRACE POE ON FAKE NEWS HEARING The hearing on fake news will focus mainly on remedies as proposed by our resource persons. In line with this, we will tackle three issues: the effect of fake news in shaping public opinion; the responsibility of bloggers and journalists in spreading misinformation; and the accountability of government for the use or misuse of resources in spreading disinformation. Since most of our resource persons are either media practitioners or from the academe, I look forward to an intelligent and meaningful discussion that will result in solutions rather than focus on conflict. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Oakland city officials and union negotiators have agreed to meeting with a state mediator on Monday to try to unstick stalled labor talks that triggered a strike that has shut down most city services for the past week. The city announced Saturday the fifth day of the strike that it would agree to a mediator selected by the union. Both parties agreed to David Weinberg, a mediator and arbitrator who was a commissioner with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service for 17 years. Mediation was set to begin Monday. We have a lot of respect for Mr. Weinberg, said Rob Szykowny, chief negotiator for Service Employees International Union Local 1021. But just agreeing on a mediator, that doesnt undo eight months of bad faith bargaining by the city. Workers will remain on strike, but if the mediation ends with an overall agreement, the strike will end, he said. Mayor Libby Schaaf in turn criticized the ongoing strike that she said is harming our most vulnerable residents, including elderly people relying on senior centers and families who use Head Start. We will continue to work with SEIU in good faith, and remain responsible and fair to both our workers as well as our residents, Schaaf said in a statement Saturday. 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. Oaklanders deserve predictable City services now and into the future. The development comes after Schaaf declared an impasse Friday and rejected the unions counter-offer asking for improved pay and working conditions. Union leaders decried the declaration as premature but responded that they were open to state mediation, the next step of impasse procedures. Most city services and buildings have been shut down since Tuesday, when nearly 3,000 city workers walked off their jobs and began picketing at City Hall. Police, fire and other emergency services have remained in operation. The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21, which is still in negotiations, 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 lines. SEIU Local 1021 launched the strike after Oaklands negotiators rejected a one-year compromise, as well as a proposal to bring in ex-San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, a Chronicle columnist, as an informal mediator. Schaaf said he wouldnt have been a neutral party. The city and union had agreed 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 sent a counter proposal early Friday just after midnight. The city offered a guaranteed 1 percent raise for workers in the second year and an additional 1 percent increase that would depend on whether the city met revenue targets. The unions counter-offer asked for a 4 percent raise in the second year, to be phased in by 1 percent each quarter. Both sides remained at odds over whether the city proposal accounted for the rising cost of living in the Bay Area. The city said it does. The union said it does not. Schaaf has said the unions last proposal posed an unacceptable level of financial risk to the city. Szykowny has said a large amount of the citys financial projections are disingenuous at best. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Heres a question: If Roy Moore werent running for Senate, would Al Franken still have a political career? Frankens forced announcement that hell leave the Senate was a case of his fellow Democrats making a political point to the #MeToo movement: Were more moral than Republicans. To be exact, were more moral than the Republicans, led by a president who once bragged of grabbing womens genitals, who want to elect a man credibly accused of pursuing teenage girls when he was in his 30s and molesting one of them. That may not keep Moore from prevailing in Tuesdays election. But winning an Alabama Senate seat would be pure gravy for the Democrats what they really care about is 2018 and 2020. Not to be cynical about it, but it might be better for them in the long run if Moore ends up in the Senate, where hed be a daily reminder to voters next year and beyond of the GOPs amoral hypocrisy. Franken is the sacrifice the Democrats tossed into the volcano so they would be smiled upon by the electoral gods. But we shouldnt be entirely happy about that. No one can argue with a straight face that Franken got due process. He was essentially convicted without an investigation, let alone a trial, but thats the way it works in todays Internet world one accusation, and youre probably guilty. Seven accusations, and theres no doubt. Call the news conference, and demand his resignation. Maybe thats the price men are going to have to pay for creating a horror chamber for women in so many places movie studios, halls of government, media companies and who knows where else. Well, women know. It could be theyre entitled to some instant justice. Heads up: The family of Keita ONeil, the unarmed carjacking suspect who was shot to death Dec. 1 after a chase by San Francisco police, has retained noted attorney John Burris. I hear the lawsuit will be filed very soon. Oakland calling: I was lucky enough not to have been dragged into the Oakland city workers strike. The unions invited me to mediate. They figured, hes a former mayor and helped Muni drivers negotiate a contract a few years ago, so he understands both sides of the divide. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf told me she first heard the suggestion while getting ready to board a flight back from Aspen, Colo., where she was attending one of those urban think tank conferences. According to Schaaf, she told her staffers she was fine with the idea and asked them to handle it. Three hours later, she arrives in Oakland and reporters are asking her why she rejected the idea of having me as a mediator. She told me her staffers were under the impression that handle it meant they got to make the call, and they decided that I couldnt be neutral. Why is that? I asked. Arent you on the unions payroll? Schaaf said. What? Well, they think you are on the union payroll. That shows how little your staff knows about public employee unions, I said. Anyone who knows unions knows they dont pay anyone. Life of the party: The holidays are on us, and once again Dede Wilsey has proved herself to be the towns top hostess. Her annual Christmas bash features the best food in town and the best-dressed guests as well. For all the talk and ink devoted to Dedes socializing ways, she is also one of the biggest behind-the-scenes contributors to charity, politics and the arts. And Christmas is the time of giving and receiving. Lights out: The Christmas tree-lighting ceremony with Mayor Ed Lee in Golden Gate Park was a great time, right up until I suggested to the crowd that we string holiday lights along JFK Drive all the way to the ocean. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. It got a big cheer from the crowd, but an even bigger groan from Recreation and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg, who would have to come up with the money. Life story: The San Francisco firefighters union had its annual toy drive kickoff the other day at the old Third Street firehouse, and if their selection of keynote speaker is any indication, former state Sen. Mark Leno is the front-runner for the unions mayoral endorsement. But it was Board of Supervisors President London Breed who stole the show. Breed told the crowd that when she was a little girl, her grandmother would take her downtown around Christmas to see the stores toy displays. But Breed lived in the projects. And all she could buy me was another set of school clothes, she said. I would just look and look and look at all those toys. My goal in life was that one day, I would be able to get just one of those toys. Then two or three years later, suddenly the firefighters start giving kids like me a toy for Christmas, she said So for the rest of my life, whenever its toys for kids, I am in to help. Because that is how you all made this one little girl happy. Now, thats working the room. Tip for holiday treat: Narada Michael Waldens 21st annual holiday benefit show happens Saturday at the Throckmorton Theater in Mill Valley. Headlining the show will be Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes. This year the show benefits North Bay fire victims. Waldens benefits are always a highlight of the holidays, and this year will be no exception. Want to sound off? Email: wbrown@sfchronicle.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate As Warren Hinckle lay dying, his latest corrections to a piece of writing hed been working on for 10 or 11 years were being typeset for delivery to his publisher, appropriately named Last Gasp. Hinckle, the longtime San Francisco journalist and author, was never one to prioritize deadlines, even one as literal and final as this, but it was a race nonetheless. The print-ready file was loaded onto a flash drive at 1:30 a.m. Aug. 25, 2016. At 5:37 that morning, the larger-than-life, hard-drinking muckraker with the trademark eye patch slipped away. Sixteen months later, Who Killed Hunter S. Thompson? will hit the stands for Christmas, a miracle made possible only by the passing of Hinckle, who surely would be rewriting it still if he were living. We announced and canceled publication dates many times, said Last Gasp Publisher Ron Turner, now the same age Hinckle was at his death, 77. It was amazing that Hinckle lived as long as he did. His own father, a longshoreman also named Warren, had died at 66 on a barstool at the Philosophers Club in West Portal. That was the standard Hinckle upheld during his 60-year career as a member of what he called the drinking press. Now Playing: Inside the Last Gasp Museum. Video: SFChronicle A second-generation San Franciscan known for his pirate eye patch, Hinckle lived all over the city and worked for all of its major papers, The Chronicle, the Examiner and the Independent. He took over and relaunched Ramparts, a Catholic monthly, then went on to start (and bury) the slick magazines Scanlans Monthly, City, Frisco and a quarterly review, the Argonaut. He was a force in the rise of both the New Left and the so-called New Journalism, in which the writer was often part of the story. All the better if it meant getting arrested at his desk at The Chronicle, or having a drink poured over his head by the mayor, as happened with Dianne Feinstein after shed endured a litany of insults. His roguish ways were a link to San Franciscos swashbuckling past, which had more in common with the Barbary Coast era than with the techie invasion already going full tilt when he died. He liked to write about the chaos that surrounded him, even making fun of his 1989 wedding to Susan Cheever, daughter of novelist John Cheever. Warrens ideas were always in motion, said Turner. His words were the orchestra, and he was the conductor. As Turner spoke, 7,000 first editions of the $39.95 book each weighing 3.7 pounds were sealed in a sea container sailing the Pacific from the printer in China. Without further delay, theyll be unpacked and stacked up Monday for a public book-release party at 111 Minna Gallery. Who Killed Hunter S. Thompson? will debut a few months before another book, Ransoming Pagan Babies: the Selected Writings of Warren Hinckle, by Heyday Books of Berkeley. The hardbound Heyday edition, priced at $35, includes gems such as Hinckles in-the-crowd coverage of the Belfast funerals for IRA hunger strikers Bobby Sands and Francis Hughes. On a morning gray and black, Bobby Sands mother came to church. The funeral got there before her, it begins. More for you Remembering Warren Hinckle, bar by bar Heyday may have packaged up the best writing by Hinckle, but Last Gasp got his last writing. Edited & with a Humongous Introduction (A Book in Itself!) by Warren Hinckle, reads the cover. That introduction, titled The Crazy Never Die, runs to 197 pages, dense with illustrations, magazine covers, photos and an eight-page gatefold. With every turn of the page you can see Hinckle at work on a bar stool with his basset hound, Bentley, on his own stool, as they burned through the finances of yet another publisher or investor. The book is both the longest and the costliest to produce in 47 years of Last Gasp, said Turner, who built his Mission District publishing house on underground comix and lowbrow books. The Hinckle book is primarily a collection of essays about Thompsons excessive behavior. Hinckles ramble, titled The Crazy Never Die, is followed by 30 others in a category titled Adventures with Hunter. The authors range from Jerry Brown to Garry Trudeau, Johnny Depp to Wavy Gravy. Add in letters, midnight faxes and an index and it amounts to 530 pages on matte paper. I dont know if we will ever recover the cost, Turner said. As with so many misadventures of Hinckles cohort, Who Killed Hunter S. Thompson? starts at the Mitchell Brothers OFarrell Street Theatre, the San Francisco strip club and porno house. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle As Turner recalls it, notorious gonzo journalist Thompson, famous for his Fear and Loathing literary franchise, had gotten a six-figure advance from a New York publishing house to write a book on his experience as the night manager at the OFarrell. The ensuing book, to be titled Polo Is My Life, was never finished. In fact, never started. Not a word was written, Turner deadpanned. Fun got in the way. The fun ended on Feb. 20, 2005, when Thompson shot himself inside his log home, at Owl Farm, Woody Creek, Colo. In the aftermath of Thompsons suicide, Jim Mitchell, owner of the theater, decided the book must live on. He would supply a fresh advance of $10,000 and a new title, The Night Manager. Hinckle, who had a gift for procrastination second only to that of Thompson, was appointed as author. Mitchell persuaded Turner to publish it. Two years later, Mitchell died of a heart attack at 63. Turner changed the title again, to Who Killed Hunter S. Thompson? It would turn out to be something of a misnomer. As Warren was writing about Hunter, he got off on this whole autobiographical tangent about editing Ramparts and Scanlans, said Turner. He inserted himself into the story. Thats one way of putting it. Hinckle is 88 pages into the story before getting around to the nut of it, which is that he introduced outlaw journalist Thompson to the Welsh illustrator of the grotesque, Ralph Steadman, thereby creating the consummate writer-illustrator partnership of New Journalism. The chapter is titled Scanlans and the Birth of Gonzo, and details Hinckles editing of The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved in one of the big red booths at the North Beach bar Tosca. It took many cappuccinos (steamed hot chocolate and brandy) to get the job done. When Steadmans sketches arrived the next morning in the overnight mail I knew we had a game changer, Hinckle writes. The Derby article ... ends with the artist being Maced by the writer, which thus begat gonzo. But he was still only halfway through the introduction. To get the other half, Turner, whom Hinckle called Ronzo, had to chase him from Gino and Carlo to Tosca to the Double Play. Turners son and associate publisher, Colin, 38, has so many emails of their pleadings that he had to commit them to a backup server. Hi Warren: Cant wait to see the final edit, he wrote with tentative optimism in 2009. Joe Rosenthal/The Chronicle A plea for help went out to Hinckles daughter Pia, an editor and writer whod declined to work with her father since hed fired her years before. You had to be crazy to work with my dad because things take years and stop and start, she recalled recently. But she took him on again and agreed to edit the introduction. As they worked, she saw the decline in her fathers health and focus. This was a guy who could go for three days with no sleep and edit four magazines, said Hinckle. One by one, contributors to the collection died Thompsons attorney John Clancy, illustrator Dennis Eichhorn, and journalist Bill Cardoso, whod coined the term gonzo. All had completed their work for the book. There was a hex in that. I dont believe he ever intended to finish it before he died, said Linda Corso, Hinckles partner of 20 years. Warren hated deadlines, and the only deadline for this book was his death. Because Hinckle worked on paper proofs, every fresh round of his fixes and changes had to be reset by the books typesetter. Shed print out the new pages for Turner and Hinckle, who would always find something new to fix or rework. Four times before, I had done the last read-through, said Turner. I did a fifth. This time I did not have Warren to block my decisions. When the ordeal was finally over, Turner sent Pia a sealed copy of the finished product. There it sits on the shelf in her home office, still wrapped in plastic, alongside one of her dads mini-bottles of Jameson Irish Whiskey and the seven other books he wrote. If I open it, she said, it will mean that he is really dead. Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SamWhitingSF Instagram: @sfchronicle_art Video: Tour the Hall of Oblivion at Last Gasp at: http://bit.ly/2B0pBzJ Party: A public book-release celebration will be held Dec. 11, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco. Must be 21. lastgasp.com. 111minnagallery.com. (415) 974-1719. Cookie Picettis Star Buffet, Paddy Nolans Dovre Club, Mortys, the Templebar, the Washington Square Bar & Grill, the M&M and Hannos. Gone are most of the San Francisco joints where Warren Hinckle practiced his daily journalism. But there is still Gino and Carlo and there is still Specs and there are still survivors on barstools right now hoping to have their heads turned by the big man in the eye patch and necktie standing at the door. Hinckle took me to about 20 bars we never went back to, said Publisher Ron Turner. People greeted him like he was Patton returning from war in every one. Bars are for stories, and here are a few about Hinckle, the only writer who could get away with calling this town Frisco. George Miller, retired mutual fund manager I first met Warren Hinckle on a Friday at the House of Shields. I went in to have lunch, and there was a place at the end of the bar, with an overcoat and a briefcase on it. I picked it up and put it on the table behind me. Warren comes out of the bathroom and says, Somebody stole my stuff. I said, Its right there on the table. Then I ordered an adult beverage and introduced myself to Warren. That lunch ran until 8 at night and ended at a Thai restaurant on 12th Street. After that, we had lunch every Friday for many years. Jeannette Etheredge, former owner of Tosca Cafe It was Columbus Day and the parade came up Columbus Avenue from downtown and right by Tosca. Hinckle and Bentley (his basset hound) came to the bar, and I was not open. He pounded on the door until I came out. He said, Lets open the bar. I said, Who will tend bar? He said, You and me. We opened, and people were coming in. Neither one of us knew what we were doing, and Bentley was running around between us behind the bar. We ran the bar until the parade was over and tallied up the tips. Then we went out and spent all the tip money in every bar in North Beach. Tony Dingman, writer Warren and me and Francis Coppola and Frank Maniscalco, a bartender from Gino and Carlo, flew up to Tahoe in a private plane, spur of the moment. We were there overnight. Francis had paid for the rooms and the flights and all of that. As we checked out, the hotel clerk said, Mr. Hinckle, the little refrigerator, all the bottles are gone. Warren never tried to cadge drinks. He was just oblivious to the fact that they might not be free. Carl Nolte, Chronicle reporter At USF, Warren was the editor of the Foghorn. He couldnt get anybody to work the killer hours Warren put in himself. He was trying to put out a four-day-a-week paper and there was never enough news for Warren Hinckle. So he made his own news. It was strongly suspected that he and his pals set the wooden parking shack on fire. The next day the Foghorn had an Extra!: A headline all in capital letters ARSON. Linda Corso, partner Warren and I spent the last 19 years of his life together. We had four TVs in our apartment and when I came home from work he had each TV on a different news channel and would wander from room to room comparing the views of each newscaster and telling me who was right and who had their head up their ass. Frank Rossi, retired owner of Gino and Carlo Thirty years ago, we went up to Reno on a train and stayed overnight. The train back was supposed to leave at 10 the next morning. Warren and Paddy Nolan of the Dovre Club missed the train and took a cab back from Reno. They took it straight to Gino and Carlo. Warren and Paddy came in the front door and ran out the back. The driver comes in to get his money, about $700, and there is no Warren and no Paddy Nolan. Ten minutes later they came back in. They apologized and said theyd take him to the Mitchell Brothers. This guy couldnt wait. He slept in his cab in the back of Gino and Carlo that night because he was too drunk to get back. They tortured him, but they finally paid him. Michael Stepanian, attorney A bunch of us went down to Stars (the fabled former eatery owned by Jeremiah Tower). Hunter Thompson demanded a salmon fillet, but didnt feel the kind of sauce he wanted. Jeremiah Tower came out from the kitchen. Hunter challenged Jeremiah for a sauce that was sweet, sour, bitter and hot. No problem, said Jeremiah. Twenty minutes later he returned with a perfectly poached salmon and 10 ramekins full of exotic sauces. Hunter and Hinckle toasted and high-fived Jeremiah. Hinckle got a steak for the hound. We tipped over bottles, knocked down chairs, stained tablecloths, and laughed all the way home. Sam Whiting For older Americans, a simple notification that reminds them to take their medication could make a world of difference as they manage their health. If I had something that would beep and say, Did you take your insulin? it would be really helpful, said Ronnie McGill, a 55-year-old San Carlos man who has diabetes. It would be annoying, but helpful. American adults who grew up without the Internet and once didnt see the value in getting a smartphone or downloading dozens of apps are increasingly seeking out new technologies. This trend along with the fact that Americans are both living longer and retiring later has led to a whole new crop of apps created by younger startup founders with older users in mind. But one major challenge: The employees creating the app are often a couple of generations distant from their user base. Were definitely a younger company, which is a challenge for companies like us that want to solve health care challenges, said Jason Oberfest, CEO of Mango Health, a San Francisco startup that creates tools for people to manage their health routines. The key is to have people in the company who design and code software with empathy for those people that will be using it. About 42 percent of seniors now own smartphones a dramatic increase from 18 percent in 2013, according to a May survey by the Pew Research Center. At the same time, 34 percent of those Americans surveyed said they are not confident in their ability to use electronic devices. To mitigate this generational divide, companies like Mango Health conduct frequent user tests where they evaluate features such as font size, color contrast and navigation structures. Because sometimes, Oberfest said, the newest design trends dont work for their user base. Theres always new design paradigms in apps, but depending on how intuitive they are, there can often be an adoption curve, he said. Our product is innovative ... but we dont want to be too leading-edge for our users. Other startups focused on older users go through similar thought processes, said Sarah Thomas, executive-in-residence at community network Aging 2.0. Most of the successful companies who are targeting the older-adult experience are designing it with the older adult they are (creating) it for, she said. We very much try to make sure that the older adult voice is heard. On a recent afternoon during a routine user test, two young employees at Mango Health asked McGill and another man with diabetes, Edgar Young, a series of questions about their condition, from their eating habits to their relationship with technology. McGill who has had diabetes for several years said hes starting to realize how useful it would be to have an app to help manage his health routine. The old-fashioned way of a pen and paper is just too cumbersome and prone to error, he said. Ive even tried the pillbox, and that was a problem, he said. Im looking for an app. Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani By Harish V Nair: At a time the debate on whether capital punishment should be abolished rages in the country, the study based on interview of 60 former Supreme Court judges brought out a non-uniform and rather contradictory approach by judges while awarding death sentences. Significantly, these judges, which included eight former CJIs, had adjudicated 208 death penalty cases between them at different points during the period 1975-2016, and confirmed 92 of them. The study also goes on to expose the serious flaws in administration of death penalty in India and presents a firm argument for abolishing capital punishment. advertisement The report showed that despite "rarest of rare" doctrine in death penalty as laid down by the SC in the Bachan Singh case, there existed no uniform understanding of the requirements of rarest of rare doctrine. "For a significant number of judges, the 'rarest of the rare' was based on categories or description of offences alone and had little to do with judicial test requiring that the alternative of life imprisonment be 'unquestionably foreclosed', said the report. As per the 1980 Bachan Singh case, which had laid down the principles which still hold the field, death sentence can only be given in "rarest of rare" cases, offences of extreme depravity, and which shocks the collective conscience of the community. Death is also not given if there is a chance of the convict reforming. One judge who decided nine death penalty cases in six years at the SC dismissed the entire concept of 'reformation', calling it "astrology". Another judge who presided over 13 death penalty cases in five years at SC did not see the point of reformation in serious crimes stating, "people out of habit go and do some small offences - he can be reformed a man who is determined to kill innocent persons,how do you expect to reform him?" --- ENDS --- Rafe Swan/Getty Image A 58-year-old woman was shot and killed in a Martinez home Saturday evening, and a Concord man is in custody. Contra Costa County sheriffs deputies were dispatched to a home on the 1200 block of Santa Fe Avenue in an unincorporated area of Martinez at about 8:30 p.m. The caller reported that there had been an accidental shooting. Im not sure theres a whole lotta harassing going on right now, but I am sure theres a whole lotta harassing-outing going on, and its good that festering wounds are getting attention. Besides, for some, there may be an even brighter side. I bet Brian Williams is glad he got caught lying and not laying, observes Darryl Forman. Furthermore, Michael Robertson, scholar of modern culture, sent a link to the Pervpool blog, the (probably temporary) winner of which guessed Matt Lauer (Honestly, my strategy: Who is the biggest frickin fish in the news world and who seems untouchable?) Wholesome fun, says whoever set this up. Published allegations are enough. Whos in? And Vanity Fairs website describes a panel discussion moderated by John Oliver at an anniversary screening in New York of the Dustin Hoffman movie Wag the Dog. Oliver surprised Hoffman by mentioning the charges against Hoffman as something were going to have to talk about because its hanging in the air. Oliver said Hoffmans accuser would have had no reason to lie, reported Deadline.com, and Hoffman said, Youve put me on display here. You have indicted me. ... Thats not innocent until proven guilty. And Oliver said it was better for him to address the issue than be home later tonight, hating myself, asking, Why the f didnt I say something? No one stands up to powerful men. P.S. Far be it from a responsible member of the media to fish, but gee, guys, San Francisco has $29 bread, million-buck studio apartments, tent cities and so much innovation that much of the rest of the country seems to be in the Stone Age. But we were slow to join the #MeToo posse. Republican conservatives believe bakers shouldnt have to make wedding cakes for gay couples, says Janice Hough. But should restaurants have to serve 30-something men dating teenagers? In the parking lot of the Bon Air shopping center in Greenbrae, Ken Howard spotted the Cousins Maine Lobster food truck. So what do you expect a food truck in a mall parking lot to be selling? he asks. Tacos? Hey, this is Marin. For sessumsmagazine.com, Brendan Lemon interviewed theatrical director Bartlett Sher. Resident director at Lincoln Center Theater, and seven-time Tony Award nominee, Sher, 57, grew up in San Francisco. My first influential theater experiences occurred when my other brothers took me and my twin brother to Grateful Dead concerts at Winterland. He says those were true pure bacchanalian rituals being acted out with music. They were my introduction to unmediated, communal experiences. They marked me fundamentally for theater. Great things have been happening at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. William Rodarmor sends word of the sign over the new second urinal in the mens room: This urinal brought to you by Barry Levine. He got tired of waiting. As to what to buy for Siri as a holiday gift (Id say Christmas, but Ill do anything to displease Donald Trump, and besides, is it possible that Siri is Jewish?), Sharon Foster asked her, and she suggested Elf on a Shelf or Penguin on a Piano. Im not sure whether those are toys or snack foods. Daniel Cohen, who has a more metaphysical approach suggests self-consciousness. Todays Dire Warnings Gazette installment provides a two-pronged caveat: (1) Beware the giver of electronic gifts; (2) Never, ever, stop worrying about your teeth. The Automated Floss Dispenser which I found online for $29.99, but is available for $40 in at least one San Francisco store is the first automated floss dispenser that will create healthy flossing habits for you and your family. (I guess this means that previous ones were simply decorative items for ones boudoir.) The device simply mounts to your bathroom mirror and frowns at you if you havent flossed your teeth. With the push of a button, the device dispenses the perfect amount of floss, cuts it, times your flossing routine and then rewards you with a fun smile for a job well done. Flosstime also has a dual-user mode so that you can shame your partner into flossing as well. As for this last feature, Im wondering if it includes reference to a divorce lawyer. Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, (415) 777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik Public Eavesdropping So if the Chevy Bolt has built-in seat warmers, the Tesla must have a built-in bidet. Woman to man, overheard at Westfield Mall by Ted Weinstein VENTURA, Calif. - Firefighters continued to battle blazes across a large swath of Southern California on Saturday, and state officials warned that continued high winds into Sunday could create erratic fire conditions, leaving residents with little chance of a reprieve from the flames and smoke that have lasted nearly a week. The Thomas Fire here, in a coastal region northwest of Los Angeles, remained the largest active wildfire in the state, having burned through nearly 150,000 acres and taking with it more than 500 buildings and at least one life. Though officials began lifting evacuation orders in Ventura - to the south of the fire - residents in Carpinteria and Santa Barbara, enclaves along Highway 101 further northwest, were still under threat as the fire's northern vanguard continued to move. Officials said that expected winds, which could strike up at a moment's notice and had been pushing the fires toward populated areas, remained a concern. They also lamented the brutal fire season, which has sent massive fires into urban areas up and down the state. "This is kind of the new normal," Gov. Jerry Brown, D,said at a news conference Saturday in Ventura County. "We're facing a new reality in this state, where fires threaten people's lives, their property, their neighborhoods and, of course, billions and billions of dollars." Brown said climate change would mean residents should expect similarly extreme fire activity for decades. "I know that's maybe a little remote, but it's real, and we're experiencing what it's going to look like on a very regular basis," he said. Authorities said the Thomas Fire had moved quickly - 14 miles in its first night last week - and is just 15 percent contained. It has destroyed 537 structures and outbuildings and has damaged another 118, including those of numerous low-income families who have few options for housing. Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett, speaking during a town hall that drew hundreds of people Saturday, said the board is planning to unveil a rental assistance plan to help those in need. "There are a number of low-income people who have been burned out," Bennett said. "Many of us are going to have to open up our homes." There are 4,000 firefighters trying to contain the blaze, and authorities said the firefighting costs have reached nearly $17.5 million. Though there were a few positive signs in Los Angeles County to the south - officials reported Saturday that the Creek Fire and Skirball Fire were 80 percent and 50 percent contained, respectively - red flag warnings of heightened fire risk remain in place through Sunday, when winds could peak at around 50 mph. That could combine with extremely low humidity to create severe fire conditions, as the fire's fuel - abundant vegetation and trees - remain dry. In San Diego County, firefighters continued to battle the Lilac Fire, which started Thursday morning and spread quickly. Residents who fled described rapidly moving flames. "Oh my God, the heat, the heat," Clifford Sise, a horse trainer who had to evacuate while trying to get his horses out of San Luis Rey Downs, a racehorse facility in San Diego County where it is believed dozens of horses died in the fire. "One of my fillies wouldn't leave, she burned to death in like one minute. I had 'em all out, and then when I went back after, I must've had two little babies run back in their stalls and they died." The human death toll from the fires so far has been low, with authorities reporting one confirmed fire-related death: Medical examiners in Ventura identified a body found Wednesday as Virginia Pesola, 70, from Santa Paula. Pesola died of "blunt force injuries with terminal smoke inhalation and thermal injuries" in a traffic incident during "active fire evacuation," according to the county medical examiner. The streets of downtown Carpinteria were empty on Saturday as a smoke-filled haze continued to hang over the city. Yet Esau's Cafe, which sits in the heart of downtown on Linden Avenue, remained open - and busy at that. While most businesses are still closed, Esau's has been serving the firefighters and those who lost their homes. "We kept it open and served those that needed help, the firemen and those that lost their homes," said Taylor Stanley, 30, the manager at Esau's. "We gave out free meals to them. We have good air circulation in here so we stayed open just so people could get out from under the smoke." For residents of Carpinteria, the smoke presents nearly as much of a risk as the fire; authorities have reported dangerous air quality in the area that they described as "off the charts." "I have five stents in my chest," said Christina Garcia, 55. "I had three heart attacks last year. I'm just trying to make sure this doesn't get into my filtration." On Saturday, face masks were in high demand throughout Ventura County. An employee at Home Depot in Oxnard said the store had ordered them in bulk, and had 12 pallets of masks on hand - far more than the usual two - and that they were selling briskly. An employee at Lowe's Home Improvement in Ventura said they had sold out of face masks on Saturday morning. Across the region, people who fled recounted fire and smoke that seemed to come from everywhere. Ventura residents Christie and Mark Evans, both 35, also were forced to evacuate on short notice. The couple had received the keys to their newly purchased home on Colina Vista Street on Dec. 1, and started the process of moving in last weekend. 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. Christie Evans - who is 8 months pregnant with her second child - spent Monday readying their new home, locking up around 6:30 p.m. before returning to her recently sold house. It was the last she was would see of the new home. "Around 8, my brother called and said there was a fire . . . that was moving toward Ventura," she said. Mark Evans decided to head to the new house to retrieve the family pet, a 35-year-old rescue tortoise named Sheldon, who was hibernating in the garage. Once inside, he hurriedly grabbed a wedding album, some important paperwork and the tortoise. On Tuesday, while at her parents' house with her 17-month-old son, Christie Evans was watching the news with her mom and sister. What she saw stunned her. "There was my driveway - and there was no house," she said. Like most of the houses on the block, it was a total loss. They have returned once, only to find the street smoldering with small fires caused by gas leaks. "It didn't seem like anything that would happen in real life," she said. "The Christmas presents are all gone, the Christmas decorations are all gone, all of that stuff. Luckily my son is young enough where he doesn't really understand Christmas, but we still want him to have some good memories of it." - - - Ufberg reported from Carpinteria, California, and Wang reported from Washington. Noah Smith in Ventura and Angela Fritz in Washington contributed to this report. Now Playing: Senator Bernie Sanders says President Trump should think about resigning over the sexual misconduct allegations against him. Veuer's Nick Cardona (@nickcardona93) has that story. Video: Buzz 60 WASHINGTON - Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and two of his Democratic colleagues have suggested that President Donald Trump should consider resigning, after a run of sexual harassment scandals that has driven out some members of Congress. Sen. Al Franken "felt it proper for him to resign," Sanders said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday morning, referring to the Democrat from Minnesota. "Here you have a president who has been accused by many women of assault, who says on a tape that he assaulted women. He might want to think about doing the same." Josh Pangan didnt want to leave anything to chance with his wife, Angela, being 25 weeks pregnant with their first child. With their two French bulldogs, they left their home in Carpinteria (Santa Barbara County) on Thursday to escape the smoke that filled their neighborhood. The couple took refuge in a hotel in Goleta, about 20 miles northwest of Carpinteria. And for three days, they breathed fresh air. By Sunday, Angela and Josh Pangan were getting ready to leave again as the Thomas Fire, the most destructive of the five major wildfires burning in Southern California, grew by nearly 20,000 acres, resulting in new evacuation orders for parts of Santa Barbara County. Weve been in this weird limbo state. Where is the fire going to be? said Pangan, 29, who was packing again to escape the smoke. Its just a giant haze of smoke. I cant even believe how bad it is. The blaze, which ignited a week ago in Ventura, has consumed 230,000 acres more than twice the size of San Francisco and Oakland combined and was only 10 percent contained Sunday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. There were 786 structures reported destroyed, 184 damaged and 18,000 threatened. Mandatory evacuations extended as far west as neighborhoods in Santa Barbara and the community of Montecito, north of Highway 192, with voluntary evacuations covering adjacent areas and the city of Carpinteria. Sheriffs deputies and the search and rescue volunteers went door to door to assist residents during evacuations, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Office. Pangans home was under a voluntary evacuation, but out of concern for his 28-year-old wife and unborn baby, he said he planned to take his family to his mothers house in Orange County where the air quality was better. He made one final stop at his Carpinteria home to load up his Prius with important documents, dog food, clothing and family treasures, such as his grandmothers wedding ring, when he saw flames licking the side of the foothills above his home. You open up the door to put stuff in, and the ash is falling into the car, Pangan said. I used cans of air spray trying to clean it up just so when my wife and dogs get into the car theyre not breathing in more ash than they need to. As those areas came under threat, fire crews were allowing residents to return Sunday to parts of the Ventura County community of Ojai, said Charles Esseling, a spokesman with Cal Fire. Ojai is about 24 miles east of Carpinteria. Montecito, described as a seaside haven on the towns website, is an opulent area and home to celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Actor Rob Lowe, also a resident of Montecito, tweeted Sunday, Praying for my town. Fires closing in. Firefighters making brave stands. Could go either way. Packing to evacuate now. Firefighters knocked down flames that had come dangerously close to some homes on Shepard Mesa Road in Carpinteria, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. Brenda Razo, the manager at the Coastal Village Chevron in Montecito, said she came into work earlier than usual, at 5 a.m., after long lines of cars started forming when people began evacuating. I literally want to cry. Its been mayhem, Razo said. Sunday is the slowest day of the week, but its been a zoo. As the chaos continued at work, Razos home in Santa Barbara hadnt exactly been peaceful either. With school closed since Wednesday and poor air quality, Razo said her four sons, ages 1, 10, 11 and 13, , have gone stir crazy. I know my kids are going insane. I dont even let them go outside, Razo said. The whole parking lot (of the apartment complex) looks like snow. Weve never seen this before. Weve had ash since Tuesday. The Carpinteria Unified School District announced that it will be closed until Jan. 8, after the holiday break. And UC Santa Barbara postponed its final exams, which were set to begin this week, until January. Plumes of smoke surrounded Montecito and Carpinteria as residents tried to get out. Helicopters doused homes with water to protect them from the flames, fire officials said. And more than 85,000 people were without electricity in the Santa Barbara area. You cant see flames because of the smoke, Razo said, adding that there had been rolling power failures throughout the day. Like Razo, Bryant Hicks, a grocery worker in Carpinteria, said the power kept failing at his store, which is nearly 5 miles from where firefighters were battling the blaze. You can see the fire from where we are right now, said Hicks, 48. When you look out the window, you can see it from the top of the ridge. You can see the flames, you can see the smoke. Its really smoky. Hicks, who lives about four blocks from the grocery store, said he planned to work throughout the day for the residents coming in to stock up on food and water. Esseling said 4,435 firefighters, 575 fire engines, 47 fire crews, 30 helicopters and 46 bulldozers were battling the Thomas Fire. Altogether, at least 9,000 firefighters were deployed to the five wildfires still active Sunday throughout Southern California. The total cost for battling the Thomas Fire just on Sunday was $25 million, Esseling added. The first fire-related death was confirmed Saturday by the Ventura County Medical Examiners Office, and the victim was identified as Virginia Pesola, a 70-year-old woman from Santa Paula. Pesola died Wednesday while driving along an evacuation route. The medical examiner said the cause of her death was blunt force injuries, smoke inhalation and heat injuries. In San Diego County, the Lilac Fire, which has torched 4,100 acres and destroyed at least 105 structures, was 60 percent contained Sunday. Firefighters made headway on the 15,619-acre Creek Fire, which is burning in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles County and was at 90 percent containment. Based on early estimates, 60 residential and 63 outbuildings were leveled in the blaze, and 54 residential and 26 outbuildings were damaged. Wind gusts reached 45 mph Sunday in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with 25 mph gusts in Santa Barbara County, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters expected the winds to blow northwest into Monday, creating a haze as far as the Bay Area. With little to no moisture forecast for the next 10 days, its unknown when the fires will be brought under control, according to Cal Fire. Gov. Jerry Brown visited the fire-ravaged areas for the first time Saturday and said the drought and hotter weather in California could mean that residents are facing a new reality. 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 on the federal government to invest more in infrastructure and firefighting capacity. On Friday, President Trump declared a federal state of emergency for the West Coast for the second time since two dozen fires burned through Northern California in October, killing 44 people. He ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local emergency response. The 6,049-acre Rye Fire in Santa Clarita (Los Angeles County) that started Tuesday was 90 percent contained. Six structures were destroyed, and three were damaged. The 421-acre Skirball Fire, which broke out Wednesday in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, was 75 percent contained. Twelve structures were damaged and six destroyed. Some 98,000 people remain evacuated from their homes throughout Southern California, with 25,000 homes still threatened, Esseling said. In all, 834 structures have been destroyed and 118 damaged across Southern California. Its been a wild time, Josh Pangan said. I have no idea how long we are going to stay. Weve been staying up late just floating around on the phone to see what happens next. Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani By Priyanka Sharma: DELHI Medical Council (DMC), which keeps a close watch on the functioning of the hospitals in the city, receives at least 30 cases of serious complaints every month. These numbers paint a grim picture, more so in the backdrop of the recent incidents of alleged medical negligence at Max Healthcare (Shalimar Bagh) and Fortis Hospital (Gurugram). "We receive 25-30 complaints per month and at least 200-300 complaints per year," Dr Arun Gupta, president, DMC, told MAIL TODAY. The complaints that DMC receives are related to medical negligence, inflated bills, quacks practising medicine or running their clinics. Dr Gupta added that DMC receives the highest number of complaints among all state medical councils. advertisement "We have around 60,000 doctors registered with DMC. All doctors practising 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." According to a DMC official, the top hospitals which are allegedly under the scanner of DMC include Max Healthcare, BLK Hospital, Apollo Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Metro Hospitals, Rockland Hospital, St Stephen Hospital, Balaji Hospital, Jaipur Golden Hospital, Hedgewar Hospital, Lady Hardinge Hospital, Maharaja Agrasen Hospital and Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital. "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 concerned doctor and 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." DMC has recently brought all state medical councils of the country under one roof, and have 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 DMC. 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. In the case of Max Healthcare, the Delhi government took the strongest course of action and cancelled hospital's license . Delhi's health minister Satyendar Jain told MAIL TODAY, "Delhi government has cancelled the license of Max Healthcare in Shalimar Bagh over medical negligence in the twins' case. The incident is a case of criminal medical negligence and is not acceptable at all." Jain said, "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." Watch: Several other violations against Max Hospital too, says Delhi health minister --- ENDS --- advertisement The body of a woman whose car and shoes were found abandoned near the rim of American Canyon on Sunday morning has been discovered after a four-day search, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Office. The Toyota Camry was found with the woman's purse and keys still inside, KCRA reported. The woman was identified as 33-year-old Yin Wong of Sacramento, according to the Sheriff's Office. Wong's family and boyfriend told KCRA that she had no connection to the Placer County area, and they weren't sure what she would have been doing there. When her body was found, it showed signs of having been mangled by a mountain lion, but there is no evidence to suggest that the mountain lion killed Wong; investigators believe her body was found by the animal after her death, according to the Sheriff's Office. An autopsy was performed Friday morning, and the cause of Wong's death has not yet been determined. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, there's no reason to believe mountain lions pose any danger to the public in the area, but runners, bikers, horseback riders and hikers in the canyon are advised not to travel alone and to avoid outdoor activities during the periods when mountain lions are most active (dawn, dusk and night). Anyone who does encounter a mountain lion is advised not to approach it or run, but instead face the animal, make noise, try to appear larger by waving one's arms, throw rocks, and pick up small children. Mountain lion attacks on humans are rare, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife there have only been 16 verified cases of mountain lions attacking humans in the state since 1890, six of them fatal. The last mountain lion attack on a human was in Santa Clara in 2014. Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on Twitter This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate There were antler-clad men in faux fur G-strings and others wearing nothing but bedazzled boxer briefs, while tiny dogs dressed to the holiday nines blinked sleepily in the sun as drag queens spun circles on Segways. It is Christmastime in the Castro, and for the ninth year in a row, hundreds of men and women but mostly men poured onto the streets wearing little to very little for the annual Santa Skivvies Run, a street party for the scantily clad that raises money for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. It is, said organizers, a truly San Francisco event that combines fun and fundraising to support prevention efforts and services for the 16,000 people in the city living with an HIV/AIDS diagnosis. The motto of the event is: Drop trou. Raise funds. Fight AIDS. Now Playing: Santa skivvies run Video: SFChronicle It speaks to the fact that San Francisco as a city has been very provocative in the fight against HIV, said Joe Hollendoner, chief executive of the foundation. The Santa Skivvies Run is a prime example of coming together for important causes in a fun way that really celebrates the resiliency of our community. The event raised $77,000 as of Sunday, although organizers hoped to bring in $100,000, with donors still able to support participants in the coming days. ALSO Santa cavalcade swarms SF Steven Bracco, 33, has been dropping trou for six years, raising $40,000 over that time for the cause. Today is the day to celebrate the AIDS Foundation, the Castro, the whole LGBT community, he said as a face painter put a blue-and-white snowflake on his chest. Indeed, the participants were in a celebratory mood, with the unseasonably warm weather allowing everyone to strip to their skivvies and stay that way. They posed and flexed and laughed with friends, some leaving a trail of body glitter in their wake while others stood in line to sit on Santas lap for photos, at times with bare bottom cheeks resting on St. Nicks suit. Its a tough job, but somebodys got to do it, said Santa, a.k.a. John Campbell, his cheeks truly like roses and his nose like a cherry. At a little after 11 a.m., the crowd gathered to take off for the 1-mile run, although it was less of a race and more like a stroll, with many covering just a couple of blocks before taking a shortcut back to the party. With the party in full swing, no one seemed to notice the out-of-town celebrity who strolled past, a rainbow kerchief tied in her hair. Danica Roem of Virginia, who gained national attention a month ago when she became the first openly transgender person elected to a U.S. state Legislature, smiled at the scene as she headed to a Castro event. She was in town for a speaking engagement and was heading to a separate fundraiser near the underwear-clad crowd. It was her first visit to the city. Its every stereotype of San Francisco there is on the East Coast, she said laughing. To be able to walk on a street and know youre safe there is a certain freedom of expression that comes with that. The event is something a lot of people look forward to, but perhaps especially this year, said Andrew Hattori, spokesman for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Its been a really hard year in the Bay Area, he said, citing the recent wildfires and the Trump administration. Bringing a little levity is really important. And such events help reduce the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, Hattori said. A lot of people are still really afraid of HIV, he added. Its about being part of the community, said Sam White, in his underwear for a third straight year. Im doing my part, he said. All of us out here are making a difference all together. There is still a fight to wage, he said. Hopefully, someday, he added, we wont need this at all. Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker 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. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Marc Schmidt/A24 Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Marc Schmidt/TNS Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Indie drama The Florida Project was the big winner at this years San Francisco Film Critics Circle awards meeting; the story of poverty-stricken families struggling near a Disney resort received best picture of the year. Andy Serkis won the best actor award for his motion capture performance in War for the Planet of the Apes, while Margot Robbie won best actress for her comic/dramatic performance in I, Tonya. Laurie Metcalf won best supporting actress for Lady Bird, and Willem Dafoe won best supporting actor for The Florida Project. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate JACKSON, Miss. President Trumps presence jolted the opening of a civil rights museum Saturday, generating boycotts from some leaders in the movement and small protests by activists as the states attempt to confront its racially violent past clashed with more recent divisions wrought by Trumps presidency. As the countrys first state-sponsored museum on the Souths civil rights struggle opened its doors, Trump gave brief remarks, largely sticking to his prepared script as he hailed the icons of the civil rights movement and rejected the racism and hatred on display in the new museum. The civil rights museum records oppression, cruelty and injustice inflicted on the African American community, said Trump, who had ignored calls to back out of the event by some civil rights veterans. Here we memorialize the brave men and women who struggled to sacrifice and sacrificed so much so that others might live in freedom. Paired with a second museum that aims to document the states overall history, the civil rights museum has drawn praise from the movements veterans as an honest depiction of Mississippis past. Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy, was lynched in 1955 by a white mob in Money, Miss. And one of the most infamous episodes of the civil rights era took place in Philadelphia, Miss., where three civil rights activists Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman were killed while trying to register voters in 1964. Those who made a point of skipping the presidents speech including Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., the civil rights leader cited his equivocal remarks after the summers racially tinged violence in Charlottesville, Va., and described Trumps policies toward Mexicans, Muslims and other minorities as an insult to the museums purpose. Amos Brown, the longtime pastor of the historic Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, listed times Trump had failed to speak up for civil rights causes. Since Donald Trump did not show up when we needed him to speak a word on behalf of blacks who have experienced police brutality, Brown said, he does not deserve to be in Jackson for the celebration of the civil rights museum. About 200 protesters assembled along Jacksons streets, hoping to turn their backs on Trumps motorcade. But it appeared that the motorcade took a different route. Michael D. Shear and Ellen Ann Fentress are New York Times writers. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Arkansas governor has ordered health officials to treat married lesbian and heterosexual couples the same when listing the parents on a birth certificate, in an effort to comply with a June U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the states birth certificate law was discriminatory. Gov. Asa Hutchinsons directive came hours after a judge blocked the state from issuing any birth certificates until it complied with the June ruling. Arkansas stopped issuing and amending birth certificates for about two hours early Friday after the injunction by Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox, who also canceled mediation he had ordered between attorneys for the state and three same-sex couples to find a fix to the law. This case has been pending for over two years and it has been more than six months since the United States Supreme Court ruled the Arkansas statutory scheme unconstitutional, Fox wrote in his order. There are citizens and residents of the state of Arkansas whose constitutional rights are being violated on a daily basis. The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Foxs 2015 ruling striking down part of a birth certificate law defining parents by gender. That overturned an Arkansas Supreme Court decision. The state Supreme Court ordered Fox in October to come up with a way for the state to comply with the U.S. high courts decision. The law required the name of the husband to appear on the birth certificate when a married woman gave birth in Arkansas, regardless of whether he was the biological father. But married lesbian couples had to get a court order to have both spouses listed. The three couples who sued the state were allowed to amend their childrens birth certificates in 2015 under a ruling issued by Fox. Hutchinsons order said the state Health Department must list the spouse of the woman who gives birth, regardless of the spouses gender. Hutchinson directed the department to issue corrected birth certificates at no charge to married lesbian couples who should have had both spouses listed as parents. Hutchinson also ordered the department to notify hospital administrators of the new procedures. Cheryl Maples, an attorney, for the couples in the 2015 ruling called the governors directive a simple fix that was a long time coming. Andrew DeMillo is an Associated Press writer. WASHINGTON Sen. Richard Shelby, a fixture of Republican politics in Alabama for a generation, sent a clear message to his home state Sunday when he said on national television that the party could do better than elect Roy Moore to the states other Senate seat in two days. Shelby, appearing on CNNs State of the Union, stopped short of endorsing Moores Democratic opponent in the special election, Doug Jones, noting that he had written in the name of a distinguished Republican on his absentee ballot. But his decision to air his opposition to Moore on national television so close to the election added an exclamation point to an extraordinary break from the norms of modern party politics. Shelby pointedly declined to recommend that his fellow Republicans back their nominee in the tight race, a man Shelby would have to work with in the Senate if he is elected. I understand where the president is coming from. I understand we would like to retain that seat, Shelby said, referring to President Trumps endorsement of Moore despite accusations of sexual misconduct involving teenagers. But I tell you what, theres a time, we call it a tipping point, Shelby continued. I think, so many accusations, so many cuts, so many drip, drip, drip. When it got to the 14-year-olds story, that was enough for me. The senator has long opposed Moore, saying a month ago that he would absolutely not vote for the embattled candidate. Over the past month, Moore has been repeatedly accused of harassing and assaulting teenage girls when he was a state attorney in his 30s. One of the women told the Washington Post that Moore had touched her sexually when she was 14. He has denied any wrongdoing. The comments by Shelby, a key party figure at age 83, underscore the degree to which voters in Alabama both for and against Moore are viewing Tuesdays election as a referendum on the character of the Republican Party, which dominates there, and the state itself. Moore has faced scrutiny not just for the allegations of sexual misconduct, but also for a string of incendiary remarks, including comments that America was last great when families remained intact during the slavery era, and previous claims that Muslims should not be allowed to hold office. Rep. Terri Sewell, the only Democrat representing Alabama in Congress, said Sunday that the direction Moore represents is clear. If elected, she said, he would harken us back to the days of segregation. Speaking on ABCs This Week, she said she feels there was no reason not to believe the women who had come forward to accuse Moore of misconduct. Nicholas Fandos and Emily Cochrane are New York Times writers. WASHINGTON Robert Mueller to Paul Manafort: Im watching you. Revealing that they know every word Manafort changed in a recently published opinion piece, prosecutors for the special counsel argued Friday that the former Trump campaign chairmans attempt to mount a public relations campaign to defend himself while under house arrest raises serious concerns about his trustworthiness. Prosecutors are now pushing for him to remain confined to his home after they discovered he was heavily involved in the drafting of an opinion piece about his involvement in Ukrainian politics. They say the essay was part of a public effort Manafort was trying to orchestrate that would have violated a judges order to refrain from trying his case in the press. In court papers earlier last week, Muellers office had accused Manafort of ghostwriting the piece with a colleague who they said had ties to Russian intelligence. Manaforts attorneys argued that he edited the piece only after receiving it from a former Ukrainian public official whom he knew through his consulting work in Ukraine. They also said Manafort hadnt violated the judges order and was exercising his free speech rights to defend himself. On Friday, prosecutors revealed that they knew nearly every detail of that editing process. Writing in Microsoft Word, Manafort changed several sections of the essay, going line by line for over 30 minutes on the night of Nov. 29, court papers show. Each change was tracked in the document, which prosecutors later compared to talking points Manafort drafted last year to respond to news reports about his consulting work in Ukraine. They found they mirrored his edits, and appeared to show he had a public relations campaign in mind to help his case. Prosecutors learned of the effort recently, and last week they received assurances from Manaforts attorney that the piece wouldnt be published. Nevertheless, it was published Thursday in an English-language newspaper in Ukraine under the byline of Oleg Voloshyn, a former Ukrainian official. Voloshyn told the Associated Press that he wrote the piece in Manaforts defense and insisted Manafort did not help him draft it. I wrote it on my own initiative, said Voloshyn, who headed the press office at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry under President Viktor Yanukovych, Manaforts former client in Ukraine. Voloshyn acknowledged that he sent Manafort a draft through Konstantin Kilimnik, a longtime employee of Manaforts in Ukraine. In a Dec. 5 email included in the court filing, Voloshyn wrote that he felt an urgent need to inform US embassy that he had drafted the piece on his own initiative and that he felt obliged to send it to Kilimnik, who forwarded it to Manafort just to have a look as his name is mentioned there. Manafort and and his longtime business associate, Rick Gates, face multiple counts of conspiring to launder money, conspiring against the U.S. and giving false statements to the government. Both men pleaded not guilty. Chad Day, Eric Tucker and Tom LoBianco are Associated Press writers. On Sunny Saturday, as the day progressed, Mumbai did witness a downfall in the fog ratio as the sky cleared up a bit. However, it was back to a foggy morning on Sunday. By Vidya : Mumbai does not see too much of fog on a daily basis but since Saturday, a pall of fog has been hanging over the city. The kind of pollution that Mumbai sees around Diwali with exaggerated pollutants hanging in the air, that has not really been witnessed this time around. Although the Air Quality index does put the figure to be around 234 which means it's in the "poor" quality index. This also means that people with health issues could find it difficult to breathe. advertisement However, the India Meteorological Department (MET) is hopeful that this fog will vanish once the wind picks up. According to MET officials the North Easterly wind has been blowing this side which is cold and dry. North Easterly wind mixed with Mumbai's humid moisture laden warm wind that's blowing from the Arabian sea, lead to inversion in the air. The colder wind descends and the warmer wind goes up. This is what has led to the fogging that has been witnessed by Mumbaikars in the past two days. Good wind speed added to the fog hanging over the city. On Sunny Saturday, as the day progressed, Mumbai did witness a downfall in the fog ratio as the sky cleared up a bit. However, it was back to a foggy morning on Sunday. Mumbai witnessed smog covered sky on Sunday morning. (Photo: Komal Sharma) Mumbai witnessed smog covered sky on Sunday morning. (Photo: Komal Sharma) (Photo: Komal Sharma) MET officials say that this does happen "occasionally" even though it might not be a regular winter feature in Mumbai. The change in wind pattern is likely to bring in some relief from the North Easterly wind which would lead to the fog disappearing in due course of time. Due to the persistent fog on Saturday , many trains were delayed on the central railway line while many issues of flights getting delayed were also witnessed. The increase in the temperature this week is expected to also help in reduction of fog across the city. Watch video | Delhi pollution: Kejriwal, Khattar say they'll work together to tackle smog --- ENDS --- WASHINGTON Members of both parties are glum and guarded after a shocking week of resignations on Capitol Hill. But Democrats say the way theyre handling the sexual misconduct issue will give them a valuable weapon for next years congressional elections. Republicans say thats just wishful thinking. No one knows when or where the allegations that have felled lawmakers, journalists and entertainers will end. The ax could well fall again in a Congress where the culture has long tolerated behavior that would trigger departures today. For now, Democrats want voters to see a very bright line: They forced the liberal rising star Al Franken and civil rights veteran Rep. John Conyers to leave, while Donald Trump remains president and Alabama Republican Roy Moore could well be elected to the Senate on Tuesday. Democrats are now in a better position than ever to tie Donald Trump and Roy Moore around the necks of Republicans running for Congress next year, said Jim Manley, a Democratic operative and former Senate aide. Republicans are quick to contest that argument. They say Trump was elected last year despite the election season release of a 2005 tape in which he described sexually offensive behavior, followed by accusations by several women of aggressive sexual misconduct. And they suggest Sen. Frankens departure was more politically bearable for Democrats because his home state of Minnesota has a Democratic governor who will appoint the temporary replacement. Do you think if Al Franken had a Republican governor theyd be doing this? asked Tom Davis, a GOP consultant and former Virginia congressman who chaired his partys House campaign committee. While both Trump and Moore have faced and denied allegations, their political fortunes arent likely to be damaged by the way the Democrats have handled Franken and Conyers. Whats important, Democrats say, is that the contrast heightens their chances of winning over female and suburban voters, pumping up donors and party activists and even recruiting women to run for Congress next year. Yes, we may lose some people that we liked quite a bit along the way, said Brian Fallon, senior adviser to the liberal group Priorities USA. In the long term, the party is better off doing right by women. On Thursday, in an extraordinary scene witnessed by teary-eyed colleagues and relatives, Franken told a wake-like Senate he is resigning. Two days earlier, it was the Houses longest-serving member, John Conyers of Michigan, who quit. Both succumbed to pressure by leaders and colleagues after initially saying theyd fight to stay. Alan Fram is an Associated Press writer. President 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. In a rally cry to Alabama voters, the president tweeted that we cant have a liberal in the mold of Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, 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. Moore, 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. The White House said the Florida 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 spokesman Raj Shah said the president and White House have made clear that the Moore allegations are troubling 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 for the seat once held by Jeff Sessions, now U.S. attorney general. Darlene Superville and Bill Barrow are Associated Press writers. Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press WASHINGTON Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Sunday that the women who have accused President Trump of sexual misconduct should be heard, a break from the administrations assertions that the allegations have no merit and should be dismissed. In response to questions on CBS Face the Nation about the allegations, Haley said that while ultimately the decision on Trump lies with voters, women should always feel comfortable coming forward. And we should all be willing to listen to them. A woman activist was stripped and assaulted for assisting a night patrol to help identify illegal liquor shops in Delhi. By Parbina Purkayastha: If men were not enough, now women too assault their counterpart for raising voice against bootlegging. A shocking incident reported from Delhi's Narela where a woman activist was stripped and assaulted for assisting a night patrol to help identify illegal shops. She was allegedly attacked by 100-150 women of the Sansi community that live in the slum cluster in different parts of Delhi. advertisement "I was dragged and stripped. I only protested against the open sale of illegal liquor and they punished me," the woman said in a video that has gone viral. The Delhi Commission for Women has said the woman volunteer has marks of iron rods on her body and strongly condemned the attack on her and blamed police for the illegal liquor trade. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who visited the woman in a government hospital, described the incident as shocking and shameful. The issue of stopping such illegal selling of liquor taking place in different parts of Delhi has been raised many times but not much has been done. The Sansi clan involved in illegal trading has always been an issue in the capital. A section of the community is known to produce illegal liquor. The house from where the liquor was seized was barely a few meters from the police post, DCW chief said Ms Maliwal said, adding that "such illegal business is flourishing on a very large scale in Narela in full public view and knowledge of the local police". "It appears that the illegal activity of selling liquor in homes is occurring with active connivance and protection of the police," she said in the summons to the DCP. The Sansi community is spread all over the city, including Inder Puri, Raghubir Nagar, Nand Nagri, Gokulpuri and Prasad Nagar. A police officer said their mainstay is massive illegal production and sale of cheap liquor. "They began as liquor producers and took to other crimes gradually." said an officer There are numerous criminal records with Delhi Police of Sansi community people being regular law offender. The latest case suggests the police have good reasons for being wary of the Sansi's resurgence. Sansi is a nomadic tribe, originally located in the Rajasthan area of north-western India can now be found majorly in the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab as well as scattered throughout India. --- ENDS --- This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate KIEV, Ukraine Several thousand supporters of opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili rallied in the Ukrainian capital Sunday, demanding his release from jail and calling for the countrys president to be impeached. Saakashvili, the former president of Georgia turned opposition leader in Ukraine, was arrested Friday on allegations that he colluded with Ukrainian businessmen tied to Russia to topple President Petro Poroshenko. The opposition leader rejected the allegations, and his lawyer said he was refusing food to protest his detention. Saakashvilis supporters marched across downtown Kiev, chanting Down with the Gang! and Impeachment! They rallied on the capitals main Independence Square, the Maidan, which was the focus of huge protests that drove Ukraines former Russia-friendly president from power in February 2014, and then walked toward where Saakashvili has been held. Saakashvili faces the prospect of being sent back to his native Georgia, which has sought him on abuse of office charges. Saakashvilis wife, Sandra Elisabeth Roelofs, said Ukrainian authorities crossed a red line by arresting him. In a reference to the business background of Poroshenko, she said, We need to show him that politics is not business and people are not merchandise. The demonstrators smashed the windows of a candy store belonging to Poroshenkos company, Roshen. Yegor Sobolev, an ally of Saakashvilis who was removed Thursday as chairman of a parliamentary anti-corruption committee by Poroshenkos faction and its allies, called for the presidents dismissal. Impeachment is a way to move from kleptocracy to democracy, Sobolev said at the rally. Activists of the Right Sector, a far-right nationalist group, and veterans of the war against pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine joined the rally. Saakashvili was a key figure in the 2003 Rose Revolution protests that drove Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze from office. He served two terms as Georgian president in 2004-13, winning broad acclaim for his anti-corruption efforts but drawing criticism over a disastrous war with Russia and what his opponents saw as an authoritarian streak. Poroshenko named him the governor of Ukraines Odessa region in 2015, but Saakashvili resigned the next year, saying that Poroshenko and other officials were impeding anti-corruption reforms and becoming a strong critic of his former patron. Yuras Karmanau is an Associated Press writer. By Utpal Kumar/Mail Today: Politics comes naturally to Derek O'Brien. Long before he became a politician, even before his stint as a successful quizmaster, Derek, then a young teenager, told his father that the Congress under Indira Gandhi would lose the 1977 elections. There were no takers for his words in the family. Even when the All India Radio announced the results of the first two Lok Sabha seats in favour of the Janata Party, his father dismissed it saying it was just the first over of the five-day Test match! Interestingly not just the Congress lost the elections, but also Mrs Gandhi failed to save her own parliamentary seat! advertisement So, when someone with such an innate understanding of politics writes a political book, it is bound to arouse curiosity. Derek's Inside Parliament is also one of the rare books looking at the functioning of the Rajya Sabha from "the front row". He says, "I enjoyed writing essays, especially the one on the six things I learnt as an MP." The other essay, which is his favourite, tells how PM Narendra Modi can be defeated in 2019. "Yes, it's possible to beat the BJP in 2019, if we follow a twopoint theory. One, the Opposition must stick to the JUDGE (jobs, underperformance, demonetisation, GST and economy) formula and not allow the BJP to build its own alternative narrative. Two, the BJP should be forced to adopt different idioms for different states, rather than one unified idiom for all. What has worked for the Trinamool Congress in Bengal is that we have forced the BJP to fight on local language. The same formula can be implemented in states like Odisha." Derek says that coordinated Opposition efforts are needed but it has to be with a federalism push. "You have to keep your individual identity intact, and at the same time fight as a unified Opposition. It's like a Davis Cup match where you fight individually as well as for the nation." Also Read:Sugata Bose reflects upon Indian nationalism in his new book He, however, clarifies that the Trinamool's opposition of the Modi government isn't just for the sake of opposition. He reminds how every party, including the BJP and the Congress, changed its stand on Goods and Services Tax (GST). "The only party which has remained consistent on the issue is Trinamool Congress. When we opposed it in Parliament, it was not because we were against the idea but we were convinced that the country wasn't yet ready for the Bill the BJP had introduced. The fact that the government had to make more than 150 amendments so far vindicates our stand," he says. Derek's problem with the BJP is on a more fundamental issue. "The one basic difference between this government and others is that earlier constitutional institutions weren't threatened so blatantly. Today the Modi Sarkar has developed a new kind of IT, and it's not Information technology; it's 'Institution Threats'. When constitutional institutions get threatened - as is the case with Parliament where every kind of Bills is turned into Money Bill so as to evade the Rajya Sabha, or whose winter session gets postponed because of the Gujarat polls - then it's time to worry." advertisement The quizmaster-turned-politician doesn't stop there, saying a kind of super-Emergency has been imposed in the country. "No one in the government or the BJP knows why demonetisation was done, except 'The Pair', which alone has all the answers - whether on note ban and GST or the timing of Gujarat polls, and if Parliament session would be held on time," he says. "In 1975 a massive public movement was built against one person, the same situation is coming up now. Democracy in this country is so strong that people will express themselves and 2019 is an important time to express." If moves such as demonetisation were so bad, how could the BJP sweep one state election after another, especially Uttar Pradesh? Derek believes the BJP, to its credit, has managed to convey its message better to people. "It linked note ban with curbing corruption, though the fact is the move had done very little in cleaning financial irregularities. David Ogilvy, father of advertising, once said that the easiest thing is to sell a product once. The repurchase moment is coming in 2019." While criticising the national media, he reminds how the total budget for the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme is Rs 300 crore. "This is the total budget earmarked for all 29 states. In contrast, the Mamata government has initiated the Kanyashree scheme in which over 42 lakh girls have already enrolled and it has budget of close to Rs 5,000 crore! The so-called national media journalists, instead of highlighting such real changes on the ground, select - either out of mischief or ignorance - a polarised place like Malda and paint the entire state in the same hue." advertisement On the Padmavati issue, Derek, like a seasoned politician, keeps his answer vague. "Absolute freedom of expression in our country is not possible. Politicians often reflect public opinion and sentiment," he says, questioning why an MP or a minister should at all waste his time discussing a film especially when the nation faces more urgent issues. But then, didn't Mamata Banerjee welcome the Padmavati team to Bengal? "Mamatadi was asked by reporters if she would invite them, and she told them to come!" Derek's ambiguity on the issue shows his political acumen. For every Padmavati, there is a Taslima Nasrin riddle for the Trinamool. But Derek, like a seasoned politician, is prepared. "The Taslima issue has nothing to do with us. It's Bangladesh's problem. Why should we get entangled in other country's issue?" --- ENDS --- advertisement By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) The Centre has refuted in the Supreme Court the allegations by an NGO that there was a delay on its part in releasing funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) scheme for drought-hit farmers. The issue was raised before the top court by the NGO, the petitioner in the matter, which claimed that there was a high percentage of delay over payment under MGNREGA made from the time when fund transfer order was made till the time the payment was actually given to the beneficiaries. advertisement A bench comprising justices Madan B Lokur and N V Ramana asked Attorney General K K Venugopal, representing the Centre, to file an affidavit within four weeks in this regard after the government disputed these facts. The bench has posted the matter for hearing on January 18 next year. NGO Swaraj Abhiyan also claimed before the top court that there was an enormous delay on the Centres part in releasing the funds under the scheme even after receipt of fund transfer order. "Only for the purpose of verification of the averments and the allegations made on the basis of these two charts (given in the affidavit filed by the petitioner), we require an affidavit to be filed by the central government," the bench said in its order. The court had earlier said that state food commissions, as mandated under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013, should be set up even in states not hit by drought. The petitioner had earlier claimed that implementation of the NFSA still remained a major challenge and adequate work under the MNREGA was not being given by the state governments. The plea had alleged that parts of 12 states-- Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Haryana and Chhattisgarh-- were hit by drought and authorities were not providing adequate relief. The plea sought relief measures in drought-hit states in the country. PTI ABA MNL RKS ZMN --- ENDS --- Californias 2018 transition to legal marijuana contains a mind-bending paradox: Ending prohibitions on marijuana will require a lot of aggressive law enforcement. On Jan. 1, California will not merely be permitting adults 21 and older to buy marijuana for recreational purposes. The state and its cities will also be creating a new regime to regulate and tax cannabis. These high times have high stakes: The successful legalization of cannabis in Americas largest state could help end the drug war in the United States. But if this transition turns messy, the Trump administration which is devoted both to debasing California and promoting thoughtlessly tough law and order policies could bogart everything, by stepping up arrests and criminal penalties for drug violations. There is reason to worry. Smoking weed is said to expand your mind, but Im not sure if there is enough marijuana in the state for anyones brain to comprehend the complexities of all the new rules. Legalization requires moving a shadowy $7 billion industry into a highly regulated structure, with extensive taxes and permits. California governments that once took a live-and-let-live approach to cannabis now find themselves having to boost enforcement against cannabis businesses to make sure companies choose to move out of the black market. Such policing requires striking difficult balances. If regulatory compliance is too loose and taxes and permits are too cheap, scofflaws could plague the new industry. But if regulatory compliance is too costly, and taxes and permits too expensive, too many firms might choose to stay in the black market. At this point, its hard to be optimistic that Californias governments will find that balance. Among the challenges: The state has been slow to issue regulations to create an interconnected framework of rules covering both newly legal recreational adult use and medical use, which has been legal since 1996 but poorly regulated. Then there are Californias cities, which have tremendous discretion in whether to issue permits, but are in many cases still debating what to do. Those municipalities that have issued rules are creating so many different standards that Californias cannabis market will resemble a crazy quilt. The federal government is also undermining the transition. By maintaining its prohibitions of marijuana, the United States is creating both legal jeopardy for those in the legal industry and real difficulties with banking, because very few financial institutions will serve businesses selling a product that the United States considers to be an illegal drug. Because cannabis will remain a mostly cash business, state Treasurer John Chiang has suggested providing armored cars when marijuana businesses transport cash to pay taxes. Because the industry is badly undercapitalized, it hasnt built out all the infrastructure compliance systems, lab testing, centralized distribution necessary for its new regulated reality. While attending three cannabis conferences this fall, I was struck by the high anxiety around the conundrum of making a business legal without ending up in trouble over the new rules. These days, marijuana business owners sound like home builders frustrated at bureaucracy and NIMBY politics that make it so hard to get permits from Californias governments. Many businesses are coping by devoting themselves to Californias real drug of choice: marketing. Cannabis already resembles other forms of American commerce, with varieties of products of dubious necessity: cannabinoid eye drops to treat your glaucoma, hemp oil to stop your brain seizures, and cannabis-infused items that will get you off addictive opioids. There are online marketplaces, specialized software for cannabis businesses, and my personal favorite PotBot, an artificial intelligence app to recommend marijuana strains to relieve your symptoms. Amid all this smoke, there are nods to some important issues. Los Angeles and Oakland are among the cities working on social equity programs to make sure that communities hurt by the drug war enjoy the benefits of jobs and investment in the newly legalized market. Nevertheless, the cannabis industry probably will mirror Californias inequality. Poorer communities have been more open to permitting the businesses, while wealthier places have kept them out. In effect, many places with the enforcement resources to shrink the black market and protect legal businesses are sitting this transition out. Marin County has declined to license new retail dispensaries or adult use shops, despite 70 percent voter support there for legalization. This New Years Eve will be full of high spirits, especially at midnight when some Californians light up for the first time. But the rest of the transition may feel like a bad trip. Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zocalo Public Square. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at SFChronicle.com/letters. Remember World Airways? It was around for more than 60 years, mostly operating as a charter and cargo carrier with brief forays into scheduled passenger transportation before it folded in 2014. And now it may be coming back as a U.S.-based low-cost international airline- possibly along the lines of European ultra-low-cost discounters such as Norwegian Air, Wow Air or Level. [FULL STORY & COMMENTS] An investment firm called 777 Partners said last month it has purchased the intellectual property of World Airways and plans to re-launch it as a Miami-based scheduled passenger airline flying 787 Dreamliners on routes to Asia and Latin America from hubs at Los Angeles and Miami. It will operate on a low-cost carrier model, perhaps inspired by the rapid growth of European international low-cost airlines. Initial funding for certification and aircraft acquisitions is being provided by 777 Partners. Discussions are underway with Boeing for an initial order for up to ten 787 aircraft, a spokesman said. World Airways said it plans to form partnerships with low-cost carriers in the U.S. and at its destinations to feed traffic to its long-haul flights. More Information Chris McGinnis tracks fares and travel news on the TravelSkills.com blog. Sign up for email alerts or follow him on Twitter @cjmcginnis See More Collapse And get this: Worlds chief marketing officer is Freddie Laker the son of Sir Freddie Laker, the British entrepreneur who pioneered low-cost transatlantic air travel in the 1970s and died in 2006. Laker is listed as a serial entrepreneur on LinkedIn. The founding CEO of the new World Airways is Ed Wegel, a longtime airline executive who most recently ran the new Eastern Airlines until October 2016. The current incarnation of Eastern started up in 2015 as a charter carrier, mainly operating flights to Cuba, but its business was disrupted by the revival of scheduled service from the U.S. to the island nation. World has a website at www.worldairways.com as well as a Twitter presence (@worldairways). The company gave no timetable for starting service on its website, but did say it plans to unveil a new brand look and feel for the new World Airways within the next few weeks. So what do you think are the chances of World Airways getting back off the ground? Please leave your comments on the TravelSkills blog. Chris McGinnis is a travel blogger and editor of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 The Peninsula Hong Kong Show More Show Less 2 of 5 The Peninsula Hong Kong Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 The Peninsula Hong Kong Show More Show Less 5 of 5 Opened in 1928, the Peninsula Hong Kong modeled itself on the grand hotels of Paris and London. Now its the flagship of an international chain that has set its own standard of luxury, one based on unique experiences as much as opulence. Setting: On the tip of the Kowloon Peninsula hence the name with impressive views of skyscraper-studded Hong Kong Island across Victoria Harbor. Its about a three-block walk to Tsim Sha Tsui subway station and the Star Ferry pier, which bring the rest of this special administrative region of China, as its been known since 1997, into easy reach. PARIS France bid farewell to its biggest rock star Saturday, honoring Johnny Hallyday with an extravagant funeral procession down Paris Champs-Elysees Avenue, a presidential speech and a televised church ceremony filled with the countrys most famous faces. Few figures in French history have earned a send-off with as much pomp as the man dubbed the French Elvis, who notched more than 110 million in record sales since rising to fame in the 1960s. Hallyday died Wednesday at 74 after fighting lung cancer. In an honor usually reserved for heads of state or literary giants like 19th century novelist Victor Hugo, Hallydays funeral cortege rode past Napoleons Arc de Triomphe monument and down the Champs-Elysees to the Place de la Concorde plaza on the Seine River. Adding a rock touch to the event, hundreds of motorcyclists accompanied the procession. It was a nod to the lifelong passion that Hallyday, born Jean-Philippe Smet, had for motorcycles. His biker image included signature leather jackets and myriad tattoos. French President Emmanuel Macron a Hallyday fan himself, like three generations of others across the French-speaking world delivered a eulogy on the steps of Paris Madeleine Church for the star known to the public affectionately by only one name. Johnny belonged to you. Johnny belonged to his public. Johnny belonged to his country, said Macron, whose voice was broadcast to the many thousands of often tearful mourners in Paris. Hallydays death unleashed a wave of emotion across France, where he had been a symbol of national identity and stability for more than half a century even though his private life had been far from stable. Aside from the drinking, smoking and partying chronicled in juicy detail by the French press, Hallyday had been linked to a string of glamorous women and had married five times. Chants of Johnny! Johnny! and thunderous applause rose up Saturday as fans broke out singing Hallyday classics including Que je taime (How I love you). About 1,500 police officers secured the area in Paris, a police helicopter flew overhead and emergency vehicles filled nearby streets as tens of thousands of fans lined the procession route. Many dressed to emulate Hallydays flashy, rebellious style. Some climbed on fences or stoplights or even the roof of a luxury hotel to get a better view. Thomas Adamson and Angela Charlton are Associated Press writers. Luca Bruno/Associated Press COMO, Italy Italys governing Democrats led a rally Saturday to warn about fascism making a comeback in the nation that once suffered under dictator Benito Mussolini and which is now seeing a rash of right-wing protests against migrants. Several thousand people turned out in Como, a lakeside town in northern Italy where right-wing extremists calling themselves the Veneto Skinhead Front recently barged into a meeting about migrant housing and railed about the invasion of foreigners. ROME The leader of an Italian party that hopes to capitalize on growing resentment of migrants and asylum-seekers told supporters in Rome on Sunday it would be splendid if he wins national elections and his government can issue one-way tickets home to undeserving refugees. Matteo Salvini wants to propel his anti-immigrant Northern League, which was founded in 1991 as a regional party in Italys affluent north, to its first premiership in the national election set for early 2018. To do so, he needs to build support in the south, an underdeveloped area of Italy the League has long denigrated as living off government aid. Thousands of people turned out for his Rome rally, including Adriana Domeniconi, who traveled by bus from Matera in the instep of the boot-shaped Italian peninsula. Were no longer about north versus south, but against those invading our country, she said. Domeniconi was referring to the hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers and economic refugees who have received shelter in Italy after being rescued at sea from traffickers boats setting out from the Libyan coast. Opinion surveys have found that many Italians blame the newcomers for crime. The Salvini government will have the (nations) doors wide open for women and children who are fleeing war, but not for those bringing war to our home, Salvini told the rally. For the latter, we need one-way tickets to send them back. Saying that citizenship isnt an electoral gift, Salvini told the approving crowd that the legislation wont happen thanks to the League and you. The Northern League is planning to run in alliance with the center-right Forza Italia party of former three-time premier Silvio Berlusconi and the tiny right-wing Brothers of Italy party. Berlusconi, who isnt eligible to run for office because of a tax fraud conviction, considers himself Italys center-right leader and hasnt voiced support for a Salvini premiership. Opinion polls published last week indicated Berlusconis party had about a two-point advantage over the Northern League. Berlusconi hopes the three-party alliance will give the coalition enough votes to be the biggest bloc in Parliament and clinch the premiership. At the rally, Salvini heaped praise on U.S. President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Frances DEmilio is an Associated Press writer. Rahul Gandhi today visited Shree Ranchhodji Temple at Kheda today but as he exited he was greeted by Narendra Modi supporters. By India Today Web Desk: Soon-to-be Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been consistent with his visits to temples during campaign for Gujarat Assembly election. He is said to have visited more than two dozen temples in the past couple of months in Gujarat. Rahul Gandhi visited another temple today but this time the BJP supporters tried to spoil his temple visit by raising slogans in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. advertisement The BJP supporters gathered outside the Shree Ranchhodji Temple at Dakor in Kheda district of Gujarat as Rahul Gandhi offered prayer inside. When Rahul Gandhi walked out of the temple and headed towards his SUV, the crowd was heard chanting "Modi-Modi". There has been a lot of debate on social media and in political circles about the increased frequency of Rahul Gandhi's temple visit in full public view at the time of Gujarat Assembly election. But, this was the first instance when the BJP supporters shouted pro-Modi slogans during his temple visit. #WATCH: Scene outside Shree Ranchhodji Temple in Kheda's Dakor, crowd shouts 'Modi Modi' as Rahul Gandhi exits. #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/rFWEnVWy8t- ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2017 Rahul Gandhi visited the famous Kheda temple ahead of his election rallies scheduled for the day in Kheda,Banaskantha, Aravali and Gandhinagar. The day's itinerary of Rahul Gandhi includes another temple visit. Rahul Gandhi will be offering prayer at the Shamlaji Temple in Aravali district. Gujarat will be voting for 93 Assembly seats on December 14 after having polled in 89 constituencies yesterday. The counting of votes for Gujarat Assembly election will be held on December 18. --- ENDS --- WASHINGTON Amid its escalating campaign of drone strikes in Somalia, the Pentagon has presented the White House with an operational plan that envisions at least two more years of combat against Islamist militants there, according to U.S. officials familiar with internal deliberations. The plan would be the first under new rules quietly signed by President Trump in October for counterterrorism operations outside conventional war zones. The U.S. military has carried out about 30 air strikes in Somalia this year, twice as many as in 2016. Nearly all have come since June, including a Nov. 21 bombing that killed more than 100 suspected militants at an al-Shabab training camp. In a sign that the Defense Department does not envision a quick end to the deepening war in Somalia against al-Shabab and the Islamic State, the plan is said to include an exemption to a rule in Trumps guidelines requiring annual vetting by staff from other agencies including diplomats and intelligence officials of operational plans for certain countries. Instead, the Pentagon wants to wait 24 months before reviewing how the Somalia plan is working, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Moreover, they said, the Defense Department wants to conduct that review internally, without involvement from other agencies a request that would further a Trump-era pattern of giving the Pentagon greater latitude and autonomy. Luke Hartig, a senior director for counterterrorism at the White House National Security Council during the Obama administration, said he supported delegating some greater authority to the Pentagon over such matters, but found it problematic that the military wanted to be unleashed for so long without broader oversight. A ton can happen in 24 months, particularly in the world of counterterrorism and when were talking about a volatile situation on the ground, like we have in Somalia with government formation issues and famine issues, he said. Thats an eternity. The Defense Department has submitted the plan to the National Security Council for approval by other agencies. Representatives for Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and for the council declined to comment on the details, other than to stress that the military took seriously its need to mitigate or prevent killings of civilian bystanders. We are not going to broadcast our targeting policies to the terrorists that threaten us, but we will say in general that our counterterrorism policies continue to reflect our values as a nation, said Marc Raimondi, a National Security Council spokesman. Charlie Savage and Eric Schmitt are New York Times writers. Australian fund manager L1 Capital has been granted approval to boost its Chorus stake to as much as 15 percent by the Crown. The Melbourne-based company held a 9.6 percent stake in the local telecommunications network operator as at Oct. 2 and was today granted government approval to rise above the 10 percent Kiwi share restriction, which was carried over to Chorus after its demerger from Telecom Corp, now Spark New Zealand, in 2011. The Kiwi share obligation was imposed on Telecom when it was privatised in 1990 and required Crown approval for anyone wanting to build a stake of more than 10 percent and also if a foreign entity wanted to buy 49.9 percent or more of the company. Spark was unshackled from the obligation after the demerger. AMP Capital was granted approval to go above the 10 percent threshold in 2012 after the fund manager bought AXA Asia Pacific and acquiring its rival's investment portfolio. That attracted criticism by then Green Party co-leader Russel Norman at a time when the previous administration was preparing state-owned power companies for partial privatisation. Chorus shares increased 0.1 percent to $4.04, and have gained 1.6 percent this year. The stock is rated an average 'hold' based on five analyst recommendations compiled by Reuters, with a median price target of $4.29. 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Related News: CHI - 2023 Guidance Update TRA - Weblink for Turners Half Year FY23 Results Presentation General Capital (GEN:NZ) Concludes Goodwill Discussions General Capital (GEN:NZ) Announces Discussions on Goodwill KMD - Trading Update NZME updates investors on strategic progress IPL - Interim Results HY23 NPH - 2022 Full Year Results November 17th Morning Report GWC - WasteCo Reverse Listing - Special Meeting of Shareholders The post mortem confirms rape and torture, further telling that 16 of the 24cm wooden stick was found inside her- that damaged her uterus and intestines. By Manjeet Sehgal: In a horrifying incident, a five-year-old girl was raped and tortured to death using a 24-cm wooden stick- which was found inserted in her private parts in Hisar's Uklana village on Saturday. Initial probe reveals that the victim was abducted from her house at night, brutally raped and left to die with a wooden stick inserted into her genitals. advertisement The post mortem confirms rape and torture , further telling that 16cm of the stick was found inside her- that damaged her uterus and intestines. Dr Reetu Gupta, who conducted the post mortem said, "The victim died due to the torture perpetrated by inserting wooden stick into her private parts. The stick was inserted with force which not only caused serious injuries inside uterus but also in the intestine." The report also reads that bruises were found on the victim's shoulders, waist and nose. The girl was also found bleeding from her neck. Haryana: A 5-year-old girl was allegedly raped and brutally murdered by inserting a wooden stick into her private parts yesterday in Hisar's Uklana village pic.twitter.com/tEaGwkUmZv- ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2017 The incident came to light after the family of the minor raised an alarm over not finding her at home in the morning. That is when, a local intimated them about a body lying in a pool of blood, some meters away from their residence. The villagers are now protesting against the ghastly act and are demanding immediate action from the police. As a sign of protest, they have shut down all shops and blocked major roads. The villagers in Uklana are protesting against the ghastly rape and murder. The family of the victim has also refused to cremate the body until the culprit/s are arrested. Not ruling out gangrape, the police has now formed an SIT (Special Investigating Team) including forensic experts to nab the accused. An FIR has been registered of abduction, rape, murder against unknown persons. Also watch: Noida double murder: Accused teen says he was angry with his mother for slapping him --- ENDS --- By PTI: Srinagar, Dec 10 (PTI) The Muslim Conference (MC), a constituent of the moderate Hurriyat Conference, has split into two factions as the rebels expelled veteran separatist leader and MC president Abdul Gani Bhat for meeting the Centres special representative for Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma. In a letter to Mirwaiz Umar Farooq,Athe chairman of the moderateAHurriyat Conference, the MC said it had appointed a new chairman, Muhammad Sultan Magray, for six months. advertisement "As you know, Bhats secret meeting with Sharma has been a cause of concern for the party and the people of Kashmir. "In this backdrop, a meeting of the MC leaders was held, in which it was decided that Magray would be the new president of the outfit for a period of six months," the letter read. The expulsion comes amidst reports that Bhat had met Sharma on the latters second visit to the state. The new MC president, in the letter issued yesterday, said the Hurriyat should contact him for any future correspondence with the outfit. However, Bhat, on his part, expelled the representative of the MCs Pakistan chapter, Manzoor Ahmad Bhat, at whose behest he was expelled from the Hurriyat. In a letter addressed to Manzoor and counter-signed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Bhat said he had expelled him as the representative for Pakistan for indiscipline. PTI SSB RC --- ENDS --- STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Italian tourists on vacation in New York - and there are tons of them - don't seem to know a lot about Staten Island, even though so many Staten Islanders trace their roots back to Italy. So NYC & Company -- New York's tourism and marketing arm -- brought 10 "Visit USA Italian Association Ambassadors" -- a fancy way to say travel agents -- to the North Shore the other day on what they call a "FAM trip." That's a "familiarization" trip to sell them on Staten Island -- specifically the North Shore's Empire Outlets, New York Wheel, and Staten Island's cultural institutions. The idea is to get the agents to go back home and sell New York-bound tourists on a day on Staten Island. After all, we have the best pasta, sauce and pizza outside Italy! Joe Ferrara, one of the Outlet developers, told us it wasn't a hard sell to get the agents here. "It is truly exciting to see so much international interest in the future of Staten Island's vibrant North Shore," he said. "We are looking forward to seeing visitors from across the world enjoy an incredible shopping and dining experience at Empire Outlets." The Italian agents did it the right way. They got here on the big orange boat we call the Staten Island Ferry, and then toured the Outlet and NY Wheel sites, as well as the brand-new, fun Winter Wonderland before they took a ride to the Garabaldi-Meucci Memorial Museum. After all, you don't get more Italian than that. Cristina Caretti was one of the Italian travel agents from Modena in northern Italy. "I own a travel agency called Italygate and arrange and organize trips for Italians who want to travel to North America and for North American people that want to visit Italy," she said. This was her third trip to New York but first time on the Island. "I think the new area around the ferry terminal will be a great attraction for Italian visitors," she said. "The wheel will be impressive...and the Meucci and Garibaldi Museum will be a great experience for Italians!" "We have been a part of several familiarization tours in the past from groups hailing from many different countries, but this is the first group that we were able to take onsite now that construction is at a point which allows us to do so, the excitement was inspiring to see firsthand," Ferrara said. "Destination St. George and NYC & Company are an incredible team and their hard work is helping to build a brighter future for our residents and businesses." The Outlets are now scheduled to open next fall. The NY Wheel opening is -- excuse the pun -- up in the air after developers fired the building contractor. There are ongoing negations with a new builder. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A new report revealed that just 30.8 percent of Staten Island residents have at least a bachelor's degree -- that's roughly half the rate of Manhattan, where 59.9 percent of residents have an baccalaureate degree or higher level of educational attainment. Published earlier this week by Center for an Urban Future -- a leading New York City-based think tank -- the study found Staten Island's rate of obtaining a bachelor degree is also slightly behind Brooklyn (32.8 percent of residents have a bachelor's degree), but ahead of Queens (30.4 percent) and the Bronx (18.9 percent). The report, "Degrees of Difficulty: Boosting College Success in New York City," which was funded by The Clark Foundation, urges Mayor Bill de Blasio to make boosting community college graduation rates a key part of his second term agenda. "If New York is serious about reducing inequality and helping more residents get on the path to the middle class, we absolutely need to address the city's college success problems," said Tom Hilliard, senior fellow for economic opportunity at Center for an Urban Future, who authored the report. "CUNY has made some important progress in improving graduation rates in recent years, but there's still an enormous problem when nearly 8 in 10 students at the city's community colleges fail to earn an on-time credential." The mayor's office didn't return Advance queries for comment. CUNY GRADUATION RATES In addition, the report revealed that just 52 percent of students earn a bachelor's degree in six years at the College of Staten Island, which is below the 55 percent system-wide graduation rate for all CUNY students pursuing a baccalaureate degree. The College of Staten Island's graduation rate is below that of City College (55 percent graduation rate), Brooklyn College (56 percent), Hunter College (58 percent), Queens College (64 percent) and Baruch College (71 percent). However, the College of Staten Island outperforms several other CUNY four-year campuses, including: Lehman College (50 percent), John Jay College of Criminal Justice (49 percent), York College (41 percent), NYC College of Technology (32 percent) and Medgar Evers College (27 percent). The report highlights the lack of college counselors as a contributor to low graduation rates. In 2013, the College of Staten Island, for example, employed approximately one full-time advisor for every 940 students, the study said. A CSI spokesperson didn't return an Advance email for comment. HOUSEHOLD INCOME OF CUNY STUDENTS The study also goes into detail about the share of CUNY students living in households earning less than $30,000 in annual income. In 2016, that applied to 47 percent of students at the College of Staten Island - the lowest rate among all of CUNY's community and senior colleges, the study said. RECOMMENDATIONS The study also calls on Mayor de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo to demonstrate a new level of leadership to improving student success at the city's public colleges and community colleges. "The state is committed to improving graduation rates across the board, which is why we launched the Excelsior Scholarship - a first-in-the-nation college completion program - as well as continue to provide significant funding for other student support initiatives," said Elizabeth Bibi, deputy director of media relations for the governor's office. "We will continue to work with all partners to incentivize more students to complete their degrees on-time, and help them pursue the career of their dreams," she added. FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK A week after senior Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Bhat met Centre's interlocutor, the senior leader has been suspended from his own party The Muslim Conference. By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: A week after senior Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Bhat met Centre's interlocutor, the senior leader has been suspended from his own party The Muslim Conference. Bhat who is also part of Hurriyat has been a patron of Muslim Conference since 1988. The Letter of Muslim Conference accessed by India says Sultan Magray is its new Chairman for six months. advertisement The Muslim Conference is said to be having meeting on Monday to resolve the internal rift within the party. The one page letter has been addressed to Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and cites Bhat's meeting with Centre's Special representative to J&K Dineshwar Sharma as reason for suspension. Bhat on the other hand denied his ouster from the party he had formed. Speaking to India today on phone, he said "I'm still the patron of the party and will continue to be the head till my last breath." He also confirmed that two men including Magray met me on Friday to convey the decision. Bhat, who met Sharma in the last week of November said to have met the interlocutor on his own individual front said that, "Two people who are ordinary members of Muslim Conference cannot oust him." Speaking further he said, "Hobby horses do not win races." There have been active back channel talks to get Hurriyat leaders, who are trying to hardball to come to the table for talks. Bhat meeting with Sharma happened after he expressed willingness in meeting the interlocutor. However, the Hurriyat leader had described it as "individual opinion." On October 23, Centre had appointed Sharma as special representative to J&K to initiate dialogue with stakeholders especially youth in an effort to reach out to the people of trouble torn Kashmir Valley. ALSO WATCH | Dineshwar Sharma: Will talk to all stakeholders --- ENDS --- A Canberra firearms dealer is expected to be charged after police seized more than 40 guns from a Ngunnawal property. ACT police retrieved 36 long arms and five handguns from a 60-year-old man's home on Friday, they said. Police seized 41 firearms: 36 long arms and five handguns. Credit:ACT Policing The man is on bail in NSW for serious firearm related offences. He was due to appear before Griffith Local Court again on December 20. Let's get up-to-date with the news for your Monday: We are expecting a warm top of 30 degrees in the capital today, after an overnight low of 13. The use of force at the Bimberi youth detention centre has increased 133 per cent in the past year as concerns come to light about poor record keeping inside the facility. Internal documents show the ACT government mistakenly failed to complete 15 "use of force" records in 2016 and 2017 in line with legal requirements under the Children and Young People Act. Steven Trask reports in efforts to fix the blunder - first detected in an internal audit - officials retrospectively created the 15 missing records on a single day, in one case almost eight months after the use of force had actually occurred. Mohammad Akbar was allegedly shot at by assailants when an argument broke out at a parking lot in Albany Park neighbourhood of Chicago. The 35-year-old Hyderabad resident is battling for life at a Chicago hospital. By Ashish Pandey: A Hyderabad resident is battling for life after being allegedly shot at by unidentified assailants in Chicago, US. The victim has been identified as 35-year-old Mohammad Akbar, who is pursuing higher studies in Chicago in Ilinois state of the United States. Akbar, who hails from Hyderabad, was admitted to a Chicago hospital in a critical condition. advertisement According to reports and information provided by the family, Akbar was allegedly shot at by assailants on Saturday morning when an argument broke out at a parking lot in Albany Park neighbourhood of Chicago. Hearing the gun shot, locals rushed to Akbar's help and took him to a nearby hospital. The county police has started investigating the attack and is trying to trace the alleged assailants. Akbar's family in Mallapur area of Hyderabad has requested the Telangana government and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for help. "We have met Telangana Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy and today talked over the phone to officials of the Union Ministry of External Affairs. They have assured us of all necessary help in this regard," his brother Mohammed Ashraf told PTI. WATCH: New York terror attack, rental truck kills 8 and injures 11 --- ENDS --- Voters in the federal electorate of Bennelong will make an unscheduled trip to the polling booths next weekend to choose between the incumbent John Alexander and the high-profile hopeful and former NSW premier, Kristina Keneally. How do you make the choice? Both parties headline the same things; Medicare, hospitals, NBN roll-out, schools and - wow - a $100 million pledge to build a transport hub at Macquarie Park, we weren't even aware it was being considered. The heavies are on parade. Prime ministers, past, present and would be, all press flesh in the shopping malls. All keen to endorse their candidate but none of this gives us poor voters a sound basis for making our choice. A view of the house at 25 Watson Street in Putney, the site of the likley grave of Bennelong. Credit:Daniel Munoz But there is a way. It only requires a little money to be spent on a small project that would enhance local amenity, acknowledge a most important Australian, make a positive step in reconciling Aboriginal and white Australia, and now is the only opportunity. A property in Putney went to auction on Saturday. Bidding reached $2.65 million and the potential buyer entered negotiation with the vendor. What's so important about this ordinary 1970s house in a prime location in the heart of the Bennelong electorate? It just happens to be adjacent to the probable location of the grave of Woollarawarre Bennelong. There are many reasons why companies might legitimately pay no tax. But that's no reason why Australians shouldn't get to see who is paying what. And given the intense debate swirling about whether the company tax rate should be reduced from 30 per cent to 25 per cent, it would be interesting to know exactly how much they are paying. Qantas has returned to profitability, but only after several years of substantial losses. Credit:Glenn Hunt Hint: it's much less than 30 per cent. Legislation was eventually passed to increase corporate tax transparency, and we now have access to three years of data on individual company tax paid. Australia's four big banks are our largest corporate taxpayers. Credit:Brendon Thorne This year's spreadsheet was released, somewhat suspiciously, last week on the same historic day that same-sex marriage passed Parliament. Perhaps you missed it? No matter, I can get you up to speed. The 2015-16 tax year was a particularly tough one for energy and resource companies. Credit:Bloomberg This year's spreadsheet details the taxes paid in 2015-16 by 2043 of Australia's biggest companies, comprising 1693 Australian public and foreign-owned companies that generated an income of $100 million or more, plus another 350 Australian-owned and resident private companies with an income of $200 million or more. Together, these companies chipped in $38.2 billion to government coffers through company income tax about 60 per cent of the $62.9 billion of total company income tax paid that year. They did so off the back of $172 billion in taxable income, giving an average corporate income tax rate of 17 per cent. I warned you it was much lower than you might think. Australia's big banks emerge as our four biggest corporate taxpayers, with the Commonwealth Bank topping the list at $3.3 billion (a tax rate of 29 per cent), followed by Westpac at $3 billion (28 per cent), NAB $2.4 billion (21 per cent) and ANZ $2 billion (24 per cent). Rounding out the top 10 corporate taxpayers' list were Telstra $1.7 billion (29 per cent), BHP Billiton $1.3 billion (25 per cent), Rio Tinto $1 billion (23 per cent), Wesfarmers $931 million (29 per cent), AMP $681 million (11 per cent) and Woolworths $497 million (27 per cent). Together these 10 companies paid more than a quarter of all company tax collected that year. And BHP chipped in another $488 million in petroleum resource rent tax. So far, so good. Turns out, a total of 762 companies just over a third paid within 1 decimal point of the statutory rate. And this includes a number of large multinational corporations, including Aldi, Ikea, Citigroup, Audi, BMW and Volkswagen. But a further third 732 in total paid absolutely no corporate income tax. Nada. Zip. Zilch. They include: Bluescope, Alcoa, CSL, Elders, Healthscope, IBM, Lendlease, Mirvac, Origin Energy, Qantas, Pratt Consolidated Holdings, Pfizer, Shell, Seven, Transurban, Energy Australia, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Glencore, Santos, Stocklands, Sydney Airport and Toll Holdings. Now, as explained, there are many reasons why these companies might be able to legitimately pay no tax. The most simple of which as surprising as it might seem being that Australia's biggest companies are not beyond turning a loss. According to a Tax Office analysis, around 20 to 30 per cent of ASX500 firms report a net loss to their shareholders in any given year. "Importantly, this shows that even extremely large companies will sometimes make a loss in a particular year." The nation's biggest airline carrier, Qantas, for example has recently returned to profitability, but only after several years of substantial losses. The 2015-16 tax year was a particularly tough one for energy and resource companies, which faced falling prices, and were the main reason for disappointing company tax collections that year. Appearing before a parliamentary inquiry into corporate tax transparency in 2015, Treasury's then head of revenue, Rob Heferen, observed that it was a deliberate choice of governments to allow companies to reduce their tax paid through various concessions: "So an observation that a company has an effective tax rate of less than 30 per cent is merely that an observation of fact. It gives no insight as to whether the tax paid is appropriate or not." Australia will maintain a military presence in Iraq well into 2018 as local security forces continue their fight against Islamic State insurgents who have escaped capture. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over the extremist group at the weekend, three years after IS first stormed the country and seized a third of its territory. Air strikes target Islamic State positions on the edge of the Old City in Mosul, Iraq. Credit:Felipe Dana The declaration came after Iraqi forces recaptured the last areas still under IS control along the border with Syria. But while the territorial battle is over, coalition security forces now expect the group's remnants to engage in a new phase of deadly guerilla warfare. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull congratulated the people of Iraq and their security forces for their "courage and determination". Labor won't consider a High Court ruling on Katy Gallagher's eligibility as a precedent for MPs under a cloud over dual citizenship claims, despite Malcolm Turnbull's view that other opposition MPs should resign if the ACT senator is disqualified. The High Court said on Friday evening Senator Gallagher's case would go before the Court of Disputed Returns for the first time on January 19, asking for evidence and submissions in the case, and that of Labor lower house MP David Feeney, to be received before December 21. Shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus said on Sunday that even if Senator Gallagher was found to be ineligible to sit in Parliament, the opposition could seek further rulings to determine the cases of lower house MPs Susan Lamb, Justine Keay and Josh Wilson. The Labor members were all dual British citizens on the day they nominated for the 2016 federal election, but believe they are not ineligible because they had taken all reasonable steps to renounce overseas citizenship. Former Treasurer Peter Costello has warned the Turnbull government not to do anything in the upcoming financial statement or budget that would endanger a return to surplus. Mr Turnbull has spoken of tax cuts in May budget, funded by what is likely to be an improved budget position in the mid year budget update to be released next week. Former Treasurer Peter Costello. Credit:Vince Caligiuri In a foreward to a Centre for Independent Studies report on budget policy to be released on Monday Mr Costello says since he signed off as Treasurer in John Howard's Coalition government in 2007 Australia has had ten years of budget deficits. Before that it had had ten years of surpluses. All of the debt that he paid off as Treasurer "has been borrowed again". Catholic and independent private schools are set to get more than 100 per cent of their needs from governments under the new "Gonski 2.0" plan, official documents released under Freedom of Information show. Obtained by the Australian Education Union and processed by the convenor of the Save Our Schools campaign, Trevor Cobbold, the Education Department documents spell out the amount of government funding expected for each school sector in each state in 2018. "Our reforms are a line in the sand for the cost-shifting and blame game": Simon Birmingham. Credit:AAP In NSW, 110 private schools are expected to receive more than 100 per cent of the so-called schools resourcing standard from governments, up from 65 schools in 2017. By 2027, when the Gonski arrangements are fully implemented, 212 private schools will receive more than their total needs from governments. In Victoria, 38 private schools will receive more than the resourcing standard from governments, up from 33 in 2017. When Gonski 2.0 is fully implemented, 74 will receive more than all their needs from governments. Penelope Chen felt the pit of her stomach sink when she received her ATAR result. Ms Chen attended Baulkham Hills High School, one of Sydney's leading selective schools, which consistently ranks in the top 10 in the state in HSC results. Penelope Chen has graduated from a diploma of design and architecture from UTS Insearch. Credit:Janie Barrett When she achieved her ATAR of 68 in 2016, Ms Chen panicked about her options for tertiary education, having missed out on a direct entry place to university by one mark. "When I first saw my result, I was really disheartened because I wasn't expecting it," Ms Chen told the Herald, ahead of the release of this year's HSC results this week. School zones in Kogarah, Ryde and Chester Hill are some of the most dangerous in the state, with more than 5000 traffic infringements issued in each in the 12 months to June. The worst, which is along the Princes Highway in Kogarah near Kogarah Public and Kogarah High schools, James Cook Boys High School, Moorefield Girls High School, St George Girls High School, St George Hospital School and St George School, recorded 6418 infringements in 2016-17. Thousands of traffic infringements are handed out every year in the worst school zones in NSW. Credit:Louie Douvis This was closely followed by Ryde along Victoria Road, near Holy Cross College and St Charles Catholic Primary School, which recorded 5726 infringements in the last financial year, the latest figures from Revenue NSW show. Other dangerous zones include Woodville Road in Chester Hill near Old Guildford Public School, which recorded 5061 infringements, and the Pacific Highway in Lindfield near Lindfield Primary School, which recorded 4480 offences. A teenager from Sydney's south-west has been charged over the alleged supply of a police-issued firearm which still remains missing. The 17-year-old male was arrested at a home on Thursday morning after a two month long investigation into the theft of the police-issued equipment including a firearm in October. A teenager has been charged over the alleged supply of a police-issued firearm. Credit:NSW Police Police alleged the teen had bought the firearm knowing it had been stolen. He was taken to Cabramatta Police Station and charged with a variety of firearm offences relating to the purchase of possession of the stolen firearm.Formally refused bail, he will appear in court at a later date. Waste, possibly containing asbestos, has been dumped illegally in a suburban street in Sydney's west overnight, creating a large response from emergency services and council. Police were called about 1am on Monday after the waste was found on Patricia Street in Chester Hill. Fire crews were also called, and arrived to find a mixed 10-tonne load of rubbish. Two hazmat crews made the area safe, taping off a large portion of the street. Ten different theme-based posters of the campaign have gone viral on different social media platforms. The posters talk about "fear" in Gujarat, effects of demonetisation and GST, education of the girl child, the meteoric rise in the business assets of BJP chief Amit Shah's son, Jay Shah, and the bullet train. The posters, of course, don't feature the blue-haired "Amul Girl" -- but a boy resembling her. By Indo-Asian News Service: The witty little Amul girl, known for her almost-daily one-liners, has morphed into a pro-Congress figure as part of a social media campaign for the Gujarat election, asking people to use their "Amulya" (invaluable) vote to oust the BJP from a state it has ruled for over two decades. With the common tagline "Kyunki aapka vote bohut AMULya hai" (Because your vote is invaluable) and "Parivartan hai lana, saathi haath badhaana" (Join hands to bring change), the poster campaign by a loose group of artists, mostly from Kerala, is a take-off on the iconic daCunha Communications advertisements for the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation that created the popular Amul dairy products brand. advertisement Ten different theme-based posters of the campaign have gone viral on different social media platforms. The posters talk about "fear" in Gujarat, effects of demonetisation and GST, education of the girl child, the meteoric rise in the business assets of BJP chief Amit Shah's son, Jay Shah, and the bullet train. The posters, of course, don't feature the blue-haired "Amul Girl" -- but a boy resembling her. Those behind the pro-Congress campaign say they are not official Congress workers or the party's supporters, and have taken a cue from Rahul Gandhi's speeches in which he had said his Gujarat battle is "cooperatives" versus the corporate world. "Rahul Gandhi has been saying in his speeches that they will follow the Amul model of cooperation and cooperatives where everybody is allowed a say in participation," one of the artists told IANS. They refused to be named because they "don't want to come into the political limelight". Asked about the inspiration, the artist said the Amul theme has been popular across India for decades and talks about day-to-day issues affecting the common citizen. "This is innocent and disarming while being critical, also without being abusive... that's why we chose this style," the artist said. Does the boy in the campaign depict Rahul Gandhi? "No," the artist said. "Amul has a little girl and we made this boy -- a common man. We didn't want the same character due to copyright issues," said another artist, quickly adding: "Naturally, the thing is Rahul takes a potshot (against BJP leaders) almost on every issue, every day." The artists said the campaign has so far covered a range of topics central to Gujarat elections, focusing on economic issues like "the harassment first caused by demonetisation and then GST". There is one on schoolchildren. "Lots of kids have dropped out of schools or colleges because their parents' incomes have halved after the GST, because of loss of business.""There is a whole chain in the textile industry that has been affected. They have lost money and their children got affected," said a visualiser from the group. So what do the posters on GST and demonetisation say? advertisement One of them shows a group of men and women chasing a bearded "dacoit" holding a rifle. The dacoit depicts the villain, Gabbar Singh from the cult Bollywood movie "Sholay". And the boy comes with a punchline in the corner: "Bohut tax khaya, ab panja kha!" The "panja", or palm, is the Congress symbol. There is a theme featuring fear in Gujarat. People are afraid there. Lots of people don't want to say anything because they are afraid. We addressed the fear issue. "Remove the fear, rest -- propaganda, hunger, corruption -- will disappear." Another poster shows a bearded man holding a weighing scale tilted towards the end holding businessmen. One of them is drinking milk from a baby feeder. The scale is tilted towards the businessmen because "Jay Shah -- Jyada cheese kha gaya". Then, there is the bullet train. The artists said people in Surat had been demanding a Metro and never got it, but Gujarat is getting a bullet train which won't be of much use to anyone. "Bullet train meri jaan, hey jumlon ka nishan" (Bullet train is a symbol of rhetoric), reads the poster showing a bullet train with a bearded man on its front. advertisement Aadhaar has not figured individually in the campaign, otherwise linked with almost everything that the Congress has been targeting the BJP with in the elections. But there is a reference to it. "BJP ke teen bandar -- GST, Notebandi, Aadhaar Number." Asked if the artists received any appreciation from the Congress, they said whosoever saw it has liked the campaign. "It has not become a part of the official Congress campaign. I am sure the Congress leaders are going to appreciate it." Talking about the Congress's way of reaching out to its targeted voters, they said the BJP has obviously been more creative. "But the Congress has also been changing its reach-out with new and more creative communication. Perhaps a Rahul Gandhi effect," one of them said. (Written by Sarwar Kashani) --- ENDS --- A retrial has been ordered after a Gold Coast security guard, jailed for breaking a mans jaw, won his bid to appeal his conviction. Dennis Hecta Tipene Faulkner claimed there was a miscarriage of justice during his trial earlier this year with the way the learned judge dealt with a jury question. Security guard Dennis Hecta Tipene Faulkner was jailed for 2 years. Credit:Louie Douvis The former Australian Army soldier was sentenced in Beenleigh District Court to two-and-a-half years imprisonment for causing grievous bodily harm to Dominic Beinke outside a Surfers Paradise hotel in 2014. On Friday, Mr Faulkners conviction was set aside and a new trial ordered after Justice Philip Morrison found his case of self-defence was not properly left to the jury. Deputy Premier Jackie Trad has been appointed to Treasurer in a Cabinet reshuffle ahead of a Labor caucus meeting on Monday. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced her economic team on Sunday, adding she would take over the Trade portfolio. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and her economic team - Jackie Trad, Cameron Dick and Kate Jones - outside 1 William Street. Credit:Glenn Hunt Ms Trad will also take on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships portfolio. Cameron Dick will be shifted from Health to State Development and Kate Jones will move from Education and take on the Innovation portfolio and focus on Tourism Industry Development, the Commonwealth Games and will also be responsible for International Education. A teenager has died after hitting a power pole in Brisbane's east and a police officer injured after being dragged along the road by a stolen car. The latest incidents added to the horror already experienced on south-east Queensland roads over the weekend, after two women were killed in a crash on the Warrego Highway on Saturday. Two women were killed and another was fighting for life after a horror smash on the Warrego Highway. Credit:RACQ LifeFlight Rescue In the most recent crash, a 17-year-old man was killed after hitting a power pole on Kamarin Street in Manly West about 3.20am on Sunday. The young driver was the only person in the car and the Forensic Crash Unit was investigating. A woman who went missing on December 8 has been found safe and well, police said. EARLIER Police are concerned for a woman who was last seen on Friday east of Brisbane getting into a white van driven by a man she knows. Cherie Coutts, 38, has not been in contact with family since Friday afternoon and was not answering her mobile phone, police said. Lu says there's a benefit to a women's only networking groups. Jane Lu, founder of ShowPo, says women only networking has a different vibe. Credit:Ben Rushton "It's just different to an event with men I go to a lot of those as well," she says. "It's a different vibe, I feel like there's less ego. It's more you can talk more openly." But Lu says women business owners shouldn't limit their networking just to other women. Emma Isaacs, founder of Business Chicks. "I think you have to do both," she says. "Keep your options open." 'Women network differently' Australia's largest women's only networking group is Business Chicks, which now operates in 11 cities across Australia and the United States and has 45,000 members and a "community" of 460,000 women across its various platforms. Justine Teggelove, Beth Richards, Narelle Plapp, Nicole Keleher, Beth Richards, Shelley Flett, Alex Anasson and Jo Attard at a Business Chicks Power Players meeting. Credit:Jo Armao Emma Isaacs founded Business Chicks 11 years ago and while she won't reveal turnover, at $200 each, memberships alone bring in $9 million annually while the majority of the networking group's revenue is made from the 125 events a year it puts on, which range from lunches for up to 500 people at $200 a ticket to exclusive retreats which cost over $3000 to attend. Business Chicks has just launched its Power Players network for women entrepreneurs with businesses which turn over more than $500,000 a year. Beth Richards and Justine Teggelove at a Business Chicks Power Players meeting. Credit:Joe Armao Power Players has 60 members so far who each pay $599 a month for membership. Isaacs acknowledges the similarities between Power Players and the Entrepreneurs Organisation but says it is a different offering. Alex Anasson, Beth Richards and Narelle Plapp at a Business Chicks Power Players meeting in Melbourne. Credit:Joe Armao "There are a million peer-to-peer networks around the world," she says. "I really feel we have taken the best bits out of all those programs and picked the eyes out of it and created Power Players. In our program we pay our facilitators, we pay our trainers, so it is a very different set up." Isaacs is a keen advocate for women-only networks. "I really do believe that women network differently," she says. "I believe we can be more open when we feel a sense of like mindedness. I believe the issues facing women are more different, as much as we like to think they are not. We are the ones in the morning thinking about the childcare even though that is a huge generalisation. Having the appetite for sharing very vulnerably is a very female quality to be very real." Isaacs says women-only events should help rather than hinder women if they also network more broadly. "I certainly network with a lot of men and have a lot of male mentors and male business peers," she says. "I think it would be a very linear approach to have all your needs served by just one ecosystem and community, but I do think women's networks have something special and unique." Power Players member Alexandra Anasson owns Vison Personal Training and was already a fan of women-only networking from her involvement in the broader Business Chicks network. "I knew there would be like minded women with similar values," she says. "I'd been to networking groups before where it had all been about selling to each other and this is not like that at all. I love the concept that it's a group that's about support and having your back." Anasson says while men may hold more positions of power in society, it's not a disadvantage not having men in Power Players. "I've never for a minute felt that," she says. "There is less ego and there is less of the bravado that you are used to in business. We are all pretty happy to lay it out on the line." While Anasson's business turns over more than $1 million a year and employs 13 staff, she says "money doesn't come into it, we hardly ever talk about turnover". Network of networks Now there are so many women's networking groups that entrepreneur Fi Bendall has launched the Female Social Network, a "network of networks" that aggregates online communities of female entrepreneurs around Australia. Since launching in February, the network now includes over 3.5 million business women including 330,000 women entrepreneurs and turnover has hit $1 million. "We take money from companies who want to talk to women," Bendall says. "We are not in the market to charge peanuts because they are highly valuable." Bendall says there is a power in women-only networks. The Greens are prepared to team up with the Coalition to block an extension of Transurban's CityLink contract, in a move that could deliver the kiss of death to the West Gate Tunnel. Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam said the party was against the Andrews government's planned $5.5 billion toll road and would work with the opposition to stop it. But Ms Ratnam also issued a warning to Opposition Leader Matthew Guy who is promising to revive the East West Link if elected next year that the Greens will not help to kill off one major toll road just to see another one built elsewhere in Melbourne. "The Greens will do everything we can to stop these mega-expensive, congestion-causing toll roads," Ms Ratnam said. A record number of babies were born in Victoria last year and public maternity wards in the fast-growing outer suburbs and regional towns are scrambling to deliver them. Cameron Loy, a GP practising in Lara, said there was a "common understanding that public hospital maternity units are under a lot of pressure and have been for a long time". This was largely due to new suburbs being built without hospitals nearby, he said. Dr Loy, chairman of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Victoria, said GPs discuss "all options" for pregnancy and birth with expectant parents. The body of a missing Victorian bushwalker has been found at the Werribee Gorge State Park. Searchers located David Occhipinti's body at the base of the gorge about 7pm on Monday. The 35-year-old had failed to return from his intended 10-kilometre hike around the gorge's circuit track on Sunday. Family members raised the alarm when he failed to return. A young man is fighting for his life after being hit by a Mercedes in Melbourne's east late on Sunday night. The 22-year-old pedestrian from Kew was taken to The Alfred hospital with life-threatening injuries after being hit by the luxury car at about 11.10pm on High Street, Kew. The 22-year-old pedestrian was taken to The Alfred hospital with life-threatening injuries. Credit:Paul Rovere The accident occurred between Stevenson Street and Studley Park Road. He remained in a critical condition on Monday night. Police clinical psychologist Kris Giesen believes that the Nannup cult members are likely dead based on evidence she examined on the group's disappearance. A significant factor for Ms Giesen was that Chantelle and Leela McDougall had not been in contact with Ms McDougall's mother. Pictured are Chantelle McDougall and her daughter Leela (top) and Tony Popic (bottom left) and Simon Kadwell. In the lead up to the disappearance, Ms Giesen also said that Antonio Popic had settled his affairs, which suggested he was no longer here. Ms McDougall and Mr Popic were part of an internet-based cult called Truth Fellowship led by Gary Felton (aka Simon Kadwell), they all lived together on a property in Nannup with Ms McDougall's six year old daughter Leela. By PTI: By Chandra Shekhar Buenos Aires, Dec 10 (PTI) Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu has said that a permanent solution to the public stockholding of food stock is a "must have" at the 11th ministerial conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) which begins here today. The permanent solution, the minister said, should also cover the current as well as future programmes of all developing member countries and LDCs as it concerns the livelihood of millions of poor people. advertisement "A permanent solution to public stockholding for food security is a must have at WTO MC (Ministerial Conference) 11 ... Any permanent solution on public stockholding for food security should cover the current and future programmes of all developing member countries and LDCs," the minister said in a series of tweets after attending a meeting of G33 grouping. The G33 is a grouping of 47 developing countries having common objectives and similar concerns. It has been at the forefront in taking forward issues affecting food security and livelihood of farmers. Strongly reiterating the need for a concerted action on public stock holding issue, Prabhu said it is an important instrumentality used in developing countries across the globe, where agriculture is mostly rain-fed, to ensure two square meals a day to millions of poor people. Prabhu also pitched for special safeguard mechanism (SSM), an instrument which would help the developing countries to deal with import surges and price dips as a result of high subsidies provided by the developed countries to agriculture products. "Special safeguard mechanism is important for developing countries to address import surges and price dips from highly subsidised imports of agriculture products from developed countries," the minister said, adding it deals with the question of livelihood of farmers. "The demand by G-33 countries for an instrument that has been available to a select few for over two decades is reasonable and pragmatic," Prabhu said, stressing that the grouping represents the collective voice of over two-thirds of humanity -- overwhelming majority of poor and subsistence farmers. Under the global trade norms, a WTO member countrys food subsidy bill should not breach the limit of 10 per cent 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. advertisement 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. India?s stand has been that the permanent solution should be an improvement over the Peace Clause. An agreement on SSM is important for India as the applied custom duty on some of the agriculture products is at the bound rate, meaning it can?t be raised further. These include products such as chicken legs, apples, olive oils and rice. The SSM, if agreed, would help in dealing with import surges and price dips. PTI CS MR --- ENDS --- Police are investigating after a man was savagely bashed outside a Thornlie tavern last month. The 20-year-old had just left the Lakers Tavern, at around 11:30pm on November 24, when a group of men not known to the man assaulted him. The man was bashed shortly after leaving Lakers Tavern. Credit:Google Maps The victim was punched and kicked repeatedly until he fell to the ground and the offenders fled. The man suffered serious injuries in the attack and was treated at Armadale Hospital before being transferred to Royal Perth Hospital. He is currently in Fiona Stanley Hospital. Grieving mother Danielle Edwards speaks about the loss of her son days before the second anniversary of his death. "Losing a child to suicide is horrific," Ms Edwards said. "We need emotive messages like this campaign to help overcome the terrible epidemic of youth suicide. "People think it won't happen to them. But it does. It happened to me. "As a community we need to share the responsibility, talk openly and do everything we can to ensure our young people have the help they need." The mother-of-five said Terry's death on December 12, 2015 had been difficult to reconcile because there had been no warning signs. Terry told his family he was going for a walk after breakfast. It was the last time they saw him alive. "That morning it was a normal Saturday morning. We had breakfast together like we always did, sitting around having a chat and a laugh," Ms Edwards said. "There had been no big argument or anything untoward that had happened. He was doing brilliantly at school. There were no signs, there were no symptoms. Terry went out after breakfast and made the decision to take his own life. He didn't have this tumultuous upbringing, he had a good home life, he never wanted for anything. He could not have been any more loved. "Even that morning I remember standing in the hallway and saying to him, 'You're so bloody handsome' and giving him a big kiss and that's the last time I told him I loved him and the last time he spoke to me, because after that, he was gone." Ms Edwards said she had openly discussed the issue of suicide with Terry. "I had discussed with Terry at length about if he had any feelings, he could talk to me or his grandad or stepdad who he was also very close to. But it still didn't matter," she said. "I say to kids out there if you are having these feelings, if you are struggling, please, please seek help. There are people who care and people who can help. If you don't have someone you trust to speak to, organisations like Youth Focus can help." Ms Edwards said she had been driven to highlight the massive social issue of youth suicide after her personal experience and through her work as a nurse. "This isn't just personal for me, it's professional too because I see it from both angles. I see the frustration from the parents, I see what we do at work and then I have the grief and the empathy from a mother's perspective," she said. "I wouldn't wish this pain on any parent. The grief that goes along with it, it is forever. "I have great respect for the work of Youth Focus. Youth Focus isn't about finding these signs and symptoms and ticking a box, it's about finding out what's going on with these kids, why are they getting to this point? And that, to me, is really important. "If a patient comes in with a broken leg, I can plaster that leg and the patient is on their way. With mental health, it is nowhere near that easy. It takes months of effort and time and the support of the community and family networks." Youth Focus chief executive Fiona Kalaf said suicide was the most preventable cause of death in young people and the figures were too high. "Unacceptably, suicide is the leading cause of death for children aged between five and 17 and young adults aged from 18 to 25," she said. Ms Kalaf urged the WA community get behind the Youth Focus summer appeal, citing that the organisation had provided care to more than 20,000 young people through free, unlimited counselling services and outreach programs in schools since 2000. "Through our supporters, sponsors and partnerships, Youth Focus supports around 3000 young people every year," she said. "It is largely due to the generosity of individuals and companies that we are able to provide young people with critical counselling services as well as suicide prevention education in schools. Western Australians can look forward to a wider selection of locally-grown produce this Christmas with the first harvest from the state's first commercial walnut orchard. Omega Walnuts, which is based in WA's South West region, started putting the first batch of freshly harvested walnuts through its production facility today. Processing of WA's first walnut harvest has started. Credit:Omega Walnuts Premier Mark McGowan, who opened the new Manjimup production facility, said the local family-run business was an excellent example of the "fresh WA produce" on offer in the state. "Growing, harvesting and processing walnuts creates jobs through orchard management, equipment maintenance, packing and shipping," he said. Jerusalem: A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli security guard at Jerusalem's main bus station on Sunday, while violence flared near the US Embassy in Beirut over President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Four days of street protests in the Palestinian territories over Trump's announcement on Wednesday largely died down, but his overturning of long-standing US policy on Jerusalem a city holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians drew more Arab warnings of potential damage to prospects for Middle East peace. A protester prepares to throw back a tear gas canister that was fired towards them by Lebanese riot police during demonstrations in front of the US embassy in Aukar, east of Beirut, Lebanon. Credit:AP But in Jerusalem, a security guard was in critical condition after a 24-year-old Palestinian man from the occupied West Bank stabbed him after approaching a metal detector at an entrance to the city's central bus station, police said. The alleged assailant was taken into custody after a passer-by tackled him. A Los Angeles television station has un-hoodied the man who warmed the heart of the Internet when he ventured into the middle of a California wildfire to rescue a frantic rabbit. For many, it was a bright spot amid the devastation caused by the Thomas Fire, which has scorched more than 140,000 acres, burned hundreds of buildings and been the source of endless orange-tinted tableaus of devastation. Oscar Gonzales was driving through one of them earlier this week. He was on his way home from work Tuesday when he and a buddy saw a rabbit frantically running along the side of California Highway 1. "I love animals, myself, and I just felt bad," Gonzales told Los Angeles NBC affiliate KNBC. A 10-year-old girl named Nada refused to let the doctors near her. She was very much afraid of them. They were the ones who had stolen her left foot. On April 4, she had been loitering in the courtyard of her home in west Mosul's Zanjili quarter, which had been completely dismantled during the offensive. Their house was struck by a rocket. The shrapnel hit Nada in her left foot and her jaw. Her father Adel took a hit to his leg. A pair of her relatives were killed in the assault. The neighbours took them to the only functioning hospital - controlled by IS. At first, both of the two doctors on hand ignored Nada and her father. Their priorities were focused on the wounded IS fighters. According to numerous witnesses, the doctors only helped those civilians who had openly supported the caliphate. Adel was left bleeding for 10 hours. After that they simply cut off his right leg. Nada was left to her excruciating pain for two days. The "doctors" could have saved her foot, but it simply wasn't a priority. After a while, her wounds caught an infection and started overflowing with pus. At the end of the two days, a doctor finally came along and amputated the leg under the knee. Nada and her father Adel undergo physiotherapy at the Muharabeen centre in east Mosul. Credit:Peter Biro/ECHO/EU "I want to go to school," Nada told us at the Muharabeen primary care centre and Handicap International's rehabilitation centre in the eastern part of Mosul. The physical therapist was working to exercise the stump of the little girl's left foot - the one that was later fitted with a prosthetic device. From the way she surrendered herself completely to the therapist's care, it was clear Nada had been released from much of her fear of doctors. Her bright and curious eyes seemed filled with a renewed confidence. She had regained the ability to walk. She had been promised she would soon depart for Jordan, where Medecins Sans Frontieres agreed to operate on her damaged jaw. One day, she might be able to eat normally again. Nada at the EU-funded Muharabeen centre in east Mosul. Her father Adel is treated nearby. Credit:Peter Biro/ECHO/EU In mid-March, a 12-year-old boy named Dawood was taking a flock of sheep to graze. After stepping on a mine, his right hand and left foot were blown away. Some relatives heard the detonation and ran over to where he lay mangled on the ground. He was bleeding profusely and had lost consciousness. On the day we met, Dawood could officially walk again. "I wanted to be a soldier," he nodded proudly. "But since I have lost an arm and a leg, the army won't take me. Now I want to be an engineer." Dawood carefully raised himself up to his feet and made a few steps. His eyes flashed with defiance. At the Muharabeen centre, doctors mostly take care of the amputees. Seventy per cent of the 310 people in their care had lost a limb or two in the raids. In total, some 18,000 people were wounded. There was a tremendous amount of amputations. In many cases, it had been done as a form of sanction - as punishment for disloyalty. Dr Hassan Ibrahim, director of West Mosul General Hospital. Credit:Peter Biro/ECHO/EU 5.8 million Iraqis were driven from their homes from 2014 onward. More than 3 million remain displaced, 600,000 of them from Mosul. These people literally have no place to go back to, or they are rightly fearful of returning to the prospect of a new wave of sectarian vengeance. During my travels across the refugee camps in northern Iraq I met numerous people who were actively prevented from returning by the security forces and the Shiite militias. Resurrecting a hospital IS had been deliberately dismantling the medical infrastructure in the city. "What you see is not rebuilding. It's a reanimation. We've seen almost total destruction of the premises. IS took out all our equipment. The demand for our services is staggering," we were told by Dr Hassan Ibrahim, director of the West Mosul General Hospital the only functioning hospital in the ransacked urban desert. As soon as the Iraqi forces took control of the district on May 15, the remaining hospital staff took to "resurrecting" the facilities. The hospital's managing director still serves as an active surgeon. In the past, he had been arrested four times by IS. He had been put on trial twice. The first time because his trousers were too long, the second because they were deemed too short after he had dutifully shortened them. The main hospital in west Mosul is doing what it can to help some life go on amid the rubble. The hospital's underground facilities may be in need of complete renovation. But that hasn't stopped the staff from using it as an improvised maternity ward. New life brings hope: Susanne, a young Iraqi mother with her newborn baby at West Mosul General Hospital. Credit:Peter Biro/ECHO/EU During our visit the modest premises were a site of lively activity. That morning, Suria Shaab Ahmad, 42, had given birth to the little girl she was now clutching to her breast. It was her fifth child. "Five is enough," Suria said, laughing, just two hours after the delivery. She had been escorted to the hospital by her 62-year-old mother. Like hundreds of other men from Mosul's Sunni community, Suria's husband had simply disappeared. New York: United Nations officials have found that missiles fired at Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Houthi rebels appear to have a "common origin," but they are still investigating U.S. and Saudi claims that Iran supplied them, according to a confidential report. The officials travelled to Saudi Arabia to examine the debris of missiles fired on July 22 and November 4, wrote UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the fourth biannual report on the implementation of UN sanctions and restrictions on Iran. Houthi Shiite fighters guard a street leading to the residence of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Sanaa, Yemen. Credit:AP They found "that the missiles had similar structural and manufacturing features which suggest a common origin," said Guterres in the Friday report to the UN Security Council, seen by Reuters on Saturday. The report comes amid calls by the United States for Iran to be held accountable for violating UN Security Council resolutions on Yemen and Iran by supplying weapons to the Houthis. HARBOR VIEW:--- Mr. ir. Damien Richardson was elected Chairman of the Social Economic Council (SER) by his fellow board members during their board meeting of Thursday, December 7th, 2017. ir.Damien Richardson takes over the position from former Chairwoman Oldine Bryson-Pantophlet, who bid farewell to the SER on April 30th, 2017. On May 1st, 2017, the three-year tenure of the former SER council came to an end. A new nine-member council was installed by national decree on October 23rd, 2017. Damien Richardson serves an independent expert (kroon lid) on the council. Born on the island of Sint Maarten, Damien Richardson is no stranger to our community. Damien graduated with honors and a principle mark of ten (10) for his Master of Science in Architecture in 2002 at the Technical Universiteit (TU) in Delft, Netherlands. He returned to the island in January 2007 and worked as the Department Head of VROMI from 2007 and 2008 managing both the Building Permits and the Policy Development Department. Damien is currently the Managing Director of Richardson Plus, and teaches courses on Caribbean Metropolitan Architecture (CMA) at the University of St. Martin (USM). On the same day, Mrs. Eveline Henriquez-Dijkhoffz was elected as Vice-Chairwoman of the SER by her fellow board members. Mrs. Henriquez-Dijkhoffz takes over from former Vice-Chairman Mr. Dwight Williams who resigned from the council in October. Returning for a third term, the businesswoman serves as a member representing the employers from the Sint Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA). Mrs. Henriquez-Dijkhoffz is an active member in our community. Besides her role on the board of the SER, Mrs. Henriquez-Dijkhoffz is a proud mom of two, together with her husband they own their own business. The terms of the Chair and Vice-Chair will come to a conclusion on April 30, 2020 at which time the tree year tenure of the entire SER council comes to an end. SER Press Release Vijay Diwas is celebrated in India and in Bangladesh simultaneously and every year. By Manjeet Negi: On the occasion of Vijay Diwas, which will be celebrated from 14 to 19 December 2017, 27 Indian War Veterans of 1971 Indo-Pak War will visit Bangladesh. On the similar lines, 30 Mukti Jodhas from Bangladesh will attend the functions at Kolkata from 14-18 Dec. Forthcoming Vijay Diwas celebrations at Kolkata was held at Fort William today. Addressing the media persons at the event, Maj Gen R Nagaraj HQ Eastern Command, brought out the importance of celebrating Vijay Diwas and briefed in detail about the events planned by Eastern Command to mark the occasion. advertisement The arrival of the Bangladeshi delegation to Kolkata on December 13, 2017 marks the commencement of the celebrations. A host of events have been scheduled for the celebrations at Kolkata that include a military band concert at Princep Ghat, a horse show and helicopter fight display at RCTC. Besides there would be events at which the Mukti Jodhas or the freedom fighters of Bangladesh and Indian war veterans would narrate their stories and experiences of the bygone era. These events would be spread over a period of three days starting December 14. On December 16, wreaths would be laid at the Vijay Smarak or the Victory Memorial by members of both countries. The Vijay Smarak was built not only to commemorate the victory of the Indian forces but also to serve as a mark of respect in memory of those who paid the ultimate price for that victory. During all important events at Eastern Command, wreaths are laid at the Vijay Smarak. Each year at Eastern Command, Kolkata, Vijay Diwas is celebrated to commemorate the victory of the Indian Armed Forces over Pakistan during the 1971 War that eventually led to the liberation of Bangladesh on December 16. Vijay Diwas is celebrated in India and in Bangladesh simultaneously and every year, reciprocal visits by delegations from both countries, consisting of military personnel, political leadership and war veterans, are conducted. --- ENDS --- Auserd (Refugee Camps), December 10, 2017 (SPS) - Participants in the 9th Congress of the Youth Union (UJSARIO) called for a speedy resolution of the decades-old Sahrawi issue and to put an end to the suffering of the Sahrawi people. The participants called on Morocco to respect the founding declaration of the African Union, stressing that SADR is one of the founding members of the Union. The participants condemned Morocco's failure to comply with international legitimacy, which recognizes the Sahrawi peoples right to exercise their right to self-determination and independence, while reaffirming their absolute and principled solidarity with their struggle and spreading the word about their just cause. They also condemned the Moroccan regime's disregard for the human rights in occupied Western Sahara and the illegal exploitation of the territorys natural resources. The works of the Congress continues for the third day and the electoral process is launched this evening for applications for the posts of Secretary-General and Executive Office of the Organization. (SPS) 062/SPS/TRA Eleven months before Connecticut voters get choose their next governor, Republicans have kicked off a monthly road show with the goal of bringing candidate debates to each of the states five congressional districts before the GOP convention in May. Judging by the two-hour slugfest at Windsor High School last week, candidates are working on their red-meat lines for the base they will have to mobilize to grab the 15 percent support from delegates they will need for a primary, if not the outright party nomination. There was plenty to chew on for GOP paleos at the debate. Tim Herbst, Trumbulls former first selectman and possibly the most aggressive of the seven hopefuls at the event, strode back and forth across the elevated stage, promising he would work to bring back the death penalty. He also vowed to reject state pension eligibility if elected, and said he would require his agency heads to do the same. Revising union contracts Im the only person on this stage who is committed to not accepting donations from Hartford lobbyists, because if were going to change the culture, we have to lead by example, Herbst, the partys 2014 candidate for state treasurer, said to the crowd of about 500. If were going to change the culture in Hartford, we have to lead by example, and if were going to lead by example and change the culture, we have to win, and we have to nominate candidates that have been battle-tested and battle-ready. Softer-spoken Mike Handler, a former hedge-fund executive from New Canaan whos now Stamfords chief financial officer, said revising state union contracts and converting current defined-benefit pension plans to lesser-value 401(k)-style programs would be one of his major goals. Albanian-born Peter Lumaj, an immigration attorney from Fairfield, declared that even the regulation of so-called bump stocks that allow semi-automatic rifles to become machine guns like the weapons a lone gunman used to kill 58 in the recent Las Vegas country-music massacre infringe on the Second Amendment rights to own guns. Lumaj said he has recruited 50,000 people, many of whom are immigrants, to join the GOP over the last several years. More Information Republicans running or exploring for governor Sen. Toni Boucher, of Wilton Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton Mike Handler, of New Canaan Tim Herbst, former Trumbull first selectman Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti Peter Lumaj, of Fairfield Steve Obsitnik, of Westport Rep. Prasad Srinivasan, of Glastonbury Bob Stefanowski, of Madison David Stemerman, of Greenwich Peter Thalheim, of Greenwich Joe Visconti, of West Hartford David Walker, of Bridgeport See More Collapse That is the strategy for us to win in 2018, he said. David Walker, of Bridgeport, the former comptroller general of the United States under both Republican and Democratic presidents, said that he and his wife, Mary, eight-year residents of Connecticut, plan to retire here. We have decided to fight rather than flee, Walker, who was John McKinneys running mate in the 2014 GOP gubernatorial primary, told the debate audience. Im the only candidate on this stage who, frankly ... has made government smaller, more economical, more efficient, more effective, and improved the financial condition of the entity I was responsible for when I was the leader, Walker said. Message has to resonate For state Rep. Prasad Srinivasan, of Glastonbury, a physician who came to the U.S. from his native India in 1970, the debate was essentially a home game. He reminded the crowd that theres more to Connecticut than the affluent southwest. The important thing you have got to remember is Connecticut is not only a 203 state, he said. It has an area code 860 is an area code where I come from and that is critical in this election moving forward. I am not your stereotype Republican. Look at all of us here. You need a message; you need a messenger. The message has to resonate not with just Republicans. It did not get us far in the last two election cycles. We all know whats at stake, said Handler, a former employee of S.A.C. Capital, the controversial hedge fund. If we dont make serious, substantive change, things are not going to be the way Connecticut deserves to be. We wont get there with token givebacks, Handler said. We need to make substantive changes and make (them) now. Were looking at real property devaluation if we are not careful. We do not have a revenue problem; we have a spending problem. Steve Obsitnik, of Westport, a hi-tech executive who was crushed by U.S. Rep. Jim Himes in the 4th Congressional District race, charged that career politicians have been the main problem in the State Capitol over the last 30 years. So hows it working? he asked. Falling wages, falling home prices, the exodus of 100 people, roughly, who move out of Connecticut each day to find other opportunities somewhere else? My path will be different. We are a deep-blue state, said state Sen. Toni Boucher, of Wilton, who is exploratory mode for higher office, but highlighted her ability to get support from Democrats in her district, which also includes Redding and Ridgefield, as well as parts of Bethel, New Canaan, Weston and Westport. We better have someone thats exploring, or a candidate that resonates with the other side of the aisle. Big, bold moves Danbury Mayor Boughton, who ran for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 2014 and now also has an exploratory committee for higher office, missed the debate because he was holding a fundraising event. While not named, he was targeted by some debate participants for his call over the summer for a phase-out of the personal income tax. Connecticuts number one problem is the death spiral, with business leaving, people leaving, retirees leaving, which makes the state expensive to manage, Boughton said in a Friday interview. The budget is out of control, in terms of spending. Weve got to put our residents back to work and restructure state government. Its going to take big bold moves and courageous choices by the next governor to do those things. Gary L. Rose, who is the chairman of the Department of Government, Politics and Global Studies at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, said that even though Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has a low approval rating, the 2018 gubernatorial victory is not assured for Republicans. First and foremost, there has to be an appealing and dynamic candidate with a compelling message for economic revitalization, Rose said Friday. Its messaging. All these people potentially running have name-recognition problems, or people who know of them have trouble connecting them with a message. A candidate has to articulate a vision for Connecticut. We are a state that is really hurting, fiscally and in job growth. Rose discounted the importance of the debates, particularly this far out. The winner has to hold the base and reach into large block of independents, who make up 41 percent of the electorate, Rose said, stressing that social media and TV ads will have a bigger role in the 2018 campaign. I think that the voters in this state would be very receptive to a Republican if, in fact, a person has a message of fiscal responsibility and job growth, he said, predicting that Republicans will run against Malloy next year, although the governor announced seven months ago that he would not seek a third term. Theyll try to put Dannel Malloy at the top of the ticket and Democrats will put Trump at top of the ticket, Rose said, sensing a chance for a GOP victory. I think all of that can be overcome with a good candidate with a message thats really inspiring. But thats not happening now. Two words that were never uttered during the two-hour Windsor High School event: Donald Trump. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT For the last few Christmas seasons, I have driven my mother-in-law around Stamford and Greenwich to check out lights with The Kid. It doubles as a gift of peace for my wife, who stays home. I prefaced last years ride by forbidding her from repeating her favorite joke. You can see that house from space, she likes to say. She has a point though. You cant see space because some of these houses make their neighborhoods so bright they might as well be in Reykjavik, Iceland, home of the 21-plus-hour day. I love Christmas lights, but I always have trouble contextualizing how much energy and money is burned during December. Still, there is this 12-foot evergreen in front of my house I wished to light up. The problem is there are no outlets within three extension cords of said tree. My brother suggested solar lights. Neither of us ever heard of solar Christmas lights; he just reasoned they must exist. Turns out there are five miles of sun-powered lights wrapped around a certain Norway Spruce at 45 Rockefeller Plaza. Given that the late John D. Rockefeller made his coin from oil and played landlord to General Electric, it seemed symbolic that his doorstep offered what should be the best possible advertising for using the sun to harness your inner Clark Griswold. Ive become numb to the aisles of lights that fill big box and little box stores as soon as they discard Halloween like an empty Kit-Kat wrapper. Surely, I had merely been blind to a vast offering of solar lights. First stop, Costco. Nothing. But Costco is a mercurial sibling in the big box family. They may have sold out in June. I was blinded by the lights in Target, but none were solar. I even tried Walmart, which was apparently too busy removing Rope. Tree. Journalist. Some assembly required T-shirts from their web shelves to put solar lights in their stores. I peeked in a few dozen of the 82 million CVS locations in Connecticut. Nope. Meanwhile, my tree looked like it wanted to split a box of Zoloft with Charlie Browns forlorn shrub. Serendipitously, we had an editorial board meeting in Norwalk with members of the Sierra Club of Connecticut, Citizens Campaign for the Environment and Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound. Their objective was to outline possible improvements to the Comprehensive Energy Strategy, along with a plea for Eversource and Avangrid to be investigated for the way they set rates. One of the CES suggestions is the adoption of a statewide shared solar program. No light bulbs went off over my head until they mentioned a need for more energy efficient state buildings. Just as they were rising to leave, I tossed out my question like Columbo departing a crime scene. This may be a stupid question ... I inquired about whether I was missing something regarding the absence of solar lights in stores. Claire Coleman, climate and energy attorney for Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound, recalled Costco selling them. Others in the room mentioned seeing solar pathway lights. But clearly even these energy experts were not in the habit of pitching the benefits of solar Christmas illuminations. I asked if they had theories on why they werent in stores. The industry is unfriendly to change, even though change is essential if they want to stay successful, replied Martha Klein, chairwoman of the Connecticut Sierra Club. They have to spent a little money to sell something new. I chased the answer I sought more plainly: So would it be smart for the public to use solar Christmas lights? Oh, God yes, Klein said. And yet I see no movement? The cynical point is that if your electric utility company is telling you it doesnt make any sense at all for us to save on demand by converting to solar, if they are explicitly saying we need more fossil fuels, how can we expect them to send a message saying we should conserve on energy? Klein reasoned. Klein mentioned the efforts of the 1970s. The decade of Earth shoes and mood rings was all about saving the planet. So, of course you would do something with those kinds of lights, she said. But I dont hear that message anywhere, and we certainly dont hear it from our utilities. They headed off to find EV chargers for their electric cars. I headed to the place most of the rest of America does its shopping these days. For $19.99 I got 200 lights that Amazon delivered to my doorstep two days later. No issues with grounded extension cords to trip over, and the sun serves as timer as well as power source. A neighbor predicted they wouldnt be bright enough. Theyre bright enough for me. No one is looking at my tree from space. John Breunig is editorial page editor of The Advocate and Greenwich Time. Jbreunig@scni.com; 203-964-2281; twitter.com/johnbreunig. A digital billboard was roaming around Pensacola, Florida, as President Donald Trump held a rally there to urge residents in nearby Alabama to vote embattled Republican candidate Roy Moore to the Senate. The billboard, displayed on the side of a moving truck Friday, reminded Florida residents of what Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter and a White House adviser, had previously said about Moore amid accusations of sexual misconduct involving teenage girls. "There's a special place in hell for people who prey on children. I've yet to see a valid explanation and I have no reason to doubt the victims' accounts," Ivanka Trump told the Associated Press last month. The billboard appears to be the work of the liberal group American Bridge, which featured the comments on the moving billboard in big, bold letters next to Ivanka Trump's image. The group seemed to double down on the trolling by blasting the comments over a loud speaker outside the rally. Ivanka Trump's words contradicted her father's unwavering support of Moore. The president defended Moore last month, saying the former Alabama chief justice "totally denies" the allegations against him and telling reporters at the White House that "you have to listen to him, also." At his rally Friday, just four days before the Alabama special election, Trump's endorsement of Moore was even more unequivocal. "We want people that are going to protect your gun rights, great trade deals instead of the horrible deals. And we want jobs, jobs, jobs. So get out and vote for Roy Moore. Do it. Do it. Do it," he told supporters. Trump also singled out one of Moore's accusers, Beverly Young Nelson, who had admitted earlier Friday that she added notes - a location, a date and the initials "D.A." - to what she said was Moore's inscription to her in her yearbook. Nelson said she stands by her claim that Moore sexually assaulted her when she was a 16-year-old waitress in Gadsden, Ala. "So did you see what happened today?" Trump asked supporters. "You know the yearbook? Did you see that? There was a little mistake made. She started writing things in the yearbook. Oh, what are we going to do?" Trump also mentioned Nelson's attorney, Gloria Allred: "Anytime you see her, you know something's going wrong." The Washington Post first reported on the decades-old allegations against Moore in early November. Five women have told The Post that Moore pursued them when they were teenagers and he was an assistant district attorney in his 30s. Nelson, who came forward with her attorney, was not among those women. Moore, who has denied engaging in sexual misconduct, had told Fox News' Sean Hannity that he may have dated teenage girls when he was in his 30s, though he said he could not recall. Ivanka Trump's condemnation of Moore isn't the only time the first daughter broke with her father on divisive issues. While her father shied away from immediately condemning white supremacists and neo-Nazis after deadly violence erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia, last summer, Ivanka Trump didn't. "There should be no place in society for racism, white supremacy and neo-Nazis. We must all come together as Americans - and be one country UNITED," she tweeted. The first daughter's stance on Syrian refugees also contradicts her father's policy. She told NBC News in April that "a global humanitarian crisis is happening," and opening the country's borders to Syrian refugees "has to be part of the discussion." The latest version of the president's travel ban bars people from Syria, Libya, Iran, Yemen, Chad, Somalia, North Korea and Venezuela from entering the country. Although she has departed from her father on some issues, Ivanka Trump has been accused of being complicit in her father's policy agenda. After her comments on Moore, The Post's Jennifer Rubin pointed out that many others, her father included, have been accused of sexual misconduct. - - - The Washington Post's Michael Scherer and Amber Phillips contributed to this report. To the editor, Incompetence, thy name is Duff. How else to explain the recent comments and actions by Connecticut State Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk (Our Capital Bureau column, Nov. 20, Continuing woes)? Despite years of Democratic Party rule, in the Blue state of Connecticut, revenue, which is essentially taxes, is decreasing. No need to worry Democrats proclaim, as they are on the job. That is so much comfort to those of us who live in Connecticut, who have seen Democrats turn one of the best states in the nation into one of the worst states in the nation. Were a prisoner held hostage by whats happening in Washington right now, especially since were so tied into Wall Street says Duff. Funny, thats how people in Connecticut feel about the politicians, such as Duff, in Connecticut. We are being held hostage by them. Three years of disappointing revenue collections and $5 billion deficit supposedly addressed by a four months late budget, which already projects a $178 million shortfall in the first year of the biennium, along with an exodus of people and companies from Connecticut and Duff thinks that $100 million in anticipated federal funding will solve the problem. Duff, the problem is you, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, U.S. Sen, Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, U.S. Sen.. Chris Murphy, and the rest of the Democratic Party politicians holding Connecticut hostage to their incompetence. When Connecticut Republicans proposed a budget to address the seriousness of the shortfalls plaguing Connecticut, you, along with your fellow Democrats, rejected it. Did you offer up any suggestions or alternative budgets? No, you were too busy mocking the proposed Republican budget. Now the seriousness of the shortfalls is even more apparent and worse than before. Yet here Duff is saying I think we have to let the budget play itself out over the next few months and see what happens. Youre wrong Duff. There is a solution. Vote out every Democratic Politician in Connecticut and, to borrow a phrase, Make CT Great Again! Mark Plotzky Stamford By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) South Asian countries will be greatly benefited by a single interconnected power market that will also give India a chance to replace its fossil fuel-based generation with cleaner hydropower from countries like Bhutan and Nepal, according to Asian Development Bank. The unanticipated shortages in one countrys power grid can be readily solved by imports from a neighbouring grid, said a blog written by Priyantha Wijayatunga, ADB Director (Energy Division) for South Asia Regional Department. advertisement A single interconnected power market is a clear win for the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) countries as the power systems of all countries would be integrated through adequate cross border transmission capacity to share power with each other, he said. "Under this arrangement, smaller countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka would rely on market to provide reserve generation capacity, lowering their own investment costs, while fossil fuel-based generation in Bangladesh and India would be replaced with cleaner hydropower from Bhutan and Nepal." Besides, given the different times of peak power demands of neighbouring national grids, one grid doesnt need to generate all its power to meet peak demand, it can instead buy from another grid for partial requirements, and vice versa, Wijayatunga wrote. This "resulting diversity" reduces overall investment needs in national energy generation plans, he said. It is beneficial to have a grid-to-grid connection for direct transfer of power from one national grid to another instead of exporting power from a generation plant to a grid, the blog said. Like in case of India-Bangladesh power trade agreement, the latter now imports up to 500 megawatts from India under a 2013 project supported by a USD 112 million ADB loan, he said. This grid-to-grid connection has significantly improved power supply and cost as well as power interruptions in Bangladesh, where shortages are rampant. "The two countries are now looking to double capacity of their power trading arrangement financed through another ADB loan of USD 120 million," he said in the blog. Wijayatunga further said the current bilateral power trade agreement among SASEC countries need to gradually expand in volume as well as beyond two-country agreements. "Some initiatives in this regard can already be seen, like the agreement to export power from a specific generator in Nepal to Bangladesh through transmission grid in India, and preliminary discussions for Bangladesh to invest in a hydropower plant in Bhutan," he said. "We hope they will further expand in the near future. More bilateral and multilateral power trading can pave the way to developing a single interconnected power market in the SASEC region that will benefit all countries," the blog said. PTI KPM MKJ --- ENDS --- advertisement By Ajit Kumar Dubey: Desperate to create disturbances in India, Pakistani spy agency ISI is trying to revive terrorism in Punjab by recruiting radicalised youth from Canada and Europe while allegedly training them for sabotage activities in countries like Canada, Dubai and Thailand. Investigations by intelligence agencies have revealed that the ISI is using the annual pilgrimage to Nankana Saheb (birthplace of Guru Nana Dev) to scout the radicalised Sikh youth and facilitate meetings with Sikh terrorists in Pakistan. "During the annual festival in Nankana Sahab in Pakistan, people from all over the world visit there and the ISI uses this occasion to facilitate meetings between Pak-based militants and their sympathisers who come from all over the world in guise of pilgrims," sources in the security agencies said. advertisement The revelations have been made as part of the investigations done by the Punjab Police and intelligence agencies in the murders of important Hindu leaders and one Christian pastor in the state, including RSS leaders, in the last two years as an attempt to create differences between Hindus and Sikhs in the state. Some of the important leaders killed in Punjab by terrorists include Brig RS Gagneja, the state vicepresident of the RSS, Amit Sharma, leader of Hindu Takht and Sultan Masih, a Christian pastor involved in missionary activities in Punjab. "These days, the ISI has evolved a new strategy of training fresh recruits in third country that is Dubai, Canada, Thailand, Malaysia, etc instead of Pakistan to hide Pakistani foot prints," the sources said about ISI's plans. The ISI operatives have roped in ex-militants and their associates across the globe for financial assistance, spotting, training of recruits for terrorist activities in Punjab, they said. Sources said a large number of terrorists, who were used by the Pakistani spy agency to spread terrorism in Punjab, have been given shelter in Pakistan itself and they have now become very active in trying to reignite the demand of Khalistan. Sources said the ISI has kept these terrorists including the likes of Wadhawa Singh Babbar of Babbar Khalsa International, Ranjeet Singh Neeta and Paramjit Singh Panjwar of the Khalsitan Commando Force and Gajinder Singh of Dal Khalsa in Lahore. The security agencies have identified that to destabilise the Punjab government with active connivance of masterminds residing in Pakistan (Harmeet Singh PhD) and the United Kingdom (Gursharanbir Singh) ISI hired the key conspirators Harmeet Singh PhD and Gursharanbir Singh to execute the plan. Sources said the money for carrying out these killings in Punjab was arranged through Hawala transactions. Security agencies say the radicals residing in the UK are also using their clout in their adopted countries to protect these apprehended terrorists. The UK has emerged as a hub for the Sikh radical elements to carry out anti-India activities. The agencies say that various radical websites from UK like neverforget84.com, saintsoldiers. com, 1984tribute.com, etc and various web-based radio and TV channels are being run from UK with aim to propagate Khalistani ideology. --- ENDS --- advertisement First State Bank is quickly wrapping up its Gift of Love campaign with the Tree of Names pack up on Dec. 8 and Truck of Love on Dec. 10. The Gift of Love program is comprised of five parts: the food drive, Tree of Names, Truck of Love, Coats for Kids and Jingle Jog. Becca Tompkins, the marketing director at First State Bank gave an overview of the program. We have partnered with the Valley Christian Neighbors in Need program, which is associated with the St. Agnes Church and the Knights of Columbus, also, Tompkins said. On Friday, Dec. 8, First State Bank employees spent the afternoon loading the gifts from the Tree of Names into a trailer to take to the Knights of Columbus organization. There are gifts for 309 children here, Tompkins said. She then gave an explanation of the Tree of Names. So the Valley Christian Neighbors in Need pick 100 families from the Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska Holiday wish list process that they do in November, Tompkins said. The children from those 100 families are the names that go on our tree. The Christmas trees are set up in the First State Bank lobby. So we just ask people to come in, take the names and buy for the individual child and then bring the toys back, she said. The events on Saturday, Dec. 9 were Truck of Love and collection of more canned food and new kids coats. We strongly believe a coat is not a want, it is a need. December is too long for these kids to wait if they need a coat, Tompkins said. Weve partnered with the Shriners Club and we both have put in $1,000 and we go buy coats. Together, the Shriners Club and First State Bank donated enough for about 100 coats. We also ask for new coat donations from throughout the community, she said. So people can bring in the new coats and we give them to CAPWN. Community members dropped off donations Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. We ask for gently used toys and coats as well as canned food and cash donations. The toys go to the Knights of Columbus. The food will go to the Valley Christian Neighbors in Need and cash donations we utilize in different ways. Sometimes we have kids left on the tree that need to be bought for, but at the end of the day when the program is all over we split it between the entities and the program to cover the cost. Tompkins said the Knights of Columbus uses the toys to even out the kids gifts. It doesnt matter what socioeconomic background you come from, kids count gifts, she said. It is Christmas so they want to make sure these kids have the best Christmas ever. Tompkins talked about the purpose of the Gift of Love program. Its just to give back to our community. There is definitely a need in the community, she said. Its amazing to see the community support. Its great for us to be able to be that clearing house to make sure these kids and these families have a brighter Christmas. LYMAN - The AmeriCorps Common Ground Program and the Lyman Public Library would like to invite the community to attend their Pipeline and Oil Spill Community Discussion. Attendees will learn the pros and cons of the Keystone XL Pipeline, oil spill remediation techniques, and new technology involved in oil spills. There will be an activity afterwards to reinforce learning. Interested community members are encouraged to attend this free learning event. SCOTTSBLUFF Monument Prevention Coalition will be conducting a TiPS Training at the Harms Building on the WNCC campus. The training is specifically designed for people who sell or serve alcohol. TiPS (Training for Intervention ProcedureS) has a special focus that takes into account the setting and demands of selling and serving alcohol and your job as a paid or volunteer server. The training will be held on Monday, Dec. 11, from 6-9 p.m. at Western Nebraska Community College, Harms Building Room C- 139, 1601 E. 27th Street in Scottsbluff. There is no cost to attend this training. After completion of this training and successful completion of the test, you will be certified for three years. For more information, contact Mona Leach, Training Academy coordinator, at 308-633-3818 or mona.leach@panhandlepartnership.com to register for this training. The two persons of interest in the disappearance and death of Sydney Loofe have been charged in federal court on a charge apparently unrelated to the Loofe case. Aubrey Trail, 51, and Bailey Boswell, 23, have each been charged with transporting stolen items across state lines, according to documents filed Thursday. The charge alleges that the pair carried stolen merchandise valued at more than $5,000 from Hiawatha, Kansas, to Beatrice, Nebraska on Oct. 20. The maximum punishment is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. When contacted by the World-Herald on Friday, a representative of Mikes Antiques in Hiawatha declined to comment other than to say they were cooperating with the FBI. Boswell appeared in federal court in Lincoln on Thursday morning, and Trail appeared Friday afternoon. She is being represented by a public defender. Asked if he would like an attorney appointed, Trail said at his hearing Friday that he would like to represent himself. U.S. Magistrate Judge Cheryl Zwart tried to dissuade him, pointing out that proceedings in federal court are complex and there are reasons that people would choose to have counsel represent them. He was undeterred and said he would be his own attorney. Loofes body was found Monday in a farming area about 60 miles to the west in Clay County. The discovery brought a tragic end to a search that included bizarre videos posted on social media last week by Trail and Boswell professing their innocence. Loofe, a native of Neligh, Nebraska, was reported missing on Nov. 16 after she failed to report for work at a Menards store in north Lincoln, where she was living. Family members said that before she disappeared, she had gone on a date with a woman named Audrey she met through an online dating service. That led authorities to Wilber, southwest of Lincoln, where they searched a basement apartment where Trail and Boswell had lived, as well as areas in and around the farming town. As police sought them, Boswell and Trail posted a series of online videos talking about Loofe. They said they didnt kill Loofe, though Trail said hes done plenty of other things. Im a crook, Im a thief, have been all my life, he said in one video. But Im not what youre trying to make me out to be. On Friday, Zwart ruled that both were flight risks and should remain in federal custody, citing the recent search for them. Boswell had said she was going to leave the country, Zwarts order says, and Trail had arranged for the purchase of a gun despite his felony record. Boswell and Trail have preliminary hearings scheduled for next week. Staff writers Dan Golden and Paul Hammel contributed to this report. An Iredell County man had 25 to 30 years added to a 15-year child-pornography sentence he already was serving after pleading guilty child sex-abuse charges Monday. James Brown Jr. pleaded guilty in District Court in Statesville to charges that he repeatedly sexually abused a minor between May 2009 and January 2011. Brown was sentenced in August 2015 to 15 years in federal prison for producing and possessing child pornography, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office. He was convicted in May 2014 of eight counts of production and one count of procession of child pornography. Brown has been in federal custody since November 2013. According to court documents, Brown also filmed and photographed his abuse of the minor in the latest case, which was investigated by the FBI and the Iredell County Sheriffs Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cortney Randall of the U.S. Attorneys Office in Charlotte prosecuted both cases, according to a release. The cases were part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing trend of child sexual exploitation and abuse, according to a release. Brown had previously been charged with first- and second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, speeding and driving with a revoked license. By PTI: By Aditi Khanna London, Dec 10 (PTI) The ISIS may have lost significant ground but it has not been yet defeated, British Prime Minister Theresa May has said, as she warned Iraq that the terror group still poses a threat including from across the border. Iraqs Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi yesterday declared that the countrys war against ISIS was officially over, claiming that the terror group no longer occupied significant territory in the war-torn country. advertisement May congratulated Abadi and all Iraqis on the "historic moment", saying this signals a new chapter towards a more peaceful, prosperous country but warned that a lot more needed to be done. "We must be clear however, that whilst Daesh (ISIS) is failing, they are not yet defeated. They still pose a threat to Iraq, including from over the Syrian border," she said in a statement yesterday. "This is why, during my visit, I announced that the UK will invest 30 million pounds in stabilisation support, 20 million pounds in humanitarian assistance and 10 million pounds to support counter-terrorist capacity building in Iraq," May said. May said she was proud that the UK, as a leading member of the Global Coalition, has stood "shoulder-to-shoulder" with Iraq to help them open the new chapter. "I saw the effects of this first hand when I visited last week," she said. The UK has supported Iraqi security forces, including the armed forces and the Peshmerga, in the fight against ISIS and UK aircraft have launched over 1,350 air strikes in Iraq and trained over 60,000 members of the Iraqi security forces, she said. "The 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," May said. Iraqs announcement came two days after the Russian military said it had defeated ISIS in Syria. PTI AK CPS --- ENDS --- The St. Louis region appears to be preparing for the wave of elderly baby boomers with a boom in construction of assisted living and senior care facilities. Just last week, retirement communities announced expansions worth some $230 million, and in the last 18 months, at least six assisted living communities have completed or are building assisted living and skilled nursing campuses with hundreds of units. The country as a whole is just beginning to deal with its aging population, but St. Louis has an especially high number of older residents. At 15 percent, it had the eighth-highest concentration of residents 65 years and older, according to 2014 census figures. By 2045, a quarter of the regions population will be in their golden years. Developers and senior living operators are getting ready, building more rooms and freshening up others at a fast pace as they compete for the areas older residents. What you see going up on every street corner is for-profit assisted living, said Terry Walsh, president and CEO of FV Services Inc., a nonprofit that operates Friendship Village Sunset Hills and Friendship Village Chesterfield. But his organization, too, has big expansion plans. On Wednesday, it announced a $200 million project adding hundreds of units along the continuum of care including independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing to both campuses. In Chesterfield, 52 apartments and a new assisted living building will have 39 apartments in addition to a memory care unit. A new 90-bed skilled nursing facility, chapel and clubhouse lobby are also planned. In Sunset Hills, a new apartment building with 76 units will be added to the 52-acre campus, in addition to a 144-bed Village Care Center and other expanded facilities. Weve got so many people lined up waiting to move in we thought now was a good time to use our strength financially and in the marketplace to make more room for more people, Walsh said. Weve already pre-sold 70 to 75 percent of the units we havent started building yet. The Gatesworth, a high-end senior living facility in University City, announced last week that it had completed the first phase of its McKnight Place assisted living and skilled nursing remodeling project. The $32 million project adds 90 new assisted living apartments to the campus in a new 100,000-square-foot building. Work will start soon to remodel its McKnight Place Assisted Living building into 18 assisted living and 27 skilled nursing units. Given the demand we were seeing from our own residents and other residents of the surrounding neighborhoods, we knew we didnt have enough space in the existing building to simply adapt within it, and saw an opportunity to expand our assisted living offering to have greater capacity to meet the needs of the broader community, Bob Leonard, director of operations for the Gatesworth Communities, said in a statement. New companies have moved aggressively into the market recently. The Stonecrest brand has opened about 160 units of assisted living and skilled nursing facilities in the last year, and its currently building another 81-unit campus in Wildwood. In the last year, it opened Stonecrest at Clayton View in Richmond Heights and Stonecrest of Town and Country on Woods Mill Road. Those facilities are developed by NorthPoint Development of Kansas City and operated by Integral Senior Living of California. Another company, Chicago-based Senior Lifestyle, has built three new assisted living and skilled nursing facilities in the last two years. The Sheridan at Laumeier Park in Sunset Hills has 81 apartments, the Sheridan at Creve Coeur on Lindbergh Boulevard added 53 apartments, and the Sheridan Chesterfield at Justus Post Road is just finishing up construction. It will add 91 apartments just across from Chesterfield Mall. Dennis DeSantis, a broker with commercial real estate firm Colliers Internationals St. Louis office who worked on some of those real estate transactions, said he gets inquiries all the time for available land for senior living developments. Thats a lot of units theyve put in our market pretty quickly, DeSantis said. Others are trying to expand. Residents have been outspoken on a proposal to expand Aberdeen Heights on Couch Road in Kirkwood with a 50-unit apartment building and about 40 assisted living and skilled nursing units. Owner Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, which would have faced a contentious zoning hearing last week, plans to resubmit its proposal in early 2018. Editor's note: This article was updated to correct the name of Friendship Village Chesterfield. While most college seniors are still hoping to land a good job after graduation, Kelsey Berg is set. After she graduates this spring, she will start a consulting position at Accenture, a business management firm based in New York. It is a coveted position she thinks she got because she did a study-abroad semester in Japan that helped her to stand out from the competition. The University of Minnesota computer sciences student, 21, is among a fast-growing group of students globally that are adding classroom experience in foreign countries to enhance their cultural understanding, increase language fluency and give them a boost in the competition for jobs. Interest among American students in study abroad is growing sharply, according to a study released on Wednesday by financial firm HSBC. This year 43 percent of U.S. parents said they would consider sending their child to a university in another country. The previous year it was just 29 percent. That impulse translates to several hundred thousand students who venture abroad at some point during college, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE). But fewer than 50,000 enroll full-time at a school abroad. Worldwide, about 42 percent of parents consider sending their child to a college outside their home country a substantial increase over last years 35 percent, according to the study of 8,000 parents globally. Choosing programs Rather than struggling through a complex foreign system on their own, most American students choose programs assembled by their own universities. There may or may not be extra costs. Housing is often included, but not always, for two-week to semester-long programs. Price varies greatly based on program and country. According to IIE, a semester could range from almost zero to $25,000 including tuition, housing, food, transportation to and from the country, and other travel. Most study-abroad students spend weekends traveling with peers to nearby countries and cities, adding an untold amount. Bergs semester in Japan added about $7,000 in costs above what she owed the University of Minnesota for a regular semester, she said. Jeff Birnbaum, a New York financial planner, has been surprised by unanticipated costs of his sons program in Japan. Although his son is on a Grinnell College program that covers most costs and provides a scholarship, Birnbaum pays for food and transit costs for the daily half-hour commutes from student housing to the college. That adds about $2,500. Thomas Yorke, a financial adviser from Red Bank, N.J., paid for his daughter to become fluent in Spanish through a study-abroad trip to Spain. One costly snafu occurred when she needed to stay in a hotel for nine days while looking for an apartment. As she tried to withdraw 500 euro for the apartment deposit from an ATM, it ate the card because she exceeded her withdrawal limits. The family wired money with fees. You must be very careful as you plan ahead, said Yorke. Does it pay off? Yorkes younger daughter is now considering studying in Ireland. His advice is that the cost of study abroad is too hefty for her to spend impulsively. We have a lot of talking to do, Yorke said. I do not want her to just know how to order pints in a pub. As college grads in social sciences and humanities still struggle to find jobs in their fields, study abroad may not deliver the edge they want from it. The National Association of Colleges and Employers surveys employers and found study abroad and language fluency last among criteria used to hire new college graduates. The top attribute is internships; preferably with the company doing the hiring. Also near the top of their criteria: problem-solving, teamwork, communication skills and leadership. Study abroad can enhance those skills, but the IIE advises students to emphasize that in interviews and resumes rather than just listing a program. Berg did just that during her job interview with Accenture, when the interviewer asked her to name her favorite city. It was Tokyo, a city the interviewer coincidentally had just left, and consequently they had a lively conversation. MARYLAND HEIGHTS They called with claims of good cause: a fund benefiting injured Arnold police Officer Ryan O'Connor, who was shot in the line of duty Tuesday. But local police departments are warning that the callers identifying themselves as Fundraisers for First Responders have not been approved to collect funds on O'Connor's behalf. The Maryland Heights Police Department said it was alerted to the fake fundraising Saturday morning, according to a social media post by the department. The callers were claiming they were "former first responders helping an injured officer," according to the department. Maryland Heights police clarified that no police department would call to solicit money. If you get a similar call, hang up, police advised. Arnold police said Thursday that OConnors family has approved three ways to send donations: a GoFundMe page, in person at Fortune Bank in Arnold and donations to BackStoppers Inc., made in OConnors name. O'Connor was shot by Chad Klahs, 29, of Arnold, on Tuesday afternoon while OConnor was driving Klahs to police headquarters to be booked on a variety of charges, including a home burglary. Klahs was handcuffed but had a concealed .40-caliber handgun he used to shoot the officer before fatally shooting himself inside the police SUV outside Arnold police headquarters. OConnor has been with the Arnold Police Department for three years out of a law enforcement career spanning 20 years. He is a married father of four boys, ages 4, 6, 11 and 17. Arnold Police said OConnor was still in critical condition Saturday after undergoing multiple surgeries, but was showing signs of neurological improvement. By PTI: Jerusalem, Dec 10 (PTI) An Israeli Army commander has been suspended after being filmed stealing apples from a Palestinian vendors stand in the West Bank town of Hebron. Soldiers from the Givati brigade in Hebron had been deployed in the area near Hebron?s market to deal with any disturbances following President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. advertisement The squad commander spotted a stand whose Palestinian vendor had left due to disturbances in the area, Haaretz reported. In a video circulating on the internet, the commander, who apparently did not notice Palestinians filming him, is seen taking three apples from the stand and passing them out to the soldiers who were with him, the paper said. A spokesman of the Israel Defense Force called the incident "conduct inconsistent with what is expected of an IDF soldier and commander." The commander has been suspended from his position and will face disciplinary action, the paper quoted the spokesman as saying. Over the weekend, at least 140 Palestinians were injured in clashes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. PTI ZH ZH --- ENDS --- 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. Jury deliberations began Sunday afternoon in the trial of Quinton Tellis, who is accused in the burning death of a Mississippi teenager. Tellis, 29, did not take the stand in his own defense. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison. He's charged with capital murder because the teen's death occurred during the commission of another crime, third-degree arson, but prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty. Firefighters responded to a report of a car fire in December 2014 and found Jessica Chambers, 19, on a rural road not far from her home in Courtland, a town of about 500 people in northwest Mississippi. Her car was burning and she had been set on fire with gasoline, according to investigators with the US Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives. She had suffered third-degree burns over 95% of her body. Eight first responders -- firefighters, deputies and EMTs -- testified they were at the scene when Chambers said, "Eric set me on fire." She didn't give a last name. Chambers died the next day in a Memphis hospital. The defense keyed on the fact that Chambers didn't name Tellis. "She said Eric," Alton Peterson, one of Tellis' lawyers, said in closing arguments. "E.R.I.C. Eric." But District Attorney John Champion argued the fire injured Chambers so badly she could not pronounce her words clearly and may have been trying to say "Tellis," the Clarion-Ledger newspaper reported. The local police, the FBI, and an intelligence expert worked the case for months and looked at all the people named Eric and Derek in the area, authorities said. The prosecution said it used cellphone technology, texting records, surveillance cameras and interviews to identify Tellis as the suspect. He'd grown up in Courtland and was arrested in February 2016 while he was an inmate in a Louisiana prison. He was serving a sentence for using the debit card of a woman who had been killed, authorities said. Authorities have said Tellis is the prime suspect in that slaying. A friend said Tellis and Chambers had known each other about two weeks. At the time of her death, he deleted all communications with Chambers from his phone and stopped checking on her, prosecutors said. The trial started Monday, October 9. The jury of six whites and six blacks was brought in from another county to hear the case in Panola County, where the slaying occurred. CNN's Eliott C. McLaughlin, Steve Almasy and Melonyce McAfee contributed to this report. Israel's defence minister called for a boycott of Arab businesses in an area where residents took part in violent protests against President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Palestinian women hold a poster of US President Donald Trump during a protest against his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in Jerusalem. (Photo: AP) By AP: Israel's defence minister called Sunday for a boycott of Arab businesses in an area where residents took part in violent protests against President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Avigdor Lieberman, who heads the nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party, said the Arabs of Wadi Ara in northern Israel were "not part of us" and that Jewish Israelis should no longer visit their villages and buy their products. advertisement Hundreds of Israeli Arabs protested Saturday along a major highway in northern Israel, where dozens of masked rioters hurled stones at buses and police vehicles. Three Israelis were wounded and several vehicles were damaged. "These people do not belong to the state of Israel. They have no connection to this country," Lieberman told Israel's Army Radio. "Moreover, I would call on all citizens of Israel - stop going to their stores, stop buying, and stop getting services, simply a boycott on Wadi Ara. They need to feel that they are not welcome here." Lieberman has long called for Wadi Ara to be included in his proposed swap of lands and populations as part of a future peace agreement with the Palestinians. The residents, like many of Israel's Arab minority, sympathize with the Palestinians of the West Bank and often openly identify with them. But they are also Israeli citizens who largely reject the notion of becoming part of a future Palestinian state. Ayman Odeh, the head of the Arab Joint list in parliament, said Lieberman's call for a boycott of Arabs was reminiscent of the worst regimes in history. Gilad Erdan, the minister of public security from the ruling Likud Party, said that Lieberman's diplomatic plan was not applicable and he rejected the notion of giving up the country's sovereignty just because it had Arab citizens. The violent protests were part of the larger Palestinian "day of rage" following Trump's announcement that he recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and planned to move the U.S. Embassy there. Protests and demonstrations took place in dozens of locations across the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, lands captured by Israel during the 1967 war that the Palestinians want to be part of their future state. Four Palestinians were killed in Gaza in Israeli airstrikes following rocket fire from there and in clashes along the border. Overall, however, the three days of protests passed relatively peacefully amid fears that they could spark another violent Palestinian uprising. The status of Jerusalem lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Trump's move was widely perceived as siding with Israel. Even small crises over Jerusalem and the status of the holy sites in its Old City have sparked deadly bloodshed in the past. advertisement Trump's announcement triggered denunciations from around the world, even from close allies, that suggested he had needlessly stirred more conflict in an already volatile region. In Israel, the move was embraced as a long overdue acknowledgement of Israel's seat of parliament and government and the historic capital of the Jewish people dating back 3,000 years. Upon departing for a diplomatic visit to Paris and Brussels, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was prepared to respond to critics. "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," he 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. --- ENDS --- By PTI: By Harinder Mishra Jerusalem, Dec 10 (PTI) Israels hardline Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman today called on Israelis to boycott Arab businesses in a northern district that saw rioting in protest against US President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state. The residents of the Wadi Ara region (in the north of Israel) should be boycotted as they "do not belong to the state of Israel," Lieberman told Army Radio. advertisement "They should understand that they are not wanted here, they are not part of us" and according to the defence minister they "have no connection to this country". "What is happening in Wadi Ara is intolerable," he said adding, "So I am calling for a boycott of Wadi Ara. Dont go there and dont buy there. They need to understand that it is impossible to demonstrate with Hezbollah flags, Palestinian flags and pictures of (Hezbollah leader Hassan) Nasrallah. To accept billions from the National Insurance (Institute) and to also destroy us from within". During the unrest, rock-throwers targeted a passenger bus, smashing the windows and lightly injuring the driver. An Israeli journalist also claimed to have escaped a "lynching" after rioters threw rocks at him and at police, then destroyed his motorcycle. Police arrested two residents of Arara, one a minor and the other an adult, on suspicions of throwing rocks at cars. When asked by the interviewer whether he was making generalisations about all the Arab residents of the area, Lieberman stressed, "It seems you dont live in Israel. I saw thousands at that funeral of the terrorists in Umm al-Fahm. It was thousands, and I heard those sermons in the mosques, in all of them, sermons of incitement by those so-called spiritual leaders". In another interview to Israel Radio, he emphasised again that "formally, the residents of Wadi Ara are Israeli citizens, but they are not a part of Israel and must be part of the Palestinian Authority". He later repeated his call for a boycott of businesses in Wadi Ara. The Head of the Arab Joint List in the Knesset (Israeli parliament), Ayman Odeh, reacted angrily saying the minister is "a representative of the dark fascist regime of (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahus extreme right-wing government". "The call to boycott citizens just because of their national and religious origin reminds one of the darkest regimes in human history. The thought that such a person is responsible for the security of the country should worry every rational citizen," Odeh added. PTI HM KUN --- ENDS --- advertisement A Rotorua Land Use Directory to help provide farmers with options for improved lake water quality has been launched. The directory is a collaboration between Te Arawa Primary Sector and a collective of Maori owned land trusts that own and administer over 30,000 hectares of land utilised within the primary sector (agriculture, horticulture, forestry and geothermal). The land use directory was written by Bill Young and Tatiana Kiwi-Knight and has been funded through the $3.3 million Low Nitrogen Land Use Fund, provided by Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Ministry for the Environment. Extensive research was undertaken to put the guide together but the idea was to bring together market information and production information to give land users some insight into whether a particular land use may be for them, says Bill. Bay of Plenty Regional Council chairman Doug Leeder says the guide will be invaluable for landowners as they look at low nitrogen leaching land use options. We all want the same thing a clean lake and we all have a part to play in order to achieve that. For landowners that will mean making changes to the land to protect and improve lake water quality and we are committed to supporting them to enable that, says Doug. The Low Nitrogen Land Use Fund was established to fund research that assists landowners with reducing the amount of nitrogen entering Lake Rotorua to sustainably meet water quality targets set by the community. TAPS should be proud of what they have produced today, both a high quality publication and a user-friendly website which will hopefully inspire a number of new projects as we look to open the fund for expressions of interest in 2018 The Rotorua Land Use Directory Tahuri Whenua is available as a website online at www.landusenz.org.nz or as a free hardcopy book from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Rotorua office, Rotorua Library or at info@landusenz.org.nz. It explores the viability of land uses for the Rotorua catchment including Manuka, feijoa, ginseng and more. The second round of funding for the Low Nitrogen Land Use Fund will open in 2018. For more information on the fund and other projects visit www.rotorualakes.co.nz/low-nitrogen-land-use-fund Artists around the country are beginning to take note of the magic happening within the Whakatane arts community. Local organisers of the 2018 Molly Morpeth Canaday Award 3D are delighted to report a record number of entries in this years competition. Following the closure of entries last week, 233 works have been submitted and processed for judging preselection, which is more than double the number of entries for last years awards. Molly Morpeth Canaday Award Coordinator Heather Hourigan says its encouraging to see that artists have responding strongly to the new scheduling of the 3D award in February. Entries have come from all over the country, with particularly large numbers coming from Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin. There is an excellent contingent of local artists in the mix too, with over 50 Bay of Plenty artists entering the award, she says. Entries are now being processed by Molly Morpeth Canaday Award organisers and will soon be passed on to preselection judges Deborah Crowe, Scott Eady and Jasmine Te Hira. The sole guest judge, Deborah Crowe, will select the final eight award winners in February, ahead of the 17 February exhibition opening and awards ceremony at Te Koputu a te whanga a Toi Whakatane Library and Exhibition Centre. Whakatane District Council Museum and Arts Director Eric Holowacz says his team is working hard, in partnership with Arts Whakatane, to innovate and grow the 3D award arts programme. With new creative development workshops planned at the local level, our largest number of applications from around the country, and increased award prizes, the 2018 3D event and exhibition should be the most interesting ever." The 2018 Molly Morpeth Canady Award 3D is presented by Arts Whakatane and Whakatane Museum and Arts. The programme is made possible by the generous support of the Molly Morpeth Canaday Trust, established by Frank Canaday in memory of his wife Molly Morpeth Canaday. The trust has been a major supporter of the arts in Whakatane for over 25 years. We invite the community to join us on Saturday, February 17, to experience contemporary creativity and a diverse range of sculpture, objects, and three-dimensional art from across Aotearoa, says Eric. And thanks to over 200 participating artists and all of our generous supporters, we can look forward to experiencing something truly magical in our galleries." Tauranga City Council and The Incubator Creative Hub have brought a community and arts focus to Christmas in the city centre this year, with 12 wooden trees decorated with painted discs made by local schools, tertiary organisations, artists and community groups. The pohutakawa-inspired trees, incorporating a stylistic kowhaiwhai pattern, were designed by local artist Ashlei Luckman-Taupaki and are on display in Red Square and on The Strand until mid-January. The Incubator director Simone Anderson says the Twelve Trees of Christmas was an opportunity for the community to contribute to a temporary public art project during the festive season a time where community connectedness and whanau is encouraged and celebrated. Tauranga Mayor Greg Brownless says it is a unique way to bring some festive cheer to the city centre. We see it as a project for the community, by the community, says Greg. Its an opportunity for more than 700 people in the community to see their artistic talent on show. Some of the community groups involved in decorating the trees include: Toi Ohomai students and staff, Te Wananga o Aotearoa, Maungatapu Primary School, Tauranga Multicultural Society, Tahatai Coast Primary School, Te Tuinga Whanau Trust, Te Aranui Youth Trust, Graham Dingle Foundations Project K, Tauranga Pryde Rainbow Youth, Bethlehem Primary Te Ao Huri Huri , YMCA, Pillans Point Primary, Tauranga Society of Artists, Omokoroa Art Group, Welcome Bay Primary, The Te Puke Art Society and the Tauranga Hospital Childrens Ward. A speaker from Sky Cabs International Ltd is to update the councils Transport Committee on the advantages and cost benefits of a high speed two-way mono beam system that the designers say will reduce congestion and pollution while improving commuting speeds. The designers say their system is a cheaper and more efficient people mover than light rail, by using a high frequency 24/7 service. The Sky Cabs website says the NZ system is cheaper than light rail, requires less land and can be built in a shorter time. It is also claimed to cost less than a bus rapid transit system, which the city council is looking at for Cameron Road. The SkyCabs concept was originated by Auckland architect Hugh Chapman, who developed aspects of the design. A patent application was made because the concept was unique and feasible, and international Patents and Copyright have been applied for. Patents are granted in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, USA, other countries. The initial feasibility of the concept and design has been verified by professional consultants and industrial companies. The Public forum is held at the start of the Transport Committee meeting which begins at 1pm. It was in 1981 when Pedro Gomez, originally from Salamanca and his Danish wife, Dorit, visited Aldea Alta for the first time. In those days it was just one of many farmhouses that had been abandoned in the Velez-Malaga countryside. The opportunity to buy the estate, which comprised almost 80 hectares of land and a number of ruined buildings, arose. Pedro and Dorit were living in Copenhagen at the time and the original plan was to convert their new purchase into a holiday home. After meeting one of the few western Lamas, Ole Nydahl, in Denmark in 1984, the couple started to convert to Buddhism. A few months later they invited Ole Nydahl to visit the Axarquia with them. It was during that visit the idea of creating a Buddhist centre there was born and three years of intense work followed to convert the old farm buildings. The couple received their first visitors in 1987 and the centre was given the name Karma Guen. Gomez says that he cant say exactly how many people have visited Karma Guen over the last three decades. Thousands, on average more than 5,000 per year , he estimates. He isnt able to say how much money they have invested in the complex either, which has become one of the most important in the western world within the secular branch of Buddhism called the diamond walk - from the Karma Kagyu tradition. It hasnt been easy, but we do know that we are an international reference of Tibetan culture,Pedro confirms. His Holiness the seventeenth Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje, the head of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism, is a frequent visitor and he was there just last month to commemorate the first three decades of the Velez-Malaga centre. The construction of the Karma Guen centre has taken place in different phases and still today, Gomez, who is 68, has a number of projects in mind for the complex, which is managed through a foundation. In the early years, visiting Buddhists would sleep in converted farm buildings and little by little new constructions have been added. One of the most symbolic and without a doubt, spectacular, is the Kalachakra Stupa (Buddhist building), which was opened in 1994 and built under the guidance of the great Lama, Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche. It was the first of its type in the West and started to attract more and more Buddhists. There are also two small caves where people shut themselves in for days to meditate and have spiritual experiences, says Pedro. Later, in 2003, the Benalmadena Stupa opened, which follows the same branch of Buddhism as Karma Guen. Since 2004, the centre has also had a large Gompa, or temple, built where different courses are given throughout the year. The building is an offering to the current Karmapa Thaye Dorje; considered to be a reincarnation of the sixteenth Karmapa, who died in 1981. The construction of this building alone meant an investment of 800,000 euros. At the end of August a translation centre, painting school, Tibetan museum and library, boasting a collection over 5,000 original texts, opened. The mayor of Velez-Malaga, Antonio Moreno Ferrer, attended the opening, along with Thaye Dorje and Gomez. In the last few weeks, more than 3,500 people from 62 countries have camped on the land belonging to the Buddhist centre in order to participate in the 30th anniversary events. By PTI: (Eds: Updating with info on fresh incident) Jammu, DecA10 (PTI) A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) was injured when Pakistani forces violated the ceasefire last evening by firing at the Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, an Army official said today. In a fresh incident, the Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire again at around 8 pm today by targeting the forward posts and villages in the Nowshera sector of the same district, prompting a retaliation by the Indian Army, a police spokesman said. advertisement However, he added that there was no report of any casualty in the cross-border firing, which was still continuing. The Pakistani troops fired at the forward posts along the LoC in the Bhawani belt of Nowshera sector in Rajouri last evening, an Army officer said. One JCO -- a subedar -- was injured in the firing, he added. The JCO was hospitalised and was reported to be stable, the officer said. Earlier, on the night of December 7, an Army jawan was injured when the Pakistan Army launched an unprovoked and indiscriminate firing from small arms, automatics and mortars along the LoC in Poonch sectors Digwar area. The Indian Army had retaliated strongly and effectively, officials said. On December 8 also, the Pakistan Army had resorted to firing and shelling in the Kalal, Laam and Jangarh sub-sectors of Nowshera sector in Rajouri district. According to the data compiled by the Union home ministry, Pakistani forces had violated the ceasefire 724 times this year (till October) along the international border and the LoC, the highest in the last seven years. In 2016, they had violated the ceasefire 449 times. Twelve civilians and 17 security personnel were killed, while 79 civilians and 67 security personnel were injured in the firing from across the border this year (till October). PTI AB TAS ADS RC --- ENDS --- Delegate Will Morefields plan to help this areas economy with tax incentives is gaining support. Morefield plans to introduce legislation in the 2018 session of the state legislature that will give tax breaks to companies that locate in the southwest or southside regions of the state. The Tazewell County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution supporting that plan Dec. 5. Morefields bill will give state tax incentives to companies locating in economically distressed areas and creating at least 50 jobs. The plan is to give the companies and their employees breaks on their taxes in an effort to stimulate investment in economically distressed areas. Southern District Supervisor Mike Hymes, who serves on the transition team of incoming Governor Ralph Northam said he believes the bill has a chance to pass. Hymes said some of the coastal area that is experiencing economic problems may also be included in the bill. The plan would offer incentives to private individuals, partnerships and corporations that locate their enterprises in economically distressed counties or cities. The plan as currently developed would offer the incentives to the counties of Bland, Buchanan, Dickenson, Grayson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth and, Wise in southwest Virginia. It would also include the cities of Bristol and Norton. Henry, Halifax, and Pittsylvania Counties and the cities of Danville, Galax and Martinsville are included from the southside. A copy of the resolution has been sent to either the board of supervisors or the city council in each of those locations asking for their support. The plan developed by Morefield would give corporations and their employees an exemption for 10 years. His plan seeks to exempt corporations from the corporate tax and employees from state income tax. Morefield said the area has the worst economic data you could look at in comparison to other rural areas in the country. He said the tax exemptions he is offering would be substantial incentives for companies to locate to the area. The prefiling period for the session that opens Jan. 13 of 2018 started Nov. 20 and the period ended Dec. 4. CLAY, N.Y. -- Onondaga County emergency responders went shopping Saturday morning for a good cause. Members of the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office, the Village of Phoenix Police Department and the Moyers Corners Fire Department hunted for Christmas presents with 42 children at Target in Clay. The shopping spree was part of the 9th annual Heroes & Helpers program -- an initiative aimed at giving local children in need presents to open on Christmas. The program also strives to help children build relationships with law enforcement and firefighters. Over $4,000 was raised for this year's edition of Heroes & Helpers, said Sgt. Jon Seeber, a sheriff's office spokesman. Children from the Baldwinsville, Liverpool, North Syracuse and Phoenix school districts participated. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The corner of South Geddes and Seymour streets glowed with candles and gold balloons on Saturday evening as family members mourned the loss of "Goldie," an 18-year-old man shot and killed while driving on Friday. The victim's mother, Tekah Williams, identified him as Jaquan Moore. He was nicknamed "Goldie" for his childhood dirty-blonde hair that got lighter in the summertime, family said. He would have been 19 in a month. On Friday at 7:20 p.m., police said the victim was shot as he was idling in his dark-colored sedan at a stoplight, facing north on South Geddes Street at Seymour Street. After being struck by at least one bullet, he lost control of his dark-colored sedan and ultimately crashed into a light pole at Gifford Street. He was rushed to Upstate University Hospital, where he died soon after. Williams said her son was shot in the head, but she had no other information about the circumstances. Police told her only that "they were still investigating," she said. It seemed to her like a random shooting, she said. "He was a good kid," she said of her son. "I don't know why this happened." Police said earlier Saturday that no suspect information was available. A short video posted on Facebook shows witnesses rushing up to Moore's vehicle after the crash, with one man shouting "Don't take him out!" in Spanish while a woman, saying she was a nurse, tries to help. In the video, the young man is seen slumped to his right while sitting behind the wheel. Fewer than 24 hours later, two dozen friends and family members showed up at South Geddes and Seymour streets. They lit candles spelling out his name and flew three shimmering, gold balloons spelling "G" and "18," for the victim's initial and age. As family members embraced and sobbed, Clifford Ryan, an anti-violence activist, led the group in prayer, asking that God protect Moore's family. He urged the victim's young friends to not give in to anger and hurt they were feeling and to focus instead on being there for each other. "This isn't a time to show negativity. It's about 'Goldie' and his family," he said. "We've got to do a lot better as a community to stop the violence and stuff out there." Moore was born in Syracuse and raised on the south side with his mother and grandmother. He's the second oldest of six siblings and worked at Burlington Coat Factory, his mother said. He graduated from Corcoran High School and has never been to jail, focused on his job and his girlfriend, family members said. They said they were stunned that someone they saw as, above all, a "good person" would have to be buried by his parents. "He was a good person, and he cared about his family," his aunt, Charlene Moore, said. "We're not supposed to bury our kids. We're not supposed to do this." SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Cassandra Jones-Ingram stood Saturday at the Syracuse street corner that changed her life. Jones-Ingram was the first African American woman to serve as a Syracuse police officer. Part of her pioneering service was spent patrolling the East Side at East Fayette Street and Westmoreland Avenue. She kept an eye on the nearby corner store and stood in the middle of the road to stop a speeding driver from barrelling down the home-filled street, Jones-Ingram said. She arrested domestic abusers. She worked to prevent violence -- even when her own life was threatened, Jones-Ingram said. "I gained respect on this corner," she said. "I learned to work with the community." And on Saturday, the city recognized Jones-Ingram for her historic career. East Fayette Street has officially been renamed "Cassandra Jones-Ingram Drive" at Westmoreland Avenue. The new, blue street sign was unveiled at noon. Dozens of family members, friends and former colleagues gathered at the street corner shortly before noon. Many wore shirts and hoodies emblazoned with Jones-Ingram's portrait. "We all know there's always a first," said Syracuse Common Councilor-at-Large Helen Hudson. "Cassandra was the first." Jones-Ingram became at Syracuse police officer in 1981. She said she never planned to be a police officer. She said she also never planned to break a historic barrier. Before she joined the police department, Jones-Ingram worked as a hair stylist. Then, her life changed when she stepped into a police recruitment trailer and filled out an application. 022601 Blackhistory 2 cw City Photo By C.W. McKeen 2001 Honorees for Black history month at the City Hall chambers today included the first woman police officer in the city, Cassandra Jones-Ingram. She's been a police officer for 20 years. She's glad she did. "I am thankful, I am thankful, I am thankful," she said. Jones-Ingram said her first year as a police officer was great. Then, she said the novelty wore off and the job got tougher. When she got pregnant with her first child, Jones-Ingram said the department didn't know what to do with her. She made her own uniform and worked at a desk until her baby was born. After a few years, she was assigned to the Hilltop area on the East Side. She said the community knew she would be tough, but always fair. It was not easy, at first, for Jones-Ingram's husband to see his wife patrol the streets. Carlton Ingram joked that he'd follow her in his car to make sure she was OK. "She had a weapon. She had a car," he said, "And I just had, 'That's my girl.'" Ingram campaigned to have the street named in honor of his wife. Syracuse Councilor Nader Maroun, who represents the area, said he was honored to help out when he heard about the campaign. Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler also attended the ceremony. He said Jones-Ingram acted as his big sister when he first joined the department. It is hard to be the first, Fowler said. But that's even tougher, he said, when you're a woman in a male-dominated work environment. "I wouldn't be standing here today as your chief of police without this lady and her mentorship," Fowler said. "I'm glad to call you my big sis." With the ceremony at an end, Jones-Ingram tugged on a rope attached to the tarp-covered sign. The new sign bearing her name was revealed -- sparking cheers and applause. Jones-Ingram smiled as she posed for photos with her family and friends. She also shared a message for girls who are dreaming of becoming police officers. "They have to have a heart for it," Jones-Ingram said. "There's still going to be some obstacles." But you are needed, she said -- now more than ever. It's A Wonderful Life was filmed on movie sets and sound stages in California. However, many believe the location, small town atmosphere, and key scenes from the from the film were inspired by Seneca Falls. For over two decades the village has celebrated The Real Bedford Falls Festival, drawing in thousands over four days with close to 100 events. The festival concludes Sunday December 10. Saturday's events included a downtown parade, actor autograph sessions, film screenings and a 5K run that included over 5,000 participants, many dressed in holiday themed outfits. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Hundreds of Old Newsboys spread across Central New York Friday and Saturday hawking newspapers to raise money for the Christmas Bureau, which provides gifts, food and other items to needy Onondaga County families. As of Saturday night, the Hope for the Holidays Old Newsboys campaign had raised 85 percent of its $50,000 goal, said Tom Brown, chairman of the Old Newsboys sale and The Post-Standard's circulation director All of the money raised benefits the Christmas Bureau, a joint effort of the Salvation Army and the United Way of Central New York. Old Newsboys needs help to reach its $50,000 goal. "If you missed an opportunity to donate in person this weekend you can go to Syracuse.com/oldnewsboys to make a tax deductible donation by Dec. 31 and help us hit our goal," Brown said. Old Newsboys was launched in 1932 to raise money to help those in the community who are in need. Volunteers were stationed on street corners, stores and gas stations Friday and Saturday hawking newspapers and asking for donations. The newspapers are donated and all the money collected goes to the Christmas Bureau, which expects to help about 7,000 children this year. "Hope for Holidays is a great tradition in our community - 80 years and going strong," said Tim Kennedy, president of Advance Media New York. "Hope matters for the more than 3,000 families that benefit from the tremendous generosity in Central New York. In light of the protests that erupted after USA's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, China and USA have issued advisories to their citizens advising caution By Kaswar Klasra: Pakistan on Saturday beefed up security for the foreigners following a series of anti-US and Israel demonstrations that has 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. Similar demonstrations were observed across cities and towns of Pakistan. advertisement Alarmed by the fresh anti-US wave, the Department of State on Thursday issued a fresh advisory warning to American citizens against all non-essential travel to Pakistan. A US diplomat stationed in Islamabad told this correspondent that advisory was issued in view of countrywide demonstrations after President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and plans to relocate the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. "Security has been beefed up across country," said an official of Interior Ministry. He didn't give more details. It is worth mentioning that the US Department of State had also issued travel warning to its citizens on May 22, 2017. As part of the guidelines, the US Embassy in Islamabad has also advised American citizens to maintain high level of vigilance and take appropriate measures for personal safety against possible attacks. It has advised citizens against visiting places of large gatherings, protests and demonstrations as "even peaceful might turn confrontational and escalate into violence". Along with the US, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan has also 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 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. 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 fresh advisory by the embassy of China in Pakistan, Chinese nationals residing in Pakistan consider it their second home. advertisement "Pakistan is our second home. We feel safe here, as always," said a Chinese national residing in Islamabad for the last three years. Pakistan's foreign office was yet to respond to fresh advisories given by the USA and China. Defence and security experts believe Pakistan is on high alert in terms of security because of the ongoing demonstrations against US President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Sohail Bhati, Islamabad-based defence and security expert believe 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 said. --- ENDS --- By PTI: Hospitals licence New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today denounced Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari for opposing the cancellation of licence of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, for erroneously declaring a newborn dead, alleging he had "sold his integrity". Reacting to the CMs remark, Tiwari said he opposed the cancellation of the hospitals licence becasuse Kejriwal did not consider the plight of its workers and patients admitted there. advertisement The Delhi government had on Friday cancelled the hospitals licence for alleged medical negligence in multiple instances. Addressing a gathering in the Mundka area, Kejriwal said he was "sad" that Tiwari and the BJP had come out in support of the hospital. "The BJP is standing with the Max Hospital. Had we been dishonest, we would have made a deal with the hospital and kept mum (on the issue). "But we have not come into politics to commit wrongdoings or earn money. We have entered politics to serve the people and work with them honestly. I am sad Manoj Tiwari has sold his integrity," he alleged. Kejriwal added doctors work hard but private hospitals exploit them. Tiwari accused the AAP government of adopting double standards, as Kejriwal "was not suspended" when former minister Jitender Singh Tomars degree was found fake. "The negligence of doctors should be punished severely but what did Kejriwal do to help the patients and employees who have been left to fend for themselves. "When Jitender Tomars law degree was found fake and Satyendar Jain faced corruption charges, why Kejriwal was not suspended," Tiwari asked. PTI BUN/VIT PPS GVS --- ENDS --- By PTI: envoy By Lalit K Jha Washington, Dec 10 (PTI) Describing the current situation in the Korean peninsula as "most tense and dangerous peace and security issue" in the world, a visiting UN envoy has told the North Korean leadership that time is of the essence and it needs to implement all relevant Security Council resolutions. The UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman was on a visit to Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea or DPRK, commonly known as North Korea, from December 5 to December 8. advertisement During the visit, he had a series of meetings with North Korea Foreign Minister Yong Ho and his deputy PAK Myong Guk. "They 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," a UN statement said. Feltman emphasised the need for the implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions, the UN said, adding that 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 UN said. Noting the urgent need to prevent miscalculations and open channels to reduce the risks of conflict, Feltman underlined that the international community, alarmed by escalating tensions, is committed to the achievement of a peaceful solution to the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The UN envoy also met with the United Nations Country Team and members of the diplomatic corps, and visited UN project sites, including a childrens foodstuff factory, TB prevention institute, breast tumour institute, and paediatric hospital during his visit. PTI LKJ AQS AQS --- ENDS --- A Maoist leader, on the condition of anonymity, said that though the Left alliance is tilted towards the northern neighbour (China), the new government needs to strike a balance between the countrys two giant neighbours (India and China) while pursuing its foreign policy. By PTI: A Left alliance between former Maoist rebels and moderate communists was poised to form the next government in Nepal as it headed for a clear majority today after winning 91 seats so far in the historic polls many hope will bring political stability to the country. The CPN-UML led by former prime minister K P Oli and the CPN-Maoist led by former premier Prachanda have forged an electoral alliance for both the provincial and parliamentary elections. advertisement According to results released by the Election Commission today, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist?Leninist (CPN-UML) has won 66 seats while its alliance partner CPN Maoist-Centre bagged 25 seats out of the total 165 seats under the first-past-the-post election system. The ruling Nepali Congress (NC), which was the largest party in the last election, managed to win only 14 seats, according to tallies. As the Left alliance headed for a clear majority in the 275-member Parliament, Oli was being projected to succeed Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. Oli won from the Jhapa-5 constituency by more than 28,000 votes as he defeated Nepali Congress candidate Khagendra Adhikari. He polled 57,139 votes, the highest number of votes so far secured by any candidate in the election. Two Madhesi parties, Federal Socialist Party Nepal and Rastriya Janata Party, have so far secured 11 Parliamentary seats each. The Rastriya Prajatantra Party, the Naya Shakti Party led by former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai and an independent candidate have secured one seat each. The counting of votes in the proportionate voting system was under progress. The NC is expected to perform better in the proportionate voting, which was evident from the initial counting trends. The final results would be declared after the counting of votes for the proportionate voting system. A Maoist leader, on the condition of anonymity, said that though the Left alliance is tilted towards the northern neighbour (China), the new government needs to strike a balance between the countrys two giant neighbours (India and China) while pursuing its foreign policy. The two parties are also considering to merge to form the largest communist party in Nepal. If they merge, the post of party president and the countrys president will be shared between Maoist chief Prachanda and top UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, according to party insiders. Nepal has won the parliamentary election from Kathmandu-2 while Prachanda is set to win from Chitawan-3 constituency. There was a tacit understanding among three key leaders of the alliance to share the three top posts, reliable sources have claimed. advertisement 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. 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. A total of 1,663 candidates contested polls for parliamentary seats. --- ENDS --- DENHAM SPRINGS A small one-bedroom apartment was plenty for Eunice Thompson. The 86-year-old had her own living room, kitchen and dining room. She was surrounded by friends who lived in their own identical apartments. Each day, the small woman with curly white hair rode the bus to the Livingston Council on Aging to eat, visit, exercise and play bingo. But since her low-income elderly apartment flooded in August 2016, Thompson said she has been unable to find another place she can cover with her $800 monthly Social Security check. Thompson used to pay $141 each month to live at Livingston Manor, a privately owned elderly living complex that is subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. After the flood, she initially lived with her granddaughter and now stays with her 58-year-old daughter. "There's no apartments I can afford," she said. The catastrophic floods washed away some of the apartments serving Livingston Parish's neediest people, including those that cater to the elderly. Due to long waits for funding to rebuild, two of those complexes, which housed about 70 low-income senior citizens, are still sitting gutted and vacant their former tenants scattered with family, in nursing homes and even hundreds of miles away. +5 Baton Rouge area renters frustrated by 'ridiculous' prices, tight rental market after flood Janet Torres hasn't lived under the same roof as her two teenage children or her boyfriend since floodwater engulfed their two acres in Living Though Livingston Manor and the Denham Springs Housing Authority are funded by HUD, former residents have not been granted vouchers or other assistance from the agency to help them rent available apartments nearby. Tenants were eligible for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and some received temporary trailers and other help. But residents and advocates said most did not get enough. "Some did get some FEMA assistance, but they didnt get a lot," said Fred Banks, director of the Denham Springs Housing Authority. "Some didnt know how to do this," he said, referring to the process of applying. Of seven low-income housing properties in Livingston Parish reached by the Advocate, two funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture offered income-based rent for seniors comparable to Livingston Manor and the housing authority and both had waiting lists. A HUD spokesman said the agency subsidizes two other, similar apartment complexes in Albany, both of which are full. Property managers at the five other complexes said rent was more than $400 per month. Fair market rent is $789 per month for a one-bedroom apartment in Livingston Parish, according to HUD. Scott Hudman, a spokesman for HUD, pointed out that residents of both complexes were eligible for FEMA assistance for 18 months. In the case of the housing authority, HUD is reviewing an application for tenant protection vouchers that would help former residents pay for apartments while that complex is demolished and rebuilt. Residents of Livingston Manor are not eligible for those vouchers because it is a contracted facility and not public housing, he said. The limiting housing options now in Livingston were a reason Gayle Causey, 67, moved after the flood to Jacksonville, North Carolina. Causey previously lived in Livingston Manor in an apartment near Thompson. Causey said she evacuated from the complex to a shelter before staying with friends and relatives in Baton Rouge, Shreveport and Monroe. Her daughter, a survivor of Hurricane Katrina, knew to register her quickly with FEMA, she said. Everybody was homeless, and there was no other place to live, she said of the immediate aftermath of the floods. With FEMA assistance, she was able to buy a replacement car and move to North Carolina, where her daughter and grandchildren live. She said FEMA also paid for her to stay a month in a hotel until she could convince a senior citizen apartment complex to take her in, despite their waiting list. Causey created a Facebook page after the disaster to reconnect with other former residents, who scattered after the flood. She said two people live now in Walker, while three found apartments in Ponchatoula and another found a place in Natchez. I was among the younger of the ones that were there, she said. Several of them were petering on the edge, and it just forced them to go to a nursing home, because they had no place else to go. Livingston Manor is a privately owned 45-unit apartment complex in Denham Springs. The property operates under a contract with HUD to provide subsidized apartments for the elderly and disabled. Residents typically pay 30 percent of their income as rent. Alan Brockman, president of Sunquest Properties, which manages Livingston Manor, said the owners have been unable to rebuild so far, due to lack of funding. The property was underinsured for the extensive damage it received in August 2016, he said. The company had already lost 277 apartments in northern Louisiana during the March 2016 floods, which put them in a hard position when Livingston Manor was damaged, he said. But rebuilding may start soon at Livingston Manor. Recently, he has been approved for disaster relief funding from the Louisiana Housing Corporation, which is distributing money from the federal Community Development Block Grant program. As our communities continue to recover from the floods, our top priority is to develop housing that is affordable for Louisiana residents. We understand and are working to resolve the unique challenges the seniors face in our communities. Livingston Manor is one example towards that effort, LHC Executive Director Keith Cunningham said in a statement. Cunningham said the agency has a forthcoming initiative to build more affordable housing in flood-affected communities to be announced next week, and he will encourage builders interested in senior housing to apply. Brockman said he is waiting on an environmental report to be written in order to start renovating the apartments. He is hopeful the apartments could reopen by fall of 2018. Its a stuck situation waiting for disaster relief funds, he said. We want to be able to get it back open for our residents, many of whom want to return to the property and have reached out to us. The Denham Springs Housing Authority, a 52-unit public housing complex about half of which Banks said was used by seniors, may also be on its way to recovery. According to documents provided by Banks, FEMA has determined that two of the 19 buildings are 88 percent damaged. He said the agency has approved plans to demolish and rebuild those units at a three to four foot elevation. Banks said that, based on his conversations with FEMA, this indicates the entire complex will be demolished with FEMA covering 90 percent of the cost. Once final approval is given, he expects it to take 18 months to rebuild. A spokeswoman from FEMA confirmed the agency is working with the housing authority and said those two buildings are in the final stages of approval and funding. With that news in hand, Banks said he also expects HUD to approve tenant protection vouchers, which, like Section 8 vouchers, would help former residents cover their rent. That will resolve a large number of the complaints we are receiving now from tenants, he said. Banks said some of his former residents have been struggling since the floods last year, unable to find apartments they can afford without some kind of a subsidy. He said a few elderly former residents are living in apartments costing $700 to $800, despite receiving social security checks of about $900. "Theyve got about $200 to live off for medication, incidentals and food," he said. "Thats not all of them, but weve got families like that." And living with family has not been a perfect solution, he said. Theres the issue of privacy, he said. You live by yourself all these years, and then the flood comes in, washes you out, and youve got to go live with your daughter. Theyve got different lifestyles. So part of this is psychological. Banks said he plans to host workshops with the residents about how to apply for aid once the complex reopens. If we get a second disaster theyll know what to do, other than panic, he said. +4 Why residents in BR's poorest areas could face slower, tougher rebuild after floods Cross the threshold of the house on Ritterman Avenue and the floor sags underfoot. With the home stripped to its shell, it's possible to peer Kay Granger, director of the Livingston Council on Aging, said seniors in particular have had trouble recovering since the flood. Those who owned their homes often did not have funding or the will power to rebuild. For those in apartments, few had insurance even to cover their belongings or got much assistance from FEMA, she said. Granger estimates that about 50 percent of the seniors she serves have moved since the flood some to nursing homes and others in with family. "We still don't have a lot of our seniors back here or in their homes," she said. Seated before a bingo board at the Council of Aging late last month, Joyce Rheams reminisced about her former apartment at the housing authority, where she lived for 42 years. Her apartment, which is now gutted and smelling of mold, is in one of the buildings that FEMA has approved for demolition, said Banks. The 75-year-old recalled the photograph of her great grandmother, which she lost. She said shes grateful that, with the help of family and a few hundred dollars from FEMA, she has gotten new things. For about a year after the flood, she lived with her daughter. Now, despite only getting a $800 monthly social security check, Rheams is living in a small $500 per month house in Denham Springs with two great grandchildren. Shed like to see things get back to where they were prior to the flood. Back in my own apartment, with lots of food and clothing and my neighbors, she said. Louisiana officials on Sunday offered prayers and support to former Gov. Kathleen Blanco, who announced she is fighting melanoma in her liver, for which she said there is no cure. In a statement, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Blanco is a strong woman of incredible faith and asked Louisianans to join him and his wife, Donna, in prayers for the former governor. Donna and I have been blessed to come to know Gov. Blanco and her large, beautiful family over the past several years. She is a strong woman of incredible faith, a deep and abiding love of Louisiana and all its people. Now we ask the people of our state to join their prayers to ours that she, aided by the Great Physician as well as her medical team, wins a great victory over her cancer and is restored to full health, Edwards wrote. Former Gov. Kathleen Blanco: Seeking prayers in new 'fight for my own life' against cancer To the citizens of Louisiana, my dearest family and friends, it is with a heart filled with gratitude that I write today to thank you for the Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome encouraged the community to give Governor Blanco the gift of fervent, faith-filled prayers and encouragement. "Governor Blanco has been a cherished friend over the years. As she bravely faces this battle with cancer, I lift her up in prayer. I believe in its power. I would encourage our community during this Advent season to give Governor Blanco the gift of fervent, faith-filled prayers and encouragement as she fights the good fight with faith on this present journey, Broome said. U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise tweeted that Jennifer and I are keeping former Governor Kathleen Blanco in our prayers during her courageous battle. U.S. Rep. Garret Graves tweeted: Please join me in sending prayers and blessings for Former Gov. Kathleen Blanco in her fight for cancer. U.S. Sen. John Kennedy also responded to the news, tweeting that he and his wife, Becky, are praying for Blanco. "Kathleen is a courageous fighter who selflessly served the people of La. We pray she finds comfort in her faith and family during the difficult days ahead," he said. Blanco wrote in a guest column on Sunday that she is in a fight for my own life, one that will be difficult to win, battling the melanoma that has invaded my liver. The former governor, who served from 2004 to 2008, said she has begun a treatment program but no cure exists for this type of melanoma. She asked for prayers and loving support as she continues to undergo treatment. Blanco was diagnosed in 2011 with ocular melanoma. Her eye was treated with radiation, which preserved her vision, she wrote in the guest column. While "very shocked" by abuses uncovered by the press, a 27-year veteran of State Police says he wants to restore faith and accountability to the premier law enforcement agency. Col. Kevin Reeves said it won't be easy: "Personally, I think that these are some of the darkest days that State Police has had, and as a career state trooper, that's troubling to me." We agree, and unfortunately for Reeves' desire to turn the page on the scandals that led to his appointment in March, the disclosures will continue for a while. Part of that is just the inevitable process of investigation and assessment of the mistakes made by former Superintendent Mike Edmonson, and appeals processes for troopers involved. We like some of the significant changes that Reeves outlined to the Press Club of Baton Rouge. They include a more consultative process for determining wrongdoing and making consistent judgments about punishments within the agency. Nothing hurts an organization worse than the notion that there are insiders and second-stringers; that the former superintendent sent his dry cleaning to the Governor's Mansion to be done, while others paid for their own out of their uniform allowances, was just one bad example set. Reeves properly suspended a highway traffic enforcement program with local agencies amid questions about whether troopers were charging for hours they didn't work. Reeves launched a criminal investigation after seeing surveillance footage from WVUE-TV in New Orleans that appeared to show troopers claiming they worked hours they didn't. He said the LACE patrols, paid for in part by local funds, won't be resumed until "some meaningful change" can be made to ensure accountability. More broadly, though, the new colonel is visiting with troopers across the state and working on the perhaps more difficult process of improving morale and stressing accountability and performance. "I don't want to see all of the troopers painted with a broad brush," Reeves said. We agree. The work of troopers in the storms of 2016 and 2017 should not be forgotten, nor their help with tourism security in the French Quarter and elsewhere in New Orleans, nor their investigations into officer-involved shootings of local agencies. The latter have been distressingly increasing. On the upside, Gov. John Bel Edwards and the Legislature authorized a 50-member training class for new recruits. Manpower, though, will always be a difficulty as the workforce ages; Reeves said 270 current troopers will become eligible for retirement in 2018. While he hopes not to lose them all, the potential impact on institutional experience is obvious. The agency also has not been immune to budget pressures, Reeves noted, with LSP falling behind its peers in investing in new technology. We urge lawmakers and the administration to look at ways to fund new programs, such as an $11 million system for computer-aided dispatch, so that troopers' locations can be followed in real time. Yes, there will be more revelations as the Edmonson investigation continues. But the agency doing good work for the people deserves support and encouragement as it gets its balance again. By PTI: Thane, Dec 10 (PTI) A private bus fell off a bridge in a river in Bhiwandi tehsil of the district, police said. Deputy Superintendent of Police (Ganeshpuri) Vishal Thakur told PTI that as per preliminary report the incident occurred at around 5 pm when the bus was proceeding on the Saitan bridge near the Ambadi village. He said police and rescue teams were rushed to the spot and further details like the number of passengers inside the bus were awaited. PTI COR NRB --- ENDS --- advertisement ACT authorities has declared the territory well prepared for the coming bushfire season, despite having completed just 50 per cent of planned control burns in the past financial year due to poor weather or insufficient fuel loads. However, ACT Parks and Conservation Service still managed to carry out 95.9 per cent of 2016-17 bushfire operations plan. Seasonal fire crews at work as part of bushfire mitigation work ahead of summer. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong The service said the recent wet weather reduced chances of bushfires this summer. The bushfire plan which is prepared in consultation with the ACT Rural Fire Service, the ACT Bush Fire Council and the Emergency Services Agency includes a range of activities designed to suppress and reduce the risk of bushfire in the territory. Catholic and independent private schools are set to get more than 100 per cent of their needs from governments under the Turnbull government's new 'Gonski 2.0' plan, official documents released under freedom of information show. Obtained by the Australian Education Union and processed by the convenor of the Save Our Schools campaign, Trevor Cobbold, the Education Department documents spell out the the amount of government funding expected for each school sector in each state in 2018. The Gonski 2.0 formula will result in a loss of income for some very well funded private schools, but will increase the number of overfunded private schools. In the ACT, Gonski 2.0 will see ACT public schools funded at 117 per cent of the so-called schools resourcing standard from governments, the highest rate in Australia and making the territory one of only two jurisdictions receiving more than 100 per cent. Independent schools will receive 113 per cent of the standard, while Catholic schools will receive 102 per cent. Some commentators suggested that last week was the best of Malcolm Turnbull's prime ministership. He took centre stage on Thursday as the Parliament legalised same-sex marriage, and he basked in the accompanying celebrations. It was a rare (if hardly difficult) victory against the conservatives within his Coalition who continue to undermine his leadership. Throughout the week, Mr Turnbull also successfully turned debate towards the matter of foreign influence over Australian politicians. For the first time in a long time, the Labor opposition appeared to cede ground under government attack. Of course, Labor wasn't damaged by MrTurnbull so much as by the surprisingly stupid actions of one of its own. NSW senator Sam Dastyari has been exposed twice in just over a year for aiding Chinese-government linked political donors. If he cared much for his party's prospects, he would leave Parliament immediately. By the week's end, the two main parties had agreed to ban political donations from foreign organisations and non-citizens. Yet this is not a policy triumph for Mr Turnbull, however he may cast it. It won't cause a ripple in our political culture. It won't stop multinationals or foreign-owned companies from donating to Australian politicians via Australia subsidiaries or Australian third parties. Nor are foreign donors likely to pose a relatively large problem anyway. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann unwittingly exposed the silliness of the planned ban when he told Parliament: "Only Australians, Australian businesses, Australian organisations should be able to influence Australian elections via political donations ..." That is to say, he admitted what the major parties have long denied: that donors and their money do influence parties, politicians and elections. As foreign donations accounted only for about $1 in every $40 in 2015-16, the ban won't ruffle the parties, as most of their donors will remain unaffected and thus continue to exert influence (as Senator Cormann confirmed). Bill Shorten is long way from the record of Harold Wilson, Britain's prime minister between 1964-70 and 1974-76, but in one respect he would identify with a much-quoted Wilson observation During the sterling crisis of 1964 when the British pound was under enormous stress, a hard-pressed Wilson said this to lobby correspondents: "A week is a long time in politics." This observation might have become a political cliche, but it does not make it any less pertinent. Shorten has just endured one of his worst weeks as Opposition Leader. He will be hoping Wilson is right and he can put behind him a horror few days thanks to the appalling judgment of one of his own. There evidently must be systemic change to curb and then eradicate such shocking inhumanity. There is a great economic and financial inequality in the world, but every single person is of equal, priceless value at the most profound level. Two-thirds of this pernicious trade happens in our region, and across most forms of labour, particularly sex work, fishing, construction, hospitality and textiles. Six in 10 trafficking cases are for sexual exploitation. Many well-meaning Australians have unwittingly supported the trade by donating to "orphanages" in south-east Asia. It might have been thought that slavery is a shameful but pretty much closed chapter of history. It's not. It is the world's second-biggest illicit market, behind drugs, with an estimated 45million children, women and men treated as commodities (average price about $90). Forced labour generates an estimated $US150 billion in profits each year. The Australian government is moving towards introducing a Modern Slavery Act, following the final report of the joint standing committee on foreign affairs and trade, which examined the issue at the request of Attorney-General George Brandis. The committee is urging our government to emulate the British government, which introduced such an act in 2015. It's happening elsewhere: there's the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act (2010), and governments throughout Europe are examining how they might force companies to demonstrate they are not exploiting foreign workers. A key reason that the cost of clothing can be so low, for example, is that it is produced by appallingly underpaid workers, many of them children, in economically struggling nations. The Coalition government merits praise, support and respect for acting. When the committee introduced its interim report a few months ago, ministers said the government's intention was to legislate. The government is rightly seeking to find a balance between forcing transparency and adding unduly to the bureaucratic burden on businesses. The main target is offshore slavery, because that is where most of it is occurring, but the mooted law is also intended to end the exploitation of workers here, particularly backpackers who are often underpaid for agricultural work. While a few businesses told the commission they were not keen on a Modern Slavery Act, most support it, although they would prefer that it apply only to companies with an annual turnover of more than $100 million, rather than the $50 million threshold likely to be in the legislation. Companies will be compelled to report each year on whether any of their suppliers use slave labour, and what the Australian management is doing to purge such practices. The committee also recommends the establishment of an anti-slavery commissioner, and the creation of a compensation scheme for victims. Labor has in the past argued the legislation should include hefty fines. That seems unnecessarily heavy-handed; the key is transparency, for the shame of being revealed to have slaves in a supply chain would be likely to create a costly backlash from consumers and shareholders. Should added incentives in the form of fines and other legal sanctions be required, they can be added by amending the law in the future. The government is right to engineer this change, and we urge the Parliament to emphatically support a Modern Slavery Act. 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. Labor's Tanya Plibersek and Bill Shorten. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Senator Dastyari was unable to reach her directly as she had left her mobile phone at home, a security precaution parliamentarians have been advised to take when travelling to Chinese territory. It is understood his messages were passed on to her. Fairfax Media understands that Senator Dastyari's calls to Ms Plibersek and her office followed a separate representation from then Chinese ambassador to Australia, Ma Zhaoxu. Hundreds of protesters march on a downtown street during an annual pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong in July 2016. Credit:AP Sources said the Chinese ambassador issued a separate warning to Ms Plibersek about her plans to meet activists in the semi-autonomous city. There is no suggestion Senator Dastyari's approach to Ms Plibersek was connected to the approach by the Chinese ambassador. One suggested explanation is that Senator Dastyari contacted Ms Plibersek's office after receiving an enquiry from a Sydney Chinese-language media outlet that was doing a critical story on her meetings. Asked about this, Senator Dastyari's office declined to provide details of any media enquiry or a resulting story. Several Chinese-language media outlets in Sydney are close to the Chinese consulate and embassy and run columns by Mr Huang and support his work as a community leader. Ms Plibersek ignored the warnings from the ambassador and senator and proceeded with her plans. It is understood she has privately told colleagues she was surprised by her Labor colleague's approaches. One Canberra source said the representations only strengthened Ms Plibersek's resolve to meet with Mr Cheng. Ms Plibersek declined to speak about the incident. "Ms Plibersek's itinerary in Hong Kong, including a meeting with a prominent pro-democracy activist, went ahead precisely as scheduled I think that speaks for itself," a spokesman for the Labor frontbencher said. During the trip, Ms Plibersek and Senator Dastyari also bumped into each other in a hotel foyer, although nothing was discussed in that chance encounter. It is understood there were other people present. Variations of the story revealed by Fairfax Media have been circulating in Canberra circles for some time. One incorrect version was promoted by conservative senator Cory Bernardi in a 2016 speech to the Senate, in which he described "one of the stories doing the rounds" about a Labor member who was heading to Hong Kong for a meeting. "They received a phone call from a close associate of the Chinese embassy suggesting that they do not meet with that individual. Quite rightly so, they said, 'No, I'm going ahead with it'," Senator Bernardi said. "Yet, when they were in Hong Kong about to meet with this individual, one of their colleagues from the ALP rang them up and begged them not to go, because it would upset the Chinese embassy. Who do you think that person was?" Senator Bernardi called on the unnamed Senator Dastyari to "explain why our own members are being warned off, by their own colleagues, from meeting with individuals because it might upset the local embassy". A senior figure in Labor's left faction, Ms Plibersek has publicly called for freedom of expression to be protected in Hong Kong. It is believed she was concerned about how the Chinese ambassador knew who she was meeting with because she had kept her itinerary private and taken counter-surveillance precautions. The revelations about another Senator Dastyari intervention in Australian-Chinese relations come as Attorney-General George Brandis seeks to have the NSW senator scrutinised by a parliamentary committee following a string of damaging missteps with figures linked to the CCP. Two weeks ago, Fairfax Media revealed he had given counter-surveillance advice to Mr Huang in a face-to-face meeting at the Chinese community leader's home, telling Mr Huang his phone was likely bugged by intelligence services and directing him to conduct a conversation outside. Fairfax Media also uncovered and released audio of a June 2016 press conference Senator Dastyari gave alongside Mr Huang in which the senator backed Beijing's position in the South China Sea. Senator Dastyari's comments contradicted Labor policy on the issue. Senator Dastyari told the Chinese-language-media-only press conference that Australia should know its place and observe "several thousand years" of history in respecting China's claim in the disputed territory. The day before, Labor's then defence spokesman Stephen Conroy had criticised China's "absurd" claims and said a Labor government would conduct freedom of navigation exercises through the area. Until the audio was released, Senator Dastyari had sought to downplay previous reports of his comments on the basis they had been misreported or he had misspoken. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten then stripped Senator Dastyari of various parliamentary responsibilities, criticising his "mischaracterisation" and saying he no longer trusted his judgment. But the Labor leader has pushed back against calls for his factional ally to leave Parliament entirely. This is the second time Mr Shorten has demoted Senator Dastyari, having taken him off the frontbench in late 2016 following the initial revelations about his dealings with Mr Huang. Labor figures are divided about whether the right faction powerbroker should resign from the Senate, with senior figures from the right faction in Victoria pushing for his demise while he retains backing from NSW Labor leaders. In making the case for new laws to counter foreign interference in Australia, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has targeted Senator Dastyari as a "classic case". "You see with Senator Dastyari a very clear case of somebody who has taken, literally taken money from people closely associated with the Chinese government and in return for that has delivered essentially Chinese policy statements," Mr Turnbull said on Saturday. The Chinese government has strongly criticised some of Mr Turnbull's recent comments, saying he risks "poisoning" the bilateral relationship. The Prime Minister has rejected the complaint, saying he will "stand up" for Australian sovereignty. Fairfax Media's revelations suggest Senator Dastyari has been willing to agitate inside the party for a more pro-Beijing approach on top of publicly advancing positions out of step with policy. One Labor source told Fairfax Media that Senator Dastyari always had a strong view about Labor's engagement with China and would use any opportunity to push it internally. Hong Kong officially still semi-autonomous under the "one country, two systems" principle in place since British rule ended in 1997 has become increasingly tense as the mainland regime of Chinese President Xi Jinping asserts greater control. Mr Cheng is a former secretary-general of the Civic Party and convenor of multiple pro-democracy groups. Ms Plibersek's visit came around the same time as thousands of protesters took to the streets to demand democratic reform. Her trip also took in meetings with Australia's consul-general in Hong Kong, Paul Tighe, the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, an international journalist and a gathering of expatriate Labor Party members. Q. I'm getting married soon in a small, private ceremony with my parents and siblings. My fiance and I have also invited a close friend each. (Sadly, my husband-to-be's family can't travel over from Ireland.) We're going to follow the ceremony with a big party in Australia, and my fiance's family will celebrate later in Ireland. Some of my relatives are angry at not being invited to the ceremony. How can I smooth this over? A. Beautiful Bride, I'm a big believer in being selfish on your wedding day! This is the one day that is all about you and your partner, despite the guilt trips from numerous relatives. You have already been thoughtful by arranging two separate celebrations, one here and another overseas. My partner and I are having an intimate wedding, which was made some people annoyed. Credit:Stocksy Someone has to miss out. Take the high road and send a card to these miffed family members explaining that you're having a small wedding, that you appreciate their best wishes, that you know they'll understand, and that you hope they will enjoy the party. Then enjoy your special day! Q. I find the so-called festive season stressful and lonely. How can I deal with all the forced happiness around me? 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. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, referring to unverified reports, claimed a "secret meeting" with Pakistani officials was held at Mani Shankar Aiyar's residence and that former PM Manmohan Singh was part of the meet. By Dev Goswami: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seemingly buoyed by leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'neech aadmi' comment, is now tightening the screws on the now-suspended Congress leader, and his party as his home state Gujarat entered the last stretch of its high-stakes Assembly election. Speaking at a rally in Palanpur, PM Modi referred to some recent unverified reports, which he called "sensational", and claimed Aiyar met with the Pakistani High Commissioner and "an ex-Pakistan Foreign Minister" at his home in New Delhi a day before calling him "neech". advertisement PM Modi, still referring to those reports, claimed "a former Vice President of India" as well as former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were present at the meeting at Aiyar's house. The Prime Minister, who was speaking in Gujarati and with an apparent sore throat, did not name the former Vice President. However, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah, speaking in Gandhinagar, while repeating the same claim said the Vice President was Hamid Ansari. Pakistan's Envoy, Former PM Manmohan Singh and Former VP Hamid Ansari had a meeting with Mani Shankar Aiyar. Right before Gujarat election, without informing MEA conducting a meeting with Pak envoy... I don't know what message does it convey: Amit Shah in Gandhinagar pic.twitter.com/DemZFvE7KY- ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2017 Prime Minister Modi, on the other hand, focused on the meeting, which he said went on for three hours. "And, a day after the meeting, Aiyar called Modi 'neech'," the Prime Minister said to a loud roar from the crowd at the Palanpur rally, which came a day after Kutch, Saurashtra and south Gujarat voted in the first phase of voting in the state's two-part election. "What was the reason for holding such a secret meeting, especially when an election is going on in Gujarat," PM Modi went on to say, before he brought up another Pakistani angle. "A former Pakistan army director general, Arshad Rafique, had said [Congress leader and a close Gandhi family aide] Ahmed Patel should be the Chief Minister of Gujarat," PM Modi said without revealing what reports had made that claim. Here is a video of the Palanpur rally shared by the Bharatiya Janata Party on YouTube. PM Modi's comments, about the purported secret meeting held at Aiyar's home and attended by the Pakistani High Commissioner, an ex-Pakistani Foreign Minister, a former Vice President of India, and ex-PM Manmohan Singh, appear at around the 43rd-minute mark. In his speech, PM Modi did not name the publications he said had reported on the "secret meeting", but he said the news plastered "across TV channels and newspapers". The Prime Minister also did not go so far as to suggest that Pakistan was helping the Congress in Gujarat, but he did question why such a meeting was held and why a member of the Pakistani military-intelligence establishment was speaking about the state election. advertisement "A former Pakistani officer talks about the Gujarat election, a meeting is held at Mani Shankar's house with some Pakistani officials. And, the next day, Gujarati people, backward classes, the poor, and Modi get insulted," the Prime Minister said, with the last bit referring to Mani Shankar Aiyar's "neech aadmi" comment. The same Mani Shankar Aiyar, who insulted Gujarat, held secret meetings with Pakistan High Commissioner. What was the reason? Why are people who previously held high posts in military-intelligence establishment of Pakistan writing that we should help make Ahmed Patel the CM: PM- narendramodi_in (@narendramodi_in) December 10, 2017 "Brothers and sisters, don't these developments raise questions? Aren't they worrisome? The Congress should clarify about what is going," the PM Modi went on to say in Palanpur, just one out of a number of places he has or will speak at in Gujarat. The Congress so far has not commented on the claims made by PM Modi at his rally, which will be one of the last ones in the current Gujarat election. The state will hold the final bout of polling on Thursday, and results will be declared on Monday, December 18. advertisement Complete Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 coverage --- ENDS --- Member for Burnett, Stephen Bennett, with Kerri Walker (centre) and Trisha Mabley (right). Ms Mabley said no one from the Queensland government had spoken to them, despite the government in October issuing media statements saying they had already consulted on law changes. They havent actually spoken to us about what we want and what we want amended, Ms Mabley said. They have just gone ahead and done what they want to do. Ms Mabley has read the governments proposals, but wants tougher penalties. A person convicted of careless driving where someone dies or is badly injured should lose their licence, she said. If theyve killed someone, they should never get their licence back, Ms Mabley said. I think it needs to be tougher. People who have had previous convictions where someone is badly injured, or a life is lost should not be able to get their licence back again. And they should actually speak to family members who have lost someone and have a sit-down conference with both families. Queensland Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey (centre). Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey in October pledged to make changes to Queenslands careless driving legislation after the sentence was handed down in September. After consulting with the Walker family and other families whose loved ones have been killed in road crashes, the Palaszczuk government has reviewed the penalties for certain driving offences resulting in death or grievous bodily harm, he said. Ms Mabley said no one has spoken to them and they would like to talk to the Queensland government before the first sitting week in February 2018, when the bill could be presented. The Queensland government said acting Main Roads Minister Steven Miles met Ms Mabley on September 11 to discuss the issue. Burnett LNP MP Stephen Bennett said the government promises should be met. "Clearly this was on everyones agenda prior to an election and the promises that were made to these grieving families need to be kept," Mr Bennett said. "Enough is enough. This should be high on the agenda for the re-elected Labor government. The work has already been done. We just need to get on with it now and make sure good, fair and effective laws are implemented to enhance road safety for all." Law firm Armstrong Legal estimates there are 34 cases each week with widely varying sentences, based on whether the careless driving or negligent driving offence happens in Queensland or in New South Wales. Drivers are either receiving harsher penalties than they should, or families and friends of people injured in road accidents are disappointed to find a careless driver receiving too gentle a penalty, according to law firm Armstrong Legal. The firm, which works in both New South Wales and in Queensland, questions the pace of Queensland legislation to make changes. Armstrong Legal associate Colin Townes said they wanted to respectfully make sure the changes to Queenslands careless driving legislation are not lost in the new Parliament. We do not want to suggest that nothing has been done, or that it is being ignored, Mr Townes said. But, certainly things are moving slower than they should. We are particularly concerned that in the new Parliament, that this maintains a position at the forefront of debate in the new Parliament. In Queensland, the basic careless driving offence is known as driving without due care and attention, while in New South Wales it is known as negligent driving. The Palaszczuk government in October began preparing a Road Safety Bill to change to its careless driving legislation. What are the changes? The main change is to double the maximum penalty for offences causing death or grievous bodily harm. The maximum fine for careless driving causing serious injury, or death would increase from $5046 or six months imprisonment to a fine of $10,092 or 12 months imprisonment. The drivers licence could be lost for 12 months. A Melbourne-born anti nuclear weapons organisation said its Nobel Peace Prize will go "straight to the pool room" but a global 'nukes' ban would be better. Hours before the prize was presented to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons in Oslo on Sunday night, co-founder Dimity Hawkins said it was "gratifying to win a Nobel Peace Prize but we've still got to get ourselves to zero nukes". Rose and Karina Lester. Credit:Darrian Traynor "The biggest prize will be to have all nations - including Australia - sign up to the nuclear weapons ban treaty which we helped bring about at the UN this year." She was "absolutely elated" at the $1.42 million prize. Heed the lessons of Northcote and get back to "bread-and-butter" politics or face defeat at the next election. That's the message key figures in the Labor Party are sending to Premier Daniel Andrews after the disastrous loss to the Greens of a seat the party held for 90 years. Premier Daniel Andrews is under pressure to switch the government's focus to 'bread-and-butter' issues after Labor's disastrous defeat in Northcote. Credit:Darrian Traynor Senior players in Labor's right now believe the Andrews government is in a battle for survival, with the Northcote byelection defeat seen by some in the party as a verdict on the ALP's performance in office. The right also believes the shock felt by the party regarding the scale of the loss is an opportunity to advance their policy agenda. Melbourne Express: Monday, December 11, 2017 Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss Palestinians clash with Israeli troops following a protest against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the West Bank City of Nablus, on Sunday, Credit:AP The Arab League, which held an emergency meeting in Cairo, on Sunday denounced Trump's announcement as a "dangerous violation of international law." Germany and France criticised the move, and North Korea denounced Trump for what it called his "reckless, wicked act," according to the state-run KCNA news agency. US President Donald Trump holds up the proclamation on Jerusalem next to Vice President Mike Pence last week. Credit:Bloomberg In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, 10,000 people rallied outside the US Embassy in the capital, Jakarta. Indonesia's president, Joko Widodo, has said that Trump's move was a violation of UN resolutions. The country has been a longtime supporter of Palestinians and has no diplomatic ties with Israel. In a statement, Indonesia's Prosperous Justice Party described the decision as "a form of humiliation and provocation against Muslims all over the world." French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Paris on Sunday. Credit:AP The Taliban, Hamas and Shia extremist leaders also vowed bloodshed after the move. Meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Paris on Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron said he "firmly and clearly" condemned all kinds of attacks against Israel in recent hours and days, but he reaffirmed his "disapproval" of Trump's move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. "The sooner the Palestinians come to grips with reality, the sooner we will find peace," Netanyahu said. He added that Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for 3000 years. "There's nothing new that Mr Netanyahu considers Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel," Macron said. "What's new is that a powerful outside country unilaterally recognises something that goes against international law." Macron told Netanyahu that he needed to make gestures to the Palestinians to break the impasse between the two sides. "I asked Prime Minister Netanyuhu to make some courageous gestures towards the Palestinians to get out of the current impasse," Macron said, suggesting that a freeze of construction in settlements could be a first step. The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, noted the relatively low intensity of the backlash so far as she defended Trump's declaration on Sunday. "Everybody said the sky was going to fall," she said in an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN. "The sky is still up there, it hasn't fallen." Arguing that Trump's decision could "move the ball forward" on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, she said the administration "did not talk about boundaries or borders" of Israeli sovereignty within the contested city "for a reason. And that's because whatever is East Jerusalem or any other part, that's between the Palestinians and the Israelis. That's not for the Americans to decide." Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said the tunnel destroyed on Sunday had been monitored by the Israelis for months. The decision to incapacitate it now, he said, despite the current tensions over Jerusalem, stemmed from what he called "the unknown part of the equation." "Those who are responsible for protecting Israeli civilians have to decide every day that goes by if it is worth waiting," he said. The military, he added, "does not seek to escalate the situation." During the 2014 Gaza war, several Israeli soldiers were ambushed and killed by militants who emerged from underground tunnels. Israeli authorities say the tunnels violate Israeli sovereignty and threaten civilians living in the border area. The latest to be destroyed extended hundreds of yards into Israeli territory, according to the military, and ended in open farmland about a mile from the nearest Israeli village. Israel has invested heavily in trying to thwart tunnelling. It recently went public with its plans for a subterranean barrier, has been using virtual-reality systems to simulate fighting in tunnels and is training troops in mock-ups of maze-like underground networks. Military and defence officials did not elaborate on the new tunnel detection and demolition system, but said it was a combined effort involving intelligence agencies, combat and engineering forces. Lieberman attributed the recent successes to the military, the Ministry of Defense and the defense industries. The previous tunnel operation was in late October. The military identified what it said was a tunnel belonging to Islamic Jihad, which sometimes rivals Hamas, the dominant force in Gaza, but joins it in battle against Israel. That time, Israel destroyed the tunnel by bombing it. Up to a dozen Islamic Jihad militants were killed in the tunnel's collapse, as were two Hamas militants carrying out what the group called a rescue mission. It was the deadliest cross-border event since the 50 days of fighting in 2014. This time, the Israeli military used a new, quiet and unspecified method of neutralising a tunnel, and said it knew of no casualties. Meanwhile there were some further disturbances over Trump's unilateral declaration. The military wing of Hamas vowed to avenge the deaths of two militants killed by Israeli airstrikes, which were themselves a retaliation after a rocket was fired from Gaza into the Israeli border town of Sderot over the weekend. It smashed the window of an empty kindergarten. "Our battle for Jerusalem continues hour by hour, over the ground and underground," Hamas' military wing said in a statement on Sunday. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where the Western-backed Palestinian Authority exercises limited control, a Hamas leader joined his organisation's calls for a "Jerusalem intifada," or uprising. The mainstream Fatah party led by President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority also called for protests after Trump's declaration and has disseminated some graphic images via social media to whip up emotions. Abbas will not be meeting US Vice President Mike Pence when Pence visits the region later this month as scheduled. 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. Washington: Alan Simpson was appalled by the injustice of it all. Back in 1991, during the incendiary Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas hearings, the salty Republican Senator from Wyoming was very concerned at the idea that a woman would wait many years after a disturbing encounter and then "come out of the night like a missile and destroy a man." Democrat Senator Al Franken has announced his resignation. Credit:AP It has been a rough spell for men whose primal fear is women coming out of the night like missiles. Even though then-senator Simpson absurdly claimed during those hearings that it was puzzling that Hill had not come forward sooner given that the nation's capital was "fertile ground" for a woman with a sexual harassment complaint to be treated fairly, it took 26 more years of rampant sexual harassment - and a fortune in secret settlements on Capitol Hill - before women took to the ramparts. A supporter of India's main opposition Congress party covers himself with party's scarf during an election rally at Dhrangadhra in Gujarat. Credit:AP Gandhi's election, uncontested, as president is a formality because he has been the de facto leader for the past four years as his mother gradually withdrew, letting him take charge. His anointment has been praised by veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who said: "Rahul Gandhi will be successful and his leadership will bring the Congress back to power." People listen to Rahul Gandhi during an election rally near Bayad in Gujarat state in November. Credit:AP But whether Gandhi has it in him to lead the Congress Party to victory in an election is an open question. Almost everything is stacked against him. The party organisation is feeble: in her 19 years as president, Mrs Gandhi let it become moribund in virtually every state. Rahul Gandhi has spoken of the urgent need to rebuild it but has done little. The party simply does not have grassroots workers and leaders who can canvass support, campaign for candidates, and get the votes in. Gandhi's other disadvantage is that the notion of dynasty no longer holds sway over the Indian public as it once did his father, Rajiv Gandhi, his grand-mother, Indira Gandhi, and his great grandfather, Jawarharlal Nehru were all prime ministers. The glamour and charisma attached to the name made the Gandhis India's answer to the Kennedys. But young Indians tend to be less deferential now and more inclined to have a modern outlook. Dynastic inheritance of a political party sits uncomfortably with this outlook. "The India of 2017, with its large pool of young voters deciding electoral outcomes, is increasingly questioning the politics of entitlement," wrote political commentator Neerja Chowdhury in the Indian Express on November 22. Gandhi's other difficulty is that he has to take on one of the strongest prime ministers India has seen. Modi enjoys a rarely seen dominance over the political landscape. He has made his contempt for the young, still wet-behind-the-ears Gandhi obvious. However, in the past few months Gandhi has lifted his game. Some of his barbs including a series of sarcastic and catchy slogans have landed. He has got under the skin of some of Modi's ministers who normally treat him like the village idiot. Moreover, he has led an unusually aggressive campaign in the past few weeks in the lion's den Modi's home state of Gujarat where polling is to take place in phases up to 14 December. Political commentators were surprised at the energy and spirit which Gandhi brought to the task. "He has shown at least that he can put up a decent fight, that he is not daunted by taking on Modi in a state where the Congress is extremely weak," said Seema Mustafa, editor of the online newspaper, The Citizen. But the scale of the task ahead of him is daunting. In the 2014 election, the party under his de facto leadership suffered its worst ever outcome: just 44 seats in Parliament. This was followed by a string of defeats in other state elections. The Congress Party, which has dominated the life of the nation since the days when it led the movement for independence, now rules in just six of India's 29 states. For the Congress, being so diminished is an existential crisis. Gandhi needs a vision and, so far, no vision has emerged. By PTI: Lucknow, Dec 10 (PTI) In a shocking incident, a 15-year- old cancer survivor was allegedly raped by two men in Sarojini nagar here and was later sexually assaulted by another person whom she asked for help, police said today. The incident took place last night when the girl had gone out to meet an acquaintance, Additional Superintendent of Police (Lucknow East) Sarvesh Mishra said. advertisement The survivor alleged that her acquaintance, Shubham, took her to a secluded place where he and his friend, Sumit, raped her and fled from the spot, the police said, adding when she sought help from a passerby, Virendra, he also raped her. The victim somehow reached home and narrated the ordeal to her parents. Subsequently, her father lodged a complaint, the police said. A case of gang-rape has been registered under relevant section of IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), police said, adding Sumit and Virendra have been arrested. A hunt was on to apprehend Shubham, the Additional SP said. PTI NAV SMI DPB DIP SK DIP --- ENDS --- Aussie investors who favour expert opinion for selecting stocks look forward to the annual listings of top stock prospects for the upcoming trading year. This year, UBS analysts were first in line with their favorite prospects for 2018. Here is their list. The table includes growth estimates and to their credit, UBS highlighted the difference between them and the analyst consensus for FY 2018. A quick perusal of the table shows these are not exactly under the radar picks, with asset management firm Janus Henderson Group (JHG) the only stock with an average trading volume under 1 million shares per day. Growth investors might gravitate towards the leaders, with four of the ten sporting compound annual growth rates (CAGR) for earnings per share (EPS) at or above 15%. The following table adds year over year share price performance and historical earnings and dividend growth performance for the top four UBS picks by growth rate. AGL Energy (AGL) and rival Origin Energy (ORG) are both integrated energy companies generating electricity from power stations using a variety of energy sources. Both have benefited from the 2009 deregulation of the electricity market here in Australia which has led to consumers paying more for electricity, the opposite effect expected from deregulation, according to some experts. Some go so far as to call for reregulation. The issue is hotly debated with claims Australians now pay the highest prices in the world for electricity. Industry spokespersons point to preliminary findings from an October report from the Australian Competition and Consumers Commission (ACCC) that found that deregulation of Australias retail electricity markets is not the main driver of higher bills. Growing concerns over the energy crisis here might cause some investors to ignore the UBS view the two utility giants are worthy of their investing dollars. While government intervention in any market comes with shareholder risk, AGL and ORG control huge market share across Australia and are not going anywhere. Electricity demand could skyrocket should the bullish predictions about adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) come to pass. AGL has been in business since 1837, originating under the name The Australian Gas Light Company and was the largest energy retailer in Australia until overtaken in market cap by Origin recently. However, AGL is classified as a utility while Origin is in the energy sector. The difference stems from Origins oil and gas exploration and production operations. The other significant difference between the two is AGLs lead with a renewable energy portfolio. The following table from marketforces.org.au is dated as it depicts conditions at the close of 2014. However, some experts say AGL is still in the lead, although Origin is making strides to close the renewable energy gap. AGL claims to be the largest investor in renewable energy on the ASX with Australias largest portfolio of renewable electricity generating assets. Currently the company has one new solar farm under development along with two in operation as well as four wind farms and a hydroelectric generating operation.In 2014 the company established a New Energy business unit to promote new energy generating sources for both commercial and residential customers. According to the company website, AGL is considering importing LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) as a generating source. Involvement in LNG is perhaps the single biggest difference between the companies, leading to investors favoring AGL over the last five years. The following price movement chart compares the performance of the two. Origin made a huge bet on the now deceased belief LNG would usher in a golden age of gas. The stock price began to suffer as the companys 37.5% joint venture investment in the Gladstone APLNG project began to experience massive cost overruns and production delays. The original cost estimate of around $23 billion quickly ballooned to $24.7 billion. The companys Full Year 2017 Financial Results included a staggering $3.2 billion-dollar one-off asset writedown on APLNG along with assets in the Browse Basin gas fields. The companys reported statutory net profit, including the massive one-off charges, came in with a loss of $2.2 billion. However, the underlying net profit, without the writedowns, rose 51% to $550 million. The strong underlying net profit along with strong management guidance for 2018 gas production and underlying EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation) may well account for UBS including Origin in its Top Ten, despite the companys weak historical performance over the last five years. Link Administration Holdings (LNK) has the distinction of being the only stock to appear on both the UBS Top Stocks to Watch List and the recently released High Conviction Buy List from Morgans. The company bills itself as a technology-enabled provider of fund administration and securities registration along with related services. Link has four operating divisions: Fund Administration Corporate Markets Information, Digital, and Data Services, and Asset Service Although the company has clients around the world, Link derives around 90% of its revenue here in Australia. The company debuted on the ASX in 2015; one of the largest IPOs of that year. The listing was met with some skepticism due to the high price and recollections of the troubled IPO of Myers Holdings. Link was owned by Pacific Equity Partners (PEP). Concerns apparently surrounded the decision by PEP to retain a 30% stake in the company until Link reported financial results for FY 2016. To the surprise of the naysayers and the delight of its investors, Links Full Year 2016 Financial Results beat its own Prospectus forecasts. Revenues rose 32%, beating its forecast by 3%. EBITDA improved by 29%, beating the forecast by 5%. Investors were further pleased by a 25% increase in operating margins. Aristocrat Leisure (ALL) develops, manufactures, and distributes a wide variety of gaming content and systems, from games and electronic gaming machines to social, web and mobile based gaming. The company offers casino management systems to its business clients. Aristocrat gaming solutions exist in 100 countries around the world, fully licensed in 291 jurisdictions. The companys digital presence is expanding rapidly with online gaming websites coming in India, Asia, and an EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) in addition to the existing sites in Australia and the US with a Video Gaming Technology site in the US as well. Aristocrat derives 58% of its revenue in the US, making it subject to currency fluctuations. As you may know, the US is on the cusp of a dramatic reduction in the corporate tax rate, which would help Aristocrat. The companys financial performance of late has been outstanding. Half Year 2017 Results announced in June showed a 22% revenue increase and a 57% rise in profit. Aristocrat also trades in the US where results are reported quarterly. For the September Quarter revenue rose 9.5% over the previous corresponding period while net income increased 28.2%. Full Year 2017 Results announced in November continued the stellar performance with a 68.7% increase in underlying net profit, crushing analyst expectations, along with a 34.5% revenue increase. Analysts expected revenues of $383 million, dwarfed by the actual results of $2.13 billion. Aristocrat has an aggressive acquisition strategy and the surprising results this year reportedly were boosted by the companys acquisition of US based Video Gaming Technologies. Aristocrat added two new jewels to its crown Israeli based game developer Plarium and another US based social gaming company, Big Fish. The Aristocrat share price appreciation over the past five years could well continue into the future with these two new acquisitions. >> BACK TO THE NEWSLETTER: Click here to read other articles from this weeks newsletter What happened to the price of Bitcoin? The truth behind big bubbles and crashes When Katherine Hunts dad asked her whether or not he should invest in Bitcoin, alarm bells rang, first she thought hes a musician. Hunt is a lecturer in accounting at the Griffith Business School, and as someone who knows the five stages of a bubble and crash, she was worried when it seemed everyone was thinking they needed to get in on Bitcoin. The stock market is a manifestation of the psychology of everyone who is investing, so of course there is going to be these crazy stages, Hunt says. There is a boom, as momentum behind a new stock or asset speeds up and the media starts to cover it, fuelling its price rise. Then the euphoria sets in, the value of the asset skyrockets and people start to make a profit. But looming around the corner is the panic. Investors feel the last phase of a crash far more than they do the elation of the price rising, Hunt says. Panic breeds more panic and the price falls. Hunt is seeing this pattern play out with the stocks of the more well known gig economy businesses like Airbnb and Uber. These businesses now enjoy the privilege of being the only, or one of a few of their kind, in the marketplace. But Hunt says this cant last. In an open market thats not the case at all, theres always going to be competition and these companies will fall. Its just probably that theyll fall in 30 or 40 years, not necessarily tomorrow, she says. Of course this is all easier to see in hindsight. Remembering the global financial crisis John Crosby, now a senior lecturer in finance at the University of Technology Sydney, was once working as an investment banker at Lloyds of London in 2007 when he noticed a news story on losses financial services company HSBC was reporting from its subprime mortgages. I thought, that could be quite bad, Crosby recalls. At the time volatility was low and it seemed like everything was going along fine. But Crosby overheard a coworker who looked after the banks various branches asking people to move any sums to deposit to London. That wasnt normal right? It was perfectly normal that you did business with anybody you wanted to, unless there was a real credit risk issue with the bank, he says. Crosby realises now that his coworker knew other banks were carrying toxic debt that would eventually kick off the global financial crisis. When it came to 2008 the real problems became clear and it was more of a question of which bank would fall next, he says. People were way too complacent before the crisis and then during the crisis its one of blind panic, thinking everyday things are going to get worse. Whereas in reality there was light at the end of the tunnel, Crosby says. By then Crosby was working at financial services company UBS and thousands of people were being laid off. In 2009 the company decided to hire half of those employees back. Past theories about what causes crashes The benefit of hindsight also shows what sort of speculation leads to market crashes. Before crashes were well understood, economists had to grapple with what they thought might be causing a crash. In the 19th century, economist William Stanley Jevons believed that sunspots (hyperactive radiation on the sun) could be the key to understanding crashes. He was interested to find out that the cycle of sunspots was very similaras the trade cycle back on earth, says Simon Ville, a professor of economic and business history at the University of Wollongong. Of course this theory was later discredited, but there have been bubbles over some very ordinary assets in the past. Ville explains that tulips were at the centre of the first market bubble and crash in recorded history. Tulips became high fashion in the Netherlands, in the early 17th century, but because it took a while for these plants to grow it was very much like the future markets we see today in modern finance. That inevitably creates a sense of uncertainty and a sense of speculation, what are you actually buying? Will you get the full value of what youre paying for?, Ville says. Of course people started paying more and more for tulips, until it took someones life savings to buy one bulb. Ultimately there was a point where euphoria turned to panic and the climate changed from optimism to pessimism. This is when the price crashed, and the bubble burst. >> BACK TO THE NEWSLETTER: Click here to read other articles from this weeks newsletter Callum Halliday, Editorial Intern, The Conversation; Eleanor Harrison-Dengate, Editorial intern, The Conversation; Jenni Henderson, Section Editor: Business + Economy, The Conversation, and Josh Nicholas, Deputy Editor: Business + Economy, The Conversation. This article was originally published on The Conversation. By PTI: Ahmedabad, Dec 10 (PTI) The Congress today termed as "baseless" Prime Minister Narendra Modis allegation that its top party leaders recently met the Pakistani envoy and an ex- Pakistani minister and said he made the charge as he was worried about the BJPs impending defeat in Gujarat Assembly elections. Modi told an election rally today that suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar had called him "neech" (a lowly sort of a person) a day after the alleged meeting of Pakistanis with top Congressmen. advertisement "Holding the countrys topmost post, Modiji is making baseless allegations. Modiji is worried, dejected, angry. Such a statement has no truth or fact, and is based on lies. Such a behaviour is unbecoming of a prime minister," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters here. Modi alleged that former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Aiyar had met the Pakistani high commissioner in India and an ex-Pakistani foreign minister at the residence of Aiyar recently. "The entire country knows who loves Pakistan and who has been giving protection to the separatists," Surjewala alleged. He asked Modi that if he planned to contest the elections on Pakistan-related issues, then he should also tell the people of Gujarat as to why he "trusted Pakistani spy agency ISI and offered it entry to Pathankot Airforce Base for investigation". Surjewala also questioned Modis "unplanned" Pakistan visit to attend the wedding of former prime minister Nawaz Sharifs granddaughter, soon after "Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attacks at Gurdaspur and Udhampur". He also alleged that the Modi government failed to arrest Pakistan-based terrorist Dawood Ibrahims wife, who "managed to reach Mumbai from Pakistan and then fly back to Pakistan". "We would also like to ask him as to why no action was taken against former minister in the BJP government in Maharashtra Eknath Khadse, who was removed after Indian agencies taped his conversation with Dawood Ibrahim," he said. The Congress spokesperson also claimed Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan attended the marriage of Dawood Ibrahims daughter and asked why 11 BJP leaders, including the head of Madhya Pradeshs IT cell, were arrested for "spying for ISI". Surjewala also sought an apology from the prime minister and the BJP over the release of Pakistan-based terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar by taking him and two others to Kandahar after hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane in 1999. PTI KA PD SC --- ENDS --- A now decade-old loan forgiveness program for teachers and others in public service might be on its way out. While experts say ending the program could mean one less incentive for university students to go into government or nonprofit work, some at Texas A&M are not expecting too drastic of an impact. The congressional Committee on Education and the Workforce unveiled the PROSPER Act last week, which, in addition to reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, would eliminate the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The program allows those who work full time in certain government positions or at qualifying nonprofits to have their student loans forgiven after a paperwork-heavy 10 years of monthly payments. "The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is a [federal] program designed to encourage people to go ahead and take on higher education debt, despite an intended career in public service," says Lori Taylor, director for the Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics and Public Policy. "This was an incentive to encourage more people to choose public service as a career. The elimination of that program, eliminates that incentive." But it's not clear how big of an incentive it is at the Texas A&M Bush School of Government and Public Service. Taylor says the institute does not keep track of whether students are carrying undergraduate loans with them, but last year's numbers show that under one-third of students at the school took on additional debt. "So we are able to provide our students with scholarship support that is not going to be impacted by the change," she said. "We also have one of the most cost-effective programs in terms of our tuition being competitive for students who are interested in a career in public education. Both of those means that loans are not as crucial to our students as they would be to students at other schools of public affairs." Texas A&M's College of Education and Human Development doesn't track how many students who go on to be teachers use the program after graduation either. But by their estimations, the undergraduate students who do take out loans are taking our an average of between $22,000 and $23,000, says Joyce Alexander, dean of the school. "About two-thirds of the individuals who do take loans in our college are first-generation students, so the loans do open up opportunities that might not be there otherwise," she said. "So coming up with a way to repay the loan dependent on their income is actually a good this as well." How helpful this particular forgiveness program is depends on the jobs students go on to hold, particularly their first few jobs, says Alexander. The loan repayments are based on salary earnings and set up in such a way that ideally the loan would be paid off in the 10 years, which Alexander says means those in lower-income jobs at the start of their public service careers stand to lose the most with the elimination of this program. "Depending on how much they've taken out, that actually might help a teacher a lot," Alexander said. "Because if they're making a relatively low beginning income ... there might be other money left over in 10 years still in the loan." The program came about in 2007. This fall, individuals began being eligible for loan forgiveness, or as Taylor puts it, "this is the year it starts showing up on the federal agency's budgets." "It's more salient when you are actually able to say this person just got their loan forgiven, and that couldn't occur until this fall," Taylor said. Taylor describes getting to the point of loan forgiveness as "not for the impatient." Alexander describes it as burdensome. "To qualify, you have to make sure that you follow all their rules, and if you move jobs, you have to make sure that you stay in a job that qualifies," Alexander said. "So there's actually quite a bit of tracking of this, and if you make your payments over a 10-year period on a regular payment schedule, there's actually nothing left to forgive." While it's hard to gauge how many Aggies use the program, Alexander says she ultimately hopes the program stays around. "Anything that we can do to help individuals who commit their time and energy to service to the community is a good thing," she said. "So I would like to see it stay, because it is rather onerous to qualify and stay tracked in the program. I don't know how much benefit it will have on one individual or one individual's decision." By PTI: By Lalit K Jha Washington, Dec 10 (PTI) North Korea has certainly made progress in its missile development programme but it is also getting paranoid due to the increasing global isolation, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said today. US President Donald Trump last month declared North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism, a move that allows the Trump administration to impose additional sanctions on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programmes. advertisement Late last month, nuclear-armed North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile which travelled about 1,000 km before splashing down in the Sea of Japan, within Japans exclusive economic zone. "This is a serious situation. The missile that they launched not too long ago was much stronger than the one we had seen before. They have made progress," Haley told CNN. "But what we have managed to do is, the United States has led and the international community is all with us in isolating North Korea. Thats a very important move. They feel it. They are getting paranoid. They are stressed out about it. But we are going to continue keep up the pressure, because we have to," she said on North Korea. The series of international sanctions, she said, has cut off 90 per cent of the North Korean trade, 30 per cent of the oil. "But every ounce of revenue that North Korea receives, they put towards their nuclear programme. So, the fact that the sanctions have completely squeezed them, that is less money they can put towards that nuclear programme now. "So, whether people cant see it, it is helping us tremendously to not have them have the cash that they normally would have had," Haley said. Responding to a question on Russia, Haley said that the State Department has fully implemented the sanctions against it. "From what I have been told, the State Department says they have gone forward with the sanctions on Russia. So I dont know anything about what youre talking about, because the State Department has said they have fully implemented that," she added. In August, North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan in a major escalation of tensions by Pyongyang. Five days later, it carried out a sixth nuclear test, sending tensions soaring over its weapons ambitions and causing global concern. PTI LKJ CPS --- ENDS --- April 28, 1951 - December 8, 2017 Russell W. Krueger Jr., 66, passed away on Friday, December 8, 2017 at his home in New Braunfels after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. Rusty graduated from New Braunfels High School in 1969, and attended Texas A&M University, graduating in 1973. He married Loretta Coldeway of New Braunfels in 1973, raising two children in Bryan, Texas. After 29 years with USDA Rural Development, he retired in 2007 and moved back to New Braunfels with his wife. Rusty enjoyed hunting and fishing in his free time. He was preceded in death by his father, Russell W. Krueger, Sr; father and mother in-law, Lewis and Eleanor Coldeway. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Loretta Coldeway Krueger; mother, Dorisse Kropp Krueger; sister, Gail Krueger of New Braunfels; son, Nathan Krueger of San Antonio; daughter, Emily Krueger Dornier and husband Daniel of New Braunfels, grandchild Henry Dornier and another grandson on the way. He is also survived by sister-in-law, Pamela Coldeway; brother and sister-in-law, Robert and Tonya Coldeway and several nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service will be held at 2 PM on Tuesday, December 12 at Doeppenschmidt Funeral Home in New Braunfels, TX. The family has requested that memorial contributions be made to Hope Hospice of New Braunfels. Making a return to our two favourite summer locations, Mount Maunganui and Nelson in early January 2023, we've got whiff of the first release lineup and me oh my, yes boy DONIPHAN A new bakery has opened in Doniphan, offering Central Nebraska artisan pizza, fresh-baked goods and more. Red Bird Bakery, 102 E. Plum St., opened in November. Amy Schlatz of Doniphan is the owner. Schlatz has had a passion for baking since her youth. I still vividly remember the first time I watched my grandma knead dough, Schlatz said. It was her grandmas methodical and precise process in the kitchen that interested her, she said. The older I got, the more my fascination grew, Schlatz said. I initially experimented with easy recipes and moved on to the more complex. That fascination turned to the joy of creating delicious things for others. That joy is the foundation of Red Bird Bakery, she said. Each recipe brings me joy as I work on creating something special, Schlatz said. Red Bird Bakery is where the Swiss Bakery was located. When the Swiss Bakery closed, Schlatz said she saw an opportunity to pursue her passion for baking. Since opening, she is taking small steps with her business. She has a part-time job in Grand Island. She is her only employee at the bakery, which is open from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Schlatz grew up in Doniphan and is a 2006 graduate of Doniphan/Trumbull High School. The school is just several blocks west of her bakery. I left for a few years after high school, but Im back now, she said. Schlatz said her parents also taught her all things good about cooking and baking. She thought about going to culinary school, but she said, The timing wasnt right. But the timing was right for her to open up Red Bird Bakery. Since the location was a former bakery, the equipment was available to Schlatz, including all the things she needed to make her pastries. It also included a pizza oven for her to make fresh pizzas for her customers. Opening the bakery would have been cost prohibitive, she said, if she had had to buy everything new. Schlatz said it was a crazy idea that led her to start the business. It was a dream of mine to do something with the bakery for a long time, she said. With the building being available and being in Doniphan, which is my hometown, everything just fit together well to make this happen. Since it opened Nov. 16, Schlatz said she has been overwhelmed by the tremendous support from the community. Red Bird Bakery is part of many small businesses revitalizing Doniphan. It has been really exciting, she said. It also has been kind of nerve-wracking too. You dont want to disappoint the people but the town has been overly supportive. Im very thankful for that. Her bakery items include cookies, cupcakes, brown butter Rice Krispy treats, cinnamon rolls, fresh homemade granola and more. All her items are made from scratch at the store. I also want the menu to be spontaneous, she said. We want to offer different items every week. She has the same plans for her pizza menu. She offers the basics but also wants to be spontaneous and offer different types of pizzas. Her pizza menu includes the basics, like hamburger, pepperoni, supreme and cheese pizzas. There are also specialty pizzas, such as Hawaiian, barbecued chicken, buffalo chicken and a breakfast pizza. Like her pastries, each pizza is made fresh with each order. The sauce, the dough ... everything is made from scratch, Schlatz said. They also have garlic knots, which she described as our version of breadsticks. For the future, Schlatz said she hopes to expand her hours as her business grows. I want to keep it small, she said. I want to make this work out well first. Schlatz said she is also getting a lot of good ideas from her customers about items to add to her menu. She said people also can call for special orders for parties or other events. For more information, call the bakery at (402) 845-2433 or check its website at www.redbirdbakery.co. The Facebook page at www.facebook.com/redbirdbakeryco will include daily menus along with the latest goodies she is planning. ST. PAUL If youve ever wondered what wine pairs best with Pop Tarts, Miletta Vista Winery has you covered. Miletta Vista gets its name from owners Mick and Loretta McDowell. Mick + Loretta = Miletta. Vista comes from the grandiose view of the rolling landscape. The winery celebrated its 10th anniversary this weekend after opening in 2007. The winery sits atop a hill, overlooking a pasture. Mick said he has a passion for caring for and preserving the land and the environment there. He grew up on a farm, so agriculture always kind of tugs at you, Mick said. Its like being in Nebraska, you always root for the Big Red. Its wherever your roots are, he said. Mick said he bought the land in 2001 and planted the first crop of grapes in 2002. Around that time, he said the wine industry in Nebraska was just starting to grow. Hed been making hobby wines for a couple of years. In 1996, he saw a news article about the first winery in Nebraska. In 1999, they went to a workshop and later to conferences. They developed their passion for growing grapes and wine making. I think we kind of got the bug for making wines, Mick said. Starting a winery took a lot of patience, though. Mick said it can take about five years for the grapes to grow. In 2012, a fire also tested their patience. The facility had to be built up again, but the McDowells expanded it the second time around. They live in the building, and luckily escaped the fire, which started from burning garbage, Mick said. Mount Miletta, as they nicknamed the winery, was reopened about a year after the fire. Theyve won many awards for their wine since then, including the Jefferson Cup and two Best of Show wines. The Jefferson Cup is an invitational competition. Miletta Vista wines have competed against California wines and others from across the world. Theres no way I couldve imagined this level of success, Mick said. Linda Murphy, a well-respected wine writer, described Miletta Vistas Brianna wine, which won Best of Show White in 2012, stunningly good. Its humbling, but also rewarding, Mick said about winning awards. Amidst the cows and the corn, we can make stunningly good wine. Miletta Vista has since offered food made by a professional chef and sells bottles of wine in about 136 locations across Nebraska. And we continue to look for more, said Casey Ryan, wholesale account manager. He is Lorettas son. Casey will take over when Mick and Loretta decide to pass the business down. The three have many plans to make and lots of time before that happens. They aim to grow the winery to educate people on wine culture and more food pairings. During the winter months, Miletta Vista serves lunch on Wednesday through Saturday and evening meals on Thursday through Saturday. They also host events, such as business meetings and baby showers. Wildlife is often spotted at the winery; most recently a bald eagle was seen. Its nice to be able to share the peacefulness and the serenity of Nebraska, Loretta said. In 10 years, Mick said hed like to see agritourism grow and help people see something you dont get in the city. One of my dreams is to have people fly into the Grand Island airport for a weekend, or a week, because theyve heard about this place and theyve heard about the beauty of Central Nebraska, Mick said. More information about Miletta Vista can be found on their website at www.milettavistawinery.com. Area students to graduate from Bryan College of Health Sciences LINCOLN Several area students are scheduled to graduate from Bryan College of Health Sciences in Lincoln on Dec. 15. The ceremony will be at 5:30 p.m. at St. Paul United Methodist Church. Students slated to graduate include: Stacey Dillman of Hastings, bachelor of science in nursing; Anastasia Erpelding of Wood River, bachelor of science in nursing; Ashley Kelly of Genoa, bachelor of science in nursing, health care management; Brittany Leverington of Broken Bow, bachelor of science in nursing; Trisha Towne of Grand Island, bachelor of science in biomedical sciences; Rachel Leech of Hastings, bachelor of science in diagnostic medical sonography, vascular sonography; Trista Williams of Hastings, master of science in nursing/nursing education; Shelly Amsberry of Ansley, master of science in nursing/nursing leadership; Heidi Frazier of Genoa, master of science in nursing/nursing leadership; and Farrah Rosentreader of Mason City, master of science in nursing/nursing leadership. Honors Shayne Arriola and Lane Uhing, both of Grand Island and University of Nebraska-Lincoln seniors, are among 31 UNL students who have been recognized as outstanding agents of character and integrity by being named to Francos List. All recipients were nominated by a university community member and selected by a council of peers, the vice chancellor for student affairs Character Council. Levi Cermak, Sarah Johnson and Miranda Scoggins, all of Hastings, and Danielle Shenk of Polk have been inducted into the Hastings College chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society. LINCOLN Tim Burnham and Casey Campbell, both of Grand Island, and Brenda Densmore, John Miller and Kevin Kruse, all of Lincoln, recently graduated from the seventh class of the Nebraska Water Leaders Academy, a one-year program that provides leadership training and educates participants about the vital role rivers, streams and aquifers play in the economic sustainability of the state. Burnham is an environmental health scientist with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Office of Drinking Water and Environmental Health. Campbell is an engineer with Ducks Unlimited, Inc., where he is responsible for survey, design and construction of wetland restorations throughout Nebraska. A hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Densmore works with various entities on how environmental changes are affecting the Missouri River water quality. She grew up in Doniphan and is the daughter of Paul and Sharon Woodward of Doniphan. Miller is a natural resources program specialist in the permit and registration division of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources. He is a graduate of Northwest High School in Grand Island. Kruse is water resources department manager for JEO Consulting Group. He graduated from Grand Island Senior High and is the son of Virgil and Debbie Kruse of Grand Island. 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. By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) Nandus Chicken, part of Rs 500 crore Nanda group, is looking at raising USD 10 million by early next fiscal to expand its operations and open more offline retail stores. "We are looking at raising around USD 10 million in the next 6-8 months. We will use this fund to expand our operations to other states in south India and open retail stores. We will also use it for marketing and branding," Nandus Chicken Founder Narendra Kumar Pasuparthy told PTI. advertisement "The idea for this company came into being due to unavailability of quality chicken in India. While we started with only chicken, we will soon add other meat such as mutton, fish and sea food," he said. At present, there are 10 retail Nandus Chicken outlets in Bangalore and the brand will soon expand operations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Pasuparthy said Nandus Chicken is leveraging the parent companys strength to become a leader in processed meat business. Nanda Group currently has 16 farms, 10 hatcheries, three poultry feed mills and three processing plants spanning across India, the UAE and Oman. The company has also tied up with farmers for growing birds across southern states to provide a quality farm- to-fork experience for consumers, he said. PTI SVK MR --- ENDS --- Jacob Kozisek of St. Libory and Madolyn Oakeson, both Grand Island Northwest High School students, were two of three students who represented Nebraska at the 24th annual Global Youth Institute Oct. 19-21 in Des Moines, Iowa. They engaged with global leaders in science, policy, and industry to discuss the worlds most pressing challenges in hunger and poverty. In order to participate in the program, students research and write a paper on a topic affecting food security in a developing country and provide recommendations on how to better the lives of a typical family in the country. The 200 students chosen to participate engaged in hands-on activities and service-learning projects that allow them to reflect on their unique role in addressing challenges related to agriculture, policy, science, industry, and hunger relief efforts both in the U.S. and abroad. Andrew Chapter No. 41, Order of the Eastern Star, met Dec. 4 at the Masonic Temple. A note was received from the Youth Committee of Grand Chapter of Nebraska, which is encouraging chapters and members to support the Masonic youth groups, which are Rainbow Girls, Jobs Daughters and DeMolay. An invitation was received to attend the 80th birthday open house for Nancy (Shaver) Starr from 1 to 5 p.m. Dec. 10. Thank you notes were received from the Masonic Eastern Star Childrens Home and Nebraska Masonic Home for monetary gifts they received. Also received was an acknowledgment that Andrew Chapter is a member of the Purple Ribbon Club for 2017-18, which supports the assistance in purchasing and caring of livestock for their 4-H program. Virginia White helped with the tray favors for Wedgewood Care Center, which was delivered this fall. The chapter voted to accept the consolidation of Rose Croix Chapter No. 298, Ravenna with Andrew Chapter. A vote was taken to change the dress for the months of December through February to street dress and formal dress would be from March through November. Joyce Quaring read a list of items which members could bring as donations for Hope Harbor. Open installation of 2018 Andrew Chapter officers will be Sunday, Jan. 14, with practice at 2 p.m. and installation at 4. Andrew Chapters charter was draped in memory of Evelyn Purdy. Fifty-year members celebrating birthdays in December are Joyce Klintworth, Paul Quisenberry and Merry Kim. A cookie exchange was enjoyed by members. The next meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 3, with reports from officers and a memorial service. Members of Contract Bridge at the YWCA met Nov. 29 in the YWCAs conference room. Delores Luedtke was high scorer and Joan Hermes was second. Barb Stenka was welcomed as a first-time player with the group. This bridge group meets at 1 p.m. the last Wednesday of each month at the YWCA. The next meeting will be on Dec. 27. Members will be asked to share when and why they began playing bridge and why they continue to play this card game. It is suggested that renewal of YWCA memberships and 2018 dues be paid at the Dec. 27 meeting. Additional players are always welcome. For more information, contact Susan Hauptmeier at (308) 384-9569. CENTRAL CITY Kappa Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International met Nov. 16 at Central City Public Library for a Founders Day meal catered by Side Street Deli. Group 6s Judy Marco, Joan Waring, Dee Ferris and Jackie Mason hosted the event. The meeting honored nine of the original DKG founders with biographical information and discussion. Following the meal, Nola Oberhelman led the DKG song, and the hosting group served birthday cupcakes with ice cream. Co-president Jackie Mason presided during the meeting that followed. The chapter made holiday greeting cards for active and veteran military. Third graders from Grand Islands 1-R school composed and illustrated messages for the cards, Central City Library provided a card-making station for the public, and 18 Kappa members and friends gathered to produce the cards. The result was more than 250 cards distributed to Nebraska military. Officer nominations for the next biennium was also discussed. Barbara McIlnay, current first vice president, will assume the presidency in June, and Theda VanHorn, recording secretary, will continue in her position for another two-year term. Members were reminded that the DKG International Convention will be July 16-20, 2018, in Austin, Texas. An informative presentation was given by Sara Lee, Central City Public Library director, about new technology innovation at the library. A makerspace cart has been equipped for public use, providing creative and robotic exploration for all ages. The next Kappa meeting will be Jan. 18 in Central City. Since 2003, the Star Tribunes Taste Holiday Cookie Contest has been shining a spotlight on wonderful recipes. Memorable stories, too. This years top winner from Crystal Schlueter of Babbitt, Minn. is a doozy on both counts, and it involves that beloved made-in-Minnesota candy bar, the Nut Goodie. And dont forget our other top cookies in this years contest: Cherry Pinwheels, Brandy Cherry Cookies, Pistachio Pinecones and Almond Ricotta Bars. The recipes are all below. Happy holidays to one and all, and happy baking. Winner: Nut Goodie Thumbprints Baker: Crystal Schlueter of Babbitt, Minn. Why we love it: This delicious, easy-to-prepare winner is a make-it-yourself tribute to the legendary made-in-Minnesota candy bar. Nutty about Nut Goodies: Ive always been a fan, she said. In the checkout line at the grocery store, Mom would let me buy a candy bar, and it was always the one that Id choose. Of course, its a Minnesota classic. It sure is: Pearson Candy Co. in St. Paul has been producing the chocolate-maple-peanut confection since 1912. Nut Goodie Thumbprints For cookies: 1 cup flour 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar 1 egg, separated 2 tablespoons whole milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3/4 cup chopped roasted and salted peanuts For filling: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk 1 teaspoon maple extract 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-1/2 teaspoons whole milk 1 cup powdered sugar For ganache: 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips 2 tablespoons heavy cream To prepare cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and salt, and reserve. In a bowl of a mixer on medium-high speed, beat together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract, and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low, gradually add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Dip the top half of each ball into remaining egg white and then into peanuts. Place dough, peanuts-side up, 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using the back of a spoon or your thumb, press an indentation into the center of the top of each cookie. Bake until cookies are set but still soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully remake the same slight indentation into the top of each cookie. Cool for 5 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool. To prepare filling: In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, combine butter, condensed milk, maple extract, vanilla extract, 1 1/2 teaspoons whole milk and powdered sugar, and beat until uniform and creamy. While cookies are still slightly warm, spoon filling into indentation in cookies, then allow them to cool completely. To prepare ganache: Combine chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl (or in a double-boiler over gently simmering water). Cook mixture, stirring occasionally, until fully melted. Stir until smooth. Use the tines of a fork to drizzle chocolate over cooled cookies. Allow ganache to set before serving. Makes about 2 dozen cookies. Finalist: Cherry Pinwheels Baker: Pam Hopf of Edina, Minn. Why we love it: Festive and tasty, these beauties stand out on a cookie tray, and theyre surprisingly easy to prepare. Our suggestion: Not a fan of cherry? Just about any fruit preserve lingonberry, apricot, raspberry works with this festive cookie. The original recipe called for Damsom Plum, she said. But thats more purple, and I wanted something red. I dont like baked strawberry, but I think that cherry is pretty. Taste tip: This dough must be prepared in advance. Dough can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, or wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and frozen for up to a month. Cherry Pinwheels 2-1/2 cups flour, plus extra for rolling dough 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 1 egg, separated 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/3 cup cherry preserves 2 tablespoons decorative sugar In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and cardamom, and reserve. In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, cream cheese and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract, and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing just until combined and dough forms. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces, flatten each piece into a block, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 to 3 hours. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough blocks (1 at a time, keeping remaining dough refrigerated until ready to roll) to 1/4-inch thickness. Working quickly (dough is easiest to work with when chilled), trim edges to make 8- by 12-inch rectangle. Rewrap scraps in plastic and chill, until ready to re-roll. Using a pastry wheel, cut rectangle into 2-inch squares. Using a spatula, transfer squares to prepared baking sheets, placing 2 inches apart. With a small knife, carefully make a 1-inch-long cut in 1 square, from tip of each corner in toward center, halving each corner (you will have 8 points). With tip of knife, lift every other point and gently fold into the center (forming a pinwheel), overlapping ends slightly. Press center lightly to form a small well. Brush cookies with a lightly beaten egg white. Place 1/2 teaspoon jam in center and sprinkle with decorative sugar. Repeat process with remaining chilled dough and scrapes. Bake until edges are pale and golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen cookies. Recipe adapted from: Gourmet magazine Finalist: Brandy Cherry Cookies Baker: Kathleen Sonsteng of Laporte, Minn. Why we love it: The secret to this tender sugar cookie? Brandy-soaked cherries, with a hint of Chinese five-spice powder. Our suggestion: Experiment with different varieties of fruit brandy. We tried Calvados (apple brandy), and loved the results. We also found that refrigerating the dough a step that Sonsteng skips helps the cookies hold their shape. Taste tip: This dough must be prepared in advance. Five-spice powder is a blend of equal parts cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns and is available in the spice aisles of most supermarkets. If cherries are large, chop them. From a recipe in. Brandy Cherry Cookies 1 cup dried cherries 1/2 cup brandy 2-1/2 cups flour, plus extra for dough, if necessary 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup sugar, divided 1 egg 1 egg yolk In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine dried cherries and brandy. When brandy starts to simmer, remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving both cherries and liquid. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and five-spice powder, and reserve. In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 3/4 cup sugar and beat until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Add egg, egg yolk and 2 teaspoons of the reserved brandy liquid (discard remaining liquid), and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Do not overmix (if dough is sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time; you need to be able to roll dough into balls in your hands). Stir in drained cherries. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place remaining 1/4 cup sugar into a shallow bowl. Roll dough balls in remaining 1/4 cup sugar to coat. Place dough 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned and set on the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 2 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies. Recipe adapted from: Country Home magazine Finalist: Pistachio Pinecones Baker: Linda McEwen of Mahtomedi, Minn. Why we love it: A simple cut-and-bake formula, dressed up for the holidays with pistachios and white chocolate. Gluten-free: McEwen has prepared this recipe using her favorite gluten-free flour mix (its the Cup4Cup brand, available at Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table and many Target stores), and was pleased with the results. You cant tell the difference, she said. Taste tip: This dough must be prepared in advance. If salted, dry-roasted pistachios are unavailable, toast and salt them yourself. To do so, place nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring or shaking the pan frequently, until they just begin to release their fragrance, about 2 to 3 minutes (or preheat oven to 325 degrees, spread nuts on an ungreased baking sheet, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and bake, stirring often, for 4 to 6 minutes). Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. From a recipe in. Pistachio Pinecones 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 vanilla bean 2 cups flour 2 cups finely chopped salted, dry-roasted pistachios, divided 12 ounces white chocolate 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter for 30 seconds. Add sugar, vanilla extract and salt, and beat until just combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Using the tip of a paring knife, scrape seeds from bean into the butter mixture, and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low, add flour in 1/2 cup increments and mix just until combined. Stir in 1 cup of pistachios. Divide dough in half and shape each half into logs measuring 1 1/2-inches in diameter, giving log an oval shape (one with distinctive wider and narrower ends) so that cut cookies will resemble pine cone shape. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a thin-bladed knife, slice chilled logs into 1/4-inch slices. Place dough slices 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until just firm and browned on the bottoms, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 2 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. In a microwave-safe bowl (or in a double-boiler over gently simmering water), melt white chocolate and shortening and stir to combine. Place remaining 2 cups chopped pistachios in a wide bowl. Dip the wider end of each cookie in melted white chocolate (to resemble a pine cone), then dip in the pistachios. Transfer cookies to waxed paper and let stand until set. Makes about 4 dozen cookies. Recipe adapted from: Midwest Living magazine Finalist: Almond Ricotta Bars Baker: Karen Cope of Minneapolis Why we love it: Kringle lovers and cream cheese fans will love these rich, elegant, almond-packed treats. It started at the mall: A lemon ricotta cookie encountered at the Mall of Americas Nordstrom Cafe sparked Copes imagination. She test-drove a few versions and ultimately decided to go the bar cookie route, adding an icing and then playing with flavors. Taste tip: To toast almonds, place nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, and cook, stirring or shaking the pan frequently, until they just begin to release their fragrance, about 2 to 3 minutes (or preheat oven to 325 degrees F, spread nuts on an ungreased baking sheet and bake, stirring often, for 4 to 6 minutes). Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Almond Ricotta Bars For bars: 2-1/2 cups flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for pan 2 cups granulated sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons almond extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese For frosting: 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 3 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon almond extract 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (see taste tip) To prepare bars: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter bottom and sides of a 13- by 18-inch half-sheet pan. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt, and reserve. In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat 2 sticks butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until thoroughly combined. Add 2 teaspoons almond extract and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low, add ricotta in 3 additions. Gradually add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Spread batter in prepared pan and bake until cake is set, lightly golden and the edges start pulling away from sides of pan, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely. To prepare frosting: In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat 1 stick butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon almond extract, and mix until uniform and creamy. Spread frosting over cooled bar cookies, slice into squares and top squares with toasted almonds. Makes about 4 dozen bar cookies. Lacys Friesen Ford construction project enters hall of fame A Lacy Construction project to build a new 18,751-square foot auto dealership at Friesen Ford in Aurora, completed in 2015, has been named to the 2017 Varco Pruden Hall of Fame. The building features a combination of burnished block and horizontal wall panels to accent Varco Prudens Panel Rib wall panels and SSR roof system. The building also includes a glass storefront for the showroom with the new Ford branded entryway. During the construction process, the most daunting challenge for the construction company was the weather. A record-setting 54 inches of rain fell at the site during construction. The most difficult task was the construction of the parking lot. Thanks to GPS guided grading and concrete placement systems, Lacy was able to set new company records for placement of the outside parking area. Mary Lanning Healthcare receives national quality honors HASTINGS Mary Lanning Healthcare in Hastings recently received several honors in the areas of patient safety and medical excellence from the medical quality rating system CareChex, an information service of Quantros Inc. Mary Lanning was listed among the top 10 percent in the nation and state for 2017 for medical excellence in cardiac care. It also ranked No. 1 in the state for medical excellence in cancer care and in the top 10 percent in the state for gastrointestinal hemorrhage and heart failure treatment. In the Patient Safety Award area, MLH was named in the top 10 percent in the state for cardiac care, gastrointestinal and pneumonia care. CareChex is designed to assist hospitals and health systems in improving the quality of inpatient care and promoting medical excellence to consumers, payers and employers. Mary Lanning Healthcare is committed to attaining high standards of quality care, said Charlene Sanders, MLH vice president of quality. Independent quality evaluations conducted by CareChex demonstrate we are achieving our goal. Providing excellent care is only possible with our outstanding physicians, employees and volunteers. Sleep Tight Program gives mattresses to students in need Kens Appliance and Americas Mattress are continuing the Sleep Tight program they started in 2015, donating a mattress to a student in need for every qualifying mattress purchase. More than 125 beds have been donated since the beginning of the program. The businesses partnered with Verna Haberman, outreach coordinator of Grand Island Public Schools, to help distribute the mattresses to children who dont have beds on which to sleep. Needs are identified by local school counselors. Sleep Tight has been a remarkable program helping students in our area get a better nights sleep by getting them off the floor and into their own beds, said Haberman. The program has helped students in the following schools and communities: Dodge, Gates, Early Learning Center, Walnut, Grand Island Senior High, Jefferson, Seedling Mile, Barr, Knickrehm, West Lawn, Wasmer, Howard, Lincoln, Newell, Starr, Success Academy, Early Development Network, Wood River, Chapman, Aurora, St. Paul, Heartland Lutheran, Hope Harbor and the Central Nebraska Community Action Program. Eakes named 2017 Elite Dealer by ENX Magazine Eakes Office Solutions has been named a 2017 Elite Dealer by ENX Magazine, an industry magazine for technology and document imaging. Elite Dealers care for their customers and employees in equal measure, said Erik Cagle, editorial director of ENX Magazine. By empowering their ranks to make critical decisions and take ownership of the client, Elite Dealers set a mark of excellence internally and externally. Eakes earned the Elite recognition in 2017 due to its quality personnel. Based on customer feedback surveys, Eakes scores high in customer satisfaction, often noted going above and beyond, which is driven by the dedication of its employees. Our goal is to provide Midwest businesses with world-class products and support, which is key in our selection as an Elite Dealer, said Mark Miller, president of Eakes Office Solutions. The company also expanded its product line in 2017 with the addition of Ricoh to its manufacturer offerings and used an extensive marketing campaign to reach both current and potential customers in the market. Eakes was also named a Sharp Hyakuman Kai Elite winner for the 11th year in a row, a status given to exemplary dealerships with innovative business practices and long-lasting community relationships. Eakes has also been named an Elite Dealer in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Rich & Sons doubling size of service department Rich & Sons RV Headquarters in Grand Island plans to double the size of its service department in early 2018. Currently, the companys service department, located across Highway 281 at 4395 Gold Core Road, has 10 service bays. The new construction will add 10 more bays. We have grown so much in the last few years that we have outgrown our current facilities, said Tony Staab, co-owner of Rich & Sons. We built a 10-bay service facility on Gold Core Road in 2014 in order to house our PDI department. In 2017 we moved all of our customer pay service to this building as well. With the increase in demand for service, we made the decision to double the current building size for 2018. Our current service trade area is at least a 200-mile radius around Grand Island, added Nick Staab, Tonys brother and co-owner of Rich & Sons. The biggest concern we have is customer wait time. No one wants to wait three to four weeks to get your camper repaired right in the middle of camping season. With 20 dedicated service bays, we are looking at a seven- to 10-day turn-around time for most major repairs. Rich & Sons will also be moving its parts department to the facility at Gold Core Road, making that facility a combined parts and service facility. It will still be able to stock more than 10,000 parts and get special orders in within 24 to 48 hours. The original building and surrounding property at 5112 S. Antelope Drive will be dedicated to new and used RV sales. Construction has already started and while the completed project is not expected until spring of 2018, the parts department will complete its move to the Gold Core Road facility by Jan. 1. Rich & Sons RV Headquarters is a family-owned and operated RV dealership that just marked its 45th year in in business. St. Francis named a Safe Sleep Hospital Champion CHI Health St. Francis in Grand Island is one of 12 Nebraska hospitals named Safe Sleep Hospital Champions by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Providing consistent training and education on safe sleep for all hospital personnel caring for children under a year old ensures the same safe sleep message is shared with the parents of more than 26,000 babies born in Nebraska every year. The Safe Sleep Campaign starts within the hospital setting, encouraging all Nebraska birthing hospitals to become a Safe Sleep Hospital Champion. To be considered a Safe Sleep Champion, the hospital signs a pledge, creates or updates a Safe Sleep Policy, provides yearly education to hospital personnel, models safe sleep recommendations, and educates parents with evidence-based safe sleep materials. DHHS worked with the Nebraska Hospital Association, the Nebraska Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Nebraska Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative to launch the Nebraska Safe Sleep Hospital Campaign. The tax reform proposed by Republicans in Washington, D.C., shows the party has completely abandoned any interest in reducing the national debt and the annual federal deficit, says Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union. Johnson made his comments Saturday during the Nebraska Farmers Union Annual State Convention at the Hotel Grand Conference Center in Grand Island. Meanwhile, John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, said Nebraska needs to finally address its property tax problem. Johnson pointed out, when Republicans have promoted previous reform efforts, they have talked about modifications to the tax system so that the burdens are more fairly shared. As a result, Republicans usually say their changes will be revenue neutral, that we are not going to add debt. Occasionally, the Republicans will even say their reform efforts might increase federal revenues to support existing federal programs, he said. This time is so different, said Johnson, who pointed out Republicans leadership is always very careful to describe their changes as reform, because if they dont say that, theyre going to have to talk about the fact they begin with the premise theyre adding 1.5 trillion dollars to our debt. Johnson said Republicans will work out the differences between the House and Senate versions of tax reform, which means nobody who is against adding to the national debt should hold onto a false hope the reconciliation process will fail in the conference committee. He said Republicans have worked to quickly adopt their changes in federal tax law, noting Republicans have not held any hearings on the proposed legislation or allowed any mark-up in committee. He said the haste to pass the legislation can be seen by the fact that Republicans were making handwritten notes and changes in the page margins of the bill as it was being considered by the U.S. Senate. Johnson said Republicans want to pass their tax changes through the reconciliation process, which means they will not have to get any votes from Democrats. Johnson said Republicans try to justify their actions by pointing out Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act through the reconciliation process. He said some people would still argue that there is no basis for comparison because there were hours and hours of debate on the Affordable Care Act. The ACA took more than a year to pass, so there was lots of input along the way. But the bottom-line is the ACA was approved on a straight-party line vote, Johnson said. What is generally true when it is done in that fashion, is that it is something that the public doesnt get behind and as a consequence, it remains a political issue for someone far into the future and it tends not to be sustainable. Johnson said that happened for Democrats with the ACA and he believes it will happen with the GOP tax legislation as well. The Senate version of tax reform repeals the individual mandate in the ACA, which Johnson said will add 13 million people to the rolls of the uninsured and which will result in at least 10 percent premium hikes for the remainder of the population that keeps its health insurance. Federal Pay-As-You-GO or PAYGO rules dictate that if the tax changes do increase the deficit, then cuts must be made in spending to try to offset the shortfall in revenue, Johnson said. That could result in cuts that will hurt family farmers and other ordinary American. Because changes in federal tax law will add $1.5 million to the national debt, I would be willing to bet you almost any sum of money, that as sure as Im standing here today, that a few months from now, the hue and cry from members of Congress is going to go up saying, Oh, wow, the deficit is a real problem, the only way to deal with it is to start cutting spending. Johnson said the annual foreign trade deficit creates a 3-percent drag to the Gross Domestic Product of the United States and it is responsible for millions of jobs having been exported from this country. He said the NFU agrees with President Trump that problem must be fixed. However, he said U.S. agriculture runs an annual trade surplus. Thats a good thing, he said. If we did that with the rest of the economy, we would not have near the economic challenges that we have in this country. Johnson said the National Farmers Union believes that President Trump is using the wrong tactics by slapping the other guy across the table across the face several times before you sit down to talk. He said, with Trump, the U.S. may yet end up pulling out of NAFTA. While the NFU believes NAFTA must be fixed, it does not believe the U.S. should just pull out and pretend like all the interconnections created by NAFTA no longer matter. When it comes to property taxes, Hansen said our state is facing an on-going fiscal struggle and that fiscal struggle is purely a reflection of the financial struggle that family farmers and ranchers of this state are facing. That financial struggle from the states largest business agriculture is causing downstream tax revenue shortfalls at the local level and at the state level. So it should be pretty clear to anybody whos keeping track of where our states at that we need to be dealing with the long-standing property tax crisis, Hansen said. It is a huge inequity for agriculture and also property owners across the board. Property owners everywhere ought to be saying we need to come up with a more fair and balanced system. Our governor needs to stop trying to pretend that LB461 is property tax relief. It is not property tax relief, it is a personal and corporate income tax break primarily in that it has little very little, if any property tax relief. He said Ricketts should try to honor his promise for property tax relief he made when he ran for governor four years ago. When you dial 911, the people from Midwest Medical Transport Co. arent the ones who respond. Rather than respond to emergency calls, the company mainly transfers people from one facility to another. Midwest Medical might take someone from a nursing home to a hospital, or from a smaller hospital to a bigger one. That transportation work is called interfacility service. Midwest Medical Transport, which is Nebraskas largest private ambulance service, also transports people by air. The helicopter side of the business is called Midwest MedAir. The company serves Central Nebraska with EC135 helicopters based in Hastings and Columbus. Midwest Medicals aircraft are part of an increased focus on safety, says Sean Delancey, the companys director of business development. Its copters are notable in that they can fly through the clouds using instrument flight rules, or IFR. That capability makes Midwest Medical aircraft more like an airliner, he says. Midwest Medical Transport, which started in Columbus, has 32 locations in seven states. The company employs more than 300 people in Nebraska, and more than 600 overall. The company is not interested in competing with the Grand Island Fire Department in providing emergency service. Theyre excellent at what they do. They have great providers, great equipment, great people, and do great at 911, Delancey said. We dont want to take that away from them. But the company is happy to handle medical transfers in the area. Thats what our core competency is. Thats what our business is, Delancey said. Midwest Medical has contracts with the Veterans Affairs medical facilities in Lincoln and Grand Island. Serving the veterans is a huge part of our company, something we really focus on, Delancey said. Midwest Medical Transport works with volunteer fire departments in offering safety tips and showing firefighters how to set up landing zones for helicopters. The Grand Island transfer station has 20 employees, about half of whom are full-time. The location at 2650 N. Diers Ave. usually houses three ambulance crews. Midwest Medical Transport began in Columbus in 1987, when it was known as Platte County Ambulance. After Columbus, the companys next location was Grand Island. Its an important place for us, Delancey said. So we always want to make sure that were meeting the needs of the community and the surrounding communities as well. The Hastings-based helicopter will travel as far north as ONeill. It will also go out west, down into Kansas and to southeast Nebraska, Delancey said. The Hastings chopper primarily responds to the Grand Island area. But the Columbus copter will also cover areas north of Grand Island. We have two strategically positioned ones that can really meet the needs of the area, Delancey said. Including both ground and air service, the company has 15 to 20 employees in Hastings. Midwest Medical also has a copter in Audubon, Iowa, which serves parts of eastern Nebraska. Every helicopter and air service in the area employs great people, Delancey said. They have well-trained providers. Theyre all really good at what they do, he said. The difference between Midwest Medical and other air services is really the equipment that we have and the companys billing system, Delancey says. Midwest Medical refers to its system as a compassionate billing program. In addition to Grand Island, Hastings, Kearney, Columbus and Lincoln, Midwest Medical has four locations in metropolitan Omaha. Other Nebraska locations are in Lexington, Neligh, Auburn, Fremont and Pender. Other facilities include nine in Iowa, five in Kansas, two in South Dakota and one each in Illinois and Arkansas. The company plans to move into five more states. The goal is just to continually expand. Anywhere theres a need for a service like ours, were willing to go there, Delancey said. What we dont do is force our way into places that already have a service like ours, he said. If a communitys needs are already being met, the arrival of another service would actually hurt the area, he said. It just makes for two unstable services as opposed to one strong service that can really meet the needs. Companies like Midwest Medical provide a vital service, Delancey said. Every community cant offer specialty health care. People have to be taken to larger medical facilities, where they can receive specialized treatment. What other ambulance services fly the Nebraska skies? LifeTeam, a Kansas-based company, has a helicopter in Hastings. A chopper is based at CHI Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. A company called LifeNet works with Great Plains Health in North Platte. Air Methods is the parent company of LifeNet. The company has two airplanes that are IFR capable one in North Platte and one in Omaha. LifeNet also has a helicopter in North Platte that is IFR capable. Just because the weathers bad doesnt mean people dont have accidents, strokes and heart atacks, says pilot Laine Stahr, who flies for Midwest Medical. Helicopters cant fly when icing is a problem and during times of hail, tornadoes and lightning. The Eurocopter cant launch if the wind is over 50 knots. But a helicopter that flies under instrument flight rules can get up in the air more often than choppers that fly under visual flight rules. So they usually have the ability to go pick up patients and take them on to the higher care that they need, Stahr said. By PTI: By Shirish B Pradhan Kathmandu, Dec 10 (PTI) Nepals Left alliance was today heading towards comfortable majority in the parliamentary elections, winning 72 of the 89 seats so far in the historic polls that many hope will bring the political stability to the country. The CPN-UML led by former premier K P Oli and the CPN- Maoist led by former premier Prachanda have forged electoral alliance for both the provincial and parliamentary elections. advertisement According to results released by the Election Commission, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist?Leninist (CPN- UML) has won 51 seats while its alliance partner CPN Maoist- Centre has bagged 21 seats. The ruling Nepali Congress, which was the largest party in the last election, won only 10 seats, according to tallies. Two Madhesi parties have won five seats. The Federal Socialist Forum Nepal led by Upendra Yadav has won 2 seats whereas Rastriya Janata Party led by Mahanta Thakur has bagged 3 seats. Naya Shakti Party led by former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai has won one seat and an independent was among winning candidates. The vote counting is in progress for remaining 76 seats. 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. 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. A total of 1,663 candidates contested polls for parliamentary seats. PTI SBP ZH --- ENDS --- 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. WASHINGTON No one can say we werent warned. For years, scholars of all shapes and sizes demographers, economists, political scientists have cautioned that the populations of most advanced countries are gradually getting older, with dramatic consequences for economics and politics. But we havent taken heed by preparing for an unavoidable future. The we refers not just to the United States but to virtually all advanced societies. In fact, Americas aging, though substantial, is relatively modest compared with many European countries and Japan. The latest warning comes in a massive report on government pensions what Americans call Social Security from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. The OECD is a group of mostly advanced nations, and the report warns that the pace of pension reforms ... has slowed. The problem is simple. Low birth rates and increasing life expectancies result in aging populations. Since 1970, average life expectancy at age 60 in OECD countries has risen from 18 years to 23.4 years; by 2050, its forecast to increase to 27.9 years that is, to nearly 90. The costs of Social Security and pensions will explode. Governments are aware of these pressures and have raised eligibility ages. But changes have been modest and grudging. Only three countries have retirement ages exceeding 68 (Italy, the Netherlands and Denmark). The increases in the official retirement age are slower than the projected increases in life expectancy, meaning theres more time for retirement. For men, the average OECD retirement age is projected to increase 1.5 years to just under 66 years around 2060. For women, the rise in the retirement age is about 2.1 years, also to around 66. The implication: Unless retirement ages are raised sharply or benefits are cut deeply, more and more of the income of the working-age population will be siphoned off through higher taxes or cuts in other government spending to support retirees. The prospective pressures will be enormous, as the accompanying table (abbreviated from the OECD report) indicates. It shows the dependency ratio for some major countries. The dependency ratio relates the number of elderly (those 65 and older) to the working-age population (those 20 to 64). If the two populations were identical, the ratio would be 100 percent. Although thats not the case for any major country, most face steep gains. Germany, for example, goes from an elderly population thats about a third the size of the working population (35 percent in 2015) to one thats more than half (59 percent in 2050). Few reforms are as contested as raising the retirement age, says the OECD report (Pensions at a Glance 2017). Why is it so unpopular to work longer even among people with longer life expectancy and in good health? Good question. The answer illuminates a dilemma of democracy: Giving people what they want in the present may damage our collective future. Its 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 theyve 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 youre 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. Its like a magnet. Just kiss. I dont even wait. And when youre a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Thats a cogent summary of Trumps philosophy: When youre 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 Trumps league; the mall in Gadsden, Ala., 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. Theres more. Faced with numerous accusations of sexual misdeeds during last years 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, theyre malicious ... I do not know any of these women. He was lying. Two of Moores 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 theyre bulletproof, that the conventional rules dont 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, Gods messenger, so he doesnt 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 thats that, damn the facts. Moore invokes God to defy judges who have ruled against him. Trump doesnt 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 presidents attorney, John Dowd, told the website Axios the president cannot obstruct justice because hes 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 Russias 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 Moores 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. Thinking about Christmas, I remember a song my mother often sang as she got ready to celebrate the holiday: Christmas comes but once a year and when it comes it brings good cheer. When I searched the Internet the song was slightly different: Christmas comes but once a year Now its here, now its here Bringing lots of joy and cheer. According to the information I found, the song was written in 1936 and was part of a message that encouraged celebrants to give to those who did not have enough food to celebrate, as well as toys for children who wouldnt have toys under the tree if they had a tree. So, how much have times changed? No doubt you, like me, have received many requests in the mail for donations to help others at Christmas. Many requests are from areas around the world and Im sure many families need help to celebrate the holiday that comes but once a year and perhaps not bringing lots of joy and cheer. So, what can we do to help others have the joy and cheer of Christmas? To begin, we can donate to Christmas Cheer that has been sponsored by The Independent for many years. No doubt Christmas Cheer donations began more than 50 years ago. Christmas Cheer helps families by giving out food vouchers at Christmas. The Salvation Army is another organization that helps our friends and neighbors who many not tell us that they are in need of food, clothes and other necessities. Just hearing the bells ring out reminds me that Christmas is coming. When I was a teenager, bell ringers for the Salvation Army had a shelter that was like a small telephone booth on the sidewalks of downtown Grand Island. As you know, many stores shelter bell ringers now. Several years ago, when I was encouraged to take part in bell-ringing it seemed like a good idea. Now it is part of preparing for Christmas. In fact, I rang bells yesterday (Saturday). It is especially fun to see how much the children enjoy putting money in the red kettles. Perhaps ringing bells and donating to Christmas Cheer is important to me because many years ago when I was very young, my family received a Christmas basket before the holiday. At the time, I had no idea that we even needed aid. One of our neighbors must have signed for us to received holiday help. So, remember there are many ways we can help others to realize that Christmas comes but once a year and when it comes it brings good cheer. Billy Wetterer of Wood River was the family living editor for The Independent before her retirement; she still writes a column twice a month for the newspaper. Email her at Billy.Wetterer@aol.com. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, December 10, 2017 08:01 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cc0a83 1 Lifestyle aromatherapy,beauty,#beauty,essential-oils,fragrance Free Strictly, aromatherapyotherwise known as essential oil therapyrefers to the utilization of naturally extracted aromatic essences from plant materials for therapeutic purposes. Today, the word encompasses a diverse range of products, including diffusers and synthetic beauty items. The market promises aromatherapys beneficial nature, making it highly popular among consumers who buy sprays for their soothing properties and lotions for their energizing properties. In fact, according to a 2017 report quoted by the Huffington Post, the industry is projected to make close to US$2.8 billion in revenue by 2024. In order to make the most of your aromatherapy experience, its important to understand the modern-day use of the word. Is it really 'natural'? Many people have a tendency to think that if something is advertised as aromatherapy that means its something natural, licensed massage therapist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Jessie Violet told the Post. Some of those products that you see in stores are completely unregulated by any laws [] and their use of the term aromatherapy can be just a product with perfume. It indicates nothing about its natural status. Violet advises shoppers to read the labels instead of judging products merely based on their scents, and make sure the label mentions extracts of essential oils. Otherwise, it is likely that the scent in the product has been created by synthetic chemicals or perfume fragrances instead of natural products. Certified clinical aromatherapy practitioner and public relations representative for the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy, Kelly Holland Azzaro, warns against using synthetic fragrance-type products such as some lotions. She recommends items that contain organically grown pure essential oils instead. Read also: Louis Vuitton to launch 7 new perfumes inspired by travel Check the content Violet said that just because a product claims to induce a feeling of relaxation, does not mean that it will work for you. Consider lavender, for instance. Research has demonstrated its ability to ease anxiety. According to Violet, reactions to scents are personal, and even if lavender causes a feeling of relaxation in one person, it could spur something different in another. Erica Vega, a LUSH brand and product expert, said products with lavender perfume are not necessarily as potent as those with lavender oil. Her recommendation to consumers? Look for brands that are transparent about the contents of their products. Some of the most commonly used essential oils include clary sage, which helps to relieve pain; eucalyptus, which is commonly used as a decongestant; and ginger, which aids in digestion. Rose oil has become a common provider of comfort to the worried. When applied topically, it can tone down redness and clear blemishes. According to Azzaro, placing a drop of sweet orange essential oil on a tissue and inhaling it can help with digestion. (afr/kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, December 10, 2017 11:06 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cc426b 1 Food food,#food,bandung,#Bandung,rainy-season Free Situated a stones throw away from Jakarta, Bandung in West Java has become a popular destination among domestic tourists. As the rainy season has arrived, those planning to visit Bandung may look for particular dishes to warm up the day. Fortunately, kompas.com has compiled five dishes to try in the City of Flowers during rainy days. Seblak A post shared by Seblak Cenghar (@seblakdeutjenghar) on Sep 27, 2017 at 9:43pm PDT Those who love spicy foods may want to try seblak (crackers cooked with vegetables, eggs and spicy sauce). Delivering spicy and savory flavors, the dish is best consumed while hot, making it a delicious treat to try during rainy days. These days, seblak is also served with broccoli, cheese and chicken feet. If you want to try the dish, schedule a visit to Seblak Deu Tjenghar on Jl. Purnawarman, Seblak Mg Ogo in Gading Tutuka, Soreang or Seblak Dago on Jl. Dago. Mie kocok A post shared by Danny Triastuti (@dannytriastuti) on Dec 5, 2017 at 9:56pm PST Nothing beats a bowl of warm mie kocok (Bandung-style beef noodle soup) during rainy days. Comprising kikil (beef tendon), noodles and meat, the dish is recognized for its rich broth made with beef bones. Those wanting to sample the dish may drop by Mie Kocok Persib on Jl. Ahmad Yani, or Mih Kocok Mang Daeng at Jl. Banteng (KH Ahmad Dahlan) No. 67. Read also: 3 shabu-shabu restaurants for rainy season in Jakarta Bakso cuanki A post shared by Intan (@intankarinaijo) on Dec 5, 2017 at 12:22am PST Visitors to Bandung may notice a plethora of peddlers carrying aluminum containers with bakso cuanki written on it. These sellers are among the icons of Bandung, as they serve the local favorite bakso cuanki (meatballs soup served with noodles, fried tofu and fried dumpling). Served hot, bakso cuanki is best enjoyed with a dollop of sambal, making it the perfect dish to try on gloomy days. The price of bakso cuanki varies, starting from Rp 15,000 (US$1.10). Those curios about the dish may visit bakso cuanki seller on Jl. Serayu No. 2, Cihapit. Rujak cireng Rujak cireng is a fried tapioca served with a fiery hot Indonesian fruit salad sauce. The spicy sauce will mildly burn your taste buds, guaranteed to warm you up instantly. Batagor kuah A post shared by batagor h darto wahab (@batagorhdarto) on May 8, 2016 at 9:47pm PDT Batagor (fried fish dumpling) is among the iconic dishes of Bandung. Unlike the usual batagor, batagor kuah, is served with soup, which makes it the ideal dish to enjoy during the rainy season. Those wanting to try batagor kuah may schedule a visit to Batagor Yunus on Jl. Kopo 68, or Batagor Darto in Simpang Dago. (jes/kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, December 10, 2017 12:09 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cc528e 1 Health walking,health,exercise,pollution,#health Free Despite being so simple, walking is one of the best things you can do for your body. Studies have demonstrated that the activity can improve your cardiovascular health and even add a couple of years to your life, among other health benefits. New research has shown that where you walk affects whatever benefits you might reap. In a study recently published by The Lancet, a team of researchers monitored 119 people above the age 60. Forty of the volunteers were healthy, while another 40 had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an inflammatory lung disease. The remaining 39 had ischemic heart disease, a condition caused by constriction of the arteries. A group of these volunteers were asked to walk for two hours a day along Oxford Street in London, which typically has heavy traffic, while the other group spent the same amount of time through Hyde Park, a relatively quiet part of the city. After three to eight weeks, the groups swapped routes. Researchers monitored pollutant concentrations on site, along with a number of health markers in the participants, including lung capacity, wheezing and arterial stiffness. Read also: Walking regularly can combat dementia: Study In the healthy cohort, it was observed that walking in Hyde Park yielded improvements in health parameters including lung capacity and arterial stiffness. In contrast, walking along Oxford Street and breathing in airborne pollutants led to only minuscule improvements in lung capacity and worsening arterial stiffness. It follows that the quality of the air, determined by the amount of pollutants present, can nullify the health benefits of walking. Cohorts with COPD and ischemic heart disease both experienced negligible improvements in lung capacity after walking in either location. The COPD group displayed more respiratory issues including coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath and more severe arterial stiffness after walking in the more polluted environment. People with heart disease also experienced more arterial stiffness after walking along Oxford Street, save for those taking cardiovascular medications. Lead researcher and professor of respiratory medicine at Imperial College Londons National Heart and Lung Institute Kian Fan Chung suggested steering clear of polluted areas for any exercise. In London, we have a lot of open spaces, green space, where the amount of pollution is going to be less than what it is outside the park. If thats not available, people should probably exercise indoors, he told Time. A weakness of the study acknowledged by researchers is the lack of a sedentary group, which means that it is impossible to say that the act of walking was solely responsible for the changes observed. In essence, the research suggests that the air quality where you walk matters, perhaps as much as the activity itself. (afr/kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marie WOLFROM (Agence France-Presse) Sederon, France Sun, December 10, 2017 17:01 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2ccf102 2 Environment France,agriculture Free Furtive, wily and the animal of fairy tales, wolves fascinate nature lovers, but they raise fears among French sheep breeders who are trying to save their flocks. Amid debate in France on a future policy towards wolves, the government is being asked to come to the aide of sheep farming. "In one night, we lost 10 percent of our flock," said Claire Lapie, 32, a breeder in Sederon in the picturesque southeast Drome department. On the limestone hillsides dotted with shrubs, she has been raising sheep for three years with her companion Yann Rudant. "A wolf attack, we knew one day it would happen to us. We accept the idea of 'a share for the wolf', one or two sheep, but finding 15 sheep eaten, slaughtered or dying -- it's a nightmare," says Lapie. For the young couple, who went into debt to acquire 150 sheep and build a vast sheepfold, they live in fear of new attacks. - Big bad wolf - Fear -- as well as fascination -- of wolves has historic roots fed by many children's stories, including famous versions by the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault. "When Charles Perrault wrote 'Little Red Riding Hood' in 1697, it was during the worst series of attacks by wolves with at least 500 children killed each year," said Jean-Marc Moriceau, an historian of wolves in France. The grey wolf was wiped out in the country in the 1930s and only returned in 1992 via Italy -- currently home to around 2,000 wolves -- then into Switzerland and Germany. Since the Bern Convention of 1979, the wolf has gone from public enemy to a protected species as "a fundamental element of our natural European heritage". In some countries, like Romania and Poland where there have always been wolves, people adapt to treat an attack on sheep "like an accident, like a flock that falls into a ravine", says Farid Benhammou, a specialist on predators. "But in the new zones of (wolf) colonisation -- in France and in some regions of Italy and Spain -- there are major tensions." Read also: Macron's popularity recovers as French see him keeping promises - On a wolf mission - In his four-wheel drive vehicle, environmental inspector Cedric Arnaud roams the foothills of the Alps of Haute Provence in southern France. His mission includes collecting hairs and excrement left by the wolves which allow researchers to determine their DNA and to classify them. Like his colleagues, in the month of August he also howls to the wolves to try, by listening to their responses, to determine the number of wolf cubs born in the spring. All these elements, along with images taken in camera traps, enable France's national office of hunting and wildlife (ONCFS) to estimate the wolf population, currently at around 360, compared with 292 last year. At the top of the food chain, wolves have a key role in maintaining the ecosystem, Yvon Le Maho, emeritus research director at the National Centre for Scientific Research told AFP. "It has been amply demonstrated in the United States that an excess of deer in the protected reserves has led to a degradation of the environment." The example of Yellowstone national park in the western US is a case in point. In 1994, the authorities decided to reintroduce the wolf and since then the deer population has diminished, easing the pressure on the vegetation and causing other positive effects such as the return of certain insects and birds and less erosion, according to a 2007 study by the University of Oregon. But Le Maho adds that preserving wolves requires Europe-wide attention as some countries like Sweden allow hunting. Sweden regularly authorizes a hunting season, despite opposition from conservationists, although this year parliament set a quota of 22 wolves. Read also: Why its actually illegal to take pictures of Eiffel Tower at night - 'We feel powerless' - In France, to curtail the predator's progress and to try to appease the angry sheep farmers, the state has authorised since 2004 the killing of a certain number of wolves -- 40 this year -- but under strict conditions. These authorised killings are considered too little by farmers who have called for greater latitude to fight predators which threaten their livelihood. "It's very discouraging and distressing. We feel powerless," says farmer Veronique Chauvet, who lost eight sheep in October. She is near retirement but she worries about the future of five young farmers in her village of 220 inhabitants in southeast France. Some defenders of the wolf also think the current approach is ineffective. "You have to make a wolf learn not to interfere with the activities of sheep farming. But a dead wolf is a wolf which learned nothing," says Benhammou. Frightening or shooting and lightly wounding a wolf during the attacks would be more effective, he says. France begins to debate its policy on the future of the wolf in Lyon on Tuesday. "If this continues, in 10 years, sheep farming will disappear in our regions," Chauvet says. Topics : France agriculture By PTI: Los Angeles, Dec 10 (PTI) Scientists have proven the existence of new form of matter called excitonium - which was first theorised almost 50 years ago. Researchers from University of California Berkeley and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the US studied non-doped crystals of the transition metal dichalcogenide titanium diselenide (1T-TiSe2). Excitonium is a condensate - it exhibits macroscopic quantum phenomena, like a superconductor. It is 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. advertisement It defies reason, but it turns out that when an electron, seated at the edge of a crowded-with-electrons valence band in a semiconductor, gets excited and jumps over the energy gap to the otherwise empty conduction band, it leaves behind a "hole" in the valence band. That hole behaves as though it were a particle with positive charge, and it attracts the escaped electron. When the escaped electron with its negative charge, pairs up with the hole, the two remarkably form a composite particle, a boson - an exciton. In point of fact, the holes particle-like attributes are due to the collective behaviour of the surrounding crowd of electrons. However, that understanding makes the pairing no less strange and wonderful, researchers said. Until now, scientists have not had the experimental tools to positively distinguish whether what looked like excitonium was not in fact a Peierls phase. Peierls phases and exciton condensation share the same symmetry and similar observables. Abbamonte and his team were able to overcome that challenge by using a novel technique they developed called momentum-resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy (M-EELS). With their new technique, the group was able to measure collective excitations of the low-energy bosonic particles, the paired electrons and holes, regardless of their momentum. "Ever since the term excitonium was coined in the 1960s by Harvard theoretical physicist Bert Halperin, physicists have sought to demonstrate its existence," said Peter Abbamonte, professor at University of Illinois. "Theorists have debated whether it would be an insulator, a perfect conductor, or a superfluid - with some convincing arguments on all sides," Abbamonte said. "Since the 1970s, many experimentalists have published evidence of the existence of excitonium, but their findings were not definitive proof and could equally have been explained by a conventional structural phase transition," he said. The findings, published in the journal Science, holds great promise for unlocking further quantum mechanical mysteries, researchers said. It could also shed light on the metal-insulator transition in band solids, in which exciton condensation is believed to play a part. Beyond that, possible technological applications of excitonium are purely speculative. PTI MHN MHN --- ENDS --- advertisement Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Wang Zhuoqiong (China Daily) Sun, December 10, 2017 13:04 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cc5c6b 2 Food Starbucks,coffee,cafe Free Starbucks, the world's largest coffee chain, plans to further innovate its beverage and store designs as well as digital offerings to attract more diversified and technology-savvy customers in China after it opened its biggest cafe in the world in Shanghai on Wednesday. The Starbucks Reserve Roastery, which is the company's largest store of its kind, opened three years after the chain launched its first Roastery in Seattle. It is planning to open similar outlets in Milan, New York and Tokyo soon. The two-story Shanghai outlet spread over 2,700 square meters, offers multiple brewing methods, specially crafted teas and freshly baked Italian food. Customers can use their mobile devices in the store to have the augmented reality experience. Kevin Johnson, CEO of Starbucks Coffee Company, told China Daily that the Roastery will serve as an innovation hub for its stores in terms of developing new kinds of beverages and store designs. Johnson said the company plans to work with more Chinese technology companies to enhance digital experiences in aspects like mobile payment, mobile ordering and supply chain management. Read also: Worlds biggest Starbucks to open in Shanghai Howard Schultz, executive chairman of Starbucks Coffee Company, said the coffee market in China will achieve the same scale as that of the US in nine years. He said in addition to extending food offerings in its stores, it would set up a stand-alone Rocco Princi bakery alongside the Milan-based handmade bread baking unit in the Roastery in China. Currently, the company is opening one store every 15 hours in China and has set a target of reaching 20 new cities every year. It is part of the coffee chain's long-term plans in China of expanding into other lower-tier cities. China is the company's fastest growing market with more than 3,000 stores across 136 cities. By 2021, it will have 5,000 stores in the country. It is also the biggest revenue driver for the firm as its same store sales in the country increased 8 percent in the third quarter of this year, while other stores in the Asia-Pacific region rose only 3.2 percent. Starbucks already has over 600 stores in Shanghaithe largest number of stores in any city where it has a presence. Topics : Starbucks coffee cafe Topics : This article appeared on the China Daily newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Martin Abbugao (Agence France-Presse) Singapore, Singapore Sun, December 10, 2017 15:02 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cc83f4 2 Lifestyle Singapore,language Free Kevin Martens Wong reels off sentences in Kristang, which is among several minority languages in Singapore enjoying a new lease of life after a decades-long drive to encourage the use of English and Mandarin. "Teng bong, ozi nus prendeh sorti-sorti di tempu," the linguist told his eager students in the 500-year-old mish-mash of Portuguese and Malay -- a greeting, and information that the class would be about the weather. A former British colonial trading post that has long been a melting pot of different cultures, Singapore has an ethnically diverse population whose ancestors mostly came from across Asia, principally China, India and the Malay archipelago. On independence in 1965, Singaporeans spoke an array of tongues. English was common, but many used Chinese dialects, such as Hokkien, as well as Tamil from India, Malay and a smattering of more obscure languages. But authoritarian founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew believed change was necessary to ensure a secure future for the tiny city-state, which had been thrown out of neighbouring Malaysia following a brief and stormy union. He made the study of English compulsory in schools as he positioned the country as a global commerce and finance hub, as well as one other "mother tongue". For local ethnic Chinese, who today make up the majority of Singapore's population, it was usually Mandarin, as Lee had an eye on China's rise as a world power, while it was Tamil or Malay for other citizens. Read also: Singapore is world's most welcoming city for tourists: Travel index - Controversial policy - The policy initially ran into opposition from ethnic Chinese, most of whom trace their ancestry to southern China. Lee, who ruled Singapore for over three decades and died in 2015, described in his memoirs how he had to force the issue. "To emphasise the importance of Mandarin, I stopped making speeches in Hokkien," wrote Lee, who was ethnic Chinese, while most TV and radio broadcasts in Chinese dialects were also stopped. Those restrictions still stand except in special cases, such as radio news broadcasts in Chinese dialects for senior citizens who struggle with Mandarin. Non-Chinese tongues, such as Kristang -- spoken by descendants of Portuguese colonisers who arrived in what is now Malaysia in the 16th century and married locals -- also faded. One thing that unexpectedly flourished was "Singlish", a local patois that mixes English with words from the myriad tongues spoken in Singapore. It is still widely used, despite official efforts to discourage it. In recent years however Singaporeans have started to take more of an interest in their ancestors' languages. As well as Kristang, efforts have been made by organisations promoting Chinese culture to keep Hokkien alive. It is the Chinese dialect that is most common in Singapore but it has become less widespread, particularly among the young. Other minority languages enjoying renewed attention include Baba Malay, spoken by descendants of Chinese immigrants who married into the local Malay population, which mixes elements of Malay and a Chinese dialect, and Boyanese, a language from a corner of Indonesia. Read also: Singapore rolls out tough measures to keep cars off the roads - Reconnect with the past - Observers see a relaxation in attitudes towards the old languages in the city-state of 5.6 million, which has grown into one of the world's wealthiest and most stable societies. Most Singaporeans have already achieved an enviable level of English by international standards, lessening fears that focusing on other tongues will affect their English-speaking ability. There has also been growing concern about losing touch with the past. Young Singaporeans' desire to revitalise the languages is a "form of root-tracing" while for the older generation it's due to a sense of nostalgia, associate professor Tan Ying Ying, head of linguistics at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, told AFP. "Linguists working in Australia, New Zealand, and the US, have dedicated frameworks and systems to revitalise minority languages that are in danger of being extinct," he said. "In Singapore, while there is such no formal system in place, the sense that these languages need to be 'saved' is felt by the communities of speakers themselves." The students learning Kristang -- spoken in parts of the Malaysian city of Malacca as well as Singapore -- attend classes led by Wong, 25, thrice weekly, and range from young professionals to senior citizens. One of the first to enrol in the class was Wong's grandmother, 81-year-old Maureen Martens, who lost touch with Kristang when she moved to Singapore from Malaysia in 1952. "This is supposed to be my language, my heritage," she told AFP, her eyes welling up. "I wish more people will learn it, especially people from my line like my grandchildren." Topics : Singapore language Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Amelie Bottollier-Depois and Marlowe Hood (Agence France-Presse) Paris Sun, December 10, 2017 09:33 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cc343f 2 World Paris,Paris-Agreement,climate,climate-change,justice Free People around the world beset by the impacts of global warming like droughts, heat waves and storm surges are calling for "climate justice," and many are pleading their cases in court. Globally, there are at least 1,000 active legal cases related to climate change, more than two-thirds of them in the United States, according to a recent tally from the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, in London. A summit Tuesday in Paris -- with more than 50 heads of state attending -- on how to finance the transition to a low-carbon economy will be followed the next day by a climate justice forum. Concept The climate justice movement highlights the fact that rich nations are overwhelmingly to blame for causing climate change, but that poor ones have been the first to cope with its impacts. The 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) recognised that inequality, declaring that developed countries bear a larger responsibility for fixing the problem. After a climate justice "summit" in The Hague in 2000, a coalition of global non-governmental organisations (NGOs) -- which play a crucial role in chaneling grassroots activism -- adopted 27 principles. These included the right to not suffer climate change impacts, a moratorium on new fossil fuel exploration, access to affordable and sustainable energy, the notion that rich nations and industry owe humanity an "ecological debt". "Climate justice affirms the rights of unborn generations to natural resources, a stable climate and a healthy planet," they declared. These ideas slowly gravitated from the fringes toward the centre of formal UN negotiations -- and finally into the preamble of the 2015 Paris Agreement, the 196-nation treaty that enjoins the world to cap global warming at "well under" two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Cases In parallel to the diplomatic arena, citizens and civic groups also tested the concept's power within a legal framework. Some plaintiffs have targeted governments, while others have taken on individual companies. A few have made headlines: - In 2015, a landmark court ruling in the Netherlands ordered the government to slash greenhouse gases a quarter by 2020. The case was brought by 900 Dutch citizens. The government is appealing. - Last month, a German court agreed to hear a Peruvian farmer's case against energy giant RWE over climate change damage in the Andes, a decision hailed by campaigners as a "historic breakthrough". Farmer Saul Luciano Lliuya says that RWE -- one of the world's top emitters of climate-altering carbon dioxide -- must share in the cost of protecting his hometown Huaraz from a glacier lake overflowing from melted snow and ice. - Also in 2015, 21 young people sued the US federal government for allegedly violating their constitutional rights by failing to ensure a livable future. First under former president Barack Obama, and then under Donald Trump, the government has tried -- and failed -- to get the case thrown out. If it goes to trial, as seems likely, "the judge will decide two things," said Daniel Galpern, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs. "Has the United States in fact violated these fundamental constitutional rights? And, if so, whether to compel the government to come up with a plan to move us from disaster to security," he added. The case could well go to the Supreme Court, he told AFP. Compensation The Paris Agreement "recognises the importance... of addressing loss and damage" caused by climate change, and has set up a mechanism to do so. At the same time, however, this provision "does not involve or provide a basis for any liability or compensation," according to a "decision" annexed to the treaty. This does not mean that rich nations are off the hook, analysts say. As some island nations literally sink beneath rising seas, pressure is mounting for a clear commitment for the rescue of climate-damaged economies and societies. On the legal front, plaintiffs are pointing to scientific evidence that extreme weather events -- mega-storms, heat waves, droughts, flooding -- can be directly linked to climate change. Other research apportions historic responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions, whether to countries or companies. A 2014 study in Climatic Change, for example, calculated that accumulated CO2 and methane pollution stemming from oil, gas and coal produced by 90 major energy companies accounts for nearly two-thirds of all greenhouse gas emissions since 1850. RWE -- the firm being sued by the Peruvian farmer -- was found to have emitted 0.47 percent of the total. "The possibility of assigning contributions of individual regions to damage could have the potential to reshape environmental litigation," a quartet of scientists wrote in the journal Nature Climate Change last month. "This raises questions regarding damage and responsibility in national jurisdictions, and thus climate justice." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, December 10, 2017 09:18 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cc1ddd 1 Politics violence,North-Sumatra,police,TNI,military Free The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has reported that half of the cases of violence in North Sumatra this year involved members of the National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI). The commission recorded 118 incidents of violence as of December, 59 of which were allegedly perpetrated by police and military personnel. Protecting human rights in North Sumatra remains a challenge to this day, Kontras spokesperson Amin Multazam said as quoted by tribunnews.com. The commission said police officers were involved in 39 cases while the rest implicated TNI members. Members of Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) were also culpable in 10 cases of violence this year. In August, a police officer identified as Chief Brig. Fadli allegedly beat a prisoner to death after a heated argument. The victim, identified as Rifzal Riandi Siregar, suffered wounds and bruises, but the police, Kontras said, claimed he was depressed and committed suicide. Fifteen people were killed and 94 injured in 118 cases of violence in 2017, according to Kontras. (vla/ahw) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, December 10, 2017 16:49 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2ccea55 2 Business import-duties,intangible-goods,WTO,moratorium,developing-countries,developed-countries Free Indonesia is looking to impose import duties on intangible goods, such as electronic books and software, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has said. She earlier said that Indonesia was bound by a World Trade Organization (WTO) moratorium that banned developing countries charging import tariffs on intangible goods traded electronically. We are coordinating with the relevant ministry so that the decision on the moratorium can be reviewed and there will be a way for Indonesia [to impose the duties], Sri Mulyani said on Friday as quoted by Kontan.co.id, referring to the Trade Ministry. The moratorium is merely related to import tariffs. We can still charge value-added tax and other taxes. So, lets see [if these taxes] can be charged, she added. Head of communications and publication at the Finance Ministrys customs and excise department Deni Surjantoro said that this year developing nations, including Indonesia, had proposed to the WTO to charge duties on intangible goods next year. Developed countries still expect [the moratorium] to be in place permanently. If the lobbying is successful, we will impose [the duties], he said, adding that if the global trade governing body decided otherwise, the government would comply with that. The moratorium was first initiated by the WTO on May. 20, 1998, during the Second Ministerial Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland. A declaration made during the conference stated members will continue their current practice of not imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions. (fny/lnd) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, December 10, 2017 14:45 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cc727e 4 National La-Galigo,Education-and-Culture-Ministry,history,archive,culture Free The government aims to have a comprehensive archive of Indonesias historic manuscripts, including South Sulawesi ancient literary epic La Galigo, an official said on Saturday. Known as one of the worlds largest literary works, La Galigo is a 14th century epic written by the Bugis in South Sulawesi. The government has translated three of a total of 12 volumes of the ancient script, culture director general at the Education and Culture Ministry Hilmar Farid said. The ministry started the archival program this year and, in 2018, it plans to allocate some of its budget to continue translating the script through the ministrys history directorate. The ministry began the process after meeting with Nurhayati, a philology expert who has been studying and translating the script for more than two decades. The biggest obstacle was the lack of people who could understand and read the script. Our focus was to add as many resources as possible, Hilbram said on Saturday as reported by tempo.co. Besides Nurhayati, there are only two other people who are involved in the program. Additionally, there is a local with knowledge on the subject. However, they do not speak Indonesian fluently. The ministry has also moved to study several other historic items. It aims to collect photos taken by journalists during World War II and archives owned by a Netherlands-based researcher who traveled to Indonesia in the 1920s. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, December 10, 2017 17:05 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2ccf266 2 Business WTO,ministerial-conference,Doha-Development-Agenda,public-stockholding,special-safeguard-mechanisms,developing-countries,developed-countries,food-security,agriculture,fisheries-subsidies Free Indonesias delegation led by Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita is seeking to voice the concerns of developing countries in the 11th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which began on Sunday. Indonesia will consistently fight for issues discussed in the previous conferences and the mandate of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA), Trade Ministry director general for international trade negotiations Iman Pambagyo said. Based on the mandate and the development of previous negotiations, several issues to be discussed include public stockholding for food security purposes and special safeguard mechanisms, he said in a statement on Friday. Iman added that along with other developing countries, Indonesia would particularly oversee the two issues because of their great influence on food stocks, which will be crucial for developing countries to achieve food security. Prior to the conference, the trade minister led the meeting of the G33 Group, which comprises 47 developing countries with large populations of smallholder farmers, in a bid to consolidate their position on agricultural issues. Other issues affecting Indonesia that will be deliberated in the conference are, among others, agricultural and fisheries subsidies. The meeting, which will run until Dec. 13, will also initiate general talks upon issues such as trade and services, e-commerce, investment facilitation and small and medium enterprises. Indonesia is set to be involved in drafting a joint ministerial declaration, especially on gender-related trade and fossil fuel subsidies. (fny/lnd) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ammar Karim (Agence France-Presse) Baghdad, Iraq Sun, December 10, 2017 16:36 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cce5eb 2 World Iraq,Iraqi-Prime-Minister-Haider-al-Abadi,IS,war Free 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, 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". Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France Sun, December 10, 2017 20:12 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cd1ee4 2 Business food,safety,France,milk-production Free French baby-milk maker Lactalis and health authorities have ordered a major international product recall because of fears of salmonella contamination following 26 cases of children falling sick in France. Company spokesman Michel Nalet told AFP "nearly 7,000 tonnes" of production may have been contaminated, but the company is unable to say currently how much remains on the market, has been consumed or is in stock. One of the world's biggest producers of dairy products sells its baby milk in packets ranging from 350-950 grams which are marketed globally under a host of brand names. The recall will affect consumers in countries as diverse as China, Pakistan, Britain and Sudan, underlining the reach of the company and the difficulty in trying to trace all the potentially at-risk powder. Sunday's announcement by the company and regulators in the French economy ministry significantly widens the scare which first emerged at the start of the month with reports of 20 sick children under the age of six. Salmonella symptoms include severe diarrhoea, stomach camps and vomiting, and the illness -- caused by intestinal bacteria from farm animals -- is dangerous for the very young and elderly because of the risk of dehydration. None of the 26 victims in France has died. Asked if any cases had been reported abroad, Nalet replied: "Not as far as I am aware." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post) Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara Sun, December 10, 2017 15:00 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cc7900 1 National child-marriage,West-Nusa-Tenggara,NTB,children Free The government launched on Sunday a movement against child marriage in West Nusa Tenggara as part of an effort to end the practice, which remains rampant across the archipelago. The Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry and the West Nusa Tenggara government signed a joint declaration at the West Nusa Tenggara Cultural Park in Mataram on Sunday. The declaration was made as Indonesias child marriage status was set at "emergency," the children's development deputy at the ministry, Leny Nurhayanti Rosalin, said. The average rate of child marriage in the country stood at 17 percent, 2016 data from the ministry show. Furthermore, Indonesia is ranked seventh in the world and second in ASEAN after Cambodia in recorded cases of child marriage. We signed the declaration in West Nusa Tenggara because the province was among provinces with the highest rates of child marriage, Lenny said, adding that East Java, West Java, Central Java and South Sulawesi also had high rates. The movement was needed as the government aimed to promote awareness to end the practice as child marriage contributed to violence and discrimination toward children and took away children's right to live a healthy life and develop in accordance to their age, Lenny said. Indonesian Womens Coalition (KPI) secretary-general Dian Kartika Sari said a campaign would be launched on social media to encourage students to become involved in the cause. (rin) The Kejriwal government was lauded by public as it acted swiftly to revoke license of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh which declared a living baby dead. But, now it faces a new headache with doctors threatening to go on strike in protest. By India Today Web Desk: Days after Arvind Kejriwal government revoked the license of the Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh for declaring a living newborn baby dead, the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) has threatened to go strike. Rallying behind the Max Hospital, the DMA has termed the Kejriwal government's decision "irrational and autocratic". The Max Hospital had on November 30 declared a newborn dead. The mistake was realised when the family members were going for the last rites of the baby boy and his twin. advertisement Wrapped in a "plastic bag" the infant was found alive by his grandfather. He sensed some movement inside the plastic bag and when he opened he found the baby boy breathing. The baby boy, 22-weeks premature, was born alive while his twin sister was still-born. When the baby was discovered alive, he admitted in north Delhi's Agarwal Nursing Home but died on Wednesday. WHAT DMA SAYS? Now, the DMA has urged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to revoke the order to cancel the license of the Max Hospital failing which it threatened to go on strike. "We have written the letter to the Chief Minister and sought revocation of the license cancellation order of Max Hospital. We also want the two doctors of the hospital to be reinstated before the report of the DMC comes out. If no action is taken on our demands than we will call for a strike of all the resident doctors of private as well as government hospitals in Delhi," President Elect of DMA Ashwini Goyal said. According to the 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 patient's burden in Delhi. Action against the concerned doctors is expected but why should all other departments and the hospital suffer," said Goyal. There was also a protest outside the hospital by the patients, who burnt effigies of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In the wake of the incident, the services of two doctors - AP Mehta and Vishal Gupta - were terminated by the hospital authorities. The DMA has also written a letter to Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain. The DMA has contended the decision announced by Jain saying that the government should have waited for the report by Delhi Medical Council (DMC) into the issue before taking the stand against the hospital. IMA, DMA ON SAME PAGE According to the DMA, the DMC which is a statutory body has taken cognizance of the matter and will come out with its report in a few days. The license cancellation order was issued after a three-member panel found negligence on part of the hospital. advertisement With cancellation of license, the government is barred from admitting any new patient and to shut down the outpatient treatment services and laboratory testing on the premises with immediate effect. The hospital has stopped admitting new patients creating confusion and problems for those who still headed to the Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) termed the cancellation of license "too harsh a step". It backed the hospital and said if all hospitals start facing such situations where patients die due to such mistakes then healthcare will come to a halt. The Max Hospital earlier said that the Delhi government order was harsh as it was not given adequate opportunity to put forth their side of the story. (With IANS inputs) --- ENDS --- Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Gwen Ackerman and Lin Noueihed (Bloomberg) Jerusalem Sun, December 10, 2017 15:38 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cccff3 2 World Middle-East-conflict,Jerusalem,trump,Pence Free Neither the Palestinian Authority president nor the head of the Coptic Church in Egypt plan to meet with US Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the Middle East later this month, to protest the US declaration that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. The rejections emerged as the Anadolu Agency said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to work together to persuade the US to change its stance on Jerusalem. Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi said the United Nations Security Council should now move to bring the US to compliance. Protests against the US move extended for a third day in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. The Gaza Health Ministry said four Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours in clashes with Israeli soldiers or by Israeli air strikes, launched in response to rocket fire on southern Israeli towns. Trumps decision, presented as being in the pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians, has been denounced across the Arab world. Members of the Security Council condemned the move Friday as contradicting international law and prejudging the outcome of negotiations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the decision courageous and just. Palestinians claim the eastern sector of Jerusalem, with shrines sacred to Muslims, Jews and Christians, as the capital of a future state. Israels current government sees the area as part of the nations eternal capital. Jerusalems status must worked out in peace negotiations with Israel, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said in Cairo, where he added that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas wasnt planning to meet Pence and stressed that the peace process needed a new mediator. Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic Church in Egypt, also wont meet Pence because the US administrations decision fails to take into consideration the feelings of millions of people, the church said on its Facebook page. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, said Trumps Jerusalem announcement extended a lifeline to terrorist groups and armed organizations, which have started to lose ground in the region.He expressed hope that Trump would retract it, according to state-run WAM news agency. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Seoul, South Korea Sun, December 10, 2017 15:16 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cca1b2 2 World South-Korea,NorthKorea,sanction,Nuclear,kim-jong-un Free South Korea will impose new unilateral sanctions against nuclear-armed Pyongyang, a report said Sunday, in Seoul's latest effort to pressure the North after a series of weapons tests that have sent regional tensions surging. The move comes after a rare visit to North Korea by a senior UN official, who called for dialogue between Pyongyang and the international community to avert a potentially catastrophic "miscalculation" in the high-stakes nuclear crisis. Seoul's new measures, its second set of unilateral sanctions in a month, are likely to draw an angry response from Pyongyang, which views its neighbor as overly-dependent on a hostile Washington. A total of 20 North Korean organizations, including banks and trading companies, and 12 North Korean individuals -- mostly bankers -- will be blacklisted as of Monday, the South's Yonhap news agency reported citing a foreign ministry official. "The organizations and individuals were involved in supplying money needed to develop weapons of mass destruction or illegal trading of sanctioned items," the official said, according to Yonhap. The measures are in addition to those by the UN Security Council, which has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests. China, Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and military ally, has also backed the UN embargoes, but has repeatedly pushed for talks to diffuse tensions. The UN's under secretary general Jeffrey Feltman visited the North just a week after Pyongyang said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. His trip also coincided with the US and South Korea's biggest-ever joint air exercise, which the North slammed as a provocation and revealing an intention to "mount a surprise nuclear pre-emptive strike". Seoul's sanctions will bar South Korean individuals and entities from transacting with those on the list but it will be largely symbolic given a lack of inter-Korean economic ties. Last year, South Korea unilaterally closed operations at the jointly-run Kaesong Industrial Complex, saying cash from the zone was being funnelled to the North's weapons program. The complex was the last remaining form of North-South economic cooperation. Seoul banned nearly all business with the North in 2010 after accusing Pyongyang of sinking one of its warships. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Sun, December 10, 2017 21:31 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cd37e5 2 World IS,war,Iraq,Saudi-Arabia Free Saudi Arabia on Sunday hailed Iraq's defeat of the Islamic State group, calling it a "grand victory on terrorism" amid warming ties between the Arab neighbors. Baghdad on Saturday declared victory in its war to expel the jihadists, three years after the group proclaimed a cross-border "caliphate" stretching into Syria, endangering Iraq's very existence. "The end of the war in Iraq... (is) a grand victory on terrorism in the region," the official Saudi Press Agency said, citing a foreign ministry official. The official voiced hope that "security, stability, prosperity, and progress will prevail in Iraq and for the Iraqi people". Backed by a US-led coalition, Iraqi forces gradually retook control of all territory lost to the jihadists over the last three years. Ties between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shiite-majority Iraq have begun looking up in recent months, after years of tense relations. After former dictator Saddam Hussein's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Riyadh severed relations with Baghdad and closed its border posts with its northern neighbor. But a flurry of visits between the two countries this year appears to indicate a thawing of ties. Iraq is seeking economic benefits from closer ties with Riyadh as both countries suffer from a protracted oil slump. Saudi Arabia is also seeking to counter the influence of regional rival Iran in Iraq. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Jakarta Sun, December 10, 2017 18:43 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cd1aad 2 National US,trump,Jerusalem,protest Free Thousands of Indonesian Muslims protested Sunday in Jakarta against US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the latest global show of solidarity with the Palestinians. Demonstrators -- many in white Islamic robes and skullcaps -- gathered outside the US embassy in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country to vent their anger against the unilateral decision. Protesters carried Palestinian flags and banners saying "We are with the Palestinians" and "Pray for Palestine". The rally in Indonesia's capital drew a crowd of at least 5,000 people, police said. Trump's move on Wednesday to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital upended decades of American diplomacy, causing an overwhelming global diplomatic backlash and sparking Palestinian protests and clashes with Israeli security forces. The status of Jerusalem is deeply sensitive for Muslims, and protesters have taken to the streets in cities across the world following the policy shift. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said Thursday he "condemned" Trump's decision on Jerusalem, and ordered the US ambassador in Jakarta to be summoned over the move. The Islamist Prosperous Justice Party, or PKS -- which organized the Jakarta rally and several others around the country -- slammed Trump's decision as a declaration of "hostility to Muslims throughout the world." Topics : US trump Jerusalem protest Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Aman Rochman (The Jakarta Post) Malang, East Java Sun, December 10, 2017 11:58 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cc4a11 1 National Malang,East-Java,Densus-88,terrorism,IS Free The National Polices counterterrorism squad, Densus 88, arrested three men alleged to be involved in a local terrorism network in East Java on Saturday. Densus 88 personnel arrested Kiki Rizky, Paripung Dhani and Muh. Muhidin in three separate locations. Kiki was arrested during a raid at his house in Malang, while Paripung was arrested in Sidoarjo and Muhidin in Surabaya. Kiki and Muhidin are suspected members of Abu Jandal, a terrorist network affiliated with the Islamic State group, while Paripung is suspected to have been involved with Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT), an organization founded and led by terrorist convict Abu Bakar Baasyir. East Java Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Frans Barung Mangera said Paripung was allegedly involved in a plot to bomb a police post in Surabaya in 2014. The police accused him of having had a role in purchasing raw materials for the bomb. Meanwhile, Kiki allegedly traveled with Indonesian militants to Syria in 2013 without his family's knowledge, Frans said. Both Kiki and Muhidin were allegedly involved in military training led by the Abu Jandal group. The three are currently detained at the Mobile Brigades headquarters in Ampeldento, Malang, for questioning. As for the [suspected] roles and links of the three men, Densus 88 personnel were questioning them, Frans said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Sun, December 10, 2017 17:45 1803 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cd00cf 1 National Jokowi,Joko-Widodo,siti-nurbaya,Environment-and-Forestry-Ministry,environment Free President Joko Jokowi Widodo has criticized greening and land-restoration programs that he described as purely decorative without concrete follow-up action. For years we have conducted monotone acts without any change. The budget [for tree planting] at the Environment and Forestry ministry is big but where are the trees? Where is the greenery? Who can show it to me?, said the President during his speech marking Indonesian Tree Planting Day and the 2017 National Tree Planting Month in Karangasem village, Gunungkidul regency, Yogyakarta on Saturday. He quipped that every year there were expensive ceremonial tree-planting events for 1 million trees, which, if executed properly, would see Indonesia swamped by trees. Tree saplings 30 centimeters tall are planted with no funding for maintenance, how can they survive? he said. Replanting programs must not only involve tree-planting activities, Jokowi said, but also intensive maintenance processes to preserve and boost the growth. Meanwhile, Environment and Forestry Ministry Siti Nurbaya Bakar said this years commemoration aimed at inviting all parties to join hands in forest and land management. With around 3,000 farmers living in the village, there were 45,000 fruit, teak and acacia saplings on 15 hectares of land, which was also the habitat of long-tailed macaques, she said. The government would also provide 50 million of trees to support the program of 25 trees planted for each citizen per year. The program has so far seen 2.7 million trees planted on 5,463 ha of land across the archipelago, Siti added. (rin) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, December 11 2017 Indonesias delegation led by Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita is seeking to voice the concerns of developing countries in the 11th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which began on Sunday. Indonesia will consistently fight for issues discussed in the previous conferences and the mandate of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA), Trade Ministry Director General for International Trade Negotiations Iman Pambagyo said. Based on the mandate and the development of previous negotiations, several issues to be discussed include public stockholding for food security purposes and special safeguard mechanisms, he said in a statement on Friday. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login By PTI: By K J M Varma Beijing, Dec 10 (PTI) Over 1.1 million candidates today appeared for Chinas National Public Servant Examination, a leap from last years 984,000 aspirants. This is the second time that the number of candidates crossed the one million mark, state-run news agency Xinhua reported. Over 28,000 positions are expected to be filled this year, an increase of 1,472 posts as compared to the previous year. This year, only one out of every 39 candidates is expected to get a government job. advertisement As compared to last year, this years exam saw an increase of 76,000 applicants for the grassroots positions in difficult and remote areas, perhaps the result of the lower application thresholds for such posts, an inspector at the State Administration of Civil Service was quoted as saying by Xinhua. In contrast, the most popular position had more than 2,000 candidates this year, much lower than the number for the hottest position last year, which was pursued by 9,837 applicants. The results of the written exam, held today, would be announced in January next year along with the list of successful candidates who would appear in the interview in March. Civil servant jobs are much sought after by Chinese as they offer a relatively stable career, making the exam one of the most competitive tests in the country. PTI KJV SMJ --- ENDS --- The end of week two of my three-week East Coast adventure was now approaching rapidly. I sat outside Peterpans travel agent and reflected on my time away, everything was happening so quickly, yet I had been anticipating my adventure since January! When the bus arrived to transport us to the boat, I sat with my English friends that I had previously met on Fraser Island, who had recently graduated from Leeds University and were travelling in the exact same direction as I was. One of the best things about travelling along the East Coast of Australia is that you will most likely bump into the people that you have already met at previous locations of interest. This was ideal for an individual like me, who was travelling alone, as it provided me a great sense of familiarity that often proved to be quite comforting. I had already spent a significant amount of time with these boys and they had become like brothers to me - they were good fun to be around and were extremely caring. The large boat that we boarded was called the Atlantic Clipper. It held a reputation for being the best party boat in the Whitsundays, however, I had now begun to favor the more relaxed style of activity: sitting on the beach with a tinnie and a pack of cards. Our boat set off for sail in the afternoon and we headed out into the deep Pacific Ocean where we stopped for a few hours to use the giant slide, attached to the boat. Everyone was provided with sting suits which protected us from the event of being attacked by a sting ray or jelly fish. Many were therefore reluctant to dive in as they were greatly afraid of encountering any form of deadly sea anemone. However, the boys and I took to the slide straightaway, going in forwards, backwards and in every possible way we could to obtain the most thrill. We dived and back flipped off the boat, which was a good 10m high above sea level, using GoPros to record our fun. When the day ended and evening was nigh, we dried off, collected an alcoholic beverage and sat at the top of the boat, watching the dazzling sun set on the horizon. I had a glass of goon, which had become my main choice of drink in Australia. It was a tatsy (but cheap) knock-off wine, however, I wasnt too sure as to what it was comprised of and wouldnt really want to know! Even so, it made me pleasantly merry and up for a good time! For tea, we had spaghetti Bolognese; I consumed about three portions and heaps of garlic bread as after an hour of continuous diving into the sea, I was feeling rather ravenous. The first half of the evening went perfectly to plan as we sat around on the top deck, drinking and talking to everyone on the boat whilst playing cards. However, as darkness approached, the skippers came upstairs to inform us that we were going to have a fancy-dress party. My face dropped, I really could not imagine anything worse right now than having to wear a random ensemble of un-matching clothes whilst having to partake in a dance competition to decide who could be the king and queen of the Atlantic Clipper. Even so, I had to force myself to embrace the fun as otherwise I would be perceived as a party pooper! The dance competition commenced with the cheesy banger boom boom boom, I want you in my room and everyone rushed to the pile of random clothes which looked and smelt as if they had been pulled directly out of the charity shop. We each then threw together make shift outfits and danced ridiculously on the top deck of the boat. I spent most of my night making regular trips to the fridge to pour myself some more goon which helped to maintain the merriness, making my night just that bit more bearable! The girl that wore the cropped outfit and shook her hips like a belly dancer was obviously crowned queen of the Atlantic Clipper there was no way that I, dressed as a hippy, dancing as if I were a 90s raver was going to win, there was simply no competition! After the mad party, we all calmed down and retired to the comfy sofas on deck and spent the night gazing dreamily at the twinkling network of stars above. The following day we were woken abruptly by Jack Johnsons Banana Pancakes being projected loudly throughout the boat. We were expected to eat breakfast and get ourselves prepared for the day within a mere 15 minutes. Yet we were all rather exhausted due to having gone to bed at 4:30am and the boat was now set to sail again at 8:30am in the direction of Whitehaven Beach. The boat was anchored amongst deep water, and we all boarded small speed boats to travel over to the shore. Whitehaven Beach was impeccable; it is comprised of the most beautiful, soft pearl sand, which is well renowned for being the purest in the world. We walked along the coastal path and stopped regularly to take many classic tourist photos. Where the sand had been deposited in several layers it had an exquisite marbling effect on the composition of the seas shading of blue. The view was simply stunning; this was the most unique scenery that I had ever witnessed. I thought to myself as I gazed across the beach that I was extremely lucky to have been able to, at such a young age, fly to Australia on my own and experience such fantastic opportunities. Even though the partying was not my ideal type of fun, I had met some brilliant friends and had been to what is classed as some of the worlds most magnificent places. After this weekend, I only had one week left in what I now believed to be my favourite country, and at this moment, I truly did not want to ever leave! Today, Netflix has released a teaser trailer for the second season of Jessica Jones, due to air early in 2018. The critically acclaimed show - featuring Krysten Ritter as everyones favourite tough-talking, hard-drinking superhero - follows Jessica as she not-so elegantly makes her way through gritty private investigations and her own tumultuous life. The trailer features characters such as the much-loved Trish (Rachael Taylor) giving Jessica sage advice, and a new addition, Oscar Clemons, played by J.R Ramirez (Arrow, 90210) who is expected to assist her in getting over Luke Cage. However, its not just Luke Cage that Jessica may have trouble getting over remnants of Kilgrave still linger. As Trish talks to Jessica, telling her that if she knows what happened to her might help her, Jessica seemingly rebukes her saying: What if facing it makes me worse Ive already killed somebody. Whilst this conversation could herald Jessicas descent into further alcoholism to distance herself from the traumatic events of the first season, it also hints that the series might be exploring her origin story in the coming season. If you say with great power comes great responsibility, I swear Ill throw up on you. Jessica quips as the trailer comes to a close. Its good to have her back. Jessica Jones is due to return to Netflix on March 8th 2018. By PTI: (EDs: Recasting overnight story) Ahmedabad, Dec 9 (PTI) 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. 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 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. PTI PJT PD BNM ABH DIP --- ENDS --- The study found that while girls from the Asian community were seen as "protected" because chastity was linked to "family honour", young white women were deemed "easy targets" and "open to sexual relationships with a little persuasion". By PTI, Press Trust of India: According to a new report released by an anti-extremism think tank in UK, gangs of Pakistani-origin men target white girls with alcohol and drugs before raping and sexually abusing them as the men are unable to integrate with the British society. The study by UK-based Quilliam group calls for greater government support to help integrate British Pakistani people into modern UK society. advertisement "We began thinking we would debunk the media narrative that Asians are over-represented in this specific crime. But, when the final numbers came in we were alarmed and dismayed. For both of us being of Pakistani heritage, this issue is deeply personal and deeply disturbing," said Muna Adil, one of two authors of the report called Group Based Child Sexual Exploitation: Dissecting Grooming Gangs. Quilliam looked at 58 cases of grooming gangs identified in the UK between 2005 and 2017, which led to 264 convictions for grooming. They discovered that 222 of those convicted, or 84 per cent, were men of Asian origin and mostly of Pakistani heritage. Only 22 were black and 18 were white with two offenders not having an identified ethnicity. The findings are in stark contrast to the fact that Asians make up only seven per cent of the UK population, the study noted. "There has been a lot of coverage of grooming gangs recently, ranging from the politically correct, who don't want to talk about it, and the bigots who want to use it for hate. Not talking about it doesn't make the problem go away, and letting bigots hijack the debate creates further division in society. We as a society need to tackle this head on," noted Haras Rafiq, chief executive of Quilliam. The study found that while girls from the Asian community were seen as "protected" because chastity was linked to "family honour", young white women were deemed "easy targets" and "open to sexual relationships with a little persuasion". They also identified how men in the gangs had shared a common view of their sexual abuse, having collectively justified their behaviour, according to the new study quoted in the UK media. "The notion that certain cultures are out of bounds when it comes to criticism is not just misguided and misinformed, but often allows the most vulnerable individuals from society to continue to be victimised and abused," the report notes. Since 2011, groups of men mostly of Pakistani origin have been prosecuted for organised sex-grooming crimes against hundreds of girls across cities of England like Rochdale, Rotherham and Birmingham. --- ENDS --- advertisement By PTI: Panaji, Dec 10 (PTI) Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today rode a bicycle near here as a part of an event to spread across the message of environment protection. After inaugurating the event NoMoZo (No Motor Zone), organised by social institutions from Porvorim near Panaji, Parrikar took a ride on the bicycle along a road. State revenue minister and local MLA Rohan Khaunte was also present at the event. advertisement Parrikar said, "Green Goa does not happen only by opposing coal, you should actually contribute to it." Notably, some activists have been opposing the handling of coal at Goas Mormugao Port Trust by a private firm, citing concerns about air pollution. Parrikar said he would love to use the bicycle often, but is restrained due to his security cover. He said such kind of events should be held at least once in six months in every city. As a part of NoMoZo concept, the road was kept free of motor vehicles with the enthusiastic crowd performing dances, street plays and workshops on wealth out of waste. A martial arts group also displayed its skills. The NoMoZo concept was started in Panaji a couple of years back, but later got discontinued. Parrikar, who represents the Panaji constituency, said the concept would be revived in the capital city keeping in mind the issues related to traffic. "The concept in Panaji is more about laying stress on walking and as a result reduce the use of vehicles and control pollution," he said. Khaunte told reporters that the events aim was to create opportunities for younger generation to come along with their parents and enjoy the day, away from vehicular traffic. "Everybody has come today while keeping away their vehicles. This will also help in reviving the old traditions," the minister said, adding that such events will also help in keeping the youth away from gadgets and social media for some time. PTI RPS GK JMF --- ENDS --- By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) Baba Ramdev-led Patanjali Ayurved, known for its swadeshi FMCG products, is now venturing into solar equipment manufacturing, a top company official said. The Haridwar-based firm is investing around Rs 100 crore in its Greater Noida facility, near here, for this and the plant would be inaugurated next month. "We would start manufacturing solar panels. The factory is near Greater Noida industrial area and would be inaugurated in January," Patanjali Ayurved MD & CEO Acharya Balakrishna told PTI. advertisement "We have invested around Rs 50-60 crore so far and the total investment would be over Rs 100 crore," he said further. The company has also acquired one Advance Navigation and Solar Technologies earlier this year. "We would manufacture solar panels here (Noida plant). We have also plans to manufacture chips and photovoltaic sells etc for it," Balakrishna added. Initially, the company would source the components from other domestic producers but later would manufacturer itself. It is installing required machineries from Germany and China. When asked what prompted Patanjali to venture into this sector, he said the company was purchasing solar panel and street lights at its facility, then came to know that all solar related works are imported from countries as china. "Then we planned that at least for own requirements, we should manufacture ourself. We had done some workout and found that it was doable," he said. Initially, the company would consume all the solar panel internally by installing on rooftops of all its manufacturing units and centres. "Right now we are putting solar on the rooftops of our all factories such as Tezpur plant (Assam)," he said. On commercial production, he said: "If people come to purchase from us then we would sell also." However, when asked that whether Patanjali would venture into setting up major solar farms for commercially producing solar energy and supply to the grid, Balakrishna said, "Let it start first." Besides FMCG segment, Patanjali Ayurved is present in other sectors as education and healthcare. Last fiscal, it had crossed a turnover of Rs 10,500 crore and aims a two-fold growth this fiscal. PTI KRH KKS MR --- ENDS --- By P S Gopikrishnan Unnithan: Noted South Indian actor Prakash Raj has never held back from openly voicing his opinions, and speaking up against questionable practices in the country. This time, he lauded the state of Kerala. terming it as the one state where one can breath without fear. Prakash Raj gave a power-packed speech at the inaugural ceremony of the International Film Festival of Kerala(IFFK). advertisement He said, "When I come to Kerala, I don't come with a script because there is no censor here. I love Kerala because this is one state I can breath without fear," said Prakash Raj. The actor also lashed out at the group of people who had issues with the name Sexy Durga , a film directed by Sanala Kumar Sasidharan. "People who shout slogans against the film S Durga don't seem to have any issues with 'Durga wine shop' or bar. I laugh at those who try to threaten me and I sing at those who want to silence me. What more will they take away from me," asks Prakash Raj. He also emphasised the need to speak on social issues. "As an artist, I feel responsible to raise my voice, and that's not because of any political affinity. They are trying to silence voices and instill fear in the minds so that the next generation will not even dare to think about raising their voice. If someone gets lynched in Rajasthan and if the culprit can walk free, we need to think what kind of narrative is being pushed. They seem to be the incarnation of the Hitler," he said. Previously, Prakash Raj has expressed his anger towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for silence on journalist Gauri Lankesh's murder. He also shared his fury during the Padmavati controversy , when the team was faced with constant death threats and abuse. ALSO WATCH: Prakash Raj right in slamming Modi for silence over Gauri Lankesh's murder? --- ENDS --- Terming the Delhi governments decision to cancel the license of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, irrational and autocratic after it erroneously declared a newborn dead, the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) on Saturday urged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to revoke the order or else threatened to go on strike. In the letter marked to Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, the DMA has emphasised the government should have waited for the report by Delhi Medical Council (DMC) into the issue before taking the stand against the hospital. Also Read: We wont hesitate to act against erring pvt hospitals, says Kejriwal We have written the letter to the Chief Minister and sought revocation of the licence cancellation order of Max Hospital. We also want the two doctors of the hospital to be reinstated before the report of the DMC comes out. If no action is taken on our demands than we will call for a strike of all the resident doctors of private as well as government hospitals in Delhi, President Elect of DMA Ashwini Goyal told IANS. There was also a protest outside the hospital by the patients, who burnt effigies of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In the wake of the incident, the services of two doctors A.P. Mehta and Vishal Gupta were terminated by the hospital authorities. According to the DMA, the DMC which is a statutory body has taken cognizance of the matter and will come out with its report in a few days. In the cancellation order, which came after a three-member panel had submitted a report to Health Minister Jain, the government has stopped the hospital from admitting any more new patients and put a stop to all outpatient treatment services and laboratory testing on the premises with immediate effect. The baby boy 22-weeks premature 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 baby started moving while being taken for burial. The baby was then admitted in north Delhis Agarwal Nursing Home but died on Wednesday. According to the 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, said Goyal. 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 where patients die due to such mistakes then healthcare will come to a halt. Meanwhile, terming the Delhi government order as harsh, Max Hospital said they were not given adequate opportunity to put forth their side of the story. Father of a seven-year-old girl, who died of dengue at the Fortis Hospital, has filed a police complaint against the hospital group, but no FIR has been registered in the case, police said on Sunday. The father of the deceased child filed the complaint at Sushant Lok police station on Friday, SHO Gaurav Phogat said. But we have not filed an FIR yet as a preliminary investigation is on in the matter. We are waiting for an official copy of the inquiry report on the matter by a government panel, he said. In his complaint, Jayant Singh, urged the police to register the FIR for culpable homicide owing to criminal negligence against Fortis Hospital, Gurgaon, and also, forgery and destruction of evidence by the hospital management and doctors. Singh held that the hospital was criminally negligent in the course of his daughters treatment. He accused 18 persons, including chairman, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, executive vice-chairman, Fortis Healthcare, and nine doctors, for his daughters death. Singh also alleged in the complaint that the hospital forged the parents signatures in crucial and important treatment-related documents, that is, consent forms. Fortis Healthcare, however, maintained that they were yet to receive any formal complaint. Bribe charge A man killed his mother and brother and seriously injured another brother owing to a dispute over ancestral land in Bihars Arwal district on Sunday, police said. Krishna killed his mother Malti Devi, 65, and brother Dinesh Sah, 30, in Pondil village in Kurtha police station jurisdiction with a sharp iron rod. Pondil police station incharge Lakhmi Narain Sudhanshu said Krishna absconded after the crime. While Malti and Dinesh died on the way to hospital, Krishnas seriously injured younger brother, whose name could not be known, was admitted to an area hospital. Later, he was shifted to Patna, Arwal Deputy Superintendent of Police Shailender Kumar said. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday accused the ruling Congress government for trying to suppress the voice of Akali workers. He accused the government of resorting to repression tactics to distract attention from failed-unfiled-poll promises. Sukhbir was addressing media after a meeting of SAD core committee, here. I dare this government to arrest me anytime, anywhere for trying to suppress voice of Akali workers and acting like cowards. Government is afraid from these brave workers, each one of who carries the legacy of Taksali Akali courage and spirit of selfless sacrifice. No Akali will bow before these repressors. If the government has courage, let them act like grownups and fight it out with me and my colleagues rather than common workers, said, Badal. Regarding the inconvenience to commuters during the Akali dharnas, Badal said, It really hurts me and I sincerely apologise to each and every one of the students, ladies, children or the sick and elderly people who had to face this inconvenience, Badal said, adding that the dharnas were not about Akalis but about the rights of the common men to elect civic bodies of their own choice for progress and development in their areas. How can the people elect representatives of their choice, if they are denied this opportunity by allowing only Congressmen to contest, he said. Badal alleged there is no rule of law in the state, he said, The officers better discharge their duties as fair and impartial servants of the people. The way things are heading, the state government may not last even the remaining four years. We are keeping a close and vigilant watch on each one of these officers, he said. Badal said that a cell has been created in the party head office, which would act as Vigilance Authority and keep records of government officials including the police who are violating the rule of law and harassing Akali workers. When we form the government, we will hand over these cases to a sitting judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court for expeditious disposal and punishment to the guilty. 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 Punjabs Ferozepur district. Badal and Majithia had spent Thursdays night at Manawala on the Harike-Patan road, demanding the Congress government in Punjab to withdraw the false cases registered against SAD leaders and workers. Restrictions were imposed in many parts of Srinagar on Sunday to prevent a separatist-called protest march, police said. The areas under restrictions were Khanyar, Nowhatta, Rainawari, M.R. Gunj, Safa Kadal, Maisuma and Kralkhud. Partial restrictions have also been imposed in Kothibagh and Ram Munshibagh areas, the police said. The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), a separatist conglomerate, has called the protest march to the headquarters of the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in Sonawar to highlight human rights violations in Kashmir. The march coincides with the World Human Rights Day observed annually on December 10. Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman, Muhammad Yasin Malik has gone underground. Authorities have already placed Mirwaiz Umer Farooq under house arrest while the octogenarian senior separatist leader, Syed Ali Geelani continues to remain under house arrest for nearly a year. Heavy contingents of police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed in the areas placed under restrictions. Some traditions may appear strange but there is often a purpose behind them. Moreover, traditions, whether in joy or grief, often have a similar pattern across several cultures across the world. Take, for instance, memorial services following the death of a kin. They are remarkably alike both in form and purpose, a colleague said, after attending a service for a Russian envoy. A condolence meeting to pay homage and to pray for the departed soul of Sergey G Dychev, former head of the Information Department of the Russian Embassy and Representative Office of Rossiya Segodnya in India, was held after the 40th day of his death at its office in Delhi. Dychev died suddenly on 12 October, at the age of 67 in Moscow, where he had gone to receive an award from Russian Presidents Office. His wife Olga Dycheva and daughter Anna Dycheva-Smirnova were there to receive the guests personally. Visitors had a word of praise for the friendly and lovable Dychev before writing in the condolence book and placing bouquets in front of his portrait. The last sentence in the invite, In accordance with the Russian tradition, the Condolence meeting will be followed by Cocktail Dinner, was what caught the attention of many invitees, who said in many parts of India, only non-vegetarian meals are served on such occasions. For instance, there is a tribe in Tamil Nadu, that celebrates the death of their dear ones with dancing and merry making. The Russians, mostly Orthodox Christians, according to tradition, on this day invite those who wish to remember the departed, visiting the grave, the church and having a memorial meal at the house. In some traditions, all night vigils with intense prayers are held on the night before the ninth and 40th day. The motif of this day is: We said good bye to you, no longer come to us, we will come to you. After this day, the living no longer grieve over the departed and move on with their lives. All funeral wreaths are also removed from the grave. Whom to trust? Migrant population from the rural area is a common sight in most Indian cities, big and small. There is a bewildered look about them as they try to adjust to a world that is radically different from theirs. With most of them moving to the cities in search of employment, the innocent villagers are unaware of the perils of city life. A colleague narrated how he encountered one such family near the Tibetan Market, near the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT). He was approached by the family, who asked for help. Asked about their plight, they said they belonged to Yavatmal in Maharashtra and had come to the city in search of a living. They said they had been cheated by a contractor, on whose assurance they sold all their belongings to collect enough money to bear their travel expenses and also for a short stay in the Capital. When our colleague advised them to go to the nearby police station and lodge a complaint against the contractor, they said the police was asking for documents to identify the contractor, which they didnt have. Perplexed and worried at their situation, our colleague gave them a small sum of money to tide over their immediate needs and asked them to go to Maharashtra Sadan for help. While we are greatly dependent on the rural folk for a lot of unskilled labour, it is really sad to see them being cheated. Meanwhile, the authorities appear to simply turn a blind eye to their woes. Innovative begging Begging is one of the most serious social issues in our country. The menace, as we can put it, has been growing significantly over the years and continues to rise. The beggars are to be found almost everywhere but traffic crossings, outside religious places and pavements are their regular places. And they resort to some ingenious means to seek alms. A colleague narrated one such interesting incident that was both comical and quite astounding. In todays era, where utmost importance is given to technology, innovation and creativity, beggars are not behind, she said narrating how a young lad drove a cycle cart with his grandmother lying in it. A recorded message played in the background ~ yes, a pre-recorded message for begging ~ that went: Hum gareeb hain. Hume paiso ki zarurat hai aur kuch khane ko bhi nahi hai. Aap jitna dena chahe ~ 10, 20, 50 rupya de dein! (We are poor. We need money and have nothing to eat too. Please give us anything ~ Rs 10 or Rs 20 or Rs 50 or anything you wish to). Beggars may be poor and needy but some innovations arent that bad after all! Tailpiece A veteran politician described lawyers-turned-politicians as not just donning different hats but different coats ~ black coat to the courts and khadi kurta-waistcoat to Parliament! A soul-stirring film, based on the inspiring true story of Selvi, South Indias first female taxi driver, titled Driving with Selvi, has become an award-winning Canadian documentary. Directed by Elisa Paloschi, Canadian filmmaker and president of Eyesfull, a Toronto-based independent production company dedicated to non-fiction documentaries, this documentary is a 10-year journey of a charming, strong and courageous young woman, who defies all expectations, moving beyond the pain shes experienced to create a new life for herself. Selvi, like so many girls living within Indias patriarchal society, was forced to marry at a young age of 14, only to find herself in a violent and abusive marriage. One day, in deep despair, she chose to escape and went on to become the woman at the wheel. The inspiring story of Selvi sees her defy stereotypes by learning to drive, starting her own taxi company, leading educational seminars and emerging as a true inspiration for all the victimised women in a patriarchal society. Paloschi spent over 10 years filming Selvis journey from despair to hope. The film has been screened at over 100 international film festivals and Selvi has travelled with the film to over 15 cities abroad, including in Canada and the US. The film has been broadcast in The Netherlands, Jordan, Peru, Kenya and the US. Canadian and additional broadcasts are planned for 2018. As a kick-start to the first phase of the campaign, Paloschi, her team and Selvi herself embarked upon a 25-day screening bus tour through North and South India. This was aimed at validating the implementation of the film within grassroots and educational programmes and initiate partnerships with organisations that see the value of the film as a tool for social change. Selvis Bus Tour was launched in Delhi on 11 October on the occasion of the International Day of the Girl, in partnership with the Canadian High Commission and Miranda House University College for Women. Since its start, the bus has travelled to urban slums and rural villages through Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Post this, the bus also toured through Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh from 25 November to 10 December, marking the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, informed Paloschi. The other areas included Mysuru, Mandya, Banguluru and Bellari in Karnataka; Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh; and Hyderabad in Telangana. The conclusion of the campaign on Friday was marked by two gala screening events, which were co-hosted by the Canadian High Commission. The screenings were held in Bengaluru and Delhi on 4 and 8 December respectively. During the event, the highlights of the tour, as well as results, findings and testimonials concerning the films impact as an educational tool for social change were shared. The event was attended by government representatives, NGO representatives, campaign partners, educators and activists. In addition to this, Selvi is also being awarded the Womens First Achiever Award by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD). Selvi ranks among the 100 exceptional Indian women. who are being given this prestigious award. Speaking on this, Paloschi said, There are five million Indian girls just like Selvi who are married each year before they turn 18, according to UNICEF. I am truly humbled to meet these girls as part of this campaign, hear their stories and witness the remarkable way in which they engage with the film and the actions that are resulting. She added, We are now looking to secure partnerships with NGOs and educational institutions who see a potential in integrating Driving with Selvi in their programming as a tool to engage communities on topics of child marriage, gender-based violence, womens empowerment and womens agency. The film has received several awards and accolades, including Top Ten Audience Favourites, IDFA 2015, Best Documentary ~ Truth to Power Award, Reel Asian Film Festival 2015, New Mavericks Award, Atlanta Film Festival 2015, Best Documentary Award, Atlanta Film Festival 2015 and Winner ~ Best Director Non-Fiction, Yorkton Film Festival. 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 Surendranagars Sayla talukas 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. Rajkots 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. 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. 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 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 Aiyars 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. After 2-3 days he said he will contest election on the issue of OBCs. Even that did not work, Gandhi added. 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, he remarked. Referring to a report, Gandhi denounced the Modi government for spending Rs 3,700 crore in advertisements. As per a figure yesterday, the Modi government has spent Rs 3,700 crore in advertisements. So all the money (of this government) is going in building its image and to industrialists, he said. Our government will use that money for your health and education, the Congress VP said. Referring to allegations about Amit Shahs son Jay Shahs company turnover and Rafale fighter jet deal, Gandhi said Modi did not raise the issue of corruption in the entire election campaign. Modiji cannot escape from Rafale or Jay Shah issues, whatever he may say (in 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 goverment will not be of the industrialists, but will be of the poor, farmers, labourers, and small businessmen, he said. The truth has caught up with Modiji. The PM has only one thing left with him. He spoke yesterday and for 60-70 per cent of the time he talked about me. But this election is not about Modiji, Rahulji, Solanki, BJP or Congress, but about the future of the people of Gujarat, he said. Gandhi said during canvassing he will focus on 22 years of the BJP rule in the state during which the ruling party worked for 5-10 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 even when you get it only at night, he alleged. Land from villages in Mundra was given to (Gautam) Adani at Re 1 per metre rate, which the latter sold back to the government for Rs 3,000 per metre, he alleged. Last year, the NDA government waived Rs 1.30 lakh crore of loans of the 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 as soon as the Congress formed government in the state. I promise that the Congress will get you the right price (for your produce) and will also let you know in advance how much you are going to get, he said. Gandhi said a Congress government will also spend money on improving health care facilities and education in the state. Attacking the government on demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax, he alleged the winter session of Parliament was delayed because the PM did not want to answer questions on GST and noteban. By India Today Web Desk: The world hasn't been able to keep calm ever since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement, followed by the news of their royal wedding that is slated for next year. Amidst the excitement surrounding the royal redhead's engagement to Meghan, lurked concerns about how the actress would have to forgo her career in acting, once she becomes a member of the royal family. This issue was, of course, dismissed by Meghan later, when she talked about how she was excited to enter a ''new chapter'' in life, in their first interview as an engaged couple. advertisement Looks like Meghan alone is not being initiated into this ''new chapter.'' Prince Harry too is planning a fresh start following their engagement. And the journey has begun by giving up one of his unhealthy habits. Prince Harry has now quit smoking, for his health-conscious fiancee. "Harry has promised no smoking at all at home. It's not nice for Meghan as a non-smoker. So there's no more hanging out of the window for a quick puff. Harry has quit for Meghan,'' a source was quoted as saying by Daily Mirror. Picture courtesy: Pinterest Prince Harry has been quite addicted to smoking. Earlier, he reportedly smoked up to 20 cigarettes a day, having picked up the habit at school and then in the Army. Also Read:Did Prince Harry have a premonition about himself and Meghan Markle 2 years before they met? The Prince had been spotted smoking quite a number of times, despite his father, Prince Charles, disapproving of the habit. And now, not only has the Prince quit smoking himself, he has also banned everyone else from smoking when they visit the couple's abode in Kensington Palace. --- ENDS --- The 15th Russia-India-China (RIC) foreign ministers meeting, in New Delhi on Monday, is expected to take a tough position on the issue of terrorism despite perceptible differences between New Delhi and Beijing. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will host her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the trilateral meeting, which is being considered significant against the backdrop of the tense military stand-off between India and China at Doklam earlier this year. Sources said the three foreign ministers would issue a joint communique at the end of their day-long deliberations, enlisting steps their countries propose to take for combating terrorism and enhancing cooperation at regional, global forums. Officials of the three countries were giving last minute touches to the joint communique, which would be vetted by the foreign ministers before it is formally issued. Wangs visit is the first to India after Xi Jinping was endorsed for a second term as President of China by the 19th Peoples Party Congress in Beijing in October. Both the Chinese and the Russian foreign ministers will also hold bilateral talks with Swaraj on the margins of the RIC meeting. New Delhi was to host the Russia-India-China meet in April, but China did not confirm Wangs attendance apparently to convey to New Delhi its displeasure over Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lamas visit to Arunachal Pradesh. China stakes claim over almost all of the North-eastern Indian state and calls it South Tibet. The RIC meeting is expected to be followed by India-China Special Representatives (SRs) talks on the boundary dispute to be held towards the end of this month. National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval is the SR on the Indian side, while Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi is his countrys SR. BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav on Saturday said talks are on with like-minded political parties to stitch a pre-poll alliance in Meghalaya for the Assembly polls slated for February-March 2018. Madhav was here to oversee the partys preparation ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the state on December 16 to launch the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) election campaign. The scenario for a pre-poll alliance are emerging. How it will finally culminate I cant say right now. But yes we are having a discussion with some political parties. We are preparing for both situations. We are talking to some parties. If no alliance is going to happen then we will be ready to contest in all the seats, he told media persons here. Asked if the BJP had held parleys with the National Peoples Party (NPP), which is a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance for a pre-poll alliance, Madhav refused to comment saying that he does not want to discuss anything on this as of now. NPPs lone Lok Sabha member Conrad Sangma is supporting the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and the BJP-led government in Manipur. In response to a query, Madhav said that if finally the party does not have any alliance, then it will certainly contest in all the 60 seats. He said that the party is going to fight the election in Meghalaya with utmost seriousness to oust the Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance government. We strongly feel the state should be freed from the corrupt, inept and misrule of (Chief Minister) Mukul Sangma, Madhav said after a meeting of the core committee at the party office. The people of Meghalaya deserves better and the BJP is before the people of the state as an alternative for a better and brighter future, he added. Madhav also said that the BJPs door is always open to right thinking and good leaders in the state, and they were appealing to all cross sections of people to join and support the party, as well as to all the religious leaders in the state, both indigenous faith, Christianity and other faith to bless their endeavour. On Modis visit, he said: The rally will be our launching pad for the election campaign in Meghalaya. We are going to the people with the slogan that Meghalaya deserves change. Rajnath Singhs meeting with the Chief Ministers of five states bordering Bangladesh has scanned well-trodden ground in terms of the parameters discussed. In the case of West Bengal, the project to set up a border fence might flounder on the rock of land acquisition and four decades after the unchecked influx from Bangladesh began. The demographic change may, therefore, be irreversible whether in Bengal or the other states in the North-east. West Bengals land policy now appears to have become a major hurdle to the erection of a border fence. As much is clear from the statement of the Union home secretary, Rajiv Gauba, after Thursdays meeting ~ Fencing along the Bangladesh border has hit a roadblock in Bengal because of non-availability of land and the state should arrange for land for the project. The short point must be that from one dispensation to another, the border-fence plan has failed to materialise. The border was porous in the mid-1970s and remains so to this day. But whereas the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government had in 2006 issued citizenship cards to both the fake and the genuine, the present BJP dispensation obviously intends to address the issue from a different perspective. That compulsion was at the core of the Union home ministers meeting with the five Chief Ministers on Thursday. If the Centres muted response is any indication, the BJP-led NDA government is unlikely to readily concur with Mamata Banerjees suggestion ~ theoretically based on the certitudes of a market economy. The Chief Minister would want the Centre to buy the land directly. She is reported to have made it clear that the state will not acquire the land forcibly given the CPI-Ms misadventures in Singur and Nandigram. The suggestion is reasonable enough, but the inevitable repercussion of direct purchase calls for reflection by the Centre, the state, and the landowners. Not least because the character of the land in the five border states is not uniform and remains far from clear ~ whether it is fertile, mono-crop or multiple crop as in Singur or arid, as in Junglemahal. Miss Banerjee has been remarkably prompt in assuring the Centre that the state will extend all possible help to acquire the required land if the Centre accepted the states direct purchase policy. A Centre-State consensus on land acquisition to check the illegal influx becomes ever so imperative as the project has been partially held up on this question. The fence, according to the Home minister, has come up on 684 km and 406 km remains unfenced. Just as land acquisition has impeded industrial expansion, so too has the failure led to an open sesame for illegal migrants from Bangladesh. Rajnath Singhs plan to set up a Border Protection Grid, comprising physical barriers and surveillance, shall not be effective unless the fence is in place. Recently, there has been a spate of legislation prescribing harsh sentences for what are at best moral wrongs. Thus we have the amended Gujarat Prohibition Act which provides a 10-year jail term for consuming liquor within the state of Gujarat. The more stringent Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 prescribes a life in prison for consumption of liquor. Similarly, in most States long sentences are prescribed for eating cow meat. Even legislation like the Aadhaar Act has punitive provisions. Suffice it to say that no recent Act, whether enacted by Parliament or by any State legislature, is bereft of penal provisions. The very large number of laws and their varied interpretations leave the common man at a loss. Adding to the confusion is a police force that enforces law according to its own understanding or on instructions of the political executive, but seldom on sound judicial principles. Recently, we had a string of cases where the police applied Section 66A of the Information Technology Act on Facebook users, even after the section had been struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015. To curb harassment of women ~ an election promise of the Uttar Pradesh CM ~ police is deployed in strength outside womens colleges in UP, with the objective of catching single males found in the vicinity. If caught, the men are questioned closely and released only after a couple of lathi blows or a dozen sit-ups. In a more serious vein, instances have been reported where sedition charges were slapped on young men for ridiculing leaders of the party in power. Such misguided interpretation of legal provisions often brings the common man in conflict with the law, with vindication only at the end of a long drawn legal process. It would appear that while modern jurisprudence has progressed to the stage of decriminalising actions that do not harm anyone else than the perpetrator (like suicide or sexual relations between consulting adults) our legislatures are unwilling or unable even to appreciate the fine distinction between a moral and a legal wrong. Very often, disregarding basic principles of jurisprudence, our legislatures enact laws criminalising social or moral evils which have an immense potential for misuse. The so-called cow vigilantes wreak havoc under the guise of enforcing the ban on cow slaughter so frequently that the Supreme Court had to come to the rescue of the victims. The Dowry Prohibition Act, which had been enacted to curb the evil social practice of dowry, had been so widely misused to settle scores that the Supreme Court was constrained to nullify the provision of instant arrest for dowry related offences. Madhya Pradesh, which reported the maximum number of rapes, amended the Indian Penal Code to provide for a death sentence for rapists in aggravated cases. Common sense would suggest that the only way to deter rapists is to catch them and bring them to trial rather than provide for more punishment but make no additional efforts to catch them. Lord Macaulay, while drafting the Indian Penal Code, desisted from providing the death sentence for rapists because he reasoned that if punishment for rape and murder was the same, then rapists would also murder their victims. Lack of such elementary logic frequently permeates the new enactments, which often flout the basic principle of law-making, specifically that laws should be lenient but enforcement should be strict. The amount of thought or preparation required for a criminal enactment like the Indian Penal Code is totally missing in the new Acts. This results in persons charged with the newly created offences walking free on technical grounds. Under Indian criminal jurisprudence, one of the essential elements of a criminal offence is a guilty mind (mens rea). No wonder the Courts take a dim view of legal provisions which criminalise everyday actions done without any criminal intent. The really draconian sections of these new Acts, like the penal provisions in the Bihar Prohibition Act or the more stringent provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act are often struck down by the Courts for their unconstitutionality. Also the large number of criminal cases filed under these new Acts damage our legal system because the sheer volume of these cases eat away precious judicial time leaving little time for really worthwhile cases. For example, 60 lakh cheque bounce cases are pending in our courts. An inescapable corollary to the criminalisation of ordinary actions is that police are often called in cases which are civil in nature; witness the trend of filing an FIR for rape when a love affair goes awry. Instead of curbing the involvement of police in cases of civil nature, there are a number of instances where the Government got innocent persons arrested to cover its own administrative lapses. A prime example is the Gorakhpur Hospital tragedy where the gas supplier was arrested because he had stopped supplying gas ~ when a huge amount of money had become outstanding to him. Sundry doctors were also arrested in the same case because they had not passed the suppliers bills though it transpired that the Government had not provided funds for paying the suppliers bills. The police revel in the unbridled power made available to them in such a set-up. In these circumstances, criminal cases multiply and the burden of investigating and prosecuting a large number of trivial cases makes the police force lose focus on more substantial ones. Our jails, which are already full, do not have the capacity to accommodate any more inmates. Our overburdened judicial system is not able to handle the additional burden created by the new enactments. Therefore, there is an overwhelming need not to criminalise ordinary acts and create any new categories of offences. Given the surfeit of criminal enactments, ordinary citizens engaged in ordinary pursuits sometimes find that they have committed an act punishable by law. The anguish of a law abiding citizen suddenly discovering that he is a lawbreaker can easily be imagined. More than a Uniform Civil Code, a Pan-India Uniform Criminal Code is required for the benefit of the common man. This Criminal Code would be an omnibus enactment, encapsulating the criminal provisions of all Central and State Acts so that a citizen would know exactly what the criminal law is and when he is transgressing the law. If all criminal laws are brought together, law makers would also have an opportunity to categorise offences and standardise the punishments provided, which would be an improvement over the haphazard way in which offences are being created and punishments are being prescribed. In the alternative, all of us would run the risk of being painted with the brush of criminality, for doing something which we consider perfectly ordinary. (The writer is a retired Chief Commissioner of Income-Tax) In an effort to highlight places of interest in countries across the world, their varied culture, economy and history, The Statesman brings to you a Weekly Focus on countries with which India shares diplomatic ties and friendship. This weeks focus is on Peru. Know all about the country. Capital: Lima, Currency: Sol, Ethnic groups: Amerindian 45%, Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and others 3% Languages: Spanish (official) 84.1%, Quechua (official) 13%, Aymara (official) 1.7%, Ashaninka 0.3%, other native languages (includes a large number of minor Amazonian languages) 0.7%, other (includes foreign languages and sign language) 0.2% (2007 est.) Religion: Roman Catholic 81.3%, Evangelical 12.5%, other 3.3%, none 2.9% (2007 est.) Weather and climate: The weather in Peru varies according to area. The changes in altitude are so extreme that the climate goes from freezing snow in the mountains to boiling sun on the coast. On the coast winter lasts from June to September. The weather tends to be overcast and slightly damp at this time, but rarely very cold. During June to September, the mountainous areas are often sunny during the day but cold at night. Heavy rains in the mountains and jungle last from December to April. It is rainy and hot for most of the year, but between March and September there are occasional cold surges which might require a jumper. Secular celebrations: The major secular Peruvian celebrations are National Independence Day (celebrated on three consecutive days, 28, 29, and 30 July); the Battle of Arica and Carnival (a movable holiday celebrated on the three days just before Catholic Lent). Food and Drink The hot and spicy nature of Peruvian food, created by ajo and aji (garlic and hot pepper), has become celebrated at home and abroad. Helped by the countrys broad range of tropical and Andean landscapes, Peruvians enjoy a wide variety of fruit and vegetables. There are over 2,000 kinds of indigenous and cultivated potatoes alone. Some of the specialities include Ceviche, Cuy, Causa rellena, Tamales, Mazamorra morada, Salchipapas and Pollo a la brasa. Some of the regional drinks are Pisco, Pisco sour (Perus most popular cocktail), Chicha de jora, Chicha morada and Inca Kola. Indian presence The Indian community in Peru is quite small, numbering around 500, mainly engaged in business and trade. More Indian professionals are coming to Peru with the entry of more Indian companies. Economic relations Trade between India and Peru is growing, with trade crossing the US $1 billion mark for last four years. During 2014-15, the total trade was US $ 1.41 billion. Indias main exports to Peru are towers of iron and steel, pipes for oil and gas industry, automobiles, motorcycles and three-wheelers, iron and steel products, polyester and cotton yarns and pharmaceuticals. Main Indian imports from Peru are copper, gold, phosphates of calcium, zinc and lead minerals, fish, flour, synthetic cables, fresh grapes and cocoa beans. Five Indian companies have currently invested in the mining sector in Peru. It is estimated that their present investment is to the tune of US $ 30 million. In addition, IFFCO has a major stake in a large phosphate mining operation in northern Peru. Similarly, Zuari Agro, partnering with Mitsubishi, has a 30% stake in a large rock phosphate reserve in the same area. TCS has a sizeable operation in Lima and is increasing its presence in Peru. Tech Mahindra also has a significant presence in Peru after the acquisition of the Israeli company LeadCom. Reliance has acquired an oil block. A major Peruvian company, Resemen SAC, which specialises in mining machinery, has opened a subsidiary in New Delhi by the name of Reliant Drilling Ltd, following a major contract it has won from Hindustan Zinc Ltd. Several other mining services companies of Peru have set up operations in India such as Opermin and AAC Mining Executors Ltd. Visa: Effective 1 April, 2017, Indians with a visa of minimum 6 months validity or residence permit of the US, Canada, Schengen countries, the UK or Australia will not need a visa to enter Peru. Otherwise for Peru tourist visa, documents required are valid passport for at least one year, two DGC-005 forms (duly typed/handwritten in block letters with black ink), three recent photographs coloured passport size (4.3 X 3.5, photographs with white background, face size 70-80%), covering letter duly signed by the applicant, NOC from the applicants company indicating the purpose and the time of stay in Peru, return ticket for Peru, day-by-day detailed tour itinerary and hotel reservation in Peru. The duration of stay for tourist/business travellers will be up to 180 days maximum, whether continuous stay or various visits during the period of one year. (The stay will be determined in the port of entry by the Immigration Officers). TOURIST ATTRACTIONS Machu Picchu: This is one of the most beautiful and impressive ancient sites in the world. The Lost City of the Incas is invisible from the Urubamba Valley below and completely self-contained, surrounded by agricultural terraces and watered by natural springs. Although known locally, Machu Picchu was largely unknown to the outside world before being rediscovered in 1911 by historian Hiram. The Inca Trail: The famous Inca Trail is a four-day hike, which terminates at Machu Picchu, and is regarded by many as the highlight of their trip to Peru. There are a couple of different starting points for the Inca Trail, but the traditional four-day hike begins at km 82 of the Cusco-Aguas Calientes rail line. From this point, the trail passes more than 30 Inca ruins and traverses through some spectacular scenery. Cuscos Architectural Treasures: Walking through the streets of Cusco is like wandering through a museum, with history built upon history in this UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main square, Plaza de Armas, in the city centre is home to the Cathedral and La Compania, two equally impressive structures. And while there are countless buildings and museums worth visiting, the church of Santo Domingo, resting on the ruins of the Inca site of Coricancha, is one of Cuscos must-see attractions. The Sacred Valley: Less than an hours drive north of Cusco is the beautiful Sacred Valley and the towns of Pisac, Urubamba, and Ollantaytambo. Some of the main highlights in the valley are the Pisac Ruins, the Sunday Market in Pisac, and the ruins and fortress at the beautiful little town of Ollantaytambo. Other main attractions are Lake Titicaca (main tourist attractions is the Uros Floating Islands); Colca Canyon (twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, it is the second deepest after nearby Cotahuasi Canyon); Nazca Lines Arequipas Historical City Centre (often regarded as Perus most beautiful city); Puerto Maldonado and the Amazon (the Reserva Nacional Tambopata and the Parque Nacional Bahuaja Sonene are the two main attractions); Limas Plaza de Armas (one of the most pleasant places in Lima), Ica and the Sand Dunes at Huacachina, Pisco and the Ballestas Islands, Sillustani and Barranco. Compiled by Kunal Jain ([email protected]) British Prime Minister Theresa May on Saturday congratulated her Iraqi counterpart Haider Abadi over the Islamic State victory, but warned the militant group is not yet defeated. Extremists are still pose a threat to Iraq, including from over the Syrian border, May said in a statement issued here after the Iraqi prime minister claimed an end to the fight against the terrorist group earlier Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported. Abadi announced that the Islamic State no longer occupies significant territory in Iraq, and the fight against Islamic State was over after more than three years of combat operations. I congratulate prime minister Abadi and all Iraqis on this historic moment, May said. 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, she said. They still pose a threat to Iraq, including from over the Syrian border. Iraqi forces mopped up the last pockets of IS fighters from Iraqs western deserts on Saturday, securing the countrys border with Syria, a step that marked the end of combat operations against the extremists. IS, which stands for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, rapidly captured large territories in Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate in 2014. The group controlled more than 34,000 square miles of territory from the Mediterranean coast to south of Baghdad. The campaign to eradicate the Islamic State took more than three years and about 25,000 coalition air strikes. Iraqi forces have increasingly been pushing IS out of the country over the past few months. Troops last month retook the town of Rawa, one of IS last footholds in the country. At that point, only pockets of IS resistance remained. 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. Rahul Gandhi would be handed over the certificate appointing him the Congress president on December 16 in the presence of Sonia Gandhi and senior leaders. Rahul Gandhi would be handed over the certificate appointing him the Congress president on December 16. (Photo: PTI) By PTI, India Today Web Desk: Rahul Gandhi is likely to assume the reins of the Congress on December 16, marking a generational shift in the grand old party when his mother and its longest-serving president would formally hand over the baton to him. While pageantry would herald the dawn of a new era in the party which has ruled the country for over half-a-century since independence, the 47-year-old scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family will face the daunting task of restoring lost glory to the party whose fortunes have been dwindling in the recent past. advertisement Today, the party, which once controlled almost the entire country, has its governments in just five states and the Union Territory of Puducherry. The announcement of Rahul Gandhi's elevation, however, is likely to be made tomorrow, the last date of withdrawal of nomination for the election of the Congress president which is a one horse race. Altogether 89 nominations received in his favour were found to be valid during scrutiny. The Congress' Central Election Authority chairman Mullapally Ramachandran, and CEA members Madhusudan Mistry and Bhubaneswar Kalita will announce that Gandhi's was the only nomination for the top job tomorrow. Rahul Gandhi would, however, be handed over the certificate appointing him the party president on December 16 in the presence of Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders, Ramachandran said. Sonia Gandhi will officially hand over the mantle of the 132-year-old party to her son around 11 AM after which Rahul Gandhi will meet leaders from across the country at the Congress headquarters, party sources said. The Congress has been losing state after state since the 2014 Lok Sabha election with the exception of Punjab. Rahul Gandhi's elevation would come just two days ahead of the counting of votes for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly poll. A sure-footed Rahul Gandhi powered a spirited campaign for the Congress in Gujarat, and a win in the election, which many analysts say could be dead heat between the two parties, would come as a massive boost for him. "Delivering in Gujarat will be important as it is the immediate test facing Rahul Gandhi, who has mounted a strong anti-BJP campaign in the state and led personally from the front. We are looking at victory in Gujarat," said a Congress leader and former chief minister. Mahila Congress chief and party spokesperson Sushmita Dev said reorganising the party would be another major task for him. "Every post comes with a challenge. He has to rebuild the party at the grassroots and strengthen the ideological base. His undisputed election as party president is a sign of his strength. He will have to take everyone along from the AICC level right up to the states," she told PTI. Striking a balance between the old guard and the young leaders would be a key to running the organisation which has many seasoned politicians whose wisdom he could use as he steers the party. advertisement Gandhi had said in the past that he would draw upon a blend of experience of the old and the energy of the young. "Initial signs are encouraging since he put veterans like Ashok Gehlot and Sushil Kumar Shinde in charge of elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh respectively and was willing to bank on them," said a leader. He also got appointed young leaders as secretaries. Clarity on the partys ideological stand on the issue of Hindutva would also be important as he is being seen as projecting the Congress soft Hindutva with his visit to temples in Gujarat. He has also proclaimed himself a "Shiv bhakt". These visits are also being seen as an attempt to blunt the BJPs accusation against the party of Muslim appeasement. "This is to course-correct after it was felt that an overtly pro-minority image of the Congress undermined its electoral prospects on the eve of 2014 Lok Sabha elections," a party veteran noted, adding cobbling together electoral alliances will also be key to the future growth of the party. advertisement Another former union minister said every state had its own set of challenges and Gandhi would be expected to take informed decisions in each by taking everyone along. Gandhi has already been taking all major decisions in the party even though his formal elevation was delayed due to a long-drawn internal election process. The deadline set by the Election Commission for conclusion of the organisational elections in the Congress expires on December 31. Organisational elections in the Congress were due in 2015. The party constitution provides for elections to be held every five years. The last such polls were held in 2010. Rahul Gandhi, who was initially hesitant about taking over the reins from Sonia Gandhi, who held the party's top post for 19 years, will be the sixth member and fifth generation leader of the Nehru-Gandhi clan to occupy the post. These include Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and now Rahul Gandhi. Some eminent leaders who held the post in the pre- independence era included Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Abul Kalam Azad, Vallabhai Patel and Rajendra Prasad. Eminent people like Madan Mohan Malviya, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Dadabhai Naoroji, Annie Besant and Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee, the first party president, also led the party in the pre-independence era. advertisement ALSO WATCH | We will show development once Congress comes to power: Rahul Gandhi --- ENDS --- John Rosenthal is the Executive Director of Stop Handgun Violence, a Massachusetts based non-profit supportive of the Second Amendment and committed to the prevention of gun violence through education, public awareness, effective law enforcement and common sense gun laws. Patnaik's close aides say that to understand him, one has to understand his empathy By Pratul Sharma/Photos Sanjay Ahlawat Dangal actor Zaira Wasim, 17, has alleged she was molested mid-air by a middle-aged man, drawing strong reactions by women rights activists and politicians. The airline apologized and Mumbai Police, which registered an FIR, arrested the accused on Sunday. In this still taken from a video posted by actor Zaira Wasim on Instagram she breaks down while narrating her molestation by a co-passenger on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight The National Award winning Kashmiri actor complained about her ordeal on the flight on Saturday, claiming that a middle-aged man seated behind her moved his foot up and down her neck and back. In a self-shot video for Instagram live chat, Zaira is also seen breaking down. "I just landed, the whole irony of this that I yelled... and this is not done... this is not how you should be treated or made to feel. This is terrible. "This is how they will take care of girls? No one will help us if we don't decide to help ourselves and that is the worst thing," she said, looking visibly disturbed. Late on Sunday night, the Mumbai Police arrested the accused, identified as Vikas Sachdeva, 39. According to police, Sachedeva, a resident of Andheri, was earlier detained this afternoon and questioned before arrested for molestation and on other charges. The incident drew wide condemnation. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said she was appalled. "Any harassment or crime against women should be dealt with swiftly and effectively. As a mother of two daughters, I am appalled at what happened with Zaira," Mufti tweeted and urged the authorities to take strict action. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the passenger should be identified by Air Vistara and a case should be filed. The Civil Aviation Ministry has sought a report on the incident while the National Commission for Women (NCW) as well as the Delhi and Maharashtra commisions for women urged the actor to approach police. NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma, Swati Maliwal of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, issued notices to authorities concerned to take due action. DCW has already sought answers from Vistara Airlines seeking details of the action taken by airlines. Vistara Airlines apologized to Zaira and said it was carrying out a detailed investigation. "We will support Wasim in every way required and also if she decides to report this matter to the police... We apologize for what Wasim experienced and we have zero tolerance for such behaviour," read a post on the Airlines' official Twitter page. From the film industry, director Onir and actor Swara Bhasker came out in support of Zaira, who was also lauded for her performance in "Secret Superstar". "Shame Vistara that your staff did nothing. Shame on all the passengers, they are equally guilty as this moron. It should not be difficult for airlines to locate him from seat no. He should be arrested and punished," Onir tweeted. Swara slammed it an "intolerable" incident and said: "We are now at that point where a 17-year-old child has to remind us what is right and what is wrong. I'm so sorry that adults around you let you down, Zaira Wasim. But you keep up the good fight. Stay strong." Wrestler Babita Phogat tweeted a video in support of Zaira, who played the younger version of Geeta Phogat in Dangal. "If someone is misbehaving with you, give a tight slap on their face. They will never dare to repeat their actions again. Zaira, you don't need to be afraid of anyone and just be 'dhaakad' (bold) in real life as well." Shortly on the heels of Mani Shankar Aiyar's neech remark that put Congress on the backfoot, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra caused a furore on Saturday when he said termed Modi desh ka baap (father of the nation) on a television show. The incident snowballed into a controversy after Congress on Saturday demanded that Prime Narendra Modi apologise to the country for the "insult". Twitter's resident smarty-pants (and Snapchat's virtuoso face-swapper) Tanmay Bhat was ready with some witty swipes at Patra. "Sambit Patra should get the next Ballon d'Or for the sheer numbers of self goals he's scored this year," wrote the All India Bakchod (AIB) comedian. Sambit Patra might be the first person to accidentally roast himself. Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) December 10, 2017 Sambit Patra should get the next Ballon D'or for the sheer numbers of self goals he's scored this year. Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) December 10, 2017 Sambit Patra should get the next Ballon D'or for the sheer numbers of self goals he's scored this year. Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) December 10, 2017 Foot in mouth suffers from Sambit Patra syndrome. Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) December 10, 2017 Congress had capitulated on the statement, saying that the BJP should fire Patra, just like they fired Mani Shankar Aiyar. "They had the audacity to insult Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. They can abuse and misbehave with us. We don't have any objection. We will accept it as the test of democracy." "But on behalf of Congress party and 130 crore Indians I want to say, such insult of Mahatma Gandhi by BJP spokespersons won't be tolerated by us. Now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is termed as 'country's father [desh ka baap]'," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters. Inputs from IANS Dangal actor Zaira Wasim became the victim of a molestation attempt on a flight recently. In a video that the 17-year-old actor posted on her Instagram account, she narrated the horrific ordeal she faced while traveling on board the Delhi-Mumbai Vistara flight. Zaira, popular for her roles in Bollywood flicks Dangal and Secret Superstar, broke down multiple times while narrating the harrowing experience she faced. She said a middle-aged man who was sitting behind her on the flight attempted to molest her. Zaira said the man kept his feet on the armrest of her chair and when the actor protested, the passenger said he was doing it because of turbulence. To her horror, the man went on to touch her neck and back with his feet. She said she received no support from the flight crew when she raised an alarm. Zaira said although she tried to take the photo of the man, she was unable to get a clear shot as the lights were dim. This is not done! this is not the way anybody should be made to feel! this is terrible," the actor said in the Instagram video that she posted soon after landing in Mumbai. Barely managing to hold back her tears, the actor is seen saying, "Is this how they are doing to take care of girls? No one will help us if we don't decide to help ourselves. This is the worst thing." Reacting to the incident, Vistara airlines said "We have seen the reports regarding Zaira Wasim's experience with another customer on board last night. We are carrying out detailed investigation and will support Zaira in every way required. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour," reports ANI. Patidars, whose movement for job reservation has created a stir in Gujarat in the last few years, are a divided lot with youth in the rural areas appearing to be providing strong support to their leader Hardik Patil, while those in urban areas may not be that enthusiastic about him. Travelling through Patidar-dominated areas in Mehsana, Amreli, Vadodara and Surat, a visiting IANS correspondent found the reaction mixed in the communitydivided between supporters and opponents of Hardik Patel, the 24-year-old youth leader who has created a storm in the state. Youngsters in rural areas appear to be hard-core supporters of Hardik Patel while in urban pockets, the community seems to be divided between the BJP and Hardik-led Paatidar Anaamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) fighting for reservation for the affluent and landed Patels. Deepak Bhai Patel, who runs a medical shop in the Mehsana assembly constituency in Mehsana district, the bastion of the Patidar community and a BJP citadel, said the community needs reservations because those who come from families with small landholdings are in a poor condition and need justice. When reminded about the constitutional cap of 50 per cent on reservations, he said, "Kuch na kuch rasta niklega (Some way will be found). If they don't find a way, they will suffer as elections will again come." Mehsana is the home district of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel represents it in the assembly. Patel is locked in a tough contest against Congress candidate Jivabhai Patel, a former MP. A Patidar youth in Surat, Amit Patel, said, "Anamat mile na mile, bhai, bhai ko hi favour karega (We may or may not get reservations but a brother will only favour his brother)." However, there are youths like Parvej Patel and Chirag Patel, who are not bothered about reservations. Parvej Patel, a chartered accountant in Vadodara, said, "Patidars here are affluent. Most of them are in business and they don't care about education. Their priority is business. So where does reservation matter to them?" Chirag Patel, a businessman in Surat, said, "We want security and the BJP provides that. Due to GST, we faced a lot of trouble, but they are taking corrective measures too. It will benefit us and the country as well in the long term." Despite anger and displeasure with the BJP, there are many like Parvej and Chirag who vow to vote for the saffron party to keep the Congress out of power, as they feel they would be insecure if the BJP loses. There are many assembly constituencies in Mehsana, Surat and Amreli which have been witnessing a pitched battle between the BJP and the Patidars. Patidars are categorised under various sub-castes dominated by Leuva and Kadva, who claim their ancestry to the sons of Lord RamLuv and Kush. Leuva Patels claim that they are the descendants of Luv, Lord Ram's elder son, and Kadvas of Kush, the younger son. Since Hardik Patel is a Kadva Patel, he has been successful in mobilising them. He has formed committees of youth Patidars in many of the villages. Worried by the Hardik factor, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to woo the OBCs. In Saurashtra, North and South Gujarat, the Patidars hold the key in many of the seats and an overwhelming majority of them had been supporters of the BJP in previous elections, but this time many from the community have joined hands with Hardik, which is likely to benefit the Congress. A discussion at a tea stall in the Sardar circle area of Amreli in Saurashtra presented a typical scene that is prevalent in the state. The discussion took an ugly turn when journalists sought to know the mood of the Patidars. Pareek Sohaliya, a BCom student, claimed that Paresh Dhanani, the Congress candidate, will win as he has the support of the Patidars. "A lot of development work has been initiated by Paresh Bhai. He has defeated BJP ministers like Purshottam Rupala and Dilip Bhai Sanghani. This time, the BJP candidate will lose his deposit," Sohaliya, a Patidar, said. But Balji Bhai, also a Patidar, countered his claim. "Come with me. I will show you the development of Amreli. The underground gutter project has not yet been completed. Roads are pot-holed and due to this, the people of the area suffer." Asked about the Hardik Patel factor, Balji Bhai said, he is not worth a dime. "To win the elections, the Congress has adopted the three monkeys of Gandhiji (Gandhiji ke teen bandar). Hardik, Alpesh and Jignesh." The BJP has fielded Bhavku Bhai Undhad, a Patidar and a former Congressmen who joined the saffron party before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. He represented Lathi constituency in the outgoing assembly. Sanghani, the former agriculture minister, is contesting from adjoining Dhari constituency. Rupala is a minister in the Narendra Modi government. IANS Even as the campaign for the second phase of elections in Gujarat got uglier with Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging Pakistan's hand in state elections, the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress have begun a covert exercise to analyse the polling figures of the first phase. An average of 68 per cent polling has been reported in 89 seats spread over 19 districts on Saturday. This is 3.32 per cent less than the average polling of two phases of election in 2012. At a rally in North Gujarat on Sunday, Modi alleged that former director general of Pakistan Army, Arshad Rafique was backing and willing to make Ahmed Patel the chief minister of Gujarat. Normally, a high voter turnout is considered as the evidence of anti-incumbency wave. However, the results of the last couple of elections in Gujarat indicate that a high voter turnout has been in favor of the ruling party. However, sources said that the BJP camp looked a bit worried this time. Albeit, on the face of it, its leaders said that the BJP was winning. While Modi has been bringing references of Ahmed Patel and Pakistan leaders, BJP's national president Amit Shah held meetings with party leaders and workers till the wee hours of Sunday. The Congress has denied any meeting of Mani Shankar Aiyar and former vice president Hamid Ansari with Pakistan high commissioner. Modi alleged that such a meeting took place. According to sources, after the polling got over for the first phase of elections, Shah summoned his party leaders. A couple of meetings were also held at his residence in Ahmedabad. Though not confirmed, sources said that he is reported to have instructed party leaders to ensure a good turnout during second phase of polling on December 14. Even at a safe bastion like Vadodara, which also influences its nearby seats, the prime minister brought the references of alleged meeting of Aiyar with Pakistani high commissioner. His speeches are seen as an attempt to polarise the votes. In the past too, Modi had evoked former Pakistan president General Pervez Mushrraf's name by calling him Miyan Mushrraf. A theory has started floating that the prime minister is playing a victim card to enthuse voters in an attempt to garner support for the ruling party. The BJP has been in power for the last 22 years and is faced with anti-incumbency, rejuvenated Congress and three young leadersHardik Patel, Alpesh Thakore and Jignesh Mevani. Though exit polls have been barred till the polling of second phase of election is over, informal exit polls have started doing rounds on the social media. If these polls are anything to go by, the Congress has fared considerably well in Saurashtra, Kutch and South Gujarat regions as compared to 2012. Congress sources claimed that though the party leaders have not got time to analyse the polling as they are busy campaigning, reports they have got from the assembly segments indicated a positive trend in favour of the party. Fissures have developed in separatist Muslim Conference, an ally of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led Hurriyat Conference, over its president professor Abdul Gani Bhat's meeting with Centre's special representative Dineshwar Sharma. The development came to fore after a faction of the party led by Muhammad Sultan Magray wrote to Mirwaiz that Bhat has been removed from presidentship and Magray should be contacted for future programmes. The faction, sources said, has appointed Magray as an interim president for months. Bhat, however, seemed unfazed by the development. ''The question is whether hobby horses can win a race in a room,'' he told THE WEEK. ''I am the father of Muslim Conference and all its history. No one can separate me from Muslim Conference.'' ''What is the harm if someone talks to him (Sharma),'' Bhat asked. ''Magray did it because I have sacked his son-in-law Manzoor-ul-Islam as Muslim Conference's chief representative in Pakistan on breach of discipline and replaced him with Tanveer-ul-Islam.'' He called the move by Magray-led faction as anger turned into a letter to Mirwaiz and said Magray has done it out of frustration. The former chairman of Hurriyat Conference said Magray had no support and it the party. ''What they are doing is against the established political behavior,'' Bhat said. He said he supports dialogue and will continue to do so. Look how former Pakistan foreign minister Khursheed Kasuri and others are holding talks with India's former diplomats and politicians. What is wrong in talking?'' Sharma had met professor Bhat on November 27 at his Wazirbagh residence where, according to sources, another separatist was also present. The separatist Joint Resistance Leadership formed by Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz, and Yasin Malik have refused to meet Sharma and called his appointment as a farce. On December 5, professor Bhat told THE WEEK that Muslim Conference supports dialogue with anybody and at any level. ''That has been my consistent stand. We will talk to anybody who comes to meet us.'' According to sources, professor Bhat's meeting with Sharma has not gone down well with separatists and militant leadership in Kashmir and Pakistan. Bhat, a dove, has courted controversy in the past for also for supporting Track-II diplomacy on Kashmir. Soon After Mufti Muhammad Sayeed took oath as the chief minister in January 2015, Bhat went to meet him at his residence in Srinagar. By PTI: Jaipur, Dec 9 (PTI) The Rajasthan government today 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. advertisement 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 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. PTI AG ABH --- ENDS --- The Supreme Court has recently agreed to reconsider the archaic provision of adultery under Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to ascertain whether it impinges upon the constitutional rights of the women by treating them as subordinates. Even though the constitutionality of such penal provision has been upheld by the Courts in a catena of decisions since 1954, it has become imperative to re-examine whether adultery should remain as a crime on the statute book with the spring of new generation of thoughts. More so, in light of the jurisprudence developed by the Supreme Court in the Right to Privacy judgment (Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v Union of India). Kunika The crime of adultery, punishable with imprisonment upto five years under the IPC, is imbedded in the patriarchal philosophy of treating women as the properties of their husbands, making them devoid of any independent faculties and choices. Adultery, therefore, becomes a trespass upon the property of the husband, thus allowing him to get the trespasser prosecuted for committing such crime. State interference is viewed as being justifiable on the ground that it is the responsibility of the State to preserve the sanctity of the institution of marriage and family. Indeed, criminalisation of adultery is considered to be a reflection of societal condemnation of such offence. The decision of whether or not to criminalise adultery is a conflict between societal morality (saturated with the patriarchal ideas of subordination of women and resultant inequality) and the constitutional morality of liberty, personal autonomy, freedom and privacy. I believe that the societal morality of adultery is based on the limited understanding of the constitutional directives. While declaring right to privacy to be a fundamental right, the apex court in the privacy judgment, unreservedly held that privacy safeguards individual autonomy and recognises the ability of the individual to control vital aspects of his or her life. While acknowledging decisional privacy, the judgment upholds the cognitive decisions of every individual including at its core the preservation of personal intimacies that is, the ability to make intimate decisions primarily consisting ones sexual or procreative nature and decisions in respect of intimate relations. Such view renders the provision criminalising sexual intercourse between two consenting and willing adults as being illegal and unconstitutional. The mutual decision of two agreeable adults to participate in sexual activity goes to the very core of the privacy jurisprudence and calls for removal of any restrictions on a persons decision to participate or not participate in a sexual activity. Reference may also be made to Naz Foundation (2014), where the Delhi High Court had decriminalised Section 377 of the IPC relating to homosexuality on the ground that it criminalised consensual sexual acts of adults in private. Though the Supreme Court had reversed the Delhi High Court decision on appeal, the larger bench of the top court in the privacy judgment did express its disagreement with such reversal. It is true that adultery does undermine the institution of marriage and highlights that all is not well with the marital relationship. However, rather than treating adultery as a crime against the society at large and letting the State interfere in the private lives of individuals, the way out perhaps is to restrict adultery to civil cases having legal consequences, say, in divorce cases, the custody of children or the denial of alimony. Indeed, the idea of entailing civil liability in cases of adultery has been acknowledged by the Supreme Court in the case of Sowmithri Vishnu v Union of India (1985). Thus viewed, it is so obvious that sexual decisions of an individual fall under that realm of personal liberty which commands no State interference. The Supreme Courts decision to re-examine the constitutional validity of Section 497 of the IPC is a welcome step, and provides it with an opportunity to strike down this offensive provision as being inconsistent with constitutional principles and morality. Kunika is a barrister and advocate at Supreme Court. Views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the publication. Senior members of German Chancellor Angela Merkels conservatives on December 9 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 December 7 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. Merkels 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 Schulzs European proposal posed a danger to the EU and citizens approval of Europe and Peter Altmaier, Merkels 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 Schulzs 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 wouldnt participate in creating a united states. Another grand coalition? Altmaier told the Rheinische Post newspaper that Schulzs 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. 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 Dcember 7 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 Merkels Christian Democrats (CDU) also rejected Schulzs 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 Schulzs plan, with Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel telling Deutschlandfunk radio it would ensure Europes 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. Mrs I.B. writes: My husband passed away last January. In 2015, he carried out building work for customers who ran out of money, owing 20,000. A representative of Corporate Litigation Services later called my husband and came to our house. He said there would be no problem pursuing them for the 20,000. Stupidly, I transferred a 3,000 fee to CLSs bank account that same day. From then on, we heard nothing. Telephone calls have not been returned and when I wrote to the companys registered office in Nottingham the letter was returned marked not known. There's a file of records at Companies House showing that CLS Central Limited, pictured, has broken rule after rule and there is likely an ongoing investigation of the business When will the Government do something about debt collectors who get into debt themselves? There is no proper system of licensing where business debts are concerned and anyone can pocket fees and then shut up shop. The proper name of Corporate Litigation Services is CLS Central Limited. Its registered office is in Friar Lane, Nottingham, but there is no sign of it there or anywhere else, including its London address near the Tower of London. Almost the only proof that it ever existed is the trail of debts it has itself left behind, including a string of county court judgments against it. That and a file of records at Companies House showing that CLS Central has broken rule after rule. It was supposed to file details in January of exactly who owns the business. It failed to do so. It was supposed to file accounts in September. Again, it failed to do so. These are offences and officials have started proceedings three times to have the company struck off, but each time they have called a halt. Typically, this means there is an on-going investigation. So just who is or was behind the company that ripped you off? Well, his name is Benjamin Edward Reynolds, 35, and until not long ago he also had an address in Mansfield. His real background, though, is in Liverpool and quite a few of Reynolds victims say they were contacted from a Liverpool telephone number. Ben Reynolds, pictured, ran many debt firms including CLS Enquiries there show that Reynolds ran an earlier debt collection business called Mercantile Legal & Financial Solutions Limited. It was struck off by Companies House last year. In Nottingham, Reynolds ran UK Litigation Service Limited. It was struck off in 2013. In Mansfield, he ran Clarke Hornby & Martin Limited. He abandoned this in 2014, leaving no one in charge, and it was struck off in May last year. When I finally managed to find Reynolds, he told me: I am sorry to hear about Mrs B and her experience with CLS. I am no longer the director of CLS Central Limited and have not been since April this year. But he indicated the company itself was still in business. Sure enough, a few days later I received an email saying CLS Central could not comment as it had no authority from your husband, who had sadly died almost a year ago. The email was unsigned, but came from the email address of youve guessed it Ben Reynolds. Companies House confirms it was told Reynolds ceased to be the sole director of CLS Central on May 1. But it was not informed about this until October 28. So, Reynolds had again just walked away from the wreckage of one of his companies. What Reynolds has done is not unusual. In fact, I gave him the names of his Liverpool pals who I investigated for exactly the same debt collection rip-off scheme. CLS still advertises its debt collection services on its website, saying: Unpaid invoices can affect a businesss cash flow and create an unwanted waste of business resources. How true. But none of our authorities seem up to the task of tackling such dodgy dealings. It would be no surprise to find myself writing about Reynolds again when he rips off a new string of victims. The charity donation that drove us wild R.S.R. writes: My disabled son uses the computer a lot and gives money to charities. He gave $10 (about 7.70) to the World Wildlife Fund last year, but unfortunately must have pressed the wrong key because he ended up paying $10 per month. I found this out in April this year and tried to contact the charity. It assured me the donations were cancelled, but they kept being paid. The account is with a building society that says I cannot cancel it as it is a foreign payment, even though my name is also on the account. This means we have lost control of our account. There are two charities with the same name, but they are connected. One is in Britain and the other is in the United States. Your son saw the US charitys website which is why his donations were in dollars. You contacted the British charity which tried to help but was unable to stop the direct debits. It put you in touch with the American charity which replied that you should deal with the British charity. I did get the British World Wildlife Fund to have another go and this time it succeeded in getting its overseas partner to act. The American organisation told me: We would like to apologise publicly to Mr R and have done so privately for the frustrating experience he had. We have cancelled the direct debit and will offer Mr R a refund of all unintended donations. I also had a word with Cumberland Building Society which holds your account. It could not understand why you may have been told incorrectly that a foreign direct debit cannot be stopped. The society has issued a new debit card to your son as a further safeguard. If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned. A major war exercise is currently underway in Rajasthan's Bikaner district between Indian and British soldiers. By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: A major war exercise is currently underway in Rajasthan's Bikaner district between Indian and British soldiers. The combined war exercise, named Operation Ajay Warrior, is going on at the Mahajan Field Range in the desert area of Bikaner. The purpose behind the Exercise is to prepare against the menace of terrorism which has spread its tentacles in various parts of the world. The war exercise, going on for the last one week, has 120 soldiers participating from both sides. advertisement During the exercise, soldiers displayed their superb skill sets. They had to operate in an imaginary demo set up where they had to save some villagers trapped inside a village by the terrorists. During the ongoing demonstrative exercise, the soldiers from both sides performed remarkably during the simulated act. They put on display their latest technologies and managed to not only neutralize the terrorists but also free the villagers without any loss of life or property. During the war exercise, soldiers from both India and UK showed stupendous coordination between them and achieved success. After the demonstration during the war exercise, the army commanders from both the Indian Army and UK Army praised the performance and also assessed their preparedness in acting against acts of terrorism. The soldiers seemed fit and battle - ready after the war practice in Rajasthan's Thar Desert. The Indian soldiers were elated with their performance. The war exercise required the formation of an imaginary village in Mahajan field range. As a part of the war exercise, information was recovered about some terrorists hiding inside the village. During the Operation Ajay Warrior 2017, the soldiers ensured that some of the terrorists were eliminated while others were captured alive. However, one of the successes was that all the villagers were rescued with no loss to life and property. --- ENDS --- THE courts last week delivered what can only be termed a coup de grace on the collective bargaining and industrial relations framework and by so doing made the continued existence of trade unions or organised labour purely academic and symbolic. But maybe long before the courts delivered the fatal blow trade unions or organised labour had already perished probably by their own swords. It could well be that unions perished by suffocating from their own heave in the aftermath of their unsurpassed successes in the last half of the 1990s decade. Hence when the industrial relations framework was transfigured by the courts in a landmark judgment last week there was hardly a whimper from workers through their representative formations. Catalytic to the transfiguration of the industrial relations framework was the judgment by the Industrial Court of Appeal - delivered by Justice Cyril Maphanga sitting with Justices John Magagula and Doris Tshabalala - in a case in which Nedbank Swaziland had appealed the judgment of the Industrial Court interdicting the banking institution from engaging temporary workers while its substantive employees, who are members of the Swaziland Union for Financial and Allied Workers (SUFIAW), were on a protected strike. Essentially the Industrial Court of Appeal ruled that it was Nedbanks prerogative to engage temporary replacement staff for the duration of the strike action by its employees. To what degree Justice Maphanga and company appreciate the effects of their judgment on collective bargaining and the existing industrial relations legal framework is a matter for conjecture. But the fact is this judgment has effectively dismantled the principle of collective bargaining. As I see it, the judgment can be likened to a tsunami to the concept of organised labour and collective bargaining. The effect of the judgment is fundamental because it has irrevocably altered, to the point of irrelevancy, the industrial relations playing field in the kingdom. This position derives currency from the fact that the only potent weapon in the armoury of and at the disposal of workers when negotiating for better and improved working conditions with employers has always been strike action. Irrespective, legislators had, in their wisdom, still provided a panacea for the employer in the form of no work no pay principle for workers participating in a protected or legal strike perhaps to get the parties to deal expeditiously with the issues at table. Thus both parties had loaded guns in the event of disagreement or failure to compromise. But in the wake of the judgment apropos the case between Nedbank and SUFIAW, a strike is now like a gun without ammunition. This means workers have been robbed their only effective bargaining tool, withdrawal of their labour, in order to force the hand of the employer. This has installed the employer as superior on the bargaining table and virtually making irrelevant the industrial relations legislative framework. In essence what this means is that employers, not workers, can prolong a strike action for lengthy periods now that they are free to engage temporary labour while it is not in the best pecuniary interests of striking workers to be away from their duty stations for lengthy periods because of the no work no pay principle. Paradoxically, the evolution of industrial relations was driven by the need to reform the master-servant relations between employer and employee. In fact the industrial relations framework was deliberately biased in favour of workers, both in law and in practice, as a means of correcting the historical injustices prevailing before then in which workers were underdogs and on the receiving end of an unjust order. Therefore, it takes a labour practitioner to better appreciate matters of industrial relations given their historical perspective, hence it is a specialized area of jurisprudence. Thus the Industrial Court distinctly differs from other courts since it is a court of equity. As I see it, this is comprehensively illustrated in the section dealing with the purpose and objectives of the Industrial Relations Act 2000 as amended at Section 4. But one that stands out above all else is Section 4 (f), which states; Ensure adherence to international labour standards. There is no need to explain this further because it is common cause that if and when this is contradicted, as it apparently has been with the open licence issued by the Industrial Court of Appeal for employers to engage temporary labour in times of strikes, this often leads to a country being isolated and censured by the International Labour Organization (ILO). Given these peculiarities the structures and processes of dealing with conflicts within the ambit of labour relations is best served by experts in the field and not necessarily by general law practitioners. Similarly those charged with presiding over such matters must be versed in the field of industrial or labour relations because any departure could fatally fracture not just the processes but as well as make the environment hostile in direct contravention of the spirit of the Industrial Relations Act. In the circumstances, the sooner the Industrial Court and its processes is separated from the rest of the courts the fewer instances the country could find itself at fault with the ILO and other international organs. Similarly, judges of the Industrial Court and its appellate division, besides possessing requisite skills and experience, must also have an intimate, comprehensive understanding and appreciation of the foundation upon which industrial relations was built that in turn makes the Industrial Court a court of equity it ought to be. Earlier, on December 8, Shambulal was produced in Rajsamand Court on Friday and was sent to three days' police custody. By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: The police remand of Shambulal Raigar, accused in the horrific killing of Afrazul in Rajasthan's Rajsamand district, has been extended for ten days. He was produced in Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Lalit Dabi's Court today. "Shambulal's police remand has been extended for ten days. He will have to be produced in the Court on the 20th," mentioned Manoj Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Rajsamand, while speaking with India Today. advertisement Earlier, on December 8, 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. 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. On Saturday, Rajasthan's top cop, Director General of Police (DGP) OP Gahlotra, 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 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", OP Galhotra, Rajsathan DGP, mentioned. In the video that surfaced, it can be seen that initially the perpetrator hits the man killed with an agricultural equipment, then pours some inflammable liquid on his body and burns it. 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 FINANCIAL BERKSHIRE BANK HOME LENDING Andrew Rubino joined as regional vice president of the Residential Mortgage Department for the Capital Region. Rubino previously owned and operated a mortgage brokerage office. HEALTH CARE ALBANY MEDICAL CENTER Richard Lee, a cardiothoracic surgeon, joined the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and was appointed associate professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Albany Medical College. Lee specializes in adult cardiac surgery, including valve repair and replacement, coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic aneurysm surgery and surgery for atrial fibrillation. Gillian Wolff, a urologist who specializes in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, joined the Division of Urology. An expert in urogynecologic and reconstructive pelvic surgery, Wolff treats patients for conditions that include incontinence, overactive bladder, pelvic prolapse and neurogenic bladder. PROFESSIONS BERGMANN ASSOCIATES Ashlee Giacalone joined as a project architect, assisting division managers in Albany and Rochester. Giacalone previously worked at Trudeau Architects. Cody Messier, a certified licensed engineer and member of the American Institute of Steel Construction, joined as a structural/project engineer on the New York buildings team. Messier previously worked at EYP Architecture and Engineering. WHITEMAN OSTERMAN & HANNA LLP Cianna Freeman-Tolbert joined as an immigration attorney in the Immigration Practice Group, focusing her practice on immigration litigation, including removal and deportation defense. Freeman-Tolbert previously focused on complex immigration litigation matters involving criminal convictions and previous immigration violations, as well as immigration enforcement-related issues like bonds, stays of removal and other alternatives to detention. OPERA SARATOGA Jonathan Blalock joined as development and patron services manager. Blalock previously served as chief operating officer at Roven Records. Charla Jeanne Lawson joined as company manager, effective Jan. 2. Lawson serves as managing director at Townsend Opera in Modesto, Calif. SERVICES BEST PASS INC. Renee Barr joined as a business analyst. Barr previously served as a business analyst at GE Global Research. Jennifer Patterson This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Cohoes Mayor Shawn Morse is facing political backlash after a Times Union story Sunday detailed allegations of domestic abuse against him going back decades. New York state Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy went on Twitter Sunday to say that Morse should resign. And the Albany County Democratic Committee, where Morse has been an influential player in the past, met Sunday night and issued a statement regarding the mayor. "The Albany County Democratic Committee does not condone domestic violence or any form of violence," read the statement from committee Chairman Jack Flynn. "If in fact, the allegations are found to be true, we ask that Mayor Morse resign from office immediately." Fahy doesn't think that Morse should wait until the investigation is complete. 'These are disturbing revelations from the @timesunion about a history of domestic violence and unacceptable behavior not becoming of the title 'Honorable' from an elected official," Fahy wrote on Twitter. "Time for Cohoes Mayor Shawn Morse to make an honorable move and step aside." Flynn said that Morse and his alleged actions against women will likely be the subject of an investigation by his party's ethics committee. It was discussed at a meeting Sunday night of the Democratic committee. "I believe in due process," Flynn said, noting a current investigation that is being conducted concerning a 911 call made last month by Morse's wife. "The State Police are investigating and until the investigation is complete, I will be reserving judgement." On Sunday, the Times Union reported about domestic abuse allegations involving Morse that stretch back more than two decades. They include an incident in the mid-1990s when a woman he dated for several years called police and said Morse had grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground during an argument at her apartment. Fahy's 109th district does not include Cohoes. But the City of Albany Democrat is a major player in the county party. Morse has also been an influential Democrat, previously serving as Albany County Legislature chairman. The assemblywoman appeared Sunday on the Spectrum News show "In Focus Albany" to discuss the impact of sexual misconduct cases on the political landscape. She could not be immediately reached for comment Sunday about her Twitter call for Morse to step down. Assemblyman John McDonald, whose family has operated Marra's Pharmacy in Cohoes for decades and represents the city in his district, on Friday confirmed to the Times Union that he recalled an incident in which Morse once grabbed a former girlfriend by her hair while she was working at the pharmacy and dragged her out of the store. McDonald said on Sunday that Morse has to "make a decision that is in best for his family and the City of Cohoes." "At this time the community is struggling due to the Nov. 30th fire which will need the Mayor's full attention to the matters at hand for a considerable period of time," McDonald said. Details about Morse's alleged history of abusive behavior are surfacing as State Police investigate a domestic violence incident on the morning of Nov. 10 when Morse's wife, Brenda, called 911 and told a dispatcher that her husband "grabbed her by the throat and threw her to the ground," according to a police record. Morse and his wife have declined to authorize the release of her 911 call. Morse could not be immediately reached for comment Sunday. On Friday, Morse's attorney Joseph Ahearn issued a statement that said in part that he has asked Morse to refrain from discussing any aspects of his personal life, Ahearn said, "the mayor is confident that after a thorough investigation by the State Police, it will be evident that the mayor did not engage in any wrongdoing or criminal conduct." Steve Hughes contributed to this report. Malta A mental health provider in Malta is accused of forcibly touching and sexually abusing a female patient during treatment sessions. The crimes by Brett Klersfeld, 62, allegedly took place between October 2017 and November 2017, according to the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office. The department received a complaint on Dec. 8. Klersfeld, of Valatie, was charged with a criminal sex act, a felony, as well as forcible touching, sexual abuse and sexual conduct, which are misdemeanors. He is being held at the Saratoga County jail in lieu of bail. Richa Chadha was attacked by several people for a blog post, who hauled her up for not naming and shaming sexual harassers in Bollywood. By India Today Web Desk: The past few months have been witness to shocking revelations, after Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexually harassing over 80 actresses . Women from all over the globe came forward and shared their stories of horror too. It's no secret that Bollywood has its share of murky Harvey Weinsteins too. Many actresses like Swara Bhaskar and Tisca Chopra, have shared their experiences, without naming the perpetrators. While many feel that it is necessary to name and shame, others don't agree. Richa Chadha has had some strong opinions in this matter. advertisement Richa Chadha says it is indeed brave of people to accept that sexual harassment in Bollywood, but one cannot name and shame, as there is no guarantee of having a secure career, after that. The Fukrey Returns actress was attacked for a blog post, regarding the sexual harassment situation. Feminists hauled her up for not "naming and shaming" sexual harassers in Bollywood. "If you give me pension for life, take care of my safety, my family, ensure I'll continue to get work in films and TV or whatever I want to do, my career will grow unabated as it is right now after I name and shame somebody, sure I will. Not just me, million others will do that. But who will do it?" Richa said recently. Richa feels that the film industry lacks a proper system that can ensure safety to the victims and survivors of sexual harassment. "Every time someone speaks there are repercussions. Whoever is speaking out people are like 'oh you've to name and shame.' If the press knows who is doing this, why not let it out? Every time we take a step, there is a backlash. The ecosystem and the structure of the industry needs to change. We don't have royalties here for actors, in absence of proper legislations, who will take a risk?" added Richa. Meanwhile, Richa is excited as her film Fukrey Returns has received a terrific response and is doing extremely well on its opening weekend. Within two days, the film's total collection already stands at Rs 19.40 crore. Richa reprised her role as Bholi Punjaban, in the sequel to the 2013 sleeper hit, Fukrey. ALSO WATCH: Meet the Fukrey gang --- ENDS --- Officer Tom Wagstaff speaks at ceremony in his honor BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. -- After making a miraculous recovery, Independence Police Officer Tom Wagstaff is finally home. The Independence Police Department, city officials, and the community thanked him for his sacrifice at a Saturday ceremony in his honor. Wagstaff, his wife, and their two boys spoke publicly for the first time in eight months after their lives changed forever. Forgive us this inspiring link as an officer injured in the line of duty jokes with the crowd and shares his thanks for an outpouring of love . . .Read more: THIS HAS BEEN A HISTORICALLY BLOODY YEAR IN KANSAS CITY WHILST CITY HALL HAS BEEN MOSTLY FOCUSED ON MAYOR SLY'S DEVELOPMENT AGENDA!!! NEITHER LAW ENFORCEMENT NOR CITY HALL HAS REVEALED A NEW PLAN TO CONFRONT THE RISE IN KANSAS CITY MURDER!!! Community members came together on Saturday afternoon to pray for those killed in 2017. Norton Heights Community of Christ church held a prayer vigil for all of the citys 137 homicide victims. Its really just a tragedy, of this loss of life because every life is of value, every life is important, said Pastor Peter Judd of Norton Heights Community of Christ. Judd says church members felt compelled to do something because of the citys alarmingly high homicide rate. They hope that by displaying the crosses near a busy intersection in a Historic Northeast neighborhood, it sends a message to passers by. We posted a note for this tribute earlier in the week and now the local news picks up the story.More importantly . . .Police are fighting for their budget, the Citizen Task force against violence turned out to be a bad joke and worst of all . . .Here's a local faith community calling attention to the problem:Links:Developing . . . By PTI: (Eds: Changing a word in para eight) By Surya Desaraju Amaravati, Dec 10 (PTI) Development projects worth more than Rs 40,000 crore, including one related to the new capital city, are in a limbo as the Andhra Pradesh government is caught in a fix over the utilisation of funds under the Externally-Aided Projects (EAPs). Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu himself sounded sceptical about the "benefits" of the EAPs but it was a political decision which he now cannot shy away from. advertisement "It is difficult to understand about the immediate benefit that would accrue to the state which is struggling to put its finances in order, while ensuring investments in capital works, so that growth does not suffer," he told the Legislative Assembly in the just-concluded session. Under the Special Assistance Measure, announced by the Centre in September 2016 in lieu of Special Category Status to AP, the former was to fund the state for EAPs only "signed and disbursed" during 2015-16 to 2019-20. The AP government anticipated an amount of Rs 20,010 crore under the Special Assistance Measure (SAM) but expressed inability to spend it within the stipulated five years. As such, the state wanted the Centre to permit it to clear "other outstanding loans" towards EAPs and also use the gap to pay interest commitments to the Government of India, Nabard and other external agencies, a senior bureaucrat told PTI. The Union Finance Ministry rejected this proposal and also refused to concede the states demand to not make the SAM a part of the FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) limit. "It is an area of concern for us. The chief minister is pursuing the issue with the Centre since the state is not directly borrowing rpt borrowing the money. As such, our contention is that it should be out of the FRBM limit," the bureaucrat said. For over two years now, the state government has been requesting that the borrowing limit under FRBM Act be raised to 4 per cent of the GSDP, given the states precarious financial position post-bifurcation. The Centre, however, has not agreed to it either, even as the state has been borrowing quite heavily to make ends meet. AP targeted to borrow Rs 30,019 crore during the current financial year, excluding the EAPs. Among the 13 EAPs proposed by the state, the Amaravati Capital City Development Project is critical besides the Vizag -Chennai Industrial Corridor Development Programme. Though the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), under the Union Finance Ministry, cleared the states proposal for a USD 500 million loan in 2016, the World Bank is yet to approve and sanction it. advertisement Of the total project cost of Rs 4,749 crore, the World Bank is expected to lend Rs 3,324 crore for the Amaravati project, under which critical infrastructure in the new capital is supposed to be developed. The Chief Minister wrote a letter to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on October 24, 2016 proposing to take up construction of residential school buildings in the state at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore with funding from AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. A government note on the "latest status" of EAPs states that "the above proposal is in final stage (with the state government) and not yet submitted to the DEA". The state government also proposed the AP Rural Road Project at a cost of Rs 4,234 crore with funding from the AIIB for "providing new connectivity to unconnected habitations". The DEA sought comments of the Union Rural Development Ministry in May this year. The Ministry, in turn, wrote a letter to the state government on July 31 asking it to "recast the proposal". The state government is yet to do that. Similarly, the Rs 4,500 crore AP Rural Water Supply Project is stuck after the Screening Committee of the DEA asked the state to "recast the project financials by restricting to USD 500 million USD". advertisement The Union Health Ministry sought comments from the state government last year on curtailing the AP Health System Strengthening Project cost from the proposed Rs 4,807 crore to Rs 2,900 crore but the state?s comments are (still) "awaited". In all, seven projects worth a total Rs 18,313 crore are languishing due to "no response" from the state government, a senior official pursuing the EAPs said. Though the Amaravati Capital City Development Project, too, has been shown as "approved", among the six EAPs totalling Rs 19,162 crore, it cannot actually take off till the World Bank "sanctions" the loan, he added. PTI DBV RSY NRB --- ENDS --- WHAT ARE YOUR WISHES FOR MAYOR SLY TO ACCOMPLISH IN HIS NEXT YEAR??? It's the B-Day of Mayor Sly James and his nearly 100K Twitter friends are sending him a great deal of social media love.Rather than Ad hominem attack, we invite our blog community to be constructive with their insights on this special day for the top politico at City Hall.Birthdays are a time for reflection and setting goals. And so . . .Be nice and realize that, for better or worse, so many of his staffers and consultants are actually paid to read this blog . . . So the more insightful suggestions that could help the Mayor & KCMO might actually make their way back to him.Best wishes . . . INSIDERS ON TEAM MIKE TELL TKC: THE KANSAS CITY STAR HAS BEEN WARNED ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR SKETCHY INVESTIGATION!!! NOTICE THEIR CAREFULLY WORDED SUNDAY EDITORIAL ON THE TOPIC!!! TKC EXCLUSIVE!!! TEAM MIKE CLAIMS THE TWO YEAR OLD KANSAS CITY STAR STORY IS A 'NOTHING BURGER' AND WON'T HAVE MANY REAL CONSEQUENCES!!! DO YOU TRUST THE KANSAS CITY STAR AND DUDE IN TAX TROUBLE OR THE REPUTATION OF MIKE SANDERS BEFORE HE LEFT THE COURTHOUSE LIKE A HOBO IN THE NIGHT??? The Kansas City Star is now noticeably more cautious in how to they refer to an "alleged kickback scheme" and the connection they have made to former Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders.Why?A quick look back,. . .Actually, today's newspaper screed doesn't really contribute much to the local discourse and instead wants law enforcement to pick up their crusade.Even better . . .They say the law firm connections of Mike Sanders remain intact and that he's still the man in Sugar Creek - For whatever that's worth.Even better, Team Mike is confident that one day they'll get that train to nowhere on the Rock Island Corridor built even if all they can achieve now is a low rent bike path along an abandoned swath of land.And so we have a juxtaposition which we present to ourwho stand in judgement of all serious and very important matters of local journalism . . .This is a horrible choice either way and, just like real life, the absence of "good guys" in the local political discourse is why most people don't bother to vote.Developing . . . Lesvos island decongestion plan is in full progress in Greece. 408 persons have left the island in the last 24 hours. 152 refugees and migrants left on Friday evening for the Greek port of Piraeus while another 256 left with the ferry "Nissos Samos" on Saturday for the port of Heraklio, Crete. According to media sources, a large number of migrants and refugees, all members of vulnerable groups, are expected to leave Lesvos on Sunday and in the following days. The same sources said that the plan foresees approximately 3,500 migrants and refugees to be on Lesvos by the end of December in order to be hosted safely in the existing hosting centers. The Migration Ministry announced that on Thursday 8,322 migrants and refugees were hosted on Lesvos. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Phelim123 License: CC-BY-SA Source: ANA-MPA The justice system in Greece is an obstacle to economic development due to the delays in the administration of justice in courts, George Pagoulatos, Professor of European Politics and Economy at the Athens University of Economics & Business, noted on Friday at the 10th Annual Conference of "Transparency International-Greece", titled "Why Institutions Do Not Function?" Pagoulatos stressed Greece needs "institutional, constitutional guarantees, stronger and more lasting than the morals of public officials, independent, supra-party, judicial and regulatory authorities". "We need the surrounding guarantees of a functioning pluralism and liberal constitutionalism [...] Everywhere in the modern world, these safeguards protect against the arbitrariness of state power, which tends to manipulate, interfere, control, and tamper with the independence of Justice." He referred to the long delays in legal procedures which affect the protection of rights. Specifically on commercial and civil cases, Greece has a record of pending cases, which leads to just 80 percent of those cases being heard in court, he explained. Pagoulatos cited figures to show that in Greece, the judicial system is an obstacle to economic development, noting that in the World Bank's "Enforcing Contracts" indicator (the application of contracts, resolution of trade disputes in courts), the country is penultimate. On his side, Angelos Syrigos, Associate Professor of International Law & Foreign Policy at the Panteion University and Vice-President of Transparency's Greek chapter, underlined the state has contradictory laws. He offered a number of examples where the unregulated status on a number of issues essentially creates legal contradictions or other cases where a gap is created due to uncoordinated legal functions. According to him, in order for the judiciary to be independent, the choice of its leadership should - among other things - be disconnected from the government, as "the most vulnerable judges" are those aspiring for the positions in top courts. He also mentioned the law on the criminal liability of ministers which he said works in such a way as to effectively exclude judicial investigation. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: areiospagos.gr Source: ANA-MPA Political stability in Greece is very important for the recovery of the crisis stricken economy as well as the strengthening of the tourist industry Greece's main opposition New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis questioned on Friday the wisdom of the government's decision to invite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Greece, saying the country didn't gain much from the visit. "Our country didn't gain anything substantial from this visit. Defending our national interests requires seriousness, preparation, well-thought-out moves," he noted at a speech at the annual conference of Transparency International Greece. He pointed out it wasn't clear what the reason was for Erdogan's visit to Greece, what the government expected from the visit and why it should have taken place at this time. "Yesterday's visit, the first of a Turkish president in 65 years, should have had an essential objective, a qualitative resetting of bilateral relations. Instead of achieving that goal, what did we all witness yesterday? The Turkish president formulated publically, and on Greek soil, his country's unilateral claims, far and beyond international law and international treaties that set the framework of good neighbourly relations," he added. Mitsotakis concluded that Greek responses to Erdogan's claims by President Prokopios Pavlopoulos and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras were "self-evident" but claimed the government was unprepared for the meeting, considering its gravity. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: enikoslive License: CC-BY-SA Source: ANA-MPA Tensions between the two countries , Greece and Turkey, have been going on for years but their cooperation has also been extensive enabling tourism to benefit significantly and reach very high levels lately Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke on Friday of the Muslim community's integration into Greek society, during a speech to Muslim community leaders at a hotel in Komotini,Thrace his last stop in his two-day visit to Greece. Erdogan noted that any ethnic backgrounds that exist in Turkey constitute one people. "The same applies to Greece. Whatever ethnic backgrounds exist, they all constitute one people," he said, adding that as Turkey has one flag, so does Greece which "cannot be put aside". "We are not talking about assimilation but about your integration into Greece," he said. He left Komotini shortly before five in the afternoon to go to the airport in Alexadroupolis, from where he flew back to Turkey. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: R4BIA.com License: CC-BY-SA Source: ANA-MPA Political stability in Greece is very important for the recovery of the crisis stricken economy as well as the strengthening of the tourist industry The Greek parliament's Committee on Armament Programs and Contracts revoked its approval to sell military equipment to Saudi Arabia, in an unprecedented move by the body. The arms agreement had been approved by the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA). According to information, the move was approved by all the parties except New Democracy, which abstained from the vote, calling it a "pretext". "Today we discussed the issue we had unanimously raised at the previous meeting of the parliamentary Committee, that is, the possibility of revoking the January and March decisions on projectiles and bombs," SYRIZA MEP Nikos Fylis noted after the end of the meeting. "What happened today is that we decided by majority (ND abstained) that we have to recall, revoke, the two decisions," he added, stressing that in order for the decision to take effect, the KYSEA will also have to repeal its decision. Fylis pointed out that after three European Parliament decisions, there is an international pressure to end Saudi Arabia's armament because it is considered responsible for a humanitarian disaster. "Therefore we have a new international reality which our country has to take into account," he said. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: NormanEinstein License: CC-BY-SA Source: ANA-MPA Greeks are very proud of their religious and national heritage and are very eager to share both with the country's visitors On Tuesday, while addressing the 3rd Archon International Conference on Religious Freedom, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), announced her decision to reintroduce a House resolution, calling on Turkey to respect the rights of the Ecumenical Patriarch. Freedom of religion is a core American principle, and a key component for peace and stability around the world. As co-founder and co-chair of the Hellenic Caucus, I have long advocated for reforms in Turkey to respect the rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and reopen the Halki Seminary. I intend to reintroduce a resolution that calls on Turkey to enact such reforms. These efforts have historically had strong support in Congress, and we must continue this work. Persecution against Christians and other religious minorities around the world is a security crisis, and the U.S. government must remain vigilant in its monitoring and response. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Pvasiliadis License: CC-BY-SA Source: greekreporter.com Tensions between the two countries , Greece and Albania, have been going on for years but their cooperation has also been extensive enabling tourism to benefit significantly and reach very high levels lately Greece has sent essential relief items to Albania to assist the country cope with the most severe rainfalls ever recorded in the country, the General Secretariat for Civil Protection said on Friday. The Albanian government activated the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) as it experiences shortages in emergency supplies (first aid kits, sleeping bags, tents, lifejackets), food (dry and packaged food, baby foods and diapers), emergency equipment (eg generators, lenses, water pumps), and in bridge construction materials. Athens sent 5 generators producing 2.5 kVa, 1,500 raincoats and 100 pairs of rain boots. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Marmelad License: CC-BY-SA Source: ANA-MPA Greeks are very proud of their religious and national heritage and are very eager to share both with the country's visitors Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy Samil Tayyar has proposed the reconversion of Constantinoples Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque, in retaliation against U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. If you say so, let Hagia Sophia be opened to prayers. We should start holding Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia, Tayyar tweeted on December 6 President Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy on December 6 by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, despite warnings from around the globe. Ankara had already underlined that the holy site was a redline for Muslims and signaled that it could even sever ties with Israel for the move. The Hagia Sophia Museum was first dedicated as an Orthodox patriarchal basilica in 360. Until 1453 it served as the Greek Patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople. After the citys conquest by the Ottoman Empire, the building turned into a mosque in 1453 and remained so until 1931, when it was closed to the public for four years. It was reopened by the authorities of Turkeys young Republic as a museum in 1935. Source: hurriyetdailynews.com Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Arild Vagen License: CC-BY-SA By India Today Web Desk: Sonam Kapoor's constant experiment with her sartorial choices is something all of us are acquainted with. So, watching her sashaying along in unique pieces of clothing, one after the other, isn't that surprising any longer. But what holds our attention, each time, is how the Bollywood actress manages to add a fresh dose of the wow factor to her ensembles, thus making us swoon over her, all over again. advertisement And that's exactly what we feel after catching a glimpse of Sonam's overwhelming aura that was so well captured in what she recently wore. Picture courtesy: Instagram/sonamkapoor The fashionista oozed glamour as she walked for designer Tarun Tahiliani at Blenders Pride Fashion Tour, Mumbai, in a shimmery, ombre gown. Also Read:Sonam Kapoor in this resplendent cream gown will take a toll on you While the sheath gown boasted of a fine blend of colours, what appealed to us further were the feather details on the sleeves. Picture courtesy: Instagram/sonamkapoor The attire seemed a perfect fit for Sonam's figure, with the chic, slim belt further accentuating the cut of the flowing gown. Picture courtesy: Instagram/sonamkapoor Despite an overflow of glitter all over the gown, the entire presentation of the ensemble looked nothing close to being over-the-top. On the other hand, a pair of quirky earrings, and smokey eyes coupled with a light lip shade, made Sonam look like a Greek goddess. Honestly, we are not being able to take our eyes off you, Sonam. --- ENDS --- Qatar Armed Forces has signed an agreement with Dassault Aviation to acquire an additional 12 Rafale fighter jets. The agreement was signed in the presence of Emir of Qatar His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and French President Emmanuel Macron. This new order follows on from the contract signed on May 4, 2015 between Qatar and Dassault Aviation for the acquisition of 24 Rafale, thus raising the number of Rafale aircraft operated by the Qatar Emiri Air Force to 36. "Dassault Aviation and its partners thank the Qatari Authorities for having given them the opportunity to enhance their collaboration by restating their confidence in the qualities of the Rafale and expressing their satisfaction with the performance of the main contract," a statement said. This new agreement is built around the special relationship that exists between the two countries and the shared determination, by the Defense Ministry of Qatar and Dassault Aviation, to move forwards together, said Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation. - TradeArabia News Service Iraq and Iran have signed an agreement to export up to 60,000 barrels of oil per day from the fields of Kirkuk to Iran. The rate of exports can be increased through the basin until the completion of the extension of an oil pipeline for this purpose, said Iraqi Oil Minister Jabbar Ali Al-Luaibi. He added that the agreement signed by the Iraqi oil marketing company Sumo with the Iranian side provides for the Iraqi side to transfer oil via trucks to the joint border point between the two countries near the province of Kermanshah. Meanwhile the Iranian side delivered the same quantities and the same specifications through the ports South of Iraq. The agreement was signed by Alaa Yasiri, director general of Sumo and Hidayatzadeh, a representative of the Iranian Oil Ministry. Al-Luaibi said that Iraq is keen to strengthen relations with neighbouring countries and the world, and that the Ministry plans to establish strategic oil projects that enhance the prospects of bilateral cooperation with Turkey, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Syria, as well as Egypt. TradeArabia News Service Sleep therapy, a break from modern technology and intuitive dining are among the upcoming travel trends that will be shaping the luxury boutique hotel experience in 2018, a report has revealed. Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), in partnership with global trends analysts Trendwatching, has launched a luxury trends report identifying five specific trends from its collection of over 500 independently minded hotels around the world. Hands-on luxe While the hyper-competitive Experience Economy is nothing new, it is clear that we havent yet seen the full impact of the Instragram effect. In 2018 travellers will be looking to get their luxury hands dirty by helping to design their own experience. 700,000 Hours wandering hotel, brought to you by the brains behind Dar Ahlam in Morocco, will allow guests to choose its location each year. Guests can also get a true scents of place at Hotel Magna Pars Suites Milano where they can choose the fragrance of their room in this old perfume factory, and at The View Lugano in Switzerland where the smell is not the only choice to make in advance of a stay the colour of their toilet paper, brand of toiletries and linens, as well as when to have their bag unpacked are all ways guests can customise their experience. Spiritual stories The wellness industry has always been entwined with spirituality, and in 2018 the focus will be on those spiritual experiences that enable guests to seek out one-of-a-kind moments to focus their independent minds. From visiting rejuvenating ancient Power Spots at the Sankara Hotel & Spa Yakushima in Japan, to night-time spa treatments under the stars, floating on water or being lapped by the waves, at Spa Village Resort Tembok Bali, the bespoke nature of these immersive experiences goes far deeper than a deep tissue massage. Novel gazing A complete digital detox might be too much for some of us, however, the desire to take a holiday from modern technology and nostalgia for times when life seemed simpler has led to a resurgence of literature in small hotels. Providing a taste of the timeless, hotels are paying homage to esteemed writers or classic novels, as well as offering libraries, reading rooms and library butlers. The Betsy South Beach in Miami celebrates its Pulitzer connection with bedtime poems and a Writers Room where guests can interact with local creatives. Le Pavillon des Lettres in Paris offers Literary room service and Kristiania Lech in Austria a Book Butler who creates a bespoke reading list to reflect the guests tastes. Rockliffe Hall in the UK will be opening a Lewis Carroll inspired parkland in 2018 as a nod to his love for the area, and the Owl and the Pussycat Hotel in Sri Lanka crosses the divide by using Instagram to recreate the non-sensical world of Edward Lear. Night nurses It is no longer enough to offer a pillow menu and a comfy bed to guarantee a good nights sleep some brands are now introducing pioneering bed linens that prevent sweating and eliminate bacteria. In 2018 hotels will be competing to guarantee the optimum nights sleep in more traditional, yet original, ways. 137 Pillars Suites Bangkok and 137 Pillars House in Chiang Mai offers Sleep by Design therapy and a Sleepdown service conducted by a dedicated Sleep Curator. Sometimes, however, its worth having an interrupted night, as demonstrated by the Hotel Ranga in Icelands Northern Lights wake up call. Intuitive dining While data capture can promise optimum personalisation, in small luxury hotels nothing beats a thorough and instinctive understanding of each guest to get everything just right, just for them. Menus and inflexible dining rituals are disregarded at Dar Ahlam in Morrocco, Ett Hem in Stockholm and Foxhill Manor in the UK, where guests can eat what they want, where they want and when they want, or are conveniently surprised just when they are feeling a little peckish. In addition to these hotel specific trends, SLH continues to evolve as a business embracing new technology and pioneering new destinations, all to improve the experience of its guests. What3Words In 2018, SLH.com and the 2018 SLH Directory will feature geographical references from What3Words for all 500+ hotels. This global addressing system that pinpoints locations to 3x3m squares has now been downloaded to 1 in 4 phones and is used by brands including Mercedes and Land Rover. Where Next? The development team at SLH has also been seeking out new and interesting new destinations to offer guests in 2018 brand new hotels will be added to the portfolio in Comporta, just south of Lisbon in Portugal and touted as the new Ibiza; Cape Fahn, a private island off the coast of Koh Samui in Thailand; and Sailrock Resort, opening next week, the first luxury resort to open on South Caicos in the Caribbean. - TradeArabia News Service Michelin has launched its first-ever Guide for Thailands capital city, Bangkok, recognising the citys best culinary establishments. The prestigious French guide dished out 20 Michelin stars to 17 restaurants. Amongst them is the Queen of Thai street food, Jay Fai. The 70-year old street food seller is known for her scorching wok-fired dishes made with noodles prawns and crab. The highest accolade was two stars, which went to three establishments -- the progressive Indian restaurant Gaggan, Le Normandie, which opened at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Bangkok in 1958, and Mezzaluna at Lebua Hotel. A total of 98 Thai, Asian and international restaurants, including 28 Thai street-food stalls, are featured in the inaugural Michelin Guide. Renowned for its famous street food, Bangkok has now become the seventh Asian country to have a Michelin Guide and has risen up the culinary ranks to join the likes of Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong/Macau. The launch of the Guide was celebrated at a gala ceremony in Bangkok last week. In his opening remarks at the launch, Yuthasak Supasorn, the Tourism Authority Thailand (TAT) Governor, said: The inaugural Michelin guidebook will elevate Thailands food scene to a new level of excellence and significantly enhance the countrys reputation as a world-class dining destination." The Michelin Guide is a measure of gastronomic quality for many people around the world. It sets a high benchmark, and we are confident that the launch of Michelin Bangkok will attract more food connoisseurs to Thailand, which will in turn increase revenue for restaurants and substantially contribute to Thailands overall tourism and leisure market. According to the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), food tourism can generate $150 billion in revenue. For Thailand, in 2016, international visitor expenditure on food totalled 326 billion Baht, representing 20 per cent of the tourism revenue. Yuthasak added: TAT has made Gastronomy Tourism an important part of its marketing strategy under the Thailand 4.0 socio-economic development plan. Thai cuisine is famous all over the world. It is rare a major city in the world that does not boast a Thai restaurant, be it in the form of fine-dining or takeaway. All our culinary delights have their roots in Thai agriculture, which was our bedrock source of economic livelihood well before tourism. Now, the Royal Thai Government is more firmly linking both. The Michelin Guide Bangkok 2018 will be followed by similar guidebooks covering the food, service and catering sectors in other popular destinations; such as, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Hua Hin. In 2018, TAT is also supporting the publication of a bilingual Thailand guidebook Gault and Millau Belux 2018 edition. The 4th UNWTO Conference on Gastronomy Tourism will be held in Bangkok in May 2018. - TradeArabia News Service InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran) have announced the opening of Crowne Plaza Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre in Muscat. The newly opened hotel is the second Crowne Plaza in the capital and the fifth in Oman, demonstrating the increasing popularity of the brand in the Sultanate. The 296-room hotel is conveniently located 10 minutes from the New Muscat International Airport and is a part of the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) project, situated in phase one of Madinat Al Irfan, a world-class, urban mixed-use development by Omran designed to meet global standards. OCEC is Muscats state-of-the-art commercial hub for business and international events. This precinct is one of many innovative communities currently being developed that are designed to world-class standards in support of the sultanates growing tourism sector. While guests will benefit from the centres 22,000-sq-m of exhibition space, they will also enjoy overlooking a natural waterway and the surrounding parklands, a wadi, and a nature reserve. With elements that allow for both productivity and recreation, Crowne Plaza Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre is ideal for both business and leisure travelers. The hotel also offers great facilities for a broad range of visitors including two pools, a childrens playground, a large fitness zone, three large meeting rooms and an independent function centre, which includes a glamourous ballroom with a terrace, ideal for weddings and other social functions. Crowne Plaza Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre also boasts a selection of five dining options including Mosaic, that offers an all-day menu and Charm Thai that offers an authentic taste of Thailand in an ambient environment. Additionally, guests can enjoy the best of Belgian food and beverage in a traditional Belgian setting at Le Petit Belge or savour delicious cocktails by the poolside. Visitors can also indulge in an extensive collection of drinks which can be enjoyed in the lobby of the hotel. Pascal Gauvin, chief operating officer, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG said: We are delighted to celebrate the opening of our second Crowne Plaza in Muscat, especially as it augments the citys latest development, the OCEC in Madinat Al Irfan. This landmark will facilitate Omans growth as a business hub in the Middle East and boost tourism into the country. As part of our growth strategy we are constantly looking for quality growth in new and existing markets, and with this hotel we will be serving guests as we partake in Omans economic growth. In partnership with OMRAN, we look forward to catering to the growing number of travellers into the nations capital. Salah Bin Salim Al-Ghazali, division head - Development Partnerships & Investor Relations Omran and chairman of Destination Hotel Management Co. SAOC added: With the development of the monumental Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) at Madinat Al Irfan in Muscat, Omran continues to support Omans positioning as a strong Mice hub in the Middle East. In the near to mid-term, the centre will attract a steady stream of business travellers to the city and as Omran, together with its Omani pension fund partners continue to develop the centres retail, recreational and hospitality features, the OCEC will also attract more leisure travelers, creating a new destination and unique experiences that will benefit the social and economic growth of the sultanate. The new Crowne Plaza Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre will be perfectly positioned to cater to both sets of travellers and add another dimension of productivity and relaxation to their experience. He added: We look forward to placing the sultanate on the map as a business hub and consequently look forward to demonstrating the hospitality that both Oman and Crowne Plaza are known for. - TradeArabia News Service By Makarand R Paranjape: Professor Sugata Bose's profile picture as Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs at Harvard shows him climbing a narrow spiral staircase. He is looking up quizzically, with a slightly strained smile. Reading the second part of his book, which consists of six of his speeches in the Lok Sabha, I thought that look was apt. Distinguished scion of an illustrious family, Bose is the grandson of the Sarat Chandra Bose, stalwart Congress leader from Bengal, and grandnephew of his more celebrated younger brother, Subhas Chandra Bose. Sugata, who got his PhD in History from Cambridge, has written several well-regarded books. Being elected to the Lok Sabha from the prestigious Jadavpur constituency as a Trinamool Congress candidate would seem like the ultimate feather in his cap. But if that somewhat stressed smile as he climbs up the narrow spiral stairway may be taken as a metaphor, his ascent in the rough and tumble of Indian politics hasn't been smooth. In fact, Bose appears stuck, wedged in a narrow, rather uncomfortable place. advertisement Bose's attempts at striking a scholarly, even hectoring tone in Parliament did not seem to have gone down too well either. The interruptions, faithfully recorded, and Bose's repeated requests to be heard indicate the resistance, if not hostility, he faced in the Lok Sabha. Moreover, if his absence in mainstream media is anything to go by, the Trinamool Congress, too, has had little use for his immense scholarship and intellectual gifts. Also Read:This book sheds light on how air pollution is a great leveller and why there's no running away from it Including his parliamentary speeches in such a volume might be regarded instance of narcissistic vanity or, if one is more considerate, a concession to Bose's own desire to record his contribution. But one must not over-politicise one's response to this book. The bulk of the book, the ten chapters that make up its first part, is not only more valuable, but more likely to stand the test of time. These "interconnected and inter-referential" essays examine the "relationship between nation, reason and religion" (xii). Delivered as lectures or published individually earlier and not fully integrated into one coherent argument or narrative, they nevertheless offer accumulative even illuminating insights into Bose's views on Indian nationalism. Bose's purpose is to "rescue nationalism from the chauvinists and religion from the religious bigots" (xiv). Of these, the first five are substantial, while the latter may be considered slighter. The title chapter, 'Nation as Mother' opens the book. Here, starting with Bipin Chandra Pal's 'Soul of India', Bose attempts to sketch the trajectory of Indian nationalism as the "sacred biography of the Mother." This otherwise thoughtful essay is marred by an inaccurate analogy drawn from an April 1947 article in Millat, accusing the Congress and Ramrajya advocates of dismembering the Mother India like Parasurama. Bose neglects to mentions that the latter obeyed his father to carry out this heinous act because he "knew" that his father, at his behest, would revive Renuka. In the puranas, the story ends happily, as a warning lesson against the dangers of uncontrolled wrath. The dangerous of religious nationalism notwithstanding, such selective use of myths is a tad disappointing. The underlying issue is, of course, more complex. Following Ayesha Jalal's line, Bose blames the Congress and rather than Jinnah for the Partition as a later chapter shows. advertisement Be that as it may, the book remains a welcome and brilliant contribution to the field. One of my favourite chapters is 'Different Universalisms, Colourful Cosmopolitanisms: The Global Imagination of the Colonized' (107-126), much of which appeared earlier as 'Rabindranath Tagore and Asian Universalism' published by the Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre, Singapore. Here, Bose comes up with the idea of "colourful cosmopolitianism" that "springs from vernacular roots and is compatible with the best traditions of anti-colonial nationalism" (235). Indeed, Bose's book is delightfully informative, filled with numerous discernments and perceptions which make it not just readable but appreciated. The writer is poet and professor, JNU --- ENDS --- Another National Law University (NLU) report last year revealed that 80 per cent of the inmates on death row across the country suffered custodial violence. By Harish V Nair: A first-of-its kind report compiled after interviewing 60 former judges of the Supreme Court, including eight Chief Justices, has concluded that the country's criminal justice system is in crisis owing to rampant torture of the accused to force confessions, fabrication of evidence and wrongful convictions. They said the practice has virtually raised questions about the integrity of the criminal justice and policing system of the country. The report comes close on the heels of Ryan International School bus conductor Ashok's statement on how Haryana police beat him up, hung him upside down, tortured him and even sedated him to confess to the murder of seven-year old Pradyuman. advertisement Ashok got bail when CBI gave him a clean chit after arresting a senior student of the school for the murder. "There was explicit acknowledgment and widespread concern about crisis in the criminal justice system due to the use of torture to generate evidence, fabrication through recovery evidence, broken legal aid system and wrongful convictions. Though some former judges did offer justifications/explanations for this state of affairs, there was an overwhelming sense of concern about the integrity of the criminal justice system from multiple viewpoints," said the study by the Centre on Death Penalty, conducted over the last 18 months and published by National Law University (NLU). Significantly, the revelations go on to corroborate the findings of another NLU report last year after interview of 373 death row convicts across India, which revealed that 80% of them suffered custodial violence. It had also said that out of 92 prisoners who said they had confessed in police custody, 72 admitted to making confessions due to torture. A staggering 1,575 people died in police custody in the country between 2001 and 2016, and 16,000 were injured. But less than 50% of custodial deaths led to a case being registered, NCRB figures say. Some 74 deaths in police custody have been recorded in India so far this year itself. Though 38 judges confirmed that torture was rampant, their views are divided One group felt torture is a necessary evil, while the other opined torture is inherently wrong and had no place within law. Five out of 12 former judges justifying torture said police resorted to torture because probe agencies work under strenuous conditions, without adequate time and independence to investigate cases. A former SC judge shared an anecdote in the report about his relative in Indian Police Service. The relative objected to torture deeming it legally impermissible and inhumane, and was told he "better leave the job" as he was "not fit to be in police". The judge also mentioned that police's mindset is affected by how poorly they are treated by VIPs during law and order duties. This in turn affects them, as "when it comes to crime, they will pick up common men and adopt third degree methods to elicit their confessions". A judge, who adjudicated 115 murder cases in SC, was in dismay over a particular experience at National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, where he found majority of participating judges held the view that truth would not come out unless police had the power to torture. Believing torture to be a barbaric technique, a judge said by adopting scientific methods such as fingerprinting and forensic tests, the reliance upon statements of accused and use of torture would decrease advertisement Watch: Bus Gujarat with Preeti Choudhry: Farmers say a transfer of power from Congress to BJP hasn't improved their lives --- ENDS --- Lahore, December 10 A Pakistani court here has acquitted a man allegedly involved in the kidnap-cum-murder of an Indian-Canadian businesswoman. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Additional District and Sessions Lahore Judge Irfan Basra yesterday acquitted Hafiz Shahzad in the murder of Rajvindar Kaur Gill after the prosecution failed to establish the charges against him. The court gave the suspect "benefit of the doubt. Five years ago, Lahore police had registered a murder case against Hafiz Shahzad, Shahid Ghazanfar alias Karishna Roy and some unidentified accused on the complaint of Sikandar Singh Gill, the father of the victim woman. According to the FIR, Kaur reached Lahore from Canada on August 25, 2012 and also confirmed her arrival to the family over telephone. When she reached Lahore she had Canadian passport, cash, a laptop, gold ornaments and other valuables. The complainant said Kaur was in regular contact with Shahid Ghazanfar alias Karishna Roy, Hafiz Shahzad and others. Ghazanfar in connivance with Shahzad and other accomplices kidnapped her to rob her of money and later killed her, the complainant said. Sikandar Singh Gill's counsel Aftab Ahmad Bajwa said the accused had made a confession before the magistrate that he and other accomplices had killed Kaur over monetary matter and thrown her body into Khanpur canal on Sheikhupura Road (50 km from Lahore) the day she reached Lahore. "We will challenge the acquittal in the Lahore High Court as police have enough evidence against the accused," Advocate Bajwa said. Ghazanfar who managed to leave Pakistan after allegedly committing the crime is reportedly facing trial in Canada. Kaur was a distant female relative of former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal of India's Punjab. According to Sikandar Singh Gill, her daughter, a Canadian national with Indian origin, had reached Lahore in last August to attend a conference here and later went missing. My daughter had fallen in love with a man who introduced him to her as Krishna based in Lahore on Facebook. Primarily, she went to Lahore to meet Krishna," he said. In a letter to Badal which he handed over to Pakistan Punjabs Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on his Lahore visit this month, Singh says: "I served the Indian Air Force before I moved to Canada 13 years ago. My other family members, including Ravindar Kaur who is in her 30s, also joined me in 2007. "My daughter then moved to Switzerland after she got a job in a bank in Zurich. She went to Lahore to attend a conference in August 2012 and remained in touch with me for few days. She also went to Gurdwara Janamasthan, Nankana Sahib. She told me that she was going to meet a journalist 'Iqbal Hussain of News One' before we lost contact with her." "Dear Brother! Since I know you have strong relations with the Pakistan Punjab chief minister and we are optimistic that she will be brought to home safely." After learning this Sharif got into action and ordered the authorities concerned to arrest the culprits. PTI THE global power arrangements are premised on a number of organisations that maintain a stranglehold over the transfer of sensitive technologies meaning hardware that can be used in conventional arms as well as in advanced instruments of war long- range missiles, nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. By getting admitted as the 42nd member of the Wassenaar Arrangement last week, India crossed a threshold that will make it easier to negotiate for some sensitive technologies for its industry and war machinery. India had earlier joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in June last year. These two Wassenaar Arrangement and MTCR are among a group of four multinational clubs that control the global trade in sensitive technologies. The other two are the much-talked about Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the relatively lesser-known Australia Group. China is prominent among countries blocking Indias entry into the NSG but Italy had prevented Indias membership in Wassenaar over the trial of two of its marines for the killing of Indian fishermen. China, incidentally, has made too many strides in self-sufficiency to bother about joining Wassenaar Arrangement and MTCR. For India, struggling to keep up with its bigger neighbour, the memberships are a passport for entering into talks for advanced technologies with the West. It had carried on so far without joining any of these bodies, primarily on the strength of its ties with Russia. The NSG, however, is where global politics intersects with technology control. And it is here that the Modi government has been found wanting. The Chinese spanner in Indias NSG membership is based on cold realism: both Pakistan and India are eligible and should be given NSG membership. Pakistan is held up for Abdul Qadeer Khans illegal superstore of nuclear technologies but the cold truth is that some nations suspect that India too had erred once in the past. To enter NSG, the Modi government faces hard choices: swallow its nationalist pride and accept NSG membership along with Pakistan; or, make up with China to an extent that it is prepared to desert Pakistan. The governments zero-sum approach to its neighbours has, in this case, become counterproductive. Faridabad, December 10 Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda today said that the BJP government in the state had failed to come up to the expectations of people, who now want to get rid of it. He was speaking at a public meeting organised at Kheri Kalan village by Tigaon MLA Lalit Nagar. Deepender said that the government has adopted policies that were detrimental to social harmony. It has failed to bring any major project or scheme in the state in its three years of rule. While people are still waiting for their concerns of basic needs such as jobs, housing, power, transport and water supply to be addressed, the government is using public money on events and celebrations, he added. The Rohtak MP said the defamation suit filed by Union minister Krishan Pal Gurjar against Lalit Nagar showed how low ruling party leaders have stooped to prevent opposition leaders from exposing corruption and mismanagement. He added the Congress would not be cowed down by such actions. Lalit Nagar, organiser of the meeting, said he would continue with his drive to expose failures of the government. TNS Deepender Deswal Tribune News Service Hisar, December 9 The brutalised body of a six-year-old girl was found near the telephone exchange building in Uklana town of Hisar district this morning, sending shock waves. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The girl had reportedly been abducted from inside a hut where she was sleeping with her mother last night. Her father was away to Gurgaon yesterday. Sexual assault by the assailant resulted in her death, said doctors who conducted a post-mortem examination on the body. The doctors said the assailant inserted a wooden stick into the girls private parts, thus rupturing her intestine and causing her death. The victim was brutally assaulted by the assailant. Scratch marks on the girls body indicated that she tried to resist the assault, said one of the doctors. The police have constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the incident, even as angry residents held a demonstration demanding immediate arrest of the accused. The family of the victim, which belongs to Tohana town in Fatehabad district, had been living in Uklana for some years to earn livelihood by working as labourers. Hisar DSP Jitender Singh said the SIT headed by Uklana DSP Jaipal Singh would probe the case. A case under Sections 376, 302, 363, 376 and 450 of the IPC and Section 6 of the POCSO Act has been registered against the unidentified accused. Meanwhile, expressing shock and disgust at the brutal incident, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has demanded immediate arrest of the culprits. In a statement, Hooda said such incidents showed the law and order machinery had collapsed in the state under the BJP government. Things had come to such a pass that children were safe neither in their schools nor at their homes, he said. Hisar, December 9 A 6-year-old rape victim was cremated in Haryana's Uklana on Sunday amid tight security as locals protested against the gruesome crime. READ: 6-yr-olds brutalised body found in Hisar Some unidentified men had allegedly abducted the girl on Friday night when she was sleeping with her sister and mother in their home in a slum area, then raped and killed her, police said. Doctors who conducted autopsy said suspects had inserted a wooden stick into the girl's private parts, which ruptured her intestine. "When the body was handed over to us it was soaked in blood," a kin of the girl told reporters here. Opposition parties Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Congress joined local residents who protested against state government under Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on the cremation grounds. "The Khattar government is sleeping while incidents of rape and murder take place every other day," senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said. Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda blamed the incidents on the failing law and order machinery of the state government. "Things have come to such a pass that children were neither safe in their schools nor at homes, Hooda said. The incident was a chilling reminder of the December 16 gangrape case in Delhi in 2012 involving a young woman. Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala, party's Hisar MLA Kamal Gupta and other leaders were also present at the cremation ground. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Police have registered cases for murder, rape and kidnapping under the Indian Penal Code, as well as under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. A Special Investigation Team has been appointed to investigate the case, although no arrest has been made so far. Police are also looking at CCTC footages, he said. A passer-by came across the childs immobile body on a deserted street on Saturday. The victims parents were labourers from the Sapera community classified as Scheduled Castes under the Constitution from Tohana town in Fatehabad district. They were living near railway lines in Uklana for the last couple of years. PTI/ Agencies Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 10 An order by the Bombay High Court upholding constitutional validity of RERA, Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, with ongoing projects included, has come as a blow for the Haryana Government as it had kept a majority of ongoing projects out of purview while framing rules under the Act. Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs (independent charge) Hardeep Singh Puris statement yesterday that state governments would have no scope to loosen regulation by either keeping ongoing projects out of RERA or defining those in their convenient ways added to the governments discomfiture. The minister was quoted as saying though the Central legislation always included ongoing projects under the ambit of RERA, some state governments deviated from it, which would not be possible now. Even before the court order, I was in touch with various state governments on the issue. I had sent letters for inclusion of ongoing projects under RERA. The states which have diluted RERA will have to comply now, he was quoted as saying. A Bench of the Bombay High Court pronounced its judgment on Wednesday on a bunch of petitions by real estate developers. In September, the Supreme Court had asked other high courts where pleas had been filed by builders and others challenging the provisions of RERA to await the decision of the Bombay High Court before deciding matters. Haryana had kept a majority of ongoing projects out of the purview of RERA, allegedly under influence of builders. In rules approved by the state government in July, only fresh projects were to be covered under RERA and all projects under construction or applied for were kept out. The government had justified the move by saying rules framed by it took care of both home buyers as well as builders. Gaurav Prakash, heading the group Undiluted RERA in Gurugram, said today that the government should implement the Central law in letter and in spirit. He alleged that thousands of home buyers had been duped by builders in the state while the BJP government was out to undo the efforts of Narendra Modi government, which had enacted a stringent law to protect them. Principal Secretary, Town and Country Planning Department, Arun Kumar Gupta, said he was yet to study the court order and would not be able to comment prior to it. On November 28, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued its outcome report from its consultation paper on network neutrality, "the result of a long, multi-stage process" over the past three years. TRAI's report completed another pillar on the regulatory structure it began building in February 2016, when it issued its Differential Data Pricing Regulations which banned 'zero-rating' arrangements between telecom service providers and internet firms (such as Facebook's Free Basics programme, partnered with Reliance Communications in India). TRAI's most recent recommendations focus on direct forms of technical discrimination that telecom service providers could use to preferentially treat web content to favour their own monetary benefits over those of users. TRAI has recommended that service provider licences be amended by the government to include an explicit ban on preferential treatment of web content. Telcos cannot throttle, block or otherwise preferentially treat certain web content over others by speeding up or slowing down how their subscribers access it. TRAI recommended that certain exceptions be allowed, but has pushed back on lobbying pressure to craft loopholes. It has indicated that 'specialised services' should not be included within the scope of its prohibition of preferential treatment (potentially, for example, IPTV), and that operators must ensure that their deployment does not impact the provisioning of general internet access and that they cannot become a backdoor means to undermine net neutrality. Some industry interests called for a vaguely worded exception for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which TRAI rejected while noting that some IoT devices may require specialised services and others may be designed to operate on the public, open internet. TRAI has also said that service providers can perform reasonable 'traffic management practices' that might involve some amount of preferential treatment, but has left the definition of such practices to be performed by itself in the future. advertisement TRAI's recommendations are progressive, but do not represent a crossing of the finishing line yet. Since TRAI chose to issue its report in the form of recommendations, it now falls upon the department of telecom (DoT)-administered by telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan and led by Union communications minister Manoj Sinha-to study TRAI's recommendations, indicate whether they accept them in totality or only in part, and then actually carry out the implementation. While TRAI has disappointingly chosen to wait upon the DoT, it has interestingly stressed that its current recommendations are "without prejudice" to its powers under the TRAI Act-hinting that it reserves the right to issue regulations if the DoT does not act. TRAI's recommendations are striking given the repeated opposition mounted by parts of the telecom industry. Several telecom firms and the industry associations representing them sought to argue that not only should TRAI not take any action to further safeguard network neutrality-arguing that there was 'no market failure' justifying further action-but that it should also reverse its February 2016 landmark decision to globally lead on regulating zero-rating practices. Several telecom industry interests also sought to bolster their opposition to net neutrality by citing how, post the Trump inauguration ,US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai had embraced the arguments of big telecom's lobbyists to dismantle the landmark Open Internet Order issued by it during the Obama administration to safeguard net neutrality. To its credit, TRAI seems to recognise that the Trump administration in the US is an outlier amongst progressive democracies when it comes to safeguarding our global, open internet. In Europe, net neutrality remains enshrined in law by the Telecom Single Market framework passed by the European Union in October 2015, and it has been strengthened by comprehensive implementation guidelines issued by BEREC-the body that comprises the national regulators for telecom and electronic communications across Europe's nation states. Nations like Canada have reinforced their network neutrality frameworks, and taken India's lead on preventing the rise of economic discrimination on the internet via practices such as zero-rating. The author is Global Policy Directorat the international non-profit, Access Now,and co-founder, Internet Freedom Foundation. --- ENDS --- Chandigarh, December 10 An FIR was lodged against the Fortis Hospital in Gurugram on Sunday in connection with the death of a 7-year-old dengue patient, the Haryana Government said. Both civil and criminal action was being initiated against the hospital which was severely indicted of lapses by a probe panel in its report pertaining to the death of the 7- year-old girl, an official spokesperson said. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) On the basis of the report, an FIR was registered today against the hospital under Section 304 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the Sushant Lok police station (Gurugram). The other criminal action against the hospital is being taken under the Epidemic Diseases Act, the spokesperson said. This is being done on the directions by state Health Minister Anil Vij, the spokesperson said in an official release. A probe committee constituted to investigate the matter had earlier submitted its report to the health department. The department has directed the Civil Surgeon, Gurugram, to provide one copy each of the report to the parents of the child and the hospital, and one copy to the police with instructions to initiate criminal inquiry against the hospital, the spokesperson said in the statement. The release quoting Deputy Commissioner, Gurugram, Vinay Pratap Singh, said instructions had been issued to all hospitals in Gurugram that in cases of dengue or swine flu, they should inform the health department, but the Fortis Hospital allegedly did not do so. For this negligence, the health department would get a case registered against the hospital under Section 188 of the IPC (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), the spokesperson said. Besides the two criminal inquiries, civil action on three counts was also being taken against hospital, he added. The Drug Controller Department has issued notice to the pharmacy running in the hospital for various shortcomings found and a reply is awaited. The State Drug Controller would take a decision on the reply and license of the pharmacy may be suspended under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1945, or may be cancelled, the spokesman said. Similarly, on the basis of the report of the probe committee, a notice has also been issued to the blood bank of the hospital for which 15 days have been given to file a reply, he added. On the basis of the reply, action would be taken against the blood bank under which its license may even be suspended or cancelled, the spokesman added. Apart from this, the health department has also directed the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to check the norms and agreement pertaining to the treatment facility to the economically weaker sections. If any negligence is found, action would be taken against the hospital, he added. Yesterday, Health Minister Anil Vij had said that his department had written to HUDA to cancel the lease of land to Fortis Hospital in Gurugram due to alleged violations of the terms and conditions of the agreement. A state government panel probing allegations of overcharging against Gurugrams Fortis Hospital had found several irregularities including protocols not being followed in a case related to the death of a 7-year-old girl. The bill for the treatment of seven-year-old Adya Singh had shot over Rs 15 lakh even as she died of dengue, according to officials. The Fortis group, had earlier said that all documents, statements and details required by the probe team of the Haryana Government were provided. Meanwhile, the father of a 7-year-old girl has filed a police complaint against the hospital group, but no FIR has been registered in the case, the police said. The father of the deceased child filed the complaint at Sushant Lok police station on Friday, SHO Gaurav Phogat said. In Delhi also, another leading private hospital has been facing the heat after the state government decided to cancel its licence over alleged medical negligence, including in a case where an alive baby was wrongly declared dead. PTI Tribune News Service Jhajjar, December 10 Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda has asked the BJP government to apologise to people for the delay in the metro train extension project from Mundka (Delhi) to Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar). The previous Congress government had initiated the project and former Union Minister for Urban Development Kamal Nath had laid its foundation stone in February, 2013. It was scheduled to be completed by March, 2016, but has been delayed due to the poor functioning of the BJP government, said Deepender while talking to mediapersons after the test run of the metro train in Bahadurgarh here yesterday. The MP said former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had got the project costing Rs 1,900 crore approved from the Union Cabinet on August 11, 2011. The Hooda government had decided to bear all expenses, even of the Delhi section of the project, to ensure its early completion, he added. The BJP formed the government in the state in 2014 but it ignored the project. It could have been completed well in time had the government taken it up on priority. Hence the government should apologise to people for the delay in the project, said Deepender, asking the government to ensure its early completion. The MP said it were the Congress government that connected Faridabad, Ballabhgarh, Gurugram and Bahadurgarh cities with the Delhi metro. We cannot expect anything from the BJP government in a situation when it has even failed to complete projects approved by the previous Congress regime, he added. Sumedha Sharma Tribune News Service Gurugram, December 10 Taking a stern stance against Gurugrams posh Fortis hospital over the death of a seven-year-old girl, admitted in September with symptoms of dengue, the Haryana Health Ministry has got an FIR registered against it for culpable homicide. The case was filed at the Sushant Lok police station under Section 304(2) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC on the basis of a 50-page report of the inquiry committee headed by Additional Director General Dr Rajiv Wadhera. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The report, which served as a complaint, highlighted that while no evident negligence was visible during Adyas stay in hospital, discontinuation of life-saving services like ventilator and not providing a well-equipped ambulance during the girls transfer to a Delhi-based hospital did amount to negligence. The patient should have been transferred out of hospital in the same medical environs she was in ICU, said a committee member. On the basis of the report, we have booked the hospital. We also have a complaint from the victims father and are looking into that. Any further charges will be added in due course of inquiry, said ACP Anil Yadav. The report also found the hospital guilty of overcharging for platelets by almost Rs 12,000. The hospital hit troubled waters in mid-November when Jayant Singh, Adyas father, posted images on the social media of the itemised bills of over Rs 16 lakh and accused the hospital of negligence leading to his daughters death. As the issue gained media glare, the state health ministry formed a committee to look into the matter and after 10 days of exhaustive questioning and review of records, submitted a report. Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij ordered that Fortis Hospital, Gurgaon, be removed from the list of government-empanelled hospitals due to the case. The district administration has also initiated action against the hospital under Epidemic Act. As per norms, whenever you get a dengue patient, you have to inform the local authorities but Fortis did not, so they will now be booked under IPC Section 188, said DC Vinay Pratap Singh. Other than criminal action, civil action too has been invoked against hospital. The hospital pharmacy was allegedly found lacking on many grounds and has been served a notice by the state Drugs Controller under the Drug and Cosmetic Act 1945 . The hospital-based blood bank too has been served a show-cause notice for alleged over-charging for platelets used in treatment. On directions of the state minister, HUDA is now looking into the conditions and respective fulfillment of the hospitals land lease and it faces a threat of cancellation. Deepender Deswal Tribune News Service Hisar, December 10 The six-year-old girl, who was sexually brutalised and killed in Hisars Uklana town, was cremated today amid an emotionally-charged atmosphere and tight police security. Agitated locals protested over the gruesome crime and served a 48-hour ultimatum on the police to arrest the girls killer. Led by Additional Deputy Commissioner AS Maan, district officials met the family members of the victim today. During the meeting, residents and various political and social organisations told the officials that they would on Tuesday chalk out the further course of action if the police failed to nab the accused. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Maan said the police had announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh to anyone providing information about the accused. Besides, the ADC said, the state government would help the victims family with a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and jobs to two of the family members. The administration has also decided to fund construction of five pucca houses for the families living in shanties in Uklana town. The girls parents asked officials to ensure capital punishment to the accused. Meanwhile, the swab samples have been sent to the forensic science laboratory to establish whether the girl had been raped. The girl was abducted from inside the hut where she was asleep with her family on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. Her body was found near the Telephone Exchange building on Saturday morning. The victims father said her mother woke up to find that one of their three children was missing. She raised an alarm and then started a hunt to locate her, said the grieving father, who was in Gurugram when the incident occurred. After some time, someone informed us that my daughters body had been found in a brutal condition, the mother said. Tribune News Service Jammu, December 10 Former Vice Chancellor, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Masud Ahmed Chaudhary has urged youth of Pir Panjal to forget the pangs of partition of the region and move towards a more promising and stable future. The former IPS officer asked the youth to avail themselves of the massive educational opportunities provided by technology in the global village. He was speaking at a seminar on Pangs of Partition and Education a Way Out organised by APJ Abdul Kalam Human Welfare Foundation at Government Degree College, Poonch. On the occasion, Masud was felicitated with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the foundation. Former chairperson, National Minorities Commission, Wajahat Habibullah, member, All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Maulana Ghulam Qadir, chairperson, J&K Womens Commission, Nayeema Ahmed Mehjoor, besides intellectuals of the region and youth attended the seminar. Ishfaq Tantry Tribune News Service Srinagar, December 10 Barely two weeks after senior Hurriyat leader Abdul Ghani Bhat held a secret meeting with Jammu and Kashmir interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma, the Muslim Conference headed by him has split, with the rival faction even sacking him from the post of party president. In turn, Bhat today sacked the Pakistan representative of the Muslim Conference, Manzoor-ul-Haq Bhat, a former militant commander, who was appointed vice-president of the rival Muslim Conference faction, and Mohammad Sultan Magrey, a retired DSP of the Counter Intelligence Department (CID) in the J&K Police, appointed as its interim president for six months. Bhat, while defending his November 27 meeting with Dineshwar, had told The Tribune in a recent interview that his party Muslim Conference was pro-dialogue and that he was not a saleable commodity. He had warned of a nuclear holocaust if India and Pakistan failed to resolve the vexed Kashmir issue. Following the interview published on December 8, the rival faction sent a written communication on December 9 to chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, informing him that the Muslim Conference had appointed Magray as interim president for a period of six months. Earlier Manzoor had also written a letter to Bhat from Pakistan expressing his reservations about the secret meeting. Citing Bhats conversation with Sharma as the reason for the controversy, the letter to Mirwaiz states: This meeting has created anguish/concern among the Kashmiri nation and the leadership, particularly the joint resistance leadership, and the party activists of the Muslim Conference. After the split, Bhat expelled partys Pakistan representative Manzoor for his anti-party activities. In a letter addressed to Manzoor, with a copy to Mirwaiz, Bhat has written: With regard to your ambition mixed with indiscipline, I, as president, do hereby expel you from the basic membership of the organisation and you shall therefore cease to represent the Muslim Conference in any respect and at any level in Pakistan. He also expelled Magrey and another party activist Mehrajuddin from the basic membership of the party, sources said. Bhat has appointed Tanveer-ul-Islam, a former Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen commander, as the Muslim Conference representative in Pakistan. Continues to be part of separatist conglomerate Despite the Muslim Conference split, sources said the Hurriyat Conference continues to view Bhat as the Muslim Conference chairman, although it has sought an explanation from him with regard to his meeting with Sharma. Sources in the Hurriyat further indicated that the amalgam has been informed by the Muslim Conference that Professor Bhat did not meet Dineshwar Sharma, though on November 27 two government representatives had come to his residence seeking his meeting with Sharma. Bhartesh Singh Thakur Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 9 Lt Gen Sagat Singh was brought alive today at the Military Literature Festival when his audio recording was played at a session where he talked about his role in transporting nearly 2,500 men across Meghna river to the gate of Dhaka in helicopters. ...I was commander of para-brigade and I had full experience in the use of helicopters in offensive role the directive was issued that helicopter could carry one company only and they also asked for my firm plans... I told them I couldnt give firm plans... said Lt Gen Sagat, in an audio recording of 1974. Maj Gen Rajendra Nath (retd), who fought the 1971 war on the eastern front, said Dhaka was well defended by rivers on two sides, so crossing over in helicopters was decisive. Lt Gen Sagat was the best commander the world has ever seen. Had he not been commanding 4 Corps in the 1971 war and Group Captain CS Sandhu (retd) not been there, Bangladesh would still have been East Pakistan. He had the courage to say no to his superiors, said Major Chandrakant Singh (retd), who was part of the first sortie of helicopters that flew across the Meghna. He won the Vir Chakra for his role in the war. Major Singh said Lt Gen Sagat crossed the Meghna without any orders as he wanted to capture Dhaka. Defying orders, Lt Gen Sagat had opened artillery fire on the Chinese to defend Nathu La in 1967. Thereafter, he was sidelined and given an administrative post. Group Captain Sandhu said they only had five Mi-4 helicopters that carried 17 troops each, five more than their capacity. Hundreds of sorties had to be carried out despite the copters being hit by small firearms. Group Captain Sandhu, squadron leader during the war, also got the Vir Chakra. Pakistan surrendered on December 16, 1971. Maj Gen VK Singh (retd), who has written biography of Lt Gen Sagat, said, He was the best combat leader who never got any gallantry award. About his plans to airlift troops, he said, The Air Force Headquarters said they wouldnt take the risk of landing at an unknown place. Group Captain Chandan Singh told them that the biggest boots had left his footprint there. He was referring to Lt Gen Sagat. So, without permission, they landed at an unknown location. Lt Gen GS Sihota (retd), former Army Commander of the Southern Command, who too was part of the 1971 war, said, None of us dared to say no to him. He never showed he was worried. Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 10 As Rahul Gandhi prepares to take charge of the Congress on December 16, veterans look back at the legacy of incumbent chief Sonia Gandhi with nostalgia and awe. For Sonia Gandhi, who turned 71 yesterday, the journey as the longest serving Congress president for 19 years has not been easy. But party veterans say her stint, since her election as party chief on April 6, 1998, to the likely exit on December 16, has been exceptional despite personal and professional odds. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Former President Pranab Mukherjee, the veteran Congress man who worked with former PMs Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, sums up Sonia Gandhis legacy in his memoir, The Coalition Years. I believe that detachment and her decision of not being aligned with anybody in particular is her greatest strength, he writes in the context of his relationship with Sonia Gandhi which, he confesses, began with a degree of detachment and transformed into warmth and mutual respect. He also says Sonia Gandhi took after her late husband and mother-in-law with ease and like them adopted a truly pan-Indian approach. Her ability to reach out to the masses and their acceptance of her.was the single most important qualifying factor for her to be the PM, Mukherjee writes. But deeply aware her limitations, she never consented to be the PM when the Congress emerged the single largest party in 2004. Her colleagues still speak with awe of her resoluteness in choosing Manmohan Singh as the PM candidate. Former Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar says, She has an unshakeable resolve and never changes her mind once she has decided to do something. But she reflects a great deal before taking a decision. I was among the last people to see her the day she named Manmohan Singh as PM. We were persuading her to change her mind. But all she said: I will not change my mind, this is the voice of my conscience. When it comes to Sonia Gandhis abiding legacy, all Congress leaders are unanimous. Its a united party, they say. Ashwani Kumar notes, Sonia Gandhi kept the party united, rejected ideological extremes in favour of a moderate centre and always endeavoured for the broader consensus on issues. Her presidency will be remembered for her astute understanding of men and matters though I wish she had groomed five to 10 leaders in every state. Gandhis deep understanding of the countrys nuanced regional politics has equally surprised leaders. Former minister KC Deo says, She remembers everyone by names and has thorough knowledge of regions. She picked up the threads of Indian politics fast and gave us two governments. Kumari Selja feels Sonia Gandhis resoluteness is her greatest asset. She took her time to accept the Congress presidency. But once there, she never rested on that position. She worked hard, pushing her personal and professional limits and delivered two victories for the Congress. At times she was in fact too much of a democrat, she said. Gandhis passion to promote women in politics is also legendary. Kiran Choudhry, Congress Legislature Party Leader of Haryana, remembers how she became the Deputy Speaker of the Delhi Assembly under then CM Sheila Dikshit, thanks to Sonia Gandhi. Soniaji later sent me to Haryana and gave me ministerial portfolios such as revenue and taxation which women would not get those days. She promoted women in politics and gave the Congress its gendered look, she says. Overall Congress men feel Sonia Gandhi retreated from active role gradually to let son Rahul take major decisions. Since she dislocated her arm while in Varanasi on election trail on the eve of UP polls, Sonia Gandhi has not campaigned for the party. She still commands absolute loyalty. Ashwani Kumar notes, Rahul Gandhi has the huge advantage of the steadfast loyalty of the Congress to his mother. His challenge is to build on the edifice of that loyalty. Suresh Dharur Tribune News Service Hyderabad, December 10 A five-day World Telugu Conference, being hosted by the Telangana Government here from December 15, is expected to heal wounds inflicted by the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh over three years ago. Being attended by over 8,000 delegates from all over India and abroad, the event will be the first occasion to bring together lovers of Telugu literature and heritage from the two Telugu States of AP and Telangana. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, himself a postgraduate in Telugu literature and lyricist, wants to utilise the occasion to remove bitterness and rancour that had marked the Telangana statehood movement and the subsequent bifurcation in June 2014. The alleged neglect of Teangana dialect, culture and traditions in the combined AP was one of the themes of the agitation spearheaded by Chandrasekhar Rao. Rao has invited his AP counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu for the inaugural ceremony to be held at the Lal Bahadur Stadium in the city. Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu will be the chief guest at the inaugural function while President Ram Nath Kovind will grace the valedictory function. The conference would focus on the contribution of Telangana in the enrichment of Telugu, one of the ancient languages of India. The Chief Minister has earmarked Rs 50 crore for conducting the world meet that will be attended by around 200 delegates from 60 countries and 7,800 delegates from within India. Telangana Cultural Department secretary Burra Venkatesham said the conference would be remembered not only for its grandeur and scale, but also for its role in promoting the Telugu language and heritage. We want to cater to the needs of around 15 crore Telugu-speaking people in the world, he said. Maharashtras netas across the political spectrum have devised a number of means to keep veteran social activist Anna Hazare in good humour. Letters sent from Ralegan Siddhi, Hazares famed village, to the government secretariat in Mumbai are promptly addressed. Officials from the Chief Secretary down are known to keep a tab on Hazares demands and their minions down the line pander to the octogenarians whims, lest his tantrums shake up the government. While the quotidian concerns of his fellow villagers are promptly addressed, Hazares biggest demand till date for the appointment of Lokpal at the national level remains in limbo. Hazare is pretty miffed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been going slow on this issue though the BJP won absolute majority on the back of the social activists agitation against corruption. Anna, as he is lovingly called, has been telling reporters that he has sent as many as 30 letters to Modi in the past three years and is yet to receive a reply. Now, the old man is running out of patience. And he is all set to hit the streets again with a protest in the national capital from March 23, Martyrs Day. Apart from the issue of Lokpal, the continuing agrarian crisis is high on his agenda. With the RSS unlikely to lend its muscle to Hazare this time round, he is looking for fresh support. And the Congress leaders from Maharashtra want the Grand Old Party to let bygones be bygones and reach out to the veteran campaigner. BJP bettered? Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was dismissed as a political rookie when he got the top job with the blessings of the RSS, has consistently proved his worth by expanding the BJPs support base. Elections to local bodies over the past three years have shown the relatively young BJP leader wean away leaders of consequence from other parties. Now, Fadnavis has set his sights higher and is aggressively targeting co-operative bodies, including banks and agricultural marketing committees, that are controlled by the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party. Though leaders of both these outfits do not see eye to eye, their survival instincts have forced them to join hands and shake up the BJP in Maharashtra. The Congress has made the first strike by weaning away Lok Sabha MP from Bhandara-Gondia Nana Patole from the BJP. Patole, who had years ago resigned as a Congress MLA blaming the party for farmers suicides, is now faulting the Modi government for the continuing agrarian crisis. Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are all geared up for their Italian wedding and the destination venue in itself is a place to remember. By Ananya Bhattacharya: Three years ago, in an interview with Harper's Bazaar Bride, Anushka Sharma said that if she were to have a destination wedding, it would be in 'somewhere like a vineyard perhaps'. In 2017, as she and Indian skipper Virat Kohli are all set to tie the knot, Sharma has made sure vineyards are a big part of her wedding ceremony. advertisement The couple, along with their respective families, took off to Italy in the wee hours of Friday. While the initial speculation was that Kohli and Sharma were getting married in Milan, seems like they are not. Their big day is taking place just a little over four hours south of Milan, in a historic property called Borgo Finocchieto in Tuscany, South Italy. WHERE IS BORGO FINOCCHIETO? Borgo Finocchieto Borgo Finocchieto in Buoncovento is about an hour from the city of Tuscany and is known for its celebrity-endorsed resort. The property is a restored 13th Century village that has five villas. The word 'borgo' is Italian for 'village'. 'Finochietto' in Italian means an orchard, or fields, of fennel. The owner of the Borgo bought the property in 2001, and is said to have spent eight years restoring the 13th Century village and giving it its present look. At once, the resort can accommodate 44 people in 22 rooms. That might explain why most of Virat and Anushka's friends had to be left behind in India, waiting for a wedding reception in Mumbai on probably December 26. Borgo Finocchieto is at a distance of 34 kms from the Italian station of Siena and 2 kms from the Bibbiano Castle. Florence is an hour's drive from the place, and Rome is two-and-a-half hours away. Borgo Finocchieto sits right next to Italy's wine capital, Montalcino. Anushka's vineyard wedding done right, we say! HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE The property is a restored 13th Century village The property is a restored 13th Century village An entire village in Siena is now Borgo Finocchieto. Its historical importance lies in the fact that the erstwhile village was located on the Via Francigena, the road that the medieval pilgrims took to reach Rome from Canterbury some 800 years ago. The Via (road) connected the monastic stopovers of Monte Oliveto and Sant Antimo. Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are getting married in this Tuscan heaven The village probably hosted numerous pilgrims, merchants and adventurers through the centuries. You might want to go back to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales to refresh your memory of Siena and the journey that his pilgrims set out on. advertisement WEDDINGS IN BORGO FINOCCHIETO The property has immense historical importance You can find the Borgo Finocchieto listed under 'Exclusive Weddings in Italy'. The place promises to give you the experience of a lifetime and something to remember the big day by. They are famous for their rolling lawns, wine-tasting rooms and a gazebo. The Borgo is often booked for wedding parties and has seen several celebrity visits in the past. The owner of Borgo Finocchieto spent eight years restoring the village The Borgo Finocchieto comes with five independent and luxurious buildings, air-conditioned to make sure the heat of South Italy doesn't bother you. The villas are named Finocchieto, Colussi, Filippi, Santa Teresa and Fede. CELEBRITIES AT BORGO FINOCCHIETO Borgo Finocchieto is among the most expensive holiday destinations in the world The place is famous for its high-profile guests. Remember the Obamas on their Tuscan vacation just this May? They were at the Borgo Finocchieto too. Barack and Michelle Obama, after leaving the White House, have been on a dream tour of sorts. Their May sojourn began in Milan, where the former US president delivered a speech on climate change, and the couple then headed to Borgo Finocchieto, where Virat and Anushka are now getting married. The property is right next to Italy's wine capital, Montalcino advertisement The Borgo comes with a testimonial by the late American politician, Edward (Ted) Kennedy, who gushed, "Vicki (Victoria Kennedy) and I can't thank you enough for having us at the Borgo. The wine, food and friends made for a special visit that we'll never forget. We envy your small piece of Tuscan heaven and we're grateful to you for sharing it with us.... With great appreciation and affection." COSTS Borgo Finocchieto boasts of five villas that can accommodate 44 people at once The medieval villa sits right atop (is second actually, next to Hacienda Santa Ines in Costa Rica) Forbes' list of 20 most expensive holiday destinations in the world. One week at the Borgo Finocchieto is going to set you back by at least Rs 1 crore. The rates range from Rs 6,50,000 to 14,00,000 per night. VIRAT AND ANUSHKA Borgo Finocchieto is about an hour's drive from Tuscany The Borgo Finocchieto is completely booked till December 13, by when Virat and Anushka are expected to tie the knot. Sachin Tendulkar, Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan are among the very few people expected to be there. advertisement For the next few days, a private security cordon around the heritage property keeps people out. A team of bhangra dancers have arrived and staying in nearby Bibbiano. Sangeet and other Punjabiwedding ceremoniesare on. A quaint little village in Tuscany is getting a taste of Punjab. It sure will be a wedding to remember! (The writer tweets as @ananya116) FULL COVERAGE: Virat and Anushka's Italian wedding ALSO WATCH | Exclusive video from Borgo Finocchieto, Virat and Anushka's stunning wedding venue --- ENDS --- Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 10 Maintaining that power flew from ballot and not bullet, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday called upon those taking up arms against the Indian State to shun violence and join politics to build the kind of system they wanted. Speaking at the Human Rights Day function organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) here, Naidu said it was wrong to say that power came from bullet. Power comes from ballot. If you want to change the system, join politics, come to power and change the system, he said. The Vice-President emphasised that there cant be any progress without peace. Peace is essential for progress, he said. He said India has had a tradition of human rights and its culture always talked about the welfare of the entire humanity as it treated the globe as one family. Human rights are simply guaranteed not because of the Constitution. They are guaranteed because of being a part of our DNA. Secularism which was enshrined in the Constitution at a later stage is ingrained in our DNA from the beginning because India as a country has no history of aggression against any country anytime. Even small countries came, attacked us, looted us, cheated us.This great civilisationthousands of years has no history of attacking anybody. We try to assimilate all the people who come herewe believe that irrespective of caste, creed, sex, region and religion, India is one. We are one nation, one people, Naidu said. Drawing a distinction between religion and culture, he said the former was a way of worship while the latter was a way of life. Naidu, however, sought to emphasise that those indulging in violence need to be isolated and dealt with by the law enforcement agencies. There are some incidents over here. We have to condemn them, we have to isolate them and the governments of the day and the agencies concerned should take firm actionand the action should act as a deterrent, he said. Describing terrorism as a major threat to human rights across the globe, Naidu said certain countries were supporting terrorists and all the countries should unite against this scourge. Terrorism is posing a big threat to human civilisation. The UN Security Council should action against this threat as there cant be any progress without peace, he said in the presence of many foreign diplomats, NHRC Chairman Justice HL Dattu, judges and activists. He questioned the credentials of those who come out in support of terrorists killing innocent people. The Vice-President said Indian Constitution provided for a robust human rights protection framework. An independent judiciary, a free media and an active civil society and a number of independent human rights bodies such as NHRC provide a rigorous and effective system of human rights protection and an effective system of checks and balances, he said. Smita Sharma Envoys of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in India have their hands full this holiday season. As New Delhi gears up to welcome the 10 ASEAN heads of governments as chief guest for Republic Day, it is proving quite a mammoth logistical task. Security teams from respective countries will start arriving this week onwards. Official activities kick off with the ASEAN-India Connectivity Summit on December 11 followed by the Business Investment Meet and Expo, Weaving Textile Relationship, Business Council Forum, Mekong Ganga Cooperation Business Conclave, Youth Awards and a film festival from February 4 to 9. On January 25, leaders would be hosted for lunch at Rashtrapati Bhavan by President Ram Nath Kovind, followed by a plenary and cultural evening and a banquet. Indias show of its Constitutional strength and military might on Rajpath and bilateral meetings on January 26 will culminate the engagement. Thailands ambassador to India Chutintorn Gongsakdi feels the symbolism in the invitation is not lost on anyone. ASEAN is investing in its future with an emerging economy like India. ASEAN leaders cannot avoid being here, says the envoy. Outcome documents Meanwhile, outcome documents are being negotiated in Jakarta by permanent representatives. The aim is to finalise the blueprint and have it endorsed by senior officials in Delhi on December 23. It is likely to focus on renewable energy, International Solar Alliance, South China Sea, and connectivity issues along with terrorism. Thailand would like to see a celebratory document of 25 years of the India-ASEAN relationship hinting at what the future looks like. Next year, a plan of action is to be adopted. Therefore, this document would be a leaders declaration for guidance, says the Thai Ambassador. There is an opportunity for ASEAN to play a role as Indo-Pacific is a reality. ASEAN is there and has a role but much is to be done through inclusive participation without being a threat to anyone, he says. Interestingly, new ASEAN secretary general Lim Jock Hoi dons several hats of particular use to India. He handles all of Bruneis trade relations and is key to Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) meetings as well as Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) negotiations. Chinese embassy on Twitter To welcome the merry season, Tree of Happiness at Le Meridien Hotel was lit up by Vetsop Namgyel, the Ambassador of Bhutan, the kingdom with gross national happiness index. And surprise. Stepping out of the WeChat forum, the Chinese embassy in India can now greet people on Twitter through their official handle @ChinaEmbDelhi launched last week. The handle so far has posted a single tweet announcing the Russia-India-China trilateral being held on Monday. Happy tweeting! Mehsana/Vadnagar (Gujarat), December 10 It's not every day that you find a hardened BJP worker muttering under his breath that his party, which has been ruling Gujarat for the last 22 years, is on a sticky wicket. When you do find one that too in Vadnagar Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home town, it is indicative of the discontent in parts of the state, where the BJP is aiming at returning to power for a fifth consecutive term. Dikshit Patel, a long time BJP worker, is worried that the simmering anger of the Patidar community, upset over the violence in 2015 during the agitation for reservation, could brim over on Election Day, spelling trouble for the party. He is not the only one viewing the December 14 election with foreboding. The mood in the BJP camp in Mehsana district, which straddles seven constituencies, is tense. Mehsana and Vadnagar fall in Mehsana district, but while Vadnagar is under the Unjha constituency, Mehsana city (known as Mahesana in the list of the state election office) is a separate constituency. BJP workers are apprehensive that the Patidar rage could severely dent the party's prospects. It all began in Mehsana, the epicentre of the Patidar agitation led by Patidar Amanat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) chief Hardik Patel, two years ago, they recall. The agitation for reservation took a violent turn, people were killed, Patidar leaders were jailed and the state was deaf to their demand for quota for the community. Today, the fire may have been doused but the embers still glow. "More than Hardik as an individual, it is the issue of Patidar reservation that has struck a chord with the Patels, especially the youth. Patels are the backbone of the BJP in Gujarat. We made the party what it is today so it is natural that if they desert our camp, the impact will be deep," says Dikshit. Most BJP functionaries in the area, dominated by Patidars, belong to this community. But be it Dikshit in Vadnagar or Falgun Patel in Mehsana city, a fairly developed urban settlement, the anxiety is palpable. The party is trying to contain the potential damage in Unjha by playing up the fact that Narayanbhai Patel, the local MLA seeking a sixth-straight term, heads the Umiya Dham Temple, revered by the Patel community. He is up against the Congress's Ashaben Patel. The BJP has fielded Deputy Chief Minister Nitinbhai Patel against Jivabhai Patel of the Congress in Mahesana. Falgun Patel, who has been a corporator of the BJP in the local Mehsana municipality, also concedes that the contest is extremely tight because of the anger in the Patel community, which he says "cannot be bought". He rattles off a set of figures to prove his point. "There are around 2.57 lakh voters in the Mahesana seat, out of which about 52,000 are Patidars. Among the Patidars, even considering the best possible scenario, not more than 18,000 shall vote for us. And Patels have been our strength," Falgun says. He adds that the party is attempting to offset the Patel desertion by focusing more on OBC communities such as Thakores (around 40,000), Prajapatis (26,000 approx) and the Chaudharys (17,000 approx). "Thakore votes are usually reserved for the Congress. But this time, we are hoping the OBCs will tilt towards the BJP considering the Congress's emphasis on wooing the Patidars by promising them reservation. The OBCs understand they stand to lose if the quotas materialise," he explains. Not everyone is downcast, though. JK Bharot, 73, who runs a stationery shop off the Mehsana-Palanpur highway, is as optimistic as ever. "Like I was when AK Patel was elected in 1984. The Modi magic will work again," he says, stressing repeatedly that the prime minister "is a great man". AK Patel was the first BJP leader elected to the Lok Sabha from the Mehsana parliamentary constituency. He held the seat till 1998, before Aatmaram Patel of the Congress took over and later, in 2004, Jivabhai Patel. Vitthal Bhai Choudhary, a local BJP worker, echoes Bharot and says Falgun's assessment is needlessly pessimistic. A number of influential NRI Patels have arrived and are working overtime to win back the support of the disgruntled Patels, he says. Besides Unjha and Mahesana, the five other constituencies in the district are Kheralu, Visnagar and Becharaji, Kadi (reserved for SCs) and Vijapur. Other than Kadi and Vijapur, the rest are with the BJP. While the first polls were held on December 9, these constituencies will vote in the second phase on December 14. The results will be declared on December 18. PTI Dakor (Gujarat), December 10 Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of dumping the development agenda and talking only about himself during campaigning for the Gujarat polls. Gandhi, who began his second day of campaigning for the second phase polls after offering prayers at Lord Krishnas Ranchhod Raiji Mandir here, claimed Modi frequently changed the election planks and now the prime minister was left with nothing to speak about. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The BJP started its campaign on the issue of the Narmada. After four-five days, the public said they were not getting the river water, the Congress leader noted. The BJP took a right turn. It said the election will not be contested on Narmada ... lets contest it on the issue of other backward classes (OBCs). But then the OBCs said the BJP government did not do anything for them. After five-six days, the BJP made a sharp left turn and said it would take out development yatra and talk about 22 years of development, he added. The Congress leader said he listened to the PMs speech yesterday in which Modiji talked about Modiji for 90 per cent of the time...First right turn, then left turn, then apply brakes. The election is not about Modiji, nor is it about me. It is neither about the BJP nor the Congress. This election is about the future of the people of Gujarat, he said. Criticising Modi over his election rallies which run parallel to his public meetings ahead of the second phase of the polls, Gandhi accused the prime minister of not talking his future plans for the state and keeping mum on the issue of corruption. He also questioned the prime minister over his silence on the agitations by various communities, including Patels, Dalits, anganwadi workers, among others. Gandhi said the truth had caught up with the BJP and it could go nowhere from here. He also asked Congress workers not to use wrong words against the prime minister and said his party will defeat him and the BJP with love and sweet words. The Congress leader attacked Modi over demonetisation and GST, saying the note ban helped all thieves convert their black money into white and the Gabbar Singh Tax destroyed small businesses and rendered one lakh people jobless. For 60-70 minutes Modiji talks about himself but does not utter a word about note ban and Gabbar Singh. I was sitting in a tea shop. The tea seller said, Rahulji, I am making Rs 50 instead of Rs 100 I made before GST. He (Modi) has caused us 50 per cent loss, Gandhi said. Gandhi also raised the issue of BJP president Amit Shahs son Jay Shahs business dealings whereby he allegedly converted Rs 50,000 into Rs 80 crore, and the Rafale fighter jet deal. You must have observed Modiji does not talk about corruption in his speeches. He made you stand in the queue and imposed the Gabbar Singh Tax, he said. Earlier he used to say na khaunga na khane dunga. Now he does not utter a word on corruption, Gandhi added. PTI Palanpur/Kaalol, December 10 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday suggested Pakistan was trying to influence the Assembly elections in Gujarat, claiming some Pakistani officials and ex-prime minister Manmohan Singh met a day before Mani Shankar Aiyar made the neech jibe against him. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) In a new twist to the vitriol-filled campaign, Modi said the meeting took place at Aiyar's residence. He also raised questions about the alleged appeal by former director general (DG) of the Pakistan Army Sardar Arshad Rafiq for making senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel the chief minister of Gujarat. "There were media reports yesterday about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. It was attended by Pakistan's high commissioner, Pakistan's former foreign minister, India's former vice president and former prime minister Manmohan Singh," Modi told an election rally at Palanpur. The meeting at Aiyar's house continued for almost three hours, Modi said, adding "the next day, Mani Shankar Aiyar said Modi is 'neech' (a vile man). This is a serious matter." (On one hand) Pakistan Army's former DG is interfering in Gujarat's election, on the other, Pakistani people are holding a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. After that meeting, people of Gujarat, backward communities, poor people and Modi were insulted. Don't you think such events raise doubts," Modi asked. Cong terms Modi's claim as 'baseless' Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala, however, rubbished Modi's claim, terming it as "baseless". "Holding the country's topmost post, Modiji is making baseless allegations. Modiji is worried, dejected, angry. Such a statement has no truth or fact, and is based on lies. Such a behaviour is unbecoming of a prime minister," Surjewala told reporters in Ahmedabad. Though Modi did not name the ex-vice president present at the meeting, BJP president Amit Shah said in Ahmedabad that it was Hamid Ansari. Shah told reporters that the Congress leaders had not informed the ministry of external affairs or the Indian government about the meeting. Modi also accused the Congress of creating a "rift" between various communities and spreading the "poison of casteism" in society for power. The prime minister, who did not speak much due to sore throat at the Palanpur rally, slammed the Congress for spreading a false propaganda that the Modi government worked only for the rich. Modi cited the case of Genabhai Patel, a progressive farmer from Banaskantha district who was recently conferred with 'Padma Shri', to claim his government's pro-poor credentials. "Just compare those who received Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan during the 10 year rule of the Congress with those who were given the same awards in my three-year tenure (as PM so far). That comparison would tell you who was pro-rich and who is pro-poor," he said. "Do you know who received that award (Padma Shri) from Banaskantha? That was our Genabhai. Is he rich or is he a mill owner? Does he have an aeroplane?..This shows who is working for the poor," Modi said. He said the entire north Gujarat region, particularly Palanpur, would witness "unbelievable growth" over the next five years due to the Delhi-Mumbai Freight Corridor. Later, while addressing a rally in Kaalol town, Modi accused the Congress of sowing seeds of enmity between various communities for power. "It seems that Congress just doesn't want to improve. They still believe in acquiring power by creating enmity between two communities and by creating a rift between brothers. They spread poison of casteism in the society to retain power in the past," the prime minister said. Referring to Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia's claim that the EVMs used for the first phase of polling on December 9 might have been tampered with, Modi said the party was "preparing excuses" to insulate Rahul Gandhi against impending defeat. "On December 18 (the day of counting), party leaders will claim on television that Congress lost because of (Mani Shankar) Aiyar's comment. They won't say that party lost because of Rahul. There is an agenda in the Congress -- 'Save Rahul, Save Family'," he said. During the first phase of Gujarat elections yesterday, Modhwadia, the party candidate for Porbandar seat, alleged that his cell phone was getting connected to an EVM through Bluetooth, a claim the Election Commission said was incorrect. Modi seized on Modhwadia's claim to attack the Congress. "To be on the safer side, they have prepared one more excuse. Yesterday, when the polling was on, some leaders claimed that (one) EVM was connected with Bluetooth. They should have used common sense. EVMs are not online devices and can never be connected with Bluetooth," he said. PTI Manas Dasgupta Palanpur, December 10 Targeting the Congress yet again, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today claimed that Pakistan was interfering in the Gujarat Assembly elections in favour of the Congress to make its Muslim leader Ahmed Patel the next Chief Minister of the state. Modi also tried to establish a link between the move to make Patel, the political secretary to the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Chief Minister with the help of Pakistan and a secret meeting purported to have been held at the residence of the suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, which he claimed, was attended by top diplomats from Pakistan and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The Congress must tell the country what is cooking behind the curtain and why its leaders are hobnobbing with the Pakistanis, Modi said at a rally at Palanpur, the district headquarters of Banaskantha in north Gujarat, today. He raked up the Ahmed Patel issue even after the veteran leader having repeatedly denied any such move to make him the Chief Minister if the Congress was voted to power in the state. Such posters showing Ahmed Patel along with former director general of Pakistan army Sardar Arshad Rafiq making an appeal to make the veteran Congress leader the next CM had been doing the rounds in various parts of the state during the past few days following which Patel had vehemently denied the move. The posters are BJPs mischief. I was never an aspirant for the Chief Ministers post and will not become one in the event of the Congress winning the elections, Patel had stated. Claiming that news about the three-hour long secret meeting at Aiyars residence were all over the newspapers and television channels since yesterday, Modi said among those present besides Manmohan Singh were the Pakistani High Commissioner in India, a former Pakistani foreign minister and former Vice-President of India. He asked the audience, Can you tolerate a party that is seeking Pakistans intervention to win elections? Modi a magician: Rahul Palanpur: Rahul continued to campaign for his party in the central and north Gujarat regions and offered prayers at the famous Dakor and Shamlaji temples and addressed a series of public meetings criticising the Modi administration both as the Chief Minister and now as the Prime Minister. He said Modi was a big magician who by his "magic charm take away chunks of land, water, power from the poor and transfer them to the pockets of the rich. He also alleged that during the past few days of campaigning, Modi had dropped the development plank and was trying to divert the issue of caste system and communalism with one-point programme of Congress bashing. OC Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi, December 10 Search and rescue operations to trace the fishermen missing in the aftermath of Ockhi cyclone continued for 10th day on Sunday even as 67 persons caught in the storm returned to Kochi coast. An Indian Air Force transport aircraft covered 10,880 square nautical miles south of Kanyakumari coast in the Indian ocean, a Defence spokesperson said. Another AN-32 aircraft along with local fishermen conducted search and rescue operations. Meanwhile, Latin Catholic Church in Thiruvananthapuram district, to which most of the cyclone-hit fishermen belonged, observed a prayer-day and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the affected coastal belt to take stock of the situation. A message, read out during prayer in the churches, said the cyclone should be declared as a national disaster and centre should provide more funds for rehabilitation of the victims. The community members would hold a march to the Raj Bhavan here on Monday to press for its charter of demands. As per the Church, more than 300 fishermen were still missing. According to reports from Kochi, as many as 67 fishermen who had gone to high seas for fishing and caught in the cyclone, returned to the shore. The fishermen reached in six boats separately. While some came last night, the others arrived in the small hours today in their fishing boats, the officials coordinating rescue and relief operations said. Many of them were trapped in Lakshadweep area. Out of 67 fishermen, 49 are from Tamil Nadu, 13 from Kerala, four from Assam and one from Andhra Pradesh, they said. Some of the fishermen who were found exhausted have been admitted to the Kochi government hospital, they added. Meanwhile, a Defence spokesman said a fishing vessel which sailed from Kochi had been located safe on return passage in 130 nautical mile North West of Kavaratti, Lakshadweep. He said four fishermen and one medical officer from Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram have joined a Navy team conducting search and rescue operations in high seas. Yesterday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, seeking a financial assistance of Rs 1,834 crore in view of the loss suffered by the state due to the cyclone. Vijayan urged the Centre to announce a long-term package similar to the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project considering the gravity of the disaster. The memorandum stated that as per the present estimate, 38 persons have died in the cyclone-related incidents and 96 fishermen were still missing. A total of 771 fishing boats have been affected. Besides, as many as 5,656 fishermen were rescued and 159 out of them were under treatment in hospitals for serious injuries, it was stated. The cyclone had also caused damage to crops in 2,053 hectares of land affecting 15,104 farmers. A total of 207 houses were completely damaged while 2,753 partially suffered damage, the memorandum pointed out. The Kerala government had requested the Navy, Coast Guard and Indian Air Force to continue the search operations for the missing fishermen for another 10 days. PTI Hyderabad, December 10 A student from Hyderabad was shot at by an unidentified person in Chicago in the United States, his family members said on Sunday. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The family said Mohammed Akbar, doing his masters in computer sciences, was injured when a bullet hit his right cheek on December 6. According to his brother Mohammed Ashraf, Akbar (30) was walking towards his car in a parking area when he was shot at. He was admitted to a hospital. His family said it had requested the Telangana government and the Ministry of External Affairs to make arrangements for an emergency visa to enable them to visit the US. "We have met Telangana Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy and today talked over the phone to officials of the Union Ministry of External Affairs. They have assured us of all necessary help in this regard," Ashraf told PTI. PTI Smita Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 10 Russia India China (RIC) Foreign Ministers will try and find acceptable positions instead of consensus on contentious issues as the Foreign Ministers meet in Delhi on Monday. Sushma Swaraj will hold the15th round of trilateral with her counterparts Sergey Lavrov of Russia and Wang Yi of China. Lavrov and Wang Yi will hold separate bilateral Monday morning on the sidelines, before entering into bilateral meetings each with Swaraj and then call on President Ram Nath Kovind. Post the official trilateral talks, working lunch and joint press statements, Lavrov will deliver a public lecture on Global Affairs and new vistas of Russia-India cooperation. Wang Yi would attend an India-China Cultural evening. It is learnt that with Chinese Foreign Minister in the room Indias key agenda would be to give a forward looking direction to the relationship without brushing important sensitive issues under the carpet. India would not want negativity to dominate talks. Since the mutual disengagement post the 73-day Doklam standoff at the Bhutanese trijunction, Indian and Chinese top leadership have held meetings. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had official talks with President Xi Jinping at the BRICS Xiamen summit. He had a brief lounge meeting with Premier Li Keqiang at the East Asia Summit. We expect to discuss all bilateral issues. We also expect that regional and certain global issues will also come up for discussion, said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. One Belt One Road is the new thorn in ties with Indias opposition to China Pakistan Economic Corridor as its flagship project, making it an organic connection in Delhis view. The issue of Indias membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is less likely to appear in India-China bilateral as Indian officials do not want to continue asking China for support on NSG despite knowing what their position will be. But the matter could be voiced at the Trilateral given Indias enhanced nuclear credentials with entry into the arms control Wassenaar Arrangement last week. Security situation in Afghanistan-Pakistan, Korean nuclear crisis, revival of Quadrilateral dialogue, counter-terrorism, release of Hafiz Saeed and Chinese veto against the proposal in Security Council to proscribe Masood Azhar are likely to figure in talks. The trilateral scheduled for April earlier this year was postponed after Beijing called it off objecting reportedly to the Dalai Lamas Arunachal Pradesh visit. And the discussions in RIC in 2016 on Asia Pacific is now expected to be carried forward. With Russia, India would like to discuss further North-South transport corridor project and connectivity issues as well as transfer of technology to partner in defence manufacturing. Syed Ali Ahmed Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 10 For all thats not right, heres something that is Veerji Ka Dera. Its an unusual name, but this is no regular dera. Its an inspirational tale of altruism and selfless devotion to those in need. The self-motivated group runs soup kitchens for some 2,500 homeless persons and nurses 400-500 in need of medical attention on a daily basis. Every morning at 7, the dera volunteers arrive on the street right across Gurdwara Sis Ganj and six other places in the national capital to take care of the medical needs of the homeless. Armed with 300-400 volunteers who divide themselves into compact teams, they descend on designated spots. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Started by a retired government official, the late Tirlochan Singh, in 1989, the dera is now run by his sons: Brig Premjit Singh Panesar, who retired recently, and Kamaljit Singh, who runs a security agency. The brothers, along with their volunteers, including doctors Tahir and DC Aggarwal, continue to tend for an hour every day not from some cubicle, but right on the footpath. They describe their endeavour as a mission. Tirlochan Singh, who was born in Myanmar in 1937, came to Delhi to study, where he got a government job and retired from the Pusa Institute. His father was in the British Indian Army and had fought in the World War II. Brig Premjit Singh is a hands-on giver. Seated on a chair with pharmacist Raju by his side, he washes the wounds of patients before the dressing. Women volunteers Mithlesh Rastogi, Harbans Kaur, Harinder Kaur and Harjit Kaur also assist in tending to injuries and dispensing medicines. Money cannot run the mission to serve langar and treat poor patients free of charge, only compassion can. Majority of the patients are in a pathetic condition. They smell. But we wash their wounds, apply ointments and apply dressing without hesitation, says Brig Singh. We offer them tea. Later they are given two chapattis, a plate of rice with vegetables and pulses. The food is prepared by the volunteers by burning waste wood. According to need, it is supplied to each centre. We also cremate unidentified bodies at the Nigambodh crematorium, he adds. The mission was launched by his late father, known as Veerji and Jharoo Wale Veerji because he could be routinely seen cleaning gurdwaras with a broom. He died in 2010. We both brothers have continued the mission with the help of volunteers. We do not have an account of the budget. We get donations from people but we do not accept money. We just accept donations in kind, he says. Veerji Ka Dera has taken land on rent for farming at Sohna and at Bhagola village in Palwal. We cultivate bajra, wheat, rice and mustard. The waste of crops (turi) is used for feeding animals. The milk from the farm is used for tea served to the patients and other poor people, he says. Other places where the Dera runs its mission are Vridh Ashram at Dashrathpuri near Janakpuri; near Rajdoot Hotel in Nizamuddin; Sai Baba Temple at Lodhi Road, Keshavpuram Mandi near Tilak Nagar and Yamuna Pushta near ISBT, Kashmere Gate. The Dera also runs a 65-bed hospital at Dashrathpuri where destitute patients are treated. The volunteers also get patients admitted to AIIMS and DDU hospital. Veerji Tirlochan Singh has passed away, but his mission continues. Parvesh Sharma Tribune News Service Sangrur, December 10 A group of 20 Indian-origin students from various universities of Singapore have reached Ratoke village of Sangrur district to reconnect to their roots. The students, whose grandparents had migrated to Singapore, have begun their first social task of painting the Government Primary School in the village. They will be staying in the village from December 9 to 26. It is being done under project Khwaish, an initiative of the Young Sikh Association (YSA). My grandfather Hakam Singh migrated to Singapore from Moga. I have visited the city a few times, but am unaware about the rural life of Punjab. During my 16-day stay here, I will reconnect myself with the real Punjab, said Sonya, a first year university student. Besides painting the school, the group will also undertake other necessary work along with the members of the YSA. The non-profit organisation has decided to spend about Rs 15 lakh on the school to provide all facilities. Founded in 2003, the YSA has been selecting government schools in Punjab and renovating them with the funds contributed by members and others from Singapore. Notably, the school at Ratoke is the only government educational institution where advance booking is done for admission due to its excellent results. At present, the school has 157 students from Classes I-V while 65 students are in pre-nursery. The 20 students from Singapore reached the village late on Saturday night. They started the work on the school at 8 am today. I visited the school in April this year and selected it. We have constructed a library, staff room, toilets and renovated other parts of the school. We advertised in newspapers in Singapore and invited entries from students, who wanted to volunteer for the work, said Satwant Singh, a founder-member of the YSA. Sahib Singh, chairman of the school management committee, has vacated his house for the students and made arrangements for cooking of Punjabi food and providing other facilities. Will stay in Sangrur village till Dec 26 Kuljit Bains The past week saw both the government and the Opposition party SAD displaying uncharacteristic energy in marshalling their respective tools of power. The government booked hundreds of Akali leaders and workers, and the SAD leadership spent a night in the cold to block highways, when neither had been able to garner such enthusiasm for any public cause since the formation of the Congress government in March. One reason for this springing to life was perhaps the fact that at stake was political prestige for both the SAD and the Congress, even if in a mere civic election. The ruckus, of course, was set off by outright misuse of the police by the Congress government to impede the process of filing nominations for Opposition candidates in the municipal elections. Some of the tactics were as crude as allowing Congress party workers to beat up rivals, with the police calmly watching if not abetting. Much of this happened during the SAD-BJP rule, too, but the prevalence of the omnipresent mobile camera now instantly puts the evidence in public domain. Police officers have shamelessly demonstrated how willing they continue to be to align with the rulers of the day. Subsequently, the police took a legally valid action of registering cases against SAD leaders and workers for harassing the public by blocking roads. However, the alacrity stands in contrast with the inability of the government as well as police to take similar action in cases of other rampant violations, such as instances of brazen illegal sand mining reported in these columns. There are reports of encroached forest land being reclaimed by the department, but then taken back by encroachers by force under patronage from Congress leaders. Revision of the transport policy seems to be taking forever. The government is able to ignore all such violations with a remarkably straight face. More curious, however, have been the antics of the SAD. Such has been its outrage at being given a taste of its own medicine that it found it justified to even harass the public for its own cause. Mention of violation of democratic rights an otherwise legitimate charge sounds a bit odd coming from a party that only this year relinquished power after 10 years of systematic reduction of the police force to the ruling alliances political wing. After being reduced to 15 seats in the last Assembly election, the SAD leadership virtually disappeared from public life. Top leaders even found themselves unable to sit through the full duration of the mere three days of the last Assembly session to debate public issues. They have also been content to silently hand over sand mining operations to Congress men. The delay in the promised loan waivers for farmers could agitate the SAD only to the extent of bringing them to the well of the House, not on to the roads. Civic elections, apparently, were more important. AAP has been unable to put up candidates in all cities and towns going to the polls, mostly because of its internal disarray or lack of sufficient cadre and party structure. An interesting debate, however, has been touched off by a few leaders within the party, who have proposed that civic elections should not be contested on party lines. There is weight in this argument. Municipal posts, after all, are only meant to administer funds meant purely for development or maintenance of civic amenities. There are no policy, ideological or legislative matters involved that may require participation of political parties. In fact, partisan divides within civic bodies ensure funds are distributed not on a need basis but as per political alignments. If parties stayed out of these elections, local representatives could be elected based on the time and energy they devoted to area development. With the unwavering tradition of civic polls going the way of the ruling party in the state, the result of the elections is a foregone conclusion. But, sadly, so is the mess in municipal bodies after the polls. Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, December 10 State Congress president Sunil Jakhar today said the cases registered against SAD leaders under Section 307 (attempt to murder)of the IPC and for holding dharna and disrupting traffic on the national highway still stand and wont be withdrawn. In response to the former Deputy CM Sukhbir Badals dare to the Punjab Government to arrest him and the other Akali leaders, Jakhar said, Due process of law will be followed in the cases. Questioned on the Ferozepur DIGs claim that the cases filed under Section 307 would be cancelled, Jakhar said, That cannot be done, it is wrong. The CM has marked an inquiry to the crime department on the issue. There is very strong evidence and videos of the action. Hundreds of people were inconvenienced, traffic disrupted and police officials threatened. Sukhbir Badal has been the Deputy Chief Minister and the Home Minister. He knows such cases arent just cancelled. The state Congress chief was addressing a press conference and was accompanied by Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu. MLAs Pargat Singh, Rajinder Beri and Sukhwinder Singh Randhawa were also present. Sidhu said, It is my personal appeal to the CM that the guilty be punished. Any police official unduly pardoning the guilty is liable to be punished. Jakhar equated the incident with the Behbal Kalan firing which took place during the Akali governments tenure. Apna pichokar jhaak ke dekho (look into your own past). Then, the so-called panthic government had even included carrying of kirpans as an offence punishable under the Arms Act. He said, Sukhbir Badal has forgotten the exigencies committed during his own time and merely raking up the issue since certain well-heeled Akalis had cases against them. He should formally apologise. The kamau puttof the Akalis those with serious charges like mining and selling of chitta are being shielded with this dharna. GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 10 To keep a live evidence of the Operation Bluestar, as many as 147 bullet marks on the facade and sidewalls of the historic Teja Singh Samundri Hall at the Golden Temple complex have been preserved by the SGPC. Besides, a decrepit Darshani Deodi (entrance of the sanctum sanctorum), leading to Atta Mandi near the Akal Takht, has also been kept as it is since then. These spots will work in support of the compensation petition filed by the SGPC in the Delhi High Court. SGPC chief secretary Dr Roop Singh said the 147 bullet marks had been encircled with steel frames to make these prominent and marked with numbers. He said the dilapidated Darshani Deodi was also shown to President Ram Nath Kovind during his recent visit here. We have with us photographs and the proof of original damage done to the building and the bullet marks have been captured on camera. The exercise was done to have these as live evidence to substantiate our claims, he said. Holding the Central government liable for the damage to the shrine, the SGPC has demanded Rs 1,000 crore as damages from the Delhi High Court. The court fee of Rs 10 crore was deposited in June 2013 and the case hearing is still under way. Headed by Baba Kashmir Singh Bhuriwale, the kar sewa to refurbish the historic building was started on July 2 last year. During the Operation Bluestar, the upper part of the building was gutted. We had kept this building untouched for the past 33 years. With the passage of time, the condition of the building started deteriorating. The SGPCs executive body had decided to renovate it last year, but with a caution that the bullet marks on it are preserved, said Dr Roop Singh. Built in 1937, Teja Singh Samundri Hall was dedicated to one of the founder members of the SGPC, Teja Singh Samundri. It houses the SGPC headquarters. Live evidence 147 bullet marks have been encircled with steel frames to make these prominent and marked with numbers. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 10 Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal today declared that his party fully accepts the challenge of a repressive Congress government on the denial of democratic rights for raising our voice in favour of the beleaguered Punjabis who are feeling cheated by it. Talking to mediapersons after a meeting of the SAD Core Committee, Sukhbir alleged: The government is trying to suppress democratic opposition and distract attention from their betrayal of the Punjabis on tall promises made to them. I dare this government to arrest me instead of acting against ordinary Akali workers. Sukhbir said the party would set up a Force for Democracy with a minimum of 10 volunteers from every village, a total of 1,20,000 workers in the state, who would work as vigilantes against the Congress repression. On inconvenience to commuters during the Akali dharnas, Sukhbir said: I sincerely apologise to students, women, children or sick and elderly people who had to face inconvenience. But I also request them to understand that the dharnas were not about Akalis but the rights of the common man to elect civic bodies of their own choice for the development in their areas. How can the people elect representatives if the Congress was denying others a chance to contest? he said. Earlier, a resolution passed at the meeting, chaired by former CM Parkash Singh Badal, congratulated the party president on the success of the dharnas and for delivering a setback to the Congress government. Sukhbir issued a warning to the officers who have discarded their uniform to earn Congress loyalty. I warn these officials to mend their ways. We are keeping a close watch on each of them. Will complain to rights panel: Former Deputy CM SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said he would lead a delegation of party MPs to meet the National Human Rights Commission on the matter. We will give them complaints against politicians and officers along with evidence, he said. A delegation of senior leaders will also meet the state Governor. Sukhbir said the SAD would also file a petition in the court. Capt, Sukhbir spar on Twitter A Twitter war broke out between Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and SAD president Sukbhir Singh Badal over the sharp reaction of the Akalis against the registration of cases against them by the government. Shocked at @officeofssbadal reaction to registration of cases against @Akali_Dal_ dharnas that caused immense inconvenience to people. Does he not know its against the law to block national highways? Or does he simply not care for the law? Amarinder is not letting people file nominations is murder of democracy akin to what the Congress did in Emergency. SAD will expose you. 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 Dehradun, December 10 Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat today dedicated the 1500 KW Dunav hydro power project in Pauri Garhwal district of the state. The hydro power project has been constructed on Nayar river in the remote Beerokhal block of Pauri Garhwal district. Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said the Dunav hydro power project would be a milestone in the development of the region. He also said that the project would be named after martyr Ram Prasad Nautiyal. The project would benefit as many as 55 villages, including Simli, Kanda, Pali and Beerokhal, adding it would generate employment and help check migration from the region. He said efforts were being made to complete the construction of several mini hydro power projects in the state. The CM also directed the officials concerned to prepare a proposal for Lakwar Vyas hydro power project. He said subsidies were being given to companies for setting up mini hydro power projects in the state. He also appealed to the educated youth to take benefit from self-employment generating schemes of the state government. Referring to the ex-servicemen, Chief Minister Trivendra Rawat reiterated the state governments commitment to their welfare. He further stated that the government was mulling proposal to use the services of retired doctors in the state. Cairo, December 10 Arab foreign ministers on Sunday demanded that the United States rescind President Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital, calling it a grave development that puts Washington on the same side as occupation and the violation of international law. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) In a resolution long on rhetoric but short on concrete actions, the ministers also called for the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning Trumps decision, but acknowledged that Washington would most likely veto it. If the US vetoes the resolution, the Arabs would seek a similar resolution in the UN General Assembly, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki told a pre-dawn news conference in Cairo. A two-page resolution adopted by the emergency meeting, which began last night, did not include any punitive actions against the United States, like a call for a boycott of American products or suspending or downgrading ties with Washington. It also appeared to fall short of matching the anger felt by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, which have seen three days of violent protests against Trumps decision. We have taken a political decision not meant to reflect (what is going on in) the streets. Political work is responsible work, said Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit. Jerusalem has been occupied for 50 years. This is an extended battle, a battle that will be escalated, he told the news conference. The resolution said the ministers would meet again within a month and held out the possibility that an emergency Arab summit would be held in Jordan to discuss Jerusalem. Trumps December 6 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. Jerusalems status lies at the core of the Israeli- Palestinian 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. Arab diplomats said some Arab League members had wanted a more hard-line resolution, including punitive measures against countries that follow the U.S. example and recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital. That was considered too radical by moderate Arab nations and eventually dropped, according to the diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. But Al-Maliki, the Palestinian Foreign Minister, sought to play down differences, saying the meeting produced complete unity among Arab nations. There were differences in assessment when we moved to specifying measures, he said. But in the end we agreed on gradually escalating measures. Both Aboul-Gheit and Al-Maliki said Arab nations remained committed to a 2002 Arab peace plan that provides for recognition of Israel in exchange for lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. That plan is a key reference in the Middle East peace process, Al-Maliki told the news conference. Trumps decision, according to the Arab resolution, was illegal and a dangerous violation of international law. Its a dangerous development that places the United States at a position of bias in favor of the occupation and the violation of international law and resolutions. Israel occupied and later annexed the eastern part of Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war, declaring the holy city its eternal capital. Palestinians want that part to be the capital of their future state. Trumps decision, said the resolution, also stripped the US of its role as a sponsor and broker in the Mideast peace process, and undermines efforts to bring about peace, deepens tension and will spark anger that will threaten to push the region to the edge of the abyss of violence, chaos and bloodshed. The resolution adopted by the ministers reiterated that only the creation of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital would end the Arab-Israeli conflict. It also mandated the Arab League to launch an international media campaign explaining the gravity of the American decision. AP Ventura, December 10 Firefighters across Southern California made progress on Saturday battling a slew of scattered wildfires that have killed at least one person, destroyed hundreds of buildings and forced more than 200,000 people from their homes this week. As the dry Santa Ana winds that have fuelled the blazes abated slightly, officials lifted evacuation orders for parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and crews started getting the upper hand in containing some major fires. But with the National Weather Service expecting a pickup in top wind velocity to 89 km per hour on Sunday from 64 km per hour, the 8,700 firefighters battling six fast-moving blazes were under pressure to work quickly. Were far from being out of the woods on any of them, Ken Pimlott, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), told a news briefing in Ventura. At an evacuation shelter at the Ventura County Fairgrounds on Saturday, fluorescent lights shone above hundreds of cots set up in rows. Outside, dust and soot made it hard to breathe. Surah Yasharal and Yaaqub Yoshua were at the shelter with their two toddlers, stuck there since arriving by Greyhound bus from Florida on Friday. They had planned to move into a guest house owned by Yoshuas employer, but by Saturday they still had not learned whether it had survived. If its not there when we get there, well go back to the drawing board, said Yoshua, 26. Well improvise. Marie Snyder was at the beach on Monday evening when the fire started. She could not return to her home in the community of Oak View, so she stayed with friends for a few days, coming to the shelter on Friday. We were down at the beach and all of a sudden it got really windy and then it got really warm, she said. And then I saw the moon was red. This weeks fires have destroyed nearly 800 buildings, mostly in Ventura County where the Thomas Fire, the largest blaze, erupted on Monday. Officials said that by Saturday the Thomas Fire had charred 148,000 acres, an area about the size of Chicago. As evening approached, the blaze was most active north of the small city of Ojai, north of Ventura, known for its classical music festival and its spas. Ojai itself was not threatened, officials said. California Governor Jerry Brown told reporters that climate change had helped make intense fires such as these the states new normal. The fires threatened Californians from Santa Barbara County down the Pacific Coast to Mexico. They have claimed at least one human casualty: Virginia Pesola, 70, died in a Wednesday car accident along an evacuation route from the Thomas Fire. Brown issued emergency proclamations this week for Santa Barbara, San Diego, Los Angeles and Ventura counties. President Donald Trump issued a federal proclamation that enables agencies to coordinate relief efforts. The fires have threatened property worth billions of dollars, just weeks after October wildfires in Northern California resulted in insured losses of more than $9 billion. Those fires, concentrated in wine country, killed 43 persons. At their peak, this weeks fires drove about 212,000 Californians from their homes. The lifting of several evacuation orders reduced the number of people displaced from their homes to 87,000 on Saturday. Reuters Guv says wildfires are new normal London, December 10 The Islamic State may have lost significant ground but it has not been yet defeated, British Prime Minister Theresa May has said, as she warned Iraq that the terror group still poses a threat including from across the border. Iraqs Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi yesterday declared that the countrys war against ISIS was officially over, claiming that the terror group no longer occupied significant territory in the war-torn country. May congratulated Abadi and all Iraqis on the historic moment, saying this signals a new chapter towards a more peaceful, prosperous country but warned that a lot more needed to be done. We must be clear however, that whilst Daesh (ISIS) is failing, they are not yet defeated. They still pose a threat to Iraq, including from over the Syrian border, she said in a statement yesterday. This is why, during my visit, I announced that the UK will invest 30 million pounds in stabilisation support, 20 million pounds in humanitarian assistance and 10 million pounds to support counter-terrorist capacity building in Iraq, May said. May said she was proud that the UK, as a leading member of the Global Coalition, has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Iraq to help them open the new chapter. I saw the effects of this first hand when I visited last week, she said. The UK has supported Iraqi security forces, including the armed forces and the Peshmerga, in the fight against ISIS and UK aircraft have launched over 1,350 air strikes in Iraq and trained over 60,000 members of the Iraqi security forces, she said. The UK aid provides a vital lifeline to millions of Iraqis with emergency food, shelter, medical care and water. We are now supporting the Government of Iraq to lay the foundations for an economy that meets the aspirations of all Iraqis, May said. Iraqs announcement came two days after the Russian military said it had defeated IS in Syria. PTI At Shree Ranchhod Raiji Temple in Kheda, Rahul Gandhi had a surprised guest who came to him running and kissed him. It is the same temple where the BJP supporters chanted "Modi-Modi" when Rahul Gandhi exited from there. By India Today Web Desk: While the Gujarat Assembly election campaign has been a high-octane affair with allegations and counter-allegations flying thick and fast between the BJP and the Congress, but there have been some moments that give human touch to this battle for power. One such moment was witnessed today when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited Shree Ranchhod Raiji Temple at Dakor in Kheda district of Gujarat. While Rahul Gandhi was still inside the premises of the Dakor temple, a kid ran to meet Rahul Gandhi. advertisement There were SPG personnel but the kid found way to the most powerful man in the Congress party. Rahul Gandhi picked the boy up and held him in his arms. The boy kissed Rahul Gandhi on his cheek. It was the same Shree Ranchhod Raiji temple, where BJP supporters chanted "Modi-Modi" this morning when Rahul Gandhi exited from its premises. RAHUL GANDHI'S HUMANE OUTREACH Incidentally, this was not the first time that Rahul Gandhi has presented his more humane persona in public during his Gujarat Assembly election campaign. Earlier, he broke down during his interaction with ad hoc lecturers in Ahmedabad. Rahul Gandhi's photograph hugging an ad hoc lecturer got space in national newspapers prominently. In November, Rahul Gandhi had invited lecturers, professors and school teachers for an interaction. One of them was Ranjana Avasthi, a temporary lecturer, who told Rahul Gandhi that for past 22 years she had been getting the same salary of Rs 12,000 as part-time lecturer. After listening to Avasthi, Rahul Gandhi paused for a moment and said, "Sometimes, you can't answer some questions with words." Then, he impromptu put down his mic and headed towards Avasthi sitting in middle row of the hall. He hugged and consoled her promising that if Congress got to power the issue would be looked into. Even yesterday, Rahul Gandhi interacted with women in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hometown Vadnagar. He was also seen standing in queue to board a flight to Ahemadabad from New Delhi. It was another attempt by Rahul Gandhi to present himself as a commoner during Gujarat Assembly election. Rahul Gandhi with a kid at Dakor temple. (Photo: Supriya Bhardwaj RAHUL SLAMS MODI At Dakor, it was just another gesture by Rahul Gandhi in his attempt to strike a chord with the masses in Gujarat in his bid to storm the BJP's strongest political citadel. Later, Rahul Gandhi addressed an election rally at Dakor lashing out at the BJP and PM Modi. Rahul Gandhi slammed PM Modi saying that he had shifted goalposts in Gujarat election dumping the agenda of development completely. He said that PM Modi no longer talked about development as his growth model had been exposed. --- ENDS --- advertisement Washington, December 10 Describing the current situation in the Korean peninsula as most tense and dangerous peace and security issue in the world, a visiting UN envoy has told the North Korean leadership that time is of the essence and it needs to implement all relevant Security Council resolutions. The UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman was on a visit to Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea or DPRK, commonly known as North Korea, from December 5 to December 8. During the visit, he had a series of meetings with North Korea Foreign Minister Yong Ho and his deputy PAK Myong Guk. They 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, a UN statement said. Feltman emphasised the need for the implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions, the UN said, adding that 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 UN said. Noting the urgent need to prevent miscalculations and open channels to reduce the risks of conflict, Feltman underlined that the international community, alarmed by escalating tensions, is committed to the achievement of a peaceful solution to the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The UN envoy also met with the United Nations Country Team and members of the diplomatic corps, and visited UN project sites, including a childrens foodstuff factory, TB prevention institute, breast tumour institute, and paediatric hospital during his visit. PTI Kathmandu, December 10 Nepals Left alliance was on Sunday heading towards comfortable majority in the parliamentary elections, winning 72 of the 89 seats so far in the historic polls that many hope will bring the political stability to the country. The CPN-UML led by former premier K P Oli and the CPN-Maoist led by former premier Prachanda have forged electoral alliance for both the provincial and parliamentary elections. According to results released by the Election Commission, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified MarxistLeninist (CPN- UML) has won 51 seats while its alliance partner CPN Maoist-Centre has bagged 21 seats. The ruling Nepali Congress, which was the largest party in the last election, won only 10 seats, according to tallies. Two Madhesi parties have won five seats. The Federal Socialist Forum Nepal led by Upendra Yadav has won 2 seats whereas Rastriya Janata Party led by Mahanta Thakur has bagged 3 seats. Naya Shakti Party led by former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai has won one seat and an independent was among winning candidates. The vote counting is in progress for remaining 76 seats. 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. 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. A total of 1,663 candidates contested polls for parliamentary seats. PTI OSLO, December 10 The leader of the group that won this years Nobel Peace Prize on Sunday urged nuclear nations to adopt a United Nations treaty banning atomic weapons in order to prevent the end of us. 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 and the growing risk of an atomic war. ICAN is a coalition of 468 grassroots non-governmental groups that campaigned for a UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted by 122 nations in July. The treaty is not signed by -- and would not apply to any of the states that already have nuclear arms. Beatrice Fihn, ICANs Executive Director, urged them to sign the agreement. It provides a choice. A choice between the two endings: the end of nuclear weapons or the end of us, she said in her speech at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo. The United States, choose freedom over fear. Russia, choose disarmament over destruction. Britain, choose the rule of law over oppression, she added, before urging France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel to do the same. Israel is widely assumed to have nuclear weapons, although it neither confirms nor denies it. A moment of panic or carelessness, a misconstrued comment or bruised ego, could easily lead us unavoidably to the destruction of entire cities, she added. A calculated military escalation could lead to the indiscriminate mass murder of civilians. Fihn delivered the Nobel lecture together with Setsuko Thurlow, an 85-year-old survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing and now an ICAN campaigner. Thurlow recalled on stage on Sunday some of her memories of the attack on Aug. 6, 1945. She was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building about 1.8 km from Ground Zero, she said. Most of her classmates, who were in the same room, were burned alive. Processions of ghostly figures shuffled by. Grotesquely wounded people, they were bleeding, burnt, blackened and swollen, she said. Parts of their bodies were missing. Flesh and skin hung from their bones. Some with their eyeballs hanging in their hands. Some with their bellies burst open, their intestines hanging out. The foul stench of burnt human flesh filled the air. The United States, Britain and France sent second-rank diplomats to the Nobel ceremony, which Fihn earlier told Reuters was some kind of protest. Pope prays for N-disarmament Milan: Pope Francis on Sunday called on world leaders to work in favour of nuclear disarmament to protect human rights, particularly those of weaker and underprivileged people. The pontiff said there was a need to work with determination to build a world without nuclear weapons, speaking from the window of the papal apartment overlooking St. Peters Square. His remarks came on the day that the group which won this years Nobel Peace Prize urged nuclear nations to adopt a United Nations treaty banning atomic weapons. With rising tensions between the United States and North Korea, the pope has repeatedly warned against the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental effects of nuclear devices and has called for a third country to mediate the dispute. Reuters Kathmandu, December 10 Nepals Left alliance was today heading towards a comfortable majority in the parliamentary elections, winning 81 seats so far in the historic polls that many hope will bring the political stability to the country. The CPN-UML led by former prime minister KP Oli and the CPN-Maoist led by former premier Prachanda have forged an electoral alliance for both the provincial and parliamentary elections. As the alliance was headed for a clear majority in the 275-member Parliament, Oli is being projected to succeed PM Sher Bahadur Deuba. Oli won from the Jhapa-5 constituency by more than 28,000 votes as he defeated Nepali Congress candidate Khagendra Adhikari. He polled 57,139 votes, the highest number of votes so far secured by any candidate in the election. According to results released by the Election Commission, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified MarxistLeninist (CPN- UML) has won 59 seats while its alliance partner CPN Maoist-Centre bagged 22 seats out of the total 165 seats under the first-past-the-post election system. The ruling Nepali Congress (NC), which was the largest party in the last election, managed to win only 12 seats, according to tallies. PTI Oli set for return to power Former Nepali Prime Minister KP Oli on Sunday looked set for a return to power after winning his seat and his Communist UML party and Maoist allies on course to win a majority. Oli, 65, has vowed to form a government that lasts its full five-year term, something no PM has achieved since parliamentary democracy was established in 1990. Jerusalem, December 10 A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli security guard at Jerusalems main bus station on Sunday, the police said, and violence flared near the US Embassy in Beirut over US President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. New protests flared in the Middle East and elsewhere today after four days of street protests in the Palestinian territories over the declaration, a move that has drawn global condemnation and sparked days of unrest in the Palestinian territories. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has repeatedly warned of the consequences of Trumps move, also lashed out Sunday by calling Israel a terrorist state and state that kills children. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, visited Europe for his first trip abroad since Trumps declaration, with talks planned with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and EU foreign ministers in Brussels. In Jerusalem, a security guard was in critical condition after a 24-year-old Palestinian man from the occupied West Bank stabbed him after approaching a metal detector at an entrance to the citys central bus station. The alleged assailant was taken into custody. In Beirut, meanwhile, Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water canons at protesters, some of them waving Palestinian flags, near the US Embassy. Demonstrators set fires in the street, torched US and Israeli flags and threw projectiles towards security forces that had barricaded the main road to the complex. Arab foreign ministers who met in Cairo on Saturday urged the US to abandon its decision on Jerusalem and said the move would spur violence throughout the region. Along Israels tense frontier with the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military on Sunday destroyed what it described as a significant cross-border attack tunnel dug by the enclaves dominant Islamist group, Hamas. In the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Sunday, thousands protested outside the US embassy, many waving banners saying Palestine is in our hearts. Agencies In her new book, My Logical Conclusion, Owasso author Sandy Moriarty seeks to answer the foundational question: Can faith be logical? The longtime writer, and attorney of more than 25 years, released her first title, a religious inspirational work, in October and held a book signing at Another Chapter Bookstore on Saturday. In her book, Moriarty combines her knowledge and experience in the courtroom with her unwavering faith and spirituality to analyze the Bible from a legal perspective. I see scriptures similar to statutes in the law, so I wanted to share with others the legal slant I saw in the Bible, she said. We can use the Bible to meet our everyday life situation, and we can do it in a logical fashion. Moriarty developed what she called the Jesus Method, an approach using critical thinking to uncover Biblical truths that readers can apply to their circumstances and discover Gods purpose for their lives. Its designed to introduce people to Jesus and to His kingdom and have a greater knowledge of what God has planned for their life, and use the gifts and talents Hes given (them) for His purpose, she said. Moriarty, an oil and gas consultant, said it took her about two years to write the book, which she started when the industry was in a downfall around 2015. She said she sat down to type out a few thoughts, which eventually turned into her aha moment. As I sat at my computer writing, more and more kept coming, she said, and I know it was not me, that it was (God), His doing. The ideas just kept coming; every time I sat down to write, God just kept giving me more. Moriarty joins the exclusive group of Owasso authors after publishing her 105-page, 10-chapter book now available for $9.99 at Another Chapter and other local stores where books are sold. Moriarty holds a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Tulsa and has been a licensed attorney for over 25 years. She is also a co-contributing author of Live in Gratitude Daily, a 365-day inspirational journal. Visit Moriartys blog at mylogicalconclusion.com for more information. DACA deadlock: U.S. Sen. James Lankford was among a group of Republican senators who introduced a voluminous immigration proposal immediately dismissed by Democrats. The bill, titled the Security, Enforcement, and Compassion United in Reform Efforts Act, or SECURE, included an extension of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The Republican authors hoped that would attract enough Democratic votes to secure passage, but Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, said he didnt consider the measure a serious offer. Durbin said two of the bills sponsors, John Cornyn of Texas and Charles Grassley of Iowa, have (never) voted for an immigration bill and probably never will. Ive got to sit down and negotiate with people who might vote for this bill. Biofuels: Lankford and U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe were among a group of oil-state Republican senators to meet with President Donald Trump on renewable fuel standards, the policy that is largely responsible for the use of biofuels in American gasoline. Inhofe and other petroleum-state senators oppose the RFS, while corn-state Republicans staunchly defend it. The president understands that there are challenges on both sides of this issue, and it is my expectation that we can find a way forward that gets both sides on board. He is very open to that path forward, Inhofe said. Inhofe and other Oklahoma opponents of the RFS standards maintain they are an unreasonable burden on the states independent refineries, including Tulsas Holly/Frontier Corp. Deal/No Deal: Fourth District Congressman Tom Cole continued to sound pessimistic that House Republicans will accept concessions made by Senate leadership to get the votes to pass an income tax cut bill. In particular, Cole said he couldnt see much support for continuing Affordable Care Act supports for insurers. Theres not much compromise in there from a House standpoint, Cole told Bloomberg. None of us voted in favor of Obamacare, so supporting it or sustaining it is not exactly our objective. I would have a very hard time voting for it. I think our leadership knows that. Dots and dashes: Inhofe applauded the Senate confirmation of Susan Bodine to head the Environmental Protection Agencys enforcement and compliance division. Bodine was EPA general counsel during the George W. Bush administration. ... Lankford and Inhofe touted federal income tax reform on several platforms, predicting the proposals now before a Senate conference committee will spur growth and result in lower taxes for just about everyone. ... Veterans Affairs legislation pushed by Oklahomas two senators and 2nd District Congressman Markwayne Mullin passed the House of Representatives and went to the president. The bill allows the VA to hire outside evaluators of its medical facilities and services. ... Lankford was among six members of Congress to speak at the Third International Conference on Religious Freedom. In 2012, the BJP won five of seven Assembly seats in Gujarat election. It looks like a stiffer contest with Patidars simmering in the PM Modi's home district. Gujarat Assembly election: PM Narendra Modi has been leading the BJP campaign from the front. (Photo: PTI) By Prabhash K Dutta: At the conclusion of the first phase of polling in Gujarat Assembly election yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the BJP polled votes from all communities. The statement seemed an attempt by PM Modi to set tone for the second phase of voting that will take place on December 14. PM Modi's home in Vadnagar in Mehsana district will vote in four days' time when polling will be held in 93 Gujarat Assembly constituencies. Vadnagar is part of Unjha Assembly constituency in Mehsana district (spelled as Mahesana by the Election Commission). advertisement Mehsana sends seven members to the Gujarat Assembly. In 2012, the BJP won five while the Congress secured two of the seven seats in PM Modi's home district. The BJP candidates won from Kheralu, Unjha, Visnagar, Becharaji and Mehsana constituencies and the Congress contestants were declared winner from reserved Kadi (SC) and Vijaypur seats. But with Patel agitation in the backdrop, the ongoing Gujarat Assembly election does not seem to be an easy sailing for the BJP in PM Narendra Modi's hometown. HARDIK PATEL AND RAHUL GANDHI Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leader Hardik Patel has been campaigning against the BJP government saying that the Gujarat model of development is a bubble based on jugglery of figures. Hardik Patel has mobilised the Patel community of entire Gujarat. Despite a series of sex CDs surfacing in public, Hardik Patel continues to be seen as a hero by the Patidar community. He has openly canvassed for the Congress stating that Rahul Gandhi-led party offers better chance of accommodating the quota demand of the Patels. Soon-to-be Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally at Vadnagar launching a scathing attack on PM Narendra Modi. At Vadnagar, Rahul Gandhi said, "Prime Minister Modi is nervous...When he does not have anything to say, he speaks about himself...When nothing worked, Narendra Modi gave a full speech on Narendra Modi." Both Hardik Patel and Rahul Gandhi got traction in Mehsana in their rallies. Mehsana was the epicentre of Patidar agitation in 2015. Violence was reported from Mehsana during clashes between Hardik Patel's supporters and the police. PATELS AND MEHSANA Mehsana is posing tough challenge to the BJP even on the account of demography. Mehsana district is said to have a 28-30 per cent Patel and about 9.5 per cent Muslim voters. This means that the BJP has to get better of almost 40 per cent of the voters, though not all Patidars are in Hardik Patel's camp. The BJP has tried to contain the damage by fielding Patels in Mehsana district. Narayanbhai Patel is seeking a sixth-straight term from Unjha. Narayanbhai Patel is also the head of the Umiya Dham Temple, revered by the Patels. But, then he is being challenged by another Patidar - Congress's Ashaben Patel. The BJP has heavyweight Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitinbhai Patel contesting from Mehsana seat against Jivabhai Patel of the Congress. But, the contest seems a lot closer than the BJP would have wished. advertisement The extent of anger among the Patel community and influence of Hardik Patel, who says Rahul Gandhi can offer better deal for Patidars in Gujarat, could be the deciding factor on all seven Assembly seats of Mehsana district. --- ENDS --- Retirement is probably not the best word to describe Dr. Tom Coburns activities since he left the U.S. Senate almost three years ago. Coburn has traveled to 32 states this year, mostly on behalf of the convention of the states movement. Hes published a book on the same subject, and written papers for the Manhattan Institute on health care. Approaching 70, Coburn said he plans to cut back on his schedule next year. But he doesnt seem to have lost any of the focused intensity that made him a thorn in the side of official Washington during his 16 years in Congress, or his conviction that just about everything Washington does is wrong. No one is working on the things that are really important, he said Friday during a visit to the Tulsa World. To Coburn, whats important continues to be debt not just the $20 trillion or so in accumulated federal operating debt, or even the tens of trillions more in obligations like Social Security and Medicare, but also credit card balances and upside-down mortgages. Name a country that has survived the debt burden we have, Coburn said. You cant. There arent any. The nations problems, he says, require a never-before-tried solution a convention of the states to draft amendments to the U.S. Constitution. An Article V convention, so called because that is the section of the Constitution that outlines the process, has never been convened. Doing so requires two-thirds of the states 34 of the 50 to call for one. Its been close a few times. From 1975 to 1984, 32 states called for a convention to draft a balanced budget amendment, but the movement faded after narrowly failing in the Michigan legislature. A conference called in early 1861 to try to avoid the Civil War was not an Article V convention, but acted much like one. It led to a proposed constitutional amendment that would have preserved slavery in the South, but failed in the Senate and was never heard in the House. Coburns book, Smashing the D.C. Monopoly, is his argument for a convention of the states. It is directed largely at fellow conservatives, many of whom oppose an Article V convention as a potential Pandoras box. Coburn describes at great length why he believes this is a canard, and why he believes a convention is imperative. Weve sucked all the power out of the states, he said Friday. Why vote (in local or state elections) when its all controlled from Washington? In his book, Coburn suggests reducing the federal government to something resembling its size and scope in the 1920s. Some might question the efficacy of that, given the countrys own size and scope and the states own historical shortcomings but Coburn says devolution of power is the only way to make the nation manageable. Doing that, he said, requires a balanced budget amendment, federal term limits and limits on the Constitutions Commerce Clause. The Commerce Clause Article 1, Section 8 gives Congress authority to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes, but Coburn believes its interpreted too broadly and allows the federal government to venture into areas it shouldnt. Twelve states, including Oklahoma, have adopted the call advocated by Convention of States, the organization with which Coburn is associated. Coburn said as many as 12 more may come on board in 2018. Beyond that, he said, millions of people have been attracted through the internet and grassroots efforts. The goal, Coburn said, is to give members of Congress the backbone to make unpopular decisions. A balanced budget amendment, he said, gives them an out when constituents complain about favorite programs being cut. You can tell them, It was cut grandmas food stamps, or cut some grant for something thats probably not central to what the government does, he said. CHIP: The Oklahoma Health Care Authority says up to 3,900 people could see a loss or reduction of health coverage if Congress doesnt act soon to renew the Childrens Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP. The basic CHIP program is expected to continue through the end of the current fiscal year, but OHCA said dental services, coverage of pregnant women through the Soon-to-be-Sooners program and premium subsidies for children whose parents are covered by Insure Oklahoma on Feb. 28. Congress has been unable to agree on CHIP renewal since September, even though the program is popular with both parties. Candidates and elections: Tuesday is the state Senate District 27 Republican primary special election in northwestern Oklahoma. Six Republicans are entered in the winner-take-all contest, including state Rep. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, and national committeewoman Carolyn McLarty. The winner will meet Democrat Amber Jensen in the Feb. 13 general election. Republican First Congressional District candidate Kevin Hern, a McDonalds franchisee, managed to work President Donald Trumps affinity for Big Macs and Filet-O-Fish sandwiches into a fund-raising appeal. Meetings and events: Oklahoma Wesleyan University President Everett Piper will be featured speaker at the Republican Womens Club of Tulsa County at 11:30 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 7902 S. Lewis Ave. Tuesday, Dave Bond of Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs will be featured at the Tulsa Area Republican Assembly at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Golden Corral, 9711 E. 71st St. Bottom lines: State Rep. Glen Mulready, R-Tulsa, said he will file legislation for the upcoming special session that would essentially end written prescriptions for opioids. Instead, those prescriptions would have to be transmitted electronically or by telephone to pharmacists. ... Tulsa oilman Bob Sullivan was elected chairman of the new state Performance and Accountability Commission. Another Tulsan, attorney John OConnor, was chosen vice chairman. ... State Rep. Bobby Cleveland, R-Slaughterville, said he will propose consolidating the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs during next years regular legislative session. Money isnt everything but it sure keeps you in touch with your children. That statement has been attributed to the one-time worlds richest man or the worlds biggest tightwad, depending on your perspective. His name was J. Paul Getty, and he spent much of his youth as a wildcatter in the Oklahoma oil fields. All the Money in the World, a movie coming out this month, was inspired by the 1973 kidnapping of Gettys 16-year-old grandson. Initially, Getty refused to pay a ransom, saying: I have 14 other grandchildren, and if I pay one penny now, then Ill have 14 kidnapped grandchildren. After the severed ear of J. Paul Getty III and a photo of the maimed teenager were mailed to newspapers, Getty reluctantly agreed to pay for his release. But Getty only paid $2.2 million, the amount his accountants said was tax-deductible. The boys father, J. Paul Getty II, paid the rest of the $3 million ransom but had to borrow it from his billionaire father at 4 percent interest. J. Paul Getty was born in Minneapolis and came to Indian Territory at age 11 with his father, who struck it rich on an oil lease near Bartlesville in 1904. The family moved to California after two years, but young Getty was smitten. $6-a-week hotel room As a teenager, Getty spent his summers as a roustabout on his fathers oil lease. After college, he returned to Tulsa in 1914 and took a $6-a-week room at the Cordova Hotel and ate his meals at a nearby boarding house. In his Model T Ford, he traveled the countryside looking for oil and gas leases he could afford on the $100-a-month allowance from his father. He also hung out in the lobby of Hotel Tulsa, where oilmen gathered to hear the latest news and gossip. Getty paid $500 for his first lease the Nancy Taylor Allotment in Muskogee County. The well was a gusher. Before his 24th birthday, Getty was a millionaire. Here are a few more fascinating facts about J. Paul Getty: Known for frugality In the 1940s and 50s, he bought his suits five at a time at Vandevers in Tulsa but never paid over $75 for each, according to William Vandever. When Paul came in, it was my job to go over and pull the tags off the suits that he was looking at. And then, no matter what the price was, we would charge him $75, Vandever said in an interview with John Erling for Voices of Oklahoma. Marjorie Garrison, Gettys personal secretary in the 1940s, spoke of Gettys frugality in a 1976 Tulsa World interview. Mr. Getty did his personal laundry, I know, because I bought the clothes pins for him. His shirt cuffs would become frayed and he would trim his left cuff at his desk and ask me to trim the right one for him, Garrison said. In 1959, Getty bought a 500-year-old Tudor estate in Surrey, England, where he installed a pay telephone for guests, employees and workers. The guests wont mind paying for their calls, he said, and as for the deadbeats, I couldnt care less. Bunker home When World War II broke out, Getty moved to Tulsa to take over the operation of Spartan Aircraft Co., a subsidiary of Skelly Oil Co., which Getty controlled. Spartan manufactured Navy training planes and other aviation parts. It also operated a flying school that trained 14,000 pilots for the military. It is well known that Getty built a concrete bunker with 12-inch-thick, reinforced walls just north of the Spartan factory. Many stories say that the bunker was built in 1942 to withstand enemy bombs. But in researching this story, we found a newspaper clipping from Jan. 24, 1946, that seems to show that the bunker was built after the war ended. The new home Spartan is building for Getty is on a 30-acre tract immediately north of the Spartan factory, the story says. A six-room bungalow, it will be constructed of concrete, with glass-brick windows, completely air-conditioned. Construction has been started and the home will be completed within 60 days. A 1976 Tulsa Tribune story says the bunker was heavily fortified because it was in the flight path of the old north-south runway at Tulsa International Airport, and Getty feared a plane might crash into it. After the war, Getty retooled the aircraft plant to make trailer homes for returning GIs in need of housing. Many of the Spartan trailers, made of the finest aircraft-quality aluminum, are still around today. Getty died of heart failure at his English manor in 1976. He was 83. Correction: This story originally misstated the name of the city's deputy chief of economic development, Kian Kamas. The story has been corrected. Mayor G.T. Bynum declared in September that Tulsa would do whatever it takes to land Amazons second headquarters, but nearly two months after the citys proposal was submitted, Tulsans have no idea what that means. And they may never know. City officials say the Amazon HQ2 proposal is not theirs to release and that they do not have a copy of it. When the Tulsa World filed an open records request in October seeking a copy of the document, the city responded that the request should be sent to the Tulsa Regional Chamber. The proposal was submitted by the Tulsa Regional Chamber, states an Oct. 23 email from the citys Communications Department. The chamber subsequently denied the Worlds request for a copy of the proposal, saying the organization is not subject to the states Open Records Act. Tulsa is not unique in keeping its Amazon HQ2 proposal under wraps. Most of the 238 submissions have not been made public, and several other cities, including Houston and Austin, submitted their proposals through their local chambers of commerce or other private organizations in part to keep the information private. Bynum has said previously that he didnt want to keep the details of the Amazon proposal secret but that to release them could give other cities a competitive advantage as the HQ2 selection process unfolds. Yet approximately two dozen applicants, including Boston, Washington, D.C., the San Francisco Bay area and Missouri, have released their proposals in whole or in part. This is going to be, and is, extremely competitive, and I dont want to tip our hand to one of our competitor cities about what we are doing here in Tulsa when we dont know what the future of this process looks like, Bynum said on Oct. 19, the day Amazon proposals were due. If there are going to be site visits in the next round and further consideration, I dont want other cities knowing what we are proposing. The mayor has described the process of developing the Amazon proposal as a partnership between the city, the chamber and other community members. But the city had never stated publicly that its Amazon proposal would be submitted by the chamber until the World requested a copy of the document. In early October, when the World informed the city that it would like to do a story about the proposal, it was directed to three high-ranking officials in the Mayors Office: Kathy Taylor, chief of economic development; Kian Kamas, deputy chief of economic development; and Nick Doctor, chief of community development and policy. The city never directed questions to the chamber. When the World, days before the city submitted its proposal, asked for figures related to the Amazon headquarters requirements, the chamber insisted that the numbers would have to come from the city. The states Open Records Act requires a public entity to provide prompt, reasonable access to its records but also allows for the entity to establish procedures to maintain the integrity of its records and to prevent excessive disruptions of its work. City officials said Friday that it is standard procedure for the chamber to handle corporate recruitment efforts in Tulsa. As such, the chamber was responsible for the official documentation and final proposal to Amazon, said Michelle Brooks, spokeswoman for the Mayors Office. City and community leaders offered guidance to the chamber to put forth a strong proposal that would be a direct reflection of the community. Amazon has not prohibited cities from releasing their proposals. Asked whether Tulsa would release its HQ2 proposal if the city is not selected, Brooks said the document was the chambers and that the organization had signed a nondisclosure agreement. The chamber did not respond to a call from the World seeking clarification regarding the nondisclosure agreement. The Tulsa Regional Chamber is a private, nonprofit organization. Although it is often referred to as the citys economic development arm, it has no legal affiliation with the city. Instead, the city contracts with the chamber to provide economic development services. In the current fiscal year, the chamber and its affiliate organizations are set to receive approximately $4 million from the city, the bulk of which will come from the hotel/motel tax, according to the citys Fiscal Office. It is not unusual for organizations such as the chamber to keep the details of private development deals under wraps. And it is not uncommon for site-selection consultants, working on behalf of a company, to keep project details from cities and organizations like the chamber that are competing for large development projects. In 2013, for example, the Tulsa Regional Chamber worked with a site consultant for five months before it was told that the company looking for a development property was Macys Inc. A deal to construct a distribution center north of Tulsa soon followed, with the company receiving more than $21 million in state and county tax breaks and other incentives. Amazon has made clear that incentives, whether in the form of land or tax breaks, will play a significant role in its decision-making process. Should Tulsa become home to Amazons second headquarters, any state or local government incentives offered to the company would become public and, in some instances, be subject to a vote of the governing body expending the funds. Amazon announced in September that it planned to build a second headquarters to accommodate its rapidly expanding business. The company is based in Seattle, where more than 40,000 of its 380,000 employees work. The second headquarters commonly referred to as Amazon HQ2 is expected to generate 50,000 high-paying jobs locally, according to the companys request for proposals. Plans call for the new headquarters campus to grow to 8 million-plus square feet over the next 15 years and result in a capital investment of more than $5 billion. A sunny afternoon on Sunday meant conditions were perfect for the bikers who gathered at Expo Square to make sure children in need have a merry Christmas. Thousands of bikers, many of them dressed in leather or holiday costumes, brought their motorcycles out for the 38th annual ABATE of Tulsa Toy Run. The event collects tens of thousands of toys, which are then distributed through the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. The ride, organized by ABATE American Bikers Aimed Toward Education typically collects more than 30,000 items. James Clark, vice president of Tulsa ABATE, said the charity event is important to the local community because the toys collected stay in northeast Oklahoma. Our community, our biking community, never hesitates to reach out to people in need, and this is just one example of that, Clark said. Fiances Jason Carothers and Mandy Powell brought their 2016 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy out for the second year in a row. The couple purchased a Nerf gun and a baby doll for the cause. It feels good to know that were going to help a kid out there have a good Christmas, Powell said. The two were enjoying the warm weather compared to last years frigid conditions. Although Carothers, wearing a head-to-foot furry reindeer suit, could feel the sun. Im baking to death here, he joked. The bikers drove west from Expo Square on 15th Street, north on Peoria Avenue to Sixth Street, then west to Boulder Avenue and north to Guthrie Green, the ending point. The route shut down several streets during the ride. Tractor-trailer rigs were set up at Guthrie Green to store the toys. Jim Connolly rode his 2007 Honda VTX 1300 for his fourth year participating in the ride. Giving back to children in need is especially important to Connolly and his wife: theyre foster parents. The Broken Arrow man brought a mix of toys, including an indoor remote-controlled helicopter and a My Little Pony set. Its all about the kids, Connolly said. Although at 96 Jim Carl is finally slowing down a little, theres one engagement hes not ready to give up: his weekly poker game. Oh, those guys wont let me out of it, joked the Catoosa resident and World War II veteran, who every Tuesday afternoon can be found at Tulsa American Legion Post 308 trying to score a winning hand. Joined there by some of his fellow card-playing veterans, Carl enjoys the fellowship. But if Carls poker face works well for cards, he of all people knows it has its limits. For example, discuss with him WWII and the brave fighter pilots with whom he flew and fought, and sooner or later, he will always tip his hand. Even after 70 years, the emotions triggered are strong much too strong to hold in. To be a pilot Carl, who turned 96 in September, still drives and maintains his own home. Wiry and with energy to spare, he gets around well, as he showed last week when, dressed comfortably in light blue jeans and white sneakers, he welcomed the Tulsa World to his home for an interview. Appearing all the more blue in contrast to his cotton-white hair, Carls eyes are alert and inquisitive. They are still the eyes of a fighter pilot, and its easy to imagine them scanning the horizon for bogeys. Carl, who would eventually retire as a lieutenant colonel with the Air Force Reserve, flew 86 missions during the war, engaging the Germans in countless dogfights and receiving two Distinguished Flying Crosses. But before any of that could happen, he first needed a war. It came with Pearl Harbor. At the time of the attack, Carl, a native of Quapaw, was finishing his first semester of college at whats now Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in Miami. Hanging out that day Dec. 7, 1941 with a buddy and a couple of girls, he heard the news over the radio. We had no idea where Pearl Harbor was, Carl said. What Carl did know, though, was what he wanted to do next. I absolutely wanted to be a pilot, he said. While taking classes in the day, Carl had been working nights at the British Flying Training School in Miami, where England had been sending cadets before the U.S. entered the war. I washed planes for them and earned $75 a month, he said, adding that it mustve been that experience that made him so keen to fly. Not so keen on the idea was Carls mother. But he had made up his mind. I told her Id be home in a year, he said, chuckling now at his naivete. Assigned initially to flight engineering school, Carl eventually was accepted for pilot training. He earned his wings and volunteered for the 354th Fighter Group, a unit of P-51 Mustangs already stationed in England. By the time he caught up with the unit, it was in Cherbourg, France 19 days after the D-Day invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Carls first mission followed mere hours after he arrived. Two images from it are still vivid to him. First, the trenches I remember it so clearly, seeing them from the air, he said of the grooves that scarred the French countryside from World War I. And I thought What in the hell are we doing here? All those guys that died in those trenches, and here we are again. The other image that stuck with him: the flak from antiaircraft fire. The sky was black with it, Carl said. I thought, Aint none of us going to get out of here alive. Adding to the challenge of survival, the pilots of the 354th the only P-51 unit on the European continent would face off against some of the German Luftwaffes best in the weeks to come. The Abbeville Boys. Thats what they called them, said Carl of a special Luftwaffe unit named for a French airfield it used. But the commanding general expected success, he added. He told us, Your job is to (achieve) air supremacy, Carl said. And thats exactly what we did. They were very good, Carl said of the German pilots. But we eventually weeded them out. By the end of the war in Europe, covering 18 months from 1944 to 1945, the pilots of the 354th made up of Carls and two other squadrons had combined to shoot down 701 German aircraft. Outfly the other guy In one photo on his wall, Carl is posed in front of a fighter plane, one hand on his hip, the other resting casually on the wing. The P-51 he flew on most of his missions, the Quapaw Squaw or Quawpaw, as its spelled phonetically on the side of the plane was named for his hometown. I did that as a tribute, he said. It was a beautiful airplane, Carl added of the Squaw, which in that photo and others looks like a sleek silver bullet with wings. During their months together, the Squaw saw Carl safely through many dogfights. In aerial combat, the rules were deceptively simple. You had to outfly the other guy, while at the same time trying to shoot him down, Carl said. Anyone whos been in aerial combat, you dont forget it. I know I dont. You didnt have time to get scared. Maybe you thought about it later, but not at the time. You had to keep your senses together. You had to concentrate. Or you got killed. Undoubtedly the most memorable of Carls fights in the Squaw came on April 2, 1945. On a mission near Augsburg, Germany, he was flying in a formation of eight P-51s when somebody spotted bogeys up, he said. A group of 16 German Messerschmitt ME-109 fighters emerged, and Carl, formation commander during combat, ordered his seven pilots to close in tight. While his companions took on other aircraft, Carl focused on the commander of the enemy formation. All these years later, his admiration for the German pilot is still evident. The guy literally outflew me, he said of the ensuing dogfight. But he couldnt shoot worth a damn. Eventually, Carl was able to maneuver in behind his opponent, who now was directly in the sights of his machine guns. At this memory, Carl, rather than spelling out the obvious, just shakes his head. Suffice it to say, Carl could shoot worth a damn. I would like to have met that guy. He was one hell of a pilot, he said, choking up slightly at the memory of a downed aviator. During aerial combat, Carl added, you couldnt allow yourself to think of enemy pilots as being human. Which wasnt easy since, in close combat, you often saw their faces. You didnt kill a guy, you killed an airplane, Carl said. Thats the way we looked at it. Despite being outnumbered, Carls formation won the battle that day, downing four of the attacking 109s and damaging four others. Deciding theyd had enough, the remaining enemy planes left. Carl, who received a Distinguished Flying Cross for leading the battle, and his men had not lost one plane or pilot. Carl recalled at least one air battle that still amuses him. It was the one, he said, where I didnt fire a shot. It was the biggest dogfight of the war, with something like 38 Allied fighters engaging 100 of the enemy, he said. What a time, Carl added, for his firing mechanism to malfunction. On the ground afterward, guys were saying I got three or I got five. And there was ol Jim sitting there, hadnt fired a shot, he said with a wry chuckle. Blood brothers Among all the items enshrined on Carls walls, the grinning red donkey has a way of standing out. It was the official emblem of The Red Ass Squadron, explained Carl, the nickname by which his unit, the 356th Fighter Squadron of the 354th Fighter Group, came to be known. And, of course, theres a story with that. The name was inspired, Carl said, by a fellow pilots observation man, is my ass sore about the amount of time he spent in the seat of his plane, i.e., flying missions. Im proud of that designation, Carl said with a mischievous grin. On other subjects, Carl was not so quick to speak up. When asked about the comrades he lost, for example, he grew quiet, before reluctantly elaborating. Counting them off on his fingers by name their faces still fresh in his mind he used up one hand quickly and was on to the next. Richard. Ernie. Rick. Bill. Buck. And so on. Youve heard the expression blood brothers, Carl said. We were truly blood brothers. ... And when you lose a guy, a brother, thats tough. All told, the fighter group lost 63 pilots, 22 of them from his squadron. Compared to the 700 Germans they took out, its an impressively low number. But that doesnt make it any more palatable for Carl or other survivors. Theyre the true heroes, he said of the slain airmen. Carl, who made it through without a scratch, knows he was fortunate. But that almost wasnt the case or so he feared on his 86th and final mission. He was flying along when suddenly I felt a pain in my back, he said. I thought for sure I had been hit. Thankfully, it turned out he had not. What Carl had suffered though doctors werent sure how was a collapsed lung. He would spend the next few months in the hospital. He used the occasion as a good opportunity to give up smoking, he said. I smoked a lot at the time. As possible vices go, Carl fancies good Scotch, and he still enjoys a couple of shots a day. But Ive never touched another cigarette since the war, he said. Wouldnt have missed it Carl had one more item to show before he was done one thats not on display. In his bedroom closet, shielded from dust by a clear plastic garment bag, is Carls old Army Air Corps uniform. Still a vibrant olive green, he brings it out every Veterans Day and wears it in the annual Tulsa parade. I can still fit in it, he noted proudly. Carl said he makes it out to the parade every year and will continue as long as hes able. It touches on a topic that greatly concerns him these days: patriotism, and what he perceives as a general decline of it across America. I think as a whole the country has slipped a lot. Its not like it was in World War II, he said. It was a popular war. Everybody wanted to do something for the country. There was very little hesitation. Carls passion for serving the country outlasted the war. In fact, he tried his hardest to be sent to Korea. A member of the reserve by the time that war broke out, he was told no, however. The officer looked at his war record and said Youve done enough, Carl said. But you never do enough, Carl added, with a sad shake of his head. Military service was the best thing I could ever do. It was a real joy, said Carl, who retired after 29 years in the reserve. It was a privilege to be there. I wouldnt have missed it for anything in the world. At the same time, it served as a kind of wish-fulfillment. Flying a combat fighter, Carl said, is what I dreamed about going through flight school. How many people get to live their dreams? Well, I did. This Page Is Under Construction - Coming Soon! Why am I seeing this 'Under Construction' page? By PTI: post 26/11: Modi Vadodara, Dec 10 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a public rally here tonight, asked his predecessor Manmohan Singh why did he not show the courage to order a surgical strike post the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, despite the readiness of the Army. He said after the Mumbai attacks, the Air Force had approached the then prime minister Singh with a plan for surgical strikes, but the government did not show the courage to order it. advertisement "Under whose advice did he (Singh) do so," Modi asked the gathering at the Navlakhi compound here. "Someone who served at a high position in the Air Force has said that after 26/11, they went to the then prime minister with a plan for surgical strikes. Sadly, the then government did not show the courage to do that," Modi said and cited the example of his governments action in the aftermath of the Uri terror attack in September last year. "My government, in the aftermath of the Uri attack by Pakistan, had launched a surgical strike inside the borders of Pakistan, targeting several terror camps and launchpads. The strikes came as a surprise for the Pakistanis who were caught unaware. While the maximum damage was inflicted on their side, the Indian soldiers came back without any casualties," he added. Modi also questioned Congress leaders, including its vice president Rahul Gandhi, for raising doubts over the surgical strikes. "Are such secret matters to be discussed in public?" he asked, saying this was the difference between the NDA government and the UPA government. Modi said the reason behind his vacating the Vadodara Lok Sabha seat in 2014 was for blossoming the "lotus" in Uttar Pradesh and replicating the Gujarat model of development in that state. After winning two Lok Sabha seats from Vadodara and Varanasi in the 2014 general election, Modi had retained the Varanasi seat. He thanked the people of Vadodara for allowing him to resign from here. The prime minister also justified demonetisation, saying it was aimed at unearthing black money and preventing the parallel economy. He said the government had since succeeded in unearthing a "hawala" racket in Jammu and Kashmir which led to the arrest of many leaders who were advocating support for terrorism in the state. Congress leaders were not happy with demonetisation as it was a source of their income and even after a year since the note ban, they had kept the issue alive, he said. The prime minister also wondered how a "secret meeting" between Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar and the former Pakistani high commissioner and other leaders from that country could take place without the knowledge of the Government of India. advertisement Modi said when he was the chief minister of Gujarat, he used to take permission from the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government at the Centre before holding a meeting with a foreign dignitary. PTI SP KIS RC KIS --- ENDS --- facebook like button Tweet tweet button for twitter Office of Marketing and Communications Degree Candidate List: 2017 Fall and Summer Degree Candidate List If your name is not on the list, please consult the Frequently Asked Questions about academic lists. Feel free to contact us with any questions. More than 776 students were awarded diplomas from the University of Louisiana Monroe at Saturdays Fall 2017 Commencement Ceremony. Students who completed their coursework in the summer were among those graduating. The degrees were conferred by President Nick J. Bruno. ULM alumnus Dr. LaVelle Hendricks was the keynote speaker. Hendricks is an associate professor at Texas A&M-Commerce, Texas, in the Department of Psychology, Counseling and Special Education. Hendricks career has been teaching counseling at the college level and much of his work has focused on some of societys most plaguing problems. His speech centered around the saying, to whom much has been given, much is required. ULM represents whats great about higher education, stated Hendricks. The knowledge gained during my student years equipped me with the necessary tools to embark upon a future with confidence and meet the challenges of being a global citizen. The honor graduates were recognized during the ceremony. There were 17 summa cum laude (3.9-4.0) graduates, 34 magna cum laude (3.750-3.899) and 67 cum laude (3.5-3.749). It has become a tradition for President Bruno to recognize a few graduates and congratulate them for their academic accomplishments. This semester, he noted Yoddit Esayas, who is the first member of her family to graduate from college. Esayas found her niche in musical performance and was a soloist with the Sound of Today marching band. One member of the Class of 2017 was honored for her service to the country as well as her academic determination. Kelly L. Conley of Mangham is a member of the Louisiana National Guard 52nd Engineer Battalion in Ruston. Conley earned her Master of Public Administration in Management through ULMs online learning program, eULM. There was a time when Mandi Bartet did not see much of a future for herself. She didnt go directly to college after high school. A few years later she realized that to make a better life for herself and her son, she would need an education. Bartet first earned her associates degree before entering the Risk Management and Insurance program where she graduated with honors. Jerry Gilmore was recognized for earning his second advanced degree, a Master of Arts in History, at the age of 76. Gilmore earned his undergraduate degree in 1975 with a B.S. in chemistry. He went on to gain his masters degree in chemistry in 1977. Gilmore served in the U.S. Army and was with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality for 20 years. Published December 9, 2017 Cops in Mumbai recorded the Dangal actress' statement as they begun an investigation into her allegation that a male co-passenger harassed and molested her during a Delhi-Mumbai flight. The Dangal actress in a distressing Instagram video claimed she was harrased and molested by a male passenger on a flight (File pic) By India Today Web Desk: The Mumbai Police has begun its investigation into the alleged molestation of Dangal actress. Cops have recorded her statement in Mumbai, where she landed after her harrowing flight during which, she alleges, a male passenger rubbed his foot along her neck and back. The actress revealed her distressing experience in a series of Instagram videos - one shot during the flight, during which the man's foot can be seen next to her, and the other at the Mumbai airport in which the teary-eyed teen actress asks, "Who is going to help us girls? If we don't help ourselves, nobody will come ahead." advertisement Officials from the Mumbai Police have spoken to the actress, recorded her statement and have prepared a list of passengers sitting next to her on the Vistara Delhi-Mumbai flight during which the alleged incident took place. The airline has provided details of the man in the question and policemen intend to question him, as well as other passengers, soon, sources within the force said. Statements of the crew members on the flight too will be recorded. Zaira Wasim recounted her in-flight ordeal in an Instagram video (Screengrab) One of the most intriguing questions arising from the shocking story is why the cabin crew, usually trained to handle inappropriate passenger behaviour, did not react. The actress's manager Tuhin Mishra earlier said she had raised an alarm but the cabin crew failed to take any action. Sources within Vistara, while admitting the cabin crew did not act until much later, said that it was because she raised the alarm only after the flight started descending. According to protocol, everybody, including passengers and flight crew, must remain strapped to their seats while a flight is landing. The actress, in her story, did not specify when exactly the male passenger seated behind her began touching her with his foot and rubbing it on her neck and back. Soon after the actress's Instagram posts narrating the ordeal, Visatra released a statement saying it was "aware" of incident and was carrying out "a detailed investigation". "We are talking to our crew who were serving her to understand the incident at greater length, and reaching out to fellow passengers as well. We will support her in every way required and also if she decides to report the matter to the police," the airline said. "It appears crew only became aware of something amiss during final descent when they were seated for landing. Further details will come from the investigation which is currently ongoing in full force," the airline added, before apologising to the actress for what she had experienced. "We have zero tolerance for such behaviour." 'CREW COULD NOT ACT' Meanwhile, sources within the airline said the Dangal actress began yelling at the man in question only once the Vistara flight started descending and was on the final landing path. advertisement At that moment all crew members were "seated in their seats" and "couldn't move because it is mandatory to have no movement during the final phase of the flight as seat belts are on," one of the source said. Once the flight landed, the crew was told about what had happened with her. The crew asked the teen actor and her mother whether they wanted to file a complaint, but they, the sources said, "denied". Vistara is yet to contact the male passenger whom the Dangal actress accused of molesting her but has summoned the entire cabin crew for an inquiry, the sources further added. The last part of the Vistara sources' version, that the actress and her mother did not want to file a complaint, was denied by the actress' manager Tuhin Mishra even as Mumbai Police, which has taken cognizance of the matter, reached the her hotel to record her statement. Police officials said that she had asked for some time to give her statement and the cops have posted a lady officer at the Hyatt hotel, where the actor is staying, to record her version of the events. Police will be in a better position once she gives her statement, officials said. advertisement - Nagarjun Dwarkanath in Bengaluru contributed to this report --- ENDS --- In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Chapman Chrysler Jeep kicked off Cars for the Cure, a promotional campaign in October and, for every car sold during the four-day event, the longtime Las Vegas dealership donated $100 to Susan G. Komen Nevada. The dealership surpassed its donation goal of $2,500, raising a total of $4,800. The check was presented to Susan G. Komen Nevada on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at its location at the Valley Automall in Henderson. For general sales manager of Chapman Warm Springs Lawrence Ennis, breast cancer awareness is a personal cause. Ennis and his team members wear pink attire and pink ribbons all year long as a way to pay tribute to Ennis mother, who lost her battle with breast cancer, and to raise awareness about the importance of early detection. Nguyen Xuan Nang, director of Xuan Thanh Nam Trade and Investment JSC in the northern province of Quang Ninh, will go to South Korea next week to work with two partners about supplying his firms software services to them. Nang told VIR that the two partners have also come to Vietnam to work with him, and almost all procedures have been completed. But there is one procedure about value-added tax (VAT) that not only me, but also the Korean partners feel confused about. We are working with tax agencies on it, Nang said. Under Circular No.219/2013/TT-BTC on VAT, dated December 31, 2013, exported services are entitled to 0 per cent VAT. However, in order to enjoy such a preferential tax rate, exporters must meet two conditions. The first condition is that the services must be directly provided to overseas organisations or individuals, and the second condition is that the services must be consumed outside of Vietnam. However, there is currently no definition of the first condition under current regulations. It is commonly understood that as long as the contracting party is an offshore entity, this condition is met. Meanwhile, for the second condition, there is also no specific definition of consumption outside Vietnam under VAT regulationsthis is therefore dependent on the interpretations of different tax authorities or even individual tax officers. VAT for exported services is one of the most problematic tax-related issues in Vietnam. In many cases where services are provided to overseas entities, the local tax authorities argue the services are consumed in Vietnam on the basis that they are rendered inside Vietnam and deny that the 0 per cent VAT rate is applicable, Nang said. Consequently, instead of enjoying VAT exemption, certain providers are subject to 10 per cent. Nangs story was one among many told by the hundreds of business representatives that attended this weeks dialogue on tax and customs policies in Hanoi. The dialogue was attended by enterprises, the Ministry of Finance, and the Vietnam Chamber of Industry and Commerce (VCCI), which represents the Vietnamese business community. The representatives and VCCI raised concerns about vague regulations on taxes, fees, and customs. VCCI vice chairman Doan Duy Khuong said unclear VAT regulations are among the many vague rules plaguing enterprises. For example, there have been abnormally high levels of taxation claimed by many healthcare firms. They said they are suffering from a 30 per cent special consumption tax ratewhich is equal to that for such services as karaoke, wine, beer, and cigarettesa 10 per cent VAT, and a 25 per cent corporate income tax (CIT) rate, Khuong said. If they pay all of these taxes, they will not be able to exist much longer and will soon go bankrupt. Nguyen Thi Nga, representative from a plastics manufacturing firm in the northern province of Hai Duong, said that two months ago she received a document from the authorities asking her firm and many others in the locality to pay land rental in advance for the whole of 2018. However, the problem is that the local authorities failed to give us any notice. Instead, they want us to pay immediately without negotiation, Nga said. According to Khuong, in many localities, land rental fees have been soaring, affecting enterprises performance. Authorities should have given notice to enterprises. In 2016, many enterprises received a document on a land rental price hike. However, the hike retroactively took effect three years before the firms received the document on it, he said. In another case, Pham Quy Phuc, the director of a company producing confectionery products in the northern province of Hung Yen, said that many companies are facing difficulties in the CIT deductibility of expenses indirectly related to their business activities. Our costs for promotional programmes are not allowed to be included in our costs for business activities, which can enjoy CIT deductibility, Phuc said. According to Phuc, firms deploy promotional programmes targeting their end-users, with the purpose of raising the sales of distributors, which indirectly increases the sales of the companies themselves. However, the existing tax regulations fail to provide guidance on this issue and in some recent tax audits, the deductibility of such expenses has been challenged as not being directly related to business activities. Enterprises suggested that the laws and regulations be consistent, specific, clear, and in favour of enterprises, Khuong stressed. We need greater reform efforts that help create a fairer and more competitive environment where decisions are made faster, procedures are less complicated, rules are fairly enforced, and companies compete on their meritsincluding access to land and opportunities, Adam Sitkoff, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi, told VIR . Deputy CM to Lead Gibraltar Delegation The Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Joseph Garcia, will lead the Gibraltar delegation at Mondays fifth meeting of the Joint Ministerial Council (Gibraltar EU Negotiations) to be held at the Department for Exiting the European Union in London. Accompanying Dr Garcia will be the Minister for Commerce Albert Isola, who is responsible for financial services and online gaming, and the Attorney General, Michael Llamas. The UK Team will be led by Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Robin Walker MP and will consist of senior officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Cabinet Office, the Department for Exiting the EU, and the Treasury among others. The discussions are likely to focus on a wide range of issues including a review of positive progress on financial services, online gaming and the Brexit implementation phase. Photo: FilmMagic/FilmMagic Comedian Hannibal Buress was arrested on Sunday morning in Miami on a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct, according to the Miami Herald. A video that captured the arrest, which is currently circulating on social media, shows Buress challenging the police officers to explain their rationale for booking him. Am I under arrest? For what? Explain what Im detained for, Buress inquired. What am I detained for? An officer eventually replied for trespassing, although the Herald notes that Buress was ultimately not charged with trespassing, but with disorderly intoxication. The chain of events leading to Buresss arrest are currently unclear although TMZ reports he refused to get in the police car during the several minute stand-off. Update, December 10: Buress has tweeted a short video with the tagline Hannibal bustin through, seemingly in response to his arrest. Downtown Wacos Main Street Manager has left for a new and similar challenge: resuscitating a regional effort for heritage tourism. Andrea Barefield, 41, started Tuesday as executive director of the Texas Brazos Trail Region, a travel promotion program that has been defunct since state funding cuts in 2015. With those funds now restored, Barefield said she looks forward to telling the world about Central Texas and its treasures of music, architecture and history. We are not the largest region in the state, but weve got 18 counties, and we are truly the heart of Texas, she said. Were dedicated to telling the story of true Texans and sharing our heritage and culture. The Brazos Trails region, established nearly 50 years ago as one of 10 heritage trails, includes historic towns such as Belton, Temple, Marlin, Bryan-College Station, Fairfield, Mexia, Clifton, Madisonville, Navasota, Bastrop, Elgin, Georgetown, Round Rock, Meridian and Clifton. Barefield said the job change was also motivated by her desire to run for Waco City Council in May. If elected, she would have to leave the Main Street position, which is indirectly funded by the city of Waco through the nonprofit City Center Waco. Barefield was among several candidates interviewed in June to fill out the remaining year of deceased District 1 Councilman Wilbert Austins term. The winner, Noah Jackson Jr., has said he doesnt intend to run in the May election. Barefield, daughter of former Mayor Mae Jackson, said she wants to carry on the family legacy of community service. Barefield was honored last month as a rising star by the Centex African-American Chamber of Commerce. She said her two years as Main Street manager prepared her well for her new job. The Texas Main Street and the Texas Heritage Trails programs are both sponsored by the Texas Historical Commission, which provides accreditation and expertise. Ive heard it said that the Texas Heritage Trail program is like Main Street on steroids, Barefield said. I will go to different regions and see how we can find resources for communities to promote tourism and learn how to sell their product. Barefield said she expects to get hands-on help from her board, which is headed by Bell County Museum director Coleman Hampton and includes Waco Dr Pepper museum official Joy Summar Smith. Hampton, who also lives in Waco, said Barefield is a born relationship-builder and communicator who should be a perfect fit for bringing far-flung communities together. We just feel like any relationships that need to be made throughout the Brazos region, she has the skill set to do that, he said. Shes a self-starter, a self-motivator. Chris Florance, spokesman for the Texas Historical Commission, said he hopes the Texas Brazos Trails program can come back better than ever under Barefields leadership. Andreas experience as Main Street manager makes her extremely qualified to lead the new region, he said. Were really looking forward to working with her. Getting the new board in place and reactivating the region makes this truly a statewide program. Maps lined one wall to allow World War II Gen. George S. Patton Jr. to stay abreast of where his troops were. Across the quarters sat well-read books, a Bible, cigars and several 78 RPM records that allowed the general to teach himself new languages. Outside of a cot, closet and washstand, there was room for little else in the mobile combat headquarters Patton traveled with in Europe, Denny G. Hair said. The original mobile van is in Fort Knox. This is a perfect copy of it down to the last nuts and bolts, said Hair, president and CEO of the nonprofit Pattons Third Army Living Historians. Theirs, the real Patton was in. But I like to say ours is better than theirs because you know why? Ours runs. We can actually play with it. All they can do it look at it. The mobile headquarters was part of a Third Army Headquarters recreated by living historians Saturday at Indian Spring Park, part of the Doris Miller Hometown Heroes Weekend. The weekend kicked off Thursday, Pearl Harbor Day, when more than 200 people watched the unveiling of a new bronze statue of Miller, the first African-American to win the Navy Cross. The 9-foot statue of the Waco-born World War II hero will eventually be positioned at the heart of the Doris Miller Memorial under construction at the riverside Bledsoe-Miller Park, which is expected to be dedicated in May. Millers service in the Navy and Pattons in the Army connect through more than a time in history, said Doreen Ravenscroft, a Cultural Arts of Waco official who has spearheaded the memorial effort. The estate of an Army private who served under Patton in Europe presented the largest donation for the Miller memorial, Ravenscroft said. The estate of William Travis Clarke Jr., who was honorably discharged in 1946 and served as the pharmacist for the Veterans Affairs hospital in Waco until he retired, donated $200,000 in 2015 for the memorial, she said. The details of every display up Saturday were well researched and cared for, Ravenscroft said as she walked through one of the tents. Part of the mission of the new memorial is to help educate, and she hopes a group will step up to keep the living history events going, she said. I think its something that can grow, she said. Im hoping this is something we can build and that the community would be interested in. Hair, a retired Houston police office, has spent the past three decades portraying Patton, a passion he discovered long before retirement. He has even written a book on Patton. Pattons tent-city command post consisted of 4,000 to 5,000 people regularly on the move, Hair said. His mobile unit included two phones. One went directly to General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the other went to General Omar Bradley. When we show these to kids, one of the things I was surprised by, especially the younger ones, they look at this (typewriter) and they recognize thats a keyboard and they want to know where the screen is, Hair said. But then they dont even know when World War II was fought or who it was fought with or why. They kind of grasp Pearl Harbor, but theyre not sure anymore. Among the displays Saturday, Victoria Owens, of College Station, educated guests on the often overlooked role that women played during past wars. Owens, part of the 139th Field Hospital Living Historians, has portrayed women in the armed forces over the past year. She started after watching the movie Pearl Harbor one too many times, she said. She quickly learned the move to be a poor portrayal of war, but it spurred her passion to learn more about the role women played, Owens said. I feel like women got kind of a raw deal when it comes to re-enacting. Im one of like three here in Texas that does nurse re-enacting in (Womens Army Corps), she said. During World War I, nurses were considered civilian employees, not members of the military, so if a nurse was killed overseas, their body did not have to be sent back to North America, she said. It literally took an act of Congress in 1941 to give them relative rank, Owens said. They received half the pay of the men, half the housing allowance, half of everything. Owens is an EMT and working to become a military flight medic. I kind of want to know the history of where it came from, she said. B.J. was born on September 4, 1931 in Union County, Arkansas. She was the daughter of Jesse and Bertha (Gulley) Slaughter. B.J. was a graduate of Texas Women's University in Denton. While in college she entered a sweetheart contest where she met her husband Bob Allen, who was serving as a judge. She married Bob on June 26, 1953 in El Dorado, Arkansas. It is said: behind every good man is a greater woman. B.J. was that woman. She traveled with Bob as he worked as an engineer for International Harvester in Chicago, and later for John Deere in Iowa. The couple moved back to Valley Mills in 1984. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church and supported her husband in many civic activities. Dora L. Brooks Aug. 5, 1929 - Nov. 5, 2017 On November 5th, 2017 our Mother, Grandmother and Great-grandmother, Dora Lee (Fields) Brooks, left this life for the next part of her journey. Her two sons and their families have lost a strong willed, inquisitive, loving and wise mother who always had time for everyone and loved life and the wonders it brought. Born in 1929, she eventually moved from a small farm in southwestern Colorado to Mosheim, Texas, where as small child with her three siblings, sisters, Catherine and Vivian and brother, Charlie, she learned the lessons of her generation and endured the joy and hardships that many shared during those years through WWII. Through marriage, raising children and ultimately working to support herself, Mom showed great will-power and individuality. Self-educated to a great degree, she became very competent in her profession and had many great experiences and friends in her professional life. She worked for a prominent electrical distributor in Waco, a contractor in Austin and ultimately at the University of New Mexico where she retired and then returned to Texas. Her life in New Mexico was treasured due to her many friends and the environment; loving the desert sunsets, landscape and beautiful mountains of the Albuquerque region. Dora also showed an extraordinary love for art and music. Above all, Mom was a determined survivor. Having had breast cancer and surviving that for over 45 years, she illustrated great character and a strong will to get the most from her life. Her sons, Phil and Cliff Bass, will always be grateful for having a mother that loved to see them excel in their chosen paths and encouraged them to keep working hard to be better fathers and friends to others. Granddaughters, Isabella Bass and Jessica Bass Pence, were constantly in her thoughts and prayers for them to become the best women they could be and live happy and fulfilled lives. Dora always put others first, had a smile for everyone and an interest in their perspective. While we will all miss her greatly and felt she left too soon, we're sure her spirit will be with us forever. Its no secret that I have disagreed with Congressman Bill Flores on any number of issues, especially on the process used and the votes cast for the failed health-care bills and most recently the tax-reform bill. But I have watched town halls and read Flores Facebook posts and articles in the Waco Trib, trying to understand why he thinks and votes as he does. I have never read or heard anything that sounded like something more than a canned rationale, usually just ideological lines without much reason or detail about why the votes would be good for this district. I dont think I have ever heard him say something about the legitimacy of an opposing position or, in any detail, why he thinks an opposing position is wrong. There is, then, no room for debating or arguing about facts. Thats clear in the format of his controversial telephone town halls. He gets to choose the questions. The answers often sound like lectures or scolds. Theres no back and forth, no giving a questioner a chance to feel like he or she was heard, much less respected for his or her position. Same song, different verse is the phrase that comes to mind. This refusal to acknowledge other positions also takes the form of removing responses to his Facebook posts. We can now know this, without taking the time to go back and look. Thanks to a new page, The Flores Filter, we can see which posts have been removed. Most of the ones removed are simply strong, differing positions. The conclusion is he and/or his staff are apparently afraid of any form of critique, public dissent or robust discussion. Tuesday this routine became outlandish. In one Facebook post, Flores tried to assert that the tax-reform bill went through the regular-order process in the two chambers. In fact, the House has held 41 tax hearings and the Senate has held 72. The timeline shows the regular order process. This is just false. Most meetings were behind closed doors involving one party. Most lawmakers did not have time to read the whole bill. The rush was on to secure a victory any victory. Read any article about the Reagan years process, such as the one in the conservative magazine Forbes by Len Burman, and youll see how different the process was. The process took two years. It was bipartisan from the get-go. The GOP did its homework and came to the table with a thoughtful proposal, not a hodgepodge of tricks thrown into some murky document. And the vote was bipartisan. My Facebook comment essentially said the same. It was removed. In a second post the same day, Flores reported the vote to send the bill to the Conference Committee with the Senate (a vote opposed at first by the few remaining GOP deficit hawks). He noted how hard he was working to overturn a House provision that would tax waived graduate student tuition, an idea that could decimate the dreams of Baylor University and Texas A&M University to become first-class research universities. This seemed to imply courage on his part when, in fact, I have no doubt that he can ill afford to lose his support in the Baylor and A&M communities. I suspect he has heard from them, loud and clear probably without the chance for him to argue a different position. Make no mistake, I think this is a terrible provision as well. But there are many other provisions in the two tax bills that are going to have as much, if not more, negative impact in this congressional district. The problem: Those questions and voices are neither heard nor recognized. In my frustration Tuesday evening, I posted a response: You have probably already had A&M and Baylor sitting on your doorstep, and if it went through, you would have the two biggest centers in your district out after you. It is not courage, it is self-preservation, and a cover for all the other awful stuff in the bill you agree with. That post got taken down. In fact, all of mine have been removed. I guess that means, at least, someone reads them. But if you want to hear the other side of the public debate with him, check out The Flores Filter for yourself. No one wants to fight a nuclear war. Not in North Korea, not in South Korea and not in the United States. And yet leaders in all three countries know that such a war may yet come if not by choice, then by mistake. The world survived tense moments on the Korean Peninsula in 1969, 1994 and 2010. Each time, the parties walked to the edge of danger, peered into the abyss, then stepped back. But what if one of them stumbled, slipped over the edge and, grasping for life, dragged the others down into the darkness? This is how that might happen, based on public statements, intelligence reports and blast-zone maps. MARCH 2019: This time, the North Koreans went too far. For years, North Korea had staged provocations and South Korea had lived with them. The two had come close to war before: In 2010, a North Korean torpedo detonated just below a South Korean navy corvette, cutting the ship in two and sending 46 sailors to their deaths. Later that year, when North Korean artillery barraged a South Korean island and killed four more people, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak reportedly ordered aircraft to deliver a counter-strike deep inside North Korea, but the U.S. military held him back. This time was different. No one thought President Moon Jae-in, a progressive known for his attempts to engage North Korea, would want blood. But nobody grasped how quickly accidental violence could take on its own urgent logic. In late February, the United States was moving military forces into the region for an annual joint exercise with the South code-named Foal Eagle. South Korea had canceled the 2018 exercise to avoid upsetting the North before the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. To make up for the lost year, the 2019 drill was larger than ever. When a South Korean airliner crossed over into North Korean airspace, a Northern air defense crew, already jumpy and anticipating the allied maneuvers in the Sea of Japan, mistook it for an American bomber. The crew fired a surface-to-air missile, sending the plane plunging into the ocean, killing all 250 people on board. The South Korean public was outraged. Within hours, Moon ordered South Korean missile units to strike the air defense battery, as well as select leadership targets throughout North Korea. Moons limited missile strike might have been enough by itself to start the nuclear war of 2019. South Korean and American officials are still trading accusations. But the surviving members of the Moon administration insist that things would have been fine had President Donald Trump not picked up his smartphone: LITTLE ROCKET MAN WONT BE AROUND MUCH LONGER! It was an idle Twitter threat Trump hadnt yet been briefed about the missile strike and it hadnt yet been discussed on Fox & Friends. But how would Kim Jong-un know that? To him, with U.S. forces lurking nearby and South Korean missiles slamming into his military sites, the meaning of Trumps tweet seemed clear: Trump was now using the shootdown as a pretext for the invasion he had wanted all along. Kims grandfather, Kim Il Sung, had begun North Koreas nuclear weapons program decades before. He had concluded, according to defectors who testified before the U.S. Congress, that Saddam Hussein had made a terrible mistake in 1991 to sit back and watch the United States build up a massive invasion force. His son and grandson had watched Hussein dragged out of a spider hole and later hanged following the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. They had seen videos of Moammar Gaddafis gruesome death in Libya at the hands of rebels supported by U.S. airpower. Each had made up his mind that, as soon as the United States moved to remove the Kim family from power, he would order the Strategic Rocket Force of the Korean Peoples Army to fire nuclear-armed short- and medium-range missiles at U.S. forces throughout South Korea and Japan. Kim Jong-un hoped that the sudden attack would inflict tens of thousands of casualties, blunting the invasion force and stunning a casualty-averse American public. It was a desperate gamble, but doing nothing meant certain death. And so, facing what he believed was a massive American military invasion, Kim gave the order. The thread of history winds along on twists of fate, like Archduke Ferdinands driver missing a turn. For years, North Korean missile units had rehearsed this very scenario, taking Scud and Nodong missiles into the field at night to practice firing them against U.S. forces in South Korea and Japan using nuclear weapons to slaughter the enemys troops as they slept in their barracks or as they arrived at ports and airfields. This time it wasnt an exercise. In 2017, the U.S. intelligence community had assessed that North Korea had as many as 60 nuclear warheads and was adding about 12 a year. That number was a little high: Kim did not have 72 nuclear weapons. But he did have 48. The Strategic Rocket Forces used 36 of them in the first wave. These missiles were largely extended-range Scuds and longer-range Rodongs. The launches looked exactly like the military exercises that the North Koreans had publicized year after year. The targets in South Korea and Japan were largely located in urban areas. Yongsan Garrison, for example, was in the heart of Seoul. The Port of Busan, another important target, was in South Koreas second-largest city. In Japan, many U.S. bases were concentrated in and around metropolitan Tokyo Yokota and Atsugi air bases, Yokosuka naval base. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, about 20 miles from Hiroshima, was also targeted. Some of these missiles broke up in flight, failing to reach their targets. U.S. officials would later claim that they were intercepted by American and South Korean missile defenses although most experts dispute that. Observers had long warned that the effectiveness of missile defense was being exaggerated. Trump had told reporters in 2017 that Japan and South Korea could easily shoot (North Korean missiles) out of the sky, just like we shot something out of the sky the other day in Saudi Arabia, as you saw. In fact, Saudi and U.S. officials knew that the defense had failed to intercept that warhead, which narrowly missed hitting an airport. Many North Korean missiles did miss their targets in South Korea and Japan by a few kilometers. But these were fission devices, with yields similar to the nuclear weapons that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the bombs that fell off target still inflicted massive damage on urban areas. The blasts leveled buildings and were followed by massive firestorms that consumed large areas of Seoul, Busan and Tokyo. For at least a few hours, the North Koreans were able to follow the nuclear attack with waves of conventional missiles and long-range artillery. People would remark on the heroism of the surviving firefighters trying desperately to extinguish the flames as missiles, some armed with chemical weapons, continued to rain down on them. The suffering would play out over many days, as survivors, afflicted with acute radiation sickness, picked their way through the rubble to die at home. As it had been in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the infrastructure to provide medical care was overwhelmed. North Korea fired a small number of its newer-generation Hwasong-12 missiles, also armed with nuclear weapons, at Okinawa and Guam. But at these ranges, the missiles are quite inaccurate only about half fall within a few miles of their targets. All of the missiles aimed at Okinawa and Guam dropped into the ocean. A few people were killed in the panic and car crashes that followed the blinding flashes of the atmospheric nuclear explosions, but U.S. military operations out of Kadena Air Base and Andersen Air Force Base continued. Kim did not, on that first evening, use nuclear weapons against the U.S. homeland. His strategy had been to halt the invasion and shock Trump. He knew he had 12 longer-range missiles in reserve, massive intercontinental ballistic missiles like the Hwasong-15 that North Korea began testing in late 2017 and that could deliver the Norths powerful new thermonuclear weapons. If Trump continued to threaten Kims hold on power, or if he and his family were to die at the hands of the Americans, Kim was determined to use these missiles to strike the United States mainland. He hoped the threat would cause Trump to come to his senses. But Kim had misread the American mood. With airfields in Okinawa and Guam still working, and long-range bombers perfectly capable of striking North Korea from domestic bases, the United States mounted a massive air operation to kill Kim and destroy any remaining ballistic missiles that could be found. This campaign was, to the surprise of many observers, a conventional air campaign U.S. officials had concluded that the use of nuclear weapons would undermine the message that the United States was attempting to liberate the people of North Korea. Of course, Kim didnt know that: Ongoing U.S. airstrikes left him almost completely cut off from communication with his military units, and in the fog of war, rumors about American nuclear strikes spread. So Kim gave the order to use the remaining nuclear-armed Hwasong-14 and Hwasong-15 ICBMs against targets in the United States two each against naval bases in Pearl Harbor and San Diego, along with leadership targets in New York, Washington, D.C., and in a personal touch a single missile aimed at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, to bring the total to a dozen. The targets looked very much like the ones shown on a large map of the United States erected in Kims office, in front of which he had authorized the development of a nuclear strike plan in 2013. The United States, of course, had a missile defense system in Alaska, along with a small number of interceptors in California. But the system was sized to deal with only 11 missiles. As it was, two-thirds of the North Korean missiles reached their targets. The remaining seven nuclear warheads landed in the United States. These missiles were no more accurate than the others but with 200-kiloton warheads, 10 times the power of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, close was enough to count in most cases. Pearl Harbor took a direct hit with a single weapon, while San Diego was lucky: Both of the missiles aimed there failed to arrive. It would be years before the U.S. government could provide an accounting of the toll. The Pentagon would make almost no effort to tally the enormous numbers of civilians killed in North Korea by the massive conventional air campaign. But in the end, officials concluded, nearly 2 million Americans, South Koreans and Japanese died in the completely avoidable nuclear war of 2019. As you may have noticed, Republicans recently passed a tax bill. As you may also have noticed, Democrats were aghast. Passing a bill like that on straight party lines! Using a parliamentary maneuver to push through something that could never have survived a filibuster! How could Republicans be so brazen, so immoral, so fiscally irresponsible? Those of us who remembered saying many of the same things during the passage of Obamacare had to beg them to stop. I mean, we could have been seriously hurt, laughing that hard. But when I pointed this out, the good citizens of Twitter informed me over and over that this was mere whataboutism. Whataboutism is defending some indefensible action by pointing to some equally indefensible action that was supported, or at least not condemned, by your opponents. (Whataboutism is usually defined as a version of the tu quoque fallacy, attacking the questioner rather than answering the question. Its also a red herring.) After lobbing a few What about you? grenades, you use the resulting chaos to duck uncomfortable questions. Its a favorite tactic of our president, whose campaign platform was What about her emails? Every time someone brings up the FBI investigation that is creeping closer to the highest echelons of his staff, he is fond of asking, apropos of nothing, why Hillary Clintons not in jail. Whataboutism is currently being deployed by defenders of Roy Moore, who correctly point out that Democrats were obsequiously tolerant of Bill Clintons sexual misadventures, without explaining how that in any way ameliorates the charges that Moore preyed on teenagers and groped a 14-year-old. My interlocutors are right about one thing: What about is a lousy defense of anything. If what Democrats did to get Obamacare passed was wrong or at least, severely inadvisable then it makes no sense to say Turnabout is fair play. Major legislation shouldnt be passed like this, not least because the parliamentary maneuvers tend to produce crippled bills with major unintended consequences. And so too with Bill Clintons sexual predation, or the Democratic defenses of same; they were awful, and no decent person should tolerate that behavior from an ally or an opponent. What about is not merely a poor rebuttal; it is not even a rebuttal. Hitler liked dogs and Ted Bundy volunteered at a suicide prevention hotline; these are not arguments against dogs or suicide prevention. Hypocrisy shouldnt be encouraged, of course. But neither should we try to drive the hypocrites from the public square: Theres no guarantee that well end up with more virtue; we might just end up with a lot more naked, unchecked vice. America will not become a better place if we all implicitly agree that declaring ourselves against sexual abuse, or for an orderly procedure for passing laws, is simply an empty public ritual which no longer has any meaningful content. However. We should be as judicious in our cries of whataboutism as we are about shouting What about . . . ? We should not allow Republicans to deflect attention from their problems by pointing to historical abuses on the other side of the aisle. But neither should we allow Democrats to avoid a necessary reckoning with their own past by pointing the finger at Republicans and shouting Whataboutism! What about Roy Moores pursuit of teenage girls? What about the Trump campaigns connections to Russia? What about the procedural insufficiencies and general fiscal recklessness of the tax bill? Yes, what about them? Arent they awful? But also, what about the way Democrats deflected questions about Bill Clintons behavior till it was clear that neither Clinton would ever be running for office again? What about Barack Obamas unwise uses of executive fiat? What about the hubris and the procedural games and the general indifference to our looming entitlement crisis that characterized the passage of Obamacare? When are you going to admit that you were wrong about these things and, more importantly, when are you going to promise not to support this sort of thing in the future? If you actually care about these things because they are bad in themselves, then you should want them to stop on your own side as much as the other. You should want to understand why you did not do enough to stop your own sides abuses in the past; you should want to do better next time. You should be prepared to meet a tu quoque not with complaints of whataboutism but with a calm, Yes, I was wrong, and heres how Ive changed. And then get the conversation back to the topic at hand. Which ought to be, not Whos worse? but How can we make society better? This will not be accomplished by deflecting accusations into an inquiry into the behavior of the accuser but nor will it be accomplished by allowing flagrant hypocrisy to pass unremarked. Allowing brazen hypocrites to demand social sanction (but only for others) does not uphold important principles; it destroys them. Both sides come to view principles merely as useful weapons and soon, they find that they are not useful even as weapons. As economist Garett Jones recently told me, Two wrongs dont make a right . . . but three wrongs make a social norm. And Do as I say, not as I do is not a principle that any decent society should endorse. While the Republican Congress remains paralyzed over how to repeal and replace Obamacare, recent activity among two of the health-care industrys largest players could signal a new approach to delivering access to affordable health care. CVS, the nations largest pharmacy chain, recently announced that it is acquiring Aetna, one of the nations largest insurers, for a reported $69 billion. This move has the potential to re-draw the lines of the U.S. health-care map and serve as a new model for the delivery and management of care. The proposed merger is a result of two major factors. Since 2015, when the insurance industry and millions of Americans began to feel the true impact of the Affordable Care Act in the form of massive financial losses and skyrocketing premiums, the health-care debate has centered on how to fix the current system. Hows that working out? In addition, the rumblings of Amazons potential entry into the drug wholesale market has reverberated within the health-care industry like the footsteps of a giant just over the horizon. The CVS-Aetna merger offers a paradigm shift in how to think about achieving the major goals of health care: access and affordability. In the proposed merger, CVS, with close to 10,000 stores in the United States (including outposts in the Waco area), could become a one-stop-shop for basic health-care services. This could include non-emergency services, preventative screenings and immunizations, prescription drugs and chronic disease counseling. Some of these services are already available at CVS through its Minute-Clinic store formats, found in approximately 10 percent of CVS locations. From Aetnas perspective, the merger makes it easier and potentially cheaper for its clients to access care as well as obtain prescription and over-the-counter medication. The combined power of CVS-Aetna could also help address one of the largest cost-drivers in the health-care system: prescription drugs. The two companies have been working together on this front for several years with CVSs Express Scripts, a Pharmacy Benefits Manager (PBM), providing prescription-drug services to Aetna members. Combined, the newly formed company could potentially be in a better negotiating position with the pharmaceutical industry to lower costs of many prescription drugs. A final factor underlying the proposed mergers impact on health care is the potential for streamlined sharing of patient data and information. Bettering communication between provider, patient and insurer could lead to lower costs and Aetna and CVS already possess sophisticated patient information platforms. If these platforms can be integrated so its easier and more efficient for patients to coordinate follow-up care or access preventative-care services, the cost implications could be dramatic. The Obama administration long resisted consolidation in the health-care market, blocking or scaling back previously proposed mergers between Aetna and Humana as well as Anthem and Cigna and Walgreens and Rite-Aid. (The latter transaction is expected in 2018.) It is unclear whether the current administration will be open to such a significant change in the health-care landscape. Given the inaction of Congress on health-care reform, however, the CVS-Aetna merger may be just what the doctor ordered. Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- When Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived at the Vienna airport this week, he was greeted on the tarmac by three deputy chiefs of mission from the U.S. embassies in Austria. Of the three U.S. missions in Austria the U.S. embassy to Austria, the embassy for Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the United Nations embassy there isnt a single ambassador leading the foreign offices 10 months into Tillersons term. The State Department has also not yet put forth a name to the White House for nomination to eventually serve as ambassador to the European Union, a major international organization that represents 28 European countries and the largest single market in the world with 200 million consumers. A White House official said they are still in the process of selecting an EU ambassador and it should be announced soon. There are 20 ambassadorship postings both political appointee and career still open across Europe. Tillerson's tensions with the White House have only exacerbated the slow pace of the White House's nominating and the Senate's confirming ambassadors, according to a State Department official and a White House Official. I think its a shame, former U.S. Ambassador to the EU Anthony Gardner told ABC News about the comparatively small number of ambassadors in Europe. Some of these posts are quite important, particularly now. A State Department spokesperson referred questions about political-appointee ambassador vacancies to the White House Office of Personnel, which submits its selections to the State Department. We have worked closely with the State Department to get ambassadorship positions filled and have had great success in getting some of the most qualified and credible individuals in place to serve as representatives for our country, White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said. Nomination process slowed to a crawl Before taking office, President Donald Trump told all politically-appointed ambassadors that they had to vacate the posts by Inauguration Day on Jan. 20 He made clear there would be no exemptions, according to The New York Times. This left a vacuum at embassies that has yet to be filled, as a third of ambassadors are political appointees. The process for nominating and confirming ambassadors is an arduous one that takes three months at best. It starts with the White House Office of Personnel submitting its list of nominees to the State Department, which sends back its approvals to the White House to then nominate the ambassadors to the Senate for confirmation. Nominees must go through a rigorous, FBI vetting process after theyve been approved by the White House. They must also go to ambassador school for training. For career ambassadors, the State Department offers selected names to the White House for approval, which are then put to the Senate for confirmation. But State Department sources say the process has slowed to a crawl. One White House official complained that Tillerson has been reluctant to approve ambassador recommendations from the White House because they are more ideologically aligned with Trump than the secretary of state's establishment positions. But a State Department official countered that the agency has been stifled by severe political filtering of potential career appointees. The official said the White House is shutting out nominees seen as too politically aligned with the Obama administration or too deeply involved in policy decisions that Trump has vowed to repeal, like the Iran nuclear deal. 'Working through the process' All of this has had a big impact on U.S. diplomacy, sources tell ABC News. The ambassador gets access thats hard to replicate. For sensitive negotiations, theres no alternative to having someone on the ground to have those conversations," said Gardner, the former envoy to the EU who, before Trump took office, was working on sensitive issues like privacy shields and trade. At Tillersons first stop in Brussels, he gave a pep talk to U.S. diplomats based in Belgium working in the NATO, European Union and Belgian missions. At the residence for the U.S. ambassador to Belgium, where no ambassador is currently living, Tillerson noted the elephant in the room. "We're still awaiting a lot of nominees to clear the processes and be confirmed," Tillerson said. "I get a little criticism for that from time to time." He added, "The State Department is not missing a beat because we're still working through the process. Tillerson was introduced by NATO Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchinson, the only political appointee carrying out her term from the three embassies in Belgium. After Brussels, he stopped at a U.S. Air Force base in Germany to be briefed for his upcoming trip to Africa in 2018. But again, he was not greeted by an ambassador. In Germany, there is a nominee for ambassador, Richard Grenell, who is awaiting Senate confirmation. U.S. Ambassador to France Jamie McCourt, a businesswoman from California, was confirmed by the Senate in November along with four other ambassadors to European countries including Spain, Croatia, Switzerland and Denmark. U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Woody Johnson was confirmed in August. In addition, Wess Mitchell was recently confirmed as the assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs. Hes based in Washington, D.C. A sharp contrast The empty ambassador posts in Europe contrast sharply with the status of similar positions in other parts of the world. Trump was quick to name his ambassadors to Israel and China, two countries he made a priority on the campaign trail. He said he could solve Middle East peace and fix Chinas currency manipulation. Traditionally, the European Union has been a close ally of the U.S. But Trump in July tweeted his support for the U.K. breaking away from the EU. Working on major Trade Deal with the United Kingdom. Could be very big & exciting. JOBS! The E.U. is very protectionist with the U.S. STOP! Trump tweeted. Brexiteer and anti-EU politician Nigel Farage has been a friend and surrogate for Trump with a similar populist message. A White House official said the timing of ambassador appointments has nothing to do with priority, but more to do with the length of the background check process and the acceptance of the nominee by the host country. And, one senior EU diplomat said vacancies in U.S. embassies are the not the most important concerns in dealing with the new administration. It doesnt matter who the ambassadors are, its the policy, the diplomat said. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Aerial surveys by the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies has revealed only the southern third of the Great Barrier Reef has escaped unscathed from coral bleaching. Credit:AAP "Coral reefs could be gone by the end of this century," Chris Langdon, professor of Marine Biology and Ecology at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, told Attenborough. "And the cause of this? Carbon dioxide. The more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the more acidic the ocean becomes," said Attenborough, raising the twin threat - acidification, along with warmer oceans - that is being triggered by changing the chemistry of the atmosphere. Healthy coral at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. Credit:Tory Chase "Evidence points to the burning of fossil fuels as the primary cause for these increasing levels of carbon dioxide. "And this is man-made beyond question?" Attenborough asked Langdon. Dwarf minke whales on the Great Barrier Reef. Credit:Dean Miller "Beyond question," replied Langdon. But he said the death of the reefs could be averted by switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources like solar and wind. The coalition, under both Malcolm Turnbull and his predecessor Tony Abbott, have launched ideological attacks on the former Labor government's marine parks plan and renewable energy target. It has scaled back the 2020 renewable energy target and is preparing to reduce the area of Australia's marine parks by almost half. Some 1,200 scientists have called on the government to reconsider, saying the cuts to the parks are a "retrograde step." Attenborough said the creation of more marine parks, which currently cover just one per cent of the ocean, were "vital" to protecting reefs from dying. Yet despite the dire scenes depicted in his documentary, Attenborough remained hopeful. "We can turn things around, we've done so once before," he said. Attenborough cited the 1986 agreement to end commercial whaling, which he said had been instrumental in the recovery of whale species, despite some countries such as Japan continuing to hunt the creatures. Plastic pollution entering dolphin tissue Attenborough devoted much of the program to the eight million tonnes of plastic that ends up in the world's oceans annually. The Blue Planet II team said they found plastic in every single ocean they filmed, "even in the most remote locations". The program showed fish entangled in nets of plastic, a rice packet spewed up by an albatross in Georgia, and another bird killed by a plastic toothpick that had pierced its stomach. "Once in the ocean plastics break down into tiny fragments micro fragments," said Attenborough. He said these, combined with the industrial chemicals that end up in the ocean, caused a "potentially toxic soup." Small organisms ingested the micro plastics and sent the toxins right through the oceanic food chain, he said. "Dolphins are at the top of this food and it's now thought that pollutants may be building up in their tissues to such a degree that a mother's contaminated milk could kill her calf," he said. He said scientific autopsies of dolphin calves found dead off the coast of the United States had been performed. Attenborough said the problem "must be tackled for the sake of all life in the ocean." The program also showed how clown fish make noises to protect themselves from predators. Clown fish which become separated from their families, as famously depicted in the Pixar blockbuster animation film Finding Nemo, can use noises to find their way back to their anemones. But those noises can be drowned out by fishing boat engines roaring overhead. "We're only now beginning to realise what an impact our noise is having on the ocean," said Attenborough. Australia's response Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg defended the coalition's record on the reef and said it was "rightly valued by the Australian and international community as a place of intrinsic beauty and incredible biodiversity." But he did not address the coalition's plan to cut back the marine parks and the amount of renewable energy, instead attacking Labor's management of the reef when they were in power. "After six years of Labor mismanagement, the Great Barrier Reef was on the World Heritage Committee's watch list to be 'in-danger,' with five massive dredge disposal projects in the marine park planned," he said. "The Coalition took unprecedented action to fix Labor's mess ending all five dredge disposal plans as well as banning all future capital dredge disposal projects in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. "We also developed a comprehensive Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan setting out our strategy to manage, protect and improve the Reef for future generations." "As a result of the Coalition's actions, the World Heritage Committee removed Australia from the 'in-danger' watch list, and praised Australia as a global role model for reef management. "The Coalition has a comprehensive set of policies to invest in, and protect, the Reef having already invested $461 million in reef funding as part of a broader $2 billion ten-year plan by Australian governments focussed on water quality, reducing run off and eradicating crown-of-thorns starfish." "Just this week we announced a world leading research project which will mix warmer surface water with cooler waters from the deep in an effort to reduce the impacts of thermal stress on the Great Barrier Reef to mitigate coral bleaching events. "This is on the back of announcement last week of a trial on the Great Barrier to identify highly resilient reefs and pilot 're-seeding' to restore coral." British considering plastic tax Like millions of Britons, the British Environment Secretary Michael Gove is a fan of the series. Gove said he was "haunted" by episode four called Big Blue. He vowed the Conservative government would "work urgently to identify further action." "The imperative to do more to tackle plastic in our oceans is clear," he said. "We must act." A man has died after crashing into a wall in Tuart Hill in a busy Sunday for emergency services in Perth. Major Crash officers are investigating the deadly turn of events which occurred after the male driver smashed into a wall on Royal Street just after 5pm. A car flipped onto its roof following a collision in Canning Vale. Credit:Heather McNeill. Fire crews were called to the wreckage in an attempt to free the driver however, WAtoday understands he passed away from his injuries.. Police blocked the road surrounding the crash and urged motorists to avoid the area. Cairo/Gaza: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not meet US Vice President Mike Pence during Pence's visit to the region this month in a snub over the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Violence erupted for a third day in Gaza in response to President Donald Trump's announcement on Wednesday, which overturned decades of US policy towards the Middle East. A Palestinian protester in Ramallah flies Palestinian flags during clashes with Israeli troops. Credit:AP Israeli air strikes killed two Palestinian gunmen on Saturday after militants fired rockets from the enclave into Israel on Friday, which had been declared a "day of rage" by Palestinian factions. Trump's recognition of Jerusalem 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. As a rising China seeks a bigger say in how global rules are shaped, to match its weight as the world's second largest economy, no area is as vexed or as crucial as the internet. Just how vexed was on display this week as senior executives of the United States' biggest technology companies shared the limelight at China's World Internet Conference with the Communist Party's top authoritarian theorist, Wang Huning. Google and Facebook are banned in China, and Microsoft's Skype was recently blocked. Yet the companies got star billing at a conference where government and police speakers from Iran, Russia and Turkey also compared notes on how to restrict the free flow of information. So why were Google president Sundar Pichai and Facebook vice-president Vaughan Smith there? Simply because the Internet's old order wants access to the world's biggest e-commerce market 700 million Chinese with smartphones. * PermaKat Eleonora Rosati received the 2022 Adepi Award * PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the World Intellectual Property Review's "Influential Women in IP" of 2020. * PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2018. * IPKat founder and Blogmeister Emeritus Jeremy Phillips listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2005, 2011, 2013, and 2014. * Recommended by the European Patent Office as reading material for candidates for the European Qualifying Examinations, 2013. * Listed as "Top Legal Blog" in The Times Online, March 2011. 2010 ABA Journal 100. * One of the only two non-US blogs listed in the Blawg100. * Court Reporter Top Copyright Blog award winner, November 2010. * Number 1 in the 2010 Top Copyright Blog list compiled by the Copyright Litigation Blog, July 2010. * Selected by the United States Library of Congress for inclusion in its historic collections of Internet materials related to Legal Blawgs as of 2010. * Top Patent Blog poll 2009: 3rd out of 50 in the "Favourite Patent Blog" poll and 2nd out of 50 in the "Most-read" poll. Blog of the Year, 20 August 2008. * ComputerWeekly IT Law and Governance, 20 August 2008. 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. Up Next: Indiana (6-2, 0-1) at No. 1 Penn State (4-0, 0-0) #GoIU Indiana's wrestling team sparked their Big Ten dual meet season on Sunday afternoon inside Tim Beyerle Memorial Gymnasium at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, facing No. 2/2 Ohio State on a neutral mat. The Hoosiers (6-2, 0-1) picked up a trio of bout wins but fell 26-9 to the Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0).Following junior Elijah Oliver's (125) decision win to open the meet, the Buckeyes grabbed five straight bout winstwo by one-point decisionsto gain an insurmountable lead. Redshirt sophomore Devin Skatzka (174) and redshirt junior Fletcher Miller (285) collected decision victories to help the Hoosiers split the final four bouts.Oliver (13-6) earned his 60career victory by taking a 9-5 decision over Brakan Mead (6-8) in the first bout of the day. Leading 4-3 after two periods, IU's two-time NCAA qualifier scored two takedowns in the final period to secure a 1-0 start to Big Ten dual season and his first career win over a Buckeye grappler. Oliver is now 6-2 this season in dual meets and continues a five-match winning streak.Skatzka (12-2) didn't find a rematch with No. 3 Bo Jordan but took care of business in his 8-5 decision victory over Fritz Schierl (16-3). Skatzka gained a 4-0 lead in the first period on a takedown and a two-point tilt. He continued in the second and built a 7-1 lead after five minutes, holding off Schierl's comeback effort in the final period. The 2017 NCAA qualifier remains unbeaten in dual meets (5-0) this season with a +24 team point differential.Miller (9-3) ended the meet with a dramatic 3-1 victory against Kevin Snyder (12-6), his second career Big Ten dual win. The big guys were tied late at 1-1 on their respective escape chances, but Miller swung around for the bout's only takedown and the positive result.13-ranked redshirt junior Cole Weaver (141) saw his seven-match win streak snapped in a loss to No. 6 Joey McKenna (2-0). Weaver (14-3) couldn't break McKenna's defense and allowed the Buckeye to build a 6-1 first period lead on two takedowns and two back points.Redshirt junior Bryce Martin (165) dropped an airtight 3-2 decision to Cody Burcher (1-0) after the midpoint. The bout was textbook for Martin's (12-5) career in terms of the close score line and its bizarre circumstances, as the match called for an injury timeout just as Martin appeared to be going for a fall. The ensuing official review determined that no points were scored before the stoppage, and Burcher's third-period takedown gave the Buckeyes their fifth consecutive win.125: Elijah Oliver (IU) dec. Brakan Mead (OSU), 9-5 // IU 3-0 OSU133: #4 Luke Pletcher (OSU) dec. Garrett Pepple (IU), 4-3 // IU 3-3 OSU141: #6 Joey McKenna (OSU) dec. #13 Cole Weaver, 8-2 // OSU 6-3 IU149: #5 Ke-Shawn Hayes (OSU) tech. fall Davey Tunon (IU), 16-0 (2:58) // OSU 11-3 IU157: #5 Micah Jordan (OSU) maj. dec. Jake Danishek (IU), 14-4 // OSU 15-3 IU165: Cody Burcher (OSU) dec. Bryce Martin (IU), 3-2 // OSU 18-3 IU174: Devin Skatzka (IU) dec. Fritz Schierl (IU), 8-5 // OSU 18-6 IU184: #2 Myles Martin (OSU) maj. dec. Norman Conley (IU), 16-5 // OSU 22-6 IU197: #1 Kollin Moore (OSU) maj. dec. Spencer Irick (IU), 14-5 // OSU 26-6 IU285: Fletcher Miller (IU) dec. Kevin Snyder (OSU), 3-1 // OSU 26-9 IUSunday, Dec. 17 2:00 p.m. ET Rec Hall University Park, Pa.The Hoosiers continue their 30-day stretch of three top-10 conference dual opponents next Sunday with the nation's best, unbeaten Penn State. The crowd at Rec Hall provides one of the most electric wrestling environments in the country, and they'll be on full display for a national audience on the Big Ten Network.Indiana faces Penn State's home crowd and the Nittany Lions' five defending NCAA Champions: No. 1 Zain Retherford (149), No. 1 Jason Nolf (157), No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph (165), No. 2 Mark Hall (174), and No. 1 Bo Nickal (184).Follow Indiana Wrestling on Facebook Twitter , and Instagram By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 10, 2017 | 01:16 PM | GRAVES COUNTY, KY Two traffic stops in Graves County Saturday led to two drug arrests. According to Graves County Sheriff Dewayne Redmon, a deputy conducted a traffic stop for a seat belt violation. During the stop, 52-year-old Sonya Hobbs, of Mayfield, was found in possession of methamphetamine and marijuana. Hobbs was arrested and charged with possession of meth, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was lodged in the Graves County Jail. Later that same day, a deputy conducted another traffic stop. During the stop, the driver, 30-year-old Autumn Hunter, of Mayfield, reportedly admitted to ingesting methamphetamine prior to the stop. A search of the vehicle and Hunter revealed meth, four different kinds of controlled medications for which she had no prescriptions, digital scales and other items of drug paraphernalia. Hunter was arrested and charged with DUI, trafficking methamphetamine, possession of controlled substance, prescriptions not in the proper container, possession of drug paraphernalia, careless driving, operating on a suspended operator's license and no insurance. She was lodged in the Graves County Jail. By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 09, 2017 | 02:36 PM | FRANKFORT, KY With the possibility of wintery weather moving into the state this weekend, the Kentucky State Police (KSP) is cautioning motorists to be prepared for hazardous driving conditions. "Winter driving can present formidable challenges including sleet, snow, slick roads, freezing temperatures and reduced visibility," says KSP spokesman Sergeant Josh Lawson. "It can be a deadly combination if you're not prepared." KSP reported that slippery roads were the contributing factor in 12,412 crashes and 51 highway deaths in 2016. Lawson says the agency relies heavily on its social media platforms to get pertinent information to citizens when winter weather hits the Commonwealth. "We have had great success using Twitter, Facebook and the KSP Mobile App to share winter weather updates," notes Lawson. "We encourage drivers to download our free mobile app so they will have real time traffic updates when planning winter travel." To meet the challenges of the upcoming winter driving season, KSP reminds drivers to plan ahead, make sure all passengers are properly restrained, drive defensively and ensure their vehicle is properly maintained to handle the effects of cold temperatures Other safe winter travel tips include: Check road and weather conditions before you leave by visiting https://transportation.ky.gov/sites/GoKY/home an online traffic, roadway information and weather portal operated by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. It's user friendly and offers real-time information that is updated every two minutes. (Refrain from calling KSP posts or 911 for road or weather conditions due to high call volume.) Reduce speed in wintery conditions. Leave early allow more travel time; expect delays. Increase distance between vehicles the ability to stop is significantly affected on snow covered or icy roadways. Clear all windows on your vehicle prior to travel having unobstructed vision is vital to avoid running off of the road or having a collision. Ensure your windshield washer fluid is full and that you use an anti-ice solution. Turn on your vehicle's headlamps. Remove any dirt, mud or snow. Use caution on bridges and overpasses as they are susceptible to freezing before roadways. Avoid using cruise control which can cause a vehicle's wheels to continue turning on a slippery surface when speed needs to be decreased. Ensure your vehicle has a full tank of gas in the event you are stranded for an extended period of time. Charge your cellular phone prior to departure. Always dress warmly and keep a blanket in the vehicle. Carry a winter survival kit that includes items such as blankets, a first-aid kit, a can and waterproof matches (to melt snow for water), windshield scraper, booster cables, road maps, tool kit, bag of sand or cat litter (to pour on ice or snow for added traction), collapsible shovel, flashlight and extra batteries. KSP is also requesting travelers to observe for stranded motorists. If you see or suspect that someone is stranded, contact KSP at 1-800-222-5555. If you get stranded, staying in your vehicle is often the safest choice, says Lawson, who offers these added tips: Tie a brightly colored cloth to the antenna as a signal to rescuers. Move anything you need from the trunk into the passenger area. Wrap your entire body, including your head, in blankets, or extra clothing. Stay awake. You will be less vulnerable to cold-related health problems. Run the motor (and heater) for about 10 minutes per hour, opening one window slightly to let air in. Make sure that snow is not blocking the exhaust pipe as this will reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. As you sit, keep moving your arms and legs to improve your circulation and stay warmer. Do not eat un-melted snow. It will lower your body temperature. "We ask everyone to please remember to be patient," says Lawson. "Bad weather often produces an unusually high volume of requests for service. Plus, the capabilities of first responders are limited, which increases response time." By MSU Public Relations Dec. 09, 2017 | 01:37 PM | MURRAY, KY University president Dr. Robert Davies presided over the ceremony. "By you being here today, you believe in this great University and utilize the opportunities that you were afforded," Davies said. "Your future is vast and exciting as new options abound, and you have the confidence, the skills and talents to seize these new opportunities afforded to you. You are prepared because of your Murray State experience and the knowledge and insights you have gained." During the commencement service, Elaina Barnett and Caleb Brannon, the outstanding seniors for fall 2017, delivered valedictions addressing their fellow graduates. Barnett graduated with a bachelor's degree in studio art, while Brannon graduated with a bachelor's degree in agribusiness. Both individuals graduated summa cum laude. Also featured during the ceremony was the formal Presentation of Colors by the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) from Paducah Tilghman High School. Distinguished Professor John Dressler, from the department of music, served as the ceremony's mace-bearer. Davies, along with Provost Mark Arant, administered the conferring of degrees. On Saturday, Murray State University celebrated its December 2017 commencement ceremony in the CFSB Center. During the program, 855 degrees were conferred to students representing 23 states and 16 countries.Among the graduates were 158 who graduated with honors, and 16 who completed the university's inaugural doctoral program in educational leadership. Williamson, WV (25661) Today A mix of clouds and sun. Temps nearly steady in the mid to upper 30s. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Mainly clear skies. Low near 30F. Winds light and variable. Residents of a north Lincoln duplex are temporarily displaced after a fire Saturday night caused by too many Christmas lights, officials said. The duplex fire started around 9 p.m. on the 2600 block of North Fifth Street, Battalion Chief Jim Bopp said. Residents from both sides of the duplex made it out safely before firefighters arrived. Initially, some residents told firefighters their stove could have contribute to the flames, Bopp said. Firefighters found most of the fire to be coming from the garage, however. Fire Inspector Ken Hilger on Sunday said too many Christmas lights plugged into one circuit in the garage caused friction and led to nearby materials catching on fire. The building suffered about $50,000 in structural damage and another $50,000 of lost contents, Hilger said. The damage was contained to one side of the duplex. 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. Here is the tweet I sent to Al Franken Wednesday night: @SenFranken I am a conservative Republican known as the Sarah Palin of Philadelphia. I urge you not to resign. Sexual assault is real, and as an asylum practitioner I know that better than anyone. Your resignation would diminish the harm that real victims suffer. Dont do it. He obviously didnt listen. I suppose one lonely tweet from the Sarah Palin of Philadelphia paled in comparison to his Senate colleagues, particularly the ones who have ovaries and daughters and D after their names. Franken is the latest, but clearly not the last, piece of road kill on the hashtag highway, a dangerous and very slippery stretch of road where badly behaved men go to die. Rest In Perfidy. The senator from Minnesota resigned Thursday after having been pushed to exit from the stage by his own tribe, liberals who showed that they were just as capable of eating their own as they are of going after Trump and his motley crew. In a way, that says something good about their equal-opportunity opposition. Im as conservative as they come, but I look at this from an entirely different perspective. As Ive written before, this #MeToo moment has gotten unwieldy and unforgiving, mixing all sorts of conduct together and retroactively stigmatizing acts that until the social media age were considered boorish and brutish but not capital offenses. Now, the white gloves are off, and women have decided that it is time for payback in full. I know that many people disagree with me, and take the position that anything that makes a woman feel uncomfortable should not be sanctioned. The bar for social shunning has been lowered to the point where men are now afraid to shake a womans hand. Some conservatives are thrilled about whats happening to Franken and others like him and to see the resurrected female ghosts of the Clinton era. I cant really blame my tribe for this tendency to exult, because weve been tarred and feathered as the people who hate women and want to use their bodies as incubators for an unlimited supply of babies, who can be turned into conservative foot soldiers. But Im angry that the people who should see through the dangers of agitprop and exaggeration are themselves falling victim to it because, now, the other guys bull is getting gored. Out the window fly the values and principles we supposedly hold dear, because a liberal is being vilified. I see the newsfeeds on Facebook and Twitter and wonder what happened to the idea of personal responsibility and due process. Im not denying that women have been abused and assaulted. Again, I have intimate knowledge of women who have been bruised, bloodied and bludgeoned. It happened, it still happens and it will continue to happen unless we make sure that the perpetrators are arrested and convicted. But an old man in a wheelchair copping a feel is not a predator. An 80-year-old actor who made lascivious comments four decades ago to an intern is not a predator. A senator who, as a comic, played fast and loose with his female colleagues is not a predator. He was a smarmy, supercilious comic who liked to ridicule conservatives, and hes a person who regularly looks down his nose at those who dont share his progressive ideals. (Although I agree that sloppy kisses are probably on the outer edge of those accepted ideals). I put him in the hes too smart for us category. But he is not a sexual predator. There are too many real predators out there, and we make it easier for them to blend into the background when we shine a spotlight on the famous men who transgress. Writer Lisa DePaulo said as much when I interviewed her on my radio show last week. She made the excellent point that its the waitress, the nurse, the office intern that we need to worry about, not the woman who can hire Gloria Allred for a photo op. Shes right. Trying to hook the big, shiny, wriggling marlins for a public feast helps us to ignore all the other predators in the sea. This #MeToo moment is an exercise in revenge, not redemption. Im sorry Franken folded. President Donald Trump thinks lots of people should be investigated for wrongdoing. Just not him. Hillary Clinton above all. More than a year after she lost the presidential election, shes still Trumps favorite target -- a rhetorical security blanket he returns to over and over. Everybody is asking why the Justice Department (and FBI) isnt looking into all of the dishonesty going on with Crooked Hillary and the Dems, the president tweeted last month. But Clinton has plenty of company, beginning with her husband, Bill Clinton, her former campaign manager, John Podesta, former President Obama and almost everyone else in the Democratic Party. In Congress, Trump has called for investigations of Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York, Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California -- mostly, it seems, for having the effrontery to criticize him. He has demanded inquests into FBI leakers, CIA leakers and the office of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who recently fired an FBI official for sending text messages disparaging Trump. (Big stuff. Deep state, the president tweeted.) Hes said someone should look more closely at the media: Fake News Networks, CNN, ABC, NBC -- and MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, for the death of an intern in his congressional office 16 years ago. (The medical examiner said she died of natural causes.) He wants to know the real reason so many people turn out for protests against his administrations policies. Someone should look into who paid for the small organized rallies yesterday, he tweeted last spring. And hes issued a warning to the 16 women who have publicly accused him of sexual misconduct. All of these liars will be sued after the election is over, Trump promised last October. (Guess what? He has not sued any of them.) This is Trumps special version of whataboutism, the juvenile debating trick of deflecting accusations by charging that your opponents are doing the same thing, only worse. Trump has taken the tried-and-true device to extremes of both quantity and quality. By quality, I mean chutzpah: Not only are his opponents guilty of endless crimes, the president tweeted, I should be given (an) apology! He is the king of whataboutism. Some of his tweets even use the telltale phrase. What about all of the Clinton ties to Russia? he demanded in July. The pattern is familiar to Tony Schwartz, who wrote Trumps 1987 autobiography, Art of the Deal. Trumps first move in the face of criticism has always been to assume the role of victim, Schwartz wrote in the Washington Post this week. He feels justified in lashing back at his perceived accusers . In Trumps mind, he is only doing whats required to win. This tendency would all be more dangerous if the president, with powerful investigative agencies at his command, could act on his impulses. So far, he hasnt had much luck -- at least as far as we know. Granted, some of the inquests Trump wants are in progress. The Justice Department inspector general, for example, is looking into the FBIs 2016 investigation of the Clinton campaign. But lawyers say the probe has been proceeding at a normal pace; its expected to wrap up some time next year. And, early in Trumps tenure, he launched an independent commission to determine whether millions of fraudulent votes were cast in 2016. But that panel, led by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, has held exactly two meetings, run into resistance from state officials and issued no findings. Trumps appointees, including Attorney Gen. Jeff Sessions and White House chief of staff John Kelly, appear to be acting as institutional brakes. Notably, when Republicans in Congress asked Sessions to consider appointing a special counsel to investigate the Clinton Foundation and the controversial sale of a uranium company to Russia, the attorney general bucked their proposal. Inaction has made Trump unhappy. He was hoping he could order up investigations any time he liked. You know the saddest thing, because Im the president of the United States, I am not supposed to be involved with the Justice Department, he told a Washington radio station last month. I am not supposed to be involved with the FBI. Im not supposed to be doing the kinds of things that I would love to be doing. And Im very frustrated by it. Most earlier presidents learned to live with those strictures. Maybe Trump should stop raging at his enemies and think about his most successful predecessors -- the ones hed like to be compared to. Since 2009, the unemployment rate in Dodge County has fallen steadily. Today, Help Wanted signs line downtown and industrial areas in communities across the county. A 2015 report from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development reported that businesses will compete not only with each other for workers with similar skills, but also with employees of other disciplines. This highlights the versatility and cross-discipline emphasis in todays workforce with 91 percent of millennials expecting to stay in a job for less than three years, according to the Future Workplace Multiple Generations @ Work survey of 1,189 employees and 150 managers. Mindful of this, work sites throughout Dodge County are partnering with Blue Zones Project to not only attract, but also maintain high-quality, talented applicants and do their part to improve the well-being of their employees. Blue Zones Project, a community-wide well-being initiative, focuses on impacting the people, places and policy so that healthy choices are easier for everyone. Worksites in Dodge County are making healthier choices easier by promoting the Blue Zones Project Power 9 principles which include moving naturally, having the right outlook, eating wisely and connecting with others. To date, 26 worksites in Dodge County have registered with Blue Zones Project and three have become a Blue Zones Project Approved worksite. Each of these employers have demonstrated leadership in improving the lives of their employees as well as the bottom line of the business. The first worksite to achieve this designation was Dodge Countys project sponsor, Beaver Dam Community Hospital. As one of the countys largest employers and with a firsthand knowledge of the importance of well-being for individual health, BDCH incentivized healthy choices through its employee wellness team. Participating in challenges such as the holiday Maintain, Dont Gain Challenge adds some healthy competition to the workplace. Horicon Bank, with branches located in three of the four Blue Zones Project demonstration communities in Dodge County, was also enthusiastic about improving employee well-being. Employees had the opportunity to participate in Purpose Workshops during work hours, helping them to identify their gifts and individual purpose so that they can live and work with greater meaning and direction. Inter-Quest, a strong community leader since its start in 1997, encourages employees to move naturally and connect with one another by participating in Walking Moais, utilizing sit-to-stand desks, and enjoying monthly plant-slant employee lunches. Recently, the Dodge County Board of Supervisors voted in support of leading through example, allowing for participation in Blue Zones Project by Dodge County as a worksite benefiting all county employees. Kurt Klomberg, Dodge County District Attorney and Co-Chair of the Blue Zones Project Dodge County Worksite Committee, said, I am very proud of our countys constant commitment to being a leader in innovations to improve our service to the citizens. Seeking a Blue Zones Project worksite designation for the county is just another demonstration of that commitment. Both Dodge County and Clearview Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility have registered as Blue Zones Project worksites and have started taking steps to improve employee well-being. Dodge County looks forward to participating in the Blue Zones Project work site initiative, Dodge County Administrator James Mielke said. The worksite designation will enhance and build upon the successful employee-led wellness program. To find out if a worksite is partnering with Blue Zones Project, visit dodgecounty.bluezonesproject.com, call 920-212-8511 or e-mail bluezonesprojectdodgecounty@sharecare.com. When President Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital Wednesday the first American president ever to do so he claimed he was abandoning the failed strategies of the past that were unable to deliver peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Yet the president outlined no new strategy for peace that would include his new position on Jerusalem. Indeed, his move along with his directive to the State Department to begin preparations to move the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv seemed more oriented toward pleasing his evangelical base (and key Republican donor Sheldon Adelson) than achieving peace. Moreover, it undermines any slim chance First-Son-in-Law Jared Kushner, along with Trump lawyer David Greenblatt who have been traversing the Mideast for months in order to devise a new peace plan will produce the ultimate deal Trump has requested. To understand why, lets take a look at what the speech did and didnt say. The president claimed he was only recognizing reality that Jerusalem is Israels capital. And indeed, western Jerusalem was the Jewish states capital from the time of its inception, just as ancient Jerusalem was the capital of the Jewish people in the biblical era, something many Palestinians deny. But what the president didnt say and one reason why no country that recognizes Israel also recognizes Jerusalem as its capital is that the citys eastern sector consists mainly of Arab areas that were annexed after the 1967 war between Israel and the Arabs. Indeed, an estimated 40 percent of Jerusalems residents do not have Israeli citizenship because they are Palestinians. The Palestinians also want Jerusalem to be the capital of their state meaning if there ever were peace, Jerusalem would have to be divided. What the president also didnt say is that the Old City of Jerusalem (which Israel also regained after the 1967 war) is territory that is hotly contested, because it contains sites holy to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. That is why the issue of who controls Jerusalems sovereignty is so sensitive, and must be negotiated in any peace talks. It is also why any hint that Trump supports permanent Israeli sovereignty over Muslim holy places can set off violence in the Islamic world. No wonder Trumps CIA director and secretaries of state and defense all opposed Trumps making this speech now. True, the president stated near the end of his speech that he was not taking a position on the specific Jerusalem boundaries that Israel would retain if peace were negotiated. He said the resolution of contested borders was up to the parties involved. And he added that the United States would support a two-state solution if agreed to by both sides. But those last comments must be taken with more than a grain of salt. Israel is constructing settlements in Palestinian areas around the edges of Jerusalem that have almost sealed the city off from the Palestinian population of the West Bank. This will make it nearly impossible to imagine any two-state solution that would permit Palestinians to establish their capital within the citys boundaries. Those Jewish settlements and their clear purpose have been a source of friction with previous Democratic and Republican administrations. But the word settlement never appeared in Trumps speech. Indeed, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Trumps lawyer friend David Friedman (the third member of the Kushner-Greenblatt team), is avidly pro-settlement. Friedman says West Bank settlements are a part of Israel. So to endorse Jerusalem as Israels capital, while ignoring the complex question of its Arab population, or the settlement ring around the city, is disingenuous. Israeli officials have already made clear they see Trumps speech as vindicating their positions. The speech eliminated any minimal prospect, if such still existed, that Trump or Kushner could be seen as impartial negotiators. Full stop. Already rumors are circulating in the Israeli and Arab press that the Kushner plan will tilt heavily toward Israel, proposing a Palestinian state with limited sovereignty over noncontiguous parts of the West Bank without East Jerusalem as its capital. This is a proposal that has little meaning and will never fly. It may be that in an era of Mideast chaos there is no strategy that can deliver a two-state solution. And it may be that there are no Israeli or Arab leaders able or willing to deal at this time. In that case, the best option for the United States would be to promote a strategy that left open a chance for two states after the Mideast calms down. But Trumps Jerusalem speech far from delivering a new approach closes the door to negotiations in the near term or the long term. It advances a one-state solution something Trump has said he wouldnt mind where Palestinians will outnumber Jews in the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean. At that point, Israel will have to decide whether to give them citizenship or rule over a disenfranchised majority. Trump called his speech very fresh thinking. That it is not. The Journal Times welcomes news about promotions, appointments, professional organization elections, certifications, and professional honors. There is no charge for this service. Because of space constraints, we reserve the right to edit for length or clarity. The deadline for Names and Faces items is 3 p.m. Thursday of each week. Photos may accompany notices of new hires and promotions. Send your items to Sharon Knox at: sknox@journaltimes.com or by mail: Names and Faces, The Journal Times, 212 Fourth St., Racine, WI 53403. Send your items to Michael Burke at: mburke@journaltimes.com, or to Sharon Knox at: sknox@journaltimes.com, or fax them to 262-631-1780. Please provide a contact name and phone number in case we have questions. Whether one agrees with the state Supreme Courts McCleary ruling or not, give the court credit for consistency. Since ruling in 2012 that the Arizona News Monday, Brennan Lee Sumatzkuku, 23, of Tuba City, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 36 months in federal prison. On Jan. 22, 2017, Sumatzkuku, an enrolled member of the Hopi Nation, was driving a vehicle with two passengers on the Navajo Nation reservation. In dark and snowy conditions, Sumatzkuku, whose blood alcohol content was later determined to be .188, drove at a high rate of speed and lost control of the vehicle, causing all three occupants to be ejected. One victim, 29, an enrolled member of the Hopi Nation, was pronounced dead at the scene, and another victim, 20, also an enrolled member of the Hopi Nation, was seriously injured. The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. The prosecution was handled by Christina Covault, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix. Arizona News Amado, Arizona - Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents from the Nogales Station arrested a Phoenix couple at the Interstate 19 immigration checkpoint near Amado, Arizona, after finding a Mexican national in the trunk of their vehicle on Friday evening. Agents referred the 22-year-old male driver and 21-year-old female passenger for secondary inspection of the Ford Focus they were driving, leading to the discovery of a 41-year-old Mexican man in the trunk. A small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia were also found. Agents arrested the couple for human smuggling and seized their vehicle. While processing the Mexican national for immigration violations, as per Tucson Sector guidelines, agents learned he was previously removed from the United States. Federal law allows agents to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows the filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials welcome assistance from the community. Citizens can report suspicious activity to the Border Patrol and remain anonymous by calling 1-877-872-7435 toll free. Reporting illicit activity could result in saving someones life. Guwahati: 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 on Saturday. The Brahmaputra -- Assam's 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. People living along the river's 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 Minister's 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 river's water changing its colour, it said. The report would be submitted to the state government for remedial steps, the release said, adding the Centre's 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. 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 Brahmaputra's 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. 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. Patna: Bihar police have arrested contract killer Avinash Kumar Srivastava along with his mother and an accomplice in Vaishali for murdering a retired teacher in Bidupur. As per a Hindustan Times, Avinash, son of a slain RJD leader, was earlier an IT professional working with Infosys. His father, Lallan Srivastava was killed by Pappu Khan in 2003. Avinash avenged his father's killing and shot Khan dead. He reportedly became a contract killer after that. Further, as per the report, Avinash was inspired by the Hindi film 'Gangs of Wasseypur 2' and calls himself a psycho killer. He introduces himself as a Google-figuring psycho-killer. Avinash was arrested on July 26 last year along with colleagues for attempting to rob a bank in Mahua. A month back, he was bailed out, and shot dead a retired teacher at Bidupur a week back, Vaishali SP Rakesh Kumar was quoted as saying the Daily. Avinash is said to have taken Rs 80,000 for killing the retired teacher. He has reportedly confessed to his involvement in 18 cases of murders since 2003. Mumbai: Actor Gavie Chahal says working with superstar Salman Khan on 'Tiger Zinda Hai' was an enriching experience. 'Tiger Zinda Hai' is a sequel to the 2012 blockbuster 'Ek Tha Tiger'. It also features actress Katrina Kaif. Gavie is in the first part as captain Abrar. 'Ek Tha Tiger' centered on the life of a RAW agent (Salman), code-named Tiger, who falls in love with a Pakistani spy (Katrina) during an investigation, and how Tiger's ideology and principles change over time. "It was amazing to rejoin the Tiger and Zoya (Katrina) team. I was so enthusiastic about it. We have put in a lot of effort in the film as we know the high expectations people have from this film," Gavie said in a statement. Talking about working on the sequel, he said, "I learnt so much from Salman Khan. I still remember how he encouraged us to shoot in extreme temperatures. He would say Focus on your vision, keep doing hard work and always be extra alert. But don't put the extra and unwanted burden on you." The first part was directed by Kabir Khan, and the sequel has been helmed by Ali Abbas Zafar. Gavie says he can't differentiate between the directors. "They both are masters in their work in their own ways, and I enjoyed and learned a lot. It was amazing working with Kabir and Ali sir," he said. The team of 'Tiger Zinda Hai' was shot in scenic locales of Austria and Abu Dhabi. The film will release on December 22. New Delhi: A paramilitary soldier has killed four of his comrades and injured another inside a camp in central India, an official said on Sunday. The trooper turned his gun on his fellow soldiers at around 5:00 pm local time Saturday (1130 GMT) in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh state. The constable from India`s paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) opened fire following a reported altercation. "He fired on four of his CRPF colleagues, who died on the spot. Another one, an ASI (assistant sub-inspector), was injured in the incident," a Bijapur administrative official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. A senior state police officer, Sundar Raj P., told local media late Saturday that "what happened, why he did it, under what circumstances -- these are matters that are being investigated". He said the officer, 35-year-old Sanath Kumar, was arrested and was being interrogated. Chhattisgarh`s chief minister took to Twitter to condemn the killing of the CRPF soldiers, who are deployed for counter-insurgency operations. The state is a hotbed of a Maoist insurgency. India`s security forces, often working away from home for months, have historically had a high incidence of suicides and killings linked to long hours, poor working conditions and inadequate time off. In January, a paramilitary soldier from one of India`s elite security units shot dead four of his senior officers in an apparent row over leave. RACINE When the organization 24/7 Wall St. put out a story naming Racine as the fourth worst place for blacks in America, Alderman John Tate II decided he needed to act. Knowing the challenges that Racine has faced over the last 10, 20 years my community is now couched in the national spotlight, Tate said. I felt compelled to speak on behalf of people who look like me. After that report, Tate threw his name into the ring to become the next state representative for the 66th Assembly District after Cory Mason announced he would step down after being elected Racine mayor. The Democratic primary election is scheduled for Dec. 19. There are no candidates running under the Republican banner. The 33-year-old was elected to the City Council in April, and says during his time as alderman hes learned, a whole lot about the limitations that are imposed upon municipalities by the state Legislature. Our solutions and our ability to be creative are directly impacted by the state Legislature and the laws that are in place to restrict the flexibility of municipalities, Tate said. Tate believes his experience as an alderman gives him some intuition on how legislation could help or hurt local municipalities and plans on using that experience if elected. Sister had impact on him Before getting involved in politics, Tate said became a social worker and was driven to help people because of the experience his sister had growing up. She had some challenges she was bullied badly in middle school, Tate said. My sister has been all throughout the system; she went to Lincoln Hills, she was in group homes I saw the way the system works or doesnt work, and how it has this profound impact on families. After graduating from The Prairie School in 2003, Tate went on to earn degrees in sociology and psychology from Marquette University and a masters degree in social work from Loyola University. Tates decision to run for alderman came from his experience working as a social worker in a group home for young men with behavior disabilities and mental disorders. What I was finding, as they were transitioning out of the youth services to adult services, what was available for them to meet their needs, their behavioral needs, their familys needs, their daily living needs was significantly less than what was funded, Tate said. I understood that was a result of policy decisions, more often at the state level. From there he said he was driven to want to be at the table advocating for people who are otherwise ignored or underrepresented. The issues With a majority Republican state Assembly, Tate realizes that, if elected, many of his ideas would be more or less dead on arrival, but he would be interested in changing several things. Tate said he would look to repeal the Opportunity Schools and Partnership Program that was put into the 2017-19 biennial budget that would start the process of potentially breaking up the Racine Unified School District if it received a failing grade this year. That legislation is still technically in place for the district and could apply in the future. I dont think that anvil needs to be hanging over the head of the Racine Unified School District, Tate said. Thats unnecessary and clearly the district has been working hard for years to reverse some trends. Tate said he would look to work with his Republican colleagues to improve the transportation system in the state. Theres a whole lot of places throughout Wisconsin that are struggling with their infrastructure, particularly as it relates to roads, Tate said, adding that Racine is so disconnected from our surrounding municipalities, theres very little cooperation we can point to right now that says This is a community, as opposed to These are competing entities for limited resources. Which doesnt have to be the case. With the Foxconn Technology Group building a massive manufacturing campus in in the Village of Mount Pleasant, Tate said hell look to make sure his potential constituents will have receive some positive results connected to Foxconn. If elected in January, Tate hopes to make race and ethnicity something thats considered when legislation is being voted on. Being elected alone, as a person of color in Racine, I think says something, Tate said. Race does matter and the decisions that are being made are going to affect people differently based on their race if were not talking about race and the way its pervasive throughout our society and our politics, then were not talking about anything of reality. New Delhi: Chinese smartphone maker Oppo has been given green clearance to set up a mobile manufacturing unit in Greater Noida at a cost of Rs 2,200 crore, a senior government official said. The Union Environment Ministry has granted the environment clearance to its Indian subsidiary Oppo Mobiles India Pvt Ltd for the proposed project. "The clearance has been given to the Oppo's project after taking into account the views of an expert green panel. It is subject to compliance of certain conditions," the government official said. The environment clearance certificate has already been issued to the company, the official added. As per the proposal, Oppo wants to set up a smartphone manufacturing unit in 110.04 acres in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The project will comprise of factory, offices, dormitory, canteen and play area. The project cost is estimated to be at Rs 2,200 crore. The company has informed the government that about 13,043 kg per day solid waste will be generated in the proposed project. Bio-degradable waste will be processed, while the non-biodegradable waste will be handed over to local vendors. The state electricity board will supply power to the proposed project, it said. The proposed project will generate direct and indirect employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled labour during construction and operation phase, the company added. To make India a global hub for electronics manufacturers, the government is giving incentives through the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) and Electronic Development Fund (EDF). New Delhi: A 28-year-old mother of four has moved the Delhi High Court seeking compensation from the Delhi government for the failure of a parivar seva clinic run by it to sterilise her, leading to her fourth pregnancy. The petition, which seeks implementation of the Centre's Family Planning Indemnity Scheme, was listed for hearing in the court of Justice Vibhu Bakhru on Friday. Since Justice Bakhru was not available on that day, the woman's plea has been listed for hearing on January 16. According to the woman's plea, filed through advocate Sija Nair Pal, she underwent the sterilisation procedure on August 9, last year. However, in May when she went to the clinic for a check up it was found that she was 14 weeks pregnant, the plea said. She alleged that the clinic did not provide her with any "pre or post-sterilisation counselling about the procedure, potential risks or post-surgery care or possibility of failure". She has contended in her plea that the Standards of Male and Female Sterilisation Services 2006 of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare "clearly state that a client who becomes pregnant after the surgery should be offered medical termination of her pregnancy and repeat sterilisation surgery or should be medically supported throughout the pregnancy if she so wishes". "The respondents (Delhi government, its health department and the clinic), however, did not offer any medical support to the petitioner throughout the pregnancy," the plea said, adding that the clinic offered to carry out an abortion for Rs 3,000. As she could not afford the cost of abortion, she decided to go ahead with her pregnancy and on November 8 gave birth to a baby girl at Satyawadi Raja Harish Chandra Hospital in Narela here, the petition said. It also said that she had filed a claim for compensation at the clinic in July, but till date no response has been received regarding its status, when under the scheme the time to be taken for processing is 30 days. According to the petitioner, under the Centre's scheme, Rs 30,000 is the compensation provided for failure of sterilisation procedure. Apart from the amount provided under the scheme, she has also sought compensation for the mental agony suffered by her in going ahead with an "unwanted" or "forced" pregnancy. New Delhi: The government needs to accord top priority to agriculture in the budget as a major shortfall in kharif production resulted in sluggish growth of farm sector in the second quarter this fiscal, Assocham said on Sunday. While the year-to-year agriculture GVA (Gross Value Addition) growth for the July-September quarter of 2017-18 dropped to 1.7 percent from 4.1 percent, measured on basic prices, the fall looks quite sharp at current prices from 10 percent to 3.7 percent. It is attributed to a decline in food grains production by 2.8 percent in second quarter of the current fiscal from a handsome growth of 10.7 percent in the similar period of 2016-17. The chamber observed that the shortfall in the second leg of the monsoon seems to have impacted the Kharif production. "Besides, distress in prices of several agri-commodities would have also played a role in lower realisations as seen in the growth deceleration on the current prices," it said. The chamber Secretary General D S Rawat said since more than half of the GVA in the farm sector is contributed by livestock, fishery and forestry, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley should particularly focus on these segments of the economy along with a major thrust on agriculture infrastructure like irrigation. "With bulk of our population employed in the rural landscape, India's consumption led growth and investment cannot be realised unless the entire farm sector is pulled out of stress. "Major part of India Inc is heavily dependent on rural demand which would remain subdued if immediate steps are not taken in the short term and medium term," Rawat said. The chamber suggested that in the near term, farmers must be extended all help in the ongoing Rabi season and it must be ensured that adequate protection is given to them if market distortions creep in to their disadvantage. "Timing is very important in agriculture and steps like import duty or export measures must be initiated well in time so that the benefits reach the farmers and are not pocketed by the intermediaries," it said. According to Assocham, rural oriented companies in fertiliser, seeds, farm equipment, two-wheelers, FMCG, food processing would be vulnerable if the agriculture sector does not perform as well as other sectors. "The argument that the lower growth in agriculture has come about on a high base of the previous year should not be a matter of consolation. If that situation is allowed, this show how there are serious issues with our farm productivity," the chamber said. Ghaziabad: Citing Delhi and Gujarat, the Ghaziabad Parents Association (GPA) on Sunday hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government for allowing private schools to raise fees at will. GPA President Seema Tyagi and her colleagues berated the UP Fee Regulatory Bill, whose draft has been uploaded, and pledged to challenge it in the Supreme Court. "The draft is rejected totally. It is against the spirit of the Constitution which guarantees education as a fundamental right," Tyagi told the media. She said that parents had been fighting the unchecked hikes in tuition fee by private schools. Now, parents were shocked to see that the new bill allowed school managements to increase the fees whenever they want, she said. Tyagi said the Delhi and Gujarat governments in contrast had put curbs on private schools. She also said that schools cannot charge fees quarterly, half-yearly or annually. They can only charge fees every month. "But this draft has given them the liberty to charge fees at their will." Added Satya Pal Chaudhary, the patron of GPA, "We will be challenging this draft in the Supreme Court and urge it to issue contempt notice to Sanjay Agrawal, the Principal Secretary (Education) in the Uttar Pradesh government, for acting against law." New Delhi: With 68 percent voter turnout in the first phase of Gujarat assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday expressed confidence over its victory, and said, now, Congress should not harbour any illusion about the result. Talking to ANI, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said, "The way in which first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections has concluded, it seems the public has decided to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP win by securing three-fourths majority. Gujarat has cleared the misgivings of Congress through its turnout in the first phase." He said people of the state did not accept the kind of language used against the Prime Minister. "The voting has been in favour of the BJP and there is an excitement among the people," Hussain further said. Another BJP leader, Bizay Sonkar Shastri said the votes in the first phase were clearly in party`s victory. "The first phase voting will benefit our party and, moreover, the heavy membership within the party will play a positive role here," Shastri added. Sixty-eight percent voters came out to vote in the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections, informed the Election Commission, on Saturday. The voting for 89 assembly constituencies in Saurashtra and South Gujarat region, began at 8:00 am and ended in the evening on Saturday. Prominent candidates in the fray include Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani of BJP, who is contesting from Rajkot (West), along with Congress` Shaktisinh Gohil and Paresh Dhanani. The second phase will be held on December 14 for the remaining 93 assembly constituencies. Counting of votes and the results will be announced on December 18. AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday will address a series of rallies, ahead of the second phase of Gujarat Assembly elections 2017. The Prime Minister will address the public meetings in Palanpur's Rampura Chaukri at 10.30 am, in Sanand's Gibpura at 12.30 pm, in Kalol at 2.30 pm and in Vadodara at 6 pm. Modi will be accompanied by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Textile Minister Smriti Irani who will be covering Nikol, Anand, Ahmedabad, Pethapur, Jamalpur, Gandhinagar among other Assembly constituencies. Rahul Gandhi will address the rallies at Kheda, Banaskantha, Aravali and Gandhinagar. His scheduled also includes offering of prayers at Shamlaji Temple. The Congress VP will be arriving in Dakor at around 10.45 am and will start campaigning from there. With the end of the first phase of polling on Saturday, over 68 percent turnout was recorded for 89 Assembly seats in poll-bound Gujarat. There were reports of malfunctioning of EVM machines in several areas, amid ongoing polling. The main contenders are the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is making a bid for a fifth term and the Congress which is attempting an electoral revival. Both the parties will carry out campaigns on Sunday for the second phase, scheduled for December 14. The second phase of voting for the high-stakes election will be held for the remaining 93 seats. On Saturday, a total of 977 candidates were in the fray and around 2.12 crore voters were expected to exercise their franchise in the first phase. Gujarat has 182 assembly constituencies. The counting of votes will take place on December 18. Vadodara: Addressing an election rally in Vadodara, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that the Gujarat Assembly elections were about the development agenda of BJP versus the destructive politics of the Congress. He also said, "When our soldiers were fighting in Doklam, Congress leaders were meeting Chinese Ambassador. When asked why he said - to get a sense of what is happening in Doklam. Now, you tell me - in such times should we trust our authorities more or the Chinese." "My government is for the poor. I can't understand the lies Congress keeps saying. When we build a state of the art bus terminus for Vadodara, do we do it because Mukesh Ambani, Tata or Birla uses it? No, we make this to serve the poor," PM Modi maintained. He further said, "We give gas connections... are Ambanis, Adanis and Tatas the beneficiaries? No, the poor are. Congress should stop their lies and focus on development issues," as per ANI. Here are some pictures from today's Vadodara rally. pic.twitter.com/IAIiI1zX20 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 10, 2017 Earlier on Sunday, addressing rallies in Palanpur and Kaalol, PM Modi suggested Pakistan was trying to influence the Assembly elections in Gujarat, claiming some Pakistani officials and former PM Manmohan Singh met a day before Mani Shankar Aiyar made the "neech" jibe against him. He said the meeting took place at Aiyar's residence. PM Modi also raised questions about the alleged appeal by former director general (DG) of the Pakistan Army Sardar Arshad Rafiq for making senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel the CM of Gujarat. "There were media reports yesterday about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. It was attended by Pakistan's high commissioner, Pakistan's former foreign minister, India's former vice president and former PM Manmohan Singh," he told an election rally at Palanpur, PTI reported. The meeting at Aiyar's house continued for almost three hours, PM Modi said, adding "the next day, Mani Shankar Aiyar said Modi is 'neech' (a vile man). This is a serious matter." "(On one hand) Pakistan Army's former DG is interfering in Gujarat's election, on the other, Pakistani people are holding a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. After that meeting, people of Gujarat, backward communities, poor people and Modi were insulted. Don't you think such events raise doubts," he asked. Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala, however, rubbished PM Modi's claim, terming it as "baseless". (With Agency inputs) Ahmedabad: Jignesh Mevani, the Dalit lawyer-activist, was trolled with chants of `Modi Modi` at an election meeting in Gujarat. Following is video, posted by Amit Malviya, in-charge of BJP's national information and technology. Jignesh Mevani realised the hard way that electoral politics is not about raising anti-India slogans like in JNU! He asked people to say Allah o Akbar five times before he said Jai Shri Ram... Crowd erupted with chants of Modi Modi, forcing him to leave without being heard... pic.twitter.com/L6b0KERh7c Amit Malviya (@malviyamit) December 9, 2017 Mevani, along with Patidar quota leader Hardik Patel and OBC leader Alpesh Thakore, has aligned with the Congress for Gujarat polls. He is contesting the elections as an independent candidate from the Vadgam constituency of north Gujarat's Sabarkatha district. The Congress had withdrawn its candidate from the seat, which is a traditional stronghold of the party. Meanwhile, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who visited the Shree Ranchhodji Temple in Dakor on Sunday, was also greeted by the crowd chants of `Modi Modi`. The second phase of Gujarat Assembly elections will be held on December 14. The first phase was held on December 9 for 83 Assembly constituencies. (With Agency inputs) AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit back at expelled Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for his derogatory 'neech' comment and said that he has not only insulted him but also the people of Gujarat. I am not just the Prime Minister, I am your Narendra, the PM said. He also revealed that Ayer held secret meetings with the Pakistani High Commissioner in Delhi. The same Mani Shankar Aiyar, who insulted Gujarat, held secret meetings with the Pakistan High Commissioner. What was the reason, he asked at an election rally in Gujarat's Palanpur. Although he did not elaborate on his comment, he may have suggested that Ayer and some other Congress leaders maintained a secret relationship with the Pakistanis even if it was against the national interest. Why are people who previously held high posts in the Pakistan military intelligence (are) writing that we should help make Ahmed Patel (senior Congress leader) the CM (of Gujarat), Modi asked. Leaders cutting across the political spectrum have slammed Aiyar for his disparaging remarks against the prime minister. Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav said Aiyar should have been expelled from the party, not just suspension. He said that "politics of mud-slinging" has become a norm now. Former Bihar chief minister and RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav said is mentally unfit. Even Aiyar's own party has slammed him for the demeaning remark. Party vice president Rahul Gandhi said it is not the Congress culture to use such a language against a political opponent. PM Modi is on an extended tour of his home state to campaign for his party in the assembly elections. The first phase of polling was held on Saturday while the second phase will take place on December 14. Poll observers predict a BJP victory for the fifth time. AHMEDABAD: Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that he turned the money of all black money holders in the country into white. "The money of all thieves in India was turned white by Modi Ji," he said. The Congress VP's comment came while he was addressing a rally in Dakor area of Kheda district, ahead of the second phase of Gujarat Assembly elections 2017. Rahul is scheduled to address three more public gatherings at Banaskantha, Aravali and Gandhinagar. Earlier in the day, the Gandhi scion visited Shree Ranchhodji temple in Dakor. His schedule also includes offering of prayers at Shamlaji Temple. A group of diverse but like-minded individuals, the members of ARC have come together in their common desire to fight hatred, bigotry, intolerance and violence because of the harm these antisocial behaviors cause to our society. In that effort, we will not use or sanction the use of illegal actions (such as violence or intimidation) in pursuit of our desired aims and if we learn of anyone who does use these unethical methods we will report those individuals to the authorities. Instead, we will use the guarantees found in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that ensure freedom of legal speech and expression. This list is not comprehensive. Municipalities are listed as they appear on the criminal complaint. Suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. To see mugshots of the accused, visit www.journaltimes.com/gallery. Additional information about the complaints can be found at: journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts. Timmy P. Adams, 1100 block of Wisconsin Ave., Racine, operating without a license. Zachary G. Ailes, 2700 block of 65th Drive, Franksville, possession of narcotic drugs, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Antonio Anguiano, 5200 block of Byrd Ave., Racine, battery, domestic abuse assessments, and disorderly conduct. Daniel L. Arndt, 2200 block of Crown Point Drive, Racine, theft in a business setting. Ashley A. Balfanz, 2000 block of DeKoven Ave., Racine, aggravated battery, bail jumping, and possess/illegally obtained prescription. Skylar L. Benson, 4300 block of S. Beaumont Ave., Kansasville, operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated2nd offense, obstructing an officer, disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property. Anthony S. Berby, 2500 block of Ridgewood Ave., Racine, obstructing an officer. Jason S. Beulen, 7300 block of W. Lincoln Ave., West Allis, attempting to flee or elude a traffic officer. Reginald Bryson Jr., 5500 block of W. Division St., Chicago, Ill., disorderly conduct. Anfernee L. Cade, 900 block of Park Ave., Racine, battery, domestic abuse assessments, disorderly conduct, and use of a dangerous weapon. Alejandro R. Carbajal, 100 block of Virginia St., Racine, operate motor vehicle while revoked, and bail jumping. Esa M. Coffelt, 1500 block of West Blvd., Racine, retail theft, and bail jumping. Malik D. DeGroot, 1900 block of N. Main St., Racine, carrying a concealed weapon, recklessly endangering safety, discharging a firearm from a vehicle towards a building or vehicle, possession with intent to deliver or manufacture marijuana, possession with intent to deliver/distribute a controlled substance on or near a school, and possession of a firearm by a person under 18. Clyde L. Diedrick, 5100 block of Byrd Ave., Racine, retail theft. Darquice J. Edwards, 2200 block of Ashland Ave., Racine, attempt first degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm by a felon. Charles H. Floyd, 900 block of Racine St., Racine, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct, and domestic abuse assessments. Leroy Garrett Jr., 1400 block of Park Ave., Racine, possession of heroin and marijuana, felony bail jumping, possession of a firearm by a felon, and maintaining a drug trafficking place. Angela M. Grecian, 2000 block of DeKoven Ave., Racine, disorderly conduct, and bail jumping. Michael J. Harris, 1800 block of Clayton Ave., Racine, hit and run attended vehicle. Hildefonso Hernandez, 200 block of W. State St., Burlington, first degree sexual assault-sexual contact with a child under age 13. Darryl C. Hibbler, 5100 block of Taylor Ave., Racine, possession of marijuana. Prentis W. Holliman, 1800 block of Roosevelt Ave., Racine, disorderly conduct, and domestic abuse assessments. Makema E. Hoskins, 2200 block of Romayne Ave., Racine, personal identity theft-avoidance, and disorderly conduct. Willie J. Hubbard, 800 block of Park Ave., Racine, disorderly conduct. Nickendrick L. Jackson, 1100 block of S. Memorial Drive, Racine, armed robbery, and bail jumping. Silver O. Jenkins, 5800 block of 19th Ave., Kenosha, operate motor vehicle while revoked, and bail jumping. Beverly J. Johnson, 1600 block of Ninth St., Racine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and retail theft. Brittany D. Kerekes, 7500 block of Douglas Ave., Racine, battery, domestic abuse assessments, and disorderly conduct. Joseph A. Kohlmann, 300 block of Field Drive, Waterford, operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, and bail jumping. Kyle J. Lackey, 4400 block of Ellen Drive, Racine, physical abuse of a child-intentionally cause bodily harm. Breon L. Lawrence, 3000 block of N. 24th Place, Milwaukee, possession of marijuana, possession with intent to deliver heroin, possession with intent to deliver/distribute a controlled substance on or near a jail, possession with intent to deliver cocaine, resisting an officer, and disorderly conduct. Michael S. Lujano, 2700 block of Norwood Drive, Racine, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Everardo Lupercio, 2200 block of Blake Ave., Racine, battery, domestic abuse assessments, and disorderly conduct. Sean M. Manthy, 3300 block of Turnberry Oak Drive, Waukesha, burglary of a building or dwelling, and theft of movable property. Andrew W. Marshall Jr., 900 block of Racine St., Racine, theft. LeRoy A. McAllister, 1100 block of Marquette St., Racine, retail theft. Marvin G. McKay, 21000 block of Schroeder Road, Kansasville, knowingly violating a domestic abuse injunction and felony domestic abuse. Steffen D. Metts, 4500 block of W. Burleigh St., Milwaukee, fraud on hotel, restaurant, or taxicab. Murl Monroe, 1600 block of Packard Ave., Racine, operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated with a minor child in the vehicle. Deshaun L. Mosley, 1600 block of Prospect St., Racine, retail theft, and bail jumping. John G. Nash, 800 block of Villa St., Racine, felony personal ID theft, fraud against a financial institution, forgery. Rachel M. Nicke, 900 block of S. Sylvania Ave., Sturtevant, bail jumping, possession of cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Adrian D. Oliver, 5500 block of Cambridge Lane, Mount Pleasant, operating while intoxicated, attempting to flee or elude a traffic officer, and operate motor vehicle while revoked. Lawrence J. Otto Jr., 3200 block of 14th Ave., Kenosha, burglary of a building or dwelling, and theft of movable property. Erica Petty, 1300 block of Prospect St., Racine, armed robberyas a party to a crime. Jerrod J. Phillips, 1800 block of W. Sixth St., Racine, operate motor vehicle while revoked. Ashley L. Ramstack, 600 block of Wolff St., Racine, battery by prisoners, and disorderly conduct. Khadell D. Richardson, 1400 block of Kingston Ave., Racine, possession with intent to deliver or manufacture marijuana, possession with intent to deliver cocaine, possession with intent to deliver heroin, and maintaining a drug trafficking place. Aaron R. Slusar, 1900 block of Murphy Ave., Burlington, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Araceli Torres, 1700 block of Ninth St., Racine, personal identity theft for financial gain. Sergio M. Torres, 700 block of Park Ave., Racine, battery, domestic abuse assessments, and disorderly conduct. Kamala S. Tucker, 500 block of Greenfield Road, Racine, threat to law enforcement officer, bail jumping and resisting an officer. Matthew D. Vivio, 10000 block of Washington Ave., Sturtevant, repeated sexual assault of a child. Johari S. Walker, address unknown, possession with intent to deliver heroin, and manufacture/deliver cocaine. Justin M. Wamboldt, 1000 block of 40th St., Kenosha, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Daniel T. Ward, 4900 block of Taylor Ave., Racine, obstructing an officer, battery, domestic abuse assessments, and disorderly conduct. Sabrina M. Ward, 1000 block of Sheridan Road, Kenosha, personal identity theft for financial gain, and uttering a forgery. Ricky D. Williams, 1800 block of W. Sixth St., Racine, delivery of schedule I or II narcotics, possession with intent to deliver/distribute a controlled substance on or near a park, possession with intent to deliver/distribute a controlled substance on or near a school, possession of a short-barreled shotgun or rifle, maintaining a drug trafficking place, use of a dangerous weapon, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Jaschiro L. Willis, 800 block of 11th St., Racine, obstructing an officer, disorderly conduct, and domestic abuse assessments. Hugh F. Wilson Jr., 3200 block of 91st St., Sturtevant, first degree reckless endangering safetyuse of a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct and failure to comply with officers attempt to take person into custody. Darcel L. Wilson, 1000 block of College Ave., Racine, possession of marijuana, maintaining a drug trafficking place, possession with intent to deliver cocaine, and possession of a firearm by a felon. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhis visits to temples in Gujarat continue unabated despite controversies and politics over Ram temple issue in the run up to the Assembly elections. On Sunday, the Gandhi scion visited Shree Ranchhodji temple in Dakor area of Kheda district in Gujarat. The temple visit by the Congress leaders comes ahead of a series of rallies he is slated to address on Sunday. Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to address rallies at Kheda, Banaskantha, Aravali and Gandhinagar. His schedule also includes offering of prayers at Shamlaji Temple. CVP Rahul Gandhi kicks off a glorious Gujarat Sunday by seeking blessings at Dakor's Ranchhodji Temple, Kheda. #NavsarjanWithCongress pic.twitter.com/u0YolWxshP Congress (@INCIndia) December 10, 2017 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has targeted Rahul Gandhi over his visits to temples in Gujarat. His visit to Somnath temple was embroiled in a controversy over an entry purportedly made in a register meant for non-Hindus. It had triggered war of words between the BJP and the Congress with the former questioning his religion and the latter releasing photographs to prove he is Hindu. Responding to this, Rahul Gandhi had said that his family members were disciples of lord Shiva. With the end of the first phase of polling on Saturday, over 68 percent turnout was recorded for 89 Assembly seats in poll-bound Gujarat. There were reports of malfunctioning of EVM machines in several areas, amid ongoing polling. The main contenders are the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is making a bid for a fifth term and the Congress which is attempting an electoral revival. Both the parties will carry out campaigns on Sunday for the second phase, scheduled for December 14. The second phase of voting for the high-stakes election will be held for the remaining 93 seats. On Saturday, a total of 977 candidates were in the fray and around 2.12 crore voters were expected to exercise their franchise in the first phase. Gujarat has 182 assembly constituencies. The counting of votes will take place on December 18. Hyderabad: A 21-year-old Afghan national threatened to jump off the second floor of a building in Hyderabad`s Rajiv Gandhi International (RGI) Airport police circle area on Saturday. The student, identified as Shaik Vali, was later rescued unhurt and handed over to his relative, the police said. He is a student of Hyderabad`s Nizam College. NEW DELHI: A student from Hyderabad was shot at by an unidentified person in Chicago in the United States, his family members said on Sunday. The incident reportedly took place on December 6 when the victim, identified as Mohammed Akbar, was walking towards his car in a parking lot. He was reportedly fired by a stranger after having an argument. Residents and passersby reportedly rushed to his help after hearing the gunshot and took him to a hospital. "While my brother was walking towards his car, a stranger approached and shot him without any reason. Our request is from the Government of Telangana and from the Central Government to take cognisance in this case," his elder brother Mohammad Shafi said. The Indian student, studying in Chicago, is presently undergoing treatment at a hospital in the U.S. His family in Hyderabad informed Telangana home minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy about the incident and sought his help in getting proper medical care in the US. They also asked the minister to take up the case with the US authorities. Mohammad Shafi also said that he has also contacted the EAM for an emergency visa to visit the ailing brother. "I did speak to the External Affairs Ministry and the PA (Personal Assistant) of Sushma Swaraj is what the person told me and the other staff. They just spoke to me and they didn`t make me feel that they are going to expertise it or act upon it right away. They asked me to apply for the visa and they will so what can they do. I also tweeted Sushma Swaraj and yet to get a reply from her," he added. The shooting triggered concern as there has been growing attacks on Indians in recent times. GANDHINAGAR: Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah on Sunday hit out at the Congress for bringing back the 2002 riots case ahead of elections in Gujarat. The BJP leader claimed that the allegations on Prime Minister Narendra Modi were being raised only to consolidate votes in the elections. "The entire nation knows that allegations levelled on Modi ji by Congress backed NGO were all false and he is spotless. Yet for vote bank consolidation, 2002 is being raised in 2017," Shah said. He was referring to Congress leader Charan Singh Sapra's statement where he had questioned if Modi will go to Jama Masjid to apologise. He had said: "Sonia Gandhi visited Golden Temple and apologised in front of the media. Manmohan Singh also apologised in Parliament. In the last 33 years, the BJP has been adding insult to our injury. Can Narendra Modi visit the Jama Masjid and apologise for 1992 riots." He also said that Congress had laid the foundation of Gujarat election on casteism. "The would-be President of Congress started hopping from temple to temple. Congress has been the creator of polarisation in India," Shah said. Elections in Gujarat are in the final leg with the second phase of voting for 93 seats on December 14. The first phase for 89 seats saw a turnout of 68 per cent. The counting for the elections will be held on December 18 for all 182 seats. New Delhi: A 73-year-old British national, wanted in a child abuse and trafficking case in the Philippines, has moved the Delhi High Court challenging the proceedings in a trial court to extradite him to that country. A bench of justices Vipin Sanghi and PS Teji has sought the response of the Centre on the plea of Lennox James Ellis, who was arrested from Goa on June 9 last year on the basis of a Red Corner Notice issued by Interpol at the behest of the Philippines government. Ellis has been lodged in Tihar Jail since July 11 last year where he was sent after being incarcerated in a Goa jail for over a month. He had entered India on January 15 last year on a valid tourist visa and was arrested from Goa airport when he was about to board a flight to Bangkok. In his plea filed through advocate Ramni Taneja, Ellis has contended that he cannot be extradited to Philippines as the extradition treaty of India with that country was published in the Official Gazette on August 23, 2016, much after his arrest. Therefore, the Extradition Act cannot be applied to him retrospectively, he has contended. He also argued that he has been incarcerated in India for nearly 17 months "arbitrarily and illegally and without any legal basis whatsoever". He also claimed in his plea that the issue of his extradition is between the UK and the Philippines and "India has no nexus whatsoever in this case". He alleged that the instant case is one of "political persecution and political vendetta by the highest authority of the Philippines". He further claimed that if extradited to that country "he will be summarily executed and killed by the brutal regime" there. He sought quashing of the notification of the treaty with Philippines, the extradition request sent by that country and proceedings going on in the trial court to extradite him. Apart from that, the petition also seeks his immediate discharge and release from prison. The high court has listed the matter for further hearing on January 25. AHMEDABAD: The Congress on Sunday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order an impartial probe into the note-ban decision that the opposition party dubbed the "biggest scam ever and the largest money-laundering scheme". "In September 2016 (before demonetisation announced on November 8, 2016), a whopping Rs 5,88,600 crore was deposited in banks, of which Rs 3 lakh crore was in fixed deposits. Whose money was it and what happened to it?" Congress Spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said at a press conference here. "In October 2016, the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar purchased eight properties. In Odisha, it purchased 18 properties, just ahead of demonetisation. Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah tell the people as to how many properties they purchased just before demonetisation? Will they disclose the details of the party`s bank accounts of the months preceding demonetisation?" Surjewala said. Modi had announced the demonetisation of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. "Also, Rs 500 crore was deposited in the Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank three days before demonetisation. Amit Shah is a Director of this bank. Was he questioned by the Income Tax Department or the Enforcement Directorate regarding this money?" he said. The Congress leader said that after demonetisation, Rs 10.1 crore was seized from a Vaidyanath Cooperative Urban Development Bank van, in which BJP leader and Maharashtra Minister Pankaja Munde has a stake. "It is public knowledge that the cooperative banks were not given any new currency. Then how come this cooperative bank got new currency of Rs 10 crore? Whose money was it? Is there any probe into this case?" Surjewala said. He said at a time when the common people were struggling in bank queues to get a few lakh of rupees in new currency for their daughters` weddings, mining baron G. Janardan Reddy splurged Rs 500 crore on his daughter`s wedding. "The BJP top brass made a beeline to this function as Reddy is considered very dear to Prime Minister Modi. Why was no investigation launched against Reddy as to where from he got so much money in new currency, when notes were being rationed to the common people?" Surjewala said. "We challenge the Prime Minister to order an impartial probe into all these cases, and many more such cases, and bring out the facts before the people," he added. The Congress leader called All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi as the "B-team of BJP" and said people should not pay attention to the polarising antics of such people. Here's a quick look at the top stories of the day: 1. Actor Zaira Wasim accuses co-passenger of molestation bid on Delhi-Mumbai flight Bollywood Actor Zaira Wasim has revealed that a fellow passenger tried to molest her on a recent Delhi-Mumbai flight. Expressing her disgust over the incident on Saturday, she said that a middle-aged man who was sitting behind her on a Vistara flight tried to molest her. Read full report 2. Sambit Patra calls PM desh ka baap, Congress seeks Modis apology The Congress party has sought an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a statement by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra, who had called the PM the father of India. During a debate on a television news channel, Patra had termed PM Modi as Desh ka baap. Read full report 3. 5-year-old girl raped, tortured to death in Haryana A 5-year-old girl in Haryana was on Sunday allegedly raped and murdered by hurting her in her private parts. The incident took place in Hisar's Uklana village in Haryana. The girl reportedly died after a wooden stick was inserted into her private parts. Read full report 4. Uddhav tortured Balasaheb: Narayan Rane warns Sena chief of revealing details Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane on Saturday asked Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray to "keep his mouth shut" or face consequences as he will "reveal all". Issuing the warning, Rane, who was earlier in the Sena, also denied Thackeray`s allegations that he had harassed its founder, the late Bal Thackeray. Read full report 5. FIR registered against Gurugram Fortis hospital over 'grave negligence' The Haryana Police on Sunday registered an FIR against the Gurugram Fortis Hospital management on charges of grave negligence that allegedly led to the death of a dengue patient recently. The FIR was registered under section 304(2) of the IPC in a dengue death case of a three-year-old girl in September, the ANI reported. Read full report 6. Rahul shoots 11th question: Did you lower the dignity of our educational institutions? Shooting his eleventh question for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday asked him if has lowered the dignity of the country's educational institutions. The Congress VP took to Twitter and accused 'Modiji' of not bothering about the future of the youth. Read full report New Delhi: Caught in a controversy over its release, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati has been a topic of discussion in the last few days. It seems the Banaras Hindu University took benefit of the situation to educate its students about the fabled queen of Chittor. The BHU asked its second-year MA History students questions related to Rani Padmavati and her Jauhar. During their exam on Society and Culture in Medieval India, they were asked to answer a 10-mark question saying asking: "What do you mean by Jauhar tradition? Describe Rani Padmavatis Jauhar in the period of Alauddin Khilji." Students were also asked questions around "teen talaq and halala as a social evil in Islam". Students at the BHU have claimed that their syllabus does not include the topic of teen talaq or Halala. A student said that they read only a small portion on Padmavati but the professor had stressed on the topic because it was in the news over the upcoming film. The movie Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh which was initially slated to hit the silverscreen on December 1, has been indefinitely deferred. However, the makers are planning to announce the new release date soon. Given the fact that there are no big releases in the first two weeks of January 2018, Padmavati may release during that period. However, there has been no discussion regarding the same. For the unversed, Padmavati reportedly based on Padmavat by Malik Muhammad Jaysi in 1540 is inspired by one of the most glorious chapters of Indian history. In Sanjay Leela Bhansalis film, Deepika essays the titular role of Rani Padmavati while Shahid Kapoor plays Maharawal Ratan Singh, a brave Rajput warrior. Ranveer Singh portrays Alauddin Khilji, the antagonist in the story. Several Rajput organisations protested against the film believing that Padmavati had a dream sequence between Rani Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji. The filmmaker and other members of the production team clarified that the film doesnt contain any objectionable content and that it upholds the pride and glory of the Rajput community. But protestors were not convinced and they issued death threats to Bhansali and Deepika. In the final leg of Gujarat elections, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is leaving no stone unturned to woo the voters. During his visit to the state on Saturday, he went to Shree Ranchhodji Temple in Kheda's Dakor. However, when Rahul was exiting the temple, there were chants of 'Modi Modi' all around. The Congress Vice President can be seen smiling and leaving the temple amid the chats. #WATCH: Scene outside Shree Ranchhodji Temple in Kheda's Dakor, crowd shouts 'Modi Modi' as Rahul Gandhi exits. #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/rFWEnVWy8t December 10, 2017 This is not the first time that he has been a witness to such a scenario. In a video tweeted by Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Bagga, traders at the Gujarat textile markets were heard chanting 'Modi, Modi' when Rahul arrived at the location. Rahul went to the temple ahead of a series of rallies that he is holding in the state on Sunday. He will also be offering prayers at Shamlaji Temple. The elections in Gujarat are a litmus test for the Gandhi scion who is leading the charge of the campaign in the state. It also comes ahead of his elevation as Congress President. The BJP, too, is not leaving anything to chance in what is being termed as the prestige battle for Narendra Modi and the party. NEW DELHI: Shooting his eleventh question for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday asked him if has lowered the dignity of the country's educational institutions. The Congress VP took to Twitter, accusing 'Modiji' of not bothering about the future of the youth. "Did you lower the dignity of our educational institutions?" he asked. 22 #__ 11 : 80% , , , - ? Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 9, 2017 He emphasised that 80 per cent of the engineers in the country is unemployed. Companies like Tata Nano does not approach these youth who are desperately seeking jobs. Rahul further went on blaming the Prime Minister for selling out the education and examination system. He added that the schools and colleges have transformed into businesses. On Friday, Rahul had put his 10th question brought Modi in the dock for the promise of help to migrants. Emphasising on the problems faced by the tribals, he said that their land has been taken away from them, they do not have any claim over the jungles. He also added that they are deprived of even the basic facilities like schools and hospitals. Modi had recently said that the Gujarat government initiated a Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana scheme dedicated to tribal people which has a total budget spent of Rs 65,700 crore. He had claimed that the tribals support the BJP as they have been able to bring a qualitative change in their life. Rahul has been questioning the Prime Minister on several issues ranging from farmer woes to woman safety to price rise. In his 9th question on Thursday, the Congress leader alleged that farmers were given stepmotherly treatment by the government. He alleged that the farmers were neither getting the right price for their crops nor getting tubewells for farming. RACINE Eight years after campaigning for President Barack Obama as a high school student, Greta Neubauer has focused much of her time on environmental issues. But after the election of President Donald Trump in 2016, Neubauer felt compelled to act. I wanted to get involved in the local political work again with the understanding that we need young people, we need progressives, we need people who believe the status quo is not working for people in this community, Neubauer said. I think we have a real opportunity with 2018 right around the corner to get a new wave of folks in office to help turn things around for this community. After the Racine mayoral election, the 26-year-old decided to throw her name into the ring to run for state representative for the 66th District after state Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, announced he would step down after being elected Racine mayor. The primary election is scheduled for Dec. 19. In August, Neubauer went to work for Mason as an aide in Madison and saw him be an advocate for blue collar labor and working people. I dont think well be able to rebuild the middle class in this community if we dont have a strong labor movement, Neubauer said. During her time with Mason, Neubauer worked closely on the state budget and had a front row seat to the debate on the $2.85 billion incentive package to lure the Foxconn Technology Group to Mount Pleasant. Although she sees Foxconn as an opportunity for the area, Neubauer said shes skeptical of the deal Wisconsin made. I think that the deal gave away a lot of taxpayer money and we didnt see local hire provisions, we didnt see diverse hire provisions, a lot of environmental giveaways, no union contracts, Neubauer said. But I understand the responsibility of this representative (Mason) to continue fighting for the people to be able to get good jobs in this community. If she was in office at the time, Neubauer said she would have taken a different vote on Foxconn, despite Mason voting for it. I wouldnt have voted for Foxconn, Neubauer said. I think, to get my vote, we would have needed stronger protections for the people of Racine, we would have needed labor contracts, union contracts, local hire (provisions), diverse hire (provisions), and stronger environmental protections. Getting involved at a young age As a 16-year-old at The Prairie School, Neubauer helped organize Racine High School Students for Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign. I was very moved by the hopeful frame of that campaign, Neubauer said. After Obama was elected, I came to understand that no matter how incredible the politician they need people at all levels, both in the government and society, pushing them and keeping them accountable. After graduating from Middlebury College in Vermont with a degree in history, Neubauer became director of the nonprofit the Fossil Fuel Divestment Student Network, now called the Sunrise Movement, focusing on environmental issues. With a 12-person staff and a $300,000 budget, Neubauer said the organization supports college students from all over the country working on environmental issues. Politicians and the fossil fuel industry are making decisions that are mortgaging my generations future, Neubauer said. The issues If elected to the Assembly in January, Neubauer said she would be focused on protecting the Great Lakes and Wisconsins natural environment. We have an incredible asset in Lake Michigan and we need to be thinking about protecting that and making sure we have clean drinking water, Neubauer said. On education, Neubauer understands there are some struggling schools and believes there should be a greater investment in public education. I understand that (struggling schools) started with cuts to public education in the budget at the state level, attacks on teachers, on the dignity of their work and on the ability to make decisions in their classrooms, Neubauer said. I think we need to be supporting our teachers and making sure our schools are fully supported. As an area of compromise with her potential Republican colleagues, Neubauer said she would work with them on investing in infrastructure. That includes public transportation, the necessary road improvements so that people can get to their jobs in a reasonable amount of time, Neubauer said. I would certainly be willing to work with anyone in the state Assembly who has the goal of getting people from Racine, particularly people who are currently unemployed, jobs at Foxconn. Agartala: Four months after six axed Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the lawmakers were recognised as saffron party legislators in the Tripura Assembly on Sunday, Speaker Ramendra Chandra Debnath announced. "The six axed TMC MLAs have given recognition as BJP legislators. They would not get any extra facilities or benefits as BJP lawmakers," the speaker said. "After receiving a letter on November 8 signed by the six MLAs requesting me to recognise them as BJP legislators, I sent a 14-day notice to the TMC chairperson. As there was no reply or objection, I gave them the recognition." Led by Sudip Roy Barman, five lawmakers -- Ashish Kumar Saha, Diba Chandra Hrangkhawl, Biswa Bandhu Sen, Pranjit Singh Roy and Dilip Sarkar -- accompanied by hundreds of former Trinamool Congress leaders and workers joined the BJP on August 7. On Saturday, Assembly Secretary Bamdeb Majumder issued a common letter to the six MLAs about the speaker`s recognition. The issue shook the house during the last session of the Tripura Assembly on November 14 when Barman accused Debnath of giving them recognition. The speaker said that he had told the six MLAs that due to lack of time before the two-day assembly session, it was not possible to complete the formalities to officially recognise them as BJP MLAs. Reacting to Debnath`s recognition, Saha said that the "Speaker deliberately delayed the process of our due recognition as BJP MLAs". On July 3, TMC Secretary General and West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said in Kolkata that the party had no relations with the six Tripura MLAs, who were close to TMC founder leader Mukul Roy, who is now in the BJP. The CPI-M-led Left Front has 51 members and the Congress only three members in the House. After the recognition of the six legislators as BJP members, the Tripura Assembly got its first BJP members since the northeastern state got a legislative body -- a 32-member Territorial Council 60 years ago in 1957. BHARATPUR: For 18-year-old Shivani, stepping out of the confines of her house was once a challenge in itself. After some persuasion and a lot of willpower, she is now well equipped to think of building a future for herself. Belonging to Bharatpur, merely 180 kms from Jaipur in Rajasthan, Shivani started learning how to stitch at a skill training center in the city. Today, she has completed her 3-month training and has started working to earn a living for herself. Shivani is just one of those hundreds of women who are being trained at this skill center, facilitated by Lupin Human Welfare and Research Foundation. Trained under a scheme in collaboration with the Rajasthan Skill & Livelihoods Development Corporation (RSLDC), these women are stitching their way to glory. Not just the young, for middle-aged Mala Sharma too, this center has provided an opportunity to showcase her talent. With three young kids, of which two are in college, Mala had a lot of free time in hand. She enrolled herself for a three-month training and learned the art of tailoring, garment cutting, and fashion designing. She has been employed now by the center to bring her talent to use and earn a livelihood for herself. I did the training a year back and about two months back, I got a call from the center asking me if I would be interested in working here. I immediately said yes, she recalls. From making just shirt pockets to shirts and suits, the center takes orders from different cities. To complete these orders, it employs women who have been trained over time during these three-month sessions. They get Rs 17-20 per piece that they create. They are able to earn nearly Rs 200 for themselves per day. This amount can even go up if their output increases per day. The income is clearly proportional to the speed with which they make the products, an employee at the center said. These women are paid as per their choice on a weekly or a monthly basis. Apart from giving employment opportunities at this center, they even send a group of 22 women to Jaipur for an advanced training with Raymonds. Depending on their performance in Jaipur, Raymonds also hires them to work in its factories. Recalling their journey from her house to now employees at Raymonds, Babita and Pinky say that they are paid well and feel much more confident of being able to live life independently. There is hope for women who cannot step out of their homes too. In 2014, Lupin Foundation adopted Korer village in Bharatpur. It took the machines to the women who wanted to work but did not have the means to travel to the city. Various courses were conducted on tailoring, ready-made garments production and embroidery. So much so that today, these women are making consignments that are being supplied to Srishti and Fabindia. Their consignments have also been exported to other countries including Spain, Dubai and Japan. A center has been created at Korer itself where there are 18 hi-tech jack machines with the help of which women create nearly 5000 garments per day. A lot of problems of this country will be solved if women become independent. It is an extremely proud feeling for us that we have been able to export products to other companies. We are trying our best to reach out to more exporters to expand the reach of the products that we are creating here, Executive Director of Lupin Foundation Sita Ram Gupta said. The foundation has partnered with USHA International to certify this Tailoring and Garment Making programme and also to provide support services in designing as well as technical knowledge assistance. The foundation is also helping women to get support on credit and marketing assistance for dealing with bulk orders. With women taking charge of their lives, are the men in the family happy? Initially they were a little apprehensive but then they came and saw us working. After that, they did not stop me from working. In fact, my husband is happy that I am now doing something for myself, Mala proudly states. There is no strict criterion for selection for training. All that is needed is the girls applying should have at least passed Class 8 and should be in the age group of 18-35. These are basic standards that we need to maintain so that we can select some of these women for the advanced training to Jaipur. We have to match up to their standards too, a teacher at the center said. It is interesting to note is that three male craftsmen of village Korer left their full-time jobs in Jaipur and Delhi to help these women at the craft design and production centre. What we need is more of such strong-willed women and more of such encouraging men to support the ladies in the house. CHENNAI: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said he did not understand what was the problem in singing "Vande Mataram", which meant "salutations to the mother", a song that had inspired millions during the country's freedom movement. He Vivek recalled that Sister Nivedita, a disciple of Swamananda, had opened a girls' school and tried to inculcate the nationalist spirit in the students by introducing "Vande Mataram" as a prayer song. "She (Sister Nivedita) had introduced Vande Mataram as a prayer song in the school...Now, some people have a problem with Vande Mataram also. What is Vande Mataram? Mata Vandanam, Amma Vanakkam -- that is Vande Mataram. "After so many years, now we are discussing (if) Vande Mataram is good or not, nationalism and patriotism are good or not. Also, we feel shy to talk about all this," Naidu said. He was speaking as the chief guest at an event to commemorate the 96th birth anniversary of nationalist poet Subramania Bharati, which falls on December 11. Paying rich tributes to Bharati, Naidu said the reformist poet wanted Indians to be proud of their heritage. Like Sister Nivedita, Vande Mataram had inspired Bharati as well and he spread the spirit of the national song, the vice president said, while quoting a patriotic song penned by the poet. Drawing similarities between Bharati attaching importance to cleanliness and Mahatma Gandhi's view -- cleanliness is next to godliness -- he said, "We see the renewal of the focus on cleanliness in Swachh Bharat." Like Rabindranath Tagore, Bharati also wanted India to break the narrow domestic walls and break free from the caste system, Naidu said. Bharati considered all living beings equal and to illustrate this, he had conducted the "Upanayanam" (thread ceremony) of a Dalit man and made him a Brahmin, he added. Stating that the caste system of the yore was different and that it was about vocations, Naidu said the scenario, however, had changed today. "We are one country and one people irrespective of caste, creed, sex, region and religion. India is one," he said, adding that no person was "low" or "high". The vice-president said categories such as forward, backward, minority, majority were created for "other purposes" (to facilitate affirmative action), which the politicians were now using for their own ends. Stating that Bharati fought for women's emancipation, he said all great people like him should be remembered throughout the country and their preachings should be part of the national curriculum. Unfortunately, such personalities from different regions were not highlighted and "only a few names were promoted" by those who came to power (after independence)," Naidu said and referred to spiritual leaders Sri Narayana Guru (Kerala) and Sri Basaveshwara (Karnataka) among others. Naidu presented the "Bharati Virudhu 2017" award to former CBI director D R Kaarthikeyan at the 24th annual Bharati Thiruviza (Bharati festival) here. Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, state Culture Minister K Pandiarajan, Rajya Sabha MPs Navaneetha Krishnan (AIADMK) and L Ganesan (BJP) were also present on the occasion. NEW DELHI: Patients of Max Hospital Shalimar Bagh are facing trouble after the license of the hospital has been cancelled. Those who have been getting treatment at the health centre are now questioning if the delhi government will take responsibilty if anything happens to them. "We have been coming here for past 5 months for routine pregnancy tests of my sister in law for free. The gynaecologist wasn't feeling heartbeats of fetus so we came for test on Saturday but OPD was locked. If the child dies, will the Delhi government take responsibility," relative of a patient said. Several patients had on Saturday also complained that they had reached the hospital for dialysis but were sent away since the OPD had been shut as per government orders. They protested outside the hospital after being denied admission. Employees of the hospital also protested over the decision claiming that they lost their jobs due to the government action. The hospital has been asked not to admit new patients. It can only continue treatment of patients who were currently admitted, according to the government order. The licence was cancelled with immediate effect on Friday after it erroneously declared a new born dead on November 30. The doctors handed over the baby boy 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 admitted to a clinic in Pitampura but died later. MUMBAI: A Bollywood actress stirred a storm on Sunday after she alleged that she was molested by a co-passenger on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight. In a live video, the actor narrated her ordeal on Instagram. Acting on the complaint, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Directorate General of Civil Aviation has sought details from Vistara over the incident. Meanwhile, police met her at the hotel in Mumbai where she is staying to take her statement over her allegations. Accusing the airline of not coming to her help, the National Commission for Women called the incident shocking. "Vistara hasn't sensitised their crew to take action against men torturing women on flight. I am taking suo moto cognizance of this and giving notice to Vistara. Also, a copy to DGP Maharashtra to act against Vistara Airlines," NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma said. Lashing out at the airline, she asked: "if they have zero tolerance why they have not named this person till now. Naming them is very very important. We would like to tell her that we are there to help her out in any way we can," Sharma added. "I just saw the video on Instagram. My heart goes out to her. I am really horrified the way this incident happened and after that the crew didn't help this girl. That was very shocking because Vistara claims that it has zero tolerance," Sharma said. Responding to the allegations, Vistara assured that they are carrying out a detailed investigation. They claimed that they have "zero tolerance" for such behaviour. "We are talking to our crew who were serving her to understand the incident at greater length, and reaching out to fellow passengers as well," Vistara said in a statement. The incident came to light when the 17-year-old actress shared the ordeal she had to go through en route Mumbai in the flight in an Instagram story. Reportedly, the man was caressing her neck while she was asleep. She claimed that she tried to record what the man was doing, but failed due to dim lights. She posted a photo of the man's activities on the flight. She added that she called out to the cabin crew for help but it was of no use. In the live video, she also expressed her displeasure with crew members of the flight. Jaipur: Rupesh, a 40-year-old, who was declared brain dead following a road accident six days ago, gave a new lease of life to four people through cadaver transplant after his family donated her vital organs on Saturday. His two kidneys were transplanted to individual patients admitted at the SMS Hospital, liver was transplanted to a patient in Medanta NIMS Hospital and his heart was transplanted to a patient in Delhi. Rupesh was a resident of Jagdamba colony in Dehar ka Balaji area of Jaipur. On December 3, while driving a car with his relative Praveen, he was on the way to Bassi. At the highway another car rammed into their car and after it lost control, it got hit at the median. Seriously injured Rupesh was rushed to SMS Hospital where he was admitted in ICU at trauma centre. Despite medical treatment, board of doctors declared him as brain dead on Thursday. After counseling efforts by volunteers of MFJCF Navjeevan, an NGO working to create awareness about organ donation, and Dr DS Meena, superintendent of SMS Hospital, family members of Rupesh agreed for organ donation and his liver, heart and the pair of kidneys were harvested in SMS Hospital. Kidneys were transplanted to two recipients in SMS Hospital while heart, after creating green corridorwas sent to Max Hospital, Saket in Delhi. Dr Meena told DNA. After creating a semi green corridor, his liver was sent to Medanta NIMS hospital, Delhi Road where it was transplanted to a patient, Dr Meena added. After a 5-hour-long surgery, we successfully performed the cadaver liver transplant at the hospital. Condition of the recipient patient is good and he has been kept in ICU. We will keep him under observation for next few days to avoid any kind of infection, said Dr Ankur Atal Gupta, specialist at Medanta NIMS Liver Transplant Center. SRINAGAR: Security forces on Sunday launched a search operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara district. The jawans cordoned off the district's Hajin town where the operation has been launched. They reportedly received information about the presence of terrorists in the area. On Saturday, an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was arrested in Handwara. 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. JAMMU: A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) was injured on Sunday after Pakistani forces violated the ceasefire by firing at the Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. In a fresh incident, the Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire again at around 8 pm today by targeting the forward posts and villages in the Nowshera sector of the same district, prompting a retaliation by the Indian Army, a police spokesman said. However, according to Army officials, there was no report of any casualty in the cross-border firing, which continued till the filing of the report. The Pakistani troops fired at the forward posts along the LoC in the Bhawani belt of Nowshera sector in Rajouri on Saturday evening. One JCO, a subedar, was injured in the firing. The JCO was hospitalised where his condition was reported to be stable. Earlier, on the night of December 7, an Army jawan was injured when the Pakistan Army launched an unprovoked and indiscriminate firing from small arms, automatics and mortars along the LoC in Poonch sector's Digwar area. The Indian Army had retaliated strongly and effectively, officials said. On December 8 also, the Pakistan Army had resorted to firing and shelling in the Kalal, Laam and Jangarh sub-sectors of Nowshera sector in Rajouri district. According to the data compiled by the Union home ministry, Pakistani forces had violated the ceasefire 724 times this year (till October) along the international border and the LoC, the highest in the last seven years. In 2016, they had violated the ceasefire 449 times. Twelve civilians and 17 security personnel were killed, while 79 civilians and 67 security personnel were injured in the firing from across the border this year (till October). JAMMU: The body of a 34-year-old man, who jumped into Chenab river last month, was recovered by Pakistani rangers and handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) in the Suchetgarh sector here, a police official said on Sunday. Kulwinder Singh, a resident of Sanjay Nagar locality, had allegedly committed suicide by jumping into the river at the Akhnoor bridge on November 25, he said. Despite hectic efforts, his body could not be recovered and Pakistani authorities were alerted about the possibility it being carried by water current to another side of the international border. Pakistani rangers recovered the body yesterday and handed it over to BSF in Suchetgarh sector, the official said. A police team from Gharota police station recovered the body from BSF and handed it over to the family for last rites, he added. CHENNAI: A 22-year old man, nabbed from Mumbai on the charge of killing his mother recently and raping and murdering a seven year old girl early this year, was brought here and remanded to judicial custody on Sunday. Dashwanth was produced before a magistrate who remanded him to judicial custody. He was later lodged in the Puzhal Central Prison, police said. A Tamil Nadu police special team brought the accused here from Mumbai last night. He was arrested on December 6 in Mumbai but escaped from police custody the very next day. He was nabbed again in a joint operation with the Maharashtra police on December 8. He was first arrested in February this year for the alleged rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl and granted bail in September. On December 2, he allegedly killed his mother Sarala and escaped with her jewellery. RACINE COUNTY While many municipalities outside of Racine County are looking to get in on the Foxconn action, one Milwaukee alderman has voiced a radical yet unlikely idea: annexation. The Foxconn Technology Group is planning to build a massive manufacturing facility in the Village of Mount Pleasant and plans to employ up to 13,000 with at least half of those jobs guaranteed to be in Racine County. That number does not include the 10,000 construction jobs the project would create. Milwaukee alderman Robert Bauman, a member of that City Councils Zoning, Neighborhood & Development Committee, said Racine County does not have the workers necessary to fill the jobs, so employees possibly from Milwaukee might have to relocate to Racine. We either transport our workers from Milwaukee, or the workers from Milwaukee will relocate to Racine, Bauman said. One of those two things has to happen for the public to benefit from this $3 billion taxpayer investment. Bauman is referring to the $3 billion in incentives that the state gave to Foxconn to locate in Wisconsin. Bauman said the committee plans on hearing from the citys legal experts on what the options are. Im not an annexation expert. I am an attorney, but Ive never done annexation law, Bauman said. But were going to hear from our city attorney, we may even hear from the Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission. Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave said the county is actively exploring and considering smart and effective ways to maximize the impact of Foxconns development. Annexation of any portion of the county by the City of Milwaukee is not a practical solution and is not in the public interest. Mount Pleasant was incorporated as a village in 2003. Caledonia incorporated in 2005. All the Milwaukee County communities that surround Milwaukee, like Oak Creek and Franklin, are also incorporated, which would make any annexation highly unlikely. Under state law, an incorporated community can annex land from a town if a property owner who has property that is contiguous to that municipality requests it. But an incorporated municipality cannot forcibly take land from another incorporated municipality. Nonetheless, on Tuesday the Milwaukee committee is scheduled to meet to discuss what options are available. If it requires a change in state statue, maybe we talk about seeking a change in state statute to permit such an annexation type of arrangement to take place, Bauman said. I honestly dont know the answer from a legal standpoint. Plan B Another option Bauman suggested is the use of City of Milwaukee taxpayer money to become a private landowner. Perhaps the City of Milwaukee can collaborate with private real estate developers to develop housing developments in Racine County as a private landowner but using our resources as a municipality to assist in that real estate development process, Bauman said. We would work with and assist private developers in putting together financing and putting together ways of selecting possible workers to move there. At the Tuesday committee meeting Bauman said city officials will know whether the annexation route is legally and politically feasible and if it appears not to be feasible then well go to plan B, which is look at Milwaukee participation as a private landowner. MUMBAI: The police on Sunday arrived at the Hyatt Hotel here to record the statement of the Bollywood actor after she claimed that a fellow passenger had tried to molest her on a recent Delhi-Mumbai flight. The incident drew sharp reactions after she revealed in a social media post that a middle-aged man who was sitting behind her tried to molest her on a Vistara flight on Saturday, The actor claimed the accused caressed her neck while she was asleep. She, however, managed to capture the act on her cell phone before firing it on the social media. Reacting to the incident, the National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma said she was appalled by the "insensitivity" of the airline staff as they "didn't offer her any help". Meanwhile, the airline said it was probing the incident. Patna: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi 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 on Friday. A mall was reportedly supposed to be constructed on the plot said to be worth about Rs 45 crore. "Upon attachment of three acres of land in Patna by the ED, Lalu Prasad and (his son) Tejashwi (Yadav) have started asking why a charge sheet has not been filed months after the lodging of an FIR in the land-for-hotels scam. "Actually, the agencies have such strong evidence against them that they will not only face charge sheet but also be sent to jail and awarded punishment", Modi said in a statement here. Tejashwi Yadav, who is Prasad's younger son, had termed the action by the ED as "political vendetta" and questioned why the agencies had failed to file a charge sheet despite the lapse of five months after the lodging of the FIR. "Instead of awaiting a charge sheet, Tejaswhi should explain how, at the tender age of 28, he became the owner of the three-acre plot on which a huge mall was going to be built at an estimated cost of a whopping Rs 750 crore," the deputy chief minister said. "If Tejashwi had an answer, he would not have lost his chair," Modi said, in an obvious dig at the RJD losing power in the state earlier this year. Tejashwi Yadav had become the deputy chief minister after the Grand Alliance comprising Nitish Kumar's JD(U), the RJD and the Congress registered an impressive victory in the 2015 Assembly polls. However, the coalition came under strain after Tejashwi Yadav's name cropped up in the corruption scandal in the wake of land-for-hotels case. Kumar and his party JD(U) had asked him at that time to come clean on the issue by giving a public explanation but the RJD turned down the suggestion. Finally, Kumar resigned from the chief minister's post and formed a new coalition government with the BJP. EW DELHI: A Bollywood actress has revealed that a fellow passenger tried to molest her on a recent Delhi-Mumbai flight. Expressing her disgust over the incident on Saturday, she said that a middle-aged man who was sitting behind her on a Vistara flight, tried to molest her. She also expressed her displeasure with crew members of the flight. Right after deboarding the flight, she took to Instagram to narrate her experience in a live video. In the video, she can be seen fighting her tears and saying, "This is not done, I am disturbed. Is this how you're going to take care of girls?" she ended her video by saying, "Who is going to help us Girls? If we don't help ourselves, nobody will come ahead." Following her revelation in a social media post, the airline has launched a probe into the incident. "We @airvistara have seen the reports regarding her experience with another customer on board last night. We are carrying out detailed investigation and will support Zaira in every way required. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour. We have seen the reports regarding her experience with another customer on board last night. We are carrying out detailed investigation and will support her in every way required. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour, ANI quoted the airlines as saying on Sunday. Reacting to the incident, chairperson of the National Commission for Women Rekha Sharma said that she was appalled by the "insensitivity" of the airline staff as "didn't offer any help". "I just saw the video on Instagram & my heart goes out to her. I am really horrified the way this incident happened & after that, the crew didn't help this girl. That was very shocking because Vistara claims that it has zero tolerance," Sharma said. "Vistara hasn't sensitized their crew to take action against men torturing women on flight. I am taking suo moto cognizance of this and giving notice to Vistara. Also a copy to DGP Maharashtra to act against Vistara Airlines. "I would like to tell Vistara that if they have zero tolerance why they have not named this person till now. Naming them is very very important. We would like to tell her that we are there to help her out in any way we can," she added. With inputs from IANS. Los Angeles: Charlie Sheen has sued the National Enquirer for defamation after the tabloid reported the actor sexually assaulted former child star Corey Haim in the 1980's. Sheen filed the suit on Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court against the tabloid, its parent company American Media, Inc.,Dylan Howard, the tabloid's chief content office and Dominick Brascia, who told the publication the "Two and Half Men" star raped Haim, reported Variety. In his lawsuit, Sheen called the story part of an "egregious, hurtful and disgusting campaign of defamations." "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," the lawsuit states. The lawsuit alleged that Howard published the story partly out of revenge for not getting the scoop on Sheen's HIV-positive status. American Media Inc., the parent company of the Enquirer, said it would defend the suit. "We look forward to litigating against Charlie Sheen, and can?t wait to expose his depravities in a court of law," the company said in a statement. New Delhi: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who is all geared up for the release of his upcoming film 'Tiger Zinda Hai', turned emotional as he remembered Vinod Khanna and Shashi Kapoor. While speaking at a press conference promoting his 'Da-Bangg The Tour', Salman expressed his sadness on the demise of his 'heroes'. When asked about Vinod Khanna's absence from 'Dabbang 3', Khan said, "It is really sad. Vinod Khanna sir's health turned worse and we lost him. It is a great loss to the film industry and to his family and now Shashi uncle too is gone, which is really sad. We never thought that the heroes we worshipped, could ever leave us." "But still when we see their films and photographs, they are still there between us and I believe they are immortal. I still can't fathom the fact that VK sir is gone. I believe he is still there amongst us," he added. Vinod Khanna passed away on April 27 following his long battle with cancer. He was 70. Shashi Kapoor died earlier this week. He took his last breath at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai. He was 79. FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar: Cristiano Ronaldo to Lionel Messi, stars likely to play their last WC LUDHIANA: Former Punjab chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal stalwart Parkash Singh Badal said on Sunday he will not campaign in the upcoming local body polls in the state as a mark of protest against the Congress government. Badal, 90, told reporters he decided not to campaign for Akali-BJP candidates as the Congress government in the state was turning the municipal council polls into a "farce" by its "bullying" tactics. "This government can declare any candidate a winner even if he is far behind the real winner," Badal alleged, without providing any basis for his accusations. Commenting on the 'dharnas' organised by the Akali-BJP combine throughout the state and the subsequent registration of cases by the police against these protesters, he said they were not going to be scared of such tactics even if they were sent to jails. They were born to fight against injustice, he added. The two parties have been protesting against the registration of "false" cases against SAD leaders and workers at the alleged instance of the Congress government. New Delhi: Home buyers cannot be made to wait indefinitely for possession of flats booked by them, the apex consumer commission has said as it asked a private builder to refund the amount paid by its customers. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) noted that possession was not given even after five years and asked New Delhi-based Adel Landmarks Limited to refund over Rs 66 lakh to five customers who were allotted flats in their project in Gurgaon in 2012. "The firm has chosen not to come forward to tell this commission as to why it has failed to deliver possession to them, and by which date it expects to deliver the possession, the buyers in my opinion are entitled to refund of the amount paid by them to the opposite party (firm), along with appropriate compensation," the bench headed by its presiding member Justice V K Jain said. The commission also imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on the builder which would be given to the five home buyers -- Chirag Grover, Kamalpreet Singh Sethi, Ramesh Kumar, Raj Kumar and Dharmesh Jain. "Even if I take a period of five years from the initial allotment for delivery of the possession, the facts remains that the firm has failed to complete the construction and offer possession of the flat... "The persons cannot be made to wait indefinitely for the possession of the flats allotted to them and they are entitled to seek refund of the amount paid by them, along with compensation," the judge said. According to the complaint filed by the home buyers, they were allotted flats in the Gurgaon project of the firm in 2012. However, the project was scrapped and the firm later allotted them flats in another project with an extended delivery date. The commission noted that the firm failed to even finish the alternative project within a reasonable time frame. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The death toll in the Ockhi cyclone in Kerala plunged to 40 as two more bodies were recovered on Sunday even as the search operations to trace the missing fishermen entered the 10th day. Meanwhile, as many as 67 fishermen, trapped in the high seas, have returned to Kochi. These fishermen had put out to sea from Kerala and Tamil Nadu coast and many of them were trapped in Lakshadweep area. They arrived in Kochi by six boats last night and early this morning, officials said. Mourning the dead and missing, the Christian community in the coastal belt near here observed a 'prayer day' and sought Central funds for rehabilitation of the affected families. A Defence spokesperson said one body was recovered off the coast of Minicoy in Lakshadweep Islands and another fished out from near Kochi. This took the toll to 40 in the cyclone that hit the southern coast of the state on November 30. The cyclone had also left several fishermen stranded in the sea. The spokesperson said an Indian Air Force transport aircraft covered 10,880 square nautical miles south of Kanyakumari coast in the Indian ocean, while an AN-32 aircraft along with local fishermen also took part in the search and rescue operations. A sombre atmosphere prevailed in the coastal villages of Poonthura, Vizhinjam, Pozhiyur and Adimalathura near here as men, women and children gathered at the local churches to offer special prayers since 6 am. The family members of 15-year-old Vineesh, the youngest fisher to have gone missing, was among those who offered prayers. Addressing the people, St Thomas Church Vicar Justin Jude said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should visit the cyclone-affected areas. He also sought the formation of a separate fishing ministry. A message, read out during the special prayer meetings in the churches, said the cyclone should be declared as a national disaster and urged the centre to provide more funds for rehabilitation of the victims. The community members said they would take out a march to Raj Bhawan tomorrow to press for their demands. Black flags were also hoisted near the church to mourn the dead. Special prayers were also held at the cemeteries as women and children wailed for the dead. In neighbouring Kanyakumari, hundreds of people, including women, formed a human chain in remembrance of the dead and missing fishermen. As per the figures released by the Latin Church, more than 300 fishermen were still missing, while the official estimate of the missing men is 95. Kerala has demanded a financial assistance of Rs 1,834 crore from the centre in view of the loss suffered due to the cyclone. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had yesterday met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi to apprise them of the present situation. In a memorandum submitted to Singh, he urged the Centre to announce a long-term package similar to the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project considering the gravity of the disaster. A total of 5,656 fishermen had been rescued so far and 159 of them were under treatment in hospitals for serious injuries, it was stated. The cyclone also caused damage to crops in 2,053 hectares of land affecting 15,104 farmers. A total of 207 houses were completely damaged while 2,753 partially suffered damage, the memorandum pointed out. The Kerala government also requested the Navy, Coast Guard and Indian Air Force to continue the search operations for the missing fishermen for another 10 days. (With Agency inputs) MILWAUKEE Emile Mathis is no longer with us, but his passion for and knowledge of fine art continues to be felt throughout southeastern Wisconsin and beyond. Mathis an art connoisseur and collector who owned a gallery in Downtown Racine for 40 years bequeathed a multi-million-dollar gift of artwork from his collection to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee upon his death in 2012. And on Thursday, Dec. 14, the university is scheduled to host the grand opening of a new gallery on its campus, named in his honor. The opening reception is set to run from 5 to 7 p.m. in room 170 of UWMs Mitchell Hall, 3203 N. Downer Ave., and is open to the public. UWMs Emile H. Mathis Gallery is a 2,400-square-foot, state-of-the-art space that replaces the universitys former Art History Gallery. Designed by Rinka Chung Architecture (which also designed Milwaukees proposed Couture apartment tower) the renovated gallery offers both enlarged exhibition space (from 900 to 2,400 square feet) and storage space (from 700 to 1,900 square feet), according to Linda Brazeau, director of the UWM Art Collection and Galleries in the Department of Art History. It also features a state-of-the-art HVAC system, with temperature and humidity controls, as well as high-end lighting, security and fire-suppression systems, Brazeau said. Raising the profile The gallerys renovation was made possible with funds Mathis gave to the university, in addition to his gift of more than 500 pieces of African art and more than 1,700 works on paper, spanning 500 years and including etchings by Rembrandt, Warhol and others. Mathis specified that his money be used for the renovation and expansion of the Art History Gallery, and one of his requests for the project was to raise the gallerys profile, Brazeau said. To that end, we have a new entrance to the gallery, directly across from the student Union, that makes a visual statement, she said, adding that she thinks Mathis would be very proud of the results. The Mathis Art Gallerys inaugural exhibition, Legacies: ReVisioning the UWM Art Collection, showcases extraordinary artworks, in a variety of media, that celebrate the collections incredible richness, depth and breadth, according to the university. It honors the generous patrons whose gifts of art form the UWM Art Collection and includes pieces from Mathis collection. Perfect blend Mathis phenomenal gift was the largest ever given to the UWM Art Collection, Brazeau said. And one of the many wonderful things about it is that the works of art he collected are from time periods that just happened to fill in gaps that existed in the universitys permanent collection, Brazeau explained. We had prints from the 18th century and his collection filled in gaps before and after that, she said. It was an almost perfect blend of two collections, to make a really premiere collection. Mathis desire to have his collection be used to teach art also fits perfectly with the mission of the UWM Art Collection, Brazeau said. The whole purpose of our collection is for it to be used by the students, she said. When Emile saw how the artwork was used in classes, he was thrilled. An art gallery at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside is also named after Emile Mathis (www.uwp.edu/engage/artgalleries.cfm), and his philanthropy also extended to his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Superior, as well as local organizations including the Racine Art Museum. The Legacies: ReVisioning the UWM Art Collection exhibition opens Dec. 14 in the UWM Emile H. Mathis Gallery and runs through Feb. 22. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For more information, go to https://uwm.edu/arthistory/gallery or call 414-229-4330. New Delhi: 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 in 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. MIRZAPUR: It seems like there still has a lot to be done when it comes to the safety of foreign nationals in the country. In the latest incident, some foreign tourists were allegedly beaten up by locals in the Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh. After the tourists approached the police, four persons were arrested in connection with the assault, said a news agency ANI report. This is not the first instance where foreign tourists have had to face harassment from locals in Uttar Pradesh. In November, a German tourist was allegedly thrashed by a railway contractor at the Robertsganj Railway Station in Sonbhadra. The accused in this case, allegedly had got upset after the tourist did not respond to his greetings and thereafter, in a fit of rage, attacked him. In October, a Swiss couple was attacked by a group of men in Agra's Fatehpur Sikri. Quentin Jeremy Clerc and girlfriend Marie Droz were assaulted by four youths with sticks and stones. While Clerc had suffered a skull fracture, Droz received treatment for multiple injuries. The couple alleged that some of locals passed lewd comments on the woman and tried to molest her. When they resisted, the grouo of men attacked them and left them with severe injuries. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had condemned such incidents after the attack on the Swiss couple and had said that his government will not accept such incidents. Bankura: A bus carrying school students on an educational tour rammed into a lorry in West Bengal's Bankura district today killing a driver and injuring at least 18 students and teachers. The bus carrying 50 students and 13 teachers of 'Mansingha Banishri Bidya Niketan' of Khejuri in Purba Medinipur district was going to Ayodhya Hills in Purulia district when it hit the lorry laden with stone chips, Bankura SP Sukhendu Hira said. The accident occurred at Morar under Bishnupur police station at 5.40 am. The injured seven teachers and 11 students were rushed to Bishnupur sub-divisional hospital, the SP said. Police officials have rushed to the spot after receiving the information, the SP said. ADEN: Saudi-led coalition air strikes on a Yemen rebel training camp northwest of the capital on Sunday killed at least 26 Huthi fighters, security sources said. The head of the training camp in Hajjah province, Amar al-Jarab, was among those killed in the strikes, the sources close to the Shiite rebels told AFP. Oslo: The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) on Sunday accepted the highly-coveted 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its work in bringing attention to the consequences of the use of nuclear arms and for promoting a treaty-based prohibition on nuclear weapons. ICAN is a coalition of 468 grassroots non-governmental groups that campaigned for a UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted by 122 nations in July. They had played a decisive role in the negotiations that led to an adoption of the treaty that was boycotted by the nuclear powers and allies. ICAN becomes a Nobel Peace laureate organisation one year after Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was awarded the prize in 2016 for his efforts in negotiating a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas. While announcing the award on October 6, 2017, the Norwegian Nobel Committee had said that the organisation wass receiving the award for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons. Watch the very moment the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize is announced! #NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/H0AtcRU7tn The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 6, 2017 Beatrice Fihn, ICAN`s executive director, in a speech after receiving the peace prize on behalf of the anti-nuclear group, urged nuclear nations to adopt a UN treaty banning atomic weapons in order to prevent "the end of us". The treaty is not signed by - and would not apply to - any of the states that already have nuclear arms. "It provides a choice. A choice between the two endings: the end of nuclear weapons or the end of us," she said in her speech at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo. "The United States, choose freedom over fear. Russia, choose disarmament over destruction. Britain, choose the rule of law over oppression," she added, before urging France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel to do the same. Israel is widely assumed to have nuclear weapons, although it neither confirms nor denies it. "A moment of panic or carelessness, a misconstrued comment or bruised ego, could easily lead us unavoidably to the destruction of entire cities," she added, Reuters reported. Fihn delivered the Nobel lecture together with Setsuko Thurlow, an 85-year-old survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing and now an ICAN campaigner. Thurlow recalled on stage on Sunday some of her memories of the attack on August 6, 1945. She was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building about 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mile) from Ground Zero, she said. Most of her classmates, who were in the same room, were burned alive. The United States, Britain and France sent second-rank diplomats to the Nobel ceremony. (With Agency inputs) Paris: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began a trip to Europe on Sunday facing widespread criticism of the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state and pressure to engage in the peace process. In his first meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, he was urged to re-engage with the Palestinians to build goodwill following widespread protests over the capital move. Speaking alongside Netanyahu after a working lunch, Macron again condemned the unilateral decision on Jerusalem last week by US President Donald Trump as "contrary to international law and dangerous for the peace process." "I urged the prime minister to show courage in his dealings with the Palestinians to get us out of the current dead-end," Macron said after talks in Paris with the Israeli leader. Echoing a message that European foreign ministers are set to carry during further talks in Brussels on Monday, Macron also urged him to freeze Israeli settlement building in the occupied territories. Netanyahu has praised Trump`s decision as "historic" and he explained Sunday that Jerusalem "has always been our capital and it has never been the capital of any other people." Before leaving Israel, he had taken aim at what he called Europe`s "hypocrisy", for condemning Trump`s statement, but not "the rockets fired at Israel or the terrible incitement against it." Pointedly, Macron began his pre-prepared remarks with a clear condemnation "with the greatest of clarity of all forms of attacks in the last hours and days against Israel." Despite the obvious differences between the 39-year-old French leader and the Israeli hardliner, there were also attempts to show they had developed a good early working relationship and held common views. "Does this mean Emmanuel Macron and me agree on everything? No, not all of it, but we`re working it," Netanyahu said at one point, joking later: "The lunch in the Elysee is superb, the conversation is superb too." Netanyahu was making his second visit to Paris since Macron`s victory in May and the two countries are keen to reset ties after often difficult exchanges under ex-president Francois Hollande.Netanyahu travels to Brussels on Monday where he is expected to hold informal talks over breakfast with Europe`s foreign ministers who will also pressure him over the moribund peace process. The EU`s diplomatic chief warned on Thursday that the US decision on Jerusalem "has the potential to send us backwards to even darker times than the ones we`re already living in." Trump`s announcement on Wednesday has been followed by days of protests and clashes in the Palestinian territories. Four Palestinians were killed either in clashes or from Israeli air strikes in retaliation for rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. Tens of thousands have also protested in Muslim and Arab countries, including Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia. Further protests were held in Lebanon, Indonesia, Egypt and the Palestinian territories on Sunday. Macron was also asked if France would attempt to launch another peace initiative to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict following failed efforts in the past. "There`s a desire by the Americans to mediate which remains and I don`t want to condemn it ab initio (from the beginning)," he said. "We need to wait for the next few weeks, the next months to see what will be proposed. "And I think we have to wait to see whether the interested parties accept it or not. "It`s preferable once an initiative is under way to not launch another one because they can cannibalise each other," he added. Netanyahu was an outspoken critic of efforts by former French president Francois Hollande to push a Middle East peace process. The Israeli premier boycotted a conference on the Israeli-Palestian conflict in Paris in January attended by 70 countries which he called "futile" and "a last gasp of the past". BEIRUT: Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water cannons on Sunday at demonstrators near the US embassy as they protested Washington's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. An AFP correspondent in Awkar outside the capital Beirut said several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators had gathered near the US embassy, located in the area. They were blocked from reaching the complex by a metal gate sealing the road leading to the embassy, and security forces fired tear gas and water cannons to repel demonstrators who tried to open the gate by force. Several people were injured by rocks and tear gas, the correspondent said. There was no immediate comment from security forces. Protestors waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags, and sporting black-and-white checked keffiyeh scarves, chanted slogans against President Donald Trump, who on Wednesday recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital. A group of demonstrators set alight an effigy of the US president, whose decision has upended decades of American diplomacy and an international consensus to leave the status of Jerusalem to be resolved in negotiations. The demonstrators included members of Palestinian parties, as well as Lebanese Islamists and leftists. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon, including those who fled or were expelled from their homes after Israel's founding, as well as their descendants. Israel occupied southern Lebanon for 22 years before withdrawing in 2000, but the two countries remain technically at war. In 2006, Israel fought a devastating war against Hezbollah in Lebanon that killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 120 Israelis, most of them soldiers. Paris: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday after he labelled Israel a "state that kills children," calling him a leader who bombs Kurdish villagers and supports terrorists. "I am not used to receiving lectures about morality from a leader who bombs Kurdish villagers in his native Turkey, who jails journalists, who helps Iran get around international sanctions, and who helps terrorists, including in Gaza, kill innocent people," Netanyahu said at a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron. "That is not the man who is going to lecture us." Jerusalem: New protests flared in the Middle East and elsewhere on Sunday over US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a move that has drawn global condemnation and sparked days of unrest in the Palestinian territories. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has repeatedly warned of the consequences of Trump's move, also lashed out Sunday by calling Israel a "terrorist state" and "state that kills children". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile visited Europe for his first trip abroad since Trump's declaration, with talks planned with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and EU foreign ministers in Brussels. Trump's announcement on Wednesday has been followed by days of protests and clashes in the Palestinian territories. Four Palestinians were killed either in clashes or from Israeli air strikes in retaliation for rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. Tens of thousands have also protested in Muslim and Arab countries, including Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia. Further protests were held in Lebanon, Indonesia, Egypt and the Palestinian territories on Sunday. Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water cannons at several hundred demonstrators near the US embassy. Protestors waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags, and sporting black-and-white checked keffiyeh scarves, chanted slogans against Trump, an AFP correspondent at the protest said. Several people were injured by rocks, tear gas, and rubber bullets, the correspondent said. In Jakarta, some 5,000 Indonesians protested in solidarity with the Palestinians, gathering outside the US embassy in the world's most-populous Muslim country. In Cairo, students and professors demonstrated at the prestigious Al-Azhar University, a university spokesman said, with pictures on social media showing several hundred protesters. Dozens of students protested at two other Cairo universities. A protest and clashes also broke out in Al-Arroub refugee camp in the south of the occupied West Bank, leaving one Palestinian wounded from rubber bullets, the Palestinian health ministry said. Separately, the Israeli military said it destroyed a Hamas tunnel stretching from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory -- an incident unrelated to the recent unrest, but which threatened to further increase tensions. Such tunnels have been used in the past to carry out attacks. Trump's declaration has been followed by near universal condemnation and diplomatic fallout, with warnings it risks setting off a new round of violence in the turbulent Middle East. US Vice President Mike Pence is due to visit the region later this month, but Palestinian officials say president Mahmud Abbas will refuse to meet him. Egypt's Coptic Pope Tawadros II cancelled a meeting with Pence as well, saying Trump's announcement had failed to take into account the "feelings of millions" of Arabs. Arab League foreign ministers on Saturday called on the United States to rescind the move. Netanyahu's trip to Europe was long planned, but the recent crisis is almost sure to be discussed. Both Macron and EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini have criticised Trump's decision, and there have been ongoing tensions between Netanyahu and European Union officials over Israeli settlement building in the West Bank. Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday accused India of turning down its "message for peace" by refusing to stop ceasefire violations. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal claimed that Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif in a letter to his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj had urged for calm and respect for the 2003 ceasefire agreement. "India has responded to the letter and instead of accepting our message for peace once again repeated old allegation of cross border incursions and refused to stop violations," the spokesperson said. Faisal also said that India was not ready for independent verification of its allegations or accept Pakistan's proposal to give proper access to the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). India maintains that the UNMOGIP has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control (LoC). Faisal alleged that India was using cross border attacks to divert attention from the issue of Kashmir. VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis on Sunday renewed a call for "wisdom and prudence" over US President Donald Trump`s controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel`s capital, which has sparked protests and clashes. "The Holy Father renews his appeal for the wisdom and prudence of everyone, and raises fervent prayers so that the leaders of nations, in this time of special gravity, commit themselves to avert a new spiral of violence," a statement from the Vatican said. There were fresh protests in the Middle East and elsewhere Sunday over Trump`s declaration, a move that drew global condemnation and sparked days of unrest in the Palestinian territories. Noting that Jerusalem was sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims, the pope reiterated the church`s "well-known position concerning the singular character of the Holy City and the essential need for respecting the status quo". "At the same time the Holy See reiterates its own conviction that only a negotiated solution between Israelis and Palestinians can bring a stable and lasting peace, and guarantee the peaceful co-existence of two states within internationally recognised borders," the statement added. Geneva: The Syrian government`s delegation returned to Geneva on Sunday for the resumption of talks with United Nations mediator Staffan de Mistura after more than a week`s absence, but Western diplomats voiced scepticism about its willingness to engage. Bashar al-Ja`afari, Syria`s ambassador to the UN and chief negotiator in talks aimed at finding a political solution to end the nearly seven-year-old war, landed in a snowstorm on a flight from Beirut, a Reuters reporter on board said. Ja`afari declined to comment. De Mistura convened an eighth round of separate talks with the government and unified opposition delegations on November 28, focusing on constitutional reform as well as elections. But Ja`afari arrived a day late and left after two days, saying the opposition had "mined the road" to the talks by insisting that President Bashar al-Assad could not play any interim role in Syria`s political transition. De Mistura told reporters last Thursday that he would assess this week whether either side is trying to "sabotage" the process. "The opposition has been extremely constructive and willing to get down to it," a senior Western diplomat said. "They are in a difficult place while being criticised internally and pressured by the fact that the regime is bombing away in eastern Ghouta and other places." The diplomat told Reuters that the government`s failure to return as scheduled on Dec. 5 had been "a clear sign of not being interested in engaging in the political process". Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested holding a Syrian congress in the Russian city of Sochi early in 2018. Diplomats see his plan as a bid to draw a line under the war and celebrate Moscow`s role as the power that tipped the balance of the war and became the key player in the peace process. JAKARTA: Thousands of Indonesian Muslims protested Sunday in Jakarta against US President Donald Trump`s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the latest global show of solidarity with the Palestinians. Demonstrators -- many in white Islamic robes and skullcaps -- gathered outside the US embassy in the world`s most populous Muslim-majority country to vent their anger against the unilateral decision. Protesters carried Palestinian flags and banners saying "We are with the Palestinians" and "Pray for Palestine". The rally in Indonesia`s capital drew a crowd of at least 5,000 people, police said. Trump`s move on Wednesday to recognise Jerusalem as Israel`s capital upended decades of American diplomacy, causing an overwhelming global diplomatic backlash and sparking Palestinian protests and clashes with Israeli security forces. The status of Jerusalem is deeply sensitive for Muslims, and protesters have taken to the streets in cities across the world following the policy shift. Indonesian president Joko Widodo said Thursday he "condemned" Trump`s decision on Jerusalem, and ordered the US ambassador in Jakarta to be summoned over the move. The Islamist Prosperous Justice Party, or PKS -- which organised the Jakarta rally and several others around the country -- slammed Trump`s decision as a declaration of "hostility to Muslims throughout the world." Washington: United States President Donald Trump has called for sacking of a Washington Post reporter who had tweeted a misleading picture of the president's Florida rally. Dave Weigel tweeted a photograph wherein very people were seen attending the event in Pensacola on Friday night. Later, it turned out that the photo was taken before the event had begun. Trump on Saturday called out the reporter on Twitter for posting the "phony photo". "@DaveWeigel @WashingtonPost put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo!" Trump tweeted.Later, Weigel deleted the photo and said he was confused by the image of Trump`s walking in the bottom right corner of the arena. "Sure thing: I apologize. I deleted the photo after @dmartosko told me I`d gotten it wrong. Was confused by the image of you walking in the bottom right corner," he said in a tweet. However, Trump was not satisfied with Weigel`s apology and removal of the photo, as he demanded the reporter to be sacked."@daveweigel of the Washington Post just admitted that his picture was a FAKE (fraud?) showing an almost empty arena last night for my speech in Pensacola when, in fact, he knew the arena was packed (as shown also on T.V.). FAKE NEWS, he should be fired," Trump said in a tweet.Weigel called his mistake a "bad tweet" on his personal account and not a story for Washington Post. "It was a bad tweet on my personal account, not a story for Washington Post. I deleted it after like 20 minutes. Very fair to call me out. Everything I say on Twitter is a joke, except what I say about @swin24," Weigel tweeted.Earlier, Trump had also attacked CNN ABC News correspondent Brian Ross for incorrect reporting. San Francisco: US President Donald Trump demanded an apology from a reporter and asked the company to fire him after he tweeted a "phoney photo". Trump on Saturday slammed The Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel over a tweet in which he incorrectly called into question Trump`s claim about the crowd size at his Friday night rally in Florida. According to a report on nymag.com, Weigel posted an image showing Trump`s Pensacola rally venue mostly empty, with a message quoting Trump`s later assertion that the arena was "packed to the rafters". The photo that was shared was taken before all the rallygoers or the President had arrived. The venue was later filled with people. Weigel quickly deleted the tweet after another journalist pointed out his error. Later in the day, Trump accused Weigel and the news organisation of willingly using a "phony photo" and spreading fake news. "DaveWeigel WashingtonPost put out a phoney photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology and retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo!," Trump tweeted. Weigel responded in three minutes and apologised for his mistake. "Sure thing: I apologise. I deleted the photo after @dmartosko told me I`d gotten it wrong. Was confused by the image of you walking in the bottom right corner," the reporter tweeted. "It was a bad tweet on my personal account, not a story for Washington Post," he added. Soon after the apology, Trump said Weigel should be fired. "daveweigel of the Washington Post just admitted that his picture was a FAKE (fraud?) showing an almost empty arena last night for my speech in Pensacola when, in fact, he knew the arena was packed (as shown also on TV). FAKE NEWS, he should be fired." Tika R Pradhan is a senior political correspondent for the Post, covering politics, parliament, judiciary and social affairs. Pradhan joined the Post in 2016 after working at The Himalayan Times for more than a decade. December 6, 2017 Amid US President Donald Trumps move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Iranian leaders have stated that Tehran will not tolerate any aggression against holy Islamic sites. On Dec. 6, in a meeting with government officials, ambassadors of Islamic countries and participants at the 31st International Conference on Islamic Unity, Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reacted to Trumps move on Israel by saying, Their announcement of Quds [Jerusalem] as the capital of Occupied Palestine [Israel] proves their incompetence and failure. In regards to Palestine, they are helpless and unable to achieve their goals. Victory is for the Islamic nation. Palestine will be free, and the Palestinian people will be victorious. Describing the United States and Israel as oppressors, Khamenei said, The modern-day pharaoh is represented by the US, the Zionist regime and their accomplices in the region, who seek to create wars in our region, and this is plotted by the US. Khamenei continued, Today, some enemies and individuals line up against the Islamic nation and the path of the Prophet [Muhammad]. The Iranian leader, however, added that Tehran doesnt seek war. We have no conflict with Islamic nations. We seek unity. But in response to this willingness to forge unity, there are some who seek a war and their policies are based on war. In response, we admonish [them]; we use a language of advice; we rely on admonition. The destiny of the approach that some governments in the region take, as noted in the Quran, will be self-destructive, the supreme leader said. At the same meeting, President Hassan Rouhani joined Khamenei in condemning any attempt by the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Today, the enemies have launched a new conspiracy against the Muslims and have targeted the great goal of the liberation of the Holy Quds, said Rouhani. The Holy Quds belongs to Muslims and Palestinians, and it is not a place in which anyone can stand against the thoughts and feelings of the people. This is a new adventure of the 'global arrogance' in the region. The Iranian president also said, Although the Islamic Republic of Iran has responded to the call by the nations [seeking its aid] by supporting them, and wants to resolve problems through negotiation and has never agreed to changes in the borders in the region, it will not tolerate aggression against Islamic sanctities. Moreover, in a phone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Dec. 6, Rouhani urged Islamic countries to be united in the face of Trump's illegal, provocative and very dangerous decision. The Iranian president said, Islamic countries and all the free countries of the world must act quickly against Washington's move to stop them. Rouhani also said Tehran will participate in the extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Erdogan has invited leaders of Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states to convene for an extraordinary summit in Istanbul on Dec. 13 over the Jerusalem issue. 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!) 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. President Trump, in his element with America's greatest patriots - Medal of Honor Recipients - from our many wars since World War II. Secretary of Defense James Mattis is far right, standing: Above. Click image to expand. Now that the Russia Collusion scandal has most completely boomeranged on core Democrats, the Democrat Media, and the Deep State, who have promoted this scandal for over one year: Should congress and Jeff Sessions's DOJ investigate the DNC, the Clintons, and, notably, the FBI /Obama DOJ with the same fervor that they have hounded all things connected to Candidate, then President Donald Trump? Yes, it is a necessity that we discover all that is corrupt, and stains the government of this land. No, investigate only everything connected to Donald Trump, as a candidate and then president. I generally don't pay attention to most things except what is normally pop culture. 165 total vote(s) What's your Opinion? Consequently, the Liberals who fully morphed into Socialists, and the nominal Republicans, who have transformed into Never-Trumpers, have one large realty in common, a reality that they hate; Donald J. Trump is the duly elected president, and they should embrace that firm reality. For at least the next three years, this inevitable truth will play out, and no matter the many planned diversions: the multiple Fake News stories from the Democrat Media, the continued Fake Investigations, or consuming Fake Outrage from Leftists will dim that inevitable actuality from reaching its full potential - a robust Trump presidency.That full potential of "Trumpism" is here with us now, and no matter to what extent these Liberals /Socialists, and few remaining Never-Trumpers, diligently work to reverse the fact that Donald J. Trump will serve out his first term, the momentum of this fully working president continues; he will finish his first term with a great platform of many successes, far more than the full eight years of both his predecessors - Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Hussein Obama. The poorly organized, and intellectually inadequate Democrats in congress, their owned bureaucrats in the Department of Justice /FBI, and their pathetic Democrat Media may slow down this President, but they will not stop him, let alone Impeach him.After the inadequate presidency of George W. Bush (by this Conservative's estimation), and the utterly corrupt and completely failed presidency of Barack Hussein Obama, the United States of America must have a successful administration; and, President Donald J. Trump is proving not only more than capable, but totally committed to that estimable proposition. The man knew little of politics, did not live his life to be clear of personal scandal as some politicians do; however, once it was assured to all of just how imperfect his foibles were, and he did speak inarticulately to many issues, the great preponderance of middle-class Americans, mostly from more rural counties devoid of great centers of population elected Donald J. Trump the 45th president of the United States regardless of the consternation of Ruling Class Elitist and Liberals /Socialists congregated mostly along the north/central eastern and western coasts of the United States. In these heavily populated strips of our American experience Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) is more rampant.Intellectually debilitating TDS notwithstanding, the 45th president is learning on the job what must be done as president, while surrounding himself with an incredibly talented staff of public servants at the cabinet level, and now below them (when eventually appointed by the senate), as more inept partisan Democrat bureaucrats are sent packing to work elsewhere, where they can do far less damage to the good Americans that elected this president. Notice how the leaks within the White House and elsewhere are beginning to dry-up.Still, these obstructionists of the Elitist Governing Class are bent on destroying President Trump and the Trump Agenda, chief among other issues of that most important agenda is draining the Washington, DC swamp of those same self-interested creatures that are driving our Republic to degradation . Rather than beating the political neophyte Trump in the midterm elections, and eventually devastating that Trump agenda in the 2020 presidential election, these core Democrats and few nominal Republicans hope to Impeach the President for "High Crimes and Misdemeanors", but to date, about a year later, these pathetic non patriots have not found one high crime or misdemeanor to hang their obstructionist's hat on. Just the hypothesis of innuendo and constant hyperbole delivered by the Democrat Media, now excellently branded the "Fake News" by President Donald J. Trump; wise use of his energy and his words branding their magnificent obsession of destroying all things Trump; the principles of journalistic regimen be damned.While speaking of governing ineptitude, intellectual incompetence, non patriotism, and utter corrupt behavior while governing: How could we leave out the darling of the Leftist Socialists - Barack Hussein Obama?Just a few days ago, December 6, 2107 at the Economic Club of Chicago, Hussein Obama's blood was up to the point that felt competent and called to compare President Trump and his administration to "Germany's Weimar Republic" , the twilight years of the Republic when "sixty million souls were murdered". Regardless of one's political position , where Obama is a non patriotic Socialist to paint him correctly, a former United States president has never done such, or should never such ever again, or thought to be a supreme idiot, a non patriot (am I repeating myself here; oh well). Well, we are talking about Hussein Obama here; the most abysmal Foreign Policy president in modern times, and the least effective Domestic Policy president as well. A president who did nothing to combat Russia's interference in our 2016 election, even though he knew about what was occurring in real time, and never mentioned it, in effective terms, until after it was clear that Hillary Clinton would not break that pronounced glass ceiling to become the first female president. Substantively, Obama and all core Democrats really did not consider Russia as an adversary , even when it was reported that foreign agents, both China and Russia, hacked into the personnel records and emails of nearly all federal employees, and aquired employees' Social Secuirty numbers. For decades, Russia was not considered a danger in any capacity by core Democrats, and when Republicans drew attention to Russia's election interference, or Russia's obvious regional hegemony, or even Russia's state sponsored hacking, core Democrats treated Republicans with complete disdain, and regarded the specter of any Russian aggression with utter ambivalence Ironically, core Democrats, aided by the Deep State (I never really considered the "Deep State" as an entity until the Trump election, and the first year of his administration) are employing the specter of Russia endeavoring to influence the attitudinal knowledge of American voters by accusing the Trump campaign of conspiring with these Russian agents to do what they did, whatever they did, as All Things Trump accusers make up stuff as they go along. This premeditated exercise has been call Russia Campaign Collusion, and after over a year of investigation, there is no proof of such collusion, yet the investigation continues; not to discover how Russia meddled, or with whom, but only if it was with the Donald J. Campaign, and that investigation is getting no traction. So, core Democrats, with their Democrat Media in tow, are making giant hypothetical leaps that this President sought to obstruct the investigation into this crime, a crime that there is no known proof of. Some of the more pathetic among the aforementioned actually point to the James Comey firing, which is the president's constitutional right, regardless of when he does it. With what we are now learning about former Director Comey's extra political activities as FBI Director, his firing will be the least of his problems. I am still waiting for James Comey's promised book.Still, core Democrats believe that the rest of us should take them seriously. Should Special prosecutor Robert Mueller, of this Russia probe (ironically brought about by Comey firing and Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrongly recusing himself), wishes to be taken seriously, as he investigates this so-called crime of Russia interference, his investigatory actions may need to measure up quite a bit more to that point where this overblown, extra-financed investigation, administered by partisan Democrat operatives (we are now discovering) is worthy of such. If the probe is not taken seriously by the thinking American public, and their representatives, but only by these petulant Liberal hacks orbiting Democrat politicians and their unprinciple media, the probe will fail and will be a massive embarrassment to all involved. So far the investigation has well proved to be a huge waste of money and time, and its distraction alone is a cause for possible national peril at a time when the president must remain focused on saving the Republic. To Americans of clarion thought and greater knowledge, this so-called probe is more resembling veritable "witch hunt", but, the President calmly is allowing the probe to play out; however, I do expect there not to be repercussions for all these sorry players if this probe's direction does not veer back to its original intent - to discover the truth about Russia Interference.Consequently, instead of finding Russia Collusion, Cover-up, and now Obstruction, we concerned Americans are learning of the political corruption of conspiracy, influence peddling, and money laundering ( Uranium One / Clinton Global Initiative ) that deeply taints the FBI, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the State Department, the NSA, and the CIA, which taints leadership now, and in the recent past, including, but not limited to: Eric Holder, James Comey, Loretta Lynch, Barack Hussein Obama, Hillary Clinton their administrative underlings , and possibly Robert Mueller himself.At this point, the President does not seem to be worried about all these investigations' respective outcomes, but, one thing is certain: Others that have been in control of the Deep State, and played fast and loose with our laws may need to be very concerned. Last time I checked, there is only one politician that has the power to pardon anyone or everyone, and it is not any of these aforementioned actors, many who are utterly corrupt.If the end game for all of these corrupt politicians and Deep State bureaucrats, and unprincipled media is to ruin this duly elected president, so that he may be Impeached, they should have adopted a game plan that is not so glaringly apparent. At this point, looking far ahead as is my nature; absent President Trump himself negotiating all wrongs as accused, the Russia Probe investigation is finished in real terms. My wise words to Bob Mueller: Wrap it up quickly (especially if you become part of the problem, rather than part of the solution), so we can discover quickly what really has occurred over these last 8 years of Obama corruption, and just how could it have all been fomented in our nation's capitol. When the D.C. swamp is drained, it will be most informative to discover who has been swimming naked. Raptor That Took to Water (Halszkaraptor escuilliei) A fossil that had been removed illegally from Mongolia has revealed a remarkable twist in the evolution of Theropod dinosaurs. It seems that during the Late Cretaceous, one little meat-eating Maniraptoran evolved a long, swan-like neck and flippers for forelimbs and took to the water. It may have even waddled around like a duck. This latest discovery, written up in the journal Nature, demonstrates the remarkable diversity within Maniraptoran dinosaurs. Several different kinds of raptor-like dinosaurs evolved adapting to different ecological niches, palaeontologists have known about dwarf forms and giants, meat-eaters adapting to herbivory and the evolution of powered flight within the Maniraptoran lineage. This newly described dinosaur adds to this diversity and helps to demonstrate the flexibility of the Theropoda bauplan. As well as the cursorial forms (fast runners), here is one little Maniraptoran showing adaptations for an aquatic lifestyle. Named Halszkaraptor escuilliei, it may have been a forelimb-propelled, pursuit diver, hunting and catching fish in a similar way to living birds (to whom Halszkaraptor is distantly related), such as Auks and Penguins. A Reconstruction of the Newly Described Halszkaraptor escuilliei Picture Credit: Lukas Panzarin Surprising Dinosaur from Southern Mongolia The fossil, consisting of a single slab with a partially exposed, nearly complete and articulated skeleton, heralds from Ukhaa Tolgod in southern Mongolia. The Upper Cretaceous sandstones (Campanian faunal stage), have been pillaged by fossil poachers for decades and Halszkaraptor was illegally excavated and circulated via the black market, passing through the hands of several private collectors. In 2015, a French collector acquired the specimen and contacted the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, the fossil was subsequently examined and studied in detail. The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble was used to ensure that the bizarre fossil was not a forgery, that it was not a chimera, a combination of fossils that had been put together in order to fetch a better price when it was illegally sold. The detailed X-ray phase-contrast synchrotron microtomography identified the specimen as genuine and provided palaeontologists with data on some of the bones that remained embedded in the matrix. The research team concluded that this was a new type of dinosaur, one that would have been perfectly at home in the water. The Holotype Fossil of H. escuilliei Picture Credit: Thierry Hubin/Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Palaeontologist, Pascal Godefroit of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and a co-author of the scientific paper stated: We always thought dinosaurs were terrestrial, but now it is very clear for the first time that there were also swimming dinosaurs. 75 to 71 Million Years Old The research team, which also included Phil Currie (University of Alberta), identified a number of anatomical characteristics in common with aquatic predators such as more teeth, including long, tube like teeth at the front of jaw which are typical of piscivores. In addition, the scientists discovered a neurovascular mesh inside the dinosaurs snout that resembles those found in modern crocodiles. Halszkaraptors hands, with an elongated third finger, probably had flippers, with which it manoeuvred in the water like a penguin, using its long neck to grab prey in a surprise attack. Based on the hip structures, the palaeontologists think it walked upright like a duck. Another co-author of the paper, Koen Stein (Free University Brussels, VUB) commented upon the 80-centimetres-long Theropod: Halszkaraptor is a great find. It lived like a water bird, on land as well as in water. Palaeontologists never expected dinosaurs to have explored this biotope. The discovery shows how diverse dinosaurs were and how much there is still left to discover, even in long-studied regions like Mongolia. A Novel Clade Basal to the Dromaeosauridae Halszkaraptor escuilliei is related to other enigmatic Late Cretaceous Maniraptorans from Mongolia. However, it is so very different from its relatives, animals like the famous Velociraptor for example, that it has been placed in its own novel clade (Halszkaraptorinae), at the root of Dromaeosauridae. The Skull of the Newly Described Maniraptoran H. escuilliei Picture Credit: Thierry Hubin/Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences/ESRF (Grenoble) Havent We Been Here Before? The notion of a small, Theropod dinosaur becoming adapted to an aquatic life has been postulated previously. Back in the 1970s a second specimen of the Late Jurassic Theropod Compsognathus was described. This specimen, from France, was much larger than the one originally used to describe the species Compsognathus longipes in the 19th Century. The Compsognathus fossil material was associated with a tropical lagoon palaeoenvironment and it was proposed that this French Compsognathus represented a different species, one that was specifically adapted to an aquatic habitat. It was named Compsognathus corallestris. Although, very much at home on dry land, it was postulated that the three-fingered hand had become fused to make a paddle and that his one-metre-long dinosaur propelled itself through the water in much the same way as its Coelurosaurian descendant Halszkaraptor is believed to have done. Compsognathus corallestris is Featured in The Evolution and Ecology of the Dinosaurs Published in 1976 Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur Who knows? Perhaps the discovery of Halszkaraptor might re-ignite the debate surrounding Compsognathus? Dinosaurs could swim, but just how adapted to an aquatic environment some of these animals became is open once again to speculation. Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of the press team at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in the compilation of this article. The theory behind Margaret Thatcher's sell-off of publicly funded council housing under the "right to buy" scheme was that poor people would buy their houses and then the structural factors keeping them poor would vanish in a puff of smoke, and the poor people would stop being poor (also, and as a completely unintentional side-effect, owning a home is correlated with voting for Tories and renting is correlated with voting Labour, but again, that was totally not what old Maggie was thinking, honestly). The right-to-buy programme helped fuel the housing bubble in which quasi-state media like the BBC and Channel 4 ran dozens of hours of programming a week urging people to apply for credit, "do up" flats, and flip them to other people who'd applied for credit and wanted to "do up" the flat, because that couldn't possibly ever go wrong. Today, 40% of that publicly built, publicly subsidised housing stock is in the hands of private landlords. Council housing schemes have been largely replaced by vouchers that poor people can use to pay their rents, and rents uncontained by public subsidy have soared, representing a wealth-transfer to landlord from both poor people and the taxpayers who fund the vouchers. Landlords continue to snap up ex-council housing. Poverty in the UK is at levels unseen since the time of Dickens. Housing poverty is a major co-contributor to food poverty and other forms of dire privation. Moreover, the 40% figure is low, because many private landlords don't disclose that they're letting out their flats. But this may all be bollocks of course, everyone knows reality has a well-known left wing bias. Freedom of information (FoI) requests sent to 111 English local authorities by Inside Housing magazine reveal that 40.2% of housing stock sold by councils to then tenants are now rented out, rising to 70.9% in Milton Keynes, which it dubs the "right-to-buy-to-let capital" of England. Seven councils Milton Keynes, Bolsover, Brighton & Hove, Canterbury, Cheshire West and Chester, Stevenage, and Nuneaton & Bedworth have letting levels of more than 50% among former council-owned homes. Thatcher promised that right to buy would result in a property-owning democracy, but with so many homes now sold on to landlords, critics say the government has been left paying huge amounts of housing benefit to buy-to-let landlords charging high rents. Four in 10 right-to-buy homes are now owned by private landlords [Patrick Collinson/The Guardian] (Image: Geograph, CC-BY-SA; Mattbuck, CC-BY-SA) (via Naked Capitalism) As Australia ousts MPs with dual citizenship, Canada's Parliament embraces many in its ranks As a dual citizenship debacle rocks Australia's political world, Canada's Parliament embraces sitting MPs and Senators who were born around the world and hold dual, or even triple, citizenship. There are now at least 56 sitting parliamentarians 44 MPs and 12 senators born in countries outside Canada, according to information from the Library of Parliament and websites. At least 22 of them have citizenship from other countries, CBC News confirmed through queries to parliamentarians' offices. That figure does not include MPs and senators who hold citizenship through descent, naturalization or marriage. Canadian MPs hold citizenship from various countries, including Afghanistan, Lebanon, Portugal, Poland, Pakistan, Syria, the United States and the United Kingdom. That dual citizenship would disqualify them from holding office in Australia, where Section 44 of the Constitution bars anyone who is a citizen of a "foreign power" from sitting in Parliament. Several Australian parliamentarians have been forced to resign, produce documentation, or had their case sent to the High Court for review, leaving Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's government without its majority and facing a possible early election. Politicians of all stripes are scrambling to prove they have never held other citizenship or have renounced it in what is being called a constitutional crisis. Dual citizens welcome in Canada's parliament In Canada, the only requirements for seeking a seat in the House of Commons are that you are a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old, and not serving prison sentence of more than two years. To be a senator in Canada, an individual has to be at least 30 years old, a resident of the province they represent, and own property worth at least $4,000 in that province. Liberal MP Salma Zahid, who holds Canadian, U.K. and Pakistani citizenships, does not judge any other country's rules around who is qualified to serve. But she says she is proud that Canada's government, which has 338 seats in the House of Commons and 105 in the Senate, reflects its population. Story continues "Other than our Indigenous nation, everyone else came to Canada from somewhere else," she said. "It's really amazing to see such a big diversity in the House of Commons, because it really is important that people see themselves represented." Born around the world Zahid was born in England while her father was studying at university, so holds U.K. citizenship by birth. Her family returned to Pakistan three months later, where she was naturalized as a Pakistani citizen, then she received Canadian citizenship after immigrating to Canada as an adult with her husband and son. Many Canadian parliamentarians born in countries such as India and China have had their citizenship terminated, either by choice or due to citizenship revocation rules of those countries. Some MPs and senators who hold dual citizenship are: - Conservative MP Ziad Aboultaif (Lebanon). - Liberal MP Omar Alghabra (Syrian citizenship, born in Saudi Arabia). - Liberal MP Faycal El-Khoury (Lebanon). - Liberal MP Andy Fillmore (United States). - Liberal MP Peter Fonseca (Portugal). - Conservative MP Peter Kent (United Kingdom). - Liberal MP Iqra Khalid (Pakistan). - Conservative MP Tom Kmiec (Poland). - Liberal MP Michael Levitt (United Kingdom). - Liberal MP Alexandra Mendes (Portugal). - Liberal MP Maryam Monsef (Afghanistan citizenship, born in Iran). - Liberal MP Eva Nassif (Lebanon). - Conservative MP Alex Nuttall (United Kingdom). - Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez (Argentina). - Liberal MP Marwan Tabbara (Lebanon). - Conservative Sen. Salma Ataullahjan (Pakistan). - Independent Sen. Tony Dean (United Kingdom). - Independent Sen. Rosa Galvez (Peru). - Liberal Sen. Mobina Jaffer (United Kingdom citizenship, born in Uganda). Others, like Liberal MP Gary Anandasangaree, who was born in Sri Lanka, NDP MP Jenny Kwan, who was born in Hong Kong, and Green Party leader Elizabeth May, who was born in the U.S., told CBC News they aren't even certain of their citizenship status from their countries of birth. No knowledge of citizenship status Anandasangaree has no idea if he holds citizenship from Sri Lanka, but said if he does, he would gladly renounce it. Conservative MP Peter Kent, who was born in the U.K. to Canadian parents working there, didn't know he had British citizenship until he was an adult and applied for a Canadian passport. NDP MP Randall Garrison, who came to Canada 44 years ago, assumed his U.S. citizenship was automatically rescinded because he did not meet several requirements for continued citizenship. He only learned that was not the case when taking part in a parliamentary delegation to Washington in March 2017, when he was told he was ineligible to enter the U.S. on a Canadian passport because he was a U.S. citizen. He was eventually allowed in on a one-time basis and a red-flagged file, and it cost him $3,000 to later sort out the administrative requirements. Conservative MP and former cabinet minister Tony Clement was four years old when his family immigrated to Canada from the U.K. His family was actually bound for Australia, but his father made a spontaneous decision to choose Canada instead because of a rude Australian immigration officer. That twist of fate afforded him a life of public service in Canada, as dual citizenship would have disqualified him from elected office in Australia. Clement believes people should not be excluded based on birthplace, and said the "sole responsibility" of an MP is to represent the people and interests of Canada. "To the extent there is any clash between our country and another country's interests, we always have to support Canada's interests and Canada's values," he said. But his Conservative colleague Deepak Obhrai disagrees. He gave up his citizenship from Tanzania, and raised concerns that elected officials could be susceptible to divided loyalties and foreign influence by holding dual citizenship. He is opposed to it in principle. "I believe people who look for dual nationality, it is for self interest, either for business reasons, tax reasons, health reasons, seeking safety, whatever," he said. "In my opinion, most of these people do not get Canadian citizenship because they love Canada, it is because of convenience." Obhrai's view may not represent the majority, but political controversies over dual citizenship have erupted in Canada in past. In 2012, then-NDP leadership hopeful Tom Mulcair was forced to defend his Canadian and French dual citizenship. At the time, Stephen Harper said it was up to Mulcair to use his own "political judgment" when questions arose, stating: "In my case, as I say, I'm very clear. I'm a Canadian and only a Canadian." Former Liberal leader Stephane Dion faced a similar controversy in 2006, when he was forced to publicly affirm his loyalty to Canada because he held French citizenship, as his mother was born in France. Past controversies At the time, NDP leader Jack Layton said a party leader should "hold only Canadian citizenship" and that it's "better to remain the citizen of one country." Before that, Michaelle Jean renounced the French citizenship she acquired for family reasons before she was sworn in as Governor General and commander-in-chief of the Canadian Forces in 2005. The dual citizenship fiasco continues to escalate in Australia, with more parliamentarians called into question. Rodney Smith, a professor in the department of government and international relations at the University of Sydney, does not anticipate any change to the constitutional requirement. "I think the major parties will just live with the fact that they have to vet candidates much more carefully now," he said. "To be fair, the major parties do this. Candidates themselves are a large part of the problem, since some resent the checking, or are blase about it." India admitted as member into Wassenaar Arrangement Published: December 8, 2017 Elite export control regime Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) has decided to admit India as its new member. The decision was taken at two-day plenary meeting of grouping in Vienna, Austria. India will be Arrangements 42nd participating state. Background Since its civil nuclear deal with US, India has been trying to get into export control regimes such as Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG), Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Australia Group and Wassenaar Arrangement that regulate the conventional, nuclear, biological and chemicals weapons and technologies. In June 2016, India had joined Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), another key export control regime, as a full member. Wassenaar Arrangement The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies, commonly known as the Wassenaar Arrangement is a multilateral export control regime (MECR). It is elite club of countries subscribing arms controls similar to NSG and MTCR. It was established in 1996 to contribute to regional and international security and stability by promoting transparency and greater responsibility in transfers of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies, thus preventing destabilizing accumulations. It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria. It has 42 participating states including India. All permanent members of UN Security Council except China are its members. Participating states of WA, through their national policies, seek to ensure that transfers (export) of arms and ammunition in Control list of WA do not contribute to development or enhancement of military capabilities undermining regional security. Every six months member countries of WA exchange information on deliveries of conventional arms to non-WA members that fall under eight broad weapons categories. These categories include battle tanks, military helicopters, armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), military aircraft, large-caliber artillery, warships, missiles or missile systems, and small arms and light weapons. Indias membership to WA will provide it access to high technology, which will help address the demands of Indian space and defence sectors. This will help India to enhance its credentials in the field of non-proliferation despite not being signatory to Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The WA membership is also expected to build up strong case for Indias entry into the 48-member NSG. Further, it will help energy starved India to secure the supply of nuclear fuel more easily, since it has low reserves of uranium required for its civil nuclear energy programmes. It will also facilitate high technology tie-ups with Indian industry and ease access to high-tech items for our defence and space programmes. It will also create grounds for realignment of India in export control policy framework of other WA members, including eligibility for certain licensing exceptions. Month: Current Affairs - December, 2017 Latest E-Books Our Divisions Copyright 2022-23 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. On December 10th, the global community observes International Human Rights Day, to commemorate the 1948 adoption by the United Nations General Assembly, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the first global enunciation of the inalienable rights of mankind. The Declaration states that every human being is entitled to decide how and where to live his or her life; to express an opinion; to worship a god of his or her own choosing, or not at all; to be treated as an equal of his or her peers before a court of law; to participate in public life, and to have his or her voice heard in matters concerning the community, the country, the common future. The United States is committed to promoting these fundamental rights around the world. As Undersecretary of State for Public Affairs Steve Goldstein said, the United States believe[s] firmly that we have to create an environment where people have freedom to worship, freedom of press, freedom to dissent. He added that the U.S. in its interactions with foreign governments makes the point that ensuring democracy is vital. . .that these world leaders have [a] responsibility to their citizens to provide an environment where they can grow and prosper. In particular, many ethnic minorities around the world suffer from persecution. Weve seen many countries where ethnic cleansing has occurred, said Undersecretary Goldstein. This is not acceptable. We have an obligation as American citizens, to shine the light on these abuses. We have a responsibility to make this world a better place, said Undersecretary Goldstein. We want people to dissent if they choose to. We want people to take seriously the right of a free press. And we also want people around the world who are living in situations that most of us would find abhorrent, to know that the United States is with you; that were listening to you; and that were going to continue fighting for you. Kabul, Dec 10, 2017 (AFP) - French and Algerian fighters, some arriving from Syria, have joined the ranks of the Islamic State group in northern Afghanistan where the militants have established new bases, multiple international and Afghan sources have told AFP. It is the first time that the presence of French IS fighters has been recorded in Afghanistan, and comes as analysts suggested foreigners may be heading for the war-torn country after being driven from Syria and Iraq. It is also a troubling sign as France, which has faced the worst of the IS-inspired violence in Europe since 2015, debates how to handle hundreds of its citizens who went to fight for the group in the Middle East. "A number" of Algerian and French nationals entered the largely IS-controlled district of Darzab in northern Jowzjan province in November, said district governor Baaz Mohammad Dawar. At least two women were among the arrivals, who were travelling with a translator from Tajikistan as well as Chechens and Uzbeks, Dawar added. European and Afghan security sources in Kabul confirmed Dawar's claim that French citizens were among the fighters -- though, one cautioned, "we do not know how many there are". 'The Engineers' Three of the Algerians seen in Darzab are believed to have been in Syria and Iraq, Dawar said, suggesting they may link Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-K), the group's franchise in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the main group in the Middle East. When it first emerged in 2015, IS-K overran large parts of eastern Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, though initially its part in the Afghan conflict was overshadowed by the Taliban. The jihadists have since spread north, including in Jowzjan on the border with Uzbekistan, and carried out multiple devastating attacks in the capital Kabul. Mohammad Raza Ghafoori, the Jowzjan provincial governor's spokesman, said French-speaking Caucasian men and women had been seen training IS fighters in Darzab. He cited reports saying that around 50 children, some as young as 10, have also been recruited by the fighters. Darzab residents told AFP that roughly 200 foreigners had set up camp just a few hundred meters (yards) from the village of Bibi Mariam. One local man who gave his name as Hajji said the fighters were of several nationalities, including French, and were tall, aged in their late 20s, and dressed in military clothing. "They ride their (motor) bikes, go to the border and come back, but they talk to nobody," he said. Hashar, a former district village chief, said some were training others to use suicide bombs and lay mines. "They are... bringing misery to normal people," he told AFP, as other villagers said many residents had fled the area. Locals along with district governor Dawar warned the fighters were also exploiting natural resources, such as precious stones and metals. One of the security sources said that two of the French had been nicknamed "The Engineers" and appeared to be organizing some sort of extraction, "but we do not know what they are looking for". Several European services believe the fighters are arriving through Tajikistan, the source said, adding that at least one Frenchman arrested there in July said he had wanted to join IS in Afghanistan. Land of jihad Afghanistan has long attracted foreign fighters, from the mujahedeen during the 1980s war against Soviet invaders to Al-Qaeda's later use of the country as a haven. The Pentagon has said IS numbers fewer than 1,000 in Afghanistan. But the growing presence of foreign fighters among them indicates that IS "seeks to create an external operations node for new waves of global attacks," warned analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War recently. Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, an expert on jihadist groups, said he did not think the presence of foreign fighters in Afghanistan meant that IS was necessarily "shifting its base". The group's "natural home is Iraq and Syria, but I presume many of the foreigners in particular are taking the opportunity either to escape entirely or moving to other battlefields for IS where they might prove more useful," he told AFP. The head of US forces in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, has vowed the group will be "annihilated", and Washington notoriously dropped the so-called "Mother Of All Bombs" on an IS stronghold in Nangarhar in April. But as the number of fighters grows in Darzab, the villager Hajji told AFP there were no signs of pro-government forces in the district. "(The) government is God damned," he said. "There is no government here." Forgetting something Nepals political transition has been hailed as a success in official narratives. The political elite have lauded a successful end to the protracted transition with the establishment of a federal republic and stable peace, ensuring human rights, peaceful transformation and social justice. Unemployment, lack of happiness and difficulties in making ends meet are the main reasons for Iran being at the top of the world table for social violence, says a member of Iranian parliament. Parvaneh Salahshour, a Tehran MP, is quoted by parliaments official website on December 7 as saying, Based on a report compiled by the Ministry of Health, quarrels and physical disputes are the second factor in leading Iranians to their death in emergency units. Parvaneh Salahshouri insists that the latest opinion polls show that Iran is worlds number one, when it comes to social violence which indicates the fact that Iranians are the angriest people on Earth. The degree of violence among citizens has reached a point that it cannot be ignored anymore, Salahshouri notes, adding The problem is so worrisome that needs instant attention. Social violence does not have a single cause---many urban problems, including heavy traffic, noise pollution, unemployment and difficulties in making ends meet, all have a role, Salahshouri affirms. Tehran's MP also asserts that lack of social joy and happiness is one of the reasons behind increasing violence in different layers of society. While Iranians are facing numerous difficulties in their lives, joy is one of the rare commodities in Iran today since a cultural norm, wrongly based on negating joy and pleasure, is widely promoted in our society. One of the best ways to address the problem, Salahshouri believes, is promoting tolerance and the positive impact of living happily. Ms. Salahshouri has not specifically referred to a pollster but, in late last summer, Gallup published a report presenting Iraq, Iran and Sudan as the angriest countries in the world. Did you know 70% of human behavior is based on emotions -- not reason? The report asks, adding, While measurements like unemployment and GDP help quantify certain aspects of a society's health, virtually no macro-level data exist on the emotional state of a country. Until now. This report, in its third year, offers global leaders, economists and political scientists' insights into people's feelings and behaviors, telling them more about their society's health and future than traditional economic measures can alone, Gallup asserts. The report presents Iraq as the unhappiest place to live on Earth. The poll measured the emotions of residents in 138 countries, ranging from anger and stress to sadness and physical pain. The higher the score, the more common negative feelings were to individuals living in each country. Greeks at 67% were the most stressed in the world. Meanwhile, more than 70% of people worldwide smiled; experienced a lot of enjoyment or laughed a lot, a day before the report was compiled. Iraq ranked highest with a score of 57, followed by Iran with 53 points and Egypt with 50, according to the poll. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan had the lowest negative experience figure, 13, which means residents there are the happiest in the world. Almost half of Iranians 48% said they would not recommend their country to a friend searching for a place to live. AFP - Relations between Israel and Turkey took a bitter turn Sunday as their leaders traded accusations of involvement in terrorism, days after the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would fight against the controversial declaration, describing Israel as a "terrorist state" that kills children, in a speech in Istanbul. Hours later Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back, calling his counterpart a leader who bombs Kurdish villagers and supports terrorists, during an official visit to Paris. The two countries had normalized relations in recent years, but Sunday's flare-up came after Turkey was angered by US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Trump's move has sparked protests in Muslim and Arab countries for four days. "Palestine is an innocent victim... As for Israel, it is a terrorist state, yes, terrorist!" Erdogan said in a speech in the central Turkish city of Sivas. "We will not abandon Jerusalem to the mercy of a state that kills children." Erdogan earlier described the status of Jerusalem, whose eastern sector Palestinians see as the capital of their future state, as a "red line" for Muslims. Netanyahu was quick to counter the assault when he spoke later during a press conference alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. "I am not used to receiving lectures about morality from a leader who bombs Kurdish villagers in his native Turkey, who jails journalists, who helps Iran go around international sanctions, and who helps terrorists, including in Gaza, kill innocent people," he said. "That is not the man who is going to lecture us." The Israeli premier's comments were immediately denounced by Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin who said: "Instead of taking on our country and our leader, the Israeli authorities would do better to end their occupation of the Palestinian territories." Erdogan has used his position as the current chairman of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to call a summit of the pan-Islamic group on Wednesday. During his speech, Erdogan held a picture of what he said was a 14-year-old Palestinian boy from Hebron, in the Occupied West Bank, being dragged away by Israeli soldiers. Turkey and Israel had improved diplomatic ties in recent years but Erdogan has continued to defend the Palestinian cause and has regularly criticized Israeli policy. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 10 By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend Turkmenistan, having big mineral reserves, can attract any investor, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said at a government meeting, the Turkmen Dovlet Habarlary state news agency reported. "We should strengthen the work in this sphere," the president said. The issue is to intensify the work in the chemical industry, including an increase in the volume of production of mineral fertilizers. For this purpose, a number of new industrial facilities, including another mining enterprise for the production of potash fertilizers, plants for the production of carbamide and ammonia are planned to be built. President Berdimuhamedov pointed to the importance of the expansion of the production capacities of the domestic industry and the introduction of advanced technologies at enterprises. According to BP, Turkmenistan ranks fourth in the world in terms of natural gas reserves and sells gas through pipelines to China and Iran. Turkmenistan aims at diversifying its fuel economy. The biggest complex in Central Asia with a capacity of 1.4 million tons of potash fertilizers a year was put into operation in Garlyk settlement, Turkmenistans Lebap region in March 2017. Moreover, a new port infrastructure will be built in Garabogaz city of Turkmenistans Balkan province and chemical products are planned to be exported. Turkmenistans potential hydrocarbon reserves reach 71.2 billion tons of oil equivalent, of which 53 billion account for onshore areas and 18.2 billion tons offshore areas. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 10 By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend While defining the priorities for the next year, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stressed that despite all the difficulties, the country must also dynamically develop in 2018, Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper reported. "The state budget adopted for 2018, as well as the Stabilization Fund with sufficient funds will facilitate the successful implementation of social and economic programs," the president said. Roads, houses, schools and other facilities will be also constructed next year. The energy sector, oil and gas industry, as well as entrepreneurship will be also developed. Joint ventures are expected to be set up. In this regard, the president stressed the need to reduce the country's share in the economy and expand the private sector. Earlier, the Turkmen government said that the Stabilization Fund has a positive impact on the economic situation and stability in Turkmenistan. According to the IMF experts report as of November 2015, big funds, accumulated in the Reserve Fund and the Stabilization Fund, will allow Turkmenistan to adapt to current challenges and help maintain higher growth rates of the gross domestic product ( GDP) than in other countries of the region. Turkmenistans Strategic Planning and Economical Development Institute stressed that the Stabilization Fund serves as a mechanism for minimizing external crisis phenomena and must contribute to the stability of the country's national growth. This financial mechanism was created in late 2008. According to BP, Turkmenistan ranks fourth in the world in terms of natural gas reserves and sells gas through pipelines to China and Iran. Turkmenistan aims at diversifying its fuel economy. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 10 By Huseyn Valiyev Trend: Azerbaijan has proposed to create a joint budget for the preparation of a feasibility study for the implementation of the Trans-Eurasian Information Super Highway (TASIM) project, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies told Trend. According to the ministry, the proposal was approved by the participants of the project and the protocol was signed during BakuTel-2017 exhibition. The TASIM construction project envisages the creation of a major transit link from Frankfurt to Hong Kong. Russia (Rostelecom), Kazakhstan (KazTransCom), Turkey (TurkTelecom) and China (China Telecom) are also involved in TASIM project. Azerbaijan is represented in the project by AzInTelecom LLC. Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dec. 10 By Diana Aliyeva Trend: According to the preliminary data, the export of scientific products of Uzbekistans Academy of Sciences will reach more than $3.2 million in 2017. Such data are obtained during the meeting of the International Press Club in Tashkent, dedicated to the reforms in the scientific sphere of the country. There are about 230 scientific and educational institutions implementing state scientific and technical programs in Uzbekistan. More than 11,000 people work there. More than 400 fundamental projects, almost 1,000 applied projects, 370 innovative research projects are being implemented within the state scientific and technical programs this year. The Uzbek presidents decree on "Measures of further strengthening the infrastructure of scientific research institutions and developing innovative activity" dated November 1, 2017 implies further development and reforms in the country's science. The task is set for further expansion of innovation activity, use of the results of intellectual work of scholars and inventors. Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dec. 10 By Diana Aliyeva Trend: Vineyards were created at a 416 hectare-area in Uzbekistans Tashkent region in 2017, UzA national news agency reported. Grape varieties were planted at a 58 hectare-area in the countrys Zangia district, at a 122.5 hectare-area - in Parkent district. Valuable agricultural crops are grown in other areas of the region. Thus, 66,963 tons of grapes were collected in Parkent region, 39,971 tons of them are planned to be exported. A certain part of the harvest will be processed. In total, 148,600 hectares are allocated for grape plantations in Uzbekistan. According to the Tashkent State Agrarian University, there are almost 4,000 grape varieties in the world, of which about 400 are grown in Uzbekistan. The Uzbek presidents decree dated October 9 became an important factor in the development of viticulture. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 10 By Fatih Karimov Trend: Earlier this year, Sri Lankan officials expressed interest to resume import of crude oil and oil products from Iran. Before the imposition of international sanctions against Tehran, the Asian country was importing almost all of the 50,000 barrels of oil which it needs per day from Iran. Sri Lankas only refinery, the Sapugaskanda plant, is configured to run on Iranian light crude. The sanctions left Sri Lanka struggling, with its sole refinery facing shutdown from time to time amid shortfalls in the absence of Iranian crude. In 2015 amid the nuclear talks which led to a nuclear deal between Tehran and the six world powers and removal of the international sanctions in 2016, the sides started negotiations to resume oil exports to Sri Lanka. Iran hasnt resumed oil export to Sri Lanka due to banking problems, despite almost two years have passed since the sanctions on Iran have been eliminated. The dispute over a huge unpaid oil bill due to Iran by Sri Lanka remains unresolved. Earlier this year Irans foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed hope that the two countries energy co-op would be boosted after settling the remaining financial obstacles. However, it seems that no significant progress has been made so far regarding the issue. The Sri Lankan side has recently repeated the Asian countrys interest for import of oil products from Iran, without any referral to resuming crude oil import or financial issue. The Iranian oil ministrys SHANA news agency on Dec. 10, quoted Sharif Anis, Sri Lankan ambassador to Iran as saying his country is keen to buy oil products from Iran. He referred to purchasing oil products and construction materials from Iran as priority in expanding trade ties between the two countries, adding that there are various export opportunities in Sri Lankas market regarding the items. Furthermore, he said, tourism is another field for boosting cooperation between the two countries, adding bolstering direct investments in Iran and from Iranian investors is another field in which the two countries can cooperate. It seems that the Asian country has no plan for the time being to import crude oil from Tehran and the Islamic Republic can only count on Sri Lankas oil products market, at least for a while. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 10 By Fatih Karimov Trend: Irans President Hassan Rouhani has unveiled Irans conditions for normalizing ties with Saudi Arabia. If Riyadh stops airstrikes in Yemen and bowing to Israel Iran will have no problem to resume ties with Saudi Arabia, Rouhani said, the state-run IRINN TV reported Dec. 10. In recent years, we have returned stability and security to the region, Rouhani said, adding that, we kiss the hands of the warriors of Islam and resistance because they disappointed global arrogance, secured Iraq and Syria. Of course, I do not want to say that security problems have been resolved and over, but the main pillars of terrorism have collapsed in the region, he added. Iranian officials refer to their regional alliance with Lebanese group Hezbollah and Syrian government against Israel as resistance movement, or "axis of resistance." The Iranian president further expressed hope that Yemen also will be secure and safe as Syria, Iraq and Lebanon as well in the future. Rouhani also referred to the US President Donald Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital as a new plot by the United States and Israel. He said that Iran will take any step to support Palestinians and holy position of al-Quds. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 10 By Fatih Karimov Trend: Iranian president said that the Islamic Republic welcomes "freindly and balanced" ties with the UK. Rouhani made the remarks during a meeting with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in Tehran on Dec. 10, the state-run IRINN TV reported. He further underlined the necessity for the further development of banking relations and cooperation between Tehran and London in line with the implementation of the nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers, which came into force in 2016. Rouhani said that the implementation and maintenance of the nuclear deal is important and the Islamic Republic believes that every party, specially the Iranian people, should be able to enjoy the benefits of the JCPOA(Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action aka nuclear deal). He further said that Tehran-London negotiations could result in closer cooperation for protecting the stability in the region. Rouhani also underlined Irans constructive role in war against terrorism in Iraq and Syria. He also blamed the US president Donald Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, saying the regional situation is such that one should not fan its flames. The US presidents plan to move the US embassy to Jerusalem was a wrong decision that adds fuel to the fire in the region, Rouhani said. Johnsons visit is his first to the region as foreign secretary, and the first to Iran by a British foreign secretary since 2015. Western media reported that during his meeting with Rouhani, Johnson has raised the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an Iranian-British citizen, who is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly plotting against Iran's government. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. Koirala urges cadres not to lose hope Nepali Congress central member Shekhar Koirala has urged people in favour of democracy and the partys well-wishers not to be disheartened by the election results. Three workers were killed and four others injured after a high-rise crane collapsed at a construction site in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province of South Korea, police said Saturday, Yonhap reported. The 90-meter-tall tower crane snapped and fell to the ground at a construction site for a distribution center in Yongin, 50 kilometers south of Seoul, around 1:11 p.m., according to police. Seven workers on the crane fell from 78 meters. Three were confirmed dead at the scene and four seriously injured were rushed to nearby hospitals. The police said they will look into what caused the accident and whether the workers followed safety measures at the construction site. Thousands of Indonesians gathered outside the US embassy in Jakarta on Saturday to express their anger over the recent US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel, The Jerusalem Post reports. The protesters carried large Palestinian flags and dressed in traditional Arab head dress to show their solidarity with the Palestinian claim that they, too, have a right to Jerusalem as a future capital for a Palestinian state. The protesters changed "God is great" and raised their fists in the air while carrying signs saying "Pray for Palestine." Indonesian security services secured the American embassy during the event. Greece has persuaded Turkey to accept migrant returns from the mainland in order to reduce critical overcrowding in its refugee camps, a report said on Saturday (Dec 9). The Kathimerini daily said the agreement came during a two-day state visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this week. The deal is in addition to Turkey's existing agreement to take back migrants from Aegean island camps, under the terms of an EU-Turkey pact. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' office did not respond to AFP requests for comment on the report. But a Greek government source on Friday said Athens and Ankara had agreed "new measures of cooperation towards decongesting the islands, under the terms of the EU-Turkey pact." No further details were given. Turkey on Sunday congratulated Iraq for its victory over Daesh terrorist group, Anadolu reported. According to a statement issued late Sunday, Turkish Foreign Ministry extended condolences for the Iraqi citizens, who lost their lives during anti-Daesh fight. "We are pleased that Iraq has successfully completed the fight against Daesh and we congratulate the Iraqi government," the statement said. On Saturday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced that the war against Daesh was over and that Iraqi forces now in full control of Iraqs border with Syria. He said the Iraqi victory over the Daesh terrorist group has been realized with unity among Iraqis. The Turkish Foreign Minister said there is a need to take decisive steps for reconstruction of the rescued areas, strengthening Iraqi institutions and creating national reconciliation between the Iraqi citizens. The ministry said it was important that the work to be done in this area should be comprehensive for all parts of the Iraqi society. Turkey would continue to work in solidarity with the Iraqi government in post-Daesh period like in the period of anti-Daesh fight, it added. Iraqi forces have managed to recapture all territories overran by Daesh in northern and western Iraq in 2014. KYODO NEWS - Dec 10, 2017 - 16:15 | All Japan's Defense Ministry has requested an additional 730 million yen ($6.4 million) in next fiscal year's budget for a plan to introduce two land-based Aegis missile defense systems, Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said Sunday. The Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to endorse the so-called Aegis Ashore deployment on Dec. 19, a government source said, as the country aims to bolster its defense capability against North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threat. "There is a need to strengthen our capability to regularly and sustainably defend all of the country as soon as possible at a time when North Korea is building up its ballistic missile capability," Onodera told reporters in Sendai in northeastern Japan where he inspected a base of the Ground Self-Defense Force. Onodera said the requested funding for fiscal 2018 starting next April will be used for surveying geological features, designing the deployment plan and other expenses. The ministry is also seeking to include related expenses in the supplementary budget for the current year ending next March, the minister said. In the ministry's initial budgetary request for fiscal 2018 made in August, which came to a record-high 5.26 trillion yen, the ministry said it is seeking funds to introduce a new missile shield system, while leaving open the actual sum. Currently, the Maritime Self-Defense Force's destroyers, equipped with the Aegis combat system and Standard Missile-3 interceptors, are tasked with stopping missiles in the outer atmosphere. If they fail, the Air Self-Defense Force's ground-based Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptors will counter attacks in the lower spheres. Introducing the Aegis Ashore system is expected to strengthen the country's ballistic missile defense system even further. Compared to the sea-based operations of Aegis destroyers, the land-based Aegis Ashore system makes it easier for the SDF to prepare for missile intercepts because it would be installed at a stationary site. Left alliance claims all Baglung seats The left alliance has won all the seatstwo of federal parliament and four of provincial assemblyin Baglung district. The founding fathers of the United States have built this country based, first of all, on biblical values, and today, the US must assume responsibility for protecting Christians. December 9, 2017, 11:12 US congressman says they respect Armenia for giving shelter to Christians from Middle East STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 9, ARTSAKHPRESS:Ed Royce, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs (House Foreign Affairs Committee) of the US House of Representatives, stated about the aforesaid, reported the Voice of America Armenian Service. Speaking at the International Conference on Religious Freedom, in Washington, D.C., the influential US congressman said he recently visited Christian churches in Iraq and met with the local Christian population. Royce added that he visited Armenia, too, where met with Christians who had migrated from the Middle East, and said the US respects Armenia for giving shelter to Christians. Nepal must raise Rohingya crisis issue, say human rights activists Myanmar Army chief Min Aung Hlaing is visiting Nepal starting Sunday on the official invitation of the Nepal Army. Despite the (well-founded) protests of JPMorgan, Citigroup and other Wall Street brokers, bitcoin futures are set to go live Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. EST on the Cboe Futures Exchange (CFE). Next Sunday, December 17, the CME Group (CME) is expected to launch its own bitcoin futures. Currently, bitcoins are mainly traded on one of the many cash exchanges that exist around the world even the largest of which has been subject to outages. Though bitcoin derivatives already exist (LedgerX just launched in October), bitcoin futures are expected to eventually bring the liquidity and stability demanded by large institutional traders and small retail traders alike. What happens to the price of bitcoin once bitcoin futures begin trading? First, the price of bitcoin futures will affect the prices on the cash bitcoin exchanges, and vice versa. Speculators will arbitrage the different prices, buying on one and selling on another, pocketing the difference. This isnt very easy to do when bitcoin is moving fast and exchanges are crashing left and right. Well likely see one or more bitcoin flash crashes. But over time, the prices will roughly be in line. And as bitcoin exchanges mature, become more reliable and robust with the futures contracts become more liquid this arbing will bring all the bitcoin prices much closer in line with each other. That will take time. (Theres also a non-zero chance that the whole thing comes crashing down, but that probability is pretty low.) Mock Bitcoins are displayed in Berlin in this January 7, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski Critics may argue theres a bit of tail wagging the dog here, with the futures market influencing the cash market prices. But its not uncommon for derivative markets (which include futures markets) to become bigger than the underlying commodity or asset. (This is the case for gold, crude oil and nearly all currencies.) The total value of all bitcoins (or its market cap) is about $250 billion, which is chump change for Wall Street. Its easy to envision bitcoin derivatives becoming greater than the underlying cash market some day (the number of bitcoins theoretically being limited to 21 million). Story continues Will bitcoin shorts crash the price of bitcoin? Futures contracts allow traders to bet on a market moving in either direction by going long or going short. Aside from a few small bitcoin derivative markets, theres currently not an easy way to short bitcoin. One question is: If it becomes easy to bet on bitcoins price decline, does that increase the chances of a bitcoin selloff, or even a crash? Or, might we see the opposite, where pent up money on the sidelines finally enters the bitcoin futures market and bids up the price of bitcoin? The answers arent so simple. Unlike the stock market, futures markets are a zero-sum game. For every long there is a short. For every winner, theres a loser. Every dollar of one traders profit is a dollar lost by another trader. If someone wants to bet big that bitcoin is going down say, by shorting 1,000 bitcoin contracts there needs to be one or more traders willing to take the opposite side. That liquidity may not be there from Day One. As the futures market grows, large institutional money will increasingly influence the price of bitcoin. If bitcoin derivatives become larger than the underlying cash market for bitcoin, Wall Streets opinion will have an outsized effect on bitcoin prices. That might be bullish or bearish. Whats the next step after bitcoin futures? Bitcoin futures are only the start. The Holy Grail for bitcoin bulls is a U.S. bitcoin ETF listed on a major exchange, which would truly bring the cryptocurrency to the masses. For better or for worse, having bitcoin exposure in a 401(k) isnt that far off. The Winklevoss brothers (who are partly behind the new CFEs Cboe Bitcoin Futures) have tried unsuccessfully for years to register a bitcoin ETF with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SECs main objection has been the lack of a transparent pricing mechanism that the bitcoin market is too easily subject to manipulation. Venture Capitalists and Bitcoin investors (L-R) Barry Silbert, Jeremy Liew, Fred Wilson, Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss are sworn in before speaking at a New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) virtual currency hearing in the Manhattan borough of New York January 28, 2014. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson Each of the two new bitcoin futures contracts will be priced (or settled) on proprietary indexes that are themselves based on the cash market for bitcoin (see below for further details). If these indexes prove robust enough for futures trading and settlement, the thinking is that the SEC will eventually allow them to price a bitcoin ETF. Thats at least a year away though, according to most industry insiders. Where are bitcoin futures traded? The futures market, not unlike the stock market, is organized around exchanges. Clearing brokers are members of the exchange, and customers trade through their brokers. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the National Futures Association regulate the futures markets. The CFE and the CME are two different exchanges. The CME is the worlds largest futures exchange, and over the years has acquired many competing exchanges, including the CBOT, the NYMEX and the COMEX. The CFE is the futures arm of the Chicago Board of Options Exchange, which is the largest stock options exchange in the U.S. The CFE is small so small that, besides the new bitcoin futures, it only offers a few futures contracts, all of which are based on volatility indexes, such as the VIX fear index. Its perhaps fitting that the CFE is the first out of the gate with futures contracts for bitcoin a market that just capped the most chaotic and volatile week in trading of any market in recent memory. Who will be trading bitcoin futures? Not the customers of many large brokers, which are standing aside to see what happens before they let their customers trade bitcoin futures. Futures brokers as a whole, as represented by the Futures Industry Association, have been quite critical of bitcoin futures, particularly the rushed manner in which theyre being brought to market. The FIA, which represents brokers from Chicago to New York to Hong Kong, penned an open letter to the U.S. futures watchdog Thursday morning, urging further study and testing before bitcoin futures go live. The futures clearing exchanges, like the CFE and the CME, are set up such that the brokers are ultimately on the hook for customer losses if they cant pay. Several brokers, including Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Citigroup, will not allow their customers to trade bitcoin futures just yet, according to Fox Business. Others are reserving the privilege of trading for select clients. All of this calls into question just how much liquidity will be available. Nevertheless, some brokers are embracing bitcoin futures. TradeStation has set up a Cryptocurrency Knowledge Center, and has published a side-by-side comparison of the contract specifications for the CFEs Cboe Bitcoin Futures and the CMEs Bitcoin Futures. The bottom line is that, at least initially, trading might be dominated by smaller retail traders, resulting in less liquidity. Veteran trader and author John Netto isnt concerned, and he says hell be trading bitcoin when they open Sunday night. Netto says, Im not in a [cash] bitcoin position or looking to move serious size to where liquidity could be an issue. What happens when the futures contracts expire? This is perhaps the biggest area of concern for traders, exchanges and regulators. Both the CFE and CME bitcoin futures contracts will be cash settled. That means you wont get delivered a bitcoin if youre long, and you wont have to deliver a bitcoin to the exchange if youre short. This avoids a potentially huge problem for the exchanges, which would have to warehouse bitcoins with Fort Knox-like security if they werent cash settled. Most traders wont hold until expiration and will either roll their position into the next month, or simply close it out prior to expiration. However, the exact price at which the futures contracts are settled is an area ripe for manipulation and fraud because the contracts are ultimately based on whats happening on the cash bitcoin exchanges. Both futures exchanges are taking great pains to ensure a smooth settlement process, with contingency plans if there are market disruptions. Everyone will be closely watching what happens on the expiration dates, the first of which is Wednesday, January 17. How are bitcoin futures priced? Bitcoins trade on over 100 exchanges worldwide, and prices between exchanges can vary widely especially when the markets are moving fast. Thats a principal concern for regulators, brokers and traders alike because the price at which futures contracts are settled when they expire are based on those exchange prices. In a separate process, each day, the futures exchanges assign their futures contracts a final closing settlement price for that day. Unlike the monthly settlement, the daily settlement is not directly based on the underlying spot bitcoin exchanges. Its a weighted average of the trades made on the respective futures exchanges in the final minute of trading each day. That final minute ends at 4:15 p.m. EST for Cboe Bitcoin Futures and at 4:00 p.m. EST for CME Bitcoin Futures. The final settlement price to be determined when bitcoin contracts expire each month is much more complicated because it needs to be tied to the cash (spot) market. Figuring out that price can mean the difference between millions of dollars for bitcoin traders. The CFE and CME are going about this price discovery process differently. The CFE settlement price for Cboe Bitcoin Futures is the official auction price for bitcoin in U.S. dollars at 4:00 p.m. EST on the Gemini Exchange, which is owned by the Winklevoss brothers. If theres a trading disruption, a contingency plan will go into effect, which is spelled out in detail on the CFEs Cboe Bitcoin Futures specification page. The CFE publishes the current futures contract prices as well as the Gemini Exchange bitcoin price with a 10 minute delay on its website here. CME Bitcoin Futures will be based on the CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate (BRR), which aggregates bitcoin trading activity across major bitcoin spot exchanges between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. GMT (10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. EST). These prices, as well as the futures contract specifications can be found on the CMEs website here. How much money do you need to trade bitcoin futures? Brokers are playing it very safe when it comes to bitcoin futures, which will have significantly less leverage than any other futures contract. This limits the potential for trading losses that customers cant pay (a brokers worst nightmare). The short answer is youll need to put up about half the money of the current bitcoin price to control one contract. Some brokers are requiring more. To enter a position (either long or short) in any futures contract, the exchange and broker require an amount of money called initial margin. To hold a contract from then on, a lower amount called maintenance margin is required. Typically, margin requirements are only a fraction of the full value of the contract, which creates substantial leverage. For instance, each eMini S&P 500 futures contract requires initial margin of $4,950, while the contract is worth $132,700 (based on Fridays closing price). In this case, the margin is only about 3.7%, which means the contract has leverage of 27 times, or 2,700%. Some brokers have reduced day trading margin requirements, which can increase leverage to over 10,000%. (This is why many traders lose their shirts in the futures markets). The S&P 500 trading pit is pictured from overhead at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in Chicago, Illinois in this late 1980s handout photo. REUTERS/CME Group For Cboe Bitcoin Futures, the CFE requires initial margin of 44% of the prior days settlement price, and 40% for maintenance margin. But many brokers are demanding more, which is their right since theyre potentially on the hook for customer losses. TradeStation is requiring 66% initial margin (maintenance margin is 60%), which delivers leverage of only 150%. This relatively low leverage is a good thing. If it proves to be too little or too much, the exchanges and brokers can increase or decrease margin requirements at any time, as they see fit. What are the fees to trade bitcoin futures? In addition to margin, traders must have money in their accounts to pay fees to both the exchange and their broker. The CFE is waiving transaction fees for its Cboe Bitcoin Futures for the month of December. After that, customers will pay $0.50 per side. Entering a position and closing a position are each considered a side, so a customer trading 10 Cboe Bitcoin Futures contracts (after December) will pay $5.00 per side, or $10 total to the exchange. Sometimes prices are quoted in whats called a round turn, which is double the per side rate because it includes both sides the entry and the exit of the position. The customers broker also charges a fee, which can range from $0.25 to $3.00 per side ($0.50 to $6.00 per round turn), depending on the type of futures contract and how much volume the customer trades. How do bitcoin futures exchanges deal with extreme volatility (i.e., circuit breakers and trading halts)? Both the CFE and CME will employ circuit breakers and trading halts, which engage automatically when the price of bitcoin on the exchange has moved a given amount. Unlike most futures contracts, there is no maximum daily limit that price can move for CFE Bitcoin Futures. Each exchange has its own circuit breaker thresholds and procedures. On its bitcoin futures page, the CME links to this page for price limit guides, but there is no bitcoin contract listed. (Presumably, it will be updated as we get closer to the December 17 launch date). For the CFEs Cboe Bitcoin Futures, there will be a 2 minute trading halt if the price of moves 10% above or below the prior days settlement. After trading commences following such a halt, there will be a further 5 minute halt if the price trades 20% above or below the prior days settlement. The CFE retains the absolute right to change these procedures at its discretion. Accordingly, the 2 or 5 minute halts could be extended (or even shortened) if the exchange thought it necessary to protect market integrity. Full details may be found here. Anyone who follows bitcoin knows these huge swings are common. Since May 1, the 10% circuit breakers would have been triggered 35 times (18 times on upward price movement, 17 times on downward price movement). On September 15, the 10% circuit breakers would have been triggered in both directions. Over the same period, the 20% circuit breakers would have been triggered 4 times (3 times on upward price movement, 1 time on downward price movement). Bitcoin futures the nitty gritty details The CFEs Cboe Bitcoin Futures will trade under the base symbol, XBT. Similar to crude oil futures, there will be one XBT futures contract for each month of the year. The front month contract will initially be January, which will be traded under the ticker XBTF18. The F represents January and the 18 stands for the contract year, 2018. February and March contracts will also be traded under the tickers, XBTG18 and XBTH18, respectively. Each month, the XBT futures contract will expire two business days prior to the third Friday of the month at 3:45 p.m. EST. The January contract expires January 17, 2018. Bitcoin traders will be closely watching to guage how smoothly the final settlement is priced, which is based on the underlying spot bitcoin exchanges. Each Cboe Bitcoin Futures contract represents one bitcoin. Each point equals $1, and the minimum price movement is $10. Traders are limited to owning or controlling 5,000 contracts (either long or short), and this limit drops to 1,000 contracts 5 days prior to the final settlement date of an expiring contract. CME Bitcoin Futures will represent 5 bitcoins. Each point will be worth $5, and the minimum price movement will be $25. Termination of trading for an expiring contract will occur on the final Friday of the contract month at 4:00 p.m. London time (11:00 a.m. EST). What happens if theres another bitcoin fork? Wow. You got this far, so were really gonna get into the weeds. According to the the fine print here: FORKING: A hard fork in a blockchain is a permanent divergence from the previous version of a blockchain, and nodes running previous versions will no longer be accepted by the newest version. This essentially creates a fork in the blockchain, one path which follows the new, upgraded blockchain, and one path which continues along the old path. Generally, after a short period of time, those on the old chain will realize that their version of the blockchain is outdated or irrelevant and quickly upgrade to the latest version. In the simplest terms and as it relates to Bitcoin futures, a hard fork is similar to a spinoff into a new instrument. CME is developing a hard fork policy for capturing cash market exposures in response to viable forks. The policy may involve cash adjustments to position holders or listing additional related futures that are also issued to position holders. CFE is developing a hard fork policy for capturing cash market exposures in response to viable forks. The CFE policy is not finalized. Thats it. Nothing more to see here. The intersection of digital money and traditional finance is at 400 South LaSalle Street in Chicago this weekend. Thats where trading in bitcoin futures opens Sunday evening, as the first major U.S. exchange offers a product pegged to the wildly fluctuating cryptocurrency. The currency has risen more than 1,500 percent this year, and about 85 percent just in the past two weeks, driven largely by demand from individual investors. But even as bitcoin launched in 2009 as an alternative to banks divides Wall Street executives and central bankers worldwide, those kinds of gains are a powerful magnet. The futures offered by Cboe Global Markets Inc., and similar contracts that start trading in a week at at another Chicago-based exchange, CME Group Inc., may open the door to greater inflows of institutional money, while also making it easier to bet on bitcoins decline. Either way, its likely trading will start slowly, said Mike Novogratz, chief executive officer of Galaxy Investment Partners, which is raising a crypto hedge fund targeted at $500 million. If people have expectations that its going to have huge liquidity on day one, theyre just wrong, Novogratz said Thursday in Toronto. Its going to take a while to build liquidity. People need to go through at least one cycle to figure out how it settles. Derivatives trading is the culmination of a wild year for bitcoin, which captured imaginations and investment around the world, propelled by its stratospheric gains, and its anti-establishment mission as a currency without the backing of a government or a central bank, and a payment system without a reliance on banks. The derivatives contracts should thrust bitcoin more squarely into the realm of regulators, banks and institutional investors. In addition to the contracts at Cboe and CME, which will start trading Dec. 18, Cantor Fitzgerald LP won approval from regulators to trade binary options, and LedgerX, a startup exchange, already trades bitcoin options. Story continues There will be a ramp-up time, said Ari Paul, chief investment officer of Blocktower Capital Advisors LP. There just isnt a rush. The professional traders will mostly be looking to do arbitrage, between the futures and bitcoin itself. I dont expect massive money flows right away but then I expect gradual buying from people who want passive exposure without buying bitcoin directly. The two exchanges on Dec. 1 got permission to offer the contracts after pledging to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission that the products dont run afoul of the law, in a process called self-certification. Derivatives should have the effect of bringing a deeper liquidity to the market which should reduce volatility, said Alistair Milne, chief investment officer and co-founder of Altana Digital Currency Fund that is based in Monaco. As the whole cryptocurrency economy gets bigger the volatility should reduce. But not everyone is convinced its a good idea. On Dec. 6, the Futures Industry Association a group of major banks, brokers and traders said the contracts were rushed without enough consideration of the risks. Last month, Thomas Peterffy, the billionaire chairman of Interactive Brokers Group Inc., wrote an open letter to CFTC Chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo, arguing that bitcoins large price swings mean its futures contracts shouldnt be allowed on platforms that clear other derivatives. Still, Interactive Brokers will offer its customers access to the futures, though with greater restrictions. They wont be able to go short betting that prices will decline and Interactives margin requirement, or how much investors have to set aside as collateral, will be at least 50 percent. Thats higher than either Cboes or CMEs margin requirements. Cboes futures are cash-settled and based on the Gemini auction price for bitcoin in U.S. dollars. The exchange plans to impose trading limits to curb volatility, halting trading for two minutes if prices rise or fall 10 percent, and a five-minute halt kicks in at 20 percent. Margins for Cboe bitcoin futures, which will be cleared by Options Clearing Corp., will be at 40 percent or higher. Cboes futures market is a niche player in derivatives trading, which could limit how many contracts change hands in the initial days. Fueled by contracts on the VIX, the Cboe Futures Exchange handled 56 million contracts during the first three quarters of 2017, according to data compiled by the Futures Industry Association, the industrys trade and lobbying group. CME traded 3.1 billion contracts in the same period. Some traders also will prefer CME contracts over Cboes because theyre based off four exchanges, instead of just one, reducing risk of disruptions because of outages, attacks or price manipulations. The smaller Cboe does have an advantage over CME Group, however, because its a major player in stock and equity options trading, giving it access to broker-dealers and investors who may not trade on CME. 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 Photo (Reuters) By Foo Yun Chee 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. The $66 billion deal would make Bayer the world's 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 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 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. (Additional reporting by Tom Polansek in Chicago; editing by Alastair Macdonald and Mark Potter) At the Federal Communications Bar Association dinner on Thursday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai introduced a comedic sketch in which he and a Verizon executive hatch a plot to corrupt the regulatory process by installing a Manchurian candidate Pai himself, a former Verizon lawyer at the agency. The annual dinner is comparable to the White House Correspondents dinner, with the Chairman given the tough job of roasting himself, his agency, and his industry. But net neutralitys many supporters may find the joking less than amusing. Video of Pais presentation was captured on a cell phone by an attendee, and shared with Gizmodo. Pai kicked his speech off by joking that we only have seven more days to use the internet, referencing dire predictions about the consequences of the scheduled December 14th FCC vote to repeal net neutrality rules. Then, at about the 20 minute mark of his presentation, Pai said that Many people are still shell shocked that Im up here tonight. They ask themselves, how on Earth did this happen? Pai, mock-contrite, then said that just before the dinner, someone leaked a 14-year-old video that helps explain his ascent to the FCC chairmanship. Get Data Sheet, Fortunes technology newsletter. Pai then played a taped sketch purporting to show a 2003 conversation between Pai and a Verizon executive, apparently played by real-life Verizon Senior Vice President Kathleen Grillo. The executive tells Pai that as you know, the FCC is captured by industry, but we think it is not captured enough. Capture is the term for companies installing or influencing friendly regulators in the agencies that oversee them, and Pais critics have accused him of being a perfect example. We want to brainwash and groom a Verizon puppet to install as FCC Chairman, she continues. Think Manchurian candidate.' That sounds awesome, replies Pai. Right? agrees the executive. There are only two problems this is going to take 14 years to incubate, so we need to find someone smart, young, ambitious but dorky enough to throw the scent off. Story continues Hello! enthuses Pai, indicating himself. So, you will do it? the executive asks. Absolutely! replies Pai. For industry insiders at the dinner, this seems to have been taken as good fun. But Pais joking is likely to further stoke the rage of net neutrality advocates including the dozens of protestors outside the dinner itself who may see them as downplaying a deeper truth. Obama-era net neutrality rules prohibit internet providers from making some parts of the internet easier to access than others, and critics say their rollback would primarily benefit broadband providers like Verizon, while potentially harming small internet firms and democratic discourse itself. Internet companies large and small oppose the rollback. Pai has failed to cooperate with an investigation into a mass of fake comments submitted as part of the public comment process. Pais agency has simultaneously argued that the fake comments make it less important to respond to public opinion on the issue, despite polls showing broad support for net neutrality, including among Republicans. WASHINGTON The FCC is declining New York Attorney General Eric Schneidermans request to turn over records related to the agencys net neutrality proceeding, citing concerns over privacy and security. The FCCs general counsel, in a letter to Schneiderman, also dismissed his concerns that the volume of fake comments or those made with stolen identities have corrupted the rule-making process, and its Dec. 14 vote on Chairman Ajit Pais proposal to repeal existing net neutrality rules should be delayed. As in many important rule makings, this proceeding carries the potential for advocates on either side to abuse the process to create the appearance of numerical advantage, FCC General Counsel Thomas Johnson wrote in a letter to Schneiderman on Thursday. But the Commission does not make policy decisions merely by tallying the comments on either side of a proposal to determine what position has greater support, nor does it attribute greater weight to comments based on a submitters identity. The FCC received almost 23 million comments on its net neutrality proceeding, shattering previous records on public comments on a major policy issue. But questions have been raised about the source of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of the filings. In a press conference on Monday, Schneiderman said his own offices review of the public filings showed that about 1 million comments may have used names that were in fact stolen identities. There also have been studies showing that millions of comments came from email domains linked to fakeemailgenerator.com. Schneiderman complained that the FCC had not responded to his requests for logs that would shed light on the source of the comments. Johnson said Schneiderman has offered no evidence that the filing of comments under false names affected the commissions ability to review and respond to comments in the record. Story continues Rather than dwell on how accurately automated or form submissions reflect actual popular support, the commission has instead focused on encouraging robust participation in its proceedings and ensuring that it has considered how the substance of submitted comments bear on the legal and public policy consequences, he wrote. He also said Schneiderman cited no authority as a state official to investigate a federal agencys rule-making process. He added that Schneidermans request for logs of IP addresses would be unduly burdensome to the commission, and would raise significant personal privacy concerns. Amy Spitalnick, Schneidermans press secretary, said in a statement that the FCC made clear that it will continue to obstruct a law enforcement investigation. Its easy for the FCC to claim that theres no problem with the process, when theyre hiding the very information that would allow us to determine if there was a problem. To be clear, impersonation is a violation of New York law, she said. Thousands of people have already reported to us that their identities were stolen and used without their consent to submit comments to the FCC. The only privacy jeopardized by the FCCs continued obstruction of this investigation is that of the perpetrators who impersonated real Americans. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democratic member of the commission, continued to call for a delay in the vote. This letter shows the FCCs sheer contempt for public input and unreasonable failure to support integrity in its process, she said in a statement. To put it simply, there is evidence in the FCCs files that fraud has occurred and the FCC is telling law enforcement and victims of identity theft that it is not going to help. Moreover, the FCC refuses to look into how nearly half a million comments came from Russian sources. She was referring to a Bloomberg report of Russian sources for hundreds of thousands of comments. Pais proposal calls for repealing many of the existing net neutrality rules, including those that ban ISPs from blocking or throttling content, or from selling fast lanes so content companies can get speedier access to consumers. The FCC would still have rules in place that require that internet providers disclose how they manage internet traffic. Related stories FCC Chair Plays for Laughs at D.C. Event Amid Fierce Net Neutrality Debate NY Attorney General: Stolen Identities, Fake Comments Have 'Corrupted' FCC's Net Neutrality Proceeding FCC Asked to Delay Net Neutrality Vote Pending Court Decision Subscribe to Variety Newsletters and Email Alerts! Nepal starts getting more fertiliser The frequency in arrival of consignments of chemical fertiliser is gradually increasing, providing a big relief to the country which was witnessing rapid depletion in the stock of the key agricultural input. Demonstrators in Los Angeles on November 28 were among those protesting the FCC's plan to roll back rules on "net neutrality" (AFP Photo/Mark RALSTON) Washington (AFP) - US regulators are gearing up for a vote on a plan which -- depending on your viewpoint -- would "restore internet freedom" or, alternatively, result in "the death of the internet" as we know it. The Federal Communications Commission will consider a rollback of its 2015 order aimed at enforcing "net neutrality," or the notion of treating all data and content providers equally. FCC chairman Ajit Pai last month unveiled the plan, the latest twist in a dispute over more than a decade, with both sides claiming to promote a "free and open" internet. The plan, widely expected to be approved on a 3-2 party-line vote Thursday, would reverse the rules adopted two years earlier which ban broadband providers from blocking or throttling rivals, or using "fast" and "slow" lanes for different services. Pai, named chairman by President Donald Trump, said the 2015 rules "depress investment and innovation." Critics of the existing rules say they rely on 1930s-era rules for telephone companies, which could in theory lead to price regulation and other burdens. But net neutrality backers argue that the rollback will enable internet service providers (ISPs) to shut out rivals that compete with their services or those of partners. They point out that some ISPs in the past have tried to force users to their own search engines, or block online calling services such as Skype or Vonage, or require a premium for Apple's FaceTime video calling. The Pai proposal "will lead to a dramatic transformation of how the internet works," said Sarah Morris, who heads the New America Foundation's Open Policy Institute. "Internet service providers as gatekeepers have a lot of incentives to engage in shenanigans. The threats to our ability to navigate the internet and go to every corner of it are at risk" if the Pai plan is adopted, she told a conference on Tuesday. Story continues - Pillow in the face? - New York Times columnist Farhad Manjoo wrote that "the freewheeling internet has been dying a slow death" and that the FCC actions "would be the final pillow in its face." Senior executive vice president Bob Quinn of AT&T, one of the large broadband firms which has lobbied and sued to block earlier FCC regulatory efforts, said apocalyptic predictions are wrong. "AT&T intends to operate its network the same way AT&T operates its network today: in an open and transparent manner," Quinn said in a blog post last month. Michael Powell, head of the trade group for major broadband firms NCTA - The Internet & Television Association, said member companies have agreed to respect principles to "satisfy their customers' desire to visit any lawful website or run any lawful application." But some are not mollified by these assurances, arguing that broadband is largely controlled by a handful of firms -- including AT&T, Verizon and Comcast -- with little competition or consumer choice in many markets. "Why would they spend millions of dollars lobbying if they are going to treat everybody equally and not extract monopoly rents?" asked Ed Black, president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which represents major tech firms. "If they are allowed to build superfast lanes, they would cease to invest in the other lanes. It means everybody else is going to be left on the equivalent of dirt roads." The question of "paid prioritization," whether broadband firms can charge more for improved access, has been among the most hotly debated. Critics say broadband firms would be able to extort higher fees and limit access for new startups if the proposal is adopted. But University of California economist Michael Katz argues this is a basic business principal at work. "The logic of net neutrality would also argue for banning e-commerce sites from purchasing faster delivery from Fedex or UPS, or from offering free shipping," Katz said in a research paper. The net neutrality battle has been the subject of a series of court challenges over the past decade, and more litigation is likely unless Congress establishes clear guidelines. - Google, Netflix, Russian bots - Large tech firms like Google, Facebook and Netflix oppose the FCC draft rules, arguing that ISPs could effectively cut off or limit user access to some services. But with political and public sentiment shifting against Silicon Valley in recent months, Pai has turned the tables by blaming the large tech platforms for limiting consumer choice. "These providers routinely block or discriminate against content they don't like," Pai told a recent conference. Pai said his plan would "restore a light-touch" regulatory approach, while arguing that "some have tried to whip Americans into a frenzy by making outlandish claims." Still, the FCC actions have sparked protests around the country, and some 21 million comments in its online system. But the comment system was tainted by what appeared to be "bots," possibly from Russia, repeating similar messages. "The FCC is on course to eliminate net neutrality guided by a record corrupted by hundreds of thousands of filings with stolen identities (and) close to half a million comments from Russian e-mail addresses," said FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, who opposes the Pai plain. "No vote should take place until a responsible investigation is complete." An FCC spokesman said the vote "will proceed as scheduled on December 14." Brick and mortar retailers have been hit hard by the Amazon AMZN effect and many stores have as a result bitten the dust. Target TGT may have shut a few itself, but that isnt a good enough reason to think that the retailer has bowed out. The following analysis shows that not only will the company continue fighting, but like Walmart WMT, it will also become a force to reckon with in the increasingly omnichannel retail market. The Turnaround Plan Weak sales, weak gross margins (an indication that the company is heavily discounting goods to move stock, or high procurement cost related to new brands, or both) and relatively steady EPS despite a steadily declining share count arent things that inspire confidence. But CEO Brian Cornell has outlined a turnaround plan, and execution appears to be on track. Were investing in our business with a long-term view of years and decades, not months and quarters, Cornell said in a nutshell. Were putting digital first and evolving our stores, digital channels and supply chain to work together as a smart network that delivers on everything guests love about Target, including more than a dozen new brands well introduce over the next two years. For the purpose, hes earmarked $7 billion for capital expenses over the next three years and a billion more in operating profits, beginning in 2017. So lets see how hes doing- Putting Digital First There are two aspects to this, the first being increased digitization of the stores to improve the in-store shopping experience and the second being the building of the online shopping channel to improve that shopping experience. Target has been working on both. On the store front, it has added RFID (radio frequency identification) tags to apparel to quickly locate in-store inventory and beacons through which location-based information can be transmitted to shoppers while in the store. Now, its doing more to remodel the stores so they are to support delivery of orders taken online (more on that later). Story continues This year, its rolling out new technology in stores that will allow store employees to check inventory, take orders, process payments through a mobile point-of-sale system and arrange delivery. The capability will be expanded to all stores by year-end. On the online shopping front, it has invested in its digital infrastructure to increase its speed, stability, performance and capacity. So today it has a much more functional website and app. This year, it is also integrating its savings app Cartwheel with the main Target shopping app to streamline the shopping experience. It also has a deal with Pinterest that could attract more users. As a result, Targets digital sales have grown strongly every quarter, doubling between 2013 and 2016. Google Alliance Although part of its digital focus, the alliance with Alphabets GOOGL Google is big enough to warrant separate discussion. Target has expanded and deepened the relationship this year. After testing Google Express (an ecommerce shipping service with no subscription charges and free shipping depending on order size) in select markets across New York and California, it has now announced that Target products can be purchased via Google Express across the country. Come 2018, devices like Google Home, Android and iOS smartphones and smart TVs that come with Google Assistant, can also be used to shop Target using voice commands. Also in 2018, Google Express will integrate Target REDcard, so holders can grab their related special discounts and offers. The Google agreement is particularly significant because the tech giant already has a ton of data on individuals that it will use to personalize offers and discounts. Its also building augmented reality apps that can greatly improve the shopping experience. Target, with its focus on stylish home, apparel and beauty products at reasonable prices, can benefit hugely. Additionally, with Google Express and Assistant, customers have more choice than Amazon Prime and Alexa, because they can choose products from a number of retailers like Walmart, Target, Costco COST, Walgreens WBA and PetSmart depending on price, availability, convenience (whether they want to pick up at the nearest store or get it delivered) and other criteria. So the deal allows Target to become part of a larger basket. Evolving Stores Of the 1,800 stores Target is operating today, it plans to remodel more than a 1,000 by 2020 (600 by 2019). It also plans to operate 130 additional small-format stores by 2019. The target for this year is to remodel 110 stores and open 30 small-format stores. The remodeling entails reorganization of the backroom so it can double as a hyper-local delivery hub. Now, this space is being optimized to build a ship-from-store capability (shipping from the nearest store when a customer orders online to minimize delivery time and cost). Target has said that 1,400 stores already offer this capability and by 2019, all stores will have it. All stores already support the order pickup facility (where a customer chooses to pick up the item at the store after ordering it online). Ship-from-store and order pickup are already taking care of more than half the digital sales volume today although its expected to peak during the holidays. The smaller format stores are being opened in densely populated urban areas and college campuses and they are open for long hours (7AM to midnight). The goal is to allow customers to make quick purchases of every day essentials-type of things. On college campuses, the goal is to lure young consumers to the Target brand. They also operate as pickup centers for online orders. Creating a Smart Network The revamped stores and online channels are increasingly woven into a smart network that allows Target to offer many fulfillment options. So customers can now opt for in-store pickup; drive-up (where a store employee takes the order out to the customers car); same-day delivery in select locations and for select items including fresh groceries; next-day delivery; Target Restock, where the company takes orders for essentials up to 7PM every day for delivery on the following day; and Google Express. As the supply chain gets smarter, the in-stock position improves so it is also able to expand the number of products eligible for next-day delivery. Focus on Employees Retail has forever been about having the right products in the right place and at the right time. But now, it isnt just about products anymore because people are increasingly also looking for a good experience. Therefore, it is important to retain good employees with the requisite knowledge and experience. It therefore started investing in its people. The company recently raised the minimum wage to $11 an hour as part of an initiative to raise it to $15 an hour by the end of 2020. It is also investing in training employees for better guest satisfaction. More Than a Dozen New Brands The private label market is exploding with supermarkets, drug chains and mass-merchandise stores like Amazon all jumping in. The concept is also a very big deal in Europe where it was used effectively by German chains Aldi and Lidl. To tap this opportunity, Target has said that it plans to launch 12 new store brands. The advantage of these brands is that customers cant get them anywhere except from Target, so once brand loyalty is built, it results in repeat customers. Other advantages include a greater control over product creation, time to market and pricing, translating into stronger profitability. The fact that millennial shoppers are less attached to the brands their parents swore by makes this that much easier to do. Targets private labels focus on its most profitable apparel and home categories and include the kids clothing line Cat & Jack, the kids bedding and home collection line of more than 1,200 pieces of furniture (including 12 themes) Pillowfort, the baby brand Cloud Island, women's apparel brand A New Day, menswear line Goodfellow & Co., homewares brand Project 62, athleisure brand Joy Lab and home and lifestyle brand Hearthand Hand with Magnolia. Cat & Jack, which has been around the longest, racked up $2 billion in sales in its very first year since launch. With eight of the twelve already launched, Target will see the effect in the holidays and through 2018, when well know more about how they did. There are also four more to go, and according to recent trademarks, they could reportedly be "Universal Thread" or "Universal Thread Goods Co.," United Thread and an Obvious Foods rebranding. The company generally focuses on style, wellness, baby and kids products, so its private labels are unlikely to venture too far from these. Conclusion All of the above point to the fact that Target is poised for some big changes in 2018. It has most of the pieces in its turnaround plan on the board, now it just needs to tie it all together. Two metrics are particularly interesting in this respect: digital sales, which continue to grow at strong double digits despite tougher comps and two straight quarters of traffic growth, indicating that customers are returning to Target. As far as the Amazon effect is concerned, its worth knowing that ecommerce is still just 8.1% of total retail sales, according to the commerce department. Yes, its causing disruption, but Target has finally jumped on the bandwagon and the changes it has embraced (along with suitable advertising) should help the company get back on track. Add to that the fact that not all retailers will be able to weather the storm so Target has scope to grab share. Note that the company also returns cash to investors both as share repurchases and dividends. So the fact that it is catching up with leading trends increases confidence that there is no risk to the income. The way things stand now, it does appear that Target is entering buy territory. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here Wall Streets Next Amazon Zacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. Its a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius. Click for details >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Target Corporation (TGT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Science Applications International Corp. SAIC reported third-quarter fiscal 2018 earnings of 98 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 13 cents and increased 8% from the year-ago quarter. Moreover, revenues increased 3% from the year-ago quarter to $1.15 billion and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.11 billion. Internal revenues increased 3%. Revenues improved on the back of new contracts supporting NASA, the U.S. Army and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, the loss of an IT integration contract supporting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) hurt the top line. Science Applicationss shares have lost 11.1% of its value year to date versus the 30.9% rally of its industry. Quarter in Details Net bookings for the quarter were approximately $2.6 billion, which reflects a book-to-bill ratio of approximately 2.3 in the quarter. At the end of the quarter, Science Applications estimated backlog of signed business orders was approximately $10.7 billion of which $2.6 billion was funded. During the quarter, the company won a contract worth $970 million (if all options are exercised) from the General Services Administration (GSA) on behalf of the Army Software Engineering Directorate (SED). SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION Quote Science Applications also won contracts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren, the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), the U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Total backlog increased 16% sequentially and funded backlog was up 45%. The estimated value of proposals submitted by the company is approximately $15 billion. Science Applications successfully completed delivery of all 16 ACV prototype vehicles. Adjusted EBITDA margin contracted 30 basis points (bps) on a year-over-year basis to 7.4%. Adjusted operating income margin contracted 20 bps to 6.4% in the reported quarter. The year-over-year contraction in profits was primarily due to lower profit from a higher volume of cost reimbursable contracts and material cost mix. Balance Sheet & Cash Flow Science Applications ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $125 million, down from $140 million reported in the previous quarter. Operating cash flow was $80 million and free cash flow was $72 million. The company delivered operating cash outflow and free cash outflow of $88 million and $84 million in the previous quarter, respectively. Science Applications spent $59 million in cash dividends and repurchasing shares. Guidance For fiscal 2018, Science Applications expects revenues to be slightly positive. Management still expects EBITDA margin in the 7% range. For fiscal 2018, management projects tax rate at approximately 23% to 25%, modestly lower than the previous estimate of 24% to 26%. Management expects DSOs to return to the low 50%, which is within its normal operating range. The company continues to expect $240 million of free cash flow for the fiscal year 2018. Further, Science Applications expects to pay dividends of almost $55 million and pay debts worth approximately $25 million. Remaining cash balance is expected to be in excess of $150 million available for further share repurchases, strategic mergers and acquisitions. Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Currently, Science Applications has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the broader sector include DXC Technology DXC, Fair Isaac Corporation FICO and Nutanix Inc. NTNX. While DXC and Fair Isaac sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Nutanix carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Long-term earnings growth rates for DXC, Fair Isaac and Nutanix is currently projected at 10.50%, 10% and 20%, respectively. Story continues Wall Streets Next Amazon Zacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. Its a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius. Click for details >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) : Free Stock Analysis Report SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION (SAIC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Nutanix Inc. (NTNX) : Free Stock Analysis Report DXC Technology Company. (DXC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. If you look at the entire timeline of human existence, we live longer in modern times than we ever have, and were continually beating world records with physical achievements that set new high bars for human capability. With that in mind, it might be tempting to imagine that humans will just keep getting better and living longer for the foreseeable future, but new research suggests thats simply not the case. Researchers now believe that humans have peaked. According to the new study, which was published in Frontiers in Physiology, the human body is either at or rapidly nearing the absolute limits for its capabilities. Citing what they believe is evidence of a plateau in lifespan, height, endurance, and other human capabilities, the scientists are sounding the alarm that humans, as we exist today, might be as good as were ever going to get. Don't Miss: Amazons All-New Fire TV and Fire TV Stick were just discounted for the last time in 2017 These traits no longer increase, despite further continuous nutritional, medical, and scientific progress, Professor Jean-Francois Toussaint from Paris Descartes University explains. This suggests that modern societies have allowed our species to reach its limits. We are the first generation to become aware of this. Instead of continually improving, the studys data suggests that well simply continue to see more people reaching current maximums of lifespan and physical capabilities. For example, the world records for age wont continue to climb, but the percentage of people who reach that upper limit will grow. The study was based on historical records and trends plotted over many generations, and the numbers dont lie. This will be one of the biggest challenges of this century as the added pressure from anthropogenic activities will be responsible for damaging effects on human health and the environment, Toussaint says. The current declines in human capacities we can see today are a sign that environmental changes, including climate, are already contributing to the increasing constraints we now have to consider. Story continues Finding cures for some of the diseases that most often cut life short could have a noticeable impact on the overall average lifespan, and advances in nutrition and a greater understanding of human physiology may give people everyday people a physical edge in the future, but the body has limits. Of course, that could all go right out the window if the much-talked-about marriage between man and machine becomes a reality. BGR Top Deals: Trending Right Now: See the original version of this article on BGR.com If this isnt peak bitcoin, Im not sure what is. This week saw a staggering price run ($17,000!!!) along with wall-to-wall media coverage, and was capped off by the CEO of Coinbasewhose core business is bitcointelling people to calm down and invest responsibly. In the midst of the mania came a report that a bitcoin business had been hacked, and that crooks had emptied its digital wallets to the tune of over $60 million. The incident served to give more grist to a common criticism by bitcoin hackersthat the digital currency is somehow insecure and vulnerable to hacking. But is it really? In a story titled 5 Ways Bitcoin is Stolen, I took a closer look at various incidents of theft over the years and came to a simple conclusion: Bitcoins technology can be trusted so long as you know how it works, or if you rely on the right people. All of the thefts in recent years have been the result of carelessness on the part of bitcoin owners, or else incompetency or dishonesty from the companies they used. All in all, bitcoin is more secure than most existing financial services, including legacy banking platforms like SWIFT, which has been compromised repeatedly by hackers. But all of this speaks only to the technical security of bitcoin. Its financial security is another matter. As the boomor if you prefer bubblekeeps growing, the prospect of a bitcoin collapse could do damage to many individuals, not least of those who are signing up for bitcoin-related IRA products (yes, its a thingand yes, its probably a terrible idea). Even more worrying are the warnings about how the impending bitcoin futures market may not stabilize prices as promised, but could end up contaminating the larger financial system. More on that below. Have a nice weekend. Jeff John Roberts @jeffjohnroberts jeff.roberts@fortune.com Welcome to the Cyber Saturday edition of Data Sheet, Fortunes daily tech newsletter. You may reach Robert Hackett via Twitter, Cryptocat, Jabber (see OTR fingerprint on my about.me), PGP encrypted email (see public key on my Keybase.io), Wickr, Signal, or however you (securely) prefer. Feedback welcome. Story continues THREATS Any time now, NSA: The Kremlin-tied hacker group known as Shadow Brokers has been dumping sensitive files since early this year, yet there appears to have been no related arrests. Security expert Nicholas Weaver says this is strange and confusing, especially as the stolen documents contain metadata that would point to who at the agency may have leaked them. More alarm over Apple: The iPhone makers reputation for top-notch security took a hit recently upon the discovery of a gaping flaw that let anyone take over a computer by entering the word root. Now comes word that Apples HomeKit had a bug (since fixed) that exposed smart home devices to hackers. Stop following me: Creepy tracking cookies are just a price you have to may for using free websites like Google or Facebook. Or are they? Ghostery just improved its browser plug-in with a new tool that uses artificial intelligence to recognize web trackersand then overwrites them before they can relay that information back to a website. Nice cash, NiceHash: The hackers who robbed the cyrpto-currency service NiceHash are criminals with an impeccable sense of timing the markettheir looting of 4,700 bitcoins coincided with a week when bitcoin shot past the $17,000 mark. NiceHash says it is hoping to recover some of the stolen funds but, well, its bitcoin, so good luck with that. Share todays Data Sheet with a friend: http://fortune.com/newsletter/datasheet/ Looking for previous Data Sheets? Click here. ACCESS GRANTED A bitcoin-related liquidity crisis at smaller clearinghouses is not probable, Peterffy says. But if there is such a crisis, he warns it would quickly contaminate the rest of the financial system.My fear is in the unlikely event something like that happens, well have something like Lehman Brothers or worse, he said. Fortune spoke to Thomas Petterfy, a brokerage billionaire who is known as the father of high speed trading, about why he fears bitcoin futures contracts set to launch next week could trigger a 2008-style financial crisis. FORTUNE RECON The SECs New Cyber Unit Just Filed Its First ICO Charges by Jeff John Roberts Robot Developer Warns AI Could Lead to Catastrophe by Aaron Pressman Tim Cook Responds to Criticism Over Chinas Internet Censorship by Polina Marinova Facebook Messenger Went Down Globally and People Freaked by Billy Perrigo Hackers Hold North Carolina Computers for Ransom and Demand Two Bitcoin by Jeff John Roberts ONE MORE THING Worried about the winter blues? There is mounting evidence that psilocybeaka magic mushroomscan reboot the brains of those suffering from depression or mental illness. Now, a company backed by Peter Thiel says its going forward with clinical trials in 2018. The test will come nearly 65 years after Aldous Huxley described his remarkable experiments with mescaline in Doors of Perception (a nod to poet William Blake). Have a nice trip, er, weekend. A Bitcoin (virtual currency) paper wallet with QR codes and a coin are seen in an illustration picture taken at La Maison du Bitcoin in Paris, France. Bitcoin is a controversial investment: While many people have profited as the cryptocurrency has soared from relative obscurity to an investment worth over $16,000 as of Friday morning, many economists and business leaders continue to warn of a coming collapse. Bitcoin is subject to a lot of hype and major critiques but there is overall optimism about the underlying technology of bitcoin: blockchain, a peer-to-peer transfer that excludes a third party. Although JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon called bitcoin a fraud, he was considerably more positive about blockchain. Dimon noted blockchain can be useful but noted that the banks use of blockchain wont be overnight. JPMorgan has a Blockchain Center of Excellence, which leads efforts for applications of distributed ledger technology within the bank, according to the company. They are exploring blockchain use cases and piloting solutions across business lines. Wells Fargo Investment Institutes (NYSE:WFC) head of global asset allocation strategy, Tracie McMillion said at a press luncheon that the bank isnt recommending bitcoin to its clients, but noted that they are interested in the blockchain technology. That technology could be as revolutionary as the internet was, she said. The White House has even weighed in on blockchain, issuing an official statement: We follow blockchain technologies for a number of reasons, including economic, innovation, national security and public safety. Blockchain has the promise to be used creatively for a number of cybersecurity and other issues, and it is important for us to remain informed on this and other new and emerging technologies. Related Articles VENTURA, Calif. California Governor Jerry Brown will survey the destruction of the states 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. Were 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 states 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. Story continues 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. US President Donald Trump (center right) met with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders on Thursday, shortly before the House and Senate approved the stopgap measure (AFP Photo/SAUL LOEB) (AFP) Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump on Friday signed into law a temporary funding measure that staves off a government shutdown -- at least for the next two weeks. The House of Representatives and the Senate easily passed the measure on Thursday, which funds government operations through December 22. The White House said Trump signed the measure Friday morning. The measure gives Trump some breathing room to work with Democrats and his fellow Republicans in the coming weeks to thrash out a budget plan for fiscal year 2018 -- the subject of fierce debate 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. 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. FILE PHOTO: An employee walks inside the office of ride-hailing service Uber in Gurugram, previously known as Gurgaon, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India April 19, 2016. REUTERS/Anindito Mukherjee/File Photo By Dan Levine and Heather Somerville SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc and a woman who accused top executives of improperly obtaining her medical records after a company driver raped her in India have agreed to settle a civil lawsuit the woman filed against Uber in June, according to a U.S. federal court filing on Friday. The Uber driver was convicted of the rape, which occurred in Delhi in 2014, in a criminal case in India. He was sentenced in 2015 to life in prison. The Indian woman had previously settled a civil U.S. lawsuit against Uber in 2015, but sued the company again in a San Francisco federal court saying that shortly after the incident, a U.S. Uber executive "met with Delhi police and intentionally obtained plaintiff's confidential medical records." Uber kept a copy of those records, the lawsuit said. The woman was living in the United States when she filed the lawsuit. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed in the court document. A spokesman for San Francisco-based Uber declined to comment. An attorney for the woman could not immediately be reached for comment. The settlement comes as new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who took the top job in August, is seeking to put several scandals behind the company following eight years of CEO Travis Kalanick's pugnacious leadership, which led to rule-breaking around the world. The lawsuit cited several media reports that said Kalanick and others doubted the victim's account of her ordeal. "Uber executives duplicitously and publicly decried the rape, expressing sympathy for plaintiff, and shock and regret at the violent attack, while privately speculating, as outlandish as it is, that she had colluded with a rival company to harm Uber's business," the lawsuit said. A source with knowledge of the matter previously told Reuters that Kalanick had told other Uber executives he believed the incident had been staged by Indian ride-services rival Ola. Story continues In a prior statement, while Kalanick was CEO, Uber said: "No one should have to go through a horrific experience like this, and we're truly sorry that she's had to relive it." A spokesman for Kalanick was not immediately available for comment on Friday. Uber's actions have led to a criminal probe by the U.S. Department of Justice of whether managers violated U.S. bribery laws, specifically the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the company said in June. The Justice Department did not say on what country or countries the investigation centered on. Bloomberg said it focused on activity in at least five Asian countries. Uber has also notified U.S. authorities about payments made by Uber staff to police officers in Indonesia, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Uber previously hired law firm O'Melveny & Myers LLP to investigate how it obtained the medical records of the rape victim, Reuters reported in June. (Reporting by Dan Levine and Heather Somerville in San Francisco; Editing by Richard Chang and Sandra Maler) Without a doubt, investors are eagerly awaiting an Uber IPO. Thanks to its structure--a unique combination of transportation company, mobile Internet company, and real-world engineering--the company has been touted as one of the best future market debuts. But can it live up to the hype? By now, I think we all know what Uber is, what it does, and how it makes our lives easier. Have too many groceries? Get an Uber. Too drunk? Get an Uber. Stressful day at work? Uber. Like magicnow, its really an expectationany transportation woes vanish with the digital sight of a car heading your way. Launched only seven years ago, Uber Technologies Inc. is an app-based transportation company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It operates in about 270 cities and more than 60 countries worldwide, and as of this June, Uber completed 5 billion total trips. Using the app is easy: just type in your current location, where you want to go, and hit request Uber. From there, Uber uses its app to receive its ride requests, sending them out to drivers who transport customers to their final destination. Increased Competition The emergence of on-demand rides has become a popular business venture all over the world, but it has proved difficult for companies to break away from the congested pack. At the end of 2015, Sidecar, another on-demand car service, officially stopped offering rides and deliveries. Companies like Lyft, Curb, Southeast Asia-based Grab, Indias Ola, and especially Chinas Didi Chuxing have all started to eat into the ride-hailing market share, becoming huge competitorsfor Uber. Didi was arguably Ubers biggest threat overseas, and the ride-sharing giant conceded defeat last August, selling its UberChina operations to Didi and ending an expensive, bruising battle between the two companies. Even Alphabet Inc. GOOGL is becoming a threat to Uber, with plans to make its self-driving cars unit a stand-alone business. This initiative could put the company in direct competition with Uber, as the lack of a driver could keep costs down in the long-term. The companys Google division also recently began a pilot program with Waze, a company they acquired in 2013, that enables thousands of San Francisco commuters to join carpools; Waze also offers real-time driving directions based on information from other drivers. Story continues Self-Driving, Uber Style But Uber is right on Googles heels, and as self-driving car technology becomes more commercially available, Uber has been constantly beefing up its business strategies focused on autonomous driving. Back in September, it began testing its self-driving Ford F Fusions in Pittsburgh; engineers rode in the drivers seat, ready to take over whenever things got tricky. Uber then introduced self-driving Volvo XC90s to San Francisco in December, and riders who requested an uberX were matched with one of these vehicles if one was available. Just days later, however, the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the registrations for its self-driving cars, as the company didnt have the proper permits. But Uber being Uber, the fleet of Volvos were on their way to Arizona within days. Uber already operates a self-driving car program in the state, and back in 2015, partnered with the University of Arizona to research mapping technology. Uber also recently acquired car start-up Otto, which specializes in self-driving trucks. Otto is a 90-person company, and its co-founder, Anthony Levandowski, will now lead Uber into the self-driving car market. Impressively, Otto engineers have worked at Tesla Motors TSLA, Apple AAPL, and Google, and with this knowledge and expertise, Uber is bound to be a top player in the self-driving car industry. Controversy While Uber has seen great success, its journey has been a bumpy one. The company has been in and out of the news thanks to a number of recent legal (Alphabet is currently suing them for theft of its self-driving car technology), publicity (note the companys sexual harassment scandal and resignation of former CEO Travis Kalanick), and many other headlines in a number of countries. From noncompliance issues in New York City to regulatory concerns and lack of driver background checks, Uber has drawn scrutiny and criticism, and has even been banned in The Netherlands and in parts of Thailand, India, and China. It's no secret that traditional taxi services are not happy with the rise of Uber and other ride-hailing companies, and many argue that Uber should be subject to the same regulations that they face. In dozens of cities it has moved in to, Uber has faced intense opposition, lobbying, and legal challenges against it from these taxi companies. Uber has also been embroiled in a long-standing battle with its drivers. A group of drivers first sued the company back in 2013, claiming they should be classified as employees rather than independent contractors. As a result, Uber had been set to pay up to $100 million in reimbursement damages to almost 400,000 drivers, but recently, a federal judge in California ruled that the settlement was unfair. While the saying goes any publicity is good publicity, Ubers misfortunes may have finally caught up to them. Its safe to say that the company invokes strong feelings and opinions, many of which arent too positive. Uber is still losing a ton of money, too. The company lost over $1 billion in the first half of 2016, with losses totaling $2.8 billion last year. And in the first three months of this year, it lost $708 million. However, Uber gained as much revenue as it lost during the first half of last year, and total revenues for 2016 came in at $6.5 billion. In this years second quarter, the company posted revenues of $1.75 billion compared to $800 million in the prior year quarter, with global trips up 150%. Despite constant negative press, Ubers ability to grow sales and raise exorbitant amounts of cash is incredibly impressive for a company who is less than a decade old, and this skill makes Uber that much more attractive to venture capital investors. IPO Potential Without a doubt, investors are eagerly awaiting an Uber IPO. New CEO Dara Khosrowshahi recently said that the company should go public in the next 18 to 36 months, and one of his priories as Ubers chief executive is to pay the bills. Looking ahead, its difficult to pinpoint how busy or successful the IPO market will be. Snap Inc. SNAP, the parent company of Snapchat, finally made that giant step last March, and meal-kit delivery company Blue Apron APRN just went public at the end of June to an underwhelming start. Its hard to say what, and if any, other high-profile unicornsi.e. Spotify, Pinterest, Airbnbwill follow. And recent high-growth IPOs like Twilio Inc. TWLO and Nutanix NTNX have traded strongly since their debut, a good sign for tech companies everywhere looking to IPO. An IPO for Uber could be massive for both the company and Wall Street. Its currently valued at almost $70 billion after a total of 16 rounds of funding worth $11.56 billion since its launch. And, Japans tech investment firm Softbank SFTBY recently offered to buy a multi-billion-dollar stake in the ride hailing company, which could be one of the biggest private startup stock purchases ever. Thanks to Ubers structurea unique combination of transportation company, mobile Internet company, and real-world engineeringthe company has been touted as one of the best future market debuts. Its IPO, then, could go either way, but let one number stay in your mind: $70 billion. Let me write that again: $70 billion. This number is a hard one to forget, and a figure that will be on the forefront of many investors minds come the time of its public offering, as it impressively showcases just how far this startup has come in a few short years. Wall Streets Next Amazon Zacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. Its a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius. Click for details >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Twilio Inc. (TWLO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Snap Inc. (SNAP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Nutanix Inc. (NTNX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ford Motor Company (F) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tesla Inc. (TSLA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Softbank Corp. (SFTBY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Blue Apron Holdings, Inc. (APRN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Of friends, hippies and votes These three semantically incompatible sounding words make sense when I evoke them today. In greetings that I receive from friends now, spectres of the hippies uncannily coalesce with a natural calamity, the earthquake of 2015, and politics. orange Dickinson were written over a period beginning a few years before Susans marriage to Emilys brother and ending shortly before Emilys death in 1886, outnumbering were written beginning ending , outnumbering were written that begins ended , outnumber , written beginning ends and outnumbering , which were written beginning ending , and outnumbering , which were written beginning ending , outnumber 1. were written / ,written / ,which were written 2. beginning / that begins 3. ,outnumbering / ,outnumber / and outnumbering / ,and outnumbering One thing we can easily see in options C, D, and E is the use of a non-essential clause 1. Cross out/remove the non-essential clause 2. Read what's left over. If the leftover part can still work as a complete sentence, it's a good use of a non-essential phrase. If the leftover part isn't a complete sentence, the non-essential phrase doesn't work. who loves to spend his weekends at farmer's markets which is my favorite holiday No non-essential clause (save for later) No non-essential clause (save for later) written over a period beginning a few years before Susans marriage to Emilys brother and that ends shortly before Emilys death in 1886 and outnumbering her letters to anyone else. INCORRECT , which were written over a period beginning a few years before Susans marriage to Emilys brother, ending shortly before Emilys death in 1886, INCORRECT , which were written over a period beginning a few years before Susans marriage to Emilys brother and ending shortly before Emilys death in 1886, OKAY We can rule out options C & D because they are missing a verb, thanks to incorrect use of non-essential phrases! outnumbering her letters to anyone else INCORRECT were written outnumber INCORRECT which were written over a period beginning a few years before Susans marriage to Emilys brother and ending shortly before Emilys death in 1886 CORRECT There you have it - option E is the correct choice! Hello Everyone!This looks like a complicated question that mainly deals with modifiers, so let's dive in! First, let's take a close look at the original question, and highlight any major differences between the options inEmily Dickinsons letters to Susan Huntingtonher letters to anyone else.(A) Dickinsonover a perioda few years before Susans marriage to Emilys brother andshortly before Emilys death in 1886(B) Dickinsonover a perioda few years before Susans marriage to Emilys brother andshortly before Emilys death in 1886(C) Dickinsonover a perioda few years before Susans marriage to Emilys brother and thatshortly before Emilys death in 1886(D) Dickinsonover a perioda few years before Susans marriage to Emilys brother,shortly before Emilys death in 1886(E) Dickinsonover a perioda few years before Susans marriage to Emilys brother andshortly before Emilys death in 1886After a quick glance over the options, a few things jumped out that we can focus on:. Non-essential clauses are placed between commas, and they provide extra details that are "non-essential" to the overall meaning of the sentence. To make sure non-essential clauses are used properly, you can do this quick test:Example:My brother, who loves to spend his weekends at farmer's markets, prefers organic vegetables.My brother,, prefers organic vegetables.My brother prefers organic vegetables. --> GOODHalloween, which is my favorite holiday, more than Christmas or Easter.Halloween,, more than Christmas or Easter.Halloween more than Christmas or Easter. --> BADSo let's take a closer look at the options to make sure their non-essential clauses work. To make this easier, I've added the entire sentence to each option:(A) Emily Dickinsons letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson were written over a period beginning a few years before Susans marriage to Emilys brother and ending shortly before Emilys death in 1886, outnumbering her letters to anyone else. -->(B) Emily Dickinsons letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson were written over a period that begins a few years before Susans marriage to Emilys brother and ended shortly before Emilys death in 1886, outnumber her letters to anyone else. -->(C) Emily Dickinsons letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson,This isbecause if we cross out the non-essential phrase / modifier, what's left over cannot stand alone. Connecting the non-essential phrase to the modifier left us with no verb!(D) Emily Dickinsons letters to Susan Huntington Dickinsonand outnumbering her letters to anyone else.This isbecause if we cross out the non-essential phrase, what's left over doesn't make sense on its own. This tells us the non-essential phrase isn't being used properly here. In fact, this option is also missing a verb thanks to a bad non-essential clause!(E) Emily Dickinsons letters to Susan Huntington Dickinsonoutnumber her letters to anyone else.This isfor now! If we remove the non-essential phrase, what's left over still works as a complete sentence!Now that we only have 3 options left, let's take a closer look at them to find any other problems:(A) Emily Dickinsons letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson were written over a period beginning a few years before Susans marriage to Emilys brother and ending shortly before Emilys death in 1886,This option isbecause the modifier "outnumbering her letters to anyone else" is so far away from what it's modifying (Emily Dickinson's letters). The GMAT prefers that modifiers are directly before or after what they're modifying, so they are less confusing for readers.(B) Emily Dickinsons letters to Susan Huntington Dickinsonover a period that begins a few years before Susans marriage to Emilys brother and ended shortly before Emilys death in 1886,her letters to anyone else.This isbecause we have two competing verbs here! The phrase "outnumber her letters to anyone else" doesn't work here because it's supposed to be a modifier, but it was rewritten to be a verb phrase?? This doesn't work, so let's rule it out too.(E) Emily Dickinsons letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson,, outnumber her letters to anyone else.This is! The modifier (highlighted here in green) is clearly directly after what it's modifying (Emily Dickinson's letters to Susan Huntington Dickens). It's also punctuated properly to indicate that the modifier is "non-essential," and could be removed without changing the original meaning.This was a tricky question, but if you know how to check modifiers and non-essential clauses for correct wording and punctuation, it's a lot easier to spot problems!Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it._________________ San Diego Interestingly, I got 9 questions wrong this timethe exact same number incorrect as the time I scored a Q42but I scored 4 points higher. (28 counted questions per test) Also see: From V46 to V47 to V40 to V42: my GMAT Verbal Journey (with ESRs) I am a Harvard grad and American GMAT tutor based inColorado Springs, and I take the real GMAT regularly to stay sharp and up-to-date. I have always been naturally talented at VerbalI scored V48 (99%) on my first attempt, which helped propel me to a composite score of 770but on Quant, I have had to struggle for my success. Like so many others, especially those of us coming from the American educational system, where overall mathematics skills are lacking relative to elsewhere in the world, I have found the fast-paced, adaptive format of the GMAT Quant section to be a challenging opponentand yes, even I have had setbacks in my journey to reach an elite (80%+) Quant score.On my last 5 test-center GMATs, I scored 47 (pre-ESR), 42, 44, 46 and finally 50/51 on Quant. Below is my journey, in pictures. I imagine that the ESRs will be helpful to many of you in formulating your pacing strategies.I don't have an ESR from the 1st time I took the test in 2012 (Q47), but I imagine it would have looked something like the one above. Like this student, I performed very well at the beginning, but I ran out of time at the end.On my 2nd attempt, I earned only an average Quant score, mostly due to my subpar performance in the critical 2nd and 3rd quarters. I was determined to go faster this time, and I did great at the end, but it was too latemy difficulty level had already fallen too low. I only got 9 (counted) questions wrong this time, but I performed 5 points worse than the previous test due to a significantly lowered difficulty level.On my 3rd attempt, I turned in a mostly solid performance in the first three quarters of the test, but I fell apart at the end, running out of time and getting 6 out of the final 7 questions wrong. Q44 is certainly not bad for 12 of 28 counted questions wrong, thoughthe test rewarded me for earning harder questions at the end, even though I got most of them wrong.Welcome news--progress rather than regress! On my 4th attempt, I turned in a solid performance during the first three quarters of the test, and survived the final quartile of the test due to improved pacing strategy, even though I still ran out of time at the very end.Finally, the coveted Q50, on my 5th try! I took my time during the critical first two quarters of questions (up to three minutes per question) and managed to perform very well (12 out of 14 correct). Toward the end of the section, I made sure to speed myself up and be more aggressive with my answers, giving myself enough time to finish. For the first time, I was able to complete every question, and I finished strongonly 6 questions wrong totaldespite the high difficulty level of the questions I was being served.Here are some estimates based on the hundreds of student ESRs from actual GMAT Quant sections (not the GMATPrep software, which has a much different scoring algorithm) that I've seen thus far.0-2 wrong: 51 (96%)1-6 wrong: 50 (86%)4-10 wrong: 49 (75%)5-11 wrong: 48 (69%)6-12 wrong: 47 (63%)6-13 wrong: 46 (60%)7-14 wrong: 45 (57%)7-15 wrong: 44 (52%)etc.Sources: here and here and here and here -BrianMy next goal: getting only 0-2 wrong and earning a perfect 51/51.Happy studies,-Brian Shiv2016 wrote: It's an old post. But is this information still true? The recent FT rankings of both NUS and NTU are great. What about the job placements of both institutes? What are the prospects for Indians to find a job in Singapore after an MBA from these two institutes? Companies will require to sponsor intl students for work visa there, and intl students who graduated from unis such as NTU or NUS are somewhat disadvantaged with the local counterparts. Graduates from these unis will compete for the best jobs as NTU and NUS are the best unis in the country, and this will make job hunting for intl students somewhat tougher.But no worries, SG companies are no strangers in providing workers visa and I think with the right internships and previous WE you can definitely get a job. Nevertheless pressure to score a high GPA will be higher as you need to show these companies why you will be worth their effort on provising you workers visa. Networking is very useful as well in Asian countries, arguably the impact on networking is stronger as compared to networking in Europe or USA. Try to get these recruiters favor with things other than your GPA or WE.Sent from my SM-G935F using GMAT Club Forum mobile app Somnath1234 wrote: Hello Team , Kindly review my profile and share your valuable inputs. Profile: I completed my graduation in Fashion designing from one of the top 3 colleges in Asia in 2014 with a CGPA of 7.43. I have been working with the biggest apparel organization in India for past 4 years. Have a healthy work experience across 2 different roles. Extra-curricular: I am a national level athlete and I am regularly involved in different sports. Have also won national level quiz competitions. Have been involved with couple of NGOs during my college days. GMAT (Oct2017) : 700 (Q-50, V-34, IR-8, AWA-5). Areas of interest : 1) General Management, 2) Marketing I need your help in deciding which colleges I should apply. Should I target US B schools for either R2 this year or R1 next year ? Employment after completing MBA is an important criterion to decide which schools to apply. From few current students I have heard really negative reviews regarding job scenario for international MBA students in US. The situation is not bright in even top 15 colleges. Under the current geo-political situation, will it be a viable option to try for any US school? With my profile, should I apply in NUS and INSEAD? What are the job scenarios post MBA in Singapore? Also, I will be looking for a scholarship. Earlier I was targeting top 15 US B schools. Though my profile is extremely unique, my GMAT score is on a lower side. Being from India would go against me. Are there any colleges in top 15 where I can expect admission with scholarship? I am okay to give GMAT again and if required then wait for one year before applying. My first shortlist of colleges is below. Should I apply to any of these colleges in R2? 1. Kellogg, 2. Ross, 3. Fuqua, 4. NUS, and 5. ISB Kindly review my case. Also please let me know if you need any other input to review my candidature. Thanks! mbaMission Senior Admissions Consultant Chicago Booth Alum, over 70 5-star reviews on GMAT Club Sign up for a free 30-minute consultation at https://www.mbamission.com/consult/mba-admissions/ Read our Insider's Guides to the top b-schools: http://www.mbamission.com/guides.php?category=insiders Kate RichardsonmbaMission Senior Admissions ConsultantChicago Booth Alum, over 70 5-star reviews on GMAT ClubSign up for a free 30-minute consultation at https://www.mbamission.com/consult/mba-admissions/Read our Insider's Guides to the top b-schools: http://www.mbamission.com/guides.php?category=insiders Signature Read More Hi Somnath1234!I remember your profile, and looks like we traded notes earlier this year: https://gmatclub.com/forum/profile-eval ... l#p1922653 Any major changes in your profile since then?Thanks,Kate_________________ UNISOFT Technologies GMAT center Review Nagpur [ #permalink As of now the unisoft technology, a gmat center, in nagpur has been closed . All those who are planning to take gmat exam in small towns , check the place out before booking for gmat exam. We assume that since its such a popular exam and we pay so much money for it , the gmat test takers would vet the place and make sure that students are provided with a stress free environment , don't take this for granted . i faced the following issues 1) instructions given by test center was made up. they asked me to bring pan card and its print out ( gmat doesn't ask for these secondary ID proofs, only passport is required). They kept the print out of my pan card and god knows what they did with it. this is the part that pissed me off the most, between the sections we get a break and i wanted to take it but had no intention of leaving my seat . the instructor made me go out of the room and so i went out and stood there and did nothing . i was thinking that why am i standing there, it felt just wrong and go through that whole biometric process when i didnt want to go outside. later the instructor tells me that the biometric process may take time. With each passing moment i became more panicky and it turns out i arrived at my seat just in time . this whole ordeal was just wrong. 2) the instructor herself. Being strict is different . the instructor was nasty , i got this feeling that she got some sick pleasure in seeing me nervous and disturbed. She wanted to be sure that i knew she was the boss. i told her that i didnt want the ac and her response was she cant do it and blah blah but since no one is in the room , she will switch off and 'i should be eternally grateful to her'. her tone was way off. It throws you off your game if the instructor is unbalanced and a complete b****. also i had a doubt in between and the instructor was missing. i kept my hand raised and for a long time she didnt come. she was very casual. 3) problems with the test center it was cramped and it was only for two people. just behind the monitor there was glass and someone was switching on off the light.they gave me a marker pen. who gives marker pen for writing . the sheet provided had been used and wiped off. It seems they didnt want to waste money on pencils. Gmat , why didnt u check these basic necessities. There is no point in mentioning that how important the exam was for me.i ended up feeling exploited and harassed. i did complain but they did not take my feedback seriously. Parties urged to remove poll publicity materials The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has requested all the political parties to collect the litter they have left behind during the elections on December 7. 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 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 Gazas 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. Source: www.justearthnews.com An Al Arabiya reporter confirmed the death of Iranian missile expert, Hussein Khasrawy, during an air raid by coalition forces on Saturday in the district of Arhab in Sanaa. Meanwhile, Yemeni armed forces arrived at their third district in Hodeidah west of Yemen amidst a notable and strategic advancement for the third day in a row. This progression is heavily backed by Arab-led coalition fighters led by Saudi Arabia, in the midst of a rapid fallback of the Houthi militia. The official Yemeni news agency confirmed that the Yemeni army was able to regain control of the Hays, al-Khokha triangle on Saturday evening, and began to enter the directorate of al-Tahita, the third district of Hodeidah. The news agency quoted army sources saying that the national army has seized the district of Hays which is only 10 kilometers away from al-Khoukha. The sources also confirmed regaining control of farms and roads in northers Hays. According to sources, the army has also entered the coastal directorate of al-Tahita and reached the al-Fazah farms in rural Zabid. Kara Rowells enjoys hard work. The native of Tarpon Springs, Florida learned to love being busy from her father. My dad always had a lot of different jobs at once, and so thats the model that I saw, she told VOA. My dad will often work a job all day and then go to another job at night. It wasnt a crazy concept for me. So when Rowells began studying at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida in 2008, she was more than happy to support herself. Her parents gave her a little financial assistance. But she covered most of her education costs with loans and her own income. At first, Rowells worked part-time as a teacher for very young children. But she says the average pay for workers in that field in Florida is very low. So she took on other teaching positions to make more money. In 2010, she decided to change schools. She began studying theater performance at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University in Tallahassee also called Florida A&M. And she took on more jobs. She began teaching dance, as well as taking care of children. But changing schools slowed her progress toward a degree. To speed it up, Rowells had to take more than six classes in one term. In addition, she was working between 10 and 45 hours each week at her jobs. Always being busy would often cause her to feel stress and miss sleep, Rowells says. And, she says, she was not able to enjoy many of the social experiences involved in American higher education. But Rowells was able to finish her study program as planned in 2012. She even earned a graduate degree from Florida State University in 2015 while working just as much as she had as an undergraduate. The most difficult part of her college experience, Rowells says, was learning that despite all her hard work, she still owed about $100,000 in student debt. She does not regret how much or how hard she worked. But she does feel her experience offers some valuable information about balancing work and studies that many college students could use. College students should know their worth, Rowells says. And they should avoid sacrificing other parts of their lives for work if they can. What the research says The majority of students at colleges and universities in the United States work while they study. And, the amount that students are working while studying is increasing. Also, the more hours college students work outside their studies, the more harm they may be doing to their academic success. In 2015, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce reported on the state of working college students. The center found that 70 percent of all U.S. college students have a job while they are enrolled in school. Many of these students are putting a lot of hours into their jobs. The center found that almost half of undergraduates work more than 30 hours per week. And one-quarter of students study full-time while working full-time at least 40 hours a week. Nicole Smith is the chief economist for the center. She says the numbers of students working and the numbers of hours they work have all increased over the past 30 years. One reason is that the cost of college in the U.S. has increased greatly in that time. However, that is not the only reason more college students are working more hours. Smith notes that even students whose families can afford to support them are working while they study. That is because employers are expecting more and more out of college graduates, including work experience, she says. Employers are less likely to want to train their workers for the job traits that you would not necessarily learn within a college setting, she told VOA. Employers are expecting, by the time you walk in that you can do exactly what they expect you to do, and you have all of the experience necessary, so that you can be a 100 percent productive employee from day one. Smith admits that research shows working up to 15 hours a week can be helpful for college students. It can improve their time management skills, for example. But when students work more than that, they risk more than just missing out on social events, as in the case of Rowells, she says. With students attention split between work and class assignments, their performance in both areas will suffer. The ACT Center for Equity in Learning is an organization that studies education in the United States. In August 2017 it reported that working more than 15 hours a week can seriously limit college students ability to complete their study programs. The ACT Centers research showed that working more than 15 hours affected both high- and low-income students similarly. It reported that just 57 percent of high-income students who worked more than 15 hours weekly completed their study programs in six years. Only 41 percent of low-income students who worked more than 15 hours a week completed their programs in the same time. In comparison, college students from either income level who worked under 15 hours were nearly 20 percent more likely to finish in six years than those who worked more. Professor Laura Perna suggests that a big part of the problem is that over-worked college students do not have the time to seek help. Perna teaches in the University of Pennsylvanias Graduate School of Education. She is also the executive director of the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy. Perna notes that there are only so many hours in the day. Students with jobs do not often have the time to make use of the support services schools offer, such as academic and financial advising. When those offices are only open a certain number of hours, she told VOA, students who are working may find it more difficult to access those really important services that they need in order to make timely progress to their degree. Perna and Smith agree that as older Americans increasingly seek higher education, working college students will become more common. These older students will likely not have parents financial support, and may even be supporting other people themselves. In addition, Perna and Smith point out, first-generation and low-income students of any age are more likely to pay for their education by working. They often choose to do so rather than by taking out larger loans. As the student population changes, Perna and Smith say, U.S. colleges and universities will need to consider how they advise their students and serve their changing needs. Im Pete Musto. And Im Dorothy Gundy. Pete Musto reported this for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. We want to hear from you. How common is working full-time while studying full-time in your country? How do you think working more than 15 hours per week might affect you while you seek a college education? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story crazy adj. very strange or unusual concept n. an idea of what something is or how it works financial adj. relating to money income n. money that is earned from work, investments, or business stress n. a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life or work social adj. relating to or involving activities in which people spend time talking to each other or doing enjoyable things with each other graduate adj. of or relating to a course of studies taken at a college or university after earning a bachelor's degree or other first degree academic adj. of or relating to schools and education afford v. to be able to pay for something trait(s) n. a quality that makes one person or thing different from another setting n. the place and conditions in which something happens or exists access v. to be able to use, enter, or get near something Every year as southern Arizona cooled, architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his students would travel there to escape the cold of winter in Wisconsin. Wrights students built shelters at a place he called Taliesin West, northeast of the state capital, Phoenix. They stayed there during the winter term of his School of Architecture. The buildings were wide open to nature. They had no electricity, running water, doors or windows. The shelters are still used as housing today. From 1937 until 1959, when Wright died, Taliesin West was the winter home of Americas most famous architect. The original Taliesin was Wrights home in southwestern Wisconsin, a central state. Taliesin is the name of a sixth-century writer. It means shining brow. The buildings of Taliesin West are made of redwood beams and large rocks. They were covered early on in almost-transparent canvas to let in light. The canvas was later replaced with plastic, which is stronger against the desert sun. Windows were large openings without glass. The 198-hectare site in Scottsdale, near the McDowell Mountains, is still the winter home of the graduate school. Students can earn a Master of Architecture degree there. It is also the headquarters of The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which governs many of the architects buildings. More than 100,000 people visit Taliesin West each year. It has been named a National Historic Landmark. Wright Foundation officials say the number of visitors has increased sharply because this year marks the 150th anniversary of Wrights birth. Visitors can see the room where Wright designed some of his most famous buildings, including the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Wright lived to see more than 500 of his designs built. They include homes, offices and schools. Another very famous Wright work is Fallingwater, a private home built over a waterfall in a Pennsylvania forest. Wright also designed the 19-story Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma; Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida; and the Ennis House, a home in Los Angeles designed like a Mayan temple. Experts say Taliesin West is among the best buildings Wright designed. At the home, visitors can see the same desert landscape that Wright and his students looked at from the room where they created. It is a view that Wright once called a look over the rim of the world. Im Caty Weaver. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English from Associated Press report. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story architect -n. a person who designs buildings beam -n. a long and heavy piece of wood or metal that is used as a support in a building or ship transparent -adj. able to be seen throug canvas -n. a strong, rough cloth that is used to make bags, tents, sails, etc. landscape -n. an area of land that has a particular quality or appearance rim -n. the outer edge of a usually round object Girls on the Move Secondary School is a symbol of hope for girls from poor families in Malawi. The school is free and welcomes young girls who would traditionally be forced to marry. My parents could not afford to pay my school tuitionbecause they are poor and dont work, said Emily Galenta, a student at the school. They are only peasant farmers who dont earn enough, she added. In the southeastern African nation, more than half of young girls are married before they complete secondary school. Memory Chazeza Mdyetseni began the school after she resisted relatives pressure to marry following the death of her parents. Three years later, the uncle who paid for her education died, and she went to live with her grandfather. I was the only girl in the village, and when I asked where the other girls were, I was told they were all married. And in this small village, the expectation was that I was the next girl to get married, she said. Mdyetseni began working as a volunteer teacher in an all-girls secondary school that had just opened near her village. She became friends with a volunteer teacher from Canada who raised enough money to pay Mdyetsenis college tuition. After receiving a degree in Bible studies, Mdyetseni and her Canadian friend, Christie Johnson, discussed the idea of starting an all-girls secondary school. Its such an achievement (for) a girl child, she said, adding that a girl with an education has many more opportunities. The school gets most of it funding from Rotary Clubs in Canada, where Johnson now lives. More than 800 girls have gone through the schools program since 2007. Some are now working as teachers while others have gone on to universities. Manesi Samuel, a graduate, said that without the school she would be married to a subsistence farmer and have several children a life she did not want. Instead, Samuel studied economics at the University of Oklahoma in the United States. She plans to start an organization that will bring employment to her village. Recently, financial problems have forced the school to enroll some students who pay tuition. Mdyetseni plans to open a few more schools using the same model. Someday she dreams of opening colleges for Malawi girls. Im Susan Shand. ________________________________________________________________ A law that permits Indians to get information about their government is helping a group of women in Delhi get needed services. The women have led a successful campaign demanding that city officials improve access to water, waste removal services and transportation. The women live in Savda Ghevra, a slum resettlement colony for people who have been moved from extremely poor areas. It is the largest such colony outside of the city of New Delhi. The success of the women is a rare example of poor people in India using the Right to Information Act to change their community. Access to basic services When they hear the water trucks arrive, residents of Savda Ghevra rush out of their homes to fill their containers. Doing this can be difficult. But after living without access to tap water for many years, residents are pleased that the water truck comes every day. "We used to bring water from such a long distance," said Urmila Devi. "We could not even offer anyone a glass of water; we had to keep it for our children." Devi was among the 30,000 people who were moved to a place outside the city when India's capital was preparing for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. However, the people in the colony have been struggling to get services they need, such as clean water. But the situation started to change when women like Devi learned how to use the law to get basic services. The women filed applications under the Right to Information Act. They learned that trucks that were supposed to bring water to their area were going to other places. This is a common problem in Delhi where there is not enough water. Often, the trucks would go to places where residents could pay for the water. The requests led officials to place tracking devices on the water trucks. In addition, a device was installed in Savda Ghevra to supply water in case home supplies become low. The Right to Information Act became law in 2005. Since then, citizens have filed tens of thousands of applications through it. They have sought information about things like damaged roads. The success that the women had with accessing water moved them to demand other services, such as public toilets and a health center. A community center also is being built. Few public buses used to serve the area, but that has recently changed, too. Learning how to file the documents was not easy for these women, many of whom have difficulty reading and writing. At first, their writing was not very good, Devi said. But, it slowly improved, especially with the help of younger boys and girls involved in the project. A nonprofit group provides help The community learned to file the applications and to deal with city officials through a project led by a nonprofit organization called Marg. Devi and the other women remember traveling for long distances to attend the meetings. After believing for their whole lives that they did not have legal rights, it was hard for them to believe that they did. It took the women almost one year to learn how to petition officials. Mohammed Noor Alam is the program manager at Marg. He says women were the most willing to learn because they are the most affected by lack of services, especially water. Alam says filing the application for water taught the women that they could claim other rights. He also says this has created lasting change. Women like Nazra Khatun are now turning their attention to social problems such as safety for women and young girls. She said that the women feel empowered after their efforts. Now, they would like to end domestic violence in their community. The power of activism has turned these women into community leaders, Alam said. They are like hawks keeping watch on everything. When women lead such a holistic change, all of society can progress, he said. I'm Lucija Millonig. And I'm Alice Bryant. Anjana Pasricha reported this story for VOA News. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story access v. a way of being able to get or use something slum n. an area of a city where poor people live and the buildings are in bad condition tap n. a device for controlling the flow of a liquid or gas from a pipe or container file v. to give something, such as an official form or a document, to someone in authority so that it can be considered install v. to make a machine ready to use in a certain place toilet n. a large bowl attached to a pipe that is used for getting rid of bodily waste and then flushed with water petition v. to ask a person, group, or organization for something in a formal way domestic violence n. violent behavior in the home, commonly involving the violent abuse of a spouse or romantic partner hawk n. a kind of bird that kills other birds and animals for food holistic adj. relating to or concerned with complete systems rather than with individual parts Polls were generally well-conducted The Carter Center and the European Union (EU), the two international observers of the elections to the House of Representatives and Provincial Assemblies, on Saturday said these polls were generally well-conducted. The country held the elections in two phases on November 26 and December 7. 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. KAR Auction Services, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides used vehicle auctions and related vehicle remarketing services for the automotive industry in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. The company operates through two segments, ADESA Auctions and AFC. The ADESA Auctions segment offers whole car auctions and related services to the vehicle remarketing industry through online auctions and auction facilities. It also provides value-added services, such as auction related, transportation, reconditioning, inspection, title and repossession administration and remarketing, vehicle research, and analytical services, as well as data as a service. This segment sells its products and services through vehicle manufacturers, fleet companies, rental car companies, finance companies, and others. As of December 31, 2021, this segment had a network of approximately 70 vehicle logistics center locations in North America. The AFC segment offers floorplan financing, a short-term inventory-secured financing to independent used vehicle dealers; and sells vehicle service contracts. The company provides wheel repair and hail catastrophe response services. It serves vehicle manufacturers, vehicle rental companies, financial institutions, commercial fleets and fleet management companies, and dealer customers. The company was formerly known as KAR Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to KAR Auction Services, Inc. in November 2009. KAR Auction Services, Inc. was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana. 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. 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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 Selection of provincial capitals only after vote count: PMO Administrative preparations for fixing temporary headquarters of seven provinces and their respective chiefs (governors) have been completed, according to government officials. The announcement, however, will be made after the completion of vote counting. Some saving grace for NC as it faces biggest electoral setback The Nepali Congress (NC), which is staring at a major electoral setback, had a slight relief on Saturday, as it claimed four out of 10 seats in Kathmandu, with leads in some constituencies of Province 2. 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. Stalled vote counting to begin from today in Syangja Chief Election Office of Syangja district is preparing to count the votes from Sunday after an all-party meeting scheduled for this morning. 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. 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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 Tanahu hydro project all set to hire contractor Sinohydro Corporation, the Chinese hydropower engineering and construction company, is likely to be hired as the contractor to complete hydro and electromechanical works, which include construction of waterways and powerhouse, at the Tanahu Hydroelectric Project site. President Hassan Rouhani says Iran is ready to restore ties with Saudi Arabia if it stops bombing Yemen and cuts its alleged ties with Israel. In a speech broadcast yesterday, Rouhani said the regional rivals could have good relations if the Saudis end their misguided friendship with Israel and halt the inhuman bombardment of Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is battling Iranian-allied rebels known as Houthis. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian demonstrators attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in response to the Saudi execution of a prominent Shiite dissident cleric. Three arrested in fire-bomb attack on synagogue Three people have been arrested for allegedly throwing firebombs at a synagogue in the Swedish city of Goteborg. No one was injured in the attack late Saturday during a youth event at the synagogue and the adjacent Jewish center in Swedens second-largest city. Goteborg police spokesman Peter Nordengard said yesterday it is being investigated as an attempted arson. No injuries were reported. Officials have increased security around the synagogue and at a Jewish center in capital of Stockholm. Hengqin Island has undergone massive development over the past few years. When I first visited the neighboring island in 2009, there was almost nothing there besides some rustic restaurants serving tasty oysters. Eight years after that visit, Hengqins development is quite visible from Taipa and Coloane. It is actually almost oppressing to see residential towers growing in Hengqins shoreline adjacent to Macau, almost like they are trying to keep up with the Joneses. The latest news about Hengqin shows that the island is very rapidly becoming a tourist attraction, with theme parks like the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom standing as proof. Just recently, Real Madrid announced it would open an interactive virtual reality complex in Hengqin. Media reports dubbed the island as Chinas answer to Floridas Orlando. Consequently, property prices have more than doubled over the past two years. These are fantastic developments to an island that was left undeveloped for centuries. Up until World War II, the Portuguese had some military and religious outposts in three islands that stood very close to the Macau peninsula: D. Joao (known as Xiao Hengqin to the Chinese), Montanha (Da Hengqin) and Lapa (Wanzai). Territorial claims were abandoned in 1947 during the Chinese Civil War, when Macau governor Albano Rodrigues de Oliveira signed bilateral agreements with the Nationalists. These historical claims and the rugged terrain partly explains why Hengqin was left undeveloped until 2009, when I first visited. At its closest point to Macau, Hengqin is only 200 meters away, although it remains almost in its natural state, like it belongs to a faraway and undeveloped country, I wrote back then. Those times are long gone. Seen from Macau, the cooperation between Hengqin and Macau doesnt match the initial expectations. Macau is spending huge amounts of money to develop Hengqin. What is it getting in return? Lets recall: In June 2009, Beijing agreed that the new campus of University of Macau could be established in Hengqin, under a lease valid for a period of 40 years. The campus is already operating and the Cotai border has opened to 24-hour operation. Those are the only evident benefits to this region. I dont see advantages coming from the Chinese Medicine Park, which, according to the director-general of the Hengqin New Area Administrative Committee, Niu Jing, was paid for by Macau, while Hengqin gave the land. Around the time the campus was announced, other measures with far reaching consequences were hinted. Those measures indicated that the Chinese central government wanted Macau to play a major role in Hengqins development. But there are shortcomings that signal that the role of Macau is being minimized. In 2010, English leaflets were distributed to foreign investors indicating that a bilateral agreement will allow cars with Macau license to enter and leave Hengqin. In March 2011, when an agreement between Guangdong and the MSAR was signed in Beijing, Alexis Tam, who was the government spokesperson at the time, commented: In a while, Macau residents will be able to go to Hengqin, inclusively taking their cars, and benefit from all the infrastructure that will be developed there, effectively opening to the [local] society to a space that is three times larger than Macau, and creating development opportunities that were never possible to have before. The initial intention from Beijing seemed to be generous to Macau. If people and vehicles could go to Hengqin without having the hassle of border controls (via a simple and automated system, like the one used by residents to travel between SARs), that would mean that the region would gain the breathing space it needs. The authorities of the Hengqin Area of Zhuhai dont seem to have the same cooperative strategy. For now, what we can see is that only the rich and the investors can benefit. See the ridiculous first phase of the scheme for Macau-registered vehicles to enter the island, implemented one year ago. The regulations were so restrictive that only a few car owners were eligible. 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. In this Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017, photo, Stephanie and Lance Schmidt pose for a photo with their children, from left, Stella, Solomon and Theo, at their home in Oklahoma City. The Schmidt's have opted for a cost-sharing ministry this year after they realized their monthly insurance bill would have more than doubled to over $1,200 and stuck them with an $8,000 deductible for their family of five. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) Margaret Leatherwood has eight choices for health insurance next year but no good options. The cheapest individual coverage available in her market would eat up nearly a quarter of the income her husband brings home from the oilfields. The Bryson, Texas, couple makes too much to qualify for Affordable Care Act tax credits that help people buy coverage. But they don't make enough to comfortably afford insurance on their own, even though Paul Leatherwood works seven days a week. "I hate to put it like this, but it sucks," said Margaret Leatherwood, who stays at home and takes care of her grandchildren. This largely middle-class crowd of shoppers is struggling to stay insured. They've weathered years of price hikes and shrinking insurance choices with no help. Faced with more price increases for next year, they're mulling options outside insurance or skipping coverage entirelya decision that could lead to a fine for remaining uninsured and huge bills if an emergency hits. The sign-up period for 2018 coverage closes on Friday in most states, meaning shoppers have only a few more days to find something that squeezes into their budgets. "I kind of cringe when I am meeting with those clients because I don't have a solution for them," said Kelly Rector, a Missouri-based insurance agent. The ACA helped chop the U.S. uninsured population 41 percent to 28.8 million people earlier this year from 48.6 million in 2010, when it became law, according to the latest government figures. The law expanded Medicaid coverage for the poor and created health insurance marketplaces where people can use income-based tax credits to buy a single or family individual insurance plan if they don't get coverage through work. Those subsidies cover part or all of the bill, capping insurance costs at a percentage of income for those who are eligible. That shields recipients from price hikes of 20 percent or more that have hit many markets. But that help stops abruptly for people making four times the federal poverty level or morearound $48,000 for an individual and more than $98,000 for a family of four. Of the roughly 15 million people who bought ACA-compliant individual insurance for this year, nearly 7 million had no tax credit help, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Meanwhile, the uninsured rate among adults who make too much to qualify for help buying coverage jumped to 5 percent this year from 2 percent in 2016, according to The Commonwealth Fund. Brokers and health care researchers expect that to climb again, especially for people with income levels close to the cutoff for federal help. "It's not going to be like an on-off switch where prices get too high and nobody buys coverage," said Sherry Glied of New York University. "It's more like a drip, drip, drip." In this Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017, photo, Lance and Stephanie Schmidt pose for a photo with their children, from left, Stella, Theo and Solomon, at their home in Oklahoma City. The Schmidts have opted for a cost-sharing ministry this year after they realized their monthly insurance bill would have more than doubled to over $1,200 and stuck them with an $8,000 deductible for their family of five. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) The vulnerable population includes the self-employed, small business owners and those close to qualifying for the Medicare program that covers people age 65 and over. These customers can face monthly bills that climb past $2,000 for a family plan and then a big deductible before most coverage starts. Plus fewer markets this year have insurance that comes with a health savings account, which lets people save for medical expenses before taxes. Those accounts are popular with individual insurance shoppers who don't get tax credit help, said St. Louis broker Emily Bremer. Leslie Glogau said some of her customers in the Orlando, Florida area are considering short-term, limited-benefits plans that are cheaper than ACA-compliant coverage but can leave them vulnerable to big medical bills. Such plans also won't stave off the uninsured penalty, which can amount to a few thousand dollars depending on income. "People just don't know which way to turn," Glogau said. Insurance shoppers won't be fined if they can't find an affordable option in their market. But going uninsured would still leave them exposed to huge medical bills. Margaret and Paul Leatherwood wound up with a limited-benefits plan this year, but they want better protection in case of a big bill. She's 58 and he just turned 60. They're weighing joining a medical cost-sharing ministry for next year. These ministries are not insurance, but they allow people to band together to share expenses, often by making monthly payments. They can be cheaper than regular coverage, and belonging to one allows customers to escape the ACA penalty for remaining uninsured. Such arrangements usually come with restrictions or qualifications. For instance, participants may not be allowed to use tobacco, and there might be limits on help for medical conditions that existed before the customer signed up. "That's really the only option we have that's going to cover anything," Margaret Leatherwood said. Lance and Stephanie Schmidt bought family coverage in the individual insurance market for years because they don't get employer-sponsored coverage through Lance's dental practice. But the Oklahoma City couple opted for a cost-sharing ministry this year after they realized the monthly insurance bill for their family of five would have more than doubled to over $1,200 and stuck them with a deductible that topped $7,000. They now pay $450 a month for a plan through Liberty HealthShare, and they are leaning toward returning next year. "There's still some risk there, but so far it has proven to be just fine," said Stephanie Schmidt. Cost-sharing ministries and short-term plans aren't the only alternatives to individual insurance. Tom Morrill, a broker from Kansas City, Missouri, has helped many of his customers set up group coverage through their businesses. He said that gives them better options than what they would find on the individual market, where coverage prices from the dominant insurer, Cigna, are climbing an average of 42 percent. Four insurers have left that market. The 10 remaining plans all have narrow networks of providers and don't pay for care outside those networks. "It's nuts," Morrill said. "Rates have jumped dramatically. It's not good coverage." 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The politics of human rights Although basic human rights were guaranteed under the International Human Rights Law many years before, it was only in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal, 1990 that the provisions relating to human rights were incorporated for the first time. Amazon Web Services will launch its first physical presence for customers in South Africa, according to a report by Business Times. The report stated that AWS Direct Connect will be launched in Johannesburg and Cape Town on Tuesday. Peter Desantis, AWS vice president and global head of infrastructure, told Business Times that this will allow local customers to have dedicated, reliable, and high-bandwidth connectivity to the Amazon Global Network. Customers can connect to all AWS infrastructure regions around the world except China from Johannesburg and Cape Town, said Desantis. He said this is the first time the Amazon network has come to Africa, and the report stated the availability of the service is a precursor to building Amazon data centres in South Africa. This follows the news that two data centres will be built in South Africa in Cape Town and Johannesburg to host Microsoft Azure servers. AWS offers clients a range of solutions, including compute power, database storage, and content delivery functionality. Now read: Google cuts Cloud Platform prices The City Press has reported that Energy Minister David Mahlobo declared South Africa would procure several thousand megawatts of new nuclear power generation capacity. The actual amount of nuclear power which the country plans to procure is unknown, but according to the report, Mahlobo wants nuclear power to make up 20% of the countrys total supply. This proportion had earlier delivered the old target of 9,600 megawatts, but now the demand forecasts have fallen, forcing the nuclear component to fall proportionally, said Mahlobo. South Africas nuclear plans have been awash with corruption allegations, which suggest Mahlobo was appointed by President Jacob Zuma to fast track the nuclear programme. Mahlobo replaced Mmamoloko Kubayi as energy minister, who was reportedly not doing enough to push a nuclear deal through. Russia The Sunday Times recently reported that a team acting on orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin met Zuma just before he replaced Kubayi. According to the report, Putins team told Zuma to speed up and conclude a multibillion-dollar nuclear deal with Russia. In November, the City Press reported that Mahlobo was forcing his nuclear energy plan into action, with officials in his department working weekends to ensure South Africa gets more nuclear power. This was despite Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba slamming the brakes on the planned nuclear project, which he called unaffordable and unnecessary. Gigaba said South Africa can meet its electricity needs without nuclear power. Certain treatments for patients suffering from chronic diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseases, require multiple intravenous or subcutaneous injections of specific drugs. Because of the pain and anxiety associated with needles, some patients stop adhering to these treatments. MIT spinout Portal Instruments has now landed a commercialization deal for a smart, needle-free injection device that could reduce the pain and anxiety associated with needle injections, shorten administration time, and improve patient adherence. Based on research by Ian Hunter, the George N. Hatsopoulos Professor in Thermodynamics at MIT, the startup developed a jet-injection device that delivers a rapid, high-pressure stream of medicine, as thin as a strand of hair, through the skin in adjustable dosages, causing little to no pain. A connected app tracks each dose and the medicines effects, and uploads that information to the cloud, for patients and doctors. The device would be sold as a drug-device combination product to medical professionals and provided to patients with a prescription. Last month, Portal Instruments announced a collaboration with Japanese pharmaceutical giant Takeda to further develop and commercialize the device, called PRIME. The first potential drug candidate is Takedas Entyvio, an antibody for adults with ulcerative colitis or Crohns disease. Entyvio is currently administered through intravenous infusion and undergoing phase III clinical trials for subcutaneous injections. Portal will receive an initial payment, with potential to earn milestone payments of up to $100 million. Its an exciting opportunity to improve the lives of patients with Crohns and ulcerative colitis, says CEO Patrick Anquetil PhD 04, who co-founded Portal with Hunter in 2012. The collaboration allows Portal to work alongside Takedas research and development team on the product while growing the startups business, Anquetil adds. Improved injections and adherence PRIME accommodates a wide range of biologics therapeutics made from biological components, such as proteins and living cells that currently require needle injections. These include hormone treatments, insulin, vaccines, and other therapeutics for various chronic diseases. Because these drugs have a high molecular weight, they require high volumes and have high viscosity, meaning patients must push down with increasing pressure on the syringe for 10 to 20 seconds, which can be painful. According to estimates from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control, adherence rates for injected biologics range from around 40 to 70 percent. PRIME is about the size of an electric razor. Drugs are loaded into a single-use, disposable vessel, which has a tiny nozzle at its tip. Once the vessel is placed into the device, a powerful linear electromagnetic actuator pushes on a piston in the vessel, pressurizing the drug and ejecting a hair-thin jet at high pressure through the nozzle. Exiting the nozzle at about 200 meters per second, the stream penetrates skin and tissue. If you do the math, the jet comes out at about Mach 0.7, so almost the cruising speed of an average commercial airliner, Anquetil says. Other commercial jet-injection devices exist. But these offer no effective method for controlling the jet, which causes patient discomfort and suboptimal injections of certain therapeutics, Anquetil says. Primarily, these spring-loaded devices always eject the same drug dosage, at the same skin depth. Portals device automatically adjusts injection velocity up to 1,000 times in the half-second it takes to deliver a 1-milliliter dose. The key is a closed-loop feedback control system developed by Hunter in the MIT BioInstrumentation Laboratory. This system constantly monitors the injection trajectory and provides real-time feedback to the actuator to control the exiting stream. It can thus target a specific skin depth and location for exact drug doses. The first paper co-authored by Hunter detailing the system was published in 2012 in the journal Medical Engineering and Physics. The device can also accommodate different therapeutics, without any changes to the actual device. For instance, high-pressure injections for some drugs could breach the skin, while lower-pressure injections for other drugs could deliver slower streams to be absorbed by surrounding tissue. To further promote adherence, Portal has developed a connected app that automatically tracks each dose taken. Patients can also input how theyre feeling after using the device. If taking a therapeutic for arthritis, for instance, a patient can plot any joints that still hurt on a digital image of a body. This information gets synced with a web dashboard used by doctors to check adherence and patient satisfaction and to adjust treatments. Our main driver is to think of patient comfort at the system-level and fundamentally change how physicians and patients interact, Anquetil says. Thats comes from our MIT training. Getting ready for prime time Anquetil joined Hunters lab in 1999 and graduated with a PhD from MIT in 2004. For years, he kept in close contact with Hunter, occasionally joining his former professor for lunch. It was during one of these meetings that Hunter brought up a recent, potentially commercial invention from his lab: a needle-free injection platform. Pharmaceutical giant Sanofi had been funding some of the development of the technology. Ian told me this technology is ready for prime time, Anquetil says. It was great technology that had interest on the industrial side. We knew we could spin a company off around that. To help launch Portal, the co-founders met with mentors through some of MITs entrepreneurial services, including the Venture Mentoring Service. That was tremendously helpful in navigating early-days startup issues, Anquetil says. At the time, the technology was a broad platform. Studies had shown the platform to be useful for vaccines, diabetes treatments, and delivering therapeutics to bones, eyes, and ears. Seeing a promising beachhead market in biologics for chronic diseases, the researchers built a prototype that was about the size of a refrigerator, Anquetil says, laughing. A host of large instruments controlled the speed and pressure of the injection, which came from a long arm sticking out from the front of the machine. A technician, sitting at a computer behind the massive device, triggered and monitored the injections. It wasnt exactly consumer friendly, Anquetil says, but it worked and was developed under design control, so we did our first clinical tests with that machine. Over the years, the startup shrunk the device, filed more than 20 patents, and published more results about the devices efficacy and patient comfort. An article published in AAPS PharmSciTech in May, for instance, showed about 60 percent of 40 subjects in a clinical trial preferred a Portal benchtop prototype to a traditional needle and experienced significantly less pain at injection sites. With its technology now on track to commercialization for Takedas drugs, Anquetil says the startup hopes to partner with more pharmaceutical companies, with aims of replacing traditional auto-injectors, which are EpiPen-like devices used to inject biologics. The idea is to co-package PRIME with the companys drugs. All along weve envisioned a device that was a universal injection machine, Anquetil says. Now that weve shown a viable business model to partner with pharmaceutical companies to enhance their therapies we can expect a few more partnerships next year and in the years to come. MIT News Brendan Fraser refuses to come to Golden Globes because of harassment EU to provide Ukraine with generators and kits to repair power grids Turkey sentences sect founder to 8,658 years in prison Tomorrow will be the maximum phase of Leonid meteor shower: Where will it be best seen from? 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Oppositionist: No guarantees that war with Azerbaijan can be avoided Issue of biometric passports to Armenian citizens is temporarily suspended World Cup 2022: Messi names favorites 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 Russian brokers faced most powerful series of DDoS attacks in history Inter and Juventus target N'Golo Kante 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' The IV International Congress of Geriatrics and Gerontology will be held on December 1-2 Actress Denise Richards shot at in road rage incident Biden congratulates Republicans on winning majority in House of Representatives Legendary Russian figure skater Alexander Gorshkov dies 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 Flick is dissatisfied with defensive work of his team Elon Musk is being called Voldemort on Twitter, fears of Tesla investors are confirmed Copper falls in price Gas explodes in Fatih district of Istanbul, 10 people injured Oil prices go down Top 10 players of World Cup 2022 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 Supercomputer determines favorites for World Cup 2022 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 President of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR), Bako Sahakyan, on Saturday sent a congratulatory address in connection with the NKR State Independence Referendum and Constitution Day. 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, reads the address by the NKR President. These stand in stark contrast to what our politicians deem important. This contrast is becoming more and more apparent, in so many ways, every day and is a cause for great concern. What struck me about the essay was its underlying humanity. Boochani is a man who has great cause to be bitter about his treatment by the Australian and Papua New Guinean governments but what shines through is his and his fellow refugees care for those things in life that are truly important. The essay was read before an audience by Maxine Beneba Clarke at the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne. Maxine is a black Australian writer with origins in the Caribbean. It was written by Behrouz Boochani, a Kurdish journalist from Iran. He is currently a refugee held on Manus Island. TUMBY BAY - There was an inspired piece of journalism published over the weekend in Australias The Saturday Paper. It was one of the best essays I have read this year. In his essay Boochani chronicles the recent events that took place on Manus with the forcible removal of the 600 odd men there from the relatively isolation and safety on Los Negros to places where they are much more vulnerable close to Lorengau. Here are some excerpts from his essay that attempt to convey what the resistance to the move was all about. The refugees are overpowered. The refugees have had extraordinary pressure imposed on them. The refugees have resisted an entire political system; they have stood up to the power of the whole government. From the beginning right through to the very end, the refugees only used peaceful means to stand up and challenge power. The refugees have asserted their authority. The refugees have claimed power. The refugees were able to reimagine themselves in the face of the detention regime. The refugees were able to re-envision their personhood when suppressed by every form of torture inflicted on them and when confronted by every application of violence. And if you think thats interesting, what about the further ramifications? The refugees have identified and exposed the face of emerging 21st-century dictatorship and fascism that will one day creep into Australian society and into peoples homes like a cancer. The refugees have been resisting with their very lives. Against the real politics of the day. With their very bodies. With peace as a way of being and as an expression. With a rejection of violence. With a kind of political poetics. With a particular style of poetic resistance. Refugees pushed back. Risking their lives and bodies. Just fragile humans risking everything. Risking everything that is beautiful. Risking the only things of value left to them. Risking what nature had bestowed upon them. Boochani sums up by saying, Ultimately, they beat us down and with violence put an end to our peaceful protest. But I think we were able to communicate our humanitarian message to Australian society and beyond. This sentiment is what all people, whether in Australia or elsewhere, need more than anything else these days. Feelings of friendship. Feelings of compassion. Feelings of companionship. Feelings of justice. And feelings of love. What is particularly significant in this sorry saga is the help that the refugees received from ordinary people on Manus. These people risked their lives smuggling food to the refugees. Until Australia put pressure on them, the Papua New Guinean police also exercised considerable constraint and compassion. I was particularly touched that Boochani mentioned that this smuggled food was democratically distributed to everyone, including the little band of dogs that the refugees have befriended. As he says, we were adamant about the fact we had to show even more compassion to these dogs than before. Feeding them was imperative. I dont know who said it but it is a truism that you can judge a society by the way it treats its animals. A couple of years ago I visited Manus to prepare a social mapping study for one of the service providers to guide them in their dealings with the Manus people. What I concluded was that the presence of the refugees would have a profound effect on the local people and this had to be managed very carefully. As you can guess, my recommendations were ignored. If I went back there, I think I might modify my comments. If Behrouz Boochani is any guide I think that Manus and Papua New Guinea in general might actually benefit from the presence of the refugees. If they are, as Boochani says, men who have lived through hell and survived as better human beings they could be a real asset for Papua New Guinea. I suspect that the New Zealand government realises this too. Donald Trump obviously doesnt and as for Mutton Dutton. If I were to advise the Papua New Guinean government about what to do next I would tell them to consider trying to retain these men in their country. They might actually make it a better place. With Mishras defeat, Bibeksheel Sajha loses hope for direct win With the loss of its most promising candidate Rabindra Mishra, the Bibeksheel Sajha Partys hope of emerging as a national party has been shattered. STEPANAKERT. The operative situation along the line of contact between the Karabakh and Azerbaijani opposing forces remained relatively quiet, from December 3 to 9. But during this time, the Azerbaijani armed forces violated the ceasefire around 150 times by firing more than 1,500 shots toward the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR) military positions, press service of the Artsakh Ministry of Defense (MOD) informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. In addition to shooting weapons, the adversary fired one shell from a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, at the northeastern sector of the line of contact. But the NKR Defense Army vanguard units refrained from taking actions in response, and they took necessary steps to unfailingly maintain their combat positions. Arab foreign ministers are discussing a response to Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as a capital of Israel. The foreign ministers of the Arab League gathered for an emergency meeting in Cairo at the initiative of the Palestinian delegation. Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, the league chief, said the response could be a pan-Arab effort aimed at international recognition of the state of Palestine, RIA Novosti reported. We urge all peace-loving countries to reject the US decision and support the Palestinian state, to confirm the recognition of East Jerusalem as its capital, the Secretary General of the Arab League said. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, pointed out that Trump's decision would have the most serious consequences for politics and security. He also expressed fears that extremists, including the Islamic State, could use this decision to justify their actions. We naturally want to feel good. But what happens when our favorite method of stress relief becomes destructive? Serious addictions take an undeniable toll both physically and mentally. But according to Lisa Boucher, author of Raising the Bottom: Making Mindful Choices in a Drinking Culture, the 2017 winner of the Best Book Award for womens health, people often overlook the true root of addictive behavior: a wounded spirit. Addiction is a spiritual malady, said Boucher, a registered nurse who has helped women overcome alcoholism for the past 28 years. People are just trying to fill the hole of the soul. Most addiction counselors acknowledge the spiritual aspect of their clients compulsion. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), for example, emphasizes a spiritual awakening as a necessary step in breaking free from alcohols grip. But its a notoriously hard lesson to learn. A common theme among the hundreds of addicts Boucher has worked with is that they can take years or decades to even admit they have a problem. Pride and ego are what keeps people locked into addiction, she said. They dont want to accept that they cant control something. The New Alcoholic Were all prone to occasional indulgence, but we can be lax at judging when weve gone too far. Substance abuse can be even harder to accept when society supports it. Unlike heroin or cocaine, alcohol is a legal and socially encouraged drug. But Boucher says these features can make it even more insidious. She points to an increasingly common character: the wine mom. We have normalized alcoholism, Boucher said. The new alcoholic carries a diaper bag and wears designer pumps. While recreational drug use, in general, is at an all-time high, alcohol remains the most abused drug in the world after tobacco, and its hitting women especially hard. Alcohol-related deaths for white women ages 3554 have more than doubled since 1999, according to an analysis of federal data by The Washington Post. Researchers studying the spike call it a public health crisis. According to a 2013 study, the alcohol industry has increased ad spending almost 400 percent since 1971. Ads make a brief nod toward drinking responsibly, but the predominant message is that booze is a fun, sophisticated, and socially sanctioned excuse for letting go. Its an appealing proposal, especially for those trying to juggle a career and family. But Boucher believes women have become so conditioned to reach for a drink under stress, that they lose touch with their innate coping skills. People drink because they cant handle the way they feel, Boucher said. If youre trying to change the way you feel, youre not coping with some deeper emotion. Its not just alcohol; all of our most destructive drugs tend to be those that provide a temporary escape from misery. Such substances can be a short-term blessing for serious injuries and illness. But we lose an important part of ourselves when they become our primary coping method. Chronic reliance on a substance for our sense of well-being can stunt our emotional and spiritual growth, says Boucher, because we never develop the strength of character that comes from facing lifes challenges with a clear mind. A prime example is Bouchers sister, a successful career woman in her 50s whos four years sober of a serious meth habit. This is a woman who never learned to cope with life, Boucher said. She has had to go back and relearn how to deal with conflict in an appropriate manner. Researchers point to genetic markers that may increase the risk for addiction, but role modeling may seal the deal. Boucher and her siblings grew up resentful of their alcoholic mother who was either in a Valium stupor or drunk for most of their childhood, yet they all followed a similar path. Our mother never taught us coping skills, Boucher said. Spiritual Disease Why would anyone choose to waste money, destroy relationships, and ruin their health? Addiction doesnt make any logical sense, but we cant seem to stop the tide. Despite the government spending more than $1 trillion on the war on drugs over the past four decades, the rates of addiction and overdose deaths in the United States are now higher than ever before. Opioids get the most attention, but in some states, meth may soon claim the highest number of addicts and overdose deaths. Addiction used to apply primarily to substances. Today, it is found with vices such as pornography, gambling, shopping, excessive smartphone use, and countless other compulsive pleasures. Researchers believe they may soon uncover a physical fix to our addiction epidemic. Studies are underway to develop treatments that target the chemical imbalances and faulty wiring found in the brains of addicts. But what if our addiction problem is more complex than any solution science can conjure? According to the Rev. Sheri Heller, a New York-based psychotherapist and interfaith minister, addiction may be biochemically based, but the psychological and spiritual aspects of the disease still demand attention. You cant heal emotional wounds intellectually, she said. Spirit is a concept that is often at odds with contemporary medicine, but it wasnt always this way. People once looked for meaning in their suffering. Dr. Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist famous for his descriptions of ancient archetypes residing in our collective unconscious, helped Westerners regain a sense of meaning in their suffering. Jung gave the modern world a vocabulary for the psyche once reserved for myths and legends. He was also instrumental in inspiring the 12-step paradigm found in addiction recovery programs. Jung said addiction is really a misguided search for God. Its an attempt to feel the euphoria one gets from having a sense of belonging or a sense of being loved, Heller said. Of course, each addict has a unique backstory of trauma and pain, but Heller believes a change in society lies at the heart of our growing wave of addiction. Our sense of community, intimacy, and humanity have been replaced by a culture of technology, celebrity, and divisiveness. Isolated and overwhelmed, we reach for anything to fill the void. Medicating Addiction Since people usually do drugs to feel better, theres a prevailing notion that substance abuse is merely a symptom of depression. But Boucher believes thats a backward idea. You cant diagnose depression when theyre smoking pot every day, drinking alcohol, using meth, smoking crack, taking opioids, or whatever that persons drug of choice is, she said. How do you know what that persons baseline is? Alcohol, for example, is a depressant. So if a heavy drinker complains of depression, they may be guzzling the root cause. Boucher is sympathetic to legitimate cases of depression, but she believes that in order to properly diagnose it, sobriety should come first. In her experience, those who go clean for three to six months often eliminate their need for drug treatment. In 90 percent of the cases that Ive worked with, these women were able to get off their antidepressants, she said. Beyond Willpower Few people can drop their bad habits cold turkey. But for many addicts, connecting to something larger than themselves helps them work toward recovery. However, adopting this mindset can be a difficult leap, especially since those who turn to drugs often do so because their faith in God or man has been shattered. Jung himself was reluctant to use spiritual terminology with his patients because he feared they would misinterpret his message. For those resistant to talk of a higher power, Heller suggests more deity-neutral language. One could say that the person needs to be able to expand their consciousness to incorporate new ideas, she said, but in order for anyone to engage in a process of healing and self-exploration, they have to be able to surrender to something greater than their own will. Some insist willpower is the key to recoveryif were determined to deny our cravings for long enough, we can be whole again. But according to Kimberly Hershenson, a New York-based therapist specializing in substance abuse, willpower will always fall short. If youre looking at this from a disease model, you are as powerless over addiction as you are with cancer, Hershenson said. No matter what you try to do, your brain is going to crave more. And its really about accepting that. Our addictive impulses are connected to the survival and pleasure centers of our brain, so they react faster and with greater force than the part of our brain responsible for reasoning. This means that cravings surge long before thoughts of consequence kick in. Beating back urges can be a losing battle even for the strongest of wills. An addict cannot force themselves into a place of health by soldiering through life, Heller said. This is about being willing, not being willful. If addiction is a spiritual disease, then the cure has to come from within. There are tools to address the physical aspects of addiction, but experts say we must also cultivate positive behaviors, such as humility, accountability, a sense of purpose, and healthy coping mechanisms. Life can be cruel, the world can seem crazy, but how we handle it makes all the difference. Boucher urges us to step back, be thankful for what we have, and reconnect with what is essential to our souls. We are human beings. We need quiet. We need to reflect. We need to nurture the whole person, she said. I watched the finale a few weeks back, so I've been dying to discuss. The 3rd book was my favorite but this season didn't live up to the book. I still enjoyed it but they kept them apart for too long imo. Reply Thread Link [ Spoiler (click to open) ] they're the only ones who survived the shipwreck? Ian died, after all that? Anyway, I love John Grey and his sneaky way of saving Jamie from that asshole who was trying to arrest him. So Reply Thread Link [ Spoiler (click to open) ] The Georgia family said that there were survivors. I believe Marsali, Fergus and Ian were all on the boat. I, too, was a little surprised by how unconcerned Jamie and Claire were about the others, but they were probably too relieved that they didn't die in the water to think too much about that. Reply Parent Thread Link Oh good, I liked them all. Reply Parent Thread Link I hate to say this but its not my favorite season... I kept wishing theyd find a loophole where someone could go back to them before Culloden, tell Claire to hide somewhere, and thus change their future and the 20 years later thing. In comparison to previous seasons this one felt like a wet towel tbh Reply Thread Link Im a few episodes behind but i feel like people hyped this season but its been kind of meh. Better than the France piece but still not overly captivating. Same ole, get separated, get reunited, people after Jamie, etc etc Reply Thread Link i finally got caught back up last week, and i agree. i was so hyped for france and it just fizzled out. the best thing about that season were the costumes and master raymond. however, i was not expecting geilis to show back up so soon. i didn't think she was dead, but assumed she'd be back in later seasons? Reply Parent Thread Link I feel the same way. It's the same formula over and over again Reply Parent Thread Link Agreed with others that this wasnt my favorite season, at least the first half. The last two episodes have been GREAT though, I've thoroughly enjoyed them. Giellis is such a great villain, I love her and want her to return somehow. Reply Thread Link I know! But I still want it somehow anyway! Reply Parent Thread Link I say this as a casual viewer, but if there werent any books and this existed purely as a show, moving them to America would be considered jumping the shark. Reply Thread Link Someone put this very well once before: It's DG's tour through American History. Oh the places we will go! Reply Parent Thread Link lmao accurate! Reply Parent Thread Link I am sad they left Jamaica so soon, it was definitely the highlight of the season. (& Jamie better be writing a letter to Lord John asap letting him know he's alive and John didn't save his ass for nothing. Or else he might just think they all perished at sea on Artemis.) Reply Thread Link Don't worry, Jamie and John will actually see each other again! Reply Parent Thread Link there's been a lot of deviation from the books. you never know. Reply Parent Thread Link I still hate that Murtagh is alive in the show . Yes , I like the show version of him but he's dead and his death served a purpose. Murtagh being alive ruined the entire Ardsmuir episode for me because the show only really focused on Jamie and Murtagh (with sick Murtagh being one of Jamie's main motivations) instead of Jamie becoming the leader of his men there. Also , Murtagh is Jamie's godfather, he was in love with Jamie's mother who was born around 1690 . We're now in 1766/7 so even if Murtagh had been a few years younger than Ellen he'd be in his 70s . Now obviously people in the 18th century could make it to that age but would imprisoned , sick and shipped off to the colonies as an indentured servant Murtagh make it? Edited at 2017-12-10 10:56 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link Still haven't picked up after the reunion episode with far too much moaning and screaming. I've just gotten tired of the same story but with different circumstances being told over and over again. I'll watch it when it gets on my Netflix but a new episode doesn't hype me anymore Reply Thread Link My bb john gay was amazing. Cant wait to see more of him next season. Also, i read what happens to him in the next book and cant wait. Also, i was expecting him to hug Jamie before he left... like a lovely i wish i know how to quit you hug. Reply Thread Link He is a treasure and any scene will be better with his inclusion IMO. Same re: hug. It is the least he could have done! I think in the books they do hug? Reply Parent Thread Link thank you for letting me shepard us through outlander s3. ilu all <3 anywayyyyyys, my thoughts: everything happens in the last 2 episodes. which makes me wonder wtf they would've done if they split this into 2 seasons like they contemplated at the v v beginning. it would've been sf boring! marsali has grown on me, but i didn't expect anything less once they started writing her as a 3-d character and not just a bitter mini-laoghaire. though i understood her frustrations. her and fergus are qt. i felt like this episode started off strongly.....but finished really flat. like i was here for the island stuff, finally coming to a climax and i loved yi tien cho protecting his lady. i wish i was a seer. what an awesome gift. i enjoyed the flashback to the women at the stones, i really loved the scene in the pilot and enjoy it every opening credits. geillis is crazy and i love her. i will be sad to not have her around causing trouble....but i did like the tie in to the beginning where they're looking at her bones (makes me think of the blacklist because my suspicion is that it's katarina rostova's bones in the suitcase....but who knows). claire sliced her throat well and good. i even liked claire being pulled toward the portal water and being brought back to reality by jamie. i did NOT like their scene on the boat. jamie describing his actions for claire just made me laugh. i couldn't really take them seriously (and usually i'm a fan of their sex scenes). but i am totally here for jamie proclaiming his want and need to service claire fully. YAS jamie, you service your woman good! but it was just...anticlimactic?? idk. then suddenly the boat is in bad waters and it felt really repetitive to the middle of the season. and then also pretty fake. like it was kind of laughable. even though i'm sure those conditions do exist at sea....it was just sorta....how much bad luck can one couple have? although the scene with claire floating was beautiful. her hair looked amazing. i only knew they'd wash up in america because you guys said they get to america in the next book. plus i knew they wouldn't kill claire, she's the star of the books. and they wouldn't wash up on an island, that's too derivative of the prior episodes. i didn't know where they'd wash up...so i guess that was interesting. hf more lord john gay. he's so pretty! and the tension between him and jamie......it's better than a lot of the claire/jamie tension in s3 once they've had their reuniting fuck. but maybe that's just because it's unresolved. tension before anything happens is always amazing. i live for the slow buildup. i'm kind of interested to see how it plays out in s4. i hope it's more action and less yawn inducing. the SA sets were stunning and i'm sad to see them go. i've not read the books (except i've listened to bits of book 1 after i dl-ed it), so i still have no idea what's to come...and i intend to keep it that way! xoxoxoxoxoxo Reply Thread Link they literally wrote i've not read the books (except i've listened to bits of book 1 after i dl-ed it), so i still have no idea what's to come...and i intend to keep it that way! and here you come lmao i read the books too. it's fully possible for us to not spoil the non-readers. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link i know they won't, even without reading the books it goes against everything about jamie to hook them up. i just like the tension Reply Parent Thread Link I enjoyed the second half of the season measurably more than the first. I saw the clip of the cast in what I assume to be the Frasers Ridge set and I'm here for the costumes. Not looking forward to Bree's arc in the next season/book. Not a fan of that trope and I don't think the actress can reasonably pull it off. Edited at 2017-12-11 03:23 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link I fucking ADORED this episode and the season overall (a couple slow eps but they were necessary). Call me crazy, buuuut I think that J/C sex scene was my favourite? Ever?? I loved that scene in the book and I just found it so hot. I was so emotional, with Jamie mentioning Faith, and the group hug between Claire, Jamie, and young Ian. I did laugh at the true love's kiss trope, and the family that found them on the beach that just kind of peaced out because J/C were too busy hugging. Reply Thread Link wait wait THAT was the finale?? did i miss, like, 5 episodes?? wtf? Reply Thread Link 13 episodes, did you see them all? Reply Parent Thread Link i did, but - nothing happened, it seemed. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link The head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency warned Sunday that China is using social networks to try to cultivate sources of information among lawmakers and officials, while Chinese hackers are increasingly attacking European companies through trusted suppliers. Hans-Georg Maassen said his agency, known by its German acronym BfV, believes more than 10,000 Germans have been targeted by Chinese intelligence agents posing as consultants, headhunters or researchers, primarily on the social networking site LinkedIn. "This is a broad-based attempt to infiltrate in particular parliaments, ministries and government agencies," Maassen said. The BfV established a task force early this year which examined the use of fake profiles on social networks over a nine-month period. The agency provided journalists with what it said where eight of the most prolific fake profiles on LinkedIn used by Chinese spies. Using names such as Lily Wu, Laeticia Chen or Alex Li, the profiles sport an impressive resume, hundreds of contacts and attractive pictures of young professionals. The agency also named six organizations it said are used by Chinese spies to cloak their approaches, including one called the Association France Euro-Chine and another named Global View Strategic Consulting. Messages seeking comment from the organizations weren't immediately returned. Maassen warned that Chinese cybergroups are also using so-called "supply-chain attacks" to get around companies' online defenses. Such attacks target IT workers and others who work for a trusted service providers in order to send malicious software into the networks of organizations the attackers are interested in. "The infections are difficult to detect, since network connections between service providers and their customers aren't suspicious," the BfV said. "This gives the attacker an even better disguise than before." 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The queue seen for one of the shuttle buses at Jurong East Bus Interchange on Sunday (10 December). (PHOTO: Dhany Osman / Yahoo News Singapore) by Nicholas Yong and Wan Ting Koh Despite many commuters being caught unawares of the disrupted train services on Sunday (10 December), the first of two planned full-day closures of 19 MRT stations kicked off with few issues. At Jurong East MRT station, a heavily used intersection of the East-West and North-South Lines, a steady stream of commuters approached crowd marshals and SMRT staff for help. Many of them appeared to be foreign workers and seemed confused as to why the station was closed. One such person was domestic helper Jessie Liwag, 43. Poring over a flyer with information on the shuttle bus services made available in lieu of train operations, she told Yahoo News Singapore that she was meeting three friends and planned to go to Ang Mo Kio Station in the afternoon. My friend told me about the shutdown last night when she found out Im coming to Jurong East. Most of the time, I take the MRT, I dont take the bus often, said Liwag. From 8 December till the end of 2017, 17 East-West Line (EWL) stations, from Tiong Bahru to Tuas Link, and two North-South Line (NSL) stations Bukit Batok and Bukit Gombak will close at 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and open at 8am on Saturdays and Sundays. These stretches will also be fully closed on 10 and 17 December, which both fall on a Sunday. During the affected hours, shuttle buses will be provided along affected stations. The full-day station closures are meant to allow SMRT engineers more time for track-side maintenance and renewal works, as well as to facilitate re-signalling operations on the EWL. Staff around Jurong East MRT station seen assisting commuters on Sunday (10 December). (PHOTOS: Dhany Osman / Yahoo New Singapore) Large crowds cleared quickly The first night of reduced service hours went off smoothly on Friday. On Sunday morning, crowds built up at the shuttle pick-up points but were also quickly cleared out, with at least two buses waiting at any one time. Four shuttle bus services heading towards Joo Koon, Outram Park, Tuas Link and Choa Chu Kang were offered at Jurong East station, spread over four pick-up points located some distance from one another so as to avoid congestion. Story continues According to media reports, over 400 staff and crowd marshals had been deployed in shifts to assist commuters. Signs were also put up in multiple locations to direct commuters to the shuttle bus pick-up points. One common gripe among commuters Yahoo News Singapore spoke to was the increased travel time caused by having to take the shuttle buses instead of the trains. For instance, the bus ride from Jurong East to Outram Park took about an hour as opposed to the usual 30-minute train journey. The four stops took half an hour, when it usually takes about 15 minutes by train, said administrator Cherry Chia, 29, who boarded a shuttle bus to Jurong East from Choa Chu Kang. Normally if I go to Queenstown I take 45 minutes from Choa Chu Kang, said Chia. (Today) is a bit more troublesome because I have to change shuttles. I was taken by surprise by the closures but I can find the shuttles quite easily. Two men reading one of the signs put up to inform commuters of the shuttle bus services available on Sunday (10 December). (PHOTO: Dhany Osman / Yahoo News Singapore) Logistics worker Alif Rashid, 33, and his colleague Syazwan, 22, were also caught off-guard by the shutdown, and only found out about it when they arrived at Jurong East station that morning. Instead of their usual 30-minute train ride to their workplace at Marina Bay Sands, the duo planned to take the Service 97 bus which meant a journey of up to an hour. Rashid explained that the pair wanted to avoid taking the shuttle bus to work as taking it would mean having to change buses. I will be reaching work much later than usual, so I will have to wake up earlier (in future). We are just hoping that after all this, the train service will be much better. If its the same, then I dont know what to do, added Syazwan. Related stories: Few problems despite 19 MRT stations closing early Reduced service hours at 19 MRT stations in December to help speed up re-signalling works Furtive, wily and the animal of fairy tales, wolves fascinate nature lovers, but they raise fears among French sheep breeders who are trying to save their flocks. Amid debate in France on a future policy towards wolves, the government is being asked to come to the aide of sheep farming. "In one night, we lost 10 percent of our flock," said Claire Lapie, 32, a breeder in Sederon in the picturesque southeast Drome department. On the limestone hillsides dotted with shrubs, she has been raising sheep for three years with her companion Yann Rudant. "A wolf attack, we knew one day it would happen to us. We accept the idea of 'a share for the wolf', one or two sheep, but finding 15 sheep eaten, slaughtered or dying -- it's a nightmare," says Lapie. For the young couple, who went into debt to acquire 150 sheep and build a vast sheepfold, they live in fear of new attacks. - Big bad wolf - Fear -- as well as fascination -- of wolves has historic roots fed by many children's stories, including famous versions by the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault. "When Charles Perrault wrote 'Little Red Riding Hood' in 1697, it was during the worst series of attacks by wolves with at least 500 children killed each year," said Jean-Marc Moriceau, an historian of wolves in France. The grey wolf was wiped out in the country in the 1930s and only returned in 1992 via Italy -- currently home to around 2,000 wolves -- then into Switzerland and Germany. Since the Bern Convention of 1979, the wolf has gone from public enemy to a protected species as "a fundamental element of our natural European heritage". In some countries, like Romania and Poland where there have always been wolves, people adapt to treat an attack on sheep "like an accident, like a flock that falls into a ravine", says Farid Benhammou, a specialist on predators. "But in the new zones of (wolf) colonisation -- in France and in some regions of Italy and Spain -- there are major tensions." - On a wolf mission - In his four-wheel drive vehicle, environmental inspector Cedric Arnaud roams the foothills of the Alps of Haute Provence in southern France. His mission includes collecting hairs and excrement left by the wolves which allow researchers to determine their DNA and to classify them. Like his colleagues, in the month of August he also howls to the wolves to try, by listening to their responses, to determine the number of wolf cubs born in the spring. All these elements, along with images taken in camera traps, enable France's national office of hunting and wildlife (ONCFS) to estimate the wolf population, currently at around 360, compared with 292 last year. At the top of the food chain, wolves have a key role in maintaining the ecosystem, Yvon Le Maho, emeritus research director at the National Centre for Scientific Research told AFP. "It has been amply demonstrated in the United States that an excess of deer in the protected reserves has led to a degradation of the environment." The example of Yellowstone national park in the western US is a case in point. In 1994, the authorities decided to reintroduce the wolf and since then the deer population has diminished, easing the pressure on the vegetation and causing other positive effects such as the return of certain insects and birds and less erosion, according to a 2007 study by the University of Oregon. But Le Maho adds that preserving wolves requires Europe-wide attention as some countries like Sweden allow hunting. Sweden regularly authorises a hunting season, despite opposition from conservationists, although this year parliament set a quota of 22 wolves. - 'We feel powerless' - In France, to curtail the predator's progress and to try to appease the angry sheep farmers, the state has authorised since 2004 the killing of a certain number of wolves -- 40 this year -- but under strict conditions. These authorised killings are considered too little by farmers who have called for greater latitude to fight predators which threaten their livelihood. "It's very discouraging and distressing. We feel powerless," says farmer Veronique Chauvet, who lost eight sheep in October. She is near retirement but she worries about the future of five young farmers in her village of 220 inhabitants in southeast France. Some defenders of the wolf also think the current approach is ineffective. "You have to make a wolf learn not to interfere with the activities of sheep farming. But a dead wolf is a wolf which learned nothing," says Benhammou. Frightening or shooting and lightly wounding a wolf during the attacks would be more effective, he says. France begins to debate its policy on the future of the wolf in Lyon on Tuesday. "If this continues, in 10 years, sheep farming will disappear in our regions," Chauvet says. 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) Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water cannons on Sunday at demonstrators near the US embassy as they protested Washington's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. An AFP correspondent in Awkar on the outskirts of the capital Beirut said several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators had gathered near the US embassy, located in the area. They were blocked from reaching the complex by a metal gate sealing the road leading to the embassy, and security forces fired tear gas and water cannons to repel demonstrators who tried to open the gate by force. An AFP photographer was lightly wounded in the chest when a member of the Lebanese security forces fired a rubber bullet at him. He was among several people hurt in the violence, during which protesters also hurled rocks at the Lebanese forces blocking the way to the US embassy. The police detained some demonstrators but it was not clear how many. Protestors waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags, and sporting black-and-white checked keffiyeh scarves, chanted slogans against President Donald Trump, who on Wednesday recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital. A group of demonstrators set alight an effigy of the US president, whose decision has upended decades of American diplomacy and an international consensus to leave the status of Jerusalem to be resolved in negotiations. "We're here to tell Trump his decision is meaningless. Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine," said Sylvia Ammoud, wearing the trademark keffiyeh headdress tied around her neck as a scarf. "It isn't just a city, it's the struggle in which we grew up to build the Palestinian cause," she said. "We, the people, today want to rise up and get our message across on this issue, because it's an issue that concerns our dignity and our history," said another protester, who gave his name as Khaled. The demonstrators included members of Palestinian parties, as well as Lebanese Islamists and leftists. The head of Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement, Hassan Nasrallah, has called for a mass demonstration against Trump's decision on Monday in the group's stronghold in the southern Beirut suburbs. "I am calling on men, women, young and old, the southern suburbs, Beirut and all those who wish to join in from across Lebanon," Nasrallah said, also inviting residents of Lebanon's 12 Palestinian refugee camps. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon, including those who fled or were expelled from their homes after Israel's founding, as well as their descendants. Israel occupied southern Lebanon for 22 years before withdrawing in 2000, but the two countries remain technically at war. In 2006, Israel fought a devastating war against Hezbollah in Lebanon that killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 120 Israelis, most of them soldiers. Greece has persuaded Turkey to accept migrant returns from the mainland in order to reduce critical overcrowding in its refugee camps, a report said Saturday. The Kathimerini daily said the agreement came during a strained two-day state visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this week, during which he angered his hosts with talk of revising borders and complaints about Greece's treatment of its Muslim minority. The deal is in addition to Turkey's existing agreement to take back migrants from Aegean island camps, under the terms of an EU-Turkey pact. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' office did not respond to AFP requests for comment on the report. But a Greek government source on Friday said Athens and Ankara had agreed "new measures of cooperation towards decongesting the islands, under the terms of the EU-Turkey pact." No further details were given. It is unclear how Brussels will react to the move, Kathimerini said. Criticised by rights groups, the EU-Turkey pact was designed to encourage Ankara to stem refugee flows. Under that controversial deal, Ankara pledged to take back illegal migrants landing in the Greek islands in exchange for financial aid, eased EU visa rules for Turkish citizens, and limited direct resettlement of Syrian refugees living in Turkey. The pact sharply reduced the number of migrants trying to cross the Aegean Sea to reach Greek islands, although Ankara has repeatedly threatened to walk away from the deal, including over the failure to fulfil the pledge on visa-free travel. - Overcrowded camps on Greek islands - Greece has found that the pace of migrant returns to Turkey fell dramatically after a state crackdown on civil servants that followed an attempted coup against Erdogan last year. Athens has until now been wary of moving large numbers of asylum seekers to the mainland, warning that doing so goes against the EU-Turkey pact. Other EU states complain that once on the mainland, too many migrants find ways to get out of Greece and travel to wealthier states such as Germany, where there is mounting fatigue towards accepting further asylum-seekers. But the slow pace of transfers -- delayed by arduous background checks on asylum-seekers -- has pushed Greek island camps to breaking point. On the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Kos and Leros where there are over 15,000 refugees and migrants, camps are filled to triple their capacity, forcing many to sleep in tents. Efforts to further expand the camps have run into strong local protests, the ministry adds. Over 3,500 persons were transferred to the mainland between October and November, the migration ministry said. Aid groups have warned that transferring refugees to heated accommodation before temperatures drop is a matter of life and death. Three refugees died last year in their tents on Lesbos from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning caused by makeshift stoves. comScore, Inc. operates as an information and analytics company that measures advertising, consumer behavior, and audiences across media platforms in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Canada, and internationally. The company offers ratings and planning products and services, including Media Metrix Multi-Platform and Mobile Metrix, which measure Websites and apps on computers, smartphones, and tablets; Video Metrix that delivers measurement of digital video consumption; Plan Metrix, which offers understanding of consumer lifestyle; TV Essentials that combines TV viewing information with marketing segmentation and consumer databases; and StationView Essentials to understand consumer viewing patterns and characteristics. Its ratings and planning products and services also comprises Cross-Platform solutions, including Comscore Campaign Ratings for verification of mobile and desktop video campaigns; OnDemand Essentials that provides transactional tracking and reporting; validated Campaign Essentials, which validates whether digital ad impressions are visible to humans, identifies those that are fraudulent, and verifies that ads are shown in brand safe content and delivered to the right audience targets; and Total Home Panel Suite, which capture OTT, connected TV, and IOT device usage and content consumption. In addition, the company offers analytics and optimization products and services that provide solutions for planning, optimization, and evaluation of advertising campaigns and brand protection. Further, it provides movies reporting and analytics products and services to measure movie viewership and box office results by capturing movie ticket sales in real time or near real time. The company serves digital publishers, television networks, movie studios, content owners, brand advertisers, agencies, and technology providers. comScore, Inc. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Greenhill & Co., Inc., an independent investment bank, provides financial and strategic advisory services to corporations, partnerships, institutional investors, and governments worldwide. The company offers advisory services related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, financings, private capital raising, and other similar transactions. It also advises clients on strategic matters, including activist shareholder defense, special committee projects, licensing deals, and joint ventures; and valuation, negotiation tactics, industry dynamics, structuring alternatives, and timing and pricing of transactions, as well as financing alternatives. In addition, the company provides restructuring advisory services to debtors, creditors, governments, and other stakeholders, and acquirers of distressed companies and assets; and advice on restructuring alternatives, capital structures, and sales or recapitalizations. Further, it assists clients in identifying and capitalizing on incremental sources of value; and on court-assisted reorganizations by developing and seeking approval for plans of reorganization, as well as the implementation of such plans. Additionally, the company advises on private placements of debt and structured equity, refinancing of existing debt facilities, negotiating the modification, and amendment of covenants, as well as acts as an independent advisor. It also offers financial advisory services to pension funds, endowments, and other institutional investors on transactions involving alternative assets; and advice to alternative asset fund sponsors for private capital raising, financing, restructuring, liquidity options, valuation, and related services. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in New York, New York. 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 Even from my thankfully remote eerie on the far west coast of South Australia, it is apparent that there is in progress some sort of struggle among the political forces of the world. Closer to home, how do you explain the continued tenure of a corrupt, election-rigging dictator-in-waiting like Chairman ONeill in Papua New Guinea? How do you explain, for instance, the rise of narcissistic and dangerous political morons like Donald Trump in the USA? Contributing to this situation is the fact that in most jurisdictions this strangeness defies analysis. Even the so-called experts dont seem to know whats going on. TUMBY BAY - At the best of times politics is a strange animal but in the last few years it has been getting decidedly stranger. There are clues about the causes, of course, and I think the most significant is the increasing hue and cry from so many quarters about the continuing rise of economic equality in the world. It seems every day that we hear a rapidly diminishing proportion of the worlds population is taking a rapidly increasing proportion of its wealth: the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. What is even more concerning is the mounting evidence that this fabulously rich elite doesnt care one iota about the abject misery their greed and avarice is creating. They appear, without exception, to have abandoned any empathy towards their fellow human beings. It seems that it is this rise of callousness that is creating the strangeness in politics we see. In developed and developing countries alike, governments seem to have abrogated their responsibilities in favour of the rich elite. Governments have become simple arms of corporate interest and run their countries for the benefit of big multi-national companies rather than for the benefit of their people. From the USA, Donald Trump, among other things, is busily fomenting instability all over the world at the behest of arms suppliers and the military establishment. In Australia weve just had the interesting sight of a prime minister suddenly back flipping about a commission of inquiry into our greedy and immoral banks. When the latter decided they had better agree to a commission before they were forced into it they told the prime minister to jump and he did just that in a matter of hours. Although Turnbull denies the suggestion, it seems the banks also provided him with the terms of reference for the inquiry; terms favourable to them of course. In Papua New Guinea the corporations pillaging the nations petroleum resources continue to abrogate their responsibilities in dealing with landowners and making royalty payments, all with the active collusion of the government. That the government and the Supreme Court both appear to have failed to understand the diverse nature of land ownership and inheritance in their own country and have corruptly squandered royalties that dont belong to them doesnt seem to have fazed the corporations. All they care about is the fact that it is out of their hands. The big corporations run the government in PNG just as they do in Australia and the USA and in many other places where politicians are at best now just lackeys of big business. So where is this all heading? Ive no idea. And neither does anyone else it seems. If you believe writers like John Whitehead in his 2015 book 'Battlefield America: the war on the American people', it is heading very quickly towards totalitarianism. Thats going to fun I dont think. 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. 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. Dana Incorporated provides power-conveyance and energy-management solutions for vehicles and machinery in North America, Europe, South America, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in four segments: Light Vehicle Drive Systems, Commercial Vehicle Drive and Motion Systems, Off-Highway Drive and Motion Systems, and Power Technologies. The Light Vehicle Drive Systems segment offers axles, driveshafts, e-axles, electrodynamic and drivetrain components, and transmissions, as well as electric, hybrid, and ICE products for light trucks, sport and crossover utility vehicles, vans, and passenger cars. The Commercial Vehicle Drive and Motion Systems segment provides axles, driveshafts, e-axles, e-transmissions, electrodynamic and drivetrain components, and electric vehicle integration services, as well as software as a service for medium and heavy duty trucks, buses, and specialty vehicles. The Off-Highway Drive and Motion Systems segment offers axles, driveshafts, transmissions, planetary hub drives, e-axles and e-drives, and helical and bevel-helical gearboxes, as well as electrodynamic, hydraulic, and drivetrain components for construction, earth moving, agricultural, mining, forestry, material handling, and industrial stationary markets. The Power Technologies segment offers gaskets and sealing, cover modules, heat shields, thermal management, e-thermal management, cooling, and bipolar fuel cell plates products for light vehicle, medium/heavy vehicle, and off-highway markets. The company was formerly known as Dana Holding Corporation and changed its name to Dana Incorporated in August 2016. Dana Incorporated was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Maumee, Ohio. Have a nice Sunday! Society -- Vietnamese police on Saturday arrested and launched legal proceedings against Dinh Manh Thang, former chair of Petro Song Da JSC Co., to serve an investigation into a serious economic case. His elder brother, Dinh La Thang, had also been apprehended and investigated for his role in the losses of US$35.24 million in state-run oil and gas giant PetroVietnams investment in OceanBank. -- The Peoples Council of the south-central Khanh Hoa Province has approved a proposal put forward by the provincial Peoples Committee to prospect for and exploit mineral ores on a total area of 7,800 hectares. -- Police in the southernmost province of Ca Mau have confirmed they had arrested a 52-year-old male suspect for attacking the owner of a shrimp farm in Phu Tan District and leaving him to drown after trying to steal the aquatic products. -- Huynh Duc Tho, deputy secretary of the central Da Nang Citys Party Committee and chairman of the municipal People's Committee, pointed out serious wrongdoings at the unlicensed construction of thousands of tombs at a local cemetery during his survey trip on Saturday. Business -- Over 500 contracts and memoranda of understanding were inked at a conference held on Saturday to link demand and supply. -- The market in Ho Chi Minh City is warming up as local consumers have been paying more attention to decorative products, including costly imported real pine trees, to prepare for the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations, while more businesses in clothes and food have also geared up for the festivities. -- Speaking at a conference on Saturday, Hoang Quoc Vuong, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, affirmed a plan which will force consumers to switch from the popular A92 gasoline to the ethanol-mixed biofuel E5 starting January 1, 2018 will be a success now that preparations have been finalized. Lifestyle -- A Vietnam Airlines flight with 88 youth delegates on board landed on Saturday at Noi Bai International Airport as part of the national flag carriers support program for attendees at a national Youth Union conference. Police in Vietnam have arrested the former chairman of a joint-venture of state-run oil and gas giant PetroVietnam (PVN) for alleged embezzlement of property. The Investigation Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security confirmed on Saturday it had apprehended and started legal proceedings against Dinh Manh Thang, 55, former chairman of the management board of the Petro Song Da Trading and Investment JSC, a joint-venture between PVN and Song Da Corporation. The decision was approved by the Supreme Peoples Procuracy. Thangs arrest is aimed at assisting the investigations into his embezzlement of property , and links to a case of deliberately violating state regulations on economic management, causing serious consequences in the PetroVietnam Construction Joint Stock Corporation (PVC). Investigators are currently expanding their probing into two economic violation cases, one of which is the deliberate violation of state regulations on economic management causing serious consequence at PVC and the Thai Binh 2 thermal power project. The other case is the deliberate violation of state regulations on economic management causing serious consequence and abuse of position and power to appropriate property, resulting in loss of VND800 billion (US$35.24 million) in PVNs investment in Oceanbank. Earlier on Friday, arrested and launched legal proceedings against Dinh La Thang, former chairman of PVNs board of members to serve the investigation of these two serious economic cases. Dinh La Thang is Dinh Manh Thangs older brother. He is a former member of the Party Central Committee and ex-deputy head of the Party Central Committees Economic Commission. Another ex-PVN official, Nguyen Quoc Khanh, was also captured on the same day for being involved in the offenses. Born in 1962, Dinh Manh Thang holds a masters degree in business administration and became the chairman of the board of directors at Petro Song Da Trading and Investment JSC in May 2006. In March, he stepped down from the post and become a member of the firms management board for personal reasons. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A Chinese man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for stealing nearly VND400 million (US$17,613) onboard a Vietnamese flight. The Hanoi Peoples Court announced the punishment upon Ding Ying Jun, 47, during a trial on Friday evening. Ding was slapped with an eight-year jail term for stealing nearly VND400 million ($17,613) from two passengers on a Ho Chi Minh City- Hanoi flight in April. According to the indictment, Ding arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on April 15. On the following day, the Chinese man traveled to Hanoi via flight VN 216 operated by national carrier Vietnam Airlines. He bought a business class seat. Upon departure, Ding moved to a seat near Le Cao Minh, a passenger from Ho Chi Minh City, and Cu Anh Tuan, a Hanoi resident. About 40 minutes into the journey, Ding opened the luggage shelf and took some VND100 million ($4,403) and $400 from Tuans handbag and later stole an envelope containing $13,000 from Minhs suitcase. Chief flight attendant Ta Thi Thu Huong grew suspicious of Ding as the Chinese man was sneaking back to his seat, and immediately suggested Tuan and Minh check their belongings. The two Vietnamese passengers later stated their money was missing. However, the Chinese man kept insisting that he had not taken the cash. As the stewardess walked away, he threw the money back into the luggage shelf. Following the arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, Ding was transferred to police unit at the airdrome. Despite his continuous denial, competent authorities were able to gather enough evidence against the Chinese passenger and charged him with theft. A source added that Ding was being wanted by Chinese authorities for the same offense during the time of the incident. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Actor Geoffrey Rush was allegedly forced to stand down from his role as AACTA president, rather than voluntarily, according to documents in his lawsuit against the Daily Telegraph. A week ago Rush said in a statement, .I have decided to step aside in my ambassadorial role as president of AACTA effective immediately and until these issues have been resolved. AACTAs also indicated he stepped down voluntarily. Foxtel CEO Peter Tonagh and Seven programming boss Angus Ross jointly wrote to AACTAs following allegations linked to the Sydney Theatre Co. Foxtel Director of TV Brian Walsh also resigned from the AACTAs board. Rush is now suing News Corp and journalist Jonathon Moran -who co-hosted Sevens red carpet coverage in the night. ABC notes one of the further complaints is how Rushs allegations were linked to Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Don Burke, including alongside an article so as to falsely and unfairly associate the allegations against the applicant with the allegations against Mr Burke. Headlines King Leer and Bard behaviour ridiculed Rush and damaged his reputation, the suit claims. The Daily Telegraph accurately reported the Sydney Theatre Company received a complaint alleging that Mr Geoffrey Rush had engaged in inappropriate behaviour, editor Chris Dore said. We will defend our position in court. The matter is expected to reach court early in February. AACTAs declined to comment further. Former NRL player Wendell Sailor is joining Sevens upcoming Australian Spartan as sideline reporter alongside hosts Edwina Bartholomew and Hamish McLachlan. He has previously appeared on Sevens Dancing With The Stars and Australias Greatest Athlete. Im excited to be in this great show and love seeing people being challenged, working as a team, he said. The Matchbox / Eureka series, which sees competitors race through an extensive obstacle films in Brisbane later this month. Audience tickets are available at www.australianspartanaudience.com.au By Tom Allard and Karen Lema MANILA (Reuters) - As she announced in January 2016 that the Philippines would immunise one million children with a new dengue vaccine, the nation's then health secretary Janette Garin boasted it was a world-first and a tribute to her country's "expertise" in research. At the time, it seemed the Philippines could be on the cusp of a breakthrough to combat a potentially lethal tropical virus that had been endemic in large parts of the Southeast Asian nation for decades. Almost two years later, the programme lies in tatters and has been suspended after Sanofi Pasteur, a division of French drug firm Sanofi , said at the end of last month the vaccine itself may in some cases increase the risk of severe dengue in recipients not previously infected by the virus. Documents reviewed by Reuters that have not been disclosed until now, as well as interviews with local experts, show that key recommendations made by a Philippines Department of Health (DOH) advisory body of doctors and pharmacologists were not heeded before the programme was rolled out to 830,000 children. After Garin's announcement, the Formulary Executive Council (FEC) of advisers urged caution over the vaccine because it said its safety and cost-effectiveness had not been established. After twice meeting in January, the panel approved the state's purchase of the vaccine on Feb 1, 2016 but recommended stringent conditions, minutes of all three meetings show. "Based on the available scientific evidence presented to the Council, there is still a need to establish long-term safety, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness," the FEC told Garin in a letter on that day. The letter was reviewed by Reuters. The FEC said Dengvaxia should be introduced through small-scale pilot tests and phased implementation rather than across three regions in the country at the same time, and only after a detailed "baseline" study of the prevalence and strains of dengue in the targeted area, the FEC letter and minutes of the meetings said. Story continues The experts also recommended that Dengvaxia be bought in small batches so the price could be negotiated down. An economic evaluation report commissioned by Garin's own department had found the proposed cost of 1,000 pesos (16 pounds)per dose was "not cost-effective" from a public payer perspective, the minutes from the meetings reveal. For reasons that Reuters was unable to determine, these recommendations were ignored. "VERY ANGRY" The DOH purchased 3 million doses of Dengvaxia in one lot, enough for the required three vaccinations for each child in the proposed immunisation programme and paid 1,000 pesos per dose, a copy of the purchase order reviewed by Reuters shows. It did conduct a "limited baseline study" in late February and March 2016, but the survey looked at "common illnesses" rather than the prevalence of dengue, according to guidelines issued by Garin's office at the time and reviewed by Reuters. Garin, who was part of the government of former president Benigno Aquino and replaced when President Rodrigo Duterte took power in June, 2016, did not respond to requests for comment on why she ignored the local experts' recommendations. A physician, Garin has defended her conduct and a programme that she said was "implemented in accordance with WHO guidance and recommendations". "I understand the concern," she told Philippine TV station ABS-CBN on Friday. "Even us, we're also very angry when we learned about Sanofi's announcement about severe dengue. I'm also a mother. My child was also vaccinated. I was also vaccinated." DOH spokesman Lyndon Lee Suy also did not respond to text messages or questions emailed to him. Sanofi Philippines declined comment on the Philippines government decision. However, Dr. Su-Peing Ng, Global Medical Head of Sanofi Pasteur, told Reuters: "We communicated all known benefits and risks of the vaccine to the Philippines government." Rontgene Solante, former president of the Philippines Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, said health officials were motivated to end the debilitating impact of dengue on the Philippines, where there are about 200,000 reported cases each year and many more unreported. Over 1,000 people died of the disease in the country last year. Two months after the FEC wrote to the health secretary, the DOH began immunising one million students around the age of 10 in all three target areas in April 2016, in accordance with its original plan but at odds with the FEC's recommendations to conduct a slow roll-out of the vaccine. "The usual process for the DOH that has protected our children for so many decades was not followed. That's a fact," said Susan Mercado, a former Philippines health department undersecretary and former senior official at the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO said in April 2016 that the Philippines' campaign appeared to meet its criteria for using Dengvaxia because the targeted regions had high levels of dengue exposure; the vaccine would be provided to children 9 years and older; and they would each receive three doses. Now, after Sanofi's warnings, WHO has said it agrees with the government's decision to suspend the immunisation programme. SHOULDN'T IGNORE EXPERTISE The current secretary of health in the Duterte administration, Francisco Duque, said he would carry out a "thorough analysis" of the FEC's recommendations and the programme before passing judgment. He said the Council's recommendations were not legally enforceable. "At the end of the day, the final decision is made by (the)secretary of health," he told Reuters. "But because of the expertise that the members of the FEC have, it is something that you don't want to ignore." Underpinning the concerns in 2016 about Dengvaxia, since confirmed by Sanofi, were fears that the vaccine would act like a primary infection for those who had never had dengue. If they were bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus after the vaccination, it could be akin to getting dengue a second time, which often leads to far more severe symptoms and potentially death if bad cases are not treated quickly. The concerns were first raised by noted U.S.-based tropical disease expert, Dr. Scott Halstead, who urged both Sanofi and the WHO to proceed with caution. In the Philippines, Dr. Antonio Gans, an epidemiologist from the University of the Philippines, led a delegation of physicians to the DOH in March 2016 where, citing Halstead's research, they pressed for the campaign to be aborted. "The data was not definitive but it was clear there were uncertainties and risks. Why not wait for the complete studies to be finished before endangering so many children?" Gans told Reuters. In a Senate hearing late last year, Garin said she was aware of Halstead's assessment but dismissed it. "This is a theory ... it has not been proven," she said at the time. FEAR AND CONFUSION Two sources involved in the programme said no antibody testing was undertaken, as recommended by the FEC. Antibody testing, while not 100 percent accurate, indicates whether an individual has had dengue before. Duque, the current health secretary, is demanding the company refund the 3 billion pesos paid for the vaccinations and has threatened legal action against Sanofi if it is proven to have withheld information. A criminal probe is underway into how a danger to public health came about and two Congressional inquiries have been convened in the Philippines. Duque told Reuters he was concerned that the programme was paid from an "off-budget" allocation, meaning it bypassed Congressional scrutiny. Reuters was unable to confirm this. Until now, one child out of the 830,000 vaccinated, a girl who was hospitalised with severe dengue, has been linked definitively by the DOH to the campaign. But the department of health says it still does not have complete data on those who fell ill after taking Dengvaxia. (This version of the story corrects paragraph three to say the vaccine may worsen the risk of severe dengue in some cases.) (Additional reporting by Julie Steenhuysen and Manolo Serapio Jr; Editing by John Chalmers and Raju Gopalakrishnan) TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States, Japan and South Korea will hold two days of missile tracking drills starting on Monday, Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force said, as tensions rise in the region over North Korea's fast-developing weapons programmes. The United States and South Korea conducted large-scale military drills last week, which the North said made the outbreak of war "an established fact". North Korea has fired missiles over Japan as it pursues nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles 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. This week's exercises will be the sixth drills sharing information in tracking ballistic missiles among the three nations, the defence force said. It did not say whether the controversial THAAD system would be involved. The installation of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in South Korea has angered China, which fears its powerful radar could look deep into China and threaten its own security. North Korea's missile test last month 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 also pressured China and other nations to cut trade and diplomatic ties with North Korea, as part of international efforts to dry up Pyongyang's illegal cash flows that could fund its weapons programmes. On Sunday, South Korea said it would impose new unilateral sanctions on 20 institutions and a dozen individuals in North Korea, barring any financial transactions between those sanctioned and any South Koreans. This unilateral sanction will prevent illegal funds flowing to North Korea and contribute to reinforce international communities' sanctions against North Korea," South Korea's finance ministry said in a statement. Story continues The move is largely symbolic as trade and financial exchanges between the two Koreas have been barred since May 2010 following the torpedoing of a South Korean warship, which the North denied. Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said the ministry plans to include 730 million yen (4.78 million) to help build a new missile interceptor system, the Aegis Ashore, in its next fiscal year budget request, public broadcaster NHK reported. North Korea regularly threatens to destroy South Korea, Japan and the United States and says its weapons programmes 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. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko, additional reporting by Haejin Choi in SEOUL, Editing by Nick Macfie) KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 (Reuters) - The Malaysian franchise of McDonald's Corp said it was "disappointed" with calls on social media to boycott the fast food restaurant chain in apparent retaliation to the United State's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Social media users in the Muslim-majority country called on boycotting various U.S. companies following U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to relocate the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a city important to both Israelis and Muslims. One user of Twitter Inc's microblogging platform, TheUsopIbrahim, stated without citing sources that U.S.-headquartered McDonald's "channelled funds to Israel". The post has been retweeted 320 times and "liked" 138 times. TheUsopIbrahim did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. McDonald's Malaysia, in a statement on Facebook Inc's social media platform on Saturday, said the chain does not support or engage in any political or religious conflicts. "The claim that McDonald's channels funds to Israel is a false accusation, a lie, fake and slanderous. The charges made by an irresponsible party in (Facebook's) Whatsapp messages are also unsubstantiated," said Azmir Jaafar, managing director and operating partner of franchisee Gerbang Alaf Restaurants Sdn Bhd, without specifying any social media posts. Azmir also said Gerbang's largest shareholder is Muslim. The Malaysian and Singaporean franchise rights were bought by Saudi Arabia's Lionhorn Pte Ltd a year ago, as part the U.S. parent's strategy of moving away from direct ownership in Asia. The Malaysian franchise also faced boycott calls in 2014 when social media posts alleged, without citing sources, that the restaurant chain was helping fund Israeli attacks on Gaza. The company denied the allegation. On Friday, Malaysian protesters condemned the U.S. action, burning an effigy of Trump in front of the American embassy. Story continues (Reporting by Liz Lee; Editing by Christopher Cushing) See Also: FILE PHOTO - United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura (2R) sits opposite to Syria's U.N. ambassador and chief negotiator Bashar al-Ja'afari during a meeting of the Intra Syria talks in Geneva, Switzerland December 1, 2017. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse (Reuters) GENEVA (Reuters) - The Syrian government's delegation returned to Geneva on Sunday for the resumption of talks with United Nations mediator Staffan de Mistura after more than a week's absence, but Western diplomats voiced scepticism about its willingness to engage. Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syria's ambassador to the U.N. and chief negotiator in talks aimed at finding a political solution to end the nearly seven-year-old war, landed in a snowstorm on a flight from Beirut, a Reuters reporter on board said. Ja'afari declined to comment. De Mistura convened an eighth round of separate talks with the government and unified opposition delegations on Nov. 28, focussing on constitutional reform as well as elections. But Ja'afari arrived a day late and left after two days, saying the opposition had "mined the road" to the talks by insisting that President Bashar al-Assad could not play any interim role in Syria's political transition. De Mistura told reporters last Thursday that he would assess this week whether either side is trying to "sabotage" the process. "The opposition has been extremely constructive and willing to get down to it," a senior Western diplomat said. "They are in a difficult place while being criticised internally and pressured by the fact that the regime is bombing away in eastern Ghouta and other places." The diplomat told Reuters that the government's failure to return as scheduled on Dec. 5 had been "a clear sign of not being interested in engaging in the political process". Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested holding a Syrian congress in the Russian city of Sochi early in 2018. Diplomats see his plan as a bid to draw a line under the war and celebrate Moscow's role as the power that tipped the balance of the war and became the key player in the peace process. (Reporting by Issam Abdallah and Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by David Goodman) Heavy snowfall across swathes of the UK causing widespread disruption on Sunday, leaving roads closed and flights grounded. Snow fell overnight on Saturday and continued to fall heavily on Sunday, with significant build-ups across Wales and the Midlands including Leicestershire, Worcestershire, Bedfordshire, Powys, Herefordshire and Shropshire. Flights were suspended at Birmingham Airport while the runway was cleared and East Midlands airport temporarily closed its runway, delaying a number of outbound and inbound flights, with Luton Airport also shut its runway for an hour. Some roads were left impassable, with motorists stranded, including a north-bound section of the M1, part of the M40 motorway, the A34 in Oxfordshire and the A5 in Milton Keynes, and police urged motorists not to travel unless absolutely necessary. And one Midlands NHS Trust was forced to appeal for help online after the snow left hospitals with nurse shortages. Blanket heavy snowfall blanketed parts of the UK including the Midlands and Wales (Picture: PA) The Met Office issued an amber weather warning that will be in place until 6pm on Sunday, with persistent heavy snowfall expected in the region throughout Sunday morning. The heaviest snowfall was found in Sennybridge, south Wales, where 28cm of snow was recorded. MORE: What is winter vomiting bug and how do you avoid getting it? MORE: Conspiracy fans go wild after double sonic boom is heard over mysterious Area 51 Met Office forecaster Steven Keate said: The worst of the snow is currently across parts of Wales and the west and southern Midlands, while there is some snow falling over the home counties as well. Herefordshire, Shropshire and Powys have seen a few centimetres in a couple of hours. Steady snow is expected as this weather system moves over the next few hours into the afternoon roughly from mid-Wales to the north of London. Disruption rail passengers were advised not to travel while motorists were urged not to go anywhere unless unavoidable (Picture: PA) In the Midlands, rail passengers were advised not to travel this Sunday, as disruption hit Cross Country, London Northwestern Trains, Virgin Trains and West Midlands Railways services. Story continues Londoners also woke up to snowfall, leaving rail routes into the capital disrupted, including Great Northern, London Overground, Thameslink, Virgin Trains East Coast and Transport for London Rail services. Trained nurses need at heartlands hospital due to heavy snow. If you can get in pls call the site office 424 0483 thanks Heart of England (@heartofengland) December 10, 2017 Do you have a 44 and can volunteer to help our nurses get into our hospitals at good hope 424 7564 or heartlands 424 0483 pls give us a call. Thanks Heart of England (@heartofengland) December 10, 2017 Heart of England trust, which represents hospitals in Birmingham and Solihull, issued an appeal via Twitter for nurses or people who could help their staff get into work. The Trust tweeted: Do you have a 44 and can volunteer to help our nurses get into our hospitals at good hope 424 7564 or heartlands 424 0483 pls give us a call. Thanks Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield serves northern Birmingham, while Heartlands hospital is based in Bordesley Green, in the east of the city. The trust earlier said online: Trained nurses needed at goodhope hospital due to heavy snow. If can get in pls call site office 424 7564. Amber alert The Met Office issued an Amber Alert which is in place until 6pm on Sunday (Picture: PA) The Met Offices 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. London and the rest of southern England and Wales are set for strong winds and rain, with gusts expected to reach 70mph. (Top picture: SWNS) Royal Bank of Scotland got a boost as Goldman Sachs upped the stock to buy from neutral and added it to its Conviction List. The upgrade was premised on three key points. Goldman said RBSs valuation now screens as attractive. The shares have de-rated and are trading at a 50% discount to Lloyds on a trailing price to tangible book value ratio. It also said the bank was well positioned to substantially expand its market shares in the attractive domestic mortgage market as its large share in current accounts offers a strong funding advantage. Finally, GS said the over 70% cut in its investment banking risk-weighted assets will over time free up capital and help RBS improve underlying returns, narrowing the gap versus Lloyds. Goldman said it prefers RBS over Lloyds Banking Group, which it rates at neutral, on valuation grounds and net interest income trends. GS said that following analysis of the two banks funding structures, it founds RBS has a funding advantage, paying on average around 40 basis points less for deposits. This advantage appears structural, driven by RBSs larger share of current accounts (18% market share versus only 8% in mortgages). We believe this underpins RBSs aggressive growth ambitions in UK mortgages. GS said key risks to its view on RBS relate to litigation, regulatory changes, execution risk in disposing of Williams & Glyn, the UKs upcoming referendum on the EU and higher-than-expected exit losses in running down legacy IB assets. Goldman trimmed its price target on RBS to 375p from 380p. Aircraft manufacturer has been awarded two of its most importance defence contracts in Britain Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing are set to double their amount of employees in the United Kingdom after the winning of two important defence contracts in the region. The growth will take place over the next 10 years, going from a workforce of 2,000 to 4,000 during that time. The company have been boosted by the awarding of two significant Ministry of Defence contracts - for a 1.5bn order of Poseidon P8 maritime surveillance aircraft, and an additional 2.25bn for 50 Apache helicopters. Boeing have faced criticism over their lack of manufacturing facilities in the UK, as well as beating British companies BAE Systems and AgustaWestland to further defence contracts. Speaking to The Times, David Pitchforth, head of Boeing Defence UK, spoke about the expansion. You are seeing the transformation from a US-centric company to becoming what we are in the UK, a company focused on the UK, says Mr Pitchforth. Vast uncertainty has surrounded business in Britain following the aftermath of the country's vote to leave the European Union and ensuing political crisis. Many businesses have pledged to take jobs out of the UK, but many believe that it will be prosperous for those with strong UK-US ties. With the Farnborough International Airshow taking place this week, aerospace news will be coming thick and fast, and David Cameron has affirmed his belief that Ministry of Defence spending on aerospace is a sign that business news is not all doom and gloom. Whatever uncertainties our country faces, I want the message to go out loud and clear: the UK will continue to lead the world in both civil and defence aerospace. We arent just open for investment; we are a place the global aerospace industry wants to do business as Boeings long-term partnership with the UK proves, " Cameron said. David Cameron on Wednesday urged successor Theresa May to ensure Britain remains close as possible to the EU after Brexit as he delivered his final Prime Minister's Questions (PMQ). The Conservative Party leader will go to Buckingham Palace later to officially tender his resignation to the Queen. May will follow him to the Palace to be formally appointed his successor. In his PMQs, Cameron mocked Labour for its lack of female leaders as May plans to promote a string of female Conservative colleagues into key cabinet positions. When it comes to women I am pleased to say that pretty soon its going to be two-nil, and not a pink bus in sight, he said in response to a question from Corbyn that referenced May. He also made fun of Labour over the slow pace of its leadership battle as Corbyn has refused to step down despite various calls within the party for his resignation. We got on with it. They havent even decided what the rules are. Cameron said. If they ever got into power it would take them about a year to decide who would sit where. On his own achievements, Cameron said he was proud of bringing record employment, improved school standards, the introduction of gay marriage and lifting low-paid people out of income tax. "You can achieve a lot of things in politics...In the end, public service, the national interest, that's what it's all about." Cameron decided to step down after losing his campaign for Britain to remain in the EU in the 23 June referendum. Russia-focused steelmaker Evraz surged after pledging to buy-back shares despite reporting a net loss of $1.28bn last year. FirstGroup rose strongly after saying trading for the year to the end of March had remained in line with expectations, with progress continuing on its medium-term transformation plans. Support services group Serco continued higher after agreeing the 2.5m sale of its Australian Great Southern Rail Business on Tuesday. Animal genetics group Genus topped the fallers as it completed the acquisition of a 51% stake in biotechnology firm Vitro Brasil for an undisclosed amount. RPC reversed from gains made on Tuesday, when the plastic packager announced it expected annual revenue and adjusted operating profit to be in line with expectations and significantly ahead of last year. Thomas Cook was among the fallers, despite announcing on Tuesday that it had taken confidence from improved trading in continental and northern Europe in recent weeks. Risers FirstGroup (FGP) 96.45p +6.05% Evraz (EVR) 198.60p +5.81% Marston's (MARS) 159.40p +4.66% Serco Group (SRP) 143.60p +4.13% Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) 63.35p +3.94% Card Factory (CARD) 306.20p +3.69% Telecom Plus (TEP) 900.00p +3.45% Go-Ahead Group (GOG) 2,405.00p +3.22% Hiscox Ltd (CDI) (HSX) 878.00p +3.17% TalkTalk Telecom Group (TALK) 353.30p +2.67% Fallers Ocado Group (OCDO) 340.30p -3.82% Genus (GNS) 1,320.00p -3.58% NMC Health (NMC) 641.50p -3.46% Drax Group (DRX) 352.10p -3.24% Thomas Cook Group (TCG) 141.90p -2.61% Worldwide Healthcare Trust (WWH) 1,880.00p -2.59% Home Retail Group (HOME) 161.20p -2.30% RPC Group (RPC) 567.50p -2.16% Supergroup (SGP) 934.50p -2.10% Bodycote (BOY) 704.00p -2.09% China Telecom Corporation Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides wireline and mobile telecommunications services primarily in the People's Republic of China. It offers wireline voice services, including local wireline telephone services and long distance wireline services; CDMA mobile voice services, such as local calls, domestic and international long distance calls, intra-provincial roaming, and inter-provincial roaming and international roaming; wireline Internet access services comprising dial-up and broadband services; wireless Internet access services; and wireline, Internet, and mobile value-added services. The company also provides Best Tone information services; and information technology-based integrated solutions, such as system integration and consulting, outsourcing, special advisory, information application, knowledge, and software development services. In addition, it offers managed data services that include digital data network, frame relay, and asynchronous transfer mode services for government agencies, large corporations, and institutions; and leased line services, as well as sells, repairs, and maintains customer-end equipment. Further, the company provides international telecommunications services, including network, Internet access and transit, Internet data center, and mobile virtual network services in various countries, including the Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa, South America, and North America; and music production and related information, instant messenger, finance leasing, capital and financial management, and e-commerce services, as well as sells telecommunications terminals. As of December 31, 2019, it had approximately 336 million mobile subscribers; 153 million wireline broadband subscribers; and 111 million access lines in service. The company was incorporated in 2002 and is based in Wanchai, Hong Kong. China Telecom Corporation Limited is a subsidiary of China Telecommunications Corporation. Aviva plc provides various insurance, retirement, investment, and savings products in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and internationally. The company offers life insurance, long-term health and accident insurance, savings, pension, and annuity products, as well as pension fund business and lifetime mortgage products. It also provides insurance cover to individuals, small and medium-sized businesses for risks associated with motor vehicles and medical expenses, as well as property and liability, such as employers' and professional indemnity liabilities. In addition, the company provides investment management services for institutional pension fund mandates; and manages various retail investment products, including investment funds, unit trusts, open-ended investment companies, and individual savings accounts for third-party financial institutions, pension funds, public sector organizations, investment professionals, and private investors. It markets its products through a network of insurance brokers, as well as MyAviva platform. The company was formerly known as CGNU plc and changed its name to Aviva plc in July 2002. Aviva plc was founded in 1696 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. 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. Arch Resources, Inc. produces and sells thermal and metallurgical coal from surface and underground mines. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated seven active mines. It also owned or controlled primarily through long-term leases approximately 28,292 acres of coal land in Ohio; 952 acres of coal land in Maryland; 10,095 acres of coal land in Virginia; 306,033 acres of coal land in West Virginia; 81,470 acres of coal land in Wyoming; 234,543 acres of coal land in Illinois; 33,047 acres of coal land in Kentucky; 362 acres of coal land in Montana; 248 acres of coal land in Pennsylvania; and 19,018 acres of coal land in Colorado, as well as smaller parcels of property in Alabama, Indiana, Washington, Arkansas, California, Utah, and Texas. The company sells its products to utility, industrial, and steel producers in the United States, Europe, Asia, Central and South America, and Africa. The company was formerly known as Arch Coal, Inc. and changed its name to Arch Resources, Inc. in May 2020. Arch Resources, Inc. was incorporated in 1969 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. The following companies are subsidiares of Bristol-Myers Squibb: 1096271 B.C. ULC, 345 Park LLC, A.G. Medical Services P.A., AHI Investment LLC, AbVitro LLC, Abraxis BioScience Australia Pty Ltd., Abraxis BioScience Inc., Abraxis BioScience International Holding Company Inc., Abraxis BioScience LLC, Abraxis BioScience Puerto Rico LLC, Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Adnexus, Adnexus a Bristol-Myers Squibb R&D Company, Allard Labs Acquisition G.P., Amira Pharmaceuticals, Amira Pharmaceuticals Inc., Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Apothecon LLC, B-MS Generx Unlimited Company, BMS Benelux Holdings B.V., BMS Bermuda Nominees L.L.C., BMS Data Acquisition Company LLC, BMS Forex Company, BMS Holdings Sarl, BMS Holdings Spain S.L., BMS International Insurance Designated Activity Company, BMS Investco SAS, BMS Korea Holdings L.L.C., BMS Latin American Nominees L.L.C., BMS Luxembourg Partners L.L.C., BMS Omega Bermuda Holdings Finance Ltd., BMS Pharmaceutical Korea Limited, BMS Pharmaceuticals Germany Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals International Holdings Netherlands B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Korea Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Mexico Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Netherlands Holdings B.V., BMS Real Estate LLC, BMS Spain Investments LLC, BMS Strategic Portfolio Investments Holdings Inc., Blisa Acquisition G.P., Bristol (Iran) S.A., Bristol Iran Private Company Limited, Bristol Laboratories Inc., Bristol Laboratories International S.A., Bristol Laboratories Medical Information Systems Inc., Bristol-Myers (Andes) L.L.C., Bristol-Myers (Private) Limited, Bristol-Myers Middle East S.A.L., Bristol-Myers Overseas Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (China) Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (Israel) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (NZ) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Proprietary) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Taiwan) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (West Indies) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb A.E., Bristol-Myers Squibb Aktiebolag, Bristol-Myers Squibb Argentina S. R. L., Bristol-Myers Squibb Australia Pty. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Axia Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb B.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb Belgium S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Business Services Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada International Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Delta Company Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Denmark Filial of Bristol-Myers Squibb AB, Bristol-Myers Squibb EMEA Sarl, Bristol-Myers Squibb Egypt LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Epsilon Holdings Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Farmaceutica Ltda., Bristol-Myers Squibb Farmaceutica Portuguesa S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb GesmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb GmbH & Co. KGaA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holding Germany GmbH & Co. KG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings 2002 Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Germany Verwaltungs GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Ireland Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Pharma Ltd. Liability Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Ilaclari Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb India Pvt. Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb International Company Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb International Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Investco L.L.C., Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K., Bristol-Myers Squibb Kft., Bristol-Myers Squibb Luxembourg International S.C.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Bristol-Myers Squibb MEA GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Manufacturing Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Marketing Services S.R.L., Bristol-Myers Squibb Middle East & Africa FZ-LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Norway Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Nutricionales de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb Peru S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma (HK) Ltd, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma (Thailand) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Holding Company LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Ventures Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Polska Sp. z o.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Products SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico/Sanofi Pharmaceutical Partnership Puerto Rico, Bristol-Myers Squibb Romania S.R.L., Bristol-Myers Squibb S.A.U., Bristol-Myers Squibb S.r.l., Bristol-Myers Squibb SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Holding Partnership, Bristol-Myers Squibb Sarl, Bristol-Myers Squibb Service Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Services Sp. z o.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Spol. s r.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Theta Finance Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Trustees Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Verwaltungs GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb de Colombia S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb de Costa Rica Sociedad Anonima, Bristol-Myers Squibb de Guatemala S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb/Astrazeneca EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership, Bristol-Myers de Venezuela S.C.A., CHT I LLC, CHT II LLC, CHT III LLC, CHT IV LLC, CR Finance Company LLC, Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals, Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals Inc., Celem LLC, Celem Ltd., Celgene, Celgene A.B., Celgene AS, Celgene Ab (Finland), Celgene Alpine Investment Co. II LLC, Celgene Alpine Investment Co. III LLC, Celgene Alpine Investment Co. LLC, Celgene ApS, Celgene B.V., Celgene BVBA, Celgene Brasil Produtos Farmaceuticos Ltda., Celgene CAR LLC, Celgene CAR Ltd., Celgene Chemicals Sarl, Celgene China Holdings LLC, Celgene Co., Celgene Corporation, Celgene Distribution B.V., Celgene EngMab GmbH, Celgene Europe B.V., Celgene Europe Limited, Celgene European Investment Company LLC, Celgene Financing Company LLC, Celgene Global Holdings Sarl, Celgene GmbH [Austria], Celgene GmbH [Germany], Celgene GmbH [Switzerland], Celgene Holdings East Corporation, Celgene Holdings II Sarl, Celgene Holdings III Sarl, Celgene Ilac Pazarlama ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Celgene Inc., Celgene International Holdings Corporation, Celgene International II Sarl, Celgene International III Sarl, Celgene International Inc., Celgene International Sarl, Celgene K.K., Celgene Kft., Celgene Limited [Hong Kong], Celgene Limited [Ireland], Celgene Limited [New Zealand], Celgene Limited [Taiwan], Celgene Limited [UK], Celgene Logistics Sarl, Celgene Ltd, Celgene Luxembourg Sarl, Celgene Management Sarl, Celgene NJ Investment Co, Celgene Netherlands B.V., Celgene Netherlands Investment B.V., Celgene Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Celgene Pte. Ltd., Celgene Pty Ltd, Celgene Puerto Rico Distribution LLC, Celgene Quanticel Research Inc, Celgene R&D Sarl, Celgene RIVOT LLC, Celgene RIVOT Ltd., Celgene RIVOT SRL, Celgene Receptos Limited, Celgene Receptos Sarl, Celgene Research Incubator At Summit West LLC, Celgene Research S.L.U., Celgene Research and Development Company LLC, Celgene Research and Development I ULC, Celgene Research and Development II LLC, Celgene Research and Investment Company II LLC, Celgene S. de R.L. de C.V., Celgene S.L.U., Celgene S.R.L., Celgene SAS, Celgene Sarl AU, Celgene Sdn Bhd, Celgene Services Sarl, Celgene Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Celgene Sp. Z.o.o., Celgene Sro [Czech Republic], Celgene Summit Investment Co, Celgene Switzerland Holding Sarl, Celgene Switzerland II LLC, Celgene Switzerland Investment Sarl, Celgene Switzerland LLC, Celgene Switzerland Sarl, Celgene Tri A Holdings Ltd., Celgene Tri Sarl, Celgene UK Distribution Limited, Celgene UK Holdings Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing II Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing III Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing Limited, Celgene d.o.o., Celgene sro [Slovakia], Celmed LLC, Celmed Ltd., ConvaTec Divestiture, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals AB, Crosp Ltd., Delinia Inc., Deuteria Pharmaceuticals Inc., DuPont Pharmaceuticals, E. R. Squibb & Sons Inter-American Corporation, E. R. Squibb & Sons L.L.C., E. R. Squibb & Sons Limited, EWI Corporation, EngMab Sarl, F-star Alpha, FermaVir Pharmaceuticals L.L.C., FermaVir Research L.L.C., Flexus Biosciences, Flexus Biosciences Inc., Forbius, Galecto Biotech, GenPharm International L.L.C., Gloucester Pharmaceuticals LLC, Grove Insurance Company Ltd., Heyden Farmaceutica Portuguesa Limitada, IFM Therapeutics, Impact Biomedicines Inc., Inhibitex, Inhibitex L.L.C., Innate Tumor Immunity Inc., JuMP Holdings LLC, Juno Therapeutics GmbH, Juno Therapeutics Inc., Kosan Biosciences, Kosan Biosciences Incorporated, Linson Investments Limited, Mead Johnson (Manufacturing) Jamaica Limited, Mead Johnson Jamaica Ltd., Medarex, Morris Avenue Investment II LLC, Morris Avenue Investment LLC, MyoKardia, O.o.o. Bristol-Myers Squibb, Oy Bristol-Myers Squibb (Finland) AB, Padlock Therapeutics, Padlock Therapeutics Inc., Pharmion LLC, Princeton Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Receptos LLC, Receptos Services LLC, RedoxTherapies Inc., Route 22 Real Estate Holding Corporation, SPV A Holdings ULC, Seamair Insurance DAC, Signal Pharmaceuticals LLC, Sino-American Shanghai Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Societe Francaise de Complements Alimentaires(S.O.F.C.A.), Squibb Middle East S.A., Summit West Celgene LLC, Swords Laboratories, VentiRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Westwood-Intrafin SA, Westwood-Squibb Pharmaceuticals Inc., X-Body Inc., ZymoGenetics, ZymoGenetics Inc., ZymoGenetics LLC, ZymoGenetics Paymaster LLC, iPierian, and iPierian Inc.. Read More VeriFone Systems, Inc. provides payments and commerce solutions at the point of sale (POS) worldwide. It offers countertop solutions that accept payment options, including contactless, NFC, mobile wallets, and EMV; PIN pads that support credit and debit card, EBT, EMV, and other PIN-based transactions; and multilane consumer facing commerce devices. It also provides portable payment devices, including small, portable, and handheld devices that enable merchants to accept electronic payments wherever wireless connectivity is available; and mobile solutions that attach to and interface with iOS or Android based smartphones and tablets. In addition, it offers integrated electronic payment systems that combine electronic payment processing, fuel dispensing, and ECR functions, as well as secure payment systems for integration with petroleum pump controllers; unattended and self-service payment solutions designed to enable payment transactions in self-service, high-transaction volume, and public transportation environments; and network access solutions. Further, it provides installation, deployment, training, and application development and delivery solutions; project management, client education program, and consulting services; helpdesk support, equipment repair and maintenance, and software post-contract support services; and application libraries and development tools. Additionally, it offers omnichannel commerce, terminal management, and security solutions; and cloud-based managed, transaction payment, and other value added services. It sells its products directly; and through third party and channel partners. It serves financial institutions, payment processors, government organizations, and retailers; petroleum, transportation, and healthcare companies; and quick service restaurants. The company was formerly known as VeriFone Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to VeriFone Systems, Inc. in May 2010. VeriFone Systems, Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, California. United Rentals, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental company. It operates in two segments, General Rentals and Specialty. The General Rentals segment rents general construction and industrial equipment includes backhoes, skid-steer loaders, forklifts, earthmoving equipment, and material handling equipment; aerial work platforms, such as boom and scissor lifts; and general tools and light equipment comprising pressure washers, water pumps, and power tools for construction and industrial companies, manufacturers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and government entities. The specialty segment rents specialty construction products, including trench safety equipment consists of trench shields, aluminum hydraulic shoring systems, slide rails, crossing plates, construction lasers, and line testing equipment for underground work; power and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment, such as portable diesel generators, electrical distribution equipment, and temperature control equipment; fluid solutions equipment for fluid containment, transfer, and treatment; and mobile storage equipment and modular office space. This segment serves construction companies involved in infrastructure projects, and municipalities and industrial companies. It also sells aerial lifts, reach forklifts, telehandlers, compressors, and generators; construction consumables, tools, small equipment, and safety supplies; and parts for equipment that is owned by its customers, as well as provides repair and maintenance services. The company sells used equipment through its sales force, brokers, website, directly to manufacturers, and at auctions. The company operates a network of 1,360 rental locations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. United Rentals, Inc. was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. | As temperatures drop many of us start worrying about our health, including the rising risk for colds and fevers. But which fears aren't really based on fact? And what valid health concerns might we be ignoring in the winter? Here are a few winter myths that should be put on ice: Cold weather makes you sick Cold temperatures by themselves don't make you sick, weather.com reports. Colds likely rise in the colder months because people spend more time indoors exchanging germs. But you'll still feel much warmer (and protect yourself from frostbite) by bundling up on a chilly day. Starve a fever The second part of the old adage "feed a cold, starve a fever" is actually really bad advice, according to many health experts. The saying may have come from a time when it was thought that the body literally became colder when ill, and providing food would warm it up, CNN reported. Conversely, not eating was believed to "cool" a person with fever down. However, starving yourself could actually makes things worse. Proper nutrition and hydration is critical in preventing and recovering from illnesses and fighting infections. Jon S. Abramson, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Wake Forest School of Medicine, told CNN that when we are sick our metabolic rates skyrocket, and our bodies need more calories to support that high rate. And the hotter a fever becomes, the more energy the body uses. Not replenishing this energy with sugar and electrolytes is very dangerous, Abramson said. You can skip the sunscreen Often we just think of sunscreen as we pack up for the beach or a long summer stroll, but even on an overcast winter day, up to 80 percent of the sun's rays can still penetrate the clouds, according to Reader's Digest. Ultraviolet rays can damage the deeper layers of your skin, increasing your risk for skin cancer. You won't have allergies In the winter, most of the allergies that youre going to suffer from are going to be indoor allergies: mold, cockroaches, dust mites and animal dander, Joan Lehach told weather.com. Lehach is an allergist and clinical immunologist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. During the winter youre more likely to have sinus symptoms, and it could seem like a sinus infection that doesn't go away. If symptoms last more than nine days or recurs often, it could be time to see an allergist for tests. 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. OKLAHOMA CITY A case involving an Oklahoma City man killed two days after he was sentenced to probation for his second domestic abuse conviction in six months highlights a common struggle for authorities: how to stop abusers when victims wont testify, a prosecutor and anti-violence advocates say. The Oklahoma County district attorneys office is reviewing the case to decide whether to file charges against the mans wife. Christina Maria Mason, 33, told police she fatally shot her husband, Boyd Quisenberry, 39 when he attacked her with a knife Nov. 29. Detectives interviewed Mason but did not arrest her. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater will determine whether Mason should face charges. He could decide the shooting was self-defense. Oklahoma City police are investigating the shooting and will provide a report to Praters office, a process that Sgt. Gary Knight said can take up to three weeks. Prater said Mason refused to testify about the domestic abuse, which forced a plea bargain for Quisenberry that resulted in probation as punishment rather than jail time. Prater and advocates for abuse victims say victims have many complicated reasons for refusing to appear in a courtroom, but that can lead to attackers going free and back home to those they hurt. Quisenberry was given a three-year suspended sentence Nov. 27 after pleading guilty to domestic abuse assault and battery and violating a protective order. Earlier this year, he received a three-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to domestic abuse by strangulation and 90 days in county jail on a charge of interfering with an emergency telephone call. Mason did not show up to testify in either case, Prater said, and prosecutors risked not getting a conviction at all without her testimony. She refused to cooperate and were not able to get her to court, Prater said. We basically had to agree to probation. A working phone number for Mason could not be found, and she could not be reached for comment this story. But Ruth Glenn, executive director of the Denver-based National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said its not uncommon for abuse victims to avoid court. She estimates up to 75 percent do not show up. Many fear future retribution if they testify against their abuser, she said. Its not that they dont want the violence to stop. They (do) want the violence to stop, but the fear of future violence is sometimes more frightening, Glenn said. Candida Manion, executive director of the Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, agreed with Glenn that fear is cited as a primary factor for victims not to testify. Theyre intimidated by the perpetrator. They (fear they) will feel his wrath again, Manion said. An Oklahoma woman who said she survived several years of abuse at the hands of her now ex-husband said domestic violence victims also have a sense of shame and worthlessness. Misty Martin-Sullins testified at her then-husbands preliminary hearing before he pleaded no contest to charges in the case. He also reached a plea deal with prosecutors. If you havent been the victim then you dont know what its like to stand up in a courtroom and have your attacker staring at you, grinning from ear to ear, Martin-Sullins said. Glenn said she knows of no database that tracks the number of victims who kill their abusers, but both she and Prater said it is uncommon. It does happen, but it is very rare that the victim will, quote-unquote, turn the tables' Glenn said. ___ Sign up for the APs weekly newsletter showcasing our best reporting from the Midwest and Texas: http://apne.ws/2u1RMfv SANTA FE Javier Gonzales, a former state Democratic Party chairman and the mayor of New Mexicos capital city, said Saturday that he is officially in for next years race for lieutenant governor. Gonzales, who launched his campaign with an online video, told the Journal he made the decision after mulling it over for several days with friends and getting the green light from his two daughters. There is a need for a new path that brings all people to the table, Gonzales said. Gonzales announced in September he would not seek re-election as Santa Fes mayor in 2018, citing the need to spend more time with his daughters. He said Saturday the lieutenant governors position would be a better fit for him and his family, and said his current job has prepared him for the challenge. The challenges and issues that people are facing in Santa Fe are no different than in Farmington and Hobbs, Gonzales told the Journal. He also acknowledged recent changes in the field, including state Sen. Michael Padillas withdrawal due to decade-old sexual harassment allegations, played a role in his decision-making. A member of a prominent Santa Fe political family, Gonzales, who is openly gay, was elected mayor in 2014. He has sought to combat climate change and reduce poverty as mayor, and also pushed a soda tax hike this year that was soundly rejected by Santa Fe voters. If elected lieutenant governor, Gonzales said he would focus on early childhood education and improving the states business climate for entrepreneurs, among other issues. Gonzales becomes the second prominent Democrat to enter the lieutenant governors race in less than a week, as state Sen. Howie Morales of Silver City jumped into the contest Tuesday. Four other Democrats are running: Dona Ana County Commissioner Billy Garrett; former state House Majority Leader Rick Miera of Albuquerque; Eagle Nest resident Jeff Carr, a former member of the Public Education Commission; and David McTeigue of Rio Rancho, a juvenile probation officer. Former law enforcement officer Michelle Garcia Holmes of Albuquerque is the lone lieutenant governor candidate on the Republican side. Per state law, the lieutenant governor makes an annual salary of $85,000 and is required to preside over the state Senate and serve on various state boards. VAIL, Ariz. A southern Arizona school district is looking to build a village of tiny homes in order to attract and retain teachers to an area that lacks affordable housing. The Vail School District is planning to build at least four homes on land the district owns before the start of the next school year, the Arizona Daily Star reported this week. Vail is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Tucson. The project is geared for new and young teachers or others looking to downsize so they can become ingrained in the community, said John Carruth, an associate superintendent for the district. Carruth is spearheading the project thats aiming to build up to 24 tiny homes when the site is fully developed. The district would then consider expanding the project to additional sites if it proves successful. Theyre tiny luxury homes. It feels luxurious, but its small, Carruth said. We want them to feel like its a cool and unique and honors the teachers and their profession. The minimalist homes would likely be between 250 and 400 square feet (23 and 37 square meters). The district is considering charging between $500 and $600 for rent with utilities not included. With teacher pay generally low in the state, offering teachers tiny homes is somewhat insulting, said Joe Thomas, president of the teachers union Arizona Education Association. Though he wishes the action would not be necessary, Thomas said the districts attempt to provide teachers with affordable housing is commendable. The starting base salary for a teacher in Vail is about $36,000. The median household income for the area is about $83,000, and the median home price is about $260,000. The city also does not contain any apartment complexes. Superintendent Calvin Baker said he wishes he could pay teachers enough to afford a home in Vail, but its not feasible for most new teachers in any area. I think the right way to frame it is not tiny homes versus suburban homes. Its tiny homes versus small apartments because thats where most of us started, Baker said. ___ Information from: Arizona Daily Star, http://www.tucson.com New Mexico Public Education Secretary-designate Christopher Ruszkowski touted school choice as quintessentially American on Saturday during the Charter School Coalitions annual conference in Albuquerque. This is a country built over the last 250 years on things like freedom, choice, competition, options, going west, Manifest Destiny these are the fundamental principles of this country, he said. Thats why charter schools make so much sense high-quality options in the context of where we are as a country. Ruszkowski hit back against comparisons between the United States and countries like Finland, Singapore and Germany, which consistently earn the worlds highest test scores. The states teachers unions and some Democratic lawmakers have praised these countries for their progressive approach to teacher collaboration time, professional development and other policies. While the United States can learn from other education systems, Ruszkowski argued that it must acknowledge its heritage. I hate to put it this bluntly, but this isnt Finland, he said. You cant redesign as if we were Finland. Too late. This country wasnt built that way. He also repeated a refrain that was popular with his predecessor, former Education Secretary Hanna Skandera: New Mexico must keep setting high expectations for students, and they will rise to meet the challenge. In line with that policy, Ruszkowski said charter schools that cant deliver strong results should be shut down. Recently, Ruszkowski has advocated for the closure of four low-performing Albuquerque charter schools: Architecture Construction and Engineering Leadership High School, Health Leadership High School, Technology Leadership High School and Academy of Trades & Technology. Each has earned a string of D or F grades over the past few years. Fewer than 5 percent of their students are proficient in reading or math, and they have made little or no progress in addressing academic performance concerns, PED documents say. The four schools had been chartered by the Public Education Commission but are seeking reauthorization with Albuquerque Public Schools. The APS board of education will vote on whether to accept them on Wednesday. Under state law, the PEC and local districts have the power to grant charters. There are roughly 100 charter schools across New Mexico, including top performers such as the Albuquerque Institute for Mathematics and Science and Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School. PED won a $22.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education in September to launch 22 new charter schools and expand another eight schools. On Saturday, Ruszkowski stressed that his faith in charters comes from personal experience: He previously taught in an inner city Boston charter school through Teach for America. The school, which served a high number of immigrant families, earned much higher test scores than the others in the neighborhood. I became a believer in high-quality options, he said. BOWLING GREEN, Ohio An Ohio couple who say their three goats have helped ease the husbands depression has been ordered once again to get rid of them. The Blade reports that Justin and Amanda Held were told during a court hearing Friday in Bowling Green they must remove the animals from their property for a misdemeanor zoning violation to be dismissed. Its not the first time the Helds and the village of Grand Rapids have butted heads over the goats. The couple removed the goats last year after the village cited them but brought them back earlier this year when a doctor certified them as emotional support animals. The village cited the couple again in September. Amanda Held says that while theyll comply, shell continue fighting for the goats and her husbands happiness. ___ Information from: The Blade, http://www.toledoblade.com/ AZTEC A northwestern New Mexico high school where a deadly shooting occurred will remain closed until further notice. Authorities say 21-year-old William Atchison, a former student at Aztec High School, shot and killed two students, senior Casey J. Marquez and junior Francisco Paco Fernandez, at random Thursday before killing himself. School district Superintendent Kirk Carpenter says counseling services will be available Monday as Aztec High School staff members meet at another school for a family gathering and debriefing. The Daily Times in Farmington reports that Carpenter declined to comment on damage done to the building but that he said it could be a while before students and staff can return to their classrooms. Other district schools will remain closed Monday but resume classes Tuesday. Authorities say Atchison, who disguised himself as a student, had carefully planned the attack. BILLINGS, Mont. 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 thats 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 Zinkes 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 hed 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 Tribes 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 tribes 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 tribes historic preservation officer. The land was part of the Blackfeet Reservation until 1896. Thats 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 areas 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 administrations actions on national monuments. Informal talks on the Badger-Two Medicine are underway between the Blackfeet and Zinkes 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 Trumps 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. Its typically a way to balance tribal claims on public lands and resources against the federal governments 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 Trumps 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 Nevadas Gold Butte and Oregons 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 New Mexico and the Navajo Nation are sacred places in which to grow up. From an early age we develop a special reverence for Mother Nature and Father Sky, particularly because we are raised in the shadows of magnificent landscapes like Shiprock and the Sandias, also known as Turtle Mountain. From early on, New Mexicans develop a deep-down affinity for this lands average of 350 radiant days of sunshine and the winds that sweep our vast open plains and mesas. On the flipside, New Mexico also has a long and painful history of environmental injustice. The devastating impacts of extractive industries have been borne by our families over many generations from those in Silver City who developed black lung from their work in the mines, to loved ones in Church Rock overcome by cancer from toxic uranium spills, to children struggling to breathe in the Four Corners where air quality is among the worst in the nation. The people of Sandoval County are fighting to protect their groundwater from fracking contamination and, in Carlsbad, residents live under the constant threat of radiation from WIPP. Just last summer, an oilfield operated by WPX Energy exploded near our homes in Nageezi, forcing 55 of our neighbors to evacuate and traumatizing our entire community. We have been told for too long that we must sacrifice our health and that of our lands in order to serve the economy. Yet New Mexico is endowed with enormous solar and wind potential whose cultivation can create jobs and restore our well-being without jeopardizing our future. The stark contrast between the devastating impacts of extractive energy production and the benefits of renewable energy should drive each of us to help move New Mexico toward 100 percent renewable energy. We need a new, over-arching vision for how to build an economy that is more dynamic, equitable, sustainable and resilient. Such a vision exists. And theres a new roadmap to realizing it. By transitioning to a high-employment, high-innovation clean energy economy, we can drastically reduce air pollution, carbon emissions and water usage all while creating thousands of new jobs and facilitating the emergence of a new advanced energy business cluster in the state. Its a win-win proposition for our economy and our quality of life. New Energy Economy has just released a new report illuminating the pathway to a 100 percent renewable electricity sector for New Mexico. It outlines the technical means to add 700 megawatts (MW) of solar power and 1750 MW of wind power to our states generation capacity by 2035, meeting the needs of PNMs 500,000 customers. Crucially, we can achieve this without budget-breaking government interventions. New Mexicos lawmakers can help realize a renewable power sector with simple actions: first, creating competitive market-based assessments that allow investor-owned utilities, regulators and energy consumers to evaluate and compare all energy options before acquiring new energy supplies. Second, eliminating existing regulatory biases toward fossil fuels. And third, building on the success of New Mexicos existing Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) law and those in other high-performing states to strengthen clean-energy targets. Across the political spectrum, people want new drivers of economic development. The clean-energy transition will set a far-reaching example of how states can exercise leadership and achieve a low-carbon economy. At the same time, the clean-energy transition can lessen our dependence on unpredictable energy markets and volatile foreign governments. The expansion of energy choice strengthens the forces of market competition in a critical sector of New Mexicos economy. Our states lawmakers have the power to choose which path we will follow, whether the path that made our ancestors first fall in love with this land or one that desecrates this land and our families. Please sign our pledge to put New Mexico on a path to 100 percent renewable energy and toward meaningful job growth, affordable energy and a healthy environment based on innovation, sustainability, competitiveness and resiliency. Shallow water, tumbleweeds and scattered bottles lie in the North Diversion Channel near where Eric Manning's body was found last May. Detectives say Manning and two others were all stabbed to death and found in the open, leading detectives to suspect that one person was responsible. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) Dorothy White tears up as she stands at the spot where her friend Eric Manning was found in May. Manning was stabbed to death and detectives worry that he and two other homeless men were killed by the same person, or people. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) Graffiti scrawled on the underside of the bridge crossing the North Diversion Channel honors Eric Hicks, who was found dead nearby in September. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) A photo illustration of Lonnie Whittle at the spot where his body was found in a vacant warehouse parking lot in August. Whittle was the second of three homeless men to be found stabbed to death over a period of four months earlier in the year. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) Prev 1 of 5 Next Copyright 2017 Albuquerque Journal Eric Manning, Lonnie Whittle, Eric Hicks. Three men, all homeless, all stabbed to death, their bodies found in similar positions and within a couple of miles of each other over a period of four months earlier this year. Albuquerque Police Department detectives say they dont know yet whether this might be the work of a serial killer, but they do say there are indications the same person, or group of people, might be responsible for killing all three of them and possibly others. They are worried others could be hurt or worse if the killer or killers are not caught. APD homicide Sgt. Elizabeth Thomson said similarities in the deaths struck her as soon as she arrived at the site where the second body was found. Then, there was a third. It jumps out at you because you do start to see how similar the scenes are, she said. The body always tells us so much about a murder. We cant talk to the victim, so weve got to really pay attention, and on these thats where a lot of the similarities are the actual evidence found on or around the body. Thomson said that, although about 15 people who were homeless or living in the margins in motels were killed throughout the year in Albuquerque, detectives dont have any reason to believe their deaths are all related. But, she said, these three cases stand apart because of similarities in the characteristics of the men all living alone on the streets, white or biracial, and in the same general age range as well as how they were found. She said the state of their clothing was similar in each case, although she could not release more specific details about that at this time. APD had released few details about these deaths before now, other than a couple of sentences about when each man was found. Thomson said she hopes that by publicizing this new information, someone might remember something or be encouraged to come forward. Or, someone who had been hurt but not killed could provide a missing link, she said. Now its time to say theyre possibly related, and we really need someone to come forward so we can figure out who committed each and every one of them, she said. And if it is a serial offender, lets get this person caught. 4 months, 3 deaths The three men were all found by passers-by bicyclists on a ride, employees on their way to work around 5 or 6 in the morning. Their bodies were left in the open, in areas that are often deserted at night, and detectives believe they were killed where they were found. Detective Jodi Gonterman is the lead investigator on the cases. Manning, 37, was found stabbed to death May 20 in the middle of the North Diversion Channel off Montgomery and Interstate 25. Two-and-a-half months later, on Aug. 9, Whittle, 51, was found stabbed to death in a vacant warehouse parking lot off Broadway near Mountain NE. And a little more than a month after that, on Sept. 15, Hicks, 33, was found stabbed to death also by the North Diversion Channel bike trail south of Candelaria near Richmond. Thomson said investigators havent been able to come up with a motive. All three men were living on the streets when they were killed. Their families are scattered throughout the country and the state and kept in sporadic contact. Some occasionally sent them money for food, a motel room or a cellphone bill. When the men came into contact with police for trespassing or shoplifting food they listed their addresses as homeless shelters. The men mainly kept to themselves, Thomson said, although a group of Native Americans said Manning would sometimes camp with them in a vacant field off the bike path. Manning and Hicks were in their 30s, while Whittle was about 20 years older. Manning and Whittle were white, while family members say Hicks was biracial, white and African-American. Thomson said detectives have also considered whether the death of a fourth man, who was found beheaded and castrated behind a Walmart store in December 2016, could be connected as well. In some ways, that man, Clifford Miller, 42, fits the pattern, she said. He was also homeless, white, living alone or in homeless shelters, and was stabbed to death. No one has been arrested in his death. But, Thomson said, there are enough inconsistencies to give her pause. Millers body had been hidden behind a Dumpster, whereas the bodies of the other three had not been concealed at all. She said the bodies of Manning, Whittle and Hicks had also not been mutilated. There are some similarities, she said. But not to the extent of the others. White Native son Dorothy White, who lives on the streets with several other Native Americans, said Manning used to sometimes stay in their camp. She would call him her white Native son, and he would call her mom. When she heard of his death, White said she and others were furious and wanted to retaliate. She said people who live on the streets are often mistreated or beaten, but even so, Mannings death was shocking in its brutality. We have all out here on the streets tried to contemplate why it happened and tried to put things together, but we havent been able to, White said. She said that, after the killing, friends put together a memorial of candles, a white board, a couple of books, including Mannings Bible, and wrote messages to him on the underpass. Three weeks later, the city took it down and painted over their messages. White said she didnt know Whittle or Hicks and had not heard of their deaths. Meanwhile, Thomson said detectives have not ruled out the possibility that the three men could have been killed by different offenders and that the deaths are not connected in any way. That means any new information could be vital to solving any one of the cases, even if it doesnt solve all three. She said that, over the past couple of months, when detectives have interviewed people living in homeless camps near each of the scenes, they have told them to be careful. Because we dont know who the perpetrator is in any of the cases, were telling people whoever did this is still out there, she said. But Thomson, because of her previous work with homeless populations while on APDs Crisis Outreach and Support Team, said she knows that people who live on the streets often have a lot of mistrust of police officers and might be reluctant to report a crime, or might not have the means to do so. She said thats one of the reasons she feels so strongly about getting justice in these cases. Its always disturbing to think that someone is victimizing people, particularly people who are already marginalized, Thomson said. Theyre homeless, theyre experiencing something already very difficult in their lives. Its hard to think about that they would be forgotten and I dont want that to happen. Tips Police ask anyone with information about any of the cases to call Crime Stoppers at 843-STOP or 242-COPS. Copyright 2017 Albuquerque Journal Note to legislators: Infusing New Mexicos beleaguered guardianship system with more accountability and oversight could cost just under $1 million, with most of the money paying for computer software to spot suspicious spending in reports filed by court-appointed conservators and guardians. The cost estimate was presented Friday to the state Supreme Court guardianship commission, which is wrapping up nine months of study. It is tasked with recommending how to improve the system that puts the decision making for mentally or physically impaired people into the hands of professional companies or family members. The push for reform has gained momentum with recent federal criminal allegations that executives from two nonprofit firms that handled guardianship and/or conservatorship duties in New Mexico have embezzled millions of dollars of client funds. The companies, Desert State Life Management and Ayudando Guardians, Inc., have since closed. With the 30-day legislative session less than two months away, the Supreme Courts commission on Friday prioritized a wish list of remedies that would require legislative funding. So far, Gov. Susana Martinez hasnt formally put the issue on the agenda for the session. At the top of the guardianship commissions list is the one-time purchase of software used in Minnesota courts that is designed to red flag unusual purchases or inconsistencies in annual reports to the court from conservators who handle finances for an incapacitated person. Commission vice chair Patricia Galindo told the group that the software would cost from $400,000 to $600,000. Hiring auditors who would then investigate and reconcile inconsistencies would cost about $76,455 annually. The third proposal hiring special masters or hearing officers to hear grievances filed by family members or interested persons against guardians or conservators would require about $123,726 a year, including salary and benefits. Galindo said one or two hearing officers could work with the courts statewide to bring issues to the attention of the judges who appointed the guardian or conservator. Purchasing the software alone would be a band-aid solution but a definite improvement, said Galindo, an attorney who works for the Administrative Office of the Courts. Annual status reports are required to be filed with the courts for each person under a guardianship or conservatorship. Weve had judges get boxes of receipts with no beginning balance and no ending balance, she said. The Minnesota computer software would require at least beginning balances and reports would be filed electronically, Galindo added. Overshadowing the commission meeting Friday in Albuquerque was the separate but related issue of whether New Mexico should adopt a major overhaul of its guardianship/conservatorship laws recently proposed by the Chicago-based Uniform Law Commission. The commission spent two years drafting a standard set of guardianship laws for states to adopt. Efforts are underway in some New Mexico legislative circles to propose the new uniform laws in the next legislative session as the solution to New Mexicos troubled system. The Supreme Court-appointed commission endorses the uniform law package, but voted Friday to seek a number of revisions if the legislation is introduced. In early October, the commission unveiled 17 of its own recommendations after receiving input from family members and others about problems in New Mexicos guardianship system. Some of the proposed remedies, such as hiring auditors and hearing officers, arent included in the new national uniform laws. The commission has ongoing issues regarding implementation (of the uniform changes). Some people have suggested that its become the tail that wags the dog, said commission chair Wendy York, a retired state district judge. In and of itself, it (the uniform law proposal) is not the answer. The commissions final report to the Supreme Court is expected on Jan. 1. Shallow water, tumbleweeds and scattered bottles lie in the North Diversion Channel near where Eric Manning's body was found last May. Detectives say Manning and two others were all stabbed to death and found in the open, leading detectives to suspect that one person was responsible. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) Dorothy White tears up as she stands at the spot where her friend Eric Manning was found in May. Manning was stabbed to death and detectives worry that he and two other homeless men were killed by the same person, or people. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) Graffiti scrawled on the underside of the bridge crossing the North Diversion Channel honors Eric Hicks, who was found dead nearby in September. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) A photo illustration of Lonnie Whittle at the spot where his body was found in a vacant warehouse parking lot in August. Whittle was the second of three homeless men to be found stabbed to death over a period of four months earlier in the year. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) Prev 1 of 5 Next Eric Manning Eric Manning grew up in Tijeras and moved to Illinois, living with his older brother off and on as a teenager and into his 20s. Jeff Manning, Erics elder by 14 years, said his brother started showing signs of mental disabilities as a child. He would stand and stare at a wall while someone was talking to him, Jeff said. He had times where he was coherent and seemed normal and there were times when he was just out on his own somewhere. It was hit or miss. Jeff said as he got older, Eric started getting into trouble, getting drunk and stealing cars. Eventually, he moved to Iowa, where he camped out next to a river. Jeff said a couple of years ago he bought him a bus ticket back to New Mexico. He said they talked on the phone frequently after Erics return to Albuquerque, joking around and quoting their favorite lines from movies Point Break and Tombstone to name a few. But by the time Eric was killed, Jeff hadnt heard from him in about a month and was starting to worry that something had happened to him. Lonnie Whittle Eleven days after Lonnie Whittle was found in a vacant warehouse parking lot, detectives still hadnt had any luck finding his next of kin. They put out a call to the public for help, publishing his photo online and requesting information. Eventually, Donna Whittle found out her uncle had died when his brother shared the news on Facebook. It hit me pretty hard, she said in a phone interview from Alaska. I had just talked to him not that long ago. He said he was trying to do something in landscaping or construction. Donna said her Uncle Lonnie grew up in Anchorage and was estranged from the family for more than a decade before getting back in touch about five or six years ago. He visited her family in Alaska and then moved to Portland, where his mother lived until her death. Then he moved to New Mexico about a year or two ago. He couldnt handle it after his mom died, Donna said. He felt kind of lost and wasnt handling it very well, fell into a slump, drank for a while, and then pulled himself out. She said the last time she talked to Lonnie was in June, and he had said he was sober and doing better and looking for a job. Eric Hicks Two wooden stakes, bound together to make a cross, mark the spot where Eric Hicks body was found. RIP Eric is scrawled on the underside of the bridge crossing the arroyo. A search of Hicks background turns up more than two dozen charges for crimes linked to poverty, hunger and addiction in Albuquerque and Santa Fe in recent years. Court records show he was arrested for shoplifting jerky, Oreos and Pop-Tarts from local gas stations and for passing out in Walmart bathrooms with a syringe in his arm. Hicks father, Scott Henrikson, who lives in Nashville, Tenn., said his son grew up there before moving to New Mexico to be with his mother as a late-teenager. He said in recent years when they talked on the phone they would talk about his girlfriend and his three children, ages 2 to 13. Henrickson said the oldest looks just like Eric. He always seemed to be happy-go-lucky and didnt tell me a lot of his problems, Henrikson said. But, he said, his son would always ask for money before they hung up. Shortly before Hicks death, Henrickson said, he tried to pay for a hotel room for him, but the clerk wouldnt take his credit card over the phone. He said he thought Hicks probably got a ride to stay with his mother in Santa Fe instead. About two weeks later, he was driving when he got the call that his son had been killed. I was devastated, he said. Thats the last thing you want to hear is your kid got murdered. At first I didnt want to believe it. I reached out to my other son, pulled over and waited for him to call me back. Copyright 2017 Albuquerque Journal Tawana Lucero was desperate to have her prescription for Oxycontin filled. So desperate, that she paid $1,107 for an early refill when it would have been free under Medicaid if she had waited three days. Three months later, the 19-year-old woman died of an overdose of Oxycodone, Oxymorphone and Alprazolam at a rest stop on I-25 near Las Cruces on her way to a federal court hearing in El Paso, where she faced charges of smuggling 99 pounds of marijuana from Ciudad Juarez into El Paso. Lucero didnt become a poster child for the opioid overdose crisis, but she has left a legacy of sorts in the form of a legal question that has yet to be resolved: Was the pharmacy responsible for her death because it filled the prescriptions accurately despite red flags of her addiction? Earlier this year, the state Court of Appeals overturned a Bernalillo County District Court ruling that dismissed a lawsuit filed by Luceros estate against the pharmacy, which argued that it had done everything it was required to do by filling her lawful prescription and checking with her doctor. The Appeals Court ruled that pharmacists owe their patients a higher standard of care than simply filling a doctors prescription accurately what the court called a clerical accuracy standard but didnt say what that standard should be. It sent the case back down to district court for further proceedings. We recognize the importance of this question, especially in light of the nations ongoing opioid crisis, the subject of news reports and commentary almost daily, Chief Judge Linda M. Vanzi wrote in the unanimous decision. But the factual record and the law potentially relevant to this determination were not adequately developed nor did the district court actually rule on the issue. The court clearly rejected the clerical accuracy standard argued by the pharmacy, Mark Fine, attorney for Luceros estate, said in a telephone interview. In the current opioid crisis, the court is questioning granting pharmacies the right to shell out these prescriptions with impunity. The office of the law firm that represents May Maple Pharmacy Inc. declined comment because the case is pending. But R. Dale Tinker, executive director of the New Mexico Pharmacists Association, said pharmacists are caught in the middle. They are encouraged to fill legal prescriptions, but we have been working diligently with the state boards to strengthen the standards on prescribing and filling opioid prescriptions, he said. The case was sent back to District Judge C. Shannon Bacon, who had dismissed the claims of negligence against the pharmacy that filled Luceros prescriptions. The state Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal filed by the pharmacy. Red flags Tawana Lucero became a patient of Dr.John Tyson M.D. through the now defunct Doctor On Call LLC in May 2009 for chronic pain and anxiety. Lucero had been in a car accident when she was 16 and complained that she suffered withdrawal symptoms when she didnt have enough painkillers. According to the lawsuit, Tyson ramped up her prescriptions for the drugs. From May through November of 2009, she received 16 prescriptions from Tyson for drugs ranging from Oxycontin, Oxycodone and Xanax. According to court records, Lucero had no known medical condition requiring the pain-killing opiates. Tyson was one of the original defendants and settled out of court. His medical license lapsed while the case continued against the pharmacy. At the time Tyson settled, Luceros estate was represented by her uncle. According to court documents, he absconded with the undisclosed settlement and cant be found. A new representative was appointed by the court to represent Luceros mother. Several of the 30-day prescriptions Tyson wrote for Lucero were for 90 pills of 80-milligram Oxycontin, which is in the upper tier of Oxycontin strength. Four of the prescriptions signed by Tyson indicated that they could be filled early or before the last prescription had lapsed. According to the lawsuit, Lucero filled the prescriptions at May Maple Pharmacy. Attorneys for Luceros estate said the OK to fill early prescriptions should have been one of several red flags to indicate that Lucero was abusing the drugs and that pharmacists at May Maple Pharmacy shouldnt have handed over the narcotics to her. Other red flags included that Lucero paid more than $1,107 cash for her prescription drugs when they would have been free under Medicaid if she waited three days. The size and the strength of the prescriptions were inordinately high, according to court filings. There was also a note in her medical file indicating that a doctor had written a note with the subject Rx Fraud? indicating receipt of a call from an unidentified pharmacist reporting that Lucero had offered to pay more than $1,000 for a refill of her drugs. Attorneys for the pharmacy argued that pharmacists have a duty to fill legally issued prescriptions and that the pharmacists checked with Tyson on more than one occasion. Experts hired by both sides disagreed on what standard pharmacists need to meet when filling prescriptions for opioids. In her Court of Appeals opinion, Judge Vanzi found that dismissing the case without deciding what standards the pharmacy needed to be held to left an insufficient basis for the Court of Appeals to uphold dismissing the pharmacy from the case. Marijuana smuggling In August 2009, Tawana Lucero and her mother, Teresa Lucero, were stopped at the port of entry in El Paso, driving a 1998 Ford Expedition. During the stop, a Customs and Border Protection officer decided that Tawana Lucero was acting in a suspicious manner and referred the vehicle for a secondary inspection. A drug-sniffing dog alerted on the car, and officers found hidden compartments with 99 taped bundles of marijuana strapped to the undercarriage of the Expedition. Tawana Lucero, according to court records, told officers several different stories about how she came to be driving the car. Teresa Lucero told officers they were going to be paid $3,000 to smuggle 30 pounds of marijuana and that they would receive instructions on where to deliver the drugs via cellphone once they cleared U.S. Customs. They were both charged with conspiracy to smuggle and distribute marijuana. Tawana Lucero was scheduled to appear in federal court in El Paso the day she overdosed. Two weeks after her daughters death, Teresa Lucero was sentenced to two years in federal prison for conspiring to smuggle marijuana into the United States. The past few years have brought about exciting yet challenging changes to the health care industry. In terms of treating patients, we have made significant advances and now have multiple medications. Im a rheumatologist, and the symptoms that my patients face can be daunting and life-altering with pain, deformity and fatigue. Often these treatments can mean the difference between remaining employed and becoming disabled. In order to achieve good, timely outcomes, patients need to have access to the appropriate medication I prescribe for their individual condition. Sadly, just as weve seen advancements in treatment options for our patients, weve also seen an increase in barriers to accessing these treatments. One such barrier is known as step therapy or fail first. Havent heard of it? Heres how it works. Doctors prescribe a medication for a patient, based on multiple factors, including their medical history, reactions to previous medication prescriptions, and most importantly, medical expertise. The problem comes when the patient goes to the pharmacy to fill the prescription. Often, patients are told that their insurance company will only cover the cost of the prescribed medication after the patient has tried medications chosen by the health insurer. This goes against doctors wishes, and can often mean delays in care and worsening of the patients condition. Whats worse, if a patient has changed insurers, due to a new job or other reason, they can be forced to fail on medications that they and their doctors have tried before and didnt work for the patient. Specifically with rheumatoid arthritis, a disease that affects 20,000 New Mexicans, most insurance providers require that two medications from the same class be tried prior to changing. Multiple medical publications have shown that this is not the best option for the patient and delays recovery and worsens outcomes. For patients dealing with lifelong, chronic conditions, this can simply be devastating physically, financially and emotionally. Ive had patients simply want to give up because the struggle to get what we believe will help their condition is kept out of reach by their insurer. There is hope for patients in the form of legislation to put parameters in place around fail first. Last year, New Mexicos lawmakers introduced legislation that would do just that by requiring a clear and timely appeals process for patients and doctors when fail first is implemented by a health insurer. The bill would not have banned fail first but does give patients and their medical teams better ways to access medication in a timely manner. It is my hope that our lawmakers can see the reasons for passing this type of legislation to support our patients. We all understand the challenge of reining in health care costs, but these sorts of one-size-fits-all solutions like fail first have the potential to do more harm than good with serious, real life medical consequences for those I treat and thousands more across our state. I urge our state leaders to follow the lead of states like Missouri, Texas, Iowa and others who have put fail first reforms into place. Doing so will be a step forward in protecting the health of New Mexico patients. Placing a finger into the air to see which way the wind blows is an enduring tradition in Washington politics. Just last week, Newt Gingrich the savvy former Republican Speaker of the U.S. House demonstrated that his skill at detecting a breeze is as sharp as ever. Consider Gingrichs tweet from May of this year, after Congress appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate allegations of collusion between President Donald Trumps campaign and the Russian government. Robert Mueller is superb choice to be special counsel, Gingrich assured his 2 million Twitter followers after Congress reached rare bipartisan agreement to appoint Mueller, a former FBI director for Republican and Democratic presidents. His reputation is impeccable for honesty and integrity. Media should now calm down. Fast-forward seven months. Muellers investigation has now racked up four indictments of Trump associates, including his former campaign manager Paul Manafort and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. More could be on the way. The warm bipartisan breeze of acceptance that wafted over Washington following the esteemed Special Counsels appointment last May has morphed into a cold and ominous gale in December at least as far many Republicans are concerned. Mueller is corrupt, Gingrich told FOX News host Laura Ingraham last week. The senior FBI is corrupt. The system is corrupt. Gingrichs comments echo those of Republican members of Congress, who were understandably alarmed by a recent report in the Wall Street Journal that Peter Strzok, a top FBI official working on the Mueller investigation, had ridiculed Trump in private emails. But when the FBI learned of Strzoks emails over the summer, the counter-intelligence expert was reassigned to a job in human resources, according to news reports. So, Strzok is no longer working on the case, but his still undisclosed emails have given Republicans and Fox News ammunition to take shots at Muellers inquiry and the credibility of the FBI. Not all Republicans see it that way. Former Rep. Joe Walsh, a conservative firebrand who now works as a talk radio host, ripped Foxs coverage of Mueller and the FBI in a series of tweets late Thursday night. Walsh called Mueller an American hero. Marine, Vietnam Veteran, he has dedicated his life to serving this country and keeping Americans and America safe. Quit badmouthing him. Cut it out, Walsh tweeted at Fox News. And he wasnt done. When I grew up, the FBI were the good guys, and the Soviet Union were the bad guys, Walsh added in a second tweet. I watch @FoxNews today, and they tell me the FBI are the bad guys, and Russia are the good guys. Such bullst. By the way, I watch Fox News. And CNN. And MSNBC. Id advise anyone who wants more than one perspective on politics to do the same. Better yet, read a newspaper. Thanks for reading this one. The headlines above dont come from news stories. They are just a few of the press releases issued by the U.S. Attorneys Office in Albuquerque during just one three-month period of the Obama administration in 2016. But like the news headlines generated last week in the Kate Steinle case, in which a young woman walking with her father on a San Francisco pier was shot and killed, they and others point to the need for actually having a secure border and the potential deadly consequences of so-called sanctuary city policies. The man who killed Steinle illustrates both points. Jose Ines Garcia Zarate beat murder and manslaughter charges in Steinles death, claiming it was an accidental discharge of a gun he found in a trash bin. Zarate was a convicted felon and had been deported five times coming back into the country illegally every time. Border security, anyone? The jury, of course, was not allowed to hear any of this. Trumps wall might not be the answer but, as Zarate shows, what we have now isnt exactly a deterrent for someone like him. Zarate, now facing new criminal charges because a San Francisco jury did convict him of being a felon in possession of a firearm, was wanted for deportation a sixth time when Steinle was killed, but local jail officials had refused a federal request to detain him because that would violate their sanctuary city rules. Its the equivalent of the local sheriff in a Western movie letting a prisoner out of jail and telling him the marshals on his way, but Im giving you a two-day head start. That same scenario could play out in any or all of the cases highlighted above by Obama-era prosecutors in Albuquerque. Each of the defendants and the press releases make clear that some were already here illegally is facing prison time followed by deportation. But the cartels are flush with cash, and the drug trade pays good money. Each and every one of these defendants could be back on U.S. soil ready to get back to work shortly after being deported. And if upon their return they were to run afoul of local law enforcement? There would be a real possibility they would get that sanctuary city head start running from federal agents. This is not to say local police should be out checking immigration status and enforcing immigration laws. They shouldnt. It is not to say we should not continue to have liberal legal immigration. We should. It is simply that sanctuary city policies should not be used to protect criminals at the expense of public safety. The federal detainer request was a legal tool of the Bush and Obama administrations, and Trump has pursued it aggressively, seeking to cut federal law enforcement funds from local governments that dont comply. Thats not unreasonable. And if the courts and local officials block that effort, Congress should take whatever action it needs to take to stop this. San Franciscos decision to protect criminal aliens led to the preventable and heartbreaking death of Kate Steinle, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. Hes right. Kate Stienle shouldnt be dead. Jose Ines Garcia Zarate shouldnt have been in the country, and he certainly didnt deserve the head start he got because of local sanctuary city policies. And if local officials dont think it can happen here, that its not a problem in New Mexico, they would do well to peruse the headlines of those press releases from the U.S. Attorneys Office. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. JERUSALEM The French and Israeli leaders sparred verbally Sunday over the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, while new violence rippled across the region following the move by U.S. President Donald Trump. In Jerusalem, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli security guard, seriously wounding him in the first attack in the volatile city since Trumps pronouncement Wednesday. In Beirut, scores of Lebanese and Palestinian demonstrators clashed with security forces outside the heavily guarded U.S. Embassy, and Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo demanded that the United States rescind the decision. The move upended decades of U.S. policy, and a longstanding international consensus, that the fate of Jerusalem be decided in negotiations. Israeli and Palestinian claims to the citys eastern sector form the emotional core of their conflict, and Trumps announcement was seen as siding with the Israelis and has drawn wide international criticism. At a meeting in Paris with Israels visiting prime minister, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned recent violence against Israelis. But he also expressed disapproval of Trumps decision, calling it dangerous for peace. It doesnt seem to serve, in the short term, the cause of Israels security and the Israelis themselves, Macron said. He urged Israel to freeze its construction of settlements on occupied lands and called for other confidence-building measures toward the Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has called Trumps decision historic, said Israel has maintained its capital in the city for 70 years and the Jewish connection to Jerusalem goes back 3,000 years. Paris is the capital of France, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, he said. We respect your history and your choices. And we know that as friends, you respect ours. I think the sooner the Palestinians come to grips with this reality, the sooner we move toward peace, he added. The exchange between the two allies set the stage for what could be a tense meeting Monday for Netanyahu with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels. The Jerusalem issue and the moribund peace process are expected to be high on the agenda. Last week, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini warned that Trumps decision has the potential to send us backward to even darker times than the one we are already living in. She also warned that Trumps move could diminish the potential role that the United States could play in the region and create more confusion around this. The meeting could be a precursor for what seems to be an emerging rift between Israel and the U.S. on one side, and Europe and the Palestinians on the other. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said Trumps decision has in effect disqualified the U.S. from continuing in its role as the traditional mediator of peace talks. The Palestinians have spent recent days trying to rally Arab and broader international opposition to the decision. After Abbas political adviser Majdi Khaldi said Saturday that the Palestinian leader wont meet with Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the region this month, a spokeswoman for Pence said Sunday it was unfortunate that the Palestinian Authority is walking away again from an opportunity to discuss the future of the region. EU leaders, including Macron, have reiterated support for establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. Trump has said he would support the idea if both sides endorse it effectively giving Israel a veto over any peace proposal. Netanyahus government is dominated by opponents to Palestinian independence. Trumps Middle East team, headed by his son-in-law Jared Kushner, has been working for months on a peace plan but has not yet released it. Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed the area to its capital in a move that was not internationally recognized. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, along with the West Bank and Gaza Strip. East Jerusalem is home to Judaisms most sacred site, as well as key holy places for Christians and Muslims. These conflicting claims have erupted into deadly bloodshed in the past. A senior U.S. official appealed to world leaders, especially in the Middle East, to calm regional tensions. Acting Assistant Secretary of State David Satterfield told Arab journalists that Trumps pronouncement was merely a recognition of simple reality that Israels government already is in Jerusalem. He said the U.S. was not prejudging final-status negotiations about the citys final borders and expressed hope that world leaders understand the U.S. is committed to moving forward with a peace plan he expects to be unveiled in the new year. This is a question of choice: Do leaders choose to speak to their peoples, to their regions in terms that reflect reality or in terms that incite or inflame? he said. We hope its the former. The Palestinians staged three days of rage after Trumps dramatic announcement, with clashes breaking out in flashpoints across the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, and Gaza militants firing rockets into Israel. Four people in Gaza were killed. In the West Bank, there were dozens of injuries, but no deaths. There were indications that Sundays stabbing at the Jerusalem bus station was motivated by Trumps move, although police did not officially confirm it. They said the attacker was a 24-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank city of Nablus. Israeli media identified him as Yassin Abu al-Qarah, who posted on his Facebook page in recent days about Jerusalem, saying our blood is devoted to the holy city. Comments on his profile called him a hero for the alleged attack. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the guard sustained a serious wound to his upper body and the attacker was apprehended. Palestinian youths also clashed in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, hurling stones at Israeli soldiers, who fired back with rubber bullets and tear gas. In Beirut, Lebanese security forces broke up the protest outside the U.S. Embassy after demonstrators pelted them with stones. After a rowdy start, the protest drew several hundred people and became more peaceful, with demonstrators chanting and singing. Clashes resumed in the afternoon, with security forces chasing and arresting a handful of protesters and lobbing tear gas. Lebanon is home to 450,000 Palestinian refugees, nearly 10 percent of the population. In a resolution long on rhetoric but short on concrete actions, Arab foreign ministers demanded the recognition decision be rescinded and urged the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning Trumps decision. They acknowledged that Washington would most likely veto it. If the U.S. vetoes such a resolution, the Arabs would seek a similar resolution in the U.N. General Assembly, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki told a news conference in Cairo. With few options for the Palestinians, and the Arab world preoccupied by other crises, Arab willingness to press the issue may be limited. In Paris, Netanyahu talked about his quiet but improving relations with Arab countries that look to Israel as an ally against Iran. There is in this a blessing, because this could help pave the way to an ultimate peace between us and our Palestinian neighbors and between us and the rest of the Arab world, he said. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., defended Trumps move. For those who want to say this is a bad idea, Ill tell you: Ask us five or 10 years from now if you still think its a bad idea. Because I really do think this is going to move the ball in the peace process, she told CNNs State of the Union. MONTGOMERY, Ala. In his sternest rebuke yet, Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby said repeatedly Sunday his state can do better than electing fellow Republican Roy Moore to the U.S. Senate, making clear that a write-in candidate was far preferable to a man accused of sexual misconduct. Days before the pivotal race, Shelby, who is Alabamas senior senator, said he had already cast an absentee ballot for another, unspecified Republican, even as other prominent state Republicans fell in line behind Moore. Moore faces Democrat Doug Jones in the special election Tuesday to replace Jeff Sessions, now the U.S. attorney general. I couldnt vote for Roy Moore. I didnt vote for Roy Moore. But I wrote in a distinguished Republican name. And I think a lot of people could do that, Shelby told CNNs State of the Union. The state of Alabama deserves better, he said. Theres a lot of smoke, Shelby said of Moore and his accusers. Got to be some fire somewhere. The accusations against Moore have left many GOP voters and leaders in a quandary. Voters face the decision of whether to vote for Moore, accused of sexual misconduct with teenagers decades ago when he was a county prosecutor, or sending Jones to Washington, which would narrow the GOPs already precarious majority in the Senate. They also could write in a name on their ballots or simply stay home. Meanwhile, most GOP politicians in the state must run for re-election next year where they will face Moores enthusiastic voting base at the polls. Shelby said allegations that Moore had molested a 14-year-girl in particular were a tipping point in disqualifying him. His latest comments cast fresh doubt on a former judge that President Donald Trump and most Republican leaders in Alabama are backing to help maintain the partys narrow 52-48 majority in the Senate. Shelbys outspokenness against a man who could become his colleague was the exception rather than the rule. I have stated both publicly and privately over the last month that unless these allegations were proven to be true I would continue to plan to vote for the Republican nominee, Judge Roy Moore, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill wrote in a text message to The Associated Press. I have already cast my absentee ballot and I voted for Judge Moore. The AP tried to find out how Republican leaders from Alabama plan to vote. Most officeholders or their staffs responded, while others have publicly stated their plans during public appearances or to other media outlets. However, several officeholders did not respond to calls, emails or texts from the AP. They include U.S. Reps. Martha Roby, Mike Rogers and Gary Palmer, as well as state Treasurer Young Boozer and state House Speaker Mac McCutcheon. State officeholders who said they intended to vote for Moore often cited the need to keep the seat in Republican hands. In addition to Merrill, others who plan to vote for Moore include Gov. Kay Ivey; Attorney General Steve Marshall; state Auditor Jim Zeigler; Agriculture Commissioner John McMillan; state Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh; and Public Service Commissioner Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh, who previously led the state GOP. Also voting for Moore are current state party head Terry Lathan and U.S. Reps. Mo Brooks of Huntsville and Robert Aderholt of Haleyville. Shelbys decision has played prominently in Jones ads pointing out Republicans who are not voting for their partys nominee. On Sunday, Shelby acknowledged that if Moore is elected, he would probably have to be seated in the Senate but that an Ethics Committee investigation was already been contemplated to remove him. I think that the Senate has to look at who is fit to serve in the Senate, he said. CNN reported last month that U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne said he will vote Republican and that he does not cast write-in votes. In a statement to the AP, Byrne said it is up to voters to decide. Some serious allegations have been made and Judge Moore has vehemently denied them. Frankly, I dont think the people of Alabama want me, any national politician, or the national news media telling them what to think or how to vote, Byrne said in the statement. The decision is ultimately up to the people of Alabama to evaluate the information they have before them and make an informed decision. We must respect the voters decision. Sen. Luther Strange, who lost to Moore in the Republican primary, did not respond to a request for comment from AP, but told The Washington Post recently that the election is up to voters. Im staying out of it now. I think everybody knows how I feel about Judge Moore. We made our case and the voters made a different decision, Strange told the newspaper in a video on its website. Sessions, who resigned from the Senate to join the Trump administration, declined to say how he would vote. Moore and Jones are competing for his old job. There have been some ads that may have suggested I endorsed a candidate, that is not so, Sessions said. I believe that the people of Alabama will make their own decision. State party loyalty rules could prohibit a GOP politician, or someone who aspires to be one, from publicly backing Moores opponent. The rule says anyone who openly supports another partys nominee over a Republican could be barred from running as a Republican in the future. Ivey became governor earlier this year after Robert Bentley resigned amid a sex scandal involving a much younger female political aide. When reached by the AP, Bentley declined to say who he is voting for Tuesday. Ivey said last month that she has no reason to disbelieve the women who have accused Moore and is bothered by their allegations. But Ivey, who plans to run for governor in 2018, said she will vote for Moore anyway for the sake of GOP power in Congress. Her office did not respond to a request for an updated comment. ___ Associated Press writers Matthew Daly, Sadie Gurman, Donna Cassata and Hope Yen in Washington contributed to this report. SYRACUSE After announcing she is reconsidering a run for Congress in 2018, Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner tweeted a challenge to her would-be opponent, U.S. Rep. John Katko. "@RepJohnKatko After declining to debate the effects of your party's devastating healthcare bill, will you join me to discuss this tax bill with our constituents? Tuesday, December 5. 9 am," she wrote. Katko, R-Camillus, was invited to the event, which was held Tuesday evening at Syracuse Common Council chambers. However, he was in Washington for House session Tuesday. Even if he was available, it's highly unlikely he would have attended. The forum was billed as a tax talk town hall meeting. Miner, D-Syracuse, delivered brief introductory remarks urging central New Yorkers who are upset with certain policies to take charge and change direction. She also challenged Katko, but not by name. "If you believe in the quality of your ideas and the public policies you support, talk to people you represent," she said. Katko was one of four New York Republicans who voted for the House tax plan in November. In multiple interviews, he has said the $1.5 trillion proposal would benefit a "vast majority" of his constituents by doubling the standard deduction and consolidating the number of income tax brackets. He also touted the effects on business. The bill would reduce the corporate tax rate from 35 to 20 percent. But at the tax forum hosted by Miner, constituents spoke for more than an hour about aspects of the plan that they oppose. And the list is long. A provision in the Senate's version of the tax plan would repeal the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate. The 2010 health care law includes a requirement that individuals buy health insurance coverage. Republican senators want to eliminate that requirement a major step toward their ultimate goal of repealing the health care law. Teachers railed against the planned elimination of a $250 deduction ($500 for couples who are teachers) for educators who buy classroom supplies. Donna Oppedisano, a history teacher at Jamesville-DeWitt High School, called the potential loss of the deduction "a travesty." There are other ways the tax plan would impact central New York's education system. One possible change is considering tuition waivers for graduate students as taxable income. This would result in much larger tax bills for graduate students, many of whom only receive modest stipends for working as research or teaching assistants. While Katko supported the bill, he is urging congressional leaders to prevent a tax hike on graduate students. He doesn't want to see tuition waivers considered as income for tax purposes. The partial elimination of the state and local tax deduction is another concern, especially as it relates to funding for schools. In New York, school districts receive a bulk of their funding from property taxes. The tax plan would allow homeowners to deduct up to $10,000 of state and local property taxes. However, the deduction would no longer apply to state and local income and sales taxes. Katko advocated for the compromise that's in the bill the ability to deduct up to $10,000 of property taxes. But opponents argue ending the deduction in its current form will harm high-tax states, such as New York. There is a critique that the tax plan is another attempt at "trickle-down economics," the belief that cutting taxes on corporations and the wealthy will benefit everyone. Dana Balter, who is vying for the Democratic nomination to challenge Katko, slammed trickle-down economics at the town hall. "This country has tried it three times in the last few decades and three times it has failed," she said. One of the main reasons why Miner is reconsidering a run for Congress she had announced in October that she wouldn't challenge Katko in 2018 is the GOP congressman's support of the tax bill. She has criticized many of the plan's provisions, including the elimination of the federal Historic Tax Credit. The credit provides support for the rehabilitation of historic structures. (In a letter released Friday, Katko joined other Republicans in calling for the preservation of the credit.) A few speakers at the tax town hall asked Miner if she will run for Congress. One man, Raul Huerta, wore a "Run Stephanie Run" t-shirt. Miner doesn't have a timeline for when she will make a final decision. She didn't address her possible congressional bid in her remarks. But she did offer a motivational message for attendees. "I want each and every one of you to remember that if you are upset with where we are as a country, with the ideas, with the quality of the civic discourse that we're having, you are responsible for making it better," she said. December 8, 2017 Baghdad On Nov. 30, Bahais celebrated the bicentennial of the birth of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Bahai faith, in a ceremony in Baghdad attended by representatives from the Iraqi parliament, the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR), the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, civil society as well as media activists. This is considered the most prominent ceremony where Bahais officially announced themselves for the first time in 47 years, as the Baathist Revolutionary Command Council issued Decree No. 105 in 1970 to ban Bahai activities. As a consequence, Bahai administrative institutions in Iraq were dissolved and any activity where Bahais declared their religious identity was punishable by imprisonment. Kawakeb Hussein, who was arrested under the 1970 decree, spoke to Al-Monitor about the decrees negative impact on the Bahai identity. She said, The law attempted to obliterate the Bahai religious identity, strip us of our beliefs and dissolve our identity into that of the Muslim majority. However, the Bahais celebration 47 years after the official ban proves that eradicating Bahai belief from Iraq is almost impossible, as it was from Baghdad which the Bahai prophet named the City of God that this worldwide religion was announced. A speaker at the ceremony from the Central Bahai Forum mentioned that Baghdad is a sacred city for Bahais as well as how important it is to hold ceremonies in Baghdad as a solidarity action against the difficult circumstances Iraq is going through. In this context, Aseel Salam, a Bahai activist, told Al-Monitor, The organizing of this ceremony in Baghdad connotes several messages, among which is the importance of Baghdad as a sacred city for Bahais, as it is the capital city where Baha'u'llah launched his call in 1863. His house, where Bahais from all over the world travel to perform pilgrimage, is in Baghdad as well. Moreover, Baghdad holds a special place in Bahai history, as Baha'u'llah was exiled there from Tehran before he was exiled again in Istanbul and Edirne [in Turkey] prior to his last exile in Acre [in Syria, now Israel]. The ceremony included a set of activities, including a joint prayer that stressed the importance of men and women praying together along with people of all ages and different religious backgrounds. They prayed for the unity and safety of Iraq. Solidarity speeches were given by speakers who asked guests to show solidarity with Bahais to obtain official recognition as an Iraqi religious minority. They asked for support to rescind the law on prohibiting Bahai activity, which is still in effect despite the fact that the law contradicts the 2005 constitution, which guarantees freedom of belief to all citizens. The ceremony was concluded with a screening of a film about the life of Baha'u'llah in Arabic to present the history of the Bahai faith and its underlying principles to the attendees. Diaa Yaaqoub, a member of the Central Bahai Forum, explained the main message of the ceremony. He told Al-Monitor, The celebration meant to assert the principles of the Bahai faith, which denounce intolerance and violence, instill gender equality, and make science and religion in concord with each other as well as separate religion from politics, which are principles instilling values of peaceful coexistence and dialogue at a critical time for post-[Islamic State] Iraq amid the loss of confidence among the religious constituents of society. The participation of parliament members in the ceremony highlighted the importance of religious diversity in Iraqi society as well as the responsibility of parliament members to communicate with a religious minority that was subjected to systematic persecution, according to member of parliament Shorouq al-Abaiji. Abaiji, the general secretary of the Civil National Movement, spoke to Al-Monitor about the importance of engaging the parliament in rescinding the law prohibiting the Bahai faith 47 years after it was first issued. We have the available option of filing a lawsuit before the Federal Supreme Court to rescind any jurisdiction that contradicts the constitution, Abaiji added. However, she believes that such actions to instill freedom of thought and belief would not be very effective, as she said, Nevertheless, we have to be realistic. The hegemony of the current intolerant Islamist movements will not allow it. We must first build a powerful civil current to defend such freedoms guaranteed under the constitution. Besides the role that parliament plays, IHCHR is obligated, under Law No. 53 of 2008, to preserve religious and civil diversity and heritage in Iraq. Anas Akram al-Azawi, an IHCHR member, asserted the role IHCHR plays in protecting and promoting human rights, including religious diversity. Azawi told Al-Monitor the reasons why previous IHCHR reports lacked any mention of violations against Bahai rights or failed to recognize them. He said, This does not mean any form of neglecting the rights of this component of the Iraqi society. However, the formation of the IHCHR was a novelty, and having such a multitude of international acts and obligations signed by Iraq as well as lack of resources on religious minorities in Iraq might have been among the reasons that contributed to the lack of vision on the part of the IHCHR in the past. Adding an optimist remark, Azawi said, In this phase, we will work on developing the IHCHR vision in a way that interacts with the challenges facing religious minorities today. Millions of Bahais around the world celebrated the honorary bicentennial of the birth of Baha'u'llah on Oct. 21-22. Bahais in Baghdad celebrated after one month of postponements given the security difficulties and challenges surrounding the ceremony. December 8, 2017 Rarely in recent years has there been so little talk in international corridors on Europe's role in the Middle East. With the Trump administration distancing itself from Brussels, the European Union (EU) has become isolated, and its worldwide influence has been weakened. In fact, US President Donald Trump is not hiding his disrespect for the EU and most of its leaders. He minced no words when talking of British Prime Minister Theresa May, despite his support of Brexit. The same and more is true regarding German Chancellor Angela Merkel, over her immigration policies. Today, leading EU countries are also less integrated given the Brexit talks, and Merkels domestic crisis. This leaves mainly European headquarters in Brussels and Paris active on the Middle Eastern front. A senior source close to Federica Mogherini, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, told Al-Monitor that Mogherini maintains ongoing contact with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, including on Middle Eastern issues. Still, it seems that the administration only partially shares Trumps policy initiatives with her. Trump's proclamation on Jerusalem certainly came as an unpleasant surprise. In fact, Mogherini had conveyed in recent weeks to Washington the EU's support of a US initiative for regional cooperation, as long as it does not harm the Iranian nuclear deal, and as long as it favors an Israeli-Palestinian peace in the form of a two-state solution. Mogherini had also conveyed Europe's strong objections to any new US policy on Jerusalem that could destabilize the region. In her chilly looking meeting with Tillerson in Brussels on Dec. 5, Mogherini reiterated Europe's objection to recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. After Trump's proclamation, Mogherini was quick to state, "The European Union expresses serious concern about todays announcement by the United States President Trump on Jerusalem and the repercussions this may have on the prospect of peace.'' The EU had also been warning both Washington and Jerusalem against settlement expansion in the West Bank. According to the senior official, Brussels is quietly supporting the Palestinian reconciliation agreement, and is in constant contact with Ramallah in order to sustain the Abbas regime. Europe has actually increased its economic assistance both to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said, There is indeed an opportunity to advance an Israeli-Palestinian two-state solution process, especially given the changes in Saudi Arabia for a more moderate Islam and Saudi pride over the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002. We will support a Trump initiative in this direction. But if it fails, 2018 may very well witness an EU regional initiative, because the Israeli-Palestinian status quo cannot be sustained. A senior French Quai dOrsay official echoed the view of the Brussels headquarters. French President Emmanuel Macron is the European leader closest to Trump. Macron decided early on in his presidency to keep an open line of communication with Trump, also on issues of disagreement such as the Paris climate agreement and the value of the Iran nuclear deal. The French president, argued the diplomat, toes the line with Washington on an anti-Islamic terror policy. Macron visited Riyadh on Nov. 9 and coordinated with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman policies against radical terror, also in Lebanon and in Europe. On the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Macron is letting Trump lead the way, for the moment at least. Macron is not following up on the Paris peace conferences on a two-state solution initiated by his predecessor Francois Hollande. Still, Macron's administration has espoused traditional French policy guidelines on a two-state solution. But while letting Trump go ahead with his Middle East initiative, Macron expressed his clear-cut objection to the Jerusalem proclamation, saying in a statement, "Jerusalem: France does not approve the US decision. France supports the two-state solution, Israel and Palestine living in peace and security, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states." He added that conciliation and dialogue need to be fostered. Macron may become more active on the issue in 2018. He is planning this coming spring to visit Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan and Lebanon. The official emphasized that the positions Macron will relate in advance to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah are that the only solution to the issue is a two-state solution; that the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative should be the basis of such a peace process; and that Israels security must be guaranteed in any such solution, also through regional anti-terror cooperation. Macron sees in Jerusalem the capital for two states. More so. The French president spoke to Trump on the phone Dec. 4, expressing his concern over the possibility of the United States recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. It seems that the prevailing approach both in Brussels and in Paris up until this weekend was give Trump a chance. The Jerusalem issue might alter this policy motto. But with or without that, in case of disappointment over the US initiative, the EU may be the one initiating. And if so, France would probably take the lead. A senior PLO official close to Abbas told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the Palestinian president is in close contact with the heads of the EU and is hoping for a European initiative, as he believes that Washingtons policies are tilted toward Israel. A senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official reacted to these European statements with usual cynicism, saying on condition of anonymity that as far as Israel is concerned, the only international player present in the Israeli-Palestinian field be it this year, next year or thereafter is the United States. December 8, 2017 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip In late November, Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of Fatahs Central Committee and the head of Fatahs delegation at the inter-Palestinian talks, pointed an accusing finger at Iran and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, blaming them for undermining the reconciliation. The Palestinian factions the Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian Peoples Party rejected the accusations, which prompted a number of Fatah leaders to issue media statements Dec. 2 to ease the tension between Fatah and the Islamic Jihad sparked by Ahmads remarks. In a television interview on An-Najah channel Nov. 30, Ahmad said, Some of the Islamic Jihad leaders sought to undermine the Fatah-Hamas Palestinian reconciliation. All factions coming from Gaza stressed during the talks in Cairo that there are obstacles to empowering the government, except for the Islamic Jihad delegation, because it views the reconciliation negatively. Islamic Jihad leader Ahmad al-Mudallal told Al-Monitor that the accusations are invalid and unfounded. He said that the reason behind Ahmads accusations is the Islamic Jihads explicit demand in the Nov. 22 Cairo talks that Fatah should pressure President Mahmoud Abbas to immediately lift the sanctions on the Gaza Strip. He added that the factions a total of nine Palestinian factions participating in the talks expressed in a joint statement their rejection that the Rafah crossing be operated under the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access, which allows Israel to monitor passengers on both sides of the crossing. According to Mudallal, the Islamic Jihad factions informed the Fatah delegation in Cairo that the consensus government took over the ministries, institutions and crossings in the Gaza Strip, thus leaving no pretext for maintaining the sanctions on Gaza. The movements clear position angered Ahmad and the Fatah leaders who claim the government was unable to fully operate in Gaza, he added. Mudallal noted that his movement has been one of the main Palestinian factions in favor of ending the split and achieving reconciliation. At the same time, the movement is working with other Palestinian factions to ease the burden on Gazans to promote the Palestinian national project, which he believes is being conspired against internationally in reference to the peace plan that US President Donald Trump is working on. In a Nov. 28 interview with Al-Arabiya TV, Ahmad said that Iran has been funding the Palestinian split from the beginning, and he pointed out that Iran had suspended its financial support to Hamas and set as a condition to resume it that the split persists. Speaking to Al-Monitor, Hossein Sheikh al-Islam, an adviser to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, denied these accusations, saying they are unfounded. He also demanded that Fatah and the Palestinian Authority (PA) refrain from circulating such accusations. Islam noted that from the beginning, Iran has been in favor of an internal Palestinian reconciliation and has never asked for a particular political position on the part of the Palestinian resistance factions, which Iran has been supporting in the face of Israel. He emphasized that Iran blessed all milestones in the previous internal Palestinian reconciliation. The New Arab paper reported Nov. 24 that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked Abbas during his surprise visit to Saudi Arabia in early November to push Hamas away from Iran and Hezbollah and convince the Palestinian factions to engage in a long-term truce with Israel, in exchange for handling the financial dues generated from the Palestinian reconciliation. Yet Abbas told Prince Mohammed that he does not have the capacity to convince Hamas to do so, according to the newspaper. Hassan Abdo, a political analyst at the Center for Palestine Studies and Research in Gaza, told Al-Monitor that the Islamic Jihad stance expressed in the Cairo talks angered Fatah leaders, especially Ahmad. The Islamic Jihad had said that the government in Gaza was handed over to Fatah, but Abbas has not lifted the sanctions on Gaza yet. Abdo said the Islamic Jihad has always backed internal reconciliation. This stance was made clear when the movement did not respond militarily to the killing of 12 Palestinian fighters in a Gaza tunnel bombed by Israel on Oct. 30, to allow for the completion of the reconciliation deal. The Islamic Jihad also avoided confrontation in order for Israel not to have a pretext to escalate the situation in Gaza and undermine the reconciliation efforts. Political analyst Ibrahim Madhoun agrees with Abdo. He told Al-Monitor that the Islamic Jihad still stands at equal distance from both sides of the split, even though it has demanded that Fatah lift sanctions on the Gaza Strip. Madhoun revealed that the Islamic Jihad submitted to Hamas more than one memorandum to end the split and achieve reconciliation in September and October, which Hamas welcomed. Hamas also dissolved its administrative committee, which the PA used as a pretext to impose more sanctions on Gaza. But according to Madhoun, the Islamic Jihad was shocked and deceived by Fatah, which promised the factions that sanctions will be lifted on Gaza once Hamas dissolves the administrative committee. Pessimism continues to prevail in the Palestinian street in light of the accusations over the reconciliation, which is gradually stalemating as the parties continue to postpone the implementation of what was agreed upon in Cairo Oct. 12. While Hamas accuses Fatah and the PA of delaying the implementation of the Cairo agreement, Fatah believes that Hamas has not totally empowered the government in Gaza. December 8, 2017 While the Iraqis' Western allies fighting the Islamic State (IS) are demanding that the Iraqi government dissolve the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), the PMU factions are expanding their influence in the Iraqi state. In his meeting with Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani on Dec. 2, French President Emmanuel Macron called on the Iraqi government to dismantle all militias, including the PMU. Macron said, It is essential that there is gradual demilitarization, in particular of the PMU that established itself in the last few years in Iraq, and that all militias be gradually dismantled. CIA Director Mike Pompeo said in a speech before the defense forum of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute on Dec. 2 that he sent a message to the leader of the Iranian Quds Brigades, Qasem Soleimani, and warned him and the Iranian leadership of any potential attacks from the pro-Iran PMU on US interests in Iraq. On Oct. 2, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, following a joint meeting with the Iraqi and Saudi leaders, said that now the war on IS is over, Iranian-backed militias and their advisers must go home. The statements raised the ire of the pro-PMU axis in Iran and Iraq. Vice President and former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki considered the French statement an absolutely unacceptable intervention. He said that such stances from France are not welcome and that they infringe on the sovereignty of Iraq and its institutions. Shiite members of parliament and PMU leaders such as Ahmed al-Asadi, the former PMU spokesman, responded angrily to Macrons statements and to similar talk demanding the dismantlement of the forces. They considered the PMU a legitimate Iraqi power that no one can call for the disbanding of. Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, said Dec. 4 during a meeting with Humam Hamoudi, the first deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament, The recent demands to disband the PMU indicate a new conspiracy to wreak havoc. He added, The awareness of Iraqi officials especially members of parliament foiled the conspiracy plotted by Iraqs enemies to target the consensus and internal security. Mohammad Golpayegani, the director of the office of Irans supreme leader, indicated that Solemani will not receive or read Pompeo's message to him. Golpayegani said, Soleimani is not interested in talking to the Americans. Pompeo announced the letter because Soleimani did not receive it, and the CIA director wanted to deliver the content to the Iranian leadership publicly. Pompeo said in his Dec. 2 speech at the Reagan Presidential Foundation, What we were communicating to him in that letter was that we will hold him and Iran accountable for any attacks on American interests in Iraq. He added, We wanted to make sure he and the leadership in Iran understood that in a way that was crystal clear." However, Pompeo did not reveal the mechanisms that will be taken if armed groups in Iraq or Syria whose identities are unknown attack US forces. Iran normally adopts this method to attack US interests by avoiding direct confrontation and using varying groups with unknown names. Iranians have sent threats to the Americans that their bases in the region will not stay safe. In an international conference in Tehran Dec. 3, Ali Akbar Velayati, the senior adviser to the Iranian supreme leader, said, The United States and its allies will soon be uprooted from Iraq and the whole region. He said the Americans have built 12 military bases in Syria and plan on multiplying their forces to 10,000 soldiers. He said, They should know that they will be defeated. They want to keep Raqqa, but they will soon realize that they will be kicked out, just like they were in Abu Kamal. The statements of Western leaders against the PMU led PMU leaders to try to quickly expand their political power to protect themselves against any decision to disband them. Hassan Salem, the head of al-Sadiqoun parliamentary bloc affiliated with the PMUs Asaib Ahl al-Haq, said Dec. 6 that a new alliance including the PMU factions will be formed under the name Mujahedeen to actively participate in the upcoming elections. The PMU law that was approved in parliament in 2016 prohibits the factions from participating in elections. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said repeatedly that military forces, including the PMU, cannot participate in elections. It is expected that the PMU leaders running in the elections will resign from the PMU to pave the way for their participation and avoid confrontation with Abadi and violation of the law. However, this does not mean their influence in military factions will vanish. The resignations will be just for show to protect the PMU from any action from the next parliament or government. The PMU will also try to effectuate its policies through its representatives and allies in parliament and the government. Maliki said his bloc, the State of Law Coalition, will ally with the PMU in the upcoming elections. Therefore, the PMU and its allies have a good chance of taking the reins of the upcoming government and winning a parliamentary majority. Abadis choices concerning the PMUs ambitions seem limited. He must adopt more felixibility in terms of the PMU to try to ensure that he stays in his position as prime minister, which then will put him at odds with the United States and its allies demanding the dismantlement of the PMU. December 8, 2017 When foreign capital flows to Turkey began to slow down after 2015, Ankara came up with the idea of citizenship perks. A regulation published in the Official Gazette in January stipulated that foreign nationals who make an investment of at least $2 million in Turkey or buy a home worth at least $1 million and keep it for at least three years would be awarded Turkish citizenship without any other conditions. The regulation covered also those who create at least 100 new jobs or deposit at least $3 million in banks in Turkey for at least three years or purchase government bonds worth at least $3 million and keep them for at least three years. Since then, the greatest impact of the citizenship benefit seems to have been on realty sales. If foreigners continue to buy at the same pace by the end of 2017, Turkey may well close the year with a record in this sector. According to Ministry of Economy figures, home purchases accounted for half of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Turkey in the January-September period. In the first nine months of 2016, Turkey had attracted slightly more than $9 billion in FDI, including $2.9 billion that went to real estate, which represented 32.6% of the total. In the same period this year, the total worth of FDI fell to about $7.3 billion, but realty purchases rose to $3.68 billion or about 50.2% of the total, marking the first time that real estate purchases have outstripped other FDI. The real estate sector may have a reason to celebrate, but the overall outlook for foreign investments is far from rosy. The statistics speak of a roughly 40% decline in non-realty FDI from about $6 billion in the first nine months of 2016 to $3.66 billion in the same period this year. Moreover, the overall trend in FDI flows is clearly deteriorating. Turkey had attracted $13.6 billion in FDI in 2012, $12.9 billion in 2013, $12.8 billion in 2014, $17.5 billion in 2015 and $12.8 billion in 2016. The $7.3 billion figure for the January-September period is an omen that the year-end total could be the worst in the past six years. On the bright side, real estate purchases by foreigners have been on the rise $2.6 billion in 2012, $3 billion in 2013, $4.3 billion in 2014, $4.2 billion in 2015 and $3.9 billion last year. Based on the average quarterly figure for the January-September period, this years total could break a record by reaching about $5 billion. The factors driving this upward trend include the depreciation of the Turkish lira, which has made Turkish homes cheaper, mounting turmoil in Middle Eastern countries, whose citizens figure high on the list of foreign buyers, and Turkeys appeal to Middle Easterners as a Muslim country that is relatively more stable and liberal. Nationals of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia figure prominently among the foreign homebuyers. According to official data, foreigners bought 2,677 homes in Turkey in October, a 71% increase from the same month last year. The sales in the first 10 months stood at 17,918, a 21.3% increase from the same period in 2016. Saudis topped the list in October, purchasing 528 homes, followed by Iraqis with 344, Azerbaijanis with 278, Kuwaitis with 154 and Russians with 125. Tamer Ozyurt, the head of a major homebuilding company, believes that growing instability in the Middle East is an important factor driving the foreign interest. The more calm and stability deteriorates in the Gulf, the more Turkey becomes attractive as a safe region, Ozyurt told Anatolia news agency. Altan Elmas, the president of an association of developers, said he expected that November and December would turn up even higher sale numbers. Mujdat Guler, the chief executive of Nova Holding, a company that acts as an intermediary in home sales to foreigners, told Al-Monitor that Saudis were now buying entire apartment blocks and even entering big housing projects as builders. Saudis have a big potential. They are buying abnormally at the moment. The domestic turbulence in Saudi Arabia will lead to a significant capital flow into the realty sector and other [economic] fields in Turkey, he said. According to Guler, home sales to foreigners would hit $5 billion by year-end. He regretted that Turkey had little to offer to buyers above the middle-income level and was thus missing out on higher turnovers. Our prices are very low. If we can target the high-income level, real estate sales to foreigners in Turkey could spike to between $10 billion and $20 billion per year. Underscoring cultural dimensions, he said, [Muslim] buyers are able to live here as if in their own countries with mosques, calls to prayer and everything. Moreover, those who buy homes in Dubai, for instance, cannot become citizens, but in Turkey, they can. This is a big advantage for us. In light of these figures and projections, the year-end prospect is more or less clear. Turkey appears headed for an all-time record in real estate sales to foreigners, but could end up with the lowest inflow of non-realty FDI in the past six years. December 8, 2017 The death of 35-year-old Ozge Seker in October shortly after her weight loss surgery has put the spotlight on risky gastric sleeve surgery in Turkey. Her death, due to complications and infection, has brought to the surface the ugly reality of the many unreported deaths all over the country following this type of surgery. While the promotion of this medical intervention as a shortcut for losing weight has become big business, the public is not sufficiently aware of the risks of such gastric surgeries and seems blinded by the medias reports of celebrities overnight weight loss. Nationwide debate sparked by Sekers death led to a swift response from the Ministry of Health. On Oct. 20, it released a statement explaining new criteria for gastric sleeve surgery, aiming to minimize the risk of such medical procedures. But the circumstances of Sekers death, including that she weighed only 78 kilograms (172 pounds) prior to it, alarmed the public. Have we all become nuts about our body image? wrote Ayse Arman, daily Hurriyet columnist and one of the most popular female journalists in the country. She continued, What is the big deal if she was seven or eight kilos heavier than what she idealized? At least she would be alive today. Seker is not an exceptional case of a vulnerable woman disturbed by her body image. Many seem eager to go under the knife, and without doing proper research even end up victims of fraudulent doctors. A fake doctor in Adana was recently convicted to six years in prison and fined 4,100 Turkish liras ($1,070) for performing lip augmentation on at least four women. Obesity is on the rise in Turkey and research scarce as it is suggests that the rates of negative body image and eating disturbances are also increasing. A high-pressure environment maintained by the media, peers or family contribute to Turkish women's perception of body ideals. For example, when Ajda Pekkan, a 71-year-old pop star, posted a photo of herself cooking last month, her physique that put young people to shame was in the news and on social media for days. Comments ranged from people questioning whether her buttocks are real to others, expressing hopes that God would grant them such a physique at that age. An academic article titled "Body image among female university students in Turkey: concurrent translation and validation of three body image measures" summarizes the arguments of various scholars who say Westernization and modernization helps explain why many Turkish women are now preoccupied with the shape of their bodies. Glorification of a slender body ideal, the veneration of youth and beauty and insistence of work on the body are mentioned as cultural values of the West that have very powerful impacts and consequences elsewhere. Article co-authors Viren Swami, Leyla Ozgen and Elif Gokcen say the fact that body size has increasingly come to matter in Turkey where full-figured women had usually been venerated has important implications for the treatment of a negative body image by Turkish women.s has important / Unfortunately, the problems seem to start at an early age. Recent studies show that half of Turkey's girls ages 10-17 say they do not have high body esteem. According to the 2017 Dove Global Girls Beauty and Confidence Report, whose results were published Oct. 10, 69% of Turkish girls with medium body esteem avoid activities such as engaging with friends and family, participating in activities outside of the house and trying out for a team or club, versus 51% of those with high body esteem. Moreover, 78% of Turkish girls with medium body esteem will put their health at risk by not seeing a doctor or by skipping meals, versus 51% of those with high body esteem. Dove has partnered with educator Ozgur Bolat and the Community Volunteers Foundation to establish a "self-confidence movement," in collaboration with local educational offices, with the aim of reaching 50,000 youths by the end of 2017 and 500,000 youths by the end of 2020. Various initiatives aim to help girls and women gain self-confidence and attain self-acceptance, and to encourage men and women to lose their negative image of their bodies. One of the latest initiatives is the body positivity movement, which is quickly growing because of the involvement of several women, but primarily feminist and activist Aybala Arslanturk, who has been working on the project for the past year and a half. She told Al-Monitor that even though she knew it would not be easy, she started the movement intending it to be a gathering space, particularly for women and the LGBT community, who are extensively exposed to body shaming. She did not find the Dove report's findings about Turkish girls body image surprising. With so many ideal, beautiful, should-be-like bodies thrown in front of us when not conforming is perceived as a great deficiency and reason for shaming it is impossible to avoid war with our bodies at an early age, Arslanturk said. She emphasized that the "body positivity" movement does not target women only, and focuses on the uniqueness of each individual. Arslanturk creates content for the website bedenolumlamahareketi.com ("bodypositivitymovement" in Turkish) and hopes to soon start publishing stories by writers whose message will be in line with the movement. She also organizes workshops, participates in conferences and connects with the public through various social media platforms. Despite criticism that the movement promotes obesity and living unhealthily, there has also been a positive reception by women who recognize the need to change the imposed standards as ideals. I would like all of us experiencing problems with our bodies to know that we are not alone, she added. Unfortunately, the hypersexualization of girls and women seems pervasive and no longer specific to certain countries. Psychologist Renee Engeln coined the term beauty sickness to describe how cultural obsession with appearance hurts girls and women. Many of her suggestions on how to help girls have a healthy body image could be applicable across borders. However, in Turkey, a negative body image and low self-confidence is also symptomatic of the bigger problem social and gender inequality between men and women, including the traditional belief that women should please men. Different narratives that applaud women for their accomplishments and capabilities rather than for their appearance could help break the unhealthy tide. December 7, 2017 In a move that certain observers saw as an effort to undermine the Kuwaiti emir, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced a new partnership with Saudi Arabia. The announcement came only hours before the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Kuwait on Dec. 4, which fell apart after two hours and was only attended by two council members heads of state: the Kuwaiti and Qatari monarchs. The summit will be remembered as the worst GCC summit to date. In addition, the Kuwaiti efforts to mediate the six-month-old Qatar crisis have thus far proven futile. This new UAE-Saudi partnership represents an alternative to the GCC while the Qatar crisis continues. Yet it is premature to conclude that it intends to be a substitute for the subregional organization founded by six Arabian Peninsula monarchies in 1981. Regardless, the UAE-Saudi partnerships purpose is to achieve between these two nations essentially what the GCC was intended to accomplish among all six of the GCC members: enhance transnational cooperation in the areas of military, economics, culture and politics. The formation of this new partnership is truly illustrative of the UAE and Saudi Arabias close alliance. As Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed put it, the UAE and the kingdom have passed beyond the usual diplomatic ties and could be considered as one. At a time when much turmoil besets the Middle East and security threats loom large in countless areas, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh see the region through prisms that are extremely similar, both being focused on security and opposed to Iran and Qatar. The two countries share the same threat perceptions of the regions dominant nonstate actors: Yemens Houthi rebel movement, Hezbollah, Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, and Islamic State and al-Qaeda franchises. Zayed and Saudi Arabias de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, have an extremely close relationship, which has largely driven Abu Dhabi and Riyadh into closer alignment. Decision-making authority has also consolidated substantially under both Zayed and Prince Mohammed in recent years, underscoring how these two leaders are truly at the helm of the UAE and Saudi Arabias increasingly muscular foreign policies. It is unclear whether this alternative GCC will bring in new member countries. The probability is high that Bahrain will become a member. With Manama heavily influenced by Riyadhs foreign policy and highly dependent on Saudi Arabias security and financial support amid a period of relative instability and economic dilemmas stemming from the 2014 plummeting oil prices Bahrain aligns very closely with Riyadh. The archipelago state has joined all other Saudi-led, security-focused regional blocs and coalitions: the four-member Anti-Terror Quartet (ATQ), the military coalition in Yemen and the 41-member Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), previously known as the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT). Geopolitically, a more delicate question pertains to the relationship the new UAE-Saudi Arabia partnership will have with Kuwait and Oman. As the GCCs two neutral states, Kuwait and Oman want to maintain good relations with all Persian Gulf countries, including Iran and Iraq, particularly in Muscats case. To be sure, the Kuwaiti and Omani leaders want their countries to remain close allies of all in the Riyadh/Abu Dhabi bloc, yet pressure from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to support an anti-Qatari and anti-Iranian foreign policy will not sit well. Kuwait and Oman seek to balance relatively cordial and warm relations with all in the region while promoting greater dialogue in pursuit of solutions to regional conflicts instead of taking sides in wars with strong geosectarian undertones such as Yemen where the Persian Gulfs larger powers have pitted their proxies against each other. Oman despite being a founding member of the GCC and the 41st IMCTC/IMAFT member has sat out of the ATQ and the Riyadh-led Arab military coalition in Yemen. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are unlikely to convince the sultanate to abandon its growing relations with either Qatar or Iran, particularly as both states economic/energy relations with Oman have key roles to play in the countrys plans to economically diversify away from oil. It remains to be seen how Kuwait City or Muscat would calculate the costs and benefits of joining the UAEs recently announced partnership with Saudi Arabia if either receives an invitation to join. As both Kuwait and Oman believe the Qatar crisis could and should be mediated behind closed doors, they remain hopeful for a resolution of the bitter diplomatic row. It is unclear whether Kuwait and Oman will view the UAE-Saudi Arabia partnership as a valuable alternative to the GCC or yet another variable that undermines the prospects for a rapprochement between both sides of the GCCs Qatar rift. At this juncture, the failure of the involved parties to resolve the Qatar crisis is prompting all in the region to seek alternative forums, institutions and coalitions to achieve the objectives that the GCC set out to achieve over 3 decades ago. The UAE, in announcing this new partnership, is signaling its vision to collaborate with those in the GCC that are committed to cooperate in pursuit of its regional agenda and policies. The new partnership will be shaped by a common cause in countering the expansion of Iranian influence and rejecting Qatar as a responsible or trustworthy brother in the Gulf family until Dohas foreign policy adjusts in line with the ATQs demands for a restoration of official diplomatic and economic relations. How this new bilateral institution serves to advance the UAE and Saudi Arabias interests and how it impacts other GCC members in the process will shape its trajectory in the aftermath of this months GCC summit, which marked a low point in the subregional organizations 36-year history. A strange campaign for strange days, and despite being the strangest, it is also the only way to leave behind the sensation of being mired in a bog that wont let us move forward. It is a bog made of political prisoners in prisons with bedbugs, a president in limbo in resistance mode, thousands of citizens that travelled many kilometers to Brussels to civically express their perplexity with an apparently deaf EU and a central government and unionist parties dead set on a "Let's get 'em!" attitude. The uncertainty is damaging many people's economic expectations, and the administration's paralysis leaves political decisions bogged down. Results of opinion polls could change in coming days due to the high number of undecided voters, but if they indicate any reliable trend it is the willingness of a record number of Catalans to vote, and the unique opportunity for Ciudadanos to be the leading party in votes. That makes this campaign a fight for survival, a call for resistance from the pro-sovereignty parties, and an appeal to the order of a united and homogeneous Spain from the parties behind Article 155. If in a traditional election campaign the aim is to draw the future, this time the pro-sovereignty proposal is more to stop the coup and rebuild what Catalonia was politically on October 27th, to recalculate strengths and strategies. To revise strategies, except in the case of the CUP, the party that is the most determined and least worn down by the cold shower of realism that recent years of exercising power, prison, and exile have meant for the majority parties. A headless chicken The political and judicial tidal wave of recent weeks threw the pro-independence camp off its game. There were days when they were running around like a headless chicken. Depression took over ERC due to the imprisonment of its undisputed leader, Oriol Junqueras, with its resources dedicated to legal strategies, and up-and-coming leaders either in prison or the legal antechamber. With the addition of Carles Mundo and Raul Romeva, their proposal gains a bit of consistency, though not any specifics over the "what" and "how" of December 22nd, the day after elections. For his part, Carles Puigdemont, surrounded by little more than some fifteen young team members from his administration, has decided to "keep going". To set the party aside and at the same time maintain the possibility of a worthy result by putting the focus on his particular calling card: the dignity of his office. Puigdemont has a short electoral platform: to resist. And a matching message: fight against Article 155 and the forces that supported it. The lack of a joint slate for the elections is the result of tensions originating in the October 27th independence proclamation and the logistical problems in reacting to Mariano Rajoy calling for elections, which surprised even Garcia Albiol himself. The non-aggression pact between ERC and JxCat, which was to keep strategic errors and disagreements under wraps, was broken this weekend. With two good arguments. On the one hand, President Puigdemont is not willing to give up representing the institution, and thus, wants to reestablish it with himself at the head. On the other, ERC wonders who will act as president if Puigdemont cannot return to Catalonia, or if he ends up in prison. This is a question that the president has refused to answer. Without discounting anything-- such as reappearing in Catalonia, or being sworn in as a representative while abroad, or delaying the taking of office --, there are some names that could be prepared for the succession. From Elsa Artadi to Ferran Mascarell. They would have to lead the metamorphosis of JxCat. The parties are coming into the campaign in two blocks and with one unknown. The pro-independence bloc, divided and with a shares manifesto that aims to put an end to Article 155 and free the prisoners. Likely because it can't face a scenario of confrontation with a State that has legal and economic weapons at its disposal to paralyze it, when independence supporters, with the only good criteria possible, are not willing to call for violence. The other bloc has the opportunity to achieve its best results with, in the case of Ciudadanos and the PP, a proposal for reversing self-government, and, in the case of the PSOE, with the mantra of a phantom constitutional reform. Catalunya en Comu is maintaining its own way made up of nuances at a time of a need for broader strokes. Spain's political regeneration is an enormous project in which many Catalans have long since decided they don't believe. If a reform of Spain were possible, this would be the time to formulate proposals. In two blocs, and with the spirit of "Let's get 'em" prepared to erase four decades of self-government and the tortuous road of recent years, the electorate must go to the polls, even if dragging its feet. http://hotcuprecords.com Mostly Other People Do The Killing, Paint (Hot Cup) Mostly Other People Do The Killing has been a septet, a quintet and a quartet. For Paint , now that saxophonist Jon Irabagon, has left, the band is a trio. Whatever its size, whatever its project, MOPDTKs bassist and leader Moppa Elliott, sees that all of its original tunes are named after towns in Pennsylvania. In this case, the towns names also contain the names of colors, hence the album title. Yes, there is a place in Pennsylvania called Black Horse and a farm called Blue Goose, which coincidentallyis the name of a piece that Duke Ellington recorded twice in 1940. In his book The Swing Era, Gunther Schuller describes Blue Goose as a lesser number, then praises Ellington and his soloists, particularly Johnny Hodges, for transforming it into something quite beyond the reach of most other orchestras. MOPDTKs pianist Ron Stabinsky seems as determined as Ellington to transfigure the piece, some of whose harmonies suggest Stardust, although Blue Goose has a character all its own. Drummer Kevin Sheas chattering strokes abet Stabinskys wild ride through the changes, far from the pairs only sparring matches in this exhilarating collection. Among other moments of abandon are departures into Latin rhythm in Black Horse. It was written by Elliott, as was all of the music on the album except for the Ellington piece. Not all is fun and games. Golden Hill is a waltz with an aggressive attitude, but not as aggressive as another waltz, Plum Run. Orangeville is bluesy, soulful, waltzy, repetitive and laced with drum-bass conversations. Stabinsky gets as wild as Jaki Byard or Cecil Taylor shortly before the piece comes to an abrupt end. Relatively peaceful, relatively calm and conventional, Whitehall ends a bracing listening experience, but be warnedor encouraged; with this band, nothing is conventional. Email Newsletters Get the best of The Aspen Daily News in your inbox. Our newsletters are free, and you can unsubscribe at any time. The deputy chair of Ashurst is to retire from the firm she joined four decades ago.Mary Padburys time at what is now a global law firm began in 1981 at the legacy firm Blake & Riggall, and made partner a year after a four-way merger created Blake Dawson Waldron.During the Blake Dawson years, and later under the Ashurst brand the merger for which she led the negotiations - Padbury held various leadership roles in Australia and the UK, including chairman for three terms until 2013 when she was elected vice-chairman."I feel very fortunate to have had so many varied opportunities to serve our clients and the firm and work alongside so many wonderful colleagues in doing so. I am proud to be leaving a fully integrated and successful international firm capably led by our Chairman Ben Tidswell and Managing Partner Paul Jenkins ," she said.Ms. Padbury will remain at the firm until the end of April 2018 and will then focus on a non-executive director career. She already serves on several boards including Commonwealth Bank of Australia.Paul Jenkins, Ashursts global CEO paid tribute to one of the firms stalwarts."Mary has been critical to our success as a firm. She was an instrumental leader in steering Blake Dawson through the merger with Ashurst, a merger that transformed the firm and the legal market. Her intellect, energy and strategic insight were integral to every stage of the process of becoming a fully financially integrated global firm. We have been very fortunate to have Mary as a leader of our firm for over 15 years and I am personally grateful for everything she has done for us," Jenkins said.Denise Jong will become Asia Pacific managing partner at global firm Reed Smith from 1st January 2018.She trained with the firm in London, became partner in 1998, and is currently co-chair of the global corporate practice, and based in Hong Kong.The firm created the regional managing partner role alongside counterparts in the Americas and Europe in August last year to allow for better geographic responsibilities. Jong succeeds Roger Parker who becomes special counsel to the firm.Reed Smiths practice in Asia has grown considerably over the past decade thanks to Rogers leadership and the commitment of our partners throughout the region to our shared vision. I look forward to continuing to grow the practice in line with the firms business needs and using my experience of working in the region to ensure Reed Smith is able to best serve its clients, said Denise Jong.Dentons has appointed a CEO for its NextLaw Labs tech start-up accelerator.Marie Bernard will head the Lab from her Berlin base, allowing Dan Jansen to focus on law-tech investment firm NextLaw Ventures; he is currently CEO of both and will continue to be a strategic adviser to the Lab."Dentons, through Nextlaw Labs and Nextlaw Ventures, is poised to take another step in challenging the status quo of the legal profession," commented Dentons Global Chairman Joe Andrew.As part of its focus on the future business of law, Dentons launched NextLaw In-House Solutions last month as part of its NextLaw brand. The first teaser for the 2019 Avalon, a.k.a. the fifth generation, shows the drivers side headlight, part of the hood, and an aggressive-looking front bumper. The image is a clear indicator Toyota has gone for a sportier design, trying to outdo the Nissan Maxima at its own piece de resistance.In addition to the teaser, Toyota released a brief statement on whats in the offing, centered around the words style, dynamism, and actualized. With the debut set for January 15 at 1:05 PM, all there is to do until the day of unveiling is to predict what goodies are to be expected from the Avalon.Based on spy photos of pre-production prototypes , the newcomer is wider and longer than the model itll be replacing. The longer wheelbase also translates to more legroom, while the conservative-looking roofline is an indicator headroom in the rear will be adequate even for taller passengers.Under the skin, the Avalon will put the Toyota New Global Architecture ( TNGA ) to good use. Engine options shouldnt differ from the 2018 MY, meaning that customers will be able to choose between a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain and 3.5-liter V6. The more eco-friendly setup should soldier on with a continuously variable transmission, whilst the V6-powered Avalon will borrow the eight-speed automatic from the Camry.Despite the fact the full-size segment is not as popular as it was five years ago because of the SUV and crossover onslaught , Toyota hopes the all-new Avalon will turn things around. To get an idea how bad sedans are doing in the U.S., sales of the Avalon dropped by 30 percent through November 2017. We think Musk's reason behind this method is actually building hype around his companies' projects. So what if they don't deliver everything they promise on time? He can always invoke the fact he's essentially revolutionizing a century-old industry - something nobody can argue against - and that's hard work.One of the areas where the Tesla CEO has been particularly brash is the autonomous technology in cars. In late 2015, Musk claimed it would only be two years until cars became fully self-driven, but here we are with 2017 almost gone and the technology still seems not to be quite there yet.This wasn't the only thing Musk got wrong about AI-controlled vehicles, though. You could say that was just a prediction, not a promise, so it shouldn't really reflect badly on the company, but rather on his abilities to earn a living as a futurologist.However, the intrepid businessman also claimed that by the end of this very year, a Tesla vehicle of unspecified nature would complete a coast-to-coast road trip without the driver actually deserving the name since they wouldn't touch the steering wheel even once.That was meant as a show of force, showing his company's advantage over the competition and placing Tesla at the head of the race for autonomous driving tech. What the CEO failed to predict was that, following the break-up with Mobileye last year, Tesla was forced to rewrite all the software for its Autopilot 2-equipped cars, and that proved to be more difficult than anticipated.Musk probably decided to let the Semi and 2nd Roadster presentation take people's minds off that promised autonomous journey, and it kind of worked. Now, we find out (via Electrek ) that, during the Neural Information Processing Systems conference, Musk pushed back his prediction for fully-autonomous vehicles (Level 5) for another two years. He also said that one year further from then, the AI would actually become a better driver than any human.Tesla remains adamant over its decision to rely strictly on video cameras, radars and ultrasonic sensors to reach Level 5 autonomy despite the rest of the industry betting big on LIDAR. Musk said that all vehicles built starting late last year have the necessary hardware for complete autonomy built into them and it's just the software that's missing. It looks like the owners of these cars would have to wait at least two more years to be able to take full advantage of the options they paid for as early as 2016, but at least they can live knowing their leap of faith helped develop the technology. Trump speaks to supporters in Penascola. Photo: Jonathan Bachman / AP An AP Fact Check finds a few inaccuracies in President Trump's 85-minute rally remarks in Pensacola, Florida, on Friday night: Trump said "black homeownership just hit the highest level it has ever been in the history of our country." Not true or even close. The U.S. Census finds that the black homeownership rate peaked during 2004, when 49.7% of black households owned homes (the rate for all races that year reached 69.2%, also a modern record). This year: 42.7% in the first quarter, 42.3% in the second and 42% in the third. Quarterly rates this year for the total U.S. population: 63.6%, 63.7% and 63.9%. Two days ahead of the Alabama election, Roy Moore's chief political strategist, Dean Young, said, "If the people of Alabama vote for the liberal Democrat, Doug Jones, then they're voting against the president ... This is Donald Trump on trial in Alabama," on ABC's This Week. Why it matters: The Moore camp wants to make Tuesday's election a referendum on Trump. The backdrop: Moore has been accused of sexual misconduct by nine different women, including one who alleges he inappropriately touched her when she was 14 years old, but he's largely regained Republican support ahead of Election Day. More from Young: "I highly doubt there will be a Senate investigation. If there is, Judge Moore will be found telling the truth, just like he always has." there will be a Senate investigation. If there is, Judge Moore will be found telling the truth, just like he always has." "I need you people in Alabama not the fall for all the false allegations that just appeared three or four weeks ago." Alabama's other senator, Richard Shelby: "The Senate's going to have to weigh, if Roy Moore wins, his fitness to serve," on CNN's State of the Union. Democrat Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama: "Listen, the state of Alabama voted for this president by 28 points. The fact that we're closed and narrowed into a statistical dead heat is really important." Rep. Adam Schiff the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee investigating contact between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin said the evidence of coordination is "pretty damning" on CNN's "State of the Union." "We have all of these facts in chronology, you'd have to believe that these were all isolated incidents, not connected to each other just doesn't make rational sense ... We do know this: the Russians offered help, the campaign accepted help, the Russians gave help and the president made full use of that help. That is pretty damning, whether it is proof beyond a reasonable doubt of conspiracy or not." Richard Shelby, Alabama's senior senator, told Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that the Ethics Committee will have to investigate Roy Moore should he be elected on Tuesday, and the Senate will have to make a decision as to whether he's fit to serve. Why it matters: As the NY Times' Jonathan Martin notes, "The most senior Ala R goes on natl TV to torpedo his would-be colleague!... Shelby has been in Cong for 40 years. He knew exactly what he was doing accepting this Sunday show invite." One in five American young adults under the age of 25 lives with a mental illness or behavioral disorder, NBC reports, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The big picture: Per the CDC's research, the state of young adult mental health in the U.S. is only worsening, with the suicide rate among teenage girls reaching a 40-year high in 2015. Here's a look at the numbers that tell the story of this crisis. The numbers: The March Against Racism in Boston Common in 1974. Photo: Frank C. Curtin / AP A deep-dive into racial inequities from the Boston Globe's Spotlight team reveals the cities where gaps between white and black residents are closing and the cities where little has changed since the 1970s. The big picture: A survey commissioned by the Globe found that 54% of African-Americans feel Boston isn't welcoming to people of color, the highest of the cities surveyed. That percentage is 34% for Chicago and 28% for New York. Atlanta fares best, at 16%. Boston 7% of residents are black; 73% are white 54% of African-Americans believe the city is unwelcoming to people of color 4 neighborhoods have visible black middle class populations meaning, per the Globe's analysis, "At least 15 percent of the residents are black; and among the black residents, at least 30 percent had a four-year college degree and their household income was at or above the median for their metro area." New York 16% of residents are black; 48% are white 28% of African-Americans believe the city is unwelcoming to people of color 150 neighborhoods have visible black middle class populations Washington, D.C. 25% of residents are black; 47% are white 119 neighborhoods have visible black middle class populations Philadelphia 20% of residents are black; 63% are white 34% of African-Americans believe the city is unwelcoming to people of color 36 neighborhoods have visible black middle class populations Chicago 17% of residents are black, 54% are white 34% of African-Americans believe the city is unwelcoming to people of color 33 neighborhoods have visible black middle class populations Atlanta 33% of residents are black; 49% are white 16% of African-Americans believe the city is unwelcoming to people of color 110 neighborhoods have visible black middle class populations Dallas 15% of residents are black; 49% are white 50 neighborhoods have visible black middle class populations Houston 17% of residents are black; 38% are white 57 neighborhoods have visible black middle class populations Miami 20% of residents are black, 33% are white 24% of African-Americans believe the city is unwelcoming to people of color 38 neighborhoods have visible black middle class populations Los Angeles 6% of residents are black; 31% are white 24 neighborhoods have visible black middle class populations Charlotte 35% of residents are black, 45% are white 38% of African-Americans believe the city is unwelcoming to people of color San Francisco 6% of residents are black, 54% are white 34% of African-Americans believe the city is unwelcoming to people of color 9 neighborhoods have visible black middle class populations Go Deeper: The full piece from the Globe is well worth the click. A TV is on in the West Wing of the White House. Photo: Susan Walsh / AP Read this sentence twice to understand this year and Trump: "Before taking office, Mr. Trump told top aides to think of each presidential day as an episode in a television show in which he vanquishes rivals." That's from a juicy N.Y. Times tour de force on the president's style and habits, "The President vs. the Presidency ... Inside Trump's Hour-by-Hour Battle for Self-Preservation," by Maggie Haberman, Glenn Thrush and Peter Baker. It's been one helluva season for this Trump show: "Around 5:30 each morning, President Trump wakes and tunes into ... CNN for news, moves to 'Fox & Friends' for comfort and messaging ideas, and sometimes watches MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' because, friends suspect, it fires him up for the day." each morning, President Trump wakes and tunes into ... CNN for news, moves to 'Fox & Friends' for comfort and messaging ideas, and sometimes watches MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' because, friends suspect, it fires him up for the day." "Trump spends at least four hours a day, and sometimes as much as twice that, in front of a television, sometimes with the volume muted." at least four hours a day, and sometimes as much as twice that, in front of a television, sometimes with the volume muted." "Watching cable, he shares thoughts with anyone in the room, even the household staff he summons via a button for lunch or for one of the dozen Diet Cokes he consumes each day." he shares thoughts with anyone in the room, even the household staff he summons via a button for lunch or for one of the dozen Diet Cokes he consumes each day." "Trump is an avid newspaper reader who still marks up a half-dozen papers with comments in black Sharpie pen ... [Steve] Bannon has told allies that Mr. Trump only 'reads to reinforce.'" an avid newspaper reader who still marks up a half-dozen papers with comments in black Sharpie pen ... [Steve] Bannon has told allies that Mr. Trump only "As he ends his first year in office, Mr. Trump is redefining what it means to be president. He sees the highest office in the land ... as a prize he must fight to protect every waking moment, and Twitter is his Excalibur. Despite all his bluster, he views himself less as a titan dominating the world stage than a maligned outsider engaged in a struggle to be taken seriously." his first year in office, Mr. Trump is redefining what it means to be president. He sees the highest office in the land ... as a prize he must fight to protect every waking moment, and Despite all his bluster, he views himself less as a titan dominating the world stage than a maligned outsider engaged in a struggle to be taken seriously." "Trump still takes shots at Mark Cuban, a fellow rich-guy reality star, and expresses disappointment that Tom Brady ... has distanced himself." at Mark Cuban, a fellow rich-guy reality star, and expresses disappointment that Tom Brady ... has distanced himself." After dinner, he "sometimes 'hate-watches' CNN to get worked up, especially Don Lemon." "In between , it is time for phone calls ... In recent weeks, Mr. Trump's friends have noticed a different pitch, acknowledging that many aides and even his own relatives could be hurt by Mr. Mueller's investigation. As for himself, he has adopted a surprisingly fatalistic attitude ... 'It's life,' he said of the investigation." , it is time for phone calls ... In recent weeks, Mr. Trump's friends have noticed a different pitch, acknowledging that many aides and even his own relatives could be hurt by Mr. Mueller's investigation. As for himself, he has adopted a surprisingly fatalistic attitude ... 'It's life,' he said of the investigation." "From there it is off to bed for what usually amounts to five or six hours of sleep." it is off to bed for what usually amounts to five or six hours of sleep." Get your Sharpie out. P.S. The article has this footnote: "Glenn Thrush contributed to this article before he was suspended pending the result of an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior. Matt Apuzzo also contributed reporting." President Trump is declining to accept Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel's apology, and is now calling for his firing: .@daveweigel of the Washington Post just admitted that his picture was a FAKE (fraud?) showing an almost empty arena last night for my speech in Pensacola when, in fact, he knew the arena was packed (as shown also on T.V.). FAKE NEWS, he should be fired. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017 Background: Weigel tweeted, then deleted, a photo on Saturday from Trump's Friday rally in Florida. Weigel's tweet mocked Trump for claiming the crowd was "to the rafters." When the president called on Weigel to apologize and added visual evidence of the crowd size, Weigel promptly apologized for his error. .@DaveWeigel @WashingtonPost put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo! pic.twitter.com/XAblFGh1ob Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017 Sure thing: I apologize. I deleted the photo after @dmartosko told me I'd gotten it wrong. Was confused by the image of you walking in the bottom right corner. https://t.co/fQY7GMNSaD Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) December 9, 2017 10 December 2017 10:26 (UTC+04:00) Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 115 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Dec. 10. Armenians were using large-caliber machine guns. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 December 2017 10:00 (UTC+04:00) By 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. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 December 2017 11:02 (UTC+04:00) By 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 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. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 December 2017 11:28 (UTC+04:00) By 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. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 10 December 2017 13:09 (UTC+04:00) By Trend Irans President Hassan Rouhani has unveiled Irans conditions for normalizing ties with Saudi Arabia. If Riyadh stops airstrikes in Yemen and bowing to Israel Iran will have no problem to resume ties with Saudi Arabia, Rouhani said, the state-run IRINN TV reported Dec. 10. In recent years, we have returned stability and security to the region, Rouhani said, adding that, we kiss the hands of the warriors of Islam and resistance because they disappointed global arrogance, secured Iraq and Syria. Of course, I do not want to say that security problems have been resolved and over, but the main pillars of terrorism have collapsed in the region, he added. Iranian officials refer to their regional alliance with Lebanese group Hezbollah and Syrian government against Israel as resistance movement, or "axis of resistance." The Iranian president further expressed hope that Yemen also will be secure and safe as Syria, Iraq and Lebanon as well in the future. Rouhani also referred to the US President Donald Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital as a new plot by the United States and Israel. He said that Iran will take any step to support Palestinians and holy position of al-Quds. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Controversial far-right group Britain First have had to call off a planned rally in Belfast. It had been scheduled to stage a protest on Sunday in opposition to criminal charges taken against its deputy leader Jayda Fransen. On the event's Facebook page, it called for people to: "Join us in Belfast to demand free speech for Jayda and for these charges to be dropped!" A counter demonstration had also been scheduled for Sunday to take place at the same time. The 31-year-old was arrested in the south-east London area of Bromley last month by detective from the PSNI and later charged with using threatening and abusive language at a rally outside Belfast City Hall during the August. She has been bailed to appear at Belfast Magistrates' Court on December 14. In a video posted on the group's Facebook page on Sunday morning by its leader Paul Golding said: "Unfortunately because of this snow storm thats causing chaos at most UK airports, we are not going to be able to make it over to Belfast today. Weve been stranded here at the airport." Deputy leader Ms Fransen also appears in the video, and confirmed she will be in Belfast on Thursday for her court appearance. The group is known for its social media presence, where it regularly posts anti-Muslim videos. It came to greater notoriety after a number of unverified videos posted to social media by Ms Fransen were re-tweeted by US President Donald Trump. The party was deregistered by the the Electoral Commission in November, which the Guardian says was for failing to confirm its details were correct and pay a routine fee of 25 - which means it now cannot place candidates on ballot papers under the party name. Jayda Fransen stood for election in 2014 in Rochester and Strood by-election, receiving 56 votes. 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. 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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. 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 The husband of imprisoned UK woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has hailed the "first ripple of freedom", as a new court case against his wife was postponed. Richard Ratcliffe said the move came in the wake of the UK Foreign Secretary's two-day visit to Iran where Boris Johnson has been seeking her release. He said his family have spent the weekend "watching closely with hope", as Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe said she could now "see some light". Mr Johnson today held talks with president, Hassan Rouhani, where they "both spoke forthrightly", and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday which was "frank" and constructive". "I said I thought that if the Foreign Secretary had a good Saturday, we might have a good Sunday, with a court case postponed," Mr Ratcliffe said in a statement. "And so it has come to pass. Today is one of the good days in the past 20 months. "This weekend we had our first ripple of freedom, with the postponement of Nazanin's new court case. "Of course who knows what lies ahead, the past 20 months have had plenty of false turns - but my hope is that the ripple in the days ahead might become a full change of tide. "My hope today is as Nazanin once wrote: Freedom feels one day closer, that Christmas dream remains." Mr Ratcliffe said just a month ago he was "cursing" Mr Johnson, but said that "to date he has been as good as his word". "He did get to Iran, he did get there before her court case, and that did make a difference," he added. "Of course, one swallow doesn't make a Christmas - Nazanin is not yet on a plane. But it is good to have at least a swallow in the sky." The news came as it remained unclear whether Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe would be taken back to court today following threats to increase her sentence by five years after Mr Johnson incorrectly told a parliamentary committee that she had been in Iran to train journalists. Mother-of-one Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. She is currently serving a five-year sentence over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government. In statement Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe said she could "see some light today, more than before". "The court, the imprisonment emerged all of a sudden out of the blue, so I hope it can disappear out of the blue also - if there is enough will," she said. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe said there have been two or three times before when she felt like she might be getting close to freedom, but was ultimately left disappointed. "This time, again it feels close, but I am not planning it, not setting a date for myself," she added. Mr Ratcliffe said Mr Johnson also used his visit to Iran to meet with the family of his wife - spending 45 minutes with them on Saturday evening. He promised them he would do his best to solve the case and that he would make strong representations during his meeting with President Rouhani and had discussed her in every meeting so far, the Free Nazanin Campaign said. Mr Ratcliffe said he is expecting a fuller debrief from the Foreign Office on Mr Johnson's efforts once he returns from the region, either on Monday or Tuesday. The main political backers in support of the investigation into the future of journalism are no longer involved with the Senate committee, leading to a mass reshuffle of members and uncertainty about the future of the inquiry. When the inquiry launched in May, to examine the structure of media organisations, tax arrangements and the increase of fake news, it was heavily backed by an alliance of senators - Scott Ludlam, Nick Xenophon, Sam Dastyari and Jacqui Lambie. This alliance has now come apart. Two months after the launch of the Senate committee, deputy chair Mr Ludlam resigned after finding he was ineligible to hold office after failing to renounce his New Zealand citizenship. Ms Lambie resigned later in the year after finding she was entitled to UK citizenship. In October, member Mr Xenophon announced he would leave federal politics to head back to state politics in South Australia. Retail Food Group, the franchisor of iconic brands including Brumby's, Donut King and Gloria Jean's, has issued a warning to store owners not to air their complaints in public or risk breaching their franchise agreement. The memo was sent to store owners across the country on Saturday in response to a Fairfax Media investigation that revealed hundreds of stores were going to the wall as a result of a brutal business model. One franchisee, Wayne Hong, described life as an RFG franchisee as akin to slavery. "They treat us like dogs," he said. Other brands including Michel's Patisserie, Brumby's are also for sale. In recent months RFG has become a target of hedge funds after it was forced to restate its accounts in August. According to shortman.com.au it is one of the 10 most shorted stocks on the ASX. Since the story broke at the weekend, hundreds of franchisees have come forward, describing life inside the RFG machine as a financial trap. Some suppliers have emailed with tales that RFG is slow at paying its bills. Some staff say the culture inside the RFG machine is toxic with a lot of staff turnover. A difficult retail environment has contributed to the demise of many stores but the investigation also revealed hard-nosed business practices imposed by the RFG head office including fee gouging, churn and excessive cost cutting. Described as the richest chief executive on the Gold Coast in 2015 by BRW with a fortune of $147 million, Alford's reign at RFG between 1996 and 2017 cemented the company's reputation as fast-growing profit machine as it snapped up a series of franchise brands and expanded into 81 countries. Alford has arguably been the key player in RFG's remarkable story. With serious questions being asked about RFG, it is worth examining how he became such an influential figure within the ASX-listed company. Humble beginnings Alford moved from the sleepy town of Ulverstone on Tasmania's north coast in the 1980s to open up an accounting practice in Southport Queensland with the now deceased Paul Ebbage. It was in Southport, the Gold Coast's central business district, that he established himself as the go-to man for tax minimisation in the area, say people who knew him at the time. Former RFG CEO Tony Alford (left). Credit:Instagram The firm was called Alford Ebbage and became Alfords after Ebbage's death in 1998. It excelled in setting up and administering family trusts and attracted the rich, including Hutchence. A former senior executive and shareholder at RFG recalls seeing Alford in the late 1990s writing on a whiteboard, "now who likes to pay tax?" But it was Alford's meteoric rise at RFG which made him legendary. He joined in 1994 as an external adviser and quickly climbed the ranks. In just over a decade Alford was ensconced as the chief executive and major shareholder. His next move was to list the company on the ASX. Shareholders in the original float include his associate Colin Diamond and future partner and RFG executive Alicia Atkinson. There was also Karl Farmer, a long-time employee of the Alfords' accountancy practice and the current owner of the firm. Karl Farmer, owner Alfords Accounting. At the time of RFG's float on June 22, 2006 the stake owned by entities associated with Alford had ballooned to 39 per cent but through some complex structures. For example, company documents show that 8 per cent of RFG was held by Rastus Pty Ltd, a private company which lists Diamond and Alford as the shareholders. Later in 2006, Alford told the ASX he had transferred this non-beneficial interest to a third party. Within 18 months of RFG floating, Rastus had sold its shares. Documents filed with the ASX show the stake was sold at 85c per share to a Mauritius company called Gotham City. The shares were sold well below the issue price of $1 and well below the market price at the time of $1.85. The remainder of Alford's stake has been held over the years through a complex series of no fewer than 10 family trusts. Nearly all of the entities associated with Alford do not list him as a director or shareholder but shareholder disclosures show the companies each run different Alford family trusts. It appears Alford has never included Atkinson's shares in his declarations despite them having been in a relationship for many years. Alford stepped down as managing director and CEO of Retail Food Group last year after 20 years in senior roles. He remained on the board until July 3 this year. Alicia Atkinson (centre). Atkinson followed Alford out of the business in 2017. Instagram posts by Atkinson's adult children congratulate her on her retirement. She is 47. At RFG'S annual meeting in 2016, chairman Colin Archer paid tribute to Alford. Praising his "incredible" achievements and "enormous" contribution to the company's success". Archer observed: "Tony presided over the company's remarkable growth from an obscure and challenged franchisor to a global full service food and beverage company". At the time of the tribute, RFG's shares were trading at more than $6 a share. Under Alford's stewardship, RFG became renowned as franchise amalgamator, making at least 15 acquisitions valued at almost $500 million. "RFG has continued to flourish as a public company under his (Alford's) leadership, experiencing rapid but controlled growth as a consequence of the strategies employed during his tenure. His achievements are manifold," Archer said in February, 2016. Retail Food Group chairman Colin Archer was glowing in his assessment of Tony Alford's tenure. Credit:Dan Peled But not every deal was announced publicly. The company's 2016 annual report briefly notes the sale of management rights to the Gloria Jeans Drive Thru business. Described by the company in a 2016 presentation to shareholders as an important growth engine, Gloria Jeans Drive Thru is responsible for the roll-out of a new format of commuter-friendly coffee stores at petrol stations and other high-traffic areas. The annual report does not say how much the rights were sold for or who bought them. However, a search of company documents shows Atkinson, Gary Best, who is Alford's friend and a long time RFG executive, as well as Gloria Jeans founder Nabi Saleh are all shareholders of GJDT Holdings, the private company that holds the rights. The drive through business sells stores to franchisees for between $500,000 and $700,000 a store. It is not known why RFG sold the management given its deep knowledge of the local market. Alford was in charge of RFG at the time but it is not known if he and Atkinson were a couple then. As the purchase price is unknown it is also unclear if it should been declared as a material event under ASX rules. Alford and Atkinson did not respond to Fairfax Media's detailed questions that were sent via email, text message and express post. The questions were also sent to them care of Alfords' accounting business, where they are both still clients. Neither responded. Nor did RFG respond to questions about the deal. Murky waters While Alford's involvement in the RFG itself is unclear, it appears set to remain that way. Between June 2016 and September this year Alford's brother Gary was promoted to joint CEO alongside another RFG executive, Andre Nell. Tony Alford soon stepped down to become a managing director, leaving Nell to take up the role of managing director. Gary also stepped down in September. Retail Food Group's Gary Alford stepped down in September. Credit:Remco Jansen Another mystery surrounding RFG is the exact size of Alford's shareholding. Up until June 30, 2017, Alford owned about 11.2 per cent of RFG's stock. However, in September he issued a shareholder notice explaining how he was "decoupling" his stake from a single holding into various entities. The upshot of the "decoupling" is that it will be difficult for investors to know whether he continues to maintain his holding in the company or will continue to sell it down. In the meantime, both Atkinson and Alford are diversifying their asset base. According to several media reports, Alford was behind the purchase of a $6.4 million home in Port Douglas in 2016. During the same year an entity that counts Atkinson as the sole director and shareholder, GJDT Investments, purchased a Great Gatsby-inspired mansion in the lush Gold Coast area of Tamborine Mountain for $5.5 million. The Tamborine Mountain home Alicia Atkinson is tipped to have bought. And at around the same time Alford's property company Kendall Street Developments is unloading 11 blocks of prime Byron Bay beachfront development land that agents estimate could deliver a $40 million windfall for the executive. Alford, his family, Atkinson and other associates may be preparing for retirement but the news is not so good for others associated with RFG. There are many franchisees who are have been driven to the wall. And then there's the shareholders, who are also now hurting. There are concerns that RFG's model is flawed and showing signs of stress including rising receivables and ballooning vendor finance. In the past year, hedge funds have started to circle the company, making it one of the 10 most shorted stocks on the ASX, according to shortman.com.au. The company's credibility took a belting when it was forced to restate its accounts in August. A key concern is the health of RFG's franchised brands, some of which like Esquires Coffee and BB's Cafe have been closing in recent years as some franchisees decided to walk away or not renew their agreements. There are also concerns that the value of the stores are plummeting. One woman in Currimundi on the Sunshine Coast, who did not want to be named, put her Donut King for sale for $1, while others have walked away losing hundreds of thousands of dollars after failing to find a buyer. Most of the top tier broking houses don't cover the stock due to its falling market capitalisation of about $800 million. However, UBS has a sell recommendation on the stock. In August the Swiss house cut its valuation by 19 per cent to $4.34 a share. Earlier in the year, RFG had been trading at more than $6. Concerns include it not meeting a self-imposed target of lifting stores from 2500 currently to 3500 stores by 2018 without another significant acquisition. UBS has also raised concerns about RFG's exposure to leases. "RFG did not disclose the number of outlets that are under a sub-let arrangement," it said. "Any increased disclosure could highlight that the company may be liable for lease payments should a franchisee come under financial difficulty. Michel's Patisserie/Pizza Capers closed 45 outlets over FY17." Alford's estimated wealth by comparison would be in the hundreds of millions of dollars if his RFG shares (as at his last disclosure), properties and other assets are thrown in. Tear us apart But behind that wealth, lies a string of scandals and unexplained coincidences that involve Alford and the accounting group that bears his name. One of the most high profile relates to INXS star Michael Hutchence. Tony Alford has featured in the dispute of th estate of Michael Hutchence. Credit:FABRICE COFFRINI In 1998 Alford, Hutchence's lawyer Colin Diamond and others were accused by the Hutchence family of mismanaging the rock star's estate before and after his untimely death in 1997 Instead of the expected $25 million-plus in assets including properties around the world (including the Gold Coast), the Hutchence estate was left with less than $500,000 which was barely enough to cover court costs. A recent investigation by Four Corners and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists on the use of tax havens by the Bermuda-based law firm Appleby dubbed the Paradise Papers revealed the beneficiaries of trusts thought to be tied to the Hutchence estate included Diamond, his relatives and a suite of local and offshore companies. Documents from the Hutchence estate and the family's legal case obtained by Fairfax Media show Alford was deeply involved in the Hutchence estate both before and after his death. This includes being a director of Chardonnay Investments, a private company that is thought to have held the rock star's music rights and royalty streams, Sin-Can-Can Pty Ltd, a company that once held a lavish Gold Coast property owned by Hutchence, and Nexcess, another company that owned a bowling alley on the Gold Coast. The Paradise Papers have produced new evidence. Atkinson is listed as the settlor on two properties Hutchence's family alleges belonged to the deceased rock star. One of the documents from the Hutchence legal battle obtained by Fairfax Media shows Alford, acting as a Sin-Can-Can director, telling the lawyers for the Hutchence family that Hutchence never owned a Gold Coast mansion. Alford writes in his letter: "To the best of the writers knowledge, the late Michael Hutchence was not involved directly or indirectly with purchase of the subject property and can confirm that no part of the purchase was funded by him." The Hutchence case grabbed the headlines in 1999 when The Courier Mail revealed Nexcess had purchased a bowling alley from alleged organised crime figures in 1994. The Hutchence family believed Michael Hutchence had owned the property. Documents from the Hutchence legal matter and from ASIC show Alford was a director of Nexcess. Nexcess purchased the property from a company called Harbrick that had links to the Calabrian mafia, including in Griffith. Company records show that in 1994 Harbrick received a $270,000 loan secured through a charge held by Nexcess over all assets of Harbrick, including the bowling alley. The loan document is signed by Domenic Romeo, who at the time had just spent time in jail over cultivating marijuana. Other company directors included Bruno Lee Romeo, another convicted drug cultivator Several different documents filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission show Alford Ebbage conducted accountancy work for Harbrick and Bruno Lee Romeo at various times between 1993 and 1995. Alford defended the Hutchence family's allegations at the time and his firm has long denied any wrongdoing. The matter was discontinued in 2001 and a small settlement paid to the Hutchence family with no admission of wrong doing. But controversy wasn't unusual at Alford Ebbage. The firm's Southport offices were raided in 1998 by Customs officials investigating a fuel substitution plan potentially involving one of the firm's clients, according news reports at the time in the Courier Mail. Alford, who was 39 at the time, was a director of a company called Stat Stuff Pty Ltd which was a shareholder in a parent fuel company to which the warrant was related. The outcome of the investigation is unknown and no accusations were made about Alford Ebbage. Then in 2003, while he was well ensconced at RFG, Alford was found to be a witness of little credit by Supreme Court judge Roslyn Atkinson in a complex legal case over the estate of Paul Ebbage, the former co-owner of Alford Ebbage. The case was launched after the death of Ebbage in 1998. Tony Alford at the time of the RFG float in 2006. Credit:Robert Rough Justice Atkinson at the time remarked: "Mr Alford's sworn statement about the fees generated by the Southport practice is, in my view, not true. It reflects very poorly on his credit as a witness." In dismissing Alford's claim, Justice Atkinson added: "I did not find Mr Alford to be a reliable witness on controversial matters and I am therefore unable to rely on Mr Alford's assertions." Arm's length In 2002, Alford changed the ownership structure at Alfords so that the business was now at arm's length from his role at RFG. Farmer took up the role of managing the business, taking majority ownership in 2009. He defended the firm's conduct when contacted by Fairfax Media. "Alfords Accountants is an independent accounting and advisory firm which is majority owned and operated by Mr Karl Farmer and has operated under this ownership structure since 2009," he says. "Our staff are highly qualified and work according to professional industry standards." He adds that Alford has had no role in the accountancy firm Alfords for 15 years. Up until this year Alfords listed several RFG brands as its clients while it audits the accounts of RFG's major reporting subsidiaries according to documents filed with ASIC. Farmer says Alfords currently provides "professional taxation compliance and corporate secretarial services" to Retail Food Group Limited. "These services are provided on a commercial basis and are provided according to professional practice standards," he says. Alfords the accounting firm - again hit the headlines this year when Australian Olympic Gold Medallist swimmer Neil Brooks of Mean Machine fame was arrested for fraud. Brooks and his wife had been clients of Alfords. Court news reports detail allegations that Brooks "dishonestly induced" his business associate Glenn Melcheck to deliver $1.95 million to Alfords Operations Pty Ltd in February 26, 2008 as part of a joint venture agreement. Neil Brooks in 1997. Melcheck alleges the Brooks' misled him about the value of the sportswear business they ran in which he was by a 50 per cent stake. The accountancy firm has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Brooks has said he is vigorously defending the case. After initially denying Alfords were the Brooks' accountants, Farmer says Alfords did do accounting work for the Brooks' but it was after the transaction which is the subject of the legal proceedings. He adds that at the time Alfords was engaged by the UK advisers to the deal to facilitate the transaction. "The firm has assisted the Queensland Police Service in their investigation of the matter, providing relevant documentation as requested. The QPS has thanked Alfords for that assistance. We expect to have no further involvement in the matter." end As RFG's share price tumbles, investors are questioning the business model and its sustainability as franchisees go to the wall, accounts have been restated, receivables are blowing out and there has been a revolving door of executives. But as Alford cashes out, his associates suggest he will spend more time on his other passion: cars. Most years John Eastburn grows wheat, but not this year. The wheat producer and chairman of Grain Growers, the peak Australian grain industry body, normally farms 400 hectares of wheat on his property 250 kilometres south-west of Tamworth, in the Warrumbungle shire of north-west NSW. Less than favourable weather has made this year challenging for many grain growers. Mr Eastburn "didn't plant seed this time around because it was too dry at planting time and rain wasn't expected to hit until September". September's far too late for rain he'd normally be reaping his crop around then. The use of force at the Bimberi youth detention centre has increased 133 per cent in the past year as concerns come to light about poor record keeping inside the facility. Internal documents show the ACT government mistakenly failed to complete 15 "use of force" records in 2016 and 2017 in line with legal requirements under the Children and Young People Act. The use of force inside the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre has climbed by 133 per cent in the past year. Credit:Rohan Thomson To fix the blunder - first detected in an internal audit - officials retrospectively created the 15 missing records on a single day, in one case almost eight months after the use of force had actually occurred. Most of the missing records related to instances where a detainee had been restrained with handcuffs to stop them escaping on escorted trips outside the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre. Manager Robyn Martin said the shelter had to lay off two case workers because of the cuts. Beryl is funded as a homeless shelter under the National Affordable Housing Agreement, which is matched by the ACT government. It is not funded for its domestic violence services. Greens crossbencher Caroline Le Couteur has called for an urgent review of the way women's refuges are funded in the ACT, after it was revealed Australia's longest running domestic violence shelter is at risk of closing. Christmas is a busy time for domestic violence services and shelters and Ms Le Couteur was concerned that Beryl's staff would not be able to cope with the demand. "As we know Christmas is a time where lots of family and relationship issues come to a head," Ms Le Couteur said. "We know historically this is a peak time for refuges, for crisis accommodation and in particular people who may be fleeing domestic and family violence. "We've know that for many, many years and to its credit the ACT government does put some effort into ensuring there's extra crisis beds over Christmas time but what we are saying is that what they're doing is unfortunately not enough. "As far as Beryl is concerned, and Beryl as you'd be aware is the nation's longest serving specialist domestic violence women's refuge, they have to do more work over this period but they don't have more money. The push to build hundreds of thousands of apartments across Sydney in the next 20 years has ignited fresh tensions in state cabinet, with planning minister Anthony Roberts accused by a colleague of signing off on 8,000 extra units in his area before considering the need for new schools and parks. Disability services minister Ray Williams says he was "surprised" to learn Mr Roberts signed off on the plan in his seat of Castle Hill in north-west Sydney almost three months ago, but invited him to discuss infrastructure requirements in recent weeks. But Mr Roberts argues the dispute is about his desire for smaller, more affordable apartments in the area and fewer large units he described as "McMansions in the sky". Fairfax Media has obtained a letter written by Mr Roberts on September 21 advising the Hills Shire Council that land around the Showground station on the Sydney Metro Northwest rail line has been rezoned to facilitate the extra apartments. Australia Zoo has been forced to close on Sunday and Sunshine Coast trains have been suspended after several severe storm cells rolled through the south-east on Saturday. The wild weather saw more than 100 millimetres of rain fall in one hour, destructive wind gusts lash the coast and large hailstones blanket the region, with thousands still without power long after the storms had passed. Brisbane received less than five centimetres of rain on Saturday, but surrounding areas were drenched. (File pic) Credit:Fairfax Media The Sunshine Coast was well and truly hammered by the severe storm cells on Saturday, with the full extent of the damage clear the following morning. The Irwin family closed their zoo on Sunday during the clean-up process, with Australia Zoo saying the decision "was not made lightly" but the safety of animals, guests and staff took priority. 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. A network of loudspeakers designed to warn people of emergencies such as terrorist attacks is being set up across Melbourne ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations The roll-out comes as counter-terrorism experts from Australia and overseas converge on Melbourne for a forum on preventing terrorism, as authorities warn peak terror season is upon us. The speakers at Federation Square. Credit:Eddie Jim Police Minister Lisa Neville said the Andrews government was setting up speakers at more than 90 key sites as part of its $10 million CBD security upgrade. The speakers are in part a response to January's Bourke Street tragedy, in which six people died when a man allegedly drove a car into the mall and mowed down pedestrians. People at high risk of HIV would be given cheap access to a breakthrough preventative medicine under a federal Labor plan to make Australia the first nation in the world to win the fight against the virus that causes AIDS. The opposition's $53 million plan would dramatically expand state trials of the drug PrEP until it is approved for a federal subsidy, increase funding for HIV peak bodies and tackle rising transmission rates in Aboriginal communities. Labor's health spokeswoman Catherine King with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King will announce the package - which aims to bring the number of new HIV cases down from about 1000 a year to almost zero - on Monday, promising to deliver it if Labor wins the next election. "In the 1980s the Hawke Labor government led the world with its response to the epidemic. Now, we need to renew the effort to make HIV history," Ms King said. The federal government is stripping marine protections from remote waters off the Australian coast because it plans to change the law to allow foreign fishing boats with low-paid crews to fish there, a leading fisheries expert claims. The suggestion, backed by conservationists, has been rejected by the government as "unsubstantiated scaremongering". The federal government's marine park changes will allow commercial fishing in formerly protected waters. Credit:File photo/Glenn Campbell However the Australian Fisheries Management Authority says some waters are being under-fished and they are in talks with several operators about allowing foreign boats to operate in Australia's fishing zone under existing laws. The Turnbull government has proposed changes to the 3.3 million square kilometres of Australia's protected offshore regions, allowing commercial fishing in a host of sensitive marine areas. Another name has been thrown into the LNP leadership mix, with the member for the new seat of Oodgeroo, Mark Robinson, putting his hand up for the chance to rebuild trust with Queenslanders. The Bayside Brisbane MP announced on Saturday night his intention to replace Tim Nicholls and bump out fellow contenders Deb Frecklington and John-Paul Langbroek. Despite the best efforts of the old LNP team of leader Tim Nicholls and his deputy, Deb Frecklington, they failed to attract Queenslanders to the LNP, he said. Now a new leadership team and a new direction is needed if the LNP is to rebuild trust with Queenslanders and win government at the 2020 state election. Corsica: Waving black and white Corsican flags, exultant nationalist supporters roared approval as speaker after speaker vowed to "shake the foundations" of the French state after their expected victory in regional elections today. Electrified by an unprecedented landslide in the first round last weekend, a thousand-strong crowd packed into an enormous marquee for a final rally were already celebrating their anticipated triumph in the decisive second round with beer and cigarettes. From silence to hostility: French President Emmanuel Macron on Corsica Credit:AP The nationalists are set to win an absolute majority in the Corsican Assembly for the first time, and believe Paris can no longer ignore their demands for greater autonomy for the Mediterranean island where Napoleon was born. "We must establish a democratic power relationship with a government and a state that have never talked to us, that has gone from silence to hostility since the election of Emmanuel Macron," said Gilles Simeoni, the charismatic lawyer who has transformed the once-violent nationalist movement into a vote-winning force that has led the Assembly for the past two years. Washington: About 5.30 each morning, US President Donald Trump wakes and tunes into the television in the White House's master bedroom. He flips to CNN for news, moves to Fox & Friends for comfort and messaging ideas, and sometimes watches MSNBC's Morning Joe because, friends suspect, it fires him up for the day. Energised, infuriated often both Trump grabs his iPhone. Sometimes he tweets while propped on his pillow, according to aides. Other times he tweets from the den next door, watching another television. Less frequently, he makes his way up the hall to the ornate treaty room, sometimes dressed for the day, sometimes still in nightclothes, where he begins his official and unofficial calls. Trump sees the office as a prize he must fight to protect every waking moment, with Twitter as his Excalibur. Credit:New York Times As he ends his first year in office, Trump is redefining what it means to be president. He sees the highest office in the land much as he did the night of his stunning victory over Hillary Clinton as a prize he must fight to protect every waking moment, and Twitter is his Excalibur. Despite all his bluster, he views himself less as a titan dominating the world stage than a maligned outsider engaged in a struggle to be taken seriously, according to interviews with 60 advisers, associates, friends and members of Congress. For other presidents, every day is a test of how to lead a country, not just a faction, balancing competing interests. For Trump, every day is an hour-by-hour battle for self-preservation. He still re-litigates last year's election, convinced that the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russia's interference is a plot to delegitimise him. Oslo: The leader of the group that won this year's Nobel Peace Prize has urged nuclear nations to adopt a United Nations treaty banning atomic weapons in order to prevent "the end of us". The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) was awarded the prize by a Nobel committee that cited the spread of nuclear weapons and the growing risk of an atomic war. The Nobel Peace Prize 2017 ceremony in Oslo on Sunday. Credit:AP ICAN, which began in Melbourne, is a coalition of 468 grassroots non-governmental groups that campaigned for a UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted by 122 nations in July. The treaty is not signed by - and would not apply to - any of the states that already have nuclear arms. If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,... Spires and Crosses: A Bastion of Catholicism in Anglican London Pre-Reformation England was one of the most pious Roman Catholic countries The following is part three in a series in the weekly Spires and Crosses column on historic or otherwise interesting churches in London that few, if any, tourists know exist. Pre-Reformation England was one of the most pious Roman Catholic countries. So much so it is widely reported that more English churches were dedicated to Mary than in France, Italy or Spain, the countries more commonly associated with Catholicism. Flash forward to the 19th century, when the established Church of England was losing its preeminence and old laws restricting the ability of Catholics to freely worship, among other things, were lifted. Catholic emancipation would culminate not only in the open celebration of the Roman mass but also the return of the Catholic episcopacy. Because they were deprived of the churches at the time of Henry VIII's split from Rome, Catholics were generally forced to build new houses of worship for the growing Catholic community. This in turn gave rise to prominent ecclesiastical architects think Augustus W.N. Pugin. One exception is St. Etheldreda's in London. The 13th century Gothic-style church was acquired or rather, re-acquired by Catholics in 1874. Originally part of bishop of Ely's palace it was common practice for prelates and nobility to maintain a London house it fell into gradual disuse as the surrounding palace deteriorated to the point where it was demolished in 1772. The church remained, but congregations, including Welsh-speaking Anglicans, came and went. Restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott, who was perhaps the leading Gothic Revival architect, Catholic worship returned in 1879 with solemn high mass celebrated on the Feast of St. Etheldreda. While, like other historic London churches, a subsequent restoration was needed to repair damage caused by German bombs in World War II, a visitor to St. Etheldreda's feels as if they have been transported to a time before England gave up the old religion of Rome. That is especially true on Sunday mornings, when the old Latin mass is sung. The church is set back from curb of Ely Place, which is lined with Georgian townhouses-turned-offices that were built after the old bishop's palace was demolished. You enter through an otherwise nondescript street-level entrance that takes you through a hallway. On the right are stairs to the mediaeval-looking crypt. Straight ahead are another set of stairs and eventually an old wooden door that opens to a narthex created from the installation of a screen during the 19th century restoration. That is where your eyes will immediately focus on the gigantic east and west windows. The stained glass is post-World War II, as the German bombs destroyed the Victorian glass. The walls are lined with statutes of English martyrs Catholics who refused to abandon Rome that surely are politically incorrect in this age of ecumenism across Christian denominations. And if you look closely to the right of the high altar you will see a small box that serves as a reliquary for what is purportedly part of a hand of St. Etheldreda. If you go St. Etheldreda's Church is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. On Sunday, doors close at 12:30 p.m. Spires and Crosses is published every Sunday. 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." Charter schools, critics have long maintained, exist to the detriment of traditional public schools. As the argument goes, charterspublic schools, independently run (often by nonprofit organizations) and operating free of central district control but subject to government-accountability systemssiphon resources and the best students from local traditional public schools, degrading these schools for the students who remain in them. And charters harm the traditional public school system further by tossing back low-performing students. Both charters and vouchers drain away resources from the public schools, even as they leave the neediest, most expensive students to the public schools to educate, Diane Ravitch writes in The New York Review of Books, in a representative formulation. Competition from charters and vouchers does not improve public schools, which still enroll 94 percent of all students; it weakens them. The pattern persists, Ravitch and other critics say, until it creates a death spiral for vulnerable, low-performing public schools. Many charter opponents and others with an interest in perpetuating the current public school system find these arguments compelling. Theres one problem: empirical evidence points the other way. Several extensive studies have measured the extent to which charter school expansion affects traditional public schools. Overall, the body of research suggests that competition from charters has a small positive effect on the performance of students remaining in traditional public schools. Choice helps many kids attend better schools, but it doesnt seem to push traditional public schools to make dramatic improvements. At least so far, the results are not strong enough to support charter school proponents predictions that competition would force traditional public schools to improve substantially. And at least one study, by Scott Imberman of Michigan State University, found a negative impact from charter school competition. Imbermans work is well designed and should be taken seriously, but even if hes right, the magnitude of the negative effect is minimal and doesnt justify the argument that charter school expansion destroys the ability of traditional public schools to educate their students. Charter schools arent dumping their most difficult-to-educate kids on the traditional public school system, either, despite the prevalence of anecdotes to this effect. Analysis of enrollment data suggests that low-performing students are either as likely or slightly less likely to leave their school if it is a charter than if it is a traditional public school. Students with disabilities and those learning English as a second language are much less likely to exit charters than they are to depart traditional public schools. And prior academic achievement plays, at best, a trivial role in the probability that a student will enroll in a charter. The academic research, then, shows little reason to suspect that charter school expansion is harming, or will harm, students in traditional public schools. There are less specialized ways of looking at the issue. The charter sector has reached critical mass, making some reasonable assessment of its impact possible. While only about 6 percent of students enroll in charter schools nationwide, charters have attained significant market share in many localities. In seven school districtsincluding those serving Detroit, Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.one-third or more of students attend charters, according to a 2015 report from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. In 45 districts, at least 20 percent of students attended charters, and in 165 districts, charters had reached at least a 10 percent share of enrollment. So if critics are right, we should see evidence of negative impact on the performance of traditional public schools. We dont. Student performance in many cities with strong charter competition is either holding steady or rising. The accompanying charts display changes in five cities share of charter school enrollment, along with citywide public school scores on the federally administered National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) fourth-grade math and reading tests. All five citiesWashington, D.C., Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detroit, and Los Angeleshave seen substantial increases in charter enrollment in recent years. (Only a few cities administer the NAEP tests.) Performance varies across districts, with some substantial gains and some dips, but academic outcomes have not plummeted in any of these districts, and, in most cases, NAEP scores are improving. No death spirals are taking place. We cant say from these figures that charter school expansion is what caused the improved test scores in the cities where scores are rising. In Washington, for example, we know that other reforms, such as the introduction of a new teacher contract and performance-assessment system, have led to substantial improvements. But we can say this: if rapid charter school expansion truly represents an existential threat to local public schools ability to educate their students and if charters were really swallowing up the high-performing students and dumping the low-performers on public schools, then these charts would look different. We wouldnt see traditional public school test scores go up, for instance, in Los Angeleswhere charter schools share of enrollment has nearly tripled since 2009, from 8 percent to 23 percent. New York City offers another example. The growth of charters in New York overall hasnt been as rapid as in some other cities, but charter expansion has been substantial in certain neighborhoods with historically low-performing public schools. Today, about half of kids in New York Citys Community School District 5 (Central Harlem) attend a charter. Between 2012 and 2017, the proportion of New York public school kids scoring proficient or above on the state ELA exam increased from 13.4 percent to 24.1 percent. The proportion of students scoring in the bottom tier decreased from 52.3 percent to 39.3 percent. In math, the proportion scoring proficient or above grew from 13.1 percent to 17.3 percent; the proportion scoring in the bottom tier declined from 57 percent to 55 percent. In a recent study, Temple Universitys Sarah Cordes found that these positive results are directly related to the increased competition that traditional public schools in the city face from charters. How do critics explain such improvements by local traditional public schools in districts where charters have attained significant presence? Focusing evaluations on students in traditional public schools is shortsighted in a crucial respect: it fails to acknowledge that charters are public schools, tooone of many public-schooling alternatives offered to local residents. Charters are taxpayer-funded and open to all students (though subject to waiting lists, in many cases, due to excess demand). No one is forced to attend them; parents choose to apply, and enrolling in a charter takes time and effort. When a traditional public school system loses market share to charter schools, it means that a substantial proportion of parents believe that its in their childrens interest to seek alternative schooling options. Those who complain that charters take enrollments away from traditional public schools are saying, in effect, that parents should have to enroll their kids in what they see as less desirable schools. Its about time that charter critics offer something more than anecdotes and theory to support their claims. Seen in this light, charters have made public schooling in Harlem and many other neighborhoods much better. Students attending Central Harlem charter schools, on average, are thriving. Harlem hosts many of New Yorks, and the nations, best charter schools, including Success Academy Charter Schools, Democracy Prep, Harlem Childrens Zone, Harlem Village Academies, and the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) charter schools. Research suggests that students attending these and other New York City charters are making enormous academic gains relative to how they would have performed had they remained in a traditional public school. Among the one-half of students in Central Harlem attending charter schools in 2016, 48 percent scored at or above proficiency, and only 15 percent scored in the lowest tier on the state ELA test. Charter schools arent draining public education. They are revitalizing it. If the vast majority of parents in a district were so dissatisfied with the regular public schools that they sought an alternative, and if enough space existed in those alternative schools to accommodate the students, then charters would, in their critics worst nightmare, take over the district. Were a long way from something like that happening. Up to now, the only force proved capable of overthrowing a bad urban public school system and replacing it with charters is a Category 5 hurricane. The New Orleans Parish public school system ranked among the nations worst as the new century dawned. In 2005, only 35 percent of students in New Orleans scored proficient or above on statewide tests (which set low proficiency standards), compared with 58 percent of students across Louisiana. New Orleans ranked 67th among the states 68 districts on state accountability measures. Then came Katrina. The school system was as damaged as the rest of the city. Buildings crumbled, and in the aftermath, teachers and students were dispersed. Louisiana essentially shut down the school district. What followed was a real-world example of what could be possible if policymakers start public education from scratch. Working from a blank slate, Louisiana decided not to reinstitute the entrenched administrative practices of public education. Rather, it opted for a more open approach, one that provided oversight but let schools determine their own best path to success. Instead of assigning students to schools based on their neighborhood, the new system allowed parents to enroll their children in the wschool of their choice. The result? Today, about 93 percent of public school students in New Orleans go to a charter school. For those who imagine (whether happily or unhappily) a day when charter schools dominate urban public education, the New Orleans experience is instructive. Research from Tulane Universitys Douglas Harris has found that New Orleanss charter schools are having an enormous positive effect on student achievement. Today, 62 percent of New Orleans schoolchildren score proficient or above, a figure approaching the statewide average of 68 percent. For a generation now, charter school opponents have warned that these alternative public schools will spell doom for the American ideal of public education. Its about time that they offer something more than anecdotes and theory to support their claims. More than two decades into the charter school experience, its clear that charters are not proving harmful to traditional public schoolsand, if anything, are helping them do better. And the overall performance of American public education is improving, too, because a growing proportion of public schools are high-performing charters. Photo by Rafael Infante (Courtesy of Success Academy) * China tests "Yanlong" dedicated nuclear reactor * Each 400-MW unit can heat 200,000 homes * Hurdles remain: money, approvals, public safety anxiety * Potential to help north shift away from polluting coal SHANGHAI, Dec 10 (Reuters) - With its smog-prone north desperate to slash coal consumption, China is looking to deploy nuclear power to provide reliable winter heating, raising public safety concerns - though developers say the risks are minimal. State-owned China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) recently conducted a successful 168-hour trial run in Beijing for a small, dedicated "district heating reactor" (DHR) it has named the "Yanlong". With the north facing natural gas shortages as cities switch away from coal, CNNC presented the "DHR-400" as an alternative heat supplier for the region, with each 400-megawatt unit capable of warming 200,000 urban households. The model - which consists of a reactor core immersed in a water-filled tank around the same volume as an Olympic swimming pool - will require 1.5 billion yuan ($226.7 million) in investment and take just three years to build, a crucial advantage in a sector plagued by construction delays. As a small and relatively simple "swimming pool" design, the low-pressure reactor is expected to be safer than conventional models, with temperatures not exceeding 100 degrees Celsius, and it could be plugged directly into existing heating networks. The technology is ready, said Gu Shenjie, deputy chief engineer with the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute (SNERDI), part of the State Power Investment Corp (SPIC). "They (CNNC) have supplied heat to their institute and office buildings and have successfully done that for three years," Gu told Reuters on the sidelines of the INNCH New Nuclear Build Conference in Shanghai, adding that commercialisation was the next stage. "I think it's workable. The parameters are very low and it's easy to maintain operations," he added. While the use of conventional nuclear plants to provide heating is common in Russia and Eastern Europe, China aims to be the first country to build reactors dedicated to the task of warming its cities. China is pumping billions of yuan into advanced nuclear technology that will not only boost domestic capacity but also strengthen its global presence. It aims to develop a portfolio of reactors capable of powering cities, remote islands, ships, cars and even aeroplanes. PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE With northern China still relying on "centralised" heating systems, a DHR in every city could be an ideal solution, said Cheng Huiping, a CNNC technical committee member. The firm said the technology would use only 2 percent of the radioactive sources used in a conventional 1-gigawatt nuclear power plant, but winning public acceptance remains a hurdle. "We will have to face 500-600 million ordinary people in northern China and tell them that swimming pool reactors are absolutely safe," Cheng told a conference earlier this year. The government is keen on the technology, but cautious about deploying it too quickly, especially amid widespread public anxiety about the risks of nuclear power. Late last month, Liu Hua, director of China's National Nuclear Safety Administration, acknowledged the DHR was of "great significance" and could help resolve northern China's energy and environmental problems. But he also urged CNNC to do its utmost to prove safety and reliability. Cost will also be a major factor. CNNC said that, at an estimated 30-40 yuan per gigajoule, it could end up cheaper than gas, but a nuclear industry consultant told Reuters the economics of the DHR was difficult to predict. The approval process also remains a long one, said Gu at the SNERDI, with each project expected to undergo a battery of environmental impact and conceptual design assessments. "I don't think it can be done within five years," he said. ($1 = 6.6173 yuan) (Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Ian Geoghegan) ok, this is possibly an unusual one... I have a friend who owns a load of domain names, which he's always had the intention of setting up with full blown sites over time he isn't a coder, but he is a really good ideas guy Obviously, this means he is paying a load of money out each year for renewals, way too much, thousands! At one point he had close to 3000 names, i think many lapsed but he still has at least a few hundred, maybe even a 1000! So anyway, the here task is to find a way to put some kind of sites up really quickly, with the intention of making a small amounts of money from advertising, not so that he can make a fortune from them, but just so that each one can cover the renewal fee. he wants to get some of the full sites developed as soon as possible but obviously can't do them all at the same time. Therefore, As these quick sites are built, he wants to be able to make a bit of money off each to cover the domain renewal cost, and use that money (which was being used to renew) to have the full ones built and gradually snowball the development of the portfolio so for the initial phase, i think the priorities are to look at having a fast, efficient way of getting sites online, being able to automate everything possible. I know him well and he is not a spamming kind of person, but he needs to stop the outgoings and put that money into developing the full sites his initial ideas (for the full sites) were good and in depth for each site. Some related domains were to be used to point to 1 central site, like several satellites generating traffic for the main one in each area he says as long as they are making the renewals then thats good enough at this stage oh, and he hates Wordpress, so anything WP related is off limits My skillset and preferences revolve mainly around Laravel, but I'm open to other non-Laravel solutions if thats what would be a better fit so far, I'm thinking towards the following possibilities, but I'm open to critique on any of them, since I do not have the experience to tell what would work best - to find a way to create a fairly simple template and find a system to be able to upload multiple versions of it quickly. - I was interested in finding out more about laravel.hosting as they said they had a 1-click Laravel solution, but now I'm not sure if they would be the best people to use! - Maybe Forge could be a possible solution for quick deployment? - could I use subdomains running from one laravel base for this? I don't know if that is possible - use sass with variables for the colours, and on each iteration, have a different sass variables file which would give a different colour theme on each site. - research scraping to find a way to include content on each site. I've found possible solutions in Python, Rails, and a possible solution in Laravel by writing a scheduled command - group the domains into subject areas, so that different content can be added to one site, and then point related domain names at the one with the content - have (google or other) ads included to create Click Through income Any ideas? It sounds like someone who is going to get themselves in lots of search engines with all of the sites pointing the same one (or few). This way, if a scammer, he/she can get lots of hits and still keep an apparently good reputation via the many other sites. Perhaps follow up with a plausible and legitimate reason for this scenario and you'll get more help. Ravings en masse^ "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 I want to disable add to cart button for specific products. Can anyone guide me on this ? WordPress? ASP.NET based, or any other? You need to share some more specifics about it. The sh*t I complain about It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's raining out - Eminem ~! Firewall !~ After the creation of module, create the InstallData.php file in app/code/Magenticians/Mymodule/Setup and add the following code in it: eavSetupFactory = $eavSetupFactory; $this->attributeSetFactory = $attributeSetFactory; $this->categorySetupFactory = $categorySetupFactory; } public function install(ModuleDataSetupInterface $setup, ModuleContextInterface $context) { $setup->startSetup(); // CREATE ATTRIBUTE SET $categorySetup = $this->categorySetupFactory->create(['setup' => $setup]); $attributeSet = $this->attributeSetFactory->create(); $entityTypeId = $categorySetup->getEntityTypeId(\Magento\Catalog\Model\Product::ENTITY); $attributeSetId = $categorySetup->getDefaultAttributeSetId($entityTypeId); $data = [ 'attribute_set_name' => 'DisableAddToCart', 'entity_type_id' => $entityTypeId, 'sort_order' => 200, ]; $attributeSet->setData($data); $attributeSet->validate(); $attributeSet->save(); $attributeSet->initFromSkeleton($attributeSetId); $attributeSet->save(); // CREATE PRODUCT ATTRIBUTE $eavSetup = $this->eavSetupFactory->create(['setup' => $setup]); $eavSetup->addAttribute( \Magento\Catalog\Model\Product::ENTITY, 'text_add_to_cart', [ 'type' => 'varchar', 'label' => 'Add to Cart Text', 'backend' => '', 'input' => 'text', 'wysiwyg_enabled' => false, 'source' => '', 'required' => false, 'sort_order' => 5, 'global' => \Magento\Catalog\Model\ResourceModel\Eav\Attribute::SCOPE_STORE, 'used_in_product_listing' => true, 'visible_on_front' => fasle, 'attribute_set' => 'DisableAddToCart', ] ); $setup->endSetup(); } } ?> Now based on the above attribute you can disable your overridden add to cart file. Complete Guide: Magento 2 Disable Add to Cart Button for Certain Products I'm trying to use the bootstrap carousel (using the sample code from the bootstrap web site), and it's displaying all of the images at the same time. What am I doing wrong? ([Image data] indicates the base64 text where the image is being specified - I left the actual data out in the interest of brevity.) HTML < div class =" row" > < div class =" col-md-12" > < div id =" ttpImageCarousel" class =" carousel slide" data-ride =" carousel" > < div class =" carousel-inner" role =" listbox" > < div class =" carousel-item active" > < img class =" d-block img-fluid" src =" data:image/jpg;base64,[image data]" alt =" " / > < div class =" carousel-caption d-none d-md-block" > < span style =" display:inline-block;" > Image 1 of 4 < /span > < /div > < /div > < div class =" carousel-item" > [image 2 of 4] < /div > < div class =" carousel-item" > [image 3 of 4] < /div > < div class =" carousel-item" > < img class =" d-block img-fluid" src =" data:image/jpg;base64,[image data]" alt =" " / > < div class =" carousel-caption d-none d-md-block" > < span style =" display:inline-block;" > Image 4 of 4 < /span > < /div > < /div > < /div > < a class =" carousel-control-prev" href =" #carouselExampleControls" role =" button" data-slide =" prev" > Previous < /a > < a class =" carousel-control-next" href =" #carouselExampleControls" role =" button" data-slide =" next" > Next < /a > < /div > < /div > < /div > ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010 ----- You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010 ----- When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013 I also found out that I had to include the following in my web config to avoid 404 errors in the javascript when searching for fonts that font-awesome needed: XML < system.webServer > < staticContent > < remove fileExtension =" .woff" / > < mimeMap fileExtension =" .woff" mimeType =" application/font-woff" / > < remove fileExtension =" .woff2" / > < mimeMap fileExtension =" .woff2" mimeType =" font/x-woff" / > < /staticContent > < /system.webServer > ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010 ----- You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010 ----- When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013 XML < mimeMap fileExtension =" eot" mimeType =" application/vnd.ms-fontobject" / > < mimeMap fileExtension =" otf" mimeType =" application/x-font-opentype" / > < mimeMap fileExtension =" svg" mimeType =" image/svg+xml" / > < mimeMap fileExtension =" ttf" mimeType =" application/x-font-truetype" / > < mimeMap fileExtension =" woff" mimeType =" application/font-woff" / > < mimeMap fileExtension =" woff2" mimeType =" application/font-woff2" / > According to this SO thread[^], the official MIME type for Woff2 might have been changed to font/woff2 ; but application/font-woff2 works for now. "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010 ----- You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010 ----- When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013 I have started with creating a custom module as mentioned in this tutorial Learn How to Override Block in Magento 2[^] that editing the core files can be a risk so i have created my own custom module but still i am facing problems i don't know what's wrong with the code. Hi Anyone can help me out in this issue.My coordinate are fetching latitude and longitude from database dynamically and that should display as marker everytime when database updates by serial number but it is not displaying. view: db->select( ' cycle_serial,cycle_19_INT,cycle_20_INT,cycle_21_INT,cycle_22_INT,cycle_23_INT,cycle_24_INT' )->from( ' cycles' )->where(array( ' cycle_serial' =>$serial))->limit( 1 )->order_by( ' cycle_timestamp' , ' DESC' )->get(); if ($query->num_rows()>0) { foreach ($query->result_array() as $row) { array_push($return,$row); } } return $return; } controller: function Googlemaps($serial) { $this->load->library( ' googlemaps' ); $config[ ' minifyJS' ] = TRUE; $config[ ' center' ] = ' 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway in Mountain View' ; $config[ ' zoom' ] = ' 15' ; $config[ ' geocodeCaching' ] = TRUE; $this->googlemaps->initialize($config); $coords=$this->dashboard_model->googlemaps($serial); foreach ($coords as $coordinate) { $marker=array(); $lat1=$coordinate[ ' cycle_19_INT' ].(substr($coordinate[ ' cycle_20_INT' ], 0 , 2 )+(substr($coordinate[ ' cycle_20_INT' ], 2 ). " ." .$coordinate[ ' cycle_21_INT' ])/60); $lat2=str_replace($coordinate[ ' cycle_22_INT' ], ' -' ,$coordinate[ ' cycle_22_INT' ]).(substr($coordinate[ ' cycle_23_INT' ], 0 , 2 )+substr((substr($coordinate[ ' cycle_23_INT' ], 2 ). " ." .$coordinate[ ' cycle_24_INT' ])/60, 0 , 7 )); $lat=$lat1. ' ,' .$lat2; $marker[ ' position' ]=$lat;var_dump($marker[ ' position' ]); $this->googlemaps->add_marker($marker); } $data=array(); $data[ ' map' ] = $this->googlemaps->create_map(); $this->load->view( ' dashboard/dashboard_googlemap_view' , $data); } Does anyone use this? It changes routing to be namespace-centric and groups controllers and their related views into a given namespace. I'm not sure how this would improve things over just creating a folder and moving the controller/views into it without changing the namespaces you're already using. It also wouldn't affect the routing as far as I can determine. ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010 ----- You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010 ----- When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013 "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics." - Benjamin Disraeli EDIT ========================= The answer is no. The app acts exactly the same and there's no compiler push-back at all. That will at least keep me from having to scroll up to get to the controller when I'm busy making the views fail spectacularly. ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010 ----- You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010 ----- When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013 "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics." - Benjamin Disraeli How do you specify a route with multiple parameters that are NOT part of the URL itself? like this: HTML controller/action?param1=am2=bm3=c ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010 ----- You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010 ----- When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013 "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010 ----- You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010 ----- When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013 Can someone please give a hand? I am stumped on this. In ASP.NET, for instance, if you have the following dropdownlist: PHP ListItem Value= " Pastorsname" >PastorName and I wish to grab the text called PastorName and insert into the database, all I would need to do is this simple syntax: PHP DropDownList1.SelectedItem.Text I am trying to do something similar in PHP:
" ; echo " " ; while ($rc= mysqli_fetch_array($select_query) ) { echo " " ; } echo " " ; ?>
if ($_SERVER[ ' REQUEST_METHOD' ] == ' POST' ) { $sql = " INSERT INTO xphias_sermons (pastorname, ministriesname, sermon_name, scripture, video_name, sermon_notes,sermon_date) SELECT ministryname, pastorname, ?, ?, ?, ?, ? FROM xphias_clients WHERE ministryname = ?; // VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)" ; $stmt = $conn->prepare($sql); $stmt->bind_param( ' sssssss' , $pastorname, $ministriesname, $sermonname, $scriptures, $videoname, $sermonnotes, $sermondate); } $pastorname = $_POST[ ' pastorsname' ]; $ministriesname= $_POST[ ' ministriesname' ]; $sermondate = date( ' Y-m-d H:i:s' , strtotime(str_replace( ' -' , ' /' , $_POST[ ' sermondate' ]))); $sermonname= $_POST[ ' sermonname' ]; $scriptures= $_POST[ ' scriptures' ]; $videoname= $_POST[ ' videoname' ]; $sermonnotes= $_POST[ ' sermonnotes' ]; In this PHP code, the .., the SELECT Value is pastorname and the text is ministryname. How do I grab the value of text of ministryname and insert that into the database? Your help is greatly appreciated. var elt = document.getElementById(elementId); return elt.options[elt.selectedIndex].text; The correct javaScript dom access can be determined from the bold text, above, after you modify it to your purposes. Ravings en masse^ "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 There are always packages for pretty much everything. Tell someone the answer is "get a package" is occasionally appropriate but the answer I gave also allows the poster to learn something about what's going on. Ravings en masse^ "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer Invitations are being extended and Frank Barrows views that as a positive development. Barrows, the superintendent of Fort Stanwix National Monument in Rome and project lead for the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, said the National Park Service has been invited to more community events in the Auburn area. He recently participated in a discussion at Seymour Library about the progress of the park. Harriet Tubman Home President and CEO Karen Hill joined Barrows to report on the park's status. The National Park Service's presence in Cayuga County has grown over the 11 months since the formal establishment of the Tubman park. There are limitations because the agency and the Harriet Tubman Home have yet to finalize the implementation agreement, an important document that will outline how the park will be managed. The two sides met last week to discuss the implementation agreement. Hill is hopeful the necessary blueprint for operating the park will be finalized in early 2018. But the ongoing talks regarding the implementation agreement aren't preventing the National Park Service from being involved in the Tubman park. During a recent phone interview, Barrows outlined three targets for the National Park Service: public programs, capacity building and building relationships in the community. The National Park Service was asked to participate in the Holiday Traditions program, an annual event during the Christmas season that promotes Auburn-area historic sites. From noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, four park rangers and a volunteer will staff the Harriet Tubman Home. They will provide tours and offer hands-on activities, according to Barrows. It won't be the first time the National Park Service has assisted at the Tubman home. Staff from Fort Stanwix and the Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls led tours over Veterans Day weekend. And when visitation spiked at the Tubman home over the summer Hill said the site averaged 150 to 300 people a day park rangers were there to help. "An important message is that we don't have to wait until we have park facilities. We're bringing resources into the community now," Barrows said. "The park is here and we can play a role in the community now. We welcome continued opportunities to add value to community programs and events and generally connecting people to Harriet Tubman and the history of the area." Hill emphasized the partnership between the two entities. She believes the relationship with the National Park Service has "gone well." It will be even better, she said, once the implementation agreement is finalized. The collaboration is important because, as Hill noted, the Tubman site is a partnership park. The National Park Service isn't taking over control of the properties. It's a shared venture with the federal agency and the Harriet Tubman Home, a nonprofit organization established by the A.M.E. Zion Church, which took over the South Street property after Tubman's death in 1913. Educating Auburn residents on how the partnership park arrangement will work is a priority for Hill. "Most of the community speaks to the NPS as the entity managing the park and that's just not the way it is," she said. "We work side-by-side and right now we are the lead and we will continue to be so." Communication is also high on Barrow's to-do list. He said they have been providing briefings for elected officials on the progress of the park. Those conversations will continue. There are other elements of the National Park Service's engagement in the community. The formal establishment of the Tubman park allowed the agency to acquire the original Thompson A.M.E. Zion Church on Parker Street. The church, which is part of the park, is in need of significant rehabilitation. The National Park Service has started to renovate the historic church and parsonage. Barrows said they are in the first phase of that process. For now, the focus is on stabilizing the structures. Between the work at the church and a greater role at the other Tubman sites, Barrows is pleased with the National Park Service's progress over the last year. "The community has been extremely welcoming," he said. Our Party member readers are not exactly a committed band of EU-enthusiasts (and nor for that matter are the rest of our readers). Over two in three of the former were for Brexit during the EU referendum, with another one in ten leaning that way. Over one in three opposed paying a penny more than 20 billion in any settlement. Almost two in three wanted ECJ jurisdiction to end before we have left the EU de facto i.e: before the end of any implementation or transition period. Over two in five want to see a start made during it in the reduction of EU migration. Almost nine in ten want to see the Government free to sign trade deals with non-EU countries during it. And the number who want to see Britain follow a Canada-style route post-Brexit is almost double the number of those who want to see it take a Swiss-type one. For details, see here. It is in that light that one should view our regular panels thumping endorsement of the deal that Theresa May signed last week. Given the differences among centre-right strategists and writers about it to Matthew Elliot it is superb news; to Charles Moore a complete capitulation the question of why Party members are less divided, if our panel is anything to go by, is obviously a compelling one. (And we point out again that YouGov polling earlier this year suggested that it is a useful barometer). Your guess is as good as ours. It may be that the acquiescence of Conservative MPs, and the public backing of the deal by Michael Gove yesterday morning, has influenced our respondents. Perhaps they think the Prime Minister gained more on the swings of the negotiation than she lost on the roundabouts. Maybe while Party members dont like elements of the deal very much, their main emotional reaction to it is simply relief that trade talks are set to begin. Our panel may also think that while red lines have certainly been blurred, they have not been crossed. Our courts will retain the final say on EU nationals, though they must have due regard for the ECJs view for eight years. The money is somewhere between the 20 billion offered at the time of Florence and the 60 billion that probably represented the EUs opening bid. Above all, the agreement on the UK-Ireland land border looks like a classic Anglo-Irish nonsense. It hinges on full alignment with the Single Market and Customs Union if no final agreement can be found. But full alignment is not full regulatory alignment which, as Gisela Stuart wrote on this site on Friday, has a precise legal meaning (at least to the EU). However, there seems to be no agreement about what full alignment means. This is doubtless why it was introduced into the deals text in the first place. Finally, Michael Gove wrote in yesterdays Daily Telegraph, apparently with Downing Streets blessing, that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. Other senior Government sources take the same view. The only logical conclusion one can drawn is that the full alignment section of the deal, like all other hedges in it against no final agreement, both applies and does not apply! In Tom Stoppards Hapgood, a physicist describes an experiment in which particles are shot like bullets through two slits in a screen. If one doesnt look, each bullet goes through both slits (however hard this may be to believe). But if one does look, none go through both slits. The observer determines the result. Welcome to the Stoppardian world of last weeks UK-EU deal. You get what you look for. If you want to find a sell-out, youll find one. If you want to find a diplomatic coup, youll find one too. Perhaps the most persuasive explanation of all for our finding is that most of our panel members are looking for neither, and are simply thankful, as we say, that the first stage of these talks is (fingers crossed) over. Finally, were grateful to panel members for responding so quickly. Some 1320 replies in just over a day is an impressive return rate; last months full survey return was about 1370. We may try the question on them again next weekend. The I Am Alive Cat and Dog Rescue held its monthly fundraiser on Saturday, Dec. 9, of 2017 at the Pet Valu on Second St. East, to help cats and dogs that are in need throughout the Cornwall area. Kathleen Dixon, with the help of the Pet Valu, organized the fundraiser to help cats and dogs that have been abandoned or rescued by holding the bake sale, craft sale, nail clipping for pets and adoption weekend with all proceeds going to the I Am Alive Cat and Dog Rescue. Julie Berniquer with the Pet Valu said, We have been hosting the fundraiser once a month for the past three years now. Pet Valu stores try to help all the animals they can by partnering with local rescues, charities and shelters like the I Am Alive Rescue. Ninety five percent of our cats were destined to be euthanized due to overflow at shelters, so as a charity we take in those cats and dogs, said Dixon. In a month the I Am Alive Rescue gets approximately twenty cats to their forever home with over two hundred still in foster homes. The rescue has helped almost five hundred cats in 2017 alone, while some are still up for adoption, many have found caring homes. The I Am Alive Rescue has been aiding pets in Brockville and Cornwall since 2011 and has been able do so through donations that fundraisers like the one held this Saturday help raise. Our rescue is totally run on donations, we are not government funded so the adoption fees cover the fixing, the vaccinating, and any medications that the animals might need, explained Dixon. The rescue hopes that Saturdays bake sale and craft sale will raise a couple hundred dollars to aid the pets, however there is always a need of more. The biggest challenge we have, other than feeding the animals, is not being able to say yes to all of them. There are just so many animals in need and we cant service them all, said Dixon. If you would like to aid the rescue by making a donation or adopting a pet the Pet Valu on Second St. East collects donations for the rescue and the rescue can be contacted through their Facebook page, I Am Alive Cat and Dog Rescue. 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. In Nepal, the initial counting of parliamentary and provincial elections is showing a big win for the Left alliance of KP Oli-led Communist Party of Nepal (UML) and the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led (Prachanda-led) Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist-Centre). Although the concrete picture is likely to emerge only after a day or two from now, the Left shift is unlikely to change. The ruling Nepali Congress, as well as pro-monarchy parties, is set to lose badly but the alliance of Madhesi parties will do fairly good. Going by the recent electoral history of Nepal, election alliances are not immutable. They make and break in the matter of days. Occasionally, even in hours. Traditionally, in Nepal, the single largest party has fewer chances of forming the government than the distant third or fourth. As a compromise, the first two parties have often offered the third to lead the government. Since 2008, the party with the lesser number of seats in Parliament (previously the Constituent Assembly) had formed the government more often than the party with more seats. In 2008, Prachanda-led Nepal Communist Party (United Maoist) emerged as the single largest party in the Constituent Assembly but could not remain in power for long. Just after eight months, Prachanda had to resign after differences with then president Ram Baran Yadav. UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal formed the government with the support of the Nepali Congress and Madhesi parties. One, the Left alliance makes a swipe but Prachanda has lesser number of seats and thus weakened bargaining power. Photo: Reuters UML was the distant third party in the CA but formed the government twice in the short span of four years. In the second CA, which was formed for two years in 2015, the third largest party Maoist was in the government from the beginning to the end. At first, it aligned with the UML and then with the Nepali Congress. So even if the Congress loses badly, it cannot be said for sure that it wont be able to form the government or have say in it. The Prachanda-led Maoist party has no ideological compulsion. Beginning with UML, the party has aligned with all the big and small parties of Nepal from different and even contradictory ideologies since 2008. Once it formed the government with the royalist rightwing Rastriya Prajatantra Party, the very ideology it fought in the decade-long civil war. So it wont be very difficult for the Nepali Congress to negotiate with Prachanda post election. Deuba and Prachanda In the last two years, Prachanda and Deuba had worked as a team. They kept their promise and worked in unison to fulfil the constitutional directives. It was only after the election date was declared that the parties separated. The separation wasnt due to disagreement but for poll management. Today, KP Oli is the tallest leader in Nepal. The astute leader is able to fill in the nationalist vacuum left by the monarchy. During his short tenure, he dared India as nobody since the end of monarchy. He stands for everything that is against the ethos of democracy: national chauvinism, xenophobia and majoritarianism. Prachanda did the right thing by going with him. As the trends suggest, he has begun to reap the fruits already. Post-poll scenario Currently, there are two visible post-poll scenarios. One, the Left alliance makes a swipe but Prachanda has lesser number of seats and thus weakened bargaining power. In such situation, formation of a long due stable government will be highly possible. Nepali Congress will not be able to play one party against another. Even the pro monarchy parties will have to accept the republic as the reality. The discussion or debate on the future of monarchy will be put to rest for ever. Madhesi parties will not have proper representation leading to another period of political uncertainty in the region. Contradiction with India will rise and China will have strong presence. Plain-Hill divide will also sharpen. Prachanda will not be able to assert himself. He has to settle as per the pre-election deal because breaking the alliance will mean midterm election. No party will want to have elections in such short intervals. Lastly, in few years, ULM and Maoist will merge to form a new party. Scenario number two: the Left alliance wins big but the Nepali Congress gets influential numbers. In such situation, the Left alliance will break in a matter of days. The Nepali Congress will offer Prachanda premiership in exchange of breaking the alliance with the UML as it did in 2016. Prachanda is likely to accept the offer. This government will stand the chance of lasting until the next general election. Pro-monarchy voices will become stronger. On the positive side, the Madhesi parties will have better representation and a possible peaceful solution to the Madhesi crisis. India will have stronger influence. It could press for ratification of past treaties and nullifying pacts with China signed during KP Olis premiership. On December 5, Paul Nicklen, a photographer and a contributor to the National Geographic magazine, shared a video of an emaciated polar bear he had shot in the upper reaches of Canada. The bear is starving. Polar bears eat seals which they hunt on Arctic ice fields, but rising temparatures due to global warming has meant their hunting fields are disappearing. The video, which has since gone viral, shows the skeletal animal rising up on unsteady feet probably because the muscles of its leg are atrophying moving wearily ahead and rummaging a trashcan for some food. It then falls back exhausted. The dying bear is a terrifying reality of climate change. It's a soul crushing scene that still haunts me, but I know we need to share both the beautiful and the heartbreaking if we are going to break down the walls of apathy," Nicklen wrote. "This is what starvation looks like. The muscles atrophy. No energy. It's a slow, painful death." People are still raising questions as to where such scenarios and global warming can be linked definitively. Yes, there is no definite connection, Nicklen admitted. Yet, he adds: "When scientists say bears are going extinct, I want people to realise what it looks like. Bears are going to starve to death. This is what a starving bear looks like." Some people have also asked him why he had not intervened to save the bear. He said he was ill-equipped to do that. He was not carrying seal meat with him, and then, feeding wild polar bears is not legal in Canada. In 2009, former US vice-president Al Gore had used a cartoon of an exhausted, endlessly swimming polar bear to illustrate the impact humans were having on the sea ice where the bears once hunted. National Geographic explains why polar bears are the worst sufferers of climate change. For months, they do not eat anything as they wait for the Arctic ice to solidify. With rising temperatures, the water is taking longer to freeze, extending the bears' periods of starvation. BASF SE operates as a chemical company worldwide. The company operates through six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care, and Agricultural Solutions. The Chemicals segment provides petrochemicals and intermediates. The Materials segment offers advanced materials and their precursors for applications and systems, such as isocyanates and polyamides, as well as inorganic basic products and specialties for plastic and plastic processing industries. The Industrial Solutions segment develops and markets ingredients and additives for industrial applications, such as polymer dispersions, pigments, resins, electronic materials, antioxidants, light stabilizers, oilfield chemicals, mineral processing, and hydrometallurgical chemicals. The Surface Technologies segment offers chemical solutions and automotive OEM, which include refinish coatings, surface treatment, catalysts, battery materials, and precious and base metal services for the automotive and chemical industries. The Nutrition & Care segment provides nutrition and care ingredients for food and feed producers, as well as pharmaceutical, cosmetics, detergent, and cleaner industries. The Agricultural Solutions segment offers crop protection products and seeds, such as fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and biological crop production products, as well as seed treatment products. The company has strategic partnerships with Contemporary Amperex TechnologyCo., Limited on battery materials solutions, including cathode active materials and battery recycling. BASF SE was founded in 1865 and is headquartered in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany. Carter's, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, sources, and markets branded childrenswear under the Carter's, OshKosh, Skip Hop, Child of Mine, Just One You, Simple Joys, Carter's My First Love, little planet, and other brands in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Retail, U.S. Wholesale, and International. Its Carter's products include babies and young children products, such as bodysuits, pants, dresses, knit sets, blankets, layette essentials, bibs, booties, sleep and play products, rompers, and jumpers; and OshKosh brand products comprise playclothes, such as denim apparel products with multiple wash treatments and coordinating garments, overalls, woven bottoms, knit tops, and bodysuits. The company also provides products for playtime, travel, mealtime, bathtime, and homegear, as well as kid's bags and diaper bags under the Skip Hop brand. In addition, it offers bedding, cribs, diaper bags, footwear, gift sets, hair accessories, jewelry, outerwear, paper goods, socks, shoes, swimwear, and toys. The company operates 18,800 wholesale locations, including department stores, national chain stores, and specialty stores. As of December 31, 2021, it operated 980 retail stores. The company also sells its products through its eCommerce websites, such as carters.com, oshkoshbgosh.com, oshkosh.com, and skiphop.com, as well as other international wholesale accounts and licensees. Carter's, Inc. was founded in 1865 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California that provides various banking services to businesses and individuals. The company accepts various deposit instruments, including checking, savings, money market, time certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts. It also offers range of lending products comprising commercial, commercial and residential real estate, real estate construction, agribusiness, and consumer loans, as well as equipment leases and credit card services; commercial products, including term loans, lines of credit and other working capital financing, and letters of credit; and financing products, such as automobile financing, home improvement, and home equity lines of credit. In addition, the company provides various specialized services consisting of credit card programs for merchants, lockbox and other collection services, account reconciliation, investment sweep, online account access, and electronic funds transfers through domestic and international wire and automated clearinghouse; and online banking services. Further, it offers investment products, such as mutual funds and annuities. The company serves its customers through 29 full-service branches and 3 stand-alone automated teller machines in the mid Central Valley of California, including Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Stanislaus, and Merced counties, as well as the east region of the San Francisco Bay Area comprising Napa, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in Lodi, California. Banco Santander (Brasil) S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking products and services to individuals, small and medium enterprises, and corporate customers in Brazil and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Commercial Banking and Global Wholesale Banking. It offers deposits and other bank funding instruments; debit and credit cards; digital prepaid solutions; payment platform; loyalty programs; employee benefit vouchers; payroll loans; digital lending and online debt renegotiation services; mortgages; home equity financing products; consumer credit; and local loans, commercial and trade finance, guarantees, structured loans, and cash management and funding solutions, as well as on-lending transfer services. It also provides funding and financial advisory services related to projects, origination and distribution of fixed-income securities in the debt capital markets, financing of acquisitions and syndicated loans, other structured financing arrangements, and subordinated debt and energy efficiency transactions; advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, and equity capital markets transactions; and stock brokerage and advisory, equity, and equity research services. In addition, the company structures and offers foreign exchange, derivative, and investment products for institutional investors, and corporate and retail customers; and provides market making services. Further, it offers instant payment services; range of products and services focused on the agribusiness sector; microfinance services; and online automotive listing and digital car insurance solutions, as well as digital trading platform. Additionally, it provides its financial services and products to its customers through multichannel distribution network comprising branches, mini-branches, ATMs, call centers, Internet banking, and mobile banking. Banco Santander (Brasil) S.A. was incorporated in 1985 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The following companies are subsidiares of Marsh & McLennan Companies: 8WORKS INC., 8WORKS LTD, A. Constantinidi & CIA. S.C., A.C.N. 000 951 146 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 001 572 961 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 076 935 683 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 102 322 574 Pty Limited, ACE Insurance Agents Limited, ACE Insurance Consultants Limited, ACE Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Limited, AD Corretora de Seguros, AFCO Premium Acceptance Inc., AFCO Premium Credit LLC, Access Equity Enhanced Fund GP LLC, Admiral Holdings Limited, Agnew Higgins Pickering & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd, Aldgate Investments Limited, Aldgate Trustees Ltd, Alexander Forbes Group Holdings Limited, Alpha Consultants Limited, Alta SA, Altius Real Assets (GP) LLC, Amal Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Anda Insurance Agencies Pte Ltd, AssetVal Pty Ltd, Assur Conseils Marsh S.A., Assurance Capital Corporation, Assurance Services Corporation, Australian Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd, Australian World Underwriters Pty Ltd., BBPS Limited, Barney & Barney Orange County LLC, Beaumonts (Leeds) Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Services Limited, Beneficios Integrales Oportunos SA, Benefitfocus Inc., Blue Marble Micro Limited, Blue Marble Microinsurance Inc., Bluefin, Bluefin Insurance Group Limited, Bluefin Insurance Services Limited, Boulder Claims LLC, Bowring (Bermuda) Investments Ltd., Bowring Marine Limited, Bowring Marsh (Bermuda) Ltd., Bowring Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Bowring Marsh Asia Pte. Ltd., Bowring Marsh Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Bowring Marsh Limited, Broderick Piller Pty Ltd, Broker 2 Broker Limited, BuildPay LLC, Burke Ford Trustees (Leicester) Limited, C.T. Bowring Limited, CMC-Belgibo NV, CPRM Limited, CPSG Partners LLC, Carpenter Marsh Fac Chile Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Carpenter Marsh Fac Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Carpenter Marsh Fac Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.C., Carpenter Marsh Fac Re LLC, Carpenter Turner Cyprus Ltd, Carpenter Turner S.A., Cascade International Holdings C.V., Cascade Regional Holdings Limited, Central Insurance Services Limited, Charter Risk Management Services LLC, Chartwell Healthcare Limited, Chronos Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Claims and Recovery Management (Australia) Pty Limited, Clark Thomson Insurance Brokers Limited, Client Provide Limited, Colombian Insurance Broking Wholesale Limited, Consultores 2020 C.A., Cronin & Co Insurance Services Limited, DVA - Deutsche Verkehrs-Assekuranz-Vermittlungs GmbH, Dawson Insurance, DeLima Marsh S.A. - Los Corredores de Seguros S.A., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Managing General Agency Corporation, Dovetail Technology Service India Private Limited, Draw Connect Limited, Draw Create Limited, Draw Group London Limited, Eagle & Crown Limited, Echelon Australia Pty Limited, Echelon Claims Consultants Sdn Bhd, Echelon New Zealand Limited, EnBW Versicherungs Vermittlung GmbH, Encompass Insurance Agency Pty Ltd., English Pension Trustees Limited, Epsilon (US) Insurance Company, Epsilon Insurance Company Ltd., Eustis Insurance & Benefits, Evolution Management Ltd, Exchange Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Exmoor Management Company Limited, Faulkner & Flynn LLC, Freedom Trust Services Limited, GC Genesis LLC, GCube Insurance Services Inc, GCube Underwriting Limited, Gama Consultores Associados Ltda., Gem Insurance Company Limited, Global Premium Finance Company, GrECo International Holding AG, Gracechurch Trustees Limited, Gresham Pension Trustees Limited, Group Promoters Pty Limited, Guy Carpenter & Cia (Mexico) S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter & Cia. S.A., Guy Carpenter & Co. Labuan Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company AB, Guy Carpenter & Company Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Guy Carpenter & Company Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company GmbH, Guy Carpenter & Company LLC, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Ltd./Guy Carpenter & Compagnie Ltee, Guy Carpenter & Company Participacoes Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company Private Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Proprietary Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Pty. Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A. (Uruguay), Guy Carpenter & Company S.A.S., Guy Carpenter & Company S.r.l., Guy Carpenter (Middle East) Limited, Guy Carpenter Bermuda Ltd., Guy Carpenter Broking Inc., Guy Carpenter Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter Insurance Brokers (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Guy Carpenter Japan Inc., Guy Carpenter Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, HAPIP GP 2009 LLC, HAPIP GP LLC, HSBC Insurance Brokers International (Abu Dhabi) LLC (in liquidation), Hamilton Bond Limited, Hansen International Limited, Hayward Aviation Limited, INSIA Europe SE, INSIA SK s.r.o., INSIA a.s., INSURANCE BROKERS OF NIGERIA LIMITED, IRC Asia Insurance Brokers Limited, InSolutions Limited, Industrial Risks Protection Consultants, Ingeseg S. A., Ingeseg S.A., Insbrokers Ltda., InsurTech Alliance LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC [BAHRAIN BRANCH], Insure Direct - Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, International Catastrophe Insurance Managers LLC, International Loss Control Services Limited, International Risk Consultants (Asia) Limited, Invercol Limited, Irish Pensions Trust Limited, Isosceles Insurance (Barbados) Limited, Isosceles Insurance Company Limited, Isosceles Insurance Ltd, Isosceles PCC Limited, J&H Marsh & McLennan Limited, J.W. Terrill Benefit Administrators Inc., JI Holdings Limited, JIB Group Holdings Limited, JIB Group Limited, JIB Holdings (Pacific) Limited, JIB Overseas Holdings Limited, JIB UK Holdings Limited, JL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co. KG, JLM Verwaltungs GmbH, JLT (Insurance Brokers) Limited, JLT Actuaries and Consultants Limited, JLT Advisory Limited, JLT Affinity Colombia Solutions SAS, JLT Agencies Limited, JLT Asesorias Ltda, JLT Asia Holdings BV, JLT Asia Shared Services Sdn Bhd, JLT Belgibo, JLT Benefit Consultants Limited, JLT Benefit Solutions Limited, JLT Benefit Solutions SA (Pty) Ltd, JLT Bermuda Ltd, JLT Brasil Holdings Participacoes Ltd, JLT Chile Holdings SpA, JLT Colombia Retail Limited, JLT Colombia Wholesale Limited, JLT Consultants & Actuaries Limited, JLT EB Holdings Limited, JLT EB Services Limited, JLT Employee Benefits Holding Company (PTY) LTD, JLT Employee Benefits SA (Pty) Ltd, JLT Financial Planning Limited, JLT France Holdings, JLT Group Services Pty Limited, JLT Holdings (Barbados) Ltd, JLT Holdings (NZ) Limited, JLT Independent Insurance Brokers Private Limited, JLT Insurance Agencies Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited ( Shanghai Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited (Beijing Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited (Guangzhou Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Ireland Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers SA, JLT Insurance Group Holdings Ltd, JLT Insurance Management Malta Limited, JLT Intellectual Property Limited, JLT Intellectual Property [UK Branch], JLT Interactive Pte. Ltd., JLT Investment Management Limited, JLT LATAM (Southern Cone) Wholesale Limited, JLT Latin American Holdings Limited, JLT Life Assurance Brokers Limited, JLT Management Services Limited, JLT Marine (Pty) Ltd, JLT Mexico Holdings Limited, JLT Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., JLT Netherlands BV, JLT Norway AS, JLT PLA, JLT Pension Trustees Limited, JLT Pensions Administration Holdings Limited, JLT Pensions Administration Limited, JLT Peru Reinsurance Solutions Limited, JLT Peru Retail Limited, JLT Peru Wholesale Limited, JLT QFM Services Limited, JLT RE Brasil Administracao e Corretagem de Resseguros Ltda, JLT Re (French Branch), JLT Re (Northern Europe) AB, JLT Re Argentina Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.U., JLT Re Labuan Limited, JLT Re Limited, JLT Re Pty Ltd, JLT Reinsurance Brokers GmbH, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited [French Branch], JLT Risk Management Limited, JLT Risk Solutions AB, JLT Risk Solutions AB Branch - Germany, JLT SA IB Holdings Company (Pty) Limited, JLT SCK Affinity Administracao e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., JLT SCK Corretora e Administradora de Seguros, JLT Secretaries Limited, JLT Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerlii A.., JLT Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., JLT Specialty France, JLT Specialty Insurance Broker A/S, JLT Specialty Limited, JLT Specialty Limited [DUBAI BRANCH], JLT Specialty Pte. Ltd., JLT Towner Insurance Management (Anguilla) Limited, JLT Trust Services (Barbados) Ltd, JLT Trustees (Southern) Limited, JLT Trustees Limited, JLT UK Investment Holdings Limited, JLT Vantage Risk and Benefit Consulting Private Limited, JLT Wealth Management Limited, JLT do Brasil Corretagem de Seguros Ltda, JLTPCS Holdings Pte. Ltd., JMIB Holdings BV, JSL Securities Inc., Japan Affinity Marketing Inc., Jardine IBR Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson (Proprietary) Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Asia Pte Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Australia Pty Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Canada Inc, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc, Jardine Lloyd Thompson India Private Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson India Private Limited (UK Branch Office), Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance Consultants Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Inc., Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ireland Holdings Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ireland Unlimited Company, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Korea Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited [Macao Branch], Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS (Dubai) Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS Pte Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS SA, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Private Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Pty Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Sdn Bhd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Valencia y Iragorri Corredores de Seguros SA, Jardine Pension Trustees Ireland Limited, Jardine Risk Consulting Co. Limited, Jardine ShunTak Insurance Brokers Limited, Jardine ShunTak Insurance Brokers Limited [Macao Branch], Jardines PF- Consultoria Em Gestao De Risco Limitada, Jelf, Jelf Commercial Finance Limited, Jelf Financial Planning Limited, Jelf Insurance Brokers Limited, Jelf Limited, Jelf Risk Management Limited, Jelf Wellbeing Limited, John Lampier & Son Ltd, Johnson & Higgins (Bermuda) Limited, Johnson & Higgins Limited, KESSLER & CO AG, Kepler Associates Limited, Kessler & Co Inc., Kessler Consulting Inc., Kessler Prevoyance Inc., Key Underwriting Pty Limited, Kroll, Lambert Brothers Holdings Limited, Lambert Brothers Insurance Brokers (Employee Benefits) Limited, Lambert Brothers Insurance Brokers (Hong Kong) Ltd, Laterlife.com Limited (in liquidation), Lavaretus Underwriting AB, Lavaretus Underwriting AB (BRANCH - Denmark), Libra Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Lloyd & Partners Limited, Local Government Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Lomond Macdonald Limited, Lynch Insurance Brokers Limited, M&M Vehicle L.P., M.P. Bolshaw and Company Limited, MAG JLT SpA, MERCER ALTERNATIVES LIMITED, MM Risk Services Pty Ltd (for dissolution), MMA Mid-Atlantic Employee LLC, MMA Securities LLC, MMB Consultores S.A., MMC (Singapore) Holdings Pte. Ltd., MMC 28 State Street Holdings Inc., MMC Borrower LLC, MMC Brazilian Holdings B.V., MMC Capital Inc., MMC Cascade Regional Holdings LLC, MMC FINANCE (EUROPE) LIMITED, MMC FINANCE HOLDINGS LTD, MMC Finance (Australia) Limited, MMC Finance (Singapore) Limited, MMC France Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., MMC GP III Inc., MMC Group Services sp. z o.o., MMC Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, MMC Holdings (New Zealand) ULC, MMC Holdings (UK) Limited, MMC International Finance (Barbados) SRL, MMC International Holdings LLC, MMC International Limited, MMC International Treasury Centre Limited, MMC Middle East Holdings Limited, MMC Poland Holdings B.V., MMC Realty Inc., MMC Regional Asia Holdings B.V., MMC Regional Caribbean Holdings Ltd., MMC Regional Europe Holdings B.V., MMC Regional LATAM Holdings B.V., MMC Securities (Europe) Limited, MMC Securities LLC, MMC Treasury Holdings (UK) Limited, MMC UK Group Limited, MMC UK Pension Fund Trustee Limited, MMOW Limited, MMRC LLC, MOW Holding LLC, MPIP III GP LLC, MPIP IV GP LLC, MPIP V GP LLC, MPIP VI GP LLC, Mangrove Insurance Europe PCC Limited, Mangrove Insurance Solutions PCC, Mangrove Insurance Solutions PCC Limited, Manoel Management Services Ltd, Marchant McKechnie Insurance Brokers Limited, Marine Aviation & General (London) Limited, Marsh & McLennan (PNG) Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agencies AS, Marsh & McLennan Agencies Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agency A/S, Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, Marsh & McLennan Agency Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agency Pty Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Argentina SA Corredores de Reaseguros, Marsh & McLennan Colombia S.A., Marsh & McLennan Companies Acquisition Funding Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies Acquisition Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies Asia Pacific Treasury Center Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies BVBA/SPRL, Marsh & McLennan Companies Finance Center (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies France S.A.S., Marsh & McLennan Companies Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc., Marsh & McLennan Companies Regional Holdings S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies Services B.V., Marsh & McLennan Companies UK Limited, Marsh & McLennan Europe S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan GP I Inc., Marsh & McLennan Global Broking (Bermuda) Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Holding GmbH, Marsh & McLennan Holdings (Canada) ULC, Marsh & McLennan Holdings Inc., Marsh & McLennan Incorporated (for dissolution), Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Holdings II, Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Holdings S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Limited, Marsh & McLennan Insurance Services Limited, Marsh & McLennan Ireland Limited, Marsh & McLennan Management Services (Bermuda) Limited, Marsh & McLennan Risk Capital Holdings Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Servicios S.A. De C.V., Marsh & McLennan Shared Services Canada Limited, Marsh & McLennan Shared Services Corporation, Marsh (Bahrain) Company SPC, Marsh (Beijing) Risk Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Marsh (China) Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd., Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Marsh (Insurance Brokers) LLP, Marsh (Insurance Services) Limited, Marsh (Malawi) Limited, Marsh (Middle East) Limited, Marsh (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Marsh (Pty) Ltd, Marsh (Risk Consulting) LLP, Marsh (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Marsh A/S, Marsh AB, Marsh AG, Marsh AS, Marsh Advantage Insurance Holdings Pty Ltd, Marsh Advantage Insurance Pty Ltd., Marsh Africa (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Argentina S.R.L., Marsh Associates (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Austria G.m.b.H., Marsh Aviation Insurance Broking Pty Ltd (for dissolution), Marsh B.V., Marsh Botswana (Proprietary) Limited, Marsh Brockman y Schuh Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Marsh Broker Japan Inc., Marsh Broker de Asigurare-Reasigurare S.R.L., Marsh Brokers (Hong Kong) Limited, Marsh Brokers Limited, Marsh Canada Limited/Marsh Canada Limitee, Marsh Company Management Services Cayman Ltd., Marsh Compensation Technologies Administration (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Corporate Services (Barbados) Limited, Marsh Corporate Services Isle of Man Ltd, Marsh Corporate Services Limited, Marsh Corporate Services Malta Limited, Marsh Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Marsh EOOD, Marsh Egypt LLC, Marsh Emirates Consultancy LLC, Marsh Emirates Insurance Brokerage LLC, Marsh Employee Benefits Limited, Marsh Employee Benefits Zimbabwe (Private) Ltd, Marsh Eurofinance B.V., Marsh Europe S.A., Marsh FJC International Insurance Brokers Limited, Marsh For Insurance Services S.A.E., Marsh Franco Acra S.A., Marsh GSC Servicos e Administracao de Seguros Ltda., Marsh GmbH, Marsh Holding AB, Marsh Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Marsh India Insurance Brokers Private Limited, Marsh Insurance & Investments LLC, Marsh Insurance Brokers, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Macao) Limited, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Private) Limited, Marsh Insurance Brokers AO, Marsh Insurance Brokers Limited, Marsh Insurance Consulting Saudi Arabia (in liquidation), Marsh Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers LLC, Marsh Intermediaries Inc., Marsh International Broking Holdings Limited, Marsh International Holdings II Inc., Marsh International Holdings Inc., Marsh Investment B.V., Marsh Ireland Brokers Limited, Marsh Ireland Brokers Limited (UK Branch), Marsh Ireland Holdings Limited, Marsh Israel (1999) Ltd., Marsh Israel (Holdings) Ltd., Marsh Israel Consultants Ltd., Marsh Israel Insurance Agency Ltd., Marsh Israel International Brokers Ltd. (in liquidation), Marsh JCS Inc., Marsh Japan Inc., Marsh Kft., Marsh Kindlustusmaakler AS, Marsh Korea Inc., Marsh LLC, Marsh LLC Insurance Brokers, Marsh LLC [Ukraine], Marsh Lda., Marsh Limited, Marsh Limited [Fiji], Marsh Limited [New Zealand], Marsh Limited [PNG], Marsh Ltd. [Wisconsin], Marsh Management Services (Bahamas) Ltd., Marsh Management Services (Barbados) Limited, Marsh Management Services (Bermuda) Ltd., Marsh Management Services (Dublin) Limited, Marsh Management Services (Labuan) Limited, Marsh Management Services (MENA) Limited, Marsh Management Services (USVI) Ltd., Marsh Management Services Cayman Ltd., Marsh Management Services Guernsey Limited, Marsh Management Services Inc., Marsh Management Services Isle of Man Limited, Marsh Management Services Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Marsh Management Services Malta Limited, Marsh Management Services Singapore Pte. Ltd., Marsh Management Services Sweden AB, Marsh Marine & Energy AB, Marsh Marine Nederland B.V., Marsh Medical Consulting GmbH, Marsh Mercer Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Marsh Nest Inc., Marsh Oman LLC, Marsh Oy, Marsh PB Co. Ltd., Marsh Philippines Inc., Marsh Privat A.I.E., Marsh Private Client Life Insurance Services, Marsh Pty. Ltd., Marsh Qatar LLC, Marsh RE S.A.C. Corredores de Reaseguros, Marsh Rehder Consultoria S.A. (MRC), Marsh Rehder S.A. Corredores de Seguros, Marsh Resolutions Pty Limited, Marsh Risk Consulting B.V., Marsh Risk Consulting Limitada, Marsh Risk Consulting Ltda., Marsh Risk Consulting S.L., Marsh Risk Consulting Services S.r.L., Marsh Risk and Consulting Services (Pty) Ltd, Marsh S.A. Corredores De Seguros, Marsh S.A. Mediadores de Seguros, Marsh S.A.S., Marsh S.p.A., Marsh SA [Argentina], Marsh SA [Belgium], Marsh SA [Luxembourg], Marsh SA [Uruguay], Marsh SIA, Marsh Saldana Inc., Marsh Saudi Arabia Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Marsh Secretarial Services Limited, Marsh Semusa S.A., Marsh Services Limited, Marsh Services Spolka z.o.o., Marsh Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, Marsh Spolka z.o.o., Marsh Szolgaltato Kft., Marsh Takaful Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Marsh Treasury Services (Dublin) Limited (in liquidation), Marsh Treasury Services Limited, Marsh Tunisia S.a.r.l., Marsh UK Limited, Marsh USA (India) Inc., Marsh USA Borrower LLC, Marsh USA Inc., Marsh Uganda Limited, Marsh Venezuela C.A. Sociedad de Corretaje de Seguros, Marsh Vietnam Insurance Broking Company Ltd, Marsh Zambia Limited, Marsh Zimbabwe Holdings (Private) Limited, Marsh d.o.o. Beograd, Marsh d.o.o. za posredovanje u osiguranju, Marsh for Insurance Services - Jordan, Marsh i-Connect (Pty) Ltd, Marsh s.r.o., Matthiessen Assurans AB, Mercer (Argentina) S.A., Mercer (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer (Austria) GmbH, Mercer (Belgium) SA-NV, Mercer (Canada) Limited/Mercer (Canada) Limitee, Mercer (China) Limited, Mercer (Colombia) Ltda., Mercer (Danmark) A/S, Mercer (Finland) OY, Mercer (France) SAS, Mercer (Hong Kong) Limited, Mercer (Ireland) Limited, Mercer (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Mercer (N.Z.) Limited, Mercer (Nederland) B.V., Mercer (Norge) AS, Mercer (Polska) Sp.z o.o., Mercer (Portugal) Lda, Mercer (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer (Sweden) AB, Mercer (Taiwan) Ltd., Mercer (Thailand) Ltd., Mercer (US) Inc., Mercer Administration Services (Australia) Pty Limited, Mercer Africa Limited, Mercer Agente de Seguros S.A. de C.V., Mercer Asesores de Seguros S.A., Mercer Asesores es Inversion Independientes S.A. de C.V., Mercer Broking Ltd., Mercer Career Unipessoal Lda, Mercer Consultation (Quebec) Ltee., Mercer Consulting (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Consulting (Chile) Limitada, Mercer Consulting (France) SAS, Mercer Consulting (India) Private Limited, Mercer Consulting B.V., Mercer Consulting Group Inc., Mercer Consulting Holdings Sdn. Bhd., Mercer Consulting Limited, Mercer Consulting Middle East Limited, Mercer Consulting S.L.U., Mercer Consulting Venezuela C.A., Mercer Corredores de Seguros Limitada, Mercer Corretora de Seguros Ltda, Mercer Danismanlik Anonim Sirketi, Mercer Deutschland GmbH, Mercer Employee Benefits - Medicacao de Seguros Unipessoal Lda., Mercer Employee Benefits Limited, Mercer Financial Advice (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Financial Services Limited, Mercer Financial Services Limited liability company, Mercer Financial Services Middle East Limited, Mercer Global Investments Europe Limited, Mercer Global Investments Management Limited, Mercer HR Consulting Borrower LLC, Mercer HR Services LLC, Mercer Health & Benefits (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer Health & Benefits Administration LLC, Mercer Health & Benefits LLC, Mercer Holdings Inc., Mercer Holdings Inc. [Philippines], Mercer Human Resource Consulting Ltda, Mercer Human Resource Consulting S.A. de C.V., Mercer ICC Limited, Mercer Investment Consulting Limited, Mercer Investment Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Mercer Investment Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer Investments (Australia) Limited, Mercer Investments (Hong Kong) Limited, Mercer Investments (Japan) Ltd, Mercer Investments (New Zealand) Limited, Mercer Investments LLC, Mercer Ireland Holdings Limited, Mercer Italia Srl Socio Unico, Mercer Japan Ltd., Mercer Korea Co. Ltd., Mercer LLC, Mercer Limited, Mercer MC Consulting Borrower LLC, Mercer Master Trustees Limited, Mercer Mauritius Ltd., Mercer Oliver Wyman Holding B.V., Mercer Outsourcing (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Outsourcing S.L.U., Mercer Pensionsfonds AG, Mercer Pensionsraadgivning A/S, Mercer Philippines Inc., Mercer Private Investment Partners IV General Partner S.a.r.l., Mercer Private Markets AG, Mercer Private Markets Advisers (US) AG, Mercer Services Poland Sp. z.o.o., Mercer Sigorta Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, Mercer South Africa (Pty) Limited, Mercer Superannuation (Australia) Limited, Mercer Switzerland Inc., Mercer System Services LLC, Mercer Technology Acquisitions Limited, Mercer Treuhand GmbH, Mercer Trust Company LLC, Mercer Trustees Limited, Mercer WorkforcePro LLC, Mercury Insurance Services Pty Ltd, Moola Systems Limited, Mountlodge Limited, Muir Beddal (Zimbabwe) Limited, NERA Australia Pty. Ltd., NERA Economic Consulting GmbH, NERA Economic Consulting Limited, NERA S.R.L., NERA SAS, NERA UK Limited, NERA do Brasil Ltda. (for dissolution), National Economic Research Associates Inc., NetComp Insurance Corp., Neuburger Noble Lowndes GmbH, Normandy Reinsurance Company Limited, Northern Alliance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), OWL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co.KG, OWL Marine Verwaltungs GmbH, Oliver Wyman (Bermuda) Limited, Oliver Wyman (Hong Kong) Limited, Oliver Wyman AB, Oliver Wyman AG, Oliver Wyman Actuarial Consulting Inc., Oliver Wyman B.V., Oliver Wyman Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Oliver Wyman Consultoria em Estrategia de Negocios Ltda., Oliver Wyman Energy Consulting Limited, Oliver Wyman FZ-LLC, Oliver Wyman Group KK, Oliver Wyman Inc., Oliver Wyman LLC, Oliver Wyman Limited, Oliver Wyman Limited Liability Company, Oliver Wyman Limited/Oliver Wyman limitee, Oliver Wyman Ltd., Oliver Wyman Pte. Ltd., Oliver Wyman Pty. Ltd., Oliver Wyman S. de R.L. de C.V., Oliver Wyman S.A.S., Oliver Wyman S.L., Oliver Wyman S.r.l., Oliver Wyman SNC, Oliver Wyman SPRL/BVBA, Oliver Wyman Sdn. Bhd., Oliver Wyman Services Limited, Oliver Wyman Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Oliver Wyman sp. z o.o., Omega Indemnity (Bermuda) Limited, Organizacion Brockman y Schuh S.A. de C.V., Osbornes Insurances Oxford Limited (in liquidation), PFT Limited, PI Indemnity Company Designated Activity Company, PT JLT Reinsurance Brokers, PT Jardine Lloyd Thompson, PT Marsh Indonesia, PT Marsh Reinsurance Brokers Indonesia, PT Mercer Indonesia, PT Nexus Asia Pacific, PT Oliver Wyman Indonesia, PT Quantum Computing Services, PT Quantum Investments, PT Quantum Support Services, Pallas Marsh Servicos Ltda., Pavilion Alternatives Group (Singapore) PTE. Ltd, Pavilion Financial Corporation Holdings UK Limited, Pavilion U.S. Investments Holdco LLC, Pension Trustees Limited, Pensionsservice Benefit Network Sverige AB, Perils AG, Personal Pension Trustees Limited, Pet Animal Welfare Scheme Limited, Portsoken Trustees (No. 2) Limited, Portsoken Trustees Limited, Potomac Insurance Managers Inc., Premier Pension Trustees Limited, Premium Services Australia Pty Limited, Professional Claims Handling Limited (in liquidation), Profund Solutions Limited, Promerit AG, Promerit Hungary Kft, Promerit Schweiz AG, Pymetrics Inc., R G Ford Brokers Limited, R R B Beratungsgesellschaft fuer Altersversorgung mbh, R. Mees & Zoonen Holdings B.V., Renewable Energy Loss Adjusters LLC, Renewable Energy Loss Adjusters Limited, Resource Benefit Associates, Rightpath Reinsurance SPC Ltd., Risk Management Australia Pty Limited, Rivers Group Limited, Rockefeller Risk Advisors Inc., Rutherfoord International Inc., SAFCAR-Marsh, SBJ Holdings Limited, SCIB (Bermuda) Limited, SCM Global Real Estate Select GP LLC, SCM Infrastructure General Partner S.a r.l., SCM International Private Equity Select III GP LLC, SCM LT General Partner S.a.r.l., SCM PE General Partner S.a.r.l., SCM PE II GP Ltd., SCM PE II Scotland GP Ltd, SCM Strategic Capital Management (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., SICAR Marsh S.a.r.l., SME Insurance Services Limited, Sail Insurance Company Limited, Scalene Re Ltd, Seabury & Smith Borrower LLC, Seabury & Smith LLC, Secure Limited, Sedgwick (Holdings) Pty. Limited, Sedgwick Consulting Group Limited, Sedgwick Dineen Group Limited, Sedgwick Financial Services Limited, Sedgwick Forbes Middle East Limited, Sedgwick Group, Sedgwick Group (Australia) Pty. Limited, Sedgwick Group (Bermuda) Limited, Sedgwick Group (Zimbabwe) Limited, Sedgwick Group Limited, Sedgwick Internationaal B.V., Sedgwick Limited, Sedgwick Management Services (Barbados) Limited, Sedgwick Management Services (Singapore) Pte Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes (UK) Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Group Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Limited, Sedgwick Overseas Investments Limited, Sedgwick Private Limited, Sedgwick Re Asia Pacific (Consultants) Pte Ltd (for dissolution), Sedgwick Trustees Limited, Sedgwick UK Risk Services Limited, Sedgwick Ulster Pension Trustees Limited, Settlement Trustees Limited, Shanghai Mercer Insurance Brokers Company Ltd., Shorewest Insurance Associates LLC, Sirota Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Sirota Consulting UK Limited, Smith Long Term Disability Management Group Inc., Societe d'Assurances et de Participation Guian SA, Software Underwriting Systems Limited (in liquidation), Southern Marine & Aviation Inc., Southern Marine & Aviation Underwriters Inc., Sudzucker Versicherungs-Vermittlungs GmbH, Sumitomo Life Insurance Agency America Inc., Sylvite Financial Services, TBX Solutions Limited, Talent Tech Labs LLC, The Benefit Express Holdings Limited, The Benefit Express Limited, The Carpenter Management Corporation, The Insurance Partnership Holdings Limited, The Insurance Partnership Services Limited, The Positive Ageing Company Limited, The Purple Partnership Limited, The Recovre Group Pty Ltd, Thomsons Online Benefits (HK) Ltd., Thomsons Online Benefits Inc., Thomsons Online Benefits Limited, Thomsons Online Benefits Pte Ltd., Thomsons Online Benefits S.R.L, Torrent Government Contracting Services LLC, Torrent Insurance Services LLC, Torrent Technologies, Torrent Technologies Inc., Tower Hill Limited, Tower Place Developments (West) Limited, Tower Place Developments Limited, U.T.E. AMG, U.T.E. Marsh - Caja Castilla La Mancha Junta de Comunidades, U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Reus (in liquidation), U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Reus 2012, U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Vila-Seca 2010, UAD BB Marsh Lietuva, Vezina & Associes Inc., Vezina Assurances Inc., Victor Insurance Europe B.V., Victor Insurance Holdings Inc., Victor Insurance Italia S.r.l., Victor Insurance Managers Inc., Victor Insurance Managers Inc./Gestionnaires d'assurance Victor inc., Victor O. Schinnerer & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd., Victor O. Schinnerer & Company Limited, Victoria Hall Company Limited, Wellnz Limited, William M. Mercer (Canada) Limited/William M. Mercer (Canada) Limitee, William M. Mercer AB, William M. Mercer Comercio Consultoria e Servicos Ltda., Wortham Insurance & Risk Management, everBe SAS, and realright GmbH. Read More NCI Building Systems, Inc. designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets metal products for the nonresidential construction industry in North America. It operates in four segments: Engineered Building Systems, Metal Components, Insulated Metal Panels, and Metal Coil Coating. The Engineered Building Systems segment offers engineered structural members and panels; and self-storage building systems under the Metallic, Mid-West Steel, A & S, All American, Mesco, Star, Ceco, Robertson, Garco, Heritage, and SteelBuilding.com brands to builders, general contractors, developers, and end users directly, as well as through private label companies. The Metal Components segment provides metal roof and wall systems, metal partitions, metal trims, doors, and other related accessories for use in new construction, and repair and retrofit applications; roll-up doors; and interior and exterior walk doors under the MBCI, American Building Components, Eco-ficient, Metal Depots, and Doors and Buildings Components brands to manufacturers, contractors, subcontractors, distributors, lumberyards, cooperative buying groups, and other customers. The Insulated Metal Panels segment offers insulated metal panels for architectural, commercial, industrial, and cold storage end-market applications under the Metl-Span and CENTRIA brands. The Metal Coil Coating segment engages in cleaning, treating, and painting flat-rolled metals in coil form, as well as in slitting and/or embossing the metal, before the metal is fabricated for use by industrial users. It also cleans, treats, and coats heavy and light gauge metal coils for use in construction products, heating and air conditioning systems, water heaters, lighting fixtures, ceiling grids, office furniture, appliances, and other products; and provides toll coating and painted metal package services under the Metal Coaters and Metal Prep brands. NCI Building Systems, Inc. was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. The following companies are subsidiares of POSCO: 2015 POSCO New technology II Fund, BLUE O&M Co. Ltd., Brazil Sao Paulo Steel Processing Center, Busan E&E Co. Ltd., DAESAN (CAMBODIA) Co. Ltd., DAEWOO INTERNATIONAL GUANGZHOU CORP., Daewoo Amara Company Limited, Daewoo Global Development. Pte. Ltd, Daewoo International, Daewoo Power and Infra (PTY) Limited, Daewoo Precious Resources Co. Ltd., Future Creation Fund Postech Early Stage account, GOLDEN LACE POSCO INTERNATIONAL CO. LTD., GRAIN TERMINAL HOLDING PTE. LTD., Growth Ladder POSCO K-Growth Global Fund, HONG KONG POSCO E&C (CHINA) INVESTMENT Co. Ltd., HOTEL LAONZENA, HUME COAL PTY LTD, Hunchun Posco Hyundai Logistics, JB CLARK HILLS(*1), Korea Fuel Cell, LA-SRDC, Mapo Hibroad Parking Co. Ltd., MegaAsset Co. Ltd., Myanmar POSCO C&C Company Limited., Myanmar POSCO Engineering & Construction Company Limited., Myanmar POSCO Steel Co. Ltd, Mykolaiv Milling Works PJSC., PGSF L.P., PNR, POS-CD PTY LTD, POS-GC PTY LTD, POS-LT Pty Ltd, POS-Minerals Corporation, POS-NP PTY LTD, POS-ORE PTY LTD, POSCAN Elkview, POSCO (Thailand) Company Limited, POSCO A&C, POSCO AFRICA (PROPRIETARY) LIMITED, POSCO AMERICA ALABAMA PROCESSING CENTER CO. LTD., POSCO AMERICA COMERCIALIZADORA S DE RL DE CV, POSCO ASSAN TST STEEL INDUSTRY, POSCO AUSTRALIA GP PTY LIMITED, POSCO AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, POSCO America Corporation, POSCO Argentina S.A.U., POSCO Asia Co. Ltd., POSCO CHEMICAL CO. LTD., POSCO COATED STEEL (THAILAND) CO. LTD., POSCO Canada Ltd., POSCO Center Beijing, POSCO ChengDu Processing Center, POSCO China Dalian Plate Processing Center Co. Ltd., POSCO Coated & Color Steel Co. Ltd., POSCO DAEWOO E&P CANADA CORPORATION, POSCO DAEWOO WAIGAOQIAO SHANGHAI CO. LTD, POSCO E&C (THAILAND) CO. Ltd., POSCO E&C CHINA Co. Ltd., POSCO E&C HOLDINGS CO. Ltd., POSCO E&C Mongolia, POSCO E&C SMART S DE RL DE CV, POSCO E&C Vietnam Co. Ltd., POSCO ENERGY CO. LTD., POSCO ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION DO BRAZIL LTDA., POSCO ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION. CO. LTD., POSCO ENGINEERING (THAILAND) CO. LTD., POSCO ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION AUSTRALIA (POSCO E&C AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, POSCO ES MATERIALS CO. LTD., POSCO Engineering and Construction India Private Limited, POSCO Europe Steel Distribution Center, POSCO Family Strategy Fund, POSCO GEM 1th Fund, POSCO Gulf SFC LLC, POSCO Humans, POSCO ICT, POSCO ICT BRASIL, POSCO ICT VIETNAM, POSCO ICT-China Co. Ltd, POSCO INDIA PROCESSING CENTER PRIVATE LIMITED, POSCO INTERNATIONAL (CHINA) CO. LTD, POSCO INTERNATIONAL AMERICA CORP., POSCO INTERNATIONAL AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY. LTD., POSCO INTERNATIONAL Corporation, POSCO INTERNATIONAL Deutschland GMBH, POSCO INTERNATIONAL INDIA PVT. LTD, POSCO INTERNATIONAL ITALIA S.R.L., POSCO INTERNATIONAL JAPAN CORP., POSCO INTERNATIONAL MALAYSIA SDN BHD, POSCO INTERNATIONAL MEXICO S.A DE C.V., POSCO INTERNATIONAL MYANMAR CORPORATION LIMITED, POSCO INTERNATIONAL POWER (PNGLAE) LTD., POSCO INTERNATIONAL POWER(PNGPOM) LTD., POSCO INTERNATIONAL SHANGHAI CO. LTD., POSCO INTERNATIONAL SINGAPORE PTE. LTD., POSCO INTERNATIONAL TEXTILE LLC., POSCO INTERNATIONAL UKRAINE LLC., POSCO INTERNATIONAL VIETNAM COMPANY LIMITED, POSCO India Steel Distribution Center Private Ltd., POSCO JAPAN Co. Ltd., POSCO Japan PC CO. LTD, POSCO M-TECH, POSCO MAURITIUS LIMITED, POSCO MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., POSCO MPPC S.A. de C.V., POSCO Maharashtra Steel Private Limited, POSCO NCR Coal Ltd., POSCO O&M CO. Ltd. (formerly POSMATE), POSCO Philippine Manila Processing Center Inc., POSCO Processing&Service, POSCO RU Limited Liability Company, POSCO Research & Technology, POSCO Research Institute, POSCO SINGAPORE LNG TRADING PTE. LTD., POSCO SS VINA JOINT STOCK COMPANY (Formerly POSCO SS VISA CO. Ltd.), POSCO SUZHOU PROCESSING CENTER CO. LTD., POSCO TMC INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, POSCO TNPC Otomotiv Celik San. Ve Tic. A.S, POSCO Thainox Public Company Limited, POSCO VST CO. LTD., POSCO Venture Capital Co. Ltd., POSCO Vietnam Processing Center. Co. Ltd, POSCO WA PTY LTD, POSCO WOMANS FUND, POSCO(Chongqing) Automotive Processing Center Co. Ltd., POSCO(Dalian) IT Center Development Co. Ltd., POSCO(Guangdong) Automotive Steel Co. Ltd., POSCO(Guangdong) Coated Steel Co. Ltd., POSCO(Liaoning) Automotive Processing Center Co. Ltd., POSCO(Suzhou) Automotive Processing Center Co. Ltd., POSCO(Wuhu) Automotive Processing Center Co. Ltd., POSCO(Yantai Automotive Processing Center Co. Ltd., POSCO-CFPC Co. Ltd., POSCO-CTPC Co. Ltd., POSCO-China Holding Corp., POSCO-China Qingdao Processing Center Co. Ltd., POSCO-India Private Limited, POSCO-India Pune Processing Center. Pvt. Ltd., POSCO-Indonesia Jakarta Processing Center, POSCO-Italy Processing Center, POSCO-MKPC SDN BHD, POSCO-Malaysia SDN. BHD., POSCO-Mexico Villagran Wire-rod Processing Center, POSCO-Poland Wroclaw Processing Center Sp. z o. o., POSCO-South Asia Company Limited, POSCO-TISCO (JILIN) PROCESSING CENTER Co. Ltd., POSCO-Terminal Co. Ltd., POSCO-VIETNAM Co. Ltd., POSMATE-CHINA CO. LTD, PSC Energy Global Co. Ltd., PT KRAKATAU BLUE WATER, PT. Bio Inti Agrindo, PT. KRAKATAU POSCO, PT. KRAKATAU POSCO ENERGY, PT. POSCO E&C INDONESIA, PT.Krakatau Posco Chemtech Calcination, PT.Krakatau Posco Social Enterprise, PT.MRI, PT.POSCO ICT INDONESIA, PT.POSCO INDONESIA INTI, Pohang Scrap Recycling Distribution Center Co. Ltd., Pos-Sea Pte Ltd, Posco Group University, Posco e&c Songdo International Building, Qingdao Pohang Stainless Steel Co. Ltd., SANPU TRADING Co. Ltd., SPH Co LTD., SUZHOU POSCO-CORE TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD., Songdo Development PMC (Project Management Company) LLC., Suncheon Eco Trans Co. LTD, TANCHEON E&E (formerly POSCO E&E), Ventanas Philippines Construction Inc, Yuzhnaya Stevedoring Company Limited LLC., ZHEJIANG POSCO-HUAYOU ESM CO. LTD, Zhangjiagang BLZ Pohang International Trading, Zhangjiagang Pohang Refractories Co. Ltd., Zhangjiagang Pohang Stainless Steel Co. Ltd., Zhangjigang Pohang Port Co. Ltd., and eNtoB Corporation. Read More 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 Boston Scientific Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices for use in various interventional medical specialties worldwide. It operates through three segments: MedSurg, Rhythm and Neuro, and Cardiovascular. The company offers devices to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal and pulmonary conditions; devices to treat various urological and pelvic conditions; implantable cardioverter and implantable cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators; pacemakers and implantable cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemakers; and remote patient management systems. It also provides medical technologies to diagnose and treat rate and rhythm disorders of the heart comprising 3-D cardiac mapping and navigation solutions, ablation catheters, diagnostic catheters, mapping catheters, intracardiac ultrasound catheters, delivery sheaths, and other accessories; spinal cord stimulator systems for the management of chronic pain; indirect decompression systems; and deep brain stimulation systems. In addition, the company offers interventional cardiology products, including drug-eluting coronary stent systems used in the treatment of coronary artery disease; percutaneous coronary interventions products to treat atherosclerosis; intravascular catheter-directed ultrasound imaging catheters, fractional flow reserve devices, and systems for use in coronary arteries and heart chambers, as well as various peripheral vessels; and structural heart therapies. Further, it provides stents, balloon catheters, wires, and atherectomy systems to treat arterial diseases; thrombectomy and acoustic pulse thrombolysis systems, wires, and stents to treat venous diseases; and peripheral embolization devices, radioactive microspheres, ablation systems, cryotherapy ablation systems, and micro and drainage catheters to treat cancer. The company was incorporated in 1979 and is headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts. 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. Ecopetrol S.A. operates as an integrated energy company. The company operates through four segments: Exploration and Production; Transport and Logistics; Refining, Petrochemical and Biofuels; and Electric Power Transmission and Toll Roads Concessions. It engages in the exploration and production of oil and gas; transportation of crude oil, motor fuels, fuel oil, and other refined products, including diesel, jet, and biofuels; processing and refining crude oil; distribution of natural gas and LPG; sale of refined and petrochemical products; supplying of electric power transmission services; design, development, construction, operation, and maintenance of road and energy infrastructure projects; and supplying of information technology and telecommunications services. As of December 31, 2021, the company had approximately 9,127 kilometers of crude oil and multi-purpose pipelines. It also produces and commercializes polypropylene resins and compounds, and masterbatches; and offers industrial service sales to customers and specialized management services. It has operations in Colombia, the United States, Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, South America, and internationally. The company was formerly known as Empresa Colombiana de Petroleos and changed its name to Ecopetrol S.A. in June 2003. Ecopetrol S.A. was incorporated in 1948 and is based in Bogota, Colombia. 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 NextEra Energy, Inc. is the largest electric utility holding company in the US. It operates a network of power generation and distribution facilities that include fossil-fuel-generated and green energy. As of mid-2022, the company was capable of generating 58 GW of electricity with nearly 60% of the load produced by green sources including wind and solar. In their view, going green isnt an option, its the solution. NextEra Energy has been recognized multiple times as a leader in clean energy and ESG practices and was ranked the #1 electric and gas utility on the Forbes list of Most Admired Companies. The company is the result of several mergers that begin with FPL Group. FPL Group is now a subsidiary of NextEra Energy and the third-largest provider of electricity in the US servicing nearly half of Florida. FPL and its affiliates are the single largest provider of renewable energy generated from wind and sun. The group changed its name in 2010 following a decision to shift focus onto renewable energy sources. Today, NextEra Energy, Inc through its subsidiary FPL serves about 12 million people in eastern and southwestern Florida. The company employs nearly 14,900 people who service 5.8 million accounts. The company is in business to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity to retail and wholesale clients. Electricity is generated through wind, solar, nuclear, natural gas, and coal-fired facilities. The company is also engaged in the construction and operation of new facilities, specifically renewable power generation, storage, and delivery facilities, and can offer custom solutions tailored to any need. Offerings include tailored services to assist businesses with their transition to clean energy. NextEra Energy also owns and operates 7 nuclear power stations in Florida, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin generating power for the wholesale market. Unlike other companies that are targeting net-zero emissions, NextEra Energy has a plan to reach real zero and is investing heavily to reach that goal by 2045. The company had invested nearly $50 billion in green energy infrastructure and initiatives by mid-2022. The plan is to first work on reducing its own emissions and then take its knowledge and expertise to the world. Your holiday shopping list is almost finished. Everythings bought and wrapped except the gift youre giving to the furriest member of your family. Thats the easy gift, though, because you know what your dog likes. He knows what you like, too: snuggling together with a good book. So why not try these Canine Christmas books? Big brown eyes. Who can resist them? Not author Joal Derse Dauer, and in the true story Saving Sadie (with Elizabeth Ridley), she writes about how she found a disabled, depressed dog at a no-kill shelter and she knew she had to so something. Its a book about love, perseverance, and willingness to open your heart to the dog that needs you most (and vice versa). The dog lover who also loves a little mystery will want The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by David Rosenfelt. In it, defense lawyer Andy Carpenter takes on the case of a complaint about Carpenters friends dog-rescue organization. Martha Pups Boyer rescues stray puppies, makes them good dog citizens and finds them good homes, but Pups neighbor filed a too-many-dogs report with the city. When that neighbor turns up dead, you can guess whos got fingers pointed at her. Who doesnt want a little romance at Christmas especially if theres a dog involved? The Dog Who Came for Christmas by Sue Pethick is a novel about a single mom whos near the end of her rope, until her son brings home a stray dog. Of course, the whole family falls in love with the pup until the dogs supposed owner shows up to claim the pooch from the boy. Hes single, too, but only barely. Will whoever gets the man, keep the dog, too? If you know the answer to that book without even trying, then youll like Pupcakes: A Christmas Novel by Annie England Noblin, the story of a newly divorced woman, a pug on her doorstep, a new business, and an intriguing man with an Irish wolfhound. Toss in a curmudgeonly neighbor and theres a good tale. Heres no big news: celebrities love their dogs, too, and you can read some of their thoughts in Lifes a Pooch by Boze Hadleigh. Its full of quotations about dogs (both in film and out), people who love dogs (both in film and out), and people who hate dogs (gasp!), broken into categories that make for easy browsing. And finally, speaking of celebrities, if youre familiar with Shirley MacLaines terrier, Terry, then youll want to read the updated Out on a Leash. Im not ruining the ending by saying that Terry died, but theres more to the story here. Suffice it to say that if you lost a dog this year, youve got to read it all. If these books dont satisfy your craving for canines, then sniff around at your local bookstore or library. Theres a gift beneath your tree for Pupsie. Put one there for you, too, because a gift list without a dog book is really not finished. The following companies are subsidiares of CVS Health: ACS ACQCO CORP., ADMINCO Inc., AE Fourteen Incorporated, AHP Holdings Inc., AMC - Tennessee LLC, APS Acquisition LLC, ASCO HealthCare LLC, ASI Wings LLC, AUSHC Holdings Inc., Accendo Insurance Company, Accordant Health Services L.L.C., Active Health Management Inc., Administrative Enterprises Inc., AdvancePCS SpecialtyRx LLC, AdvanceRx.com L.L.C., Advanced Care Scripts Inc., Aetna, Aetna (Beijing) Enterprise Management Services Co. Ltd., Aetna (Shanghai) Enterprise Services Co. Ltd., Aetna ACO Holdings Inc., Aetna Asset Advisors LLC, Aetna Behavioral Health LLC, Aetna Better Health Inc., Aetna Better Health Inc., Aetna Better Health Premier Plan MMAI Inc., Aetna Better Health of California Inc., Aetna Better Health of Florida Inc., Aetna Better Health of Illinois Inc., Aetna Better Health of Indiana Inc., Aetna Better Health of Kansas Inc., Aetna Better Health of Missouri LLC, Aetna Better Health of Nevada Inc., Aetna Better Health of North Carolina Inc., Aetna Better Health of Oklahoma Inc., Aetna Better Health of Tennessee Inc., Aetna Better Health of Texas Inc., Aetna Better Health of Washington Inc., Aetna Capital Management LLC, Aetna Card Solutions LLC, Aetna Corporate Services LLC, Aetna Dental Inc., Aetna Dental of California Inc., Aetna Financial Holdings LLC, Aetna Florida Inc., Aetna Global Benefits (Asia Pacific) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Bermuda) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Europe) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Middle East) LLC, Aetna Global Benefits (Singapore) PTE. LTD., Aetna Health Holdings LLC, Aetna Health Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Aetna Health Insurance Company, Aetna Health Insurance Company of Europe DAC, Aetna Health Insurance Company of New York, Aetna Health Management LLC, Aetna Health and Life Insurance Company, Aetna Health of California Inc., Aetna Health of Iowa Inc., Aetna Health of Michigan Inc., Aetna Health of Ohio Inc., Aetna Health of Utah Inc., Aetna HealthAssurance Pennsylvania Inc., Aetna Holdco (UK) Limited, Aetna Holdings (Thailand) Limited, Aetna Inc., Aetna Insurance (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Aetna Insurance Company Limited, Aetna Insurance Company of Connecticut, Aetna Integrated Informatics Inc., Aetna International Ex Pat LLC, Aetna International LLC, Aetna Ireland Inc., Aetna Life & Casualty (Bermuda) Ltd., Aetna Life Assignment Company, Aetna Life Insurance Company, Aetna Medicaid Administrators LLC, Aetna Network Services LLC, Aetna Partners Diversified Fund LLC, Aetna Pharmacy Management Services LLC, Aetna Resources LLC, Aetna Risk Assurance Company of Connecticut Inc., Aetna Rx Home Delivery LLC, Aetna Services (Thailand) Limited, Aetna Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Aetna Student Health Agency Inc., Aetna Ventures LLC, Aetna Workers Comp Access LLC, Alabama CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Alaska CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Allina Health and Aetna Health Plan Inc., Allina Health and Aetna Insurance Company, Allina Health and Aetna Insurance Holding Company LLC, American Drug Stores Delaware L.L.C., Arbor Drugs, Arizona CVS Stores L.L.C., Arkansas CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Badger Acquisition LLC, Badger Acquisition of Kentucky LLC, Badger Acquisition of Minnesota LLC, Badger Acquisition of Ohio LLC, Banner Health and Aetna Health Insurance Company, Banner Health and Aetna Health Insurance Holding Company LLC, Banner Health and Aetna Health Plan Inc., Beauty Holdings L.L.C., Best Care LTC Acquisition Company LLC, Busse CVS L.L.C., CCI Foreign S.a R.L., CCRx Holdings LLC, CCRx of North Carolina LLC, CHP Acquisition LLC, CP Acquisition LLC, CVS 2948 Henderson L.L.C., CVS 3268 Gilbert L.L.C., CVS 3745 Peoria L.L.C., CVS AL Distribution L.L.C., CVS AOC Corporation, CVS AOC Services L.L.C., CVS Albany L.L.C., CVS Bellmore Avenue L.L.C., CVS Cabot Holdings Inc., CVS Cabot Holdings Inc. Coram Clinical Trials Inc. 99.72%/Aetna Inc. .28%, CVS Care Concierge LLC, CVS Caremark Advanced Technology Pharmacy L.L.C., CVS Caremark Indemnity Ltd., CVS Caremark Part D Services L.L.C., CVS Caremark TN SUTA LLC, CVS Foreign Inc., CVS Gilbert 3272 L.L.C., CVS Health Applications LLC, CVS Health Solutions LLC, CVS Health Ventures Fund GP LLC, CVS Health Ventures Fund LP, CVS Health Ventures Management LLC, CVS Indiana L.L.C., CVS International L.L.C., CVS Kidney Care Advanced Technologies LLC, CVS Kidney Care Health Services LLC, CVS Kidney Care Home Dialysis LLC, CVS Kidney Care LLC, CVS Management Support LLC, CVS Manchester NH L.L.C., CVS Media Exchange LLC, CVS Michigan L.L.C., CVS Orlando FL Distribution L.L.C., CVS PA Distribution L.L.C., CVS PR Center Inc., CVS Pharmacy Inc., CVS Pharmacy Overseas Online LLC, CVS RS Arizona L.L.C., CVS Rx Services Inc., CVS SC Distribution L.L.C., CVS Shaw Holdings Inc., CVS Shaw Holdings Inc. Coram Clinical Trials Inc. 99.72%/Aetna Inc. .28%, CVS State Capital L.L.C., CVS TN Distribution L.L.C., CVS Transportation L.L.C., CVS Vero FL Distribution L.L.C., CVS-SHC Kidney Care Home Dialysis of Austin LLC, CVS-SHC Kidney Care Home Dialysis of Los Angeles LLC, CVS-SHC Kidney Care Home Dialysis of Philadelphia LLC, CVS-SHC Renal Holdings LLC, Campos Medical Pharmacy LLC, Canal Place LLC, Care Pharmaceutical Services LP, CareCenter Pharmacy L.L.C., Carefree Insurance Services Inc., Caremark Arizona Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Arizona Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark California Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Florida Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Florida Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Hawaii Mail Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Hawaii Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark IPA L.L.C., Caremark Illinois Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Illinois Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Irving Resource Center LLC, Caremark Kansas Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark L.L.C., Caremark Logistics LLC, Caremark Louisiana Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Maryland Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Massachusetts Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Michigan Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Minnesota Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark New Jersey Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark North Carolina Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Ohio Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Pennsylvania Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark PhC L.L.C., Caremark Puerto Rico L.L.C., Caremark Puerto Rico Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Redlands Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Repack LLC, Caremark Rx L.L.C., Caremark Tennessee Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Texas Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Texas Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Ulysses Holding Corp., Caremark Washington Specialty Pharmacy LLC, CaremarkPCS Alabama Mail Pharmacy LLC, CaremarkPCS Health L.L.C., CaremarkPCS L.L.C., Central Rx Services LLC, Cofinity Inc., Compscript LLC, Connecticut CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Continental Life Insurance Company of Brentwood Tennessee, Continuing Care Rx LLC, Coram Alternate Site Services Inc., Coram Clinical Trials Inc., Coram Clinical Trials Inc. CVS Pharmacy Inc. 75%/Aetna Life Insurance Company 25%, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Alabama, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Florida, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Greater D.C., Coram Healthcare Corporation of Greater New York, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Indiana, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Massachusetts, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Mississippi, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Nevada, Coram Healthcare Corporation of North Texas, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Northern California, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Southern California, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Southern Florida, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Utah, Coram LLC, Coram Rx LLC, Coram Specialty Infusion, Coram Specialty Infusion Services L.L.C., Coventry Consumer Advantage Inc., Coventry Health Care National Accounts Inc., Coventry Health Care National Network Inc., Coventry Health Care of Illinois Inc., Coventry Health Care of Kansas Inc., Coventry Health Care of Missouri Inc., Coventry Health Care of Nebraska Inc., Coventry Health Care of Virginia Inc., Coventry Health Care of West Virginia Inc., Coventry Health Plan of Florida Inc., Coventry Health and Life Insurance Company, Coventry HealthCare Management Corporation, Coventry Prescription Management Services Inc., Coventry Transplant Network Inc., Credentials Inc., D & R Pharmaceutical Services LLC, D.A.W. LLC, Delaware CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Delaware Physicians Care Incorporated, District of Columbia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., E.T.B. INC., Echo Merger Sub Inc., Eckerd Corporation of Florida Inc., Employee Assistance Services LLC, Enloe Drugs LLC, Enterprise Patient Safety Organization LLC, EntrustRX, Evergreen Pharmaceutical LLC, Evergreen Pharmaceutical of California LLC, Express Pharmacy Services of PA L.L.C., First Choice of the Midwest LLC, First Health Group Corp., First Health Life & Health Insurance Company, Florida Health Plan Administrators LLC, Garfield Beach CVS L.L.C., Generation Health L.L.C., Geneva Woods Health Services LLC, Geneva Woods LTC Pharmacy LLC, Geneva Woods Management LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Alaska LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Washington LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Wyoming LLC, Geneva Woods Retail Pharmacy LLC, Georgia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., German Dobson CVS L.L.C., Goodhealth Worldwide (Asia) Limited, Goodhealth Worldwide (Global) Limited, Goodyear CVS L.L.C., Grand St. Paul CVS L.L.C., Grandview Pharmacy LLC, Group Dental Service Inc., Health Care Management Co. Ltd., Health Data & Management Solutions Inc., Health Re Inc., Health and Human Resource Center Inc., HealthAssurance Pennsylvania Inc., Highland Park CVS L.L.C., Holiday CVS L.L.C., Home Care Pharmacy LLC, Home Pharmacy Services LLC, Hook-SupeRx L.L.C., Horizon Behavioral Services LLC, Idaho CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., IlliniCare Health, Indian Health Organisation Private Limited, Innovation Health Holdings LLC, Innovation Health Insurance Company, Innovation Health Plan Inc., Interlock Pharmacy Systems LLC, Iowa CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., JHC Acquisition LLC, Kansas CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Kentucky CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., LCPS Acquisition LLC, Langsam Health Services LLC, Lo-Med Prescription Services LLC, Lobos Acquisition LLC, Longs Drug Stores, Longs Drug Stores California L.L.C., Louisiana CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., MHHP Acquisition Company LLC, MHNet Specialty Services LLC, MHNet of Florida Inc., Main Street Pharmacy L.L.C., Managed Care Coordinators Inc., Managed Healthcare LLC, Martin Health Services LLC, Maryland CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Med World Acquisition Corp., Medical Arts Health Care LLC, Medical Examinations of New York P.C., Melville Realty Company Inc., MemberHealth LLC, Mental Health Associates Inc., Mental Health Network of New York IPA Inc., Meritain Health Inc., Merwin Long Term Care LLC, Minor Health Enterprise Co Ltd., MinuteClinic, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Alabama L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Arizona LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Arkansas LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Colorado LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Florida LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Georgia LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Hawaii L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Illinois LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Kentucky L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Louisiana L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Maine L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Maryland LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Massachusetts LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Nebraska L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of New Hampshire L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of New Mexico L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Ohio LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Oklahoma LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Oregon LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Pennsylvania LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Rhode Island LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of South Carolina L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Texas LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Utah L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Virginia LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Washington LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Wisconsin L.L.C., MinuteClinic L.L.C., MinuteClinic Online Diagnostic Services LLC, MinuteClinic Physician Practice of Texas, MinuteClinic Telehealth Services LLC, MinuteClinic Telehealth Services of Texas Association, Mississippi CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Missouri CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Montana CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., NCS Healthcare of Illinois LLC, NCS Healthcare of Iowa LLC, NCS Healthcare of Kansas LLC, NCS Healthcare of Kentucky LLC, NCS Healthcare of Montana LLC, NCS Healthcare of New Mexico LLC, NCS Healthcare of Ohio LLC, NCS Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, NCS Healthcare of Tennessee LLC, NCS Healthcare of Wisconsin LLC, NIV Acquisition LLC, Navarro Discount Pharmacy, Nebraska CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., NeighborCare Pharmacy Services LLC, NeighborCare of Indiana LLC, NeighborCare of Virginia LLC, New Jersey CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Niagara Re Inc., North Carolina CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., North Shore Pharmacy Services LLC, NovoLogix LLC, OCR Services LLC, Ocean Acquisition Sub L.L.C., Ohio CVS Stores L.L.C., Oklahoma CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Omnicare, Omnicare Indiana Partnership Holding Company LLC, Omnicare LLC, Omnicare LLC Aetna Inc 0.28%/CVS Cabot Holdings Inc. 49.86%/CVS Shaw Holdings Inc. 49.86%, Omnicare Pharmacies of Pennsylvania West LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of the Great Plains Holding LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy and Supply Services LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy of Tennessee LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy of the Midwest LLC, Omnicare Property Management LLC, Omnicare of Nebraska LLC, Omnicare of Nevada LLC, Omnicare of New York LLC, Oregon CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., PE Holdings LLC, PHPSNE Parent Corporation, PP Acquisition Company LLC, PRN Pharmaceutical Services LP, PT Aetna Management Consulting, Pamplona Saude e Beleza LTDA, Part D Holding Company L.L.C., PayFlex Systems USA Inc., Pennsylvania CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Performax Inc., Pharmacy Associates of Glenn Falls LLC, Pharmacy Consultants LLC, Phoenix Data Solutions LLC, Precision Benefit Services Inc., Prime Net Inc., ProCare Pharmacy Direct L.L.C., ProCare Pharmacy L.L.C., Prodigy Health Group Inc., Professional Risk Management Inc., Puerto Rico CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Red Oak Sourcing LLC, Resources for Living LLC, Rhode Island CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Roeschens Healthcare LLC, RxAmerica, Schaller Anderson Medical Administrators Incorporated, Scrip World LLC, Sheffield Avenue CVS L.L.C., Shore Pharmaceutical Providers LLC, Silverscript Insurance Company, Soma Intimates, South Carolina CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., South Wabash CVS L.L.C., Specialized Pharmacy Services LLC, Stadtlander Drug Company, Stadtlander Pharmacy, Sterling Healthcare Services LLC, Superior Care Pharmacy LLC, Sutter Health and Aetna Administrative Services LLC, Sutter Health and Aetna Insurance Company, Sutter Health and Aetna Insurance Holding Company LLC, T2 Medical Inc., TCPI Acquisition LLC, TargetPharmacy, Tennessee CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Texas Health + Aetna Health Insurance Company, Texas Health + Aetna Health Insurance Holding Company LLC, Texas Health + Aetna Health Plan Inc., The Vasquez Group Inc., Thomas Phoenix CVS L.L.C., Three Forks Apothecary LLC, U.S Healthcare Holdings LLC, U.S. Healthcare Properties Inc., UAC Holding Inc., UC Acquisition LLC, UNI-Care Health Services of Maine LLC, Universal American - Medicare Part D Business, Utah CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., VAPS Acquisition Company LLC, Value Health Care Services LLC, Vermont CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Virginia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Virtual Home Healthcare LLC, Warm Springs Road CVS L.L.C., Washington CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Washington Lamb CVS L.L.C., Weber Medical Systems LLC, Wellpartner LLC, West Virginia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Westhaven Services Co LLC, Williamson Drug Company LLC, Wisconsin CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Woodward Detroit CVS L.L.C., Work and Family Benefits Inc., ZS Acquisition Company LLC, Zinc Health Services LLC, Zinc Health Ventures LLC, bSwift LLC, and iTriage LLC. Read More IDEX Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides applied solutions worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Fluid & Metering Technologies (FMT), Health & Science Technologies (HST), and Fire & Safety/Diversified Products (FSDP). The FMT segment designs, produces, and distributes positive displacement pumps, small volume provers, flow meters, injectors, and other fluid-handling pump modules and systems, as well as offers flow monitoring and other services for the food, chemical, general industrial, water and wastewater, agricultural, and energy industries. The HST segment designs, produces, and distributes precision fluidics, rotary lobe pumps, centrifugal and positive displacement pumps, roll compaction and drying systems, pneumatic components and sealing solutions, high performance molded and extruded sealing components, custom mechanical and shaft seals, engineered hygienic mixers and valves, biocompatible medical devices and implantables, air compressors and blowers, optical components and coatings, laboratory and commercial equipment, precision photonic solutions, and precision gear and peristaltic pump technologies. This segment serves food and beverage, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical, cosmetics, marine, chemical, wastewater and water treatment, life sciences, research, and defense markets. The FSDP segment designs, produces, and distributes firefighting pumps, valves and controls, rescue tools, lifting bags, and other components and systems for the fire and rescue industry; engineered stainless steel banding and clamping devices for various industrial and commercial applications; and precision equipment for dispensing, metering, and mixing colorants and paints used in retail and commercial businesses. IDEX Corporation was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. Gildan Activewear Inc. manufactures and sells various apparel products in the United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. It provides various activewear products, including T-shirts, fleece tops and bottoms, and sports shirts under the Gildan, Gildan Performance, Gildan Hammer, Comfort Colors, American Apparel, Alstyle, and GoldToe brands. The company also offers hosiery products comprising athletic; dress; and casual, liner, therapeutic, and workwear socks, as well as sheer pantyhose, tights, and leggings under the Gildan, Under Armour, GoldToe, PowerSox, Signature Gold by Goldtoe, Peds, MediPeds, Therapy Plus, All Pro, Secret, Silks, Secret Silky, and American Apparel brands. In addition, it provides men's and boys' underwear products, and ladies panties under the Gildan and Gildan Platinum brands; and ladies' shapewear, intimates, and accessories under the Secret and Secret Silky brands. The company sells its products to wholesale distributors, screen printers, and embellishers, as well as to retailers and lifestyle brand companies. The company was formerly known as Textiles Gildan Inc. and changed its name to Gildan Activewear Inc. in March 1995. Gildan Activewear Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. CHATFIELD, Minn. (AP) In Chatfield, a farm of 30 cows is delivering much more than just milk, its causing baby boomers to have flashbacks. Glass bottles of milk are delivered once a week to customers of Kappers Big Red Barn, a dairy thats becoming a staple in the Minnesota dairy industry. Bob Kappers grew up on a dairy farm in Spring Valley, and his wife Jeanette Kappers thought the farm life seemed like a good life. The good life theyve built is a busy and fruitful one, with Kappers Big Red Barn not just focusing on milk, but items like cheese curds and ice cream. Butter will be added soon. The family business started with milk in 2004, and has branched out to cheese curds, which is now handled by their son Ethan Kappers. Adding cheese curds wasnt exactly a smooth process. They spent about a year finding ways to make the squeakiest, freshest curds around. Changing to meet customer demands is at the heart of the business. This past summer, they added fried cheese curds after a successful run at Rochesters Thursdays on First. Theyre now looking at expanding their ice cream flavors. Son Jake Kappers handles the ice cream business. Jeanette Kappers said that the family searches for the best farmers markets and places to put their products while interacting with their customers all the same. Thats Kappers Big Red Barns goal to reach customers and give them a service that isnt comparable to larger dairy operations. The family attends farmers markets in St. Paul, Apple Valley, Winona, and Rochester, creating a work schedule that Jeanette Kappers describes as not much time off. Between milking cows, fixing the bottling machines, and trying to expand the product line, Bob Kappers said its always busy, but youre always together. Lucas Kappers, who milks cows, goes to the Apple Valley farmers market, and works on marketing and promotion for the farm, said growing up on a farm is great and that most children would never get to experience what he has. As a young man entering the dairy business, Lucas Kappers is confident and excited for all the opportunities in front of him. You put a lot of work into getting one bottle, so you get people that really appreciate what you do, he said. Its a great feeling. Duck Creek Technologies, Inc. provides software-as-a-service core systems to the property and casualty insurance industry in the United States and internationally. The company provides Duck Creek Policy, a solution that enables insurers to develop and launch new insurance products and manage various aspects of policy administration ranging from product definition to quoting, binding, and servicing; Duck Creek Billing that provides payment and invoicing capabilities, such as billing and collections, commission processing, disbursement management, and general ledger capabilities for insurance lines and bill types; and Duck Creek Claims that supports entire claims lifecycle from first notice of loss through investigation, payments, negotiations, reporting, and closure. It also offers Duck Creek Rating that allows carriers to develop new rates and models and deliver quotes in real-time based on the complex rating algorithms; Duck Creek Insights, an insurance analytics solution that allows carriers to gather and analyze data from internal and external sources and facilitate analysis and reporting on a single system; Duck Creek Digital Engagement that offer digital interactions between property and casualty insurers and their agents, brokers, and policyholders; and Duck Creek Distribution Management that automates sales channel activities for agents and brokers, including producer onboarding, compliance, and compensation management. In addition, the company provides Duck Creek Reinsurance Management that automates financial and administrative functions; and Duck Creek Industry Content that provides pre-built content, including base business rules, product designs, rating algorithms, data capture screens, and workflows for insurance lines of business, such as commercial auto, inland marine, and workers compensation. It has a partnership with Shift Technologies, Inc. to implement AI fraud detection. The company was founded in 2016 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 National Bank Holdings Corporation operates as the bank holding company for NBH Bank that provides various banking products and financial services to commercial, business, and consumer clients in the United States. It offers deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, and other deposit accounts, including fixed-rate and fixed maturity time deposits. The company also provides commercial and industrial loans and leases, such as working capital loans, equipment loans, lender finance loans, food and agriculture loans, government and non-profit loans, owner occupied commercial real estate loans, and other commercial loans and leases; non-owner occupied commercial real estate loans consisting of loans on commercial properties, such as office buildings, warehouse/distribution buildings, multi-family, hospitality, and retail buildings; small business administration loans to support manufacturers, distributors, and service providers; term loans, line of credits, and real estate secured loans; residential real estate loans; and consumer loans. In addition, it offers treasury management solutions comprising online and mobile banking, commercial credit card, wire transfer, automated clearing house, electronic bill payment, lock box, remote deposit capture, merchant processing, cash vault, controlled disbursements, and fraud prevention services, as well as other auxiliary services, including account reconciliation, collections, repurchase accounts, zero balance accounts, and sweep accounts. As of January 20, 2022, the company operated through a network of 81 banking centers located in Colorado, the greater Kansas City region, New Mexico, Utah, and Texas. It also operates 121 ATMs. The company was formerly known as NBH Holdings Corp. and changed its name to National Bank Holdings Corporation in March 2012. National Bank Holdings Corporation was incorporated in 2009 and is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado. The following companies are subsidiares of D.R. Horton: 10700 Pecan Park Austin Inc., 11241 Slater Avenue NE LLC, 2 C Development Company LLC, 8800 Roswell Road Bldg. B LLC, 91st Avenue & Happy Valley L.L.C., ANN & 215 LLC, Austin Data Inc., BP456 Inc., C. Richard Dobson Builders Inc., CH Funding LLC, CH Investments of Texas Inc., CHI Construction Company, CHM Partners L.P., CHTEX of Texas Inc., CV Mountain View 25 Inv LLC, Cane Island LLC, Continental Homes Inc., Continental Homes of Texas L.P., Continental Residential Inc., Continental Traditions LLC, Crown Operating Company Inc., Cypress Road L.P., D.R. Horton - CHAustin LLC, D.R. Horton - Colorado LLC, D.R. Horton - Crown LLC, D.R. Horton - Emerald Ltd., D.R. Horton - Georgia LLC, D.R. Horton - Hawaii LLC, D.R. Horton - Highland LLC, D.R. Horton - Indiana LLC, D.R. Horton - Iowa LLC, D.R. Horton - MV LLC, D.R. Horton - Nebraska LLC, D.R. Horton - Permian LLC, D.R. Horton - Regent LLC, D.R. Horton - Terramor LLC, D.R. Horton - Texas Ltd., D.R. Horton - WPH LLC, D.R. Horton - Wyoming LLC, D.R. Horton BAY Inc., D.R. Horton CA2 Inc., D.R. Horton CA3 Inc., D.R. Horton CA4 LLC, D.R. Horton Commercial Inc., D.R. Horton Cruces Construction Inc., D.R. Horton Inc. - Birmingham, D.R. Horton Inc. - Chicago, D.R. Horton Inc. - Denver, D.R. Horton Inc. - Dietz-Crane, D.R. Horton Inc. - Greensboro, D.R. Horton Inc. - Gulf Coast, D.R. Horton Inc. - Huntsville, D.R. Horton Inc. - Jacksonville, D.R. Horton Inc. - Louisville, D.R. Horton Inc. - Midwest, D.R. Horton Inc. - Minnesota, D.R. Horton Inc. - NNV, D.R. Horton Inc. - New Jersey, D.R. Horton Inc. - Portland, D.R. Horton Inc. - Torrey, D.R. Horton Inc. Foundation, D.R. Horton Insurance Agency Inc., D.R. Horton LA North Inc., D.R. Horton Life Insurance Agency Inc., D.R. Horton Los Angeles Holding Company Inc., D.R. Horton Management Company Ltd., D.R. Horton Materials Inc., D.R. Horton Realty LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Atlantic County LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Central Florida LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Delaware LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Georgia Inc., D.R. Horton Realty of Melbourne LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Northwest Florida LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Southeast Florida LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Southwest Florida LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Tampa LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Virginia LLC, D.R. Horton Seabridge Marina Inc., D.R. Horton Serenity Construction LLC, D.R. Horton Urban Renewal LLC, D.R. Horton VEN Inc., D.R. Horton Corpus Christi LLC, DBC54 LLC, DHI Commercial - Lakeview LLC, DHI Commercial - Signal Butte LLC, DHI Commercial - Tamarron LLC, DHI Commercial Inc., DHI Communities Construction LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Arizona LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Colorado LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Florida LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Iowa LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Nevada LLC, DHI Communities Construction of North Carolina LLC, DHI Communities Construction of South Carolina LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Texas LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Utah LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Virginia LLC, DHI Communities II LLC, DHI Communities Inc., DHI Engineering LLC, DHI Insurance Inc., DHI Mortgage Company, DHI Mortgage Company GP Inc., DHI Mortgage Company LP Inc., DHI Mortgage Company Ltd., DHI Ranch Ltd., DHI Realty of Alabama LLC, DHI Realty of Mississippi LLC, DHI Title GP Inc., DHI Title LP Inc., DHI Title of Alabama Inc., DHI Title of Arizona Inc., DHI Title of Florida Inc., DHI Title of Minnesota Inc., DHI Title of Nevada Inc., DHI Title of Texas Ltd., DHI Title of Washington Inc., DHI Verandah South Shores Communities LLC, DHIC - Bridges LLC, DHIC - Brittmore LLC, DHIC - Carolina Forest LLC, DHIC - Desert Peak LLC, DHIC - Durbin Creek LLC, DHIC - Freestone LLC, DHIC - Hammock Landing LLC, DHIC - Heritage LLC, DHIC - Horizon Uptown LLC, DHIC - Jacobs Reserve LLC, DHIC - Lakeview LLC, DHIC - Lipoma LLC, DHIC - Minton Cove LLC, DHIC - Mountain Vista LLC, DHIC - Naco LLC, DHIC - Northshore LLC, DHIC - Prairie Village LLC, DHIC - South Creek LLC, DHIC - Tamarron LLC, DHIC - Valley Vista LLC, DHIC - Varina Gateway LLC, DHIC - Waterleigh II LLC, DHIC - Waterleigh III LLC, DHIC - Waterleigh LLC, DHIC - Westridge LLC, DHIC LLC, DHIC Glendale LLC, DHIC Grove West LLC, DHIC South Park LLC, DHIC Westinghouse LLC, DHIR - Aspen Vista LLC, DHIR - Avian Pointe LLC, DHIR - Emerald Lakes LLC, DHIR - Fosters Ridge LLC, DHIR - Gulf Stream LLC, DHIR - Parkview at Lynn Haven LLC, DHIR - Poplar Terrace LLC, DHIR - Properties I LLC, DHIR - Rock Ridge LLC, DHIR - Sunset Village LLC, DHIR - Village at Hickory Street LLC, DRH - ARK LLC, DRH - ASG LLC, DRH - HWY 114 LLC, DRH Cambridge Homes LLC, DRH Capital Trust I, DRH Capital Trust II, DRH Capital Trust III, DRH Colorado Realty Inc., DRH Construction Inc., DRH Energy Inc., DRH FS Mortgage Reinsurance Ltd., DRH Land Opportunities I Inc., DRH Land Opportunities II Inc., DRH Mountain View LLC, DRH Oil & Gas Inc., DRH Opportunities I Inc., DRH Properties Inc., DRH Realty Company Inc., DRH Realty of Iowa LLC, DRH Regrem L LLC, DRH Regrem LI LLC, DRH Regrem LII LLC, DRH Regrem LIII LLC, DRH Regrem LIV LLC, DRH Regrem LV LLC, DRH Regrem VII LP, DRH Regrem XII LP, DRH Regrem XIV Inc., DRH Regrem XIX Inc., DRH Regrem XLIX LLC, DRH Regrem XLV LLC, DRH Regrem XLVI LLC, DRH Regrem XLVII LLC, DRH Regrem XLVIII LLC, DRH Regrem XV Inc., DRH Regrem XVI Inc., DRH Regrem XVII Inc., DRH Regrem XVIII Inc., DRH Regrem XX Inc., DRH Regrem XXI Inc., DRH Regrem XXII Inc., DRH Regrem XXIII Inc., DRH Regrem XXIV Inc., DRH Regrem XXV Inc., DRH Southwest Construction Inc., DRH Tucson Construction Inc., DRHI Inc., Deer Valley Office Park LLC, Desert Ridge Phase I Partners, Emerald Creek No. 4 L.P., Emerald Realty of Alabama LLC, Emerald Realty of Central Florida LLC, Emerald Realty of North Florida LLC, Emerald Realty of Northwest Florida LLC, Emerald Realty of Southeast Florida LLC, Emerald Realty of Southwest Florida LLC, Encore II Inc., Encore Venture Partners II (California) L.P., Encore Venture Partners II (Texas) L.P., Encore Venture Partners L.P., Express Realty of Central Florida LLC, Express Realty of North Florida LLC, Express Realty of Northwest Florida LLC, Express Realty of Southeast Florida LLC, Express Realty of Southwest Florida LLC, Forestar Group, Forestar Group Inc., Founders Oil & Gas II LLC, Founders Oil & Gas III LLC, Founders Oil & Gas IV LLC, Founders Oil & Gas LLC, Founders Oil & Gas Operating LLC, GP-Encore Inc., Georgetown Data Inc., Germann & McQueen L.L.C., Grand Title Agency LLC, Grande Realty Incorporated, Grande Realty of Pennsylvania LLC, Greywes LLC, HPH Homebuilders 2000 L.P., Hadian LLC, KDB Homes Inc., Kaomalo LLC, Lexington Homes - DRH LLC, MRLF LLC, Martin Road Lake Forest LLC, McQueen & Willis LLC, Meadows I Ltd., Meadows II Ltd., Meadows IX Inc., Meadows VIII Ltd., Meadows X Inc., Melody Homes Inc., Pacific Ridge - DRH LLC, Rielly Carlsbad LLC, Rielly Homes Madison LLC, SFTEN LLC, SGS Communities at Grand Quay L.L.C, SHA Construction LLC, SHLR of California Inc., SHLR of Nevada Inc., SHLR of Washington Inc., SRHI LLC, SSHI LLC, Schuler Homes of Arizona LLC, Schuler Homes of California Inc., Schuler Homes of Oregon Inc., Schuler Homes of Washington Inc., Summerlin Pkwy & Cimarron LLC, Surprise Village North LLC, The Club at Cobblestone LLC, The Club at Hidden River LLC, Tierra Financial Advisors LLC, Travis County Title Company, Treasure Assets LLC, Venture Management of South Carolina LLC, Vertical Construction Corporation, WPH-Camino Ruiz LLC, WPH-Copper Canyon II LLC, WPH-Copper Canyon LLC, Walker Drive LLC, Western Pacific Brea Development LLC, Western Pacific Housing - Mountaingate L.P., Western Pacific Housing - SDG LLC, Western Pacific Housing - Westlake II L.P., Western Pacific Housing Inc., Western Pacific Housing Management Inc., Western Pacific Housing-Antigua LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Broadway LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Canyon Park LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Carrillo LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Communications Hill LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Copper Canyon LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Creekside LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Lomas Verdes LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Lyons Canyon Partners LLC, Western Pacific Housing-McGonigle Canyon LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Norco Estates LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Pacific Park II LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Park Avenue East LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Park Avenue West LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Playa Vista LLC, Western Pacific Housing-River Ridge LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Terra Bay Duets LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Torrey Meadows LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Torrey Village Center LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Windemere LLC, and Wilson Parker Homes. Read More There's no fervor like a mothers love. That's especially true when that mom, Amber Hennlich, is so tenacious that she would move mountains even the North Pole so her 7-year-old son could see Santa one more time before the belief bubble bursts (possibly). Not just any Santa or a substitute Santa, or a mall Santa, or an uncle dressed like Santa but the real Santa, with none other than Mrs. Claus at his elbow, in La Crosse. They are the Clauses whom Hennlich and her son, Aluxton, had come to know and love during his first five Christmas seasons. The Allen, Texas, woman was so desperate to find the real Claus couple that she posted a plea for help with the search on a Reddit message board in Dallas. Lo and behold, after dozens of people offered tips, as well as voicing their own frustrations that they couldnt find that special Santa, either, a librarian happened upon a link to a Nov. 30 La Crosse Tribune story revealing that the real Santas workshop is at Downtown Mainstreet Inc. I freaked out, Hennlich said. She put a finger to the side of her nose and sprang to the computer to book an airline sleigh ride to La Crosses snows. Upon learning the trip would cost a thousand a pop, she loosened the reins to find a better option. The flights of less than $100 to Minneapolis on Saturday were ideal, because the 940-mile flight would leave just a hop, skip and a jump of a road trip to see Santa and the Mrs. aka Dan and Bonnie Felten of La Crosse. Its worth it just to make it special for him, she said. We have a very good life, and she revels in brightening others lives. Hennlichs boyfriend, Kevin Somers, who was working in Washington, D.C., that day, said he knew something was afoot when she called him during the workday. They normally dont call each other at work unless its an emergency. When she asked him, with emotion fluttering in her voice, whether he was interested in a trip to the North Pole this weekend, he knew she already had bought the tickets, he said with a laugh in Santas waiting room at DMI. I didnt cry, son insists Santa and Mrs. Claus were as surprised that Hennlich would go to so much trouble to see them as Aluxton had been when she sprung the North Pole idea on him. Aluxton shed a few tears, she said. I didnt cry! Aluxton insisted as he colored an image of Carly the Elf (aka Carly Felten), who helps children pass the time when the line is long. They were tears of joy, Mom interjected to salvage his pride him as they warmed themselves from a 20-degree outside temperature that seemed like the North Pole to the Texas lad. The temperature was 60 when they left Dallas, and Hennlich acknowledged that theyre not used to the chill that enveloped them in La Crosse. There was an ice storm in Dallas three-four years ago, she said, laughing as she added, It shut down the city for three or four days. The Grand Reunion was a sight to behold after Mrs. Claus worked her soothing magic to help Aluxton shed his initial shyness. Aluxton, whose two favorite subjects in school are art and music, especially enjoyed the activity in which he and the Clauses used brushes with magic colorless paint to coat a rocking horse toy. Santa explained that he still has to work on toys while in La Crosse, because he never knows whether the elves at the alternative North Pole are keeping up the pace before Christmas Eve. Mrs. Claus then instructed Aluxton to put the toy into a special green bag, while he and Santa waved a snow-topped wand above it and repeated a magical Christmas chant. When Aluxton retrieved the horse from the bag voila! the magic paint had colorized the toy, and a grin spread across his face. Everything is magical for the Claus/Feltens, who were visibly honored and touched that the trio had traveled so far for the reunion. They are great people And Hennlich was beside herself with joy, saying, Its clear, they are great people. Every year, they were absolutely perfect at The Parks at Arlington Mall. Other Santas sometimes seemed like they didnt care, she said. But they (the Clauses/Feltens) always showed so much consideration. That atmosphere disappeared like St. Nick up a chimney when the mall changed its center attraction to a Shrek theme, with a Santa almost as an afterthought. The problem was, Santa explained, that Shrek elbowed Mrs. Claus out of the scene like a broken toy tossed into the trash. I dont work without her, he said, so he put the mall on the naughty list and moved elsewhere. I was furious, Hennlich said of the Shrek takeover and its costly admission. It was so much commercialization. That season, nobody seemed to know where Clauses/Feltens were, although I called every mall in Texas, she said. Finally, she located them at the Hulen Mall in Fort Worth, so they made the 1-trek to get away from Shrek. Hennlich wasnt the only one who made the trip to Fort Worth, Santa said, adding that was a great comfort to him and the missus. The loving mom was at a loss again last year, when she couldnt find the real McCoys, and I had to convince my son that the assistant Santa would deliver his message at still another mall. Nobody in the Lone Star State knew the couple had built a workshop in the Doerflinger building in La Crosse, where they have a condo because its more convenient to the North Pole, the fishing is good and the scenery is outstanding. After the reunion Saturday, Santa carefully put Aluxtons list of his three top wishes for Christmas a parakeet, Legos and Hot Wheels into the bag where he is putting all the youngsters lists for the elves to fill. Mrs. Claus and Hennlich used the same description of the odds-defying meeting: a Christmas miracle. The three Texans also were able to take in other sights in La Crosse, marveling at Rotary Lights, which they viewed from their rental car during the circular drive and during a stroll through Riverside Park afterward. Hennlich, a regional sales manager for a building marketing company, said she especially enjoyed seeing the preserved buildings and ornate houses in neighborhoods they toured. Santa gave Aluxton a special piece of memorabilia before he headed back to Texas via the Twin Cities: a bell from one of his reindeer harnesses. Hes a little shy now, Hennlich said of her son, but this will be a memory for the rest of his life. 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. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand. The company also provides home decor products under the West Elm brand; kids accessories under the Pottery Barn Kids brand; and an organic bedding to multi-purpose furniture under the Pottery Barn Teen brand. In addition, it offers made-to-order lighting, hardware, furniture, and home decors inspired by history under the Rejuvenation brand; and women's and men's accessories, travel, entertaining and bar, home decor, and seasonal items under the Mark and Graham brand, as well as operates a 3-D imaging and augmented reality platform for the home furnishings and decor industry. The company markets its products through e-commerce websites, direct-mail catalogs, and retail stores. It operates 544 stores comprising 502 stores in 41states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico; 20 stores in Canada; 19 stores in Australia; 3 stores in the United Kingdom; and 139 franchised stores, as well as e-commerce websites in various countries in the Middle East, the Philippines, Mexico, South Korea, and India. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Rogers Communications Inc. operates as a communications and media company in Canada. It operates through three segments: Wireless, Cable, and Media. The company offers mobile Internet access, wireless voice and enhanced voice, device and accessory financing, wireless home phone, device protection, e-mail, global voice and data roaming, bridging landline, machine-to-machine and Internet of Things solutions, and advanced wireless solutions for businesses, as well as device delivery services; and postpaid and prepaid services under the Rogers, Fido, and chatr brands to approximately 11.3 million subscribers. It also provides Internet and WiFi services; smart home monitoring services, such as monitoring, security, automation, energy efficiency, and smart control through a smartphone app. In addition, the company offers local and network TV; on-demand television; cloud-based digital video recorders; voice-activated remote controls, and integrated apps; personal video recorders; linear and time-shifted programming; digital specialty channels; 4K television programming; and televised content on smartphones, tablets, and personal computers, as well as operates Ignite TV and Ignite TV app. Further, it provides residential and small business local telephony services; calling features, such as voicemail, call waiting, and long distance; voice, data networking, Internet protocol, and Ethernet services; private networking, Internet, IP voice, and cloud solutions; optical wave and multi-protocol label switching services; IT and network technologies; and cable access network services. The company also owns Toronto Blue Jays and the Rogers Centre event venue; and operates Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet World, Citytv, OMNI, FX (Canada), FXX (Canada), and OLN television networks, as well as 55 AM and FM radio stations. The company was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Jeff Tischausers dream of a university teaching career seemed within reach in 2013, when he was accepted into UW-Madisons doctoral program in journalism and mass communication. To join the program, Tischauser, 36, said he took a big pay cut from his past career teaching at community colleges. Now, with a year and a half left to finish his doctoral dissertation, Tischauser faces an unexpected wrinkle: a tax overhaul being debated in Congress that he fears could give him a whopping tax increase by taxing the tuition waivers he and other graduate students receive. Tischauser said he already has little financial wiggle room: his take-home pay is about $25,000, he said, from a university stipend plus his side gigs, which include adjunct faculty work at an online college and working as a sales rep for a cheesemaker. I took a risk to enter graduate school, Tischauser said. Now they want to take more money out of the measly salary I take home. It makes me infuriated. The Republican tax overhaul that passed the U.S. House last month includes provisions that could drain the wallets of students and student debt-holders, critics say. The increased cost to college students would top $65 billion in the next decade, according to one estimate by the American Council on Education, which represents nearly 1,800 college and university presidents. The Senate version of the bill, also passed last month, omits the provisions that affect students and debt-holders. But it retains ones that advocates say would inflict financial harm on colleges and universities. Now the focus is on what emerges from a conference committee to reconcile differences between the House and Senate tax bills. Republicans hope to agree soon on a bill that can pass both chambers and head to President Donald Trump. The unusual speed with which Congress is nearing a final vote on a tax bill increases the odds it will have unanticipated and undesirable outcomes, said Terry Hartle, a spokesman for the American Council on Education. Our concern from the start, Hartle said, has been that the tax bill that was being rushed through Congress would make it more difficult for low- and middle-income families to finance a post-secondary education, and at the same time, undermine the financial stability of ... colleges and universities. Supporters of the tax bills say theyll yield two outcomes that help everyone: robust economic growth fueled by corporate tax cuts, the centerpiece of both bills, and an easier-to-understand tax code. They also project that, while some taxpayers may pay more, most would pay less once all the tax changes are accounted for. At the end of the day, these are trade-offs that have to be made when youre trying to simplify the tax code, said Jon Buhl, a spokesman for the conservative Tax Foundation. In addition to the provision that would affect Tischauser, another controversial provision in the bill would repeal the tax deduction for student loan interest, claimed by more than 12 million tax filers in 2015. Those provisions are in the House version, but not the Senate version, of the tax bill. Both the House and Senate bills also contain sweeping changes that, while not directed at higher education, could be acutely felt on campuses. They would sharply curtail the deduction for state and local taxes, which advocates fear will create pressure for state governments to cut funding for colleges and universities. The bills would also roughly double the standard deduction for individual tax filers, which experts say would lessen the tax incentive for charitable contributions. That will lead to fewer contributions, including to colleges and universities, they predict. A provision that was in the Senate bill, to tax royalties from licensing college and university names and logos, was dropped from that bill prior to passage and is not expected to move forward. Heres a closer look at the provisions in the bill that have drawn the most attention in higher-education circles. Tuition waivers Heading into the tax bill conference, UW-Madison officials say their biggest goal is preventing inclusion of the House proposal to treat graduate school tuition waivers, or remissions, as taxable income. Graduate students typically get the waivers in exchange for teaching or conducting research. More than half of all graduate students had gross incomes of $20,000 or less in 2012, the most recent year for which Department of Education data are available, according to a letter to congressional leaders from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. Masters students got an average of $10,949, and doctoral students an average of $13,609, in tuition waivers that year, the letter says. Treating that as taxable income would dramatically increase the taxes working students owe and make the pursuit of a graduate degree much more challenging, if not impossible, for many of these students, the association wrote. At UW-Madison alone, the proposal could affect about 5,300 Ph.D. students and 1,900 masters students, Chancellor Rebecca Blank wrote in a recent letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Janesville. Tischauser said he doesnt meet the profile of graduate students whod be most harmed by the change. That, he said, would be students from low-income or disadvantaged backgrounds. Blank made that point in her letter to Ryan. The result would be that students particularly from lower-income families might find it prohibitive to pursue graduate work, Blank wrote. Student loan interest The popular student loan interest deduction allows as much as $2,500 to be deducted, regardless of whether filers itemize their tax returns. The deduction is limited to single filers earning less than $80,000 and married couples earning less than $160,000. Eliminating it would directly and clearly exacerbate student debt loads, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities told congressional leaders in a recent letter. Public blowback ensued from the House inclusion of the student loan interest and graduate tuition waiver changes, after which the Senate passed a bill that omitted those provisions. The sequence of events makes Hartle cautiously optimistic theyll be excluded from the conference version of the tax bill. Still, some argue theres a benefit to scrapping the deduction. Buhl said it may be among the factors that contributed to sharp increases in student tuition and debt across the U.S. in the last two decades. If you subsidize something, then it just creates an incentive for people to take out more of that debt, Buhl said. Charitable contributions Critics fear increasing the standard deduction will reduce the financial incentive to make charitable donations, on which colleges and universities increasingly rely. Blank raised that concern in letters to Ryan and Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, and Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison. Buhl said the Tax Foundation estimates the tax bills will reduce the percentage of tax filers who itemize their deductions from about 30 percent to less than 10 percent. That, in turn, sharply cuts the percentage of filers eligible to claim a tax deduction for charitable contributions. If the House bill became law, the scorekeeper, the Joint Committee on Taxation, estimates 9.4 million donors would deduct charitable contributions of $146.3 billion next year compared to 41 million donors deducting contributions of $241.1 billion if the law is unchanged. State budgets Both GOP bills call for eliminating the federal deduction for state and local income and sales taxes for individual taxpayers. The deduction for property taxes would be retained, but capped at $10,000. Ryan and other GOP congressional leaders have praised this move. They argue that the deduction helps prop up big government states and encourages them to keep levying high taxes, since taxpayers can write them off. But public colleges and universities, which base their budgets on a mix of state aid coupled with federal aid and student tuition view it differently. The UW System got a $36 million funding boost in the current state budget, but that followed a $250 million cut in state funding in 2015. The concern here is this step will put pressure on states that have significant tax rates, and that those pressures will play havoc with state budgets, leading to reductions in funding for colleges and universities, Hartle said. Endowments The House and Senate GOP tax bills would impose a 1.4 percent excise tax on private-school endowments valued at a certain amount per student. In the House bill the threshold is $250,000 per student; in the Senate bill, its $500,000 per student. The Medical College of Wisconsin is the only Wisconsin institution that would be affected, according to the American Council on Education and the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. The college confirmed the impact in a statement. The associations president, Rolf Wegenke, said while the endowment tax doesnt affect many Wisconsin institutions, it sets a precedent thats very concerning to us. These endowments do benefit students, overwhelmingly, Wegenke said. AUBURN Auburn Public Theater is hoping for an early Christmas present. The downtown theater is awaiting word from the state on a $600,000 Consolidated Funding Application it submitted earlier this year. The state will make the announcement at its regional economic development council awards ceremony sometime this month. And for theater Executive Director Carey Eidel and Artistic Director Angela Daddabbo, that announcement can't come soon enough. That's because the $600,000 would support the next expansion of Eidel and Daddabbo's theater: Cafe Einstein. The cafe will be located at the corner of Genesee and Exchange streets, which is currently the office of lawyer Dennis Sedor. It will be a for-profit business that pays rent and donates to Auburn Public Theater. Daddabbo said she and Eidel modeled the cafe, and its relationship to their nonprofit theater, after Cafe at 407 in Liverpool, which supports eating disorder treatment center Ophelia's Place. The cafe will neighbor the theater's Stage Right performance space and be separated by a collapsible or curtained glass wall, Daddabbo said. Consulting on its menu and other matters will be Daddabbo's brother and theater board member Tony Daddabbo, who's done the same for high-end restaurants in New York City and Las Vegas as well as Mesa Grande Taqueria in central New York, which is owned by his and Angela's brother Jim. Angela said the cafe will serve standard fare like coffee, tea, sandwiches and wraps, and that it will not have a license to sell alcohol. Daddabbo believes the streetside cafe will not only give Auburn Public Theater a dependable stream of income, but increased visibility and accessibility. "Getting a burger or a sandwich or a salad, or grabbing a bottle of water or a cup of tea, is a much easier entry point to a business than spending $35 on a 'Calamari Sisters' ticket," she said. "We feel like that food piece is going to offer the kind of final democratic solution to getting people who might not think this space is for them to just cross the threshold." But the cafe is just one part of the theater's next expansion. As Eidel and Daddabbo open the business, taking over the last remaining space on the building's first floor, they also plan to renovate its 13,000-square-foot basement. Its only current tenant is public access station Auburn Regional Media Access, Daddabbo said, and the station takes up about 1,000 square feet. The rest of the finished basement, Daddabbo said, will be available for additional programming or rental by the community. For instance, the space will allow the theater to book concerts for standing audiences again, she said. It could when the theater opened in 2005, but not after it was remodeled into its current Stage Right and Main Stage performance spaces, both of which are seated. Daddabbo said Trumansburg rock band Donna the Buffalo will be "the first phone call we make" to perform at the new space. Among the other uses for the space, Daddabbo said, could be weddings. Citing data that Cayuga County venues are booked to capacity during the summer, she said Auburn Public Theater could meet some of that demand. She suggested a couple could even be married on the Main Stage where the audience would enjoy the angled view and hold their reception in the finished basement. The total budget for the theater's basement and cafe projects is $1.2 million. They would have begun together in January if Auburn was awarded $10 million in the state's Downtown Revitalization Initiative contest this summer, as the projects were part of the city's proposal. Now, Daddabbo said, funding will determine when they begin, and whether they do so together. Another priority is Sedor's comfort with relocating his office, she said. Though he has agreed to let the theater buy out his lease, she continued, he'll need at least six months' notice before he has to move. Regardless, Daddabbo said, Auburn Public Theater will reach its next stage, one that she and Eidel have envisioned since they bought the former Grant's Department Store almost 15 years ago. "These plans of ours are written into the DNA of our organization," she said. "It was part of the original plan, and you can see it in the original drawings. It just took longer to get the funding than we thought. Everything took longer than we thought, as it is in life." In November, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue lowered a Kewaunee County landowners property taxes because of proximity to a large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation. The Department of Revenue reviewed three years of data from home sales in the county, and found that on average, homes within a quarter mile of a large CAFO sold for 13 percent less than their assessed value, and homes between a quarter of a mile and one mile from a large CAFO sold for 8 percent less than their assessed value. The Department of Revenue defined a large CAFO as 4,000 or more animal units. Of course it is devastating for a homeowner to see the value of their most valuable asset their home slip away. Its also frustrating for CAFO owners to find yet again that simply following state law is not enough to protect their neighbors. Loss in property values due to the growth of large CAFOs also puts local governments in a tough spot. The Legislature has made such significant cuts to local government aid during the past six years that local governments are leaning more and more on property taxes to fund important services such as roads, law enforcement, County Extension and the local health department. Having to increase someone elses property taxes due to declining property values near CAFOs is sure to be met with consternation from taxpayers. Ideally, local governments would be able to take action on their own to protect local property values and prevent these conflicts. However, the state Livestock Siting Rules actually preempt local governments from taking such action in the case of CAFOs. For example, local governments are not allowed to require setbacks for CAFOs that are greater than the state guidelines, even if greater setbacks would protect neighboring property values. The state is dealing local governments a tough one-two punch making them increasingly reliant on property taxes due to loss of state aid, but not giving them the tools or the latitude to protect the local property values on which they must rely. Thats why Wisconsin Farmers Union has called on the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to move forward with its proposed revisions to ATCP 51, the State Livestock Siting Rules. DATCPs draft changes are not perfect, but they would be a good start, including increasing the setbacks for CAFOs to avoid precisely the situation that is transpiring in Kewaunee County, where neighbors property values are diminished due to insufficient setbacks. The current Livestock Siting standards were enacted in 2006 and have never been updated. In 2006, a 1,000-cow operation was a big deal. Now we have operations with 4,000, 7,000 10,000 animal units, and were still using standards that are over a decade old. The industry has moved forward. Our standards need to do so as well. When the Livestock Siting Rules were first enacted in 2006, one of the stated goals was to reduce the acrimony of bitter local fights about regulation of large livestock facilities. Unfortunately, the rules have not lived up to their promise. As recent events have shown, CAFO owners can dutifully follow the state standards and still have negative spillover effects that reduce their neighbors property values. This situation is not fair to any of the parties involved. Its not fair to the neighbor who loses property value, and its not fair to the CAFO that gets blamed even though it is following the standards. Its also not fair to the local government that would like to create better standards, but is preempted from doing so by the state. The state is not doing right by CAFOs, their neighbors or local governments by leaving this flawed set of rules in place. Douglas Dynamics, Inc. operates as a manufacturer and upfitter of commercial work truck attachments and equipment in North America. It operates through two segments, Work Truck Attachments and Work Truck Solutions. The Work Truck Attachments segment manufactures and sells snow and ice control attachments, including snowplows, and sand and salt spreaders for light trucks and heavy duty trucks, as well as various related parts and accessories. The Work Truck Solutions segment primarily manufactures municipal snow and ice control products; provides truck and vehicle upfits where it attaches component pieces of equipment, truck bodies, racking, and storage solutions to a vehicle chassis for use by end users for work related purposes; and manufactures storage solutions for trucks and vans, and cable pulling equipment for trucks. This segment also offers up-fit and storage solutions. It also provides customized turnkey solutions to governmental agencies, such as Departments of Transportation and municipalities. The company sells its products under the BLIZZARD, FISHER, SNOWEX, WESTERN, TURFEX, SWEEPEX, HENDERSON, BRINEXTREME, and DEJANA brands. It distributes its products primarily to professional snowplowers who are contracted to remove snow and ice from commercial and residential areas. The company was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Chemours Company provides performance chemicals in North America, the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. It operates through four segments: Titanium Technologies, Thermal & Specialized Solutions, Advanced Performance Materials, and Chemical Solutions. The Titanium Technologies segment provides TiO2 pigment under the Ti-Pure and BaiMax brands for delivering whiteness, brightness, opacity, and protection in various of applications, such as architectural and industrial coatings, flexible and rigid plastic packaging, polyvinylchloride, laminate papers used for furniture and building materials, coated paper, and coated paperboard used for packaging. The Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment offers of refrigerants, thermal management solutions, propellants, foam blowing agents, and specialty solvents. The Advanced Performance Materials segment products portfolio includes various industrial resins, specialty products, membranes, and coatings for consumer electronics, semiconductors, digital communications, transportation, energy, oil and gas, and medical, and others applications. The Chemical Solutions segment comprises a portfolio of industrial chemicals used as raw materials and catalysts for gold production, clean and disinfect, oil and gas, water treatment, electronics, and automotive applications. The company sells its products through direct and indirect channels, as well as through a network of resellers and distributors. The Chemours Company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware. All this will I give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me. Matthew 4:9 The prospect of Sen. Roy Moore has been both horrifying and clarifying. It would be difficult to design a more controlled, precise test of the moral gag reflex in politics. In this political lifeboat dilemma, Republicans are being asked what principles they are willing to throw overboard in the interests of power. A belief that character matters in politics? Splash. A commitment to religious and ethnic inclusion? Splash. Moral outrage at credible charges of sexual predation against teen girls? Splash. Those remaining in this lightened boat display a kind of shocking clarity. They value certain political ends tax cuts, a conservative judiciary more than ethical considerations. When it comes to confirming judges who oppose Roe v. Wade, the vote of a statesman is no better than the vote of a sexual predator or, presumably, of a drug dealer or a murderer. This type of calculation admits no limiting principle. So, in this view, it does not really matter that there is (as Ivanka Trump put it) no reason to doubt the victims accounts in Moores case. It does not matter that Moores explanations have been shifting and slippery. It does not matter that Moore has said that homosexual behavior should be illegal, or that he compared resisting gay marriage to resisting the Holocaust, or that he referred to Asians as yellows, or that he doesnt believe President Obama is a natural born citizen, or that he believes there are communities living under Shariah law in Illinois and Indiana. Those willing to swallow all this all the ignorance, cruelty, creepiness and malice have truly shown the strength of their partisan commitment. A purity indistinguishable from mania. The Moore test has been useful in its own way. It has exposed corrupt leaders. President Trumps eventual endorsement of Moore was predictable, given his personal interest in discrediting the credible accusations of exploited women. The support of the Republican National Committee revealed a political party with no judgment, no standards and a cloudy future among the young and morally sentient. All Moores allies and enablers have marked themselves as unfit for leadership. The untainted among them Sens. Mike Lee, Bob Corker, Jeff Flake, Cory Gardner, Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, Lindsey Graham, John McCain, Steve Daines, Bill Cassidy and Ben Sasse are far and away the best positioned to play positive roles in a Republican recovery. The Moore test has exposed corrupt arguments. All those who say Let the voters of Alabama decide are applying popular sovereignty to a matter of basic morality. Abraham Lincoln would not be amused. If Republicans have any remaining ties to the great man, they will not count votes when fundamental principles are at stake. We do not let the people decide on the rights of minorities. And the people do not decide on the rules of morality. And the Moore test has exposed corrupt institutions. The basic argument here that ethics can be ignored in the process of doing great work in the world is precisely what brings institutions into disrepute. The Catholic Church covered up sexual predation on the justification that it was otherwise doing great work in the world. Some evangelicals are now publicly downplaying credible charges of sexual predation for the same reason. And they are doing tremendous damage to the reputation of the Christian church in the process. Though I probably dont say it enough, many evangelicals are doing great work in the world feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless and welcoming the stranger. But a self-selected, highly visible group of politicized evangelicals is engaged in a remarkable project. Once they were known for harsh moralism for being eager tutors in our national sins. Now they argue that character doesnt count and the ends justify the means. The moral majority has somehow lost its taste for decency. The hope for American politics is found in the reverse, the photographic negative, of all these trends. In leaders who affirm and exemplify the nobility of the political enterprise. In arguments that elevate principle above expediency. In institutions that shape character, confront corruption, take the side of the exploited and echo the newly pertinent question: For what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? ELROY A child accidentally shot Dec. 4 is the child of Elroy Police Chief Tony Green, according to a press release from Juneau County Sheriff Brent Oleson. The release states the 3-year-old accidentally shot himself with his fathers firearm. Juneau County Sheriffs deputies responded to a residence in the town of Plymouth after a report of an accidental gunshot wound at 6 p.m. The boy was transported to Mile Bluff Medical Center by Elroy Ambulance and is reported to be in stable condition. In a press release, Oleson said the child is recovering well and is expected to be released from the hospital today. It was not clear whether the firearm in the incident was Greens service firearm or a personal gun. The case is currently being investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Green was previously suspended without pay from April 2 to June 7 in 2015 for being at a party where alcohol was served to underage girls. A portion of the report from the Sauk County investigators included a statement from a female who reportedly was younger than 21 who said Tony (Green) was involved in a drinking game while the other girls who were underage were drinking as well. The incident is the second recent shooting involving youth in the region. In August, a 14-year-old boy was shot and killed by his 10-year-old brother in Loganville while playing a game of cops and robbers. The boy said he did not believe the weapon was loaded. Loganville is in Sauk County, about 30 miles southeast of Elroy. Mumbai: Aamir Khan might have walked out of Rakesh Sharma biopic citing creative differences and now as per reports on DNA, Shah Rukh Khan is being considered for the role. A Bollywood insider earlier spoke on Aamirs exit, When Siddharth Roy Kapur launched his own production house, one project that he had announced, was based on the life of astronaut Rakesh Sharma and the shooting was to go on the floors only after 'Thugs Of Hindostan' was complete. It was a 2018 release. Aamir was approached to play Rakesh Sharma, in a conversation started with Siddharth way back in 2016, but the star is not doing the film anymore. They were developing the script but Aamir did not like the way it finally shaped up. Everybody knows that his script sense is brilliant so in that form, so if he does not like a script there has to be something wrong with it. And while hes very fond of Siddharth, Aamir is not someone who will do a film if hes not 100 percent convinced of it. He discussed this with the creative team and conveyed his decision to them. Siddharth understood Aamirs reasons as he knows thats how the Aamir works. Priyanka Chopra was also supposed to be a part of the project. So if SRK comes on board, can we expect to see SRK-PeeCee together in Salute if not in Don 3? Earlier it was also reported that Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh might be part of the project. However nothing has been confirmed for the Siddharth Roy Kapurs production film. 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. Thiruvananthapuram: A love story can tell so much. Cheesy is only part of it, the frowned upon, tiring, and sometimes embarrassing part. But there are stories, his story and her story, of the background they fall in love, of the people they touch. Or else, there is a larger story in the background and a love story is perhaps the best way to convey that. Argentinean director duo Ernesto Ardito and Virna Molina does that to talk about a country and its many young ones that disappeared forever over four decades ago. They tell it through the film, Symphony For Ana, selected for competition at the 22nd IFFK in Thiruvananthapuram. Ernesto and Virna stand at Tagore Theatre and claim their English is poor. But in clear words they echo the emotion that inspired this film, one of the many they make together, beginning with the most popular Raymundo, a documentary on the disappearance of the Argentinian filmmaker, Raymundo Gleyzer. He too had disappeared in the 1970s during the last Argentina military dictatorship. Our childhood is full of these dramatic memories, of violence and silence, Ernesto says in broken English and calls Virna to complete his lines. She says, It is important to understand what happened in the 1970s because that is the key to understand the past and the future of Argentina. Argentinean director duo Ernesto Ardito and Virna Molina Many people who should have been the leaders of today, died in the 1970s. We couldnt become the country that we could have, because they disappeared. The things they fought against still exist. There is not a lot of difference between a democracy by the right wing and a dictatorship. Symphony for Ana starts innocently as the recording one friend makes for another, Ana for Isa, about their obsession to fall in love as teenage girls. But then Ana talks of all the burning that they did. You dont realise who till the film proceeds. Agitated students Peronists (followers of the political ideology of former Argentinian president Juan Domingo Peron) - gather in the National High School of Buenos Aires to talk about the danger of the rightwing fascist forces coming, about protecting their dean from being dismissed. They decide to take over the school and succeed in it, Ana and Isa, part of it all. Along the way Ana falls in love, with Lito, a boy other Peronists label Chinese because of his Maoist views and advise her to stay away from. A confused Ana, who doesnt know if she is ready to make love as Lito wants her to, stays away even as she loves him. Soon, they attack the school, sending off students they didnt agree with, killing some, making a few disappear. Camilo comes in between, as part of the leftist team that Ana had joined and they have a brief relationship. We must do films like these to bring to the present the memory of the people who fought for freedom. Even now there is repression against the workers. They have so far left the intellectuals, the filmmakers alone. But then journalists with opposing views have been fired, Virna says. To a question someone asks about Pope Francis who hails from Argentina, she says, He could have done a lot to find out about the missing people, but he did nothing. A new $1.8 million set of facilities for the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreations Child and Youth Services program is under construction near Fort McCoys Child Development Center and School-Age Center/Youth Center. A contract of $1,871,209 was awarded in June to contractor Relyant Global LLC, headquartered in Maryville, Tennessee. The project is located on West F Street and is now about 20 percent complete, said construction inspector Mark Nelson with the Directorate of Public Works. He said its scheduled for completion in July 2018. There are two new buildings being constructed. One will house administrative personnel for Fort McCoys CYS programs and another will provide additional storage space. These facilities will consolidate storage by replacing three older facilities, Nelson said. Mark Siple, chief of Management Support Services for DFMWR, said the new building will make a significant difference for the entire CYS program. One of the biggest bonuses of this construction is it will bring the CYS administrative staff much closer to their facilities, Siple said. And our CYS customers also will have easier access to staff as well. Having the closer and newer storage capabilities for the Child Development Center and the School-Age Center/Youth Center also will modernize the installations overall CYS program completely, Siple said. Both centers are some of the newer facilities on post, having been constructed in the past 10 years. Its going to really help with storing all of their equipment, Siple said. It will have more modern storage capabilities that are really needed. The new facility will be a brick-faced structure and will be built with the latest and best materials available, Nelson said. The new construction also aligns with Fort McCoys strategic objectives in the installations five-year strategic business plan, including to sustain and modernize Fort McCoys cantonment, range complex, strategic mobility, physical security, quality of life and information technology infrastructure. Everyone has a crazy uncle in the family, right? he asks. Mahamat-Saleh Haroun had one, he says, sitting at the hotel lobby of Taj by Vivanta in Thiruvananthapuram. The uncle took him to a cinema when he was nine. Thats when he watched a movie for the first time. He asks you if you can imagine that, never having heard of cinema before, a time and place without television, forget smartphones! He still remembers the smiling face of a woman on the screen, a close-up shot. It was an Indian film and he would like to believe it was Hema Malini. Back then they showed only Bollywood and American Western movies at the only movie house in Chad. No films were made in Chad, by a Chadian. Until Haroun grew up and began making films set in his beloved homeland. You really cant take Chad away from the man, you gather, even after he was forced to flee his home as a young lad and live elsewhere for decades. His story has been told before, he has written about that Indian movie that made him want to be a filmmaker in a novel. But Haroun doesnt seem to mind repeating it again, as we talk to him in the middle of the 22nd International Film Festival of Kerala. His films including the newest A Season in France are part of the IFFK in a category Contemporary Filmmaker in Focus. It is the first time I am coming to Kerala though I was invited before. Kerala is a kind of a paradise compared to Bombay and its pollution, Haroun says. He wants to talk to the culture minister of Kerala, so there will be some kind of cooperation between Kerala and Chad. Haroun too is culture minister in Chad, appointed this February. Young people in Chad watch a lot of Bollywood movies so they start talking in Hindi, without going to school! Every year for Indias Independence Day, they organise songs inspired by Bollywood. I want to make a film about the young people who come to Bombay just because they love India. Harouns younger days too were spent away when the civil war forced his family to leave Chad for Cameroon. I was injured, I couldnt walk, he remembers. The family later moved to Libya where Haroun worked as a worker for a year. The idea of studying films came from a piece of paper he had taken with him from Chad and kept in his trouser pocket. An address to a film school in Paris that he had read about in a magazine. His desire took him there, he believes, and thats why he got selected. The first movie he made was Bye Bye Africa, a documentary on the fictionalised version of his life. In the film, you can see the (only) cinema theatre in Chad, totally destroyed by civil war. In 2010, when Haroun got the jury award for A Screaming Man at Cannes, the Chad government decided to renovate the theatre. The first film to be screened there was A Screaming Man. That had been about the civil war and the story of a man who sends his son to war to regain his position at a hotel. In A Season in France, Haroun, for the first time, sets his story in his adopted country. There is a man applying for asylum in France, driven away from his home in Central Africa, by war. He has lost his wife but there are two little children to take care of. The sufferings he goes through makes you look back at Harouns life all those years ago, a past he seems to visit through these films. He has moved on but the love for home stayed. I want to see my land in movies. I have to talk about Chad. No one else may do it. No one cares if there is a movie from Chad. But in 2011 we renovated the theatre, the only one for 12 million people, he says. As Culture Minister, he now wants to have a film school in Chad, where the Bollywood-loving youngsters could study cinema. Hassan: A veterinarian has come to the rescue of beleaguered officers of the forest department, and helped them capture a rogue tusker by importing ten vials of tranquilizers from South Africa. With spiralling cases of human-animal conflict resulting in four deaths during the last 18 months in Sakleshpur-Alur region of the district, local officers of forest department faced the ire of residents as they could not capture and shift rogue elephants due to shortage in supply of tranquilizer. The veterinarian, who learnt about the shortage of such darts, picked up ten vials during his visit to South Africa to participate in a conference. On Saturday, the first vial was used to sedate and capture a 35 year-old tusker in Rajendrapura forest area, Alur Taluk, Manjunath, deputy conservator of forests, Hassan, told Deccan Chronicle. He said after a day's break, operations would resume to capture another pachyderm which was causing lot of problems for local residents of the district. And to capture these rogue tuskers, tamed elephants Abhimanyu, Gopalaswami, Vikram, Harsha and Krishna, all trained to support such risky operations, have been roped in by the authorities. Mr Manjunath said the break was essential as tamed elephants get exhausted after each operation which includes goading the rogue tusker to board a truck. 1 Bhutan is known for its authentic food. The one dish I loved was the Ema Datshi, the national dish of Bhutan. It is made up of cheese, chilli and various vegetables and is delicious, especially in the cold nippy weather. 2 The country is really rich in natural sights, and values heritage and culture immensely. It is called the worlds happiest country, because it is relatively untouched by modern influences. I bought many pieces of art, handicrafts and masks. Each mask was traditional, and had its own story to tell. Thimpu and Tongsa were my favourite best places to find these handicrafts. 3 Walking is the best to explore Bhutan. I visited Punaka Valley which is famous for rice farming and Tigers Nest which I think one must not miss out on, when visiting Bhutan. 4 Tigers Nest also known as Paro Taktsang is a prominent Buddhist sacred site and monastery. I this it was one of my most memorable experiences as the hike to Tigers Nest is one of the best hikes in the area and not for mild trekkers. The peace emanating from the monastery touches your soul. 5 For anybody who wants to visit a country rich in culture, tradition and nature, Bhutan is a must. As told to Ruth Prarthana The woman claimed that her doctor later explained he was taking a Spanish proficiency test during the surgery. (Photo: Pixabay) A suburban New York City woman has sued a doctor, claiming he used his cellphone to take a language test while operating on her. The Journal News reports 70-year-old Mary Edwards, of Port Chester, filed a lawsuit Monday in state Supreme Court against Dr. Eric Fishman and his employer, Westmed Medical Group. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages. Fishman performed surgery on Edwards to fix varicose veins twice in 2017. According to the lawsuit, Edwards claims Fishman had a conversation in Spanish on his cellphone during the second outpatient procedure. Edwards attorney says his client was terrified for the rest of the operation. Edwards claims Fishman later explained he was taking a Spanish proficiency test during the surgery. A Westmed spokeswoman said the company doesnt comment on pending litigation. He died when his F-104 Starfighter crashed at Edwards Air Force Base in California. (Photo: AP) Americas first black astronaut, Air Force Maj. Robert Lawrence Jr., finally got full honors Friday on the 50th anniversary of his death. Several hundred people gathered at Kennedy Space Center to commemorate Lawrence, who almost certainly would have gone on to fly in space had he not died in a plane crash on Dec. 8, 1967. The crowd included NASA dignitaries, astronauts, fellow Omega Psi Phi fraternity members, schoolchildren, and relatives of Lawrence and other astronauts who have died in the line of duty. Lawrence was part of a classified military space program in the 1960s called the Manned Orbiting Laboratory, meant to spy on the Soviet Union. He died when his F-104 Starfighter crashed at Edwards Air Force Base in California. He was 32. Astronauts at Fridays two-hour ceremony said Lawrence would have gone on to fly NASAs space shuttles and that, after his death, he inspired all the African-American astronauts who followed him. Like Lawrence, Robert Crippen was part of the Air Forces program. It was canceled in 1969 without a single manned spaceflight, prompting Crippen and other astronauts to move on to NASA. Crippen was pilot of the first space shuttle flight in 1981. With a doctoral degree in physical chemistry a rarity among test pilots Lawrence was definitely on the fast track, Crippen said. He graduated from high school at age 16 and college at 20. He had a great future ahead of him if he had not been lost 50 years ago today, Crippen said. Lawrence paved the way for Guy Bluford, who became the first African-American in space in 1983, Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space in 1992, and Charles Bolden Jr., a space shuttle commander who became NASAs first black administrator in 2009. Next year, the International Space Station is getting its first African-American resident: NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps. Another former African-American astronaut, Winston Scott, said his own shuttle rides into orbit would not have happened if not for a trailblazers like Lawrence. In tribute to Lawrence, a jazz lover, Scott and his jazz band serenaded the crowd with Fly Me to the Moon and other tunes. Lawrences sister, Barbara, a retired educator, said he considered himself the luckiest man in the world for being able to combine the two things he loved most: chemistry and flying. Lawrences name was etched into the Astronauts Memorial Foundations Space Mirror at Kennedy for the 30th anniversary of his death in 1997, following a long bureaucratic struggle. It took years for the Air Force to recognize Lawrence as an astronaut, given hed never flown as high as the 1960s-required altitude of 50 miles. The Space Mirror Memorial bears the names of two other African-Americans: Ronald McNair, who died aboard space shuttle Challenger in 1986, and Michael Anderson, who died on shuttle Columbia in 2003. Marsalis Walton, 11, who drove from Tampa with his father, Sam, came away inspired. He dreams of becoming an astronaut. It feels good that everyone has a chance to do anything, the boy said. Bengaluru: The Central Crime Branch (CCB) police, who have intensified the questioning of journalist and editor of Kannada weekly tabloid Hai Bangalore, are now focusing on building the case strong and are on the hunt to Viju Badager, the associate of sharpshooter Shashidhara Ramachandra Mundewadi, who accompanied him to Sunil Heggaravallis house to gun him down. A senior CCB official said that though there the case has not progressed much, they were trying to get clinching evidences against those involved in the case. We have to get some more witnesses and suspects. Most importantly, we need to question Viju Badager as part of the probe. We should get him first and teams are in North Karnataka in search of him. Also, we are yet to question Sunil Heggaravalli and his statement holds the key to the investigation. On Saturday, Ravi Belagere was questioned by several senior officers, including the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime). But Belagere is said to be not cooperating with the interrogators and is stonewalling them with the stock reply that he has no connection with the case. Faced with the challenge, the police are collecting circumstantial, material and technical evidence to build a watertight case against him. It is learnt that the police have concrete evidence about the phone call details that expose the nexus between Belagere and Shashidhara. Drama at second wifes house In the afternoon, Belagere was taken to his second wife Yashomathys residence at Pattanagere in Rajarajeshwari Nagar to search the house as part of the probe. It is said that the police asked Belagere not to enter the house, and he was left fuming. He reportedly hit back at the police, saying, This is my house and how can you ask me to not enter. What sort of investigation is this? During the visit, Belagere reportedly did not speak to Yashomathy. After a search of 30 minutes, the police returned along with Belagere. As he was suffering from low sugar levels, he was taken to Victoria Hospital for treatment and then to the CCB office. The officials have reportedly prepared a questionnaire to get his reply and are keen to extract information from Belagere, as his police custody ends on Monday. Ravi Belagere is accused no. 2 Meanwhile, Ravi Belagare has been named accused number two in the FIR filed at the Subramanyapura police station. As per the complaint filed by CCB Inspector R.P. Anil, Shashidhara is the prime accused, followed by Ravi Belagere and Viju Badager. The FIR mentions that Belagere had given a .32 revolver, two bullets and a knife to Shashidhara, asking him to gun down Sunil Heggaravalli, on August 28. The same day Shashidhara and Viju had gone near Sunils house, but could not accomplish the job. The trio have been booked for attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy, acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention and under two sections of the Arms Act. CCB to write to forest dept In connection with a deer skin and a tortoise shell seized from Ravi Belageres office on Thursday, the CCB will write to the Forest Department to inspect the seized items. As possessing such items is violation of the Wildlife Protection Act, we will inform the Forest Department and ask them to investigate. Belageres family members and advocates are telling us that it was gifted to Belagere by his fans. However, the case has to investigated by the Forest Department, an official said. Life at CCB office Ravi Belagere has been allowed to have home food and his son Karna and daughter Chetana are spending most of their time on the CCB office premises, as they are concerned about their fathers health. Meanwhile, it is learnt that Belagere, a chain smoker, is upset with the CCB police for not allowing him to smoke whenever her wishes to. He keeps asking us to give him cigarettes, but we are giving it only when he could not resist. When we give him one or two, he tells, this is not enough for me, a source said. Hyderabad: Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao on Sunday presented evidence to prove what he said was a plan of the Congress to stall the development of the state, particularly irrigation projects. He said this could be seen from the number of cases that Congress leaders had filed in many courts and tribunals. He was speaking to mediapersons after releasing water, along with energy minister G. Jagadish Reddy, from the Nagarjunasagar dam to the Left Canal command area to raise crops for the Rabi season. He said 40 tmc ft of water will be released from the dam up to April in the on-off mode as and when it is actually needed for the crops. Incidentally, Sunday marked the 62nd anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the Nagarjunasagar dam by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1955. While the TRS aim and ambition is development, Congress leaders are aiming at stalling development. For this they are joining hands even with the CPM which opposed statehood, he said. TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddys call on Sunday for a realignment of political forces against the TRS means that all those working against Telangana state and its people want to come together to fight against TRS, Mr Harish Rao alleged. He said while Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was particular about providing water for drinking and irrigation to every household and every acre of land, besides 24 hour supply of power, Congress leaders had started filing cases and were holding agitations against these projects. Giving details of the modernisation of Nagarjunasagar canal works, Mr Harish Rao said, the Congress governments had done only 35 per cent of works whereas the TRS during the last three and a half years had spent Rs 1,265 crore and completed the work. 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. NEW DELHI: Indias Heron unmanned aerial vehicle went missing about two weeks ago over an area about 20 km from the Indian border inside Doklam, the site of the 73-day-long stand-off between the Indian and Chinese armies. A Chinese state-owned media report said: The intrusion took place at the same location where a standoff broke off not too long ago between the Chinese and Indian militaries. In a time and at a location so sensitive, both sides should have avoided acting in ways that the other might perceive as provocative to prevent new frictions arising. But India clearly did not behave itself. Even as it warned India of far worse consequences if found that the drone had entered Chinese airspace with hostile intentions, it added, It (India) needs to apologise to China. Belagavi: Contrary to BJP president Amit Shah's recent claims that the party will face coming elections under B.S. Yeddyurappa's leadership, party national general secretary Muralidhar Rao announced in Belagavi on Saturday that his party will face elections under party's united leadership. During his last visit to the state, Mr Shah had also said that Mr Yeddyurappa was partys chief ministerial candidate. Mr Rao told the media here on Saturday that his party was prepared for next year's Assembly polls. "The BJP has been able to make most of the states Congress-free ever since it came to power in 2014. The same way, Karnataka too will be made Congress-mukt soon. The 'Parivartana Rally' under Mr Yeddyurappa's leadership is going on successfully with mission-150 being its aim in the state. None of the leaders from the Opposition have Mr Yeddyurappa's calibre and can take out such a rally. It came to light during the yatra that people trust Mr Modi's governance and BJP,'' he added. After the BJP's victory in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, where the results will be announced on Dec. 18, the party will focus fully on Karnataka, he said, and adding that Mr Modi will deliver a historic speech to mark the end of 'Parivartana Rally'. Criticising Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for celebrating Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary, Mr Rao described Mr Siddaramaiah as anti-Hindu. He said that the state government is not serious about continuing farmer suicides and crumbling agriculture sector. Several ministers, who face serious charges of corruption, have not been sacked, but are being protected by Siddaramaiah, he said, alleging that the state government is extremely corrupt. Responding to a question on a video clip that went viral on social media in which a former minister and BJP leader, Mr Umesh Katti, abused BJP leaders, Mr Rao said his party high command will not tolerate any of its leaders using foul language and that action will be taken against those who break party's discipline. Specific portions of the electromagnetic spectrum used for communications to various users. However, such channels are limited in number and can cause a bottleneck in the era of increasing communications. NASA scientists are planning to use artificial intelligence to better manage the increasing communications between its spacecraft and the Earth. NASA spacecraft typically rely on human-controlled radio systems to communicate with Earth. Cognitive radio, the infusion of artificial intelligence into space communications networks, could meet demand and increase efficiency, researchers said. "Modern space communications systems use complex software to support science and exploration missions," said Janette C Briones, from the NASA's Glenn Research Center in the US. "By applying artificial intelligence and machine learning, satellites control these systems seamlessly, making real-time decisions without awaiting instruction," said Briones. Specific portions of the electromagnetic spectrum used for communications to various users. However, such channels are limited in number and can cause a bottleneck in the era of increasing communications. Software-defined radios like cognitive radio use artificial intelligence to employ underutilised portions of the electromagnetic spectrum without human intervention. These "white spaces" are currently unused, but already licensed, segments of the spectrum. A cognitive radio can use the frequency while unused by its primary user until the user becomes active again. Cognitive radio switches from one white space to another, using electromagnetic spectrums 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," she said. "By integrating artificial intelligence and cognitive radios into our networks, we will increase the efficiency, autonomy and reliability of space communications systems," she said. 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, from NASA. "They would transmit outside the range of the interference or cancel distortions within the range using machine learning," said Roche. 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. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. People living in the former industrial heartlands of England and Wales are more disposed to negative emotions such as anxiety and depressive moods, more impulsive and more likely to struggle with planning and self-motivation, according to a new study of almost 400,000 personality tests. The findings show that, generations after the white heat of Industrial Revolution and decades on from the decline of deep coal mining, the populations of areas where coal-based industries dominated in the 19th century retain a "psychological adversity". Researchers suggest this is the inherited product of selective migrations during mass industrialisation compounded by the social effects of severe work and living conditions. They argue that the damaging cognitive legacy of coal is "reinforced and amplified" by the more obvious economic consequences of high unemployment we see today. The study also found significantly lower life satisfaction in these areas. The UK findings, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, are supported by a North American "robustness check", with less detailed data from US demographics suggesting the same patterns of post-industrial personality traits. "Regional patterns of personality and well-being may have their roots in major societal changes underway decades or centuries earlier, and the Industrial Revolution is arguably one of the most influential and formative epochs in modern history," says co-author Dr Jason Rentfrow, from the University of Cambridge's Department of Psychology. "Those who live in a post-industrial landscape still do so in the shadow of coal, internally as well as externally. This study is one of the first to show that the Industrial Revolution has a hidden psychological heritage, one that is imprinted on today's psychological make-up of the regions of England and Wales." An international team of psychologists, including researchers from the Queensland University of Technology, University of Texas, University of Cambridge and the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University, used data collected from 381,916 people across England and Wales during 2009-2011 as part of the BBC Lab's online Big Personality Test. The team analysed test scores by looking at the "big five" personality traits: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness. The results were further dissected by characteristics such as altruism, self-discipline and anxiety. The data was also broken down by region and county, and compared with several other large-scale datasets including coalfield maps and a male occupation census of the early 19th century (collated through parish baptism records, where the father listed his job). The team controlled for an extensive range of other possible influences - from competing economic factors in the 19th century and earlier, through to modern considerations of education, wealth and even climate. However, they still found significant personality differences for those currently occupying areas where large numbers of men had been employed in coal-based industries from 1813 to 1820 - as the Industrial Revolution was peaking. Neuroticism was, on average, 33% higher in these areas compared with the rest of the country. In the 'big five' model of personality, this translates as increased emotional instability, prone to feelings of worry or anger, as well as higher risk of common mental disorders such as depression and substance abuse. In fact, in the further "sub-facet" analyses, these post-industrial areas scored 31% higher for tendencies toward both anxiety and depression. Areas that ranked highest for neuroticism include Blaenau Gwent and Ceredigion in South Wales, and Hartlepool in England. Conscientiousness was, on average, 26% lower in former industrial areas. In the 'big five' model, this manifests as more disorderly and less goal-oriented behaviours - difficulty with planning and saving money. The underlying sub-facet of 'order' itself was 35% lower in these areas. The lowest three areas for conscientiousness were all in Wales (Merthyr Tydfil, Ceredigion and Gwynedd), with English areas including Nottingham and Leicester. An assessment of life satisfaction was included in the BBC Lab questionnaire, which was an average of 29% lower in former industrial centres. While researchers say there will be many factors behind the correlation between personality traits and historic industrialisation, they offer two likely ones: migration and socialisation (learned behaviour). The people migrating into industrial areas were often doing so to find employment in the hope of escaping poverty and distressing situations of rural depression - those experiencing high levels of 'psychological adversity'. However, people that left these areas, often later on, were likely those with higher degrees of optimism and psychological resilience, say researchers. This "selective influx and outflow" may have concentrated so-called 'negative' personality traits in industrial areas - traits that can be passed down generations through combinations of experience and genetics. Migratory effects would have been exacerbated by the 'socialisation' of repetitive, dangerous and exhausting labour from childhood - reducing well-being and elevating stress - combined with harsh conditions of overcrowding and atrocious sanitation during the age of steam. The study's authors argue their findings have important implications for today's policymakers looking at public health interventions. "The decline of coal in areas dependent on such industries has caused persistent economic hardship - most prominently high unemployment. This is only likely to have contributed to the baseline of psychological adversity the Industrial Revolution imprinted on some populations," says co-author Michael Stuetzer from Baden-Wurttemberg Cooperative State University, Germany. "These regional personality levels may have a long history, reaching back to the foundations of our industrial world, so it seems safe to assume they will continue to shape the well-being, health, and economic trajectories of these regions." The team note that, while they focused on the negative psychological imprint of coal, future research could examine possible long-term positive effects in these regions born of the same adversity - such as the solidarity and civic engagement witnessed in the labour movement. ### The top 10 UK regions near historical coalfields (0-25km distance) that rank highest in Neuroticism among coal regions (ranking in order with Blaenau Gwent having the highest scores in N among the coal regions). (UA = Unitary authority) Blaenau Gwent Hartlepool UA Merthyr Tydfil Stoke-on-Trent UA Newport Blackpool UA Rhondda Cynon Taf Powys Halton UA Derby UA The top 10 UK regions near historical coalfields (0-25 km distance) that rank lowest in Conscientiousness among coal regions (ranking in order with Merthyr Tydfil having the lowest scores in C among the coal regions). Merthyr Tydfil Ceredigion Gwynedd Bristol City UA Leicester UA Nottingham UA Blackpool UA Cardiff Blaenau Gwent Middlesbrough UA Sunday, December 10, 2017 An unpublished opinion of the Nevada Supreme Court in Dickerson v. Downey Brand LLP came out last week. In 2006, Republicano, a certified public accountant, was retained as an expert by the Simons, Dickerson's clients, in the federal action. In 2010, the federal action settled. As part of the settlement agreement, Republicano agreed to a fee reductionan immediate payment of $200,000, rather than a $531,171 remaining balance. Republicano sought and received assurances from Dickerson that the language of the settlement agreement made clear that the $200,000 was in addition to any prior payments received. Given those assurances, Republicano signed the settlement agreement. Despite providing Republicano assurances to the contrary, Dickerson reinterpreted the agreement to mean Republicano would receive $200,000 minus any prior payments. Republicano eventually recovered $135,000 and was owed a balance of $65,000 plus interest. Republicano subsequently sued Dickerson and the Simons, alleging breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, conversion, fraud, and breach of fiduciary obligation, commencing the fraud action. Republicano alleged that Dickerson and the Simons colluded to fraudulently induce him to compromise the fees and, thereafter, that the Simons breached their agreement to pay Republicano. Dickerson claimed he was immune from suit because the conversations with his clients involving the settlement funds were privileged. The district court disagreed, finding the litigation privilege did not apply because Dickerson intentionally misrepresented to the intent of the wording of the settlement agreement to Republicano and assured Republicano that he would be paid. The district court concluded that Dickerson purposefully manipulated the Simons and induced them to breach their agreement to pay and ordered the Simons and Dickerson to pay Republicano the amount owed. Dickerson's appeal was timely (an issue) but meritless We conclude the litigation privilege does not, and should not, apply here. First, although Nevada caselaw is silent on the matter, allowing the privilege to extend to an attorney knowingly colluding with clients to short-change an expert, as occurred here, is inconsistent with the public policy behind the privilege. The litigation "privilege is designed to ensure that attorneys have the utmost freedom to engage in zealous advocacy and are not constrained in their quest to fully pursue the interests of, and obtain justice for, their clients," Greenberg Traurig, 130 Nev., Adv. Op. 67, 331 P.3d at 904. It is not designed to provide attorneys with the ability to act malfeasant and then hide behind the privilege with impunity. Here, Dickerson manipulated his position of influence with Republicano and the Simons in order to lower Republicano's fees, raise his own fees, and, presumably, allow his clients funds they otherwise were not entitled to keep . Additionally, the gravamen behind Republicano's complaint was Dickerson's actions, not the communication with the Simons. The claims against Dickerson upon which Republicano prevailed are not based on attorney-client communications or any communications between Dickerson and the Simons in which he provided legal advice. Rather, they are based on Dickerson's and the Simons' failures to uphold the settlement agreement. The district court found that Dickerson did more than just advise his clients that they had the option of not paying Republicano; instead, he caused them to breach the contract by mendacious behavior. Additionally, Republicano asserted claims directly against Dickerson for conversion and fraud, based on the same rationale. Thus, the communications at issue were not implicated by the claims made by Republicano. Therefore, the district court did not err in refusing to apply the litigation privilege here. Two justices dissented and would find the appeal was untimely filed. I found an 18-month suspension of a Nevada attorney with the same name but have not verified that it is the same person. (Mike Frisch) https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2017/12/an-unpublished-opinion-of-the-nevada-supreme-court-in-2006-republicano-a-certified-public-accountant-was-retained-as-an-e.html Farmers are "beyond frustration" with the lack of progress on Northern Irelands Rural Development Programme (RDP), according to a farming union. The new Rural Development Programme for Northern Ireland will run from 2014 2020. It was created to help improve farming businesses, protect the environment and support rural development projects. But the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) says events are "bordering on the farcical", and that Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) officials should be "embarrassed and ashamed" by the lack of progress. Since 2014, when the present RDP began, DAERA has managed to spend just a fifth of the overall budget. We are now facing the prospect that funding promised will be lost to Northern Ireland farmers, said UFU deputy president, Ivor Ferguson. This is inevitable unless DAERA officials focus on what should be the priority ensuring that in the final RDP before Brexit an impact is delivered for rural families and for rural towns, Angered by inaction, Mr Ferguson branded DAERA's performance as "pathetic": There are no signs whatsoever of key measures in the programme coming into force anytime soon, there are business cases for some of the schemes still not even submitted or approved at this stage. It will be at least another year before any payments from the Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS) reach farmers. Quotations submitted to DAERA in good faith for Tier 2 of the FBIS are now a year out of date and prices have risen considerably and this must be corrected by DAERA, said the UFU deputy president. 'Political vacuum' The UFU believes the programme design was good but describes its execution by DAERA as "abysmal". Mr Ferguson added: From EFS to the Farm Business Improvement Scheme (FBIS), the entire RDP has been tainted by negativity and failure to deliver. We are inundated with calls every week from farmers asking for updates. We can give no answer, other than to point to fundamental failings by DAERA. These are even more frustrating when there is a political vacuum and no mechanism to apply pressure to officials. Given that the focus of the NIRDP is to improve competitiveness and the environment, DAERA has failed to deliver either - more than three years into the programme. 'Lamentable' The farming union says progress is "lamentable" compared to the position in the Republic of Ireland. There, by the end of this year, the government will have spent around 70 per cent of its 4 billion RDP budget. Their agri-environment scheme has been funded and opened three times to new applicants and their capital grant scheme has opened every year since 2014. Our closest neighbour is blazing ahead, taking full advantage of EU rural development funding. We welcomed the reopening of FBIS Capital Tier 1 and the Business Development Groups but these are just a small part of a wider programme where DAERA is failing to deliver. If funding is not to be lost, its new year resolution, regardless of the political vacuum, must be to focus on delivery across the entire RDP, he said. On Wednesday, multinational department store giant Hudson's Bay (HBC) served up one of its worst earnings reports yet. Comparable store sales declined again, while gross margin contracted, causing the company's adjusted net loss to nearly double to 203 million Canadian dollars. The third quarter was weak for most department stores. For example, even industry stalwart Nordstrom (JWN 5.04%) reported a 0.9% comp sales decline and a 27% decrease in adjusted operating income for the quarter. Still, Hudson's Bay fared particularly poorly. The bulk of its problems can be traced to the underperforming Lord & Taylor chain, which continues to be an anchor dragging the entire company down. Lord & Taylor is to blame -- as usual Hudson's Bay has been reporting poor earnings results all year, and Lord & Taylor has been the culprit consistently. Unfortunately, Hudson's Bay doesn't report stand-alone sales and earnings results for Lord & Taylor, but it is still clear that the chain is floundering. First, the company's namesake Hudson's Bay chain posted its 29th consecutive quarterly comp sales increase, but the department stores group segment (which includes Hudson's Bay, Lord & Taylor, and the smaller Home Outfitters chain) reported a 3.7% comp sales decline. Hudson's Bay accounts for 64% of the segment's square footage. With most of the segment thus delivering positive comp sales, Lord & Taylor probably had to post a double-digit comp sales decline for the segment as a whole to see a 3.7% decrease. Second, Hudson's Bay reported that sales fell by 8.5% in the U.S. for the third quarter (to be fair, the sales decline would have been somewhat smaller if measured in U.S. dollars). Yet comp sales ticked up 0.2% at the Saks Fifth Avenue nameplate. Once again, the inevitable conclusion is that Lord & Taylor must have suffered a double-digit comp sales decline. Moving in the right direction Lord & Taylor appears to be hopelessly outgunned by upscale competitors like Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's, both of which have deeper pockets. Management contends that the stores are still profitable -- but that doesn't mean they can make enough money to cover the overhead costs associated with keeping the chain in business. Furthermore, many Lord & Taylor locations sit on valuable real estate that could be monetized if the stores were closed. In the past few months, the company has started taking tentative steps in this direction. In October, Hudson's Bay announced plans to sell the Lord & Taylor flagship store in Manhattan to an affiliate of co-working start-up WeWork for $850 million. Lord & Taylor would lease back a quarter of the building for a downsized 150,000 square foot store. Last month, the company sold the leases for two stores to upscale mall operator Westfield for a total of CA$23 million. As a result, the Lord & Taylor stores in Annapolis, Md., and Skokie, Ill., will close next April. That will benefit Lord & Taylor's competitors, including Nordstrom, which operates stores at both of those malls. Hudson's Bay should make a bolder move Even after closing these two locations in Maryland and Illinois, Lord & Taylor will still operate 48 stores, mainly in the Northeast. That's a lot of valuable real estate being occupied by a chain that probably isn't profitable after accounting for overhead. Earlier this year, activist investor Jonathan Litt of Land and Buildings Investment Management started pressuring Hudson's Bay to monetize any and all stores that aren't making enough money relative to their real estate value. The Saks Fifth Avenue chain has posted strong sales results recently, so it seems like most Saks stores might make the cut. The same can't be said for Lord & Taylor. In several major metro areas, including New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor both have a presence, but Lord & Taylor has dramatically more stores. Some of those stores could probably be profitably converted to the Saks nameplate. Other Lord & Taylor locations could be monetized. This would reduce overhead and marketing costs, since Hudson's Bay would only have a single department store chain to run in the U.S. Shutting down a storied retailer that has been in business for nearly 200 years would take a lot of courage. But it's becoming increasingly clear that it's the right move for Hudson's Bay. 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 By Panos Kotzathanasis | Published on 2017/12/09 In 1998, Lee Geun-hyuk left the city, along with his wife and infant daughter, for Korea's South Chungcheong Province to begin a new life in farming. Lee harbored no romantic illusions about becoming a farmer, since he had been born and raised in a farming family, but he believed strongly in the importance of traditional agriculture and in the urgent need to organize a farmers' movement to protest new government policies. The movie is available from Icarus Films Advertisement Documentary filmmaker Kwon Woo-jeong spent a year living with and filming the Lee family, chronicling their numerous difficulties-such as harvesting on a trial-and-error basis, Lee's role in leading militant rallies against the expansion of the Free Trade Agreement, and the emotional impact of their young daughter's heart operation and the illness and death of Lee's father. At the same time, and in very intimate fashion (through personal interview, but also with her talking to them while they work and recording private sessions in the house and other locations), Kwon explores two factors. The first one is the relationships of the protagonists with their families, particularly of Lee's, whose decision to deal with farming in another area instead of his parents' one, is the cause of some friction. The second is the personal life of the couple, with a scene where the two of them fight being one of the strongest in the documentary. The documentary deals with both life and work in the fields and the political/activist actions of Lee. In that fashion, the biggest portion of the last part of the film is being dedicated to the efforts of amassing a crowd to demonstrate in Seoul against an agreement between S. Korea and Chile that will flood the Korean market with cheap products from the latter. This is a matter of life death for all farmers and their agony in their struggle is quite evidently recorded in the documentary, again in very intimate fashion. Furthermore, Kwon also recorder the events of a strike, where the farmers close the road in order to demonstrate and had to face the police, in yet another very strong sequence. Kwon makes a point of showing how difficult the life of farmers is, as they have to deal with the changes in the weather, the market and the plethora of factors that determine the price of their products, all the while having to do a really hard job that leaves them very little time for anything else, including their families. A recurring point in the film is how they do not have time to deal with the government's decisions, as they are being forced to leave almost all of their responsibilities to their wives when they do. Furthermore, the reality of Lee's family, with the Lee's sick father and sick daughter makes this point even more intense, in true dramatic, but at the same time realistic fashion. Kwon used a digital camera and shot a documentary filled with close ups, again stressing its intimate and realistic nature. The editing is quite nice, as the succession of the various footage keeps the film flowing in a nice pace, which does not become tiring at any point. "Back to the Soil" is a very interesting documentary that shows the lives of Korean farmers in an artful combination of sensitivity and realism. Review by Panos Kotzathanasis Facebook "Back to the Soil" is directed by Kwon Woo-jeong. Published on 2017/12/10 | Source Korea will donate 50,000 tons of surplus rice to countries suffering from food shortages from next year. Advertisement The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on Sunday said the National Assembly passed a bill to join the Food Assistance Convention on Friday. The FAC, with 14 member countries or bodies like the U.S., Japan and the EU, is an international treaty for humanitarian food assistance. Once Korea's membership application is accepted, it will give 50,000 tons of its surplus rice to countries that need it through the World Food Programme. The ministry hopes that this will improve the national image and stabilize rice supply in the domestic market, where there is an oversupply of 200,000 to 300,000 tons of rice a year. Read this article in Korean How good are these two guys, Penn State fans? It may surprise you ... Atlanta-based DJ Outta Space has arrived with his latest offering in the form of his NASA full length project. On, it youll find features from Atlanta mainstays, including K Camp, OJ Da Juiceman, Joe Gifted, Trouble, and some assists from regional neighbors like Young Dolph. The finished product is a 10-track effort packed to the brim with solid features with Outta Space making a solo appearance only once on his Time of Your Life cut. Other appearances include Lil Freaky, Beat King, and Damar Jackson. Listeners are treated to production that comes courtesy of the likes of Mario Beats, 808 Mafias Audi TT, Stoopid Beatz, and Stunt Degrate. NASA arrives as the follow-up to last years F.A.C.T.S project, another feature-stacked effort that boasted appearances from 2 Chainz, Big K.R.I.T, T-Pain, and Waka Flocka among others. Hannibal Buress is known as an actor and comedian who rarely shies away from making pointed, often politicized remarks in his live stand-up routine. However, his run-in with Miami police this weekend was definitely no laughing matter. [Image via TMZ] According to TMZ, Buress was booked by cops in South Florida after confronting the officers in public. In fact, the comic had to be physically pushed into the back of a cruiser following a verbal altercation where Buress loudly demanded to know why he was being detained. Though its not inherently clear from the below video why he was picked up by the cops in the first place, the gossip outlet reports that he was picked up for trespassing. However, an official at the jail Buress was held at early Sunday morning said that the official charge was for disorderly intoxication. Theres been no word so far on whether or not Buress will pursue further legal action against the officer or officers who engaged in the verbal altercation with him. He was released early Sunday morning after posting a $500 bond. Its just the latest in a long line of unfavorable videos that have been made public of police officers getting into it with supposedly innocent bystanders, especially if they belong to a minority group. Buress, who famously outed Bill Cosby as a serial rapist in his live act before that scandal broke in major media circles, will surely have something to say about this incident before long. What do you think about Hannibals actions fair or foul? Sound off in the comments. Hannibal Buress On his most recent effort, the New Jersey-bred Ish Williams bares it all as he tackles the issues of mental health and depression in an outing co-produced by Army Zenn and Kenif Muse. Opening up with a sample a brief monologue from Dragon Ball-Z character Goku, the backdrop takes on an arcade-like theme as Ish waxes poetic about looking toward a better outlook in the midst of hardships. Flex on my ex, today/ Make them regret today/ Yea, I was mad and low-key sad/ but that was yesterday, Williams unleashes. See I was going through it/ see, everybody go through it/ but today is a new day. Taking on a narrative that steps away from the cuts that pepper Ishs catalog, Life$aver is a well-received nod toward transparency. Quotable Lyrics: Might hit the barbershop Feel like I dropped the top Plus my thing said I can Browse all through her candy shop No One Ever Really Dies, the upcoming fifth studio album from the trio made up of The Neptunes Pharrell Williams and CHad Hugo alongside their childhood friend Shay, will be released later this week. In a new interview with the Guardian, the group spoke of the bold new political direction of the album, something you wouldnt take away from lead single Lemonade. The album is said to feature a collaboration with Kendrick Lamar and M.I.A., which addresses Trumps travel bans and plans to build a wall at the Mexican border. However, the centerpiece of the album, according to Pharrell, is Dont Dont Do It, a second collaboration with Kendrick. The song will discuss the 2016 shooting of Keith Scott by North Carolina police. This was something I saw on the news. We have that crazy, crazy man [running the country] but also they have police that shoot unarmed black people the whole time. It rains and they shoot black people, he said. According to the piece, it has an upbeat Hey Ya-esque feel. I hid the story in something thats so jubilant because that way you wont miss the message, Williams explained. As for the musical aspect of the album, it takes notes from Gang Of Four, early electro, and much more. You never quite know whats going to happen next, said Pharrell. I want you to be shocked and exhilarated. Following the political awakening of the group, Pharrell shared some thoughts on his previous work that might not look very progressive in 2017 (Blurred Lines, which was criticized for rapey subject matter, is mentioned in the piece). Ive made all kinds of songs in my career, he said. People might say: Oh what about this song? Yep, youre right. I recognise now. I get it. It was fun to me at the time, but the earth changes and the rules change. We have to remember that. Context is important. No One Ever Really Dies is set to feature appearances from Gucci Mane, Wale, Andre 3000, and Ed Sheeran (who, according to the Guardian, uses a questionable accent on his appearance). The album will be released December 15th. Move over Nicki Minaj Remy Ma has a new beef in town. Her opponent? Social media neer-do-well Azealia Banks. It all started with Mas assertion that, prior to her coming onto the rap scene in a big way, it was tumbleweeds as far as female emcees went at the time. A comment that probably didnt sit well with a lot of people, including Banks, who fired an incendiary response. The rapper/actress voiced the opinion that Remy Ma has had to grapple onto Nicki Minajs in order to get her name in the headlines after being released from prison and, according to Banks, Minaj is still miles more important than Ma. In fact, Banks went to say that the Love & Hip Hop cast member hasnt contributed a single artful thing to female rap. Unexpectedly though, Azealia seemed to reneg on her statement a little bit by changing her Instagram caption. Let me rephrase, said Banks in the reworded caption. You absolutely must step your shit up, he added, telling that the music you have been releasing is some serious old head rap shit [] Predictably, Remy Ma was wise to the change of heart insofar as Banks social media statement and promptly took her to task for trying to backpedal on what she said. Ma didnt waste time with her clap back. DONT F**KIN CHANGE YA CAPTION NOW! she barked. I got a year and a half more of u stalking me, hating on ya new fave, & getting ignored Im officially airing out ALL yall chicks that was on MY line heavy when I touched down & now all of a sudden got amnesia. Its safe to say that this Instagram beef may not be fading into the background anytime soon. Remy Ma Of the many celebrities who have gone on record and voiced their displeasure with Donald Trump since the former businessman became the President of the United States, T.I. has definitely been one of his most outspoken detractors, especially when it comes to his administrations perceived streak of racist or discriminatory actions. Now, hes sounding off on the issue once again, using 45s visit to the Civil Rights Museum as the backdrop. Sharing a tweet from West Coast Reverend Shane Harris, T.I. echoed some strong anti-Trump sentiments. The pictured post called the President a disgrace after making a visit to the museum and speaking on the issue of civil rights despite his mediocre track record in this department thus far in his Presidential tenure. Whats more, Trump continues to support Alabamas Roy Moore, a Senate candidate who has openly discriminated against non-white group and members of the LGBT community, an association that the Donald has taken a beating for in the press. T.I.s simple caption read, What he said!!!!! This left no grey area as to where he stands on this particular matter. In fact, Tip has been vocal about civil rights in a more general fashion this past week, backing Atlanta mayoral candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms to the hilt, a woman who eventually won a very close race against her white competitor. Want more T.I.? Make sure you read up on his thoughts concerning the Libya slave trade images that recently went viral you can peep that info here. T.I. 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." We all know that Prince Harry is quite the charmer -- the boy has reportedly wooed more ladies than most men talk to in a lifetime. Fortunately, the royal often uses his charms for good when it comes to his charity work. The prince kicked off his royal tour of Africa today and made his first stop in Lesotho, checking in with his charity Sentebale and the Kananelo Centre for the deaf. Harry co-founded the philanthropic organization with Lesotho's Prince Seeiso in 2006 to help support children who are suffering from extreme poverty, HIV/AIDS, blindness and other disabilities. Advertisement The 28-year-old's itinerary for the day? Learning sign language; baking mokoenya, a Sotho sweet bread; engaging in some traditional dancing; and, of course, amusing the children with his typical Harry charisma. According to The Telegraph, the students taught their royal visitors how to say We love Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso in sign language. Awww. For the baking portion of the visit, Harry opted for a purple apron emblazoned with teddy bears, which might just have resulted in one of our favorite pictures of the prince ever. The shot of him awkwardly attempting the "shoulder-waggling dance" is definitely a close second, though. (We're sure Cressida Bonas will agree with us.) Check out photos of Prince Harry's visit to Lesotho (and an adorable video of the aforementioned dancing!) below and tell us what you think of the prince's philanthropic work. PHOTOS: See more photos of Prince Harry! Prince Harry's Tour Of Africa, Day 1 See Gallery Advertisement Brexit Secretary David Davis said if no trade deal is secured with the EU, Britain would not have to pay its agreed exit bill London and Dublin have clashed over whether the Brexit agreement intended to trigger trade talks is legally binding or not. The dispute was sparked when Brexit Secretary David Davis insisted it was much more a statement of intent than "legally enforceable". The Irish government responded strongly, stating the deal was "binding" and it would hold the UK "to account" on it. The document on legacy issues like the Irish border was hammered out in order to allow the remaining EU27 states to approve Brexit talks shifting to a phase two trade negotiation at a summit this week where Dublin wields a veto. Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar heralded the last-minute deal meant to prevent the return of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic as "politically bullet-proof" and "cast iron". The Irish government's chief whip, Joe McHugh, branded the Brexit Secretary's comments as "bizarre". He told RTE: " We will as a government, a sovereign government in Ireland, be holding the United Kingdom to account, as will the European Union. "My question to anybody within the British Government would be, why would there be an agreement, a set of principled agreements, in order to get to phase two, if they weren't going to be held up? That just sounds bizarre to me. "This, as far as we're concerned, is a binding agreement, an agreement in principle." Mr McHugh said the Irish government would not "back away" from the Brexit principles if it comes under pressure from the rest of the EU during trade talks with the UK. In the wake of some Brexiteers expressing concern the agreement said the UK would have "full alignment" with the EU on regulations and standards that impacted on Northern Ireland, Mr Davis told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show: "This was a statement of intent more than anything else. "Much more a statement of intent than it was a legally enforceable thing." The comments came after reports that some hardline Brexiteers had been assured by the Government that the term full alignment was "meaningless". Mr Davis said the chances of Britain leaving the EU without a trade deal have "dropped dramatically". The Cabinet heavyweight insisted the agreement with Brussels to trigger talks on a post-Brexit relationship made the prospect of the UK being forced back into World Trade Organisation (WTO) tariff arrangements after withdrawal much less likely. The Brexit Secretary said: "The odds, as it were, against a WTO, or no deal outcome, have dropped dramatically." Mr Davis said a trade deal was "not that complicated", and suggested a version of the agreement the EU made with Canada, which he dubbed "Canada plus, plus, plus" because it would include areas such as financial services. The Brexit Secretary also insisted Britain will not pay a 39 billion exit bill to Brussels unless there is a trade deal. The comments appeared to contradict those of Chancellor Philip Hammond who has said it would be "inconceivable" the UK would fail to honour its international obligations. Pressed on the Chancellor's remarks regarding the exit payment, Mr Davis said: "No. It is conditional on an outcome. I am afraid that wasn't quite right. "It is conditional. It is conditional on getting an implementation period. Conditional on a trade outcome. "No deal means that we won't be paying the money." The Brexit Secretary insisted the UK would keep a "frictionless" border with the Irish Republic even if there was no trade deal. A Government source said: "There is no question of our commitment to the text of the joint report. "Ministers, the Irish government, and the European Commission all agree that it is the withdrawal agreement itself which has status in law." There are warnings about snow and ice as Ireland is in the grip of wintry weather Motorists have been advised of dangerous conditions on roads across swathes of the country amid snow and ice warnings. Four weather alerts have been issued for different regions with temperatures expected to dip as low as minus 8C (18F) in some places. There are reports of snowfalls of between two and four centimetres and forecasts that as much as eight centimetres could fall in the worst affected areas. The lowest temperatures are expected in the Midlands. Met Eireann issued a status orange alert - its second highest - with a s now-ice warning for Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Wicklow, Offaly, Westmeath, Meath, Galway, Mayo, Roscommon and Tipperary. It said several centimetres of snow could accumulate quite widely across the country with greater totals possible in some areas and also a risk of snow drifts locally where winds are brisk . The alert is in place until 11pm on Sunday. Elsewhwere, across the southern part of the country a warning was issued for gale force winds across most of Munster. Despite the wintry conditions, Bus Eireann services in the east, south, northeast, and northwest have not been affected. There are also reduced volumes of traffic across the country with many motorists heeding the advice to keep movements to a minimum during the freeze. Gardai urged people in counties affected by the o range level weather warning to exercise extreme caution when travelling and avoid unnecessary journeys. Assistant Commissioner Michael Finn, of the Garda's roads policing unit, said: "Please be aware that visibility is reduced in snowy conditions so drive slowly if you need to make a journey. "Allow extra distance between you and the vehicle in front. Motorcyclists and cyclists should not compromise their safety by their 'need' to travel in icy, snowy conditions. Be safe," he said. AA Roadwatch said Carlow, Donegal, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Offaly, Roscommon, Westmeath and parts of Kildare, Sligo and Tipperary seem to be worst affected. In Wicklow the Sally Gap and approach roads are impassable due to snow and ice, it said. In Galway, the Loughrea/Ballinasloe Rd (R446) was also impassable and local gardai have advised drivers to use an alternative route. The bitter debate over changes to the laws governing hedgecutting in Ireland comes to a head in the Seanad this week. The proposed changes to Section 40 of the Wildlife Act are contained in the Heritage Bill 2016 which is set to be debated by senators this Wednesday. The current law prohibits the cutting, grubbing, burning or destruction of vegetation, with certain strict exemptions, from March 1 to August 31, during the nesting and breeding season for birds and wildlife. The proposed changes, being introduced by Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys, provide for a two-year pilot law that would allow hedgecutting in August and burning in March and therefore give farmers and landowners an additional month to complete each of these activities. Farmers are in favour of the Bill, so much so, that the Irish Farmers Association recently completed a round of lobbing of Senators to ensure that the Bill is progressed through the Oireachtas. According to Thomas Cooney of the IFA, the proposed measures to extend hedge cutting and gorse burning on a pilot basis, must be immediately introduced. They are balanced and will facilitate better land management and road safety, he says. He also welcomes a new research programme which will investigate whether the changes have any impact on wildlife during the pilot phase, saying this will facilitate a fact-based approach to future decisions in this area. The measures in the Bill provide for a pragmatic approach to addressing issues such as overgrown hedges impacting on roads and vegetation management, while ensuring the protection of biodiversity. I would be hopeful of a positive response to the Bill in the Seanad this week. Opposition The Irish Wildlife Trust, Birdwatch Ireland, An Taisce, and the Hedge Laying Association of Ireland are all opposed to the provisions in bill which they describe as unjustified and damaging to natural heritage. The groups are asking citizens to write or email a Senator to highlight their concerns about this Bills impact on the environment. According to the opposed groups, during these months, birds are trying to lay eggs and raise chicks and other wildlife, such as bees and hedgehogs, are still dependent on these ecosystems. Strong data already exists showing that birds are nesting during August and March, however there is a severe lack of scientific data to suggest that these changes to the Wildlife Act would not have a disastrous effect on wildlife, including wild bees and threatened birds such as yellowhammer and curlew. Significant research over at least 3 years would be needed before the proposed changes can be safely made introduced, they say. In addition, the groups highlight that a reason this Bill has been proposed is to allow for cutting of hedgerows in August for road safety reason but there already exists legal exemptions to the Wildlife Act to allow cutting where there are road safety issues. Farmers around the country are facing inches of snow this morning to tend to animals, after much of the country was covered by snow, with many facing a fodder crisis. Met Eireann has issued two status orange weather warnings as Ireland wakes up to severe snow and frost this morning. The snow and ice warning remains in place this morning for Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Wicklow, Offaly, Westmeath, Meath, Galway, Mayo, Roscommon and Tipperary. And farmers around the country were faced with moving animals indoors and rescuing others from drifts of snow. However, it comes as many farmers in the northern half of the country are facing a fodder crisis. Over 90pc of farmers in the north-west are facing serious fodder shortages this winter, with stock owners generally having 35pc less feed than they will need for their herds. A recent Teagasc fodder survey found that a small number of farmers had sufficient feed to see them through the winter, there were also exceptional cases where farmers had already used all their fodder stocks, Tom Coll of Teagasc explained. However, he said most farmers were faced with feed shortages of around one-third of their normal winter requirements. The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) national president Colm O'Donnell has called on Minister Creed to put a fodder aid package in place as quickly as possible, as he stressed it was already a crisis. Avolon, the Irish-run, Irish-founded aircraft lessor owned by HNA Group, is seeking to emphasise its financial independence from the troubled Chinese investment group. Chief financial officer Andy Cronin said Avolon was unlikely to make further loans to its immediate parent and HNA unit, Bohai Capital Holding Co. He also highlighted other safeguards about Avolon's relationship with the debt-laden Chinese conglomerate when speaking at a Goldman Sachs aircraft-leasing conference, according to a note from the bank. "Avolon downplayed HNA's influence and stressed protections in place, which may calm some concerns temporarily," Goldman Sachs analysts wrote in the note. "Avolon emphasised that it is very unlikely that Bohai Capital will take another intercompany loan from the company." Cronin didn't immediately return a call and email seeking comment on his remarks. A HNA spokesman declined to comment on Avolon's remarks or the Goldman research note. The remarks come as Fitch Ratings voiced concerns about the independence of Avolon's decision-making process. The credit grader raised questions about the $365m in loans the lessor made in the third quarter to Bohai. HNA has racked up billions of dollars in debt on a global shopping spree, leading to scrutiny from regulators and putting the company in the crosshairs of a Chinese government clampdown on capital outflows. It isn't the first time HNA's relationship with one of the companies it has bought has resulted in credit troubles. Swissport International recently restructured its debt after HNA breached a covenant by pledging the company's shares for collateral. The Chinese conglomerate is the largest shareholder of Deutsche Bank. Board director Zhao Quan said in an interview on Friday that HNA wouldn't default in the coming year after an airline unit scrapped a bond sale because of soaring financing costs. Bloomberg With the Christmas period upon us, it's no revelation that the majority of toys (85pc) were imported into the European Union (EU) from China last year. Hong Kong followed, with 4pc of toy imports to the EU coming from the region, while Vietnam completed the top three for imports of toys to the EU. However, what may surprise people is the fact that the vast majority of the imported toys (27pc) went to the United Kingdom. Germany, importing 16pc of toys, and the Netherlands, importing 10pc of toys from outside the EU completed the top three EU countries for imports of toys. Overall the EU is a net importer of toys from the rest of the world. EU exports of toys to non-EU countries are five times lower than imports from non-EU countries. In 2016, the EU imported toys worth almost 7.2bn in toys and exported only about 1.5bn in toys to non-EU countries. The value of toys imported to the EU has grown by almost 70pc over the last ten years. In terms of where the EU exports its toys to, the main destinations for the toys are Switzerland, Russia, and the United States. Meanwhile over half of the toys exported from the EU come from the Czech Republic and Germany. New Business Minister Heather Humphreys has said her priorities will be regional jobs, dealing with Brexit and increasing FDI. The Cavan-Monaghan TD replaced Frances Fitzgerald after she resigned. "It is critically important that we see the potential for entrepreneurship, innovation and business growth realised in each and every part of Ireland," Humphreys said. The Department recently got approval from European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager for a 10m scheme for SMEs hit by Brexit. The scheme will see Enterprise Ireland take equity stakes in struggling businesses. "These smaller companies employ a lot of people and this scheme should help them preserve jobs without unduly distorting competition," Vestager said. Areas where Humphreys is likely to face calls for change from businesses include the tax treatment of the self-employed and the differences between the UK entrepreneur's tax relief scheme and the Irish scheme. The UK scheme is far more generous - meaning it is seen as an incentive for Irish entrepreneurs to move abroad. Humphreys said she would start meeting businesses in the coming weeks to assess the impact of the Brexit vote. Despite the deal on the Border concluded between EU and UK negotiators last week, experts at PwC believe there will be an electronic border even if there is no physical infrastructure. "We would expect a type of electronic border with technological solutions to be put in place with a strong focus being placed on the internal controls of importers/exporters, something which has been referred to as 'trusted trader status' or Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) which is an existing customs concept," PwC Ireland director for trade and customs John O'Loughlin said. "We would be of the strong view that Irish-based companies need to take account of the practical issues of trading across international borders. There may still be a need to lodge customs declarations and manage other administrative and compliance matters, all of which will carry additional cost to business," he added. "Furthermore, with much focus on North-South trade, many Irish businesses trade with mainland UK and/or use the UK as a 'land-bridge' to access other EU and non-EU markets. The application of customs duties and delays at the port should continue to be a high Brexit risk." It has been jobs galore since the worst days of the crash - or so it seems. The numbers on the live register have hit their lowest level since August 2008, according to CSO figures published during the week. It was a nervous summer that year just weeks before the bank guarantee and the subsequent economic meltdown. We all knew there was a storm coming, but didn't realise how bad it would become. A lot has changed since the employment low point that came around 2012. CSO figures show there are now around 212,000 more people working in the economy than there were five years ago. We are still not building enough houses but there are now around 49,000 more people working in construction than in 2012. In agriculture, forestry and fishing the rise is a more modest 13,000 additional jobs. Education jobs are also up around 13,000 in five years. The most modest gains of all have been in financial, insurance and real estate sectors where the increase has been just 3,600. Technology, bust banks, bust estate agents and insurers cutting back have all held back employment gains in this sector. Perhaps one of the most surprising things about the change in job patterns is that we now have nearly one-third of a million people who are self-employed. The figure is up by 36,000 on five years ago. The vast majority of these do not have any employees working for them. The steady increase not only reflects an improving economy, but it also goes some way to explaining the Department of Finance's underestimates on income tax receipts during the year. Here we have around 326,000 people filing their tax returns at the end of the year. This significant rise in the self-employed also comes at a time of heated debate about precarious employment and the gig economy. The overall employment figures give some comfort that jobs are being created around the country and not just in Dublin. For example, there are 25,000 more border county residents at work than there were five years ago. In the south-east, another employment black spot during the recession, there are 25,000 more people at work. The problem is these figures come from the National Household Quarterly Survey which tells us how many people in each region are working, as opposed to where they are working. The job might not be in the region where they live. So lots of people living in border countries, the south-east and other areas could be working in Dublin and commuting. It is a useful indicator but it doesn't give the complete picture of where jobs are being created. Nevertheless, the live register figures out this week show there were 141,000 people signing on in November 2017, compared to more than double this figure, at 308,500, in 2012. Now that isn't bad going. Tracker scandal accountability same as breath test debacle It is almost part of the national psyche in Ireland to think the worst when it comes to how banks treat customers. Yet, the worst conspiracy theories don't always stack up. Take the tracker mortgage scandal. Thinking the worst about unscrupulous behaviour was spot on the money, but was there an orchestrated co-ordinated industry-wide campaign to shaft tracker mortgage customers in the same way? I don't think so. And neither does the chairperson of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Isolde Goggin. She told the Oireachtas Finance Committee there was no evidence of any breaches of competition law by banks in relation to the tracker mortgage scandal to warrant a criminal investigation. When asked by Sinn Fein's Pearse Doherty whether her agency had any suspicion of cartel behaviour between the banks over trackers, she said the agency "cannot go on a fishing expedition" as it would be thrown out of court. Goggin rightly pointed out that it was in the banks' interest to get people off trackers which were costing them money. Normally a cartel operation is about stopping competition. In other words, a group of companies conspire by offering the same thing as a deterrent to going anywhere else. The tracker mortgage case was quite different. Customers caught up in it didn't really have anywhere else to go with their mortgage and they would not have been able to get a better deal or a tracker somewhere else, because this loss-making product had been stopped. The banks had a financial incentive to treat their customers as they did, and their behaviour was appalling. But it seems more likely they didn't have to conspire with each other to really shaft their customers. They were quite capable of coming up with this on their own. However, not everything was the same in every bank when it came to how they handled their tracker customers. Different decisions were made by individual bankers and executives about particular cases. Individuals in control of the banks made decisions to legally fight cases where it was obvious they had behaved extremely badly to their customers. When the jig was truly up and the redress scheme was forced on them, some banks held out longer than others in adopting a very narrow focus for compensation. Some were quicker than others to put their hands up. The Central Bank will take its enforcement actions resulting in meaningless modest fines for banks. But a bit like the Garda breath test debacle, don't expect much by way of individual accountability. Ireland may become the meat in the US/German tax sandwich Less than a fortnight ago, we had the president of the most powerful country in the world name-checking Ireland for facilitating major corporations to avoid tax. It wasn't the first time Donald Trump mentioned Ireland in this context. Then during the week we have the kingmaker in a new government in the biggest economy in Europe, saying the same thing. Martin Schultz, leader of Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) took aim at Ireland while criticising Apple, Facebook and Google last Thursday. He told a congress of his party that Ireland was complicit in allowing companies like Apple to avoid billions of euro in tax. Schultz may have been playing things up as he tries to convince his party to enter a new coalition government with Angela Merkel, but he has form on this subject when it comes to Ireland. All of the solidarity being shown towards Ireland in the Brexit Border talks, may well be a favour that senior EU figures will want to call in, when it comes to tax harmonisation or new approaches to how technology companies are taxed. This comes at a time when our Exchequer appears to be more dependent on significant and growing corporate tax revenues to balance the books. Rather than have Trump on one side and Brussels on the other, we may have more to fear from the solutions being proposed by politicians like Schultz. He wants to see the creation of a European finance minister, who should fight tax evasion by reining in the race to the bottom in tax policy among member states. A similar call surfaced in a European Commission reform agenda on Wednesday. Changing tax rules in Europe is a slow process but the model that has delivered jobs, investment and tax revenues for Ireland is getting squeezed and we should realise it. Kevin Toland says he is excited about the future at Aryzta but after a short honeymoon period investors will be expecting progress Photo: Steve Humphreys Gary McGann holds many job titles but if he ever opts for a change of career, he could try his hand at hosting the Eurovision song contest. Aryzta, the Swiss-Irish food giant, held its first-ever AGM in Ireland last Thursday and it was very different to the run-of-the-mill Irish AGM. In keeping with Swiss rules, McGann, as the company's chairman, had to temporarily cede stewardship of the meeting to a man in Switzerland, who was connected to the meeting via video link. It was reminiscent of the Eurovision judges calling to deliver a jury's 'douze points'. And while there were no points offered by the Swiss gentleman last week, there is little doubt that Aryzta has been delivered plenty of drama to the investment community over the past two years. McGann is a recent appointee and he has brought in Kevin Toland, formerly of the DAA and Glanbia, as chief executive. Together the men are trying to consolidate after a turbulent period for the company, which has seen billions in shareholder value destroyed. "I think we've a really, really good business. I'm very excited about it. We've lots of issues and challenges to deal with over the coming number of years but we've got great customers, we've got great products and you can see the evidence of that," Toland jovially told reporters while patting his stomach. But even if Toland's waistline expands as a result of working with the owner of Cuisine de France, his job now is to trim the fat from a company that has overstretched itself. Under Toland's leadership the plan is to refocus on business-to-business activities in frozen bakery, and on European food solutions. It's a reversal of a disastrous attempt to start marketing products directly to consumers in the US - which meant it was competing with its customers. McGann was candid in his opening remarks to shareholders last Thursday. "In a number of situations Aryzta deviated from its core strengths, with investments in B2C and in retail, and such investments have significantly impacted performance and damaged shareholder value." In financial terms the company is looking to deleverage and asset disposals are likely - indeed one came last week with the sale of Irish-based La Rousse foods to Musgrave. But the standout candidate for disposal is the company's 49pc stake in frozen food retailer Picard. The purchase of that stake in 2015 is when the market began to sour on Aryzta - with the view being that it was an unnecessary departure from the company's core strength. The company has been clear that it would like to exit the business. Advertising that fact so clearly is not ideal if you want to achieve the best price but it certainly helps achieve one of the new regime's priorities of being open and transparent with shareholders. Yet it could be a while before any Picard sale is realised. In September McGann told analysts that Aryzta could not sell its stake unless its partners in the company - Lion Capital - approved. That approval was not forthcoming, McGann said. At the AGM, Toland said the company wouldn't sell unless it got a fair value. "Whether that's tomorrow, or some time down the road, who knows?" Shareholders are unlikely to be asked to dip into their pockets. "It's not in our DNA to take money from the shareholders when there's things that we as a management team need to do, improve and deliver on," Toland said. Another priority for the company is to continue overhauling the board. McGann wanted to add more food industry experience and one example of that is Jim Leighton - a recent addition to the non-executive line-up with significant experience in the US food industry. The company planned to add German food veteran Jurgen Steinemann too, but then he became embroiled in an insider-trading investigation and didn't go forward for nomination. Prosecutors in Germany are probing trades in the stock of German retailer Metro, and Steinemann is one of the individuals being investigated. Metro said there was no insider information available at the time the trades in question were made and no wrongdoing. Speaking about Steinemann last Thursday, McGann didn't rule out the possibility of his joining the Aryzta board at a later date. "He's an excellent candidate and ticked all the boxes in terms of his food skills, knowledge and B2B experience globally as well as in Europe. That is a gap that we will continue to look to fill. I wouldn't speculate on what we will or won't do. The position is very clear. Jurgen was a super candidate and we were very keen to have him and we can't have him at the moment." In the United States, the company has been struggling to recover from a raid on one of its facilities by the immigration authorities which saw it lose hundreds of staff. The workers had been supplied by an external agency, and McGann told shareholders that Aryzta's contract with the agency stated that sourced workers had to be eligible for employment in the US. Nevertheless the company is continuing to use the agency's services as it seeks to repair the staff shortage. "It's very, very slow difficult progress. We're continuing to work through. We know what the issues are, we're working our way through them and it's going to be a long and a slow process." There will indeed be a long road ahead for the group overall. McGann and Toland are saying all the right things, but investors' patience with the company has already run thin. They are willing to give the new line-up some time - but how much? Three years ago Aryzta shares were changing hands for more than 80 Swiss francs. These days it's just over 36 and it could be a long time before they recover all that lost ground - if indeed they ever do. Toland has been in place since September and has now completed his first AGM, and put out the first trading update covering his tenure. It has been a short honeymoon period and investors will be looking for him to deliver the goods sooner rather than later. For investors, staying the course of an investment or financial plan has never been as difficult. From Twitter to television, we all can gorge on a plethora of instant news. The land grab for 'clicks', 'likes' and 'shares' encourages extreme and fear-inducing news stories. Nick Murray, the American financial planning sage, calls this tendency "headlines not history". Eventually this type of news simply turns into 'noise'. The noise can affect rational decision making - if you let it. The investment industry can be the worst offender on this front. Analysts from some of the most illustrious investment banks are inherently fixated on the short term. Price targets and forecasts are often only six months ahead. The best investors choose to ignore noise. Guy Spier manages the Aquamarine Fund, a value-investing equity fund which was inspired by Warren Buffett's original investment partnership. The returns on his fund have been nearly double the S&P 500's returns since the Aquamarine Fund's inception in 1997. In his excellent book The Education of a Value Investor, Spier recounts how he was a slave to the noise. He realised that this was one of his big weaknesses and to protect himself, he took some big steps. First he decided to relocate his fund from Wall Street to Zurich - far away from analysts, brokers and investment bankers. He then moved his Bloomberg terminal (the information supercomputer universally used by finance industry) out of his office and made sure he only checked the fund's stock prices once a week. Esteemed author and economist Burton Malkiel once said: "I have never known anyone who could consistently time the market. And in fact I've never known anyone who knows anyone who was able to consistently time the market." Timing the market is a fool's errand; time in the market is paramount and often an investor's greatest asset. In June 2007, global equity markets were just about to hit their peak. A few months later would see pandemonium and an extreme crash. One could argue that there was never a worse time to enter the equity market than June 2007. But what if you did? Surely the consequences must have been disastrous? An investment of 100,000 in global equities (specifically equities in the MSCI World Euro Index) on June 29, 2007 was worth 191,430 as at November 27, 2017. By virtue of staying in the market, the investor is sitting on gains of over 90pc. It was not completely straightforward however: in this case, the investor's capital fell by 50pc in the first 20 months. The investor would have had to resist the urge to take action in that period, which was not easy. It is hard to not be emotive about our savings or investments. Seeing your investment fall during adverse market conditions invokes emotion and thus a call to action. We need someone to talk us off the proverbial ledge when we are being irrational or have an itchy finger to do something. Therefore the role of your financial planner or investment manager has never been more important. The only type of equity investment is long-term (that is, a five- to seven-year term) - anything less than that is speculation. Longer-term investors need to ignore noise and do nothing. Ignore analysts, politicians, economists: they all have a different mandate to you. Get in the market and wait. It's boring, it's unsexy, but it works. Will Sparks is investment manager with Quilter Cheviot Investment Management ( www.quiltercheviot.com/ie/private-client). Any investment commentary in this column is from the author directly and should not be seen as a recommendation from The Sunday Independent Shooting the new Star Wars film in London provided an amazing pool of British talent to choose from, director Rian Johnson has said. The filmmaker, who was best known for helming Looper before he wrote and directed Star Wars: The Last Jedi, said he took particular pleasure in the stars who made small cameos in the film. The Duke Of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Tom Hardy are among those concealed with Stormtrooper uniforms, actor John Boyega has already confirmed. Expand Close Royal visit to Pinewood studios / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Royal visit to Pinewood studios The Leftovers star Justin Theroux is also rumoured to make an appearance. Johnson told the Press Association: We shot in London, we shot at Pinewood Studios, and we were very lucky in doing that just because the talent pool in London in terms of actors is amazing. We would have extraordinary actors who were there on set to deliver one line, like theyre coming but everyone was so happy to be in a Star Wars movie, it was a blast. Johnson said he was particularly excited to bring The Young Ones star Adrian Edmondson on to the set. He said: Because Im a huge fan of The Young Ones and Bottom we had Adrian Edmondson play a part as a First Order Officer and I was kind of geeking out about that, but all of the talent that we had was just extraordinary. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is released in UK cinemas on December 14. Stand-up comedy and alcohol are a potent mix. As comedian Seann Walsh once wrote: "If you have a great gig, you drink to celebrate. If you have a stinker, you drink to get over it... [and] you get good stories out of it." Now a new breed of comic has learned that only ends with the tears of a clown. Take Jason Byrne. Over the years, the Balinteer man has transformed himself from a former electrician into the biggest-selling performer in the history of the Edinburgh Comedy festival. When he performs, the audience believes he is floating serenely over the water like a swan - but within he is paddling furiously to maintain that veneer. "One part of the brain is full of your pre-written material, the second is scanning the crowd to see who you can use to bounce off and get involved in the act and then the bit in middle is where all the self-doubt plays out and that's constantly telling you, 'well, this is the biggest pile of sh*te I have ever seen'. But every human in the world suffers from that. If you don't you're an animal. They just walk around all day feeling f***ing great." Since September, he has clocked up 40 gigs in 38 cities and towns. And with the pint off the table, he has turned to ancient Indian breathing exercises and Zen Buddhism. "I lie on the ground and listen to a tape. It's all very deep, fast breathing. The best way of explaining it is like a deep-sea diver who goes underwater without a tank on their back. I've gotten to the point where I can hold my breath for up to three and a half minutes... your whole body fills with oxygen you are gone off into a different zone. "I also meditate by listening to the beat of a drum. I visualise a Tibetan monk sitting beside me, dressed in orange. We are both in a cellar and he's always smiling at me." Taking the advice of the late philosopher Alan Watts, he says: "You can't go into meditation looking for it to heal you or make you feel better. It's not going to work if you want something out of it. You have to have fun doing it and then it just so happens that's the way it works. I feel I have got more energy and more brain space because of it." Alcohol "just makes me go the other way, down not up. I'd have a pint but I'd never have it before stage". The recent wave of allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour in comedy and beyond is something he is loath to address. What he will say is that the uniformed reaction irks him. "Social media just makes me angry. People who are commenting on it and dishing out their opinion - I don't like them judging other people when they don't know any of the facts. Everybody speaking out is a great thing, but trial by media is very dangerous. I am not going to say anything until I literally see in a court of law and how everything plays out. I would never judge anybody until I had all the facts right in front of me. This misty smoky [way of debating and judging these issues] when all of it is up in the air - the hearsay and Chinese whispers it's a f***ing nightmare. You can't do that, you can't do that." He stays away from dark comedy but on the one golden rule of using a risque joke, he says: "In comedy you can joke about who you are and what situation you're in. Video of the Day "An English man couldn't get up and take the mick out of 'Paddies' - but I can do that because I am Irish. "In the same way, I couldn't really joke about women's issues. "As a man I can only talk about how stupid I am around women, like my wife. And I will take the mick out of myself." As for witnessing inappropriate behaviour in the comedy world, he says: "I have never seen any of it. Anyone who I would hang out with would think all that stuff is mental - that it sounds like something in a 'Carry On' movie. The women I would [know] in comedy would be very strong women like Deirdre O'Kane or Sarah Millican. "You wouldn't be smacking any of them on the bottom. They'd smack you around the head. [Deirdre O'Kane] would say 'What?!' Bang! And then you're in a headlock!" Jason Byrne's 'The Man With Three Brains' is at the National Opera House, Wexford on January 13 and at Everyman Theatre, Cork, on January 26 and 27. It then tours the country from January until March Charlie Bird retired from RTE in 2012 but he hasn't gone away, you know - popping up over the past week on the Ray D'Arcy Show and Claire Byrne Live to promote his new three-part series, After the Headlines, and telling all and sundry about the 20-year age gap in his current marriage. In the decade leading up to his retirement, RTE's chief newshound provided a good deal of gaiety for the nation: fronting a series on the Amazon, which he found much too hot, and on the Arctic, which he thought much too cold, and ending his short stint as Washington correspondent by announcing to bemused viewers that he couldn't hack it there anymore and was coming home. For connoisseurs of Charlie, this week's first instalment of After the Headlines (RTE2), which concerned the perilous lives of fishermen, offered further diversion, not least because of the presenter's interviewing technique, which mainly consisted of quizzically repeating what the interviewee had just said. "It capsized," a Dunmore East fisherman said of an incident on his boat. "It capsized?" Charlie gasped. "It sank," the man elaborated. "It sank?" Another man had to be rescued. "I was airlifted," he explained. "You were airlifted?" said an astonished Charlie. The one I liked best was when a Wexford fisherman pointed out a quayside memorial to men who'd been lost at sea. "You're looking at the whole biography of a fishing village," he told Charlie, eliciting the awed response: "The whole biography of a fishing village?" There were occasions in this film when the presenter proved himself a sensitive match for its tragic subject, mainly in conversations with wives and children of men who'd been drowned, but the Charlie mannerisms got in the way far too often for this viewer's comfort. In the next two programmes he'll be dealing with the aftermath of the Stardust disaster and the McBrearty garda case in Donegal, and by then, perhaps, he'll have reined in some of his old familiar tics ("My God!" is another favourite), but I wouldn't bet on it. There was nothing obtrusive about Gabriel Byrne's approach to My Astonishing Self (RTE1). Indeed, this evaluation of George Bernard Shaw's life and work was bracingly free of the showboating that marred Bob Geldof's take on WB Yeats a couple of years back. The actor was clearly engaged with his subject - too much so and too uncritically at times, so that Shaw's admiration for fascist leaders in the 1930s, while not ignored, was dealt with hurriedly and somewhat apologetically towards the end. But Byrne was right to emphasise Shaw's essential humanity, whether denouncing the root causes of poverty or espousing women's rights. Yes, he could be a dreadful old windbag - in the plays and polemics as much as in person -but he was a remarkable genius nonetheless, though still out of critical fashion since my college days when he was entirely ignored on the UCD literature syllabus. Maybe he's always been too hectoring, or indeed mischievous, for establishment approval, though the National Gallery of Ireland, which receives 200,000 a year from Pygmalion and My Fair Lady royalties, has reason to hold his legacy in high regard. This engrossing film may do something to rehabilitate him. Indeed, all it lacked was any mention of Heartbreak House, a great state-of-England play (the dramatic equivalent of EM Forster's Howards End from a decade earlier) while there was only a passing reference to his writings on music, which are endlessly rereadable for their humour, provocation and insights. Anyway, it's good to see RTE funding such an appraisal and with an Anjelica Huston film about James Joyce scheduled for next week, perhaps our national broadcaster is rethinking its commitment to arts programming, which has been almost non-existent for some years. The film at the heart of Prime Time: Carers in Crisis (RTE1) wasn't an easy watch, though it was impossible not to marvel at the devotion of people looking after stricken loved ones. Video of the Day There are now 200,000 such voluntary carers in Ireland - one person in every 20 and that figure is set to rise to one in five by 2030. State support remains shockingly inadequate and, despite the platitudes of politicians, it seems destined to get worse as people live longer. Miriam O'Callaghan conducted the domestic interviews with sensitivity and tact and I felt chastened by the film's end. Is this to be the fate of most of us? Well, as Philip Larkin said, we shall find out. With four episodes gone, Nowhere Fast (RTE2) has been going nowhere fast, or indeed anywhere, so full marks for the accurate title. I still like the depiction of petty small-town life and I love the quirky performances of Clare Monnelly as stroppy Mary and Genevieve Hulme-Beaman as bemused Brid, but I've given up on Alison Spittle's Angela, who's just too stupid for words. Why, as creator of the series, she gave herself such a thankless role beats me. I came late to The Sinner (Netflix) and then found myself unexpectedly binge-watching its eight episodes over a couple of nights. The first six episodes were excellent as both we and detective Bill Pullman tried to figure out why young mother Jessica Biel stabbed a guy to death in front of everyone on a beachside weekend. Then, in the seventh episode, it just got silly before recovering for a satisfying finale. There were also irrelevant sub stories (Pullman's unhappy marriage and his relationship with a local dominatrix added nothing), but the two leads were so good, Biel indeed something of a revelation, that you couldn't help getting sucked in. Certainly worth a look. Protesters yesterday called on the Government to ratify a UN convention it signed 10 years ago but has not acted on to guarantee equal human rights for people with disabilities. It has already been ratified by all EU member states with the exception of Ireland. Protesters marching in Dublin city centre yesterday called on the Government to ratify the convention so laws can be brought forward to improve disability rights. Last week, Disability Minister Finian McGrath asked his Cabinet colleagues to intensify efforts to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Once the convention is adopted by a country it is required to bring forward legislation to improve disability rights. Ireland was one of the first countries in the world to sign up in 2007 after then UN secretary general Kofi Annan called for the "dawn of a new era" for millions of people living with a disability. Yesterday, as protesters made their way to Leinster House, senator John Dolan, the CEO of the Disability Federation of Ireland, called for the Government to take urgent action. "I have become convinced, since I became a senator, that the political system is mainly moved by public engagement, by hard public protest," he said. "There always seems to be another issue that keeps disability in second or third slot. We have to be more forceful. We have to disrupt people to get sufficient attention." Mr Dolan added that more work would have to be done if the convention was ratified. "There must be more resources and finally, and most of all, a complete change of attitude and culture within our public services," he said. "Sooner rather than later our government will ratify the UNCRPD - and this could prove to be a very dangerous time for all of us in the disability community. "Our government will 'dine out', for as many years as possible, on the fact that they have ratified this convention - even after 10 years of promises to do just that. "Somehow ratification will be seen as an end in itself. It is not the end, it is not our victory. It is the start of a hard campaign to finally become equal citizens, to become people who can fully participate in Irish society." Rehab Group, which supports people with disabilities, said ratifying the convention without passing legislation would be an "empty gesture". Gardai at the scene where a man's body was discovered this afternoon in Lucan Gardai are investigating if a young man discovered at a house in west Dublin was shot dead. The body of the male (22), who has been named locally as Jack Clancy, was discovered shortly before 3pm in the Woodville estate Lucan. It is understood that he had been dead for some time and detectives have sealed off the property. Gardai believe that the young man suffered a gunshot wound to his chest, with investigating officers currently looking at "all of the circumstances" surrounding the death. His body remains at the scene, which is persevered for forensic and technical examination. The State Pathologist has been notified. MDMA worth 30,000 was seized by gardai last night An estimated 30,000 worth of drugs was discovered during a search of a car by gardai. Gardai from the Dun Laoghaire Divisional Drugs Unit stopped and searched a vehicle at Kill Ave in south east Dublin shortly before midnight last night. They seizeded MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) with an estimated street value of 30,000 (analysis pending). A man (20s) was arrested at the scene and he was brought to Dun Laoghaire Garda Station and detained for questioning under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. The man has since been released, a file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions and the drugs have been forwarded for analysis. A 'lost generation' of future pensioners risks penury in old age as the prospect of owning their own home slips away. Soaring property prices means 'forever renters' - currently in their 40s and 50s - are destined to spend their retirement years in rental accommodation. This may be unsuitable for their needs - and overpriced. Experts describe renting in retirement as a 'time bomb' which will stretch the finances of many older people. They also warn this will leave many in this age bracket coping with unprecedented psychological pressures caused by the financial pressures of an ever-changing rental market. There has been a significant growth in the number of people aged between 40 and 60 living in accommodation they do not own. According to Central Statistics Office figures, the number of renters aged between 40 and 44 jumped from 28,037 to 35,909, between 2011 and 2016. Those caught in the rental trap in the 45-49 age bracket increased from 19,328 to 23,998. The number of renters aged 50-54 rose from 13,565 to 16,043. And those in 55-59 grouping still renting increased from 8,699 to 10,934. Latest data also reveals home ownership in Ireland is at its lowest level since 1971. House prices rose more in the first six months of 2017 than in the whole of last year. And the cost of renting also continues to shoot up. In some Dublin areas it has become twice as expensive to rent as to buy. Friends First chief economist Jim Power says older renters face a number of serious challenges in retirement. "This is a huge issue because when people who own property reach 65 or 70, they are able to release equity, or trade down if they so wish," he said. "This is a way to generate income to support them in later life. But those currently in the cohort who are renting will not be in a position to do that. They will be totally at the whim of the landlord sector. "The rental sector in this country needs to be turned into an institutional-led model, similar to what's in place in Germany, where big institutions in the main provide the rental properties. These are heavily regulated, with rent controls in place, and tenants have security of tenure. "In other words, what we need to do in this country is to create a professional rental market - something we do not have at the moment. The one thing the Irish rental market is characterised by is a total lack of professionalism." Speaking to the Sunday Independent, Mr Power pointed to the growth of the precariat worker, an emerging global class with no financial security, job stability or prospect of career progression. They have no certainty about future employment and no certainty about pensions. "All of the old-fashioned benefits that people enjoyed in jobs are being gradually dismantled," he said. "It's creating a very insecure section of the population." A growing number of millennials in Ireland are now working in the so-called 'gig economy' - they are self-employed and work casual hours. "On top of this, they don't have security of tenure and most likely, if they have a pension scheme, they have a defined contribution scheme," said Mr Power. "I think the issues are even worse for that particular generation." Experts warn the risk is that the 'gig economy' creates a permanent underclass of employee. Meanwhile, property prices rose more in the first six months of 2017 than in the whole of last year. And, analysis by the Economic and Social Research Institute shows house prices are set to soar by 20pc in the next three years. The ESRI warned property prices could reach Celtic Tiger levels again by 2020. The research body recommends the Government focus on increasing housing supply as a matter of priority. David O'Sullivan went missing on a hike in the US THE brother of an Irish man missing in America says his family is "completely overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers" as dozens of people are taking part in a major search effort this weekend. David O'Sullivan (26) from Midleton, Co Cork, has not been seen - or heard from - since April. He left Ireland on March 20 for a five-month hiking trip from California to the Canadian border. He last made contact with his family on April 7, when he sent them an email from the mountain town of Idyllwild. Expand Close Murrieta Police Department is leading the search for missing Irishman David O'Sullivan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Murrieta Police Department is leading the search for missing Irishman David O'Sullivan "The biggest search party yet" has been organised by volunteers in the US and will take place at 10am on Sunday. David's older brother, Niall O'Sullivan, said his family's spirits have been kept high by the support shown from "complete strangers". "It is really touching that these people are willing to take time out of their lives to go look for someone they have never met," he told Independent.ie. "People from all across America are flying to California this weekend to participate in the search party. There are people coming from San Diego, Texas, all over the place. "It has been a really difficult time for the family. It's not like when someone is sick or anything, there is an emptiness in the house. He is just missing and we don't know where he is, and that is difficult to deal with... it's horrible not knowing anything." Niall's parents flew out to California on Thursday and he said they're hoping the search will provide them with answers. "We would be happy with anything at this point, anything at all would be nice." He commended the police in California but said they have exhausted all their resources. This weekend's search party was privately organised and is being funded by donations. Sarah Kelley Francis is one volunteer who is due to take part. "I'm a parent of a hiker who hiked this year around the same time as David. My daughter did not meet him but my heart goes out to his parents as this could have been my child. That is why I'm taking part," she told Independent.ie. Niall described David as a novice hiker who was inspired to hike the Pacific Crest Trial last year. There has been no activity on his brother's bank account in the past eight months, except for a number of direct debits. He has asked people to continue to donate to any future searches. "The fundraising is a big help because organising searches and hiring planes is not cheap. Even if people only give a fiver, that would be really helpful. Everything that has been raised is going towards helping us find my brother," he said. An Irish outreach group in San Diego have also appealed for people to continue to share David's picture and information online. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Murrieta police department in California. The search party this weekend will begin on Black Mountain Road near Idyllwild Ranger Station. Any financial donations can be made here . The IBAN is IE04 BOFI 9027 0963 2988 36. Gardai are investigating after a man in his 40s was shot in Ballymun, Co Dublin on Saturday night. The shooting occurred at Coultry Crescent, at around a 9.45pm last night. The man, who was shot in the leg, was taken to the Mater Hospital. Gardai have preserved the scene and are investigating the attack. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan is being urged to draft in a special team of civil servants to liaise with gardai embroiled in the Disclosures Tribunal, the Sunday Independent has learned. There is fresh turmoil within the force following the decision by a senior civilian to formally protest over the make-up of the unit tasked with liaising with Judge Peter Charleton. John Barrett, head of human resources at An Garda Siochana, raised his concerns in a report which has been sent to Mr Flanagan. Mr Barrett called for a team of independent lawyers or civil servants to be drafted in as a matter of urgency. Central to Mr Barrett's concerns is that the unit was staffed with allies of the former Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan, who will next year appear in front of Judge Charleton and face questions on the alleged smear campaign against Garda Sgt Maurice McCabe. Meanwhile, Labour Party TD Alan Kelly has said garda whistleblowers involved in the tribunal have raised concerns about the liaison unit. This week, Environment Minister Denis Naughten announced a national ban on the sale of smoky coal from next autumn, followed by a burning ban from 2019. It's been a long time coming, but it is progress. A generation ago, the air that we breathe got less than serious consideration from our politicians. In fact, in January 1985, FG Senator Alexis FitzGerald inadvertently turned it into a joke, as rivals gleefully recycled his newsletter statement: "As you may have seen recently, I raised the disturbing level of atmospheric pollution in the Ranelagh/Rathmines area." An unfortunate choice of words. Far from accepting blame for Dublin's "killer fog", as the media dubbed it, he was red-flagging the return of a health threat that everyone thought had gone away for good. Ireland never saw anything like the 1952 London smog that killed 4,000 people, but winter peasoupers were common for 200 years along our eastern seaboard, with Dublin worst hit as the largest settlement. The cause was our city dwellers' attachment to imported British coal over the cheap and abundant turf on their doorstep. Turf spews far less smoke and poisonous sulphur into the air, but townies liked how coal burns hotter and longer. Coal also came with added snob value, putting urbane city folk one-up on their uncouth rustic cousins. One of De Valera's first moves during the 1930s' Economic War with Britain was to clamp down on coal. On St Patrick's Day 1936, the papers reported "drastic proposals" to curb imports and boost turf consumption. All coal dealers would have to register with the State and would be required by law to offload a set proportion of turf with each delivery of coal. Customers could like it or lump it. Once registered, each coal merchant would be issued with a certificate which they must "display prominently in his premises during business hours". Anyone caught selling coal without a certificate, or without the relevant add-on of unwanted turf, faced up to three months behind bars. It didn't work. Nor did playing the green card a year later with the State's promotion of Shamrock Turf Briquettes which urged patriotic shoppers to "support Irish manufacture and save money". What did work was the onset of World War II, which stopped coal imports dead. Stockpiled in the Phoenix Park, turf was the only thing that kept the capital's home fires burning - apart from the many tons of wood the populace scavenged by hook or by crook. In response to this crime spree, the authorities appealed to Dublin's inner-city dwellers to report the theft from unoccupied houses of banisters, staircases, doors and entire wooden floors. Trees were disappearing from public parks and streets at an alarming rate. So, after six years of burning turf and stolen wood, Dublin's winter air quality was considerably improved by the mid-1940s. With the resumption of coal imports came the return of the smog, but as Ireland entered a mini-economic boom, snob value shifted from coal to gas and oil-fired central heating, with ads for market leader Dimplex Radiators promising they were "efficient, economical and perfectly safe for your children". By the early 1970s, central heating was literally well on its way to clearing the air, when a brace of global oil crises ruined everything. As oil prices soared, the government subsidised a return to coal. Local authorities abandoned central heating and put chimneys into new builds. Dublin's smog returned with a vengeance, wreaking a jump in winter deaths, especially amongst the elderly. Chemists did a roaring trade flogging surgical masks, not cheap at 95p a pop. Met Eireann added an unwelcome new strand to its evening weather forecasts - the smog alert. The notoriety of Dublin's sooty miasma spread far and wide. In January 1989, The New York Times ran a major feature melodramatically headlined "Fair Is City, But Foul Is Air When Smog Creeps In". The piece opened like a scene from a penny dreadful thriller: "The smog creeps menacingly through doors and windows here. It attacks throats and lungs. It sometimes invades Dublin to such a degree that night appears to fall by midday." Health Minister Rory O'Hanlon said smog wasn't his department, passing the buck to Padraig Flynn in Environment. Passing it on, Flynn insisted that under the 1987 Air Pollution Act, it was the local authorities' problem. Flynn finally brought in neutered new curbs in 1990, which - to the dismay of clean-air campaigners - banned the sale of smoky coal in the capital but not its burning. Flynn's foot-dragging over introducing even this measure provoked FG's Alan Shatter to chide: "What the minister is doing is painfully ineffective." Flynn countered: "Just like I solved the problem of fish kills, I will solve this, too." That was 1988. Last year there were 31 separate major fish kills through pollution in our rivers. Full view of saint Vicente church in the city of Bilbao Basque Country Spain It's famed for San Sebastian's Michelin-starred cuisine, but the Basque Country has lots of delicious surprises to spring. There are a few things first-time visitors to the Basque Country are primed to expect. Some of the world's finest dining experiences in the region's culinary capital, San Sebastian - famed for its high concentration of Michelin stars - for example. There is its startling architecture, including masterpieces by Frank Gehry: Bilbao's Guggenheim of course, but also the rolling mass of rose-tinted titanium that is the Marques de Riscal winery in Rioja Alavesa. And, of course, there is a fiercely independent people with a unique language that pre-dates the Indo-European base for Latin. But what this first-timer hadn't expected was to be side-swiped by one beautiful Basque surprise after another. How those green bulging hills which nest around industrial-chic Bilbao so swiftly transform from a forested mountainous coastline into a wooded plateau leading to a tumbling landscape of olive groves and vineyards. Expand Close Exterior of Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Basque, Spain / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Exterior of Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Basque, Spain How these winelands are spotted with contemporary wineries from world-class architects (Calatrava's undulating Ysios winery, Mezierres's cathedral-like CVNE headquarters, Aspiazu's gravity-harnessing Bodega Baidorri), honeycombed by a warren of cellars in hilltop hamlets like Guardia, and scattered with enough wine-themed museums, hotels and spas to keep the most dedicated of oenophiles sated. There is the medieval core of the region's administrative capital, Vitoria-Gasteiz, and coastal routes that keep throwing up real-deal fishing ports built by sea-faring folk who know how to eat, drink and party. Even well-trodden San Sebastian is full of surprises. A first-timer could be forgiven for presuming that the Michelin-starred temples dotting the city's hills are rooted in the most rarefied of food cultures, a playground for only the most deep-pocketed. But it turns out that in the Basque country, food is a great leveller. And you don't have to stray far from the golden cove of Playa de la Concha to find yourself knocking elbows with all walks of society in the common pursuit of a great plate of food and a glass of something local to wash it down with. Follow the curve of the strand far enough and you'll hit the fishing port with its languid restaurant terraces. But stray inland from here into the narrow Old Town streets and you're in prime pintxos territory. Expand Close Full view of saint Vicente church in the city of Bilbao Basque Country Spain / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Full view of saint Vicente church in the city of Bilbao Basque Country Spain Pintxos, for the uninitiated, are the Basque answer to tapas - though long since elevated from casual snack to their own elaborate 'nano-gastronomy'. It's a challenge not to get stuck in gems like Gandarias Jatetxea (restaurantgandarias.com), rightly famed for its foie pintxo, or Bar Borda Berri (Calle Fermin Calbeton 12), where treats like octopus a la plancha with membrillo will set you back about 3 a pop. But that would be to miss the point of pintxos, which is to propel you from one buzzing bar to another, fuelled by numerous glasses of txakoli, the local white wine. Anyone with a fondness for this zippy tipple can pop into some of the nearby coastal family-run vineyards (getariakotxakolina.com/wineries), as we did with a guide who proclaimed it the "perfect morning wine". Sipping on a glass of Talai Berri txakoli, watching the mid-morning sun climb over the rolling vines tended by fourth-generation wine-maker Bixente Eizagirre Aginaga and his daughters (one of whom conducts English tours by appointment), I was inclined to agree. Later, we spun down to the salty walled port-town of Getarria for a peak at the fastidious women canning pristine anchovies at the Maisor workshop. This historic maritime town was home to Elcano, the first man to circumnavigate the globe in 1522. You could happily spend a day here, lunching bayside on chargrilled red mullet before meandering through its cobbled 14th-century streets at pintxo o'clock. But we had other plans. A short taxi ride into the hills overlooking San Sebastian brought us to the Petritegi sagardotegia (cider house), where we were greeted by Jokin Otano, a fifth-generation cider producer (petritegi.com). Expand Close El Peine de Los Vientos, the famous sculpture by Chillida in San Sebastian, Euskadi. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp El Peine de Los Vientos, the famous sculpture by Chillida in San Sebastian, Euskadi. "You'll find plumbers and politicians here, painters and bankers - all drinking and eating together," he told us proudly. It's certainly convivial, with lots of friendly jostling to catch the cider poured directly from the cellar's barrels as the tradition of txotx dictates, before piling back into vast wooden-beamed dining halls to eat slabs of chargrilled steak and salt cod omelette and shout choruses at one another. It's not hard for an Irish visitor to feel peculiarly at home in this compact, history-soaked corner of green Spain where eating and drinking are excuses for talking and singing. And with San Sebastian's action-packed European Capital of Culture 2016 programme (dss2016.eu) to come, more surprises will too. Get there: Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) flies direct to Bilbao every Tuesday and Saturday. PESA (pesa.net) offers a direct hourly bus from Bilboa Airport to San Sebastian (16.50, 80 minutes), and there are several buses every hour from Bilbao city centre with PESA and ALSA (alsa.es). Rioja Alavesa can be explored by car or bus, with the Rioja Alavesa Wine Route Enobus (rutadelvinoderiojaalavesa.com) linking Bilbao to the winelands. See also spain.info. Where to stay: The Hotel de Londres y de Inglaterra (hlondres.com) in San Sebastian is a historic four-star in a prime beachside location overlooking Playa de la Concha - splurge on a room with a view. Hotel Viura, Villabuena, Alava (hotelviura.com) is a modern boutique offering set in the heart of Basque's Rioja winelands. Expect playful modernist cuisine from skilled chef Juan Carlos Ferrando. It's the perfect base in the Rioja region. Read more: Premium Eoghan Harris Opinion Misery media fails to give due credit to the Taoiseach Taoiseach Micheal Martin must drive his advisers mad. Unlike Leo Varadkar or Donald Trump, he never bigs up success stories such as the effect of Level 3 Plus on Covid or his visionary Shared Island project. Last Friday, Tony Holohan and RTE cheerleaders seemed to imply Level 5 was responsible for the improved Covid situation. Not so. Premium Gene Kerrigan Opinion Just what our politics needs: Stalin-like applause police in the Dail In the words of Miriam Lord in the Irish Times: There was much scanning of the Dail chamber after Zelenskys speech to identify the TDs who did not clap. Well, imagine that! The arrival of the remarkable Mr Zelensky in our parliament albeit a virtual presence aroused celebrity excitement of the kind not seen since the last time Matt Damon went for a stroll in Dalkey, Co Dublin. Keith Duffy has said he's the "proudest dad in the world" after his daughter Mia was accepted into a course at Trinity College Dublin. He posted a photo of the 17-year-old, who has autism, standing outside the historic gates of the southside college, in a message that saw him inundated with well-wishes. "My darling Mia at the gates of TCD doing a course on 3rd level education! Who would have believed it? Well done on all your achievements baby #nevergiveup #theskyisthelimit," he wrote. Responding to his post, one user said: "As a mother of a child with profound autism, your post has given me hope." 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 Mia, who also has a brother Jay (21), did not speak until she was seven years old but was lucky enough to attend the Abacas school in Kilbarrack, which caters for children with special needs. PRICELESS: An Egyptian archaeologist with funeral furniture found in a newly discovered tomb on Luxors West Bank. Photo: AP Egypt yesterday announced the discovery of two small tombs in the southern city of Luxor that date back some 3,500 years amid hopes it will help the country's efforts to revive its ailing tourism sector. The tombs, located on the west bank of the river Nile in a cemetery for noblemen and top officials, are the latest discovery in the city famed for its temples and tombs spanning different dynasties of ancient Egyptian history. "It's truly an exceptional day," said Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani. "The 18th dynasty private tombs were already known. But it's the first time to enter inside the two tombs." Al-Anani said the discoveries are part of the ministry's efforts to promote Egypt's vital tourism industry, partially driven by antiquities sightseeing, that was hit hard by extremist attacks and political turmoil following the 2011 uprising. The ministry said one tomb has a courtyard lined with mud-brick and stone walls and contains a six-metre burial shaft leading to four side chambers. The artefacts found inside were mostly fragments of wooden coffins. Wall inscriptions and paintings suggest it belongs to era between the reigns of King Amenhotep II and King Thutmose IV, both pharaohs of the 18th dynasty. The other tomb has five entrances leading to a rectangular hall and contains two burial shafts located in the northern and southern sides of the tomb. Among the artefacts found inside are funerary cones, painted wooden funerary masks, clay vessels, a collection of some 450 statues and a mummy wrapped in linen who was likely a top official. A cartouche carved on the ceiling bears the name of King Thutmose I of the early 18th dynasty, the ministry said. Afterward, al-Anani headed to a nearby site where the famous Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut is located to open for the first time the temple's main sanctuary known as the "Holy of Holies". Since the beginning of 2017, the Antiquities Ministry has made a string of discoveries in several provinces across Egypt - including the tomb of a royal goldsmith, in the same area and belonging to the same dynasty, whose work was dedicated to the ancient Egyptian god Amun. In November, scientists announced that they had found a hidden chamber in Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza, in what would be the first such discovery in the structure since the 19th century, sparking a surge of interest in the pharaohs. Associated Press Here's a rhetorical question for you: should a Jewish baker be able to refuse to bake a wedding cake for a Muslim couple on the grounds of religious belief? Australian conservative politician Kevin Andrews thinks so. While the Australian Senate finally passed the marriage equality bill last Thursday, enabling same-sex couples to marry, the weeks and months leading up to that moment were fraught with debate, such as Andrews's appearance on Sky News in which he insisted that, should the vote pass, bakers should have the right to refuse service to same-sex couples. Many of his fellow conservatives warmed to the theme and it became such a cause for concern that Tony Smith, head of the Baking Association of Australia, had to ask "What baker in their right mind would not bake someone a cake?" Obviously, he had not heard of Ashers Bakery, the Northern Irish chain founded by a Christian couple that refused to make a cake with a slogan supporting gay marriage and was found guilty of discrimination in 2015. No doubt Smith has his head in his hands at the prominent legal case currently being heard in the United States' Supreme Court. In 2012, Charlie Craig and David Mullins entered Masterpiece Cakeshop in Denver, Colorado, hoping to order a custom wedding cake. The owner and baker Jack Phillips refused to do so, citing his Christian beliefs. The couple filed a complaint to the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which forbids businesses to discriminate against customers based on their sexual orientation, race, religion or gender. This resulted in a court case in which Phillips was found guilty of discrimination and told to change his company policy - which also happened to be his personal belief system. He appealed and petitioned the Supreme Court to hear his case. Proceedings commenced last week and a verdict is expected to be delivered in June. Expand Close Ashers Bakery lost a Court of Appeal case last year following an Equality Commission ruling which found it had discriminated against a customer for refusing to make a cake with a same-sex marriage slogan on it. Photo: Reuters / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ashers Bakery lost a Court of Appeal case last year following an Equality Commission ruling which found it had discriminated against a customer for refusing to make a cake with a same-sex marriage slogan on it. Photo: Reuters Read More The case against Phillips appears to threaten two things that many Americans hold very dearly; Christianity and their constitutional rights. Phillips argues that his right to religious freedom and freedom of expression are being encroached upon by being forced to create a cake in support of something he himself does not support. He considers himself an artist, his cake the canvas and his icing the paint, and therefore the finished product is not a baked good but an artistic expression. It was this argument that was rejected by the Colorado Court of Appeals, a decision that prompted Phillips to approach the Supreme Court. When Charlie Craig and David Mullins asked Jack Phillips to bake them a cake, they did not require his religious beliefs to be altered. They did not expect him to approve of their union. They only expected him, as a business owner, to treat them in the same manner he would any other customer. When this didn't happen, I don't imagine that Charlie Craig and David Mullins were surprised. Certainly, they would have been hurt. It's quite clear they were angry. I would estimate they were taken aback for about a tenth of a nano-second before that familiar feeling set in, a feeling that most people are unable to truly comprehend. That is why, when discussing these incidents, our language is peppered with analogies, such as Jewish baker and Muslim couple, so that straight people who have never experienced such discrimination can attempt to empathise with gay people. Read More Expand Close Rory O'Neill aka Panti Bliss, in the upper yard of Dublin Castle to celebrate the Yes vote. Photo: Gerry Mooney / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Rory O'Neill aka Panti Bliss, in the upper yard of Dublin Castle to celebrate the Yes vote. Photo: Gerry Mooney It was what actress Sarah Paulson recently described as 'societal concern' and what the irrepressible Panti Bliss describes as 'checking yourself'. It is the mental equivalent of constantly pulling yourself up, of adjusting your identity as a gay person in accordance with your surroundings. You constantly field your own unrelenting questions: is it safe to hold hands on this street? Will a peck on the lips result in leery comments at best, physical assault at worst? How many times will we have to insist to reception that we don't want a twin room, but a double bed? Will a bakery refuse to make us a wedding cake? These are the types of questions non-straight people ask themselves, not because we are self-obsessed or overly cautious, but because through learned experience we are acutely aware that we are considered different. We are also aware that just because a group of politicians deems us 'equal' does not mean that rest of the population agrees. We are aware that a faction of people still considers us lesser. For the most part, we accept this. We avoid those streets. We don't hold hands, and we certainly don't steal a kiss. We swallow our awkwardness when checking into the hotel. We go to another bakery. Perhaps every person has a limit within themselves of how long they are willing or able to accept this. Or perhaps it happens at random. Whatever the trigger is, it often results in high-profile cases like this which appear to a majority of the population to be about a cake, while a minority understands that it is not about one discrimination, but about a lifetime of them. 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 An Airbus had to make an unscheduled stop in Germany after a business class passenger who was denied more champagne became aggressive. The 44-year-old Swiss passenger was angered at crew members' refusal to serve her more sparkling wine on the flight from Moscow to Zurich late on Saturday. Crew members were unable to calm the passenger so the pilot of the Airbus A320 landed the plane in Stuttgart and the woman was escorted off and ordered to pay a security of 5,000 euro (4,400). The cost of the unplanned stopover is likely to have totalled tens of thousands of euro, said Reutlingen police. The 43 passengers on board were never in danger, said police. AP When, just a short decade ago, I was working as a foreign correspondent in Jerusalem, there were some universally accepted certainties about the Israel-Palestine conflict. The first, and most important, was that ending it was the gateway to wider Middle East peace. If only a solution could be found, if only the lions would lie down with the lambs, a warring region would settle into democracy. The only problem was that both sides thought they were the lambs. The second certainty was that this could not happen without America. The world's superpower alone had the diplomatic might, economic heft, patience and tactical nous to force the two sides to sign on the dotted line. A third certainty was also universal, but largely unspoken. This was that although the Arab world pretended to care deeply about the fate of the Palestinians, they didn't give a fig. It was instead a useful stick with which to beat Israel and the West - but not much more than that. There was no equivalent expenditure of diplomatic might, economic heft, patience and nous. These certainties have deep implications for the situation now, in which US President Donald Trump has recognised Jerusalem as capital of Israel. Because in the brief years since I was there, the whole region has changed profoundly. Crucially, no one today thinks of peace between Israel and Palestine the golden key which will unlock the door to regional stability. Iraq, Syria and Isil have put paid to that - as have the revolutions and counter-revolutions of the Arab Spring. It is clear that the fate of Arab peoples from Morocco to Baghdad has nothing to do with border checkpoints between Israel and the West Bank. Indeed, it is patronising to imagine that is the case. Self-determination and local repression in each state are what really matter. As a result, much of the heat has gone out of the conflict. When I was there, only Washington had more journalists accredited than Jerusalem. The diplomatic corps was immense, to say nothing of the NGOs and aid agencies. It was as if the eyes of the world were on the place. Now, Mid East bureau chiefs are just as likely to be based in Beirut or Cairo. And as for the Middle East "peace process"... well, what process? Little has changed apart from the steady creep of Israeli settlements. It has become a frozen conflict. The second certainty no longer applies either. Saudi Arabia and Iran are engaged in a sectarian squaring up - Sunni vs Shia - which may require, scarily enough, each country in the region to pick sides (let's hope not). That, combined with the revolution unleashed by Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia, makes a mockery of the idea that only the United States can impose peace. The Middle East has its own powers - and they will lead, probably in consultation with America. The third certainty, by contrast, remains true, and poses problems for Palestinians looking for powerful regional backing in their anger at Donald Trump. That backing was only ever pragmatic, yet now pragmatism about the rise of a nuclear Iran binds Israel and its Sunni neighbours closely together. There might be a bit of fig-leaf anger in Arab capitals, but security cooperation against Tehran is what matters most these days. Against these changes, Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem is, frankly, far less important than at first it seems. In fact, it is useful to pretend that Trump's move is an outrage only if you accept that all the certainties of yore still pertain. They don't. Instead, Trump's statement reflects reality - the Palestinians have largely run out of options. And it is more helpful to the Palestinians to recognise this, and act on it, than to wish it weren't so. Understandably this is cause for huge Palestinian frustration. The television pictures of young men deploying catapults against the soldiers of one of the most sophisticated militaries in the world sum up the mismatch. Let us hope the violence extends no further. But this new reality contains hope for Palestinians as well as pain. It reveals that the dream of Jerusalem as capital can come true, and could come true for them too (Trump did not preclude that). And it shows that their greatest, closest, most logical allies are now - astonishingly enough - the Israelis. For just as time and technology has upended the status quo and made security partners of Saudi and Israel, so time and demographics will threaten Israel's status as a Jewish state. The only democratic way around that is to ensure the Palestinians get their state too. That deal, brokered locally, in consultation with, though not directed by the US, must be the new hope. The old one was going nowhere. Telegraph Turkish mobile gaming firm Gram has Londons talent pool to thank for taking the business to the next level, but its founder has said he is not worried about Brexit deterring international recruits. Gram Games, which secured backing from one of the early-stage investors in Deliveroo, opened its first international studio in London this year in its first major move since launching in Istanbul in 2012. Kaan Karamanci, a founder and early-stage investor in the firm, said London offered the possibility of scaling up the business and diversifying its revenues. London was essential for us as we grew in size, because first we really needed to expand our capabilities in mobile gaming the UK, and London, is one of the leaders in digital and creative industries and we wanted access to the global talent and the UK engineering talent available, he told the Press Association. Gram which is best known for free-to-play titles including Tetris-inspired 1010!, Six!, and its Merged! series secured around 900,000 from angel investors and venture capital funds including Deliveroo backer Hummingbird in the first few years of operations. It has yet to release earnings in full with plans to file its UK accounts in April but Mr Karamanci said Gram has already seen revenues jump 30% since setting up shop in the UK capital in January, where it now employs 36 staff, including designers, engineers and artists. But the founder is not concerned about the potential for Brexit to derail that growth, despite a number of business leaders raising fears that young, international talent are being turned by the prospects of a more closed-off Britain. Are we worried? Were not worried, he said. As a company were really focused on products, data and talent and we believe that London is a global attractor of great engineering talent and its obviously impossible to predict the future, but we are committed to London and the UK. However, a raft of creative industry bosses say there are risks if Britain tightens immigration after Brexit. Earlier this autumn, the director of visual effects, game art and animation firm Escape Studios, Ian Palmer, said the sheer scale of the UKs creative industry demands freedom to recruit the best from the across the world. The Creative Industries Federation (CIF) is now pushing for the right of EU residents to remain in Britain after the UK leaves the bloc, and is calling for an immigration programme that would at least allow for free movement of workers for short-term projects, amid reports that talent is already jumping ship. Commenting on the CIFs report, Jon Rennie, a managing director at motion design firm Bait Studio, said: A lot of work in the creative industries is based on ideas and skills, not on infrastructure like production lines and buildings. Projects will go with whats convenient and if you cant oblige with flexible borders then changes can happen very quickly. Talent is already leaving. Grams founder, though, said the mobile gaming firm is here to stay, having already committed 4 million to its UK operations which, combined with its Istanbul studio, is helping the company ramp up its output. At this point I think we really hit our stride and were really becoming more productive, Mr Karamanci said. If you look at what weve done, we had three games and just this year, in the past few months, weve added four games to that, so almost one launch every month and a half and we expect to continue this pace. People outside the US Embassy in Jakarta hold posters during a rally against US president Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital (AP/Dita Alangkara) About 10,000 people have rallied outside a US Embassy in Indonesia to support Palestinians and denounce the decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The protesters in Jakarta are carrying banners reading "US Embassy, Gets Out from Al Quds", ''Free Jerusalem and Palestinians" and "We are with the Palestinians". Al Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem. The protest on Sunday, organised by the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party, was the second since US president Donald Trump's decision on Thursday. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has strongly condemned the move, which he described as a violation of UN resolutions. Indonesia, as the world's most populous Muslim nation, has long been a strong supporter of Palestinians and has no diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. AP Kolkata, Dec 10 (IBNS): Super speciality treatment is important, but general medicine is the base of any treatment, said Dr. Sujit Kar Purakayastha, one of the patrons of the organizing committee of Medicon International being held in Kolkata. "Like previous years, the main theme of the conference is to remain to bring awareness to the medical fraternity and the wider section of the society about extreme importance of general medicine specialists and not just the super specialist," Dr. Purakayastha said. Focusing on healthcare issues afflicting India, Peerless Hospital and B.K. Roy Foundation, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and West Bengal chapter of the Association of Physicians of India have jointly hosted the fourth edition of Medicon International 2017 conference here. "Medicon International, an international conference on advanced clinical medicine, enters its fourth year. Royal College of Physicians of London was the organizing partner on first two occasions and the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh has been the co-host of this event in 2016 and this year," Dr. Sujit Kar Purakayastha said. The health experts said that a large number of Indian patients generally select their own specialists, basing on his primary symptoms, and it might result a dud sometimes. "In India, the choice to visit a doctor is usually made by a patient or the relatives based on the individual's symptoms. In this practice, there is a possibility that the patient may end up visiting a wrong specialist," Dr. Purakayastha said. "In clinical practice, where there are considerable overlap of symptoms between different specialities, there is a high probability of investigation and treatment bias resulting in delay in arriving at a correct diagnosis and therefore receiving the right treatment, " the senior expert added. "Medicon International is aimed to build a bridge between this gap and to bring about the current unifying knowledge in different sub specialities." The organizers said that most important disease burden in Europe and UK is in relation to the very advancing age while in the USA, the burden is from non communicable diseases like cancer, heart diseases and stroke. "In the developing world, we still have to deal with infectious diseases but we also have our fair share of non-communicable diseases and age related illness," Dr. Sujit Kar Purakayasthat said. "Researches from the pharmaceutical industry, mostly based in the affluent west, are concentrated in developing solutions more essential to those countries." "There are so many deaths in India from malaria and drug resistant tuberculosis. We haven't been able to find out a good solution for either of them so far," he added. The medical expert claimed that India's health parameters are worse than its neighbouring countries Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. "There are attempts to politicize issues instead of finding out a proper solution when a major epidemic strikes," Dr. Purakayastha told the media. "In our state, we have recently noticed a lot of turmoil within the medical profession. There has been an uncomfortable and unpleasant development where the trust between doctor and patients has severely eroded," he added. Talking about recent dengue outbreak in the state, the senior physician said, "Recently, there has been an outbreak of Dengue in West Bengal while there have also been a significant number of febrile illness where no cause was found." "At Peerless Hospital, 7 deaths were recorded due to Dengue this year while 4 others died of scrub typhus. Dengue and scrub typhus strikes were more in 2017 than last year," Dr. Purakayastha said. However, the two-day long international conference, which started on Saturday, will be concluded on Sunday. (Reporting by Deepayan Sinha) Burdwan, Dec 10 (IBNS): At Mankar College, Purba Barddhaman, Mankar College Students Union in collaboration with the college authority celebrated their annual festival Lahari on Dec 7 and 8. The event began with the prize distributions to encourage the students in academic and cultural sphere as well as in games and sports. Principal Dr. Sukanta Bhattacharyya, in his opening speech, announced a bunch of add on courses to be initiated by the college in near future. A special part of the event was the exhibitions organized by the students of the Computer Science, History, Geography, English, Mathematics, Philosophy, Sanskrit and Bengali departments. The exhibition was inaugurated by Dr. Sukanta Bhattacharyya, Principal, Mankar College. Senior teachers of the college- Kallol Sen, Nihar Ranjan Rakshit, Tarun Kr Roy,and Kusum Rai- attended the event. Dr. Bhattacharyya, while sharing his opinion, accepted that a cordial relationship between the teachers and the students is the secret that makes any event successful in the college. He said, To encourage the students, from next year the exhibitions will be judged by externals and the best department will be awarded. Internet Wallpapers Srinagar, Dec 10 (IBNS): Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday demanded legal action against the middle-aged man accused of molesting actress Zaira Wasim on an Air Vistara flight. In a tweet, Abdullah wrote: The passenger should be identified to the police by @airvistara & a case filed for legal action. None of this he fell at my feet so I forgive him rubbish! https://t.co/1umbBOOGAu Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 10, 2017 This comes after Zaira has alleged that she was molested on an Air Vistara flight by a middle-aged man sitting right behind her while travelling from Delhi to Mumbai. The actress shared this while having an Instagram live chat. She alleged that she got no help from the flight crew even on complaining. I just landed, the whole irony of this that I yelled and this is not done this is not how you should be treated or made to feel this is terrible. This is how they will take care of girls? No one will help us if we dont decide to help ourselves and that is the worst thing, she said during the live chat. Zaira also shared an image of the mans foot, which was rested on her arm-rest. In a series of texts, Zaira wrote: It was all chill till I felt somebody brushing against my back while I was half asleep. I ignored it the first time. Blamed the turbulence for it. Until I woke me up to this PLEASANT SIGHT of his Beautiful foot rubbing my back and neck. Guess he couldnt sit like a civilised human being and placed his foot on my armrest while hes fully PHELAOED his body on his seat. "So, I was in a flight travelling from Delhi to Mumbai today and right behind me one middle-aged man who made my 2-hour journey miserable. I tried to record it on phone to understand it better because the cabin lights were dimmed, I failed to get it," she continued. "The lights were dimmed, so it was even worse. It continued for another 5-10 minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck, she wrote The 17-year-old won the National Film Award for her performance in Dangal. Air Vistara issued a statement later stating that they are looking into the incident. Guwahati, Dec 10 (IBNS): Seven wild jumbos died in Assam in a single day which included a pregnant elephant. In a tragic incident in northern Assams Sonitpur district, six elephants including one pregnant elephant were mowed down by a passenger train near Balipara area in the wee hours of Sunday. The incident took place at Bamgaon tea estate under Chariduar police station near Balipara area in the central Assam district, around 210 km from Guwahati at around 1-15 am on Sunday. The 15617 Guwahati-Naharlagun Donyi Polo express train hit the wild jumbos while the herd had crossed the railway track in search of food. A still born calf was later extracted from the pregnant elephant. Following the incident, the passenger train had to stop for several hours. Wildlife workers and veterinarians arrived at the area and performed autopsies on the elephants before burying them at nearby field. Meanwhile, local people staged protest against the state forest department to fail to protect wild elephants. Earlier two elephants died after a speeding 15909 Awadh Assam express hit them at Thakurkuchi near Chandrapur area, outskirts of Guwahati in last month. On the other hand, another elephant died in mysterious condition at Kafitoli area near Kathiatoli in central Assams Nagaon district on Sunday. According to the reports, at least 30 wild elephants were killed by speeding trains in the north eastern Indian state since 2016. Over 80 wild jumbos were hit and killed by trains in Assam in past six years. Secen wild elephants were hit and killed by running trains in Assam in 2011, while 6 in 2012, 19 in 2013, 5 in 2014, 9 in 2015 and 16 in 2016. As per census conducted in 2011, Assam registered highest number of wild elephants in the country with 5620. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) Srinagar, Dec 10 (IBNS): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday condemned the alleged molestation on actress Zaira Wasim and called for swift action in connection with the matter. Mehbooba said she was "appalled" by the incident that took place on an Air Vistara flight. In a tweet, she wrote: Any harassment/crime against women shld be dealt with swiftly & effectively. As a mother of 2 daughters I am appalled at what happened with @zairawasimz. Hope the relevant authorities take strict action @airvistara @Ashok_Gajapathi @jayantsinha Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) December 10, 2017 This comes after Zaira has alleged that she was molested on an Air Vistara flight by a middle-aged man sitting right behind her while travelling from Delhi to Mumbai. The actress shared this while having an Instagram live chat. She alleged that she got no help from the flight crew even on complaining. I just landed, the whole irony of this that I yelled and this is not done this is not how you should be treated or made to feel this is terrible. This is how they will take care of girls? No one will help us if we dont decide to help ourselves and that is the worst thing, she said during the live chat. Zaira also shared an image of the mans foot, which was rested on her arm-rest. In a series of texts, Zaira wrote: It was all chill till I felt somebody brushing against my back while I was half asleep. I ignored it the first time. Blamed the turbulence for it. Until I woke me up to this PLEASANT SIGHT of his Beautiful foot rubbing my back and neck. Guess he couldnt sit like a civilised human being and placed his foot on my armrest while hes fully PHELAOED his body on his seat. "So, I was in a flight travelling from Delhi to Mumbai today and right behind me one middle-aged man who made my 2-hour journey miserable. I tried to record it on phone to understand it better because the cabin lights were dimmed, I failed to get it," she continued. "The lights were dimmed, so it was even worse. It continued for another 5-10 minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck, she wrote The 17-year-old won the National Film Award for her performance in Dangal. Air Vistara issued a statement later stating that they are looking into the incident. New Delhi/Palanpur, Dec 10 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, while addressing a rally in poll-bound Gujarat's Palanpur, alleged that suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar held secret meetings with Pakistan High Commissioner. "The same Mani Shankar Aiyar, who insulted Gujarat, held secret meetings with Pakistan High Commissioner. What was the reason? Why are people who previously held high posts in military-intelligence establishment of Pakistan writing that we should help make Ahmed Patel the CM," said PM Modi. Modi has been targeting Mani Shankar Aiyar recently after the latter had called him a "neech aadmi" or "low person." On Friday, Modi alleged that Aiyar had talked about 'supari' (contract) to get the PM out of the way during his visit to Pakistan. Addressing another high-voltage rally in poll bound Gujarat's Banaskantha area, Modi said: "Mani Shankar Aiyar told people when he visited Pakistan to remove Modi from the way and then see what happens to India-Pakistan peace." " You wanted to give Modi's 'supari', People should not worry as goddess is protecting me," he had said. This came after Aiyar, who had once called Modi a "chaiwala" or "tea-seller", had attacked the PM calling him "neech aadmi" or "low person" after the latter took a jibe at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi at the inauguration of the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre. After disapproving his remark, the Congress party last Thursday suspended Aiyar for the remark. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala had tweeted that the party decided to suspend Aiyar after serving him with a showcause notice. Aiyar's comment came after the Prime Minister took a swipe at Rahul during the inauguration of the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre by calling the Congress' would be President a Shiva devotee. Modi had said that some parties were seen to talk more about Baba Bhole (Lord Shiva) than Babasaheb. Reacting to Modi's jibe at Rahul, Aiyar had told media: "Modi is a very cheap type of a person, he has no manners and always has a tendency to play petty politics." Both Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were quick to respond to Aiyar's comment. In a series of tweets, Modi had tried to snub Aiyar's comment. In one of his first tweets, the PM had said: "I have nothing to say on a wise Congress leader calling me Neech'. This is the Congress mindset. They have their language and we have our work. People will answer them through the ballot box." "They can call me 'Neech'- Yes, I am from the poor section of society and will spend every moment of my life to work for the poor, Dalits, Tribals and OBC communities. They can keep their language we will do our work." "I beg to the people of India- please let them be. Let them keep calling me 'Neech' we will not respond. In our hearts we do not have this mindset and want to congratulate them for theirs. If anything- we will answer them for their mindset by our votes on 9th and 14th" Modi tweeted later. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, on behalf of the ruling BJP, held a press conference to attack the Congress over Aiyar's comment. Prasad had said the comment reflects the "feudalistic and arrogant thinking" of the Congress party. "It is the feudal, arrogant thinking that only they (Congress) can rule India and no one else," the Union minister had said. Prasad believed that the comments from the Congress party "are a part of a design to demean our PM because he is born of a poor family. It is an insult to poor people of India and Gujarat." He also said Aiyar's comment had full approval of Congress' would be President Rahul Gandhi. Internet Wallpapers Mumbai, Dec 10 (IBNS): The Mumbai Police on Sunday registered an FIR to probe into the alleged molestation of actress Zaira Wasim by a middle-aged man on an Air Vistara flight, media reports said. Zaira has alleged that she was molested on an Air Vistara flight by a middle-aged man sitting right behind her while travelling from Delhi to Mumbai. The actress shared this while having an Instagram live chat. She alleged that she got no help from the flight crew even on complaining. I just landed, the whole irony of this that I yelled and this is not done this is not how you should be treated or made to feel this is terrible. This is how they will take care of girls? No one will help us if we dont decide to help ourselves and that is the worst thing, she said during the live chat. Zaira also shared an image of the mans foot, which was rested on her arm-rest. In a series of texts, Zaira wrote: It was all chill till I felt somebody brushing against my back while I was half asleep. I ignored it the first time. Blamed the turbulence for it. Until I woke me up to this PLEASANT SIGHT of his Beautiful foot rubbing my back and neck. Guess he couldnt sit like a civilised human being and placed his foot on my armrest while hes fully PHELAOED his body on his seat. "So, I was in a flight travelling from Delhi to Mumbai today and right behind me one middle-aged man who made my 2-hour journey miserable. I tried to record it on phone to understand it better because the cabin lights were dimmed, I failed to get it," she continued. "The lights were dimmed, so it was even worse. It continued for another 5-10 minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck, she wrote Earlier in the day, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti condemned the alleged molestation and called for swift action in connection with the matter. In a tweet, she wrote: "Any harassment/crime against women shld be dealt with swiftly & effectively. As a mother of 2 daughters I am appalled at what happened with @zairawasimz. Hope the relevant authorities take strict action @airvistara @Ashok_Gajapathi @jayantsinha." Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also demanded legal action against the middle-aged man accused of molesting actress Zaira Wasim on an Air Vistara flight. In a tweet, Abdullah wrote: "The passenger should be identified to the police by @airvistara & a case filed for legal action. None of this he fell at my feet so I forgive him rubbish!" Air Vistara issued a statement later stating that they are looking into the incident. We @airvistara have seen the reports regarding @ZairaWasimmm experience with another customer on board our flight last night. We are carrying out detailed investigation and will support Zaira in every way required. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour, the airlines tweeted. Patna, Dec 10 (TheBIharPost/IBNS): Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav has emerged as a harbinger of hope for poor patients in Bihar. Today again, he rescued a poor woman Shama Perveen, a resident of Saharsa district, who had been allegedly held hostage by a private health clinic Shiva Hospital located in Kankarbagh locality of Patna, the state capital of Bihar. The victim had been admitted there three days back with viral fever but the hospital charged more than Rs 4 lakh. As per report, the hospital had held the woman hostage for the last two days for only Rs 10,000 after which Yadav rushed to the spot and rescued her. He also arranged an ambulance to send her back to her home. On Dec 7, Yadav had rescued a body held hostage by Sharnum Hospital in Patna after the victim family failed to pay Rs 1.5 lakh as hospital treatment. Shamina Khatoon, a resident of Sitamarhi district, had been admitted to the hospital after she fell ill but she ultimately died in course of treatment. However, the hospital was demanding a heavy amount in lieu of handing over the body to the victim family when the MP stepped in. He had rescued a poor patient admitted to a hospital on November 26 again. The woman Lalita Devi had been held hostage by Maa Shitala Emergency Hospital, another private hospital located in Patna, for failing to pay medical bills totaling around Rs 70,000. Yadav also arranged an ambulance to rush the poor woman home in Madhepura district which is also the home Lok Sabha constituency of Yadav. thebiharpost.com Vadodara, Dec 10 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he will not allow anything wrong to happen in India. "I will never allow anything wrong to happen in this nation. Important to safeguard the rights of the poor and middle class," Modi said while addressing a poll rally in Vadodara. He said Congress leaders were worried due to note ban in 2016. "During demonetisation the nation stood with me. They embraced short term pain for long term gain. Congress leaders got worried because everything that they accumulated has gone," he said. Attacking Congress, he said: "These elections are about the Vikas agenda of BJP versus the destructive politics of the Congress:." He said Vadodara city is a special city to him. . Gujarat voted in the first phase of Assembly polls on Saturday. Image: BJP Twitter page Banaskantha, Dec 10 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday alleged that Pakistan was interfering in the ongoing Gujarat Assembly elections. He also asked for explanations from the Congress that whether its top part leader recently met leaders from Pakistan. Addressing the rally in Gujarat, Modi questioned the alleged appeal by former director general of the Pakistan Army, Sardar Arshad Rafiq, that senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel be made the Chief Minister of the state. The same Mani Shankar Aiyar, who insulted Gujarat, held secret meetings with Pakistan High Commissioner. What was the reason? Why are people who previously held high posts in military-intelligence establishment of Pakistan writing that we should help make Ahmed Patel the CM: PM narendramodi_in (@narendramodi_in) December 10, 2017 "The same Mani Shankar Aiyar, who insulted Gujarat, held secret meetings with Pakistan High Commissioner. What was the reason? Why are people who previously held high posts in military-intelligence establishment of Pakistan writing that we should help make Ahmed Patel the CM," Modi said. Second phase of polling in Gujarat will take place on Dec 14. First phase of polling took place on Saturday. Image: BJP Twitter page Genocide does not happen by accident; it is deliberate, with warning signs and precursors, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Saturday in his message for the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. Often it is the culmination of years of exclusion, denial of human rights and other wrongs. Since genocide can take place in times of war and in times of peace, we must be ever-vigilant, he added. The International Day, which was established by the UN General Assembly in 2015, has since been observed annually on 9 December, the day when back in 1948 the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted. To date, a total of 149 States, including one non-UN Member State, have ratified the treaty. With 2018 being the 70th anniversary year of the Convention, the appeal invites the remaining 45 States to ratify the Convention by the end of next year. The Convention defines genocide as acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, including killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. Despite the clear definition of genocide in the Convention, as well as improved understanding of the risks, genocide has recurred, multiple times, Guterres said. We are still reacting rather than preventing, and acting only when it is often too late. We must do more to respond early and keep violence from escalating. This is the obligation of the State parties to the Convention, one and all, the UN chief stated, calling upon all States to ratify the Genocide Convention by its 70th anniversary in 2018 and, in so doing, help liberate humanity from this cruel and odious crime. In New York on Friday, the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect held an event on the eve of the sixty-ninth anniversary of the Genocide Convention. Genocide should not be part of our present or our future. It is not an accident, nor is it inevitable. It is our inaction, or our ineffectiveness in addressing the warning signs, that allows it to become a reality, Adama Dieng, the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, said in his keynote speech to the event, which was held at UN Headquarters. A reality where people are dehumanized and persecuted for who they are, or who they represent. A reality of great suffering, cruelty and of inhumane acts that have at the basis unacceptable motivations the thirst for power or resources, distorted views of identity supremacy, extremist ideologies, selfish interests, he added. The crime of genocide did not start with the Genocide Convention and, unfortunately, it also did not end with it, Dieng said. Throughout history there have been many events that could have been qualified as genocide [] and even now we are confronted with some situations that, if put to the test in a court of law, could also be labelled as such, he said, urging 20 States from Africa, 18 from Asia, and seven from the Americas to ratify the convention so that he will have good news to report at next year's event. UN Photo/John Isaac Source: www.justearthnews.com These elections mark a historic moment for Nepal in implementing its federal structure as enshrined in the 2015 Constitution, said a statement issued Friday by Guterres' Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, following Thursday's completion of the second phase of voting. Media reports said elections were intended to complete the Himalayan country's transition to democracy under the 2015 Constitution, which declared Nepal a federal state. The Secretary-General hopes that all parties will maintain the same spirit in the next stages of the electoral process, the statement added. The Secretary-General encouraged the Government, political parties and civil society leaders to continue their efforts towards furthering inclusive and representative governance, the statement said, expressing the UN's readiness to support such efforts. According to UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA), the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement on 22 November 2006 signaled the end of a conflict which had claimed over 16,000 lives, displaced large numbers of Nepalese and further strained the economy of one of the world's poorest nations. From 2007 to early 2011, DPA provided oversight and support to the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), which assisted the Himalayan nation's transition to peace following a decade of armed conflict. UNMIN played an important support role in the successful holding, in April 2008, of an historic Constituent Assembly election that was a major milestone in the peace process. UNMIN withdrew from Nepal on 15 January 2011. Photo: UN News Source: www.justearthnews.com Kabul, Dec 10 (IBNS): A roadside mine blast in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan on Sunday killed at least one person, media reports said. The incident left five others injured, reports said. Habiburrahman, a local police commander in Khogyani district of eastern Nangarhar province was killed in a roadside mine blast on Sunday afternoon, a local official told Tolo News. The injured included four policemen and a civilian. The victims were rushed to nearby hospital for treatment. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident so far. The world celebrates 10th December as Human Rights Day and it's time we go back to basics. Human Rights are the rights that entitle every individual to live with dignity, freedom, equality, justice, and peace. At least that's what the theory says but the question that follows is do we really have these rights? Or have we completely forgotten about these ideologies? Bullit Marquez One week ago, UN Human Rights Council condemned systematic violations against Rohingya communities in Myanmar. It called on the government to ensure justice for victims and access to Rakhine state for investigators and aid workers. With thousands of people displaced, beaten up, tortured and killed, it is ironic that we are observing a day that condemns it, while it's aftershocks are still being very much felt. In another part of the world, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) senior human rights officer Petronella Mukaindo said cases of violating the right to life, owning property, arbitrary arrests and extra-judicial killings are on the rise. Even with all of the laws and rules and judiciary, we're somehow failing at it miserably. Even in our own country, human rights violations aren't absolutely non-existent. Unsplash While these rights do exist on paper, their implementation is still in question. No matter how many years we celebrate Human Rights Day, till the time we really understand the true meaning of this concept and move towards protecting rights of each and every individual, we'll be forever stuck. While this may just be jibber-jabber for a lot of people, there are some who at least care enough to talk about it. People took to Twitter to express their concerns and here are a few tweets. #1 In a world that seems to be filled with chaos never ever forget your right as an individual. Celebrating #HumanRightsDay not only today but every single day. Dr. Gia Sison (@giasison) December 10, 2017 #2 On #HumanRightsDay I remember the more than 2,000 #refugees still imprisoned by Australia on #Manus, #Nauru, Xmas Is & Oz for exercising their fundamental human right to seek #asylum. Let's pledge that we won't stop till they're all free and safe from harms way. pic.twitter.com/xEDcPg2BkY Kon Karapanagiotidis (@Kon__K) December 9, 2017 #3 No human being should be the target of discrimination in any form, and those pushed aside be given a voice.#HumanRights aren't just thoughts or suggestions they are anchors to a society of fairness for all & not the privileged few.#HumanRightsDay #StandUp4HumanRights pic.twitter.com/6xPv0YtKos Vijender Singh (@boxervijender) December 10, 2017 #4 Happy #HumanRightsDay! When basic freedoms are under threat, this global expression of solidarity is an act of defiance, a call to action to oppose those who want to turn back the clock on human rights. https://t.co/JV1APTW0dV pic.twitter.com/PC2LbmneNi Human Rights Watch (@hrw) December 10, 2017 #5 On #HumanRightsDay I'm remembering another woman was killed this week, the 46th for 2017, all by male violence More than 700 women have been killed by male violence in the last decade in Australia A national emergency It's a human right for women to live free of male violence Kon Karapanagiotidis (@Kon__K) December 10, 2017 #6 #7 #8 Today is #HumanRightsDay Tad ironical considering a man was burnt alive allegedly over #LoveJihad in #Rajasamand 2 days go.. Maybe a good day to start thinking about basics- like why its wrong to kill people. Why its wrong to resort to easy violence.. https://t.co/ijVyY56FeL Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) December 10, 2017 Our laws need to be strong, but our conviction needs to be stronger. Actions bring change, words merely set things in motion. Our dignity, freedom, equality, justice and peace are under threat and it's time we raise our voices against it. Protect what's yours, protect Human Rights. Every year, lakhs of students appear in the entrance examination for IIT and for those who make it's a four year journey packed with passion to build their careers as engineers and excel at it. From a scooter that charges faster than your phone to a technology that makes walking on water possible, and with years of hard work, the young minds at IIT have come up with some exceptional ideas. From efficient electric cars, autos running on hydrogen to machines for the blind- you name it and they have done it. Take a look at 10 mind-blowing inventions: 1. SmartCane safe and independent mobility for the blind Invented by Rohan Paul, a Rhodes-Oxford & IIT-Delhi scholar, SmartCane is an aid for the visually impaired that provides safe and independent mobility. The cane allows the person to detect any obstacles above knee-level upto a distance of 3 metres 2. TrueHb Hemometer vk.com The device innovated by Ambar Srivastava, student of IIT-Delhi, helps to test people for anaemia. The product is the size of a smart phone which can store up to 1000 readings and is approved by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). 3. Electric Race Car Lushlane IIT-B students launched the EVo1 at the Powai Institute campus, India's first electric race car. The car was designed by a team of 60 students in 2012. It has a top speed of 115 km per hour and weighs about 320 kgs. It has acceleration from 1 to 100 kmph in 5 seconds and from 0 to 60 kmph in 3.5 seconds. It comprises a high efficiency DC motor and Lithium polymer batteries. 4. Portable house for construction workers Lushlane Safe accomodation for hard-toiling construction workers is severely inadequate in our country, To solve this problem Deep Karpe, Nihar Kotak and Sumit Deshmukh, students of IIT- Gandhinagar c ame up with a smart solution. This foldable structure made of hollow steel rods, and can be easily dismantled and makes for the perfect makeshift shelter for construction workers. 5. Breathalyzer Helmet PTI This alcohol sensing helmet won't let a rider start the bike if he is drunk. Desinged by IIT-BHU students this Advanced Breathanalyser Helmet, reads signals from the persons breath, and if the breath has a high content of alcohol, it stops the bike engine. The device uses the bluetooth encryption technology. 6. Netra A startup called ideaForge, led by five IIT-Bombay students (Ankit Mehta, Ashish Bhat, Rahul Singh, Vipul Joshi and Amardeep Singh), invented an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) called Netra. The done was made to help Indian army and security forces in rescue operations. It was used in the rescue efforts during the Uttrakhand floods. 7.Dual pin stapler .iitgn.ac.in The students of IIT Gandhinagar took the most mundane equipment and turned it into something unique. The dual-pin stapler is the brain child of Suyas Patkar, Saurabh Garg and Spandan Das. They modified the original stapler and replaced some of its parts with those they had made using the rapid prototype machine of our college. Now, the single stapler machine that dispenses both large and small pins. 8. SAFER Guard for Women Saferpendant Invented by Paras Batra, Manik Mehta, Ayush Banka, Avinash Bansal and Chiraag, this necklace pendant that can alert friends and family when in danger. The pendant is connected to the wearers phone through an app, which will alert the selected guardians and give a real-time update of where she is through a map. 9. Hydrogen Autos ET Professor LM Das of IIT-D, came up with the idea of using compressed hydrogen as an automotive fuel keeping the rising levels of air pollution in mind. Unlike petroleum-derived hydrocarbon fuels, pure hydrogen does not produce toxic carbon monoxide or the heat-trapping carbon dioxide on combustion, reports ET The 14-member team stabilized after the project was officially taken over by automobile firm Mahindra, the system was implemented on autos provided by the company and trials were done inside the IIT campus. By now, most of us have seen the distressing video of a man in red shirt and white trousers killing a laborer. The man attacked him first with an agricultural equipment from behind and after severely injuring him, pours petroleum on him and burns him alive. In the video, the man is heard shouting whoever commits love jihad will be meet the same fate - evoking the conspiracy theory of an organised plot by Muslim men to woo non-Muslim women with the aim of converting them to Islam. On December 6, Afrajul Khan, a 50-year-old construction labour, was brutally killed by a man identified as Shambhulal Regar in a way not many of us had imagined before. The dreadful incident took place in Rajasthans Rajsamand district. The video of the spine-chilling act was circulated on social media sparking a huge outcry on the law and order situation in the state and the foot-dragging of the government to act against such miscreants. Two Circles Khan was one of the hundreds of men from the Muslim majority village of Syedpur in Malda district of Kolkata who worked in Rajasthan as a labourer. He was killed for allegedly having an affair with a Hindu woman. Khan is survived by his widow Gulbahar Bibi, three orphaned daughters and a paralytic mother. He was the sole bread-earner for the family. The youngest daughter is still in school. While the wait for justice is long, people from many parts of the country have come forward to help his family in this hour of need. Strangers come together to help Khan's family People, not just from the country, but across the world, have come forward to express solidarity and help Khans family. Many people have already committed to provide financial aid to the family and to support the education of Khans daughter. Many online fundraisers have been organised to provide financial assistance. A fundraiser - INDIA'S SHAME: Campaign for Relief and Justice for victims of hate on Crowdnewsing has raised over Rs 2 Lakh so far. The campaign aims at raising Rs 10 Lakh for Khans family as of now. Syed Muhammed Ahmer, the organiser of the crowdfunding campaign, is looking to raise another amount of 50 lakh rupees that will be used to build a strong legal case. The funds will be used to undertake such legal steps necessary to ensure fair investigation and prosecution of the case. The fundraiser page reads, These funds will be used to build a coalition of lawyers working on these hate cases. Most lawyers have been working pro-bono (for free) but as citizens it's our responsibility to offer them the financial backing they need beyond their time and expertise. Many are transferring money directly to the bank account of Khan's wife. The West Bengal government has already announced an amount of Rs 3 Lakh, promised a job for the kin. Afrajul Khan of Malda of our state was brutally killed. His family is totally helpless. As a small help to the bereaved family, our government has decided to provide Rs 3 lakh to the family and one job to the eligible person of the victims family, Ms. Banerjee said a tweet. Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Saturday extended financial aid of Rs 5 lakh to the family. In a move that can have wide ranging consequences for India in the Indian Ocean, the Sri Lankan government has formally handed over the southern sea port of Hambantota to China on a 99-year lease. Two Chinese firms, namely 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 on Saturday. Twitter 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. Former Sri Lankan Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayaka, last year had said that the island country owed China $8 billion. "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. colombogazette "There will be an economic zone and industrialisation in the area which will lead to economic development and promote tourism," the prime minister said. Sri Lanka received $300 million as the initial payment for the lease which the opposition had described as a sell out. The move will be watched closely by India which has been now surrounded by Chinese from all four sides. Beijing already has control of the Gwadar port in Pakistan and strategic placement in Maldives, from where it can encircle India. Earlier Colombo had played down New Delhi's concerns and said Chinese warships won't be allowed to dock in Hambantota. Considering the current political climate in the country, America couldn't have received a better reminder of liberty and honour than the $70 million soon-to-be-built museum dedicated solely to Lady Liberty herself. libertyellisfoundation.org Designed by FXFOWLE, an architecture firm in NYC, the Statue of Liberty Museum will be unveiled to the people in 2019 and will lie on Liberty Island in New York City. libertyellisfoundation.org The project is the result of a collaboration between the National Park Service and the Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation. In case you're headed there in 2019, your $18 ticket then will cover the ferry ride and entry to the museum. What Is a Self-Directed IRA (SDIRA)? A self-directed individual retirement account (SDIRA) is a type of individual retirement account (IRA) that can hold a variety of alternative investments normally prohibited from regular IRAs. Although the account is administered by a custodian or trustee, its directly managed by the account holder, which is why its called self-directed. Available as either a traditional IRA (to which you make tax-deductible contributions) or a Roth IRA (from which you take tax-free distributions), self-directed IRAs are best suited for savvy investors who already understand alternative investments and want to diversify in a tax-advantaged account. Key Takeaways A self-directed individual retirement account (SDIRA) is a variation on a traditional or Roth individual retirement account (IRA). You can hold a variety of alternative investments, including real estate, in self-directed IRAs that you cant in regular IRAs. Self-directed IRAs are generally only available through specialized firms that offer SDIRA custody services. Custodians cant give financial or investment advice for SDIRAs, which means that any research, due diligence, and management of assets rests solely with the account holder. There are other risks associated with SDIRAs, including fees and the possibility of fraud. Understanding a Self-Directed IRA (SDIRA) The main difference between an SDIRA and other IRAs are the types of investments that you can hold in the account. In general, regular IRAs are limited to common securities like stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit (CDs), and mutual or exchange-traded funds (ETFs). But SDIRAs allow the owner to invest in a much broader array of assets. With an SDIRA, you can hold precious metals, commodities, private placements, limited partnerships, tax lien certificates, real estate, and other sorts of alternative investments. As such, an SDIRA requires greater initiative and due diligence by the account owner. How to Open an SDIRA With most IRA providers, you can only open a regular IRA (traditional or Roth) and can only invest in the usual suspects: stocks, bonds, and mutual funds/ETFs. If you want to open a self-directed IRA, youll need a qualified IRA custodian that specializes in that type of account. Not every SDIRA custodian offers the same range of investments. So, if youre interested in a specific asset, such as gold bullion, make sure its part of a potential custodians offerings. Remember that SDIRAs are self-directed, which means that custodians arent allowed to give financial advice. As such, traditional brokerages, banks, and investment companies usually dont offer them to their clients. This means that you need to do your own homework. If you need help picking or managing your investments, you should plan on working with a financial advisor. The Self Directed IRA website offers a list of Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-qualified account custodians. Traditional vs. Roth SDIRA Self-directed IRAs can be set up as traditional or Roth IRAs. But keep in mind that the two account types have different tax treatments, eligibility requirements, contribution guidelines, and distribution rules. A key difference between a traditional and a Roth IRA is when you pay the taxes. With traditional IRAs, you get an up-front tax break, but you pay taxes on your contributions and earnings as you withdraw them during retirement. When you contribute to a Roth IRA, you dont get a tax break, but your contributions and earnings grow tax free, and qualified distributions are tax free as well. Of course, there are other differences to consider. Heres a quick rundown: Income limits: There are no income limits for traditional IRAs, but you must make less than a certain amount to open or contribute to a Roth. There are no income limits for traditional IRAs, but you must make less than a certain amount to open or contribute to a Roth. Required minimum distributions (RMDs): You must start taking RMDs at age 72 if you have a traditional IRA. Roth IRAs have no RMDs during your lifetime. You must start taking RMDs at age 72 if you have a traditional IRA. Roth IRAs have no RMDs during your lifetime. Early withdrawals: With Roth IRAs, you can withdraw your contributions (but not your earnings) at any time, for any reason, with no tax or penalty. Withdrawals are tax- and penalty-free after age 59, provided that the account is at least five years old. With traditional IRAs, withdrawals are penalty free starting at age 59. Remember, you have to pay taxes on traditional IRA withdrawals. These same rules apply to whichever version of an SDIRA you have. SDIRAs also have to abide by the general IRA annual contribution limits. For 2022, thats $6,000 per year, or $7,000 if youre age 50 or older, rising to $6,500 ($7,500 if you're 50 or older) in 2023. Investing in an SDIRA Self-directed Roth IRAs open up a large universe of potential investments. In addition to the standard investments (stocks, bonds, cash, money market funds, and mutual funds), you can hold assets that arent typically part of a retirement portfolio. For example, you can buy investment real estate to hold in your SDIRA account. You can also hold partnerships and tax lienseven a franchise business. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) forbids a few specified investments in SDIRAs, whether its the Roth or traditional version. For example, you cant hold life insurance, S corporation stocks, any investment that constitutes a prohibited transaction (such as one that involves self-dealing), and collectibles. Collectibles include a wide range of items, among them antiques, artwork, alcoholic beverages, baseball cards, memorabilia, jewelry, stamps, and rare coins (note that this affects the kind of gold that a self-directed Roth IRA can hold). Check with a financial advisor to be sure you arent inadvertently violating any of the SDIRA rules. SDIRA Risks SDIRAs have lots of benefits. But there are a few things to watch out for: Prohibited transactions . If you break a rule, the entire account could be considered distributed to you. And youll be on the hook for all of the taxes, plus a penalty. Make sure you understand and follow the rules for the specific assets that you hold in the account. . If you break a rule, the entire account could be considered distributed to you. And youll be on the hook for all of the taxes, plus a penalty. Make sure you understand and follow the rules for the specific assets that you hold in the account. Due diligence . Again, SDIRA custodians cant offer financial advice. Youre on your own. Make sure you do your homework, and find a good financial advisor if you need help. . Again, SDIRA custodians cant offer financial advice. Youre on your own. Make sure you do your homework, and find a good financial advisor if you need help. Fees . SDIRAs have a complicated fee structure. Typical charges include a one-time establishment fee, a first-year annual fee, an annual renewal fee, and fees for investment bill paying. These costs add up and can certainly cut into your earnings. . SDIRAs have a complicated fee structure. Typical charges include a one-time establishment fee, a first-year annual fee, an annual renewal fee, and fees for investment bill paying. These costs add up and can certainly cut into your earnings. Your exit plan . Its easy to get out of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Just place a sell order with your broker, and the market takes care of the rest. Not so with some SDIRA investments. For example, if you own an apartment building, it will take some time to find the right buyer. That can be especially problematic if you have a traditional SDIRA and need to start taking distributions. . Its easy to get out of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Just place a sell order with your broker, and the market takes care of the rest. Not so with some SDIRA investments. For example, if you own an apartment building, it will take some time to find the right buyer. That can be especially problematic if you have a traditional SDIRA and need to start taking distributions. Fraud. Even though SDIRA custodians cant offer financial advice, they will make certain investments available. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) notes that SDIRA custodians dont typically evaluate the quality or legitimacy of any investment in the self-directed IRA or its promoters. What Is a Self-Directed Individual Retirement Account (SDIRA)? A self-directed individual retirement account (SDIRA) is a type of individual retirement account (IRA) that can hold investments that a typical IRA cannot, such as precious metals, commodities, and real estate. SDIRAs have the same contribution limits as traditional and Roth IRAs: $6,000 per year, or $7,000 for those age 50 or older, for 2022 (and $6,500, $7,500 if you're 50 or older, in 2023). How Do You Set Up an SDIRA? Per the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), all retirement assets, including those in SDIRAs, must be held by a qualified custodian. The custodianwhich could be a bank, credit union, or other financial institutionadministers the SDIRA, holds the accounts investments for safekeeping, and ensures that the SDIRA complies with IRS rules. While you can open an IRA or SDIRA at virtually any bank or financial institution, most of the big box custodians dont offer alternative investments, such as real estate, precious metals, and cryptocurrencies. Therefore, its essential to find an SDIRA custodian that offers the nontraditional assets in which you are interested. Keep in mind that these firms cant offer investment advice, meaning investment research is your responsibility. If you're sporting an Android Wear smartwatch, chances are that it is running Android 7.0 underneath, powering Android Wear 2.0, but the Oreo 8.0 update has started rolling out. Android Wear is Google's smartwatch platform, which has seen a wide range of models from lots of different manufacturers, just as we see with Android smartphones. Naturally, this is the opposite of the situation from Apple, which is the only company that makes iPhones, Apple Watches and other iOS devices. Also unlike Apple, when an update appears for Google devices, it doesn't always roll out to all Android devices at the same time. It's also important to note that this update is not Android Wear 3.0, which is a Android OS smartwatch platform that will debut sometime in 2018. So, what does updating a compatible Android Wear 2.0 watch to the Android Oreo 8.0 update deliver? Android Police advises that the changes in Oreo for Android Wear include "vibration strength settings for notifications, touch lock, support for more languages and countries, and battery-saving improvements". And which Android watches are now able to update, along with the ones that are due to get an update? Thankfully, a Google support post gives us the details we need to know. Google says that the Android Wear Oreo (8.0) update is already available for the following watches: Fossil Q Venture LG Watch Sport Louis Vuitton Tambour Michael Kors Sofie Montblanc Summit The company advises that the watches "currently pursuing the Android Wear Oreo (8.0) update" are as follows: Other smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S8 may have introduced facial recognition well before Apple, but Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller says all such systems "stink". When the iPhone X arrived with its Face ID system, there was criticism from friends and foe alike. But that does not faze Schiller, who told the Dutch website Bright that other facial recognition systems "don't work in the ways we need Face ID to work". "We're very aware that through the years this simple thing, the Home button, that started as the way you click to get to the Home screen, grew into doing so many things for us. "We added Touch ID, it took you to the multitasking screen, paged Siri, activated Apple Pay. All through this one mechanical button. "So for Face ID we needed the best way we know of to enable us to easily unlock our device with our face, in a protected way with the Secure Enclave, and support all these other things. We had to solve all of that." Schiller said that other things people had tried with face hadn't been anything like that. "Face ID is a very unique implementation." Asked about the privacy implications of Face ID in view of the fact that data is shared with third-party developers, Schiller denied that any data was shared with third parties. "First of all, no Face ID data goes to third parties. So what you enrol with Face ID, what you use to unlock your phone, that's an algorithm that is created and encrypted by the Secure Enclave," he said. "No third party that uses the iPhone camera has your Face ID data. We did create an API so developers can use the cameras to track facial movements, to do things like wrap stickers on your face (like Snapchat, ed.) Thats different than Face ID. They dont have all the access to the data that Face ID has for that." IoT data, ultra high definition video streaming and more will see a doubling of Internet traffic over the next two years, it has been claimed. Telco news site Total Telecom spoke to Nokia chief executive for the UK and Ireland, Cormac Whelan, at a Connected Ireland event last week. He told Total Telecom: "We are the zettabyte generation. What is a zettabyte? If expressed in storage, it is enough information to fill about 1000 data centres, which would cover an area equivalent to 20% of Manhattan." Whelan further told the publication that Nokia is "expecting globally that traffic will more than double and will reach two zettabytes per year in two years' time, an increase of fivefold over the past five years. Global Internet traffic will be equivalent to 66 times the volume of the entire Internet in 2005". In terms of online video, this would mean 80% of "all IP traffic within three years", which is something iTWire is helping to happen as much as possible with a range of regular videos, comprising video interviews, videos of media events and more. Whelan told Total Telecom that "It would take a single person more than five million years to watch the amount of video that will cross global IP networks each month. Of course, this content will rely on broadband for delivery to homes and mobile devices". Naturally, Nokia stands ready to help telcos with the right equipment to make the delivery of all this data as seamless as possible. You can find further interesting stats about HD video and more from the article here. Reddit Email 53 Shares Human rights Watch | The Saudi-led coalitions broad restrictions on aid and essential goods to Yemens civilian population are worsening the countrys humanitarian catastrophe. (Beirut) The Saudi-led coalitions broad restrictions on aid and essential goods to Yemens civilian population are worsening the countrys humanitarian catastrophe, Human Rights Watch said today. Unless the coalition immediately stops blocking aid and commercial goods from reaching civilians in Houthi-controlled territory, the United Nations Security Council should impose travel bans and asset freezes on senior coalition leaders, including the Saudi crown prince and defense minister, Mohammed bin Salman. Human Rights Watch: VIDEO: Coalition Blockade Harms Civilians in Yemen The coalition has imposed a naval and air blockade on Yemen since the current conflict began in March 2015 that has severely restricted the flow of food, fuel, and medicine to civilians, in violation of international humanitarian law. The coalition closed all of Yemens entry points in response to a missile strike on Saudis Riyadh airport on November 4, 2017, by opposing Houthi-Saleh forces. While the coalition eased some restrictions in late November, it continues to prevent much aid and nearly all commercial imports from reaching Houthi-controlled ports, which has an unlawfully disproportionate impact on civilians access to essential goods. The Saudi-led coalitions military strategy in Yemen has been increasingly built around preventing desperately needed aid and essential goods from reaching civilians, risking millions of lives, said James Ross, legal and policy director at Human Rights Watch. The Security Council should urgently sanction Saudi and other coalition leaders responsible for blocking food, fuel, and medicine, causing hunger, sickness, and death. Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East, depends heavily on imported food, medicine, and fuel for 80 to 90 percent of the populations needs. As of November, seven million people were dependent on food aid to survive, and nearly a million may have cholera. Diphtheria, a disease that should be preventable, was spreading, and had already killed more than 20 people and infected nearly 200. An estimated 2 million children are acutely malnourished. Half the countrys hospitals have been closed and nearly 16 million people lack access to clean water. Reopening all of Yemens land, air, and sea ports to commercial shipments, which before November made up 80 percent of all imports, is crucial to any effort to address what the UN has described as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis, Human Rights Watch said. Claiming a need to strengthen vetting procedures, the coalition halted all humanitarian flights and shipments to Yemen for several days following the November 4 attack and halted all humanitarian flights and shipments to ports in Houthi-controlled territory for about three weeks. On November 22, the coalition announced that it would allow humanitarian flights to resume to the capital, Sanaa, and urgent humanitarian and relief materials to begin moving to the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida. Major restrictions on the delivery of essential goods to the civilian population remain, Human Rights Watch said. While a limited number of food shipments have reached Houthi ports on an ad hoc basis since November 22, the coalition has not indicated whether it will allow seaports under Houthi control to reopen to commercial shipments, including fuel and medicine. The World Food Programme estimated that even with a partial lifting of the blockade, an additional 3.2 million people would be pushed into hunger and 150,000 malnourished children could die in the coming months. On December 2, the heads of seven humanitarian agencies issued a joint statement calling on the coalition to lift restrictions: Without the urgent resumption of commercial imports, especially food, fuel and medicines, millions of children, women and men risk mass hunger, disease and death, they said. Fighting broke out in Sanaa on December 1 between the Houthis and formerly allied forces loyal to former longtime president, Ali Abdullah Saleh. Dozens of people, including civilians, were killed and wounded in the fighting. On December 4, Houthi forces killed Saleh under circumstances that remain unclear. During the fighting, civilians already facing shortages of essential goods were reportedly rapidly running out of food, fuel, and medicine. Humanitarian organizations were unable to reach their warehouses to deliver aid to those in need. Coalition military actions have violated laws-of-war prohibitions on restricting humanitarian assistance and on destroying objects essential to the survival of the civilian population. These violations, as well as the coalitions disregard for the reported suffering of the civilian population, suggest that the coalition may also be violating the prohibition against using starvation as a method of warfare, which is a war crime. The Saudi-led coalitions broad restrictions on aid and essential goods to Yemens civilian population are worsening the countrys humanitarian catastrophe. (Beirut) The Saudi-led coalitions broad restrictions on aid and essential goods to Yemens civilian population are worsening the countrys humanitarian catastrophe, Human Rights Watch said today. Unless the coalition immediately stops blocking aid and commercial goods from reaching civilians in Houthi-controlled territory, the United Nations Security Council should impose travel bans and asset freezes on senior coalition leaders, including the Saudi crown prince and defense minister, Mohammed bin Salman. The coalition has imposed a naval and air blockade on Yemen since the current conflict began in March 2015 that has severely restricted the flow of food, fuel, and medicine to civilians, in violation of international humanitarian law. The coalition closed all of Yemens entry points in response to a missile strike on Saudis Riyadh airport on November 4, 2017, by opposing Houthi-Saleh forces. While the coalition eased some restrictions in late November, it continues to prevent much aid and nearly all commercial imports from reaching Houthi-controlled ports, which has an unlawfully disproportionate impact on civilians access to essential goods. The Saudi-led coalitions military strategy in Yemen has been increasingly built around preventing desperately needed aid and essential goods from reaching civilians, risking millions of lives, said James Ross, legal and policy director at Human Rights Watch. The Security Council should urgently sanction Saudi and other coalition leaders responsible for blocking food, fuel, and medicine, causing hunger, sickness, and death. Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East, depends heavily on imported food, medicine, and fuel for 80 to 90 percent of the populations needs. As of November, seven million people were dependent on food aid to survive, and nearly a million may have cholera. Diphtheria, a disease that should be preventable, was spreading, and had already killed more than 20 people and infected nearly 200. An estimated 2 million children are acutely malnourished. Half the countrys hospitals have been closed and nearly 16 million people lack access to clean water. Reopening all of Yemens land, air, and sea ports to commercial shipments, which before November made up 80 percent of all imports, is crucial to any effort to address what the UN has described as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis, Human Rights Watch said. Claiming a need to strengthen vetting procedures, the coalition halted all humanitarian flights and shipments to Yemen for several days following the November 4 attack and halted all humanitarian flights and shipments to ports in Houthi-controlled territory for about three weeks. On November 22, the coalition announced that it would allow humanitarian flights to resume to the capital, Sanaa, and urgent humanitarian and relief materials to begin moving to the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida. Major restrictions on the delivery of essential goods to the civilian population remain, Human Rights Watch said. While a limited number of food shipments have reached Houthi ports on an ad hoc basis since November 22, the coalition has not indicated whether it will allow seaports under Houthi control to reopen to commercial shipments, including fuel and medicine. The World Food Programme estimated that even with a partial lifting of the blockade, an additional 3.2 million people would be pushed into hunger and 150,000 malnourished children could die in the coming months. On December 2, the heads of seven humanitarian agencies issued a joint statement calling on the coalition to lift restrictions: Without the urgent resumption of commercial imports, especially food, fuel and medicines, millions of children, women and men risk mass hunger, disease and death, they said. Fighting broke out in Sanaa on December 1 between the Houthis and formerly allied forces loyal to former longtime president, Ali Abdullah Saleh. Dozens of people, including civilians, were killed and wounded in the fighting. On December 4, Houthi forces killed Saleh under circumstances that remain unclear. During the fighting, civilians already facing shortages of essential goods were reportedly rapidly running out of food, fuel, and medicine. Humanitarian organizations were unable to reach their warehouses to deliver aid to those in need. Coalition military actions have violated laws-of-war prohibitions on restricting humanitarian assistance and on destroying objects essential to the survival of the civilian population. These violations, as well as the coalitions disregard for the reported suffering of the civilian population, suggest that the coalition may also be violating the prohibition against using starvation as a method of warfare, which is a war crime. The Security Council should urgently sanction Saudi and other coalition leaders responsible for blocking food, fuel, and medicine, causing hunger, sickness, and death. James Ross legal and policy director The UN Security Council should impose a travel ban and asset freeze on senior leaders of the coalition, including Mohamed bin Salman, for their role in violations of international humanitarian law in Yemen, Human Rights Watch said. Under Security Council Resolution 2216, the Yemen Sanctions Committee can designate individuals or entities for targeted sanctions if they are engaging in or providing support for acts that [obstruct] the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Yemen or access to, or distribution of, humanitarian assistance in Yemen. The Sanctions Committee has already imposed sanctions including asset freezes and travel bans on five leaders of formerly allied Houthi-Saleh forces, including Saleh. No one from the coalition has been designated for sanctions, despite information on repeated coalition violations, including the obstruction of aid, gathered by the UN Panel of Experts, which provides information on implementing the resolution. UN Security Council members, particularly the United States, United Kingdom, France, and other coalition allies, have shielded Saudi Arabia from serious international scrutiny even though the Saudi-led coalition has committed numerous atrocities in Yemen, Ross said. The Security Council urgently needs to act against coalition leaders who have added to Yemens humanitarian catastrophe or share in the blame. Yemens Deepening Humanitarian Crisis Since March 2015, Human Rights Watch has conducted dozens of interviews with health professionals and humanitarian workers in Yemen regarding restrictions on access to aid and essential goods and their impact on the civilian population. Human Rights Watch also has reviewed coalition statements and UN and humanitarian community assessments on Yemen. Human Rights Watch previously documented actions by both the Saudi-led coalition and formerly allied Houthi-Saleh forces that impeded aid delivery to civilians, in violation of international humanitarian law. Impact of Fuel Shortages On November 6, the Saudi-led coalition imposed a full blockade on Yemen, which was partially lifted over the ensuing days and weeks. A humanitarian agency official said the most immediate impact of the November blockade was on fuel supply. Fuel was already often not available throughout Yemen including in areas under Yemeni government control, such as Aden, which has repeatedly experienced fuel shortages. On November 23, the World Food Programme estimated that supplies of fuel and diesel in the country could run out in the coming weeks. The lack of fuel also makes it more difficult to pump clean water, run hospital equipment, and safely store vaccines. Houthi and Saleh forces also contributed to the fuel shortages. The UN Panel of Experts reported in June that Houthi-Saleh forces had earned up to US$1.14 billion from fuel and oil distribution on the black market. They also use imported fuel for military purposes. Officials at five hospitals in the Yemeni governorates of Hodeida, Taizz, and Sanaa told Human Rights Watch that after November 6 the lack of fuel was having a catastrophic impact on their operations. Four of the five hospitals including the two largest in Yemen were entirely dependent on generators, powered by fuel, to operate. The hospitals serve thousands of people. Dr. Nasr al-Qadsi, the general director of Yemens second-largest hospital, in Sanaa, said the hospital needed 60,000 liters of fuel a month to power its generators, generate oxygen, and run its ambulances and buses for staff. After November 6, the hospitals water supplier stopped providing water, telling the hospital it would have to supply the fuel to get more water. Water and electricity and oxygen are very essential, al-Qadsi said. And we have problems getting all of them. Dr. Abdul Latif Abu Taleb, the head of Yemens largest hospital, also in Sanaa, which can admit about 1,000 patients, said that the November 6 decision caused us great panic direct[ing] all our concerns to the pursuit of the necessary diesel material to keep the hospital working. He added: I have 105 patients in the intensive care unit on monitors and respirator devices. If the hospital power supply stopped, a disaster will happen. Fuel is also crucial to provide access to clean water in the country. Less than a week after the November blockade was put in place, the UN reported fuel prices had increased by 60 percent in Sanaa and trucked-water by 133 percent. Three weeks after the blockade began, hospital officials in two governorates reported huge price increases up to 300 percent if fuel was available at all. The prices jumped to the sky, so we couldnt afford buying it, one doctor said. Other doctors said they had diverted all hospital revenue, much of which they would normally have spent on medicine and medical supplies, to buy diesel. Rising fuel prices, according to the UN, have caused trucked water prices to spike up to 600 percent in some places. Nearly 17 million people in Yemen depend on public water networks some of which are shutting down due to a lack of fuel or commercial water. In late November, the International Committee of the Red Cross reported that nine cities lacked the fuel needed to run water treatment plants. Clean water is needed to avoid water-borne diseases, like cholera. The lack of fuel also increases food scarcity. Civilians have had to spend their limited money on water, giving them less income to purchase food and further increasing the risk of widespread food insecurity and ultimately famine, according to the UN. Fuel is needed to transport what little food remains in Yemen, or food will be stuck in warehouses while innocent people starve nearby, said Oxfam. Closing Sea Ports in Houthi-Controlled Territory Between November 6 and November 26, the Saudi-led coalition refused to allow any ships to travel to Houthi-controlled ports. On November 6, the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM) sent an email, viewed by Human Rights Watch, to vessels asking them to immediately leave the Red Sea ports of Hodeida and Saleef. Hodeida is a key port that receives food, fuel, and other goods, while Saleef is primarily for food imports. Documents shared by port officials said that vessels forced to leave were carrying wheat, fuel, and other cargo. The email said UNVIM was suspending clearance operations until further notice. A few days after the complete blockade was announced, the coalition allowed vessels to travel to ports under Yemeni government control, including Aden and Mukalla. On November 26, the coalition allowed a ship carrying food to sail to a Houthi -controlled port for the first time in three weeks. During the following week, the coalition allowed several more ships carrying food to enter Hodeida and Saleef. However, four aid officials said in early December that the coalition was still severely restricting the flow of essential goods into both ports, including food, fuel, and medicine. Since November, the coalition has refused to allow nearly all commercial ships to travel to ports under Houthi control. The coalition had not allowed any commercial fuel tankers to proceed to Houthi-controlled ports or any commercial vessels to proceed to a port primarily for bulk food imports as of December 5, according to an UNVIM spokesperson. The coalition had refused to grant four fuel tankers access two of these tankers have now left for other ports of Yemen due to the costs [of] the delay, the spokesperson said. In June, the coalition shut down the fuel port of Ras Isa, significantly curtailing fuel deliveries to the country. UNVIM has not cleared a vessel to enter Ras Isa since May. Deliveries were diverted to Hodeida until November. Ras Isa was designed for diesel imports and has a greater capacity than Hodeida, which was incapable of making up the lost capacity even before being closed to imports in November. Closing all three ports to all shipments for three weeks and continuing to severely curtail the shipment of commercial goods to the ports deprives the civilian population of essential goods. Yemens population depends on commercial imports of food, fuel, and medicine for survival. Before November 6, about 75,000 metric tons of the 350,000 metric tons of food imports Yemen requires or about 20 percent were humanitarian supplies, leaving 80 percent to come through commercial imports, according to the UN. The UN estimates Yemens fuel needs at 544,000 metric tons per month almost all commercial imports reached Yemen via one of its six ports, making the fuel supply particularly vulnerable to naval or commercial disruptions. The coalition has repeatedly contended that ships can be diverted to ports under the control of the Yemeni government, which it backs, but these two ports are not sufficient to meet the civilian populations needs. Aden port, the most used after Hodeida and Saleef, does not have the capacity to receive the hundreds of thousands of metric tons of food, fuel, medicine, and other imported goods Yemen depends on for survival. Aden currently has the capacity to take in about 50,000 metric tons of fuel and 80,000 metric tons of food a month, according to the UN well under the countrys needs. Allowing ports in Houthi-controlled territory to continue functioning is crucial to addressing the humanitarian crisis, Human Rights Watch said. Eighty percent of all imports humanitarian and commercial came through Hodeida and Saleef ports before November 6. Combined, the two ports had the capacity to take in about 150,000 metric tons of fuel, 295,000 metric tons of food, and 90,000 metric tons of non-food items each month. When asked in early 2017 why the coalition had refused to allow imports of materials to repair or replace damaged infrastructure at Hodeida, including four US-donated cranes, then-spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asseri said the coalition sent back those cranes because we dont want to continue to enhance the capabilities of the Houthis to generate money and to smuggle weapons. The UN has concluded: Even at reduced capacity there is no viable substitute for [Hodeida] port. If commercial traffic continues to be blocked, there continues to be a grave risk of further death, disease and starvation. Coalition Restrictions on Essential Goods to Houthi Ports The November restrictions are only the latest move by the coalition to unlawfully impede access for goods essential to the civilian populations survival to reach Houthi-controlled territory, Human Rights Watch said. In 2015, Human Rights Watch documented that the coalition had withheld permission to fuel tankers to travel to Yemen. In 2016, in recognition of the need to ensure that commercial imports could enter Yemen, the UN established the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism to inspect and issue clearances for all commercial shipping vessels traveling to ports under Houthi control. The coalition has repeatedly undermined the work of UNVIM. Since 2016, after ships were cleared by UNVIM, they would proceed to a demarcated coalition holding area in the Red Sea and wait for the coalition to inspect or give them permission to go to port. Over a four-month period in 2017, Human Rights Watch documented seven cases in which the coalition arbitrarily diverted or delayed fuel tankers headed for ports under Houthi control after the UN cleared and granted permission to each ship to proceed. The coalition has also repeatedly diverted and delayed commercial ships carrying humanitarian cargo. A doctor in Hodeida told Human Rights Watch the hospital had been given expired or near-expired medication: When we started to ask why, weve been told that the goods are taking too long at sea for inspection and the procedures for permission. He said some medicines had vanished from the market. While a few goods came up from Aden, another doctor in Sanaa said, it was with extreme difficulty, in very small amounts and with increased prices, in a situation where we dont have the ability to buy even at regular prices. A Sanaa-based businessman said that friends could not obtain medicine for chronic illnesses, including kidney failure: Medicine is a disaster, people are dying left and right. Youll find medicine, but most of it is smuggled. Medicines need storage specifications. When these guys try and smuggle it through land, use bad warehousing, the medicine is either useless or it kills you. Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly raised concerns about the coalition diverting all imports through government-controlled Aden. Transporting goods north from Aden requires crossing front lines and increases the risk of diversion and travel time by up to three weeks while raising costs by up to US$30 to US$70 per ton, making goods much more expensive for average Yemenis, according to the UN. In addition, armed forces affiliated with the Yemeni government and the United Arab Emirates, a coalition member, compete for control of the city, including its seaport and airport. A source in Sanaa collected food prices from a grocery store in the city considered to have relatively low prices before the November 6 announcement and about two weeks after the full blockade was imposed. Most staple food prices including cooking oil, flour, and rice spiked by about 25 percent. A can of beans nearly doubled in price. A businessman in Sanaa said that his family has seen food brands disappear over past months. UN documents tracking prices, which Human Rights Watch examined, also noted severe price hikes across goods and governorates after the coalitions November closures. Even before the conflict, nearly 40 percent of Yemens population lived on less than US$2 a day. The collapse of the Yemeni riyal and the failure to pay civil servants salaries, including in some governorates under government control, exacerbates the impact of any price increase on average Yemenis ability to purchase food, fuel, and medicine. Coalition Restrictions on Humanitarian Access The Saudi-led coalition has increasingly restricted humanitarian access to Sanaa, Yemens largest city, which is under Houthi control. The coalition suspended all commercial flights to Sanaa in August 2016. Twelve aid agencies called on the coalition to reopen the countrys main airport, noting that commercial flights often bring in vital supplies and allow the free movement of civilians. Mwatana, a leading Yemeni human rights organization, documented cases of people with chronic illnesses unable to travel abroad for treatment, including one woman needing heart surgery who died. In May, the coalition tried to restrict passage on UN flights to Sanaa to UN passport holders. But non-UN passport holders include crucial staff of aid organizations, human rights groups including Human Rights Watch, and journalists. The UN was able to negotiate for staff of humanitarian organizations to continue taking the flights, but not others. The coalition has frequently interfered with aid groups ability to work in Houthi-controlled territory. In August, the coalition informed the UN that international staff needed two visas one from the Houthis and one from the Yemeni government to travel on UN flights. The coalition had previously imposed a similar requirement on journalists, before blocking them from the flights. The Yemeni government then required all humanitarian organizations to conclude new agreements with ministries in Aden, even if they had an existing agreement with the Yemeni government. In October, the coalition again informed the UN that only UN passport holders could take UN flights. When the UN refused to ask aid groups to cease using the flights, the coalition responded by grounding flights for two days, humanitarian workers in Sanaa told Human Rights Watch. As part of the November 6 closures, the coalition refused to allow humanitarian flights carrying personnel or cargo to land in Sanaa. On November 22, after eight days of negotiation, one flight was permitted to carry out a lifesaving medical evacuation of a critically ill foreign aid worker. Humanitarian flights to Sanaa resumed on November 25. The coalition has repeatedly called for humanitarian agencies to move their operations to government-controlled Aden. In its November 6 announcement, the coalition called upon civilian and humanitarian crews to avoid areas and ports exploited by [the Houthis] to smuggle weapons. The announcement also said that humanitarian workers should avoid areas populated by the Houthis. The Coalition Blockade and International Humanitarian Law International humanitarian law, or the laws of war, prohibits deliberate and indiscriminate attacks on civilians and attacks that cause disproportionate harm to civilians compared to the expected military benefit. Blockades are permitted during armed conflict that do not cause disproportionate civilian harm. However, parties to the conflict must allow and facilitate the rapid passage of humanitarian aid for civilians in need and not arbitrarily interfere with it. Parties must also ensure the freedom of movement of humanitarian workers, which can only be restricted temporarily for reasons of imperative military necessity. Warring parties are also prohibited from carrying out attacks on objects that are indispensable to the civilian population. These can include food stores, drinking water installations, and port facilities. The laws of war prohibit using starvation as a method of warfare, and require parties to a conflict not to provoke [starvation] deliberately or deliberately cause the population to suffer hunger, particularly by depriving it of its sources of food or of supplies. Since the start of the conflict, the Saudi-led coalition has unnecessarily hindered the delivery of humanitarian aid and the free movement of aid workers. Opposing Houthi and Saleh forces were also responsible for blocking and confiscating aid, denying access to populations in need, and restricting the movement of ill civilians and aid workers, with an acute impact on Yemens third largest city, Taizz. During the three weeks in November that humanitarian flights to Sanaa were refused, the UN was forced to cancel more than 30 flights, stranding 220 humanitarian staff from nearly 50 agencies outside Yemen and 310 in Yemen. One humanitarian official said that 80 percent of their operations were in areas affected by the Sanaa airport closure. Another said their organization had used the airport to import vaccines and other essential medical items that require cold chain storage. The coalition has damaged or destroyed objects that were indispensable to the survival of the civilian population in Houthi-controlled areas. In August 2015, coalition airstrikes struck Hodeida port, damaging essential port infrastructure. The coalition has refused to allow the port to replace destroyed infrastructure or import spare parts for repairs, a port official said. In January 2016, coalition airstrikes damaged Ras Isa ports Floating Storage and Offloading terminal, closing part of the facility, Reuters reported. The full blockade announced on November 6 immediately and predictably exacerbated existing food shortages in Yemen. For instance, a doctor in Hodeida said that prices of fuel, food, and medicine went up wildly. His hospital saw more severe acute malnutrition cases, which is not a good indicationIt means people reach a critical condition very quickly.. Most people do not have food, not even water Hospitals are about to close. Why all this, why? People were already at the bottom, and this last decision has ended everyone. The coalition sought to justify the full blockade on grounds that it needed to tighten access to prevent foreign-made arms, particularly from Iran, from reaching Houthi forces. Security Council Resolution 2216 permits the coalition to inspect cargo bound for Yemen if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the cargo contains weapons and other prohibited items but not to block all cargo. The November blockade was unlawfully disproportionate in that the expected harm to the civilian population exceeded any apparent military benefit. Taken together with the limits on humanitarian aid and the destruction of objects indispensable to the civilian population, the action suggests the coalition may have used starvation of civilians as a weapon of war. The partial lifting of the blockade could have lessened but has not ended the risk of widespread starvation and other civilian harm. Individuals who willfully commit serious violations of international humanitarian law may be prosecuted for war crimes. This would include deliberately using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival and by impeding humanitarian aid. Military commanders and civilian leaders may be prosecuted for war crimes as a matter of command responsibility if they knew or should have known about the commission of such crimes and took insufficient measures to prevent them or punish those responsible. Reddit Email 586 Shares By Julie Ingersoll | (The Conversation) | President Trumps announcement on Wednesday, Dec. 6 that the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel received widespread criticism. Observers quickly recognized the decision as related not so much to national security concerns as to domestic U.S. politics and promises candidate Trump made to his evangelical supporters, who welcomed the announcement.. Why Jerusalem matters to evangelicals. jaime.silva, CC BY-NC-ND Historian Diana Butler Bass posted on Twitter: Of all the possible theological dog-whistles to his evangelical base, this is the biggest. Trump is reminding them that he is carrying out Gods will to these Last Days. It is true that evangelicals have often noted that their support for Trump is based in their conviction that God can use the unlikeliest of men to enact his will. But how did conservative American Christians become invested in such a fine point of Middle East policy as whether the U.S. Embassy is in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem? For many of President Trumps evangelical supporters this is a key step in the progression of events leading to the second coming of Jesus. Theres an interesting story as to how that came to be. Ushering in the kingdom of God The nation of Israel and the role of the city of Jerusalem are central in the end-times theology a form of what is known as pre-millennialism embraced by many American conservative Protestants. While this theology is often thought of as a literal reading of the Bible, its actually a reasonably new interpretation that dates to the 19th century and relates to the work of Bible teacher John Nelson Darby. According to Darby, for this to happen the Jewish people must have control of Jerusalem and build a third Jewish temple on the site where the first and second temples destroyed centuries ago by the Babylonians and Romans once were. In Darbys view this was a necessary precursor to the rapture, when believers would be taken up by Christ to escape the worst of the seven-year-period of suffering and turmoil on Earth: the Great Tribulation. This is to be followed by the cosmic battle between good and evil called Armageddon at which Satan will be defeated and Christ will establish his earthly kingdom. All of this became eminently more possible when the modern state of Israel was established in the 1940s. But to understand the power of this way of looking at the world, it is necessary to do more than point to theological tenets. It is their dissemination through culture that determines which thought systems take hold and which ones are lost to history. As author of Building Gods Kingdom, I focus on various aspects of conservative American Protestantism in American culture and politics. In my research I have seen how some thought systems get lost in history and others take hold. Here is what happened with the end-time narrative that made it a core undercurrent to how these Christians look at the world and history. The origins of this narrative The end-times framework was popularized in the 1970s with an inexpensive and widely available paperback by evangelist and Christian writer Hal Lindsey called The Late Great Planet Earth. Lindsey argued that the establishment of the state of Israel in the 1940s set up a chain of events that would lead to Jesuss return. He calculated a date for that return in the 1980s. Lindsey, like many end-times prognosticators before him, argued that he lived in the first time in history when the biblical prophecies could possibly be fulfilled. This, he thought, was due in large part to the reestablishment of Israel. Despite his claim to be reading the Bible literally, Lindseys interpretation was far from literal. He said, for example, that the locusts predicted in the one of the plagues in the book of Revelation were really helicopters. As adults were reading Lindseys book, a generation of young people watched an evangelistic film, A Thief in the Night, in church services and youth group meetings. Beginning with an ominous ticking clock, the film begins at the rapture. It shows how all the faithful Christians suddenly disappeared. For those who remained, there was one more chance to accept the Gospel but that chance required living through extreme persecution. The film scared young people into conversion by depicting the experiences of these young Christians who were suffering because they had arrogantly dismissed warnings from their friends, families and churches to repent and had missed the rapture. According to scholar Amy Frykholm, an estimated 50 million to 300 million people viewed A Thief in the Night. The end-times and the culture wars The use of popular media to spread a terrifying vision of the end of history to draw young people into repentance continued in the 1980s with the apocalyptic novels of Frank Peretti. The Peretti novels depicted a vibrant and active spiritual world in which cosmic forces of good and evil were vying for supremacy all around us. As the book presented it, every person is obliged to play a part for one side or the other in very literal ways. This applies to all people: True Christians were meant to fight on Gods side, and the rest on the side of Satan. The first of these was called This Present Darkness. Though clearly recognized as fictional, these books were also perceived as real. For example, while the seat of the diabolical scheming was the fictional local college and the chief antagonist was a fictional professor, it wasnt lost on readers that they were to perceive colleges and professors as likely enemies. The depiction of literal good guys and bad guys as regular people aligned with God and Satan, respectively, played into the increasingly divisive culture war battles of the time. These books were powerful and effective until a decade later when they were replaced in popular Christian culture by the Left Behind series, co-authored by culture warrior Tim LaHaye. These 16 books and four films, released over the course of a decade, also trace the lives of the latecoming believers who had missed the rapture and were now part of the Tribulation Force, as they endured the post rapture world and sought to remain faithful despite persecution. The series successes included a New York Times best-seller, while seven others set sales records. The entire series sold more than 65 million copies. Its impossible to overemphasize the effects of this framework on those within the circles of evangelicalism where it is popular. A growing number of young people who have left evangelicalism point to end-times theology as a key component of the subculture they left. They call themselves exvangelicals and label teachings like this as abusive. Its hard to get away from the invocation of mythic narratives in American politics. They get used often and are invented and reinvented to be deployed at different times in history. While supporters and opponents of the Trump announcement agree that the results might be cataclysmic, some of the supporters are happy. That is because they are reading it through a lens that promises the return of Jesus and the establishment of Gods kingdom. Editors note: in a previous version of this article the date of President Trumps announcement about moving the US embassy to Jerusalem was incorrect. It has been corrected to Dec. 6. Julie Ingersoll, Professor of Religious Studies, University of North Florida This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. - Related video added by Juan Cole: 6K Shares Share Its 7 a.m. We sit down around a table in the physicians lounge to discuss and our patients. I am a general and critical care surgeon. Every fourth week Im on service for the ICU. This is my week. I was off over the weekend. Im refreshed and ready to go. Im excited. I enjoy the challenge of taking care of critically ill patients. I get sign out from my partner. It was a busy week for him. He is happy to be handing over the service. A patient was recently admitted to the ICU after a serious trauma that required an emergent operation. He is on the vent and is sick. There are other sick patients in the ICU, but he needs the most immediate attention. Multidisciplinary rounds start at 9 a.m. with this patient. I found it odd that no family member had been by to see this patient. As my week went by, this patient was slowly improving. Still, there was no family, no one showed up to see him. Our social worker was trying to find a next of kin, a parent, sibling, anyone that may know him. Nothing. We were approaching the end of the week. Despite his injuries, he had youth on his side. He was improving. I was feeling optimistic about him. He gets extubated. Sunday he gets transferred out of the ICU. Monday morning. My week is over. I sign out the patients in the morning and am on my way home. Im walking to my car as my pager goes off, its the floor, this patient has a visitor. His mother is at bedside and wants to talk to the doctor. I figured I knew him best, so I didnt turf this to my partner and went up to talk to her. Hi, Im Dr. Farnejad Im interrupted. Here stood an angry woman, unhappy with his care and yelling at everyone. Im threatened with violence, legal action, and deportation. Yes, deportation! I try to not let this bother me. This is the first time Ive seen this woman. This is the first time she has been in. Its understandable to be upset. I understand, no one wants to see their loved one hurt. I get it. Im understanding, trying to explain what has happened and where we need to go from here. This is not the first time this has happened to me. I remember another patient asking for another surgeon when he saw me and very politely said, I dont want a sand niggers hand in my body. I politely complied with his wishes and asked another surgeon to see him. I was dumbfounded then, and was dumbfounded again with this situation. There were no questions about the injury, no thank you for saving my sons life, no question about the care, just disapproval of everything including me and things about me that I cant change. But still, this was my patient. I felt a sense of responsibility. I tried, and tried: She wanted another doctor. OK, no problem. Ill have one of my partners come up to speak with you. Im off service anyway. Upon my departure, the situation deteriorates, and security escorts her out of the building. A few days later Im on call. I get a call that evening. His mother wants to talk to his doctor. What? Why is she allowed back in the hospital? How many times has she been escorted out by security? Does she know Im the one she wanted to deport? Yes, Im told by the nurse on the floor, but she still wants to talk to me. Im thinking to myself, at what point does it become the responsibility of the patient to pick a physician that fit their criteria for race and religion? Ridiculous that I have to ask this question, but it is what it is. Normally I would be happy to talk to a family member. The patient was recovering, seen daily by my partner and there were no acute issues going on with him. So I made my decision. I wasnt making a social visit. I wasnt going to put myself in that situation again. Physicians have embraced the idea of caring for all patients, regardless of who they might be or how they treat us. I had done all the appropriate things, complied with her wishes and asked one of my partners to see her son. There was nothing more I could do. When I seek out advice about this situation, everyone is quick to make light of it. The hospital is so concerned with patient satisfaction that they allowed this person who is openly hostile to the physicians and nursing staff to come back into the building after being escorted out by security on multiple occasions. What other profession would tolerate this? Why do doctors and nurses have to put up with this? Why arent threats against health care workers taken seriously? And ultimately, what is our obligation as physicians, nurses, and hospital staff in this situation? If the patient doesnt want a Brown, Black or Asian nurse or doctor, who is responsible for finding the health care provider that the patient approves of? These situations are difficult for doctors, but worse for nurses, aides, and other staff. Physicians experience such discrimination during our brief interaction on rounds; nursing, and other staff are in a particularly vulnerable position because they are in constant contact with patients and their families. If being subject to verbal abuse and threats of violence is accepted as part of the job because there is more concern about patient satisfaction, then the safety and well-being of physicians, nurses and other hospital staff, there is something really wrong with the system. I wish I could say this was an isolated event. Its not. And not that it matters, but Im an American citizen, born in Iran and have lived in the United States for the past 32 years. Farshad Farnejad is a trauma surgeon. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 132 Shares Share This summer, a controversial memo written by a Google employee was leaked to the public. Within the memo, the author James Damo, details how the biology of men produces a higher drive in status. Google quickly condemned the statements and fired Damo, citing their pledge to standup diversity within their company. And similarly, Denise Young Smith, Apples vice-president of diversity and inclusion, faced similar criticism for stating there can be 12 white, blue-eyed blonde men in a room, and they are going to be diverse too because theyre going to bring a different life experience and life perspective to the conversation. Biased views and practices from Silicon Valley should not come as a major shock we have known for some time that Silicon Valley has a serious gender and diversity deficit. And despite landmark research like Project Diane, there has been little accomplished by way of moving the needle. Current figures estimate that in some of the largest tech companies, women represent 25 percent, African Americans comprise merely 7 percent and Hispanics 8 percent of the total employee populations. When placing a magnifying glass on the field of digital health technology, similar diversity concerns are echoed. Following the lead of the industry, several digital health technology organizations have come forward discussing the lack of gender and racial diversity in the digital health technology field. Overall, however, little has been done to address this reality. These issues seem illogical in an industry that is rooted in the improved care of all patients. In fact, the foundational goals of digital health technology are to not only create more efficient and effective care delivery, but to increase the access and quality of care for all populations. And while there have been documented improvements in the access, quality and efficiencies of care for many patients, inequities persist. As a result, populations that traditionally face disparities continue to experience them. And in some instances these same inequities are exacerbated. This is not only morally wrong but jeopardizes the success of the industry. By not addressing inequities, some of the very reforms that underline digital health technology, like value-based payment policies, patient outcomes to the development of new AI technologies, risk limited effectiveness. While several inequities require interventions on a systemic level, increased diversity in the field can accelerate the innovation, design and delivery of tools necessary to shrink health disparities. Research shows that diverse teams in technology organizations are more likely to be intelligent and creative, perform better and are better at creating solutions for a diverse consumer base: all necessary components to solving some of the toughest health care and health equity challenges. There is some progress being made to improve the diversity of this field. Organizations like Health 2.0s TECHQuality is taking steps to close these gaps, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has launched their Culture of Health Program aimed at increasing diversity in health care, including digital health technology. However, these are just a few small steps in a field that is ripe and in need of true inclusion. The importance of diversity in our nations leading digital health technology companies cannot be understated. If we truly want to improve health care, it is important to have industry leaders, designers and creators be representative of all the perspectives, nuances, cultures, trends and needs of all members in the health communities they serve. Danielle J. Brooks is a policy and health innovation expert. She can be reached on Twitter @djeanbrooks. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 399 Shares Share I was nearing the end of my pediatrics rotation as a third-year medical student when the senior resident asked me to admit a patient to the general pediatrics floor. The only information I had as I headed down to the intensive care unit was that she was a ten-year-old girl who had survived an extensive resuscitation at home. By this point in my education, I was certain that I wanted to be a pediatrician. I had recently finished my internal medicine rotation. Fresh in my mind were hospitalized patients who were suffering from their past choices, like drug addiction and alcoholic cirrhosis. I had cared for a man who, as soon as he had recovered enough strength, would ask for a pass to go outside and smoke through his tracheostomy. I witnessed the drain on the health care system of long-term patients who required extensive medical and nursing care. I did not wish to choose a specialty where I would be treating non-compliant adults who chose not to help themselves. I was motivated to advocate for innocent children and to help teach them how to create healthy habits, so that perhaps they may avoid this fate. I entered a cramped room that was mostly filled by her hospital bed, which seemed to swallow up her small, frail body. She was alone. Where were her parents, I wondered? At once, I noticed that she had a tracheostomy and appeared to be sleeping. Her chart hung at the bedside. Reading it, I learned that she had suffered an event at birth that damaged her brain and had never walked or talked. She had been wheelchair-bound her whole life. One week prior, she was admitted to the PICU after a mucous plug blocked off her tracheostomy resulting in cardiopulmonary arrest. She survived a full resuscitation and recovered, presumably, to her prior baseline. I felt a mixture of surprising emotions as I looked upon her again. The first of these was a rapid flush of anger. Why? I thought. Why would a patient like this not have a DNR (do not resuscitate) order? Why would one prolong her tragic life? What of the cost to society for her care? What about the cost to her? She may be suffering in some way. What of the cost to her parents and their lives? Was this even ethical? Anger quickly turned into confusion. I was so at odds with the situation that I suddenly wondered: How could I become a pediatrician? How could I care for patients like this? How could I kindly and compassionately care for her parents in this situation? A sense of desperation came over me as my mind turned over the situation. Would I have to reconsider my beloved career choice? How do all of my inspiring pediatric attendings reconcile this? Putting the chart down, I took a deep breath and turned back to my patient. The only thing I could think to do was look closer. My anatomy professor taught me this. His class weeded out the majority of students who would never graduate. He was a tough professor who strove to teach us much more than anatomy. While other students complained about his toughness, I secretly appreciated him for it. I remember once, during a practical exam on the upper extremity, looking at a toothpick in a forearm through a small window of plastic, and what I saw did not make any sense to me. I hesitated was it OK to move the plastic and take a better look? Would I get into trouble? My precious minute was running out, so I lifted the plastic to investigate. In doing so, I could see that he had inverted and rotated the arm, and so what I was looking at was actually the opposite side. Right away, I knew the correct answer. I could have guessed based on what was initially right in front of me, but if I had, I wouldve been wrong. His point was twofold and well-taken. You have to learn to listen to and trust your own clinical intuition. If something doesnt seem to fit, it probably is incorrect and you must look closer, gather more information, and keep searching until you are confident you have the best answer. Her eyes were closed, her face calm. Her lips were dry and cracked, and her teeth yellowed with plaque. Her trach bubbled noisily with saliva. It was then that I noticed her soft blonde hair. Her mother, I presumed, had plaited it into two perfect French braids. Not a single strand was awry. They ended in delicate, lacy, pink ribbons tied into bows. Then her hands each dainty, tapered finger ended in a perfectly manicured nail, lovingly painted a shade of girly pink. It dawned on me unexpectedly this child means something to her mother. Despite her condition, she means the world to someone her mother, her father, her extended family. Suddenly, I understood. My fears that had gripped me just moments before vanished. I suddenly became aware that I had no frame of reference for this. I was not yet a mother, much less a mother of a medically complex child. In that moment, I clearly saw the reality of truly caring for patients, no matter what their circumstances. I was flooded with compassion. It was in that moment not when I later graduated from medical school that compassion was born, and I became a physician. Now after 15 years of practice and ten years of motherhood, I see every single patient in a fresh light. Each one is precious, regardless of their choices or situation. My work has become fulfilling in immeasurable ways. A child who never spoke, walked or was cognizant that she was alive gave me a precious gift that I try my utmost to give back to each of my patients in turn: a capacity for compassion that is boundless. Jo Ann Gates is a pediatrician. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 86 Shares Share Physicians reactions to ORBITA a blinded, randomized controlled trial (RCT) from Britain with a sham arm comparing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to placebo in patients with stable angina are as fascinating as the cardiac cycle. There were murmurs, kicks and pulsating jugulars. Though many claimed to be surprised and many unsurprised by the null results of the trial, the responses were predictably predictable. Some basked in playful schadenfreude, and some became defensive and bisferious. No shame in sham The coverage of the trial in the The New York Times was predictably jejune and hyperbolic. Predictably, the most nuanced and divergent viewpoints were curated by Larry Husten. Predictably, medical Twitter was set alight. The trial vindicated Vinay Prasad and Adam Cifu who predicted that PCI for stable angina will get placeboed in their popular book, Ending Medical Reversal. Prasad and Cifu are tireless advocates for using sham control trials to judge the true efficacy of procedures, such as PCI in relieving symptoms and reject the notion that invasive placebos are unethical. Theres no shame in sham, they say. They were right. The Objective Randomized Blinded Investigation With Optimal Medical Therapy in Stable Angina (ORBITA) is an impressive trial. It enrolled 230 patients with stable angina and single vessel stenosis greater than 70%. The vast majority had class 2 (59%) and class 3 (39%) angina. Majority of the patients, 70%, had LAD lesions. If you look in the appendix, which has pictures of catheter angiograms of all patients, youll see scary tight proximal LAD stenosis yes, even these patients had a 50% chance of getting sham. This takes balls. The trialists deserve applause, as do the Brits who volunteered. These were no snowflakes. Unsurprisingly, the first sham control trial of PCI for stable angina was not from the U.S. Some will blame the incentive structure which favors protectionism in the U.S. But consider other explanations Brits have become more frontier-spirited than the Americans, and American institutional review boards and regulators are more risk-averse than their European counterparts. Seven out of ninety-five patients in the sham arm faced major complications this was no ethical joke. The trial, designed to reduce panic in the participants, had a short, though long enough for symptoms to improve, follow-up period of six weeks. After a run-in of six weeks, in which the myocardium was pharmacologically armed to fight ischemia, patients were randomized to a drug-eluting stent (100), or a sham procedure in which a stent was all but deployed (95). The blinding was excellent. As an example, post procedure all patients got dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for a month. Patients in the placebo arm could have received fake DAPT, they would never have known, but the trialists, likely anticipating criticism from RCT purists that the placebo arm had an unfair advantage, kept the arms identical in every respect, except the deployment of a stent. Endpoints The primary endpoint was changed in exercise time between baseline, but after the run-in, and six weeks after the procedure. The trial asked: does PCI improve exercise time over placebo after six weeks of medical therapy? The mean increase in exercise time (ET) was 28 and 12 seconds in the PCI and placebo groups, respectively. The difference between the two groups of 16 seconds was not statistically significant the probability of getting this difference assuming the null hypothesis that there is no difference between PCI and placebo is true was 20%, which is higher than the scriptural 5%. Because the null results of a trial of a widely adopted procedure, which some believe is the poster child of overtreatment are so consequential, ORBITA faces an unusual though not unreasonable scrutiny. The researchers used objective secondary endpoints to see if opening the blocked artery reduced ischemia, notably wall motion on dobutamine stress echo. The way dobutamine stress works is that the heart faces higher and higher doses of dobutamine, which makes the heart work harder and harder dobutamine is like cracking the whip on trireme oarsmen. The idea is that the myocardial wall supplied by a stenotic coronary artery eventually buckles under pressure a form of confession under torture. A better choice might have been myocardial perfusion scintigraphy which measures the perfusion reserve of the myocardium its more sensitive than dobutamine stress echo for ischemia, more easily quantifiable, a sharper instrument for small changes, and would more reliably have captured the ischemic reversal from PCI. The researchers measured the fractional flow reserve (FFR), a physiological method of quantifying the severity of coronary stenosis in which pressures on either side of a stenosis are measured. The more the pressure drops across a stenosis, the more significant the stenosis. The mean FFR increased from 0.69 to 0.9 in the PCI group, indicating procedural success, though not necessarily a treatment effect. The standard deviation reduced from 0.16 to 0.06 the technical success was uniform. Power: Modest expectations with great hopes The main criticism was that the trial was underpowered. The power of a test the probability of detecting that PCI improves symptoms beyond placebo when it truly does traditionally 80%, determines the sample size. To say a study is underpowered is to say that the sample size is insufficient, though power is meaningless without specifying the effect size. The effect size is an assumption made by trialists. As a general rule, the larger the effect size, the smaller the sample size required to prove the effect this is obvious. What may be less obvious is that researchers have an incentive to overestimate effect so that the trial need recruit fewer patients, costs less and can be completed sooner. As I have quipped before, the principle aim of principal investigators of RCTs isnt seeking the truth, but accruing patients to meet the sample size so they can get on with publishing their paper. However, the ORBITA investigators didnt overestimate the effect of PCI. The literature suggests improvement in exercise times as high as 96 seconds for PCI over medical therapy and 45 seconds for medical therapy over placebo. The researchers assumed an effect size of 30 seconds. The researchers could have flattered PCI by a legitimately larger estimation this would have reduced their sample size. Instead, they had lower expectations of PCI, allowing PCI to prove itself more easily. Further, the researchers assumed a between patient standard deviation of 75 seconds, meaning that they were expecting wild success stories. The sample size was 200 patients, which doesnt sound like many, but the famed ACME trial, which showed that stents work in stable angina, had a sample size of 212. Quagmire of frequentist statistics However, something very interesting happened which gets to the belly of the trial and the Achilles heel of the measuring instrument in stable angina. At baseline, the mean ET was 38 seconds higher in the PCI than placebo group. Though this is chance having a laugh, it doesnt mean that the study was underpowered. That the between-group difference in mean ET is greater than the effect size means that were in the event horizon of frequentist statistics. Now look at the standard deviation of ET, which is 179 seconds and 195 seconds at baseline, and 179 second and 191 seconds at follow-up for the PCI and placebo groups, respectively. With standard deviations six times the anticipated effect size, it means were dealing with considerable heterogeneity, or spread in the population called stable angina. One consequence of heterogeneity is that two groups can differ in baseline characteristics by chance alone. Of note, and again this is chance ruining the parade, the mean angina duration is 9.5 months in the PCI group and 8.4 months in the placebo group the difference is small, but the standard deviations are a whopping 15.7 months in the former, and 7.5 months in the latter. Basically, theres a bit of a spread. Stable angina is no cultural monolith whether its a melting pot or salad bowl is debatable, though I favor salad bowl. Is the 38 seconds-difference in baseline ET between the two groups clinically significant? The tempting answer is yes because the difference is greater than the effect size. I dont think the difference in baseline ET is clinically significant, because for it to be significant wed have to assume, in the clinical significance of ET, non-linearity, which I think exists, and also that the accelerating slope of non-linearity lies between an ET of 490 and 528 seconds, the mean ETs at baseline for placebo and PCI groups, respectively. A simpler way of saying this mean ETs of both 8 minutes 10 seconds (placebo) and 8 minutes 48 seconds (PCI) are pretty damn good, at least according to the cardiologists Ive spoken to. But I do think that the heterogeneity points to something important. The large standard deviation in ET should make us cautious of generalizing the results, because not all generalizations are equal. The mean ET in PCI group is 8 minutes 48 seconds. One standard deviation, which includes 68% of sample, includes ETs between 5 minutes 49 seconds and 11 minutes 47 seconds. Two standard deviations, which includes 95% of sample, include ETs between 2 minutes 50 seconds and 14 minutes 26 seconds. Dont quibble about the bounds I know the variance is unequal. I know the assumption, a big assumption, is that ETs have a normal distribution. I know that theres little to learn, prognostically, beyond 10 minutes of exercise. But my point is this: A patient with an ET of 5 minutes 49 seconds, i.e., low exercise capacity, has more to gain from PCI, indeed just more to gain than a patient with an ET of 8 minutes 48 seconds. And a patient with ET of 8 minutes 10 seconds doesnt have much more, if at all more, to gain than a patient with ET of 8 minutes 48 seconds. This is the law of diminishing returns lower the baseline ET, the more there is to gain. And the point Im making is that the difference in the mean ET at baseline between the two groups isnt significant whats significant is the spread. This is also to say that the mean baseline ET of both the placebo and PCI groups are an enviable ET. Indeed, many cardiologists have been unable to reconcile a mean ET of 8 minutes and the fact that 40% of patients in the trial have class 3 angina. Recall, in class 3 angina patients cant walk up a flight of steps at normal pace without limitations. There are a couple of explanations. First, the people who volunteered for the trial, indubitably brave, mostly werent terribly perturbed by their symptoms which is why they volunteered. That is the placebo nature of the trial selected the lowest risk patients, de facto. Of note, 83/ 368, one-in-five deemed eligible, declined participation. The second explanation is that the correlation between class of angina and ET isnt perfect, and many patients who know they have narrowed coronary arteries underestimate what they can actually do, a sort of negative placebo effect, though ORBITA is not uniquely afflicted by this disconnect. There is another problem with ET. Though a continuous variable, making it sound like temperature, pressure or height, its a lumpy metric. This is because there are many reasons for stopping an exercise test some honestly objective, like depression of ST segment on ECG and others variably subjective such as development of angina or fatigue. Theres asymmetry about the mean also in lumpiness. If you can make 10 minutes on the treadmill your chances in life are pretty good. If you stop at 2 minutes 50 seconds, it could be the angina, the arthritis, the fatigue, or that you just cant be bothered to plough on. To slightly paraphrase Tolstoy, all ETs greater than 8 minutes are alike (happy prognosis) and all ETs less than 6 minutes are unhappy in their own way. Quid est veritas? That there is a placebo effect in PCI for stable angina is not in doubt the question is how much. To believe that PCI is entirely placebo is just as wrong as believing theres no placebo. Though placebo has sent ligation of the internal mammary artery (IMA) and transmyocardial laser revascularization to the graveyard, a similar fate for PCI for angina would be unfair not least because PCI is more bioplausible (a term thats getting unfair flak these days) than IMA ligation. Further, PCI has proven itself to be at least as good as medical therapy in the COURAGE trial. Ironically, in the same issue of the Lancet a trial found that drug eluting stents have better outcomes than bare metal stents in elderly patients as both devices had a placebo component, and the placebo effect canceled each other out, its fair to say that stents do work in some patients. There are two questions: Does the trial favor or penalize PCI in its design or statistical analysis? Are the protocols and patients from the trial generalizable? The medical therapy in the run-in period certainly took the wind out of the sails of PCI, perhaps by 45 seconds. Most patients were started on three anti-anginal agents rather rapidly. Though cardiologists would better comment, this does strike me as unrealistic in practice. The level of vigilance was high and the patients spoke to the cardiologists several times a week which is more care than even private patients in the U.K. get and is the care one expects from a concierge practice in San Francisco. Suffice to say, theres placebo in vigilance. And if this degree of vigilance were the standard of care the NHS would implode. As I alluded, the patient population, either because theyre explicitly brave or subtly low risk, may not be generalizable. The researchers used drug eluting stents, so it cant be said that the best option for PCI was foregone. 29% of patients had FFR > 0.8 a group that might not have been revascularized in real practice settings. The statistical analysis was two-tailed not unusual but it assumes that PCI could either be better or worse than placebo. To make it clear the carrier of placebo is unlikely to be worse than placebo at symptom-relief. Think about it, its illogical to believe otherwise. Frequentism means that ORBITA is a null test and, as the accompanying editorial implied, we should start hammering the last nail in the coffin of PCI for stable angina. A wise Bayesian might disagree. The treatment effect is 16 seconds that is PCI increased exercise time 16 seconds more than placebo. The 95% confidence interval is 8.9 to 42 seconds Im going to ignore the negative numbers, because they mean that PCI worsened the ET compared to placebo and, as I mentioned before, thats just silly non-judgmentalism. Also relevant is that the Duke Treadmill score the higher the better improved by 1.12. This, too, was struck down by the gods of statistical significance because the p value was 0.10. Statistical significance was designed to catch BS. Its not designed to select the right patients. Given the choppy nature of ET as a metric and likely non-linearity in ET, its fair to deduce that nearly all the true effect came from the patients flung on the left side of the mean, further to the left meaning lower ET and greater the gain from PCI. Whereas the patients on the right side of the mean that is with ETs greater than 8 minutes were least affected by PCI. Thus, its not unreasonable to deduce that in the lower quartiles of ET, an improvement of 42 seconds in ET, or even more, can be imparted by PCI. Keep calm and carry on stenting, judiciously ORBITA and COURAGE arent death knells of PCI for stable angina. But they rightly question the incontinent adoption of PCI for stable angina. However, the matter isnt easily resolved. Its arguable, plausible, though not provable that because PCI was used so widely for stable angina, the interventional cardiology community grew large enough to offer rapid door-to-balloon times in acute myocardial infarctions. That stents in stable angina are a classic example of the less sick saving the lives of the more sick, indirectly. Its possible that my conjecture is wrong but unlikely. ORBITA was designed to succeed. The beauty of its design isnt that it mirrors real life practice but that it internalizes the clinical uncertainties cardiologists face. The duration of the run-in and follow-up gives an idea of the duration in which medical therapy should be encouraged and actively pursued. It also suggests that in patients with an exercise time greater than eight minutes, medical therapy should be pursued with the greatest vigor many cardiologists say, but we already knew that. If this knowledge is so widespread then perhaps the AHA/ACC should relegate this specific group of patients to a lower division in its guidelines for PCI for stable angina. Heres a suggested algorithm for stable angina: cardiac CT to exclude left main disease, optimal medical therapy for a short burst if symptoms improve and patients are happy, great. Of note: in 39/230 patients, symptoms resolved after medical therapy. If symptoms dont improve exercise test. If patient can manage more than 8 minutes, pat them on the back, and reassure that medical therapy is the way to go, and recommend a trip to Bryce Canyon. If patient does less than 6 minutes send the patient to a FFR-driven interventional cardiologist. Crucially, patients determine the intractability of their symptoms, and physicians determine the tractability of treatment. The dialectic between them is shared decision making. Still, judgment is paramount, because its easy for a patient to be free from angina simply by restricting physical activity, which would be self-defeating. Theres a school of thought which says that unless patients know the true treatment effect of PCI they cant make an informed decision. This premise gets you into endless rabbit holes. The obvious retort is that the aggregate doesnt apply to any one patient and judgment is necessary, which leads to an intractable argument about burden of proof, philosophy of science, and epistemology. Im partial to facts, but quantitative truths have diminishing returns. There are two points to make here: First, its important to clarify the harms of PCI the Lancet editorial quoted mortality of 0.65%. It also quoted rates of myocardial infarction and renal injury after PCI of 15% and 13%, respectively, which strike me as being more reflective of overdiagnosis of these conditions. Many interventional cardiologists struck back at these numbers saying the mortality from PCI is as low as 0.23%. Its just as important to not exaggerate the harms of PCI as it is to not exaggerate the benefits of PCI. Perhaps the interventional cardiologists can write a joint piece with the Lancet editorialists about the true harms of elective PCI in stable angina. The second point is that I doubt many patients ask about the true treatment effect in quantitative terms, I mean. What does an improvement in ET of 42 seconds even mean? It means jack shit to me, and, allegedly, I have a little knowledge about this topic. Patients want to know two questions. WILL PCI make me feel better? CAN PCI make me feel better? The answer to the second question is, no doubt, yes. How one answers the first question is the crux of the debate. Hope is a placebo and is most in need when other treatment options have failed. An interventional cardiologist who doesnt believe in stenting cant offer hope. The best doctors may be the ones with the highest placebo. Acknowledgments Insights for this piece were derived from several Tweeps, including Anish Koka, Vinay Prasad, Anupam Singh, David Brown, John Mandrola, Robert Yeh, Frank Harrell and Eric Topol. My opinions, as always, are my own. Saurabh Jha is a radiologist and can be reached on Twitter @RogueRad. This article originally appeared in the Health Care Blog. Image credit: Shutterstock.com The Herald reports: Defence minister Ron Mark was specifically told he was breaking all the rules wearing his military medals but went ahead and did so anyway. Documents show Mark was told on October 27 just after being sworn in as Minister of Defence that his rack of medals was a breach of protocol and rules. The NZ First deputy leader went on wearing his medals until November 15 when the Herald revealed he was in breach of the regulations governing decorations. This is a significant revelation. Its one thing for the Minister of Defence to unwittingly break the rules around the wearing of military medals. It is quite another for him to do it deliberately. The former is a mistake. The latter is arrogance. In the 20 days since Mark learned his medals were a breach of the Crowns rules on decorations and honours, he wore them while standing in front of veterans, next to the Chief of Defence Force, with foreign leaders and while inspecting troops. NZ First leader Winston Peters is asking why Mark didnt simply follow the instructions he was given. Mark isnt offering any answers. He did not respond to requests for an interview and did not answer questions. A spokesman said: This matter has now been dealt with and we consider it closed. What on earth was he thinking? If the honours expert at DPMC contacts your office to say your medals are wrongly displayed, why would you just ignore them? They even helpfully told him what he needs to do to conform, but again he just carried on. The fact Peters is commenting publicly on this is interesting. It is well known Peters wants Shane Jones to succeed him as leader, and the stepping stone for the leadership is Deputy Leader which Ron Mark is. If I was Ron Mark Id be very nervous about Winstons comments. The documents show Marks office was alerted over the medals issue by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet the day after he was sworn in. It had been the subject of a conversation between a NZ Defence Force lieutenant colonel working in Marks office as a private secretary and an expert working in DPMCs honours secretariat. Good old DPMC. They are very good at spotting problems early on. But for some reason the Minister just ignored their advice that he was breaching the very rules that he as Minister of Defence is responsible for. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr By Lee Min-hyung With Apple agreeing to pay $15.4 billion (16.84 trillion won) in back taxes in Ireland, all eyes are on whether the iPhone maker will make a similar decision in other territories including Korea where the company operates businesses. The decision comes amid intensifying pressure from the European Union (EU), which has called for Ireland to stop lowering tax rates for international companies, in what it says will invite more companies to use the country as a tax shelter. The EU brought the government of Ireland to the European Court of Justice, urging the country to retrieve uncollected taxes from Apple. According to overseas reports, Monday, Apple reached an agreement to pay the back-taxes to the government of Ireland as early as next year. This tax-dodging scheme by a group of multinational IT companies has long been one of the hot potatoes in the global tech world. The iPhone maker is also under fire in Korea for not making public its tax-paying data, citing its status as a limited liability company here which is not subject to revealing its tax-related information to the Korean authorities. Market insiders, however, voiced pessimism over the chance that Apple will shift its years-long business strategies here due to the latest EU crackdown. "Korean tax-collecting authorities and a group of lawmakers have long called for the need to change the current local legal system to stop Apple Korea's alleged tax evasion, but no specific progress has so far been made," an electronics industry source said, asking for anonymity. "Possibly-ensuing political and economic pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump is the key reason why Korea may not be able to push ahead with such a hard-line posture shown by the EU. Chances are slim that the country will suddenly intensify its regulatory pressure on the company at a time when economic ties between the two countries remain murky." Another official from the mobile phone industry said, aside from the government's efforts, the local subsidiary of the U.S.-based tech giant will not change its years-long business practices in Korea simply because of the latest decision from the Ireland. "If the company had been serious about the tax-related disputes, the company would have complied with requests and calls from regulatory bodies here even a few years ago when it started its business here," the source said. "But nothing has so far changed. On top of that, a group of multinational info-tech companies operating businesses here know how to take advantage of legal loopholes here by signing contracts with the nation's top law firms." Q: I was the checking the laws and noticed that Idaho Code 49-709 reads that people are not allowed to solicit rides or money. Why is this law not enforced? I see people asking for money all the time. -Pete A: Before I answer, this is what the code reads: (1) No person shall stand on a highway for the purpose of soliciting a ride. (2) No person shall stand on a highway for the purpose of soliciting employment, business or contributions from the occupant of any vehicle, provided however, that a person may stand on a highway other than a state or federal highway to solicit contributions if authorized to do so in writing by the local authority having jurisdiction over the highway, and provided further, that any such authorization shall not be valid for more than one year from the date of issuance. The loophole here is that the code only refers to state or federal roads. If the city or county approves it, then it is legal to solicit money or even rides as long as it is not on federal or state roads. I have seen solicitors usually at the entrances to stores. The owners of that property can request that those people leave the property or be charged with trespassing. I would add that you or anybody else could cite anybody seen on a state or federal highway violating Idaho Code 49-709. Q: If a person knows of a felony crime that was committed and who committed it but did not report it, could that person get into trouble? By the way it is not me. Scott A: Yes, that person would be an accessory and in violation of Idaho Code 18-205 which reads; All persons are accessories who, having knowledge that a felony has been committed: (1) Willfully withhold or conceal it from a peace officer, judge, magistrate, grand jury or trial jury; or (2) Harbor and protect a person who committed such felony or who has been charged with or convicted thereof. Punishment is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison not exceeding five years, or by fine not exceeding $50,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment. It is better here to come forward and tell authorities what you or anybody else knows if a felony was witnessed. Officer down Im thrilled to report that as of time of submission there were no officers down to report this week. Have a question for Policemandan? Email your question(s) to policemandan@cableone.net or look for Ask Policemandan on Facebook and click the like button. Mail to: Box 147, Heyburn, Idaho 83336 May 1, 2021, 12 PM This 1960 international registered cover, franked with a single United States $5 Alexander Hamilton stamp (Scott 1053), sold for $5,550 Dec. 1 on eBay. The winning bidder outlasted five other collectors to acquire it for his display-class exhibit on the l About three weeks before the $5 Liberty solo cover to Switzerland sold for more than $5,000, this 1962 registered $5 Liberty solo use to Calgary, Alberta, attracted just one bid on eBay, selling for a modest $400. The sender was well-known Boston stamp de By Charles Snee A registered cover franked with a single United States $5 Alexander Hamilton stamp sent in 1960 from Detroit, Mich., to Lucerne, Switzerland, sold for $5,550 Dec. 1 on eBay. Six bidders placed a total of 49 bids for the cover bearing the top denomination (Scott 1053) in the 1954-73 Liberty series of definitive (regular-issue) stamps. A single mute double-outline oval handstamp ties the stamp to the cover. Handstamps on the back indicate the parcel was mailed from Detroit June 2, 1960, and arrived in Lucerne a quick four days later, on June 6. Dealer Danny Handelman of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, who sells on eBay under the moniker deh3, started his 10-day auction with an opening bid of $99.99. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter It didnt take long for aficionados of Liberty postal history to begin expressing their interest. About three hours after the auction opened Nov. 21, the first bidder raised the digital paddle for $100. And thats were it stood until a flurry of bids Nov. 25-26 drove the price north of $1,000. By Nov. 29, the top bid stood at an even $2,000. Nineteen hours passed before a new player jumped in Nov. 30 with what would turn out to be the winning bid. Because the auction had not yet closed, that top bid simply advanced the $2,000 bid one $50 increment, to $2,050. The collector who placed that $2,000 bid then began feeling out the top bidder, placing 17 bids that drove the price to $3,500 about five hours before the auction close. At this point, the minimum bid stood at $3,550 (one $50 advance over $3,500). In a dramatic finish six seconds before the close, another collector placed an unsuccessful snipe bid of $5,450, which pushed the final realization to $5,550. Handelman cleared a very handsome profit on the cover because it originally came from a bulk assortment he bought on eBay in August 2017 for slightly more than $12 almost $10 of which was the shipping fee the U.S. dealer charged to mail the lot. The multiple images of the lot revealed that [the $5 Hamilton cover] was the only interesting item in the lot, Handelman told Linns. As it turns out, the new owner of the cover, Jack Congrove of Washington state, acquired it for his large gold medal-winning, display-class exhibit of Alexander Hamilton, whom he has long admired. I have been looking for a nice commercial usage of the $5 Hamilton stamp on cover for some time, Congrove told Linns. The solo usage is a bonus. I have examples used on bank tags, which are relatively common. Congrove, who was alerted to Handelmans eBay auction via a collector friend in Oregon, told Linns he was prepared to pay more than the realized price of $5,550. A 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army, Congrove brings a soldiers discipline to his online bidding. I have purchased many items on eBay and have found that if you are seriously interested in acquiring something, do not try to be cheap about it, he wrote via email Dec. 3. I bid the maximum amount I am willing to pay. If someone else beats my bid, more power to them. In a follow-up telephone conversation with Linns Dec. 4, Congrove demurred when asked to reveal the exact amount of his maximum bid. However, he did say that he bid more than the $7,000 value assigned to a $5 Hamilton single franking on a registered cover listed in the 2018 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers. Through an eclectic selection of items including period newspapers and letters written when Hamilton was U.S. treasury secretary, Congroves exhibit tells the story of the statesmans life and his impact on the fledgling United States. Congrove plans to show the exhibit including the $5 Hamilton cover at the American Philatelic Society and American Topical Associations joint national exhibition in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 9-12, 2018. Despite Congroves steely resolve to acquire the cover, at least one Liberty series specialist was surprised when it didnt sell for more. Roland Austin of Oklahoma, the owner of another $5 Liberty solo on cover, is chair of the Liberty Series Committee of the United States Stamp Society. I expected it to realize a much higher amount, Austin told Linns just hours after the auction concluded. Nonetheless, Austin acknowledged that the hammer price does indicate just how healthy the market is for quality Liberty series covers. With eBay, it just depends on when an item is listed so that the right collectors happen to see it to compete and bring out a more accurate buying price, he said. To illustrate his point, Austin drew Linns attention to yet another new $5 Liberty solo cover, which sold on eBay Nov. 8 for just $400. I saw it, expecting there to be a huge bidding war over it, Austin said. But the expected fight never materialized, and just one bidder jumped in to purchase the cover. Shown here front and back, it is a small 6-size envelope sent via registered mail from Boston to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This cover, too, has a whiff of the philatelic about it because the sender was none other than H.E. Harris & Co. According to Linns census of $5 Liberty covers, Congroves is the fourth solo, nonbusiness reply postage-due use to come to light. The four postage-due uses bear single $5 Hamilton stamps and are known as top-of-the-stack covers. Strictly speaking, Congroves cover is not a pure commercial (nonphilatelic) use because the German word for stamps, briefmarken, is written below the addressees name. One possible breakdown of the postage required at the time it was mailed in 1960 is as follows: 50 registry fee and $4.50 postage for a 15-ounce parcel at 15 per half ounce. However, the covers overall condition suggests that it didnt contain bulky and/or heavy items that weighed in at just under 1 pound. Rather, its probable that the required postage was noticeably less than $5. The sender simply used the $5 Hamilton stamp as a convenience and, perhaps, as a philatelic favor to the recipient. Otto Blattler, the sender, likely was a stamp collector or dealer, but Linns could not find direct evidence of this. According to the American Philatelic Society, he was not a member at the time the cover was mailed. Austins $5 Liberty solo cover, which Linns reported for the first time in the May 29, 2000, issue, also may be considered philatelic because the sender was New York dealer Jovan Jovanovich. That cover was mailed in April 1961 from New York City to Kipushi, Kantanga, Africa. In a twist of irony, the original finder of the Jovanovich cover also paid next to nothing for it. He fished it from a dealers cover box at a show in Brussels, Belgium, for the equivalent of $1.10. Austin told Linns he purchased the cover for a four-figure sum about eight years ago. The first $5 Hamilton cover was discovered in late 1997. Linns broke the news of the find on the front page of its Dec. 22, 1997, issue. Since that time, about 20 covers have been located, according to records kept at Linns. Of these, six are commercial registered bank covers, including the earliest-documented use cover Linns reported Sept. 9, 2013. The EDU cover is a No. 10-size 3 George Washington stamped envelope franked with a single $5 Hamilton stamp, a pair of 40 John Marshall stamps (Scott 1050a) and a single 5 James Monroe stamp (1038). Four of the registered bank covers are addressed to the Fort Worth National Bank in Fort Worth, Texas. Three of the four Fort Worth Bank covers are known to have been purchased from the R.E. Wallace Stamp & Coin Co. in Fort Worth. In August 1999, one of the six registered commercial covers sold at auction for $7,762. It is addressed to the Wildey Savings Bank in Boston and is the only known small (6-size) domestic cover bearing a solo $5 Hamilton stamp. This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Forget about today's modest incremental advances in artificial intelligence, such as the increasing abilities of cars to drive themselves. Waiting in the wings might be a groundbreaking development: a machine that is aware of itself and its surroundings, and that could take in and process massive amounts of data in real time. It could be sent on dangerous missions, into space or combat. In addition to driving people around, it might be able to cook, clean, do laundry and even keep humans company when other people aren't nearby. A particularly advanced set of machines could replace humans at literally all jobs. That would save humanity from workaday drudgery, but it would also shake many societal foundations. A life of no work and only play may turn out to be a dystopia. Conscious machines would also raise troubling legal and ethical problems. Would a conscious machine be a "person" under law and be liable if its actions hurt someone, or if something goes wrong? To think of a more frightening scenario, might these machines rebel against humans and wish to eliminate us altogether? If yes, they represent the culmination of evolution. As a professor of electrical engineering and computer science who works in machine learning and quantum theory, I can say that researchers are divided on whether these sorts of hyperaware machines will ever exist. There's also debate about whether machines could or should be called "conscious" in the way we think of humans, and even some animals, as conscious. Some of the questions have to do with technology; others have to do with what consciousness actually is. Is awareness enough? Most computer scientists think that consciousness is a characteristic that will emerge as technology develops. Some believe that consciousness involves accepting new information, storing and retrieving old information and cognitive processing of it all into perceptions and actions. If that's right, then one day machines will indeed be the ultimate consciousness. They'll be able to gather more information than a human, store more than many libraries, access vast databases in milliseconds and compute all of it into decisions more complex, and yet more logical, than any person ever could. On the other hand, there are physicists and philosophers who say there's something more about human behavior that cannot be computed by a machine. Creativity, for example, and the sense of freedom people possess don't appear to come from logic or calculations. Yet these are not the only views of what consciousness is, or whether machines could ever achieve it. Quantum views Another viewpoint on consciousness comes from quantum theory, which is the deepest theory of physics. According to the orthodox Copenhagen Interpretation, consciousness and the physical world are complementary aspects of the same reality. When a person observes, or experiments on, some aspect of the physical world, that person's conscious interaction causes discernible change. Since it takes consciousness as a given and no attempt is made to derive it from physics, the Copenhagen Interpretation may be called the "big-C" view of consciousness, where it is a thing that exists by itself although it requires brains to become real. This view was popular with the pioneers of quantum theory such as Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schrodinger. The interaction between consciousness and matter leads to paradoxes that remain unresolved after 80 years of debate. A well-known example of this is the paradox of Schrodinger's cat, in which a cat is placed in a situation that results in it being equally likely to survive or die and the act of observation itself is what makes the outcome certain. The opposing view is that consciousness emerges from biology, just as biology itself emerges from chemistry which, in turn, emerges from physics. We call this less expansive concept of consciousness "little-C." It agrees with the neuroscientists' view that the processes of the mind are identical to states and processes of the brain. It also agrees with a more recent interpretation of quantum theory motivated by an attempt to rid it of paradoxes, the Many Worlds Interpretation, in which observers are a part of the mathematics of physics. Philosophers of science believe that these modern quantum physics views of consciousness have parallels in ancient philosophy. Big-C is like the theory of mind in Vedanta in which consciousness is the fundamental basis of reality, on par with the physical universe. Little-C, in contrast, is quite similar to Buddhism. Although the Buddha chose not to address the question of the nature of consciousness, his followers declared that mind and consciousness arise out of emptiness or nothingness. Big-C and scientific discovery Scientists are also exploring whether consciousness is always a computational process. Some scholars have argued that the creative moment is not at the end of a deliberate computation. For instance, dreams or visions are supposed to have inspired Elias Howes 1845 design of the modern sewing machine, and August Kekule's discovery of the structure of benzene in 1862. A dramatic piece of evidence in favor of big-C consciousness existing all on its own is the life of self-taught Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, who died in 1920 at the age of 32. His notebook, which was lost and forgotten for about 50 years and published only in 1988, contains several thousand formulas, without proof in different areas of mathematics, that were well ahead of their time. Furthermore, the methods by which he found the formulas remain elusive. He himself claimed that they were revealed to him by a goddess while he was asleep. The concept of big-C consciousness raises the questions of how it is related to matter, and how matter and mind mutually influence each other. Consciousness alone cannot make physical changes to the world, but perhaps it can change the probabilities in the evolution of quantum processes. The act of observation can freeze and even influence atoms' movements, as Cornell physicists proved in 2015. This may very well be an explanation of how matter and mind interact. Mind and self-organizing systems It is possible that the phenomenon of consciousness requires a self-organizing system, like the brain's physical structure. If so, then current machines will come up short. Scholars don't know if adaptive self-organizing machines can be designed to be as sophisticated as the human brain; we lack a mathematical theory of computation for systems like that. Perhaps it's true that only biological machines can be sufficiently creative and flexible. But then that suggests people should or soon will start working on engineering new biological structures that are, or could become, conscious. Subhash Kak, Regents Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Oklahoma State University This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. If you are an avid fan of manga, then the name Yukito Kishiro, will most definitely not sound alien to you. Japanese manga artist, Kishiro, needs no introduction. After all, he is the man who gave us classics like 'Kikai' and 'Battle Angel Alita'. If you are still scratching your heads wondering what's so special about the ones mentioned above or what is manga in the first place, trust me folks, you are missing out on one of the best things in the world. Don't worry guys, Hollywood has decided to take care of the former part, i.e. introducing you to one of Kishiro's critically acclaimed manga series, by turning it into a movie adaptation. With the names like James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez associated with it, we can already imagine how kickass the movie is going to be. In fact, this bomb of a trailer dropped by 20th Century Fox proves that we are not wrong. 20th Century Fox Set in the 26th century, this movie revolves around Alita, an amnesiac female cyborg, who was rescued from a scrapyard by Dr. Ido (played by Christoph Waltz). Alita has no memory of her past or why she is so special. How she eventually unravels her past, while beating the shit out of vicious criminals and evil forces, weaves the rest of the story.Don't get deceived by her looks. She might look like a doll or a harmless cyborb, but her badassery shows how deadly this woman can be for her enemies. Check out the trailer here. Had it been an animated movie, we would not have raised our eyebrows or felt weird about our protagonist's facial features particularly her haunting eyes. Honestly, throughout the trailer it was very hard to look away from her eyes, not because it was love at first sight or something, but because they were unimaginably BIG. Let's give a shout out to the VFX team of this movie, who turned a real life actress into a spitting image of an animated character. We couldn't believe our eyes either and would have continued considering her an animated character, had we not come across the credits. The character of Alita (who looks like an anime character) is played by Rosa Salazar, who was made to look like a cyborg, thanks to the use CGI. Maybe, it's an intentional choice to remind people throughout the movie that she is not human. Well, at least Salazar was in safe hands and not the ones who spent $25 million to airbrush Henry Superman Cavill's moustache that made him look like Shrek's white brother. 20th Century Fox Robert Rodriguez, who has earlier given us classics like 'Sin City', 'Machete', 'Spy Kids' and 'From Dusk till Dawn', will put on the director's hat for this project that has been in talks for more than a decade now. James Cameron, who was earlier helming the movie before taking up 'Avatar', will now take on the role of the producer. 'Alita: Battle Angel' also stars Eiza Gonzalez, Jennifer Connelly, Michelle Rodriguez, Mahershala Ali and Casper Van Dien. The bug-eyedsorrywe mean 'big-eyed' heroine is coming to blow yours minds away on July 20, 2018. It's not everyday that you get to read about fascinating tales of people who struggled their way in life and yet triumphed it with their hardwork. Barnana Yadagiri is also one stellar and inspiring example of sheer brilliance. Facebook His father is a labourer who struggled all his life to make ends meet and earned less than Rs. 160 in a day. But that didn't hinder Barnana's dream to achieve what he wanted in his life. He managed to get admission into the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore and even secured a cushiony job in the United States! You'd think that is everything what a person struggling with finances could wish for, right? But little did his father know that his hero had decided to serve his nation over spilling his bank accounts with big bucks. The most beautiful part is that Barnana's father had no idea that his son was becoming an Amy officer until the day of the passing out parade. BCCL Barnana Yadagiri was always a hard working soul. He completed his engineering from IIT Hyderabad, managed a stellar score of 93.4 in the CAT exam, got through IIM Indore and even secured a job with the Union Pacific Rail Road, a US-based company. He gave all of this up for his dream to fight for his country. In an interview with TOI, he explained, I have seen days when my father earned only Rs 60 after a day's hard work and my mother who is afflicted with polio clean office tables to make both ends meet. Despite having seen such financial hardships, he says he was never tempted by money. "I had the option of sticking to the corporate world and making a lot of money but that was not where my heart lay. The kind of mental satisfaction one gets by working for the motherland cannot be replaced by any amount of money." On being asked about his immediate thoughts after joining the armed forces, he said, the basic character of hard work is already there in my genes. I will ensure that I fulfil my duties in a manner that makes the country proud by working in the defence research and development stream." Here's wishing this hero all the luck in his endeavours! The nation needs more men like him. The Twin Falls County Sheriffs Office is asking that anyone having information, please call 735-1911 or Crime Stoppers at 732-5387 where you can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward. The Air Force plans to upgrade a combat controller's Bronze Star Medal to a Silver Star for exemplary action while engaged in combat in Afghanistan in 2006. Chief Master Sgt. Michael R. West, assigned to the 720th Operational Support Squadron, will receive the Silver Star, the military's third-highest valor award, during a ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Florida, on Dec. 15, Air Force Special Operations Command said in a release. West was originally awarded the Bronze Star in 2007. "West will be honored for his role in securing the safety of 51 Special Forces Soldiers and 33 coalition partners during a five-day offensive operation in support of Operation Medusa," the release said. Related: "Over the period of five days and two climactic battles, West delivered more than 24,000 pounds of precision ordnance credited with more than 500 enemy killed in action," AFSOC said. His upgrade comes as a result of a comprehensive Defense Department-wide review of awards from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even though the Air Force announced eight valor upgrades in totality this year, new evidence shed light on West's case, 24th Special Operations Wing spokeswoman 1st Lt. Jaclyn Pienkowski told Military.com. "With time, additional statements were provided that more completely captured Chief West's actions during Operation Medusa," Pienkowski said. "Once the package was complete, the Air Force considered totality of his actions and deemed the appropriate award to be a Silver Star Medal." "During this process, the Air Force was committed to properly recognizing our service members for their service, actions and sacrifices, and that those valorous service members were recognized at the appropriate level. It was important to ensure the award package was complete when it was reviewed," she said. West, a master sergeant at the time, was involved in two dynamic battles over five days within the Panjwai Village, according to his official award citation. West was a Joint Terminal Attack Controller supporting Special Forces teams tasked "to conduct offensive operations in support of Operation Medusa," a Canadian-led mission during the second battle of Panjwaii in the Zhari and Panjwaii districts of Kandahar Province against Taliban fighters, the citation said. While exposed to direct enemy fire, West's "mastery of air to ground operations" allowed for the NATO teams to employ a strategic advantage "with over 88 fixed and rotary wing attack; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms; and medical evacuation assets in the area," the citation said. That included bombers, fighters and MQ-1 Predator drones "to eliminate the enemy threat and allow the coalition forces to safely seize their target location," according to West's "Portraits in Courage" story. He was featured in the program in 2007. West called in roughly "130 close air support missions," the Portraits in Courage release said. His actions "on numerous occasions either prevented friendly forces from being overrun, or directly enabled friendly forces to break contact and regroup while minimizing casualties," the citation said. Twelve Canadian soldiers lost their lives over the course of the battle, with dozens more wounded, according to figures from Veterans Affairs Canada; A British reconnaissance plane also crashed in Panjwai during the offensive, killing all 14 on board. At the time it had been "the most significant land battle ever undertaken by NATO," according to Canada's CBC News. Canada regards Operation Medusa as one of its most successful operations. Earlier this year, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan exaggerated he was the grand "architect" of the operation, but later retracted his comments. Sajjan served in Afghanistan at the time as a liaison between Canadian commanders and local Afghan leaders, according to the Global News. Whether or not West's valor elevation may be the last medals upgrade for this year remains unclear. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Officials say the device was known as an "unexploded ordnance," or an explosive weapon that did not explode and still posed a... The Blue Jays join the previously reported Mets as teams with interest in Pirates utilityman Josh Harrison, according to Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Angels would also be a logical fit for Harrison, Brink notes, though its unclear whether theyre actually pursuing him. Toronto already addressed its middle infield in a notable way when it acquired Aledmys Diaz from the Cardinals on Dec. 1, but general manager Ross Atkins revealed a week later that the club was still in the market for help there and in the outfield. The Blue Jays interest in Harrison makes sense, then, given that he has racked up vast experience in the infield and in the grass. The 30-year-old has logged at least 110 career appearances at second base, third base and the corner outfield. The majority of Harrisons work both during his career and from 2016-17 came at the keystone, where the Jays have options in Diaz, whos coming off a subpar season, and the oft-injured Devon Travis. Like those two, Harrison isnt a sure bet to produce, having endured an up-and-down career, but he is fresh off one of his best seasons. The right-handed hitter batted a respectable .272/.339/.432 and totaled a personal-best 16 home runs across 542 plate appearances, and he added 12 stolen bases. For Toronto, picking up Harrison would seemingly give the club a front-runner to start at second and protect against further injuries to Travis and another oft-hurt middle infielder, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who now has a capable backup behind him in Diaz. Of course, its unclear whether the Pirates are truly open to giving up Harrison, especially considering fellow infielder Jung Ho Kangs iffy-at-best status for 2018. However, Adam Berry of MLB.com suggested earlier this week that Harrison may be Pittsburghs most logical trade chip, as the team would still have David Freese, Adam Frazier, Sean Rodriguez and Max Moroff on hand as versatile infielders even if it were to part with him. So, if the low-payroll Pirates view Harrison as a redundant piece, they could look to jettison him and his relatively lofty salary. While Harrisons pact isnt onerous hell make $10MM in 2018 and has club options worth $10.5MM and $11.5MM over the following two seasons he nonetheless ranks as one of the Bucs most expensive players. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been named as one of the three most influential African leaders of 2017. The New African Magazine annual 100 Most Influential Africans of 2017 also listed Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Guinean President Alpha Conde. Nigeria's Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was listed in the Politics and Public Service category for his extraordinary caretaker role during President Muhammadu Buhari's 103-day medical leave. The 2017 list, the magazine's most diverse, has more than eight categories namely politics and public service, business and finance, civil society and activism, education, science-technology-innovation, media, arts and culture. At least 42 women were part of the hundred named. Out of entries from 31 countries, 12 came from Francophone Africa with Nigeria topping the nomination list with 21 entries. South Africa came second with 14 names. Renowned business gurus such as Nigeria's Aliko Dangote, Tanzania's Mohammed Dewji Angolas Isabel dos Santos and Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais were named in the Business and Finance category. The list also had a Deafblind Harvard University law graduate activist, a teen dance troop from a Ugandan, and a Mauritanian modern-day slavery abolitionist hero. Group Publisher and Managing Director of IC Publication, Omar Ben Yedder has said the Magazine's readers will be pleased with the 2017 list because of its diverse nature. "This list, if nothing else, displays the beauty and power of the diversity that makes the Africa we love," he said in a statement. Some popular new entries included the Triplets Ghetto Kids dance troop from Uganda, Ghanaian born new Editor of British Vogue Edward Kobina Enninful and Nigerian-British heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie made a return in the Arts and Culture category but she was joined by Ghana's Adwoa Aboah and Hijab wearing Somali top model Halima Aden. New African Magazine's Editor, Anver Versi has explained this year's list looked out for people whose work or activity has had some "transformative effect outside their main calling." "Many in our selection have shattered the proverbial glass-ceilings or disability stigma and do so with great bravery, determination and personal sacrifice. Others yield economic power that impacts world markets," he added. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers | M: [email protected] The National Petroleum Authority, (NPA) has yet again been awarded for its policy intervention to reduce sulphur content in fuel products. The authority was awarded by organizers of the Oil and Gas Awards for it continues commitment to policy initiatives which positively contribute to improving air conditions in the country, and the world. In August this year, the Authority took a decision to reduce the sulphur content from 3000ppm (parts per million) to 50 ppm. That policy intervention has positively impacted the health of more than 3 million residents in Accra and across the country, reducing exposure to poor urban air quality and fine particles. The oil and gas awards committee praised the initiative as not only outstanding but a step which will go along way to improving the health of the public. Speaking to the media after the award, Chief Executive, Hassan Tampuli, renewed the Authority's commitment to protecting the industry and consumers, by ensuring the right initiatives are implemented for the good of the sector and the country. He was hopeful the industry's best years are ahead and reiterated his commitment and that of his staff, to running an efficient and results oriented downstream industry for the gain of their partners and consumers. Mr.Tampuli was full of praise for the entire staff of the authority and the board for their sacrifices. The award is one of many the NPA has received in the course of the year. It was recently honored by the United Nations' Clean Air Alliance at COPE23 in Bonn,Germany, for the same initiative. The alliance said the countrys move will influence regional efforts to improve air quality. Ghana is a major player in the West African fuel system as a fuel refiner and a major export hub for refined fuels. The policy will help lead West Africa's desulfurization and adoption of cleaner vehicle emissions standards to lower particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution and black carbon emissions. The award was the fourth in the series and brought together players from both the upstream and downstream sectors, who continue to contribute to the Ghana's oil and gas sector. Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com 10.12.2017 LISTEN A report in the Daily Graphic of 8 December 2017 reads: The police in the Upper West Region [of Northern Ghana]have destroyed three chanfan machines and accessories used for illegal mining [galamsey] along the banks of the Black Volta in the Lawra District. [This] followed an exercise at the [Upper West] regions most [notorious] illegal mining hub, where illegal mining activities have seriously polluted the Black Volta. [The Police].told the media that about 12 young people working with the machines (which were mounted on wooden platforms [erected] over the river, bolted into Burkina Faso territory [on seeing the police]. ENDQUOTE The use of Burkina Faso territory as a haven where galamsey operators from Ghana can run to, when chased by our police, is an extremely serious development. For serious criminals, especially smugglers, have always tried to be extra-territorial in the sense that they commit crimes in one country and run into another. Unless Interpol intervenes which is a protracted exercise the criminals can enjoy the protection of their host country, which can pretend not to know anything about the criminals, especially if the criminals are rich enough to bribe the relevant law enforcement agencies. And, of course, they are aware generally that most states are deferential to their neighbours, when it comes to the issue of observing international laws relating to territorial integrity. But border troubles can grow from small almost artificial breaches of international law to become incursions of various types that can threaten the peace of a whole region. South-east Asia is one of the best examples of this. The Americans war in Vietnam affected the neighbours of Vietnam, especially Laos and Cambodia. Cambodia was eventually thrown into the hands of the Khmer Rouge, whose reign of terror was one of the worst in recent history. So, our Ministries of the Interior, Foreign Affairs and Defence should not wait but get together very quickly and alert the Burkina Faso government to the activities of the galamsey operators in Ghana. Evidence must be furnished to the Burkina authorities demonstrating that criminals are using Burkina Faso territory as a springboard to commit crimes in Ghana. Now, the seriousness of the situation will be better appreciated if the crime the gangs are committing is changed for illustration purposes from galamsey to acts of terrorism. If terrorists from Burkina Faso were to carry out a strike in Ghana, would the Burkina Faso Government co-operate with the Government of Ghana in trying to arrest and punish them? The situation provides as good a test case as any that could threaten co-operation under the ECOWAS Treaty. Galamsey is a crime of a particular type but to us, it is just as serious a crime as terrorism is, because it threatens the future of our countrys capacity to be habitable. Incidentally, the Minister of Defence, Mr Dominic Nitiwul, had some interesting things to say about the efforts the Ministry of Defence is making to end galamsey, when it came to his turn to Meet The Press at the Ministry of Information on 7 December 2017. Mr Nitiwul has a good sense of humour: he drew attention to the fact that he, as well as the Minister of Information, Mr Mustapha Hamid, and other politicians present, were dressed in white to mark the first anniversary of the NPPs victory in the 2016 elections. He next went on the offensive and accused ex-President John Mahama and some of his associates of contriving a scheme whereby they had managed to sell Ministry of Defence lands to themselves. It was not wise for Mr Mahama and his colleagues to have encroached on lands meant for the use of the military, Mr Nitiwul said. I wont say any more than that. The sale of the lands to NDC top guns has been volubly denied, of course, by NDC operatives. So maybe a commission of enquiry would be the best way of establishing the facts of the matter. That should only come after the deadline given to the alleged encroachers 31 December 2017 to give up the lands, has passed. Because the Ministry of Defence lands issue sounded so sensational, reports of Mr Nitiwuls address were largely taken up by only that issue. But he made some interesting revelations. For instance, of Operation Vanguard, he said: We are all aware of the negative impact of illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey. Our water bodies across the country have been polluted, endangering the lives of our people. Our forests are being depleted at an alarming rate; our environment is also being degraded at a terrific speed, sadly while we look on. Some will argue that it provides [a] livelihood to many of our people; but one would ask, at what cost? Operation Vanguard was not meant to fight anybody, but rather to save all of us, Mr Nitiwul declared. He went on: Since the launch of the operation, this bad practice has ended in many areas. Highlights of arrests and seizures during the period 1 August 30 November 2017 were: No. of arrests (of persons) 673; excavators [seized] -143; chanfans 1,719; arms/ammunition seized: Arms 28 varieties; ammunition 301 [of various types]; [plus] some explosives. Mr Nitiwul said he had visited the operational areas of Operation Vanguard in Ashanti, the Western and Eastern Regions recently and could attest to the good work being done. The greatest challenge now is the restoration of the degraded environment and its maintenance to forestall a relapse. I wish to reiterate here my commitment to assist by getting troops to help in tree-planting to reclaim degraded lands. The force behind Operation Vanguard derives from the President's avowed commitment to end this canker and here I urge all those who are engaging in this illegal activity to put a stop to it, Mr Nitiwul added. Premium Bank has donated 10 laptops to the Takoradi campus of the Ghana Technology University College (GTUC) to enhance teaching and learning in the college. Mr Kwasi Ndablah Tumi, Managing Director of the Bank, said the donation is a gesture to form a partnership with the college which is involved with the teaching of technical courses. He said technology is important in the banking system hence the need to partner the college to train qualified and skilled people to meet the technological demands of the country. Mr Tumi said the donation was just the beginning of the partnership and that the bank would avail itself for the necessary coordination that would make the partnership more meaningful. Professor Abeku Blankson Vice President of GTUC, who received the items commended the Bank for the items and said it would help cement the relationship between the two institutions. He suggested that the partnership with the bank be moved further to fostering and mentoring students of the college. Prof Blankson appealed to the management of the bank to consider adopting either a classroom, laboratory or a faculty of the college. The Vice president of the college pledged that the computers would be put to good use and would be well maintained to ensure they last longer. Ms Jahan-Nusrat Abubakar, Acting head of the Takoradi campus, lauded the Bank for the gesture and urged other corporate institutions to emulate the example of the Premium Bank. 10.12.2017 LISTEN Rape cases are on the increase in the Northern Region as Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service (DOVVSU) recorded 19 such cases by October 2017 as against 18 cases recorded in 2016. As at October 2017, DOVVSU also recorded 22 cases of defilement compared to 24 such cases recorded in 2016 in the region. Despite increased awareness to stop the practice, forced marriages persists in the region as two cases were recorded by October 2017 as against three cases recorded in 2016. Mr Inusah Iddrisu, Senior Public Education Officer/Investigator at the Northern Region office of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, presented the figures at a community durbar in Tamale to mark the end of celebration of 16 -day Activism against Gender-based Violence in the region. The community durbar was organized by the Northern Regional Department of Gender under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in collaboration with EQWiP HUBS with sponsorship from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The 16- Days Activism against Gender-based Violence (November 25 to December 10) is an international campaign originating from the first global women's leadership instituted in 1999 and it is an instrument used by all well-meaning people to fight against atrocities meted out to women. Mr Iddrisu said the figures show that there was the need for an increased awareness to reduce, if not eradicate, gender-based violence to guarantee human rights for all. He said there is the need for traditional authorities, assembly persons and unit committee members to assist victims of gender-based violence to seek justice as well as liaise with security services to deal with sexual and gender-based violence in the country. Madam Bushira Alhassan, Acting Northern Regional Director of the Department of Gender, said since 2015, reported cases of assault, rape and defilement had been on the increase in the region. She said 'violence against women and girls is a human right issue. It discriminates, humiliates and robs women and girls of their rights and dignity. It is a silent killer as most women often will not talk about it for fear of being victimized or for fear of losing their marriages and livelihoods.' GNA By Kusumu Bukari, GNA Blog Archive Nov 2022 (35) Oct 2022 (64) Sep 2022 (60) Aug 2022 (61) Jul 2022 (55) Jun 2022 (60) May 2022 (73) Apr 2022 (60) Mar 2022 (58) Feb 2022 (65) Jan 2022 (69) Dec 2021 (106) Nov 2021 (84) Oct 2021 (58) Sep 2021 (67) Aug 2021 (62) Jul 2021 (54) Jun 2021 (50) May 2021 (58) Apr 2021 (44) Mar 2021 (57) Feb 2021 (64) Jan 2021 (93) Dec 2020 (82) Nov 2020 (62) Oct 2020 (50) Sep 2020 (45) Aug 2020 (51) Jul 2020 (56) Jun 2020 (53) May 2020 (70) Apr 2020 (66) Mar 2020 (169) Feb 2020 (211) Jan 2020 (184) Dec 2019 (54) Nov 2019 (56) Oct 2019 (55) Sep 2019 (63) Aug 2019 (54) Jul 2019 (69) Jun 2019 (56) May 2019 (65) Apr 2019 (68) Mar 2019 (72) Feb 2019 (76) Jan 2019 (62) Dec 2018 (55) Nov 2018 (69) Oct 2018 (90) Sep 2018 (82) Aug 2018 (58) Jul 2018 (36) Jun 2018 (47) May 2018 (44) Apr 2018 (64) Mar 2018 (63) Feb 2018 (68) Jan 2018 (92) Dec 2017 (85) Nov 2017 (64) Oct 2017 (82) Sep 2017 (54) Aug 2017 (89) Jul 2017 (60) Jun 2017 (86) May 2017 (84) Apr 2017 (62) Mar 2017 (86) Feb 2017 (91) Jan 2017 (113) Dec 2016 (109) Nov 2016 (100) Oct 2016 (82) Sep 2016 (95) Aug 2016 (84) Jul 2016 (84) Jun 2016 (99) May 2016 (93) Apr 2016 (106) Mar 2016 (145) Feb 2016 (125) Jan 2016 (103) Dec 2015 (83) Nov 2015 (80) Oct 2015 (100) Sep 2015 (111) Aug 2015 (94) Jul 2015 (98) Jun 2015 (151) May 2015 (125) Apr 2015 (109) Mar 2015 (122) Feb 2015 (113) Jan 2015 (135) Dec 2014 (131) Nov 2014 (115) Oct 2014 (146) Sep 2014 (112) Aug 2014 (128) Jul 2014 (94) Jun 2014 (104) May 2014 (140) Apr 2014 (132) Mar 2014 (81) Feb 2014 (89) Jan 2014 (141) Dec 2013 (100) Nov 2013 (96) Oct 2013 (99) Sep 2013 (94) Aug 2013 (95) Jul 2013 (95) Jun 2013 (91) May 2013 (139) Apr 2013 (179) Mar 2013 (73) Feb 2013 (76) Jan 2013 (85) Dec 2012 (59) Nov 2012 (71) Oct 2012 (85) Sep 2012 (70) Aug 2012 (71) Jul 2012 (53) Jun 2012 (51) May 2012 (52) Apr 2012 (52) Mar 2012 (69) Feb 2012 (76) Jan 2012 (70) Dec 2011 (60) Nov 2011 (54) Oct 2011 (57) Sep 2011 (75) Aug 2011 (72) Jul 2011 (64) Jun 2011 (76) May 2011 (56) Apr 2011 (73) Mar 2011 (114) Feb 2011 (71) Jan 2011 (80) Dec 2010 (92) Nov 2010 (82) Oct 2010 (73) Sep 2010 (95) Aug 2010 (86) Jul 2010 (81) Jun 2010 (76) May 2010 (71) Apr 2010 (74) Mar 2010 (74) Feb 2010 (82) Jan 2010 (101) Dec 2009 (108) Nov 2009 (182) Oct 2009 (136) Sep 2009 (102) Aug 2009 (120) Jul 2009 (151) Jun 2009 (136) May 2009 (180) Apr 2009 (145) Mar 2009 (113) Feb 2009 (113) Jan 2009 (124) Dec 2008 (108) Nov 2008 (69) Oct 2008 (89) Sep 2008 (76) Aug 2008 (75) Jul 2008 (87) Jun 2008 (80) May 2008 (99) Apr 2008 (93) Mar 2008 (115) Feb 2008 (147) Jan 2008 (162) Dec 2007 (124) Nov 2007 (95) Oct 2007 (67) Sep 2007 (42) Aug 2007 (78) Jul 2007 (75) Jun 2007 (123) May 2007 (110) Apr 2007 (108) Mar 2007 (92) Feb 2007 (136) Jan 2007 (119) Dec 2006 (41) Nov 2006 (34) Oct 2006 (12) Sep 2006 (13) Aug 2006 (13) Jul 2006 (16) Jun 2006 (12) May 2006 (21) Apr 2006 (38) Mar 2006 (27) Feb 2006 (25) Jan 2006 (18) BURLEY Richard Kicklighter has been on a year-long quest to improve a Burley pond, but his love affair with it began years ago when it was a popular fishing hole. In January, the Burley City Council approved a project spearheaded by Kicklighter, a Heyburn resident, to make Kids Creek Pond at Freedom Park, deeper and remove the center island. The pond is owned by the city. Over the years it has deteriorated, and was in a terrible state, Kicklighter said. Most of the pond was about 4 feet deep with spots reaching 7 feet. It was full of sediment and moss with overgrown willows surrounding it. Kicklighter has lived in Mini-Cassia since the 1970s and remembers when the pond was stocked with trout and was a popular fishing hole. The name, he said, is a misnomer because anyone can fish there. The pond has 57-degree crystal-clear water that comes from a natural spring at the airport, Kicklighter said, and its perfect for trout. The pond will be excavated to a depth of 15 feet, a liner installed along with rock. Grass seed will be planted around it and a sprinkler system installed. The area will be accessible to the handicapped. He still needs to raise $17,000, which includes the cost of a liner for the pond. Donations for the project can be made at Burley City Hall, 1401 Overland Ave. Ive been knocking on doors trying to get the funds, he said. Art Thornton and Zale Gillette have donated man hours and equipment to the project and excavation is underway. Others have also made donations, but more is needed. Idaho Fish and Game officials said they would give stocking the pond another try with 1,000 rainbow trout in June if the work is completed by then. I really hope we can have it done by then, Kicklighter said. Doug Megargle, regional fishery manager for Idaho Fish and Game, said the pond was historically stocked but over the past five years the habitat degraded substantially and they stopped putting fish in it. The agency applied herbicide to the vegetation surrounding it, but it did little good. But, the main reason stocking was halted, he said, was due to people complaining that the fish disappeared immediately after they were planted. Fish and Game tagged fish before they were planted and found that about 95 percent of them were taken by predatory birds. They found the fish tags at Pelican Island on Lake Walcott, taken there by pelicans and cormorants, large black diving birds. The department couldnt see putting fish in the pond when no one was benefitting but the birds, Megargle said. The department is willing to try stocking the pond again after work is completed to see if the increased depth solves the problem. Pelicans dont dive they just reach down into the water for fish. Cormorants, however, dive for their meal, but the increased depth may offer the fish better protection and a chance at survival. We really share Richards goal of having easy access to urban fishing opportunities for people who may not have a lot of time to go other places, Megargle said. Reverend Dr James .R.K. Mensah, Chairman of the ELIME Evangelical Church (EEC), has called on pastors to desist from using faking prophesies as the means to gain wealth. He said such behaviour are against the tenets of the Holy Bible and expectations of Christians. Rev Dr Mensah said there no mention in the Holy Bible that after healing and prophesying, pastors can or should demand gifts from members of the church. He said this at the induction of Apostle Paul Kweku, General Overseer of the Great Word of God Church 'Bohye Asore' at Odupong Ofankor in the Awutu- Senya East, near Kasoa. It is not proper to gamble with tenets of Holy Bible to pronounce fake prophesies which contravene the teachings of Jesus Christ, Rev Dr Mensah said. He said such excessive demands from careless pastors could lead to government imposing taxes on churches or introducing new forms of restrictions to churches. He said the cardinal points of the pastors was preach the true word of God to help win more souls for repentance rather than using foul means to collect monies from members. Rev Dr Mensah called on the Christians to be awake against such false prophesies some of which suggest that if you fail to sow seeds or pay money, one's life would be miserable. 'How can a pastor prophesy that God had revealed to him to ask a woman to bring her underwear to burn, ostensibly to drive away demonic powers, before her life could be become okay,' he said. Apostle Paul Kweku Addei said his ordination as Apostle would not be used to lord over the members of the Church. He said within two years as General Overseer, after the death of his late father, Bishop Kweku Addei, six new branches have been created in addition to the 20 existing branches nationwide. He said the church has embarked on foreign missions to open more branches in South Africa, Ethiopia and other countries outside Africa continent to win more souls for Christ. GNA 10.12.2017 LISTEN African governments have been urged to maximise their natural resources through the provision of the necessary policy and regulatory frameworks as well as the requisite capital to optimise opportunities in the mining and fisheries sectors. The call was made by participants at a day's policy dialogue on natural resources value chains in Accra organised by the African Natural Resources Centre in partnership with ECOWAS and funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) aimed at igniting discussions for appropriate policy solutions to respond to the challenges facing the management and use of Africa's natural resources. The participants at the event included policy analysts, geologists and economists, as well as government officials and representatives of civil society organisations drawn from Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Liberia. They proposed various policy interventions including the need for African countries to build the necessary infrastructure-base for natural resource value addition, improving the quality of human resource, adherence to the ECOWAS protocol on free movement of goods and services and capital investment in natural resources exploration and processing. Mr Yero Baldeh, the Country Manager of the African Development Bank, in his welcome address, said although the African continent is endowed with rich-natural resources, those resources have not positively impacted on the standards of living of the people. He said the continent produced about 21 per cent of the world's total gold outputs, 52 per cent of diamond, 73 per cent of cobalt, 83 per cent of platinum and 58 per cent of manganese. However, he said, those resources have failed to transform the economies of the 54 African countries and their people were still wallowing in abject poverty. Mr Baldeh said the focus on natural resources value chains fell within the Bank's five priority areas namely; feed Africa, light up and power Africa, industrialise Africa, integrate Africa and improve the quality of life for the people of Africa. It is against this backdrop, he said, the Bank funded the dialogue so that stakeholders would dispassionately discuss policy solutions, which would enhance the processing of the continent's natural resources value chains for socio-economic development. Mr John Peter Amewu, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, in a speech read on his behalf, gave the assurance that, government would consciously maximise Ghana's natural resources through the provision of the necessary policy and regulatory frameworks as well as the requisite capital to optimise opportunities in the sector. He said Ghana had a diverse inventory of mineral resources including significant reserves of gold, bauxite, manganese and diamonds, and would collaborate with the private sector and other stakeholders to develop the value chain of the mining industry to promote inclusive growth. 'Government is committed to partner the private sector to exploit opportunities in the country's mining value chain to accelerate national development,' he said. The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources said Ghana's gold production accounted for over 95 per cent of all mineral revenues produced in the country annually. He said the sector employed about 25,000 in the large-scale sector and over one million in the small-scale mining sector and attracted significant investment amounting to US$17 billion over the past two and half decades and still the country's leading export earner with 45.5 per cent in 2016 representing six per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP). To consolidate the gain of the mineral industry, Mr Amewu said, government was promoting linkages development of the sector and value addition to the minerals produced. 'Government plans to take advantage of the total value chain of mining from policy and regulatory framework through exploration, extraction and beneficiation to mine, closure and rehabilitation,' he said. Mr Amewu said government was pursuing various policy interventions and strategies to enhance the value chain and linkages of the sector such as commodity-based industrialisation, the implementation of local content regulation, development of national supplier development programme and diversification of minerals produced in the country to expand the mineral base and enhance value addition. He said although government was not into the 'business of doing business', it recognised the responsibility of providing the enabling environment and the necessary policy and regulatory framework to enhance private sector participation in the natural resources value chain. Mr Jean-Louis Kromer, the Chief Natural Resources Management Officer of the African Natural Resources Centre, said natural resources are important drivers to national growth and development. He said it commissioned a series of studies to provide policymakers in members countries of ECOWAS with the information needed to strike the right balance between maximising revenue from natural resources and integrating them into national economies to engender development. He said the studies focused on gas, iron ore, diamonds and fisheries sector in view of their significant contributions to the economies of the African Continent. The dialogue, he said, was intended to spark discussions and re-invigorate managers of the African economies to utilise the natural resources value chains to maximise profits and improve the standards of living of the African people. The forum provided a platform for stakeholders in the mining and fisheries sectors to deliberate on sustainable policies on natural resources value chains in Africa. GNA By Godwill Arthur-Mensah/Doris Amenyo, GNA Pretoria, South Africa, Dec. 9, GNA - Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, Deputy President of South Africa, has said science and technology are crucial drivers for the rapid socio-economic development of African nations due to its multiplier effects on all sectors. He said making available finances and developing the requisite infrastructure for science, technology and innovation (STI) to thrive would accelerate the continent's development aspiration to an acceptable level. Mr Ramaphosa was delivering the keynote address at the opening of the Science Forum South Africa (SFSA 2017) conference in Pretoria, South Africa. The two-day event was organised by the Department of Science and Technology in collaboration with the National Research Foundation and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, and themed: 'Igniting conversations about Science.' He said Africa's development need to be integrated through science and technology underpinned by 'Smart strategies, smart workings, imbued with cleverness, innovation and new inventions. It is time to work diligently.' He said the youth must be given cutting-edged platforms and be allowed to dissipate their inane talents in a constructive manner towards innovation and inventions and 'When they reach their pinnacle, it opens up new pathways for development to thrive.' 'There is nothing wrong with young people, but everything wrong with grown-ups. Never allow the zeal and fire in young people to extinguish and dissipate.' The Deputy President urged the continent's major stakeholders to unchain the constraints of young people and allow them to explore their inane talents to become competitive and versatile in the industrial revolution of today. Mr Ramaphosa said South Africa is committed to investing in science and technology to lead a knowledge economy and massive science revolution of the continent and share progress with compatriots for growth and development. He urged Africa to detest the wholesale consumption of foreign technology but develop and manage home-grown technologies that could stand the test of time. Professor Sarah Anyang Agbor, African Union Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology, said one of the continental legitimacy for accelerated development was to place science, technology and innovation (STI) at the service of the African people, noting that call for action to work together for a prosperous continent as enshrined in the 2063 development framework attest to the fact to mainstream STI. She acknowledged that the infrastructural development of South Africa including its roads, bridges, rail, telecommunication suggest that duty bearers are doing something positive about STI. Prof Agbor said the continental framework to transform Africa into a strong knowledge-based entity underpinned by inclusive education, training and efficient vocational and technical skills acquisition would be the fulcrum around which 'Job creation and not job seekers would revolve.' She said the Pan-African university concept spread in the five geographical regions of the continent is taking shape and challenged major stakeholders including the academia, parliamentarians, the private sector, both governmental and no-governmental institutions to take charge. The Commissioner urged the African Academy of Sciences and country-led academies and the media to engender discussions and set the agenda for acceptance and factoring STI into all development paradigms hoping these would inure to Africa becoming 'a land of paradise.' Prof Mike Bruton, Founding Director-Cape Town Science Centre, said science and technology is leapfrogging South Africa into a bastion of over 600 new innovations and inventions spanning space science, astronomy, nano-genetics, Astrophysics, aeronautics, food, medicine and climate change among others. He said 'if the six best economies of the world can be led by Africa, it means we can excel when we put human and material resources, where it is needed most,' Mrs Naledi Pandor, South African Minister of Science and Technology, said science should occupy the core of development agenda in Africa in order to advance excellence, quality socio-economic development for the value that is derived from these establishments. She expressed optimism that the Forum would promote international collaboration for scientists and researchers not only becoming stronger in Africa but globally as well. Mrs Pandor called for profiling of science and technology for global cooperation and development of the capacity of the continent, build continental consensus, network, and form relationships in a bid to change the fortunes of Africa for the better. GNA The annual Science Forum South Africa (SFSA2017) has began in Pretoria, South Afrcia. It is being organised by the South African Department of Science and Technology with collaboration with the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The SFSA2017 programme which includes 3 plenary panel discussions, 39 parallel panel discussions, and 32 Science talks is being held under the theme: "Igniting Conversations About Science." More than 260 speakers, including some 120 international speakers, will participate in the two-day event. Dr Daan du Toit, Depurty Director-General of the Department of Science and Technology, in-charge of International Cooperation and Resources, said the Forum would hone the progress in the subject area and bring research closer to the people. He said the Forum would showcase breakthroughs in science and technology and how this would or is impacting society. "We realise this full programme may seem challenging, but we're confident it will give amble opportunities to ignite conversations about science." "We're especially proud of the PAN-African focus, with more than 50 speakers coming from the rest of Africa." This exciting programme will be further supported by nearly 70 exhibitions, providing a vibrant space to continue the conversations about science as Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, Deputy President of South Africa opens the session. 10.12.2017 LISTEN Former Minister of Health under former President Kufuor administration, Dr. Richard Winfred Anane has proposed for one Senior High School school, one Clinic to ensure the safety of the students. He said it will be one of the preventive measures to avert unwanted death in various educational institutions as the doctors will be readily available to treat any student who may fall sick. He was commenting on the death that has hit the Kumasi Academy in an interview with told Otec news at the Manhyia Palace during the final funeral rite of the late Asantehemaa Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II on Thursday, December 7. It has emerged the four Kumasi Academy students who died over the last few days died of H1N1 Influenza Type A popularly referred to as Swine Flu. Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang Manu has said 12 out of the 19 cases sent to the Noguchi Memorial Institute has tested positive for the virus. You know that I have a hospital and in my hospital what we do is that we give treatment to every student in the schools around the area so if anything happens we are the first person to attend to them. I have informed the President Nana Addo that we have to provide every school with a clinic or hospital so that if there is any problem the doctors can easily identify it and administer the necessary treatment before it gets out of hands, he said. The former MP for Bantama Nhyiaeso constituency in the Ashanti region as well as for Minister for Roads and Highways said the government must also make sure every student has to be subscribed to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to access free health care. We have national health insurance policy in the country that provides free health care, we have to make sure that every school child is registered and signed to a particular hospital so in case of any disaster, the child is quickly taken there. I think this is also preventive measure we have to focus on, he stated. 10.12.2017 LISTEN The Jasikan District Chief Executive has indicated that his district is committed to maintaining a high sanitary standards even after the Sanitation Challenge For Ghana contest(SC4Gh)has ended in 2018. The DCE made this known during a media follow up visit to the district to assess the progress of work in relation to the districts liquid waste management proposal submitted for the competition during the first face the challenge. Hon. Lawrence Kwami Aziale said his District did not submit a rhetorical proposal for the management of the district's liquid waste just to win the Duapa award which earned the district some whooping thirty thousand pounds (30,000 ) but rather leadership is determined to implement all the proposed programs and policies in the proposal after the competition. I am personally impressed that such innovative competition has been brought to solve liquid waste problems in Ghana". Hon. Aziale said even though various assemblies especially the Jasikan district had means of managing their liquids waste yet lacked the the motivation and the financial commitment to do so. He was appreciative that the challenge being implemented by the International Water and Sanitation (IRC) Ghana has gingered most of the assemblies including that of the Jasikan district to design new strategies of managing their liquid waste in their respective communities. Hon. Lawrence Kwami Aziale pointed out that the sanitation Challenge competition has facilitated the education and awareness creation of environmental cleanliness within and outside the communities in which the Challenge is being carried out. It is not that the assemblies were not committed to sanitation issues but the drive to make sure that sanitary systems are put in place and are sustained was more triggered by the coming of the sanitation Challenge competition" Hon. Azalea acknowledged. The DCE noted that his assembly would use the identified technologies to solve the liquid waste problems in the district through the provision of affordable toilets facilities for households , institutions and the pro-poor in the various communities in the district. He was optimistic that having won the first face of the completion, his district is strategically poised to winning the ultimate with ease as management leaves no stone unturned in implementing all its proposed strategies. The focal person for the Sanitation Challenge for Ghana for the Jasikan who is the district's Environmental Health Officer, Samuel Agbeko Ahiaku disclosed that this district is implementing the Challenge in nine communities under four thematic areas. These he said include, Community engagement, education and sensitization; provision of a number of household and institutional latrines with hand washing facilities public latrines in partnership with the private sector; purchasing of a septic emptier to serve the district and it's neighboring assemblies and proposed building of a treatment plant to recycle liquid waste in the district. Mr. Ahiaku said the assembly intends to provide 800 households within the targeted communities with latrines to reduce the rate of open defecation in those communities by the close of 2018. The District Environmental Health Officer also hinted that the assembly has gazetted its sanitation by-laws and would apply them accordingly. "Before we apply the laws, we need to create awareness on the need to keep our homes and the environment clean and make provision to assist households to acquire soft loans to enable them build their own toilet facilities. After these are done, we shall apply the laws, he declared. Mr. Samuel Agbeko Ahiaku hinted that the assembly's engineers are seriously working on the procurement of the septic emptier and arrangements for the construction of the bio-gas treatment plant. He said the assembly hopes to implement all the proposed strategies in order to record total sanitation in district and subsequently emerge the second time winners of the second phase of the competition. Mr. Samuel Ahiaku applauded IRC Ghana and its partners for such an innovative move to assist the various districts in the management their liquid waste in the country. In 2015, the Government of Ghana announced the launch of an exciting new challenge for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana. The aim is to promote competition among MMDAs, and motivate them to team up with their citizens, innovators and solvers to design and implement liquid waste management strategies, to bring about transformational change to poor households in urban centres with population of more than 15,000 people. The Government of Ghana represented by its Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) and its Environmental Health and Sanitation Directorate (EHSD) are leading the Sanitation Challenge for Ghana. IMC Worldwide, an international development consultancy based in London, is acting as agent from the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and is managing the prize implementation. IRC Ghana and WASHeatlh Solutions are providing support to the implementation in Ghana. 10.12.2017 LISTEN Dear user, On a normal day, you should be posting your beautiful pictures shot professionally by #NincheShotIt, posting recent pictures of you having a rare opportunity to have lunch at the one of the most expensive restaurants in the country, or telling us how you want your future spouse to look like. Well, I have decided to write to you too, at least for only today hoping that, before I write to you next time, you would have taken the words I will be writing here seriously. Many years ago, I was not in existence and life was still normal. Somehow, through the innovative thinking of young people like you around the globe who are constantly thinking of how to make this world a better place, I came into existence. For those of you who do not know, the first recognizable edition of myself (social media), Six Degrees, was created in 1997 to enable users to upload a profile and make friends with other users. The world was becoming a global village and people had to know and communicate with each other without necessarily going through the hustle of travelling. The early 2000s gave birth to the prominence of sites like LinkedIn and MySpace while Photobucket and Flickr facilitated online photo sharing. By 2005, UncleYouTube had popped up with an entirely new way of communication and sharing information. When 2006 arrived, Facebook and Twitter had become so popular that almost everyone yearned for it. In short, i brought a new face to communication and they called me SOCIAL MEDIA. In the last decade, almost everyone across the globe is connected to at least one social media platform or the other. There are some who even have an account on every social media platform. I was supposed to make communication easier. I was supposed to hasten the globalization of this village we call WORLD. I was supposed to make the black man love the white man even without seeing him and vice versa. In fact I give the platform to everyone, irrespective of their educational standards, religious affiliations, or racial background and gave a level ground for discussion of issues. That is why you in Ghana can have the chutzpah to mock America for electing someone likeDonald Trump as President. That is the same reason why people in United Kingdom will be mad at you in Ghana for not legalizing homosexuality. Despite the many positives I have offered you, you still have to be very careful when using me. I am just a platform that allows people from all walks of life to meet and have fun. However, I can be very monstrous if you do not handle me with so much care. First of all let me inform you that, I do not have a detector that helps me to know if the Toyota Camry Kofi posted on his Facebook wall is his neither can Iconfirm to you if the suit Jacob wore when he posted his picture of him and the Minister for Finance, Orifo Tata, was really his. All I do is to help people project the image they wish to project of themselves. Sometimes, I know they are lying but I cover up for them because I am supposed to. Todaylet me tell you the truth. Most of the people who use me are only here to feign. They are not what theyportraythemselves to be. Some of them tell you that they live in Tema and work in Jerusalem and you still find space in your heart to believe them. Some ladies even write Presbyterian Boys High School as the school they attended and you still believe them. There are some few genuine people who are trying to make it in life and Iacknowledge them a lot but please do not believe anything you see on me. Secondly, let me further caution you of a serious canker that I have noticed as a result of the use of social media. A lot of you have created unnecessary rivalry among yourselves over very trivial issues. Just last week, Bintu and Akua fought because the former did not like a picture she posted on the eve of the S Concert. They fought so hard as though they were part of the Sagrenti War. It took their school teacher to stop them. Karim, the guy who lives behind Azumis house has stopped liking Aminas post on Facebook because he claims she has never liked his. It doesnt make sense right?But trust me, all this nonsense happens on social media every day. Just be your real self and try to get to know people better because I, social media, will never give you the opportunity to fully ascertain the reason behind the actions of some people. Go beyond social media and get to know the people in real life and you will find happiness. People have lost their sense of respect ever since they started using me. They insult their elders with no shame and the elders exhibit the highest form of tomfoolery that amuses even the devil. Amidu, a Senior High School dropoutwho still depends on his mother has the guts to insult Nana Akufo-Addo, the President of Ghana, simply because he disagrees with him. Adwoa called John Mahama a useless man but she still cannot pass her science paper even after five attempts. A lot of things happen here.That is why Abdul HayiMoomen, a professional gossip, wrote on his Facebook page, The undeniable fact remains that Facebook is a leveler. It makes room for the ignorant to insult others at no cost at all When Inusah fell in love with Zalia, he came on Facebook to vaunt his love for her. He kept disturbing you all with his love letters to her and posting her pictures almost every split of a second. They both, especially Inusah who seemed to have been carried away by love, hijacked Facebook for months with their love story. Conversely, for the past two months, I have not seen both of them exhibit their usual love gimmick. Ostensibly, Zalia is getting married to another man and the shock of this news has made Inusah find it difficult to post anything on Facebook. He thought he was in a comfortable lead but little did he know that Zalia, they lady he loved and trusted so much, had her own plans. Why am I telling you this? It is simple, a lot of the youth today are quick to announce their next line of action on Facebook and other social media handles so that they can get the likes and shares. They share every detail of their life on social media and place themselves in a sorry state when the enemy attacks. Some even post the shirt they will wear the next day before they even sleep. Let me not bore you with my long letter. I am just advising you to be very careful with how you use me. You can have fun on me but always make sure you are building yourself, learning new things and meeting people who will impact you. I will always give you the opportunity to meet great people but I will equally not deny you the opportunity to meet bad people. The choice is yours to make and I hope you make the best choice. When the day comes for me to close down, ask yourself, BESIDES SOCIAL MEDIA, WHAT DO I HAVE TO OFFER? Our elders say, Ears that do not listen to advice accompany the head when it is chopped off. My hands have fallen. Your faithful servant Social Media The Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has declared that the H1N1 Viral Influenza which has raised a national health alert has been contained. He made the pronouncement when he visited the Kumasi Academy Senior High School (KUMACA) where the disease emanated and killed four students. Dr Bawumia commended personnel of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the management of KUMACA and the Education Service for helping to hold the fort and finding the cause of the disease which was earlier diagnosed wrongly to have been caused by an atypical bacteria. He indicated that, When the deaths happened, the health ministry, the education ministry and the Ghana Health Service together with the doctors have battled hard to find the cause. Now we know that it was H1N1 influenza and fortunately this disease is treatable. He added, My report is that the disease has been contained even though we still need to be vigilant. Extending the condolence of the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Vice President indicated that a package of five thousand cedis (GHC5000) each had been allocated for families of the deceased to cater for their initial funeral expenses. The President has asked me to tell you that all the hospital expenses of the students and the funeral expenses of the bereaved families will be catered for by government. But in the interim, government understands that some of you have made some expenses already and government is giving you an initial amount of five thousand Ghana cedis each. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia also gave assurances that enough medications and vaccinations are being sought to ensure that students are treated and given the medical protection against contracting and dying from the disease. Parents whose children lost their lives as a result of the H1N1 viral influenza have expressed mixed feelings about an initial amount of five thousand cedis offered them by government. The vice president Dr Mahamudu Bawumia yesterday announced the package when he visited the four bereaved families, staff and authorities of the Kumasi Academy Senior High School (KUMACA) where the sad incidents occurred. This followed some considerable backlash about the failure of the Presidency to visit the school or make any public pronouncements after the President and his vice had visited the Ashanti Region twice in the same period and had jetted off without any show of concern to the school which is not so far from the Kumasi Airport. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia assured the affected families that aside the 5000 cedis to be offered each of the bereaved families, medical bills of the students who were infected with the disease will be taken care of by government. Some of the parents who spoke to Ultimate News Ivan Heathcote Fumador about what they make of the gesture were indifferent. Mr Fodwuor Martin brother of Fodwuor Ferguson Livingstone one of the students who died was hurt no amount of money could compensate for how he has groomed his brother and all the good future plans he had for him. He lamented, Ferguson was a very healthy well built guy. I groomed him myself, I advised him to come to this school because I was an old student here and I can show you the future study plans I had for him. But this is what the president can humanly do. I cannot say I am satisfied or not. Father of Clementina Opoku, the only female student who lost her life, told Ultimate News, We can only give thanks to God and the vice president. He has done his bit but 5000 cannot bring my child to life. We can only take it in good faith and respect, Mr Samuel Ofori Attah father of Carlous Ofori the first student who died was still in doubt about the cause of his sons death. HE however praised the Vice President for visiting the families and rather asked that a holistic approach be taken to ensure that no more children dies of the disease. Finally, the health authorities have confirmed that there is a an influenza outbreak at Kumasi Academy school. The health Minister assured Parliament that his Ministry was in discussions with the WHO to obtain vaccines for the students and staff of the school. It appears obvious that there was no plan in place to tackle the outbreak, which killed 4 students and has left another 18 students on admission. While the plans to vaccinate the student body is appropriate, have close contacts of the dead and the sick been identified? How and where are these been monitored? Are there plans to provide them with chemoprophylaxis? In March of this year, 4 students of the same school were reported to have died of Meningitis. If this report is accurate, what measures were taken before the students returned to school? In an interaction with the Press, the Minister of Health indicated that the President had been exposed. Who determined the exposure? If indeed the President was exposed, what steps have been taken to safeguard his health? Why was he permitted to go to the campus when there was an outbreak whose source had not been determined? Why was it deemed safe to have the school's anniversary celebration during the outbreak. Finally, too often, we do not learn the right lessons from such events. Hopefully, our authorities would develop a policy to handle such occurrences in the future. May God comfort the bereaved families. Arthur K TWIN FALLS An Idaho union and Lamb Weston may go before a judge next month to determine whether the company interfered with its employees rights. In July, employees voted against unionizing the Twin Falls plant. But Teamsters Local 483, the Boise-based union seeking to represent the employees, filed charges against Lamb Weston with the National Labor Relations Board this summer. Unless a settlement is reached soon, an administrative law judge of the NLRB will consider testimony Jan. 31 at a hearing in Twin Falls. The union says supervisors at the company interrogated or coerced employees before the vote. Lamb Weston says its employees have done nothing wrong before, during or since the union election. Throughout the campaign and before it, our management team operated with integrity and within the regulations outlined by the NLRB, the company said in a statement to the Times-News. The allegations are without merit. We believe our employees voiced their confidence in our management team when they voted overwhelmingly to not be represented by the union. We are cooperating fully with the NLRB on the hearing process. In its charges, the union named five individuals in supervisory positions at Lamb Weston. It claims that between February and July, these supervisors interrogated employees about their support for the union. The Teamsters says this violated the National Labor Relations Act, which prohibits employers from interfering with, restraining or coercing employees exercising their rights to organize. Darel Hardenbrook, director of representation for Teamsters Local 483, said the Lamb Weston supervisors were being advised by outside consultants. What we want more than anything is a level playing field, he said. The vote to unionize failed with 80 percent of eligible employees voting no. Prior to the vote, Lamb Weston had hired a firm it said would educate employees about the companys stance. But union supporters said the firm and the supervisors were also using intimidation tactics. Employees who opposed the union have also accused the supporters of harassing them at work and on social media. The hearing takes place at 10 a.m. Jan. 31 in the Parks and Recreation Department conference room at 136 Maxwell Ave. National Labor Relations Board hearings are normally open to the public, but it will be up to the judges discretion. Less than half of cases with the board make it to the hearing stage, as most charges are summarily discharged or withdrawn. The hearing is one of the last steps in the process after a regional director has submitted a complaint. At the hearing, both sides will submit their testimony to the judge, who will apply the rule of law and issue a decision. Lamb Weston or the union will still have opportunities to appeal that decision to the NLRB as well as a court of appeals. Hardenbrook compared the hearing to a court trial, and said Lamb Weston has until Wednesday to come up with a settlement, or else the case will proceed to the hearing. The Teamsters Local 483 plans to pursue criminal charges as well, he said. We are just getting started on this one, Hardenbrook said. The union has approached the county prosecuting attorney, Grant Loebs, and the states deputy attorney general, he said. He said Loebs office was ill-prepared to investigate these charges, and the attorney generals office gave them the cold shoulder. They have shooed their constituents out of their office, and we wont forget it, Hardenbrook said. Loebs told the Times-News that there are higher standards for something to rise to the criminal level, and he didnt believe the union had sufficient evidence to sustain a criminal charge in Idaho. When a judge finds that a company violated the National Labor Relations Act, the NLRB commonly issues a cease and desist order that requires the company to stop the violations and post a notice for employees. Any unlawfully discharged employees, if applicable, would receive backpay. The company would not be fined. Hardenbrook said the NLRB could decide to set aside the election and force Lamb Weston to come to the bargaining table. However, it appears that the union would have to prove that the unfair labor practices affected the results of the election. Old alliances between North Korea and several African nations forged at the height of the Cold War will not be swept away easily. While threats from the United States and UN sanctions have forced many governments on the continent to keep their distance from Pyongyang, the links are not yet confined to the past. For watchers of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's regime, the country's presence on the African continent is unmissable and the hermit nation continues to benefit from discrete but vital relations. Statues and Stalinist-style palaces of questionable aesthetic value made by North Korean artists have sprung up in many cities including Dakar, Windhoek, Maputo, Harare and Kinshasa. But cooperation between the regime and African governments goes much further than construction projects. Experts estimate that economic ties between Africa and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are worth around $200 million (85 million euros) annually. Minerals and fishing top the league table of exports, closely followed by North Korea's most controversial output -- arms. Despite sanctions levied by the UN in 2006 in response to its nuclear weapons programme, North Korea's military cooperation with its allies on the continent is strong. Military hardware "A number of countries appear to maintain close relationships with the DPRK," said Graham Neville, an analyst at the London-based international affairs think-tank Chatham House. "More than half of the countries in Africa -- around 30 -- engage in some form of trade with the DPRK." Arms sales, which are strictly prohibited by the terms of the sanctions, have drawn the ire of the international community. UN experts have accused 11 African countries of seeking closer military ties with Kim Jong-Un's regime in a report published in September. UN experts have accused 11 African countries of seeking closer military ties with Kim Jong-Un's regime According to the document, North Korea has agreed to supply light weapons to Eritrea and Democratic Republic of Congo, surface-to-air missiles to Mozambique, modern missiles or radar systems to Tanzania and to train security forces in Angola and Uganda. The authors probed two North Korean companies active in Namibia -- Mansudae Overseas Project and Komid -- which constructed the new headquarters of Windhoek's spy agency, as well as a munitions factory. Pyongang's largesse should come as no surprise. Since Africa's wars of liberation, North Korea has sought to befriend Marxist regimes on the continent. "During the Cold War, North Korea gained a reputation for providing useful training for African militaries," said Samuel Ramani, an Oxford University specialist on the world's most reclusive nation. In the most notorious case, Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe called in North Korea to train the infamous Fifth Brigade, which is accused of killing around 20,000 minority Ndebeles in the 1980s. Kim Jong-Un's provocative run of missile tests and nuclear experiments have finally persuaded some of Pyongyang's African backers to step back. Sudan has cut ties with the DPRK, while Uganda expelled North Korean military advisers and pledged to enforce the latest round of sanctions. Tanzanian foreign minister Augustine Mahiga said recently that the country "had scaled down diplomatic relations to the minimum." 'Lack of a colonial past' China's reticence to definitively turn its back on North Korea appears to have sent conflicting signals to Africa's governments Namibia has also vowed to scrap all of the contracts it signed with companies tied to Pyongyang. "Even their nationals are sent back home. It's over," minister for the presidency Frans Kapofi told AFP. And as many as 150 North Korean guest workers were recently asked to leave Angola, with officials insisting their contracts had expired. "It doesn't mean we sever our ties with North Korea. It's an ally that has historically been with our country," said foreign minister Manuel Augusto. A spokeswoman for Mozambique's government vowed to "work with the committee of (UN) experts set up to better understand any issues". But in their recent report, the UN's experts found that it had "not yet provided a substantive response to this panel inquiry". Mozambique is not alone, despite the mounting pressure from the United States, the European Union, Japan and South Korea. China's reticence to definitively turn its back on its long-time ally appears to have sent conflicting signals to Africa's governments. "China's unwillingness to implement UN sanctions provides a measure of protection for African countries," said Ramani, the Oxford academic. North Korea is clearly a long way from losing all its major African allies. "The DPRK's lack of a colonial past and their willingness to stand up to 'Western oppressors' is undoubtedly admired by some African governments," said Neville, the Chatham House analyst. "Doing business with the DPRK could be attractive to some African countries because economic engagement is not conditional on governance and accountability reforms. "This is especially true in terms of armaments and military equipment," he added. pa-burs-gw/bgs/ecl/jta Kwasi Bonzo 10.12.2017 LISTEN The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ellembelle, Hon. Kwasi Bonzo has hinted that youth unemployment is not an economic issue but a national security one. He said the government is working tirelessly to ensure that the youth who are the future hope of the nation have decent jobs adding it would engage the youth through the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) in meaningful vocations to enable them to fend for themselves and their families. He admitted that unemployment, especially among the youth, creates national instability as some frustrated and vulnerable youths engage in social vices that jeopardize the peace that the nation enjoys. He made this known at the public hearing in Aiyinase in the Ellemeblle District of the Western Region on Thursday. He, therefore, admonished the youth to take seriously their academic and vocational training to acquire the requisite qualification to enable them to take up opportunities that continue to spring up in the District. Hon. Bonzoh mentioned that the Assembly is in constant touch with the oil companies to assist in training brilliant youths in oil and gas related areas to enable them to march up to the competition and also attain higher positions in the oil and gas industry. He reiterated governments commitment to making the oil find in Nzema a blessing to all Ghanaians and so admonished Nzema inhabitants to work towards attaining a higher education to be employable in the oil and gas sector to also assess the benefit that comes with it. Source: Daniel Kaku 24129815 897712690404491 1657773185676790451 N 24177013 897713133737780 2568809584297682809 N 24232829 897716977070729 6142765177678830946 N 24176678 897712030404557 6169152558043225956 N 24130049 897716887070738 8369521889821750756 N 24131441 897710300404730 2799915166324460858 N 24232133 897713763737717 6193883492662859751 N 24059229 897710543738039 8372510495267238459 N 24131460 897710970404663 3411526992741683101 N Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Morocco's capital Rabat on Sunday as demonstrations against US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital continued to spread. Waving Palestinian flags, a sea of demonstrators marched from Rabat's Bab el-Had square to Morocco's parliament building, down Mohammed VI Avenue, the city's main thoroughfare. "Jerusalem, capital of Palestine!" read a banner carried by the protesters, who included families, Islamist sympathisers, trade unionists and local activists. "The Palestinian people have suffered so much and continue to suffer because of Israel's barbaric colonisation," said one of the protesters, 43-year-old Mustapha. "We must, more than ever, make our voices heard against this decision by Trump that will deprive the Palestinians of their land," said the lawyer from Casablanca, accompanied by his six-year-old daughter. Morocco's King Mohammed VI earlier expressed his "deep concern" over Trump's move, acting as head of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's Al-Quds Committee, which lobbies on issues related to Jerusalem. Trump's decision -- which upended decades of US diplomatic practice -- has drawn global condemnation, sparked demonstrations across the Muslim world and led to days of unrest in the Palestinian territories. The leadership and members of the Germany Branch of the New Patriotic Party has congratulated H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his tremendous achievement in his first one year in office as the President of the Republic of Ghana. The National Chairman, Rev. Alex Acheampong in his congratulatory message reiterated that indeed H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo has proven his trustworthiness and incomparable desire to give equal opportunity to all Ghanaians irrespective of their socio-economic status and affiliation. Rev Alex Acheampong emphasized that inadvertently, H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo has delivered on his promise of bringing hope to all Ghanaians. He indicated that exactly a year ago on the 7th of December, 2016 Ghanaians voted massively for H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP to restore the lost glory of Ghana. The NPP in their bid to serve the people of Ghana made eminent promises that envisioned salvaging the people of Ghana from the mal-governance of the Mahama led NDC government. Prominent among the promises made by the then flag bearer of the NPP, H.E. Nana Akuffo-Addo which made Ghanaians to repose confidence in him was the introduction of the flagship Free SHS policy which today has put smiles on the faces of 400,000 Ghanaian students from Junior High Schools and their parents across the country. Again, the restoration of the Nurses Trainee allowance which was hitherto scrapped off by the one-time Mahama led NDC administration has brought a remarkable financial relief to the Nursing Trainees. He added that the government's potent Economic Management Committee led by the Vice President, H.E. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has instituted prudent Macroeconomic policy initiatives. Some of which include, the Paperless policy at the Ports which has increased government Revenue at the port from GHc130 million in the first week of September 2016, to GHc213 million in the same period for 2017. Moreover, the launch of the maiden Digital Property Addressing System popularly known as the Ghana Post GPS is going to create an avenue for new businesses, enhance security, and aid systematic revenue collection. Again, more jobs are going to be created from the implementation of the One-District-One-Factory Policy which was launched during a sod cutting ceremony for the construction of the Ekumfi Fruits and Juice Limited at Ekumfi in the Central Region. The construction of the factory will be completed in 2018 and will create over 4,000 direct jobs and also employ some 5,000 out-growers. In addition, 173 projects will be carried out by private businesses with support from the government. Other achievements worth mentioning are the introduction of the Planting for Food and Jobs and the One-District-One-Warehouse Program to increase Agricultural productivity and ensure food security. The Tax exemption policy for under-35 young entrepreneurs will also enhance youth entrepreneurship in Ghana. He further pointed out that the NPP has abolished excise duty on petroleum, levies imposed on kayayei by local Authorities, levies imposed on religious institutions by local Authorities, reduced National Electrification Scheme Levy from 5% to 3%. He added that the government has also directed the PURC to consider a reduction in utility tariffs to lessen the burden of Ghanaians. Rev. Alex concluded that considering the endless achievement of the NPP government led by H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo in his first one year, it is evident that the NPP government can convincingly deliver on all its promises made to Ghanaians as enshrined in the NPP 2016 Manifesto which promises to bring hope to the good people of Ghana. He, therefore, urged Ghanaians to be patient with the President, H.E. Nana Akuffo-Addo to correct the economic mess created by the Mahama led NDC in their 8 wasteful years to bring Ghana back on track. Young Exceptionally Spirited Ghanaian Diplomat, Steven Blessing Ackah, has made history by winning a Silver Angel Award at G200/G20 Youth Forum 2017 in Dubai. Steven Blessing Akah who Chaired the NEW STRATEGIES FOR FINANCIAL SECTOR AND WORLD ECONOMY COMMITTEE under the Ministers for Economy Delegation at the G200 Youth Forum, was presented with a Silver Angel Award for his constant contribution towards Youth Development. Silver Angel is a prestigious award, which is given each year to 3 individuals, whose achievements contributed the most to the development of the global community. Mrs. Habiba Al Marashi, the co-founder and chairperson of Emirates Environmental Group, received an award for environmental protection and social responsibility, Ms. Bonnie Chiu, young entrepreneur and founder of a non-profit social enterprise Lensational, was rewarded for Women Empowerment. Ms. Ksenia Khoruzhnikova, the founder and President Of G200 Association mentioned that each awardee, flying with his or her ideas, is an angel. But all these talented people also need a special Silver Angel to protect and support them. She congratulated the awardees and wish them new accomplishments and endeavours. About the G200 Nomination With unflinching support from H.E. Ambassador Professor Dr. Tal Edgars- Group Executive Chairman GBSH Consult Group, a senior diplomat and a leading Global Influential Strategist and Mrs. Ana Manduley Atarodian, US Based and Co-Founder of UAE- AFRICA MDC, Mr. Ackah was nominated to join the G200 Alumni Association and was extended the role to chair one of the Committees. The G200 Youth Forum is the largest international event organized for young leaders in 2017, and about 300 young leaders, parliamentarians, students and academics, representatives of the business world, governments and international organizations participated in it. Steven Blessing Ackah, Co-Founder, Head of Government Affairs and Ghana Youth Champion, UAE-Africa Mentoring Development Consortium (UAMDC)- a Ghana-based- firm building bridges for students in the UAE, Africa and the world in supporting the next unicorns! Facilitating dignitary opportunities (oil and gas, agriculture, educations, STEM, etc.) and championing youth via an amazing group of global mentors worldwide (i.e. Regina Huber, Mireille Toulekima, Wayne Francis, Monica McCoy, Tasneem Lakdawalla, to name a few). Mr. Ackah was appointed as G200 Association to Chair, New Strategies for Financial Sector & World Economies with a committee of leaders from China, Germany, India, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia. Steven is a youth diplomat, a member of National Election Early Warning and Response Group under the Ghana National Peace Council and cutting-edge strategist with an outstanding record in both social enterprise and profit-making business. Based on his advocacy on youth employment policies and job bank strategies, he was bestowed the Most Outstanding Personality Service Award 2017 by West Africa Merit award Organization. 10.12.2017 LISTEN The National Union of Ghana Students, NUGS is saddened by reports in respect of a fire outbreak that gutted the Konongo Odumase SHS boys dormitory yesterday evening, December 9, 2017. The President of NUGS Elisha Oheneba Essumang and the NUGS Treasurer on Sunday morning December 10, 2017 left for Konongo Odumase SHS to access the extent of damage and take the necessary steps to remedy the harm caused by the fire outbreak. Whilst there, he shall be joined and assisted by the Ashanti Regional Students' Representative Council, SRC Coordinator, Raphael Sarkodie to discuss with stakeholders, the extent of damaged the fire has caused and the reliefs measures needed to ensure that teaching and learning returns to normal. The fire started Saturday evening about 8:15pm during prep period according to our information and managed to consume about half of the boys dormitory that houses about hundred male students. Properties including mattresses, chop box, books, bags, foot wears, and others were completely burnt. Thankfully, no lives were lost. The National Union of Ghana Students, NUGS is solidly behind the school in this difficult and trying times and calls on authorities, NADMO, philanthropist, especially the Konongo District Ghana Education Service, Ministry of Education to come to the aid of this noble institution as a matter of urgency. ...........Signed Elisha Oheneba Essumang PRESIDENT Issued by Kojo Matasa Blay Press & Information Secretary 10.12.2017 LISTEN Accra, Dec. 10, CDA Consult The nations foremost indigenous Oil Marketing Company, Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL) has been tagged as Ghanas Industry Gem and challenged to venture into upstream petroleum sector to propel it to higher heights. Mr Freddy Blay, Acting Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) who on behalf of the government hailed the accolade on GOIL explained that the nation depends largely on OMC industry giant for maintaining stability in the downstream sector. Mr Blay a former Board Chairman of GOIL stated at the 2017 Long Service Awards and End of Year Party organized at the weekend by the company to honour distinguished staffs that have work and continue to serve the company between ten and 35 years. He explained that; GOIL has been adjudged as the Third Largest Company in Ghana by the Ghana Investment Promotion Council sponsored Ghana Club 100 list of companies. GOIL is now the second Best-listed Company on the Ghana Stock Exchange which it joined just a decade ago. Mr Blay said for the second successive year, GOIL was adjudged as CIMG Petroleum Company of the Year; and to crown the year, GOIL received three distinguished awards at the 2017 Energy Awards: Brand of the Year; Best Bulk Distribution Company (BDC) Goenergy; and the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Patrick Akpe Kwame Akorli was decorated as CEO of the Year Petroleum Sector. The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) also acknowledged GOIL with an Excellence Award in the Oil and Gas Sector, whilst COPEC also decorated GOIL with three notable awards: Best Brand, Marketing Category; Best Fuel Quality Award, and again Mr Akorli the GOIL Group CEO and Managing Director was decorated as the Best CEO. Mr. Blay, however, challenged GOIL, Board, Management and Staff to continue to work hard in the interest of the nation. Mr. Akorli described the annual GOIL awards and dinner night as a unique opportunity to reconnect, unwinds and de-stress with co-workers, former staffs and stakeholders. He noted that although significant progress has been made in the economic outlook of the country, this has not reflected in the fortunes of the downstream petroleum industry. The downstream sector experiences a 10 percent drop in volumes due to mainly to illegal activities Petroleum Black Market dealers who smuggle the products in a bid to evade tax. This notwithstanding, GOIL has experienced a marginal growth and remains the biggest OMC in the country. Although it is difficult to rise to the top, it is more difficult to remain up therethe Competition is still stiff in the downstream petroleum sector, therefore GOIL cannot afford to rest. The GOIL Group CEO, therefore, encouraged management and staff to continue to give off their very best in the coming years as the company continues to compete aggressively with multinationals; but we will continue to rely on ourselves for the necessary innovations as a home-grown brand to remain at the top. Mr. Akorli said GOIL is scaling up its health and safety measures; as recent events in the industry demands that; we must show strength and character that we are market leaders and can indeed retain our position as market leaders. Mr. Kwamena Bartels, Board Chairman of GOIL pledged the commitment of the Board to work with management and staffs to propel the company to higher heights. He lauded the effort of the immediate past Board for moving the company forward and the tremendous achievement. Mr Alex Joshua Adzew, Chief Operating Officer was decorated with 25 years of service award; Ms Vida Stephens was acknowledged for 30 years of service certificate; and Mr Felix Ohene Ayare for 35 years of service award. My attention has been drawn to a story with the above heading published on Ghanaweb as referenced below; https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Ashanti-Regional-Minister-must-be-charged-for-manslaughter-Lecturer-608234 The story done by mynewsgh.com attributed a lot of misleading statements to me that has the propensity to affect my hard earned reputation in national discourse and the intellectual community as a lecturer. Even though, I spoke with a reporter of newsgh.com on the canker of epidemic that has engulfed the Kumasi Academy, I am amused by the above publications because it is far from my position on the ensuing issues, as aired to the news source. For the purpose of fairness, I want to state that I take exception from the story as it does not fairly represent my views on the matter. The views put together in the story are those of the news site. Now, my position. It would be recalled that the President of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Akufo Addo, visited the Kumasi Academy for its 50th Anniversary. At the time, the school had loss some students. In the address of the President and in fact, through out the program, the issue of the death of students of the school was never revealed. This situation was what I described as lack of diligence on the part of the Regional minister for failing to brief the president on the reality on the grounds. As a regional minister he is in a better position to know the predicaments of the Region especially about that catastrophe that hit KUMACHA. Upon arrival of the president in the Ashanti Region, the Regional minister could have briefed the president on that precarious situation in the school. It is obvious that the Regional minister was either hiding something from the president or a failure on HIS (MINISTER) part and those who matter to brief the president about the situation and must be blamed for the communication gab left between the Region and the president. That was exactly my response on the matter to the news site and I have since not changed my position. I am extremely surprised that such an unambiguous position from me could be distorted. I emphatically state that I disassociate myself from the story and demand a retraction and an apology from the source of publication. Yarhands Dissou Arthur (Lecturer at the University of Education, Winneba, Kumasi) December 10 every year is observed globally as Human Rights Day (HRD), to mark the UN General Assemblys adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948. The Commonwealth Human Right Initiative (CHRI) Africa Office and the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS)Africa, join the international community to commemorate this years Human Rights Day. Today marks the beginning of a year-long commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which falls in 2018. The UDHR, with its perennial values of equality, justice and human dignity, lays a solid foundation of a just world for all UN member states and their citizens. The Universal Declaration is a commitment, by all States, that they will protect and promote human rights. Without the respect for human rights, other equally important UN values such as development, peace and security cannot be attained. As we commemorate a day that focuses on the promotion of rights and freedoms aimed at upholding the dignity and justice for all-principles also enshrined in the Commonwealth Chartera document that sets out the values of the Commonwealth- CHRI and the RCS would like to remind Ghanaians that the Universal Declaration was written for all of us, the people of member states. It is therefore imperative that as a people we rise up, hold our leaders to account on international obligations, let our voices be heard and stand against anything that will threaten the protection and enjoyment of Human Rights. In recent times one such threat, which the UN, has described as an enormous obstacle to the realization of all human rights is corruption, something that seems to have become a canker in the Ghanaian society. Human rights are indivisible and interdependent, and the consequences of corrupt governance are multiple and touch on all human rights civil, political, economic, social and cultural, as well as the right to development. Corruption leads to violation of the governments human rights obligation to take steps to the maximum of its available resources, with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of the rights recognized in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It is for this reason that on the occasion of International Human Rights Day 2017 we would like to remind the Government of Ghana that Transparency and Accountability, two key principles of a human rights-based approach to development also happen to be integral to successful anti-corruption strategies. Importantly, we urge Government to take cognizance of the fact that some of the measures that can enhance transparency and accountability and contribute to sustainable anti-corruption measures are the adoption of laws ensuring the publics access to information on governmental processes, decisions and policies -in our the Passage of the RTI Bill into law- as well as institutional reforms which strengthen transparency and accountability. We wish all Ghanaians and by extension every member of the Commonwealth a happy Human Rights Day! Issued by: The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) Africa Office, and The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) Africa 10.12.2017 LISTEN It fascinates me how differently many of us see, hear, and react to Museveni's dictatorship.There are democracy lovers here who prefer Besigye's leadership to Museveni's.There are some who find fault with Museveni and Besigye, and would rather have a Kyagulanyi or Norbert Mao. There are people here who do not like politics at all and can sit through shows like NBS-Frontline bored and dry-eyed. There are some, like Andrew M. Mwenda, who do not consider Museveni a 'bad' dictator and would rather have him than Besigye or Kyagulanyi. I respect all of these opinions, though they are the opposite of mine.They are held by people with far more experience and expertise than my own.Yet I do not understand them at all! My opinion is that anybody could do at the moment as long as it's not Museveni and his family. And, at this moment, Besigye takes the biscuit. He has been remarkable since the late 1990s when he started opposing Museveni before any of the inner NRMs. One thing for which Besigye is not given enough credit, and perhaps it is not credit-worthy, although it is an interesting historical phenomenon, is that he has inspired hope in Ugandans, and he has made a lot of people to become fearless and determined in opposing the Museveni dictatorship. People like Mwenda interpret this determination and fearlessness as 'hooliganism', unfortunately. Since 2001, Besigye and Museveni have been the twin pillars of the political world in Uganda and no woman or man, I believe, has come close to challenging their fame since.And again, as excepted, I think that Besigye was a bigger draw in all previous elections than any candidate, and, I believe, he won 2006, 2010, and 2016 elections. I think what makes Besigye unique in the modern era (i.e since the retirement of DP's Kawanga Ssemogerere, if not before) is that his fame is universal throughout the developed world and perhaps beyond, a name recognised by just anybody with half a brain and the slightest passing interest in Uganda politics. As to their comparative contributions to politics, Mwenda may admire Museveni more. Yet for me, the most important measure of one's contribution to politics is how well one leads. When Besigye was FDC president, that party was the most vibrant in the country, the most promising, but he left the leadership to others for the sake of promoting internal democracy within the party. That's quality leadership which you will never find in Museveni. He strategised himself as the leader of UPM before the 1980 elections, and never gave room for the Bidandi Ssalis and others. When Museveni's PRA integrated with Yusuf Lule's faction, he still kept himself as the omega of everything, despite the fact that Lule was the NRM chairman. So, I don't really understand how Mwenda, with due respect, comes to look at Museveni's dictatorship as better than a Besigye leadership. In his theory, he is already looking at Besigye as a dictator before he even becomes a president. He has already childishly prophecised that Besigye would never become president. The complexity of his theory is only partly responsible for the fact that knowledge of his ideas is confined to a small group of professional journalists(such as his friend, Timothy Kalyegira) and few elites: some of the blame must be given to a literary style that is often offensive and an arrogance that is easy to confound with fatuity. He calls himself the 'smartest person in the room' with a grin on his face, and I found this so disturbing. Thank God Mao, Hon.Kivumbi Muwanga and others were calm, because that is the kind of behaviour that would not have any place on any TV here in England. Bobi Wine, on the other hand, has the boyish charm that so endears him to the millions watching. It doesn't matter whether Mwenda speaks better English than him. Yes, he is still learning his ropes but he's doing well. I think Besigye would have far and away the best face and name recognition among foreign leaders and majority of Ugandans. Till when Museveni is removed from power, I even see no point wasting time on picking presidential candidates. Let's just boost Besigye's efforts for now, because how do you talk of removing someone through elections who is pioneering a constitutional life presidency! "In tribute to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Uganda, two bastions of strength in a world filled with strife, discrimination and terrorism." In 2003, I was thumbing through a mountain biking catalog looking for an adventure trip to take and I saw one for a ride in the Sawtooths from Ketchum to Atlanta. Idaho isnt a state that people in Florida are abundantly familiar with and frankly neither was I, but the route seemed interesting enough to pique my curiosity and lead me to sign up. While the climbs were overwhelming at times, in my mind, they were dwarfed by the sheer beauty, bountiful skies and amazing rivers that Idaho offered. I came away from that trip a little sore but deeply impressed with all that is Idaho. In the years that followed, I returned to Idaho several more times taking on new adventures all the while becoming a little more acquainted with the states Republican politics. I grew up in Miami and came of age in the era of Ronald Reagan, who I admired deeply. Though I have the heritage of an Italian immigrant family, I readily identified with Miamis fervent anti-Communist views. I fondly recall conversations with my grandfather who today would be called a Reagan Democrat. He didnt hesitate to point out to me the flaws of the modern Democrat Party and particularly the presidency of Jimmy Carter. I was drawn to politics and particularly the Republican Party because of their strong commitment to fighting Communism, belief in limited government and support for free enterprise. I went to college in Tallahassee for the opportunities to become more involved in Republican politics. Soon thereafter, I was fresh out of college and working in my first professional job for the Republican Party of Florida in its House Campaigns Division. While our mission seemed simple (flip the Florida House to Republican), our team was outgunned. Democrats had held the Florida House continuously for over 120 years, had a numeric advantage of 71 to 49 and were able to raise far more than we were. Led by then Minority Leader Dan Webster (now a Florida congressman), he assembled a team of strong candidates and eager staff. In 1994, we fought our way to a 63-57 minority and then in 1996, the 122-year Democrat House era ended with Republicans winning the Florida House, 61-59. I continued in my career to work with Republican legislators and always enjoyed getting to know these elected officials at a personal level and watching them enact Republican policies that have worked for the betterment of the state and its residents. I am excited by the opportunity to serve as executive director of the Idaho Republican Party where my role is to assist Chairman Jonathan Parker in running the day-to-day operations of the party while preparing to support the Republican nominees in the 2018 general election. With Idahoans electing a new governor, lieutenant governor and member of Congress as well as scores of other state and local officials, 2018 is truly a once-in-a-generation election that will determine the direction of our state for many years to come. I strongly believe, as Chairman Parker does, that the Idaho Republican Party is a grassroots organization built from the localities up, that all parts of Idaho are equally important, and the party must remain neutral in primary races. I also share his vision for growing the party by increasing its awareness and involving more people than ever before. In the few short weeks since being on the job, Im adjusting to temperatures much colder than what Im accustomed to, but Ive been warmed over by the friendliness of the people Ive met here so far. While far from my native Florida, I am proud to call Idaho my new home and work for a team I believe in. 10 December 2017, GENEVA The Chairman of the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue H. E. Dr. Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim has called for the promotion of a value-driven human rights system to guide international decision-makers in their endeavours to address the impact of the migrant and refugee crisis. Dr. Al Qassim made this statement in relation to the observation of the 2017 International Human Rights day which is observed annually on 10 December. The Geneva Centres Chairman said that the refugee and migrant crisis have become the symbol of the worlds inability to live up to the ideals of the Founders of the UN and the Signatories of the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights to promote peace and justice worldwide. The forced displacement of people from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe he said calls for concerted efforts to reduce the instability and turmoil which spreads across borders forcing people to be on the move. Dr. Al Qassim deplored recent attempts by decision-makers to deny refugees and migrants the right to freedom of movement and liberty as these distorted efforts are contradictory to the founding principles of human rights. Over-securitization of migration and the fortification of countries of intended destination will not provide a long-term solution to address the current situation. I appeal to decision-makers in the Arab region and in Europe must work jointly to address the root-causes of forced displacement. The human rights and the fundamental freedoms of displaced people follow the denial of the right to peace, the right to development and the right to security. It is only when these human rights and fundamental freedoms are violated and infringed that people decide to take on the long and dangerous journey to seek a safe environment where human rights are expected to be protected and to flourish. Migrants and refugees are the symbol of brave and courageous individuals who stand up for their human rights and fundamental liberties and decide to put their lives at stake to enjoy the highest level of freedom, remarked Dr. Al Qassim. In relation to these observations, Dr. Al Qassim noted that the Geneva Centre will hold a panel debate on 14 December 2017 at the United Nations Office in Geneva on the theme of Migration and human solidarity, a challenge and an opportunity for Europe and the MENA region. In this regard, the Geneva Centre has invited distinguished representatives from IOM, UNHCR, the Norwegian Refugee Council, International Catholic Migration Commission and the European Centre for Peace and Development to offer their insights on the need to promote a value-driven human rights system to address the adverse impact of the protracted refugee and migrant crises. Violence and insecurity as well as climate change migration have adversely affected millions of people in the MENA region and their fate has become a politically charged issue of high importance for the neighbouring countries in the MENA region and in Europe. We aim at promoting a discussion of these issues in their Europe-Middle Eastern interactive dimensions rather than through focussing on the two regions separately. This will enable the panel debate to identify holistic solutions to respond to the causes and consequences of the protracted migrant and refugee crisis, highlighted Dr. Al Qassim. The Geneva Centres Chairman also added that the panel debate will adopt a Declaration that reiterates the importance of promoting a value-driven human rights system to promote and to advance the human rights of displaced people. Joint dialogue between decision-makers from the Global North and the Global South is required so as to respond with one voice to the challenges associated with the protracted refugee and migrant crisis. Dr. Al Qassim concluded his statement stating that people on the move are entitled to have their human rights protected and restored. They cannot be denied both the right to life in their country of origin and the right to be migrants and refugees. Bedrock democracies that oppose ethnic cleansing, racism and violation of freedom of opinion cannot at the same time refuse shelter to their victims. About the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue: The Geneva Centre, an organization with special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, is a think tank dedicated to the promotion of human rights through cross-cultural, religious and civilizational dialogue between the Global North and Global South, and through training of the upcoming generations of stakeholders in the Arab region. The Centre works towards a value-driven human rights system, steering clear of politicization and building bridges between different narratives thereon of the Global North and of the Global South. Its aim is to act as a platform for dialogue between a variety of stakeholders involved in the promotion and protection of human rights. In terms of industrialization and private sector estate management, many companies have served the country in time past in the area of infrastructural development and the creation of other employment avenues, one of such companies that have been very instrumental in the real estate development of Ghana from the 80s to late 2000s is FRESSIBEY Company Limited. Registered in Ghana in 1987, the companys principal activities were estate development, estate agents and auctioneers, farmers and marketing of farm produce, general merchants and suppliers of general goods, importers and exporters of general goods, civil engineering. The company from the time of its incorporation had successfully executed various government contracts through the government of Ghana in the areas of classroom blocks, rural roads and various structures that span the entire country. Some of its known clients were the district and municipal assemblies, GETFUND, and the private sector. The company has estates scattered all over the country; however, after the demise of the founder and CEO, late Frank Osei Assibey, the company ceased to operate and unscrupulous people took advantage and encroached on the properties and assets of the company. In an interview with Dwomoh-Doyen Benjamin; Public Relations Officer of the revived companies, he revealed that the new directors of the company are Franklin Osei-Assibey; the first son and administrator of the estates of the Late Frank Osei-Assibey, Jerrand Osei-Assibey; son of the late Frank Osei-Assibey, Michael Kobby Arthur; Personal assistant to the late Frank Osei-Assibey and Clement Kwaku Ampofo; an aid to the late Frank Osei-Assibey. He reiterated that the move to revive the companies is a plan by Franklin Osei-Assibey to unite the children of the late Frank Osei-Assibey by rallying them all behind the running of their fathers estates and to further the legacy he left behind. Another company of the late Frank Osei-Assibey that has also been revived by the Administrators is Crystal College of Nursing and Health Administration limited. The new management of the companies with the help of the lawyers of the companies are taking inventories of the assets and liabilities of the companies and to effectively ensure smooth operations of the companies. Kenya's opposition has postponed a ceremony to swear in its leader Raila Odinga as a parallel president after a controversial poll it boycotted, the party said Sunday. The National Super Alliance (NASA) had planned to inaugurate Odinga on Tuesday -- Kenya's independence day. The veteran politician had pulled out of the national election won by President Uhuru Kenyatta. The party said the decision to put back the swearing-in ceremony and launch of a new People's Assembly to a later date was made "following extensive internal consultations and engagement". Kenya's attorney general has said holding the alternative inauguration would amount to "treason" -- a crime punishable by death -- although Kenya has not executed anyone for 30 years. NASA said in a statement Sunday: "We are aware that this will be a disappointment to the people of Kenya who were eagerly waiting for this occasion. "We wish to assure them that our resolve has not changed. Specifically, we wish to reiterate that any national dialogue must have electoral justice on the agenda. We are not interested in sharing illegitimate dictatorial power." Odinga's pledge that he would be inaugurated as president -- made on the same day as Kenyatta's swearing-in ceremony -- was a source of concern for many observers, who feared it could rekindle tensions after months of divisions over the polling process. The election chaos goes back to an August 8 vote that was annulled in September over "irregularities and illegalities". Odinga boycotted the October 26 re-run saying the electoral commission had not made fundamental reforms to make the contest fair. Kenyatta went on to win 98 percent of the vote -- but on a turnout of only 39 percent. The result was validated by the Supreme Court after two petitions seeking to overturn it were dismissed. At least 58 people have died during violent clashes since the August vote, and the country is still deeply split. 10.12.2017 LISTEN So deeply ingrained in the minds of racist individuals from the Middle East who live in Ghana, that Africans are an inferior race, that Hadaad Rabih - that vile character said to be originaly from Lebanon who is accused of raping his 19-year old househelp on at least two separate occassions - clearly thinks he can feign illness and escape going to jail on remand, whiles the very serious crime (violent rape) he is accused of is being investigated by the police. A man whose abominable and unpardonable cruelty to his helpless and defenceless househelp, mark him out as a monster, must not be allowed to escape being kept incarcerated in police cells, whiles the rape allegation against him is being investigated, under any circumstances. He is no different from any other violent rapist in Ghana and must not be given any preferential treatment. The more responsible sections of the Ghanaian media must follow the case closely and ensure that the police investigators handling the matter act professionally at all material times - and demand that they are interdicted and investigated themselves if it becomes obvious that they must have somehow been compromised by Hadaad Rabih's friends and family. That poor 19-year old househelp he is alleged to have raped deserves to get justice from Ghana's criminal justice system - so that other cowardly men without moral compasses in this country who employ young women as househelps, will be detered from sexually assaulting them, whiles those women remain in their employ. If the apparently merciless Hadaad Rabih did not show any consideration for his alleged victim, why does he now want consideration from the Ghanaian society that he and his ilk so clearly despise - judging by their uncalled for arrogance and the unjustifiable superior airs they put on daily in their interactions with ordinary Ghanaians? Hadaad Rabih must be remanded in police cells - not in a hospital ward - whiles the alleged rape case against him is investigated by the police. Enough is enough. Haaba. 10.12.2017 LISTEN Two Joy News Volta Regional Correspondents have swept key awards at the maiden edition of the Volta Regional Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) Awards 2017. Ivy Sertordzie won the best journalist in the sanitation category and Hubert Mawuli Yevu Abi was adjudged the best health reporter on Saturday. The awards ceremony was held to celebrate the extraordinary works of journalists in the region. There were nine categories namely Agriculture, Education, Health, Business and Economics, Tourism, Disaster Management and Prevention, Sports, Sanitation, Crime and Court Reporting. Joy News' Ivy Sertordzie Ivys report on open defecation in Ketu South district, which highlighted a looming health crisis for residents, was adjudged an impactful sanitation story. I visited the area a couple of times and met older adults who told me that they enjoy defecating at the beach because they had no toilet facility in the area and again they prefer the beach because it is airy...but I wanted something to be done about it, she explained why she filed that report. The award is a giant testament to Ivys hard work and storytelling skill in the region. Also, Huberts story that put the spotlight on the twin situation of a four-year-old girl who was abandoned by her parents because she had cerebral palsy, was found compelling. Joy News' Hubert Mawuli Yevu Abi The judges settled on the journalist for the award because of the immediate financial and medical support his report elicited for the girl. I am happy that the story made an impact in someones life, he said. Their win came five days after Joy News Justice Baidoos won the best video story at the Food Sustainability Media Awards held in Milan, Italy by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The award formed part of the 8th International Conference on Food and Nutrition organized by the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition currently on-going in Milan. Justice walked home with 10,000 prize money after his story on post-harvest losses in Ghana was adjudged the winner in the first edition of the competition. 10.12.2017 LISTEN Dear Dominic Nitiwul, Greetings from Binduri Naawaa for you ooooooo, I understand you said Former President John DramaniMahama currently resides on a state land owned by the Ghana Armed Forces, for which matter he should vacate the premises, right? I read it from the Web. The dog speaking the language of a wolf? Your frivolous allegation is not only a relic of dirty and stupid beer parlour propaganda mushrooming from the stables of a mentally deranged drunkard, but a horrible balderdash that is packaged for Akpeteshie shops rather than for public consumption. Dominic, what's the motivation for this your needless shenanigans against Former President John DramaniMahama? You mean you don't know his current Residence was developed by a private real Estate development company? And that the company has been in existence for several years? How did we get here? Did I also hear you say investigations are going on? Where has your sense gone to? How come you could not conclude investigation before you come out barking like a dog who just saw a ghost at dawn? Dominic, I don't blame you. The problem is the political party you belong to- the NPP. The most amazing thing about NPP now is, it does not matter how bright you are, once you join the NPP your brain is as good as that of a corpse. People stop thinking and all they do is to listen to what the senile man (Nana Akufo-Addo) has to say. If not how can a person of your calibre be a Defense Minister. If not because of lack of competent men in the NPP how can someone like this drunkard be a Minister? You think the Defense Minister portfolio is a position thrown at dogs and pigs? Mr. Dominic, you are not a Defense Minister oooooo. Infact, you lack all it takes to be one. You are a Defense Mistake! A Defense Error! What is the status of Bimbila your constituency? When last did you visit your constituent? And what is the situation of Bimbila currently? Are your constituent able to sleep with their two eyes closed? Are you not in charge of the Security forces? That is the symbol of gross incompetence, that a so-called Defense Minister cannot ensure his constituent are secured and always safe from harm. A minister who turns up at a military parade to inspect soldiers only for the soldiers to tell him he has baked beans on his shirt collar, is that one too a minister? Lol LolLol. Check your collar before you inspect my dressing; as simple as A,B,C,D. You are a joke. No serious government will appoint a character like you as defence minister. Our last hope is the military and if we are going to allow the military to be made another NPP club house, then we are finished. Our democracy is under a serious threat. Dominic, you can choose to be a poster boy for crass behaviour. You can even choose to be whorish for all I care but next time you want to make noise, make sure it is against gods with clay feet or you end up dancing naked in front of the intelligent public. JM is an institution, he is a prophet and he is an Anointed soul; touch not the anointed Mr. Trainee Minister. How were you appointed? Did you offer bribe? That's possible because the appetite of the walking corpse short man devil President for bribes is insatiable. Infact you are not in the family and friends club because no Nitiwul hails from the Akim enclave. You might have been a headache-induced compromise choice but now you are embarrassing. A watch dog watching the Skims having their breakfast, Launch and supper. With all the security intelligence at your disposal you couldn't do proper due diligence checks before coming out to spew nonsense in our ears? Clueless Trainee Minister. As a matter of urgency the Military Hierarchy must quickly call their Defence Minister to order and school him on SECURITY ISSUES. He sounds clueless on security matters and does not fit to occupy such a sensitive position. He is so naive, sounds unintelligent and undeserving of the office he occupy; GAF deserves Better. Mr. Nitiwul consider reviewing the notes of your predecessors. The Defense Ministry had competent leaders before, learn from that; you ignorant goat. The only help I can offer a widow screaming from the concubines room is to peep through the window! That I have done. Let me pause here and go for a calabash of pito from ZanguomDaag. Assibid Dauda The Binduri Youth Activist 10.12.2017 LISTEN African presidents reached a strong consensus to focus on regional integration, inclusive growth and youth empowerment in order to achieve continued and sustained growth on the continent at the Africa 2017 Forum in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. President of Egypt Abdel Fattah Al Sisi hosted African heads of state and business leaders including President of the Republic of Guinea Alpha Conde, President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Cote DIvoire Alassane Ouattara, and President of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed. The business and investment Forum titled Driving investment for inclusive growth was convened to increase intra-African investments and cross-border collaboration. The message sent was that entrepreneurship and private sector would be the driving force to transform the continent. The Forum was preceded by a Young Entrepreneurs Day which brought together over 200 young African entrepreneurs who were meeting investors to pitch their businesses over the two days of the Forum. Al Sisi highlighted the importance of African youth, saying they should be the cornerstone of development plans in the continent as governments strive to promote innovation and technology. The second edition of the Forum was another clear statement of intent from the Egyptian President, who, in his opening remarks, highlighted the strong bond Egypt has with the rest of the continent, saying it has always been a partner in African development. Putting Africa on the global map and paving the way for a prosperous future can be achieved by working harder to attract investment and collaborating more closely. President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, co-chair of the Young Entrepreneurs Day, reiterated the need for more urgency: "We cannot afford to waste opportunities because of unnecessary red tape and associated delays." Citing the launch of the Tripartite Free Trade Area in Egypt in 2015, he added it was important that African leaders drive the institutional reform of the African Union in order to get the FTA fully operational. Heba Salama, Director of the COMESA Regional Investment Agency, co-conveners of the Forum, in an emotional address reminded the young and the leaders in the room that if your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough. This did not go unheeded by the entrepreneurs in the room many of whom had scaled up businesses that were ripe for take off. For more information, please email or call [email protected] . You can learn more about the Forum here https://www.businessforafricaforum.com About Africa 2017 Africa 2017 Forum is held under the high patronage of H.E. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi on 7th to 9th December 2017 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and is organized by the Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation of Egypt and the COMESA Regional Investment Agency (RIA). The 2017 edition builds on the success of the inaugural Africa 2016, which saw participation of 6 Heads of State and more than 1,000 delegates from 45 countries. This year the programme has been enhanced with exclusive Presidential Roundtables with Africa leaders and CEOs as well as a Young Entrepreneurs Day. I stuck to what the coaches ... This appeared in the Lewiston Tribune: Take a pair of state lawmakers operating under an ethical cloud. Add in a governor looking for a favor. Presto. Heres how things get done in Idaho. Start with the strong sense of entitlement shared between state Rep. Janet Trujillo, R-Idaho Falls, and her husband, House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star. Earlier this year, the Idaho Falls Post Registers Bryan Clark discovered the power couple had accepted $6,400 from the taxpayers under questionable circumstances. As a lawmaker whose district is about 300 miles away from Boise, Trujillo received a living allowance to cover the cost of arranging for lodging in Boise. That worked out to $129 a day. Lawmakers who reside near Boise and have no need of a second residence receive only $49 a day. Presumably, Trujillo stayed at the couples marital home near Star. All of which means they cleared enough extra money during the course of the 80-day legislative session to buy groceries for a family of four for one year or pay a students tuition at Lewis-Clark State College for two semesters. Trujillo and Moyle have never explained themselves. Theyve never apologized. As far as anyone knows, theyve never returned the money. In a state where the politicians police themselvesno member of the public can launch an ethics investigationTrujillo and Moyle are in the clear. Leadership on both sides of the aisle have taken refuge in the ambiguity of the rules governing legislative compensation. Clearly, Moyle knows better. When a pair of former Republican state senatorsJohn McGee of Caldwell and Curt McKenzie of Nampatook the full living allowance despite the fact they did not incur housing costs in Boise, he said: I dont think it smells good; I dont think it looks good; and if it were one of my members, I would highly advise against it. But in Idaho, bad behavior not only frequently gets ignored; it gets rewarded. Wednesday, Gov. C.L. Butch Otter told the annual Associated Taxpayers of Idaho gathering that he was appointing Trujillo to the State Tax Commission at a salary of about $96,000. Along with the state Industrial Commissionwhich pays $100,900and the state Public Utilities Commissionwhich pays $103,755this is one of the plum gubernatorial appointments. For Trujillo, its quite a step up from her job as a commercial appraiser in the Bonneville County assessors office, where she earns about $49,600. Its also a nice bump in her state Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho pension. Technically, its not the PERSI bump so many other lawmakers have obtained when Otter promoted them into high-paying jobs. For instance, former state Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, converted decades of low-paying legislative service into a sizeable pension by earning $102,273 as the state insurance director for 42 months. For Cameron, the move takes what would have been a $750 a month payout up to a $4,845 a month pension. As a 13-year full-time county employee, Trujillo, on the other hand, was already in line to claim a monthly pension check of $1,284 upon retirement at age 65. The Idaho Freedom Foundations Dustin Hurst looked over the figures and estimated Trujillos promotion to the tax commission will boost her retirement pay to about $2,960 a month. Nobodys saying Trujillowho also serves as vice chairwoman of the House Revenue and Taxation Committeeis unqualified for the appointment. But there are plenty of people out there who are equally credentialed without the ethical baggage she carries. So why did Otter look the other way? Consider the second point of his address to the ATI. Last year, it took Otters veto to stop lawmakers from lifting the states 6 percent sales tax from groceries, a move that would have cost $80 million at a time when the governor is focused on shoring up public school support. I hope we dont have to go through what we went through last year, because I feel very certain that is probably the most stable and predictable source that we have, Otter said. I guess Im putting everybody on notice that my attitude hasnt changed toward that. Nobody is in a better position to see Otter gets his way than the House majority leader who, like his wife, sits on the House Revenue and Taxation Committeewhere all tax bills must originate. Did the governor cut a deal with Moyle? Who knows? Otter certainly was nodding in his direction. An 18-year-old who police say drove the man who was fatally shot attempting to rob a South Side restaurant was arrested Friday. Trevon Deshon Atkinson, 18, faces a charge of aggravated robbery, according to the San Antonio Police Department. The Republican Party is getting very nervous about Robert Muellers investigation into the Trump campaigns potential collusion with Russia and possible crimes associated with it, as well they should. So they seem to have arrived at a strategy: launch an all-out PR assault on the entire investigation, utilizing every available megaphone at their disposal. You might ask, how is that going to help? Mueller has all the authority and resources he needs, and he isnt going to be intimidated by a bunch of bloviating congressmen or a hundred shouting segments on Fox News. President Donald Trump could fire him, but that wont be easy, and could precipitate a real constitutional crisis. Yet even if Trump doesnt fire Mueller, the strategy could still achieve another critical goal, which is to shape public opinion. Republicans would love to stop Mueller, but short of that theyre trying to immunize the public or half of it, anyway against him. Its coming from Republican members of Congress, who are taking every available opportunity to rail against Mueller and the FBI. Most especially, its coming from the conservative media, nowhere more than on Fox News. As Brian Stelter observes, Fox has practically become all-Mueller, all the time: The repetition is really something to behold not just by hosts but by guests who back up the anti-Mueller arguments. There needs to be an investigation of the investigation, Mike Huckabee, father of White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, said on Fox & Friends on Monday. The next night, on Fox Business, fervently pro-Trump host Lou Dobbs tried to outdo his colleagues. He said Strzok, Mueller and former FBI director James Comey should be the subjects of criminal investigations and held fully accountable for crimes against a sitting president and the voters who supported him. Dobbs added, Just one mans opinion. Later that evening, Hannitys opinion was that Mueller is the head of the snake. He called the special counsel a disgrace to the American justice system and asserted that the country is now on the brink of becoming a banana republic. The president watches many of these programs obsessively, and according to news reports regularly calls Sean Hannity after his show to consult on the days events. So theres no question that his own sense of grievance and oppression will be fed by what he watches every day, which could make it far more likely that he moves to fire Mueller. And as this blog has pointed out, it appears these media figures are actively trying to goad Trump into doing that. But even if he doesnt, the strategy can still have a critical impact on the ultimate outcome of the Russia scandal. The Republican approach has its roots in an insight that Mitch McConnell brought to the GOPs strategy in opposing Barack Obama. On major legislation like the Affordable Care Act, McConnell worked hard to make sure not a single Republican joined with Democrats, as much to create a public impression about the enterprise as to actually defeat it. As McConnell explained to the New York Times in 2010: It was absolutely critical that everybody be together because if the proponents of the bill were able to say it was bipartisan, it tended to convey to the public that this is OK, they must have figured it out, Mr. McConnell said about the health legislation in an interview, suggesting that even minimal Republican support could sway the public. As long as both parties were opposed to one another, it just looked like partisan bickering to voters who had only the barest understanding of the legislation. Theres a similar logic at work today. The public isnt going to follow all the twists and turns of the Russia scandal and know the entire cast of characters; Id be surprised if 20 percent of Americans could tell you who Michael Flynn is, let alone George Papadopoulos or Sergei Kislyak. But if they can be convinced that the whole thing is just partisan, then they dont have to know. Republicans will follow their natural inclination to line up behind their party, insulating Trump and his administration from any kind of accountability. How do you create that impression? You argue not just that its a witch hunt but that its a partisan witch hunt, done for no purpose other than partisan advantage. So what if the FBI is full of Republicans, or if Mueller himself is a Republican of unimpeachable law-enforcement credentials, or if his team of investigators and prosecutors includes both Republicans and Democrats? If you can find, say, an agent working on the case who criticized Trump in a private text message, and was removed lest the investigation be tainted in any way, thats all the hook you need to shout that the whole thing is a Democratic operation. Want more? Heres a bit of the intro to Sean Hannitys show Wednesday night: Also tonight, we have new big breaking information about the Special Counsel, Robert Muellers partisan, extremely biased, hyper-partisan attack team. We will going to name names tonight and explain exactly who these Trump hating investigators really are and why this entire witch-hunt needs to be shut down and shut down immediately. What is beyond clear tonight is that Robert Mueller has assembled the most partisan Special Counsel in history. A partisan, extremely biased, hyper-partisan attack team! Jeez, I dont know, that sounds pretty partisan. Unless and until Trump fires Mueller, none of this will have any immediate practical effect on the probe. Mueller is doing his work, gathering information and handing down indictments. Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh cant stop him. They cant keep him from sending some Trump associates to prison. But what they can do is affect what happens when hes done. Once Mueller issues his final report, the country and its representatives in Congress will have to decide what to do about it. If all Republicans have been convinced that nothing Mueller uncovers need be considered seriously or even believed, then it could well get Trump off the hook. Republicans in Congress wont feel pressure to follow up with further investigations, let alone impeach the president. And while it will still be a huge scandal, it wont be the kind of bipartisan scandal that can bring down a president. Until 2020, that is. Lambert Strether of Corrente In all likelihood, the FCC will vote in favor of Chair Ajit Pais My name is Pai. It rhymes with pay Restoring Internet Freedom Order (RIFO), abolishing net neutrality, on December 14. The battle will then move to the courts. Today I want to do a round-up on three net neutrality-related topics: Public support for net neutrality, light touch regulation, and the court challenges to RIFO that will shortly be launched. Public Support for Net Neutrality Net neutrality has (reasonably)[1] strong public support. Impressively, there were over 700 home-grown street protests against RIFO and for net neutrality at Verizon stores nationwide on December 7 (handy map) and at the annual FCC chairs dinner but I want to focus on a different topic. In doing the research for this piece, I was struck by the number of staff-written stories and letters to the editor; the newspapers, unusually these days, werent just ripping copy from the wire. Here is a sampling, in no particular order. From the Argus Leader (South Dakota): For Will Howes [(16)], net neutrality is worth standing out in the freezing weather on a busy intersection along 41st Street during rush hour. They can throttle your Netflix, they can change your Google results, Howes said. The right to access information online is threatened. About two dozen people waved signs near the Verizon store at 2000 W. 41st St., whooping as cars honked and revved engines in a show of support. He considers himself a techie and said he follows tech industry news closely. Howes organized the Sioux Falls protest just a few days after Pai announced the upcoming vote. Hopefully, the national movement will get more people interested in net neutrality and help them understand its importance, Howes said. Its not just going to be the tech nerds at home like me, Howes said. Park Rapids Enterprise (Minnesota): Brandon Medenwald [Will Howes five years from now, eh?] grew annoyed by dismal office in and out boards so annoyed that he decided to build a smartphone application to better track people as they came and went from the workplace. In collaboration with a couple of friends, he developed an app called Simple In/Out, which they made available free over the internet. Over time, users flocked to the app, and many were willing to pay for a version with more features. A small company was born, Simply Made Apps, based in downtown Fargo with Medenwald as its co-founder and web developer. Now, six years later, Medenwald worries that the firm might die in the face of regulatory changes he believes could drastically alter the way people experience the internet. Brandenton-Herald (Florida); a letter to the editor: We may find that certain carriers will attach themselves to certain apps. You may have to change from Verizon to AT&T if you really want to use Snapchat or get your candy crush fix. Certain sites that employ people and bring enjoyment to people everywhere may become obsolete. Spotify may contract with your carrier so that it doesnt use data to stream. Bye, bye Pandora. I cant help but think the larger companies get larger and our local small business will find it even more difficult to reach consumers or advertise. Reporter-Herald (Colorado): [Colin] Garfield spent 13 years as a geographic information systems cartographer before turning his focus to activism on behalf of municipal broadband. Garfield explained that to repeal net neutrality would lend internet providers the ability to block websites of their choosing from the view of browsers, unless the owners of the sites paid fees for their content to be displayed bad news for small businesses trying to get off the ground. This repeal could end up trickling down to the average person by increasing subscription costs, buffer costs, and cause a decrease in overall service from Netflix and other content delivery services, Garfield said. If (a site is) loading slowly because (the business) didnt pay a fee, people are going to, within a few seconds, say, Im done with this, and move on to somebody like Amazon. And Engadget, of Michigan: Frustrated by a lack of attention for heavy metal in Michigan, Jen Lorenski launched MoshPitNation, an online network that connects Michigan metalheads with the music they love. Lorenski also works as a digital marketer and is one of the driving forces behind TaxFormGals, a women-owned small business that, as the name suggests, supplies other small businesses with necessary tax forms, among other services. The openness of the internet has been crucial for small businesses like mine, she said. If the costs of being online become too steep, I could see a point where other small businesses scale back their investment and cause her to lose money. I didnt cherry-pick flyover states; these are the links that came up in search (presumably because big blue cities dont have to worry so much about connectivity). In other words, not everybody has to move to the big city to make a living or be technical; net neutrality puts Will Howes, Brandon Medenwald, and Colin Garfield on the same plane as everybody else, no matter where they are. And their experience chimes with my own; one of the very few ways to make a living in Maine is to bring in money from out-of-state, which I have done through blogging (and a smidge of software development, until I figured discovered I wasnt any good at because I hated having clients). But Im not the only one: I can think of three others in my own social circle, at least, who have done the same thing, through online retail, music, and film, all requiring that lower tier Internet that the ISPs serviced by Pai want to block and throttle. (Of course, if the Democrats cared about rural votes and were a truly national party, theyd be all over this, but they dont, so they arent.) The Light Touch Regulation Talking Point Somehow, Pai and his minions and allies have fastened on light touch as an appropriate branding for their approach to Internet regulation. Reuters: [PAI:] So when you get past the wild accusations, fear mongering and hysteria, heres the boring bottom line. The plan to restore internet freedom would return us to the light touch, market-based approach under which the internet thrived. I can only imagine that light touch emerged into the light from some conservative fever swamp without having been tested for its ability to adapt to conditions on land, because the last I heard of light touch was in the U.K., and light touch was what the regulatory regime that led to the 2008 banking debacle was called (I believe by Tony Blair (of course)). So who on earth signed off on that branding? Anyhow, from the Financial Times: The City watchdog on Wednesday announced a sweeping overhaul of the UKs financial regulatory regime, marking a definitive break with its previous light-touch approach and attempting to set a new global standard for the post-crisis world. [Lord Turner] pledged to scrutinise any institution that could threaten the stability of the financial system. Lord Turner is attempting to re-establish the status the FSA enjoyed before its reputation was tarnished by the banking crisis that triggered the collapse of Northern Rock and the government rescues of HBOS and Royal Bank of Scotland. This is a very clear bid to say, We have learned our lessons from the past and this is how we plan to tackle the crisis, said John Tattersall, a partner at PwC. As for what light touch really meant, or was, ideologically, said to be, we can turn to Turners report from 2009, The Turner Review: A regulatory response to the global banking crisis (PDF). After some throat-clearing to the effect that the touch wasnt all that light, the two salient bullet points (page 87): [T]he FSAs [light touch] regulatory and supervisory approach, before the current crisis, was based on a sometimes implicit but at times quite overt philosophy which believed that: [(1)] Markets are in general self correcting, with market discipline a more effective tool than regulation or supervisory oversight through which to ensure that firms strategies are sound and risks contained. [(2)] Customer protection is best ensured not by product regulation or direct intervention in markets, but by ensuring that wholesale markets are as unfettered and transparent as possible, and that the way in which firms conduct business (e.g. the definition and execution of sales processes) is appropriate. Laying this alongside the text of RIFO (PDF), we find: [(1)] We believe that applying Title II to Internet traffic exchange arrangements was unnecessary and is likely to inhibit competition and innovation. We find that freeing Internet traffic exchange arrangements from burdensome government regulation, and allowing market forces to discipline this emerging market is the better course (page 26, footnote 167) [(2)] Next, we require ISPs to be transparent. Disclosure of network management practices, performance, and commercial terms of service is important for Internet freedom because it helps consumers choose what works best for them and enables entrepreneurs and other small businesses to get technical information needed to innovate. Individual consumers, not the government, decide what Internet access service best meets their individualized needs (page 4). Shorter: Pais light touch regulation is the same neoliberal because markets claptrap[2] that Tony Blair, bless his heart, was peddling before everything went so very pear-shaped. In any case, the wee problem is that the ISP market is broken[3], and therefore transparency is no remedy. FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel in Recode: Ideally, in a competitive market, you pick up your service and you go elsewhere, Rosenworcel said. The great challenge for net neutrality right now is that, according to FCC data, more than half the households in this country dont have a choice of broadband provider. Transparency only serves you well if your market is fully competitive. Prabhudev Konana of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas confirms the 50% figure, but data isnt necessarily current or sufficiently granular (e.g. census tracts vs. households) or current. From Ars Technica in 2016: FCC reports have found that about three-quarters of the countrys developed census blocks lack any high-speed broadband choice. The household analysis found a slightly better, but still troubling, situation, with nearly half of the 118 million US households lacking any wired Internet choice at the FCCs broadband standard of 25Mbps. (One caveat: this new analysis examined only download speeds, whereas FCC reports define broadband as services offering both 25Mbps download speeds and at least 3Mbps uploads.) The FCC provides this chart: So, handing over half of US households to the tender mercies of an ISP monopoly is transparent, alright, but not, I think, in the way that Pai means. Im sure the populist farmers and Grangers of Minnesota or South Dakota who had to ship their grain to market over one railroad in the 1880s would find RIFO oddly familiar. Freedom for whom? they might ask. Agence France Presse: Why would they spend millions of dollars lobbying if they are going to treat everybody equally and not extract monopoly rents? asked Ed Black, president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which represents major tech firms Why indeed? And major tech firms know a thing or two about extracting monopoly rents so best listen to them! Court Challenges to the FCC Order Lets start with the good news: RIFO will be challenged, and wont go into effect immediately: In reality, the net neutrality fight is merely migrating to a different theater, namely, the US Courts of Appeals. And excluding the possibility of a Supreme Court challenge, the outcome may very well drag on for another year and a half or more. And its reasonable to expect or more: We run into this kind of story most often with the Environmental Protection Agency. Any new rule the agency puts forth whether more pro-environment in the case of Democratic administrations, or more pro-industry in the case of Republican ones faces months or even years of legal challenges from anyone with a stake. And in the case of net neutrality and FCC, everyone who uses the internet, plus giant companies like Amazon and Google that have every reason to stand against Pais proposal, would have a stake in keeping net neutrality tied up in the courts for as along as possible. (Although one wonders if the billions Amazon, Facebook, and Google will collect from tax reform might make them more willing to accept the administrations views on net neutrality; Im guessing no, because that would imply they thought they were making enough.) (Tim Wu thinks it will take until 2020.) Details of the legal process aside[4], there seems to be one major issue where the lawyers are taking sides: By what authority does Pai make RIFO policy change? The liberal view is that change requires a fact-based docket: In order to change the rules, Pai needs a fact-based docket to show that something has changed from two years ago, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told reporters at the time, and nothing has changed. Court challenges to the FCCs proposal to undo net neutrality will be powerful and compelling on both law and facts, he said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. The Open Internet Order was based on well-established law and 10 years of evidence strongly supported in a fact-based docket. Chairman Pai is recklessly repealing those rules, without demonstrating a significant and substantial change in factual circumstances as the statute requires . A second view is that all change requires is a new administration. One conservative view[5] from the American Enterprise Institute: The reality is that this is how administrative law the area of law that governs how federal agencies do their jobs works. It is, under prevailing understanding, exceptionally deferential to agencies on questions of both fact and law. As the DC Circuit reminded us in its opinion affirming the 2015 OIO, courts do not inquire as to whether the agencys decision is wise as a policy matter. The courts expressly accept that agencies will change their policies and interpretations of the law and even that an agencys conscious change of course adequately indicates that a changed policy is better than the previous one. Indeed, an agency must consider varying interpretations and the wisdom of its policy on a continuing basis, for example, in response to changed factual circumstances, or a change in administrations. That last part is important to highlight: The Supreme Court has consistently said for more than 30 years that a change of administration is sufficient reason for an agency to change between otherwise permissible policy interpretations . The courts, having previously blessed the basic legal and policy structure of the RIFO, are exceptionally likely to find that the recent change in administration alone would be sufficient basis to adopt the RIFO. Tim Wu disagrees: A mere change in F.C.C. ideology isnt enough, writes Tim Wu, the man who came up with the term Network Neutrality. Im not a lawyer, so Ill leave it at that, except to say that its hard to imagine that business, especially big business, would welcome election cycle-driven regulatory regimes. Although I suppose they could always purchase stability, or try to. Conclusion Shortly after December 14, well see the court challenges, and what the various theories of the case are[6]. And hopefully the challenges will take a nice, long time. Like several election cycles. Oh, and be sure to write letters to the editor and to your Congress Critters! And plant stories in your local paper if you can. NOTES [1] However, a late November poll from Morning Consult/Politico indicate[s] an 8-point decline in support for the rules since the pollsters survey in June, when 60 percent approved net neutrality. That survey found that 17 percent opposed the regulations. And: [O]nly 46 percent of Americans say they have heard a lot or some about net neutrality recently, compared with 67 percent for tax reform. Seven in 10 said they have heard about sexual misconduct allegations against Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore or Minnesota Sen. Al Franken. Interestingly, among registered voters, 55 percent of Democrats and 53 percent of Republicans said in the latest survey that they support net neutrality, so thanks to both parties for screwing up a genuinely bipartisan issue. [2] Or, as Jerry Ellig, chief economist of the FCC, writes: In contrast, Pais draft order returning to a light-touch framework (or Title I, as we say) is well-grounded in economic research on public utility and network economics. By my count, the draft order cites 35 peer-reviewed economics journal articles, versus just six in the 2015 order. Like I said. And Im certain that Tony Blair would have been able to site just as many peer-reviewed articles for his light touch approach. I mean, thats what neoliberal economics departments are for. [3] A second potential wee problem is that Pai may also be gutting reporting requirements: We asked Pais office whether he thinks consumers are also confused by the soon-to-be-eliminated disclosures about hidden fees and the consequences of going over data caps. We havent received an answer. [4] Gizmodo has an excellent summary. It seems its going to take a clever lawyer to go shopping for the right judge. And Boing Boing has some reassuring words on judges, even conservative ones: serving judges, because working your way up through the federal courts requires a showing of adherence to the Constitution, which, overall, favors policies at odds with the right-wing agenda. This means that when Pais plan gets to the courts, it stands a good chance of being struck down. [5] Oddly, the first time net neutrality was fought out I remember Glenn Greenwalds strange bedfellows coalition the right was all for net neutrality, even or perhaps especially the Christian right. Im not sure whats changed. [6] It may be that the FCCs refusal to look at the (hacked) comments will loom large; we just dont know. The first dog-handling, counter-narcotics training course for ten Central Asian officers started at the Dog Handling Centre of the State Border Guard of Latvia on 27 November 2017 in Rezekne, eastern Latvia. The training is part of a counter-narcotics training project that NATO has been developing with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) since early 2016. The project provides a unique, combined approach to countering drugs-trafficking by connecting the target countries of the drugs trade in Europe and North America with the source and transit countries. During training, officers from Afghanistan, Central Asia and Pakistan can create links with their European and North American counterparts, which enable them to better combat cross-border narcotics trafficking. Unique cooperation Trainees can follow a range of courses at various levels. The information provided during classes is often based on the latest cases investigated by the instructors themselves, combining theoretical approaches with practical exercises. Through their participation in the course, trainees can establish a personal and professional network with their colleagues at national, regional and international levels. Building technical capacities and skills is the most sustainable way to empower countries as a reflection of shared responsibility, vision and commitment to address the drug control challenges that impact the world, says Ashita Mittal, Regional Representative at the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia based in Tashkent. The UNODC-NATO partnership is one such example of the unique technical cooperation initiatives that provides an excellent opportunity for cross fertilisation of expertise and experiences for multiple law enforcement officers to build capacities to address the complex challenges of counter narcotics in the region. Training is carried out by academies and instructors from NATO and partner countries. The main training provider for the project is the Turkish International Academy against Drugs and Organised Crime (TADOC) based in Ankara, which provides training in Turkey as well as mobile training courses across the region. Training is also provided by Italy, Latvia and the United States. Earlier this year, Ukraine, a key NATO partner, also provided specialised canine training for Central Asian units in the use of sniffer dogs to detect drugs, at a training centre in the Lviv region. Since the project began in 2016, 203 counter narcotics officers have received training, while a total of 450 are due to have passed through the NATO-UNODC courses by the end of 2017. Strengthened relationships The partnership between NATO and UNODC allows both organisations to contribute to promoting peace, justice and strong institutions through strengthening international cooperation in combating illicit drug trafficking. The project also contributes NATOs Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme by increasing stability, diminishing threats to peace, and building strengthened security relationships between individual Euro-Atlantic partners and NATO, as well as among partner countries. PfP serves as a forum for practical bilateral cooperation between individual Euro-Atlantic partner countries and NATO. (Natural News) Seventy-three years ago, boys as young as 17 and 18 years old stormed the beaches of Normandy equipped with nothing but a gun and a helmet, with bullets raining down on them from above. Today, young people crumble like a house of cards at anything and everything that is even the slightest bit offensive. Boy, how far we have come. According to a new survey, a significant amount of young people feel that being called a snowflake is damaging to their mental health. The study, which was conducted by the insurance firm Aviva, found that an astonishing 72 percent of young people between the ages of 16 and 24 feel the term snowflake is unfairly used to describe their generation. Additionally, 74 percent of respondents stated that being called a snowflake could be damaging to their mental health. As you may or may not know, the word snowflake is often used to describe millennials who are over-sensitive and easily offended. For instance, when students at Southern Illinois University earlier this year complained to campus police that they were scared of a free speech inflatable ball being used as a prop by a group of conservative activists, those students would be considered snowflakes. They are the most sensitive Americans among us, and while they are allowed to be sensitive, the rest of us are allowed to call them snowflakes because, well, thats what they are. (Related: Here is why precious college snowflakes will eliminate themselves from the human gene pool.) According to Dr. Doug Wright, young people are more susceptible to mental health issues than older generations, and therefore the usage of the term snowflake may have more significant effects on them. Our findings suggest that young adults are more likely to be experiencing mental health problems, so using a phrase which criticizes this age group could add to this issue, he said. Any term used disparagingly to a segment of the population is inherently negative. But while Dr. Wright seems to be implying that the burden is on the people using the term snowflakes to stop using it, one could just as easily argue that millennials need to rewire their brains and make an effort to change how they look at life. Instead of letting every little thing offend them, perhaps they should look in a mirror, say to themselves sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me, and then move on. (Related: The one message that all millennials need to hear: you are not special by default.) Its also worth our time to consider how so many millennials became so sensitive in the first place, especially considering how brave and courageous past generations have been. What exactly is responsible for this dramatic shift? Why do young people become so offended at things that, decades ago, they wouldnt have even thought twice about? Much of it has to do with the environment that Americas left-wing colleges and universities have created for millennials. Take the existence of safe spaces, for example, which now exist on the vast majority of campuses across the country and are designed to give young people a place to go when they feel hurt or offended. By providing millennials with safe spaces, school administrators are essentially shielding them from reality and encouraging them to run away from their problems rather than confronting them head-on. The same can be said for the distribution of participation trophies, which teaches young people that they are winners no matter what. This sort of coddling has a severe effect on millennials sensitivity, and their lack of ability to handle confrontation ultimately causes them to become offended extremely easily. Sources include: Breitbart.com CampusReform.org 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 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. The Lilac Fire that destroyed homes and forced thousands of evacuations in San Diego's North County is now 20 percent contained, and holding at 4,100 acres. NBC 7's Nicole Gomez shares the latest updates. 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 180,000 acres in the region, prompting the evacuation of at least 212,000 residents statewide as the flames threatened 25,000 homes. On Saturday evening Cal Fire reported over 92,000 pounds of retardant and 230,000 gallons of water have been used in fighting the fire. Over 200 engines, 14 helicopters and 28 hand crews were reportedly helping as well. Fixed wing aircraft may be deployed Sunday, depending on the conditions, according to Cal Fire. #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 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 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. 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 afternoon, evacuation shelters included: Bostonia Park & Recreation Center in El Cajon (1049 Bostonia St.) Palomar College in San Marcos (1140 West Mission Rd.) County officials said around 110 evacuees were using those aforementioned shelters. The Del Mar Fairgrounds were still serving as a shelter for large animals, including horses. 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 the fire zone were closed through Friday. San Diego Gas & Electric said power lines in some areas were de-energized due to the gusty winds; the company was monitoring power outages and posting updates on this online outage map. SDG&E counted between 15 and 20 power poles damaged in the area of the Lilac Fire. On Friday morning, county officials said more than 20,000 people across the county were without power. By 7 p.m. Friday, county officials said SDG&E reported that power had been restored to approximately 11,500 of those customers, leaving 9,400 still without power. 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. A third firefighter was injured while battling the Lilac Fire after a tree fell on him at Ocean Breeze Ranch. NBC 7s Ashley Matthews has the story. 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 According to NBC 7's weather forecast, winds are expected to pick up at midnight on Saturday and continue to gust stronger into Sunday. Sunday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. is expected to be a critical period, with gusts up to 60 mph. "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. The Millers told NBC 7s Alex Presha their power was off so they werent able to get the evacuation phone call. When the flames from the Lilac Fire came close to their home, they didnt have enough time to leave. Thankfully, they are okay and their house was not damaged. As of Saturday evening, Cal Fire said 1409 fire personnel remained on the lines of the Lilac Fire working 24-hour shifts. A Texas law firm had a novel approach to the Bay Areas oppressive living costs: It shelled out $3 million on a private plane to ferry patent lawyers to clients based here. Instead of hiring local lawyers, who would then have to live in a region marred by soaring rent and home prices, Houston-based Patterson and Sheridan bought a nine-seat Gulfstream G200 jet to bring their employees to Silicon Valley once a month, the Business Insider reported. Though expensive, their approach is also cheaper than relocating Texas lawyers to this part of Northern California, according to the Houston Chronicle. The median rent in San Francisco is $4,450, while the median home value comes in at a whopping $1.2 million, according to Zillow. Prices in San Jose are lower, but not less daunting. Zillow found that the median rent is $3,300 and median home value is $934,000. Prices in both cities are forecast to rise in the coming year. By contrast, the median price of Houston homes is $324,900 and median rent is $1,500, Zillow reports. "The young people that we want to hire out there have high expectations that are hard to meet," Bruce Patterson, a partner at the firm, said to The New York Times. "Rent is so high they can't even afford a car." Each flight costs the intellectual property law firm $1,900 per passenger and totals to $2,500 per hour in operating costs, the Houston Chronicle reported. Lawyers work while traveling so their hours are billable and help the company protect lawyer-client privilege, which is harder to do when arriving early at an airport, checking in bags and waiting in a security line. The firm doesnt view the plane as a luxury, and only flies it when it is full, partners said to the Chronicle. It also helps them recruit young lawyers who are eager to work with the worlds leading tech brands, but are put off by the Bay Areas living costs. Patterson and Sheridan is "still able to offer companies and inventors lower costs because most of the patent work is done in Houston, where commercial real estate is 43 percent cheaper, salaries 52 percent lower, and competition for technical talent far less fierce," according to the Chronicle. In fact, the frequent flights to California helped the firm bring Intuit, Western Digital and Cavendish Kinetics on board as new clients. Every Chicago patrol officer is now equipped with a body-worn camera, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the department announced Sunday. The expansion of the pilot program launched in 2015 is part of ongoing police reform efforts, and the fulfillment of a commitment made in September 2016. Sundays announcement came more than a year ahead of the originally-scheduled completion of the programs expansion, Emanuel said in a release. The last four of the citys 22 districts to receive cameras were the 5th Calumet, 12th Near West, 17th Albany Park, and 25th Grand Central. Chicago now has the largest deployment of body cameras in the country, according to CPD, which previously said the total number of cameras throughout the department would reach 7,000. Body cameras are part of a larger reform effort to make the Chicago Police Department more accountable on the heels of high-profile police-involved shootings, as well as a scathing review of CPDs practices by the Department of Justice under former President Obama. Other initiatives include de-escalation training and creating the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, a new system to replace the beleaguered Independent Police Review Authority. City officials previously said the expansion of body cameras would cost roughly $8 million, financed through city funding and grants. Five people are dead and at least 13 more have been wounded in shootings across the city of Chicago this weekend. Three of the fatal shootings occurred on Sunday alone, including a shooting in the 1300 block of South Kominsky on Sunday evening. A 24-year-old man was shot in the right leg, and later died at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to police. No one is in custody, and Area Central Detectives are investigating the case. Another fatal shooting occurred Sunday morning in the 5300 block of South Washtenaw. At approximately 5:35 a.m., a man was found face down in an alley with a gunshot wound to his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. The weekends first fatality occurred just before 6 p.m. Friday evening in the citys Back of the Yards neighborhood. According to police, a 34-year-old man was shot by a person in a dark colored minivan. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and no one is in custody in his slaying, according to authorities. Another person was killed in the 10200 block of South State Street at approximately 8:30 a.m Saturday morning. A man, aged 40-to-45 years old according to police, was found face down in the snow by a neighbor with a gunshot wound to his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and Area South Detectives are investigating. Friday: A 34-year-old man was shot and killed in the 4300 block of South Honore at approximately 5:52 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A 45-year-old man was shot in the left leg in the 6900 block of South Cornell at approximately 8:21 p.m., according to police. He was taken to Northwestern Hospital in stable condition. In the 400 block of East 133 rd Street at approximately 8:35 p.m., a 23-year-old man was shot while standing in the doorway of a home. He was taken to Christ Hospital in stable condition with a gunshot wound to his back, according to police. Street at approximately 8:35 p.m., a 23-year-old man was shot while standing in the doorway of a home. He was taken to Christ Hospital in stable condition with a gunshot wound to his back, according to police. Two people were shot while standing outside in the 7500 block of South Shore at approximately 10:39 p.m., police said. An 18-year-old man was taken to Northwestern Hospital after being shot in the back by a person inside a passing vehicle, and a 13-year-old boy was taken to Comers Childrens Hospital in good condition with a gunshot wound to his hand. Saturday: Two people were shot in the 2200 block of North Laurel just before 1 a.m., police said. A vehicle drove up to the car that the pair was sitting in, and one of the occupants of that vehicle opened fire. A 26-year-old woman was shot in the face and is in stable condition at Community First Hospital. A 26-year-old man was shot in the shoulder and ear and is in stable condition at Illinois Masonic, police said. A 22-year-old man was shot while sitting in a vehicle in the 4200 block of West Congress Parkway at approximately 7:30 a.m., police said. The man was struck twice in the shoulder, and was taken to Stroger Hospital in stable condition. A man in his early-to-mid 40s was discovered lying face-down in the snow with a gunshot wound to the head at approxmately 8:30 a.m. A 27-year-old man was shot in the back and side in the 6700 block of South Michigan Avenue at aprpoximately 2 p.m., police said. He was taken to St. Bernards Hospital and was later transferred to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. A 24-year-old man was shot in the legs while walking in the 2900 block of West Roosevelt. He was taken to Mount Sinai in fair condition. Sunday: A 26-year-old man was shot in the leg and chest while sitting in a car in the 3000 block of South Trumbull at approximately 3:30 a.m. Two men walked up to the vehicle and one of them opened fire, striking him twice. He was taken to Mt. Sinai in serious condition, police said. Two people were shot in the 10600 block of South Perry at approximately 4:05 a.m. A 62-year-old man was shot in the stomach and right leg, and was listed in critical condition at Christ Hospital. A second man was pronounced dead after being shot in the stomach and buttocks. A 23-year-old man was shot in the right foot at approximately 4:20 a.m. in the 2700 block of West 23rd Place. He was standing on a sidewalk when a person in a passing white minivan opened fire. He was taken to Mount Sinai in good condition. A man in his late 20's was found face down in an alley with a gunshot wound to the head at approximately 5:35 a.m. The incident occurred in the 5300 block of South Washtenaw, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene. A 24-year-old man was shot to death in the 1300 block of South Kominsky at approximately 6:20 p.m. He was taken to Mount Sinai with a gunshot wound to his right leg, and later died from his injuries, police said. A 27-year-old man was shot in the hand in the 5900 block of South Wood at approximately 6:25 p.m. He was taken to Holy Cross Hospital in stable condition. No one is in custody in these shootings unless otherwise noted. A Minnesota couple who claimed they were robbed at knifepoint on Lower Wacker Drive made the story up, according to police. 27-year-old Katie Mager and 27-year-old Ryan Reiersgaard were charged with one felony count of disorderly conduct for falsely reporting that they were robbed, according to a press release issued by Chicago police. According to the couple, they were routed onto Lower Wacker Drive by their GPS on Dec. 7 and that they were robbed at knifepoint by three individuals. They said that a wedding ring, valued at $12,000, a purse, MacBook laptop, and suitcase were all stolen from them, but police later determined that the report was false. In all, the couple claimed that they were robbed of items worth nearly $20,000 in total value. According to the Cook County Sheriffs Office, Mager and Reiersgaard are expected to appear in bond court on Sunday. Authorities now say a gunman who killed five people in rural Northern California community didn't die from a police bullet. In a final report Friday, the Tehama County Sheriff's Department said an autopsy determined 44-year-old Kevin Neal shot himself in the head in his car after police forced it off a road. Police say Neal killed his wife on Nov. 13 and then went on a shooting rampage in Rancho Tehama Reserve the next day that included firing at an elementary school. He killed four others, including two neighbors, and wounded eight people including a 6-year-old boy. 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 mental problems. Its no secret that the GOP tax plan working its way through Congress is weighted toward the wealthy. The richest Americans get the bulk of the tax cuts, and the poorest Americans see a tax increase. But Republicans arent satisfied with one blow for inequality: Theyre openly positioning to attack the poor on several fronts. The first attack will be welfare reform. Its a GOP classic: Through the 1980s and 1990s, Republicans encouraged the welfare queen stereotype lazy minorities living high and mighty off tax dollars to drive down support for welfare (and win elections). It worked. Opposition to the program became so overwhelming that in 1996, Democrat Bill Clinton signed a Republican-written reform bill instituting work requirements, time limits on assistance and stricter enforcement. Republicans argue today, as they did then, that these changes would get people back to work, helping both themselves and the economy. As Rep. Rod Blum (R-Iowa) puts it, For us to achieve 3 percent GDP growth over the next 10 years from tax reform, we have to have welfare reform. The list of targeted programs has broadened: A bill introduced by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, would add work requirements for food stamps, implement more work requirements for welfare and slash federal spending on subsidized housing programs by 50 percent over 10 years. It should come as no surprise to anyone following the GOPs tax bill that the partys policy ideas have no basis in reality. Yes, the Clinton-era changes did reduce the number of people on welfare, as Republicans predicted. But citing that as a positive would be like saying Americans are healthier when there are fewer people on Medicare. In fact, poverty has increased since the bills passage even while the government is spending more on anti-poverty programs. Adding work requirements for food stamps and cutting subsidized housing make little sense, either. The majority of people benefiting from food stamps are children, elderly or disabled. Of those who can work, most are already employed or find employment within one year of going on food stamps. And at a time when housing shortages are driving up prices in many major urban centers, the government should be investing more, not less, in subsidized housing. But evidence wont stop the GOP from plowing ahead. Republicans at the state level arent even waiting for Congress to act. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, under whom the states poverty rate has reached its highest in 30 years, now wants to drug-test some food stamp recipients, despite the failure of a similar program in Florida. The Agriculture Department looks set to give Wisconsin and other states the go-ahead to do so. Last month, the Trump administration announced that it would allow states to add work requirements for Medicaid enrollees. At least a half-dozen GOP-controlled states are expected to do so, even though three-quarters of Medicaid recipients are in households where at least one member has a part-time or full-time job. Kentucky alone projects that 95,000 fewer people will us Medicaid if work requirements are implemented. In many cases, this will create a terrible cycle: People too ill to work will lose their best hope of regaining their ability to work. Back in Washington, the reforms described earlier are just a prelude to what House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and allies really want: the destruction of Americas social safety net. Were going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit, Ryan said Wednesday. Frankly, its the health care entitlements that are the big drivers of our debt. In other words, its not just Medicaid in the crosshairsits Medicare as well. Even before the House and Senate finished passing their versions of the tax cut, Republicans were dancing a familiar step: increase the deficit by slashing revenues, then turn around and claim the country needs to cut spending by cutting entitlements. You also have to bring spending under control, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said last week. The driver of our debt is the structure of Social Security and Medicare for future beneficiaries. (Note the phrase for future beneficiaries the GOP wont touch the benefits of its older base.) The greatness of a nation can be judged by how it treats its weakest member, goes the apocryphal quote. Even if you dont agree with that sentiment, it should be clear that the GOP wont attack the only poorest among us. They will move up the class ladder. Ryan promises that Medicare cuts will follow Medicaid cuts, and Social Security cuts are likely to follow. Demonizing the poor is simply Republicans way of easing into that. Now its up to voters can stop them. A North Texas man has been sentenced to 6 1/2 years in federal prison for illegally making hundreds of firearms - some of which ended up in Mexico. Gary Busby, formerly of Flower Mound, was sentenced Friday during a federal court hearing in Dallas. He had been convicted in March on one count of conspiracy to manufacture firearms without a license and four counts of structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements. Prosecutors say that between 2010 and 2011, the 65-year-old Busby manufactured hundreds of AR-15 and AK firearm receivers into fully functional firearms. Authorities say they found about 50 of these weapons - some recovered while being smuggled into Mexico and the rest recovered by Mexican authorities. A traffic sign in Dallas was changed overnight Friday with a vulgar message toward President Donald Trump. The sign on Lemmon Avenue near North Central Expressway in Dallas had people slowing down and doing a double take. The sign's new message had incorrect grammar and didn't quite nail the spelling of the President's name. "I GOT ONE THING TOO SAY," the sign read early Saturday morning. It went on to flash derogatory messages toward President Trump and for those who voted for him more than a year ago. This is not the first time a sign was changed with a message for Trump. In May 2016, a TxDOT sign was changed to say then-candidate Trump was a "shape shifting lizard." At that time, TxDOT officials told us that tampering with their signs is a third degree felony. The California Highway Patrol is investigating why a charter bus carrying 29 people flipped on its side Friday on a San Francisco freeway, injuring everyone on board. San Francisco Fire Department Lt. Jonathan Baxter said the injuries from the crash on southbound U.S. Highway 101 near Cesar Chavez Street ranged from broken bones to cuts and scrapes. Those wounded around 8 p.m. were immediately transported to the hospital. According to Baxter, four people suffered serious injuries and 25 had moderate to minor injuries. All 29 passengers and the driver were hospitalized. "They had a variety of injuries, but they were what we declare as 'walking wounded,'" Baxter said. It's unclear what condition the people were in Saturday and if they were still in the hospital. The bus, which was from a private charter company called Charter Bros based in Oakland, was reportedly heading from San Francisco to a holiday party at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Palo Alto. According to CHP, the driver lost control of the vehicle, sending the bus careening across traffic and sliding down the highway on its side. "For some unknown reason that bus started to lose control, struck the center divider and then came back across the lanes and ended up on its side blocking the far right lane," said officer Vu Williams. Authorities say the driver is cooperating, and Baxter commended him for being the last person from the bus at the scene. The manager of Charter Bros spoke with NBC Bay Area and explained that their driver was not speeding. "We have GPS on our vehicles, so from what we can tell, the bus going at legal speeds," said Avi Josen, the manager at Charter Bros. "Our bus driver tried to make sure everyone was safe after the crash and waited till everyone was out. He is one of our more experienced drivers." Officials said he passed a field sobriety test and has not been charged or cited for anything regarding the rollover. The bus was towed to a lot in San Francisco where investigators will examine the vehicle for any mechanical issues that may have contributed to the crash. The crash prompted lane closures, which caused a miles-long backup. The roadway has since been reopened. CHP says they still don't know how fast the bus was going but will continue to investigate. Devastating wildfires occur every year across the state of California. These fast-moving flames can change direction without warning and approach surrounding communities in the middle of the night, putting lives and property at risk. In the past, residents would have to be listening to the radio or watching television to get an emergency alert warning them to evacuate. But now the California Office of Emergency Services can send emergency alerts electronically through the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system. The system is run by the federal government but local emergency officials manage and send geographically-targeted text messages notifying residents about fire evacuation orders. In order to get these alerts, users must have a WEA-capable phone and Emergency Alerts turned on in their phone's settings. Below is a list of available resources by county. LOS ANGELES COUNTY Sign up for Alert LA County, which uses telephone companies 911 database to contact land-lines telephone numbers, whether listed or unlisted, to notify residents and businesses about evacuation orders. The Alert LA County system uses geomapping to send alerts to specific neighborhoods. NotifyLA is the City of Los Angeles' official mass notification system used to send voice messages, text messages and email messages to residents and businesses when an imminent threat to life or property exists your area. Sign up for alerts from the City of Los Angeles here. Text any zip code to 888777 to receive real-time alerts and advisories from your local police department and other local agencies. The L.A. County Fire Department and the Los Angeles Fire Departments post regular updates on their official Twitter accounts. VENTURA COUNTY Sign up here to receive notifications from the VC Alert Emergency Notification System. The systems database currently includes all listed and unlisted landline telephone numbers that are serviced by AT&T and Verizon. If you would like to be contacted on your home phone, cell phone, work phone, TTY device, email, fax or via instant messaging - you must register that information using the "opt in" portal. Ventura County Sheriffs Office and the Ventura County Fire Department also post regular updated on their official Twitter accounts. Text your zip code to 888777 to receive real-time alerts and advisories from your local police department and other local agencies. ORANGE COUNTY Orange County residents are urged to register with AlertOC, to receive time-sensitive voice messages, text messages and emails from the county or your city. AlertOC uses 911 databases from telephone companies, so most landlines will already be in the system. AlertOC is operated by the County of Orange in collaboration with local cities. Text your zip code to 888777 to receive real-time alerts and advisories from your local police department and other local agencies. SANTA BARBARA Register online at AwareandPrepare.com to receive emergency notifications and alerts via land-lines phones, text messages or email. Text your zip code to 888777 to receive real-time alerts and advisories from your local police department and other local agencies. SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY In San Bernardino County, the Telephone Emergency Notification System (TENS) uses listed and unlisted numbers in the regions 911 database to alert residents of life-threatening emergencies. San Bernardino County updates this database every six months. However, the 911 database only includes land-line telephones, so other numbers must be registered. If a resident wishes to receive an emergency alert text message on their cell phone or an emergency call on their Voiceover Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone they must register the number in the system here. Residents who do not have internet access may register by dialing 211 or 1-888-435-7565 to sign up. Text your zip code to 888777 to receive real-time alerts and advisories from your local police department and other local agencies. The Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management also posts updates on its official Twitter account. RIVERSIDE COUNTY Riverside County uses a system called Alert RivCo to alert community members of urgent actions to take during disasters, such as earthquakes, wildfires, and floods. You can sign up here. Alert RivCo uses 911 databases from telephone companies, so most land lines will already be in the system. To register cellular phones, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), and email addresses, use the registration portal on Alert RivCos website. Residents can also receive alerts by downloading the Swift911 Public App on their smartphones and registering within the App. Once registered, you can log into both the Public App and web portal at any time to update your contact information. The app is available on iTunes and Google Play. Corona, Moreno Valley, Palm Springs, Riverside City and Temecula have their own alerting system for city residents. Residents in those cities are encouraged to sign up with their local system for emergency alerts. What to Know The first snowfall of the season fell across New York City and the tri-state Saturday 3 to 6 inches of snow fell across the tri-state, with areas to the northwest seeing the heaviest snowfall Officials warned of potentially difficult driving conditions overnight as temperatures drop into the 20s A dreamy snow drifted down on Saturday with fluffy flakes that made New York City look like a snow globe, but officials warned cold, icy weather could make for difficult driving conditions overnight and Sunday morning. Between 3 and 7 inches were recorded across the tri-state by the time snow tapered off late Saturday night. More than 4 inches were recorded in Central Park, while 4.6 inches was measured at LaGuardia, 4.7 inches in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and 6.1 inches in Armonk, according to the National Weather Service. The highest total was 7 inches, recorded in both Shelton and North Haven in Connecticut. See more snow totals here. A daily snowfall record was broken at Islip Airport. More than an inch fell at the airport, breaking the record of 0.5 inches set in 1986, the National Weather Service said. A father and son shared their first sled ride and tourists visiting from around the world said they got to experience the New York winter wonderland theyd only seen in movies. Rana Novini reports. The snowflakes stuck to hats and coats of the crowds that came for a glimpse of the Rockefeller Center tree in midtown. The flakes created a snowy slush along Queens Boulevard and coated yards in white from Chappaqua to the Jersey Shore. The snowstorm caused flight disruptions at Newark Airport and even canceled a planned snowball fight in Ocean County. Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson was scheduled to try to break the world record for the biggest snowball fight -- but the park was closed Saturday because of the storm. Hundreds of people dressed as Santa Claus turned out to bar-hop for SantaCon in spite of the snow and to the ire of some residents put off by the annual, booze-filled tradition. See It: Snow Turns Tri-State Into Winter Wonderland Track the storm using our interactive radar and see the latest weather alerts for your neighborhood here. The snow had mostly ended by late Saturday night, but officials warned falling temperatures could lead to black ice on roadways and untreated surfaces overnight into Sunday. Wind chills will stay in the 20s throughout the day Sunday, with wind gusts of more than 20 mph, Storm Team 4 said. Monday will be less breezy, but still chilly, with temperatures barely reaching the 40s. Then, on Tuesday, there's another chance for light snow as another cold front moves through the region, plunging highs 20s and 30s through next weekend. Santas Fill NYC Bars for SantaCon on 1st Snowy Day of the Season A family targeted with a burning cross by a Ku Klux Klan leader-turned-priest says they are owed thousands of dollars more in compensation and that the Catholic church covered up the priest's past actions. Phillip and Barbara Butler, who are now in their 70s, had just gotten married. They had some knowledge of racial tension in College Park, Maryland, where they bought a home and settled in. Then, one night in January 1977, they were watching an episode of "Roots" when a neighbor called with terrifying news. Phillip Butler, a Vietnam veteran, went outside and found a 8-foot cross burning on his lawn. I had come home. Youre happy to be home from Vietnam, Phillip Butler said at a news conference Friday. You didnt expect nothing like this. William Aitcheson was convicted of burning of the cross and ordered by the courts to share the names of fellow KKK members and pay the Butlers $23,000. After a brief stint in prison, he left the state without meeting either condition. Over the years, Aitcheson became ordained as a Catholic priest. He worked in Nevada before returning to St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Fairfax, Virginia. The Butlers and their lawyer accused Aitcheson of spreading racist beliefs during his time as a priest. He was teaching young kids -- young, impressionable kids -- that the Civil War was fought over states rights and not Confederacy. Then hes leading young people in singing Dixie at a rally. And all of this happened while he was a priest, the Butlers lawyer, Ted Williams, said. The word Dixie and the song itself is very offensive to black people, Williams said. The Butlers didnt discover their harasser worked less than 25 miles away from their home until August, when Aitcheson admitted his prior KKK affiliation in a letter published in The Arlington Catholic Herald, the diocese's newspaper. "To anyone who has been subjected to racism or bigotry, I am sorry," he wrote in the letter, where he also announced he would take a leave from absence from the church. The letter didnt mention the cross he burned on the Butlers' lawn, nor did it mention the court-mandated fines he never paid. News4 learned that police accused Aitcheson of building pipe bombs and Molotov cocktails. Also, he served time in prison for threatening Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr. After the letter was published, News4 learned that a Washington Post reporter had been investigating Aitchesons past. Barbara Butler says he only came clean because of the investigation. If this woman hadnt come forward, you would have never come forward, she said. Youre not sorry. Youre sorry you got caught. The couple's lawyer, Ted Williams, is conducting research into a potential lawsuit against the diocese that employed Aitcheson. Williams said the diocese was complicit for covering for a Klan priest. The church acknowledges they knew about Aitchesons violent past but said they didnt learn about the civil judgment until August. After declining to meet with Aitcheson, the Butlers ultimately accepted two checks dated Nov. 27, 2017, from Aitchesons lawyer. They also accepted $9,600 for attorneys fees. However, Aitcheson was not required by law to pay: the Butlers' former lawyers allowed the court order to lapse. Fr. Aitcheson felt a moral obligation to pay as much as he could. The diocese supported this decision. The restitution and attorneys fees have been paid by Fr. Aitcheson from his private funds and a personal loan, the church said in a statement. Aitcheson paid the original $23,000 judgment. The Butlers say they are owed $65,000 in interest. They also are considering suing their first lawyers, from the firm Steptoe and Johnson, for letting the judgment lapse, their lawyer said. Phillip Butler, who is Catholic, said he cannot yet forgive Aitcheson. I wish I could, but I cannot say that I forgive. Not now, I cannot. Firefighters gained an upper-hand on a wildfire in San Diego's North County that forced thousands out of their homes, allowing Cal Fire to lift evacuation orders to all residents Sunday evening. The Lilac Fire in Bonsall was 90 percent contained as of Monday evening, and holding at 4,100 acres, according to Cal Fire. Cal Fire reported 157 structures were destroyed and 64 structures were damaged in the blaze. Cal Fire announced that all evacuation orders and road closures were lifted at about 4 p.m. Sunday. San Diego residents with homes between 5200 and 5800 Olive Hill Road and properties at the Rancho Monserate Country Club will need to show photo identification to access residences. 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. #LilacFire [update] The fire remains 4,100 acres & is now 20% contained. pic.twitter.com/AlBGOpKLxR CAL FIRE SAN DIEGO (@CALFIRESANDIEGO) December 9, 2017 The wildfire sparked at 11:15 a.m. Thursday along the State Route 76 and Interstate 15 interchange in Bonsall. Aided by gusty Santa Ana winds and low humidity, the blaze of no more than 10 acres quickly grew to 500 acres in 20 minutes, and finally 4,100 acres by Thursday evening. The Millers told NBC 7s Alex Presha their power was off so they werent able to get the evacuation phone call. When the flames from the Lilac Fire came close to their home, they didnt have enough time to leave. Thankfully, they are okay and their house was not damaged. Cal Fire officials were cautious that an increase in gusty winds Sunday could hinder their progress by reigniting any hot spots that remain. Firefighters that were already working tireless 24-hour shifts braced themselves for dangerous weather conditions. A high wind warning was set to be in effect until 4 p.m. Sunday, with gusts of 60 miles per hour expected, but Cal Fire reported favorable weather conditions on Sunday morning. "While forecast Santa Ana winds came to fruition in the vicinity of the fire, the strongest winds did not surface near the fire," Cal Fire said. 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 A Red Flag Warning will remain in effect until Sunday at 8 p.m. Cal Fire said. Firefighters will continue to patrol the area for hot spots throughout the evening and work to increase the containment lines. The Lilac Fire that destroyed homes and forced thousands of evacuations in San Diego's North County is now 20 percent contained, and holding at 4,100 acres. NBC 7's Nicole Gomez shares the latest updates. By Monday, winds will be much weaker and the fire weather threat will decrease to a "minor" level, Steven Harris, a forecaster with NWS San Diego, explained in a video on Twitter. [NATL-SD] Lilac Fire Burns Near SR-76 and I-15 in North San Diego County Cal Fire reported over 92,000 pounds of retardant and 230,000 gallons of water have been used in fighting the fire, along with 140 engines, 29 water tenders, 11 helicopters, 17 dozers and 33 hand crews. On Sunday Cal Fire reported a total of 1,659 firefighters responded to the fire. That number is down to 1399 as of Monday evening. Dozens of homes have burned to the ground in the quiet, rural communities known for their farms and ranches. Numerous animals have died due to the fire. 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. One was placed in a medically induced coma but had awakened Saturday morning, according to the Thoroughbred Daily News. Three firefighters have suffered injuries. 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. Some school districts in the fire zone were closed through Monday. More than 20,000 SDG&E customers across the county lost power Thursday. Approximately 9,200 remained in the dark Sunday, 1,700 of which were in the "Lilac Fire zone," SDG&E said. Outages could last several more days. An evacuation center remained open at Palomar College in San Marcos for those displaced by the fire in need of meals and a place to rest. About 110 evacuees were reported to be utilizing the shelter. The Del Mar Fairgrounds were still serving as a shelter for large animals, including several horses displaced when the Lilac Fire encroached on the San Luis Rey Downs training facility. At least 46 horses were killed and several more were missing. San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore estimated at least 10,000 people had evacuated their homes due to the Lilac Fire. A third firefighter was injured while battling the Lilac Fire after a tree fell on him at Ocean Breeze Ranch. NBC 7s Ashley Matthews has the story. 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. Cal Fire and San Diego County fire damage assessment teams are investigating the cause of the fire. Members of both parties are glum and guarded after a shocking week of resignations on Capitol Hill. But Democrats say the way they're handling the sexual misconduct issue will give them a valuable weapon for next year's congressional elections. Republicans say that's just wishful thinking. No one knows when or where the allegations that have felled lawmakers, journalists and entertainers will end. The ax could well fall again in a Congress where the culture has long tolerated behavior that would trigger departures today. For now, Democrats want voters to see a very bright line: They forced the liberal rising star Al Franken and civil rights veteran Rep. John Conyers to leave, while Donald Trump remains president and Alabama Republican Roy Moore could well be elected to the Senate next Tuesday. "Democrats are now in a better position than ever to tie Donald Trump and Roy Moore around the necks of Republicans" running for Congress next year, said Jim Manley, a Democratic operative and former Senate aide. Republicans are quick to contest that. They argue that Trump was elected last year despite the election season release of a 2005 tape in which he described sexually offensive behavior, followed by accusations by several women of aggressive sexual misconduct. And they suggest Sen. Franken's departure was more politically bearable for Democrats because his home state of Minnesota has a Democratic governor who will appoint the temporary replacement. "Do you think if Al Franken had a Republican governor they'd be doing this," asked Tom Davis, a GOP consultant and former Virginia congressman who chaired his party's House campaign committee. While both Trump and Moore have faced and denied allegations, their political fortunes aren't likely to be damaged by the way the Democrats have handled Franken and Conyers. What's important, Democrats say, is that the contrast heightens their chances of winning over female and suburban voters, pumping up donors and party activists and even recruiting women to run for Congress next year. "Yes, we may lose some people that we liked quite a bit along the way," said Brian Fallon, senior adviser to the liberal group Priorities USA. He added, "In the long term, the party is better off doing right by women." Moore has been accused of initiating sexual contact with teenage girls and pursuing dates with others when he was in his thirties during the 1970s. He has denied wrongdoing. Trump who backs Moore planned a Friday evening political rally in Pensacola, Florida, about 20 miles from the Alabama state line. On Thursday, in an extraordinary scene witnessed by teary-eyed colleagues and relatives, Franken told a wake-like Senate he was resigning. Two days earlier, it was the House's longest-serving member, John Conyers of Michigan, who quit. Both succumbed to pressure by leaders and colleagues after initially saying they'd fight to stay. Republicans were taking action, too. Rep. Trent Franks quit Congress Friday, a day after House Speaker Paul Ryan said he'd told the conservative Arizonan to leave. A former Franks aide told The Associated Press that he repeatedly pushed her to carry his child, at one point offering her $5 million to act as a surrogate mother. The issue of sexual misconduct is one that few lawmakers are eager to discuss. "I'm not happy to get to it, but I will get to that," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said at a press conference Thursday when reporters pressed her on it. Ryan, R-Wis., struggled Thursday to articulate a standard for forcing a lawmaker to resign over allegations of sexual impropriety. "It's a really good question," Ryan said. He said accusations must be taken seriously and processed fairly, adding, "I want my daughter to grow up in a country, going into the workplace, where she's empowered and respected, and not fearful for reporting harassment when it occurs against her." Capitol Hill's culture has long erred on the side of protecting lawmakers. In Washington, alcohol can flow, lawmakers are often separated from their wives, and they wield power over staffs typically composed mostly of ambitious young people. The mix can breed and abide bad behavior. It took a lengthy investigation and an Ethics Committee expulsion vote to force Oregon Sen. Bob Packwood out for sexual harassment in 1995. More recently, the parties have self-policed. Former Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio., cracked down on Rep. Chris Lee., R-N.Y., caught in 2011 soliciting women on the Internet using a shirtless "selfie" photograph. Lee quit Congress immediately, as did former Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., discovered in 2010 having an affair with an aide. Pelosi forced out Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., for tweeting lewd photos to women. In the Internet age, the idea of a yearslong ethics process seems quaint. And social media sites can act as a de facto prosecutor, judge and jury in the span of hours. "A lot of the stuff that used to be at best gossip, if that, now is going to be pictures on Twitter," said Michael Steel, who was a top adviser to Boehner. AP reporters Andrew Taylor, Juliet Linderman and Kevin Freking contributed. A car crashed into a pond Sunday morning in Winchendon, Massachusetts. The accident happened on Spring Street around 4 a.m. Corey Wilson, a Winchendon business man who was plowing a nearby parking lot on Front Street, saw a car drive off the road and into Hunts Pond, and called 911 for help. NBC Boston spoke to Wilson Sunday afternoon about his quick thinking that firefighters say was lifesaving. I was just in the right place at the right time, Wilson said. I saw the headlights go through the snow banks, I saw the car land in the water and just grabbed my phone. Wilson said the firefighters and police officers are the true heroes and were on scene within seconds of his call. They did a great job, Wilson said. Im glad they could get there as quick as they did and its great that everything turned out as good as it did. Thats whats great about this town, everyone always tries to help each other. The driver was able to pull himself from the car and onto its roof. The vehicle was in about eight to 10 feet of water, a little more than 10 feet from the shore. As the car started quickly sinking, first responders jumped into action pulling the man to safety using a rope. Multiple responding officials helped pull the man safely to shore. The driver, whose identity hasn't been released, was not injured in the accident. Deputy Fire Chief Ricci Ruschioni said he is extremely lucky. Once he got wet, youre talking less than 5 minutes until severe hypothermia would have set in and the outcome would have been a lot worse, Deputy Chief Ruscioni said. The Winchendon Fire Department says this was a great team effort. Those involved included the Winchendon Fire Lieutenant, a foreman for the Winchendon Department of Public Works, the Winchendon Police Sergeant and a deputy chief. Fire department members from the dive team worked with Brooks Automative to recover the vehicle from the water. All agencies cleared the scene by 6 a.m. It's not immediately clear what caused the accident. Maine State Police are investigating a murder-suicide after two people were found dead Saturday in Manchester. Police say they went to the home following a 911 call Saturday morning reporting a shooting. Once police got to the Prescott Road home at around 3 p.m. they found the bodies of 82-year-old Clyde Shue and his 62-year-old wife Kimberly. Police say Kimberly's body was found in a bed inside the home and that Clyde's body was located in a mud room with a handgun by his side. Police say that Clyde Shue was the person who made the 911 call on Saturday morning. The opioid epidemic should command focused attention even from our policy-averse president. It's America's worst drug crisis, especially severe in the working-class and rural communities that supported President Donald Trump. Its solution involves spending money, which supposedly doesn't faze Trump, and tougher actions against drug companies, which he's vowed to take. More than 175 Americans die daily from opioid overdoses, according to a presidential commission, far more than the U.S. Centers for Disease Control attributes to car accidents and gun mishaps. Yet Trump has done nothing but talk since his Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, led by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, issued a report on Nov. 1 filled with dire language and calls to action. "The time to wait is over," it declared. "The time for talk has passed." Here's the record so far: - The White House has yet to ask for any new funding for prevention or law-enforcement programs to address the epidemic. To the contrary, Trump has been receptive to proposals by congressional Republicans to slice spending on Medicare and Medicaid, two of the biggest programs for addiction treatment. - Trump tapped Rep. Tom Marino, R-Penn., to head the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The nomination was withdrawn after The Washington Post and CBS News revealed that Marino pushed drug-industry-friendly legislation undermining law-enforcement efforts to crack down on suspicious imports of prescription painkillers. - Kellyanne Conway has been named opioid czar to coordinate federal addiction-fighting activities. She is Trump's political spin person, infamous for rebranding misinformation as "alternative facts." The Conway appointment stands in contrast to President Barack Obama's designation of Ron Klain three years ago to coordinate the global effort to contain an Ebola epidemic. My dumbest column, in 2014, questioned the Klain appointment. I was covering a Senate race in North Carolina where the Republican candidate, Tom Tillis, was joined by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in blasting Klain as a partisan political operative. I suggested that Obama should give the assignment to Gen. David Petraeus instead of Klain; six months later, Petraeus pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information after he misled federal agents investigating his release of confidential materials to his biographer and mistress. Klain, who has been chief of staff to Vice Presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore and a top Justice Department official, did a masterful job cutting through bureaucratic red tape and marshaling support for a multibillion-dollar plan to successfully combat the spread of Ebola in Africa and beyond. Conway, by contrast, is a pollster and political operative with little experience or knowledge about the levers of government. Congressional Democrats have proposed adding $45 billion over 10 years to fight opioid addiction. Neither the White House nor the Republican congressional leadership has given a substantive response. Trump voters have the most to lose. The state with the highest incidence of opioid-overdose deaths is West Virginia, which Trump carried by 43 points in last year's election. Overdose deaths are rising fastest in rural counties, where Trump clobbered Hillary Clinton by the historically huge margin of 26 percentage points. In parading as a populist in the presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly attacked the drug industry, which promoted opioid use even after the human costs emerged. His promises to crack down on big pharma disappeared after the election. In a split vote last week, the Blaine County commissioners voted to block a camp for children with cancer from opening in Triumph, a tiny village near Ketchum, under pressure from residents concerned the camp would create too much traffic and noise. Camp Rainbow Gold was started in 1985 by Twin Falls surgeon Dave McClusky to offer children suffering from cancer a chance to be normal and experience the outdoors. One of the first pediatric oncology camps in the nation, it became a model for similar camps all across the country, some of which provide a last chance for a classic childhood experience before kids succumb to a terminal disease. The camp has run programs in the Wood River Valley for years on private land, and last year organizers thought theyd finally found a permanent location for the camp, even receiving a mega-donation to help jumpstart the site. The money, though, was tied to the camp obtaining a special zoning permit, since the area was zoned for residential and rural use. The vote by commissioners to reject the permit effectively killed the camps dream. Unfortunately, in many respects, this application has been politicized to an extent that I havent seen in my 15 years hearing land-use applications, said Commissioner Larry Schoen, whose no vote sank the deal. Its important to recognize that this is a land-use issue. Theres not one person in this room who doesnt support Camp Rainbow Gold and the work that they do. But we are here to discuss whether a specific plan, in a specific place, is allowable under our land-use code. So Wood River Valley residents care more about esoteric land-use codes and protecting themselves from the minor nuisance of a few cars during the summer months than they do about dying children? Were not talking about a Walmart superstore here. Were talking about a camp. For children. Dying from cancer. Zoning designations get changed all the time for specific projects. The government and the neighbors should have worked with the camp to address their concerns. Its hard for us to believe there wasnt a solution that could have pleased everyone. The camp may have been snubbed in the Wood River Valley, but we hope organizers dont give up. Heres an idea: How about the Magic Valley? The folks who live a little farther south arent so hard-nosed when it comes to land issues. Everyone loves their own little private piece of Idaho, of course, but youll find fewer no-trespassing signs down here. And maybe some warmer hearts and neighbors who place a higher value on brightening the lives of sick children. Measles in Mumbai: Toddler dies, 126 children infected in 2022 so far Aamir Khan announces break from acting, wants to spend time with family Actor molestation case: Accused arrested by Mumbai Police India oi-Madhuri Mumbai Police on Sunday arrested the accused for molesting a teenage Bollywood actor on a Vistara Delhi-Mumbai flight after she shared her ordeal on social media. The case was registered under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), after recording the 17-year-old's statement. The National award winner had on Saturday night took to Instagram, alleging that a male co-passenger, who was sitting behind her on the flight, had rubbed his foot on her back and neck. The teenager, who has starred in a Bollywood blockbuster, was visibly shaken in her video post. OneIndia News Actor Zaira Wasim alleges molestation on flight, NCW to issue notice to Air Vistara India oi-Vikas By Vikas Recommended Video Dangal actress Zaira Wasim allegedly molested on Air Vistara flight, Watch video | Oneindia News Dangal actress Zaira Wasim has alleged that she molested on Air Vistara Delhi to Mumbai flight by a man who was sitting behind her. The 17-year-old, in an Instagram post, said the man was rubbing his foot against her back and even caressed her neck while she was half asleep. In the video, she can be seen fighting her tears and saying, "This is not done, I am disturbed. Is this how you're going to take care of girls?" "He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck," Wasim posted. The actor reportedly called out to the cabin crew for help but it was of no use. Air Vistara responded to the incident and tweeted that it is carrying out a detailed investigation into the matter. "We @airvistara have seen the reports regarding @ZairaWasimmm experience with another customer on board last night. We are carrying out detailed investigation and will support Zaira in every way required. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour," the Air Vistara tweet said. The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken cognizance of the matter and has decided to issue notice to Air Vistara. "Vistara hasn't sensitized their crew to take action against men torturing women on flight. I am taking suo moto cognizance of this and giving notice to Vistara. Also a copy to DGP Maharashtra to act against Vistara Airlines," NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma told news agency ANI. Sharma also dubbed the entire incident as shocking. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, December 10, 2017, 10:31 [IST] Why Punjab farmers burn stubble at this scale when others do not How a British national is orchestrating the murder of Hindus in Punjab India oi-Vicky By Vicky The ISI module which was busted in Punjab came as a major relief for the security agencies. It was clear that the only intention of this module was to kill Hindus and disturb the social fabric in the state. Between 2016 and 2017, this module has killed 6 persons and all these murders were with a clear cut intention of creating communal disharmony. OneIndia has reported on this case several times and in previous reports spoken about how funds were challenised from Italy, UK, Canada and Pakistan to fund this module: Killing to disturb peace: Durga Das Gupta, president of the Labour Service Wing of the Shiv Sena in Punjab on 23rd April 2016 in Khanna Brigadier Jagdish Gagneja, the state vice president of the RSS on 6th August 2016, in Jalandhar Amit Sharma, the zilla pracharak of the Hindu Takht in Ludhiana on 14th January 2017 Satpal Kumar and his son, Ramesh Kumar, both followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda on 25th February 2017, in Khanna Father Sultan Masih on 15th July 2017 in Ludhiana Mastermind, a British National: Recently when the National Investigation Agency took over the probe into the killing of an RSS worker in Punjab, it made a startling revelation. The central agency said that this was a plot that was hatched in Pakistan. Funds came from Canada, UK and Italy, the NIA had also said. In Punjab, the ISI-Khalistan forces which work together have specifically targeted religiously important persons. On their radar was a Christian Priest Father Sultan Masih who was killed in Ludhiana on July 15 2017. In Punjab there have been such murders galore and the year 2017 has seen five such incidents. In 2016, there were two such incidents. The NIA probe into these incidents suggest that the mastermind is a person called Gursharanbir Singh who is a British national. He is the one who roped in Ramandeep and Hardeep Singh and directed them to kill Hindu leaders. NIA officers say that with the modus operandi in both Kerala and Punjab being similar, they would need to now revisit a couple of old cases. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, December 10, 2017, 8:43 [IST] As 'RRR' performs well at Japan box office, SS Rajamouli confirms sequel to NTR-Charan-starrer 'Yashoda' 1st weekend box office collection: Here's how much it collected in 3 days Hyderabad youth shot by assailants in Chicago; family members seek govt help India oi-Madhuri A Hyderabad youth who was studying in Chicago in United States was shot at by assailants on Saturday. He is is undergoing treatment at a hospital in the US. It is learnt that the assailants picked up an argument with Akbar at a parking lot and shot him with a weapon. The victim was later rushed to hospital. He has been presently under observation. The victim who has been identified as Mohammad Akbar had gone to the US for higher studies a few months back. According to family members who resides in Mallapur in Hyderabad said that they request Government of India to help them. The police are on the lookout for the men behind this crime. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, December 10, 2017, 18:31 [IST] Cong for Muslims, BJP for Hindus: Did Rahuls temple visits in Guj help to bust the myth? Neech remark overshadows development' in BJP's campaign in Gujarat India oi-Vikas By Vikas Ever since Mani Shankar Aiyar called Prime Minister Narendra Modi "neech aadmi", the BJP seems to have totally forgotten that development was the main plank of its Gujarat elections campaign. In every rally since then, PM Modi has raked up the issue not only to launch a blistering attack against Aiyar but also to woo voters. PM Modi, who is a master at using almost any situation to his political advantage, totally repackaged "neech" jibe and presented it as an attack on Gujarati people or Gujarati Asmita. He linked Aiyar's remark with his background, poverty, caste and built a really effective narrative that could emerge as a decisive factor in Gujarat Assembly elections. He recalled all that Congress had said about him in the past like Aiyar's "chai wallah" jibe, also aimed at Modi ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, and Congress president Sonia Gandhi's "maut ka saudagar" (merchant of death) comment dating back to 2007, also targeting Modi. Modi, campaigning in Gujarat ahead of the first phase of polling to the state assembly on Saturday, lost no time in terming Aiyar's remark an "insult to Gujarat's pride". The Congress rushed into damage control mode and Aiyar apologised after being chastised by party vice-president Rahul Gandhi. He was later suspended from the primary membership of the party but the damage may have already been done. OneIndia News Two of the biggest news stories this newspaper covered in 2017 happened at opposite ends of Cayuga County at slightly different times, but involved the same general menace: flooding. Historically heavy rains contributed to significant problems for some small communities within the county borders. Feds reject aid for Cayuga, 14 NY counties affected by severe weather A request by the state for a major disaster declaration covering 15 New York counties affect In the spring, Lake Ontario shoreline areas in the town of Sterling and village of Fair Haven were inundated. Major damage mitigation efforts were required, the normally vibrant tourism industry suffered, and local resources were exhausted. Then summer came around and brought a couple of brutally heavy rain events to communities in southern Cayuga County, with entire neighborhoods under water and important roads completely washed out. All told, million of dollars in damage hit two areas of the county, areas that have limited resources due to their small populations and tax bases. The repair and recovery work has been ongoing since that time, but much more remains. Despite this situation, the federal government is saying, as of last week, that it cannot help. Cayuga County has now twice been denied disaster declarations that would lead to badly needed federal aid for the areas impacted by the adverse weather of the last spring and summer. New York state, with support from local congressional representatives, is appealing the Lake Ontario decision, pointing out a clerical error in the original application. A decision on whether to appeal the decision regarding the southern Cayuga County flooding is under review. Federal reps ask FEMA to reconsider Cayuga County's flood aid request Two upstate New York members of Congress and the state's U.S. senators are urging the Federa Our hope is that state officials and our delegation representing the county in Washington can work to convince the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reverse course and provide the support that residents in the flood-affected areas of Cayuga County need. But even if that effort does succeed, every day and week without FEMA support makes recovery more challenging than it should be. That's why we also call on state and federal leaders to review the effectiveness of the current disaster relief system, especially its procedures for gathering information and estimating damage and putting it into a formula to determine emergency status. On its website, FEMA states its mission is to "support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards." If the agency's policies are preventing that mission from being fulfilled when disaster hits places like Fair Haven and Moravia, then changes must be made. The Citizen Editorial Board includes publisher Rob Forcey, managing editor Mike Dowd and executive editor Jeremy Boyer. 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 Pakistan military wants to see Ahmed Patel as Gujarat CM: Modi India oi-Vikas By Vikas Days after posters appealing Muslims to vote for Congress to make Ahmed Patel the Gujarat chief minister sufaced in several parts of the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that Pakistan's military intelligence wants to see Ahmed Patel as the state Chief Minister. "The same Mani Shankar Aiyar, who insulted Gujarat, held secret meetings with Pakistan High Commissioner. What was the reason? Why are people who previously held high posts in military-intelligence establishment of Pak writing that we should help make Ahmed Patel the CM?" Modi said at an election rally in Banaskantha's Palanpur, Gujarat. The posters had surfaced in some minority-dominated areas in Surat on the last day of campaigning for first phase of Gujarat polls. The poster, written in Gujarati urges Muslims to support Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Patel to be made 'Wazir-e-Alam' of Gujarat. Ahmed Patel, who is also political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, called it 'misinformation campaign by the BJP' "Muslims are requested to vote for Congress party to maintain unity of the community and make Ahmed Patel wazir-e-aalam (chief minister) of Gujarat," read the posters. [Gujarat elections: 'Fake' poster urges Muslims to support Ahmed Patel for CM post] Patel had alleged that such acts show the "utter desperation" of the BJP as it fears defeat. "They (BJP) know they are going to lose. I was never the CM candidate and neither will I ever be," said Ahmed Patel. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, December 10, 2017, 13:41 [IST] In the killing of those protecting Hindus in Punjab, a massive ISI plot revealed The Sikhs are fighting the biggest battle of their lives and that is forced conversion to Christianity Punjab: Rs 4.5 crore worth gold seized at Amritsar airport India pti-PTI Amritsar, Dec 10: Fifteen kg gold, pegged worth Rs 4.5 crore, has been seized from an Air India flight which arrived from Dubai at the international airport in Amritsar, 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 yesterday, airport officials said. 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 Fact Check: This image of huge crowds in Gujarat is not from the AAP roadshow Modis parentage: The controversy surrounding Salman Nizami India oi-Vikas By Vikas Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a rally in Lunavada, Gujarat, alleged that a Youth Congress leader raised questions about his parents. The person in question is one Salman Nizami who wrote on his Twitter handle, "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 ...?" Congress immediately distanced itself from Nizami and Rajiv Shukla said, "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." Nizami's Facebook page shows a picture of him interacting with Congress leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. In some other pictures, he can also be seen addressing what seems like a Congress rally. A Hindustan Times report quoted Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir as saying that Nizami is not even a primary member of the party. Mir said that Nizami was associated with the Congress between 2014 and 2015, but was suspended later. PM Modi had said, "He (Salman Nizami) 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." "Salman Nizami was engaged as the party's 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 party's policy. When Nizami failed to respond in 15 days, he was suspended," an HT report quoted Mir as saying. Even before Congress came to terms after Mani Shankar Aiyar's "Neech Aadmi" jibe, another political storm is ready to dent Congress' image in the poll-bound Gujarat. OneIndia News Security stepped in Kullu-Manali as Lashkar plans strike on Israelis India oi-Vicky By Vicky Security has been stepped up in Manali following information about a Lashkar-e-Tayiba conducting a reconnaissance. Abdul Naeem alias Headley 2 was arrested recently and during his interrogation spoke about his visit to Manali. He had carried out a recce of a hydel project and areas which were dominated by Israeli tourists. Two task forces comprising police and CID personnel have been formed to man the security. The focus of the security forces are on Manali, Kasol and adjoining areas, Shalini Agnihorti, the Superintendent of Police, Kullu said. While the hydel project was under his radar, he had also photographed tourist destinations. There are plenty of Israeli tourists who visit Kullu-Manali and they were under his radar. NIA officials probing the case say that these details he had sent to his handlers in Pakistan. Several thousand, Israeli tourists visit, Kasol and Kasol in the Parbati valley. Kasol in fact is known as a mini Isreal. There are several hotels which have instructions and signboards written in Hebrew. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, December 10, 2017, 8:52 [IST] Who is Salman Nizami, the man Modi took on following the parentage comment India oi-Vicky By Vicky The Congress went into a tizzy following a remark by one of its leaders, Salman Nizami who questioned the parentage of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Congress distanced itself from the comment while Modi lashed out at him for questioning his parentage. The Congress said that he is not a member of the party. However the former journalist from Kashmir said that he had joined the Congress in 2014. I belong to a known Congress family from Banihal in Jammu and Kashmir, he also said. To Modi's remark that Nizami wanted Azad Kashmir, Nizami said that he has never written anything anti national. I am a third generation Congressman and in Jammu and Kashmir, there cannot be anyone more Indian nationalist than the Congress, he told the Sunday Express. He further went on to add that four of his family members had been killed by terrorists. He said that his grandfather, Akthar Nizami was a popular Congress politician and was elected as MLAS from Banihal and Ramban. On the Twitter post, Nizami said that there are six fake accounts that have been set up in his name. I have no control over it and in 2015 I had filed a complaint after my account was hacked. He said that he had been in Gujarat for two weeks and left after Modi lashed out at him. I am not an important member and not many in the Congress know me, he also said. Nizami is wanted by the Jammu police. An FIR under Section 420 of the Ranbir Penal Code was registered against him for allegedly duping people under the pretext of providing government jobs. Nizami is the elder of Rubina Begum's two children. His father Mohammad Imtiaz Nizami, who married Rubina after his first wife's death, ran a small shop in Banihal town until a few years ago, when he closed it after losing vision in both eyes. Rubina works an anganwari worker, and her daughter is married and lives in Kishtwar. After graduating in mass communication, Salman Nizami worked as a journalist with a local news channel, and thereafter with a newspaper in Jammu. Later, he left Banihal and moved to Delhi. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, December 10, 2017, 8:25 [IST] 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. by Graham Pierrepoint Volcanoes have been the infamous cause of several a flight delay over the past decade and while many may not know how to pronounce their names, a fair few will know the hassle that their majesty have brought upon connections to Europe and beyond. Were talking about Icelands volcanic region, and one of their most famous dormant giants Oraefajokull which has been sitting dormant for almost 300 years and its re-emerged in the news again this week despite the fact that its largely been taking something of a deep sleep over the past few decades. That, if certain scientists and researchers are to be believed, could be set to change bringing its potential eruption in line with the colossal volcano lying dormant beneath Yellowstone which could technically go off at any minute, causing untold chaos. The Largest Volcano In Iceland Is On The Brink Of A Violent Eruption Its thought that a deepening hole in the volcanos snow we of course are referring back to Icelands sleeping giant is pointing towards the potential for an eruption in the near future. Additional seismic shifts and geothermal activity in the area may also hold the key to the future of the volcano with local experts growing increasingly concerned that the giant could be due to erupt at any time. Armann Hoskuldsson, a volcanologist, advised that business is far from normal in the area with 160 earthquakes having been recorded by Icelandic Met Office in just the last week. The geothermal energy is still present and it shows that it is far from a normal process there, Hoskuldsson states. If the volcano erupts, it will likely spell similar chaos to that experienced by travellers back in 2010 when Eyjafjallajokull erupted, rendering cross-Atlantic flights to and from the continent all but out of the question. The state has increased the warning level for volcanic activity for yellow, meaning that significant data points to the potential for eruption in future. The volcanos even tual explosion may be an historic event it hasnt let off steam or lava since 1728 but it could mean that commuters and holidaymakers face considerable delays and cancellations in the months to come. For those living near the volcano, on islands adjacent to the giant, evacuation plans are being drafted meaning that Iceland is taking matters incredibly seriously. Will we see a repeat of 2010s travel delays? Keep cautious and follow the news as always if youre set to travel soon! Alternatively, just for a moment, enjoy some underwater footage of the Silfra Lagoon in Iceland which boasts some of the clearest water in the world: WatchMojo 14 Nov 2020 That'll teach them to keep their mouth shut! For this list, well be looking at the funniest and most unforgiving instances of.. Jerusalem is a city in Western Asia. Situated on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea, it is one of the oldest cities in the world and is considered to be a holy city for the three major Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital, as Israel maintains its primary governmental institutions there and the State of Palestine ultimately foresees it as its seat of power. Because of this dispute, neither claim is widely recognized internationally. Mare Balticum Gaming Summit 2018 to Discuss Baltic and Scandinavian Regions Published December 10, 2017 by Arthur M The inaugural Mare Balticum Gaming Summit will be held in Riga on May 8th 2018 and is will cover topics such as regulatory changes and technology opportunities across the region. The first Mare Balticum (Baltic Sea) Gaming Summit has been announced for 8th May 2018 and is be held in the Latvian capital of Riga. It's a chance for operators, regulators, game and software developers to come together to discuss the state of the regional markets and review impending changes to local laws. The Baltic and Scandinavian gambling industries are among the most important, with many of the biggest companies based in the area, making this an important date on the calendar of anyone involved in the region. What's On The Agenda At The Summit? Covering both land-based and online gambling, there will be several round table discussions and localised meetings that will look at the current conditions and future prospects across each country. Separate reviews on the Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Danish and Swedish markets are scheduled, with speakers from local online gambling regulators and legal firms already confirmed. Upcoming Changes And Opportunities In The Region Recent developments under discussion include changes to Latvian live dealer licencing fees which have been set at 400,000 per year, and the potential ending of the monopoly currently enjoyed in Sweden by the state-owned Svenska Spel. The Danish market is attracting interest as an example of how online gambling should be regulated, while opportunities for new technology in the Baltic States will also be explored. Summit Venue And Ticket Details This one-day summit will be held at the Astor Riga in Latvia on May 8th, and has been organised by the Eastern European Gaming Events (EEGEvents) company, which is a division of EEGMedia. A special price of 199 applies to ticket bought before April 20th 2018, while the regular ticket will cost 398, and there are a number of accommodation deals available on the Mare Balticum Gaming Summit website. This inaugural event is designed to bring together industry professionals and regulators, giving them a unique chance to focus on local laws and opportunities in the Baltic and Scandinavian region. On December 1, former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to two counts of lying to the FBI about conversations he had with Sergey I. Kislyak, then Russia's ambassador to the United States. The charges, and Flynn's plea, were part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of "Russian meddling" in the 2016 US presidential election. Finally! Hard evidence! The Trump campaign really did work with the Russians to fix the election and deprive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton of her pre-ordained return to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue! But there are big problems with that narrative. Americans cast their votes for president on November 8, 2016. The Electoral College voted on December 19. The charges relate to discussions between Flynn and Kislyak on December 22 and December 29. If the two were conspiring to fix the presidential election, they must have been using a time machine. Surely we would have heard about that part if there was anything to it, right? So, if the incoming National Security Advisor and the Russian ambassador weren't conspiring to fix the election, what were they talking about? According to the charges and plea, two things (two things that Flynn lied about, anyway): First, on December 22, Flynn apparently asked the Russian government to help delay or kill a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Jewish settlements in occupied Arab territory. Secondly, on December 29, Flynn apparently asked the Russian government to refrain from retaliating in kind versus sanctions imposed by the Obama administration. Flynn lobbied Russia -- after the election -- on behalf of Israel, and Flynn lobbied Russia -- after the election -- on behalf of the United States. He pleaded guilty to lying about those two things. He was neither charged with, nor admitted to, colluding with the Russians prior to the election or with an eye toward affecting it. So no, none of this is evidence of Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. Rather, it is prosecutorial abuse and extortion. Mueller charged Flynn with "crimes" that shouldn't be illegal and that are unrelated to the supposed point of the investigation -- and probably threatened to also charge his son -- in order to "flip" Flynn, get him on Mueller's side instead of Trump's side, and thereby possibly make progress toward taking down bigger game. Nobody owes the FBI the truth. Subjects of investigation have no moral obligation to cooperate in their own prosecution. It's law enforcement's job to find evidence, not potential defendants' job to assist them in doing so. Unless one is under oath in court, no law should compel truthfulness or punish falsehood in talking to the cops. Did the Russian government meddle in the 2016 presidential election, above and beyond a few weird and likely completely ineffectual social media campaigns? Your guess is as good as mine. So far, the evidence still hasn't shown up. But another government, Israel's, didn't even bother to hide its meddling. And it took its first installment of payback in having Michael Flynn lobby the Russians on its behalf. Don't hold your breath waiting for a Special Counsel to investigate that. From Gush Shalom EHUD BARAK has "broken the silence." He has published an article in The New York Times attacking our prime minister in the most abrasive terms. In other words, he has done exactly the same as the group of ex-soldiers who call themselves "Breaking the Silence," who are accused of washing our dirty linen abroad. They expose war crimes to which they have been witnesses, or even participants. But apart from the attack on Binyamin Netanyahu, Barak has used the article to publish his Peace Plan. A former chief-of-staff of the Israeli army and a former prime minister, Barak is obviously planning a comeback, and his peace plan is part of the effort. There seems to be, anyhow, open season for Peace Plans in our region. I respect the intelligence of Barak. Many years ago, when he was still the deputy chief-of-staff, he unexpectedly invited me for a talk. We discussed the military history of the 17th century (military history is an old hobby of mine) and I soon realized that he was a real expert. I enjoyed it very much. On a spring evening In May 1999, I was part of a huge jubilant crowd in Tel-Aviv's Rabin Square after Barak had won the Knesset elections and become prime minister. He promised us "the dawn of a new day." In particular, he promised to make peace with the Palestinians. Intellectually, Barak is superior to all other politicians on the Israeli scene. Soon enough it appeared that this may be a handicap. Intelligent people tend to be arrogant. They despise people of lesser mental powers. Knowing that he had all the answers, Barak demanded that President Clinton call a meeting with Yasser Arafat. On the morrow I spoke with Arafat and found him deeply worried. Nothing has been prepared, no prior exchange of views, nothing. He did not want to go to the meeting which he thought was bound to fail, but could not refuse an invitation from the president of the US. The result was catastrophe. Barak, sure of himself as usual, presented his peace plan. It was more accommodating than any prior Israeli plan, but still fell far short of the Palestinians' minimum. The meeting broke up. What does a diplomat do in such circumstances? He announces that "we had a fruitful exchange of views. We have not yet reached total agreement, but the negotiations will go on, and there will be more meetings, until we reach agreement." Barak did not say that. Neither did he say: "Sorry, I am totally ignorant of the Palestinian point of view, and I shall now study it seriously." Instead, Barak came home and announced that Israel had proposed the most generous terms ever, that the Palestinians had rejected everything, that the Palestinians want to throw us into the sea, that we have "no partner for peace." If this had been declared by a right-wing politician, everybody would have shrugged. But coming from the leader of the Peace Camp, it was devastating. Its effects can be felt to this very day. SO HERE comes Barak, the new Barak, with a brand-new Peace Plan. What does he say? The aim, he writes, is "separation" from the Palestinians. Not peace, not cooperation, just separation. Get rid of them. "Peace" is not popular just now. How separation? Israel will annex the new Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem and the "settlement blocs" -- the clusters of Jewish settlements beyond the Green Line but close to it. He agrees to "land swaps." And then comes the killer: "overall security responsibility in the West Bank will remain in the hands of the Israel Defense Forces as long as necessary." 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). A postcard being sent out in Alabama by the pro-gun lobby doesn't endorse or mention the GOP candidate. The Alabama Senate race has become a minefield for Republicans, dividing GOP senators who denounced Republican candidate and alleged child molester Roy Moore from the Republican National Committee and President Donald Trump, who are backing Moore. And the NRA, perhaps the biggest outside political player on the right, has quietly entered the race to help Moore. The NRA's website does not list the Alabama Senate race as a contest in which it is involved, but two days ago, the Center for Public Integrity reported that the NRA was spending $55,000 to send out postcards to boost Moore in the election this Tuesday. Mother Jones has obtained a photo of the postcard the NRA is mailing to its Alabama members. The mailer slams Doug Jones, the Democratic candidate, and does not make a single reference to Moore. Jones has called himself "a Second Amendment guy," but he has called for moderate gun regulation. "We've got limitations on all constitutional amendments in one form or another," he said in an interview this week. "I want to enforce the laws that we have right now. The biggest issue, I think, that's facing the Second Amendment right now is that we need to make sure we shore up the [National Crime Information Center] system for background checks to both keep guns out of the hands of criminals, but at the same time, cut down on error so that law-abiding citizens can get those." Jones has pointed out that he is a hunter, owns several guns, and wants to make certain regulations are "smart." He also mocked Moore for holding up a tiny pistol at a campaign event. "When you see me with a gun," he said recently. "I'll be climbing in and out of a duck blind, not prancing around on a stage in a cowboy suit." 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. Palestinian Peaceful Resistance Movement (Image by PSP Photos) Details DMCA [Transcript of interview on The Real News Network, Dec. 9, 2018] As the Israeli crackdown on protests in the Occupied Territories turns deadly, human rights attorney Noura Erakat says that Trump's decision on Jerusalem is only the latest US attack on Palestinian self-determination. Aaron Mate of The Real News Network Interviews Noura Erakat AARON MATE : It's The Real News. I'm Aaron Mate'. The uproar continues over President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. At least one Palestinian has been killed and dozens have been wounded as Israeli forces crackdown on protests across occupied territories. Protests are also being held around the world and the UN Security Council has held an emergency session. Joining me is Noura Erakat, human rights attorney and professor at George Mason University. Welcome, Noura. As you see this response both in the territories and around the world, your thoughts today? NOURA ERAKAT : So, two thoughts to start off with: one is that I just want to start by expressing some sort of emotional weight that Palestinians are feeling. This is an incredibly sad moment. In addition to feeling rage and righteous rage, there's a lot of sadness and a heaviness around the fact that this announcement comes around Eid or Christmas for the Christians amongst us and really dampens the mood and the reality that we continue to live under a settler-colonial reality. What President Trump has done is to mark the inevitable consolidation of Israel settler- colonial project that is intent on the elimination of Palestinians as a people and their containment as mere Arabs, as Bedouins, as individuals, as refugees, but not as a people who are deserving of their self-determination. Palestinians have been waging this struggle for self-determination ever since 1917 when British Empire decided that it would erase Palestinians as a people in order to make way for the establishment of a Jewish national home in their place. This was a colonial decision. It was a colonial erasure. What Netanyahu has said recently in response to Trump is that Trump's announcement about Jerusalem is the equivalent of the Balfour Declaration designating all of Palestine for Jewish settlement. We are seeing a continuity of this colonial process that continues to erase Palestinians, but we're also seeing a continuity in US foreign policy that has steadily, steadily moved forward this project by adopting a dual process of speaking out of both sides of their mouth. The United States, especially since 1967 under the Lyndon B. Johnson administration has simultaneously told Israel and the world that there will be no resolution, unilateral resolution imposed on the solution either by way of international law or external interference, that it will be completely negotiated resolution. At the same time, the United States has enabled Israel to expand its settler colonial holdings over Palestinian lands without regard to putative borders or otherwise in the form of unequivocal diplomatic aid shielding it from any kind of international censor at the United Nations, in the form of unequivocal military aid that has made Israel the most, the 11th most significant military power in the world but also the only nuclear power in the Middle East, and in the form of financial aid that has ensured Israel will stay afloat and have a remarkably powerful economy on the global scale. These things together have immunized Israel from any kind of external pressure. Despite the international community insisting that there must be a solution and a just solution to the Palestinian condition, it has been able to act with impunity in order to continue its settler colonial project of erasure, to usher in an era of apartheid under the double-speak of the United States which has now ended as Trump has revealed, has removed the emperor's clothes to reveal US foreign policy for what it is which is as an enabler for Israel's project. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). (This is a reprint from NewsBred). Pavan K. Varma, member of JD (U), usually hedges his bets quite nicely but his edit piece in Times of India on Saturday (December 9, 2017) deserves a considered rebuttal. Basically, Varma praises Jawaharlal Nehru ("Scientific Humanist") and Mahatma Gandhi ("Catholic spirit") for the India that should be; and slams the "deliberate communalization by the "Hindutva" brigade. Varma pompously terms it a "malevolent design." He writes that such forces "know very little about what Hinduism is." Therefore, "Hinduism needs to be reclaimed"from rampant bigotry." Since Varma knows so much about "Being Indian", having written a book by this title, he needs be told what Nehru thought of Indians while seeking permission from his father to shift from Cambridge to Oxford in England : " Cambridge is becoming too full of Indians." [i] As for his praise of Gandhi for the "Catholic spirit", Varma needs be asked if it's the same "Catholic spirit" which makes a Pope condemn the attempts of US-based protestant missions in Latin America but show his double standards by keeping silent on Catholic missions in India ? Is it the same "Catholic Spirit" he has in his mind when he surveys Church buildings standing on the debris of Hindu Temples in South India ? [ii] Hasn't Varma read the Niyogi Committee Report on Christian conversions? Isn't he aware that Catholic church by itself could be the biggest owner or real estate in India ? On a historical scale, does Varma has any recollection of Church condemning colonialism? Would he deliberate the Holocaust could be the result of centuries of Christian anti-Jewish stance? Does he remember Christianity's oppression of Pagans? Indeed, European landscape is studded with churches containing false relics of false saints to whom false martyrdom is attributed. [iii] Now, let's return to Mahatma Gandhi which Varma praises for his "respect for all religions." Does Varma remember that Gandhi had made the last-ditch proposal to Jinnah to accept Muslim/non-Muslim parity in Parliament, making one Muslim equal to three non-Muslims? (As an aside, how could Gandhi who has "respect for all religions" be praised for his "Catholic spirit"? Too bad, Mr Varma for using a communal brush on your hero.) Varma calls out Hindutva forces for communalization in this country. Doesn't he know that it was Hindutva forces who opposed communal electorates and recruitment quota which Congress had endorsed in pre-Independent India ? Doesn't he know that Hindus can never be fundamentalist because this concept belongs to Biblical-Quaranic traditions? And that Hindu scriptures are universally acknowledged repository of plurality? We all know, as I am sure Varma does, that words such as "secularism" and "Hindu communalism" were made popular by Nehru. But did Nehru, his other hero, ever say a word about Muslim League which was a reincarnation of "communalism?" Let's now take up Varma's diatribe against the Hindutva forces, which as I infer, is Rashstriya Swamsewak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In RSS' official statements, the notion of a "Hindu state" is totally absent. Every BJP member, on joining the party has to take the solemn pledge of "Sarva Dharma Sambhav." That, "I subscribe to the concept of a secular state and nation not based on religion." 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 Alternet A key test to see if the DNC can make the nominating process more democratic. (Image by Photo Credit: Photo by Steven Rosenfeld) Details DMCA More than a dozen progressive groups are urging the Democratic National Committee's post-2016 Unity Reform Commission to recommend the party end its superdelegate system, where one-sixth of those nominating the presidential candidate are chosen before primaries and caucuses. "On behalf of our more than 12 million members, we urge the Commission to recommend the full elimination of superdelegates' power to overrule the will of Democratic primary voters in selecting the party's presidential nominee," the groups wrote in a letter released Thursday, in anticipation of the Unity Commission's final meeting this weekend. "If this is not the Commission's final recommendation, the Commission should at the very least follow the mandate from the Democratic National Convention's Rules Committee to reduce the voting power of superdelegates by approximately two-thirds," said the letter, which was co-signed by the Center for Popular Democracy, Courage Campaign, CREDO Action, Demand Progress Action, MoveOn.org, National Nurses United, NDN, Other98, Our Revolution, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Progressive Democrats of America, RootsAction.org and Social Security Works. The Unity Commission's recommendations will come before the DNC, which will then decide what to do. While many features of the DNC's 2016 nominating process were anti-democratic, none are as high profile as the party's so-called superdelegates. These at-large national convention delegates were 712 federal and state elected officials, state party leaders and lobbyists whose votes counted toward the 2,384 needed for the presidential nomination. Most were with Hillary Clinton before Bernie Sanders entered the race and 570 stayed with her. Other nominating season features that were biased against Clinton's opponents and grassroots activists included decisions by then-DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to schedule televised debates on weekends, when audiences were smaller; shutting access to the DNC voter database as Sanders' donations soared; establishing a joint fundraising operation with the Clinton campaign before she was the nominee; and unprofessional and opaque behavior at caucuses in key states like Iowa and Nevada, where actual vote totals are not released. To many progressives, generally, and Berniecrats in particular, the superdelegates stand apart and exist for one purpose: to take the nomination away from voters. While party brass said that has not happened, and never would happen, their continued existence in 2017 reminds Berniecrats of last years' wounds. They also undermine the Democrats' moral authority to criticize blatant and often racist efforts by the GOP to disenfranchise voters, especially nonwhites in blue epicenters. Both of these criticisms were in the group letter to the DNC's unity commission. "The system undermines representative democracy and means that the electorate is not necessarily decisive in determining who will be the Democratic nominees for president and vice president and dilutes the voters' say over the party's platform and the rules under which it operates," their letter said. "Astonishingly, these unelected delegates have essentially as much weight as do the pledged delegates from 23 states, the District of Columbia, Democrats Abroad, and four territories combined." "We urge the members of the Unity Reform Commission to recommend an idea whose time has come: to end the superdelegate system and create a fair, transparent, and inclusive presidential nomination process in which Democratic primary voters can rest assured their voices will not be overruled by well-connected elites," they concluded. "But at a minimum, the Commission should implement the guidelines in its founding directive to dramatically reduce the voting power of superdelegates." Longtime DNC members contacted by AlterNet said the Unity Commission was likely to recommend changes in its superdelegate system and primary elections, but said these would likely fall short of the progressives' demand. The commission could reduce the number of superdelegates by not making members of Congress automatic delegates. It could require the superdelegates not endorse any candidate until after the final nominating season contest. Similarly, it could recommend state parties to open their primaries to independents -- just not anyone already registered with another party. These were some of the ideas being talked about, said Debra Kozikowski, the Massachusetts Party vice-chair, a grassroots activist for three decades and a superdelegate. She said most superdelegates had "come up through state party ranks and have worked hard to represent constituents for 20 or 30 years. They've been elected within the party. Why would we vote ourselves out of existence?" 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 "Human survival depends on learning to organize the way all successful living communities organize as they adapt to ever changing local conditionsfrom the Bottom-Up. A timely contribution to confronting the transformation imperative confronting humanity." David Korten, author of When Corporations Rule the World, The Great Turning, and Change the Story, Change the Future Quicklink Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their quicklinks after publishing them. To see if the quicklink was renamed or re-published, please click here. From Reader Supported News Donald Trump's White House falls apart a little more every day. It seems like every morning there's more news about who among Donald Trump's friends, relatives, and advisers is being subpoenaed, questioned, accused, or indicted or, worse for the president, who has flipped and will testify against him. Meanwhile, Trump flails around, making accusations against everybody from the FBI to the Democrats to the Washington Post and George Soros. It would be great fun to watch if the stakes weren't so high for the country. The linchpin to this whole "Russiagate" case is Mike Flynn. The former three-star general and director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) was a loose cannon whom Obama had to fire in 2014. While Flynn had a real vision to transform the bloated DIA from a second-tier also-ran in the intelligence community to a primary war zone intelligence service, he was known as a nasty jerk to those around him, he was unnecessarily harsh with his subordinates, and he simply could not or would not follow the president's direction. Flynn suffered from that very Washington affliction: He thought he was smarter than everybody else in the room and he wouldn't take advice. Trump has the same disease. After Flynn had proven himself a thorn in the collective sides of Obama and Ashton Carter, then Secretary of Defense, he jumped into the Trump campaign with both feet, famously leading a chant of "Lock her up!" in reference to Hillary Clinton, at the 2016 Republican National Convention. I believe it was then that Obama decided to have a little fun with Flynn, at Trump's great expense. Here's what we know: NSA spies on Americans. They also spy on Russians. And when an American is on the phone with the Russian ambassador, or meeting with Russian attorneys with "ties to Russian intelligence," and then reporting back to a major Republican presidential campaign, NSA lights up. So NSA knew that Flynn was in touch with Russian Ambassador Serge Kislyak even before the two hung up the phone. A conversation between a senior presidential campaign official and a Russian diplomat or intelligence officer is major news in the intelligence community, and that news would have been reported back to Obama posthaste. So Obama knew that Flynn, Donald Trump Jr., and others were meeting with the Russians. And he knew what was being said because NSA had given him the transcripts. Another thing we know is that in their first post-election meeting at the White House, Obama gave Trump one piece of unsolicited advice: Don't hire Mike Flynn. The meeting was reported everywhere, and most observers thought that Obama had made the recommendation because he had to fire Flynn from DIA for insubordination. I don't think that was it at all. I think Obama knew that Trump would do exactly the opposite of what he wanted. If Obama doesn't want him to hire Flynn, then, by God, he's going to hire Flynn. And so he did. Flynn then proceeded to dig himself a deeper hole. We know that he telephoned Kislyak on December 22 and again on December 29 to ask him to either delay or veto a United Nations Security Council Resolution that would have condemned Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. Of course, NSA was fully cognizant of these conversations and, as it turns out, provided those transcripts to the FBI. Was this "collusion" with the Russians? Of course not. It was an overeager, underinformed, and amateurish attempt at foreign policy. If anything, it was collusion with the Israelis to try to block Obama's foreign policy on Israel and the settlements. If anything, it was a violation of the Logan Act of 1799, which prohibits the making of foreign policy by a private citizen, which Flynn still was. But that's not the point. The point is that the FBI by then had a transcript of the call when they asked Flynn to speak with them about it. And therein lies the rub. First, I can tell you from personal firsthand experience that nobody should ever, EVER, talk to the FBI, at least without an attorney sitting right next to you. FBI agents will lie, cheat, and deceive to get you to trip yourself up in your response to their questions. Even if you don't remember what you said in some particular conversation months or years ago, or if your recollection is fuzzy, they will charge you with a felony for "making a false statement." That's the leverage that they want over you. Mike Flynn is a career intelligence professional. He knew that NSA would have been listening to his conversations with the Russians. He knew that NSA would have passed the information to the FBI. But when the FBI interviewed him about his talks with the Russians, he lied. It's as simple as that. He lied. And that's a felony. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Representative Maxine Waters (Image by majunznk) Details DMCA Glen Ford, BAR executive editor , 07 Dec 2017 "The Democrats are 'all in' for the Pentagon, including a majority of the Congressional Black Caucus." Democratic Party "resistance" to Donald Trump is a sham that has succeeded only in increasing the likelihood of nuclear war and the certainty of massive impoverishment. The two corporate political parties have, in reality, forged an even deeper alliance since the 2016 election, guaranteeing an epochal transfer of wealth to the rich. Although Democrats rail against the colossal thievery of impending Republican tax cuts -- a multi-trillion dollar boondoggle for corporations and the rich that rivals Ronald Reagan's overhaul of taxes, almost two generations ago -- they have already ensured the destruction of what remains of the social side of government spending through their support for the biggest war budget in human history: $700 billion. There is a price tag attached to every mindless anti-Russia rant. In their crazed zeal to scapegoat Vladimir Putin for Hillary Clinton's defeat, the Democrats became the most maniacal faction of the imperial War Party. If the Kremlin is really "at war" with "American democracy," as the demented chorus goes, then no expense can be spared in "defense" of the "homeland" and its sacred institutions. Democrats were logically compelled to back up their anti-Russia "woof tickets" with mega-bucks for "defense." "There will inevitably be vast cutbacks on the social side of the ledger to make up for the trillion dollar deficits incurred by the Republican tax giveaways." This year, the Democrats are "all in" for the Pentagon, including a majority of the Congressional Black Caucus -- despite the absence from the White House of the war-mongering Barack Obama. Led by Democratic House honcho Nancy Pelosi, the "opposition" party showed its flaming imperial colors in a July 14 vote on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018. Of the 41 voting Black members, 23 supported the nearly $700 billion bill -- $57.4 billion more than the Pentagon had asked for. Sixty percent of House Democrats as a whole voted in favor. A companion bill later passed the U.S. Senate with only five Democrats voting against it. There will be no rollback of this gargantuan commitment to U.S. imperial wars, but there will inevitably be vast cutbacks on the social side of the ledger to make up for the trillion dollar deficits incurred by the Republican tax giveaways. The shortfalls will suck up the remaining vestiges of the social legislative legacy that is the last rationale for supporting the Democratic Party. Below is the breakdown of the Black Caucus vote on the war budget. Aye Votes: 23 Joyce Beatty, (OH) Sanford Bishop (GA) Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE)* Anthony Brown (MD)* William Lacy Clay (MO) James Clyburn (SC) Davis, Danny (IL) Val Butler Demings (FL) Dwight Evans (PA)* Al Green (TX) Alcee Hastings (FL) Sheila Jackson Lee (TX) Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX) Al Lawson (FL)* A. Donald McEachin (VA)* Bobby Rush (IL) Bobby Scott (VA) David Scott (GA) Terri Sewell (AL) Bennie Thompson (MS) Marc Veasey (TX) Waters, Maxine (CA) Frederica Wilson (FL) Nay Votes: 18 Alma Adams (NC) Karen Bass (CA) G.K. Butterfield (NC) Andre Carson (IN) Yvette Clarke (NY) John Conyers (MI) Keith Ellison (MN) Marcia Fudge (OH) Hakeem Jeffries (NY) Hank Johnson (GA) Robin Kelly (IL) Brenda Lawrence (MI) Barbara Lee (CA) John Lewis (GA) Gwen Moore (WI) Donald Payne (NJ) Cedric Richmond (LA) Watson Coleman (NJ) Not Voting: 3 Emanuel Cleaver (MO) Elijah Cummings (MD) Gregory Meeks (NY) Asterisks (*) denote the new members of the Black Caucus that entered Congress in 2016 and 2017: Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE), Anthony Brown (MD), Al Lawson (FL) and Donald McEachin (VA). All of them voted for the war budget, in line with their leader, Nancy Pelosi. They are the operative "new Negro leaders" of the Democratic Party. Maxine "Auntie" Waters, the Los Angeles congresswoman who was once a fixture in the (relatively) "progressive" faction of the Black Caucus, has talked her way into the Pentagon's camp. Bobby Scott, a once dependable "progressive" from Virginia, now votes with David Scott, the Atlanta troglodyte who is among the bankers' and generals' best Black friends on The Hill. Back in July of 2011, Bobby Scott and Maxine Waters were among the only six members of the Black Caucus that voted to cut off funds to President Obama's war against Libya. We at Black Agenda Report called these members "The Good." Sadly, Waters and Scott have now thrown in their lot with the imperial war-makers ("The Hopeless"). Insanely, these erstwhile progressives do so, not in some misguided solidarity with the First Black President, but as part of the anti-Trump/anti-Russia crusade. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Democrats don't know how to fight--and apparently are unable to learn. Their actions are becoming prime examples of "Dumb and Dumber." The lynch mob of 13 female and 19 male Democratic Senators, including Chuck Schumer, sought moral "high ground" in calling for Senator Al Franken to resign. Their plea elicited a resounding Hallelujah from other Democrats. Unfortunately, they failed to notice that the universally defined moral high ground is gone. In gleefully seeking their high-minded version of high ground Democrats have succumbed to the con man's playbook. "We go high when they go low" has abdicated to destructive forces. This retreat from head-to-head confrontation surrendered the Oval Office, the Supreme Court, the federal courts, and all the federal agencies that protect and elevate us. It has enabled the steady teardown of democratic institutions and principles that were more than two hundred years in the making. More disturbing, It has placed the nuclear codes in the hands of a mentally unstable president, according to a consensus of mental health experts. Perhaps because I grew up on the tough streets of Brooklyn, I learned that going high is not the way to deal with sociopathic morally empty pool room thugs. Wake up, Democrats! It's the age of designer morality. A one-code-fits-all meaningful moral high ground is an illusion, as eloquently expressed by journalist Charles Pierce in Esquire: "The problem is where do the Democrats go now, although I'm fairly sure Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will be heading to Iowa. Is it time (again) to tug their forelocks over Bill Clinton? Maybe they could dig up Teddy Kennedy and hold their own Cadaver Synod, expelling him from the Senate posthumously? LBJ would be next, then Jack, then finally Thomas Jefferson. Ah, but now, we are told, they have The Moral High Ground, as though you needed to throw one of your own overboard in order to have the moral standing to oppose seating an alleged child molester in the Senate, or to remind people that the president copped to sexual assault on tape...There is no commonly accepted Moral High Ground left to occupy anymore, and to pretend one exists is to live in a masturbatory fantasyland. It's like lining yourself up behind Miss Manners in a political debate against Machiavelli. Until the Democrats are willing to think asymmetrically about the very real political danger posed by the president* and his party, the danger will grow until it becomes uncontrollable, and that point is coming very soon, I fear. By the time the Democrats admit to themselves that their political opposition has moved so far beyond shame that it can't even see Richard Nixon any more, the damage wrought to our political institutions may be beyond repair." South African Anglican cleric and theologian Desmond Tutu's often quoted astute observation about colonialism is informative and instructive: "When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said, let us pray. We closed our eyes. When we opened them, we had the Bible and they had the land." When the Democrats open their eyes expecting to celebrate ownership of a mythical high ground they might be surprised to find themselves on low ground amid Sodom and Gomorrah, if not the apocalypse. From Wallwritings Below is an email from a close friend, Laurie Salameh. She lives in Jerusalem with her husband Estaphan, and their three children. I asked Laurie for permission to share her email, which she had circulated to friends. She gave her permission. Guest Posting by Laurie Salameh President Trump stole our Christmas. And he did it standing in front of Christmas trees. In what was an unusually polished speech (for him), President Trump announced the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and has plans to relocate the U.S. embassy to there from Tel Aviv. We sat on our couch watching, our hearts pounding and our fists clenching, wondering whether it was ignorance, lunacy or plain hubris that drove him to make this announcement. How can one man decide to take our historical capital away and give it to another country? How can he do that without acknowledging the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who live in Jerusalem? Who live in the city of their birth without access to services, without basic human rights, who live unacknowledged? What happens to them? Prior to this announcement, we were in the first week of what was proving to be a joyous Christmas here in the Holy Land. Though we make up less than 2% of the population, Christmas is in full-swing in Palestine. Christmas trees in every shop and restaurant, Santa hats in cars and Christmas carols sung everywhere. Giant Christmas trees lit in the main squares of the cities with tens of thousands of Christians and Muslims celebrating together. My son sang "Deck the Halls" in a performance for the Ramallah Municipality with his classmate Ahmad. And this is my point -- while Muslims don't practice Christmas traditions as part of their faith, they give Christians space and time to celebrate it and many even celebrate with us. I've had lengthy conversations with my Muslim friends on who sells the best parts for gingerbread houses, who bakes the tastiest Christmas cookies, where to find the prettiest ornaments or the best church bazaars. We may constitute less than 2% of the population but we are 100% part of the community. And that's what makes President Trump's pronouncement all the more sickening. With his declaration, the Christmas lights turned off. The Christmas music has quieted. The Christmas tree in Nativity Square in Bethlehem has gone dark. The Christmas spirit has been drowned out with the mourning of our stolen capital. About a week ago in front of a crowd in Missouri, President Trump said "I told you we'd be saying Merry Christmas again." I don't know who hasn't been saying "Merry Christmas," because we sure have here in Palestine. But I can tell you this... we will celebrate Christmas this year, because Christmas is obviously more than the trees and lights and music... but it won't be a merry one. The Whovillians in Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, understood Christmas "came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags." But at least they were able to celebrate Christmas in Whoville, their city, their home. President Trump stole our Christmas in Palestine right along with our capital, our history and our rights. Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121 "Wonderful work! An insightful, integrative adventure into what makes humans flourish. Rob Kall shows us that we know how to do this, that most of human history was about connection and that there are ways to make it happen again. He offers real solutions and practical suggestions for taking back the world for community, connection and well-beingaway from hierarchy, exclusion, and destruction. A new handbook for the necessary revolution!" Darcia Narvaez, Professor of psychology, Notre Dame, University, author of Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture and Wisdom Military Wearable Sensors Market: Opportunity Assessment Research Study 2017 - 2025 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=29369 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=29369 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Wearable sensors are smart electronic devices worn on the body as accessories or implants which incorporate various features and functions. Wearable sensors comprise Internet of Things (IoT) such as software sensors, electronics, and connectivity that help objects to transfer data with the help of operator, manufacturer, and other related connected devices. Wearable sensors are now being heavily incorporated in the defense industry to cope up with the advancements in technology. Development of smarter, smaller, and cheaper sensors are likely to propel the demand for military wearable sensors over the forecast period. Increasing focus on the development of biosensors to analyze the mental health of a warrior is likely to be one of the crucial driving factors for the growth of the military wearable sensors market over the forecast period. Rise in need for military wearable sensors to monitor the psychological health of soldiers is also expected to fuel the market. These devices have the ability to integrate with other devices to transfer data at high accuracy and efficiency levels. U.S Army Research along with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has cooperated with Profusa to innovate and develop biosensors that are able to deliver real time health updates. Introduction and improvement of next generation sensors is likely to gain traction in this market. Rise in need for light weight and small size sensors which can be implanted in the skin is likely to drive the protection level of soldiers. This is likleyto facilitate the development of protection systems. Integration of IoT and AR technologies is likely to improve the growth potential of the military wearable sensors market over the forecast period.By product type, the military wearable sensor market has been segmented into military device based sensors and military clothing based sensors. Military device based sensors comprise key chains, goggles, watches, and health tracking enabled wristbands. Military device based sensors held the dominant share of the military wearable sensors market in 2016 and the segment it is likely to retain its position over the forecast period. These devices contain global positioning systems to display and track the position of personnel and physical structures on the field. Moreover, the military based devices help to track the actual time data of soldiers in case of situational consciousness.Request For Report Sample:By geography, the military wearable sensors market is segregated into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. North America accounted for the dominant market share in 2016 and is likely to retain its dominance over the forecast period. Rise in demand from this region to improve military modernization efforts is expected to fuel the demand for military wearable sensors over the forecast period. Significant investment for the development and monitoring of solider health so as to develop the data security of military platforms is expected to drive the market in this region. Collaborations in order to develop the record and collection of data about soldiers is also expected to drive the military wearable sensors market in this region. Europe is predicted to be one of the most attractive markets in military wearable sensors owing to the huge spending on defense in this region. Germany, France, and the U.K. are likely to occupy significant shares of the military wearable sensors market over the forecast period. Asia-Pacific is an emerging region for the military wearable sensors market due to the adoption of IoT technologies for advancement of its defense industry.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):The military wearable sensors market is highly fragmented and there is a large presence of numerous global vendors across the globe. Key players in the military wearable sensors market are Ledios, Boeing, Safran Group, TT Electronics, Lockheed Martin, Rheinmetall, Innova Design Solutions, Arralis, and Q-Track, among others.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact USState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Website:Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Zinc-Bromine Batteries Market Intelligence with Competitive Landscape 2017 - 2025 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=30152 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=30152 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Zincbromine battery is a redox flow battery. A redox flow battery is the one in which most of the energy is stored by plating zinc as a solid on the anode during charging. In a cell of the zincbromine battery, there are two compartments filled with two different electrolytes. The two compartments are separated by a microporous polyolefin membrane. One electrolyte comes into action when a positive electrode reaction takes place, while the other electrolyte comes into action when a negative electrode reaction occurs. During charging, metallic zinc gets deposited on the anode side of the electrode. Bromine ions get oxidized into bromine and get evolved on the other side of the membrane. Bromine has limited solubility in water. Hence, it forms a viscous bromine-adduct oil, which sinks to the bottom of the compartment. This oil later gets mixed with the remaining solution during discharging of the battery.The zincbromine battery has higher energy density compared to regular batteries such as lead acid batteries. Zincbromine batteries are rechargeable; hence, they have longer shelf life compared to other types of batteries. Zinc is a metal available in abundance. The manufacturing cost of zincbromine batteries is also lower than other batteries. All these factors are expected to boost the market for zincbromine batteries during the forecast period.Request For Report Sample:However, zincbromine batteries have certain limitations. When zinc gets deposited on the anode side of the electrode, it tends to form dendrites. Formation of dendrites can result in a short circuit in the cell, which can be dangerous. In order to avoid this, the zincbromine battery needs to be fully discharged after a certain period of time. Zinc is highly soluble in the aqueous zinc bromide electrolyte, which can result in diffusion in the cell. Diffusion causes the bromine solution to directly react with the zinc electrode. This can result in self-discharge, which can reduce the shelf life of the battery. These disadvantages can have an adverse effect on the zincbromine batteries market in the next few years. However, zincbromine batteries offer a good option for energy storage.Based on application, the zincbromine batteries market can be segmented into domestic applications and industrial applications. As an industrial application, zincbromine batteries are used in electric vehicles on a large scale. For example, zincbromine batteries have been installed in Volkswagen buses, which are being used in Australia. Hotzenblitz is a German company that has designed an electric vehicle to be powered specially by a zincbromine battery. Toyota Motor Corporation is conducting research on developing a zincbromine battery for use in an electric vehicle called EV-30, which can be used for urban transportation. It is looking forward to introducing this novel vehicle in Japan in the next few years. Significant research is being carried out in different parts of the world to employ zincbromine batteries in energy storage applications.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Based on region, the zincbromine batteries market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East & Africa. The increasing need for use of energy storage devices with greater storage capacity and longer shelf life in high-voltage electric applications in North America and Asia Pacific (specifically Australia and Japan) is expected to boost the market for zincbromine batteries in these regions in the next few years. The increasing need for use of lightweight vehicles and the rising need for utilizing energy-saving technologies such as zincbromine batteries in electric vehicles are factors anticipated to propel the zincbromine battery market in North America and Europe in the near future.Some of the key players operating in the zincbromine batteries market are Sandia National Laboratory, Covertel Power Pty. Ltd., Primus Power Corporation, Redflow Energy Storage Solutions Ltd., Smart Energy GB Ltd., ZBB Energy Corporation (now Ensync Energy Systems), and ZBest Technology Ltd.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact USState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Website:Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Gas Compressor Market Analysis, Forecast, and Assessment 2017 - 2025 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=30224 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=30224 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Gas compressor is a mechanical device that reduces the volume of a gas by pressurizing it. A compressor and a pump are similar; they can apply the pressure on fluid and transport it through a pipe. Gas compressor is employed when there is a need of high pressure or lower volume of gas. Various gases such as air, nitrogen, ethylene, carbon dioxide, helium, and natural gas are used in gas compressors.There are two types of gas compressors: positive displacement compressors and dynamic compressors. Positive displacement compressors are further distinguished as reciprocating and rotary compressors. Dynamic compressors can also be categorized into centrifugal compressors and axial compressors. Depending upon the type, gas compressors are employed in a wide range of applications in various industries such as steel, automobile, chemicals, electronics, pharmaceutical, and petroleum & petrochemical refining. However, the basic application area of pressurizing the gas and reducing its volume remains the same.Demand for energy has increased over the last two decades due to the rise in population across the globe. In the midst of higher fuel consumption, natural gas is emerging as the preferred fuel owing to its clean energy output compared to its counterparts (i.e. oil). Thus, demand for gas compressors is expected to increase in the near future, thereby indicating enhanced opportunities for the gas compressor market.Request For Report Sample:Apart from natural gas, the usage of LNG, CNG, and LPG has been rising. This acts as a driver of the gas compressor market. Stringent emission norms and regulations is one of the key drivers of the gas compressor market. Awareness about global warming and greenhouse gas emission has boosted the efforts to find substitute for coal and oil dependent energy consumption. Natural gas is a clean source of energy vis-a-vis coal and oil. It can also replace coal and oil in various applications, primarily in power generation and vehicles. Most countries across the world prefer LNG and CNG in vehicles. Thus, LNG and CNG act as substitutes for gasoline and diesel.North America is anticipated to dominate the gas compressor market during the forecast period. Technologically, the region is well developed and experiences significant energy consumption. Furthermore, the demand for energy is estimated to shift from oil to gas due to the recent discovery of shale gas in the region. Asia Pacific is also a lucrative region of the gas compressor market. It has the highest population in the world and countries such as China, India, Malaysia, and Indonesia are experiencing strong economic growth. The region is developing rapidly. The need for energy is also likely to rise in the near future. Middle East & Africa is well known for its oil and gas deposits. Natural gas deposits in the region may transform the energy scenario. This is expected to positively affect the gas compressor market.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Key players operating in the gas compressor market are Sauer Compressors USA, AMERICAN JEREH, Hitachi, Ltd., BAUER COMPRESSORS, INC., Ariel Corporation, KOHO compressor systems, Kobelco, Atlas Copco, Exterran Corporation, Sundyne, PDC Machines Inc., and RIX Industries.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact USState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Website:Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Growth Opportunities in Cyclohexane Market: New Research Report 2017 - 2025 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=30239 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=30239 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Cyclohexane is a cycloalkane which is manufactured by catalytic hydrogenation of benzene. Cyclohexane is insoluble in water and colorless in nature. It is a key element employed in the manufacturing of caprolactum and adipic acid, which are intermediates for manufacturing nylon. Cyclohexane is used to produce cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol for precursor usage. There are two processes through which cyclohexane can be manufactured, viz., hydrogenation of benzene and cracking of natural gasoline. Cyclohexane can also be employed as a solvent in chemical synthesis and reaction diluents. Cyclohexane is also utilized as a starting material for KA Oil and can be used as a substitute for benzene in some end-user applications. Cyclohexane is employed in various end-use industries such as paints & coating, automotive, textiles, construction, and thermoplastics.In terms of application, the global cyclohexane market can be segmented into adipic acid, caprolactum, and others, which includes cyclohexane 1-2 diol and cyclohexanecarbolic acid. Caprolactum is anticipated to be a major application segment of the cyclohexane market during the forecast period due to the increasing demand for nylon 6 in various end-use industries. In terms of grade, the cyclohexane market can be segmented into reagent grade and industrial grade. Technology development coupled with rising investment in various end-use industries such as automotive, textile, and construction are expected to boost the demand for cyclohexane during the forecast period. Additionally, the rising demand for high performance thermoplastics that incorporate nylon as a base material due to its characteristics features such as high tensile strength, low coefficient of friction, and friction to chemical, heat, and abrasion is anticipated to propel the demand for cyclohexane in the near future.Request For Report Sample:The cyclohexane market was primarily driven by the increasing demand for adipic acid and caprolactum, which are key elements for manufacturing Nylon-6,6 and nylon 6, respectively. These fibers are majorly employed in the automotive and textile industries. Developing countries such as Saudi Arabia, India, and China are witnessing an increased investment and significant rise in demand for nylon-6,6. This, in turn, is likely to offer a considerable opportunity for the cyclohexane market. However, volatile raw material prices are likely to hamper the expansion of the market, as most of these materials are downstream products of petrochemicals. Depletion of non-renewable resources and stringent regulations on VOC-emitting compounds have encouraged various researchers as well as manufacturers to opt for bio-based raw materials for the production of cyclohexane, which is projected to further provide substantial opportunities for manufacturers in the near future.In terms of demand, the countries in North America and Europe were the leading markets for cyclohexane. However, the financial downturn and Euro zone crisis, have hampered the expansion of the market in Europe. In North America, the U.S. is a leading consumer of cyclohexane, whereas China holds a prominent share of the cyclohexane market in Asia Pacific. Demand for cyclohexane is considerable in the region due to increasing disposable income and increasing FDI investment in the automotive and construction industries of the region. Demand for cyclohexane is likely to rise in the Middle East due to the increasing number of nylon polymer production facilities in the region. Regions such as Latin America and Central Europe are estimated to witness lower demand for cyclohexane due to low product awareness and capacity expansion. However, increasing investment and capacity expansion are anticipated to boost the demand for nylon 6, nylon-6,6, which in turn is likely to propel the cyclohexane market in these regions.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Key manufacturers operating in the cyclohexane market include Sunoco Chemicals, BASF SE, ExxonMobil Chemical, Cheveron Philips Chemical Company, and Huntsman Corporation.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact USState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Website:Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Aluminum Casting Market Report Offers Intelligence and Forecast till 2017 - 2025 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=31241 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=31241 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Being a light weight metal, aluminum offers excellent strength, high electrical conductivity, exceptional corrosion resistance and excellent workability. Its workability property is a marked advantage as it allows the formation of complex designs using various metal forming techniques. Among all the available metal forming techniques casting is considered the simplest, mature and versatile way of forming aluminum into wide variety of products. Large numbers of a given casting can be produced quickly due to its mass production. For example; cast engine blocks and transmission cases are produced on large scale in the automotive industry. Furthermore aluminum or any other light weight metal can be preferably produced only as castings.The aluminum casting market is witnessing considerable growth due to the advancements in technological capabilities and high efficiency of aluminum cast products. Demand for aluminum casting is high from OEM as aluminum is preferred over iron and steel products in the transportation. High investments in R&D and technology upgrade techniques undertaken by major OEMs, auto manufacturers and related suppliers are key factors driving the demand for cast aluminum products. Stringent emissions regulations enacted by government are driving the demand for aluminum, as vehicle weight is a key to meet these regulations. However, factors such as requirement of high capital investments, significant plant construction or expansion and high cost of labor are hampering the market.Request For Report Sample:Based on raw material, the market can be segmented into pure aluminum and alloy aluminum. An alloy offers different physical properties than the elements it is made up of. Aluminum in its pure form is not considered useful as it has low tensile strength. However, when mixed with other elements, the alloys of aluminum exhibit remarkable improvement in mechanical properties. Pure aluminum is employed in the electronic industry in the production of semi-conductor modules.Considering the various processes used for casting aluminum products the aluminum casting market can be classified into die casting, permanent mold casting, sand casting and others including centrifugal castings and lost wax castings. In terms of application the market can be segmented into transportation, industrial, electrical & electronics, construction and others.Increase in industrial automation in the aluminum die-casting industry has boosted productivity due to highly durable cast parts that require minimum machining and finishing. The die-castings segment has been expanding in transportation and industrial sectors. It is anticipated to increase significantly in in the near future as aluminum die casted products lower the overall weight of the vehicle thereby reducing fuel consumption and improving the performance of the vehicle. Aluminum die-casted power train and engine areas is the one important way in which OEMs could achieve this. This is one of the major reasons for the predicted growth in transportation sector and die -castings as well Aluminum permanent mold casting is used more widely than sand casting as dispensable mold is employed in the latter. The word permanent does not mean that the molds last forever. In fact, the service life of the mold depends largely on the pouring temperature, the material of the mold and complexity of the component being cast. These factors are driving the usage of die casting for producing aluminum cast products.In terms of geography, Asia-Pacific is anticipated to lead the global aluminum casting market. Rise in population in Asia-Pacific is anticipated to increase the demand for vehicles for transportation thereby boosting the demand for aluminum casted products. North America and Europe are anticipated to be the major regions of the aluminum casting market due to the advanced manufacturing capabilities. Latin America and Middle East & Africa is the emerging hubs of the aluminum casting market.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Key players operating in the aluminum casting market include Alcast Technologies, Alcoa, Aluminum Corporation of China Limited (Chalco), Gibbs Die Casting, Bodine Aluminum, Fairfield Aluminum Casting Company (FALCO) and China Hongqiao Group Limited.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact USState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Website:Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Wind Power Automation System Market Intelligence Study for Comprehensive Insights 2017 - 2025 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=32534 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=32534 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Wind power refers to the conversion of kinetic energy generated by wind turbines into electrical energy. Due to depletion of fossil fuels and increase in green house effects, usage of renewable energy is sustainable as it is obtained from sources that are inexhaustible. Wind power, which is a prominently recognized renewable energy, is a clean energy source that can be relied upon for long term. Wind power is a cost-effective, pollution free, affordable, clean and sustainable source of energy. Wind power automation system refers to real time monitoring of the wind power system. It is essentially, a wind turbine that uses an intuitive human-machine interface (HMI) providing timely access to the actual operating parameters. The automation system helps in the control, monitor and optimization of the activities related to wind power functioning. Automation system in essential in every wind power company in order to protect the wind power infrastructure components and to achieve maximum efficiency in power generation.Rise in concern towards the global environment and in efforts to reduce greenhouse effect, increase in global warming, and exhaustion of the conventional sources of energy are expected to drive the wind power automation system market. However available substitutes to wind power such as solar are gaining popularity. Thus the emerging renewable sources of energy are anticipated to hamper the growth of wind power automation system market. Furthermore, high cost involved in the installation of the system is a key challenge faced by the wind power automation system market. Moreover, difference in geographical conditions poses another threat for growth of the market. Government and private sectors are investing significantly on research on wind power automation in order to meet the increase in demand of electricity and to avoid adverse effects on environment. This, in turn, acts an opportunity for the firms who are actively seeking to penetrate the wind power automation system market and encourages collaborations between industries with research institutes for developing innovative solutions.Request For Report Sample:The global wind power automation system market can be segmented on basis of type of wind farms. Wind farms can be further divided into offshore wind farms and onshore wind farms. Offshore wind farms refer to the construction of wind farms on water bodies in order to generate electricity from wind, while onshore wind farms refer to the construction of wind farms on continental shelf. High maintenance cost of turbines, high costs of logistics, and lack of skilled manpower make the operation of offshore wind farms more challenging than that of onshore wind farms.Basis on the type of automation system involved the global wind power automation system market can be segmented into condition monitoring systems (CMS), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), programmable logic controller (PLC), distributed control system (DCS), and human machine interface devices (HMI).Geographical segmentation of the wind power automation system market includes North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Middle East & Africa. The market is expanding rapidly in North America and in few countries in Europe, owing to the availability of high-level of technical expertise and significant investments in research and development of wind power automation systems. The U.S. in North America and the U.K. and Germany in Europe are the key drivers of the market due to their high technological maturity. The market is projected to expand in Asia Pacific in the near future as China and India are the two wind power automation hotspots in the region due to increase in the number of installations in these countries during the recent years. Regions like Latin America and Middle East & Africa are stirring at present. The players in these regions benefit from several supportive regulatory measures as well as a significant wind turbine manufacturing base.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Key players operating in the global wind power automation system market include, ABB, General Electric, Siemens AG, Emerson Electric, Bachmann electronic GmbH, Rockwell Automation, Inc., Mitsubishi, Axiomtek, Beckhoff, B&R Automation, Advantech and Vestas Wind Systems.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact USState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Website:Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Press Brakes Market Intelligence Research Reports for Actionable Insights 2017 - 2025 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=32669 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=32669 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Press brakes, also known as brake press is a machine tool basically used for plate materials and bending sheets, most commonly sheet metals. Two C frames form the sides of a press brake which are linked to a table at the bottom and a moveable upper beam on the top. The top tool on press brakes is attached to the upper beam of the press brakes, however, the bottom tool rests on the table. This tool forms predetermined bends by clamping the work piece between a matching punch and die. The working capacity of a press brake is characterized based on parameters such as stroke, working length, tonnage, or amplitude, the distance between frame uprights or side housings, and work height. The operating speed of an upper beam in a press brake usually ranges from 1 to 15 mm/s.Market Overview:Press brake has wide applications across numerous end-user industries which include automotive, aerospace, general machinery, transport, aviation, machinery, and construction.Request For Report Sample:Major factor which is driving the growth of the press brakes market globally, is the rising demand for fabricated metal products. Fabricated metals are widely used in the automotive industry, stamped metal products, transport machinery, building machinery, ammunition, cutlery and utensils, building products, small arms, fasteners, and other metal-based hardware. In addition, the rising interest for fabricated metals from the development and transportation machinery industries is anticipated to spur the development of the global fabricated metal products market, which has a direct impact on the demand for the press brakes from various end users.Market Dynamics:A major trend that will drive Press brake market growth is the growth in the automation industry. The increasing demand for superior-quality products has driven companies to undertake automation in manufacturing.Other factors which are affecting press brakes market is the user-friendly interface to strengthen the growth prospects for press brakes over the predicted period. Conventional press brakes are less feasible, and operation efficiency and high domain expertise are required to operate these machines, which lead to an increased cost of press brakes for end users. The development of new and innovative press brakes with user-friendly interfaces has considerably improved the ease of use and operational efficiency of these machines. In addition, the rising interest for fabricated metals from the development and transportation machinery industries is anticipated to spur the development of the global fabricated metal products market, which has direct impact on the demand for the press brakes. The slowdown of the Chinese economy is one of the major restraint for the press brakes market.Market Segment:Press Brakes market is segmented on the basis of types, application, and region.On the Basis of types, the press brakes market is segmented into hydraulic, mechanical, pneumatic, and servo motor. During the past, the hydraulic press brake segment has covered the major segment in global press brakes market. Hydraulic press brakes facilitate easy programmability of operational parameters such as travel distance, force, and return position. Hence, a single press can effectively manage numerous tools for various applications. Similarly, mechanical press brakes are replaced by hydraulic press brakes because of low cost and safety purpose which will boost the growth of the Press Brakes market during the forecast period.On the basis of application, Press brakes market is segmented into automotive, general machinery, transport machinery, building and construction, and others. Among application, automotive segment is the major segment, as the application of press brakes in automotive industry is rising,On the basis of geographical regions, the press brakes market is segmented into seven different regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific region, Japan, and the Middle East and Africa.APAC is projected to account the major market share, in terms of value and volume. There are various factors which are driving the market such as easy availability of economical labor, lenient emission, low production cost, and safety norms, and government initiatives for FDIs have led to the APAC, witnessing higher growth than the matured markets like North America and Europe.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Key Market PlayersThe key players in the Press Brakes market are MC Machinery Systems, Amada, Bystronic, TRUMPF, US Industrial Machinery, Cincinnati, Eagle Bending Machines, ERMAKSAN, Betenbender, IMAC, Jayson Machines, Santec Group. Accurl, Salvagnini America, MetalForming, HACO, EHRT/International Technologies, Baileigh Industrial, Gasparini, Lazer Safe, LVD, Komatsu, Ketec Precision Tooling, Hindustan Hydraulics, and few other regional players.In August 2016, Cincinnati Incorporated (CI) a leading provider of built-to-order machine tools, has launched new fiber laser and portable electric press brake. Located in booth C31102 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the exhibit will feature the companys latest product lines the CL-960 fiber laser, the MAXFORM high-speed hydraulic press brake, and the recently introduced GOFORM electric press brake.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact USState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Website:Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Automotive OTA Updates Market: Competitive Intelligence and Tracking Report 2017 - 2025 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=32870 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=32870 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Stringent protocols and policies about vehicle safety and increasing demand for connected car devices and services to increase the demand for over-the-air (OTA) updates market for automotive. Major factors driving the automotive OTA updates market include the increased production of electric vehicles, rising demand for connected car devices, government regulations regarding safety and cyber security of the vehicle, and increasing demand for advanced applications such as telematics and infotainment. Furthermore, the new vehicle safety norms are encouraging automotive manufacturers to protect vehicle data from remote hacking and malfunctioning, which in turn is increase in the demand for automotive OTA updates market. The non-availability of supporting infrastructure in developing countries is anticipated to hinder the automotive OTA updates market.The global automotive OTA updates market can be segmented based on technology, application, vehicle, electric vehicle, and region. In terms of technology, the automotive OTA updates market can be divided into firmware over-the-air (FOTA), and software over-the-air (SOTA). Based on application, the automotive OTA updates market can be classified into electronic control unit, telematics control unit, infotainment, and safety & security. The telematics control unit segment is anticipated expand during the forecast period due to the increase in number of telecommunication applications. Several automotive manufacturers are offering telematics control unit as a standard device in their vehicles. Automotive manufacturers such as General Motors, Mercedes Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen AG provide the telematics control unit in their passenger car models. Furthermore, the telematics control unit is expected to help automotive companies to examine the frequently occurring problems within a vehicle, which in turn is likely to be rectified in the new products. The updates in telematics control unit applications and real-time data analytics are estimated to drive the telematics control unit application segment of the automotive OTA updates market. Based on vehicle, the automotive OTA updates market can be divided into passenger vehicle, light commercial vehicle, and heavy commercial vehicle. The passenger vehicle segment is estimated to expand significantly during the forecast period due to the rise in income level and significant difference in the average amount of money spent on automobile safety and security for personal use vehicle. In terms of electric vehicle, the automotive OTA updates market can be segregated into battery vehicle, hybrid electric vehicle, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Continuous promotion and support by the government in the usage of green energy is expected to drive the electrical vehicle segment during the forecast period. The hybrid electric vehicles segmented accounted for a higher share of the global market as compared to battery electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle segments.Request For Report Sample:Based on geography, the global automotive OTA updates market can be divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. North America is projected to hold a significant share of the automotive OTA updates market during the forecast period. Expansion of the market in the region can be attributed to various factors such as increasing number of connected car devices in vehicles, rise in production of electric vehicles, and frequent infotainment & telematics services updates. Moreover, strategic alliances between automotive manufacturers and non-automotive companies, exceptional communication infrastructure, and government regulations for vehicle data security are expected to increase in demand for OTA updates market in the region.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Key players operating in the global automotive OTA updates market are Robert Bosch Gmbh, Continental Ag, Apple Inc., Harman International Industries Inc., ATS Advanced Telematic Systems Gmbh, Google Inc., Blackberry Limited, and Nvidia Corporation.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact USState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Website:Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Steel Fabrication Market Intelligence Report for Comprehensive Information 2017 - 2025 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=34328 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=34328 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Steel fabrication is termed as the process wherein raw materials are transformed into a final product. Stainless steel is well-known for its corrosion resistance and heat resistance. Stainless steel fabrication differs from carbon steel fabrication due to the amount of chromium present during fabrication. Steel fabrication products are used in the manufacture of a wide range of household products to large machinery parts used in aviation and automobile industries.The steel fabrication market can be segmented based on type and end-use industry. Austenitic stainless steel, super-austenitic stainless steel, ferritic stainless steel, martensitic stainless steel, and duplex stainless steel are the different types of stainless steel. The different types of stainless steel fabrication market are classified based upon their crystalline structure. Austenitic stainless steel products are widely used as compared to other stainless steel. It comprises austenitic crystalline structure, which exhibits a face-centered cubic crystalline structure. Super-austenitic stainless steel contains high amount of molybdenum, nitrogen additions, and nickel. It reduces the sensitization effect caused by high temperatures. Ferritic stainless steel contains lower amount of chromium and nickel. It is usually less expensive as compared to other types of stainless steel. Martensitic stainless steel is magnetic, extremely strong, tough, and machinable compared to other types of stainless steel. Duplex stainless steel has mixed composition of ferritic stainless steel and austenitic stainless steel. Other stainless steels includes precipitation-martensitic stainless steel and varieties of duplex grades stainless steel.Request For Report Sample:Based on end-use industry, the steel fabrication market can be segregated into energy, architecture, infrastructure, locomotion, healthcare, jewelry, and others. The energy segment includes oil & gas, wind energy, solar energy, electricity turbines, and transmission towers employs fabricated stainless steel on a large scale. Stainless steel is used for practical and esthetic purposes of architecture in constructing monuments, bridges, and sculptures. It is widely used in developing and refurbishing infrastructure plans. Stainless steel is used in transportation purpose for construction of roadways, developing railways, and constructing airplane parts. Steel fabrication is used in the making of surgical tools and medical equipment in the healthcare sector. Stainless steel is also used in making watches and jewelry.Anti-corrosion and heat resistance properties are some of the major factors driving the steel fabrication market. Stainless steel does not corrode or rust upon contact with water. It requires low maintenance cost. This has influenced its usage in commercial kitchens and food processing plants.Inability to withstand low electric conductivity as compared to copper is one of the restraints of the steel fabrication market. Other metals such as lead and iron cause galvanic corrosion upon contact with stainless steel in damp or moist environment.In terms of geography, North America dominates the steel fabrication market due to its development plans to refurbish its infrastructure. Demand for steel fabrication is high in countries such as France, Germany, and the U.K. in Europe due to increase in industrial activities. Countries such as China, India, and Japan in Asia Pacific are emerging markets for steel fabrication due to rapid industrialization and development of smart cities. After the economic slowdown, countries in Latin America such as Brazil and Mexico are beginning to invest in steel fabrication. This is expected to boost the market in the near future.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Key players operating in the steel fabrication market include Global Fabricators, Global Engineering, Fabtech Group, Xiamen Wenzhong Stainless Steel Product Co, and Shanghai Canhu Industry Co., Ltd.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact USState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Website:Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Steel Grating Market Forecast Report Offers Actionable Insights 2017 - 2025 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=34334 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=34334 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Steel grating is a regular shaped assortment of similar, elongated, and parallel elements. It usually comprises one set of extended elements. However, it can also contain two sets, wherein the subsequent set is commonly set vertically to the first. Vertical placement of these two sets is also called grid or a mesh. Steel gratings are primarily employed in power generation plants, buildings, and factories, as they offer ease of movement and safety; are robust, strong, reliable, and durable; and possess high tensile strength when compared to fiber grating and aluminum. The usage of steel grating depends on the load that it needs to bear. It is extensively implemented in numerous applications, owing to its many benefits such as corrosion resistance and low maintenance requirement. Steel grating is used for stair treads, manhole covers, and handrails in various industries.The global steel grating market is expected to expand at a substantial pace in the near future primarily due to the technological advancements and increase in applications in end-use industries. Furthermore, expansion of the construction sector, especially in Asia Pacific, is anticipated to drive the steel grating market during the forecast period. High investments are being made in various countries such as China, India, Brazil, Mexico, and Indonesia for infrastructure development and industrial growth. This is anticipated to propel the demand for steel grating in the near future. Emission of carbon during the production of steel grating is a key factor expected to hamper the steel grating market. However, this factor is likely to be offset by the increase in demand for steel grids or mess in industrial and construction sectors.Request For Report Sample:The steel grating market can be segmented based on type, application, and region. In terms of type, the market can be divided into stainless steel grating, carbon steel grating, and mild steel grating. Based on application, the market can be classified into construction, sewage disposal, petrochemical, and others. In terms of region, the steel grating market can be segregated into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. In terms of consumption, North America dominated the global steel grating market in 2016. It was followed by Europe. This can be primarily ascribed to the large number of end-user industries in North America and Europe. However, the market in North America and Europe is projected to expand at a sluggish pace during the forecast period, as these regions are relatively mature markets. The market for steel grating in Asia Pacific is anticipated to expand at a significant pace in the near future owing to the presence of growing economics such as China and India, and high demand from key markets such as South Korea and Japan. Furthermore, technical advancements from OEMs coupled with rise in industrialization in the region offer lucrative opportunities for the steel grating market in Asia Pacific. The market in Latin America and Middle East & Africa is estimated to exhibit strong growth during the forecast period.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Key players operating in the market include AMICO Group of Companies, Meiser GmbH, Nucor, P&R Metals Inc., Valmont Industries, Inc., Yantai Xinke Steel Structure Co., Ltd., Harsco Industrial IKG, NJMM Inc., Xinxing Ductile Iron Pipes, Ohio Gratings, Marco Specialty, and Lionweld Kennedy.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact USState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Website:Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Superalloys Market Report Offers Intelligence and Forecast till 2017 - 2025 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=34340 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=34340 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Superalloys are high-strength, heat-resisting alloys based on iron, nickel, or cobalt, which exhibit resistance to surface degradation under prolonged exposure to high temperature. Most superalloys possess complex physical and chemical properties due to the presence of different metals in different proportions. The presence of multiple alloying elements and usage of different production techniques help to create multiple phases in the superalloys, which lend special mechanical properties. A few key alloying elements such as iron, cobalt, and nickel help in the production of the dominant phases in the superalloys, while on other hand, a variety of adjunct elements that are found in traces help in modifying special properties in the superalloys. Classification of the superalloys is based on the chemical composition of cobalt base, iron base, nickel base and processing methods of cast alloys and wrought alloys. A combination of proper chemical composition and processing methods produces high quality superalloys with desirable properties, according to the scope of application. A highly popular superalloys used around the globe are Nickel-based superalloys. Nickel-base superalloys have nickel as the major constituent combined with significant quantity of chromium. Some nickel-based superalloys also contain iron, cobalt, tantalum, tungsten, and molybdenum, as major alloying additions, in order to impart specific properties in the produced superalloys. Superalloys are strengthened by second-phase intermetallic precipitation, vacuum suction, and solid-solution techniques.A majority of superalloys are employed in jet engines, gas turbines, chemical process industries, coal conversion plants due to their corrosion resistance and heat requiring properties. A majority of nickel-based superalloys are utilized in extremely high temperature load-bearing applications, which cannot be achieved by any other alloys. Other elements employed in the manufacture of superalloys are titanium, aluminum, and niobium. Superalloys made from titanium and aluminum, currently, constitute a majority of advanced aircraft engines produced around the globe. Alloying nickel with chromium and aluminum significantly improves surface stability, which enables them to be employed in high temperature applications and aggressive environments such as parts of reactive engines, aircraft engines, containers for the chemical industry, pressure vessels, maritime constructions, combustion systems, turbines blades, furnace systems, nuclear reactor equipment, and protection tubes of thermocouples. Production of the specialty materials which can resist extremely high-temperature is possible at present because of the use of superalloys in the present time.Request For Report Sample:Rising demand for specialty materials in defense, energy, automobile, marine and aerospace industries across the globe. This in turn provides significant growth potential for the superalloys market. Increase in demand for superalloys in the automotive industry for engines is also driving the superalloys market around the globe. The superalloys market is driven by factors such as rising international defense deals, increase in trade of fighter aircraft, increase in number of power projects in developing economies, expanding aerospace industry in India and China, expansion of space program in several countries around the globe. Lack of technology and infrastructure in emerging economies and high prices of superalloys are the key restraints of the superalloys market.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Currently, Europe and North America followed by the Asia Pacific leads the global superalloys market in terms of consumption. Rapid development in material science technology and expanding economy of countries in Asia Pacific are expected to drive the superalloys market. Prominent players operating in the global superalloys market are SMC, Sumitomo Corporation, Nippon Yakin Ltd., Hitachi Corporation, Sandvik, ATI Metals, Haynes International Inc., and VSMPO. Increase in funding for R&D activities and investments for improving strength of alloys, led by the rising demand for superalloys from developing regions, and it is anticipated to boost the demand for superalloys in the near future.About USTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact USState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Website:Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Multiplexed Diagnostics Market Poised to Expand at a Robust Pace of 20.3% CAGR Over 2024 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/multiplexed-diagnostics-market.html https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1719 A handful of players dominated the otherwise fragmented global multiplexed diagnostics market in 2015. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Abbott Laboratories, and Agilent Technologies were the leaders of this market for 2015, with a collective share of 59.5% in terms of value. The market is defined by the presence of these few leaders and then the presence of a large number of small-scale and medium-scale enterprises that hold minor shares. The leaders of the global multiplexed diagnostics market in 2015 all showed a diverse product portfolio, the possession of advanced tech, and a wide area of regional presence.In a research report recently published by Transparency Market Research, the global multiplexed diagnostics market is expected to witness a high degree of competition over the coming years. This fact is primarily concluded from the high volume of smaller players in the market that are eyed by the fewer, larger ones in terms of partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions. Although the volume of smaller players in the global multiplexed diagnostics market currently is very high, the scope for new entrants is much lower than expected, due to the need for acquiring patented technologies and the establishment of sizeable manufacturing facilities, both of which can eat up a large contingent of a companys capital, leaving very little to spend on building feasible distribution networks. The global multiplexed diagnostics market is expected to be valued a little over US$6.0 bn by the end of 2016. After showing a consistently optimistic CAGR of 20.3% on its revenue from 2016 to 2024, the market is expected to reach US$26.36 bn by the end of 2024.Read Report Overview @Equipment Automation in Full Swing, Drives Demand for Multiplexed DiagnosticsTech automation using multiplexed diagnostics has so far been a blessing for scientists trying to generate a larger volume of sample results at lower costs. This forms the primary driver for the global multiplexed diagnostics market today. Players in the market are involved in multiple aspects of the healthcare industry in a similar manner. For instance, the automation of PCR amplification can be done using multiplexed diagnostic technologies, and can help users lower the rate of user-intervention required and the cuts down the overall hands-on efforts needed to get the program to execute. At the same time, this equipment automation can also allow a higher throughput, save time in processing and considerably reduce manual labor required, consequently cutting down the chances for errors, states a TMR analyst.The global multiplexed diagnostics market also finds a significant growth rate from the high priority funding that the field of genomics is currently receiving. The research community for multiplexed diagnostics has been able to avail this funding storm.Multiplexed Diagnostics Assay a Costly Affair for ManyMultiplexed diagnostics is still a new concept for the healthcare industry and as with many nascent stage markets, solutions and products from it can be unaffordable for several small-scale and medium-scale clients. Multiplexed diagnostics assay tests are relatively very expensive when compared to single-plex assays tests, especially in terms of the initial investment required for the equipment.Request Sample Report @Despite its high costs, players in the global multiplexed diagnostics market can expect a booming demand in research and development efforts on the current applications for multiplexed diagnostics, thus providing them with ample opportunities over the coming years, adds the analyst.ABOUT US:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.CONTACT:Transparency Market ResearchState Tower90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-345 Incontinence Products Market Forecast and Segments, 2016-2024 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/incontinence-market.html https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=373 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=373 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/incontinence-market.html?secure=NTIxNS41&type=PB Global Incontinence Products Market: OverviewIncontinence refers to the lack of voluntary control over ones bodily functions of defecation or urination. The global market for incontinence products has been witnessing steady growth owing to the rising incidence of the medical condition. Although earlier the focus was on developed markets such as the U.S. and several countries in Western Europe, the dynamics have shifted significantly in recent times. Investors are now looking to developing countries in the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, where rising consumer demand and improving consumer awareness are playing a major role.Report Overview and TOC @By way of incontinence product, the market can be bifurcated into two: internal and external products. While internal products include disposable urethral inserts, tampons, and pessaries, external products include shampoo caps, barrier creams, gloves, absorbent products, hand wash, body wash, repair creams, and bed pads. These products are distributed through various channels, such as retail trade, homecare, and institutes. The key raw materials used for incontinence products include cotton and cotton fabric, cotton fiber, plastic, super absorbents, latex, and several waterproof materials.The report offers a detailed description of the present state of the global incontinence products market and provides sharp and accurate insights into what drives and limits the growth of this market. The business and vendor landscape has been thoroughly examined and key inputs from industry experts have been provided.Request for Broucher @Global Incontinence Products Market: Trends and OpportunitiesA massive aging population is the primary factor driving the worldwide market for incontinence products. The World Health Organization reports that each year, the proportion of people above the age of 60 in any country has been rising at a rate faster than that of any other age group. This factor is sure to continue benefiting the incontinence products market.On the down side, the persistent threat of substitute and alternate products prevents the global incontinence products market from reaching its utmost potential. What is likely to make matters worse is the presence of manufacturers who offer low quality products at a cheaper cost. Nevertheless, players in this market are looking to cash in on the trend of personalized medicine. Manufacturers have been known to offer a wide variety of products by catering to individual demands based on factors such as age group and gender.Global Incontinence Products Market: Regional OutlookThe global market for incontinence products can be categorized on the basis of geography into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. North America and Europe account for the leading share in the overall market and the demand for incontinence products is driven by an increased prevalence of neurological diseases, the growing presence of geriatrics, and the rising trend of home healthcare. In addition to this, the North America and Europe markets for incontinence products are fueled by greater levels of awareness among the general public about this medical condition and their willingness as well as ability to spend on such products.For Specific and Customized Requirements @Asia Pacific promises strong growth in the coming years, powered by the lucrative nature of the markets in India, China, South Korea, and Japan. These countries are densely populated, with a significant section of the population falling in the geriatric category. This demographic make-up in APAC acts as a boon since older people are more prone to incontinence. The regional market is also propelled by factors such as the demand for improved healthcare facilities, technologies, and devices, the need for accurate and effective diagnostic services, and the rising ability of the citizens of these countries to pay for advanced medical products and services.Companies mentioned in the reportSome of the most promising companies operating in the global incontinence products market are Covidien plc, HARTMANN GROUP, ONTEX International N.V., First Quality Enterprises Inc., Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Medline Industries Inc., Coloplast A/S, Hypermarcas SA, C. R. Bard Inc., Pro Descart Industria e Comercio Ltda, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Unicharm Corporation, and Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget SCA. The leading players in this market have been identified and evaluated based on several parameters such as financial standing, research and development activities, product portfolio, and business strategies.Pre Book Full Report @ABOUT US:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.CONTACT:Transparency Market ResearchState Tower90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-345 Intrapartum Monitors Market to Register a Healthy CAGR for the forecast period, 2013-2019 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/intrapartum-monitors-market.html https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=2342 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=2342 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/intrapartum-monitors-market.html?secure=NTIxNS41&type=PB Intrapartum monitors or fetal monitors are deployed during pregnancy, labor and delivery to record the heart rate of the fetus along with strength and duration of uterus contractions. In addition fetal monitoring is performed to identify certain conditions such as cerebral plasy, fetal; death or hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. External and internal monitoring can be performed to record the heart beat of the baby. External monitoring of babys heart beat is facilitated with the help of special stethoscope and more commonly two sensors that measures the babys heartbeat and duration of uterine contractions respectively. Sometimes remote monitoring platforms (telemetry) can be employed for external monitoring. Internal monitoring can be performed only post dilation of cervix and in the presence of ruptured amniotic sac.Report Overview and TOC @Internal monitoring is facilitated with the help of a sensor attached to the thigh and an electrode is inserted through vagina and cervix into the uterus and then the electrode is attached to the babys scalp. Internal monitoring is more reliable and accurate than external monitoring to keep a track of uterine contractions and babys heartbeat. Fetal monitoring or intrapartum monitoring is performed with the help of handheld Doppler device, electronic fetal monitor or sometimes with a Pinard fetoscope. Continuous electronic fetal monitoring is performed with the help of transducers held by stretchy bands against abdomen; however, some patients find it uncomfortable to have the transducers strapped during labor.Request for Broucher @If the fetal heart rate (FHR) is normal then intermittent auscultation or continuous electronic fetal monitoring techniques can be employed in low risk patients. However, if the FHR is abnormal interventions such as maternal oxygenation, intravenous fluid administration are employed. Fetal scalp pH sampling or fetal stimulation is used in the cases where the continuous electronic fetal monitoring is indeterminate and employed to assess the presence of a condition known as fetal academia. Some of the Intrapartum monitoring devices are Fetatrack 360 Cardiotocograph (Ultrasound Technologies, Ltd.), Huntleigh Sonicaid TeamIPTrend Intrapartum Fetal monitor with trend printer, Nicolet VersaLab APM, APM2 (Natus Medical, Inc.) and others. The market for intrapartum monitors market exhibit considerable growth majorly due to increasing number of complicated pregnancy cases worldwide. Intrapartum monitors market can be analyzed based on the product type and geography.For Specific and Customized Requirements @The product type segment can be further categorized into fetal Dopplers, electronic fetal monitoring and remote fetal monitoring devices. North America and European countries provide lucrative growth opportunities for intrapartum monitors. This is attributable to increased adoption rates, high awareness levels, presence of well equipped healthcare facilities and continuous technological advances in these regions as compared to other regions such as Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World provide considerable growth prospects owing to low awareness levels and lack of sophisticated healthcare infrastructure.Some of the major factors influencing the growth of intrapartum monitors are increasing need of novel monitoring technologies, increased possibility of high risk pregnancy and increased preference for minimally invasive technologies. The reason for high risk pregnancy cases are changing lifestyles, delayed pregnancy, increasing obesity and others. On the contrary, the reliability of the devices and degree of comfort of the patients are some of the factors that might hamper the growth of the intrapartum monitors. The major companies competing in this market are Allen Medical Instruments Corporation, Analogic Corporation, Med-Electronics, Inc., Paramed Medical Systems, Natus Medical, Inc., Huntleigh Sonicaid and Terason Ultrasound.Pre Book Full Report @ABOUT US:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.CONTACT:Transparency Market ResearchState Tower90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-345 Medical Holography Market Trends and Segments 2016-2026 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/medical-holography-market.html https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=19295 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=19295 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/medical-holography-market.html?secure=NTIxNS41&type=PB Biomedical imaging technology is bringing in numerous innovations in the medical technology field. Medical imaging has become one of the fastest growing industries. Medical holography is one such technical advancement in medical science that is expected to answer the most complicated diagnostic issues. A medical hologram produces three dimension (3D) images of the human body in real time images or in the form of video stream. The real time images produced by the medical hologram are of high resolution and would help to reveal the complexities in the diagnosed body. Some of the medical holograms are interactive in nature that also provide most effective user interface for better understanding.Report Overview and TOC @There is a high demand for advanced medical imaging from the healthcare sector. As the innovations in medical education are growing, medical holography market is expected to benefit from these innovations due to increased technology integration. Increased awareness among the consumers related to advanced medical technologies is expected to have a positive influence on medical holography market. Medical holography facilitates the real-time viewing of the diagnosed body, further improving the analysis process. The medical holography system provides an advanced diagnostic methodology to the doctors. These systems offer doctors a better understanding about the anatomy of the patients body, driving the demand for medical holography market. Medical holography helps the doctors to view complex displacement of bones or tissues that had occurred. The medical holography system is also expected to help the doctors to understand the medical complications more easily and quickly.Request for Broucher @Hologram guided heart surgeries are expected to gain more importance during the forecast period. With the help of holograms doctors can easily examine patients heart conditions or detect a colon cancer without breaking the skin. It will result in the quick diagnosis of any disease and the doctor can start with his treatment. Furthermore, there are numerous companies across the world investing in medical holography technologies. Introduction of augmented reality in the field of medical holography could be one of the greatest opportunities to the producers of medical holograms. Limited adoption of medical holograms despite its numerous advantages could prove to be a restraining factor for the market. The pricing of such medical holography technology is also higher which could affect its adoption among customers. However, with increasing technology adoption in medical and healthcare sectors this hurdle is expected to be tackled.For Specific and Customized Requirements @The medical holography market can be segmented on the basis of medical hologram types and the technology adopted in medical holography. Volumetric displays, planar/HUD interactive display, segmented displays, static digital holograms are a few of the types of medical holograms. Some of the common technologies viewed in medical holography market are plasma, touchable, electro holographic, semi-transparency, and laser technology.Some of the key players engaged in medical holography market are Dongguan Linbiao hologram manufacturer, Eon Reality Inc., EchoPixel, Inc., Zebra Imaging, General Electric Company, Microsoft Inc, Provision Holdings Inc., RealView Imaging Ltd., Holographic 3d solutions, Holography Industry JV, Ne&Ro Invest SRL., Arnold Herzig GmbH, DPL Industri A/S Denmark and Olomagic.Pre Book Full Report @ABOUT US:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.CONTACT:Transparency Market ResearchState Tower90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-345 Acromegaly and Gigantism Treatment Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/acromegaly-gigantism-treatment-market.html https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=31310 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=31310 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/acromegaly-gigantism-treatment-market.html?secure=NTIxNS41&type=PB Acromegaly is a rare hormonal disease that is caused due to excess production of growth hormone in adults. The condition acromegaly is usually caused by a pituitary tumor. The term acro means extremities and megaly means enlargement of; thus, acromegaly refers to enlargement of hands and feet. Gigantism is also a hormonal disorder which is caused due to excessive production of the growth hormone during childhood. The disorder is characterized by over bone growth and abnormal height. Acromegaly and gigantism are considered serious illnesses and are life-threatening.Report Overview and TOC @The global acromegaly and gigantism treatment market is expected to expand at a steady CAGR during the forecast period. Acromegaly and gigantism is a rare disease and according to a journal, Pituitary, the total prevalence of acromegaly ranges from 2.8 to 13.7 cases per 1 lakh people each year. The increasing prevalence of the disease is one of the important factors projected to drive the growth of the global acromegaly and gigantism market through 2025. According to the American Cancer Society, around ten thousand pituitary tumors are diagnosed in America each year. Such a high prevalence rate of this tumor is one of the most important factors augmenting the growth of the global market. Furthermore, rise in prevalence of other chronic disorders such as carney complex, McCune- Albright Syndrome, development of novel therapy for treatment etc. are factors anticipated to drive the growth of the global acromegaly and gigantism market during the forecast period. Lack of awareness about the diagnosis and management of the disorder in many developing countries is the major restraining factor of the market.Request brochure @The global acromegaly and gigantism treatment market can be segmented into treatment, end users, and geographical expansion. On the basis of treatment, the market is divided into surgery, radiation therapy, and medication. The medication segment can be further divided into different drug types such as somatostatin analogs, GH receptor antagonists, dopamine agonists and others. The medication segment is expected to hold a significant market share during the forecast period due to factors such as effectiveness of drugs, noninvasive and lesser side effects than radiation therapies, and strong pipeline portfolio. The global acromegaly and gigantism treatment market, on the basis of end users is segmented into hospitals, clinics, home care settings and others.For Specific and Customized requirements@Geographically the acromegaly and gigantism treatment market is divided into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America is anticipated to dominate the global market with the largest share. Increase in prevalence of pituitary tumors in the region leading to acromegaly and gigantism is one of the major factors driving the growth of the market in the region. Furthermore, advanced technology, rise in awareness among people about diagnosis of the disease, high healthcare expenditure etc. are some of the factors attributed to the growth of the market in North America. Europe is also anticipated to hold a significant share of the global market due to factors such as increase in healthcare investment in the region, focus of new entrants etc. The Asia Pacific market is anticipated to register a faster growth rate during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is the most lucrative market due to adoption of healthcare solutions for better standard of life, rise in healthcare awareness, and increase in healthcare expenditure etc.To maintain a significant position in the market, key players are following strategies such as mergers and acquisitions, cost effective and efficient drugs, collaborative partnerships etc. Some of the prominent players operating in the acromegaly and gigantism treatment market are Pfizer Inc., Chiasma, Inc., Novartis AG, Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc., and Midatech Pharma Plc among others.Pre Book full report@Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market ResearchState Tower90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Pressure Relief Devices Market is Poised to Reach US$ 3,600 Mn by 2025 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/pressure-relief-devices-market.asp https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/2826 www.persistencemarketresearch.com Demand for pressure relief devices is on a surge in developing economies including Asia Pacific (APAC) and Middle East & Africa (MEA). With the advent of medical tourism in various APAC countries such as Vietnam Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and Philippines, the market in this region is expected to witness considerable growth. Provision of after sales will be the key focus area of the global pressure relief devices market. Various global players have signed strategic partnerships & collaborations with regional players for offering sales and aftersales services in developing markets.View Report Preview:Persistence Market Research (PMR), in its report, projects the global pressure relief devices market to register 5.3% CAGR during the forecast period 2017 to 2025. In 2016, the market was evaluated at revenues worth US$ 2,280.4 Mn; by 2025 this number is estimated to reach nearly US$ 3,600 Mn.Growing Number of Patients with Hospital-acquired Ulcer Poised to drive Market Growth in North AmericaAccording to a study by Hill-Rom, growing number of patients with hospital-acquired pressure ulcer has led to a robust adoption of pressure ulcer devices in North America. In addition, rising prevalence of obesity and growing geriatric population has also driven the demand for pressure ulcer devices. These factors are expected to drive growth of the market in this region. However, reimbursement stands as a critical factor, considering the fact that products are highly priced. Private insurers in North America are adopting reimbursement restrictions for pressure ulcer treatment, which in turn will restrain market growth in this region.Increasing out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure is current trend in both developed and developing countries of APAC. This is expected fuel demand for medical devices including pressure relief devices in this region. In addition, provision of government initiatives is expected to offer better healthcare facilities across developing economies, which is further expected to fuel demand for pressure relief devices in APAC. In contrast, affordability of purchasing new pressure relief devices is a major challenge for large number of population across this region. This is because of limited support from government policies covering pressure ulcer treatment in developing economies, and lack of health insurance. These factors are expected to impede market growth in Asia Pacific.Sales of Pressure Relief Devices to Long-term Care Centers to Reach Nearly US$ 1,700 Mn by 2025-EndLong-term care centres will continue to remain most lucrative end-users of pressure relief devices, with revenues estimated to reach nearly US$ 1,700 Mn by 2025. Demand for pressure relief devices from long-term care centres is expected to witness expansion at 6% CAGR through 2025. In addition, hospitals are estimated to be second largest end-users of pressure relief devices. Revenue garnered by demand for pressure relief devices from hospitals is expected to surpass US$ 800 Mn in 2017.By product type, specialty beds will remain sought-after in the market. Sales of specialty beds is expected to exhibit 5.8% CAGR through 2025. Specialty beds are expected to account for over 50% market share by 2025-end. In addition, sales of pressure relief mattress is projected to reach nearly US$ 600 Mn in 2017. In contrast, mattress overlays are expected to witness a comparatively low CAGR in the market.North America to Remain the Largest Market for Pressure Relief DevicesNorth America will remain the largest market for pressure relief devices. Sales of pressure relief devices in this region will reach nearly US$ 800 Mn in 2017; by 2025 this number is estimated to surpass US$ 1,000 Mn. In addition, APAC is expected to witness fastest growth in the market. Sales of pressure relief devices in APAC is projected to expand at 6% CAGR through 2025. In contrast, MEA is expected to exhibit sluggish expansion in the market during the forecast period.Request to view Sample Report:Key players identified in PMRs report include Arjohuntleigh AB, Hill-Rom Global Holdings B.V., INVACARE CORP, PARAMOUNT BED CO., LTD., Talley Group Limited, STRYKER CORPORATION, SIDHIL LIMITED, MEDTRONIC PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY, SMITH & NEPHEW PLC, Apex Medical Corp, Proma Reha, s. r. o., Besco Medical Co., Ltd., Hirtz & Co. KG, GF Health Products, Inc., ADL GmbH., Linet spol. s r.o.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesT: +1-646-568-7751Tollfree: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Testing Market Demand to Reach US$ 1,130 Mn by 2025 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/human-papillomavirus-testing-market.asp https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/11737 www.persistencemarketresearch.com Various healthcare and government insurance providers are offering reimbursement for diagnosis of chronic disorders such as cervical cancer screening. For instance, Medicare U.S. government-funded health insurance provider, provides reimbursement to people who are of age 65 or older and some younger population with disabilities. Moreover, for cervical cancer diagnosis, such plans cover reimbursement for one pap test every three years or a combination of pap test & HPV testing every five years. Favorable government initiatives as such are expected to drive the demand for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) testing market in the years to come.View Report Preview:HPV testing is gradually becoming crucial for cervical cancer screening, according to recent report published by Persistence Market Research. The report estimates that in 2017, the global market for Human Papillomavirus testing will reach an estimated value of US$ 629.4 Mn. Improving reimbursement scenario, coupled with high sensitivity of Human Papillomavirus testing in low resource setting, is expected to drive the markets growth. By the end of 2025, the global market for Human Papillomavirus testing will have soared at 7.6% CAGR, bringing in more than US$ 1,100 Mn in revenues.Global HPV Testing Market Key ChallengesA key limitation for Human Papillomavirus testing is that these tests are confined to women as men undergoing HPV testing have higher risks of getting infected with genital warts. In addition to this, patients are not willing to take Human Papillomavirus tests because of lack of diagnosis options. Over-diagnosis of Human Papillomavirus testing can cause more complications and can even risk the life of patients. Meanwhile, the global revenues from Human Papillomavirus testing are being lowered due to availability of HPV vaccines. Preference to HPV vaccines is directly impeding the revenues arising from Human Papillomavirus testing. High cost of HPV screening test, overburdened healthcare system, low awareness on HPV prevention, and imperfections in organized screening programs are some other challenges impacting the growth of global HPV testing market.According to the report, North Americas Human Papillomavirus testing market will be valued at nearly US$ 640 Mn, dominating the global market revenues. The demand for Human Papillomavirus testing will also be significant in Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific, while Middle East & Africas Human Papillomavirus testing revenues will attribute to less than 4% of global market value. The report also projects that over 60% of global HPV testing revenues will be accounted by DNA-based test products. While hospitals will be largest end-users of HPV testing globally, the end-use of Human Papillomavirus testing will gain traction in diagnostic centers as well. And, the report also reveals that close to 90% of global Human Papillomavirus testing market value throughout the forecast period will be accounted by molecular diagnostic application of Human Papillomavirus testing.Request to view Sample Report:The report further profiles key players in the global Human Papillomavirus testing market, which include F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Agilent Technologies, Inc., Becton, Dickinson and Company, Qiagen N.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Hologic Inc., Cepheid Inc., Seegene Inc., Takara Bio Inc., DaAn Gene Co., Ltd. of Sun Yat-Sen University, Promega Corporation, Greiner Bio-One International GmbH (Greiner Holding AG), Enzo Biochem Inc., Norgen Biotek Corp., DiagCor Bioscience Inc Ltd, Hybribio Limited, Zytovision GmbH, Arbor Vita Corporation, Medical & Biological Laboratories Co., Ltd. and Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesT: +1-646-568-7751Tollfree: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market is Expected to Reach an Overall Valuation of US$20.55 bn by the fall of year 2023 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1849 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/smoking-cessation-nicotine-de-addiction-products.html The increasing issues of high dependence on nicotine and subsequent health problems have led to the creation of many opportunities in the global market for products of smoking cessation and nicotine de-addiction. Some of the key players in the global smoking cessation and nicotine de-addiction products market include names such as Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, VMR Products LLC, Lorillard Inc., NJOY, and Nicotek LLC. These players are making considerable investments in carrying out clinical experiments to examine efficacy and safety to the products. Moreover, the companies are also bolstering their channels of distribution to expand their geographical reach of their products. Companies are taking strategic decisions such as mergers and acquisitions to enhance their market share. Recently NJOY LLC procured the assets of NJOY INC. as the former company completed its financial restructuring. This has marked a fresh financial start for the brand NJOY and is expected to function better in the market with added liquidity due to this acquisition.Request to View Sample Report @The global market for smoking cessation and nicotine de-addiction products stood is expected to reach an overall valuation of US$20.55 bn by the fall of year 2023. The market is projected to achieve this growth at a CAGR of 13.7% over the course of the forecast period of 2015-2023. It is expected that during this forecast period, the sale of e-cigarette will rise as the customers will prefer this type of therapy to quit their smoking addiction or cut down the nicotine dependency. Thus, this product segment is expected to show a healthy growth with a CAGR of 20.5%. Geographically, it is projected that North America market will contribute majorly in the global market and reach the overall valuation of US$8.59 bn. Ill Effects of Smoking Propel Demand for Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-Addiction ProductsThe increasing awareness among cigarette smokers about the health disadvantages of smoking and nicotine such as cardiac diseases, lung cancer, and other different respiratory problems has propelled the global cigarette cessation and nicotine de-addiction products market. The initiatives backed by governments to create awareness about the ill effects of smoking with the help of information brochures, television advertisements, warning labels and discouraging imagery on cigarette packages, and newspapers are also helping to drive the market. Moreover, availability of a wide range of NRT products through online selling platforms and retail is also fueling the overall growth of the market.This rising awareness is also backed by de-addiction camps and help centers that make use of the smoking cessation and nicotine de-addiction products to aid smokers for long term. Retailing of such products has turned out to be an efficient strategy towards educating the masses and also generating high revenues and profits. The launch of new products is driving the global market as well as motivating smoking addicts to quit. The introduction of e-cigarettes has completely revolutionized the viewpoint towards de-addiction among numerous smokers.Read Report Overview @Lack of Awareness in Emerging Economies Impede Market Growth In contrast, poor awareness about the smoking cessation and nicotine de-addiction products in the emerging economies such as China, Russia, and India are playing a significant role in impeding the market growth. Many smoking cessation and nicotine de-addiction products were launched very late in these markets and thus the growth in these market is at a very nascent stage. Moreover, the distribution and penetration of other smoking cessation and nicotine de-addiction products such as patches, inhalers, and lozenges is also significantly low. This has also led to slowing down the growth of the global market.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market ResearchState Tower90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Sales of Radiology Information Systems will Amass US$ 1,179.2 Mn Revenues by 2024 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/radiology-information-systems-market.asp https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/2816 www.persistencemarketresearch.com Hospitals, medical research institutes, as well as governments, across the globe are hiking their healthcare IT spending to bring reforms in both, operations and outcomes. Instating databases is turning out to be more of a necessity for healthcare institutions, particularly for the field of radiology. Criticality of data produced and used by radiologists is compelling them to utilize speedy & error-proof data transference systems. Correspondingly, the transformation of global healthcare industry through digitization trends is also necessitating the deployment of radiology information systems.View Report Preview:In its latest publication, Persistence Market Research has compiled more of such factors that will keep driving the growth of global radiology information system market in the years to come. According to this report, the global market for radiology information systems, which is presently valued at US$ 580.2 Mn, is anticipated to soar at 8.3% CAGR and reach US$ 1,179.2 Mn value by the end of 2024.Titled as Radiology Information Systems Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2016-2024, the report reveals that global demand for radiology information systems continues to grow on the account of rising incidence rate of lifestyle-related diseases. Increasing consumer awareness to radiological procedures, and easy accessibility to these technologies are also serving as proponents for adoption of radiology information systems. Since installing radiology information systems supports a value-based healthcare model, medical practitioners are also promoting it as the immediate future of digitalized radiology.The report reveals that in 2017 and beyond, the demand for cloud-based radiology information systems will remain considerably higher than on-premise systems. Deployment of cloud-based radiology information systems is projected to bring more than US$ 800 Mn by the end of 2024, while revenues emanating from on-premise deployment will soar at 7.3% CAGR. During the forecast period, a little over 45% of global revenues will be accounted by sales of radiology information software. The adoption of radiology information services is also slated to grow robustly, while radiology information hardware is likely to incur a moderate dip in revenues.Through 2024, medical institutions adopting radiology information systems will continue to do so on integrated platforms. Similar to the current scenario, integrated radiology information systems will procure over three-fourth of global market value by the end of 2024. Standalone radiology information systems, however, will be valued at just over US$ 280 Mn by the end of projection period. And, hospitals will undoubtedly be the largest end-users of radiology information systems. More than US$ 600 Mn worth of global radiology information system revenues will be emanating from hospitals spanned across the globe. Adoption of such systems will also be considerably high in diagnostic labs and ambulatory surgical centers.By the end of 2024, North America will remain as the largest market for radiology information systems in the world. In 2016, the regions radiology information systems market was valued at US$ 269 Mn. Meanwhile, Europes advanced healthcare infrastructure will also work in the favor of radiology information system adoption. Throughout the period, Europes radiology information system revenues will soar at a health CAGR, and contribute to nearly 23% share. Although, fastest revenue growth is expected to be recorded by Latin America and the Asia-Pacific regions revenues from which will surge at more than 8% CAGR.Request to view Sample Report:Ten of the leading companies developing radiology information systems in the world are profiled in the report, and they include Cerner Corporation, Siemens AG, Merge Healthcare Incorporated (IBM), Koninklijke Philips NV, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc., Epic Systems Corporation, Novarad Corp., General Electric Company, McKesson Corporation, and Medinformatix Inc.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesT: +1-646-568-7751Tollfree: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: non-melanoma skin cancer treatment market is anticipated to be valued at more than US$ 705 Mn by 2025 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/non-melanoma-skin-cancer-market.asp https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3648 www.persistencemarketresearch.com In a new report titled Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012 2016 and Forecast 2017 2025, Persistence Market Research analyzes the global non-melanoma skin cancer treatment market over an eight year forecast period 2017 2025 and throws light on the various factors impacting revenue growth of the market over the said period. The report highlights the market forecasts for the different segments and presents deeper insights for informed decision making.View Report Preview:Region High Prevalence of Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer in North AmericaNorth America is estimated to hold a market share of roughly 55% in the global non-melanoma skin cancer treatment market in 2017 and is anticipated to have the highest attractiveness index of 3.0 during the forecast period. Non-melanoma skin cancer is more prevalent in senior citizens and the Population Reference Bureau estimates that Americans over the age of 65 will double to almost 100 million by 2060.Treatment Type Radiation Therapy Larger than Chemotherapy and Photodynamic TherapyRadiation therapy is larger than chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy combined, making it imperative for key stakeholders in the non-melanoma skin cancer treatment market to focus on this treatment type. Radiation therapy is poised to be worth more than US$ 4.7 Bn by end 2025. Within radiation therapy, companies may wish to target superficial radiation therapy.Indication Basal Cell Carcinoma Dominates the Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment MarketEven though squamous cell carcinoma is predicted to record a higher CAGR of 6.4% from 2017-2025, it is unlikely to outpace basal cell carcinoma anytime soon as the latter is likely to value at approx. thrice the size of the former by end 2025. The attractiveness index of basal cell carcinoma is 1.5, considerably larger than the 0.5 of squamous cell carcinoma during the same period.End User Hospitals Popular Channel in the Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment MarketThe treatment modalities for non-melanoma skin cancer usually require expensive radiation therapy. Therefore, hospitals are preferred over ambulatory surgical centers and specialty clinics in the non-melanoma skin cancer treatment market. The hospital segment is expected to reach a value of US$ 2 Bn in 2017 itself.Competition Dashboard in the Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment MarketPersistence Market Research has profiled some of the largest companies actively involved in the non-melanoma skin cancer treatment market. These include Almirall S.A., Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Eli Lilly and Company, Elekta AB, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Merck & Co., Novartis AG, Mylan NV, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Varian Medical Systems, and Sensus Healthcare.Key Findings of the Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment Market ReportNon-melanoma skin cancer places a high economic burden on countries with minimal medical treatment options, particularly at the metastatic stage. Many pharmaceutical companies are now trying to develop treatment options for late-stage non-melanoma skin cancer. In addition, companies seek to use their existing drugs to effectively tackle squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma. Major players such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech, and Merck are working on gaining approval for their drugs to treat non-melanoma skin cancer.Request to view Sample Report:Regulatory authorities and governmental bodies worldwide are adopting a number of cost-containment measures in the developed world. They are shifting from a volume to value-based system and this is driven by steps taken by life sciences companies and governments. The measures include profit and risk sharing, outcome-based pricing, competitive tendering, and price control. The value-based healthcare system strives to achieve maximum value for every dollar spent on healthcare and improve outcomes by way of integrated care pathways. The system simultaneously levies pricing pressure on medtech and biopharmaceutical companies and could potentially impact R&D investment in crucial, lifesaving medical treatment technologies in the long run.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesT: +1-646-568-7751Tollfree: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: Cellulose Fibers Market CAGR Projected to Grow at 9.8% through 2018 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1353 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=1353 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com A recent study by Transparency Market Research (TMR) forecasts that the global cellulose fibers market will grow at a CAGR of 9.8% between the years 2012 to 2018. TMR, a market intelligence firm based in the United States, in its report says that the glycolic acid market which was valued at US$12.63 billion in 2011 will report a market value worth US$24.17 billion by 2018. The report is titled Cellulose Fibers Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2012 - 2018.Browse the full Global Cellulose Fibers Market for Spun Yarn, Fabrics and Clothing Applications - Global Industry Analysis, Size Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2012 - 2018.According to this research report, the global cellulose fibers market is propelled by rising demand for skin friendly, eco-friendly, and biodegradable fabrics from the textile market. Some of the extensively used man-made cellulose fibers include rayon and its various types like viscose fibers, triacetate, and acetate. The production of man-made cellulose fibers involves the application of cheaper and renewable feedstock as against their synthetic alternatives.This TMR report states that the global cellulose fibers market is segmented on the basis of application, and geography. On the basis of application, the global cellulose fibers market is segmented into fabrics, spun yarn, clothing, and other applications. The other applications category includes tapes, sealants, and adhesives. The biggest application segment with the highest contribution in the overall cellulose fibers market is that of clothing. This segment accounts for more than 50% of cellulose fibers produced all across the globe. Tencel, Iyocell, viscose, modal, and rayon amongst others are some of the various regenerated forms of cellulose fibers that are widely used in the clothing industry.Request Report Brochure @Different types of fabrics and clothes make use of such forms of cellulose fibers depending upon their respective properties. It is anticipated that the clothing segment will witness robust growth in the years to come. Furthermore, the demand for cellulose fibers from the spun yarns segment is also expected to increase in the forthcoming years.Regionally, the global cellulose fibers market is classified into Europe, the Asia Pacific, North America, and Rest of the World. Back in 2011, the global cellulose fibers market was dominated by the Asia Pacific both in terms of volume and revenue. The Asia Pacific market will be growing at a healthy CAGR of 8.1% between the years 2012 and 2018, and will continue to lead the global cellulose fibers market. The growth of the Asia Pacific cellulose fibers market can be attributed to rising demand for cellulose fibers from the textile industries of countries like India and China. The mature cellulose fibers market in Europe and North America is expected to grow at a slower rate as against the Asia Pacific cellulose fibers market. The main challenge facing the global cellulose fibers market is higher cost of production which is a consequence of greater environment-based regulatory measures, and fluctuating prices of wood pulp.Request For Customization@Some of the key players operating in the overall cellulose fibers market are KelheimFibres, Daicel Corporation, Thai Rayon, PT. Indo-Bharat Rayon, TangShanSanyou, Grasim Industries Limited, and Lenzing AG.About Us Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others.Contact Us:Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Steroid Releasing Implant Market Analysis & Trends 2027 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/steroid-releasing-implant-market https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3898 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/3898 www.futuremarketinsights.com Implantable steroid devices offer a few points of interest over regular oral or parenteral dose frames. To start with, implantable devices permit site specific drug administration where the medication is required most. Sinusitis alludes to aggravation or swelling of the sinuses and nasal depression. More than 30 Mn individuals are influenced with sinusitis every year, making it a standout amongst the most widely recognized wellbeing conditions in America. As of late a steroid releasing implant has been affirmed (bio absorbable mometasone-eluting sinus implant - Intersect ENT) for post-operative situation into the frontal break. This embed gives dependable and steady steroid tranquilize elution to address aggravation of the frontal access optional to unending sinusitis. Implantable devices are expected to keep up sinus ostial patency taking after sinus surgery. Bioabsorbable, steroid eluting inserts (e.g., PROPEL) are proposed to offer neighborhood conveyance of a managed discharge solution while keeping up sinus patency, as the implant gradually breaks up. Lessening postoperative irritation and keeping up patency of the sinuses might be imperative in accomplishing ideal sinus drainage and may affect recuperation from surgery. Sinus stents are devices proposed for utilize postoperatively taking after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS).Read Report Overview @Interest for novel steroid releasing implant having higher pharmacological advantages is raising quickly over the globe. Pharmaceutical organizations have perceived their showcasing capability of because of which higher speculations are being made in innovative work class. They are exceptionally perfect in nature and effectively altered because of which they could be composed by necessities of medication advancement program. Additionally, clinical pipeline of steroid releasing implant is relied upon to end up distinctly solid because of expanded rate of developments. In coming years, new steroid releasing implant would be accessible in market that would have the capacity to satisfy the high neglected therapeutic request. Expanding surgical procedures for ENT & functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) frequencies has made prospering weight on pharmaceutical organizations to present them quickly in worldwide market (Nearly 500,000 patients undergo FESS procedures every year in the U.S.). Few developing patterns in the steroid releasing implant driving the worldwide steroid releasing implant market are: implantable gadgets permit site particular medication organization where the medication is required most. Illustrations incorporate inserts utilized as a part of the treatment of mind tumors or prostate disease. This may likewise take into account fundamentally bring down measurements of the medication, which can limit potential symptoms. Second, implantable gadgets take into consideration managed arrival of a remedial agent. The last and maybe most critical favorable position is persistent consistence, as the treatment regimen related with an implantable gadget is for the most part less difficult or burdensome than pills or infusions. In the coming years these steroid releasing implant are relied upon to gain higher market share during the forecast period. Global shift towards minimally invasive treatment is renovating steroid releasing implant market. However, the confirmation for implantable steroid-eluting sinus stents in those people that experience intermittent sinonasal polyposis is inadequate, and the risk of inclination is high because of unblended result evaluation.Request Sample Report @Globally the steroid releasing implant market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan and Middle East and Africa (MEA). North America is expected to be the leading markets in the global steroid releasing implant market. Rising treatment options among the growing population, surgical procedures and the maturing worldwide population are additionally considered vital drivers for this market. High awareness and easy availability of implants are expected to boost demand for steroid releasing implant treatment products in these regions. The conspicuous manufacturers are embraced with new clinical oriented systems to yield new medications and subsequently adopting new strategies to increase competitive advantage during the forecast period. Japan and APEJ are expected to follow next in terms of demand for the steroid releasing implant market. Absence of population based studies in developing countries is a major challenge in assessment of steroid implants in these countries.Steroid Releasing Implant Market: ParticipantsIntersect ENT, Inc.Buy Full Steroid Releasing Implant Market Report @ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: New Study Offers Detailed Insights on Winter Tires Market 2017-2027 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4552 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-4552 Winter Tires also known as snow tires are specialty tires with specific tread design appropriate for traction on snow and ice. These tires can be used in temperatures lower than 7 degree Celsius and are often equipped with metal or ceramic studs that jut out from the tires to further increase traction in condition of closely packed snow or ice. Different countries and regions across the globe have specific regulations for winter tires, and its usage, and govern the design and availability winter tires in that region.A sample of this report is available upon request @The global winter tires market is expected to expand with an impressive CAGR over the forecast period.Winter TiresMarket: Drivers & RestraintsThe major factors boosting the growth of Winter Tires market is rising growth in the automobile industry, particularly in countries with cold climates. With the growing number of automobiles for both personal and commercial uses, the market for Winter Tires grows hand in hand with vehicle production and is projected to grow on a positive scale in the upcoming years. Vehicles have become more of a commodity than a luxury product owing to higher disposable incomes of the consumers leading to higher demand for automobiles thereby directly influencing the growth of Winter Tires market. Almost all countries with cold climates are gradually mandating the usage of winter tires, amid safety concerns and fuel efficiency.Further many companies offer discount on insurance premiums for vehicles equipped winter tires, further driving people to prefer winter tires over conventional tires. Increasing number of stringent norms for the same is expected to drive the global winter tires market. Further, with increasing purchasing power of customers, demand for winter tires is increasing as many car owners are replacing their legacy tires with winter tires. Rapid Innovation by global tire manufacturers, in their winter tire offerings is also fuelling the sale of costlier products and driving more revenues in the global winter tires market.Winter TiresMarket: Market SegmentationThe Winter Tires Market is segmented on three factors, on the basis of stud presence, sales channel and in terms of vehicle type.Based on stud presence, the Winter Tires market is segmented into:StuddedStudlessBased on sales channel, the Winter Tires market is segmented into:OEMAfter MarketBased on vehicle type, the Winter Tires market is segmented into:Passenger CarsLight Motor VehiclesHeavy Motor VehiclesWinter Tires Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, Winter Tires market has been categorized into seven key regions including North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Western Europe is expected to be the global leader in terms of demand for winter tires, amid presence of countries such as Finland, Sweden, Norway, UK, and Iceland, which offer several incentives and impose certain regulations for the adoption of winter tires. Eastern Europe is also a prominent region, due to presence of snowy regions of Russia and Poland. In the US, incorporation and laws regarding winter tires is under states discretion, and many states are expected to mandate the use of winter tires in near future. Canada has high demand for winter tires in North America, and is expected to remain a prominent market through the forecast period. Further, China is expected to emerge as another important market for winter tire manufacturers due to increasing demand for vehicles in the countries cold regions. Japan is also a prominent market for winter tires, amid presence of some of the worlds most snowy cities. Middle East and Africa, however attracts niche demand for winter tires. In Latin America, Peru is expected to drive the demand for winter tires.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Winter Tires Market: Key PlayersSome of the players identified in Global Winter Tires market are:-Bridgestone CorporationCooper Tire & Rubber CompanyHangzhou Zhongce Rubber CO., LTD.Cheng Shin Rubber Ind. Co., Ltd.Continental AktiengesellschaftNexen Tire CorporationNokian Tyres plcPirelli & C. S.p.A.Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.The Goodyear Tire & Rubber CompanyThe Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.Toyo Tire & Rubber CompanyHankook Tire Co. Ltd.N.V. Apollo Vredestein BeLux S.A.About UsFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.U.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, , Atrial Appendage Occluder Market Industry Insights, Outlook and Forecast up to 2027 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/atrial-appendage-occluder-market https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4049 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/4049 www.futuremarketinsights.com Atrial appendage, better described as left atrial appendage (LAA) is an ear shaped pouch present in the top left chamber of the human heart (Left Atrium). The functional significance of this structure is unknown. In patients living with arrhythmic cardiovascular conditions such as atrial fibrillation, blood accumulates in the left atrial appendage and can cause clotting of blood. The blood clots can cause fatal stroke when pumped into the blood vessels. Along with oral anticoagulants, occlusion of LAA by an occluder is an alternative approach to protect cardiovascular patients from strokes and other complications. Atrial appendage occlude is thus a kind of plug which permanently closes the appendage. According to a study published in the journal, Clinical Medical Insights: Cardiology, atrial fibrillation affects around 2 percent of the global population and the prevalence of the disease is expected to increase five-times over the next four decades, especially in the United States, owing to the expanding elderly population base.Read Report Overview @The key contributor to the growth of global Atrial Appendage Occluder market is rising number of cardiovascular patients diagnosed with thromboembolism, atrial fibrillation across the globe. Sedentary life style and the associated diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension will create a need for such devices, paving the path for the market growth. However, restricted use of LAA occluder only for individuals with a high stroke risk and a high risk of bleeding while on anticoagulant therapy can restrain the market growth. Moreover, complications associated with the implantation and removal of the device such as tissue erosion, which can create a need for open heart surgery, may act as limiting factor for the growth of the market. Unfavourable policies related with endocardial LAA closure have also restricted the market growth.Global atrial appendage occluder market is highly consolidated with a very few number of players. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 15 million strokes occur across the globe annually. In 2010, the United States disbursed around USD 53.9 billion over health care services, medications and missed days of work associated with cardiac stroke. Around 87% strokes are ischemic, which occur when blood supply to brain is impaired. Stroke comes at the third place when leading cause of death are talked about and it is No. 1 cause of long-term disability as well. Atrial fibrillation gives rise to approximately 20% of ischemic strokes.Request Sample Report @Geographically, Atrial Appendage Occluder Market is segmented into regions viz. North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America is leading the overall market due to large population pool of elderly people. The European atrial appendage occluder market is projected to grow as more than 6 million Europeans are presently living with arrhythmia, and the number is expected to be double over next 50 years, according to an article published in the journal Indian Pacing and Electrophysiology Journal. A study has reported that Europeans race has a higher risk of atrial fibrillation as compared with other races. Moreover, the number of people with cardiovascular conditions are expected to increase in the developed countries because of the sedentary life style which will lead the market growth in future. Asia-Pacific market is expected to grow at a rapid pace due to the largest populations in the region that account for the highest numbers of deaths from stroke, according to a research study published in the journal Value in Health Regional Issues.Buy Full Atrial Appendage Occluder Market Report @The key players in the global Atrial Appendage Occluder Market include Appriva Medical Inc., Boston Scientific, St. Jude Medical, SentreHEART Inc, pfm medical ag., Occlutech, W. L. Gore & Associates, Coherex Medical, Inc., Cardia, Inc. and AtriCure, Inc.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Industrial Fasteners Market Projected to Register 5.4% CAGR through 2012 - 2018 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1403 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=1403 https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com A new research study on the global market of industrial fasteners published by Transparency Market Research, a U.S.-based market intelligence firm, states, the market will grow at a modest pace of 5.4% between the years 2012 and 2018. The report forecasts that the global industrial fasteners market, which had a net worth of US$65.50 billion in 2011, will rise to US$94.65 billion by 2018.Browse the full Industrial Fasteners Market (Externally Threaded, Aerospace Grade and Standard) for Automotive OEM, Machinery OEM, MRO and Construction Applications - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2012 - 2018.The report is titled Industrial Fasteners Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2012 - 2018, and is available for sale on the companys website.The market of industrial fasteners is a mature industry. The need for efficient, corrosion and aesthetics resistant, strong and cost effective industrial fasteners remains imperative in any industrial machine due to their core functionality of mechanically joining various parts, devices or surfaces together.Request Report Brochure @While the flourishing global market of automotives will remain the chief driving force for the global industrial fasteners market in the coming years, rising demands from infrastructure development, maintenance and construction industries will also prove beneficial for the market. The report states, the construction application sector of the global industrial fasteners market will grow at a CAGR of nearly 9% during the forecast period.The market segment of customized industrial fasteners, developed for niche application segments such as solar power generators and railways, will open potential growth opportunities for the global industrial fasteners market as well. Other application segments from the fabricated metal products, aerospace equipments, electronic and electrical industries had a combined share of nearly 30% of the global industrial fasteners market in 2011.However, market growth will be hampered to certain extent due to imposition of high duties against anti-dumping by the European Union.The product type externally threaded industrial fasteners accounted for over US$25 billion worth of revenues for the overall industrial fasteners market in 2011. During the forecast period as well, this market segment is expected to grow at the fastest pace owing to high rates of industrialization in developing countries.Request For Customization@Asia-Pacific accounted for the largest share of revenues of the global industrial fasteners market in the year 2012; by 2018, this regional market is expected to have hold of nearly 45% share of the market owing to rapid industrialization, and the flourishing construction and automobiles industries in these regions.The global industrial fasteners market is highly fragmented, with the top five businesses in the market having a collective share of only about 15% revenues by the end of 2011.The key businesses operating in the market include Alcoa Incorporated, LISI Group, Precision Castparts Corporation, Illinois Tool Works Incorporated, NIFCO, Penn Engineering & Manufacturing Corporation, ITW, Stanley Black & Decker, among others.About Us Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others.Contact Us:Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Meningococcal Disease Treatment Market Industry Insights, Trends and Forecast up to 2027 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/meningococcal-disease-treatment-market https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4053 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/4053 www.futuremarketinsights.com Meningococcal disease is a severe infection of meninges, the thin layers of tissue covering brain and spinal cord, caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. This bacteria can also cause bloodstream infections (septicemia). Bacterial meningitis is severe because of rapid onset and a significant risk of death associated with infection. Infection of Neisseria meningitidis may also result in mental retardation, deafness and epilepsy. 12 strains of N. meningitidis have been identified, 6 of which (A, B, C, W, X and Y) are capable enough to cause epidemics. Meningococcal septicaemia is a rare but fatal form of meningococcal disease characterized by a haemorrhagic rash and rapid circulatory collapse. Rigid neck, high fever, sensitivity to light, dilemma, headaches and vomiting are most common symptoms of meningococcal disease. The highest rate of disease is found across 26 countries of sub-Saharan Africa known as the extended meningitis belt. The disease can be treated by a number of antibiotics and vaccines are also available for the prevention of disease.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), teenagers and young adults are most vulnerable to get meningitis.Read Report Overview @The key contributor to the growth of global Meningococcal disease treatment market is rising incidences of meningococcal diseases in developing nations especially African and Asian countries. Governmental organisations and NGOs as well have contributed in terms of financial grants, exporting vaccines and medicines and conducting mass vaccination programmes as well towards diseases prevention in African and Asian countries. Developed countries are also contributing significantly in terms of innovative products. North America and European nations are leading as far as the research and development is concerned. Poverty, illiteracy, lack of awareness and insufficient efforts by governments to reform healthcare services in developing countries are impeding the market growth.Request Sample Report @Global Meningococcal disease treatment market is highly fragmented with the presence of multiple players. Vaccines for the prevention of the disease are developed and manufactured by a few multi-national players such as Pfizer Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Sanofi Pasteur Inc. and Novartis AG while antibiotics for the treatment of disease are manufactured by both domestic and international players. Generic versions are easily available worldwide. Meningococcal disease is endemic in China and India and have been under-recognized. According to the Global Meningococcal Initiative (GMI), serogroup A disease is most dominant in low-income countries such as India and the Philippines, while serogroups C is the major causative agent inTaiwan, Japan, and Korea. China has observed a mixed epidemiology of A, B, C, and W serogroups. The incidence of meningococcal disease in Latin American countries differs from less than 0.1 cases per 100,000 in Mexico to two cases per 100,000 in Brazil.Geographically, Meningococcal disease treatment Market is segmented into regions viz. North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, Middle East and Africa. Asian and African countries are the largest meningococcal disease treatment Market because of prevalence of a huge population in need for treatment and prevention of the disease. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the region of sub-Saharan Africa ranging from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east involving 26 countries, known as the extended meningitis belt, has the highest rates of the disease. The market in North America and the European countries is stable because of limited numbers of infections owing to better healthcare services, better environment and continuous efforts of governments to eradicate such devastating diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rates of meningococcal disease have been declining in the United States since the late 1990s and have reduced to just 375 total cases of meningococcal disease in 2015 representing incidence rate of 0.18 cases per 100,000 persons.Buy Full Meningococcal Disease Treatment Market Report @The key players in the global Meningococcal disease treatment Market include Pfizer Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Sanofi Pasteur Inc., Novartis AG, WOCKHARDT, Sandoz International GmbH, Kent Pharmaceuticals, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Stravencon Limited and Athlone Laboratories.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Sulphur Recovery Technology Market is Expected Reach US$ 2.7 bn by end 2027 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1431 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1431 www.futuremarketinsights.com A greater number of refinery projects across the world should create an immense opportunity for sulphur recovery technology manufacturers to install their units in the plants. Upcoming refineries in the APEJ and MEA region are anticipated to be major contributors to the global sulphur recovery technology market. Future Market Insights has comprehensively assessed the sulphur recovery technology market in its report titled Sulphur Recovery Technology Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012 - 2016 and Opportunity Assessment 2017 - 2027. The sulphur recovery technology market is expected to have a value of over US$ 2.7 billion by end 2027.Request for TOC @Technology Claus Process Slightly Ahead of Tail Gas Treatment TechnologyThere is a close battle between the claus process and tail gas treatment technology in the sulphur recovery technology market with the former edging ahead. The claus process is predicted to record a CAGR of 12.8% for the decade. However, it would be unwise to ignore the tail gas treatment technology segment entirely in the sulphur recovery technology market as companies are focusing on it as well. For e.g. BASF has introduced tail gas treatment technology to increase plant efficiency and reduce sulphur technology. This helps decrease sulphur emissions and lowers operational expenditure because of lesser amine circulation rates and reboiler duties.Source of Recovery Gas Recovery has Significant Traction in Sulphur Recovery Technology MarketThe gas type segment has a market share of approx. two thirds of the global sulphur recovery technology market by source of recovery and is poised to lose 210 BPS going forward. However, gas recovery is unlikely to cede its pole position in the sulphur recovery technology market. An incremental dollar opportunity of US$ 1.1 billion can be tapped in the gas recovery segment of the sulphur recovery technology market. Increasing production and exploration activity, particularly in respect of shale gas, is fuelling demand for sulphur recovery units in refineries. Gas refining has great potential in the Middle East, Central Asia, and East Asia.Capacity < 100 t/D Dominates the Sulphur Recovery Technology MarketThe < 100 t/D capacity segment has a share of more than half the global sulphur recovery technology market by capacity at the end of 2017. The < 100 t/D segment is popular on account of having a lower emission footprint, being easy to upgrade, and relatively cost-effective as compared to other units. Several companies have invested in < 100 t/ D units such as Siirtec Nigi that has agreed to supply two Claus sulphur recovery units in Kuwait with a capacity of < 100 t/D each.Region Europe and MEA Key in Sulphur Recovery Technology MarketEurope and MEA are the regions to look out for in the sulphur recovery technology market. Refinery projects in diverse nations such as Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, and Russia should boost the demand for sulphur recovery technology. These countries have ample oil reserves and are major global suppliers, making them lucrative for sulphur recovery technology unit manufacturers. The Europe sulphur recovery technology market is projected to push past US$ 720 million by end 2027.Competition Dashboard in Sulphur Recovery Technology MarketThe companies profiled in the sulphur recovery technology market report are Jacobs Engineering Group, John Wood Group, TechnipFMC, WorleyParsons, Prosernat, Black and Veath Holding Company, Bechtel Corporation, KNM Group Berhad, CB&I, Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil Corporation, KT Kinetics Technology SPA, Fluor Corporation, Linde AG, Chiyoda Corporation, and GTC Technology.Make an Enquiry @TakeawaysSulphur recovery technology unit manufacturers must take advantage of the refineries being set up across the globe. APEJ, MEA, and Europe could contribute a sizeable chunk of revenue in the sales of sulphur recovery technology units and companies are advised to target these regions with all guns blazing.About UsFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.FMIs team of over 200 research analysts provides market intelligence at global, regional, and country level. Our analysts are committed to provide independent insights, relying on our cognitive defusion training module, which conditions them to look at data objectively and unbiasedly.Contact UsFuture Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: Global Holographic Films Sales to be Worth US$ 11,775 Million by 2024 End https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12892 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/12892 https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/12892 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com For every consumer goods product that has ever hit the shelves of retail outlets, a percentage of its production cost gets spent on branding the product by sticking a holographic film on its packaging label. Accordingly, billions of consumers goods sold daily from all parts of the world necessitate the expansion of global production capacity for holographic films. In 2015, global sales of holographic films exceeded US$ 5 billion, attesting the universal demand for iconic branding techniques. According to a recent research conducted by Persistence Market Research, the global holographic films market revenues are estimated to reach US$ 11,775 million in value by 2024.Persistence Market Researchs report titled Global Market Study on Holographic Films: Pharmaceuticals End Use Industry Segment Estimated to Increase 2.2X in Terms of Value over the Forecast Period , projects the US$ 5,767.3 million global holographic films market will expand at an impressive CAGR of 9.3% during the period of forecast - 2016-2024. Besides the branding demands, the active use of Fresnel lens technology in designing flexible packaging surfaces has become a proponent for consumption of holographic films, the combination of which is likely to create 3D effect for customers viewing the products stacked on store shelves. While secured packaging and anti-counterfeit measures promote the use of holographic films, volatile costs of film materials are likely to hamper the growth of the global holographic films market.Request For Report Sample:Key Research FindingsDemand for Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) film materials to remain high through 2024, accounting for almost half of the global market revenuesBranding measures undertaken by pharmaceutical and drug manufacturers, and companies in the FMCG sector will render them largest end-user industries for holographic filmsThe need for customer-centric designs and patterns on films will gain traction during the projected period, effectuating a higher market presence for customized offerings of holographic filmsThrough 2024, the value share ratio of lamination and printing as two main end uses in the global holographic films market is anticipated to be an estimated 60% to 40% respectivelyAPAC Holographic Films Market to Expand at Highest CAGRBy the end of forecast period, the holographic films sales from Asia Pacific (APAC) region will rake in revenues worth over US$ 4.3 billion. The APAC holographic films market is anticipated to be fastest growing region in the global market, registering an estimated CAGR of 10.8%. In 2016, the region accounted for one-third share of the global market value, followed by North America which secured over 25% share of the global holographic films market size. Europes holographic films market is likely to join North America and APAC as regions lucrative for expansion of holographic films businesses. Meanwhile, the holographic films market size is to expand at a modest rate in regions such as Latin America and the Middle East & Africa (MEA).Metallized Films & Anti-counterfeit Applications Procure High SalesSales of holographic films in the world have been largely concentrated towards two aspects the type of film material preferred and its application. Product manufacturers and packaging industry players prefer using metallized holographic films over transparent films. Similarly, the use of such films finds greater application in anti-counterfeit measures of packaging companies. Surging instances of product duplicity have integrated holographic films into packaging operations that label symbols for identifying authentic products. Independently, metallized holographic films and anti-counterfeit applications are expected to account for over 70% of global market revenues throughout the forecast period.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):While local manufacturers of holographic films are expected to collectively account for over half of the global market, companies such as Uflex Limited and Polinas Plastik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. will jointly hold company share of 14.2%. Leading holographic films manufacturers namely Toray Industries Inc., SRF Limited, and Nan Ya Plastics Corporation, are expected to exclusively focus on business expansion in regions such as North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe. Strategic acquisitions is pegged to be a top priority for Jindal Poly Films Ltd., API Group Plc., and Avery Dennison Corporation, while Cosmo Films Limited and K Laser Technology Inc. are expected to increase their global presence through product launch.You can now buy a single user license of the report @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: Contrary to what many people will insist, its now possible to eat excellent Mexican food, including tacqueria-style tacos, in D.C., Northern Virginia and nearby Maryland. But this is not the result of a sudden influx of Mexican migrants long an underrepresented group in the D.C. area into the dining scene. Rather, earlier Mexican migrants are assimilating, opening larger businesses and spreading quality versions of their food to more parts of this country, just as hamburgers and pizzas earlier transcended their regional origins. This development is consistent with research showing that Mexican-Americans are assimilating more rapidly than previously we had thought. So the next time California, Texas or Arizona snobs complain about Mexican food offerings on the East Coast, tell them its better than they think. The D.C. area also has some stagnating ethnic cuisines. Vietnamese food has continued to penetrate the market in Texas and Oklahoma, but in the Mid-Atlantic region mainstream Vietnamese restaurants seem to be in slight retreat. Vietnamese pho soups and banh mi sandwich shops are popular, and those dishes are feeding into fusion cuisine. But the full-menu restaurants dont compete well with Thai and Chinese offerings. I am reminded of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, which decades ago had fine and reasonably authentic German restaurants, but now they are mostly gone or are shells of their former selves. In the D.C. area, Bolivian is another cuisine thats holding steady but not advancing in either the number of restaurants or the popularity with non-Bolivian customers. The broader lesson is that America isnt going to become endlessly more diverse, whether in its culinary offerings or otherwise. There are natural limits to these processes, and some are self-reversing as immigrants either assimilate or reach a peak influence on the broader American culture. In dining markets for the last 10 years as a whole, I would say the biggest development has been the spread of high-quality hamburgers and pizzas to all price ranges and dining styles, not the growth of cuisines cooked by recent immigrants. 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. Ryan Tosoc is Back at WPT Five Diamond Final Table, Sean Perry Leads December 09, 2017 Valerie Cross After an action-packed Day 5 that saw the final 18 players trimmed down to six, the official final table in the largest-ever WPT $10K Main Event is set. The final six in Season XVIs World Poker Tour Five Diamond Poker Classic have at least a payout of $271,736 locked up, while the winner will walk away with $1,958,065. Following is the table draw with chip counts. Seat Player Chips Big Blinds Seat 1 Mike Del Vecchio 4,970,000 124 Seat 2 Sean Perry 7,650,000 191 Seat 3 Ryan Tosoc 5,105,000 128 Seat 4 Ajay Chabra 3,065,000 77 Seat 5 Richard Kirsch 2,620,000 66 Seat 6 Alex Foxen 955,000 24 Leading the way in chips is none other than the 21-year-old Sean Perry, who told PokerNews on Day 4 with 81 players left, I just figure theres no way I dont win. The confident, talkative Perry turned 21 on the day the event started, and said that as soon as he found out about the timing six months ago, hes been telling everyone hes going to ship it. The son of seasoned high stakes cash game player and WSOP bracelet winner Ralph Perry, the younger Perry had a dream fulfilled getting to play next to his dad on Day 4 before Ralph busted in 47th place. Though Sean had to fire three bullets before he could get traction, he was okay with it because of the massive first-place prize he could win. His style definitely shows a playing-to-win mentality as the WPT live blog has shown him keeping the pressure on his opponents. In one of the last few hands of the night, Perry ran a big bluff against Mike Del Vecchio and Ryan Tosoc and ended up showing it after both opponents had folded. At the final table, we can expect Perry to keep up the aggression as he goes for the win in his first live tournament since turning 21. It would be a nice belated birthday gift indeed. Back-to-Back Second in chips to start the day is Ryan Tosoc. If you followed the coverage last year, you may recognize this name. That's because Tosoc final tabled this same event in Season XV, finishing in second place for $1.124 million behind James Romero. Tosoc said before the event, his friends were making comments about him going back-to-back final tables but he thought they just believed in him too much. "But I'm just living it. It's crazy." Tosoc plays more PLO cash than no-limit Hold'em tournaments, but he loves playing this event at the Bellagio. "I just run good here. I feel so confident playing here. It doesn't matter what I have in the hand, I just feel really locked in here." He said going into the tournament the goal was to make the money, and on Day 5 it was to make the final table. Coupled with the fact that Tosoc has been here before and he is "very confident in pressure situations," he thinks he will have an advantage at the final table. No matter what the result is, his back-to-back run is already incredible, and he is surely looking to best last year's finish. Going for Second WPT Title The only player left who can become a two-time WPT champion in the event is Mike Del Vecchio. Del Vecchio won WPT Rolling Thunder back in March and had to beat out a top-tier final table that included the likes of Olivier Busquet, Conor Drinan, Steven Tabb, Sorel Mizzi and Ankush Mandavia (seventh place). He came in with a massive chip lead in that one and was able to close it out after having very little tournament success prior. Del Vecchio got emotional telling the story of how he and fellow final tablist Alex Foxen played with ClubWPT qualifier Bill Mynatt on Day 2, and after Mynatt busted, he told Del Vecchio and Foxen, "You two are both going to make the final table. I'm sure of it." Obviously, they were unconvinced, but he said Mynatt proceeded to return every day to cheer them on, and now his premonition has come true. "It's just so wild." With some good, aggressive players on his left, Del Vecchio says, "I pretty much just need to play my game, and see what happens." Bottom Three Coming In Ajay Chabra will begin the final table fourth in chips and already has locked up a cash worth nearly seven times his previous live tournament earnings. Despite the apparent lack of experience, Chabra has been playing poker seriously since 2010, mostly plays cash games online in New Jersey, and his only two cashes have come in the WSOP Main Event. If that's not enough proof, several of his tablemates have referred to Chabra as a good, aggressive opponent and he finished Day 5 with the chip lead. Richard Kirsch is the next biggest stack, coming in with a respectable 66 big blinds. Primarily a high stakes cash game pro based in South Florida, Kirsch has also been playing high stakes tournaments for years and final tabled a WPT Main Event a decade ago in the Mirage Poker Showdown. He got fourth at a final table that included Phil Ivey, Amnon Philippi and Jonathan Little, who won the event. Kirsch said the tournament has been "pretty smooth," with his stack steadily on the rise throughout with no really big swings. His goal today was to "get back" to the final table, which he has successfully done. He said that he has some history with Sean Perry as they recently played some big pots in big cash games down in Florida, which explains some of the table antics between the two. But according to Kirsch, "There's no bad blood there, but he definitely is the kind of person that is not going to be afraid to put the chips in, so someone to watch obviously." In terms of the final table, Kirsch is just going to take a shot and see what happens. "I'm a big believer that it doesn't really matter if you have 50 bigs or 100 bigs or 200 bigs, anybody has a chance to win when you get down to six." Alex Foxen is coming in as the short stack, but don't count him out. With over $1 million in live tournament earnings before this event, and more than half of those coming from 2017, Foxen has been on a tear. His cash in the WPT Five Diamond marks his 34th cash this year alone and he also made a run at 2017 WSOP Player of the Year, ultimately finishing seventh in that race. He is looking for a big boost to his career earnings at this final table. Busting on Day 5 Notables who fell short of the final table on Day 5 included Michael Ruane (15th - $61,436), Dan Colman (14th - $61,436), Blake Bohn (13th - $61,436), Matthew Moss (11th - $77,189), Mel Wiener (10th - $77,189), Lauren Roberts (8th - $153,590) and Daniel Zack (7th - $208,725). There was also Satish Surapaneni, who turned a $535 qualifier win from playMGMpoker.com into a payday of $51,984 for his 17th-place finish. The televised final table kicks off at the Bellagio Sunday at 4 p.m. local time and you can follow the live updates from WPT here. Photo courtesy of WPT/Joe Giron You are the owner of this article. November is a truthful month it doesnt indulge fantasies of permanence, such as mortals sometimes cling to, because it demonstrates unmistakable change from start to finish. Read moreAging for Amateurs: November is a dance on the foggy coast 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 When Ariele Vest, 6, walked into the gym at Kinsey Elementary for the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind holiday dinner, she had one goal in mind -- she was going to meet to Santa. A couple years ago she was terrified of Santa and now she brought him a present, said Arieles father Seth Vest, holding a wrapped gift. Ariele, like many of the 200-plus children and parents at the dinner, is deaf, and her father is overjoyed that six years of going to this holiday dinner has helped her become a fluent and outspoken sign language speaker. Jane MacDonald, director of the North Central Regional Cooperative for ASDB, couldnt help but smile when she saw Ariele walk in. Last year she wouldnt go near Santa and this year she is signing to him, MacDonald said. It just makes me so happy to see these children interact with each other in a meaningful way. MacDonald said that the holiday dinner serves as an important opportunity for hearing and vision impaired children to interact with other kids in the same situation, which is a chance that does not come around often. There are not many hearing impaired or vision impaired children in Flagstaff and northern Arizona, so this dinner is a chance for the younger children to get a sense of identity, MacDonald said. Events like this teach the children that they are awesome and it is OK if you have to speak with your hands. The children had ample opportunity to sign with friends and adults as they painted each others faces and did arts and crafts. Everyone was even treated to a signed and spoken word play of the Ginger Bread Man. Ariele sat front row during the play signing along with the actors. Her father said that her outgoing nature is suited for the holidays. She loves the holidays so right after Thanksgiving the lights are going up at our house, Vest said. The holiday dinner also serves as an important event for the parents of impaired children. Parents practiced signing with their kids and to each other and organizations such as Hands and Voices gave advice to parents looking for the best doctor or finding information about government help for their child. We are just here to help out the parents and let them know that there are resources out there, Hands and Voices Secretary Kelly Nolan said. We are a parent volunteer group that helps support families that have a child who is deaf or hard of hearing. Vest said he and his wife are better able to communicate with their daughter because the holiday dinner and other ASDB events help them practice their signing. The holiday dinner is just as important for the parents because it give us a chance to talk with other parents who are going through the same thing, Vest said. MacDonald echoed the same sentiment. It takes more than one event to bring families together, but it is another opportunity for parents and children to come together and share their stories and experiences," she said. Children and parents did just that throughout the night and MacDonald spent the rest of the evening with a smile on her face as she declared the holiday dinner a resounding success. Page not found! Unfortunately, the Massresistance link you selected has been moved or is otherwise not available. We apologize for the inconvenience. Hopefully, this will be restored soon! To home page: www.MassResistance.org Over the past decade, state legislatures across the country rewrote rule books for how power companies pay for new power plants, shifting financial risks away from electric companies to you and everyone else. Advocates are working to establish a judicial avenue in the city of Greenville that would allow homeless people more flexibility while navigating the legal system and an opportunity to clear minor offenses from their records. Read moreGreenville advocates call for 'homeless court' to protect city's most-vulnerable The voters have spoken, and the Beaufort County Council has a lot of work to do. On Nov. 8, four new members were voted onto the council and four were reelected. We welcome David Bartholomew, Tab Tabernik, Paula Brown and Tom Reitz to the council and look forward to working together to solve Read moreCommentary: Stability brings higher expectations in Beaufort County There was a combination of superlative hysteria and political opportunism behind the warnings about the end of democracy leading up to last weeks elections, but it wasnt inconceivable that wed have flare-ups of violence and intimidation, that people who embrace the fantasy that the 2020 e Read moreEditorial: Election 2022 gave everybody something to celebrate State Circuit Judge DeAndrea Benjamin appears poised to join a powerful federal appeals court bench following a U.S. Senate hearing in which Republicans repeatedly questioned her handling of two cases out of thousands she'd handled in South Carolina over two decades. Read moreSC Judge Benjamin praised by Clyburn, questioned by Republicans during US Senate hearing Morocco has signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese automaker BYD for the establishment of an electric car factory near Tangier (north), the first of its kind in the North African country and in Africa. After the French Renault and Peugeot groups, BYD (Build Your Dreams) is the third largest car manufacturer to have been attracted by this Maghreb country. The memorandum of understanding, signed Saturday at the Casablanca Royal Palace, under the chairmanship of King Mohammed VI and in the presence of the CEO of BYD, the Chinese billionaire Wang Chuanfu, also provides for the construction of three other factories, that will manufacture electric batteries; electric buses and trucks; and electric trains. All these production sites will be located near Tangier, in the future Cite Mohammed VI Tangier Tech, an industrial city whose creation was announced in March and which will be carried out by the Chinese group Haite. These new projects fall in line with King Mohammed VIs firm determination to revitalize and modernize his countrys infrastructures and to diversify partnerships with major world players, including China. Actually Morocco and China are bound by exemplary political and economic relations and widened the scope of their cooperation following the Kings visit to China in 2016. Besides, Morocco, which boasts many assets, is now recognized as a competitive platform for automotive production and is hosting leading operators in high-tech sectors, such as composite materials, automotive lighting or connectivity. With BYDs new projects, new specializations will be introduced in the Kingdom, which is resolutely determined to develop, part of the ongoing dynamics at the world level, new forms of transport combining efficiency and respect for the environment. No details were disclosed on the cost of BYDs projects in Morocco, nor on the date of commissioning of the production sites, which will spread over 50 hectares and will create 2,500 jobs, according to the promoters of the project. Moroccan Minister of industry Moulay Hafid Elalamy said during the ceremony that the project will contribute to the implementation of the Kings enlightened vision for the development of relations between China and African countries. The Kingdom has become a well-known competitive platform in the field of car production, the minister added. For his part, CEO of the Chinese group, Wang Chuanfu, hailed the excellent relations between China and Morocco, pointing out that BYD is pleased to cooperate with Morocco on this project, and to share its experience in several countries in recent years in the development of electric vehicles. Cooperation between BYD and Morocco sets a model for other countries who seek to develop innovative energy solutions, Chuanfu said. We want to benefit from Moroccos geographical location, as a gateway to Europe and to the African market, said the BYD boss. Morocco has initiated an ambitious industrialization strategy, notably in Tangier, a town of one million inhabitants, which today houses several industrial parks. The automotive sector is particularly developed there, especially since the establishment of a Renault factory, the largest in Africa, in the citys free zone. The kingdom also wants to be a major player in sustainable development on the regional level, thanks to a voluntarist green energies strategy, spearheaded by King Mohammed VI. The goal is to increase the share of renewable energies in the Moroccan energy mix by 2030 to 52%. BYD is a pioneer in the industry as it started manufacturing electric cars long before the American Tesla, and marketed its first hybrid vehicle in 2008. A year later, it unveiled its first fully electric car, the e6, before Tesla started marketing its S Model in 2012. China, the worlds largest market, announced last September it will eventually ban the manufacturing and sale of fossil fuel cars. World leader in electric transport, BYD Auto Industry has 220,000 employees, working in over 30 industrial sites around the world. BYD has a $17 billion turnover and produces 13% of electric vehicles sold across the world. BYD holds 30% of the worlds largest electric car market, i.e. the Chinese market. Before Guam's legislators can make any attempt to delink from the federal tax code, the island's political status must be determined first, according to speakers at a recent forum that focused on the topic. During the University of Guam Masters of Public Administration forum, Delinking In Review: Guam and the U.S. Tax Code, organized by UOG's public budgeting class last Wednesday, several speakers said the issue of self-determination has a bearing in the ongoing tax debate of whether to delink from the Internal Revenue Code. The forum focused on the history of Guams tax system and the possibility of delinking from the IRC in the future. The panel of speakers included former Gov. Carl Gutierrez, Sen. Michael San Nicolas, former Sen. George Bamba, and Joseph Duenas, former director of the Department of Revenue and Taxation. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. The discussion stemmed in part from Senate Republicans' recently passed bill overhauling the federal tax code, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which seeks to cut corporate tax rates and is anticipated to create revenue shortfalls for the local government. The proposal spurred discussion on whether Guam should delink from the federal tax code sooner rather than later. Current law requires that Guam use the IRC, a federal statutory tax law, as its territorial income tax law. I find it very interesting how this has also an impact in terms of self-determination," Duenas said. "Because if you determine that we want to become a state, you are delinked. The former DRT director said Guam should permanently settle the issue of self-determination first, to either become a state or seek independence. Duenas said that in the history of the territories of the United States, only Puerto Rico has delinked so far. According to Duenas, competing interest remains one of the challenges of delinking. Gutierrez supported Duenas perspective. I think we should prioritize what should come first self-determination. Or do what Puerto Rico did, and delink, he said. The key here is what are we going to do as a community? Do you want to deal with self-determination issues first before we start talking about delinking? Gutierrez said. Completely sever San Nicolas said another route would be a sever-and-adopt approach. This could work for Guam. Instead of trying to rewrite the entire tax code, just delink and adopt what we already have so there's no changes with how businesses operate, how individuals file," he said. The requirements of a five-year revenue neutral period, we will definitely have that by severing and adopting. From there, bring in all the experts and go line by line of the code, San Nicolas added. Bamba agreed that a cautious approach would have to be adopted in the process. Guam is not yet ready to completely drop the IRC and adopt its own code, he said. Survey Results The Department of Revenue and Taxation had estimated between $40 million and $70 million in the government of Guam's annual collection of corporate taxes alone could disappear with the Republican-led tax reform plan. While GovGuam could lose business tax collections if the federal tax plan becomes law, individual taxpayers would be able to claim double the amount of standard deductions, which could lead to lower tax payments. The tax credit for each minor child could go up from $1,000 to $1,600, also possibly putting more money in taxpayers' pockets with less going to GovGuam. However, some of the itemized deductions taxpayers currently use to reduce their tax burden would be scrapped. Doreen Crisostomo, an associate professor of accounting at the UOG School of Business and Public Administration (SBPA), said while Guam follows the IRC, the community generally doesn't know the potential impact of the tax proposal that is happening in the Senate and House. According to Crisostomo, a survey was done to determine community awareness on Guams tax code. Students gathered data from Nov. 21 to Dec. 2 at the Micronesia Mall, Guam Premier Outlets and the Agana Shopping Center. We wanted to find out: Does our community know what is our tax structure? Crisostomo said. Of the 528 individuals surveyed, about 280 or 53 percent said they dont know if Guam follows the federal tax code, and about 259 or 49 percent said they dont know what it means to delink from federal tax laws. In terms of who should decide Guams tax structure, about 206 or 39 percent said it should be the voters. It is important that everyone listens to what is going on in our tax structure, Crisostomo said, emphasizing that the 62,000 GovGuam employees on payroll will be affected should the proposed changes be implemented. For Annette Santos, dean of the SBPA, the forum served as a venue for open discussion. She enjoined participants to think about the impacts of the proposal. How will this affect resources?" she asked. "Can this be a sustainable model if there are several models presented? Insights Perhaps its because of a recent visit there, but Palau has been on my mind quite a bit lately. So please let me introduce you to the island g Read moreMeet Palau The capital market operators on Sunday called on the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, to grant them single dealing license to access discount window. Sonnie Ayere, the Group Managing Director, Dunn Loren Merrifield, stated this at the annual workshop of the Capital Market Association of Nigeria, CAMCAN, in Lagos. Mr. Ayere said that issuance of single dealing license would boost liquidity of the operators and facilitate a more robust and deeper financial market. The operators are currently being regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and they are cut out of the Primary Auction Market for Treasury Bills. He stated that the reform would provide a much stronger platform for market based financial intermediation to thrive, ensure that they were well capitalised and regulated. Mr. Ayere, who is also the President of Association of Issuing Houses of Nigeria, said that issuance of a combined Capital Market Dealing license would reduce the numbers of licenses being issued. We are proposing that the CBN allow capital market institutions with the requisite capital (as agreed by CBN) access to Primary Auctions on behalf of themselves and their customers. Discount Window access can then be given to such operators to be able to discount for liquidity purposes all instruments normally acceptable to the Central Bank of Nigeria, he said. He said that the CBN should not focus only on commercial banks, saying that the combined capital base of issuing houses, stockbroking firms was not up to the capital base of a smallest bank in the country. Kaodi Ugoji, the Vice President and Divisional Head, Corporate Planning, who spoke on the same topic, noted that the country had been affected by illiquidity, lack of regulatory framework and high focus on risk free securities. Ms. Ugoji added that because of illiquidity in the market companies were borrowing short term funds to finance long term projects. She said that there was the need to introduce measures to enlarge the domestic institutional investors base, particularly through pension sector reforms. According to her, the importance of a strong and viable domestic capital market as an alternative source of finance in emerging economies has been affirmed by the success it has enjoyed in countries such as Brazil, Malaysia, Russia, India and China. With government economic reforms running at full throttle, prospects are high for the sustained development of the Nigerian Capital Market as a viable tool for driving Nigerias economic growth. Countries that have successfully leveraged the capital market for economic growth have a number of similar characteristics, some of which include: large domestic institutional investor base, developed infrastructure, macroeconomic stability, she added. Ms. Ugoji said that Nigeria must implement some of these initiatives in order to further deepen its capital markets for economic growth. (NAN) President Buhari is in his hometown of Daura today, Sunday. He went there after concluding his two-day visit to Katsina on Friday. His office shared these pictures of him inspecting his livestock: I'm spending a few days at home in Daura before I travel to France for the One Planet Summit. Today I paid a visit to my farm. I grow fruits & vegetables,& keep cattle. I hope this will inspire one more person to take up farming. My vision is for a country that grows what it eats pic.twitter.com/gMZIpHOtYk Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) December 10, 2017 In April 2015, shortly after he was elected, his media office shared the following pictures: In June 2015, less than a month after he assumed office, he visited Daura again during which he took these pictures: Who approves these images of President Buhari? What possible narrative could seeing his underwear possibly push? pic.twitter.com/QkOg8w80x7 Mr. Aye Dee (@MrAyeDee) June 21, 2015 A former acting chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Uche Secondus, has been elected the new chairman of the party. Mr. Secondus beat three other contestants to emerge victorious in a keenly contested election held at the Eagles Square Abuja on Saturday. The chairman of the electoral committee of the convention, and former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, who announced the results, said Mr. Secondus scored a total of 2,000 votes out of the total number of 2,296 votes cast. Mr. Secondus was followed by a former Minister of Education, Tunde Adeniran, who scored a total vote of 231 votes, while the duo of Raymond Dokpesi and Taoheed Adedoja scored 66 and 0 votes respectively. The Rivers State politician was declared winner shortly after two out of the chaiirmanship candidates accused officials in charge of the convention of allowing systematic rigging of the election. Raymond Dokpesi and Tunde Adeniran said the processes were skewed against them, but in favour of Mr. Secondus. Mr. Dokpesi told journalists covering the convention that he complained about the circulation of a document referred to as Unity List to delegates asking them to vote for the people on the list. He said the chairman of the electoral sub-committee of the convention, former Governor Suswam, told him that there was nothing he could do about his complaint. On his part, Mr. Adeniran, through his spokesperson who spoke with members of the press at Eagles Square, venue of the convention, called for the cancellation of the entire exercise because it was compromised. The convention committee had earlier announced the ban on all form of campaign at the venue of the convention. The chairman of the National Convention Planning Committee, and governor of Delta state, Ifeanyi Okowa, while reacting to the issue, said his committee had not officially received any complaints about the conduct of the election. Also, the governor of Akwa Ibom state, Udom Emmanuel, who spoke with AIT, said the Unity List in circulation could not affect the outcome of the election. I have not seen any delegate looking at a list before casting their vote and it is practically impossible for delegates to memorise all the 21 names on the list and remember them as they vote, he said. Mr. Emmanuel also said the list in contention could have emanated from any source. However, despite the protets and complaints, Mr. Secondus and all the other elected officials who will form the new National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP were sworn into office immediately after the announcement. They were sworn in by a lawyer and a former candidate for the Ondo state governorship, Tayo Jegede. Below is the full list of new members of PDP NWC. Deputy National Chairman ( South); Yemi Akinwonmi- Ogun Deputy National Chairman ( North); Garba Gamawa- Bauchi National Secretary; Ibrahim Tsauri- Katsina Deputy National Secretary; Abubakar Mustapha National Treasurer; Aribisala Adewale- Ekiti Deputy National Treasurer; Wada Masu-Kano Financial Secretary; Abdullahi Maibasira- Niger Deputy Fin. Sec.; Irona Gerald-Imo National Organizing Secretary; Austin Akobundu- Abia Dep. Nat. Org. Sec.; Hassan Yakubu- Nasarawa Publicity Secretary; Kola Ologbondiyan- Kogi Dep. Nat. Pub. Sec.; Diran Odeyemi- Osun National Legal Adviser; Emmanuel Enoidem- Akwa Ibom Dep. Nat. Leg. Ads.; Ahmed Liman- Sokoto National Auditor; Adamu Mustapha-Yobe Dep. Nat. Auditor; Divine Arong National Woman Leader; Mariya Waziri-Kebbi Dep. Nat. Woman Leader; Hadizat Umoru- Edo National Youth Leader; Udeh Okoye-Enugu Dep. Nat. Youth Leader; Umar Maina- Adamu In his victory speech as chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Uche Secondus, described Nigerias ruling APC as a tenant in the presidential villa. the brief tenancy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Aso Rock Villa expires on May 28, 2019, the Rivers politician said. Mr. Secondus beat three other contestants to emerge victorious in a keenly contested election held at the Eagles Square Abuja on Saturday. He scored 2,000 of the total 2,296 votes cast, 87 per cent of the votes cast. Read his full speech below. PDP Power to the People Power to the People-PDP. Your Excellencies, The former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR Your Excellency the former Vice Presidents Atiku Abubakar and Nnamdi Sambo Your Excellencies the former Senate Presidents, Anyim Pius Anyim and David Mark His Excellency the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu Your Excellencies the former Speaker of the House of Representatives Demji Bankole and Patricia Ette Your Excellency, the Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee Ahmad Makarfi Your Excellency Chairman of the Convention committee Ifeanyi Okowa His Excellency Chairman of PDP Forum of Governors Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti states His Excellencies PDP state governors His Excellencies Senate and House Minority leaders Godswill Akpabio and Leo Ogor respectively Chairman and Members of the BOT Members of the National Caretaker Committee Former Governors and Ministers Former NWC members State Chairmen of our party Distinguished Delegates to this convention, Members of the Press, Ladies and Gentlemen. Rebuilding to Regain On behalf of members of the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, I dedicate this mandate to the Almighty God who it has pleased to make this convention successful and grant us this opportunity to serve our great party. We give all glory to God and we commit PDP into his hands. I stand before you this day, humbled by the mandate youve just given to my colleagues and I to lead this great party at this time in Nigerias political history. We wholeheartedly accept it with extreme gratitude. Eighteen years ago specifically February 14, 1999, this party made history with its first ever national convention in Jos, Plateau State and since then, has grown to become undisputedly, the largest political party on the African continent. I recall that before that, precisely on the 19th of August, 1998, our founding fathers gathered here in Abuja to give birth to this party whose aims and objectives were patriotic, with lofty and visionary dreams. By my understanding, the mandate you have given us today is clear and unambiguous. It is to return our party to power come 2019. As Herculean as this mandate seems, I know its achievable. My campaign pillars for this election are To Rebuild, Reposition and Regain. Let me assure you great members and leaders of our party, that by the grace of God and with all hands on deck, the brief tenancy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Aso Rock Villa expires on May 28, 2019. By this, we serve them a quit notice. This has to be immediate, in order to save our beloved country from disintegration. We are all witnesses to how the unity of this country has been shaken to its very foundation under the watch of the rudderless and clueless APC. We therefore have a gigantic task of retrieving this country from APCs clear lack of direction and confusion starting with the Presidency. In the words of the 34th President of the United States of America Dwight .D. Eisenhower, If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power. Judging from this, it is crystal clear to all Nigerians, that APC is not a political party, but a body hurriedly assembled to seize power without a clear cut plan for governance. Our party on the other hand, was founded on ideals which are totally in tandem with those of the founding fathers of this great country. Those founding fathers had in mind, a prosperous and lasting democracy as captured in the preamble of our constitution clearly stating their desire for a free and egalitarian society. Even in our perceived failure of 2015, we chose to abide by our strong faith in democracy, willingly conceding power to opposition, thereby elevating the democratic status of Nigeria. We are the true democrats! I can therefore say without an iota of doubt, that PDPs contributions to the growth and sustenance of democracy in this country in the last 18 years remain unequalled. The best way to celebrate the memories of these founding fathers, is to ensure that the ideals are continuously engaged. (At this juncture great PDP leaders and members here present, let us stand and observe a minute silent for our fallen heroes one of whom is our pioneer National Chairman and former Vice President of this country Dr Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme GCON who passed on recently). With your mandate I assure you, that all necessary steps will be taken to avoid a repeat of our past mistakes. Indeed we have learnt our lessons and by this convention, we are now set to forge a new path for our great party and Nigeria. Under my watch, internal democracy will be strictly adhered to with a deliberate policy to return real power to the people. No more imposition, no more impunity. Every member of this party can from this moment, consider him or herself, an equal shareholder in our common destiny. I call on all Nigerians, of all creed and class, to embrace this new PDP and join in this quest for a new Nigeria. Particularly, I reach out to our old members who for one reason or the other have left the party, to please come back home. I cannot end this address without acknowledging my co-contestants especially for the chairmanship position. Truth be told, any one of you is eminently qualified to lead this party. I thank you for a worthy contest and being part of history as this marks the first time such a highly competitive contest to produce the leadership of a political party has been held in Nigeria. You have every cause to stand tall and I now extend my hand of fellowship to you all. Let US Rebuild, Reposition & Regain. In the same breath, let me thank the outgoing National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Ahmed Markafi. We will forever remember your courageous leadership in our most trying times. History will no doubt, be kind to you. I must also thank the Convention Committee led by HE Dr. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa for a job well done. Finally in accepting this mandate, I am guided by the words of the 19th President of the United States of America, Rutherford Hayes who said in 1877 he serves his party best, who serves his country best God bless you all Long live the Peoples Democratic Party of Nigeria Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria PDP-Power to the People Power to the People-PDP. I thank you for listening The founder of Daar Communications, Raymond Dokpesi, who contested the PDP National Chairmanship position and lost, has congratulated the winner, Uche Secondus. Mr. Dokpesi, who had earlier faulted the process of the partys National Convention held in Abuja on Saturday, declared that the delegates have spoken. PREMIUM TIMES reported Mr. Dokpesis earlier protest against the convention. He told journalists covering the convention that he complained about the circulation of a document referred to as Unity List to delegates. He said the list asked delegates to vote for the people on the list. He said the chairman of the electoral sub-committee of the convention, former Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue, told him that there was nothing he could do about his complaint. Hours after the complaint, however, Mr. Dokpesi congratulated the winner. I appreciate the delegates for voting at the convention and congratulate the newly elected National Working Committee of the PDP led by Secondus. You will recall that I said that the PDP must be the ultimate winner at the end of the contest. God bless the Peoples Democratic Party. Congratulations PDP as I wish all our members the best of luck, Mr. Dokpesi said. Meanwhile, the newly elected National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, has pledged that the party, under his watch, would adhere strictly to internal democracy with a deliberate policy to return real power to the people. Mr. Secondus, who got 2,000 votes out of the 2,396 votes cast, in his acceptance speech on Sunday in Abuja, declared that the era of imposition and impunity was over. With your mandate, I assure you that all necessary steps will be taken to avoid a repeat of our past mistakes. We have to lean from our mistakes; by this convention, we are now set to forge a new path for our great party and Nigeria. Under my watch, internal democracy will be strictly adhered to with a deliberate policy to return real power to the people. No more imposition, no more impunity. Every member of this party can, from this moment, consider him or herself, an equal shareholder in our common destiny, he assured. He called on all Nigerians to embrace the new PDP and join its quest for a new Nigeria. He also called on old PDP members, who, for one reason or the other, left the party, to please come back home. Mr. Secondus called for the support of his co-contestants, especially the chairmanship aspirants, saying that they were all eminently qualified to lead the party. I thank you for a worthy contest and for being part of history because this marks the first time a stiff contest of this magnitude is taking place toward producing the leadership of a political party in Nigeria. You have every cause to stand tall and I now extend my hand of fellowship to you all. Let us rebuild, re-position and regain. Mr. Secondus said that he was aware that the mandate given to him was to return PDP to power in 2019, and declared that the task was herculean but achievable. My campaign pillars for this election are to rebuild, re-position and regain. By the grace of God and with all hands on deck, the brief tenancy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Aso Rock Villa expires on May 28, 2019. He said that PDPs contributions to the growth and sustenance of democracy of Nigeria in the last 18 years were still there for all to see, adding that the best way to celebrate the memories of the partys founding fathers was to engage their ideals. Mr. Secondus commended the party members for offering him the opportunity to serve, and also lauded the courage of the outgoing National Caretaker Committee led by Ahmed Makarfi. Uche Secondus is the man of the moment. The 62-year-old politician from Rivers State, South-south of Nigeria, won big on Saturday in Abuja. But his election as the new leader of Nigerias biggest opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, seemed to have already put his party on a path to another crisis that could mar their chances in the 2019 presidential election. Besides some of the aspirants from the nations South-west walking out of the party convention, alleging a gang up and also saying that the Yoruba were being insulted, the general thinking appears to be that the PDP would have been better off picking its national chairman from the region where the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has a grip on. Mr. Secondus, when asked about the South-west question in a Thisday interview published in November, argued that it was wise for other regions to accede the party chairmanship to his zone the South-south being that it has for long remained a stronghold of the PDP. If you want to win an election you dont start from the unknown. You begin with the known, he had said. Apparently referring to the aspirants from the South-west, Mr. Secondus went on to say that those who wanted to lead the PDP must be ready to deliver their zones during the 2019 elections. I will deliver my place and then proceed to win other states and regions, he boasted. The South-west question aside, Mr. Secondus is a man well-versed with party politics in Nigeria and looks very much prepared for his latest job. In Rivers State where he has previously done two terms as the state chairman of the PDP, he is at home with the political leaders and the ordinary folk and is popularly called Total Chairman. His strong connection with the likes of Nyesom Wike and Godswill Akpabio, the governor of Rivers State and a former governor of Akwa Ibom State respectively, has helped him to extend his political influence to the entire South-south and the nation at large. In fact, the foundation of Mr. Secondus victory at the Eagles Square, Abuja, could be attributed to the duo of Messrs. Wike and Akpabio, who are believed to have largely funded his campaign. Mr. Secondus has been in politics for 39 years so far. He joined politics in 1978 during the Second Republic as the youth leader, in Rivers, for the now-defunct National Party of Nigeria, NPN. He later became the state publicity secretary of another national party, the National Republican Convention, NRC, from 1993 to 1998. Mr. Secondus became the acting national chairman of the PDP in 2015 after the resignation of the then chairman, Adamu Muazu, following the partys defeat in that years presidential election. Before then, he was the partys deputy national chairman. As a businessman, he is said to have interest in Intels Nigeria Limited, a company that is linked to Nigerias former vice president, Atiku Abubakar. The company has been having running battles of late with the Nigerian government. The new PDP leader, like most of his fellow party men, have had brushes with the countrys anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, since Muhammadu Buhari became president. He was detained by the EFCC in 2016 for illegally receiving on behalf of the PDP 23 luxury vehicles valued at N310 million from the controversial businessman, Jide Omokore. The court later declared his arrest as being unlawful and awarded N10 million damages against the EFCC. During the May 2016 botched Port Harcourt convention, Mr. Secondus wanted to contest for the deputy national chairman of the PDP. But he changed his mind that year and went after the partys top job. The truth is that by last year I was gunning for the deputy, he admitted in the Thisday interview. The arrangement was such that somebody from the South-west would emerge as the chairman. That time, we had two and a half years to the general election. But now, we dont have time, therefore we need an experienced person who will start working from that the first day, he argued. Time to confront and push Mr. Buhari and the APC out of power is of the essence to Mr. Secondus, going by his own words. And he reiterated his mission in his victory speech. By my understanding, the mandate you have given us today is clear and unambiguous. It is to return our party to power come 2019. As Herculean as this mandate seems, I know its achievable.. Let me assure you great members and leaders of our party, that by the grace of God and with all hands on deck, the brief tenancy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Aso Rock Villa expires on May 28, 2019. By this, we serve them a quit notice, he said. Amidst plans to wind up some of its global operations, Addax Petroleum on Sunday said it is ready to recommit to its operations in Nigeria. The troubled oil firm confirmed in April that it was shutting its corporate offices in Houston, Aberdeen and Geneva. Earlier in March, the Chief Executive Office at its Geneva Office, Zhang Yi, and the legal director were arrested over alleged bribery schemes carried out by the firm in Nigeria. On June 6, Addax reached an agreement to pay a 31 million Swiss francs (about N11.5 billion) fine in Geneva, Switzerland to settle the bribery charges against some officials in Nigeria. Last month, PREMIUM TIMES published details of the alleged bribery scheme and the Nigerian firms involved. Swiss newspaper, Le Temps, referenced internal audit document by the audit firm of Deloitte, saying payments in excess of $20 million were made to four Nigerian legal advisors, including a U.S. based ally. The document said another $80 million was paid to Kaztec Engineering Limited, a company owned by controversial businessman, Emeka Offor, for the construction of the Antan and Udele/Ofrima development projects. The payments made in 2015 were said to have been without adequate supporting documentation as well as evidence of commercial rationale for a significant portion of the payments. But Addax, wholly-owned by the Chinese Petrochemical Company, SINOPEC, which bought it in 2009, appears to have glossed over the allegations, declaring it was ready to contribute its quota to help Nigeria realise its aspiration to increase its crude oil production capacity to 2.3 million barrels per day. Our future in Nigeria remains very bright, General Manager External & Government Affairs, Addax Petroleum, Dorothy Atake, said in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday. She did not make any reference to the bribery allegations and the firms winding up operations in other places. Our conviction in the countrys future is why we have plans for fresh investments of between $3-5 billion in Nigeria over the coming years, Mrs. Atake said. Mrs. Atake said part of the companys objective included a programme to optimise its oil and gas operations in the country and increase production from its existing onshore and offshore assets. She said for almost two decades, Addax Petroleum, which has been operating a Production Sharing Contract, PSC with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, recorded cumulative production of over 425 million barrels of crude oil. Over the years, Mrs. Atake said, the company took over the operatorship of oil prospecting leases, OPLs 98/118 (now OML 123, 124, 136, and 137), and OPLs 90/225, previously operated by Ashland Nigeria Oil Company, after 25 years operation between 1973 and 1998. As contractor operating on behalf of Addax/NNPC PSC, Mrs. Atake said the company attained the production capacity through the deployment of advanced technology to sustain investments in oil reserves to grow production. The Senior Vice President/Managing Director, Addax Petroleum, Cor Zegelaar, said the companys on-going projects have significantly brightened its forecasts for a better 2018. With a strong partnership with NNPC and the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR as well as cooperation with host communities, we plan to continue with the Njaba drilling, mature Adanga East & Adanga North jack-up rig drilling, commence Atan drilling, and progress Ofrima Udele production, he said. Interestingly, some of the projects included the ones enmeshed in controversy and massive bribery scandal, including Ofrima/Udele development. But, Mr. Zegelaar said work on other production optimization and asset integrity projects were still in progress, as part of efforts to realize the companys overall growth plans of increased daily production. As part of its production activities, he said, Addax Petroleum recently kicked off its current drilling activities in the Njaba field in OML 124 license area, based on low cost, capital efficient production optimization principles. He said since the 2009 SINOPEC takeover, Addax Petroleum NNPC PSC invested over $5 billion and generated over $7 billion for the Nigerian government, creating jobs in host communities in addition to funding critical community projects in the areas of agriculture, health and education. Its exactly one year since a church building collapsed in Akwa Ibom State, killing 27 people, and injuring 37 on December 10, 2016. Some additional number of people died much later from the injuries sustained during the incident. The Reigners Bible Church, Uyo, which was under construction, caved in during a ceremony to consecrate the church founder, Akan Weeks, as a bishop. The Akwa Ibom Governor, Udom Emmanuel, who was a special guest at the ceremony, narrowly escaped unhurt. The state government hasnt made any statement on the first anniversary of the incident. Irked by what they described as the government insensitivity to the victims, the human rights community in the state has renewed their call for the urgent release of the report of the judicial commission of inquiry set up by the state government to investigate the incident. The commission, headed by a retired judge, Umoekoyo Essang, submitted its report in July to the state government. Inibehe Effiong, a Lagos-based lawyer and human rights campaigner, said that the governments response to the Uyo church collapse has been very unfortunate. It clearly shows that government has interest in not doing justice in the matter because like we have maintained consistently, the founder of the church is known to be a personal friend of the governor, Mr. Effiong told PREMIUM TIMES, Sunday. The government, from the information we had, even contributed to the building of the church. All these clearly show conflict of interest. This is why, for example, rather than ordering for the prosecution of those who were culpable, the government had to set up a judicial commission of inquiry. And several months after the panel submitted its report, the government has refused to make the report public, Mr. Effiong said. He accused the government of refusing to pay the medical bills of the victims and also abandoning the families of those who lost their lives in the incident. Mr. Effiong said the people were worried about the way the case was being treated by the government. Importantly, it should be noted that at the commission of inquiry, which I had the opportunity of participating, it was clearly shown by the government agency, the Uyo Capital City Development Authority, that orders were issued by that authority to the church to discontinue the building construction, but they went ahead. The founder of the church defied the order and went ahead with the construction, he said. Franklyn Isong, a journalist and public affair analyst who has been campaigning for the release of the commissions report, also accused the state government of having an interest in the matter. Mr. Isong said the families of the victims have the option of taking the government to court over the matter. He suggested that December 10 be set aside to honour the victims. The state Commissioner for Information, Charles Udoh, was among the lucky survivors of the church collapse. Mr. Udoh on Sunday took to Facebook to praise God for saving his life. He posted a photo of himself with the deep cut he sustained in the church collapse. This time last year, I walked out of the rubbles of a torrential rain of heavy angular iron plates and metal sheets alive! he wrote. I am in no way better than those who lost their lives in the tragedy but God spared my life alongside others. We are only pencils in the hands of the creator; we are only actors playing out the script of the Almighty God. Father Lord, may your purpose in our lives be fulfilled! When PREMIUM TIMES contacted the Commissioner for Justice, Uwemedimo Nwoko, he gave assurance that the commissions report would soon be released. The report was submitted to the government and then in line with the due process of law the government set up an administrative committee to study the report and make recommendations for the issuance of a white paper, Mr. Nwoko said on Sunday. That has been done and the report of that committee has been submitted to the government, the Gazette would soon be made public, he said. The Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Lagos State Council, has condemned the call by a serving senator that some federal agencies should be sold. PREMIUM TIMES reported how Ben Murray-Bruce, a senator from Bayelsa, called for the sale of government media agencies like NTA and FRCN, saying they no longer make sense. The NUJs condemnation was contained in a communique it issued late Saturday night after its December monthly congress held at the Ladi Lawal Press Centre, Ikeja. The union during the congress deliberated on issues affecting its members as well as the state of the nation. In the communique signed by its chairman, Quaseem Akinreti, the union said, The Congress condemns in totality the call for the sales of some national commonwealth such as the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) the National Theatre, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and the Voice of Nigeria (VON) as canvassed by a member of the National Assembly. The congress calls for the appropriate funding of these National Assets and other MDAs so that they will continue to generate employment opportunities for the nation. On beat associations, it urged owners of media houses to pay their staff as and when due to ensure decorum in the journalism practice. It condemned situations whereby some media owners owned their staffers several months of unpaid salary arrears. The congress also called on the NUJ at the national and state levels to always monitor activities of beat associations with a view to sanctioning those found to be involved in unethical conducts. On issues affecting members, it advised that all relevant stakeholders in the media industry should always be involved in taking unanimous decisions before such decisions were implemented. It calls for a reorientation of members on proper conduct at assignments and the remodelling of beat associations in the line of professionalism. The congress, however, kicked against corrupt tendencies among members, while calling for the enforcement of rules guiding against unethical behaviours within the profession. The congress also decried the abandoning of the pursuance of the minimum Wage/Media Enhancement Bill by the national body of the union. It promises to take the lead by submitting to the Lagos State House of Assembly a Media Enhancement Bill that will stipulate the guidelines to be adhered to by intending media owners in the state regarding salaries for their would-be workers. The congress also frowned at the upsurge of fake journalists in Lagos State and planned a review of journalists biometrics in 2018 to curb the menace. It also decried the incessant harassments of journalists by security operatives while on lawful duty in the communique. The congress said that it would through its state executive inaugurate a security chapel for public relations officers from the armed forces and other security agencies to forge cordial relations between the two organisations. Nigerian Police have confirmed the arrest of a suspect in connection with the abduction of an aide to Shehu Sani, a senator representing Kaduna Central. The aide was abducted by unknown gunmen in Kaduna. Residents said the aide, Bashir Ahmed, is also a teacher in a private Islamic school in Tudunwada, Kaduna. Witnesses who spoke with our reporter said masked gunmen molested Mr. Ahmed before whisking him away in a Hilux van to an unknown destination. The kidnappers came with guns, wearing masks, beat Mallam Bashir Ahmed up, bundled him in a Hilux van and whisked him away. Everybody was scampering for safety. Its a very scary situation, Abdul Mansur, a witness said. Mukhtar Aliyu, Kaduna State command spokesperson, while confirming the incident on Saturday, said one suspect has been arrested in the kidnap of Mr. Ahmed, and investigation is ongoing. Mr. Aliyu added that the police suspected conspiracy and that the abductors are yet to make any ransom demand. Mr. Sani, who earlier confirmed the abduction to our reporter, said the victim was his aide on youth matters and was kidnapped by gunmen around Tudunwada Kasuwan Barci around 9 p.m. on Friday. Yes, Mallam Bashir Ahmad aged 45, one of my aides on youths matters was molested and kidnapped by masked gunmen, before being whisked away to an unknown destination yesterday (Friday). According to the senator, the victim had at a time raised alarm and reported to the police when he was told by neighbours that some armed mask men came looking for him when he was not at home. We have alerted the relevant security agencies and will continue to put in all efforts until we secure his freedom. We will put him in prayers and will 100 per cent stand by him through his travail until he returns home Insha Allah, the senator added. Kemi Busari, a journalist with PREMIUM TIMES, alongside nine others were honoured at the 12th edition of the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting held in Lagos. Kemi emerged as runner up of the online category with his two part-series on Investigation: corruption, extortion reign at Nigeria Immigration passport offices. The story exposed myriads of corruption perpetrated by officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service in the issuance and renewal of international passports. After publishing in August, the Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Mohammed Babandede ordered an investigation into the ring of passport racketeers exposed in the story and banned the collection of cash at all passport offices nationwide. Fisayo Soyombo, former editor of The Cable online media, emerged winner of the online category while Ebuka Ndukwu of Ripples Nigeria got a commendation. In the print category, Adekunle Yusuf of The Nation was announced winner, Mojeed Alabi of New telegraph emerged runner up, while Chinwe Agbezes work was commended. A newly-introduced special prize for food security and agriculture was awarded to Tadaferua Ujorha. For the photo category, Ayodele Aliyu of Sun newspaper came top, followed by Kolawole Aliyu of Leadership newspaper as runner up while The Guardians Ayodele Adenirans work was commended. Organisers of the award also bestowed the Lifetime Anti-corruption Defender on foremost activist, Oby Ezekwesili, and Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence on Edetaen Ojo. The big winner of the night was Adekunle Yusuf of The Nation who emerged as Wole Soyinka Investigative Reporter of the year with his entry Exposed: How corruption, favouritism thrive in Unilorin (1), (2) and (3) The story uncovered several cases of corrupt practices by top university officials who continually received salaries for positions they did not hold. The event was attended by the Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, and other dignitaries. An AIT reporter is undergoing treatment at a specialist medical facility in Bayelsa, after being shot by a suspected armed bandit. Patience Owei was returning from a church programme on Friday night when she was assailed and robbed by a thug in downtown Yenagoa, the state capital, media reports said. Ms. Owei is based in Yenagoa where she covers the Government House beat for AIT, reports said. Bayelsa police commissioner, Amba Asuquo, told PREMIUM TIMES the police are treating the case as armed robbery. Its an armed robbery incident in which a lone attacker used a locally made pistol, Mr. Asuquo said by telephone. I have been to the hospital to see the victim myself. A witness account reported by The Nation said Ms. Owei was returning from Shiloh, the annual congress of Winners Chapel, when the suspected thief pounced on her. Just in front of her house he showed her the gun, took her phone, jewellery and cash, according to the witness whom The Nation identified only as Bokoru. But the animal didnt end there. He took steps backwards and shot her at close range even as she gave him no problems, the witness added. The incident occurred a few metres from the reporters residence at about 10:00 p.m., according to the police commissioner and Bokoru, who was said to have participated in taking the victim to the hospital. Gbenga Aruleba, a senior official at the station, agreed with the findings of the police. From what I gathered from our colleagues who are on the spot and from the police report, I think its more of a robbery attack than any other motives, Mr. Aruleba said. It could be that the attacker was under the influence of some other things, that may be why he had to shoot, he added. The police said they have obtained material that could aid in their investigation and possible arrest of the suspect. Governor Seriake Dickson has expressed his sadness over the assault and said the state government will pick up medical bills for Ms. Owei. But coming only months after a radio journalist was fatally shot by gunmen, the attack could raise new concerns about the safety of media practitioners in Bayelsa. Famous Giobaro was a reporter for Bayelsa Radio until his assassination on April 16. Authorities are still investigating that case. The ruling All Progressives Congress has issued the statement below in reaction to the emergence of Uche Secondus as national chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party. Mr. Secondus was elected at Saturdays convention of the party amid allegations of vote buying and ballot rigging. At least one chairmanship candidate, Tunde Adeniran, has called for the cancellation of the election. READ THE FULL STATEMENT BY THE APC BELOW: In reacting to revelations of how money-for-votes and systematic rigging was brazenly perpetuated during the National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC) is mindful of the popular axiom: A leopard cannot change its spot. The abnormalities that trailed the PDP National Convention have further exposed the PDP as a Party not ready and willing to change. Indeed, the PDP has once again displayed itself to the generality of Nigerians that it is a Party with corruption deeply rooted in its DNA. Again, it is tragic that the PDP which used to pride itself as the biggest political Party in Africa has now been reduced to a regional party. By frustrating South West Chairmanship candidates, it is unfortunate that the PDP has decided to punish the South West for not voting for the Party in 2015. We urge members of the PDP that can pass the integrity test to join the APC so that we can together bring about the much-needed Change the country deserves. SIGNED: Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi National Publicity Secretary All Progressives Congress (APC) The Emir of Katagum in Bauchi State, Kabir Umar, is dead. Mr. Umar died on Saturday and is expected to be buried on Sunday according to Islamic rights. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, described the death of the monarch as a big loss. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, on Saturday in Abuja, Mr. Dogara stated that the late monarch was a father and mentor to many including himself. We have lost one of our finest and highly revered Royal Fathers. A patriot and an elder statesman. He was a man of integrity and impeachable character who dedicated his life to service of humanity, development of Katagum emirate and Bauchi State. I condole with his immediate family, all sons and daughters of Katagum emirate as well as Bauchi State. May God grant us all the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. In his reaction, Ibrahim Baba, a member of the House of Representatives, said the monarch will be remembered as a father of all. The lawmaker prayed that God give the family and the entire people of Katagum and Bauchi State fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the people of Katagum in Bauchi State over the passing away of the Emir of Katagum, Kabiru Umar. The late emir, who was a minister of internal affairs and legislator in the Northern House of Assembly in the First Republic, died on Saturday after a brief illness at the age of 89. He was buried on Sunday. In a statement signed by Femi Adesina, Mr. Buhari expressed his sadness over the passing of the monarch. He extended heartfelt condolences to the emirs family, friends, the people and government of Bauchi State. President Buhari shares the grief of the people of the Katagum Emirate and all who mourn the demise of the royal father, who was a symbol of peace and dedicated himself to the cause of fostering unity around the country. Alhaji Kabir Umar served the country diligently with honour and distinction. Mr. Buhari said he believes the royal father, who upheld the culture and traditions of his people during his reign, will be long remembered and honoured for his humility, dignity and profound contributions to national development. He urged all who mourn the monarch to reflect on his worthy service of over three decades to his people and the nation and honour his legacies of strengthening the peaceful co-existence of Nigerians. The president prays that Almighty Allah will comfort all who mourn Alhaji Umar and bring forth a worthy successor to take his place on the revered throne of Katagum, the statement read. Similarly, the governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, described the late emir as a just ruler whose reign brought peace and development to the Katagum Emirate of Bauchi State. In a condolence message on Sunday by his spokesman, Imam, the governor said the late emir lived a life of service to his people and the nation at large. I have interacted with the late emir in the past and every time I had the opportunity of meeting him, I was left with the impression of a very honest leader who dedicated himself to the service of others. Through his vast knowledge, he made invaluable contributions to the growth and development of Bauchi State in particular, and Nigeria in general. He extended his condolence to the people of Bauchi State and prayed to God to grant the deceased eternal rest, and his immediate and extended families the fortitude to bear the loss. The residents of Kwara state have expressed their resentment against the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) of Nigerian police force. This is not unconnected to the trending #EndSARS advocacy, demanding the scrapping of that arm of the force as a result of various allegations of extortion, harassment and violations of citizens rights. Rasaq Maroof, the deputy chairman of one of the branches of National Union of Transport Workers in the state, who spoke with our correspondent, explained how extortion of commercial drivers and harassment of commuters by SARS operatives had become rampant. No transport worker is happy with SARS because theyve become thorns in our flesh, said Mr. Maroof. Drivers are now at their mercies as we go about our daily business. They collect a high percentage of our charges. Along Oro town to Omu-aran which is less than 30 minutes of driving, theyll collect nothing less than N100 at different checking points. And thats the same with every other route. He further stressed the negligence of duty on the part of the operatives. They will tell you if you cant pay the N100, they will find one fault to drag you to their station. After all, by 7:00 p.m., you wont meet them at their duty post, where they are meant to protect lives. The government should help us, he pleaded. Also, a rice distributor, Bisi, pointed out that the SARS operatives contributed to the high cost of goods, by extorting money from transporters. By the time our drivers get to different police check points, they demand for fifty naira on each bag of rice. These are what we add to our cost price and retailers tend to buy at a higher price, Bisi said. Another trader who identified himself as Ishola, told PREMIUM TIMES about a case of a suspected internet fraudster who was extorted by SAS officials. According to him, They only checked his phone and concluded that the guy is into Yahoo Yahoo. The guy paid them 100 thousand through transfer and the policeman confirmed it after a bank alert was sent to his phone. They discharged the guy without further investigation. In his reaction, a police inspector who sought anonymity for security reasons, stated the dire need for restructuring not only in one arm of the security institution but also in all her departments. Police itself needs restructuring and not only SARS. Though we have greedy officers but most of the time, the division will not provide for the maintenance of the vehicle for patrol and the welfare of the personnel. That is why most of our bosses cant kick against extortion thoroughly. However, in an interview, Ajayi Okesanmi, the police Public Relations Officer in Kwara State, said that the force had been receiving several complaints against SARS and such complaints were attended to. People are complaining and as they are complaining, police is taking action. Recently, a lady complained about a SARS operative. Immediately, we acted and this man was dealt with to the utmost surprise of some of the NGOs present. Nigerian police is number One of those organisations that disciplines it erring members. Scrapping SARS is just like destroying the whole part of the body because of a deficiency in one part. Scrapping it is synonymous to scrapping the police force itself, he said. When asked why SARS has taken so much roles assigned to other institutions ranging from collecting money from commuters over transportation of goods to checking of tyres and cars accessories, the spokesperson added that it is within the powers of the police to do such. Nigeria constitution bestow on to us, an unlimited power when it comes to the issue of criminality and crimes generally. Whether they function as Road safety or Customs, they have rights to arrest anyone under Section 4 of the Nigerian constitution. But they are not meant to molest or harass and extort from anyone, he said. The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Kogi chapter, says it has extended to December 31, the two-week ultimatum it gave to the state government to meet its demands or face strike. Godwin Tijani, state chairman of the chapter, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Lokoja that the extension of the date was due to the reassurances from the state government to meet the demand of members of the association before December 31. Congress resolved to extend the ultimatum to December 31, for the actualisation of those promises. However, with effect from January 1, 2018, NMA will be left with no option but to commence total withdrawal of services in all hospitals in Kogi. This is on the condition that the state government fails to properly address the demands on or before December 31, Mr. Tijani said. According to Mr. Tijani, the Commissioner for Health, Saka Haruna, had also assured NMA that government would address its demands. He said Mr. Haruna gave the assurance during the Emergency Congress Meeting, ECM, of the association on December 8 he attended with other top government officials. The Kogi NMA appreciates the Commissioner for Health, the Special Adviser on Health Matters and the Medical Elders for their role to ensuring industrial harmony in the health sector. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the chapter on November 24, gave the state government the ultimatum to redeem the promises it entered into with the association June 2017. The state chairman said the decision to extend the ultimatum also emanated from the communique from the State Executive Council, SEC, meeting of the association in Lokoja. He said the demands of the association include: failure of the state government to correct the salary underpayment of doctors in the Hospital Management Board (HMB). NMA also demanded that continuous implementation of new tax regime be commensurate with implementation of staff promotion and annual increment. Other demands are: the eight doctors cleared over three months ago should be paid their 11 to 12 months backlog salary arrears, implementation of adjusted Consolidated Medical Salary Sale and Skipping for its members and payment of four to five months backlog of salaries of doctors in public hospitals in the state. NMA also called for payment of salaries of the newly employed doctors who it said assumed duty August 2017. According to the association, its members did not understand the nitty-gritty of their duty schedule in the planned application of clocking system and the payment of their salaries. Mr. Tijani expressed concern that the condition of doctors working with the Kogi Government had further deteriorated. (NAN) The Zamfara State Deputy Governor, Ibrahim Wakkala, says he will sponsor the mass wedding of 100 prospective couples in the state. Mr. Wakkala made the announcement on Saturday in Gusau at the graduation ceremony of 200 women trained in various empowerment skills under his youths empowerment initiatives. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training was carried out by the Rigar Yanchi International, an NGO, in collaboration with the state council of Ulama sponsored by the deputy governor. He said under the programme, 100 males and 100 females would be selected across the 14 Local Government Areas of the state for the mass wedding. He added that the process had commenced with various stakeholders on how to select the beneficiaries. Our aim is to reduce number of widows and divorced women in the state. We noticed that many of them want to marry but they dont have financial support to do so, Wakkala said. According to him, no fewer than 1,000 women would be trained on various skills and empowered under the initiative. We are today graduating the first set of 200 women as the pilot scheme; we are going to continue with the remaining 800 women very soon. Women are among the vulnerable groups and they are also the major victims of various crises in the society. We have many women that need urgent support especially widows, divorcees, orphans and other categories of less-privileged in the society to enable them to become self-reliant, he said. Mr. Wakkala said apart from women empowerment scheme and mass wedding, he would also sponsor youths to be trained on modern farming techniques in the state. In his remark, the Emir of Gusau, Ibrahim Bello, commended the deputy governor for the initiative which he described as a welcome development and timely. The emir, represented by the Sallama of Gusau, Abdulkadir Usman, urged well-to-do individuals in the state to emulate the deputy governor to reduce poverty and unemployment in the society. Earlier, the Chairman of Rigar Yanchi International, Almustpha Khalifa, said the organisation was established to assist the less-privileged and vulnerable groups in society. We are calling on people of the state especially well-to-do individuals or organizations irrespective of political or religious inclination to partner with us to improve the living standard of our people, he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the beneficiaries were trained in various skills such as bed-sheets making, tailoring, baseline and perfume making, among others. NAN further reports that the beneficiaries were given money and materials as starter pack to enable them start their own businesses. (NAN) Ladan Baba, the Coordinator, National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, in Kano state says 500 corps members in the state were offered loan to establish their own business. Mr. Baba disclosed this on Sunday in Kano while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on the side-line of the graduation of 2017 Batch B Stream ll corps members Skills acquisition training. He said the loan was through the schemes Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development Programme, SAED. According to him, the 10-day training for the corps members, undergoing three weeks orientation in Karaye Local Government Area, was part of the federal governments efforts to make the youth self-reliant. The NYSC coordinator explained that after the training, the corps members would be provided with loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Bank of Industry, BoI, and Direct Credit Company Ltd. Recently, over 500 corps members were given loan to establish their own businesses and some are presently undergoing the process to obtain the loan, Mr. Baba said. Mr. Baba also said that more than 2,368 corps members posted to the state had participated in agro allied, food processing and preservation, culture and tourism and cosmetology training. Others, he said, were Information and Communication Technology, Construction, Environment, Horticulture and Landscaping, Power and Energy, Education, Film Photography and Automobile. The NYSC coordinator appealed to philanthropists, wealthy individuals and private organisations to construct skill acquisition centres at the orientation camp for the benefit of the state and the country in general. He said the construction of such centre would enable the scheme train corps members and also the residents in the state on different trades. Mr. Baba said the introduction of the skills acquisition programme during the three weeks orientation was to provide the youths with skills that could assist them to be self-reliant after graduation. The programme is also contributing so much toward reduction of unemployment among the youth and also to make them depend less on government jobs. Therefore, we are appealing to other wealthy individuals and private organisations to invest their wealth through the construction of the skills centre to benefit the youths in the state. Mr. Baba described the scheme as the best and major channel through which the youths could be empowered. Speaking to the NAN, one of the corps members who recently passed out, Thank-God John, from Benue, said he would remain in Kano, adding that he had established two photography shops in Kano. It is as a result of the NYSC skills acquisition programme that I was able to get my photography training after which I was given loan to commence the business. With this business, I dont think I am going back to my state except to visit my family and friends, I have employed other people who are working under me, Mr. John said. A female corps member from Ogun, Oshola Oluwatosin, who also benefited from the training, pledged to remain in Kano after her service to train people on make-up. (NAN) The Edo State Government in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has initiated a N500 million Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme, CACS, to de-risk investments in agriculture in the state. This was disclosed in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday by the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor of Edo State, Crusoe Osagie. The statement showed that the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has inaugurated a nine-member committee to oversee and serve as a monitoring team for the scheme as well as manage funds from the CBN to guarantee its judicious use by farmers across the three senatorial districts within the state. The committee is headed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Joe Okojie, at the Government House, in Benin City, Edo State. Mr. Obaseki said members of the committee were selected based on their expertise and accomplishments and not for political patronage. He also said the programme is aimed at providing credit for agricultural transactions in the state and that the scheme is critical to his administrations agricultural initiatives. The idea behind the scheme, the governor explained, is to support large scale commercial agriculture so that their growth would stimulate and scale up the activities of small scale farmers. Time, experience and technology are very important in agriculture. We need to engage the services of consultants and experts to work with the committee and use the advantage of the dry season to our benefit, he said. He noted, however, that the state government was not interested in agribusiness to start farms, but in de-risking the process and creating an environment for entrepreneurs to emerge and thrive. The obligations of the committee include: to oversee and ensure equitable distribution of fund; ensure proper monitoring and evaluation, guarantee integrity of each access to information; promote an efficient and inclusive participation of key stakeholders to ensure fund usage by beneficiaries are in line with the terms of the scheme; monitor the impact and constantly look for ways to improve the probability of reaching the expected result of the scheme. The chairman of the committee, Joe Okojie, pledged to deliver on the obligations and promised to be fair and objective in the management of the credit facility. Barely 48 hours after Buruji Kashamu was suspended for one month by his party, PDP, the Labour Party, LP, said it is ready to accommodate the controversial politician into its fold. The chairman of the LP, Abdulkareem Abdulsalam, extended the gesture to Mr. Kashamu at a press conference held on Sunday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. Mr. Abdulsalam while responding to questions from journalists said the gesture to accommodate Mr. Kashamu, wanted for drug related offences in the US, to Labour Party, was open if he signifies interest. Kashamu is free to come and join us. He is a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We shall accommodate him if he is willing to be part of us. Even if NUJ members show interest to join us, we shall accommodate you all, he declared. We have not met with him and we have not discussed anything, if he wants to come to our party as a patriotic Nigerian, a distinguished senator of the federal republic of Nigeria, hes most welcome, he said. Speaking further, he said the Labour Party has been rebranded ahead of the 2019 general elections, describing it as a saviour of the masses. The politician also spoke on his partys preparation for 2019. The leadership of Labour Party in Ogun state is setting the ball rolling for the commencement of congresses in wards, local government areas and state, Mr. Abdulsalam said. We are sure of repeating the glorious feat recorded in Ondo state when Governor Mimiko won governorship election in Ondo for two consecutive terms under the platform of Labour Party against all odds. We therefore strongly believe that Labour party is the party to beat in Ogun State in 2019 general election, he said. Labour Party is just like NLC, we are not discriminating, we are not segregating, we are not sectional; we are open to everyone. If the governor and the deputy want to come from Egba, in Labour party we welcome it. Anybody that wish to contest for a post, if hes acceptable to everyone, wins the primary election. Labour Party has no problem with them. We are not fanatics, we have no anointing candidates, he said. For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME. Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire. Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever. Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation. View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union. Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history. Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words. JERUSALEM, Dec. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Few Evangelical leaders in America have such a close connection to Jerusalem as Michael Evans. Evans established the Jerusalem Prayer Team that has brought together more than 30 million evangelicals to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Evans also founded the Friends of Zion Museum. It's a state of the art museum bringing together the latest technology to tell the history and heroes of Christian Zionists who played a key role in the founding of the modern state of Israel. Trump Embassy banner, Friends of Zion December 6th marked a special day for Evans. U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish state. We talked with Evans at the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference about what the day meant to him. While it's historic and prophetic, Evans says President Trump's decision is also strategic. Trump has been building along with Israel a strategic alliance with the Sunni nations of the Middle East like Saudi Arabia. The alliance stands as a bulwark against the growing expansion of Iran that seeks to dominate the Middle East. "Donald Trump did more to build the Sunni alliance in one week than all American Presidents did in their lifetimes, and the Crown Prince is now an ally of Israel and an ally of Donald Trump and helping. We need the Sunni alliance especially in light of Iran so it was absolutely genius on Trump's part," he said. Evans believes how Trump is implementing these policy changes both recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and yet preserves the alliance at the same time. Seventy years ago, President Harry Truman against the advice of his own State Department and many of his advisors recognized the nascent state of Israel. President Trump seems to be taking a page from Truman and Evans compares him to King Cyrus in the Bible who helped Israel in ancient times. Evans also says we're in the middle of prophecy. "I will see President Trump Monday. I will be in the White House on Monday and the first word I'm going to send to him, 'Cyrus, you're Cyrus. Because you've done something historic and prophetic,' and he promised us he would do it," Evans said. "He (Cyrus) saved the Jewish people. He was used as an instrument of God for deliverance in the Bible and God has used this imperfect vessel, this flawed human being like you or I, this imperfect vessel and he's using him in an incredible, amazing way to fulfill his plans and purposes. We are so happy. We couldn't be happier and as somebody who has wanted and prayed and hoped for this for more than forty years, I see us in the middle of prophecy right now," he said. "This is the beginning of wonderful things. Finally we have a leader with moral clarity who will do the right thing and the righteous thing. And by the way, he's told us over and over only two forces put me in the Presidency, God and the Evangelicals and I'll never forget that," he continued. Evans has put a 40 foot banner on his Friends of Zion museum in Jerusalem to support the President. He believes Trump's decision will bless America since Genesis 12:2 promises that God will bless those who bless the Jewish people. He also says it's vital to be praying for the peace of Jerusalem. Friends of Zion Museum, 20 Yosef Rivlin Street, Jerusalem. A reservation is recommended for museum visits: website: www.fozmuseum.com, email: [email protected], or phone: +972-2-532-9400. SOURCE Friends of Zion Museum Related Links http://www.fozmuseum.com WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Press Club will hold a press conference Monday, Dec. 11 at 1:00 p.m. regarding the recent detainment of Mexican journalist Emilio Gutierrez by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. The press conference will take place in the club's First Amendment Lounge. Just two months after appearing at the National Press Club to accept the John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award on behalf of Mexico's besieged journalists, Gutierrez on Thursday found himself on the verge of deportation and, later, removed to a detention facility in the remote west Texas town of Sierra Blanca. Eduardo Beckett, an attorney representing Gutierrez, said immigration officials in El Paso handcuffed the reporter when he arrived for a scheduled appointment and refused to wait for a response from the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals. The BIA's phone call granting the stay, 10 minutes later, prevented the deportation. Afterwards, however, Beckett was unable to see his client. He said ICE informed him that Gutierrez would be detained in a facility 90 miles from his attorney's El Paso office. "I believe it's retaliation," Beckett told the National Press Club. Officials at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement have told the club they are "researching" the case. Gutierrez has been living in the United States since 2008, when he and his son fled after reporting he did about alleged abuses of civilians by the Mexican military resulted in threats to his life. He is seeking asylum and has appealed a July decision by immigration Judge Robert Hough denying his request. International freedom of the press and freedom of speech organizations, including Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, have concluded that Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. Earlier this week, the United Nations issued a report decrying a "crisis" of safety for the press in Mexico. Nearly two dozen journalism and immigration rights organizations have signed a National Press Club letter supporting Gutierrez's asylum request. The National Press Club is one of the world's leading journalism organizations; through its non-profit Journalism Institute, it supports the First Amendment in the United States and freedom of the press worldwide. Press Contacts: Lindsay Underwood, National Press Club, [email protected], (202) 662-7561 SOURCE National Press Club Related Links http://www.press.org TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A new article published today in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that 42 percent of diffuse large B cell lymphoma patients treated with axicabtagene ciloleucel, offered commercially under the brand name Yescarta, remain in remission 15 months following therapy. The new long-term results of the ZUMA-1 clinical trial reported measurable responses in 82 percent of patients and complete responses in 54 percent of patients. The findings are also being presented Monday, Dec. 11, at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in Atlanta. "This is the first FDA-approved gene therapy to treat adult lymphoma. Yescarta consists of the patients' own T cells that have been reprogrammed, and then reinfused to detect and destroy lymphoma," said Frederick Locke, M.D., co-first author of the article and vice chair of the Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy at Moffitt Cancer Center. "Many patients' lymphoma tumors melted away within a month. The long-term follow-up results of the ZUMA-1 trial show that axicabtagene ciloleucel remissions can last many months for those patients that did not respond to chemotherapy." Moffitt co-led the national, multi-center ZUMA-1 trial, serving as the first cancer center to treat patients in the investigational setting. Patients enrolled in the study, 108 in total, were diagnosed with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma and had failed two lines of chemotherapy. Moffitt is also the first hospital to deliver commercial infusion, which took place Nov. 27 at the hospital's main campus in Tampa, with additional patients enrolled and in the process of treatment today. CAR T is a personalized therapy using a patient's own immune cells, or T cells, to fight cancer. For this treatment, a patient's T cells are removed and engineered with additional receptors to help identify, attack and ultimately destroy the cancer cells. The re-engineered T cells are then infused back into the patient's body in a single treatment, enabling the body's immune system to better combat the disease. Most complete responses occurred within the first month of treatment, but some were reported up to one year following therapy. Ongoing durable remissions have been observed in patients two years following treatment. The study was funded by Kite, a Gilead company, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Therapy Acceleration Program. Locke serves as a scientific advisor for Kite. Media Availability: Dr. Locke is available for interviews during the ASH Annual Meeting; please contact Kim Polacek, 813-504-9706//[email protected] About Moffitt Cancer Center Moffitt is dedicated to one lifesaving mission: to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. The Tampa-based facility is one of only 49 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt's excellence in research, clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Moffitt is listed as one of the top 10 cancer hospitals in the nation and has been listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of the "Best Hospitals" for cancer care since 1999. Moffitt devotes more than 2 million square feet to research and patient care. Moffitt's expert nursing staff is recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center with Magnet status, its highest distinction. With more than 5,600 team members, Moffitt has an economic impact in the state of $2.1 billion. For more information, call 1-888-MOFFITT (1-888-663-3488), visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the momentum on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. SOURCE Moffitt Cancer Center Related Links https://www.moffitt.org EAST HANOVER, N.J., Dec. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Novartis today announced updated results from the JULIET clinical trial demonstrating sustained responses with Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) suspension for intravenous infusion, formerly CTL019, in adult patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The data from this pivotal trial, led by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), show an overall response rate (ORR) of 53% (95% confidence interval [CI], 42% - 64%; p<0.0001), with 40% achieving a complete response (CR) and 14% achieving a partial response (PR) among 81 infused patients with three or more months of follow-up or earlier discontinuation. At six months from infusion, the ORR was 37% with a CR rate of 30%. The median duration of response was not reached. Results from this study of Kymriah, the first-ever FDA-approved chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy, were included in the US and EU regulatory filings for Kymriah in r/r DLBCL and will be presented in an oral presentation at the 59th American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting (Abstract #577; Monday, December 11, 7:00 AM EST)1. Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8234951-novartis-kymriah-juliet-ash-data/ "At the time of trial enrollment, these patients with DLBCL had been through multiple rounds of chemotherapy and many had unsuccessful stem cell transplants, leaving them with few options and a poor prognosis," said the study's principal investigator Stephen J. Schuster, MD, the Robert and Margarita Louis-Dreyfus Professor in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Lymphoma Clinical Care and Research in the University of Pennsylvania's (Penn) Perelman School of Medicine and director of the Lymphoma Program at the Abramson Cancer Center. "With tisagenlecleucel, we have been able to significantly increase their chance of achieving and maintaining a sustained response without stem cell transplant, demonstrating the therapy's benefit in the treatment of this lethal blood cancer." At month three, the CR rate was 32% and the PR rate was 6%, which remained consistent to month six (30% CR, 7% PR). Response rates were also consistent among prognostic subgroups, including patients who received prior autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) and those with a subtype of DLBCL known as double-hit lymphoma, who historically have poor outcomes. No patients in response following treatment with Kymriah proceeded to stem cell transplant1. In the JULIET study, the relapse-free probability at six months after first response was 74% (95% CI, 52%-87%), and median duration of response was not reached. Median overall survival was also not reached (95% CI: 6.5 months to NE [not estimable]), and the median time from infusion to data cutoff was 5.6 months1. "While immediate response to treatment is a marker for efficacy, patients and physicians need treatment options that provide sustained responses over time with a consistent safety profile," said Samit Hirawat, MD, Head, Novartis Oncology Global Drug Development. "We look forward to continuing to work with health authorities to bring Kymriah to patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL." In the JULIET study, cytokine release syndrome (CRS) occurred in 58% of all treated patients, with 23% of patients experiencing grade 3/4 CRS (15% grade 3; 8% grade 4) using the Penn Grading Scale, a rigorous scale for grading CRS. CRS is a known complication of CAR-T therapy that may occur when the engineered cells become activated in the patient's body. CRS was managed globally using prior site education on implementation of the CRS treatment algorithm1. Twenty one percent of patients experienced any grade neurologic events, and 12% of patients had grade 3/4 neurologic adverse events, which were managed with supportive care. Grade 3/4 cytopenias lasting more than 28 days, grade 3/4 infections and grade 3/4 febrile neutropenia occurred in 27%, 20% and 13% of patients, respectively. Three patients died from disease progression within 30 days of infusion. There were no deaths attributed to Kymriah, CRS or neurological events. No cerebral edema events were reported1. In the JULIET trial, 26 patients (26%) were infused in the outpatient setting; of those, 20 patients (77%) remained outpatient for three or more days after infusion. Forty-three patients discontinued before infusion and the majority did so due to rapid progression of their disease or deterioration in their clinical status. This reflects the acute and progressive nature of relapsed or refractory DLBCL. Only 9 of 147 (6.1%) enrolled patients could not be infused due to inability to manufacture an adequate dose of CAR-T cells. Over the course of JULIET, with continuous process improvements, manufacturing success rate improved to 97% for the last 30 patients. JULIET is the first multi-center global registration study for Kymriah in adult patients with r/r DLBCL and the second global CAR-T cell therapy trial, following the Novartis ELIANA study of Kymriah in children and young adults with r/r B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). JULIET was conducted in collaboration with Penn and enrolled patients from 27 sites in 10 countries across the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan. In 2012, Novartis and Penn entered into a global collaboration to further research, develop and commercialize CAR-T cell therapies, including Kymriah, for the investigational treatment of cancers. The results from JULIET build upon a pilot study of Kymriah in r/r DLBCL and follicular lymphoma published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine, which was led by and conducted at Penn and supported by Novartis and grants from the National Institutes of Health, as well as through philanthropic support. Among patients with r/r DLBCL, the study demonstrated an ORR and safety profile similar to results seen in JULIET. The study demonstrated sustained remissions at a follow up of 28.6 months among patients who responded at six months2. In April 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to Kymriah based on data from the JULIET study. In October 2017, Novartis submitted an application to the FDA for Kymriah in adult patients with r/r DLBCL who are ineligible for or relapse after ASCT, followed shortly by an application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in November for Kymriah for the treatment of adult patients with r/r DLBCL who are ineligible for ASCT, and for children and young adults with r/r B-cell ALL. Additional filings beyond the US and EU are anticipated in 2018. Economic and Societal Value of Kymriah in ALL Presented at ASH Results of a cost-effectiveness analysis of Kymriah for the treatment of r/r B-cell ALL in the US will be presented in an oral presentation at the meeting (Abstract #609; Monday, December 11, 7:30 AM EST). The analysis showed that, based on the current US list price of $475,000, Kymriah is cost-effective compared to standard of care. The analysis compared the life years and quality-adjusted life years gained with Kymriah compared to clofarabine monotherapy, clofarabine combination therapy, blinatumomab, other salvage chemotherapies and allogeneic stem cell transplant. Quality-adjusted life years is a measure of value of health outcomes based on disease burden, including both the quality and quantity of life lived3. In addition, results of another analysis to determine the potential societal value of Kymriah to patients with r/r ALL in the United Kingdom were presented in a poster presentation at the meeting (Abstract #1330; Saturday, December 9, 5:30 PM EST). To quantify the societal value of Kymriah, the analysis looked at the economic value of the incremental quality adjusted life years gained along with the patient's expected productivity using nationally representative data on employment rates and earnings. Results show that therapies such as Kymriah have the potential to provide benefit to patients and society, particularly through gains in survival, contributing to productivity4. About Kymriah In August 2017, Kymriah became the first available chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy when it received FDA approval for children and young adults with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that is refractory or has relapsed at least twice. Kymriah is a novel immunocellular therapy and a one-time treatment that uses a patient's own T cells to fight cancer. Kymriah uses the 4-1BB costimulatory domain in its chimeric antigen receptor to enhance cellular expansion and persistence. About Kymriah Manufacturing Kymriah will be manufactured for each individual patient using their own cells at the Novartis Morris Plains, New Jersey facility. Novartis has successfully demonstrated a 22-day turnaround time for manufacturing Kymriah in the commercial setting, and this will continue to be the target. The reliable and integrated manufacturing and supply chain platform for Kymriah allows for an individualized treatment approach on a global scale. The process includes cryopreservation of a patient's harvested (or leukapheresed) cells, giving treating physicians and centers the flexibility to initiate therapy with Kymriah based on the individual patient's condition. Building on the company's experience, having manufactured CAR-T cells for over 250 patients from 11 countries across various indications in clinical trials, it has demonstrated a high-quality and reproducible product. Novartis continues to advance its CAR-T manufacturing expertise and make investments to support the anticipated demand to meet the needs of patients. About DLBCL DLBCL is the most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system, with an estimated 27,650 new cases diagnosed in 20165,6. Ten to 15% of DLBCL patients fail to respond to initial therapy or relapse within three months of treatment, and an additional 20% to 25% relapse after initial response to therapy5. Nearly 40% of patients with DLBCL will die of relapsed or refractory disease7. Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) Important Safety information (for pediatric and young adult patients with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia) The full prescribing information, including Boxed WARNING, for Kymriah can be found at: https://www.pharma.us.novartis.com/sites/www.pharma.us.novartis.com/files/kymriah.pdf Kymriah may cause side effects that are severe or life-threatening, such as Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) or Neurological Toxicities. Patients with CRS may experience symptoms including high fever, difficulty breathing, chills/shaking chills, severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, severe muscle or joint pain, very low blood pressure, or dizziness/lightheadedness. Patients may be admitted to the hospital for CRS and treated with other medications. Patients with neurological toxicities may experience symptoms such as altered or decreased consciousness, headaches, delirium, confusion, agitation, anxiety, seizures, difficulty speaking and understanding, or loss of balance. Patients should be advised to call their health care provider or get emergency help right away if they experience any of these signs and symptoms of CRS or neurological toxicities. Because of the risk of CRS and neurological toxicities, Kymriah is only available through a restricted program under a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) in the US called Kymriah REMS. Serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, may occur after Kymriah infusion. Kymriah can increase the risk of life-threatening infections that may lead to death. Patients should be advised to tell their health care provider right away if they develop fever, chills, or any signs or symptoms of an infection. Patients may experience prolonged low blood cell counts (cytopenia), where one or more types of blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets) are decreased. The patient's health care provider will do blood tests to check all of their blood cell counts after treatment with Kymriah. Patients should be advised to tell their health care provider right away if they get a fever, are feeling tired, or have bruising or bleeding. Patients may experience hypogammaglobulinemia, a condition in which the level of immunoglobulins (antibodies) in the blood is low and the risk of infection is increased. It is expected that patients may develop hypogammaglobulinemia with Kymriah, and may need to receive immunoglobulin replacement for an indefinite amount of time following treatment with Kymriah. Patients should tell their health care provider about their treatment with Kymriah before receiving a live virus vaccine. After treatment with Kymriah, patients will be monitored life-long by their health care provider, as they may develop secondary cancers or recurrence of their leukemia. Patients should not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities for 8 weeks after receiving Kymriah because the treatment can cause temporary memory and coordination problems, including sleepiness, confusion, weakness, dizziness, and seizures. Some of the most common side effects of Kymriah are difficulty breathing, fever (100.4F/38C or higher), chills/shaking chills, confusion, severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, severe muscle or joint pain, very low blood pressure, and dizziness/lightheadedness. However, these are not all of the possible side effects of Kymriah. Patients should talk to their health care provider for medical advice about side effects. Prior to a female patient starting treatment with Kymriah, their health care provider may do a pregnancy test. There is no information available for Kymriah use in pregnant or breast-feeding women. Therefore, Kymriah is not recommended for women who are pregnant or breast feeding. If either sex partner has received Kymriah, patients should talk to their health care provider about birth control and pregnancy. Patients should tell their health care provider about all the medicines they take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. After receiving Kymriah, patients should be advised that some commercial HIV tests may cause a false positive test result. Patients should also be advised not to donate blood, organs, or tissues and cells for transplantation after receiving Kymriah. Disclaimer This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for Kymriah, regarding our ability to scale and sustain commercial manufacturing for Kymriah, regarding our ability to build and sustain a network of treatment centers to offer Kymriah, or regarding potential future revenues from Kymriah. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that Kymriah will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Neither can there be any guarantee that Novartis will successfully scale and sustain commercial manufacturing for Kymriah, or successfully build and sustain a network of treatment centers to offer Kymriah. Nor can there be any guarantee that Kymriah will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding Kymriah could be affected by, among other things, our ability to successfully scale and sustain commercial manufacturing and build and sustain a network of treatment centers; the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures; general economic and industry conditions, including the effects of the persistently weak economic and financial environment in many countries; safety, quality or manufacturing issues, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Novartis Located in East Hanover, NJ Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation is an affiliate of Novartis which provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2016, the Group achieved net sales of USD 48.5 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 121,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com. Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis and @NovartisCancer at http://twitter.com/novartiscancer For Novartis multimedia content, please visit www.novartis.com/news/media-library For questions about the site or required registration, please contact [email protected] References Schuster S., et al. Primary Analysis of Juliet: A Global, Pivotal, Phase 2 Trial of CTL019 in Adult Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma. 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition. Abstract #577. Schuster S., et al. CAR-T cells (CTL019) in Refractory B-cell Lymphomas. N Engl J Med. December 10, 2017. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1708566. [Epub ahead of print]. Hao Y., et al. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of CTL019 for the Treatment of Pediatric and Young Adult Patients with Relapsed or Refractory B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in the United States . 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition. Abstract #609. Snider J., et al. The Economic Value of CTL019 Therapy for Pediatric Patients with Relapsed and Refractory Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in the United Kingdom . 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition. Abstract #1330. American Society of Clinical Oncology. Lymphoma - Non-Hodgkin: Subtypes ( Dec. 2016 revision). http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/lymphoma-non-hodgkin/subtypes. Accessed December 2017 . Teras LR., DeSantis CE., Cerhan JR., et al. 2016 US Lymphoid Malignancy Statistics by World Health Organization Subtypes. CA CANCER J CLIN. September 2016 ;66(6):443-459. Vaidya R., Witzig T.E. Prognostic factors for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the R(X)CHOP era. Ann of Onc. March 2014 ; Volume 25(11):2124-33. Novartis Media Relations Central media line: +41 61 324 2200 E-mail: [email protected] Eric Althoff Novartis Global Media Relations 1-212-830-2408 (office) 1-646-438-4335 (mobile) [email protected] Fiona Phillips Novartis Oncology Communications +1 862-778-7705 (direct) +1 862-217-9396 (mobile) [email protected] SOURCE Novartis Australia's top weekend auction sale was on the waterfront at Birchgrove on Sydney Harbour. The grand 1900s residence (above and below), Clevedon fetched $7,225,000 when the four bedroom Wharf Road offering with art nouveau finishes, was auctioned through Belle Property. There were four registered bidders. It sits on a 692sqm parcel taking in views including Balls Head and the Harbour Bridge. There was a self-contained boatshed along with a mooring for a 30ft vessel, with an application lodged to increase permission to 50ft. It last sold in 1997 at $2.025 million. Melbourne's Malvern was next priciest as $6.6 million was paid for 6 Moorakyne Avenue (bottom) at its Jellis Craig auction. It was an English-style family residence, renovated by Nicholas Day over a decade ago. It had sold at $3.6 million in 2006. The nation's cheapest result was when $187,500 secured a three bedroom townhouse at Mount Warren Park, near Brisbane's Logan. It was a mortgagee offering which had sold at $251,000 in 2009. CoreLogic auction analyst Kevin Brogan noted that Geelong, Victoria's second largest city, posted the strongest clearance rate for any market, of 83 percent. Geelong's sales included a two bedroom apartment at $1.17 million overlooking Eastern Beach. Capital city auction volumes remained high with 3,353 homes taken to auction over the week. There was an overall preliminary clearance rate of 63.1 per cent, but it's likely to be lower after final results. The final clearance rate for the prior week was 60.3 percent across the capitals, the lowest this year, ands the lowest reading since late 2015. Melbourne's clearance rates have been tracking below 70 per cent across for five consecutive week, as volumes across the city have been consistently higher. The weekend volumes in Melbourne reached their second highest level this year at 1,837 offerings. Melbourne's weekend results included the history-making yachtsman Jesse Martin whose Dandenong Ranges family home sold post-auction. Martin, who became the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo in 1999, expected $1.2 million to $1.32 million for the Emerald home. But the modern main residence that incorporates the sites original two bedroom 1800s cottage on the 4024 square metre property fetched $1.15 million, the Herald Sun noted. One year ago there were 1,685 Melbourne auctions held, with a notably higher clearance rate (78.4 per cent). The Inner region of Melbourne had the highest number of auctions this week (304), with a preliminary clearance rate of 67.3 per cent. The strongest Melbourne clearance rate was recorded across the North West region, where 74.4 per cent of the 182 auctions held sold. Sydneys clearance rates, which have tracked around the mid-high 50 per cent range over seven consecutive weeks, came in at 58.7 per cent across a total of 990 auctions held, increasing on last weeks final clearance rate of 56.2 per cent when 1,143 auctions were held. Over the same week last year, 1,163 auctions were held across Sydney and a clearance rate of 73.7 per cent was recorded. Domain put the prior week's revised result at 52 percent. Across the smaller markets, Canberra recorded the highest preliminary clearance rate this week, while Brisbane returned the lowest again. In Canberra, 106 auctions were held this week, and of the 84 reported results, 66.7 per cent were successful. Last week, only 102 auctions were held and the clearance rate was a higher 71.6 per cent. This time last year, results were similar with 118 auctions held and a clearance rate of 60.8 per cent. Canberra prices ranged up to $1.6 million at Campbell. There were 183 Brisbane homes taken to auction, with 131 results reported so far. The preliminary clearance rate for the city is 46.6 per cent, up from 42.8 per cent last week and higher than one year ago, when 43.5 per cent of the 206 properties taken to auction were successful. Brisbane sales included a $3.355 million newly built Queenslander in Ascot. The block had sold at $1.3 million in 2014 before its construction. The now demolished cottage featured in the Dwayne The Rock Johnson movie, San Andreas, The Courier Mail noted. A total of 163 Adelaide homes were taken to auction this week, returning a preliminary clearance rate of 65 per cent across 120 results, up from 59.1 per cent last week when 144 auctions were held across the city. Adelaide cheapest price was $349,000 at Highbury, with views back to the city It had traded at $300,000 in 2007. It was marketed as an opportunity to renovate the split level home or develop the 614 sqm land. Perths clearance rate of 46.7 per cent across 62 auctions was up from the previous weekend, when 50 auctions were held and a clearance rate of 32.6 per cent was recorded. Over the same weekend last December, the clearance rate was 20 per cent from 76 auctions. 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. 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. Iraqs armed forces have held a military parade in the capital, Baghdad, to mark the victory announced by Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi over the extremist group Islamic State (IS) following a three-year campaign. Abadi and senior commanders of the security forces attended the December 10 parade in central Baghdad, with helicopters and fighter jets flying overhead. The prime minister announced on December 9 that Iraq was "completely liberated" from the IS group and that Iraqi troops were now in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border. The Iraqi government, backed by a U.S.-led international coalition, launched a campaign against the IS group after the extremists seized about one-third of the country in the summer of 2014. Iraqi forces last month recaptured the last town controlled by IS militants near the Syrian border and continued operations to clear areas of Iraq's western deserts in the ensuing weeks. The U.S. State Department on December 9 welcomed the end of the "vile occupation" of Iraq by IS militants while warning that the group continues to present a threat. On December 7, the Russian military declared it had accomplished its mission of defeating IS in neighboring Syria, where Moscow has been backing Syrian government forces. Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa On this week's Majlis podcast, we look at Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrovs remarks about an agreement on the legal status of the Caspian Sea finally being close after more than 20 years of talks. Lavrov was short on details, so we explored what sort of changes and accommodations might be behind such a breakthrough, if indeed there has been a breakthrough. Muhammad Tahir, RFE/RL's media relations manager, moderated the discussion. This week, due to some unexpected difficulties, we had only one guest, but what a guest! Joining us from Washington, D.C., is the former U.S. ambassador to Kazakhstan, William Courtney, who is now an adjunct senior fellow at the RAND Corporation. His comments about the possibility of China inadvertently playing a role in Caspian politics are well worth hearing. Ive read a thing or two about the Caspian Sea situation over the years, so I had a few things to say, too. Listen to the podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis on iTunes. Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny says he will not recognize Russias upcoming presidential election if election officials continue to refuse to register him as a presidential candidate. Speaking in the city of Kaliningrad on December 10, Navalny called on his supporters to back his nomination as a candidate. He also said he would not call on his supporters to vote for any other candidate. Navalny, a foe of President Vladimir Putin, is campaigning for the March 18 vote despite repeated statements from the Central Election Committee that he cannot run because of a conviction in a financial-crimes case he says was politically motivated. Putin announced on December 6 that he will seek a new six-year term in the vote. He is widely expected to win reelection. Based on reporting by TASS, Interfax, AP, Reuters, and AFP WASHINGTON -- An American stockbroker who made a fortune in the Russian market in the 1990s and 2000s and later co-founded a posh Moscow nightclub before leaving the country died of blunt force injuries suffered as a result of a fall from a Washington, D.C. building. The findings, released on November 16 by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), confirm that Dan Rapoport died on August 14 after falling from a height, but do not conclusively explain the circumstances leading up to his death. Washington police told RFE/RL that an investigation into his death had ended and declined further comment. Earlier this year, a police spokeswoman told RFE/RL that foul play was not suspected, but that final conclusions were pending the autopsy. Rapoport's untimely death triggered much speculation because he had voiced support for ardent Kremlin foe Aleksei Navalny before leaving Russia and, while living in Kyiv in recent years, had been a vocal supporter of Ukraine and an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Washington metropolitan police found Rapoport's body on August 14 on the sidewalk outside 2400 M Street, a nine-story apartment building in the northwest part of the city. The medical examiner's report said Rapoport, 52, died of multiple blunt force injuries due to fall from height and described the death as sudden/unexplained. The report also said the manner of his death was undetermined. The OCME said no other information would be immediately released. A preliminary police report said officers responded to a report of a jumper on the evening of August 14, and the man, later identified as Rapoport, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead. The apartment building has an open rooftop with a pool, running track, and seating area for residents. The police report said officers found $2,620 in cash on Rapoport when they discovered his body on the sidewalk, along with headphones, a cracked cell phone, a Florida drivers license, and other items. He was wearing flip-flops, perhaps indicating he had been at the pool on the roof prior to falling. Brianna Burch, a police spokesperson, told RFE/RL in August that there did not appear to be anyone with Rapoport at the time and there were no listed witnesses. In follow-up correspondences with RFE/RL through early November, the police continued to say they did not suspect foul play. Rapoport had recently moved back to Washington after spending several years working in finance in Ukraine. He told RFE/RL in an interview in Washington in June that business had been tough due to the countrys high political risk and war with Russia. While some friends said they did not believe he would have committed suicide, others said he had appeared depressed. Go-To Location A native of Latvia and a fluent Russian speaker, Rapoport emigrated with his family to the United States in 1980. After graduating from a U.S. university, he moved to Russia in the early 1990s as a wave of privatizations swept across the country. The sale of former state-owned companies created a booming stock market, minting a new generation of millionaires, Russian and foreign. Rapoport was respected within Russian financial circles, where he worked for more than a decade at a local brokerage called CenterInvest, making his way up to managing partner. He claimed his clients included some of the nation's wealthiest tycoons. In 2007, he opened a swanky nightclub in downtown Moscow called Soho Rooms, which became the go-to location for Moscows elite. In 2012, he left Russia and returned to the United States, saying the stock brokerage industry that had made him a fortune "had died" as commission fees shrunk with improvements in technology. But in a media interview prior to his departure, he also criticized the direction Russia had taken under Putin and expressed support for Navalny, who was jailed last year on what Western governments say were trumped-up charges. It has really become unbearable to live in Russia, Rapoport told media outlet FinParty in June of that year. We are all now dependent on one ruler. If this person decides that you will give birth to his child, then you will give birth, and if he decide to put you in prison, then you will serve time. He told FinParty that he would give up his American citizenship and return to Russia if Navalny became president, saying the opposition leader was sincere in his desire to fight corruption. He is a real hero of our time and deserves respect, Rapoport said of Navalny. Rapoports frustration with Russia and his decision to leave may have been triggered by pressure on his businesses, friends and family have said. Under Putin, the raiding of profitable businesses by -- or with the help of -- the nations security services has flourished. Rapoport allegedly lost his stake in Soho Rooms when his partners teamed up with security officials. "Our flight to Washington is in 12 hours. It's sad to leave Russia, but for thoughtful people, living here has become unbearable and disgusting," Rapoport wrote on his Facebook page on June 13, 2012. When Rapoport moved to Washington, where he said his parents lived, he set up a company called Rapoport Capital to advise and assist technology startups as well as venture capital funds on fundraising options. In 2016, four years after leaving Russia, Rapoport set up an office in Kyiv and opened a private equity fund. It was tough going. Ukraines economy struggled amid an ongoing war with Russia-backed separatists in two eastern regions and the slow implementation of Western-backed reforms. In social-media posts over the ensuing years, he was a vocal supporter of Ukraine and an outspoken critic of Putin. Rapoport gained a degree of publicity in January 2017 after The New York Times reported that the daughter and son-in-law of newly elected President Donald Trump had purchased a mansion owned by him and his first wife. The mansion was located in an exclusive neighborhood of the U.S. capital. In 2018, the open-source investigative organization Bellingcat reported that Rapoport, who was Jewish, had been the creator of a fictional persona named David Jewberg, who was frequently quoted in Ukrainian media as a senior Pentagon analyst. With reporting by Todd Prince in Washington, D.C. and Mike Eckel in Prague Russia has hit back against charges by the United States that Moscow is violating terms of an important Cold War arms treaty. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on December 9 issued a statement saying, "The accusations are absolutely unfounded." The statement came a day after the United States said it was taking military and economic measures against Moscow in response to the increasingly tense dispute over a Russian missile that Washington says violates the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). The remarks by the State Department signaled a more deliberate approach by President Donald Trump's administration to the dispute over the 30-year-old treaty. 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. 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. The U.S. statement of December 8 did not specify what measures would be taken, but it said it would pursue diplomatic, economic, and military steps to push Moscow back into compliance. Ryabkovs statement said there was no proof that Moscow had violated the treaty by developing the new missile system. He said the missile in question has a much shorter range than the United States has alleged. "The attempts to frighten us like that is just ridiculous," said Ryabkov, who added that economic or military pressure would not have an impact on Moscow. U.S. and Russian technical experts and officials are scheduled to meet next week as part of the Special Verification Commission process related to the INF Treaty. Past meetings have been seen as accomplishing little. Ryabkov said the new U.S. allegations could derail the SVC talks. With reporting by RFE/RLs Mike Eckel, dpa, and TASS New associates Megan Nauman and Kalie Schwartzenberger have joined Community Medical Center as speech-language pathologists specializing in pediatric therapy as well as fluency. Nauman received her masters degree in speech-language pathology at the University of Northern Colorado. Schwartzenberger received her undergraduate and masters degree in speech-language pathology at the University of Montana. Certification Katie Stevens with Stevens & Co. has received the Certified General Appraiser License with the State of Montana. Sevens graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor degree in history and a bachelor degree in sociology from the University of Providence. After her university education, she joined the Peace Corps and spent her time in Azerbaijan working on youth and community development. She has worked with Stevens & Co. for many years and is currently working to obtain the MAI designation with the Appraisal Institute. Stevens & Co. is an independent full-service appraisal firm, located in Missoula, that has served the Pacific Northwest since 1978. Kirsten Cherubini and Kelly Robinson of Main Street Pilates have completed a year long teacher intensive under Second Generation Pilates Master Instructor Chris Robinson. This 60 hour continuing education program focused on the classical work of Joseph Pilates and was held at S6 Fitness in San Diego, California. Systems Technology Consultants completed the MSPAlliances MSP/Cloud Verify Program (MSPCV) certification process, an industry-standard certification program for cloud computing and managed services providers. The MSPCV is a standard for cybersecurity, cloud, and managed service providers in the IT world. Systems Technology Consultants is the first IT firm in Montana to achieve this certification. Systems Technology Consultants is a subsidiary of Morrison-Maierle, with four locations in Helena, Billings, Missoula and Bozeman. Systems has been providing Montana businesses customized IT support, consulting, cyber security, computer backup and recovery solutions since 1982. Recognition Randy J. Cox was elected to be a member of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. The American Academy of Appellate Lawyers was founded in 1990 to recognize outstanding appellate lawyers and promote the improvement of appellate advocacy and the administration of the appellate courts. Academy membership is open only to a person who possesses a reputation of recognized distinction as an appellate lawyer. To be eligible for membership, a nominees practice must have focused substantially on appeals during at least the last 15 years. Academy membership is limited to 500 members in the United States. Caron Lavoie was Top Producer for the month of November at RE/MAX All Stars in Missoula. Lavoie has been a full time licensed Broker for 20 years and specializes in farm and ranch along with residential real estate. She can be reached at 406-880-8855. Members of a Russian nationalist group have disrupted the screening in Moscow of a film about the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine. The movie Bullet's Flight by director Beata Bubenets was due to be screened at the documentary film festival Artdocfest in the Oktyabr movie theater on December 10. But reports said several individuals sprayed an acrid liquid in the hall, prompting an evacuation. The leader of the South East Radical Block (SERB) movement, Igor Beketov, told the Interfax news agency that he was among three members of the group detained by police over the incident. Law enforcement authorities have not commented. Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 10,000 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014. With reporting by Interfax KYIV -- Lawyers and supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili say his team has had no word on when a hearing will be held for the jailed Ukrainian opposition leader, less than 24 hours before an apparent deadline for the court to decide on pretrial restrictions. The remarks late on December 10 came after some 2,500 demonstrators in the center of the Ukrainian capital protested to demand the release of Saakashvili and to call for the impeachment or resignation of President Petro Poroshenko. Saakashvili ally David Sakvarelidze said late on December 10 that "the term for Saakashvili's detention expires at 10 p.m. in Ukraine on December 11. So far, we have received no official information about the court session, Sakvarelidze wrote on his Facebook page. WATCH: Activists gather outside detention center where Saakashvili is being held They seem to be plotting a surprise. The announcement could come some three hours before the hearing is about to begin, he added. Saakashvili denies all charges. Earlier, demonstrators marched through central Kyiv toward Independence Square -- the site of the monthslong 2013-14 protests that ousted former President Viktor Yanukovych. Saakashvili, the former governor of Ukraine's Odesa region, was detained by Ukrainian authorities on December 8 on charges of abetting an alleged "criminal group" led by Yanukovych, who fled to Russia after his ouster. Saakashvili's wife, Sandra Roelofs, said at the rally that "the authorities have crossed a red line -- you don't put opponents in prison." Roelofs said demonstrators need to show the Ukrainian president that politics is not business and people are not merchandise, a reference to the business background of Poroshenko, who ran a chocolate business before he was elected. Meanwhile, Yehor Sobolev, an ally of Saakashvilis who was removed on December 7 as chairman of a parliamentary anticorruption committee by Poroshenkos faction and its allies, called for Poroshenkos dismissal. "Impeachment is a way to move from kleptocracy to democracy," Sobolev told the rally. Ukrainian officials have suggested that Saakashvilis protests are part of a Russian plot against Ukraine. Saakashvili, who is also the former president of Georgia, became governor of Ukraine's Odesa region in 2015 but quit a year later and is now a vocal opponent of Poroshenko. Saakashvilis lawyer and supporters said on December 9 that the opposition leader had declared a hunger strike to protest his arrest. 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 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 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. If you completed the Missoula Public Librarys 2017 year-long reading challenge known as the READMore! Challenge, be sure to bring your completed reading journal or log to the reference desk between Friday, Dec. 15, and Saturday, Dec. 30, for staff verification. A prize will be awarded to all successful participants in early 2018. That said, the year-long reading challenge that you know and love is getting a new name and a fresh new list of reading categories. The Missoula Reads challenge begins with registration on Wednesday, Jan. 3, and the first 150 participants will receive a free reading journal. The library's annual writing contest also has a new name. Now known as Missoula Writes, our 10th annual writing contest kicks off Wednesday, Jan. 3, with a new look and invites writers of all ages to participate. Writers can compete for cash prizes in the categories of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. The submission deadline for the writing contest is Friday, Feb. 16. Cheap Date Night Engage your oculars with a recent feature film on a big screen when the library hosts Decembers installment of Cheap Date Night, which features a movie screening on Friday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m. in the Large Meeting Room. This months film is about Peter Parker, who tries to balance his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens with his superhero alter-ego Spider-Man and must confront a new menace prowling the skies of New York City. Call 406-721-BOOK (2665) to find out the title of this film. Wednesday Afternoon Matinee Come in from the cold and cozy up with a newly released movie when the library hosts its Wednesday Afternoon Matinee series on Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 2 p.m. in the Large Meeting Room. This weeks film is an epic science fiction story that takes place three decades after the Empire's defeat, when a new threat arises in the militant First Order. Stormtrooper defector Finn and spare parts scavenger Rey are caught up in the Resistance's search for a missing Luke Skywalker. Call 406-721-BOOK (2665) to find out the title of the film. Staff Reviews Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris (Ace Books, New York 2014) Call Number: HARRIS You may be familiar with Charlaine Harris from her Sookie Stackhouse novels, which HBO made into the popular television series True Blood. Midnight Crossroad is the first entry in a new series by the author. The story begins in the tiny town of Midnight, Texas. Manfred Bernardo has just moved into what he hopes will be a quiet place where no one will ask him too many questions. Little does he know that there is much more to this sleepy village than meets the eye. When a grisly discovery turns the town upside down, Bernardo learns that he is not the only one in Midnight who has something to hide. Harris has since come out with two follow-up books: Day Shift (2015) and Night Shift (2016). NBC is currently airing a television series called Midnight, Texas based on these novels. Try this if youre looking for a fun, quick read with appealing characters and a mystery to solve. Reviewed by Laura Cote Special MakerSpace Offerings: Carvey Demonstration Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 6:30 p.m. Learn how you can make simple ornaments, signs, and other cool things during this workshop that features a demonstration of Carvey a desktop carving machine the MakerSpace recently purchased. Space is limited to 6 participants per workshop. Register online at: http://tinyurl.com/mplcarveydemo. Weekly MakerSpace Offerings: Computer Electronics Monday from 3 to 7 p.m. and Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. Do you have an interest in the Arduino platform? Come in and try out this and other electronics platforms during the drop-in program Computer Electronics. Open Hours Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday from noon to 5 p.m., Friday from 1 to 6 p.m., Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. Open Hours allows visitors to explore the resources of the MakerSpace, or to work on a project of their choice. Community Creative Writing Workshop Tuesdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Open, drop-in environment focusing on the creative writing workshop process. Computer Classes Beginning World Monday, Dec. 11, from 6 to 7 p.m. This class is an introduction to word processing, including how to create a document, manipulate the text and font, and use templates. Craigslist Wednesday, Dec. 13, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Learn how to use this popular classified ad website and search for listings related to jobs, housing, items for sale, and discussion forums. The class will also cover how to post your own ads. Registration is required to attend MPLs computer classes. Please call 721-BOOK (2665) to register. This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Six people recently returned from an eight-month long isolation experiment to test human endurance for long-term space missions. Their "journey to Mars" involved being isolated below the summit of the world's largest active volcano in Hawaii (Mauna Loa), and was designed to better understand the psychological impacts of manned missions. NASA, which aims to send expeditions to Mars by the 2030s, is hoping that the results could help them pick crew members for a future mission to Mars. And it's not just NASA that has an eye on Mars. Maverick millionaire Elon Musk (opens in new tab) and aerospace firm Lockheed Martin have heralded separate missions and stations for the red planet between 2022 and 2028. Indeed, scientific discovery is making a Martian Eldorado a feasible dream at breathtaking speed. Last month, China claimed to have developed a "physics-defying EmDrive," which would allow humans to journey to Mars in weeks. With or without this engine, it seems humans are on the inevitable trajectory to colonise Mars. It is therefore becoming as important to ask what laws will govern humans on Mars as it is to ask whether we could survive on the planet's surface. Unexpectedly, this may be something that isolation experiments could help with. Settled law on space stations Space law has always supported the position that objects and stations placed on celestial bodies are to remain under national ownership, jurisdiction and control. Private companies or other entrepreneurs cannot therefore have legitimacy or mine these bodies for resources unless they exercise lawful control through a sovereign state. Current rules say the establishment of a space station and the area required for its operation should be notified to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. These would then be under the exclusive jurisdiction of the state where the spacecraft is registered or the state bringing the component parts of the station. The participants of the HI-SEAS mission. (Image credit: HI-SEAS/NASA) In many ways, this makes sense it is difficult to see how a permanent station on Mars may be maintained without some form of tenure of the ground. The same goes for tenure over areas around the station sufficient for its maintenance (such as creating fuel from nearby resources). In fact, the closest practical analogies to a future Mars station in current jurisdictional terms would be the Antarctic stations maintained by Antarctic claimant states. But there are areas where the law may need to be updated. With increased interest in multiple, permanent space stations on Mars and potentially dozens of objects in its orbit, the possibility of debris that could kill or damage Martian property also increases. What laws should govern this? It is in fact only a matter of time before damage to a space station caused by debris will lead to legal and political conflict? Property rights and crime It is also likely there will be questions regarding what states and corporations may be permitted to do on Martian colonies. Space manufacturing of drugs and other materials that may require absolutely sterile atmosphere could be carried out in space stations. Discoveries may under current laws be patented and commercialised. But the main question will be that of legitimacy of mining operations. Although the use of resources for the conduct of scientific exploration and for the sustenance of a Martian mission is permitted under contemporary space law, creating property rights over space-based resources is not. That means the mining of resources for the purpose of commercial repatriation to Earth is forbidden until appropriate changes are made to space treaties. However, the likelihood is that the law may end up being ignored as shown by recent attempts to introduce appropriation of natural resources in space by the US and Luxembourg. Both countries have enacted domestic legislation essentially granting a blank cheque to private companies to embark on a winner-takes-all gold rush on celestial bodies. When it comes to civil and criminal jurisdiction, there are tested examples such as Intergovernmental Agreements of 1988 and 1999 which regulate the Columbus Space Station Project and the ISS. Partners to these agreements developed a code of conduct for space station crews in free space. The rules specified many things including the power to punish crimes, registration of space objects, safety of nationals and repatriation/scheduled return of offenders to Earth. Criminal jurisdiction will continue to have to be strict and hierarchical. It is increasingly common that there are astronauts of different nationalities on board a spacecraft or space station, and they are often subordinate to the disciplinary authority of one commander. The commander in all likelihood will have been appointed by the state of registry of the spacecraft or space station. The authority of this person is typically absolute and unquestionable. In many ways, a space station's commander inherits powers from older bodies of law such as that of a ship's captain. The connecting thread in all these traditions is the obvious need to ensure the safety and survival of crew and passengers and eventually "space colonists." Hopefully, recent isolation experiments could reveal a preference for a more democratic and less hierarchical regime for modern space stations. American space tourist Dennis Tito (right) with Russian cosmonauts. (Image credit: NASA) This is not least because if collaborating countries all have their own commander, there could be conflict. A good indication would be how Russia and the US dealt with the transportation of Dennis Tito, an American millionaire, into orbit on Space Station Alpha as the first commercial space tourist. To win NASA's approval, the passenger, who ironically won the privilege to travel there on a Russian rocket, had to promise not to wander through American segments of the station without an escort. He also agreed to pay for anything he broke. Perhaps very cruelly, Russian cosmonauts were also curiously banned from using American astronauts' toilets on the ISS in 2008. Ultimately, there's the possibility that colonists won't be happy being governed by Earth law. What should happen to them would they be neo-colonialists or simply "alien" in legal terms? Would they or should they form or evolve their own juridical systems while in long-duration flight? Should parliaments on Earth deal with Martian earthlings' issues on an arms-length basis? These are all questions that need to be answered. Luckily, psychological studies like NASA's will be very useful because the confined and stressful environments "astronauts" face may challenge current legal frameworks. The soup of legal issues that will emerge in future Martian space stations will be a curious thing indeed and things will certainly get sucher and sucher. Gbenga Oduntan, Reader (Associate Professor) in International Commercial Law, University of Kent This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates and become part of the discussion on Facebook, Twitter and Google +. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Space.com. B ritain's human rights watchdog is to launch its own review of the Grenfell Tower fire, amid misgivings about the scope of a forthcoming public inquiry. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it intended to interview survivors of the disaster to assess whether authorities failed in their human rights obligations. Whether the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), which owned the west London block, fell short in its duty to protect life, prevent inhuman treatment and provide safe housing will likely be a key focus of the work. Seventy-one people died when a fire tore through the building on June 14, its spread thought to have been aided by flammable material installed during a recent refurbishment. EHRC chairman David Isaac suggested in an interview with the Observer that he was concerned the judge-led probe ordered by the Government "currently overlooked" human rights. Sir Martin Moore-Bick, the retired Court of Appeal judge leading the process, was criticised for omitting issues such as social housing policy from his terms of reference. Grenfell: The human rights commission is to launch its own inquiry The EHRC was rejected in its application to be a core participant in the inquiry, but is expected to conclude its work by April 2018 and publish a summary of its findings complete with recommendations. This could mean its investigation will surface ahead of Sir Martin's interim report, which officials are concerned might not be ready by the spring, as was initially hoped. But Mr Isaac denied that the watchdog's work was intended to be adversarial. He said: "It's to be complementary to it. We will be calling on experts, particularly legal experts, looking at the international human rights obligations, asking for submissions from a whole variety of stakeholders. "It's not a parallel inquiry. It's to look at what we think is important and what's missing from the official inquiry, which is the human rights and equalities perspective." The move is still likely to reignite debate about the troubled inquiry, which has been beset by criticism since its launch in June. Most recently, a petition demanding the probe be overhauled was issued by families of around 50 victims and Grenfell United, the body set up to represent survivors. It called on Theresa May to install a panel from a diverse range of backgrounds to sit alongside Sir Martin and was publicly backed by pop superstar Adele. Mr Isaac continued: "We are the UK's national human rights body and we have a statutory duty to promote equality and human rights "We think the human rights dimension to Grenfell Tower is absolutely fundamental and is currently overlooked. "Grenfell for most people in this country, particularly in the way the Government has reacted, is a pretty defining moment in terms of how inequality is perceived." A panel of experts will determine whether the rights afforded to Grenfell residents under the Human Rights Act and international legislation was contravened. Full details of the commission's work on the issue will be published on Monday. Launched in October 2007, the EHRC, an independent statutory body sponsored by the Department for Education, monitors compliance with laws on human rights and equality. Additional reporting from the Press Association. O ne of the capitals most historic markets has banned the sale of fur from January next year. Old Spitalfields Market, in east London, has asked traders not to sell fur products from the start of 2018. A statement, posted on the market's Facebook page, read: Following a review carried out by the Market, we have taken the decision to request stall holders do not offer animal fur for sale from the beginning of next year. It added that the exact details and wording of the ban were still under review. The announcement has been hailed a victory for animal rights campaigners who called for fur to be banned at London Fashion Week in September. Old Spitalfields Market rings in Christmas 2017 Director of Corporate Projects at animal rights group PETA Yvonne Taylor said: The British public is saying no to fur and Old Spitalfields Market has listened. Today's consumers want cruelty-free fashion and PETA urges those markets still peddling real fur of any era to follow in Old Spitalfields Market's footsteps so that they, too, can become shopping destinations fit for Britain in 2018. The ban comes following an announcement by Gucci to go fur-free in Spring next year. Demonstrators chanted "Shame on Canada Goose" in protest over the sale of coyote fur / Rob Berry Yoox Net-a-Porter, the internet fashion giant behind Net-a-Porter, Mr Porter, the Outnet and Yoox.com, announced it was going fur-free in June. Last month, animal rights campaigners took to Regent Street in protest over the opening of US clothing store Canada Goose. Crowds marched on the UKs flagship store in protest of the sale of coats made from coyote fur, which animal rights group PETA claim are caught in the wild in steel traps. PETA alleges the coyotes are then shot or bludgeoned to death. The group also claims the geese, whose feathers are used in the companys jackets, are mistreated. A spokeswoman for Canada Goose told the Standard: "PETA and other animal activists are grossly misinformed about our animal welfare practices. "Canada Goose remains deeply committed to the responsible use and ethical sourcing of all animal materials in our products. The Standard have contacted Old Spitalfields Market for further comment. B oris Johnson and the President of Iran have "agreed on the need to make progress in all areas" following over an hour of talks. The British foreign secretary met with Hassan Rouhani on Sunday, where the Foreign Office says they "spoke forthrightly...on a full range of regional and bilateral issues, including...the consular cases of dual nationals." An FCO spokesman said: "After meeting Dr [Ali Akbar] Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Association, the Foreign Secretary concluded his visit to Iran with a meeting with President Rouhani. "In both meetings the Foreign Secretary discussed the full range of regional and bilateral issues, including banking matters and our concerns about the consular cases of dual nationals. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif shakes the hand of Boris Johnson / AP "We leave with a sense that both sides want to keep up the momentum to resolve the difficult issues in the bilateral relationship and preserve the nuclear deal." Mr Johnson also held "frank" discussions in Tehran on Saturday with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, which was described as a "constructive" meeting. The invitation to see Mr Rouhani was seen as a positive development given the often testy state of relations between the two countries. It came as it remained unclear whether Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe would be taken back to court on Sunday following threats to increase her sentence by five years after Mr Johnson incorrectly told a parliamentary committee that she had been in Iran to train journalists. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard Ratcliffe and their daughter Gabriella Mother-of-one Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is serving a five-year sentence over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government. Mr Johnson has been seeking her release during a two-day visit to Iran. 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 The imprisoned woman's husband, Richard Ratcliffe, expressed concern at the prospect of his wife going to court again. He told the Press Association: "I am obviously watching closely with hope, fingers crossed." Mr Ratcliffe said he hoped the Foreign Secretary's visit would do some good. "Hopefully, he will be persuasive and charming, and build a good relationship. It is definitely good that he is there, but let's wait and see what happens." 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. 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. Mr Johnson's trip to Tehran is only the third by a UK foreign secretary since 2003. Additional reporting by Press Association T heresa May is set to face demands from leading Cabinet Brexiteers to secure a "bespoke" trade deal with the EU. Foreign secretary Boris Johnson and environment secretary Michael Gove both voiced strong support for Mrs May's last-minute breakthrough in talks on Friday. But reports say the same figures of the Leave campaign are planning to demand a deal which allows Britain to abandon existing EU regulations. Mr Gove is reportedly pushing for the UK to leave the common fisheries policy and take control of its sovereign waters. Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker prior to the announcement of the Brexit deal / AP Insiders claim both Mr Gove and Mr Johnson are clashing with Cabinets ministers who want to remain more closely aligned with the bloc. The rumours come amid speculation over heightened Cabinet tensions. The Daily Mail reported on Sunday that the Prime Minister had to "separate" chancellor Philip Hammond and defence secretary Gavin Williamson in an alleged bust-up over military spending cuts. The environment secretary has said "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed" / EPA The Prime Minister already faces the prospect of a defeat in the House of Commons, as a group of cross-party MPs is set to demand a "meaningful" vote in the House on any final Brexit deal. The Pound jumped to a six-month high on Friday as the European Commission formally recommended that sufficient progress has been made for negotiations to begin on the crucial issues of future UK-EU relations. After a night of negotiations, the deal confirmed all sides want to avoid a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and guaranteed the rights of EU citizens in the UK and vice versa. It was quickly noted, however, that the deal does not make clear how this is to be achieved. Mr Duncan Smith said the deal was "not perfect" / Yui Mok/PA Wire Mr Gove led Brexiteers hailing the breakthrough in the EU divorce talks but other prominent MPs voiced continuing concerns over Britain giving in to demands from Brussels. Likewise, Mr Johnson praised Theresa May, but he stressed that the future trade deal being sought by the UK must remain true to last years referendum result. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said: Although this agreement is not perfect it does give us grounds to move forward on to trade negotiations. Most importantly Mrs May has made clear we are leaving and we are leaving the customs union and the single market. Keir Starmer said the Government must avoid "another year of chaos" / PA For Labour, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said the development was encouraging, but added: We cannot have another year of chaos and confusion or the farcical scenes we saw earlier on in the week that put jobs and the economy at risk. Negotiations are set to move onto Phase II, focusing on the details of trade between the UK and the EU, imminently. A Missoula restaurant is sponsoring a fundraiser on Monday to help a sheriffs deputy in need of a kidney transplant. According to an online GoFundMe page where his family also is accepting donations, Det. Lt. Robert Kennedy who has been with the Missoula County Sheriffs Office for 16 years was diagnosed with a kidney disease as a child. He was recently told by doctors that his kidney function had decreased dramatically and the only option left was a transplant. The Thomas Meagher Bar, on Pine Street in downtown Missoula, is holding a benefit night for Kennedy on Monday, Dec. 11. From 6 p.m. to close, 20 percent of all sales will be donated to Kennedy to help him with the medical expenses related to his treatment and surgery. Mondays event also will include a silent auction and raffles, and the Missoula County Sheriffs Office will be selling custom-made T-shirts to help raise money for Kennedy. The family asks that anyone who is willing to donate a kidney to Kennedy should contact them through the GoFundMe page for information on how to determine if they are a match. Missoula Federal Credit Union also has an account, called the Robert Kennedy Benefit Fund, to accept donations for the deputy. T he husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe says he is hopeful she will be home by Christmas after Boris Johnson visited Iran. Richard Ratcliffe said the Foreign Secretary has made every effort during his two-day trip, and that there are "positive consequences from that". Mr Johnson held top-level talks in Tehran with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani and foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as he seeks Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release. The 37-year-old, from Hampstead, has been held since April 2016 after being accused of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government, which she denies. With the postponement of a new court case against his wife, which came as a result of Mr Johnson's trip, Mr Ratcliffe said the weekend has been positive, but there is a risk of him over reading it all. Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson meets with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani / REUTERS He said: "We were fearing a bad day and we haven't had that, which makes it a good day. I guess we will see what the next few days mean. "But it feels like a really good sign, almost like we have a momentum - we have had a couple of things that have been positive over the weekend." Alongside his wife not appearing in court, she has also seen a psychiatrist and the propaganda pedalled against her through Iranian media has subsided, Mr Ratcliffe said. He added: "It is all movement, it doesn't change the fundamentals but it makes the change in the fundamentals more likely." Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe explainer Having always been keen to have his wife home for Christmas and for her birthday which follows soon after, he said he is optimistic that this is still achievable. "But as Christmas gets closer it gets harder to expect," he added. "I wasn't presuming that she would come back on the plane with him. "So I think for me, it was always best case scenario that his going would unlock the door and then days later she might be able to come home. "That is still possible, she has still got that application for early release, she has still got a medical assessment - all those things that were hanging there on the good side are still there. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard Ratcliffe and their daughter Gabriella "The bad stuff that was hanging there seems a bit more remote, the good stuff feels like it is more and more likely to go ahead. "Of course the bad stuff is still possible, and the good stuff is still not guaranteed, but the balance has shifted." Asked what he would say to those who may suggest Mr Johnson has failed in not bringing Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe on the plane with him, Mr Ratcliffe said it was "always going to be tricky". "But it looks to me like he is making every effort that he can - and it looks like there have been positive consequences from that," he added. Boris Johnson with Richard Ratcliffe last month (Stefan Rousseau/PA ) / Stefan Rousseau/PA Mr Ratcliffe said that until December 24 comes he is "certainly hopeful" of his wife coming home, and added: "This weekend has given me more cause for hope, not less. "Let's us hope the days to come are equally as good, and if they are, then yes she will be home for Christmas - but of course they might not be. "So I do need to reserve some energy in case I need to go again." He said if there is still no positive news by December 22, that is when he will begin to wonder if there is something wrong. "But there is still two full working weeks of diplomacy, which can do all sorts of things," Mr Ratcliffe said, as he revealed he is looking forward to being debriefed by the Foreign Office. "It looks positive and hopefully it is, but all the details he can share will help me interpret the tea leaves of what is going on," he added. Additional reporting by Press Association U S allies have rounded on Donald Trump, saying his recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital risks plunging the Middle East into violence and chaos. In a statement from 22 countries, including close US allies, said Mr Trump had withdrawn the country as a sponsor and broker of any possible Israeli-Palestinian peace process through its decision. The move, made by the US president this week, ended US neutrality on one of the region's most sensitive issues. The Arab League resolution was agreed in the early hours of Sunday, after hours of talks in Cairo. It was backed by several US allies, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Donald Trump delivered a statement on Jerusalem from the White House on Wednesday / AFP/Getty Images It comes after an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, where the US found itself isolated with the other 14 members all condemning Mr Trump's declaration. But US ambassador Nikki Haley accused the UN of bias, saying it "has outrageously been one of the world's foremost centres of hostility towards Israel", adding that the US was still committed to finding peace. Protests erupted across the Middle East after Mr Trump made the historic and highly controversial move on Wednesday. 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. Donald Trump: It's time to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital 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. 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. A host of cross-party politicians and Lords this week also condemned the presidents provocative announcement. Indonesian Muslim activists hold pro-Palestinian placards during a protest against US President Donald J. Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel / EPA The group of 90 signed a letter to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson expressing their concern over Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. They called on Britain to pave the way for a two state solution to the conflict after the Presidents historic announcement sparked protests in Gaza and around the world. Labour's Richard Burden, chairman of the Britain-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group who organised the letter, said: "Jerusalem is a holy city for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, and there has long been consensus amongst the international community that the city's status can only be settled fairly through negotiations. Boris Johnson: Trump's Jerusalem intervention is 'not helpful' "President Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem is provocative, it undermines the ability of the US to credibly broker talks between Israel and Palestine and it will only fan the flames of conflict at a time when international efforts should be focused on reducing tension, upholding the rule of law and promoting peace. "We are calling for the UK to show leadership in the pursuit and facilitation of a just and sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine with Jerusalem as a shared capital of both states. "The UK must demonstrate in deeds as well as words that respect for international law and a commitment to equal rights for both Palestinians and Israelis must be cornerstones of a new UK pro-activity and leadership to achieve peace. "We believe it is in the best interests of pursuing peace, for the UK to now recognise the State of Palestine." V iolent clashes have erupted at the US Embassy in Lebanon as protestors took to the streets to criticise Donald Trump's recent interventions in the Middle East. Activists attacked the US President's recent decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his plans to move Israel's US Embassy there. Security forces fired tear gas and water cannon to force back flag-waving protesters close to the embassy complex north of the capital, Beirut. Overnight the Arab League condemned the US decision. It said the US could no longer be relied on as a broker of peace in the Middle East. Lebanese security forces use a water hose to disperse protestors during a demonstration outside the US embassy / AFP/Getty Images The protest was just one of a number throughout the world, including demonstrations in Israel, Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey, Italy and Sweden. Turkish president Recep Erdogan reportedly referred to Israel as a "terrorist state" that "kills children" in an address in the central city of Sivas. Meanwhile a 24-year-old Palestinian man has been arrested after stabbing an Israeli police officer in Jerusalem. The victim is said to be in a "serious condition". Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, where he is meeting French president Emmanuel Macron. Israel 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 few days to four. J ennie McAlpine has become the latest star to leave the Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here jungle in this years penultimate episode. Georgia Toffolo, Jamie Lomas and Iain Lee will now all compete to become Jungle King or Queen in Sundays live final. It was so much harder than I thought. Everything you prepare for is not what you even need to prepare for, she said. Earlier in the episode, the four remaining celebrities teamed up to do Celebrity Cyclone, the joint Bushtucker Trial. Bushtucker Trial- Vanessa and Jennie Sing for Stars - I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 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, said Dec. 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. I'm a Celebrity .. Get Me Out of Here! 2017 - In pictures 1 /89 I'm a Celebrity .. Get Me Out of Here! 2017 - In pictures ITV Rex Rex Features Rex Rex Features Rex Rex Features ITV/REX REX ITV Challenge: Stanley Johnson and Iain Lee take on Aerial View ITV/ Rex Rex Features 'Cruel': Jennie McAlpine holds a witchetty grub in her mouth James Gourley/ITV/Rex Controversial: Vanessa White takes part in Car Cruel Karaoke James Gourley/ITV/Rex Campers wave goodbye to Shappi Khorsandi. ITV Shappi Khorsandi becomes the first celebrity to leave the jungle. Rex Features ITV/ Rex Iain Lee speaking in the bush Telegraph ITV/Rex Tearful: Iain Lee can't take part ITV/ Rex Shappi Khorsandi is the first star evicted from the jungle. Rex Features ITV/ Rex ITV Rex Rex Features Rex Features Rex Features ITV/REX/Shutterstock Amir Khan ad Vanessa White in the Live Bushtucker Trial: Ant vs Dec ITV/Rex Amir Khan speaking in the bush Telegraph ITV/Rex Stanley Johnson ITV/Rex Jamie Lomas, Rebekah Vardy, Vanessa White, Amir Khan, Iain Lee, Dennis Wise and Jennie McAlpine after the Temple of Gloom Bushtucker Trial ITV/Rex Iain Lee and Amir Kha after the Temple of Gloom Bushtucker Trial ITV/Rex Kezia Dugdale ITV Kezia Dugdale and Iain Lee ITV Bushtucker Trial: The Battle For 10 Downing Creek - (top row) Amir Khan, Jamie Lomas, Dennis Wise, (middle) Shappi Khorsandi, Rebekah Vardy, Vanessa White, (front) Jennie McAlpine, Georgia Toffolo and Stanley Johnson in 'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!' ITV/Rex Rebekah Vardy during her Bushtucker Trial: Worst Dates ITV/Rex Rebekah Vardy and Georgia Toffolo during their Bushtucker Trial: Worst Dates ITV/Rex Rebekah Vardy and Georgia Toffolo during their Bushtucker Trial: Worst Dates ITV/Rex Rebekah Vardy during her Bushtucker Trial: Worst Dates ITV Rebekah Vardy and Georgia Toffolo during their Bushtucker Trial: Worst Dates ITV/Rex Vanessa White takes a bath in Camp ITV/Rex Features Rebekah Vardy ITV/Rex Features Rebekah Vardy at Camp in 'I'm a Celebrity .. get me out of here!' ITV Amir Khan in the Bushtucker Trial: Flushed Out ITV/Rex Amir Khan in the Bushtucker Trial: Flushed Out ITV/Rex Jack Maynard ponders whilst in his hammock at Camp ITV Jennie McAlpine, Rebekah Vardy and Vanessa White in the pool ITV/Rex Features Amir Khan in the Bushtucker Trial: Critter-Cal Rex Features Geiorgia Toffolo in the Bushtucker Trial: Critter-Cal ITV Kezia Dugdale arrives ITV/Rex Iain Lee arrives ITV/Rex Jamie Lomas, Amir Khan and Jack Maynard ITV/Rex The girls are awarded the meal tickets ITV/Rex Jamie Lomas ITV/Rex Georgia Toffolo hits the shower ITV/Rex Features Amir Khan during Camp dinner ITV/Rex The camp mates settle into their new home ITV/Rex Walk the Plank: Jamie Lomas, Vanessa White, Jack Maynard, Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly ITV/Rex Walk the Plank: Jack Maynard and Georgia Toffolo ITV/Rex Ant and Dec explain the rules ITV/Rex The Focus Tower ITV/Rex Rebekah Vardy and Stanley Johnson get up close to some creepy crawlies ITV/Rex Jack Maynard in the Bush Telegraph ITV/Rex Feeling the cold: Stanley Johnson in the jungle shower ITV/Rex Jamie Lomas, Georgia Toffolo, Rebekah Vardy, Vanessa White and Stanley Johnson ITV/Rex Dennis Wise, Shappi Khorsandi, Amir Khan, Jennie McAlpine and Jack Maynard ITV/Rex While Georgia Toffolo and Jennie McAlpine struggled to stay upright, they ended up winning all four stars and four meals. All campmates were then given an emotional surprise when their loved ones entered the jungle to join them. Albert slept on the plane all the way here, everything is fine, hes made friends round the pool and is having a ball, McAlpines husband told her. Iain fought back tears as he was reunited with his sister, who he hasnt see for two-and-a-half years. 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, he said. A lexandra Burke was left overwhelmed after the judges awarded her 40 points for her Salsa on Strictly Come Dancing. The former X Factor winner, 29, received a standing ovation from the panel after finding herself in the dance-off two weeks in a row with partner Gorka Marquez. Craig Revel Horwood deemed it absolutely fab-u-lous, while Shirley Ballas said: It was party time all the way. Darcey Bussell pledged to wear Bruno Toniolis swimwear if Burke didnt reach the final. She said: If youre not in that final Im going to get into [Toniolis] Speedos! Top scorers: Alexandra Burke and Gorka Marquez / BBC / Guy Levy Viewers were delighted with the score, with many joking Christmas had come early. One tweeted: Seriously hope Alexandra wins to prove that unnecessary hate is uncalled for. She is outstanding and gracious #strictly. Another posted: Chuffed for Alexandra and Gorka finally getting a deserved perfect 40. Burke topped the semi-final leader board after scoring 39 points for her Viennese Waltz. But hot on her heels is Holby City actor Joe McFadden who finished with a combined score of 70 for his American Smooth and Argentine Tango which was hailed as perfect by Bussell. Romantic: Mollie King and AJ Pritchard / BBC / Guy Levy Debbie McGee also finished on 70, but faced criticism from the judges, including Revel Horwood who compared her facial expressions to former contestant Judge Rinder. Gemma Atkinson finished with 62 points for her Rumba and Tango while Mollie King came close to tears as she finished bottom with 56 points after failing to impress with her Samba. Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC One, Sunday at 7:15pm. T ess Daly did nothing to dispel rumours of a romance between Mollie King and AJ Pritchard on Strictly Come Dancing, days after it was reported they were seen 'kissing' backstage. The BBC ballroom host, 48, referred to the rumours as the elephant in the room on Saturday nights show. Speaking ahead of the second round of routines, Daly mentioned King and Pritchards romantic waltz. Co-host Claudia Winkleman said: Now I think were all agreed its time to talk about the elephant in the room. Romantic: Mollie King and AJ Pritchard / BBC / Guy Levy Daly replied: What, you mean are Mollie and AJ a couple or not? The remarks didnt go unnoticed by viewers, with some scolding Daly for making comments. Strictly Come Dancing 2017 - In pictures 1 /18 Strictly Come Dancing 2017 - In pictures Mollie King and her dance partner AJ Pritchard Guy Levy/PA Chizzy Akudolu and her dance partner Pasha Kovalev Guy Levy/PA Aston Merrygold and his dance partner Janette Manrara Guy Levy/PA Gemma Atkinson and her dance partner Aljaz Skorjanec Guy Levy/PA Debbie McGee and her dance partner Giovanni Pernice Guy Levy/PA Joe McFadden and his dance partner Katya Jones Guy Levy/PA Alexandra Burke and her dance partner Gorka Marquez Guy Levy/PA Charlotte Hawkins and her dance partner Brendan Cole Guy Levy/PA Rev Richard Coles and his dance partner Dianne Buswell Guy Levy/PA Davood Ghadami and his dance partner Nadiya Bychkova Guy Levy/PA Susan Calman and her dance partner Kevin Clifton Guy Levy/PA Simon Rimmer and his dance partner Karen Clifton Guy Levy/PA Brian Conley and his dance partner Amy Dowden Guy Levy/PA Jonnie Peacock and his dance partner Oti Mabuse Guy Levy/PA One viewer tweeted: What the f*** was that Tess Daley? Talk about making it awkward for poor Mollie & AJ such s*** hosting! #Strictly. Another wrote: Why is Tess so insistent on pushing this Mollie and AJ rumour? So awkward #Strictly. King was heavily criticised for her first dance after taking on the Samba, which the judges ruled was out of time and awarded her 24 points. Craig Revel Horwood said: The rolls looked really awkward you were having difficulty going from one move to the next and you werent actually dancing on time to the music. That wasnt great darling, Im sorry. Bruno Tonioli added: Tonight you missed the flight to Brazil. He was in Rio and you were stuck at the airport. Her Waltz was later deemed much, much better with Revel Horwood declaring she had redeemed herself. The judges gave her 32 points, marking her highest score on the series so far. Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC One, Sunday at 7:15pm This page may have been moved, deleted, or is otherwise unavailable. To help you find what you are looking for: Enter Search Term(s): Still cant find what youre looking for? Send us a message using our contact us form. To report a broken link or other problems with the website, please include the URL. Thank you for visiting state.gov. In 2017 the U.S. Air Force asked for permission (a presidential executive order) to recall up to 2,000 retired pilots to active service for a year in order to train new pilots. By the end of the year the air force had decided not to use that new authority because many air force commanders agreed that this is a long-term problem and the air force has to make some fundamental changes in how it operates to fix the pilot retention problem. Especially the most crucial problem, retaining the minority of pilots who would carry out the most difficult combat operations in wartime. The air force has known for some time that this pilot shortage was the result of several technology changes that upset the traditional way of doing things. Air force leaders made some bad decisions and the core problem was the air force generals agreeing to make changes that other air forces (American, allied and even Chinese) have shown work. The air force has had a chronic pilot shortage for nearly a decade and has watched the pilot morale and willingness to stay in the air force continue to decline. In some respects the problem is simplified by the fact that only a small percentage of pilots are at the center of the crises. Although the air force has some 23,000 pilots only about fifteen percent fly combat missions and most of those are no longer combat in the traditional sense. This is part of the problem, but not all of it. It began with the switch to smart bombs in the early 1990s. The new (especially GPS guided) smart bombs began replacing dumb (unguided) and was largely complete a decade by 2001. Fighter pilots no longer were in much danger and their job largely consisted of flying above the range of enemy anti-aircraft weapons and releasing smart bombs and guided missiles when requested by air controllers on the ground. The new era of air combat was not only boring but actual air time was infrequent. Normally fighter pilots are in the air about 150 hours a year. It used to be 200 hours a year but budget cuts and more simulator use cut that. When overseas pilots fly more hours per month but for fighter pilots it is now pretty boring (unless you fly an A-10) and you still dont fly as often as an airline pilots who fly up to 1,000 hours a year. Moreover air force pilots with at least 1,500 flight hours (typical with the ones the air force is most eager to keep) have an edge in getting airline jobs because of a 2010 law that required 1,500 hours of flight experience to get the most lucrative airline flying jobs. Airline jobs were always an attractive alternative for military pilots and the 1,500 hour rule was one more reason to switch. In addition to better pay, more air time and stable work schedules the military pilots could still serve in a reserve unit if they wanted to continue with some military flying. The stable work schedules reduced the family stress caused by constant overseas deployments. These were usually for 90 days at a time but were not always predictable. What has the air force leaders worried the most is losing the qualitative edge that has had the USAF dominating the air since 1945. This could be seen in the fact that in the last half century only three U.S. Air Force pilots have become aces (five or more aircraft shot down). There may never be any more aces. In nearly a century of operations only 816 American air force fighter pilots have become aces. Most (87 percent) of those were in World War II. There were 39 aces in the Korean War and only three during the Vietnam War. Since the 1980s no fighter pilots have scored four or more victories. Since World War II, the U.S. Air Force, along with American naval aviation, has become the dominant air power on the planet. Moreover, the availability of nuclear weapons has restrained the major world powers from fighting each other directly. So the only wars are between second and third rate proxies, who face American fighter pilots. These smaller nations tend to see their air forces destroyed on the ground, or have too few aircraft in the air to allow American pilots to become aces. The biggest threat to American pilots is anti-aircraft fire, either bullets or missiles. But now China is building a high tech air force using pilots trained the Western way and getting more time in the air than their American counterparts. The USAF also needs competent and experienced pilots to help carry out and better comprehend even more new tech that the air force has to deal with. This change in thinking comes after trying many other solutions that failed. For example in 2013 the air force sought to address the pilot shortage offering large bonuses if pilots would stay in uniform. This did not work. The target for this effort was fighter pilots with ten years service and eligible to leave the air force soon. Even though there are fewer overseas assignments to Afghanistan and the Middle East in 2013, most of these pilots had expressed an interest in getting out, either to fly in the commercial sector or switch careers. Because of the heavy demand for experienced pilots in the combat zone since 2001 and the 2008 recession, many pilots stayed in. Thus the air force was able to cut back on training new pilots and many of the pilots used for training new ones were sent into action. But with the war on terror (at least the Afghan and Iraq portions) over and airline hiring way up, pilots with ten years in are looking for a change. By 2013 the situation was visible and by 2017 had become critical. The air force bonus program seemed to work on paper as it would be cost-effective to offer large bonuses ($225,000) to get these pilots to sign up for nine more years. Initial surveys indicated that about 60 percent of those eligible would take the bonus. The surveys were wrong because the growing political pressure to cut the defense budget, and the resulting cuts in flying hours, persuaded most eligible pilots to turn down the bonus offer and take the growing number of offers to become a commercial pilot. The basic problem here for the air force is that it costs over $5 million and at least five years to replace these veteran (ten years of service) pilots. The air force has found that paying up to $25,000 a year to persuade pilots to stay in is a good investment. Now the air force was faced with the prospect of either increasing the bonus (which might not work) or deal with a pilot shortage the much more expensive way via recruiting and training. There were other complaints, liked fighter pilot dissatisfaction with air force policy on who should fly UAVs. Since 2001 the air force recently has been consistently unable to train enough new operators. Part of the problem was stress, as it has been discovered that the intensity of watching the ground constantly was more stressful to pilots (operators who control the UAV and fire weapons) and sensor operators (who constantly scour the ground below) than for their counterparts who go into the air than anticipated. In 2015 the air force sought to deal with problem by asking Congress for more money to pay bonuses to attract more UAV operators and keep the overworked ones it had. Most of the $35,000 a year in bonus money was to be flight pay for air force pilots who volunteer or are persuaded to serve as UAV operators. This was the solution that did not work and many in Congress were reluctant to just throw money at the problem when the air force had an easier and cheaper solution for this; have enlisted (sergeants) airmen operate UAVs and allow them to make a career out of it. The air force used to do this during World War II when it was still part of the army. But that was changed before World War II was over and the air force refused to consider going back to what worked in the past, even though it works fine for the other services and some other countries. Congress, which was being asked to supply more money to persuade officer pilots to keeping doing work many dont really want, ordered its own investigation of the matter. This GAO (Government Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress) interviewed and surveyed a representative sample of UAV operators and found that current problems were real. UAV operators were overworked and the air force was unable to get as many as it needed. This meant that existing crews had to work longer hours (60 or more a week). This caused a lot of stress. UAV operators each spend about 1,200 hours a year controlling UAVs in the air, versus 450 hours for army helicopter pilots and even less for air force pilots in the combat zone. The problem is that UAV operators (all of them pilots of manned aircraft) get none of the enjoyable aspects of flying (operating a jet, especially a fighter) and a lot more of the drudgery (constantly monitoring instruments and what is going on below). Operators did report that the air force had addressed a lot of the earlier problems (poor training, loss of career opportunities, especially promotions). The main problem was that few UAV operators wanted to be UAV operators. And those few who did choose it as a career were just as worn down by the grind as everyone else. By 2013 UAV operators were nearly nine percent of all air force pilots, triple the percentage in 2008. By 2015 UAV activity had increased ten times over in one decade. The air force was and is unable to get enough manned aircraft pilots to volunteer to do a three year tour as a UAV operator and cannot train non-pilot officers fast enough to be career UAV operators. A lot of pilots are getting out of the air force in part because of the prospect of another three year tour with UAVs. At this point UAV operators leave the air force at three times the rate of pilots of manned aircraft. Worst of all, UAV operators are not shown the same respect as pilots who go into the air aboard their aircraft. All this would go away if the air force allowed NCOs (sergeants) to be operators of the larger UAVs but the air force leadership has remained hostile to that idea and continues to insist that all UAV operators be officers. Currently, only the army allows enlisted troops to handle larger UAVs. The U.S. Air Force has consistently and publicly rejected growing calls to even try this out. NCOs are eager for this kind of work and often are better at it than officers who are experienced pilots of manned aircraft. This is believed to be caused by the fact that operating a UAV is more like using a consumer-grade flight simulator game than flying an actual aircraft. The NCOs often have lots of experience with video games and get better the more they actually operate UAVs. This is especially true with the widely used (mainly by the U.S. Army) Raven. Another argument in favor of NCO pilots is the fact that most special operations troops (Special Forces, SEALs and pararescue) personnel are NCOs. These troops undergo much more strenuous selection and training than pilots and are quite satisfied with being an operator all the time without any mandatory detours in the name of being well rounded. The air force leadership is not swayed by this, for them there is something undefinably wrong about putting NCOs in the pilots seat. The air force brass shall not be swayed, even these NCO pilots never leave the ground. Commanders closer to the action believe NCOs could do the job and that would eliminate the shortages and morale problems with officers doing it. In large part this is because of expectations. NCOs know what they are getting into and consider operating UAVs as a step up and a rational career choice. A lot of these commanders have reached senior rank over the last decade and are able to explain to their peers how NCOs operating large UAVs works much better than coercing officer pilots to do it for a few years. The controversy over NCOs or officers being pilots began at the start of World War II, when the army air force (there was no separate air force yet) and navy both had enlisted pilots. These men were NCOs ("flying sergeants" or "flying chiefs" in the navy) selected for their flying potential and trained to be pilots. Not leaders of pilots but professional pilots of fighters, bombers, and whatnot. Officers trained as pilots would also fly but in addition they would provide the leadership for the sergeant pilots in the air and on the ground. This worked quite well and many countries continued using NCO pilots throughout the war. The officer only began in the United States during World War II as the Army Air Corps changed into the mighty AAF (Army Air Force, 2.4 million troops and 80,000 aircraft at its peak). Back then the capable and persuasive AAF commander (Hap Arnold) insisted that all pilots be officers. Actually, he wanted them all to be college graduates as well, until it was pointed out that the pool of college graduates was too small to provide the 200,000 pilots the AAF eventually trained. But Arnold forced the issue on officers being pilots and the navy had to go along to remain competitive in recruiting. When the air force split off from the army in 1947, the army went back to the original concept of "flying sergeants" by making most pilots "Warrant Officers" (a sort of super NCO rank for experienced troops who are expected to spend all their time on their specialty, not being diverted into command or staff duties). Many air force pilots envy the army "flying Warrants" because the Warrant Officers just fly. That's what most pilots want to do; fly a helicopter or aircraft, not a desk. But a commissioned officer must take many non-flying assignments in order to become a "well rounded officer." Many air force pilots don't want to be well rounded officers, they want to fly. So a lot of them quit the air force and go work for an airline. But often they stay in the air force reserve and fly warplanes on weekends and get paid for it. This is considered an excellent arrangement for the many pilots who take this route. But now the air force has this growing force of UAVs, which are operated by fighter and transport pilots ordered to perform UAV duty. These pilots were not happy about this even though the UAV pilots got flight pay and assurances they could go back to "real aircraft" after two or three years of UAV work this meant the air force had to constantly find and train new pilots for UAV duty. A fifteen week course was used to train air force pilots to operate UAVs. Since qualified pilots were taking this course the washout rate is only two percent. Some pilots are even volunteering to stay with the UAVs, even though the air force, for a long time, considered UAV controller work a "temporary assignment." Only recently did UAVs become a distinct "community" in the air force, with an official job description. That helped a bit, but most of the pilots of manned aircraft still avoid UAV duty and will consider that when deciding to leave the air force. Part of the problem is the fact that software is replacing a lot of pilot functions and, eventually, taking the place of human pilots. Many larger UAVs already have the ability to take off, follow a predetermined course, carry out a mission, and then land, all by itself (or "autonomously"). One can make a case for officers being in charge here but as commanders of the autonomous UAVs, not their operators. This is the ultimate solution and probably one reason why the air force keeps insisting that UAV pilots be officers. Flight control and pattern analysis software takes a lot of the work out of operating a UAV. The pattern analysis software can spot what is being looked for on the ground and is rapidly approaching the point where it does the job better than human observers. Thus the future is seen to be officers commanding several UAVs, each largely operated by software. Each officer would then be assisted by one or two NCOs to help deal with any situations requiring human intervention. The trouble is that sort of software is not here yet and not be for another five or ten years or longer because the pilots who dominate air force (and naval aviation) leadership are slow in accepting this software quickly. In the meantime the air force brass have to do something to retain the qualitative edge the air force has maintained since the 1940s. As the list of possible solutions grows shorter some uncomfortable changes will have to be made. Great Falls is facing a crisis that looms over the horizon, threatening the community, its property values, air quality and aquifer reserves. The Canadian-based company Friesen Foods is proposing the construction of the Madison Food Park, a multi-species slaughterhouse that will produce over 100,000 pounds of animal waste and millions of gallons of wastewater a day while using 3.5 million gallons of fresh water from the Madison Aquifer. Along with the waste produced, hundreds of trucks will clog the highways every week. The food park is designed to use green technology by capturing gases that are released in the multiple lagoons and converting them into energy for the building. Overflow from these lagoons will be sprayed on local fields close by. People unfortunate enough to live nearby are susceptible to respiratory infections, headaches, nausea, diarrhea, nosebleeds, earaches, lung burns and even miscarriages and permanent brain damage in children. Not only does this have health implications, but it opens Montana up to future projects that threaten our natural resources. It affects all of Montana and reduces our Big Sky Country to a potential dumping ground for waste, selling out our lands to other countries ultimately exploited for their gain. Jeff J. Blatnick, Billings Two Marine Corps helicopters, an AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom, fly past Mount Fuji, Shizuoka, Japan, March 12, 2017. The helicopters are assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267, which is supporting Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force. The Marines validated the long-range capability of auxiliary fuel tanks on their H-1 platform helicopters by flying 314 nautical miles during one leg of the four-day mission. The extended range is crucial to maintaining a stronger, more capable forward-deployed force in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Andy Martinez X 0 20 Help Keep Us Soaring We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling. We need your help in reversing that trend. We would like to add 20 new subscribers this month. Each month we count on your subscriptions or contributions. You can support us in the following ways: 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 Bring the entire family to the Butte YMCA'sHoliday Swim, which is from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at the Y from 6 to 6:30 p.m., with candy canes and smiles, and the movie will begin at 6:30 p.m. Its been three years since James Holeman opted to give Airbnb hosting a try after deciding he wanted to do something new with a longtime rental he owned in Flagstaffs South Side. The arrangement has gone so well that after Holeman and his wife sold that house, they bought another property with three small homes that they plan to turn into more short term rentals. He cant say enough good things, about the experience, Holeman said. He and his wife enjoy doing fun things to customize the house for groups of guests and through hosting have met interesting people from all over the world, Holeman said. Airbnb also gives him an opportunity to show visitors more of the town he loves. We enjoy the history of the neighborhood and the community, and we like to share it, he said. We have old properties, and they have history. Its kind of an unspoken history and I dont think its shared enough. The move to vacation rentals has been better on the economic side as well. It simply makes more money, Holeman said. Economically, its better for us. Across town, Laura and Tony Abrams are decidedly less thrilled with the short term rental trend. The number of homes listed on sites like Airbnb and VRBO has exploded in their Continental Country Club neighborhood in the past two to three years, with more than 100 homes listed this year compared to about 50 last year, Tony Abrams said. There are now three short-term rentals within 200 yards of the couples home, two of which have been quite problematic, Tony Abrams said. Most people dont mean to be disrespectful, but theyre in Flagstaff to have a good time, he said. Groups of 10 to 20 people regularly fill the home behind theirs and on summer nights, guests stay up late hanging out on the back deck while their noise drifts directly into their bedroom, Laura Abrams said. Vans, cars and even buses crowd the streets outside the rentals, the guests drive too fast and their dogs wander onto the Abrams property, poop and leave without anyone cleaning it up, Tony Abrams added. "The quality of our life has gone down tremendously due to these people, he said. Across the country, short term rentals are skyrocketing the number of units listed in Phoenix nearly tripled between 2014 and 2015, according to one report and the trend has hit Flagstaff as well. The city now has more than 500 active Airbnb listings, according to the company. Figures for VRBO were not available. Residents who have listed their homes as short term rentals cite the ability to make additional income, afford to buy a home in Flagstaff or invest in another home in the area. Several said they like hosting visitors and meeting new people. At the same time, locals say they are seeing their neighbors replaced by rotating casts of weekend guests, some cite more noise and traffic from short term rentals, and theres a broadly shared worry that the trend is putting a squeeze on Flagstaffs already tight housing market. SHORT TERM RENTAL, LONG TERM AFFORDABILITY Duffie Westheimer lives in Flagstaff's historic townsite neighborhood and has watched home after home switch from long term to short term rental. Westheimer said she stopped counting a couple of years ago when the number hit a dozen. In response to a Facebook call-out for opinions on the rise of short term rentals in Flagstaff, many cited worries about the effect on affordable housing. Housing agencies in town havent collected specific data that would indicate the rise in vacation rentals is having an impact on housing affordability and availability, but at least one national study suggests there is some effect on pricing. A not-yet-published working paper put out this year found that across the United States, a 10 percent increase in Airbnb listings leads to a 0.42 percent increase in rents and a 0.76 percent increase in house prices. While a small percentage, it works out to a significant portion of overall price growth. From 2012 to 2016, annual rent growth was 2.2 percent and the annual house price growth was 4.8 percent, the paper found. Anecdotal evidence suggests at least some homes in the Flagstaff area are turning from long term rentals to Airbnb or VRBO offerings. In response to the Daily Suns Facebook callout, Christopher Gorney said he and his wife had their lease broken by one of their landlords because he wanted to turn it into an Airbnb. The landlord only needed to rent the property for nine days a month to make the rent the couple was paying, Gorney wrote. I get it from a business sense, but its terrible for the locals, especially when businesses are unwilling or unable to pay a livable wage, he wrote. Three other vacation rental hosts interviewed for this article said that before they started their current gig, their homes were long term rentals. Alana Miller, a teacher in town, said she has seen several friends turn their long-term rentals into short-term ones for economic reasons. She doesnt blame them, but said its still hard to see because many of those homes are relatively modest two and three bedrooms close to downtown that would otherwise be reasonably priced rentals for working-class families. But Dawn Staszak, the owner of a long-term-turned-short-term rental, said more of the blame should be put on NAU for putting a squeeze on housing options. Over the past 10 years the university's enrollment has grown from about 14,000 students to 22,000. I look around this town and its sad. Everywhere is getting bought up and they are just putting up student housing. Thats where Im mad, said Staszak, who has lived in town since she was 5 years old. Airbnb spokeswoman Laura Rillos also pointed out that most hosts in Flagstaff live in the homes they rent out and host guests on a casual basis for an average of 59 nights per year. That suggests they wouldnt otherwise be available for a long-term tenant, Rillos wrote in an email. WHY HOSTS SIGN ON For Alithea Gorski, the advent of Airbnb has had a different impact, allowing her as a local to own a home affordably. By renting out one of the rooms in her house through Airbnb, Gorski said shes able to earn about $800 per month that helps pay her mortgage and cover home maintenance. When her guests ask for recommendations, she sends them to local businesses and makes sure they know things like how much water to take to the Grand Canyon and the need to keep off sensitive biological soil crust near Sedona, Gorski said. She imposes quiet hours for her guests and said her neighbors have never complained about the arrangement. For Jill Paine, it was the desire to own and preserve a historic downtown home that motivated her to try VRBO instead of a long-term lease for a second home her family owns on Verde Street. With a vacation rental, she can regularly clean and maintain the house, Paine said. Depending on booking rates, Paine estimated she can pay the mortgage and make an additional $3,000 to $10,000 per year through the short term rental arrangement, but said her main motivation is building equity in the home as a long term investment. Its no small task to do the cleaning and administrative work required to list a home on Airbnb and VRBO, said Staszak, who does it all for the Coconino Estates home she owns with her sister and mother. While the work takes her about 20 hours a week, Staszak said shes already making a profit and in December expects to make triple what the family was charging in monthly rent for the home until a year ago. Staszak said the additional income she makes from switching to short term rentals will allow her to scale back her childcare business as she gets older. There are also the auxiliary jobs that get produced through the short term rental trend. After taking note of the rising tide of Airbnb and VRBO listings, Maryjane Morse parted from a career in the service industry and formed a vacation home cleaning and management business. At some point I said, this is not going away. This is how people like to travel, this is how I like to travel, so how do I get a piece of that, basically," she said. Since starting the business in May, Morse said it has become a full-time job. She gets to choose her clients and create a somewhat flexible schedule that allows her to spend more time with her daughter. Now, shes considering hiring her first employee, she said. VIEW FROM NEXT DOOR The excessive noise and parking and traffic problems that Tony and Laura Abrams have seen in their Country Club neighborhood are common complaints lodged against short term vacation rentals. Peter Friederici said another effect for residents is the loss of neighbors. Half of the apartments in the complex next door to Friedericis downtown Flagstaff home have been turned into short term rentals since this summer, he said. He hasnt had any issues with the guests, but the short conversations on the sidewalk that he used to have with the apartments residents are gone, he said. When short-term guests are noisy or damaging neighbors properties, it can sometimes feel like residents are stuck playing the role of babysitter to what have become profit centers for the homes' owners, Westheimer said. On the other hand, the owners of vacation rentals have to keep their properties well maintained, so they often look nicer than some long-term rentals that get neglected by landlords, Westheimer said. They also push up property values, which can be both good and bad. Its all complex, she said. There doesnt seem to be an easy solution to short term rentals in Flagstaff, said Miller, the teacher. Right now, people are looking at them from an individualistic perspective, motivated by the extra money such rentals can make. But the long-term effects could be the loss of the citys working class that cant afford to live here, she said. She would like the city council to take up the issue and raise community awareness about it. "It needs to be looked at not on an individual level but on a collective level of 'what is this doing to our town?' Miller said. Nutson's Auto News Nuggets - Week of December 4-10, 2017: Nov Sales; Toyota Optimistic; Ford EV Factory To Mexico; Jailbird At VW; Pebble Beach Tuckered; Recalls Of Course AUTO CENTRAL CHICAGO, December 10, 2017; Every Sunday Larry Nutson, Senior Editor and Chicago Car Guy along with fellow senior editors Steve Purdy and Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau, give you TACH's "take" on this past week's automotive news in easy to "catch up" news nuggets. For More search the past 25 year's millions of (Indexed By Google) pages of automotive news, automotive stories, articles, reviews, archived news residing in The Auto Channel Automotive News Library. Hey OTA TV viewers, you can now enjoy The Auto Channel TV Network "Free and Clear" on WHDT Channel 3 in Boston and on many local cable systems. All South Florida auto fans can continue to watch The Auto Channel TV Network on WHDT-TV Channel 9 in West Palm Beach as well as cable channel's 17 and 438, channel 9 Miami. WHDN launched its full schedule (including The Auto Channel)of broadcasting in the Naples-Fort Myers market on digital PSIP channel 9.1 channel, look for us On Roku, Hulu and on TUNAVISION. Nutson's Weekly Automotive News Nuggets - December 4-10, 2017 * With strong results at Nissan, Ford and Honda, auto sales rose 1.4 percent to 1.39 million in November exceeding many forecasts. The SAAR came in at 17.55 million, the third-highest rate of the year. Toyota, FCA, GM and Hyundai-Kia slipped in a month that produced a small gain for the industry, driven by light-truck demand and fatter deals. * International nameplate brands captured 56.2 percent of the November auto market. Asian brands captured a 45.9 percent share. European brands finished the month on a high note, occupying 10.3 percent of the U.S. auto market. Domestic brands finished November with 43.8 percent of the U.S. auto market, down from 44.7 percent last month and 44.3 percent last November. * The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute's latest report from Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle says the average fuel economy (window-sticker value) of new vehicles sold in the U.S. in November was 25.0 mpgdown 0.1 mpg from the revised value for October. The value for November is up 4.9 mpg since October 2007 (the first month of their monitoring), but down 0.5 mpg from the peak of 25.5 mpg reached in August 2014. * This week we drove the completely redesigned and reengineered 2018 Jeep Wrangler around the desert roads and over mountain rock trails in Tucson, Arizona. Look for our full review very soon. The new #JeepWrangler is vastly updated and improved. * Toyota's North American boss, GM and CEO Jack Hollis, spoke to the Detroit Automotive Press Association this week expressing optimism for the industry as a whole despite disruptive technologies on the near horizon. Hollis said he expects 2018 to be a solid, though not record-setting year for light vehicle sales. When asked about the threat of car-sharing and autonomous vehicle transports hurting sales, he said that wont be the case. Toyota recently restructured the business to better compete in the rapidly evolving car business. * Ford announced plans this week to move production of electric vehicles from its Flat Rock, MI plant (near Detroit) to Mexico to make room for the production of a new line of autonomous vehicles focused on delivery and ride-sharing fleets. Fords global marketing boss, Jim Farley, touted the plan as part of the companys emphasis on autonomous vehicles. While details of the vehicle itself were not shared it is expected to be powered by a gas-electric hybrid powertrain. * Our friends at Automotive News reported this week that Ford and Chinese company Alibaba are about to ink a deal to allow the purchase of automobiles online through the retail site Tmall. Ford had been working on a revised China strategy to perk up its sales in that market. Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford and CEO Jim Hackett are headed for China next week to sign a letter of intent. Ford vehicles in China could be sold directly to customers in China by way of an automobile vending machine. * California regulators have said no to a plan to let self-driving car manufacturers evade liability for crashes if the vehicle hasnt been maintained according to manufacturer specifications. The new rules released this week delete a provision suggested by General Motors. The rules could have absolved car makers of accident responsibility if a car owner hadnt cleaned the car's sensors appropriately. * Ford is suing actor and WWE wrestling superstar John Cena for selling his 2017 Ford GT supercar to net a profit soon after taking possession in violation of his purchase agreement. In a case filed in U.S. District Court in Michigan, Ford says Cena promised in his application to own the supercar, for which he paid $463,376, for at least two years. He signed an agreement for the 2017 car in January, the lawsuit says. Ford discovered that he had sold, or "flipped" it, soon after taking possession. * Purists are shuddering as Lamborghini introduced its new Urus SUV. The $200,000 Urus joins a growing list of ultra-premium and supercar manufacturers now offering SUVs. The shuddering is a bit uncalled for, as we recall that Lambo was among the first makers of a large SUV with its brutish LM002 SUV that was offered from 1986 to 1993. Look for the Urus in Spring 2018. * And in the matter of VW's Dieselgate, Oliver Schmidt, who worked at Volkswagen's research and development center in Auburn Hills, Michigan where he was general manager of the company's Engineering and Environmental Office received the maximum sentence from a federal court judge in Detroit of 7 years in prison and ordered him to pay $400,000 in the company's massive diesel emissions cheating scandal. Schmidt, said to be the VW executive most responsible for hiding the German automakers diesel emissions cheating conspiracy from U.S. regulators, has been in custody at a federal penitentiary in Milan, MI since his arrest in March and is expected to complete his prison time there. He pleaded guilty to two felony charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States and violation of the Clean Air Act. * Hyundai, Kia and Subaru accounted for 10 of the 15 vehicles to earn a Top Safety Pick + (plus) citation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The other five were Mercedes-Benz E-Class and GLC, Lincoln Continental, Toyota Camry and BMW 5-series. This is the first year in which the safety evaluation included a passenger-side overlap crash test. * Ford is recalling 202,274 Ford F-150s and Explorers from the 2016 model year that have front power seats on which the seat adjuster assembly may come loose. * One of the most prestigious automotive design awards in the world, the EyesOn Design Lifetime Achievement Award, was announced this week honoring recently retired GM VP of Design Ed Welburn. The awards prestige stems primarily from the jury that makes the selection including previous winners like Giorgetto Guigiaro, Chris Bangle, Nuncio Bertone and Jack Telnack. The award will be presented at the annual EyesOn Design Show, a design-focused exhibit of cars and other things vehicular, at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford estate in Grosse Pointe Shores, MI on Fathers Day. * The most prestigious classic and collector car show in the U.S., the Pebble Beach Concours dElegance in California, announced a surprise featured marque this week - Tucker, the independent automaker that challenged the established companies of the late 1940s and lost badly. In all, experts believe 51 of these innovative rear-engined cars were built and 47 survive. Pebble Beach will also present of class of French Citroen automobiles, a marque rarely seen in the U.S. Thumbs up! Photo: DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images A recent New York Times story gives unsettling insight into Trumps daily habits, the most disturbing of which is that he sometimes watches up to eight hours (!) of television in a single day. While the report is full of maddening yet not-totally-shocking anecdotes about the presidents routine, there is one particularly curious detail that goes unexplained: He reportedly has an odd affinity for showing off bathrooms to guests. Unsurprisingly, its not just bathrooms that Trump likes to flaunt. He apparently loves giving tours in general, as they provide him an opportunity to solicit compliments while feeling very powerful. He does, however, have his favorite rooms, and according to the Times, theyre the ones with toilets. He needs support, a sounding board and, as a lifelong hotelier, guests. Mr. Trump is naturally garrulous, and loves to give White House tours. He has an odd affinity for showing off bathrooms, including one he renovated near the Oval Office, and enjoys pulling dinner companions into the Lincoln Bedroom or onto the Truman Balcony for the postcard view of the city he has disrupted. He must be eager to show off his brand-new toilet seat in the Oval Office bathroom. 2 Dead in Lamborghini Crash Near Chicago: Reports Two people were killed in a high-speed Lamborghini crash near Chicago on Interstate 57, state police said. The driver and passenger in the Lamborghini were ejected and were later pronounced dead at the scene of the crash at around 8:55 p.m. on Friday, the Illinois State Police told the Chicago Tribune. Jacob Dochee, 45, of Frankfort, and Samieh Jawdac, 26, of Crete, were identified as the two victims in the crash. The car smashed into a tree near Matteson. Police said that speed was a likely factor in the crash, ABC7 reported. 2 men in Lamborghini killed in I-57 crash in Matteson https://t.co/P1ZIYQkosk pic.twitter.com/TBrP2IdNSI ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) December 10, 2017 I was doing 80 so it was almost twice my speed, witness Kelly Longmire said. Later, Longmire said she knew Dochee, meeting him as he was building her ex-boyfriends house. He had many children and I cant imagine that theyre not going to be asking wheres my dad? Longmire said, noting that hes a father. No other injuries were reported in the crash. Chicago Woman Gets Probation for Hate-Crime Case That Sparked National Attention A woman from Chicago who live-streamed the racially-charged beating of a disabled Caucasian teen pleaded guilty to hate crimes on Friday. She was sentenced to four years of probation. Nineteen-year-old Brittany Covington has been in custody since her arrest in January. The incident involved her and three other African Americans who assaulted and intimidated an 18-year-old disabled caucasian man. In the video posted on Facebook, Covington narrated some of the events going on. Footage shows the four suspects taunting and physically assaulting the Caucasian man, who was bound and gagged. It sparked national outrage at the timeformer president Barack Obama at the time called the video despicable, Fox News reported. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the victim was a man from Crystal Lake and had been a classmate of one of the male suspects at a west suburban alternative high school. Cook County Circuit Judge William Hooks called the incident horrific and banned Covington from any social media use for the next four years. He also forbade her from contact with two of the other defendants and ordered her to do 200 hours of community service, according to the Chicago Tribune. The judge said he hoped the probation terms would help Covington change her life path. He told her he could have sent her to jail but later changed his mind. Warning: Video contains graphic content that some may find disturbing. Im not sure if I did that youd be coming out any better, he told Covington, the Chicago Tribune reported. Hooks warned her there would be no second chance: Do not mess this up, he told her. The 19-year-old pleaded guilty to aggravated battery and intimidation charges. Prosecutors dropped additional charges, such as kidnapping, as part of a plea deal. At the time of the incident, the victimwhose identity has not been revealed yetmanaged to escape from the suspects when the four left the apartment to confront neighbors that complained about the noise, according to the Tribune. Prosecutors said the victim has schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The victim was later treated at a hospital where injuries including cuts to his head, face, and body, as well as a stab wound on his left arm, were found, according to authorities. Dear reader, We have a little favor to ask of you. 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! From NTD.tv A relative of a missing Argentine submarine crew member is pictured outside Argentina's Navy base in Mar del Plata, Argentina, on Nov. 24. (EITAN ABRAMOVICH/AFP/Getty Images) Explosion Likely Killed Crew on Missing Argentine Submarine, Defense Minister Says Argentinas defense minister says that an explosion likely killed the 44 crew members of a submarine that went missing last month in the South Atlantic Ocean. Defense Minister Oscar Aguad said that international nuclear agencies detected what appeared to be an explosion near where the submarine, the ARA San Juan, last went missing, CNN reported. You mean theyre all dead?, the interviewer asked him. Exactly, Aguad responded. Aguad added that the submarines maintenance may have been compromised. We dont have clear evidence but there are suspicions that point to corruption, Aguad said. Two German firms are accused of supplying low-quality parts to the Argentinian Navy, according to German media outlets Bayerischer Rundfunk and ARD. There is a suspicion that the batteries that have been replaced were not of the quality that they should have been, Cornelia Schmidt-Liermann, head of the foreign affairs committee of the Argentinian Parliament, told ARD. And according to Reuters, dozens of relatives of the crew members of an Argentine submarine that went missing on Nov. 15 marched from a naval base on Sunday, demanding to know what happened and criticizing the governments response to the tragedy. Holding posters with photos of the crew and chanting Search and Rescue!, the family members walked away from a naval base in Mar del Plata, following a press conference during which the navy said the submarine had still not been located. The disaster has spurred soul-searching over the state of the military in Argentina, which now has one of Latin Americas smallest defense budgets in relation to economic size after a series of financial crises. Our disagreement is with the government, not with the navy, said Marcela Moyano, wife of crew member Hernan Rodriguez, during the protest. Whoever is responsible needs to be held responsible. Spokesman Enrique Balbi said on Thursday the navy had abandoned hope of rescuing the crew alive, noting the ARA San Juan had air supplies for a week while 15 days had passed since it last reported its position. Reuters contributed to this report. Florida Man Jailed for 15 Years After Smashing Mosque Windows and Leaving Bacon A Florida man who broke into and vandalized a mosque in January 2016 by smashing windows with a machete and leaving bacon at the scene has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Michael Scott Wolfe of Titusville, Florida, pleaded guilty to criminal mischief with a hate crime enhancement, according to a statement by the Brevard and Seminole County state attorneys office on Dec. 5 and was sentenced as a habitual felony offender. In addition to his sentence, Wolfe will remain on probation for a further 15 years after he is released and will not be allowed to visit the Islamic Society of Central Florida Masjid Al-Munin Mosque in Titusville. The 37-year-old was caught on CCTV smashing windows and lights with a machete. He also placed a slice of raw bacon at the front door, according to Independent. The consumption of pork or pork products is forbidden in Islam. The Florida Muslim Community is suffering an unprecedented number of hate crimes, Wilfredo Ruiz, a spokesman for Floridas Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement on Dec. 6. Multiple mosques and Islamic institutions have been broken into, vandalized and even set on fire. Those who chose to desecrate them need to go to prison, away from the worshiping families, he added. Imam Muhammad Musri, who oversees a network of mosques in the area, said the intent of the sentencing was to send a message to those thinking of committing similar crimes. The intent is to really deter similar kinds of hate crime. After what weve seen in Texas at the church, this is needed, he told Independent. Michael Wolfe enters guilty plea in 2016 Titusville Mosque Vandalism and sentenced to 15 years DOC & 15 years Probation. More at https://t.co/Ofqbp958R7 TA Brown (@SA18PIO) December 5, 2017 A plea deal was reached after consultation between police and representatives of the mosque, according to the statement. He entered a plea deal and pleaded guilty to vandalizing the mosque itself with hate crime enhancement, making it a felony, said Todd Brown, a spokesman for the State Attorneys Office told Fox News. Dear reader, We have a little favor to ask of you. 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! From NTD.tv A member of Iraqi Federal Police waves an Iraqi flag as they celebrate victory of military operations against the ISIS terrorists in West Mosul, Iraq, on July 2, 2017. (Reuters/Erik De Castro/File Photo) Iraq Declares Final Victory Over ISIS BAGHDADPrime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared final victory over ISIS on Saturday after Iraqi forces drove its last remnants from the country, three years after the militant group captured about a third of Iraqs territory. The announcement comes two days after the Russian military announced the defeat of the militants in neighboring Syria, where Moscow is backing Syrian government forces. Iraqi forces recaptured the last areas still under ISIS control along the border with Syria, the military said. Honorable Iraqis: your land has been completely liberated. The dream of liberation is now a reality, Abadi said in a televised address. He was speaking with five Iraqi flags and dozens of servicemen from different branches behind him. We have accomplished a very difficult mission. Our heroes have reached the final strongholds of Daesh and purified it. The Iraqi flag flies high today over all Iraqi lands. Daesh is an Arabic acronym for ISIS. 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 coming days. The government said the declaration meant Iraqi forces had secured the western desert and the entire Iraq-Syria border, and marked the end of the war against ISIS. Abadi declared Dec. 10 a national holiday to be celebrated every year. State television aired celebratory songs praising government forces and militias, and showed scenes of celebration on the streets of Baghdad and other provinces. The U.S.-led coalition that has been supporting the Iraqi forces against ISIS welcomed the news, as did Brett McGurk, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy to the coalition. We congratulate the Prime Minister and all the Iraqi people on this significant achievement, which many thought impossible, he said in a series of tweets. We honor the sacrifices of the Iraqi people, its security forces, and the Kurdish Peshmerga, and admire the unity in their ranks that had made this day possible. The U.S. State Department also issued a statement of congratulation. Eternal Enemy Mosul, the de facto ISIS capital in Iraq, fell in July after a grueling nine-month campaign backed by a U.S.-led coalition that saw much of the northern Iraqi city destroyed. ISISs Syrian capital Raqqa also fell to a U.S.-backed Kurdish-led coalition in September. The forces fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria now expect a new phase of guerrilla warfare, a tactic the militants have already shown themselves capable of. Abadi said Iraq had entered the post-victory over Daesh phase and must be prepared for future threats. Daeshs dream is over and we must erase all its effect and not allow terrorism to return. Despite announcing final victory, we must remain vigilant and prepared against any terrorist attempt on our country, for terrorism is an eternal enemy. 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. ISIS 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 indicating he was alive following several reports of his death. 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 Shiite 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. Future Challenges Driven from Mosul and Raqqa, ISIS 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 faced mainly U.S.-backed Iraqi government forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, and Iranian-trained Shiite paramilitaries known as Popular Mobilisation. Abadi praised the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) and Iraqs top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, whose fatwa calling volunteers to fight ISIS led to PMFs creation. Still, the prime minister said the state should have a monopoly on the use of arms. Disarming the PMF is seen as Abadis most difficult test after ISISs defeat. According to Abadi, Weapons should only be in the states hands. The rule of law and respect for it are the way to build the state and achieve justice, equality, and stability. Abadi called for unity, which he said was the main reason for the victory, a reference to the contribution of different communities, including Sunni tribal fighters. However, Iraq faces a fresh internal conflict after it retaliated economically and militarily against the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government for holding a referendum on independence despite Baghdads opposition. The joy of victory is complete with Iraqs unity after it was on the verge of division. The unity of Iraq and its people is the most important and greatest accomplishment, he said. By Maher Chmaytelli and Ahmed Aboulenein Think your friends may not know about this? Share this article to keep them up to date. Thank you for your continued support! Police tape around Tokyo's largest Shinto shrine which is now a crime scene. A Shinto priestess was stabbed by her younger brother on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017, in what may have been a family feud. (Reuters/TV Tokyo) Japanese Man Kills Priestess Sister and Wife With Sword Bizarre Family Feud? TOKYOA Shinto priestess was killed on the grounds of a famous Tokyo shrine by a man wielding a traditional Japanese sword who then killed another woman before committing suicide, police told media on Friday. The fatal stabbing happened on Thursday evening, Dec. 7, at Tomioka Hachimangu, one of Tokyos largest shrines. The 58-year old Nagako Tomioka, who was the chief priestess of the shrine famous for its annual summer festivals was attacked by Shigenaga Tomioka as she got out of a car. Media reports said the assailant was her younger brother who was 56-years-old. A woman, 49 later identified as Shigenaga Tomiokas wife was with Shigenaga Tomioka at the time. She attacked the driver of the car with a Japanese sword but the injuries he sustained were not life-threatening. After slashing the priestess, Shigenaga Tomioka stabbed his wife to death with a sword, before committing suicide, police said. A broken and bloodied samurai sword and two survival knives were found near the shrines premises. Police continued their investigation on Friday but passersby were seen carrying out their usual prayers at the shrine. Nearby residents expressed shock, and some said they were worried the annual new year and summer events may be cancelled due to the incident. Authorities declined to comment on the motive for the killings, but media reports said the incident appeared to stem from a family feud. Shigenaga reportedly sent a threatening letter to his sister in 2006, saying he would send her to hell, the Sankei newspaper said. Shinto is the traditional religion of Japan and many shrines dot the country. The Tomioka Hachimangu shrine, established in 1627, has a close link with sumo. The emperor and empress visited in 2012.By Kaori Kaneko If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it on social media. Thank you for your support! Man Convicted in Slayings of 7 Says There Are More Todd Kohlhepp, convicted of killing seven people after he pleaded guilty earlier this year, wrote that he killed more. Kohlhepp, 46, admitted to chaining a woman inside a storage shed on his rural property for two months and to a 2003 massacre of four people at a motorbike store, among other crimes, noted Reuters. He pleaded guilty to all charges against himincluding the seven murders, kidnapping, and sexual assaultbefore he was sentenced to seven life terms, avoiding the death penalty. Now Kohlhepp, in an eight-page letter, wrote that he tried to tell investigators that there were more victims, but it was blown off, The Spartanburg Herald-Journal reported. Yes there is more than seven, he added. At this point, I really dont see reason to give numbers or locations, he said. The FBIs Don Wood said the agency is going to investigate. S.C. Serial killer, Todd Kohlhepp now in protective custody https://t.co/E8MdC6tsN0 Alesha Ray (@AleshaRayWJBF) November 13, 2017 We cant comment specifically on what were doing, other than what Ive said beforethat we have a pending investigation, Wood, chief division counsel with the bureaus field office in Columbia, told The Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Before his arrest, Kohlhepp, who had a real estate business, reportedly made similar claims to Kala Brown, one of his kidnapping victims. He claimed to her that he was nearing the triple digits in killings. Brown was discovered inside a metal container on Nov. 3, 2016. Serial killer Todd Kohlhepp says he killed more people than his seven known victims pic.twitter.com/iIOfBY9hRG Google News (@FacebookLiked) December 10, 2017 Todd Kohlhepp shot Charlie Carver three times in the chest, wrapped him in a blue tarp, put him in the bucket of the tractor, locked me down here. Ive never seen him again. He says hes dead and buried. He says there are several bodies dead and buried out here, Brown said, according to prior reporting. The crimes date back to 2003 and the bodies of several of the people killed by Kohlhepp were found on his property. During the hearing, several family members of the victims sobbed as they spoke to the judge about their loved ones. Kohlhepp, in shackles, showed no emotion, NBC reported. A South Carolina serial killer convicted of killing seven people says he has more victims who have not been discovered https://t.co/BwLVfhsrWv pic.twitter.com/iG25Q0Y7N9 livenews? (@livechannelfeed) December 10, 2017 Reuters contributed to this report. And while youre here We have a small favor to ask of you. More people are reading The Epoch Times than ever, but ad revenues are plummeting across the media. If you can, please share this article on Facebook so you can help The Epoch Times. It takes less than a minute. Thank you very much! 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 [] Police in Wellston, Mo. are calling on the public to help identify a man who shot a father of 16 in cold blood on Sunday, Dec. 3. (North County Police Cooperative) Manhunt Is On for Suspect in Execution-Style Killing of Father of 16 Police have obtained security camera footage of a suspect in the execution-style shooting death of a father of 16 in Wellston, Mo., on Sunday, Dec. 3, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A calculated murderer, police major Steve Runge of the North County Police Cooperative said, according to Post-Dispatch. [I]ts pretty clear what his intentions are. Officials told ABC news that the victim, 41-year-old Steven Combs of Northwoods, Mo. was shot six times while washing a car on the 6200 block of Bartmer in Wellston, Mo. After killing Combs, the suspect walked away from the scene, then ran north along railroad tracks and hid in some brush for several minutes within earshot of police sirens as officers arrived, reports the Post-Dispatch. He then made his way to a MetroLink station and left the area on the commuter train. Police have released stills from the video and are calling on the public to help identify the suspect. Spokesperson Runge told Fox2 reporters there was something unusual about the suspects appearance. The odd thing is, it was a nice sunny day on Sunday, but this man was wearing gloves, says Runge, and adds that he also had a hat on, possibly to conceal his identity. The video shows the suspect walking along 6200 block of Bartmer in Wellston, Mo. Combs, a tow-truck operator, can be seen in the red shirt washing a car. The suspect passes Combs, then turns around, walks back towards him and shoots the man point blank, the video shows. Later, different security cameras captured the suspect on the MetroLink commuter train platform. Police point out the suspect was wearing black Jordan shoes with white bottoms. Despite the warm weather that day, he had gloves on and a beanie. Police describe the suspect as a black male 19 to 23 years of age, about 58 tall, with dreadlocks. Authorities are offering a reward of up to $5000 for information leading to an arrest. The number to call is 866-371-TIPS. Please share this article on social media. Thank you! Former priest John Feit sits with his lawyer O. Rene Flores (L) before the start of the sentencing phase of his trial for the 1960 murder of Irene Garza in the 92nd state District Court at the Hidalgo County Courthouse in Edinburg, Texas, U.S., December 8, 2017. (Reuters/Nathan Lambrecht/The Monitor/Pool) Priest Gets Life Sentence in Cold-Case Murder of Texas Beauty Queen SAN ANTONIOA 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. Garzas 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 Kennedys run for president at the time. Kennedys 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 prosecutions case, and stressing the absence of eyewitness testimony placing the priest and the victim together on the night Garza was last seen. By Jim Forsyth Dear reader, we work hard to deliver important articles every day, but cant do it without people reading them. Please support our media by sharing this article with your friends and family. It takes less than a minute. Thank you. The body of a Richmond man was found in Houston, Texas, on Friday, Dec. 8. He had been stabbed to death while trying to sell his car to a buyer who had contacted him over the Internet. (Mark Ralston / Getty Images) Texas Man Found Stabbed to Death After Going Out to Sell His Car Police in Houston, Texas, said that the body of a father of four has been found after the man went missing on Tuesday, Dec. 5, while out trying to sell his car, ABC reported. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences identified the body found at an apartment complex in Houstons Third Ward as 43-year-old Altaf Hussain Malik. Malik was stabbed to death on Thursday, Dec. 7, at around 11:10 p.m., police told ABC reporters. His body was discovered by a resident taking out the trash on the 3000 block of Truxillo Street in Houston. The man called the police to report finding a dead body covered in trash bags in the vicinity of a dumpster, police told Chron. Malik had been stabbed multiple times by an unknown assailant, officer Ross Watson of the Houston Police Department told Chron. The mans wife, Quratulain Malik, told ABC that an unidentified individual had contacted her husband expressing an interest in a vehicle the family had put up for salea black 2009 Audi A8. He told me that he received a text on the phone and somebody wanted to see the Audi, she said, according to KHOU news. She said her husband left after dinner to meet the potential buyer, but never returned. KHOU ran a report on Thursday, Dec. 7, that the Fort Bend County Sheriffs Office was asking for the publics assistance in finding the missing man. His wife made an emotional plea for help. Right now, we dont know anything about that, what happened to him. And I was praying that he would be at home, she said, KHOU reported. The kids need him. There is a family who is waiting for him. The vehicle Malik had posted for sale on the internet was a black, 2009 A8 on Texas plates HZX-9910. Maliks wife said a potential buyer had expressed interest, it is reported, so he arranged a meetup at an H-E-B gas station at Highway 6 and Bellaire Boulevard. Sgt. Dalia Simons of the Houston Police Department told KHOU that engaging in online transactions involves a higher risk of crossing paths with criminals. Whenever people advertise that theyre selling something online, thats a good place for thieves and scammers to meet their next victim, Simons told KHOU. Police urge anyone who may have information about Altaf Maliks murder, or any other aspect of the investigation, to contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. Dear reader, please consider sharing this article with your friends and family. It takes less than a minute. Thank you. Da Vincis masterpiece signals a seismic shift in the art market NEW YORKIn the realm of the art market, the discovery and sale of Leonardo da Vincis Salvator Mundi is the most exciting reappearing and disappearing act of the century. The old masters representation of Christ as the Savior of the World was owned by King Louis XII of France, King Charles I, King Charles II, King James II of England, and several other royals and art collectors. It vanished for nearly 200 years. Over time, it was compromised by ill-conceived restoration attempts, and became heavily concealed by overpaints. During World War II, while Sir Francis Ferdinand Maurice Cook had his prized works of art moved to Wales for safekeeping, Salvator Mundi was left in the basement of his house in London, which was bombed. The painting escaped damage. Still, long mistaken for a copy, it was sold for as low as 45 pounds (equivalent to about 999 pounds or $1,320 today) at Sothebys in 1958. Recounting when he first saw the painting in 2005, art dealer and da Vinci expert Robert Simon said, in an interview with artists Tony Curanaj and Edward Minoff in their Suggested Donation podcast, It was not superficially very beautiful but had passages that had not been compromised and [in] which one could see areas of extraordinary quality. Any serious claim to the reappearance of a painting by the Renaissance master is not to be taken lightly. There are fewer than 20 autographed paintings by da Vinci in existence, and the last one was discovered in 1909. The suspense over the discovery started ever so gradually and privately among the leading da Vinci experts and conservators, as they researched, restored, and authenticated the painting over six years. Only after two years of work did conservator Dianne Dwyer Modestini realize that she possibly had an original da Vinci in her hands. After completing the restoration, Modestini compared the experience of parting with the painting to enduring a painful breakup. Having spent countless hours working on it so intimately gave her a unique understanding of da Vinci and his painting technique. In the BBC documentary Da Vinci: The Lost Treasure, she said da Vinci considered the light at the end of the day ideal for painting. While looking at the Christ figure in Salvator Mundi, she said that when the light goes down, he starts to glow from within and sort of pulse with lifeits eerie. In 2011, when Salvator Mundi was first unveiled in London at The National Gallerys exhibition Leonardo da Vinci: Painter and the Court of Milan, it caused a worldwide sensation. It was later sold in 2013 to Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, who bought it for $127.5 million. The suspense only increased to a breathtaking crescendo when it went on auction on Nov. 15 at Christies in New York. A Gentle Symphony The 19 minutes of intense bidding in Christies main auction room was probably an event in our world that isnt really repeatable, said Jussi Pylkkanen, the auctioneer, at a press briefing after the sale. Pylkkanen conducted the suspense in the room like a gentle symphony. Starting below the estimated $100 million, at $70 million, he moved in increments of $10 million, and then $5 million, up to around $280 million, and then by twos. The bidding was peppered with pregnant silences. Before each major jump in price, to $200 million and to $300 million, you could almost hear everyones heartbeats, then gasps and applause would follow, filling the room. After Salvator Mundi went for the highest price ever for any work of art sold at auction$450,312,500those 19 minutes seemed like an eternity that will remain encapsulated in the history of art. With these extraordinary moments in life, you have these pauses, Pylkkanen said. You have to give people time. People are deciding in that moment what their plan is, and its not just about the money. Its all about that painting. Its a divine image of Christ by the greatest artist in Western culture, and therefore I think it captured the hearts and minds of many people for whom the picture means so many different things. It is not just a Leonardo, it goes beyond that. Its a divine image, and thats very important to be aware of and to be sensitive. Six collectors from different parts of the world (five on the phone and one in the room) were bidding, which is an unusually high number of bidders for a painting estimated at such a high price. Pylkkanen has been selling at Christies for 20 years and has sold many of the pictures that went for more than $100 million. Salvator Mundi is his fifth. To sell a painting at $400 million is unique, he said. Art Market Tipping Point Works by da Vinci are priceless, even if the remnants might constitute just a percentage of his original handtake the Last Supper as an example. Perhaps the most erudite way of handling the rediscovery of Salvator Mundi, as a couple of academics suggested, would have been to simply clean away the overpaints and to refrain from restoring the missing layers of paint. In that case, it could have been displayed alongside a fully restored copy or interpretation of the closest rendering to the original. But we do not live in such a perfect, erudite world. Even if Salvador Mundi might be considered a shadow of a da Vinci, and despite any trickle of doubt about its authenticity, anyone who has seen it in person would agree that its magnetizing. Look at the painting. It is an extraordinary work of art, and thats what we should focus on, said Francois de Poortere, head of old master paintings at Christies, when responding to skepticism at the press preview. Many were astonished at the record-breaking price Salvator Mundi fetched. But in straightforward mathematical terms, $450.3 million hardly approximates pricelessness. More significantly, the fact that the price of an old master painting far surpassed (more than doubled) that of any by Pablo Picasso (Women of Algiers, Version O sold for $179.4 million in 2015), Amedeo Modigliani ($170 million), or Jean-Michel Basquiat ($110.5 million) aligns with a murmured truth. How do you price the priceless? Christies left that up to the market. It seems the market has, to some extent, aligned with the general consensus of the public. The murmured truth is that the general public has a greater appreciation for paintings that are uplifting and pleasing to the eye. Before Salvator Mundi was whisked away by the anonymous buyerto disappear again into private handsnearly 30,000 people saw it in person, when Christies took it on tour to Hong Kong, London, San Francisco, and finally New York. Some people traveled three hours and waited two hours in line to see the masterpiece. Some collectors stood in front of it for a good 20 minutes, which is rare in the fast-paced world that we live in, said Loic Gouzer, co-chairman of post-war and contemporary art at Christies. Selling the old master painting alongside post-war contemporary art was a first for Christies and initially Gouzers idea. In a conversation about Andy Warhols silkscreen Sixty Last Suppers, which was also up for sale, and the artists obsession with da Vinci, Gouzer suggested the team sell it alongside the only original da Vinci in private hands. It was a natural decision, Gouzer said. Putting that idea into effect proved to be quite lucrative. The old master painting seemed to be the catalyst for many of the contemporary works to also sell far above their estimated prices. Still, it was difficult not to notice how most of the auction room cleared after Salvator Mundi was sold early on in the evening, in lot 9 out of the 58 lots offered. Unknown Public Fate Besides wanting to know the name of the anonymous new owner, the second burning question in many peoples minds after seeing Salvator Mundi was whether they or anybody else would have a chance to see it again. I think it is possible that a museum can convince a patron to buy it for them, or its also likely that some collector will loan it, or perhaps even gift it to a museum down the line, Gouzer said. In terms of odds, its very difficult to know what the chances are. There are very few museums in the world that can handle a painting of such high value. Its going to go on public display, without doubt, Pylkkanen said. The Louvre has already, I believe, requested it. They have a Leonardo show coming up quite soon. Follow @milenefernandez on Twitter or @milenejf on Instagram Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) addresses a tax reform news conference with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and representatives from small business interest groups in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on November 30, 2017. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) US Tax Reform Puts Pressure on Chinas Authoritarian State Warnings against 'tax war' reflect Communist Partys fear of rising private sector For years, Chinese companies leveraged favorable exchange rates, cheap labor, thin environmental regulations, and other advantages to attract U.S. capital and technology in exchange for huge profits. Now, U.S. tax cutsthe biggest passed since those during the presidency of Ronald Reagan three decades agohave Beijing in a bind. Prominent in the new tax policy are generous reductions in the corporate tax and a rationalization of the global tax scheme. Both are expected to draw capital and skilled labor back to the United States. The reform comes at a time when glaring shortcomings of the Chinese economic model have begun to be broadly felt across the worlds last major communist power. Long before the legislation passed in the U.S. Senate on Dec. 2, Beijing had heaped severe criticism on the proposed reform. Due to the tax cut, the capital mostly from the manufacturing industry will flow back to the U.S. Chen Pokong, China current affairs analyst In April, Chinese state-controlled media slammed the tax cuts, accusing the U.S. leadership of risking a tax war and exhorting Washington to take up its responsibility as a great power. According to observers, Beijings vehement criticism of the cuts comes from a place of deep-seated anxiety: The Communist Party relies on one of the heaviest tax rates in the world to fund its high-tech police state, maintain a hand in the nations biggest industries, and protect the vested interests of a massively corrupt bureaucracy. Tax War On April 27, state-run newspaper Peoples Daily quoted a Chinese financial official as saying, Weve made our stance clear: We oppose tax competition. Chen Pokong, a Chinese current affairs analyst and author of books on Chinese political culture, says that the official had repeated a communist slogan, one associated with deadly political movements, to signal Beijings displeasure with the U.S. tax cut. Other Chinese media have gone further, calling Trumps reform a tax war. The slogan, weve made our stance clear, literally translates to to display clearly ones banner. It was last used in a Chinese military publication just weeks before the infamous Tiananmen Massacre on June 4, 1989, and originated during the Cultural Revolution, when communist leader Mao Zedong whipped up the country into a decade of chaotic political violence. According to Chen, Beijing has good reason to be afraid. Due to the tax cut, the capitalmostly from the manufacturing industrywill flow back to the U.S., Chen said in a video available on YouTube. A large amount of American money, technology, and skilled labor is in China. Now, American investment will leave China. For the Chinese government, this is no small shock. The Communist Party, with an estimated 80 million registered members, is headed by a sprawling bureaucratic elite that lubricates its power with widespread corruption. In order to protect its one-party rule, the Chinese government needs to hold a monopoly of power over the national economy, Chen said. For its own vested interests, for the sake of stability, it needs to use heavy taxes to keep its hands in the industries. Xia Yeliang, a former professor in Beijing, said in an interview this May with independent media New Tang Dynasty Television that the Communist Party had promised to implement financial policy that would be more beneficial for the general public, but has not put this into practice. Instead, Beijing has kept and expanded a regime whereby heavy taxes do not benefit the people in the form of welfare or other benefits, but are used to prop up inefficient state-owned enterprises, line the pockets of the Partys many officials, or fund the massive police mechanism that keeps the population under watch and crushes dissent. The scholars laid out a very good path, and the Communist Party actually accepted it. But now theyve gone in the opposite direction, Xia said. Freer Markets According to Chen, Chinas heavy taxes place a severe burden on small and mid-sized businesses, and this is by designthe Communist Party is wary of a large and independent middle class that might challenge its political authority and endanger the interests of the elite. Despite the clear stance laid out by state media, there are some indications that Chinese officials and scholars are considering the necessity of implementing their own tax reforms to keep up with the Trump administration. According to Hong Kong-based Phoenix TVs Financial Daily Report, on Dec. 3, a day after the American tax bill passed, Liu Shangxi of Chinas Ministry of Finance noted that American taxes are more direct than Chinas meandering system of hidden fees. We should plan for contingencies around indirect taxes, Liu said. The next step for China must be to introduce tax reduction reforms. Zhu Guangyao, a deputy minister of finance, said in a meeting that it was indeed impossible to ignore the international effects of the American tax cut, and that proactive measures needed to be taken to adjust accordingly. On Dec. 4, a think tank associated with the Peoples Daily published an article titled Is Trumps Tax Cut Really a Bad Thing for China? The article listed a number of pressures that the Chinese economy is predicted to experience once the cuts go into effect. Meanwhile, a Chinese state-run overseas publication called Xiakedao came out with a report saying that while Trumps tax cuts put pressure on China, the pressure can all the same be transformed into an opportunity for reform. It remains to be seen whether communist authorities are willing to accept a hit to their tax revenue to balance the economy and let capital flow into the hands of the private sector. According to Chen, if China does one day introduce a large-scale tax cut like the one in the United States, in order to appease the people, then the wealth structure will undergo a huge change. Money will flow in more directions. At least there will be some balance. OTTAWAFor once, Chief Justice Beverley McLachlins famous composure crumpled. As Canadas top judge bade a public farewell Thursday from her centre perch on the bench of the Supreme Court of Canada, she struggled to steady her voice and stop the tears. Although McLachlin will still write and sign rulings in appeals shes heard for another six months, it was her last sitting day. Looking back on a judicial career that has spanned nearly three decades, the advent of the Charter, the childhood, adolescence and adulthood of her son, and a second marriage after the death of her first husband, McLachlin said she felt great sadness . . . and enormous gratitude. The most powerful woman in Canada who leads the judicial branch of government paused at length as she tried to contain her emotions. Whatever lies ahead, I know that my time here will always be the centrepiece of my life, McLachlin said. She thanked her fellow judges, court staff, lawyers, her husband Frank McArdle, and her son Angus, who was 13 when she first moved to Ottawa and put up with mom as a judge. She gave heartfelt thanks to the Canadian public for the trust they put in the court. Its been, she said, a great ride. And then her famous reserve returned as she reflected briefly on her work as a judge, from 1981, a year before the Charter of Rights and Freedoms was adopted, to now. Its been intellectually stimulating; its been hugely challenging; and theres not been a day when I havent thought I am the luckiest of people. With that, McLachlin said thank you, nearly forgetting to adjourn court as a roomful of the countrys top judges, lawyers and observers rose to their feet and gave her a standing ovation. A past critic of government foot-dragging on judicial appointments, McLachlin had given plenty of notice in June she intended to retire on Dec. 15. It gave the prime minister lots of time to pick a new judge for the western seat McLachlin vacates he named Alberta appeal judge Sheilah Martin last week. And hes had months to ponder who should have the top job. Its a big one. The chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada is first among equals on the court. McLachlin once said my vote counts for the same as anyone elses. But the chief decides who gets to write judgments, sets schedules, and can take the lead pen on unanimous ones. He or she sets the tone of the working environment for eight other strong-minded jurists, all with healthy egos. The chief justice also heads the Canadian Judicial Council, which governs and disciplines judges in Canada; chairs the governors of the National Judicial Institute responsible for judicial education; steps up as deputy governor-general occasionally, and chairs the advisory committee for the Order of Canada. Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said the Supreme Court of Canada helps determine direction of country in many different ways. I think Chief Justice McLachlin is amazing and exemplifies what it means to be a chief justice, to ensure that they have a deep knowledge and understanding of the law and its application, to ensure that you can build collegiality between and among all the justices on the Supreme Court, to represent the Supreme Court both domestically and internationally, and to be a leader in that regard. Justice McLachlin is entirely reflective of that The next chief justice is going to have big shoes, really nice shoes, to fill, she quipped. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has set out bilingualism as a key consideration for his court and other senior appointments, says he will announce his choice by mid-December. There are some traditional expectations around the post: that it should go to the judge with the most seniority, and alternate between judges trained in Canadas common law and those trained in Quebecs civil law, the upshot of which is an alternation between English and French-speaking judges. Legal observers have pointed out a strict rotation has not been followed throughout the courts history. Trudeaus father ditched the practice in 1973 when he elevated Bora Laskin, the first Jewish judge on the Supreme Court, to chief justice after just three years on the bench, and then promoted Brian Dickson in 1984 as his successor. Neither was bilingual. (For that matter, McLachlin was not fluent in French when she first came to Ottawa, but became fluent over time.) And so a campaign is on to ensure Trudeau, fils, doesnt do as his father did. First the Bar of Montreal wrote the prime minister to urge him to respect tradition and pick the next chief from the ranks of the three Quebec judges on the bench: Richard Wagner, Clement Gascon, or Suzanne Cote. Upping the pressure, the Quebec provincial legislature just passed a unanimous motion demanding that the next chief justice be a judge from Quebec. All three Quebec judges were appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada by the previous Conservative government under Stephen Harper. Cote was plucked straight from the Quebec bar, never having worked as a judge before. Wagner and Gascon were both first appointed to the Quebec Superior Court by previous Liberal governments, but later elevated by Harper. Yet by the measures set out by Wilson-Raybould, it appears Trudeau could be set to appoint Rosalie Abella, who is now the senior bilingual judge with 13 years on the bench, eight more than the senior Quebec judge Richard Wagner, named in 2012. Abellas contributions to defining the concepts of equality, discrimination and employment equity in Canadian law have earned her international recognition. Among 37 honorary degrees she holds, Yale University has recognized her, Chicagos Northwestern Pritzker School of Law named her Global Jurist of the Year, and she was invited to give the commencement address at Brandeis University last spring. Quebecs Universite Laval just conferred an honorary doctorate of law degree on her, which she accepted in French, in recognition of her undeniable contribution to the understanding of human rights in Canadian and international law. The knock against Abella, 71, is that she is required by law to retire within four years, when she turns 75 on July 1, 2021. Trudeau may want to make an enduring appointment like McLachlin. Wagner, the senior Quebec judge, is 60. Several observers have suggested he might be Trudeaus safe choice as it would meet expectations in Quebec. The knock against Wagner at this time may be his lack of experience and the fact he was a Harper appointment to the top court just five years ago. Also, he recently stumbled when he decided to exclude all LGBTQ groups from participating in two appeals that dealt with discrimination claims based on sexual orientation and was reversed by order of McLachlin. Wagner is the son of Claude Wagner, who once lost the leadership of the federal Progressive Conservative party to Joe Clark and the leadership of Quebecs Liberals to Robert Bourassa. The senior Wagner was later appointed to the Senate by Pierre Trudeau, and died at age 54. The other two Quebec judges, Clement Gascon and Suzanne Cote, appointed by Harper in 2014, are seen as too junior. Neither has established any real profile on the court yet. Cote later made headlines for claiming tax deductions for about $50,000 a year in clothing expenses over three years, from 2004 to 2006, a dispute with Quebecs tax agency that led to an undisclosed settlement. McLachlin was once asked what is the most important skill needed for her job. In 2009, she told TVO host Steve Paikin the basic one is you have to be a good judge, be a good jurist, thats the most important thing. Added to that, she said, you need that elusive quality of having good judgment, clear writing ability, people and communication skills. Measured by that, perhaps Abella again emerges as the lead contender. A decision is expected in the coming days. Correction December 11, 2017: This article was edited from a previous version that misstated Bora Laskins given name. . Read more about: SHARE: Toronto Police have released security footage of a man theyre looking to identify in relation to Tess Richeys homicide. Homicide investigators are requesting assistance in identifying the man as part of their investigation into the death of the 22-year-old woman, whose body was discovered four days after her initial disappearance, steps away from her last known location. Previously, investigators released only a description of the man, noting that he was white, between five-foot-seven and six feet tall, with a slim build and light-coloured hair. Initially, police didnt suspect foul play, but a post-mortem found that Richeys cause of death was a neck compression and a homicide investigation began. Read more: Opinion: I didnt know Tess Richey but Ive walked in her footsteps Toronto police to review handling of missing persons cases Toronto police chief dispels rumours of serial killer in Church and Wellesley neighbourhood In a press conference held Friday, police stated they had footage of Richey walking with a man, who approached her while she was standing near a hotdog cart in the Church and Wellesley Sts. area on Nov. 25, shortly before she was reported missing. During the conference police also confirmed that Richeys body was found by her mother. This was followed by Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders calling for a review of how the force handles missing persons cases. Richeys death added to the Church and Wellesley neighbourhoods fear of a serial killer in the area. At least eight people have gone missing around Torontos gay village this year, including 49-year-old Andrew Kinsman and 44-year-old Selim Esen. Kinsman disappeared in June from Winchester and Parliament Sts.; Esen disappeared in April from Yonge and Bloor Sts. The disappearance of the two men spurred a task force investigation. However, Saunders dispelled rumours of a serial killer in the village. The last footage of Richey alive shows her and the man walking together near Church and Dundonald Sts. The next time the man is seen in the video, hes walking away from the scene alone, police said in the press conference. Anyone with information that could lead to the mans identification is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400 ext.7-7415, ext.7-7407 or ext.7-7287. With files from Victoria Gibson SHARE: BEIRUTLebanese security forces clashed Sunday with demonstrators near the U.S. Embassy in Beirut as hundreds protested U.S. President Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. The Lebanese army fired water cannons and tear gas as waves of young men hurled stones and burned effigies of Trump. Hundreds attended the Sunday morning protest on the edge of Beirut, many wrapped in Palestinian scarves and flags. Injured demonstrators was carried away from the front line of the clashes, but no deaths were reported. The Health Ministry later said that eight people had been hospitalized and 43 people treated at the scene. Lebanon is home to more than 500,000 Palestinian refugees, many of whom fled modern-day Israel and the West Bank during the wars of 1948 and 1967. The Lebanese government has never formally recognized their status as refugees, and Palestinians are barred from dozens of professions. The White Houses announcement Wednesday triggered widespread protests, with tens of thousands across the region venting their anger. In Jerusalem itself, violence has been limited to small confrontations between protesters and Israeli security forces. The larger demonstrations and clashes in the occupied West Bank and Gaza had largely died out by Sunday, though skirmishes between protesters and security forces were reported in Ramallah and near Hebron in the West Bank. But predictions of explosive violence across the region have not materialized, and traditional allies of the Palestinians have offered little concrete support. Hezbollahthe Lebanese militia movement founded in response to the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanonhas condemned Trumps decision, though its first mass rally will not take place until Tuesday. Arab foreign ministers on Sunday demanded that the United States rescind Trumps decision, calling it a grave development that puts Washington on the same side as the occupation and is a violation of international law. But a resolution they put forward was short on concrete actions. The group also called on the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning Trumps decision, but it acknowledged that Washington would most probably veto it. We have taken a political decision not meant to reflect (what is going on in) the streets. Political work is responsible work, said Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Jerusalem has been occupied for 50 years. This is an extended battle, a battle that will be escalated, he said at a news conference. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has often sought to position himself as a leader of the Islamic world, on Sunday described Israel as a terror state. We wont leave Jerusalem to the mercy of a child-murdering country, Erdogan said, accusing Israel of having no values other than occupation and plunder. There were no indications that Turkey would sever its diplomatic relations with the country, however. Read more: Israels defence minister calls for boycott of Arab businesses following protests Mass protests of Trumps Jerusalem decision continue; Israeli airstrikes kill 2 Hamas men after rockets fired from Gaza Standing at the far edge of Sundays protest in Beirut, Faraj Shahin, a Palestinian, described the regions leaders as traitors who had sold out her countrymen. Arab leaders sold al-Aqsa for dollars, shame on them, she said, in reference to al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, one of the Islamic faiths holiest shrines. With his face buried in a scarf to shield his eyes from the acrid tear gas, an 18-year old protester described the small-scale clashes on Sunday as an attempt to liberate al-Aqsa from Israel. Hours later, it was all over. Video footage from the aftermath showed street cleaners sweeping the area, wiping clean the soot left by a dumpster truck the protesters had set alight. Read more about: SHARE: JERUSALEMThe French and Israeli leaders sparred verbally Sunday over the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, while new violence rippled across the region following the move by U.S. President Donald Trump. In Jerusalem, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli security guard, seriously wounding him, in the first attack in the volatile city since Trumps pronouncement Wednesday. In Beirut, scores of Lebanese and Palestinian demonstrators clashed with security forces outside the heavily guarded U.S. Embassy, and Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo demanded that the United States rescind the decision. The move upended decades of U.S. policy, and a long-standing international consensus, that the fate of Jerusalem be decided in negotiations. Israeli and Palestinian claims to the citys eastern sector form the emotional core of their conflict, and Trumps announcement was seen as siding with the Israelis and has drawn wide international criticism. At a meeting in Paris with Israels visiting prime minister, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned recent violence against Israelis. But he also expressed disapproval of Trumps decision, calling it dangerous for peace. It doesnt seem to serve, in the short term, the cause of Israels security and the Israelis themselves, Macron said. He urged Israel to freeze its construction of settlements on occupied lands and called for other confidence-building measures toward the Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has called Trumps decision historic, said Israel has maintained its capital in the city for 70 years and the Jewish connection to Jerusalem goes back 3,000 years. Paris is the capital of France, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, he said. We respect your history and your choices. And we know that as friends, you respect ours. I think the sooner the Palestinians come to grips with this reality, the sooner we move toward peace, he added. The exchange between the two allies set the stage for what could be a tense meeting Monday for Netanyahu with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels. The Jerusalem issue and the moribund peace process are expected to be high on the agenda. Last week, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini warned that Trumps decision has the potential to send us backward to even darker times than the one we are already living in. She also warned that Trumps move could diminish the potential role that the United States could play in the region and create more confusion around this. The meeting could be a precursor for what seems to be an emerging rift between Israel and the U.S. on one side, and Europe and the Palestinians on the other. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said Trumps decision has in effect disqualified the U.S. from continuing in its role as the traditional mediator of peace talks. The Palestinians have spent recent days trying to rally Arab and broader international opposition to the decision. After Abbas political adviser Majdi Khaldi said Saturday that the Palestinian leader wont meet with U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence when he visits the region this month, a spokesperson for Pence said Sunday it was unfortunate that the Palestinian Authority is walking away again from an opportunity to discuss the future of the region. EU leaders, including Macron, have reiterated support for establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. Trump has said he would support the idea if both sides endorse it effectively giving Israel a veto over any peace proposal. Netanyahus government is dominated by opponents to Palestinian independence. Trumps Middle East team, headed by his son-in-law Jared Kushner, has been working for months on a peace plan but has not yet released it. Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed the area to its capital in a move that was not internationally recognized. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, along with the West Bank and Gaza Strip. East Jerusalem is home to Judaisms most sacred site, as well as key holy places for Christians and Muslims, and these conflicting claims have erupted into deadly bloodshed in the past. A senior U.S. official appealed to world leaders, especially in the Middle East, to calm regional tensions. Acting Assistant Secretary of State David Satterfield told Arab journalists that Trumps pronouncement was merely a recognition of simple reality that Israels government already is in Jerusalem. He said the U.S. was not prejudging final-status negotiations about the citys final borders and expressed hope that world leaders understand the U.S. is committed to moving forward with a peace plan he expects to be unveiled in the new year. This is a question of choice: Do leaders choose to speak to their peoples, to their regions in terms that reflect reality or in terms that incite or inflame? he said. We hope its the former. The Palestinians staged three days of rage after Trumps dramatic announcement, with clashes breaking out in flashpoints across the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, and Gaza militants firing rockets into Israel. Four people in Gaza were killed. In the West Bank, there were dozens of injuries, but no deaths. There were indications that Sundays stabbing at the Jerusalem bus station was motivated by Trumps move, although police did not officially confirm it. They said the attacker was a 24-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank city of Nablus. Israeli media identified him as Yassin Abu al-Qarah, who posted on his Facebook page in recent days about Jerusalem, saying our blood is devoted to the holy city. Comments on his profile called him a hero for the alleged attack. Police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld said the guard sustained a serious wound to his upper body and the attacker was apprehended. Palestinian youths also clashed in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, hurling stones at Israeli soldiers, who fired back with rubber bullets and tear gas. In Beirut, Lebanese security forces broke up the protest outside the U.S. Embassy after demonstrators pelted them with stones. After a rowdy start, the protest drew several hundred people and became more peaceful, with demonstrators chanting and singing. Clashes resumed in the afternoon, with security forces chasing and arresting a handful of protesters and lobbing tear gas. Lebanon is home to 450,000 Palestinian refugees, nearly 10 per cent of the population. In a resolution long on rhetoric but short on concrete actions, Arab foreign ministers demanded the recognition decision be rescinded and urged the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning Trumps decision. They acknowledged that Washington would most likely veto it. If the U.S. vetoes such a resolution, the Arabs would seek a similar resolution in the UN General Assembly, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki told a news conference in Cairo. With few options for the Palestinians, and the Arab world preoccupied by other crises, Arab willingness to press the issue may be limited. In Paris, Netanyahu talked about his quiet but improving relations with Arab countries that look to Israel as an ally against Iran. There is in this a blessing, because this could help pave the way to an ultimate peace between us and our Palestinian neighbours and between us and the rest of the Arab world, he said. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, defended Trumps move. For those who want to say this is a bad idea, Ill tell you: Ask us five or 10 years from now if you still think its a bad idea. Because I really do think this is going to move the ball in the peace process, she told CNNs State of the Union. Read more: Mass protests of Trumps Jerusalem decision continue; Israeli airstrikes kill 2 Hamas men after rockets fired from Gaza Clashes erupt in West Bank, Gaza over Trumps Jerusalem move; more unrest feared Editorial: Donald Trump pours oil on the Mideast fire Read more about: SHARE: MONTGOMERY, ALA.Most Republican leaders in Alabama say they plan to vote for Roy Moore on Tuesday despite sexual misconduct allegations against the former judge that have prompted others around the country to say he should never be allowed to join the U.S. Senate. Sen. Richard Shelby is an exception he said Sunday that the tipping point in his decision to cast a write-in ballot rather than vote for Moore or Democrat Doug Jones was an allegation that Moore molested a 14-year-old girl decades ago. But Shelbys outspokenness against a man who could become his colleague was the exception rather than the rule. I have stated both publicly and privately over the last month that unless these allegations were proven to be true, I would continue to plan to vote for the Republican nominee, Judge Roy Moore, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill wrote in a text message to The Associated Press. I have already cast my absentee ballot and I voted for Judge Moore. The accusations against Moore have left many GOP voters and leaders in a quandary. Voters face the decision of whether to vote for Moore, accused of sexual misconduct with teenagers decades ago when he was a county prosecutor, or sending Jones to Washington, which would narrow the GOPs already precarious majority in the Senate. They also could write in a name on their ballots or simply stay home. Meanwhile, most GOP politicians in the state must run for re-election next year where they will face Moores enthusiastic voting base at the polls. The Associated Press tried to find out how Republican leaders from Alabama plan to vote. Most office-holders or their staff responded, while others have publicly stated their plans during public appearances or to other media outlets. However, several office-holders did not respond to calls, emails or texts from The Associated Press. They include U.S. Reps. Martha Roby, Mike Rogers and Gary Palmer, as well as state Treasurer Young Boozer and state House Speaker Mac McCutcheon. State office-holders who said they intended to vote for Moore often cited the need to keep the seat in Republican hands. In addition to Merrill, others who plan to vote for Moore include Gov. Kay Ivey; Attorney General Steve Marshall; state Auditor Jim Zeigler; Agriculture Commissioner John McMillan; state Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh; and Public Service Commissioner Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh, who previously led the state GOP. Also voting for Moore are current state party head Terry Lathan and U.S. Reps. Mo Brooks of Huntsville and Robert Aderholt of Haleyville. The states most influential politician, Shelby has said he wrote in a distinguished Republican on his absentee ballot rather than vote for Moore. Shelby told CNN on Sunday he had to vote Republican as a party office-holder, but he was swayed by a womans claims that Moore sexually assaulted her when she was 14. Theres a lot of smoke, Shelby said. Got to be some fire somewhere. Shelbys decision has played prominently in Jones ads pointing out Republicans who are not voting for their partys nominee. CNN reported last month that U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne said he will vote Republican and that he does not cast write-in votes. In a statement to the AP, Byrne said it is up to voters to decide. Some serious allegations have been made and Judge Moore has vehemently denied them. Frankly, I dont think the people of Alabama want me, any national politician, or the national news media telling them what to think or how to vote, Byrne said in the statement. The decision is ultimately up to the people of Alabama to evaluate the information they have before them and make an informed decision. We must respect the voters decision. Sen. Luther Strange, who lost to Moore in the Republican primary, did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press, but told the Washington Post recently that the election is up to voters. Im staying out of it now. I think everybody knows how I feel about Judge Moore. We made our case and the voters made a different decision, Strange told the newspaper in a video on its website. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who resigned from the Senate to join the Trump administration, declined to say how he would vote. Moore and Jones are competing for his old job. There have been some ads that may have suggested I endorsed a candidate, that is not so, Sessions said. I believe that the people of Alabama will make their own decision. State party loyalty rules could prohibit a GOP politician, or someone who aspires to be one, from publicly backing Moores opponent. The rule says anyone who openly supports another partys nominee over a Republican could be barred from running as a Republican in the future. Ivey became governor earlier this year after Robert Bentley resigned amid a sex scandal involving a much younger female political aide. When reached by the AP, Bentley declined to say who he is voting for Tuesday. Ivey said last month that she has no reason to disbelieve the women who have accused Moore and is bothered by their allegations. But Ivey, who plans to run for governor in 2018, said she will vote for Moore anyway for the sake of GOP power in Congress. Her office did not respond to a request for an updated comment. Read more: America cannot afford Roy Moore loss in Alabama, Trump says Doug Jones and Roy Moore are neck and neck in Alabama senate race, poll shows SHARE: Last week at the Toronto Reference Library in Toronto, hundreds of Black Canadian leaders, policy wonks, media personalities, academics, activists, business professionals and artists aligned for celebrations and strategic planning sessions at the inaugural National Black Canadians Summit in recognition of the UN International Decade for People of African Descent. Trailblazers and change makers gathered from across the country to discuss democratic engagement, access to affordable housing and shelter, Black ownership and wealth, community safety, access to justice, education, mental health, migration and inclusion, media representation, arts and Black identity. The event was hosted as a partnership between the Michaelle Jean Foundation and newly founded Federation of Black Canadians. It felt more like a family reunion than a conference. Jean, Canadas former Governor General was a gracious host. She brought the Canadian Black community together in a way only a diplomat could. Floating through the library, she shared special moments with each participant, engaged fully in the strategic planning sessions, and delivered a fiery keynote speech. She shared stories about her month-long decision-making process to accept the appointment as the 27th Governor General of Canada. She wanted to ensure each role she took on was one from which she could initiate meaningful change. She later spoke of the culturally rich and proud revolutionary history of Haiti, More than resilience, I call it resistance. This was an important moment for Black political organization in Canada. South of the border Donald Trump continues to launch attacks on Black athletes, media personalities, and civic leaders. Openly supporting Roy Moore in his Senate race, who stated in September that America was last great, at the time when families were united even though we had slavery Our families were strong, our country had a direction. This week Democratic representatives John Lewis and Bennie G. Thompson organized a boycott around Trumps planned attendance to the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. The White House press secretary seemed to forget that Rep. John Lewis himself is a storied civil rights hero having led and participated in peaceful protests alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. since his time as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. She had the audacity to lecture on respect for the legacy of the movement. While the Toronto conference was organized as a Canadian community-led recognition of the UN Decade for People of African Descent, community members continue to wait, with waning patience, for Prime Minister Trudeau to show leadership on the issues discussed. Municipal, provincial and federal political representatives braved the tough crowd, which was unapologetic in expecting an authenticity supported with timely action few politicians are able to master. In the end, there was clear agreement that we should do this more often. Events like this allow us to share best practices across sectors, nurture relationships and amplify great ideas, which significantly strengthen our work. The definition of success for Black political organization and activism in Canada differed between the organizers in attendance. The Black community in Canada is not homogeneous. My experience as a fifth generation Black Canadian from Windsor, whose family liberated themselves from slavery on a journey to a life of freedom in Canada through the Underground Railroad, is different and yet in so many ways parallel to many of the organizers I met this week. We are spread across the country organizing in unique communities with varying priorities, tactics, and levels of political engagement. For all of our differences, we agreed that better coordination and amplification of great ideas is necessary. And so we will continue to organize in community centres, businesses, church basements, living rooms, and libraries ready to thunderclap and speak with one voice when we are aligned on the issues and when its needed most. I was honoured to join one of the panel discussions and was nearly reduced to tears as community elder June Girvan from Black History Ottawa rose to tell us You are the generation weve been waiting for. During her visit to Toronto last month Michelle Obama made an important point. We dont need one or two great leaders to move our work forward. We need thousands. This conference was an important step forward in empowering effective intergenerational leadership. Like all great Black family reunions the event ended with the electric slide a beautiful moment of joy and celebration as we prepare for the difficult work that lies ahead. Tiffany Gooch is a political strategist at public affairs firms Enterprise and Ensight, secretary of the Ontario Liberal Party Executive Council, and an advocate for increased cultural and gender diversity in Canadian politics. Read more about: SHARE: Social media is an empowering tool, and one that has breathed new oxygen into our political process. It allows people to organize, to question and to rally. It has enhanced our democracy, and changed it for the better. Movements like #metoo, which has broken the silence surrounding sexual harassment and assault, have found their power in social media. The quickness, reactivity and openness of social media has meant that men of power who have been abusers no longer control the dialogue. Those in power dont have power over social media forums. Those who once had little ability to reach the masses can now do so with no fear of being clamped down on or controlled by those in power. It is safe to say that without Twitter, there would still be a cone of silence around issues like sexual harassment and assault. Twitter has been used to shine a light on dozens of other issues. It has helped protestors organize. And it has helped dethrone despots. Safe to say, social media has changed our world for the better. And yet, there is a dark side of the moon. The immediacy, the reactive nature and the openness of social media can cause grave damage, as well. Just as we have seen it used as a formidable tool to topple the powerful, the use of social media can ignite a fire that quickly burns out of control. The lack of control embedded in the use of social media means it can be weaponized against innocent people. Take, for instance, Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus recent apology to the LGBTQ community on behalf of the Government of Canada for historical unfair treatment. It was a moving moment, and one that found cross-partisan support. Canadians across the country took to social media to express their happiness about the decision. But something not so celebratory occurred. A tweet by a member of the press gallery stated that a section of seats among the Conservative Party ranks were empty, with no context. Others soon took photos and circled the missing members, highlighting their names and user names. Tweets in response ominously accused the members of a concerted Conservative walkout to protest the apology. The social media outcry was swift and harsh. The missing members were decried as homophobic, bigoted and insulting. Thousands of tweets harassed the members for their insensitivity, and critiqued the Conservative Party for not having emerged from the Dark Ages. The problem was, it wasnt accurate. A number of the missing members were, in fact, present, and had simply moved to other seats. Others were at already scheduled events in their ridings or at scheduled personal commitments. In fact, there was no credible evidence of a Conservative member boycotting the announcement. But within 12 hours, many Tories faced on onslaught of personal criticism on Twitter by users who had not checked their facts. Those Twitter users gleefully besmirched a happy moment and the personal reputation of roughly a dozen Conservative MPs, entirely erroneously. In fact, the misinformation continues to circulate two weeks later. Talk about fake news. The rush to judgment followed by an immediate backpedal was not an isolated occurrence. It represents a situation that has occurred hundreds of times over social media in the last several years. Unfortunately, its a lesson that has not yet been learned. We live in an era that thrives on immediacy, and the rush to produce content has hampered the importance of getting the facts right. It is a problem that we have constructed ourselves, and one that we must fix. The problem is that the apologies are never louder than the accusations. Headlines that blare of wrongdoing get infinitely more attention than the sheepish tweets admitting wrongful accusation. The credibility of the social media user is on the line, but, more importantly, so is the reputation of an innocent person who may suffer irreparable harm. There isnt a simple fix to this problem. No legislation or Twitter policies or policing will change this. In fact, in an era when the president of the United States plays havoc with the facts, it is more challenging than ever. It often seems innocuous to press the key that broadcasts information to our entire network. Its easy and instantaneous and requires little thought. But that action can have devastating effects. And so the change must begin with us. We must learn to reread and rethink before we retweet. Jaime Watt is the executive chairman of Navigator Ltd. and a Conservative strategist. Read more about: SHARE: Journalism like politics depends on short memories. But many journos appear to be counting on their readers suffering instant memory erasure in their critique of the Trudeau China strategy. Last month they were flailing him for preparing to sell out Canada to the Red Chinese. This month they are attacking Trudeau for failing to make the sale . One might be equally skeptical of the claims of the long-retired diplomats and academics, recalling their time when China was not the ascendant power in the world, claiming they would have done it better in their day. China today is at the height of its power in a millennium. That makes negotiations a little different than any time before. Serious poker players know that you play the hand you are dealt. You cannot fold every weak hand. You play it as well as you can and wait for the next round. Serious trade negotiators understand that setting out an ambitious agenda is to deal yourself a weak hand. You merely make it easier for the other side to roll their eyes and say no. But only a big agenda can deliver big rewards, albeit at the cost of greater risk of failure. Just as the Mulroney government did in the original NAFTA talks, the Trudeau trade team made big asks of their European partners in the CETA talks, and they indulged in some creative brinkmanship to win and did. They did it again at TPP2, insisting on changes to the Harper agreed deal at the eleventh hour. NAFTA2 is negotiating with a crazy person so no strategy can offer any guarantee. They have adopted the big agenda, long-game strategy with China. To demand a big comprehensive economic agreement, including mandatory provisions on the environment, labour and social rights, is attacked by some as imposing our values. Not true. China is signatory to several international agreements on all these protections. Like Canada, they have not yet implemented many of them. Would Canadians accept an agreement that did not guarantee strong environmental protections? No. Does it offer the potential to collapse the deal as an intrusion on sovereign domain? Perhaps, but no Canadian government that signed such a deal could defend it, or probably survive politically. Going to Beijing without the assurance of a final deal on an agenda was inevitable. Beijing wants a reprise of the narrow traditional Australian deal, one that has come to bite Australian politicians badly. That was never going to happen. Ottawa knows the value of a big economic agreement with a respected G7 country to China. It would be a big first, setting the stage for others. It also knows that the gap with China on a necessary agenda started out very wide. Now Canada waits for its next cards, and prepares a new round of talks to continue slow progress toward a potentially big win. Did government fail to make the odds against success given the gap in goals clear? Yes. Did the PMO fail to manage expectations, allowing speculation about a full launch of comprehensive negotiations to get out of hand? Yes. Should they have refused to come to Beijing in the absence of a guaranteed victory? Of course not. This is exactly how high-level bargaining between serious and mutually respectful partners takes place. Sometimes one side even walks out. As we did in the FTA, and in CETA. No one walked this week. Each side put the best face on the small advances made. Neither attacked the other for failing to make greater progress. Nowhere in the state-controlled media in the first 48 hours was there any criticism of Trudeau. Coverage continued to froth about the new golden age in Canada/China relations. Chatting with the team following nearly 72 hours of intense negotiation, one of them chuckled at the critical coverage they had received from the Canadian media and said, We know we made real progress this week. You cant brag about that until you get to the finish line. Our partner would be understandably angry. Theyre already unhappy about how popular Trudeau and Canada are in China. We dont need to add any friction just to make the Canadian media purr. Robin V. Sears, a principal at Earnscliffe Strategy Group, was an NDP strategist for 20 years. Read more about: SHARE: PHOENIX -- A quirk in state law could force top contenders to replace Trent Franks to choose between a run for Congress and keeping their current jobs in the Legislature. Gov. Doug Ducey is expected to announce Monday the date for the primary election for those who want to vie for the now-open post in Congressional District 8. That can be between Feb. 26 and March 8. But by law, the deadline to submit nominating petitions will be Jan. 10. And that's what creates the dilemma for sitting lawmakers. A 1980 voter-approved law says no current elected official can offer himself or herself for nomination to any local, state or federal office "except during the final year of the term being served.'' But here's the thing: Unlike other elected officials who tenure runs through the end of the calendar year for which they are elected, legislators have terms that run through the second Monday in January of odd-numbered years. That's when their successors take office. For current lawmakers, that's Jan. 14, 2019. And what that likely means is any nominating petitions submitted before Jan. 14, 2018 would trigger the resign-to-run law, forcing incumbent legislators to decide whether they're willing to give up their seats for the possibility of becoming the newest member of the Arizona congressional delegation. The unexpected monkey wrench occurred when Franks moved up his resignation date. Franks originally said on Thursday he would leave at the end of the January after admitting he has discussed with two now-former female staffers the possibility of becoming surrogates for he and his wife who has had trouble conceiving. Franks said while he had done nothing wrong he feared that an Ethics Committee investigation triggered by House Speaker Paul Ryan would result in "distorted and sensationalized versions of the story.'' On Friday, however, Franks decided to quit that day after he said his wife, Josephine, had been admitted the prior night to a hospital in Washington "due to an ongoing ailment.'' That resignation, effective at noon Washington time -- 10 a.m. in Arizona -- triggered the requirement for Gov. Doug Ducey to announce on Monday both the date for the primary and the Jan. 10 deadline to file petitions. Among those considering a run are Sen. Steve Montenegro, R-Litchfield Park. He could be considered as having an inside edge -- and the possible blessing of Franks -- as he has been employed until now at Franks' district office. Montenegro had previously said he would wage a primary battle to oust incumbent Republican Secretary of State Michele Reagan. "There's a lot of prayer and thought going into this,'' he told Capitol Media Services, declining to be more specific. There was no immediate response from Sen. Kimberly Yee, R-Phoenix, on whether she intends to give up her announced bid for state treasurer and how the resign-to-run question might affect her decision. Also looking at the open seat in the heavily Republican district is Rep. Darrin Mitchell, R-Goodyear, and Sen. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria. Neither returned messages left for them. If any or all of the incumbent lawmakers quit, that sets into motion a process where Maricopa County supervisors would have to name a replacement to fill out the unexpired legislative terms. The peculiarity of legislative terms -- and when they end -- comes up from time to time. For example, Pima County voters elected then-Rep. Arnold Jeffers as assessor in 1980. But Jeffers could not be sworn in with other county officials at the beginning of January 1981 because of another state law which says legislators may not take any other public office or employment during the term for which they have been elected. He had to wait until the second Monday in January, when a new Legislature was sworn in, to take his position as assessor. There also is no question but that the state resign-to-run law can be applied to candidates for federal office. In 1982, Pima County Supervisor Conrad Joyner announced a bid for Congress despite the fact that his term as supervisor ran through 1984. He challenged the law, saying the state has no ability to keep people from running for federal office. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed -- but only to the point that he could run despite the state law. The judges said, though, the state was free to decide that state and local officeholders forfeit their current office with such a candidacy. The investigation into why an elderly couple went off the road and into a pole last month hasnt yielded any conclusive results, according to Napa Police. Police said that Donald Gray, 91, and Emily Gray, 90, both of Napa, seemed OK immediately after the wreck at Trancas Street and Claremont Way on Nov. 7, but ended up dying from their injuries the following week. They had been wearing seatbelts, police said. Since their deaths, police have been looking into why the driver, Donald Gray, went off the roadway. Police determined that the vehicle was heading eastbound on Trancas Street when it left the roadway and crashed into a traffic signal at the intersection. Donald Gray had told officers at the scene that he was trying to turn onto Claremont when he missed his turn and hit the pole. Police said they do have video of the wreck, but havent been able to determine how fast the vehicle was going due to the poor quality of the video. Alcohol and drugs did not appear to be a factor, police said. The vehicle, a 2004 Toyota Avalon, did not appear to have any mechanical issues either. Investors are drunk on the Kool-Aid that is bitcoin, according to veteran market forecaster Peter Schiff, CEO of Euro Pacific Capital. "No matter how high it goes, they're never going to sell," said Schiff told TheStreet. Schiff also had some tough words for the cryptocurrency, which started 2017 at roughly $1,000. On Wednesday, bitcoin hovered near $15,900, down from its peak of almost $19,700. "Ultimately, I think bitcoin has really no value," said Peter Schiff, CEO of Euro Pacific Capital. "In the market, it has plenty of value. As long as there's buying, there's value. But when the buying goes away, so does the value." Schiff said a lot of the paper profits will end up vanishing "when the music stops." Meanwhile, TheStreet also asked Southwest Airlines (LUV) - Get Free Report CEO Gary Kelly if consumers will ever be able to pay for an airline ticket with bitcoin. "It's hard to envision, but it is astounding how fast [bitcoin] has moved and we'll just have to wait and see on that front," he said. "The way our monetary systems work today are pretty efficient." We'll just have to wait! Watch our entire interview with Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly: More of What's Trending on TheStreet: Twice as nice: Meghan's marriage to Harry will be vastly different from her first wedding. Photo: PA Meghan Markle's father has reportedly said he hopes to walk her down the aisle when she weds Prince Harry next year. The Daily Mirror reports that her father Thomas (73), a former lighting director for TV who now lives in Mexico, said, "Yes, I'd love to" when asked if he would give his daughter away. I'm very pleased. I'm delighted, he added. Meghan is set to marry her prince in May next year at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The happy couple announced their engagement last month after a whirlwind 16 months together. Expand Close Prince Harry's girlfriend Meghan Markle (right) is pictured with her mother Doria Ragland during the Invictus Games Closing Ceremony Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Prince Harry's girlfriend Meghan Markle (right) is pictured with her mother Doria Ragland during the Invictus Games Closing Ceremony Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada Meghan's mother Doria Ragland is divorced from Meghan's father. However, Meghan's parents issued a joint statement following their daughter's engagement. We are incredibly happy for Meghan and Harry. Our daughter has already been a kind and loving person" they wrote. To see her union, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy to us as parents. We wish them a lifetime of happiness and are very excited for their future together. Meghan's half-brother Thomas Markle Jr told the Daily Mail that Prince Harry met Meghan's father once in Toronto. Prince Harry has also already met Doria. The couple are expected to spend Christmas with Harry's family before jetting to the US to spend the new year with the former 'Suits' actress's friends and family. If the creators of Napas Oxbow Public Market had looked into a crystal ball back in 2007, they might have been both horrified and delighted at what they saw in the future. The Great Recession flood control construction and the closure (and reopening) of Copia. An earthquake. Deadly fires. And more. Ten years later, the Oxbow Public Market has not only managed to overcome such obstacles, its become a key success on the east side of the citys downtown. An estimated 1.8 million to 2 million customers visit the market each year. Its popular with both locals and visitors. The complex is leased to full capacity and theres a waiting list for future tenant openings. Today, as the market celebrates a decade after opening in December 2007, Oxbow has become a great asset, to downtown Napa, said Oxbow Public Market founder Steve Carlin. Oxbow has become a local gathering place and a place to support and celebrate local artisan food merchants, he said. Were proud to be a part of it. It has become the center for community in the city of Napa, said an original investor, Rob Jennings. We have a real destination in downtown Napa, said Cassandra Walker, former city of Napa community development director. The 40,000-square-foot marketplace, which includes an outdoor deck with seating along the Napa River, features a diverse tenant mixture of about 22 merchants, including local food vendors, artisan cafes and an organic produce outlet for local farms. The market offers wine, food, books and more. Judging by how full the market is on weekends and how many cars there are in the parking lot, the market idea seems so obvious now, but such success was not always guaranteed. Carlin recalled that more than 10 years ago, the Oxbow district wasnt much to talk about. But after the Mondavis launched Copia and redevelopment of the area began, Carlins idea to create a public market, seemed like it had the potential to be a really significant project. It was more than wishful thinking. Carlin was coming off a similar, and successful, project: the San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace. I knew how powerful the concept was, he said. I had a sense this would fit nicely into an incredible wine community. Rob Jennings was one of the estimated 30 investors who started the market. His investment reached into the six-figure range, he said. While hes no longer an investor in the market, he was and remains an investor in the wine and cheese business at the Oxbow. Jennings said when Carlin laid out the plan for the Oxbow Public Market, I just thought, This is a no brainer. We thought it was a great concept and a great location. And we had confidence in Steve Carlin. It was more than just a dollars and cents decision to invest in the market, Jennings said. There was a sense of civic duty. It was a belief that this was something that would be good for our town and the valley. Were proud we stuck with it and were initial investors, said Jennings. Today, the Oxbow Public Market is the anchor of the area. I think the concept is proved; people love it, said Jennings. I never get tired of going to the Oxbow Market. Cassandra Walker described Carlins plan for the Oxbow Public Market as a very innovative idea for Napa. The project complemented Copia well, and it had every opportunity of being a gathering place for Napans and a destination for visitors, Walker said in an interview earlier this week. Before the market opened, we didnt have a place where everyone could congregate, in the same way they do today at Oxbow, she said. Steve went out of his way to reach out to Napans to make it their place. Napans really responded. Walker said Carlin needs to be complimented in particular for persevering through the extensive flood control construction and the closure of Copia. That was an amazing effort to keep the Oxbow Market open and running throughout that period. Carlins creativity and hard work paid off, she said. We knew it had the ability to be special and Steve pushed and worked hard, to make it happen, she said. Steve continues to evolve the market to be what the community needs. Of course, there were challenges along the way some that could have completely derailed the project. In the beginning, There wasnt a lot of enthusiasm, from merchants to become tenants, Carlin said. The public market concept hadnt been proven in Napa. The location itself was another unknown. There wasnt really anything but Copia, as a neighbor on that side of downtown, said Carlin. In 2008, just after Oxbow opened, the original Copia campus closed abruptly and later filed for bankruptcy. The building was empty for many years after that. In addition to the closure of Copia, the overall flood control project, including the construction of the bypass channel also deterred visitors. Bridge and road access to the market was closed at different times. And then came the biggest whammythe Great Recession. That time was a pretty bleak time in the history of the American economy, said Carlin. But this entrepreneur credited his ownership group for keeping the market open. To endure the downturn, his investors almost all locals were asked to invest more money in the project. When Copia closed, Some were sounding the death knell, but it was such a strong concept, said Jennings. I never wavered in my belief that this would be good for Napa. Carlin also credited the conviction of his tenants. We were all incentivized to make this successful, and we all believed in it, Carlin said. Carlin said that 2008 and 2009 were the toughest years. By 2010 things had started to turn around. Copia was still closed, but we started to claw our way out of the recession. Good tenant decisions paid off, he said. The market added new merchants such as C Casa and Ritual Coffee Roasters, and other mainstays like Five Dot Ranch, Hog Island Oyster Co. and Gotts restaurant were doing well. And when consumers started shopping again, Oxbow was ready. Carlin said one factor that made the market what it is today was that the community of Napa embraced Oxbow really embraced it. On Tuesday nights, the market offered special deals and promotions and it was a win. From that support, I realized the community had decided this could not fail, Carlin said. That was the major turning point for us. Today, about 75 percent of Oxbow Public Market merchants are original tenants, he said. Carlin declined to specify lease rates or terms but said tenants pay a minimum rent plus a percentage of sales. Its a partnership with the tenant, and the market, he explained. He declined to reveal how much money the market has made over the past decade only to say that Oxbow is very successful financially. In 2015, Madison Marquette, a private real estate investment company, paid an undisclosed amount to buy out the Markets estimated 30-some investors to become a single partner with Carlin. They have been a great partner, said Carlin. Its been a good relationship. Of course, not every component of the Oxbow Public Market has been a success. Oxbow originally planned to have farm stands on the outside of the building, but that concept didnt work. We got the farmers, but we didnt have enough customers in the beginning, he said. The farmers couldnt wait for the business to develop, so those stalls were closed. Today, the spaces have been taken over by other Oxbow merchants for outdoor dining and other uses. Other tenants have come and gone over the years. Carlin continues to tweak operations. One future edit could include relocating a large trash and compactor area, currently located in a very prominent spot between the Oxbow annex buildings and the main hall. Its yucky, he admitted. We are going to solve that problem. We think we have better use of that building. Parking will continue to be a challenge. We are trying to encourage more people to walk and carpool and bicycle, he said. New parking garages could accommodate needs. We will get to a point where we have to make some hard choices about how visitors park at Oxbow, including possible validated or valet parking, he said. Carlin is also evaluating future merchants at the market. Im seeing more of a trend towards makers coming back into the fold, such as artisans who create ceramics or other handmade items. Were looking at some of those opportunities for down the road as leases expire. Carlin is also finding time for another project an Oxbow-like concept on the Sonoma square. At the site of the original Sonoma Cheese Factory, Carlin is creating a new market that will be about the same size as the Oxbow Public Market. He hopes to open in mid-2019. Were very excited about that, he said. The information box with this story has been corrected since original posting with the date of the Jan. 20 anniversary party. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SARATOGA SPRINGS - The president and executive director of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center said that her decision to cut New York City Ballets schedule to one week is not irrevocable. I have no desire for the ballet to be here for only week, Elizabeth Sobol said on Thursday. My hope is next summer with bigger nightly attendance we will be able to go back to two weeks. Meanwhile, she has made alternative plans with the National Ballet of Cuba, which will dance the romantic-era Giselle for three nights, June 6 to 8. City Ballets abbreviated stay will take place from July 17 to 21. The home company, for which SPAC was built, will dance four separate programs, a story ballet, new works and something from the Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein centennial, in seven performances. Sobol made her decision to cut the ballet largely based on its $1 million loss in 2016. SPAC finished the year, breaking even, but the ballet deficit is a significant thing. We projected to lose a greater amount next year, she said. But here is what I observed: 80 percent of the audience only buys tickets to one performance, 11 percent buys a ticket to two performances. Only 9 percent buy for two or more night. And while its wonderful to have this deeply passionate audience, by presenting two weeks we are doubling our expenses and cannibalizing our audience. She expects to gain new audience by expanding outreach to school children, offering deeper discounts for seniors and students and providing more variety in the programming. She will eliminate the old line-up of repeat ballets with different casts, which she said only the ballet connoisseur appreciate. She also said for new audiences going to the ballet where there are 4,000 empty seats ruins the experience. Being in a large audience, looking out on the stage, adds to the experience, she said. Looming large over City Ballets overall fate at SPAC is the future of Ballet-Master-in-Chief Peter Martins. The man hand-picked by company founder George Balanchine during a summer season at SPAC has been accused of sexual harassment in an anonymous letter. As a result, he has stopped teaching at City Ballets official school, the School of American Ballet, but retains artistic control over the company. Sobol has no idea how the Martins investigation will affect the ballet season at SPAC. We cant comment until the investigation is over, she said. At Thursdays Board of Directors meeting, SPAC announced the Freihofers Saratoga Jazz Festival will run from June 23 and 24; Opera Saratoga, from June 29 to July 15; the Philadelphia Orchestra, from Aug. 1 to 18; and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, from Aug. 5 to 21. It's budget for 2018 is $10.5 million. 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. A 28-year-old Nevada man was arrested after allegedly stealing one vehicle and then entering another vehicle, which was occupied by a father and his young child, in the South Napa Marketplace on Friday night, according to Napa Police. Police were first notified that a vehicle had been stolen from the Chevron gas station on Imola and Soscol Avenues just before 8 p.m. Friday. The victim said that when they came out of the store, their vehicle was missing, police said. The vehicle was found unoccupied just a few lots over at In-N-Out Burger. Witnesses reported seeing a man driving the vehicle recklessly before stopping, getting out and getting on the ground, police said. The same man then entered another vehicle, which was occupied by a father and his child, police said. The driver began kicking and punching the stranger in his vehicle, police said. When police arrived at that vehicle, they arrested the man, identified as John Doyle Nicholson, on suspicion of stealing a vehicle and tampering with a vehicle. Nicholson is being held at the Napa County jail on $25,000 bail. Zero Mass Water's Source device is a rooftop solar device that produces water instead of just electricity. With the virtual explosion of rooftop solar arrays producing clean electricity, the future of democratized power is bright, but when it comes to water, we don't have nearly as many options. Most of us are directly tied into the local water supply, which is great when it works well, and horrible when it doesn't (as evidenced by the recent and ongoing travesties in communities such as Flint, Michigan), and although some homes may capture rainwater for irrigation, or have their own well, there aren't a lot of alternative choices for getting clean drinking water, other than purchasing bottled water. However, there are some up-and-coming water innovations that could be put into play at homes and businesses that would allow people to have more control over their own drinking water supply. In recent years, the idea of pulling water vapor from the air and condensing it into drinking water is getting a whole lot more attention, and not just in off-grid areas and in the developing world, but also right here in suburbia and urban areas as well. One company that offers a localized clean water solution is Zero Mass Water, and its Source device looks to be a promising addition to homes or businesses that want to gain some water sovereignty. Zero Mass Water, an Arizona State University spin-off startup based in Scottsdale, has developed a "drinking water solar panel" that is a standalone system requiring no wired or water input connections, and the company has been installing its SOURCE device in pilot programs on homes and in communities since 2015. A single unit has a physical footprint of 2.8 square meters, generates its own electricity from a solar photovoltaic panel (and stores some of that electricity in an integrated lithium-ion battery for keeping water pressure up after dark), and uses that electricity to drive a cycle of condensation and evaporation that can produce 2 to 5 liters of water per day. A 30-liter reservoir holds the generated water and allows for the distilled water to have minerals added to it for taste, and the output can be plumbed directly to a tap inside the home or business. Multiple SOURCE units can be installed in an array in order to generate the appropriate amount of water to meet the needs of the owner. According to the company, the only maintenance or financial input required by the SOURCE is a new air filter every year, and a new mineral cartridge every 5 years, which means that after the initial purchase and install, the owner can essentially own their own drinking water supply with minimal inputs. Although pricing on the units hasn't been publicly announced yet, Phoenix Business Journal states the price as $4,800, "which includes the $3,200 panel and $1,600 for an additional panel." Part of the company's goal is global water democratization, so customers will be asked to help underwrite part of the cost of additional SOURCE units for people living in areas with little to no water infrastructure. "When you purchase SOURCE panels for your home, you will own your water for the first time. In order to purchase that panel, we will ask you to split the cost of an additional panel with Zero Mass Water. The panel that you split with us will go to a community of your choosing, a family who will leapfrog poor or non-existent infrastructure. As their SOURCE gets installed you will accelerate water democratization. You get to choose the region and then our partners around the world identify families with little or no clean water (to start with, located in Latin America, the Middle East, and underserved in the US). These families will not receive a panel for free, but will instead purchase it for the cost of getting it to them and installing it. Together, both households own their water." - Cody Friesen, Founder and CEO of Zero Mass Water Fiji has a wide range of islands/resorts to chose from. Something for everyone. Everything from backpacker, large hotel chains, adults only to private island stays. Which one depends on budget and what you want in a resort. Large or small, adults only, choice of restaurants, pool, plunge pool, beautiful, soft, white sand beaches, etc. The outer island resorts have the best beaches, snorkeling, crystal clear blue water, and a more relaxed feel. Many outer island resorts are the only thing on the island. No roads, towns, other resorts, or dining options other than at the resort. We usually book around 8 months in advance to get the resort and accommodations we want. We pay a deposit when booking, then pay the rest for accommodations and meals before arriving leaving only our bar bill and activities to pay on checkout. Resort don't have their prices for 2019 yet. To get an idea of cost, have a look at the websites for resorts you are interested in. Some charge in FJD, USD, NZD, or AUD, so do the conversion rate. To get the best price, we compare booking accommodations and airfare with a package deal from a travel agent. Costco has some good deals, if you are a member. With 10 days, could split your stay between two islands/resorts. Maybe three depending on the distance between them. Traveling between islands can be time consuming and pricey. Depending which islands you decide on, you might have to over night in Nadi before heading from one to the other. We have spent 10 days at one resort and were never bored. July is outside the rainy/cyclone season. Weather should be good, but there are no guarantees. Being the tropics, some rain is to be expected. If you want to avoid lots of kids, check your dates with resorts. Australia/New Zealand school holidays are in July. Resorts popular with families will be overrun with kids. Unfortunately for those of us in the states, Fiji Airways is the only airlines with direct flights to Nadi. Flights depart LAX daily. SFO has direct flights twice a week. You can book with an airline that codeshares with them, but will be flying with Fiji Airways. Some resorts have their own onsite dive shops. Those that don't will be able to make arrangements for you. Drinks at resorts can be pricey and add up quickly. To help keep the price down, and for having drinks in your room/bure purchase alcohol at the duty free shop at the airport in Nadi. We can't purchase our brand of choice in Fiji, so take the amount allowed by customs in our checked luggage. There aren't many resorts in Fiji that include all meals, drinks both soft and hard, and activities. Those that do are very expensive. Turtle Island, Namale are two. Some resorts include all meals in their prices, others have meal plans to chose from or a la carte. Resorts typically have activities free of charge, and those at an additional cost. There are two resorts in Fiji that have over the water bures. LikuLiku which is adults only. Can be reached by boat or helicopter. Marriott Momi Bay, on the main island which opened this year. The resort allows children, but has adults only accommodations and pool. The Fijian people are the most friendly, caring, happiest people on the planet. They will go above and beyond to insure your vacation is everything you hope for and more without being intrusive. As strange as it sounds, you arrive as guests, and depart for home as part of their family. Matangi a small, intimate, adults only resort, just off Taveuni is our favorite resort in Fiji. Amazing diving/snorkeling, hiking, waterfall hikes, coastal walks, village/school tour, private beach picnic, and other tours activities to keep you occupied for not. 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. ST. HELENA New revenues have stabilized St. Helenas General Fund, but a historic lack of investment in city buildings and roads are still cause for concern, according to a new financial report card. The California Municipal Financial Health Diagnostic gives mostly high marks to St. Helenas General Fund, which has benefited from new sources of revenue that have produced a healthy reserve of 34 percent 9 percent higher than the City Councils target of 25 percent and well within the acceptable range for small cities. The areas of concern, such as a lack of investment in aging city buildings and roads that are among the Bay Areas worst, dont come as a surprise, City Manager Mark Prestwich and Finance Director April Mitts agreed. The report card was prepared by municipal finance experts associated with the League of California Cities and the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers. Its intended as an objective tool to help cities and counties gauge their fiscal stability compared with other local governments around the state. Prestwich said St. Helenas report card will be valuable to the SHAPE Committee, which is evaluating city facilities, and to residents who want to know how the city is doing. This document helps set the table for the conversation that the community will have about its deteriorating assets, but also about the available financing that is emerging to address some of these deficiencies, Prestwich said. Mitts noted three main lessons from the report: The General Fund is stabilizing, asset recapitalization is still a concern, and the city now has a living, breathing document to show us where we are financially, how we got here, and what we have to look at for the future. The report awards color-coded ratings for 14 financial indicators: green for Healthy, yellow for Caution and red for Warning. St. Helena received 11 greens, three yellows and no reds. The three Caution ratings involve Capital Asset Condition, General Fund Subsidies of Other Funds and Service Level Solvency. The generally high marks can be attributed to new ongoing revenue from Measure D ($1.2 million-$1.4 million per year in unrestricted sales tax revenue for the General Fund), Measure T ($600,000 per year in sales tax revenue for road repairs, plus a $379,000 General Fund match), SB 1 ($116,000 per year for road repairs) and the Las Alcobas hotel (projected to generate $1.2 million per year), officials said. If wed looked at this tool two years ago before Measure D, before Measure T, before Las Alcobas I think wed have some different ratings, Prestwich said, adding that the report card can be updated periodically to reflect changing financial circumstances. Due to the new revenue, financial projections show General Fund surpluses trending upward over the next few fiscal years, reaching 12.9 percent in 2020-2021. Areas of concern The first Caution involves a historic lack of investment in city buildings. Maintenance budgets were cut during the recession, and addressing the poor condition of facilities like City Hall, the police station and the Corporation Yard has only recently become a high priority for the city. The SHAPE Committee is studying those facilities, and consultants are preparing a needs assessment that will estimate the cost of repairing or replacing them. The report concerns only the General Fund, not the separate water and wastewater enterprise funds. However, the transfer over two fiscal years of $1.6 million from the General Fund to the water enterprise to help fund the removal of the Upper York Creek Dam resulted in the second Caution rating. Prestwich said the transfer, approved by the council in a 3-2 vote in June, reflects what a majority of the council saw as a unique one-time situation, with the understanding that using the General Fund to subsidize enterprise funds is generally considered a bad idea. The yellow rating for Service Level Solvency reflects years of under-investment in city buildings and roads, as well as the potential for major expenses if it ever becomes necessary to transform the part-time fire department into a more expensive full-time department, officials said. The first two concerns are already being addressed, by the SHAPE Committee and by new road funding from Measure T and SB 1. As for the warning about the fire department, St. Helena has been lucky to be able to sustain the part-time department, which frees the city from the financial liability of pensions for retired firefighters, Prestwich said. However, if it becomes impossible to attract a sufficient number of on-call firefighters who are available to respond to local calls, the fire department could be forced to go professional, which would put a new financial strain on the city. Financial policies The report card also evaluates St. Helenas financial management policies. The city has tightened up its financial controls over the past few years, ever since revelations came to light in 2015 about financial mismanagement under previous city administrations. The report card shows that most of the citys financial policies have been introduced or updated since then, including many that were recommended by an annual financial audit and a forensic audit of the flood control project. Other financial policies that have been recommended over the last few years are in draft form or still waiting to be drawn up. The report is available at cityofsthelena.org under the agenda for the next council meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12, at Vintage Hall. It will also be presented at the SHAPE Committee meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, at Vintage Hall. Back in 1982, when the newspaper USA Today debuted, media critics immediately dismissed it as shallow and referred to it as the McPaper. Not only were its stories short and punchy, it was one of the few newspapers around that dared to print in full color. Respectable journalism, you see, should only appear in black and white. It was even enshrined in the nickname of the New York Times, the nations premier newspaper The Gray Lady. The mighty Wall Street Journal didnt indulge in photos, using instead little wood-cut style illustrations of the people about whom they wrote. The high-brow New Yorker magazine didnt use images at all, except for their famous cartoon drawings. When I started in the business a few years later, things had loosened up, but only a little bit. The weekly newspapers where I worked would use whats called spot color sometimes, marking the little lines and rules around the top of the paper in a single color red, blue, green, sometimes orange. One week sometime in 1992, my publisher decided to experiment with full color on the front page, which turned out to be a surprisingly difficult process because we shot all our photographs in black and white and we had to figure out how even to take and process color photos on deadline. We never did it again. Our Operations Director John Hawkley remembers the same thing here at the Napa Valley Register. Until just a few years ago, he told me, the press room on Second Street was crowded with bucket after bucket of different color inks to add spot color to ads or the front page for special occasions: brown for Thanksgiving, red for Christmas, green for St. Patricks Day and so on. All of that seems comically old fashioned now. Virtually every newspaper, including of course the Register, uses full-color photos and graphics on the front page and many interior pages. Even the tradition-bound New Yorker magazine finally accepted the need to add photos about 15 years ago, some of them even in color. And the mere idea of a black and white website is ludicrous. But putting color onto a printed page is surprisingly challenging. You have to carefully coordinate four ink tanks and the press has to be precisely aligned to make those layers of ink line up properly or else the images look blurry. Some printing presses, including our one at the old building on Second Street, had technical limitations that made it impossible to add color on certain interior pages. An interior page where color was available, known as a color position, was coveted real estate for our photographers and advertisers alike. At some point in the last year or two, we realized we didnt have to do it that way anymore. We print under contract over at the Press Democrats press in Rohnert Park, and their machine is much larger than our old one and is not nearly as restricted as to where to place color positions. So in recent months, weve been adding more color to the interior pages, starting with the Obituaries and more recently with the Opinion section. Later, well add color to the Business page and eventually basically every interior page will be in color. All this brings me to whats probably biggest news of all: starting Dec. 11, were going all-color on the comics page. Color has been standard on the Sunday comics pages for decades, but in recent years, the comic artists have been producing their strips in full color, and papers have increasingly begun running them in color. And guess what? It looks really great. Were very excited to bring you this page in color. How far weve come in 40 years since USA Today debuted. Turns out respectable journalism (and its comic strips) looks just great in color. President Donald Trump tweeted Saturday that he "had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI," adding, "It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!" Both halves of the tweet are jaw-dropping. In the first half, Trump admits to knowing that Flynn, his onetime national security advisor, had already lied to the FBI at the time he pushed FBI Director James B. Comey to drop the investigation into Flynn. (The overture to Comey came the day after Trump fired Flynn.) Pushing your Justice Department to stifle an investigation of a known felon sounds a lot like obstruction of justice. The second half of the tweet -- the assertion that it was perfectly fine for Flynn to make contact with Russian government actors before Trump was actually president -- is equally disturbing. Trump defenders have advanced a two-part argument to justify pre-inauguration conversations with Russia. Their first, a legal claim, concerns the Logan Act, which makes it a crime for unauthorized citizens to negotiate with foreign governments that have a dispute with the United States. Trump defenders note, accurately, that its broad sweep has left it in a legal no-man's-land. The Logan Act has almost never been used. The special counsel in charge of the Russia probe, Robert Mueller, would find it difficult to dust it off for this situation. Trump defenders' second refrain is that it is routine for incoming administrations to reach out to other countries -- as a way to lay the groundwork for their ascent to power. If that's the case, then why did Flynn lie? The apologists have not advanced any sensible response to that question. I think Flynn lied because he understood, correctly, that he and his colleagues had done something very wrong and inimical to U.S. interests. Flynn wasn't a misguided private citizen (think Dennis Rodman in North Korea) flying off to consult with a foreign power. Such bumbling freelance diplomacy can be vexatious to the government, but no one could confuse it with a legitimate U.S. foreign policy initiative. And Flynn wasn't just reaching out to, say, introduce himself or receive basic information. He was intentionally undermining the Obama administration. Mueller's team has outlined that in late December 2016: Flynn asked the Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, not to escalate tensions in response to sanctions that the United States had imposed against Russia. Kislyak agreed. At the behest of a senior official who is almost certainly Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, Flynn contacted officials from foreign governments, including Russia, to see where each stood on a U.N. resolution against Israel for its settlement policy, which the U.S. had decided to let pass. Flynn asked Kislyak to delay the U.N. vote or to defeat the resolution. What this means, unavoidably, is that the Trump transition team was carrying on a rogue foreign policy effort, on issues of the highest sensitivity to U.S. interests, with neither State Department oversight nor expertise. Flynn and others sought concessions, made assurances and negotiated deals behind the back of the Obama administration -- on matters they could not have fully understood. The questions arising from this closet operation are many and alarming. What sorts of risks to U.S. interests and even international stability were run by the Trump transition team's decision to arrogate to itself, and secretly, the conduct of important foreign affairs? What kind of diplomatic or even military calamity might they have bumbled into? What sorts of nuanced considerations involving not just Israel but also Syria, Iran, China, and others were in play in the Obama administration's decision to let the settlement resolution pass? What if Israel had quietly acceded to the U.S. abstention in return for aid or other covert assistance? How did it look later to the international community that the Trump team was able to work its will on the sanctions that the Obama administration had so painstakingly put in place? Nuanced and multidimensional moves are the norm in foreign policy, and Team Trump was playing blind. But if their conduct wasn't routine, some might argue, it wasn't exactly novel. It's widely assumed, for example, that the incoming Reagan administration interfered in hostage-crisis negotiations with Iran. That analogy, however, cuts in the other direction. Reagan officials staunchly denied the charges, with a vehemence that revealed their understanding of how outrageous such conduct would have been. Both houses of Congress held separate investigations into the matter, moreover, and concluded that the charges could not be substantiated. We only have one president at a time, and for good reason. What the Trump team's rogue foreign policy amounted to was an attack on the president as commander-in-chief and an exposure of U.S. citizens to gratuitous and incalculable risks. That's arguably far more serious than a lie to the FBI or a personal or financial misdeed. Only Congress can determine whether such behavior, assuming it was fully sanctioned by Trump, amounts to an impeachable high crime or misdemeanor. But the arguments in that direction are strong. - President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday, December 9 received credentials from five new Commissioners to Kenya - The envoys congratulated the President on his peaceful campaigns during the prolonged electioneering period that preceded his victory - While welcoming them, he encouraged them to work hard for the improvement of bilateral relations between Kenya and their respective countries for mutual benefit President Uhuru Kenyatta received five new envoys on Saturday, December 9 who applauded Kenyatta on his commitment to the rule of law. The envoys included Awere Phibby Otaala from Uganda, Alison Chartres from Australia, Denys Toscano from Ecuador, Myint Swe from Myanmar and Wilhelm von Trott from the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Mshauri wa Raila Odinga aeleza kwa nini kuapishwa kwake kulihairishwa New envoy from Australia Alison Chartres heap praises on Uhuru.Photo: Uhuru Kenyatta/ Facebook READ ALSO: Kenya asked Western countries to congratulate Uhuru after Supreme Court verdict In a statement seen by TUKO.co.ke, the envoys congratulated the President on his peaceful campaigns during the prolonged electioneering period that preceded his victory and swearing in for a second term in office On behalf of the President and people of Uganda I would like to congratulate you on your peaceful campaign which the whole world has been watching, said Ms Otaala from Uganda Kenyatta urged the Ugandan envoy to work closely with Kenya in strengthening the East African Community for the sake of prosperity for all the people of the region. New envoys from Uganda Awere Phibby Otaala heap praises on Uhuru's commitment to the rule of law. Photo: Uhuru Kenyatta/ Facebook READ ALSO: Yoweri Museveni first president to congratulate Uhuru The new Australian Ambassador congratulated President Kenyatta on his victory for a second term in office and that Australia appreciates President Kenyattas respect for the rule of law. We applaud your clear commitment to the rule of law and also your commitment to make devolution work, said Chartres. The envoy said she would work to boost the bilateral ties between Kenya and Australia. She noted that Kenyans form the majority of Africans studying in Australian universities. READ ALSO: 40 countries have so far congratulated Uhuru Kenyatta on his Supreme Court win - State House The envoys praises on President Uhuru come after a report by TUKO.co.ke indicated that the Jubilee administration had been caught in an embarrassing situation. Reports had emerged that it had solicited for congratulatory messages for president Uhuru Kenyatta from western countries following his Supreme Court win. The Jubilee administration however denied the claims and alleged that over 40 countries had congratulated the president ALSO WATCH: Raila Odinga's 'Swearing in' Unstoppable Source: TUKO.co.ke - Deputy President William Ruto has sent out his condolence to families of seven musicians and 14 other Kenyans who perished in two separate road accidents on Saturday, December 9 - In a twitter post he shared on the morning of Sunday, December 10, Ruto urged motorists to exercise extreme caution and stick to traffic rules and regulations to avoid loss of lives - Seven musicians believed to be members of the Kanene International Band were reported dead in a grisly road accident in Kamara along Nakuru-Eldoret road on Satarday night - Another set of 14 Kenyans had perished in Moinonin along the Marigat-Loruk road in Baringo North, on the afternoon of Saturday Deputy President William Ruto has sent out his condolence to families of 21 Kenyans, including seven musicians, who perished in two separate road accidents on Saturday, December 9. In a twitter post he shared on the morning of Sunday, December 10, Ruto also urged motorists to exercise extreme caution and stick to traffic rules and regulations to avoid more loss of lives. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Mshauri wa Raila Odinga aeleza kwa nini kuapishwa kwake kulihairishwa "Motorists should exercise caution and adhere to traffic rules and regulations, especially during this festive season to avoid further loss of lives. May their souls rest in peace," he said. DP William Ruto has sent out his condolence to seven musicians and 14 Kenyans who died on Saturday in separate road accidents. Photo:Facebook/William Samoe Ruto. Install TUKO App To Read News For FREE The first of the two grisly road accidents that reportedly claimed 14 lives occurred in Moinonin along the Marigat-Loruk road, Baringo North, on the afternoon of Saturday, December 9. Baringo county Administration Commander, Robinson Ndiwa, confirmed that an AP vehicle was involved in the accident. He said among those who perished were 13 civilians and a child. READ ALSO: Famous Kalenjin's Kenene International band members perish in grisly accident The second carnage, in which seven musicians believed to be members of Kanene International Band were reported dead - among them two women and five men, took place in Kamara along Nakuru-Eldoret road on the night of Saturday, same day as the first accident. The musicians were reportedly traveling in a Toyota Probox when they collided head-on with a truck. Molo Base Commander, Moses Nderitu, said the Probox driver was trying to overtake the truck that was transporting chicken feed from Eldoret to Nakuru. "Driver of the Probox did not take precaution before overtaking the vehicle ahead of him. This might have caused the accident," Nderitu said as quoted by Daily Nation. READ ALSO: Firearm licensing process questioned after patient shot dead a nurse at Nairobi-based hospital Bodies of the seven deceased artistes were taken to Molo hospital mortuary. Kenyan woman steals body of husband from a morgue - On Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke OCHA Syria Children in East Ghouta, some 10km outside the Syrian capital, are in urgent need of medical evacuation. DAMASCUS/AMMAN, 10 December 2017 Continuing violence across East Ghouta, some 10km outside the Syrian capital, Damascus, has reportedly led to the closure of most schools in the area over the past month and stranded scores of children in need of medical evacuation. One hundred and thirty-seven children, aged 7-months to 17-years require immediate medical evacuation for conditions ranging from kidney failure to severe malnutrition and conflict related injuries. Five children have reportedly died as they couldnt access the medical care they needed. East Ghouta, one of the remaining besieged areas in Syria, is home to an estimated 400,000 people who have been almost completely cut off from humanitarian assistance since 2013. As violence continues to intensify in East Ghouta, thousands of children are suffering in silence, said Fran Equiza, UNICEF Representative in Syria. The situation is getting worse day by day. The health system is crumbling and schools have now been closed for almost a month. Sick children desperately need medical evacuation, and many thousands more are being denied the chance of a normal, peaceful childhood. On the last United Nations inter-agency aid convoy to Nashabieh town in east Ghouta on 29 November, UNICEF health workers described seeing one of the worst health and nutrition situations since the conflict began in Syria. A severely malnourished two-year-old boy was described as having an arm as thin as a little finger. Nearly 12 per cent of children under 5 years-old in East Ghouta suffer from acute malnutrition the highest rate ever recorded since the start of the conflict in Syria. Children are still living through so much horror, said Equiza. Now is the time for all sides to do the right thing and to stop the violence. Violence has been escalating across Damascus and East Ghouta, with a significant increase in rockets and mortars landing in the Syrian capital in the last six weeks. Almost one in three school-age children in Syria - an estimated 1.75 million children, are currently out of school across the country and one third of schools are damaged or destroyed. UNICEF reiterates its calls for unimpeded, unconditional and sustained humanitarian access to all children in Syria, and urges all parties to the conflict and those who have influence on them to protect children at all times and to immediately allow the evacuation of the sick and wounded. ### Notes to Editors Multi-media assets are available to download here For more information, please contact: Juliette Touma, UNICEF Regional Office Amman, +962 79 867 4628, +962 79 867 4628, jtouma@unicef.org Tamara Kummer, UNICEF Regional Office Amman, +962 797 588 550, tkummer@unicef.org Joe English, UNICEF New York, +1 917 893 0692 jenglish@unicef.org The Syrian government's delegation returned to Geneva on Sunday for the resumption of talks with United Nations mediator Staffan de Mistura after more than a week's absence, but Western diplomats voiced skepticism about its willingness to engage. Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syria's ambassador to the U.N. and chief negotiator in talks aimed at finding a political solution to end the nearly seven-year-old war, landed in a snowstorm on a flight from Beirut, a Reuters reporter on board said. Ja'afari declined to comment. De Mistura convened an eighth round of separate talks with the government and unified opposition delegations on Nov. 28, focusing on constitutional reform as well as elections. But Ja'afari arrived a day late and left after two days, saying the opposition had "mined the road" to the talks by insisting that President Bashar al-Assad could not play any interim role in Syria's political transition. De Mistura told reporters last Thursday that he would assess this week whether either side is trying to "sabotage" the process. "The opposition has been extremely constructive and willing to get down to it," a senior Western diplomat said. "They are in a difficult place while being criticized internally and pressured by the fact that the regime is bombing away in eastern Ghouta and other places." The diplomat told Reuters that the government's failure to return as scheduled on Dec. 5 had been "a clear sign of not being interested in engaging in the political process." Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested holding a Syrian congress in the Russian city of Sochi early in 2018. Diplomats see his plan as a bid to draw a line under the war and celebrate Moscow's role as the power that tipped the balance of the war and became the key player in the peace process. Renegade Republican Roy Moore may be plagued by scandal, but it will take more than that to convince the voters of 44th Place North to show up for Democrat Doug Jones on Tuesday. In a state where Democrats are used to losing, the malaise is easy to find in this African-American neighborhood in suburban Birmingham, even on the final weekend before Alabamas high-profile Senate contest. A lot of people dont vote because they think their vote dont count, Ebonique Jiles, 27, said after promising a Jones volunteer she would support the Democrat in Tuesdays election. Ill vote regardless of whether he wins or loses. Delicate balancing act With history and math working against them in deep-red Alabama, Democrats are fighting to energize a winning coalition of African-Americans and moderate Republicans a delicate balancing act on full display Saturday as Jones and his network of volunteers canvassed the state. Nearly 100 miles south of Birmingham, during an appearance near the staging ground for Selmas landmark Bloody Sunday civil rights march in 1965, Jones declared that Alabama has an opportunity to go forward and not backward. This campaign has the wind at its back because we are bringing people together from all across this state, Jones said after a meeting at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church. The other side is trying to divide us more than they bring people together. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, one of only two African-Americans in the Senate, was scheduled to appear at Jones side later in the day at Alabama State University. And Saturday evening, the Democrat organized two get-out-the-vote concerts expected to draw overwhelmingly white voters, including some open-minded Republicans, in a state that hasnt elected a Democrat to the Senate in more than a quarter century. Moore goes silent Moore had no public events on Saturday, an extraordinary silence three days before the election but in line with a final-weeks strategy that featured very few public events in which he could be forced to address allegations of sexual misconduct. The former state Supreme Court judge got a big boost the night before in nearby Pensacola, Florida, where President Donald Trump encouraged voters to get out and vote for Roy Moore. The 70-year-old Moore is facing multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, including allegations that he molested two teenage girls and pursued romantic relationships with several others while in his 30s. He has largely denied the allegations. The explosive charges, which many Washington Republicans describe as credible, are giving Democrats a once-in-a-generation opportunity to pick up a Senate seat in the Deep South, where Republicans significantly outnumber Democrats. Even if Jones wins on Tuesday, many Democrats expect the GOP to re-claim the seat when the term expires at the end of 2020. Tough math Beneath Jones biracial and bipartisan balancing act is a complex numbers game that has vexed Alabama Democrats for decades. The partys core of black voters and white liberals plus a smidgen of old-guard, more conservative Southern Democrats whove held on amid the regions partisan shift is worth no more than 40 percent in statewide elections. Thats been true in high-turnout elections, with former President Barack Obama twice landing between 38 and 39 percent, and the most recent governors race in 2014, when the Democratic nominee pulled 36 percent. African-Americans make up about 25 percent of eligible voters, though Democratic pollster Zac McCrary said Jones needs black voters to comprise 27 percent or more of those who show up at the polls Tuesday. Jones then needs to win 1 in 3 white voters in the state, which would require capturing about 15 percent of Republicans, McCrary said. Such dynamics are difficult to overcome, said Democratic strategist Keenan Pontoni, who managed the campaign of Georgia congressional hopeful Jon Ossoff earlier this year. Ossoff aimed for an upset in the 6th Congressional District of Georgia, but ultimately came up short in Atlantas Republican-leaning northern suburbs. The only way you win in these kinds of districts and states is a coalition that is obviously very hard to put together, Pontoni said. Youre going after voters who think and vote very differently. Ground game Much like Jones, Ossoff used an extensive, data-driven ground game to maximize Democratic support, while using television advertising to strike a moderate, non-partisan tone. Ossoff didnt have a controversial opponent like Moore, but he ran against Washington dysfunction as a way to reach moderates. On the ground in Alabama on Saturday, Jones dispatched hundreds of volunteers across the state to knock on doors to identify likely supporters in neighborhoods that featured high concentrations of African-Americans and Republicans who supported Moores GOP primary opponent, current Sen. Luther Strange. Jones volunteer Dana Ellis, a 64-year-old nurse, navigated icy sidewalks in Birminghams Kingston neighborhood, which is overwhelmingly African-American, to ensure likely Jones supporters vote Tuesday. Unlike many states, Alabama doesnt offer early voting. Roy Moore will not win if people turn out to vote, Ellis said. Many voters on the list provided by the campaign didnt answer their doors Saturday morning. Those who did suggested they would support Jones, even if they didnt know him well. Oweda Clark, who lives just around the corner from 44th Place North, admits its hard being a Democrat in Alabama. But she told Ellis that she plans to vote for Jones anyway. I dont like Roy Moore. I dont like what he stands for, she said. Alabama's senior senator, Republican Richard Shelby, said Sunday the state "deserves better" than the election of Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, accused of sexual improprieties with teenage girls four decades ago when he was in his 30s. Shelby, in the Senate for three decades, told CNN he has already cast an absentee ballot ahead of Tuesday's special election, writing in the name of "a distinguished Republican" he declined to name. Id rather see the Republican win, but I would hope that Republican would be a write-in," Shelby said. "I couldn't vote for Roy Moore. I didn't vote for Roy Moore. Id rather see another Republican in there, and Im going to stay with that story," Shelby said. "I'm not going to vote for the Democrat, I didnt vote for the Democrat or advocate for the Democrat. But I couldnt vote for Roy Moore." Watch VOA report: Moore, accused of sexual misconduct by two women, one of whom was 14 during the time he was a local prosecutor, is locked in a tight contest with Democrat Doug Jones, a former federal prosecutor. The winner will fill the remaining three years of the Senate seat once held by Jeff Sessions, who resigned to join President Donald Trump's Cabinet as attorney general, the country's top law enforcement position. Other women say that Moore pursued them for dates when they were teenagers, but Shelby said the "tipping point" for him were allegations made by the then-14-year-old, now in her 50s. "That was enough for me," he said. Trump on Moore Trump in recent days has mounted a full-bore campaign for Moore, ignoring the allegations of sexual improprieties against him and the fact that he was twice deposed as an Alabama state supreme court judge for refusing to adhere to federal court rulings. Trump says Jones would be a "puppet" for the top Democratic congressional leaders, Senator Charles Schumer and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. "We cant have a Pelosi/Schumer Liberal Democrat, Jones, in that important Alabama Senate seat," Trump said in one of several pro-Moore Twitter comments. "Need your vote to Make America Great Again! Jones will always vote against what we must do for our Country." Trump has recorded a robocall phone conversation supporting Moore that Republicans plan to use in the state on Monday. To no avail, numerous key Republican leaders in Washington called for Moore to end his candidacy and said they will try to expel him from the Senate if he wins Tuesday's vote. But Dean Young, Moore's chief strategist, predicted Sunday, "Judge Moore's going to go to Washington. Judge Moore's going to win, and I highly doubt there's going to be a Senate investigation." The Arab League says U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is a dangerous development that places the United States at a position of bias in favor of the occupation and the violation of international law and resolutions. The statement was issued early Sunday after an emergency meeting of league foreign ministers in Cairo and went on to say that Trumps decision also strips the U.S. of its role as a sponsor and broker in the Mideast peace process. The resolution also said Trumps Jerusalem decision undermines efforts to bring about peace, deepens tension and will spark anger that will threaten to push the region to the edge of the abyss of violence, chaos and bloodshed. The head of the Arab League called on the nations of the world to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital, in response to Trumps announcement. The ministers also called on the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning Trumps decision. The meeting in Cairo took place after three days of street protests in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as protests at Al-Azhar Mosque in the Egyptian capital. A report in Foreign Policy magazine says the White House, in a recent meeting with Palestinian diplomats, failed to tell them about Trumps Jerusalem decision even as the delegation asked if Trump would sign the waiver to prevent the U.S. Embassy from moving to Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Sunday: I hear (from Europe) voices of condemnation over President Trumps historic announcement, but I have not heard any condemnation for the rocket firing against Israel that has come (after the announcement) and the awful incitement against us. US has crossed red lines The heads of the largest Christian church in Cairo and Al-Azhar University have said they will not meet with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence when he visits Cairo on December 20. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has also announced he will not meet with Pence, saying the U.S. has crossed red lines on Jerusalem. A statement from the Coptic Orthodox Church called the Trump decision inappropriate and without consideration for the feelings of millions of people. In Paris, pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched ahead of a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. Netanyahu is to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has called Trumps decision regrettable. Pro-Palestinian rallies also took place Saturday outside the U.S. Embassy in Rome. Demonstrations took place Friday in Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Pakistan, Lebanon, Malaysia and Indonesia, the worlds most populous Muslim-majority country. Earlier Saturday, Israeli airstrikes killed two men in the Gaza Strip. Hamas said it lost two gunmen in those airstrikes. An Israeli army statement said the targets of the strikes were two weapons manufacturing sites, a weapons warehouse and a military compound. Criticism of Washington 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 on Friday. More than half the councils 15 members requested the open meeting, and delegations from other U.N. member states packed the chamber, indicating the importance Jerusalems status holds around the globe. Security Council members criticized the Trump administration decision, saying it risked prejudging the outcome of final status issues and threatened the peace process. They also expressed concerns it could be exploited by extremists and radicals, fueling tensions in an already turbulent region. Trumps announcement defied 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 found in peace 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. 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. Ed Yeranian in Cairo contributed to this report. Argentina blocked two European activists from entering the country on the eve of the World Trade Organization's ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires, the two told a local radio program Saturday. Sally Burch, a British activist and journalist for the Latin American Information Agency, said Argentina had already revoked credentials given to her by the WTO to attend the meeting but thought she would be able to enter the country as a tourist. "They found my name on a list and started asking questions ... supposedly I was a false tourist," Burch said on Radio 10. "It's not very democratic of Argentina's government." Petter Titland, spokesman for the Norweigan NGO Attac Norge, said authorities denied him entry without explaining why. Late last month, Argentina rescinded the credentials of 60 activists who had been accredited by the WTO to attend the meeting because it determined they would be "more disruptive than constructive." WTO meetings often attract protests by anti-globalization groups, but they have remained largely peaceful since riots broke out at the 1999 meeting in Seattle. WTO's spokesman, Keith Rockwell, reiterated on Saturday that it disagreed with Argentina's decision to revoke activists' credentials. "We didn't have the same perspective but we're now moving on," Rockwell told journalists. Argentina's President Mauricio Macri has promoted business-friendly policies since taking office in December 2015, and Argentina will host global events as chair of the G-20 group of major economies next year. New evacuations were ordered in Santa Barbara county in Southern California Sunday morning as the largest wildfire currently burning in the state threatened a number of coastal towns. Residents of Carpinteria and Montecito were ordered to evacuate early Sunday, as the Thomas fire spread further toward the city of Santa Barbara, about 160 kilometers west of Los Angeles. More than 88,000 people have been evacuated because of the Thomas Fire, which the state's fire agency said was 15 percent contained by Saturday night. Nearly a half dozen fires burned across Southern California over the past week, burning more than 670 square kilometers since Monday. 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. State of emergency 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. 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. 1 Lebanese security forces fire tear gas to disperse protesters during a demonstration outside the U.S. embassy in Awkar, on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital Beirut, to protest against Washington's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In his first seven months in office, President Emmanuel Macron has faced little opposition. But come Sunday, the once-dominant Republicans elect a new leader they hope might recover the partys voice. The front-runner to lead the party of former presidents Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy is Laurent Wauquiez, an ambitious 42-year-old who, like Macron, passed through the elite ENA school and promises to shake up the political establishment. There are few policy parallels between the two men, however. Wauquiez is a relentless critic of the 39-year-old president, dismissing him as out of touch with rural France, weak on security and too much in favor of closer European integration. In his campaign to lead the party, Wauquiez has charted a rightward path to attack Macrons social and economic reforms. The right is waking up. It is back and I want to be clear: Were not going to be told what we can say or think any more, Wauquiez told Reuters. The future of Frances democracy cannot be a centrist swamp that gathers both Socialists and right-wingers around Macron. A party divided Wauquiez will inherit a party in disarray, divided in its response to both Macrons poaching of party stalwarts and economic policy that encroaches on their turf. Its candidate Francois Fillon was eliminated in the first round of this years presidential election, and the party has had a caretaker interim leader since. Wauquiez bills himself as the champion of small-town, rural France a France, he says, with which Macron has no connection as he pursues a start-up nation. They have no roots, they are completely out of touch with reality in this country, Wauquiez told a rally in Provins, outside Paris, referring to Macron and his lieutenants. Addressing campaign rallies in open-collar shirts, Wauquiez says Macrons tax policy will hammer the middle class and pensioners, denounces his labor reforms as a sham and accuses the government of being too soft on radical Islam. He has also drawn up future battlelines over the deeper European integration sought by Macron. Not all party loyalist are sure He is the leader the right needs, said Jacqueline Mercier, 72, after a rally in Paris. He is young, he is dynamic and his ideas truly represent us. Not all party loyalists agree, and there is discord among its lawmakers, too. While Wauquiez is popular with more conservative supporters, his bid to take the party fishing in waters of the far-right National Front alarms party moderates. Several senior-ranking party members have warned they could jump ship. If the right turns its back on the center, we will be in opposition for 20 years, said Mael de Calan, one of two junior politicians challenging Wauquiezs leadership bid. Polls project outright win Even so, inside Macrons camp, some ministers are cautioning against underestimating the threat of Wauquiez. We need to be wary because he is very gifted, very strong and theres nothing he wont do. He will establish a violent fight, Gerald Darmanin, Macrons budget minister and former member of The Republicans, told the newspaper Le Monde. Polls show Wauquiez winning 60 to 75 percent of the votes on Sunday for an outright first-round win. More than 230,000 party members have the right to take part in the online election, but far fewer are expected to do so. France is scheduled to hold its next presidential election in 2022. 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 Thursday that his party, which suffered its worst postwar 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 because of their liberal migrant policy, want the SPD to agree to a last-ditch alliance with them. The conservatives' earlier 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 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 time frame, was unrealistic. An Emnid poll for the Bild newspaper found 30 percent of Germans supported Schulz's idea while 48 percent rejected it. Kauder told the Tagesspiegel newspaper it was necessary to strengthen Europe but also important to recognize that at the moment people longed for the "reliability that they believe they can find in national states." He added: "The proposal would also jeopardize 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 of Europe. 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. "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 skeptical, saying Thursday that she would rather concentrate on more cooperation in defense 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 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 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. Germany's foreign minister says a "United States of Europe" proposed by his party's leader wouldn't spell the end of nation-states on the continent. Martin Schulz, who heads the center-left Social Democrats, told a party meeting last week that countries refusing to sign a treaty establishing a federal "United States of Europe" by 2025 should leave the European Union. Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told German public broadcaster ARD on Sunday that the idea was "no contradiction to the Europe of fatherlands or motherlands." Gabriel says European nations can't defend their interests alone on the global stage and "unless we stand together, our children won't have a voice in the world." Talks between the Social Democrats and Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Union on extending their "grand coalition" for a new government resume Monday. Iran's judiciary says the former head of the country's largest state-controlled bank who fled to Canada amid a massive embezzlement case has been handed a lengthy prison sentence in absentia. Mahmud Reza Khavari, the former head of Bank Melli Iran, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for "disrupting the economic system," Iranian news agencies cited Musa Ghazanfarabadi, head of Tehran's Revolutionary Court, as saying on Saturday. Ghazanfarabadi said Khavari had also been handed a 10-year sentence for bribery to run concurrently with the longer prison term. Each of the charges carried a fine of $3 million, and the verdict can still be appealed. Khavari, who obtained Canadian citizenship in 2005, joined his family there in 2011 in the wake of the $2.6 billion fraud scandal, described as the largest-ever such case in Iran. Tehran has appealed to Canada for assistance, but Ottawa has refused, citing the absence of a bilateral extradition treaty. The fugitive banker had been accused of embezzlement, fraud, taking bribes, and illegally acquiring property. One businessman accused in the case was executed by hanging in Tehran in 2014 after Iran's Supreme Court upheld his death sentence. Iranian authorities say the case involved forged documents used to fraudulently purchase assets that included major state-owned companies in Iran. Khavari was appointed as chairman of Bank Melli Iran during the second term of then-President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. File photo shows a train carries out a test run on Kenya's Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) built by Chinese firm on May 24, 2017. NAIROBI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- African countries could reap huge economic, social and ecological benefits from enhanced cooperation with China under the Belt and Road (B&R) initiative, a senior environmental expert has said. Gianluca Ghiara, the national vice chair of Environment Working Group at the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said African countries stand to gain from enhanced cooperation with Beijing in areas that advance green and inclusive development as espoused in the Belt and Road initiative. "I can see great amount of opportunities in terms of cooperation between China and Africa in many areas, we can think about environment, manufacturing, logistics and construction," Ghiara said. He spoke to Xinhua recently during the third edition of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA3) that took place in Nairobi from Dec. 4 to 6. Ghiara said multilateral agencies attaches huge importance to the Belt and Road initiative with the knowledge it is likely to reshape Africa's green agenda. "I was invited here in UNEA-3 because of the importance of Belt and Road initiative. We know the UN fully supports this initiative," said Ghiari, adding that China's wealth of expertise in ecological protection can be applied in Africa to stimulate green growth. The Belt and Road initiative championed by China focus on development of new road and maritime trade routes connecting a large swathe of Asia, Middle East, Europe and Africa. China has financed development of mega infrastructure projects like roads, ports and railways to enhance connectivity with its foreign trading partners under this initiative. Ghiari said the belt and road initiative which involves 65 countries that have 70 percent of the world's population is the embodiment of China's growing diplomatic and economic clout. "I think the Belt and Road initiative is going to reshape the idea we already know about China being involved in so many areas in so many countries," said Ghiari. "In regard to Africa, I think China can bring a lot in terms of technological development and finding solutions that can be affordable," he added. The Italian expert hailed China's global environmental stewardship terming it an inspiration to African countries grappling with a host of ecological threats like climate change, ocean pollution, habitat loss and desertification. "Let us think about how many projects China has been developing in the last 15 years against desertification. Of course China is bringing this experience here in Africa and this is the beautiful part of the belt and road initiative," Ghiari told Xinhua. He added that multilateral agencies have rallied behind the belt and road initiative in their quest to reshape sustainable development agenda in Africa and the larger developing world. Iraq celebrated its victory over the Islamic State with a military parade Sunday in the capital, a day after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the successful ouster of the jihadist group from the country. The parade was not broadcast live and state media were the only ones allowed to attend. Witnesses say Iraqi army units in the parade marched across the main square in central Baghdad as helicopters and fighter jets flew overhead. Writing on Twitter, Prime Minster Abadi thanked Iraqi forces "for their service" and remembered "those who gave the ultimate sacrifice." Abadi had declared Sunday a public holiday. On Saturday, he announced 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." Thousands of Israelis protested in Tel Aviv on Saturday for the second consecutive week against government corruption and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under criminal investigation over allegations of abuse of office. Police estimated the number of demonstrators at 10,000, and they followed last Saturdays demonstration, which was by far the largest of the recent weekly anti-corruption protests when an estimated 20,000 people participated. The protests have been sparked by corruption allegations against Netanyahu, who denies any wrongdoing. The four-term leader is suspected of involvement in two cases. The first involves receiving gifts from wealthy businessmen and the second involves negotiating a deal with a newspaper owner for better coverage in return for curbs on a rival daily. If charged, he would come under heavy pressure to resign or could call an election to test whether he still had a mandate to govern. Netanyahus right-wing Likud party said in a Facebook post that the protest was a left-wing demonstration. It called on all Israelis to back their prime minister as he defends Israel against international criticism following U.S. President Donald Trumps acceptance of Jerusalem as Israels capital. Instead of uniting with all the people behind Jerusalem and showing the world a unified front, the left cannot contain itself and it prefers to create division, part of the statement said. Over weeks of demonstrations, protesters have identified themselves as supporting both left- and right-wing parties. On Saturday they held banners reading: Neither left, nor right (we demand) integrity, We are fed up with corrupt (politicians) and Sweep the corrupt away. A new wave of protests against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital erupted Sunday in parts of the Muslim and Arab world. Lebanese security forces outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut fired water cannons and tear gas to beat back Lebanese and Palestinian protesters who hurled projectiles at the embassy and burned Trump in effigy, along with U.S. and Israeli flags. In Indonesia, home to the worlds largest population of Muslims, thousands of protesters mounted a demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Jakarta, while other protests occurred in Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, Egypt and the Palestinian territories bordering Israel. Police in the Swedish city of Gothenburg arrested three people for allegedly throwing firebombs at a synagogue. A police spokesman said Sunday the incident is being investigated as attempted arson. No one was hurt in the incident. Officials in Stockholm say security has been tightened around a synagogue in the capital. Israeli police said a security guard was stabbed and seriously wounded near the Jerusalem bus terminal. His attacker was arrested. Netanyahu in Paris Before he left late Saturday for meetings with European leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked what he said was their hypocrisy in condemning Trump's decision to eventually move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv, where most foreign governments have their embassies in Israel. "While I respect Europe, I am not prepared to accept a double standard from it," Netanyahu said. "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. I am not prepared to accept this hypocrisy." After meeting with Netanyahu, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned attacks on Israel, but said he opposes Trump's decision on Jerusalem. Macron described it as a "breach of international law and at risk for peace. In risk for peace because I believe these statements do not serve security, including the security of Israel and the Israelis. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, defended Trump's decision in an interview on CNN. She said Israel already has numerous government agencies in Jerusalem, adding, "Why shouldn't we have the embassy there?" She said Trump "did the will of the [American] people" by making a decision that previous U.S. presidents refused to do. Arab League meeting Earlier Sunday, the Arab League called Trumps decision a dangerous development that places the United States at a position of bias in favor of the occupation and the violation of international law and resolutions. The statement was issued early Sunday after an emergency meeting of league foreign ministers in Cairo and went on to say that Trumps decision also strips the U.S. of its role as a sponsor and broker in the Mideast peace process. The resolution also said Trumps Jerusalem decision undermines efforts to bring about peace, deepens tension and will spark anger that will threaten to push the region to the edge of the abyss of violence, chaos and bloodshed. The head of the Arab League called on the nations of the world to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital, in response to Trump's announcement. The foreign ministers also called on the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning Trumps decision. The meeting in Cairo took place after days of street protests in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as protests at Al-Azhar Mosque in the Egyptian capital. A report in Foreign Policy magazine says the White House, in a recent meeting with Palestinian diplomats, failed to tell them about Trumps Jerusalem decision even as the delegation asked if Trump would sign the waiver to prevent the U.S. Embassy from moving to Jerusalem. The heads of the largest Christian church in Cairo and Al-Azhar University have said they will not meet with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence when he visits Cairo on December 20. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has also announced he will not meet with Pence, saying "the U.S. has crossed red lines" on Jerusalem. A statement from the Coptic Orthodox Church called the Trump decision "inappropriate and without consideration for the feelings of millions of people." In Paris, pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched ahead of Netanyahu's visit. Netanyahu met with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has called Trump's decision "regrettable." Pakistan's powerful army chief of staff has waded into the sensitive issue of madrassas, questioning how well the religious schools are preparing students in the age of technology. General Qamar Javed Bajwa shared his critique of madrassas in a seminar about youth development in Quetta, which the United States and Afghanistan think is home to the Afghan Taliban. The Taliban movement began among students attending Pakistani religious schools. "So what will they [madrassa students] become? Will they become maulvis [clerics] or will they become terrorists?" Bajwa asked. Madrassas focus heavily on Islamic theocracy and religious theology, eschewing more traditional classes in math, science and social studies. Historically, graduating madrassa students are eligible for one job: imam of a mosque. Students in madrassas Bajwa said he was told that 2.5 million students were studying in madrassas in Pakistan and that it's impossible to build enough mosques to employ them. The Board of Madrassas said Pakistan has about 35,337 registered madrassas. Madrassas have resisted calls for reforms, have failed to evolve in line with contemporary educational needs and concepts, and are accused of stifling critical and analytical skills, so their students suffer when trying to compete for jobs in an increasingly knowledge-based economy. "We need to look [at] and revisit the concept of madrassas," Bajwa said. "Most of them are just teaching theology. So what are their [students'] chances? What is their future in this country? We need to give them a worldly education." Qibla Ayaz, head of the Council of Islamic Ideology, Pakistan's watchdog on religious issues, told VOA Deewa that the debate on reforms should also be extended to the country's overall education system. "If you look at the students from the nonreligious schools, the majority are unemployed," Ayaz said. "Our education doesn't provide skills, and as a result, we see that in the recent terrorist incidents, students from Karachi University, Lahore University of Management Sciences and other prestigious institutes are involved in terrorism." Debate on madrassa reforms isn't new but has gained urgency amid a record level of violence, most of which is blamed on madrassa students and leaders, who critics claim promote violence, intolerance and anti-Western bias. Educational reforms backed The U.S. sees educational reforms in Pakistan as a matter of national security. The 9/11 Commission's report called for "efforts to expand and improve the secular education system in Pakistan, and to develop and utilize a moderate curriculum for private religious schools in Pakistan." In 2002, then-President Pervez Musharraf promised to register all madrassas and undertook a project to regulate the curriculum so all of them would adopt a government-approved, standardized course of study by the end of the year. A government body would be established with authority to grant madrassa diplomas. The initiative failed as religious scholars did not trust Musharraf and accused him of pursuing a foreign agenda. The number of madrassas in Pakistan has increased more than tenfold since 1947, in apparent correspondence with the deterioration of the public education system. "In Pakistan, textbooks have been criticized for normalizing militarism and war and including biases and historical errors and distortions," UNESCO said in its latest report on education in Pakistan. "Prominent Pakistanis, other than military heroes and nationalist movement leaders, are often excluded." The International Crisis Group added: "There appears to be few differences between public school and madrassa syllabi with regard to the levels of intolerance that are assuming dangerous proportions." Bajwa said poor education, particularly in madrassas, was holding back the nation of 207 million people. "I am not against madrassas, but we have lost the essence of madrassas," the general said. A mass vaccination campaign is getting underway to stop diphtheria from spreading among Rohingya refugees in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh. Diphtheria, a disease that was eliminated from Bangladesh decades ago, is rapidly spreading among Rohingya refugees in Coxs Bazar. The World Health Organization reports more than 110 suspected cases, including six deaths, have been clinically diagnosed. Health officials warn these cases could be just the tip of the iceberg. They say the refugees are extremely vulnerable to diseases as they have low vaccination coverage and are living in congested, unsanitary settlements that are breeding grounds for infectious diseases. WHO spokeswoman, Fadela Chaib, said her agency is working with the Bangladesh Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the U.N. Childrens Fund and partners to contain the spread of diphtheria, a highly infectious respiratory disease. She said this is being done through treatment and prevention. For example, WHO assisted for the basic training of vaccinators in several places in Coxs Bazar for a vaccination campaign targeting all children up to six years with pentavalent DPT vaccine and pneumonia vaccines, which protect against diphtheria and other respiratory diseases, she said. The campaign is set to last two weeks. The U.N. reports more than 645,000 Rohingya have fled to Coxs Bazar since August 25 to escape violence and persecution in Myanmar. Children account for more than half of this refugee population. As a preventive measure, WHO and partners previously provided more than 700,000 people in Coxs Bazar with oral cholera vaccine to protect them from that disease. They also recently completed a mass campaign to vaccinate more than 350,000 children against measles and rubella. 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 Saturday 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 Friday. 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. Thousands in Ukraine rallied Sunday in protest of the arrest of opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili, calling for his release and the impeachment of President Petro Poroshenko. Ukrainian officials have accused Saakashvili, whom they arrested Friday, of abetting an alleged "criminal group" led by former President Viktor Yanukovych 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. A day after he declared a hunger strike, his supporters took to the streets of Kyiv to demand his release. "The authorities have crossed a red line. You don't put opponents in prison," said Saakashvili's wife, Sandra Roelofs, as marchers brandished anti-government and anti-corruption slogans. Saakashvili, 49, is also wanted in his native Georgia, where he served as president from 2004 until 2013, for alleged abuse of power. Saakashvili became a regional governor in Ukraine in 2015 at the invitation of President Poroshenko. However, the two men later had a falling out, with Saakashvili accusing the president of corruption and calling for his removal from office. The United Nations says more than 4,500 civilians have been killed or wounded in the conflict in Somalia since the start of 2016. The U.N. Human Rights Office and the U.N. Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) have issued a new report that implicates parties to the conflict in the death and injuries sustained by the civilians. In the report, covering a period from January 1, 2016 until October 14 2017, UNSOM documented 2,078 civilian deaths and 2,507 injuries. The worst perpetrators of the killings against civilians are the al-Shabab militant group that is responsible for more 60 percent of the casualties according to the report. About a quarter of the death toll comes from the October 14 truck in Mogadishu where a special committee tasked to investigate the incident reported that 512 people were killed and more than 300 others were injured. Al-Shabab has been blamed for the attack. They are by far the worst when it comes to activities that kill civilians in conflict, said U.N. Special Envoy to Somalia Michael Keating. Of the incidents attributable to al-Shabab, 79 percent are as a result of the use of IEDs [improvised explosive devices] whether they are vehicle borne or otherwise.". The report says clan militias are responsible for 13 percent of the casualties, while state actors, including the army and the police, are responsible for 11 percent. The report says the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) is responsible for four percent. A further 12 percent of the casualties was caused by unidentified or undetermined attackers, the report said. The U.N.'s Keating said civilians are paying the price for the failure to resolve Somalias conflicts through political means. Parties to the conflict are simply not doing enough to shield civilians from the violence. This is shameful, he said. The U.N. report coincides with the International Human Rights Day. The United Nations expressed concern over the death of some civilians in the hands of Somali security forces and AMISOM because they undermine the Somali populations trust in the Government and the international community. The U.S.-based Human Rights Watch welcomed the report. Senior researcher Laetitia Bader told VOA Somali this report is very important given the difficulties in getting data about human rights violations in Somalia. Too often the extent and the magnitude of the toll on civilian from the ongoing conflict in Somalia has been been undermined in many ways because of the lack of data, so this report which seeks to offer a baseline to quantify casualties is a very important insight into just how many civilians have been lost, she said. The report says the conflict disproportionately affected children, exposing them to grave violations during military operations. In the first 10 months of 2017, 3,335 cases of child recruitment were reported with 71.5 per cent attributed to al-Shabab, 14.6 per cent to clan militia, and 7.4 percent to the Somali National Army, the report says. Bader said some of the reports findings corroborate their own research in Somalia. A lot of the grave abuses which are documented in this report and quantified to a certain extent are ones which we ourselves have continued to document, whether it is cases of sexual violence against internally displaced people, whether its ongoing recruitment of children by al-Shabab in Baidoa, she said. I was recently in Baidoa looking into the recruitment trend in Bay region, so a lot of the things they document in this report are ones which confirm our own research. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says the women who accused President Donald Trump of sexual misconduct have the right to be heard. "Women who accuse anyone should be heard," Nikki Haley said on CBS's Face the Nation Sunday. "They should be heard, and they should be dealt with." Whether Trumps election settled the matter was for the people to decide, Haley said. I know that he was elected but women should always feel comfortable coming forward and we should all be willing to listen to them. Haley's comment is a break from the administrations assertions that the allegations have no merit and should be dismissed. The White House has said the women who have accused Trump were lying and that the voters rejected their accusations when they elected Trump. Washington has been roiled by sexual misconduct scandals, with accusations leading to the resignations last week of three members of Congress. More than 10 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct before he was elected. During his presidential campaign, a 2005 video of Access Hollywood was released, in which he described grabbing women's genitals. Trump has denied the misconduct allegations, although he apologized for his comments, which he called "locker room" talk. Haley said she was proud of all the women who have come forward to share their stories of sexual misconduct in numerous industries across the country. "I think it will start to bring conscience to the situation," the former governor of South Carolina said. "And I think the time has come." Venezuelas ruling Socialist Party looked set to sweep Sundays nationwide mayoral polls, deepening opposition splits and consolidating President Nicolas Maduros position ahead of a likely 2018 re-election campaign. Major opposition parties were boycotting the elections for 335 municipal mayors around the South American nation of 30 million people, in protest of a vote system they say is at the service of Maduros dictatorship. But some small parties in the Democratic Unity coalition have dissented and run candidates, confusing opposition supporters already disillusioned at the failure to weaken Maduro in months of protests earlier this year that claimed 125 lives. Socialists on a roll On a roll after surprise wins in October gubernatorial elections, the socialists were pulling out the stops to increase their current roughly 70 percent share of mayorships. The opposition controls 76 mayorships: its virtually impossible for them to keep half of those, predicted local elections expert Eugenio Martinez, saying abstentionism was a gift to the governments already well-oiled election machinery. The socialists also hoped to win a re-run of the October governorship election in western Zulia state. That vote was annulled after winning opposition candidate Juan Pablo Guanipa refused to swear loyalty to a pro-Maduro legislative superbody. Manuel Rosales, a former Zulia governor who fled to Peru in 2009 after corruption charges leveled by the government of Maduros predecessor Hugo Chavez, was running for the opposition this time. But Guanipa supporters and other sectors of the opposition boycotting Sundays vote have called him a traitor. Cant give up right to vote Yon Goicoechea, an opposition activist running for mayor in the wealthy Caracas suburb of El Hatillo, said it was self-destructive for larger anti-Maduro parties to abstain and hand political space to Chavismo, as the ruling movement is known. Theres reticence to participate because the national election board doesnt offer guarantees or impartiality, said Goicoechea, just out of jail for alleged coup-plotting. But the solution cannot be giving up the right to vote. The abstentionists will regret it within two weeks. Economic meltdown Despite presiding over one of the worst economic meltdowns Latin America has seen, and with ratings barely half when he was elected, Maduro is enjoying a political upturn after the October gubernatorial vote. He is favorite to be the socialists candidate at the 2018 presidential election and could win if the opposition does not re-unite and re-enthuse supporters. The election takes place at the end of a fourth year of crushing recession in which millions of Venezuelans are suffering from increased hunger, disease and shortages. Venezuelan analyst Diego Moya-Ocampos, of IHS risk consultancy, said it was unprecedented for some segments of the opposition to participate while others were boycotting. It will continue consolidating the ruling partys position, he said. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 03:02:20|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close 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) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday officially declared full liberation of Iraq from the Islamic State (IS) militants after Iraqi forces recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group. "I announce to the Iraqi people and all the world that our forces have reached the last redoubts of Daesh (IS) and have raised the Iraqi flag over areas of western Anbar (province) which was the last occupied land by IS," Abadi said in a televised speech. "The Iraqi flag is rising today over the farthest border point," he added. Abadi also congratulated the Iraqi forces and the people of Iraq on the overdue victory over IS. "Such great victory deserves to be celebrated today and every year. It is a victory and a feat to all Iraqis," said Abadi, whose office later announced Dec. 9 as a holiday across Iraq. The Iraqi prime minister called on Iraqis to unite as "it is the weapon that enabled us to overcome (IS)." "We must adhere to this unity and strengthen it with all possible means," he said, adding that Iraq "today is for all Iraqis and its wealth belongs to all." He also called on Iraqi politicians to shoulder their responsibilities in maintaining security and stability and preventing the return of terrorism again. "I appeal them all to refrain from returning to provocative and sectarian discourse, which was a major cause of human tragedies that enable the extremist organization to occupy Iraqi cities, sabotage them and displace millions of Iraqis," Abadi said. In addition, Abadi pressed for anti-corruption, saying the battle against corruption will be "extension to the operations that liberated the land of Iraq." "There will be no place for corrupters in Iraq, like there is no place left for Daesh. This is another battle for everyone to take part in seriously," Abadi said. He warned Iraqis to "remain alert and ready to confront any terrorist attempt that may target our people and our land," despite the announcement of victory over IS. Earlier in the day, Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rasheed Yarallah, commander of western Iraq operations, announced the liberation of all Iraqi lands from IS militants after seizing the whole border areas and desert in western Iraq. "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," Yarallah said. 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, he said. Meanwhile, observers warned that Abadi's declaration does not mean the terrorist group has no ability to carry out attacks as it is still able to attack through its sleeper cells in the country. 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. The IS militants seized large swathes of territory in Iraq in 2014, when government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions. Yemen's Houthi group has buried the body of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sana'a, allowing only a handful of relatives to attend, sources from his General People's Congress (GPC) party said on Sunday. Saleh, 75, was killed by the Iran-aligned Houthis on Monday, after he had called for a "new page" in ties with a Saudi-led coalition that his supporters together with the Houthis had fought for nearly three years. A GPC source, who has asked not to be identified, said the Houthis allowed less than 10 people from Saleh's relatives to attend the night-time burial in the capital Sanaa, but gave no details on the exact location. GPC Secretary-General Aref al-Zouka, who was killed with Saleh, was buried on Saturday in his native al-Saeed district of Shabwa province in southern Yemen after the Houthis handed over his body to tribal leaders, media and GPC officials said. Relatives said on Thursday that Saleh's family had refused conditions demanded by the Houthis for handing over the body. Some said they wanted to bury the body in the courtyard of a mosque he had built near the presidential compound in southern Sanaa. Saleh ruled Yemen for 33 years before being forced to step down in 2012 in a Gulf-brokered transition plan following months of Arab Spring protests demanding democracy. He remained in politics as the head of the GPC, Yemen's largest political party, and in 2015 he joined forces with the Iran-aligned Houthis after they captured the capital Sanaa in a move that precipitated Saudi-led military intervention on the side of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Support us - Help us upgrade our services! Maintaining our website and our free apps does require, however, considerable time and resources. We're aiming to achieve uninterrupted service wherever an earthquake or volcano eruption unfolds, and your donations can make it happen! Every donation will be highly appreciated. Improved multilanguage support Tsunami alerts Faster responsiveness Design upgrade Detailed quake stats Additional seismic data sources Download and Upgrade the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online: Android | IOS to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online: We truly love working to bring you the latest volcano and earthquake data from around the world.We need financing to increase hard- and software capacity as well as support our editor team.If you find the information useful and would like to support our team in integrating further features, write great content, and in upgrading our soft- and hardware, please PayPal or Online credit card payment )., these features have been added recently: The Hawaiian Islands are not only home to the most active volcanoes in the world, Kilauea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island, but also boast a unique natural environment. Born by volcanic activity of a very active hot spot in the middle of the Pacific Plate, they are a showcase of natural history. A consortium of industry groups is concerned that the Pentagon could issue a single contract for Internet cloud computing services, putting one company in a dominant position to lock out competitors that might develop new innovations in the future. The contract, one of the most important Pentagon IT contracts in years, could be worth billions of dollars, and it comes as the Defense Department is increasingly reaching out to the commercial sector. In a memo in September, Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan said the department would accelerate its move to the cloud as part of an effort to ensure we are employing emerging technology to meet warfighters needs, and to increase speed and agility in technology development and procurement. Earlier this fall, the Pentagon released a solicitation seeking information on the best solutions and said it would award a contract in fiscal 2018. But several industry groups are pushing back, saying the contract should be split among multiple companies. In a letter to Shanahan, the Professional Services Council, an industry group, said that competition in the commercial marketplace is driving rapid innovation by technology companies. DOD should position itself to take advantage of this innovation by not limiting itself to the offerings of one vendor. In a statement, Navy Cmdr. Patrick Evans, a Pentagon spokesman, said the contract will be a full and open competition. He also said the Defense Department is evaluating how many contracts will best meet DODs needs. Speaking at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday, Ellen Lord, the Pentagons new undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, said the department received 52 responses to its solicitation. We right now are working on how were going to go about that contract, she said. We dont know how were going to structure it yet. Industry concerns grew after the Pentagon published a document justifying a sole-source award to Amazon Web Services (AWS) for an Air Force cloud contract. The document was widely viewed as giving AWS an advantage in the competition for the larger, Pentagon-wide contract, especially since the company already holds a $600 million contract to provide cloud computing for the CIA. (Jeffrey P. Bezos, Amazons founder, owns The Washington Post.) Evans, however, said that no contract was awarded for the Air Force work and that the document had been withdrawn because it had been posted in error. She said the Pentagon now plans to award the contract to multiple companies. An Amazon spokeswoman did not respond to requests for a comment. Amazon has been moving in recent years to broaden its reach throughout the federal government, a massive buyer of IT services. Amazon recently released a new cloud storage service meant specifically for agencies that handle classified information. The release followed security incidents over the past year in which several of Amazon's cloud customers including a Booz Allen Hamilton contractor working for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and a voter data company working with the Republican National Committee inadvertently left sensitive information exposed online without password protection. Other opportunities for Amazon to expand its work with the Defense Department could be on the horizon. The 2018 defense spending bill headed for the president's desk calls for multiple contracts to be issued so agencies can use online marketplaces to buy basic commodities. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.), who sponsored that bill in its original form, has said the effort was inspired by how Amazon has changed retail. That bill originally called for a single contract but was modified to explicitly call for more than one e-commerce contract following pushback from industry groups. Industry officials said they are worried that committing the Defense Department to using one companys cloud services could cause the military to miss out on innovations developed later at other firms. There is also a worry that building too many of the militarys software applications around a single cloud provider could make agencies overly dependent on that company in the long-term. Americas military deserves access to every possible technology that can give them an advantage on the battlefield, said Sam Gordy, general manager of IBM U.S. Federal. Locking the Pentagon in to a proprietary, sole-sourced cloud environment would eliminate the cost benefits of vendor competition and wall off the U.S. military from new cloud-based innovations in areas such as data security and advanced analytics where other providers are investing heavily. Oracle Senior Vice President Ken Glueck agreed. The American taxpayer and the warfighter deserve a transparent and fair competitive process that delivers the most capable technology in defense of the nation, he said. Filipino soldiers patrol a building in Marawi with pro-Islamic State graffiti on a wall. Militants inspired by the extremist group laid siege to the city in a battle that lasted for months, displacing some 200,000 people. (Hannah Reyes Morales/For The Washington Post) More than six months after Filipino and foreign fighters claiming allegiance to the Islamic State stormed this lakeside city, setting off a months-long war with U.S.-backed Philippine troops, liberated Marawi lies in ruins and its people seethe. The heart of the city has been bombed and burned beyond recognition, its domed mosques pierced by mortar fire. Homes stand roofless, blackened. There are armored vehicles on the streets. Some 200,000 residents are still scattered across the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, living with weary relatives or in displacement camps thick with mud and worry. Filipinos who have been allowed to return have found their homes sacked and looted safes open, jewelry snatched, appliances gone. Many people are angry at the men who seized their city in a failed bid to establish a caliphate, taking hostages and targeting civilians. They are angry, too, at the forces that fought those men, namely the Philippine army and its backer, the United States. Beyond earshot of officials and soldiers, people wonder why the army was so quick to pummel their predominantly Muslim city. They are also suspicious of the role played by U.S. Special Forces. With Islamic State fighters losing ground in Iraq and Syria, men and money may shift to Southeast Asia, experts have said. They will find in the southern Philippines an angry and vulnerable population, institutions racked by war, and a government, led by President Rodrigo Duterte, that sees shooting as a way to solve social problems. In other words: prime recruiting grounds. In that sense, what happened in Marawi is not the success that Duterte claims but a lesson in the limits of fighting extremism with force alone. Armed operations will never erase or exterminate the causes and roots of terror, said Samira Ali Gutoc-Tomawis, a local official who quit her job over Dutertes handling of the conflict. You cant kill an idea. Minhati Madrais, the Indonesian-born wife of slain insurgent leader Omarkhayam Maute, is seen at a police station in Iligan with one of the couples six children. (Hannah Reyes Morales/For The Washington Post) Married to radicalism The roots of the Marawi conflict run far and deep, stretching from the southern Philippines across Southeast Asia to the Middle East. Its a local conflict swept up in the globalization of extremism. For Minhati Madrais, of Bekasi, Indonesia, Marawi started as a love story and ended in a war. Madrais left Indonesia as a young woman to study at Cairos Al-Azhar University. There, she met Omarkhayam Maute, who is Maranao, a predominantly Muslim group from the area around Marawi. He was the first man who ever liked me, she said. They married in Egypt, lived and worked in Indonesia, then moved to Mindanao in 2011. Maute and his brother, Abdullah, came from a prosperous clan with ties to the leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, an insurgent group that has fought for decades for autonomy for Muslim groups on Mindanao. In recent years, the Moro Front has been engaged in fitful peace negotiations with the government. Some fighters have split off, fed up with the process, or attracted to the ideology, ferocity and self-styled purity of foreign terrorist groups among them the Islamic State. It is not clear when or where the Mautes radicalized. But the fact that they could not wage war for the Moro Front may have heightened the appeal of the Islamic State, said Sidney Jones, director of the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, or IPAC, and an expert on terrorism in Southeast Asia. In 2013, Omarkhayam decamped to a family property outside Marawi, Madrais said. She stayed in the city, bringing the children to visit when he called. He never came to them. Checkpoints were too dangerous, she said. At some point, the brothers started working with other groups, including a band of men loyal to one of the world's most-wanted militants, Isnilon Hapilon, who pledged loyalty to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2014. Experts are still trying to understand the force they assembled, particularly the precise nature of their links to the Islamic State, said Shashi Jayakumar, who heads the Center for Excellence in National Security at Singapores S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Philippine groups have a long history of claiming allegiance to foreign forces in a bid to gain credibility through what Jayakumar called the veneer of jihadism. Whatever its ties, the Hapilon and Maute group was formidable. This was a significant force, with significant preparation. It hit everyone by surprise, Jayakumar said. In late May, Philippine troops stormed a compound in Marawi, expecting to make arrests. Instead, they set off fighting that lasted more than 150 days. After a prolonged gun battle, the Philippine army slowly pushed the militants toward the citys center, where they dug in. It was heavy urban fighting, said Col. Romeo Brawner, a U.S.-trained soldier who is now the deputy commander of a Marawi task force. The Maute brothers were well armed and networked. Omarkhayam, a speaker of Indonesian, Arabic and English, as well as local languages, was able to communicate with foreign fighters and supporters who followed via social media. While the battle dragged on, his wife and their six children ages 12, 10, 7, 6, 2 and 10 months were in a safe house in nearby Iligan City. It was there, in late September, that Madrais read on Facebook that he was dead. I prayed, then cry, cry, cry, cry, and then I vomited, she said. When police arrested her and searched the house, they found syringes, five phones, SIM cards, detonating cords and two blasting caps typically used to make improvised explosive devices, according to the local police chief and an affidavit reviewed by The Washington Post. Madrais, who was being held in a conference room at a police station with her children, professed no knowledge of what was in the house. Nor did she express remorse. He was good and I miss him very much. she said. As her children watch cartoons, she prays. This is a test that will bring me closer to God, she said. Children in a camp for internally displaced people in Pantar, Lanao del Norte, Philippines. (Hannah Reyes Morales/For The Washington Post) The aftermath It is also a test for civilians. More than six months after the fighting started and more than two months after Duterte declared Marawi liberated, it still looks and feels like a war zone, with the destruction centered in the citys heart, along the shore of Lake Lanao, and radiating outward. The center is a no-go zone controlled by soldiers. Militants turned the houses that are still standing into snipers nests, with furniture trashed and pro-Islamic State graffiti on the walls. It may be years before the main battleground is habitable. At the periphery, where people have been allowed to move back and schools are reopening, families are returning to wrecked and emptied homes. There is certainly anger at the Maute brothers and their fighters. Their violence against civilians, including the targeting of Christians, earned them little goodwill. They are not Muslims, because Muslims dont kill, said Maymona Akman Macabago, a Marawi resident now living in a displacement camp. But the fact that the Mautes were educated abroad and worked with foreign fighters, far from lending them credibility, has made it easy for locals to dismiss them as interlopers. This ideology was imported from different countries, said Majul Usman Gandamra, the mayor of Marawi. Among the displaced, a more proximate source of pain is how Manila responded the declaration of martial law, protracted bombing and a heavy military presence. Gutoc-Tomawis, the former official, quit her job in the early days of the conflict after Duterte appeared to encourage soldiers fighting in Marawi to commit rape. She, like many here, believes Duterte's immediate declaration of martial law gave the military license to act with impunity. As aerial strikes began, she said, nobody was listening to calls for the provision of safe passage out of the city for civilians who had been trapped a concern also raised by rights groups. The government reported 920 militants, 165 soldiers and 47 civilians were killed. A report by Amnesty International suggests the civilian death toll is probably higher. Casualty figures released by the government are unlikely to be comprehensive given the difficulties of searching for bodies amongst the rubble, the report read. Amnesty is calling for an investigation to determine the proportionality of the force used and the resulting destruction of civilian infrastructure and loss of civilian life. The bombing is a source of tremendous anger here. Why didnt they warn us, Hey, be prepared because we are going to deploy an airstrike? asked Drieza Lininding, a displaced resident who runs the Moro Consensus Group, a nonprofit that seeks to counter radicalization. The strikes sent people fleeing without money, documents, weapons and other valuables much of which has since been taken from damaged homes. The military denies assertions that it was behind systematic looting, but civilians, including Lininding, are not sold. Who are we going to blame for that looting? Nobody could do this without using a truck, he said. The Maute group was busy fighting in the main battle area, he continued. At midnight did they sneak across the river and take our TV sets and go back? A soldier peers out from a severely damaged building in Marawi. (Hannah Reyes Morales/For The Washington Post) Anti-American sentiment The conflict has stoked longer- simmering resentment against the United States something that could make it easier for extremists to recruit new followers. Muslims in the southern Philippines suffered mightily during U.S. colonial rule, and many people, including Duterte, have expressed skepticism about the presence of U.S. troops in the southern Philippines. The Philippine constitution bars foreign troops from combat roles, but the United States supports counterterrorism activities through technical assistance, including intelligence and logistics, as well as joint training exercises, according to Maj. Kevin Boyd, spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Command. Boyd declined to comment further on the U.S. role in Marawi. For security reasons, we are not able to discuss specific technical details of U.S. support for ongoing Philippine operations, he said. Brawner, the U.S.-trained Philippine officer, confirmed news reports that U.S. support included intelligence gathering via drones and surveillance planes above the city. Among the displaced, the presence of U.S. planes has fueled rumors about what role the United States played. That could be used to stoke anger, experts said. In messages this summer on Telegram, an encrypted messaging app, Maute fighters were already crafting their pitch. "We did not destroy Marawi, we did not bomb it to ashes," read a message posted July 15, according to an IPAC report. "We never intended harm to the city and its people." I dont know to what extent the decision to take airstrikes was the Philippines or the United States, but its going to be a decision that has implications for many years to come, said Jones, IPACs director. It has created more anger against the government than the Mautes. It has helped turn the Mautes into local heroes. A Marawi shopkeeper who would give only his first name, Ahmed, returned to his store to find it looted, everything gone except soy sauce and his Scrabble board. He said hundreds of Maute fighters were killed and each has relatives ready for revenge. The Maute brothers may be dead, but they are not gone, he said. They may rise again. Bobby Lagsa contributed to this report. Read more: Dutertes police have killed thousands in the Philippines. But this police chief told his officers, Dont kill. Dutertes drug war is fueling the spread of disease Philippiness Catholic Church sounds alarm amid Dutertes anti-drug crackdown Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news President Trump talks to several members of the news media as he prepares to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Dec. 2. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) Former columnist When Houston Chronicle reporters want to use information from an unnamed source in a news story, they have to jump through a few hoops first. A senior editor has to approve it, and know who the source is. A single unnamed source is rarely enough to go ahead with a story there must be two sources with the same firsthand knowledge. And one of a handful of top editors must sign off on its use before publication. The one exception to the two-source rule is when we have a golden source for example, the police chief talking about an investigation, said Nancy Barnes, the Chronicles executive editor. The vetting process is similar at many large news organizations and its just one of the practices that journalists assume, perhaps incorrectly, that news consumers understand. Anonymous sourcing is one of the least-understood of the mysteries. "A lot of people seem to think that when we use anonymous sources, we don't even know who they are that they're anonymous to us," said Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery. Thats definitely not the case. Anonymity is granted to known sources under tightly controlled circumstances because they cant speak on the record with their names attached for a variety of reasons. News organizations try to limit their use, embarking on crackdowns and then sometimes backsliding. Peter Baker, a reporter in the Washington bureau of the New York Times, said (to a surprised reaction) at a journalism conference last week that Times Washington reporters no longer may use blind quotes direct quotations with no names attached. I asked a few prominent journalists to describe what they wish news consumers knew about our business, but probably dont. I was prompted to do so after the undercover provocateurs known as Project Veritas released a video featuring a Post reporter and then crowed about their supposed expose: The video showed him describing how harshly critical of President Trump he has found The Posts staff-written editorials. That's hardly a secret the editorials, which represent the consensus of the paper's editorial board, are published, after all. (Last year, a group of such critical editorials was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.) But Project Veritas was taking advantage of the fact that news consumers don't make a distinction between news reporters and editorial writers. Inside The Post's building, though, that split is clear. News reporters and news-side editors strive for impartiality they want to keep their opinions out of their work. By contrast, editorial writers and columnists are not only allowed to have an opinion, it's in their job description. So, what would some of these experienced news people like you to know? Ben Smith, editor in chief of BuzzFeed, told me he wishes readers would understand that sourcing isnt always simple. A high-profile source isnt always a hero and may have motivations that have little to do with serving the best interests of democracy. I have always wished the public understood how complex and messy sourcing is, and how often sources motives are personal or complex. While I appreciate the romantic portrayal of reporters and sources in movies like The Post and while whistleblowers from Daniel Ellsberg to the #MeToo voices are truly heroes Mark Felt is a much more typical source, Smith said, referring to the former FBI official who became the Watergate source known as Deep Throat, in part because he had an ax to grind within the Nixon-era Justice Department. Smith added that reporting is an ethically complicated business whose responsibility is singularly to deliver true stories to the audience. But how journalists get there can be discomfiting, he observed. BuzzFeeds recent expose of alleged sexual misconduct by Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) told readers that its information was supplied by Mike Cernovich, the far-right media personality who has promoted conspiracy theories. Richard Tofel, president of the nonprofit investigative reporting organization ProPublica, told me he wishes the public would get how seriously journalists take errors. I dont think people widely understand how hard journalists work to get stories right, he said. Accuracy is the first requirement journalists have of each other, for instance, when considering hiring or promotion. Corrections (and even uncorrected mistakes) are badges of dishonor. Tofel noted that even small mistakes frequently disqualify long stories from prestigious awards. Journalists do make mistakes, of course, and weve seen far too much of that recently. But, he said, reporters these days work very hard to get stories straight, and accurate, and fair. Frank Sesno, director of George Washington Universitys media school, told me he wishes people understood the the vetting process, the checks and balances that viewers never see that television networks do (or should) as a matter of course. Sesno, a former Washington bureau chief for CNN, added: At CNN, a whole group, the Row, exists to vet scripts, to make sure sound bites are used in context, to fact-check. They send scripts back when there is any question. There is far more checking, corroborating, debating, arguing, vetting than any viewer could possibly know, Sesno said. It belies the prevailing narrative of fake news because the very systems in place are there (when used and used correctly) to generate skepticism about stories and sources, to put the brakes on confirmation bias and leaps of journalistic faith. Of course, journalists do mess up sometimes. They can fall prey to confirmation bias, allow anonymous sources to run amok, fail to be fair and impartial. Perhaps most often and most foolishly, they can move too fast to publish in a highly competitive environment. And then, in a business based on credibility, theres a price to pay. For more by Margaret Sullivan visit wapo.st/sullivan THE DISTRICT Police identify man fatally shot in NW 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 a driver of a shuttle bus, police said. Police said Koonce Wright, 59, of Silver Spring, was arrested later and charged with second-degree murder. Authorities said the shuttle bus drivers involved in the dispute were transporting construction workers to the site on Georgia Avenue. Martin Weil Ambulance carrying patient hit by gunshot A private ambulance that was called to take a patient to a hospital was struck by a shot from a gun Friday night in Southeast Washington. The AMR ambulance was part of a fleet contracted by the D.C. fire department to carry patients whose condition is not considered to be life-threatening. A spokesman for the fire department said gunfire erupted as a patient was being brought out of a building in the 2800 block of Langston Place SE. It was later found that the ambulance had been struck by at least one shot, said Vito Maggiolo, a spokesman for the fire department. The patient was unharmed, authorities said. Clarence Williams and Martin Weil MARYLAND County lifts ban on field trips to Baltimore Carroll Countys schools superintendent said Friday that he is lifting a ban on field trips to Baltimore, saying county law enforcement officials were encouraged by recently announced anti-crime initiatives. The rural countys ban on Baltimore field trips will end Jan. 2, the superintendent said. When field trips to the citys cultural attractions resume, they will have stricter rules that limit students unstructured time and require more communication among chaperons. The schools announced the travel ban last month based on a recommendation from Carroll County Sheriff James T. DeWees, who cited concerns for the safety of students and school staff members while the city is experiencing record levels of crime. The relaxing of the ban came a week after Baltimore City Council member Zeke Cohen, a Democrat, invited DeWees, a Republican, to his Southeast district. Cohen said he emphasized how hard city officials were working to address the violence and how many cultural attractions and learning experiences the Carroll County students would miss by avoiding the city. Baltimore Sun Jordan LaRocco, 7, from Arizona, dances to Christmas music with United Airlines flight attendants before he boards a fantasy flight to the "North Pole." (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post) United Airlines' Flight 2799, which departed from Dulles International Airport on Saturday morning, was not your average holiday slog. No struggling to get luggage in the overhead bins. No attempts to squeeze that oversized bag under the seats. And no one truly upset about getting the middle seat. Instead, passengers found the interior of the 777 was bedecked in wreaths, ribbons and glittery garlands. Flight attendants wearing Santa hats and reindeer antlers passed out candy canes and Christmas cookies. And when the plane descended into the North Pole a location that looked strangely similar to the Dulles Airport travelers had recently departed 100 grinning children cheered in their seats and chanted San-ta! San-ta! San-ta! Those children and their parents were passengers on this years Washington Fantasy Flight, an annual holiday event organized by United Airlines and Childrens Hospice International to give children with serious medical conditions a real-life flight to visit Santa on his home turf. Sort of. The special flights take place around the country. At the one at Dulles on Saturday, families boarded a plane that took off from the runway. Twenty minutes later, upon landing, they entered an airport terminal transformed into a winter wonderland, dripping with festive decorations and complete with Disney princesses, Santas elves, Washington Nationals mascots, pageant queens, therapy dogs, clowns, jugglers, a squad of yellow Minions, a troupe of bagpipers, a jazz band and an inflatable bounce house. And, of course, there was Santa and his wife, setting up shop at the end of the airport terminal to listen to childrens wishes. Our goal is really just to give them this few hours of joy, said Bill Watts, director of ramp operations for United Airlines. To pull off the event, pilots and flight attendants offered to work free, and Uniteds local fuel provider picked up the tab for the cost of the gas. Watts said the flight is meant to serve as a mini-vacation for families facing the challenges of caring for a sick child, especially families who may not be able to travel during the holiday because of their childs medical needs. It was really something to look forward to while weve been going through all the stress of treatments, said Tina Decker of Alexandria as she waited at the boarding gate with her daughter, Emily, in her arms. Emily is 1, and getting treatment for kidney cancer at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centers pediatric oncology unit. Her husband, Erik Decker, had a less sentimental reason for appreciating the excursion. He nodded at his other two daughters, who are 2 and 4 years old. Getting on a plane to go see Santa its a great way to get them to behave for the last couple of days, he joked. The plane ride wasnt quite so joyful for 9-year-old Gitavia Marshall-Lopez of Fort Washington, Md. shes not a big fan of turbulence, it turns out but she later concluded that the trip was worth it to get some face-to-face time with Santa so she could ask for an iPhone to give to her mom. Her favorite part of the flight? Those cookies were really, really good, Gitavia said. The federally mandated safety demonstration was conducted in the style of Twas The Night Before Christmas. (A sample: Now please check to see that your seat belts are tight, Theyre easy to fasten so please get it right!) A flight attendant walked through the aisles handing out immigration forms, titled North Pole Landing Documentation. Nathan and Yann Job, 8- and 12-year-olds from Bethesda, Md., werent quite buying into the notion that they were truly headed to the North Pole. Still, they took the immigration forms seriously, using their dads phone to Google the answers to North Pole-related trivia questions. Nathan is a patient at Georgetown Hospital, where he receives treatment for sickle cell disease. His father, Henri Job, said he was a small bit wary when his family received the invitation to the Fantasy Flight after all, who would intentionally subject themselves to a crowded airport during peak holiday season? But he was shocked when he realized the event featured a real flight. I did not expect this, to go through security and everything. This is really just amazing, Job said. And though there was no return flight scheduled for the children concluding their North Pole adventures, they had another surprise waiting for them when they finally exited the terminal on Saturday afternoon, made their way back through baggage claim, and headed toward the door to the parking lot. In the time that they had been on their Fantasy Flight, it had begun to snow. It was a real-life winter wonderland. Accompanied by his wife, Cathy, and daughter, Mollie, Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie delivers his concession speech on election night, Nov. 7, 2017. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post) Virginia Republicans tried to make the best of a grim electoral landscape this weekend at their annual retreat, which marked Ed Gillespies first public appearance since his loss in the governors race seemed to drive the party further into the political wilderness. [Ralph Northam beats Ed Gillespie in nationally watched Virginia race] Gillespies contest became a symbol of a party struggling to bridge the gap between President Trumps populism and the need to appeal to minorities and independent voters in a purple state. The same forces will be in play in the coming year, when the GOP will try to unseat Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and has to defend seven congressional seats in the state. Republican activists, elected officials and consultants gathered at a mountain resort as snow fell Friday and Saturday, offering sometimes vastly different solutions to that vexing puzzle. The contrast was most on display among politicians vying for the right to take on Kaine. One of them is Corey Stewart, who narrowly lost the gubernatorial primary to Gillespie. He reprised his role as the say-anything Trump acolyte, while Del. Nick Freitas (Culpeper), a conservative who just won his second term in the state legislature, used the event to formally enter the race. Activists were abuzz about other possible candidates who could help the party rebrand. Virginia Republicans are trying to regroup at a profoundly low point. After losing every statewide election since 2009, they are certainly used to defeat, but some of those contests were squeakers, including Gillespies near-upset of Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) in 2014. The near-wins offered hope, sustaining wait-till-next-year bravado in a group that bills its annual gathering the Advance, as opposed to retreat. But the 2017 shellacking the GOP lost at least 15 seats in the legislature is testing the limits of even the most stubborn optimism, given how badly Gillespie lost, how widely the damage spread down the ticket and how poorly Virginians rate President Trump. Some Republicans skipped the annual gathering this year, convinced that they will just have to wait out the Trump era. The reality is, as long as President Trump is in the White House, Virginia is going to be a very difficult place for Republicans, said Tucker Martin, a former Gillespie strategist who opted out of the event this year. For those who did attend, political consultant Carlyle Gregory served 150 Republicans a bleak PowerPoint over breakfast. Bar graph after bar graph showed Democrats reeling in more small donors, more big bucks from political action committees, seemingly more of everything needed to spread their message. Gregory stressed the need to appeal to younger voters harking back to the days when half of them broke for Ronald Reagan with a bleak admission: "I have no idea how we do this." Long term we cant afford to take this kind of beating, read one slide in his presentation. That did little to lighten the mood. Whether its politics or business, consultants are always good at pointing out the problems but always a dollar short on the solutions, said George Urban, a 40-year-old financial consultant from Albemarle County. But Urban, chairman of his local GOP, had his own idea about the way forward a theory that the blowout might end up inspiring Republicans, just as Trumps election lit a fire under Democrats. Hopefully we can use disappointment as a chance to reflect and return to core [party-building] activities, he said. Dennis Free, 62, former chief deputy sheriff in Virginia Beach, said he thinks the partys soul-searching will make it stronger. George Patton said, If were all agreeing, somebodys not thinking, he said. I like this, where were going to have a robust debate. State GOP Chairman John Whitbeck told the crowd that Republicans were up against Democrats bent on punishing Trump no matter what, relating a conversation Del. Randy Minchew (R-Loudoun) had with his sister-in-law after losing reelection. She told Minchew that she had voted a straight Democratic ticket to send a message to Trump even though that meant voting against her brother-in-law. This weekend is the beginning of taking this back, Whitbeck said. The party recorded an official attendance of just over 400, which Whitbeck said was better than expected. Gillespie, who got an ovation from attendees over lunch, thanked volunteers for what would have been record-breaking results had he not faced a Democratic tsunami. [Can a career GOP tactician navigate Trump and a civil war in his party and win in Virginia?] I want to thank you for all you did in the course of this campaign to help us get the second-most votes for governor in the history of the commonwealth of Virginia, Gillespie said, with a chuckle. But as we know, that was second to Governor-elect Ralph Northam, who got the most votes ever. . . . But we clearly left it all on the field, and we clearly turned out our votes. There were lighter moments as young campaign staffers from all over the state rehashed the campaign over late-night drinks at the hotel bar. They got a kick out of former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who showed up as a surprise guest and weathered a chorus of "Spicy," a cheeky nickname coined by "Saturday Night Live." Eschewing the usual practice of holding a boozy bash in a hotel suite to woo supporters, Stewart held his party in a steakhouse down the street. The move allowed him to avoid giving a cut of the proceeds to the party he tangled with during the governors race. I like this place, Stewart said, standing in the pine-paneled bar. Its not quite as dry and dull as a conference room. [He ran as a Trump mini-me and lost the GOP nomination in Virginia] Just as Freitas was about to jump into the ring, Stewart came out with an attention-grabbing tweet, reviving conspiracy theories about former president Barack Obama's birthplace. He also suggested that Democrats forged a yearbook inscription to discredit U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, whom Stewart endorsed and has defended against accusations of sexual misconduct with teenage girls when Moore was in his 30s. [Stewart defends Roy Moore] When asked hours later whether he believed Democrats had forged Obamas birth certificate, Stewart paused, chuckled and said, No. . . . The point is that Democrats and the Republican establishment, they just make up stuff about conservatives and its never questioned. Freitas announced his Senate candidacy in a speech laced with conservative catnip espousing limited government. The Army veteran is a government defense contractor and early supporter of Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.). Freitas avoided combat with fellow Republicans and focused on Kaine. People really always associated Tim Kaine with being a very nice guy, he said. Then he joined on with Hillary Clinton. When you look at the DNC and how they disenfranchised millions of their own voters, theres going to be accountability for that. He said Kaines voting record often lines up with the far left wing, dare I say Marxist, version of the party. In response, Kaine painted the entire GOP as too extreme for Virginia. As Republicans race to the far right and compete over who will be the biggest Trump supporter, campaign spokesman Ian Sams said, Kaine will be prepared to win no matter how their primary shakes out. The race is not targeted by national parties for cash or resources, but for Virginia Republicans, it represents a chance perhaps not to win but to field a candidate who can give the party a new face and unite disparate ideologies. [As Gillespie adopts Trumpian tactics in Virginia, Bannon credits Corey Stewart] James Cohen, a Virginia Beach landlord and party activist, would like to see a candidate who supports the president without trying to mimic his antics. He thinks that could be Freitas or former governor James S. Gilmore III, who has said he is considering running. Or, Bert Mizusawa, a major general in the U.S. Army Reserve with whom some Republicans had been pleading to get in, Cohen said. Mizusawa has not responded to phone messages seeking comment in recent days. Seventy-five, 80 percent of the attendees dont identify with the antics of Corey Stewart, Cohen said, but they do identify with the policies of the Trump administration. Stewart, who is close to Trumps former chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, said he expected to be endorsed by the president. On Saturday, two key Trump allies Mark Lloyd, Trumps Virginia campaign director, and Mike Rubino, a senior adviser in the state endorsed Freitas. Stewarts reaction: LOL. Nobody cares. A sufer rides a wave in Ventura, Calif., last week as the sun peeks through the smoke from nearby wildfires. (Noah Smith/For The Washington Post) Trucks ferrying exhausted firefighters rolled into the fairgrounds here straight from the front lines of the Thomas Fire, which was burning right to the edge of Ventura. Ash was slowly dropping like snow, and a campfirelike smell was thick in the air alongside visible smoke. Just across the street from the epicenter of the firefighting and evacuation efforts of this massive wildfire, surfers navigated the waves of one of the top breaks in California, C Street. For those in the water, the ocean is a sanctuary usually from everyday life, but this week, also from the fire. Daniel Ohlinger, 20, had the break to himself during a midafternoon session Friday, cruising on a 9-foot-8 orange longboard and playfully making the most of the knee-high waves. Days earlier, he had been battling the fire, trying to save his familys house about 10 miles away. They told us to evacuate, but there just werent enough firefighters, he said. [California fires rage into second week as massive blazes are expected to spread] Deena Pace heads out to surf in Ventura, something many see as an escape from the fire and smoke that have been choking Southern California for the past week. (Noah Smith/For The Washington Post) Ohlinger, who works the night shift on a ship at Naval Base Ventura County, woke up a colleague to take over his watch and jetted home when he learned his house might be threatened. He took up a hose with his father, who had been watering the house and yard for hours. We just did everything we could. We just drenched everything, he said. The flames came right up to his home, but he and his family held their ground. And they won. The fire seared the entire hillside behind the house, but it stopped there. On the other side of the hill, he said, homeowners were not as lucky: All I saw was a chimney. The entire house was burned. After Ohlinger fought the fire following three consecutive weeks of working 12-hour shifts he headed right to the surf. This was my first day off, so I wanted to make sure I got out, he said. Its good for the soul. Ive thought about it a lot but cant really put it into words. [Apocalyptic images show the devastation caused by raging Southern California fires] Ventura is a heralded surf town, but for local surfers, C Street is more than just a premier surf break. Deena and Bruce Pace pose at the waters edge. (Noah Smith/For The Washington Post) Its like a place of peace out there, and then also the surf community is really important, and theres kind of a bond between people who surf at a certain spot, said Sarah Raskin, 39, who lives in nearby Ojai and is a schoolteacher in Oxnard, which has canceled classes. Its really a place to go and get support and check in with people. Everyones kind of shellshocked from this whole thing. Firefighters congregated on the rocks overlooking the break, relaxing, joking and having fun in between duties on the fire line. The ocean had become an escape for them, too. Later in the afternoon, as the sun was beginning to set, the shroud of smoke leaving only an orange tint, Deena Pace walked up the beach with a longboard, her husband and daughter at her side. Surfing is probably the thing that brings us most together, she said. It brings out the best in all of us. Some people cook together, some people bike together; this is the thing that brings us together the most. Pace said her family almost lost its house to the fire earlier in the week and had been cooped up inside since. Yeah, its really smoggy out here, but surfing brings us joy, and we need some joy right now, she said. Every single time I get in the water, I feel like I have a full-on adventure and exhilaration and that the elements have washed over me, and it brings me 100 percent pure joy. Earlier in the week, Henry Rose, 12, paddled out with his friend Jack Gordon, 13. For both boys, the fire had been a tough experience, one they hoped to wash off. Ive been surfing my whole life, and its always made me happy, Henry said. With all the terror thats been going on around Ventura, it makes me really sad because all my friends houses have burned down and I feel really bad for them. . . . I just always like to go surfing when I get really sad. Bradley McClure, 22, said that even with all the community, family and friendship elements of surfing, ultimately, its a solitary sport. Its personal, to get away and be in the water and enjoy something nice, something where you can forget about life, said McClure, who was rushing to catch last-minute waves while there was still light. As night fell, the sea spray mixed with smoke as surfers bobbed in the water. The fire continued to burn over the mountains in the background. The waves started to improve slightly. If its good, I think people are just going to go out, Ohlinger said. It doesnt matter if theres a fire. Venna Little watches her supervisor Lisa Hirsch as she packages blood samples for patient testing. It is Littles first day on the job and she is quick to declare it the best first day ever, a potentially surprising statement to many people, considering she is Coconino County Jails newest corrections nurse. I just wanted a different experience and a chance to treat the under-served, Little said about her reasoning to take a job in corrections. Littles enthusiasm is a potential lifesaver for the Coconino County Sheriffs Office, which has a difficult time hiring and retaining nurses, mostly due to low pay. Salary is our biggest struggle when it comes to nurses, jail commander Matt Figueroa said. Most places are going to pay more than the jail and, regardless of the benefits we can give them, we are going to have trouble competing with other organizations that give a higher salary. A starting salary for a registered nurse at the jail is $57,000 to $60,000 per year, below the state average of $71,000 and under the $66,000 average in northern Arizona, according to the Nurse Salary Guide, which is an organization that tracks salaries across the nation. Trying to get past the starting salary and stay long-term with our organization is a tough thing to do, Figueroa said. The optimal number of nurses at the Coconino County Jail is eight, according to Lt. Bill Glenn, who supervises support operations. The jail currently has four registered nurses on staff, with two more in the final stages of the hiring process. That currently leaves four nurses, a nurse supervisor and a nurse practitioner as the primary care givers for more than 400 inmates. Not having a full medical staff is a difficult situation, Glenn said. We have a relatively high population of inmates who need medical assistance due to substance abuse. However, despite a relatively high number of inmates awaiting trial for violent crimes, assaults on health care workers in the jail are rare. This is an environment full of inmates, but it is a more controlled environment than you will see outside, Figueroa said. In many ways working in the jail is safer than working in an emergency room, since you are going to have an officer with you all the time. In the last five years, only two assaults on nurses have occurred in the jail out of 10,000 bookings that the jail processes per year, according to data compiled by the Coconino County Sheriffs Office. We have protocols that ensure that everyone stays safe, Glenn said. Hirsch, who has worked for 13 years in the nursing department of the jail, said she doesn't feel threatened working in corrections. The job has a lot of surprises and you dont always know what you are going to deal with on a daily basis, but I feel incredibly safe working here, she said. Coconino County Sheriffs Office Human Resources Manager Valerie Ausband said there are a number of benefits to working in corrections that someone working in the private sector may not have. I dont know any place out there that is going to give you 10 guaranteed holidays and give you retirement, Ausband said. The grass is not always greener on the other side and while other places may pay more, you dont have to worry about layoffs or cutbacks (here). We have the same number of nurses here no matter what the economy is doing. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 04:47:36|Editor: yan Video Player Close LONDON, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May on Saturday congratulated her Iraqi counterpart Haider Abadi over Islamic State (IS) victory, but warned the terrorist group is "not yet defeated". Extremists are "still pose a threat to Iraq, including from over the Syrian border", May said in a statement issued here after the Iraqi prime minister claimed an end to the fight against the terrorist group earlier Saturday. Abadi announced that Islamic State, also known as ISIS or Da'esh, no longer occupies significant territory in Iraq, and the fight against Islamic State was over after more than three years of combat operations. "I congratulate prime minister Abadi and all Iraqis on this historic moment," May said. "This signals a new chapter towards a more peaceful, prosperous country." "We must be clear however, that whilst Da'esh is failing, they are not yet defeated," she said. "They still pose a threat to Iraq, including from over the Syrian border." Iraqi forces mopped up the last pockets of IS fighters from Iraq's western deserts on Saturday, securing the country's border with Syria, a step that marked the end of combat operations against the extremists. ISIS, which stands for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, rapidly captured large territories in Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate in 2014. The group controlled more than 34,000 square miles of territory from the Mediterranean coast to south of Baghdad. The campaign to eradicate the Islamic State took more than three years and about 25,000 coalition air strikes. Iraqi forces have increasingly been pushing ISIS out of the country over the past few months. Troops last month retook the town of Rawa, one of ISIS' last footholds in the country. At that point, only pockets of ISIS resistance remained. Facilitator Jeovan Davila leads a discussion about marijuana use and perceptions among students at the Boys & Girls Club of Westminster, Calif. (Anna Gorman/Kaiser Health News) (Anna Gorman/KHN) After Yarly Raygoza attended the drug prevention program at the Boys & Girls Club here last year, she used what she learned to talk a few friends out of using marijuana. The 14-year-old took the class again this year but worries that counseling her friends will become more difficult. Recreational marijuana is now legal in California, which could bring a massive boom in drug sales and advertising when stores can begin selling the drug to adults without a prescription in January. Raygoza believes that as more people 21 and older use marijuana legally, teenagers will have trouble understanding that they shouldnt use it. Teens may also have easier access to the drug as recreational pot shops start to open, she said. Raygoza already sees many places selling medical marijuana. Now that there are so many shops . . . kids have a better chance of getting their hands on it, she said. And having a discussion with them like this could be a little harder. Make no mistake: Marijuana is still illegal for youths. Last November, voters approved Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, making California one of eight states in addition to the District to legalize the drug for recreational use. The measure immediately made it legal for those 21 and older to possess up to an ounce, or about 28.5 grams, of cannabis. It delayed legal pot sales from licensed stores until January 2018. The legalization of recreational marijuana for adults in California and other states poses an added challenge for drug education and prevention programs. Teachers are trying to explain the risks of marijuana just as stores are preparing to open and marketers are planning campaigns. Medical marijuana has been legal in California for more than 20 years, but experts say the new law on recreational marijuana could prompt more youths to believe that the drug is safe. That is an unintended consequence of legalization, said Pam Luna, a consultant with the Rand Corp., a nonpartisan research organization. They think that if its legal, it must be okay. Luna, who trains teachers on drug prevention education, said legalization has also prompted questions and confusion among young people. They may be getting misinformation and peer pressure through social media, she said. While evidence shows that medical marijuana can help ease chronic pain and other conditions, use of the drug is linked to poor respiratory health and increased car accidents. Among adolescents, marijuana use can have negative effects on their cognitive and mental health. Recent studies show that teens who use marijuana frequently exhibit lower cognitive performance and brain function than those who dont. They also perform worse in school. Despite that, teen perception of the harms of marijuana has dropped over time, and many think its safer than alcohol, according to Elizabeth DAmico, a senior behavioral scientist at Rand. Currently, more than half of 10th- and 12th-graders believe that smoking marijuana isnt dangerous, according to a recent Rand report. Adolescents in states with legal medical marijuana are less likely to believe the drug is harmful, research shows. The changing legal landscape has a lot to do with adolescents changing perceptions, DAmico said. Thats why we really need to change the conversation around this drug. That conversation should remind young people about its potential harms and that recreational marijuana in California is still illegal for those younger than 21, she said. The state Department of Public Health recently unveiled a website called Lets Talk Cannabis to explain the law. Young people who are caught smoking, buying or possessing marijuana will have to complete community service and undergo drug education or counseling, the website says. Advertising is another factor that may complicate drug prevention education for young people, said Stanton Glantz, a professor at the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine. Exposure to marijuana advertising is associated with a higher likelihood of using marijuana a year later, according to research. Its just everywhere now, and the market hasnt been fully opened, Glantz said. Its the same thing as alcohol and cigarette advertising. It is all directed at normalizing it and presenting it as a fun thing to do. DAmico said she and her children see the ongoing changes near their house in the San Fernando Valley. It just creates a conversation pretty much every day because a new billboard pops up on our way to school, she said. To provide most middle school students with up-to-date information about alcohol, marijuana and smoking, DAmico developed a voluntary program called Project Choice, which is used by such after-school programs as the Boys & Girls Club. In five sessions, participants role-play and discuss how to make healthful choices. They also talk about the pros and cons of marijuana and the differences between medical and recreational use. During the first session at the Boys & Girls Club of Westminster recently, facilitator Jeovan Davila asked the group of students what percentage of eighth-graders they believed used marijuana over the past 30 days. The guesses ranged from 10 percent to 60 percent. When Davila told them the correct answer was about 7 percent, the group looked surprised. Davila said he doesnt lecture teens about whats right and wrong. Rather, he gives them facts to help them make their own decisions in the future. For example, if they know that most of their peers dont use marijuana, perhaps they will be less likely to use it. With the legalization of marijuana and the discussion on social media, Davila has seen young people talking about the drug more. During the class, some said teens might want to use it because they see their family members using marijuana legally. The kids do bring it up, he said. Weve just got to be ready, letting them know the facts. Gorman is a writer for Kaiser Health News, a national health policy news service that is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Read More Teen depression and suicide are way up and so is smartphone use Not drinking or driving: Teens increasingly put off traditional markers of adulthood While yogas roots are ancient, the modern yoga class is a relatively recent phenomenon, as is the concept of a yoga teacher-training program. But as yoga has become big business: With nearly $17 billion spent on yoga clothing, equipment, classes and accessories in the United States in 2016, the number of yoga teachers, training programs and practice options has skyrocketed. There are two main organizations that provide credentials for yoga teachers and yoga therapists: The Yoga Alliance represents 83,000 teachers and 5,500 schools. Founded in 1999, the nonprofit operates a registry that lists its teachers and training programs. The group's most basic instructor credential, RYT, can be earned after completing a 200-hour training at a registered yoga school, or RYS. Teachers can add an "E" for "experienced" to this title (E-RYT) after having two years of experience and at least 1,000 hours of teaching. For more information, visit yogaalliance.org. The International Association of Yoga Therapists has 5,700 members in more than 50 countries. Yoga therapy typically involves one-on-one instruction geared to empowering an individual to progress toward improved health. Last year, the association established a certification program with the credential IAYT-Certified Yoga Therapist, or C-IAYT, which requires at least 800 hours of training beyond the prerequisite 200-hour yoga teacher training. To learn more, go to iayt.org. In addition to these broadly based groups, a growing number of specialty programs offer advanced trainings for yoga teachers who want to work with special populations. These include Yoga for Arthritis (arthritis.yoga), Yoga for Cancer and Yoga for Chronic Pain (both at mindfulyogaworks.com/teacher-training) and Yoga for Seniors (yoga4seniors.com). Full disclosure: I am co-director of Yoga for Seniors. Graduate-level yoga studies are offered at a few colleges, including the Maryland University of Integrative Health, which offers a master of science in yoga therapy, and Loyola Marymount University in California, which offers a master of arts in yoga studies. Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with any advertisers on this site. Many people who are near the end of life wait too long to enter hospice care, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. In hospice care, attempts to cure a disease are usually replaced with treatments solely for pain and suffering, delivered by a specialized team. It usually includes medical and nursing care, counseling and social services, and it can be given at home, in a nursing home or in a hospital facility. People who put off hospice care might spend months in and out of hospitals, with their families struggling to attend to them. At some point, patients and their families and doctors realize that hospice is appropriate, but that happens perhaps later than it should, says study author Thomas Michael Gill, a professor of medicine, epidemiology and investigative medicine, and the Humana Foundation professor of geriatric medicine at Yale University. When folks are referred to hospice only in the last days of their life, its difficult to have a meaningful benefit. For nearly 16 years, Gill and a team of researchers followed 754 people, all age 70 and older when the study began. More than 40 percent of the 562 people who died during the study entered hospice care during the last year of their lives, but the median time spent in hospice was less than two weeks. Many of their most debilitating symptoms including pain, nausea, depression and shortness of breath decreased substantially only after hospice began. So, many might have been suffering needlessly for months, says Diane Meier, director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care and a professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Health crises, emergency-room visits and hospitalizations can become routine toward the end of life, a very distressing and stressful experience for patients and family members, Meier says. Remaining in your own home, a familiar place with familiar people, is safer and offers better quality of life. What to know about hospice Hospice has been covered by Medicare since 1982. Health-care providers have to certify that a patient is terminally ill (with six months or less to live) which can be difficult to predict, Meier and Gill say. People can leave hospice at any time because their condition stabilizes, for example, or they want to pursue curative treatments again. Hospice care can also be extended beyond six months. Many people are fearful that if they choose hospice, they wont be able to return to mainstream medicine should they improve or new treatments become available thats not true, Meier says. Hospice is not a one-way street. And some evidence suggests that hospice patients live just as long as or even longer than similarly ill patients who are not in hospice. When is it the right time? People with terminal illnesses and their doctors should be having ongoing discussions about goals and priorities, Gill says ideally long before hospice is broached. Often, patients will say, Im more interested in the quality rather than the quantity of my remaining life, he says, and that can help inform future discussions about end-of-life care. If you have not discussed hospice with a doctor, for yourself or a loved one, two signs suggest when it might be time to raise the topic, Meier says. The first is when someone is having increasing difficulty with self-care, struggling with tasks such as walking, getting out of a chair, bathing, dressing and using the toilet. Hospice care is designed to help with all of those activities. The second is the presence of symptoms such as severe pain, shortness of breath, hopelessness, depression and profound fatigue. In hospice, most of them can be improved or eliminated, Meier says. Its challenging to have honest discussions with patients and families about death and the dying process, Gill says. But leaving the conversation until the very end makes it more difficult. Copyright 2017, Consumer Reports Inc. Read More Too many Americans take unnecessary and potentially harmful antibiotics When your metabolism slows down, the pounds add up. Some solutions. GEORGIA Delta: Flights resume after cancellations Delta Air Lines said late Saturday that it was resuming normal operations at its Atlanta hub after a snowstorm forced it to cancel about 375 flights in and out of the city earlier in the day. The cancellations came on top of more than 1,000 flights scrubbed Friday because of the early-season snowstorm. The airline said winter weather in the South was tapering off, but that de-icing was underway in the Northeast, where additional snowstorms were settling in. The airline said it was issuing waivers for customers ticketed to, from or through Atlanta through Sunday. Bloomberg News TENNESSEE Search for 2 people on sunken tug suspended The Coast Guard suspended a search Saturday for two people who were aboard a tugboat that sank in the Mississippi River. A news release from the Coast Guard said the 66-foot vessel Ricky Robinson sank Friday on the river near Memphis. Boats from the Memphis Police Department, the Shelby County Sheriffs Office, the Coast Guard and Tennessees wildlife agency searched 324 nautical miles of the river before suspending the search Saturday. The missing people were not immediately identified. Wepfer Marine owned the boat. Associated Press Fundraising effort underway after child's wheelchair stolen: A fundraising campaign was started to buy a custom wheelchair for a 6-year-old girl with spina bifida after hers was stolen from in front of her Cincinnati home. WXIX-TV reported that kindergartner Austyn Bloebaum's wheelchair was stolen Thursday after her mother, Casey Hamilton, went back into their house to make a call because a bus with no wheelchair lift had arrived to take Austyn to school. 3 hurt in Ohio fire caused by bid to kill bedbugs: Authorities say three people were injured and 10 left homeless after a woman accidentally started a fire while trying to kill bedbugs with rubbing alcohol at a multifamily home in Cincinnati. WXIX-TV reported that it's the second time in two weeks that a fire sparked by attempts to kill bedbugs has caused extensive damage in Cincinnati. 2 Calif. firms settle allegations of selling fetal tissue: Two California bioscience companies reached a $7.8 million settlement with the Orange County district attorney's office over allegations that they illegally sold fetal tissue to companies around the world, prosecutors said. In the settlement, DV Biologics and DaVinci Biosciences, both based in Yorba Linda, must cease all operations in California within 120 days. Also named as defendants were Estefano Isaias Sr., Estefano Isaias Jr. and Andres Isaias. From news services NORTH KOREA China says outlook is not optimistic China expressed pessimism about bringing the North Korean standoff to a peaceful resolution, even as Kim Jong Uns regime touted new U.N. support for regular talks. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday that the outlook is not optimistic on the Korean Peninsula and urged both sides to end what he said was a vicious cycle of confrontation. Wangs remarks part of a broad foreign policy speech in Beijing came after North Korea said that a departing U.N. delegation had agreed to communications to help ease tensions. Wang said there was still hope for a diplomatic solution and reiterated a Chinese proposal for both sides to build trust by suspending military drills and weapons tests. Undersecretary-General Jeffrey Feltman, the United Nations top official for political affairs, visited North Korea to help facilitate talks between Kims regime and President Trump. North Koreas state-run Korean Central News Agency said that the visit contributed to a deeper understanding and that they agreed to communicate at various levels. Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said by email Saturday that the delegation had a broad policy dialogue in Pyongyang. Associated Press Libya, Italy to team against migrant smugglers: Libya's U.N.-backed government has agreed with Italy to establish a joint operation for tackling migrant smugglers and traffickers as part of efforts to curb migrant flows toward Europe. The operation would consist of "representatives from the coast guard, the illegal migration department, the Libyan attorney general and the intelligence services, along with their Italian counterparts," said Fayez al-Serraj, the head of the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord. Merkel allies reject 'United States of Europe' concept: Senior members of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party have 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 has called for a "United States of Europe" by 2025. Merkel's conservatives want the SPD to agree to a last-ditch alliance after a tie-up with two smaller parties collapsed. Artifacts from Egyptian tombs displayed for first time : Egypt's authorities have revealed artifacts and a mummified body, possibly that of a top official, from two tombs that were discovered two decades ago but never explored. The Ministry of Antiquities said the tombs, located in the Draa Abul Naga necropolis on Luxor's west bank, had been noted in the 1990s, but were either unexcavated or had never been entered. From news services Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 04:52:38|Editor: yan Video Player Close by Julia Pierrepont III LOS ANGELES, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Discovery, the 8th most successful cable network in America and owner of Animal Planet, takes a bite out of the competition this winter. Not only did they increase their ownership of Oprah Winfrey's Network, OWN, but they just announced a 14.6 billion U.S. dollar (debt included) bid early December to buy Scripps Networks Interactive, the parent company of Food Network & HGTV. Analysts report that Discovery's bold plays are not unexpected since the cable business has become a bit of a fixer upper the last couple of years as major shifts in the television industry and consumer viewing habits evolve, leading to increased cord-cutting by former cable-users defecting to satellite, wireless or online services. INCREASED DIVERSIFICATION Julie De Traglia, head of Advertising Sales Research for Hulu, told Xinhua Thursday, "Viewers' top priorities today are 'choice' and 'control.' They want to watch what they want, when they want it, on any platform they want." So some savvy cable networks are increasingly diversifying into a wider range of media platforms to offset declines in cable subscribers. Discovery Communications, with annual revenues of 6.5 billion U.S. dollars, owns the Discovery Channel, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, Discovery Espanol, The Learning Channel, Science, Destination America, and Animal Planet. To expand their reach more aggressively beyond cable, in 2015 Discovery launched 'Discovery Go,' an online, on demand, view-anywhere, digital streaming service fueled by content from its cable networks. "We will continue to invest in our premier global IP and brands to nourish fans across all screens, all platforms and all services to drive shareholder value and propel our business for years to come amid the rapidly changing media landscape," David Zaslav, President and CEO of Discovery Communications, told Xinhua. To do so, Discovery Communications has to beef up acquisitions to keep pace with their cable rivals and the 800-lb gorilla online streaming giants, Netflix and Amazon, and position themselves to become a heftier player in a globally-aggregating marketplace where 'bigger is better.' DISCOVERY'S AGGRESSIVE MOVES Discovery paid 70 million U.S. dollars this past year to increase their ownership from 50 percent to 74.5 percent of OWN, which it co-founded in 2008 with the reigning queen of daytime talk shows, Oprah Winfrey. OWN has become the top-rated network for African American women in the country and this transaction marks the first time she has taken money out of the venture. Winfrey will continue to serve as chief executive of the network and as part of the deal, she will work exclusively for OWN in the basic cable space through 2025, a major coup for Discovery. "This transaction allows Discovery and Oprah to unlock more value from our partnership; extends once more her commitment to the network; and lets us continue our strong work together to nourish OWN viewers with the content they love," announced David Zaslav in a recent statement. Discovery has also waded into international waters, paying 939 million U.S. dollars in 2014 to acquire British studio, All3Media, in a 50/50 joint venture with their shareholder, Liberty Media, and in 2016 bought a minority stake in VS Media, a Hong Kong-based digital talent and content company. But in an effort to upgrade its bargaining power with advertisers and distributors who generate Discovery's two largest revenue streams, Discovery Communications launched its biggest land grab to date with its bid buy Scripps Networks Interactive. Scripps Networks Interactive is a media company with multiple television channels that grew out of newspaper syndicate, E.W. Scripps Company, founded by the Scripps brothers in 1878. In 2007, Scripps divided into E.W. Scripps Co, which retained its newspaper, TV station, and licensing/syndication divisions; and Scripps Network Interactive, which owns the Food Network, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel, Great American Country; the humor website, Cracked.com; podcaster, Stitcher; and the hugely popular Do-It-Yourself home improvement network, HGTV. The DYI zeal of Scripps Interactive may hail from its 140-year old founder motto, "Give light and the people will find their own way." Scripps programming slate is chockfull of some of the most popular DIY, home improvement, home buying, cooking, and competition shows on television, which have rocketed HGTV to the fifth highest ranked cable net and Food Network to the sixteenth. Propelling HGTV up the rankings and making them a plum acquisition target is the popularity and originality of their top shows. The clear frontrunner, Chip and Joanna Gaines' "Fixer Upper," nails 4.37 million viewers per episode; "Flip or Flop," "Brother vs Brother," and Ellen Degeneres' "Ellen's Design Challenge," all boasting more than two million viewers per episode. Adding to HGTV's allure is their knack for creating full-blown, franchise-launching TV host-celebrities whose fame can be leveraged into spin off shows, high-traffic blogs, and profitable merchandizing and licensing deals. Though scoring fewer viewers than HGTV, Food Network is no slouch either and is credited with launching America's current 'foodie' movement. Its star chefs soar higher than their souffles, many reaching international stardom and landing lucrative restaurant or licensing deals. Discovery's acquisition of Scripps would unite the largely female-centric audiences of HGTV, Travel and Food Networks with the male-dominated audiences of Animal Planet and Discovery Channel to garner Discovery some valuable cross-gender content clout. Discovery's aggressive strategy is paying off with annual revenues of 6.5 billion U.S. dollars, a 2 percent increase compared to the prior year when many cable net revenues are declining. Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones takes a group photo with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Rep. Terri A. Sewell (D-Ala.) and supporters during a campaign event held at Alabama State University on Saturday. (Joe Raedle) In recent weeks, Democrats have scored huge electoral wins in Virginia, cultivated public opposition to the Republican tax plan, purged two liberal stars accused of sexual misconduct and gotten closer to winning a Senate race in Alabama that should be out of reach in such a conservative state. But they still cant agree on what the party stands for. From immigration to banking reform to taxes to sexual harassment, many in the party say it does not have a unified message to spread around the country. Those concerns flared up at a party meeting over the weekend in Washington. Anybody running for office right now has to talk about the reality that people are facing in their own lives. People arent interested in abstractions, said Jeff Weaver, the campaign manager for Sen. Bernie Sanderss 2016 presidential bid. Obviously, Trumps behavior is in many ways repugnant, and thats obviously an issue. But candidates have to talk about how theyre going to improve the lives of ordinary Americans. And if you do that in an authentic way, it will resonate. Democrats tumbled into the #MeToo moment by successfully urging Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) to resign following accusations of sexual misconduct, and the party triumphed in Virginia in November, winning all three statewide offices on the ballot and more than a dozen legislative seats. Democrats now lead in polling ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. Regardless of whether Democratic nominee Doug Jones wins a Senate seat in Alabama, the party expects voters to remember President Trumps embrace of Republican nominee Roy Moore. But pulling those advantages into a coherent message remains elusive in Trumps tweet-driven Washington. Instead, Democrats are continuing to argue among themselves over how to present themselves to voters. President Trump and Vice President Pence met with congressional leaders last week at the White House, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi D-Calif.), House Speaker Paul D. Ryan R-Wis.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer D-N.Y.). (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) In addition, the bitterness cultivated during the partys 2016 presidential nominating contest has not fully faded. The Democratic National Committees Unity Reform Commission, launched to settle disputes that surfaced last year between the Hillary Clinton and Sanders camps, on Friday and Saturday suggested new rules for 2020 intended to open up the nominating process to more voices and to break the establishments grip on the process. [Democrats inch closer to overhauling how they would pick a presidential nominee] The commission has also become a place for each faction of the party to vent about what was lost last year. Commission members from both camps warned that the party has not solved the problems with branding and organization that led to its 2016 losses. All I will do is refer you to all those silly news stories in September of 2016 that said, Oh, Hillary Clinton has 77 field offices in Pennsylvania and Donald Trump only has two, said Elaine Karmack, a Clinton appointee to the commission. Donald Trump didnt need 77 because he had a fully fledged, very professional Republican Party that has been operating for decades now. We are constantly beat by these guys. Nomiki Konst, a New York-based Sanders supporter, warned that the party needs to quickly clean up, using the public meeting to accuse past DNC leaders of earmarking hundreds of millions of dollars for no-bid contracts with just a handful of political consultants. We dont have time. We have . . . state legislatures controlled by Republicans and poor state party chairs struggling to raise money with little support from national Democrats, she said. All that money went to presidential races, but it was burned lit on fire, Konst added. And who suffers as a result of some consultants getting third, fourth and fifth homes? The American people people being rounded up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Struggles with branding have been evident in Alabama, where national leaders have worked to avoid linking themselves to Jones. Unlike in Virginia, where DNC Chairman Tom Perez live-tweeted several campaign visits, the party and allies, including Planned Parenthood, have left few footprints. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and other black lawmakers made campaign stops this weekend to build support for Jones among black voters. The party's Senate super PAC created an Alabama-centric shell PAC, Highway 31, which has spent $2.9 million and will not have to disclose donors until the election is over. [Bitter Senate race tests Alabamas image in the country and at home] Moore and allies have ripped into Joness Democratic ties, airing ads with an old photo of Jones smiling next to Clinton. In his fitful endorsements of Moore, which also have been cut into ads, Trump has called the Democrat a liberal who would be a puppet of Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) an example of the basic word associations that can still sting Democrats in red states. Other divisions also linger. Four moderate Democrats joined with Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee to advance rolling back Dodd-Frank restrictions imposed on the industry in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, a move condemned by progressive stars such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). And after spending most of the fall saying they would fight Trump and Republicans to enact two top liberal priorities changes in immigration policy and shoring up the Affordable Care Act Schumer and Pelosi in recent days shifted gears. Now, they are more focused on economic issues that might resonate more in swing districts and red states next year, such as underfunded pensions, boosting funds for infrastructure projects and the need to buoy opioid addiction prevention programs. In the process, they may be signaling that the other goals may have to wait longer. That goal makes some sense, given that Democrats say they must find a way to reach voters who supported Trump last year if they are to make gains in 2018 and 2020. They continue to struggle: A late-summer push trumpeting an economic theme, A Better Deal, was drowned out. In polling, Democrats and Republicans are trusted about evenly regarding to handle the economy. But recent polls by Quinnipiac University and Pew Research find Democrats with a single-digit advantage on trust to handle taxes; a roughly 20-point advantage on trust to handle health care; and a roughly 10-point edge in the generic congressional ballot among registered voters. Trumps continuing low approval ratings also bode well for Democrats. Party leaders seated around the conference room during the weekend meeting said there are encouraging, if small, signs of hope up and down the ballot. We had 3,000 people show up for our dinner; the Republicans had 500 show up for theirs, Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price said. He added that Democrats are turning what started as frustration with Washington and what was happening in Des Moines with the state government into energy and action. Nebraska Democratic Party Chairman Jane Kleeb said that her once-depleted organization has recruited more than 55 candidates to run in local and statewide races up from no more than 30 in past years. We had 125 people show up on a Sunday for a full-day training, she said. Campaign staff, candidates, grass-roots leaders and the candidate track was the fullest. But more striking to Kleeb is evidence that whats happening in Washington is seeping into conversations among everyday people far earlier than normal in a political cycle. I was at the Walgreens, and I overheard a guy say on the phone: Do you know if your house is worth more than $500,000? Youre going to get hurt by the tax bill, she said. In Lincoln, Nebraska! Out smoking on his break. Still, trouble with Conyers, Franken and others has scrambled the party's messaging, especially during Democrats fight against the tax cut, raising questions about how the party is going to win over elusive Trump supporters and find a way to change the subject. Even Democrats handling of those accusations of misconduct has created divergent views. Some party leaders and activists said that Democrats did not give Conyers and Franken sufficient time to make their cases. Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (D-Ohio), a member of the unity commission, said she believed the accusations. But when did we become a nation that people are accused, and they have no right to defend themselves? When did we become judge and jury? she asked. And while the Franken situation was going on, the only one they were calling to resign was John. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.), the fourth-ranking House Democrat, said his party will focus on Republican lawmakers from high-tax states or suburban districts who vote for the GOP plan. He called the Republican tax plan egregious and one that theyll pay a price for at the voting booths next November. I think they know it, too. I think for some of them its almost like a suicide pact. Rep. Denny Heck (D-Wash.), who is in charge of recruiting new House Democratic candidates, said the Conyers and Franken affairs were merely the current highest-profile thing accentuating the strength of his partys record-setting candidate recruitment so far, which already tilted heavily toward female Democrats. I think that women candidates are going to be stronger than before; I think the women turnout will be stronger than before; I think womens turnout for our candidates will be stronger than its been before, he said. Read more at PowerPost Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Sunday that the women who have accused President Trump of touching or groping them without their consent should be heard. Haley's comments, made on CBS's "Face the Nation," diverged from the White House position on the more than a dozen women who have accused Trump of misconduct. Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders has said that the White House's position is that the women are lying and that the American people settled the issue by electing Trump despite the accusations. [President Trump and accusations of sexual misconduct: The complete list] Asked by CBSs John Dickerson whether she considered the allegations a settled issue, given last years election results, Haley responded, You know, thats for the people to decide. I know that he was elected. But, you know, women should always feel comfortable coming forward. And we should all be willing to listen to them. Haleys comments highlighted a challenge facing Republicans as a cultural revolution on the topic of sexual harassment sweeps the country. Republicans have seized on allegations of wrongdoing by Democrats, including Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who announced they would resign last week. Republicans also have castigated liberals over high-profile allegations against figures in Hollywood and the media, including movie producer Harvey Weinstein, a Hillary Clinton donor and ally. But most have not shown similar outrage when allegations have been made against prominent Republicans, notably Trump and Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama. Haley spoke about Trumps accusers after praising women who have come forward with allegations about powerful men in various other industries. Dickerson asked her how people should assess the accusers of the president. They should be heard, and they should be dealt with, Haley responded. And I think we heard from them before the election. And I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up. Trump has been sued for defamation in New York by one of his accusers, Summer Zervos, a former contestant on The Apprentice who says Trump groped and kissed her in a hotel room in 2007 during a meeting to discuss a job opportunity. She says Trump defamed her when he dismissed her account and called her and the other accusers liars. A judge is weighing whether to allow that case to proceed. Haleys comments came in contrast to other Republicans, who have defended Trump, noting that the public elected Trump president even knowing about allegations from multiple women against him. On NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said that to re-litigate the election is impossible. The allegations or the accusations against the president were a part of the campaign, Scott said. Should people who were victimized have their day in court, their opportunity to present their information? I have no problem with that issue. Democrats have continued to press the subject, with some beginning to argue Trump should resign his office like others have in face of such allegations. Al Franken felt it proper for him to resign, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said in an interview with Meet the Press on Sunday morning. Here you have a president who has been accused by many women of assault, who says on a tape that he assaulted women. He might want to think about doing the same. Sanderss comment, which built on a tweet he had sent last week, came after Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said that the #MeToo moment should prompt another look at the women who accused Trump of sexual harassment during the 2016 presidential campaign. "The president should resign because he certainly has a track record with more than 17 women of horrific conduct," Merkley said last week in an interview for the weekday version of "Meet the Press." On Saturday, during a campaign swing to support the Democrat in Alabamas U.S. Senate race, Booker told Vice News that the standard that brought down Franken should be applied to the president. "I just watched Senator Al Franken do the honorable thing and resign from his office," Booker said. "My question is, why isn't Donald Trump doing the same thing who has more serious allegations against him, with more women who have come forward. The fact pattern on him is far more damning than the fact pattern on Al Franken." Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) stops to speak to reporters before votes on the Senate floor, on Capitol Hill, on Nov. 15, 2017. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post) When Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama came hat in hand to Capitol Hill last month to ask his states senior Republican for help raising money, Sen. Richard C. Shelby had a blunt reply. I told him he could raise it himself, you know, like I did, you know, like everybody else, said Shelby, who has about $10 million cash in his campaign account, with no prospects of a competitive reelection. The striking rebuff was no surprise to those who know Shelby well. Since the surfacing of allegations of Moores sexual misconduct, Shelby has publicly bucked President Trump and the rest of Alabamas statewide Republican leaders by vocally opposing Moores candidacy, which he warns could hurt the state he has spent his life transforming. He thrives on controversy, seems to me. And I think you cant be a formidable, effective senator if youre so controversial your colleagues avoid you, Shelby told The Washington Post in an interview last week, after casting an absentee ballot for an unnamed Republican write-in candidate instead of Moore. Thats the bottom line. Shelby took that same message to the national airwaves on Sunday, telling CNN's "State of the Union" that the accusers against Moore, including a woman who says he touched her sexually when she was 14, "are believable." I think Alabama deserves better, Shelby said. The two men have moved in similar circles for decades, working together at times. Both are strictly antiabortion, support conservative fiscal policies, tougher immigration rules and favor loosening rules on gun ownership along with increased military spending. Both men favor getting rid of the Senate rule that requires 60 votes for most legislation to pass. When Moore sparked a legal crisis by displaying the Ten Commandments in a state courthouse, Shelby worked with Moore to introduce the Constitution Restoration Act, a bill that would have blocked the federal judiciarys ability to prevent federal employees from acknowledging God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government. But Shelby says he had concerns about Moore long before the allegations of sexual misconduct. One concern was Moores willingness as a judge to disobey judicial orders with which he disagreed, a tactic that led state officials to twice remove Moore from the bench. At one time, I was a U.S. magistrate in my day, you know, a young guy, and I believe in the rule of law, said Shelby. I disagree with a lot of court decisions, and even a lot of statutory things I dont like, but still its the law. Another concern of Shelbys is the effect that Moores candidacy, and possible election, would have on the reputation of a state. Over 30 years, through earmarks and other legislative maneuvering, Shelby has directed hundreds of millions of dollars to Alabama to help re-create it as a forward-leaning, business-friendly destination for the high-tech manufacturing, biotechnology and aerospace industries. I think the image of anything matters, Shelby said. Its not 1860. Its not 1900. Its not 1940. Its not 1964 or 1965. Its 2017. And Alabama in a lot of ways is on the cutting edge, on the cusp of a lot of good things. Friends and allies of Shelby describe the significant turmoil Moore has caused in the states political and business elite. Business leaders have expressed concern that the current campaign could hurt the branding of the state, which has been experiencing significant economic gains in recent years. We want to be attractive to the smartest people in the country, said Finis Fess St. John, an attorney in Cullman, who sits on the board of the University of Alabama and has worked with Shelby. Im sure the senator is concerned that something that distracts from that narrative doesnt help us. The fact that Shelby may not stand again for reelection may have also affected his willingness to go public with his concerns. Elected with 64 percent of the vote in 2016, Shelby, 83, is not set to face reelection until after the winner of Tuesday's election faces voters again in 2020. I got five years to go, he says of his own plans. If I live and am blessed to live and am effective, that would be a good five years. Despite his vocal opposition, Shelby says he thinks Moore will probably be elected Tuesday, and he will work with him as best he can. We would all hope if he came up here and became ensconced as a senator that he would work with us, Shelby said. But in the meantime, he will continue to speak his piece, making an argument at the core of his own professional legacy: The history of the South should not bind its future. We are the Deep South. We are part of the Confederacy. My great-grandfather was a captain in the Confederate army, but so was everybody else, said Shelby. Its a part of who we are. Yet there is a future out there. What caused the changes? he continued. People want a better life. Rosalind S. Helderman contributed to this report. Read more at PowerPost Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Doug Jones, flanked by Selma Mayor Darrio Melton, left, and former Massachusetts governor Deval L. Patrick, speaks with the media outside the historic Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Ala., on Saturday. (Mickey Welsh/Montgomery Advertiser via Associated Press) With liberal star power, hustle and a multimillion-dollar spending advantage, Democrat Doug Jones launched a closing blitz in the U.S. Senate race in Alabama on Saturday, aiming to turn out the African American voters who make up the bulk of the state's Democratic base. His rival, Republican candidate Roy Moore, by contrast, completed his fourth consecutive day without a public campaign appearance. Moore, a former state Supreme Court chief justice, has scheduled only two events in the final week before Tuesdays election. Both are rallies with former White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon. Jones staged his first appearance of the day with African American leaders here, at the church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. began the 1965 civil rights march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. [Jones warns of disaster if Moore wins in Alabama Senate race] Jones was joined by former Massachusetts governor Deval L. Patrick and local leaders. The candidate then traveled to an event with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) at Alabama State University in Montgomery, a historically black college. Im here to try to help to get some folk woke, Booker told the crowd, before praising Jones, a former federal prosecutor. When he went back and prosecuted the case of the girls who died in the 16th Street Baptist Church, he did not just honor our ancestors, he told the world who Alabama is. There were also two get-out-the-vote concerts for Jones supporters Saturday night, one with Alabama-born songwriter Jason Isbell in Huntsville and a second with the soul-rock band St. Paul and the Broken Bones in Birmingham. Its occurred to me in recent times that a lot of our democracy depends on unwritten rules, Patrick, a possible presidential contender in 2020, said during the appearance in Selma. We need more integrity and grace, more patience, more understanding and better listening from all of our leaders in every level of government, most especially in Washington. [Trump breaks another party norm with renewed support for Roy Moore] Although Moore has effectively paused his campaign, he has benefited from continued support from President Trump, who called at a rally Friday night in Pensacola, Fla., just over the state border, on Alabamians to vote for Moore. We cant have a Pelosi/Schumer Liberal Democrat, Jones, in that important Alabama Senate seat, Trump tweeted Saturday morning, referring to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). Need your vote to Make America Great Again! On the airwaves, the Jones campaign continues to dominate the race. Highway 31, a Super PAC supporting the Democrat, reported spending $3.6 million on the race through Friday. By comparison, the two major outside groups supporting Moore, Proven Conservative PAC and America First Action, have reported spending about $126,000 and $1.1 million, respectively, through the same date. Jones raised about $11.6 million through Nov. 22, more than twice as much as Moore, who reported $5.2 million, including money that he used for the two primary elections, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. [Doug Joness problem: African American voters not energized by Alabamas Senate race] This is Alabama. A proud history with a bright future. But after this Tuesday, Alabama could become something very different, says a narrator in the newest radio spot from Highway 31. Dont let Alabamas good name be tarnished. Dont wash it all away. Dont let Roy Moore become Alabama. Both Highway 31 and America First Action have declined to disclose their donors, making use of Federal Election Commission rules that allow them to wait until weeks after the election to make the names public. In one of Moores final television ads, he casts the race as a different sort of referendum on the state. The same Washington insiders who dont like President Trump are trying to stop our campaign, Moore says in the ad. They call us warmongers for wanting to rebuild the military. Racists for securing our borders. Bigots for recognizing the sanctity of marriage. And they call us foolish for believing in God. [Tight race between Moore and Jones in Alabama Senate race] Polls show Moore with a slight advantage in the closing days of the race, and experts in both campaigns say the outcome probably will be decided by turnout. Jones has pinned his hopes on high turnout among African Americans, low turnout among conservatives, and persuading Republican-leaning women to vote for a Democrat. At a news conference in Selma, Jones deflected a question about the accusations of sexual misconduct against his opponent, which Moore has denied. Five women have told The Washington Post that Moore pursued them in the late 1970s and early 1980s when they were teenagers. 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. Moore has denied sexual misconduct. Said Jones: Im not dealing with those accusations thats his issue, not mine. Instead, Jones spoke about the work his campaign is doing across the state, citing 1 million phone calls, more than 200,000 doors knocked on, and thousands of volunteers who braved an early Alabama snowfall to participate in last-minute get-out-the-vote efforts. I feel very confident that weve been reaching everybody, Jones said. The Moore campaign is largely staffed by volunteers, and for much of the final months of the race, his formal get-out-the-vote operation was put on hold after the Republican National Committee suspended support for his bid, eliminating 14 paid staff jobs in the state. That support was reinstated in the last week of the campaign, at Trumps direction. The national party transferred $170,000 on Tuesday to the state Republican Party to help elect Moore. Scherer reported from Washington. Read more at PowerPost U.S. and South Korean warplanes conduct combat exercises Wednesday. The exercises comes after North Korea fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov. 29, believed to have shown the capability to reach the U.S. mainland. (Handout/Getty Images) Every time North Korea does something provocative which is often Washington insists that Pyongyang must give up its nuclear weapons program. Just last weekend, days after North Korea launched its most high-tech intercontinental ballistic missile yet, national security adviser H.R. McMaster said that President Trump "is committed to the total denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." Not that this line is confined to the Trump administration. The Obama and Bush administrations before it also repeatedly insisted that North Korea must denuclearize. That might have been a realistic aim before Pyongyang could build a hydrogen bomb and missiles that can reach the United States. Its just a matter of time before the North Koreans can put the two together if they cant already. The Trump administration wont admit it, but North Korea is now a nuclear weapons power, analysts say. Why would Kim Jong Uns cash-strapped regime spend so much time and money on building these weapons only to give them up? And even if they were prepared to bargain them away eventually, why would they do so now, when Trump and his top aides are threatening military action? Weve seen no indication in recent years that they are interested in denuclearization, said Mira Rapp-Hooper, a North Korea expert at Yale Law School who was an Asia adviser to Hillary Clintons presidential campaign. So its difficult to rationalize how we are still so fixated on it. [ North Korea has shown us its new missile, and its scarier than we thought ] Vipin Narang, a nuclear nonproliferation specialist at MIT, agreed. Its a fantasy that theyre going to willingly give up their nuclear programs so long as Kim is in power. He saw the fate of Saddam and Gaddafi why would he give up his nuclear weapons? asked Narang, referring to the former leaders of Iraq and Libya, both of whom are now deposed and dead. Trumps willingness to pull out of the international nuclear deal with Iran would only heighten North Koreas mistrust of a negotiated denuclearization agreement with the United States, he said. For three generations, since the current leaders grandfather, Kim Il Sung, was in power, North Korea has pursued nuclear weapons as a way to deter the United States and ensure the regimes survival. Pyongyangs perceived need for a powerful deterrent has only increased since Kim Jong Un took power six years ago this month. Young and inexperienced he was 27 when he succeeded his father and had no military background the third Kim has aggressively pursued nuclear weapons as a way to fend off outside threats and bolster his legitimacy inside North Korea. The only way you can convince them to denuclearize is to make nuclear armament costly enough to destabilize the regime, said Chun Yung-woo, a former South Korean nuclear negotiator with the North. To do that would require a total economic blockade to suffocate the regime. Since coming to power, Kim has ordered four nuclear tests, including the September detonation of what his regime claimed and outside experts generally agree was a hydrogen bomb. At the same time, he has presided over astonishing improvements in North Koreas ballistic missile program, culminating last month with the launch of a missile that puts all of the United States technically within his reach. His regime has made these advances despite increasingly tight international sanctions aimed at cutting off its access to funding and parts, and despite increasingly vehement warnings from its traditional patron, China. [ Senior U.N. official to visit North Korea this week ] In both public and private meetings in Europe this year, North Korean representatives have repeatedly insisted on being accepted as a nuclear-armed state. Choe Son Hui, the director of U.S. affairs in North Koreas Foreign Ministry, said recently that Washington will have have to put up with the fact that her country now has nuclear weapons. This is a matter of life and death for us, she said at an October nonproliferation conference in Moscow. Acknowledging that North Korea has nuclear weapons is a step that the Trump administration like Obamas before it has been unwilling to take. We dont want to admit that our policy has failed for successive presidents, Narang said. Both administrations have urged China to use its leverage over North Korea. While Beijing says that denuclearization is its fundamental objective, it takes a much longer view of the process. "From Beijing's perspective, it is unrealistic to expect an immediate denuclearization of North Korea especially since the world has so far proved unable to even prevent the North's present capabilities from growing," Tong Zhao, a fellow at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, wrote before Trump's visit to Beijing last month. [ Trump pledges new wave of major sanctions on North Korea after call with Chinas Xi ] In Washington, however, there is a growing sense that time is not on the United States side. CIA Director Mike Pompeo said in October that North Korea was only a matter of months away from perfecting its nuclear weapons program. They are close enough now in their capabilities that from a U.S. policy perspective, we ought to behave as if we are on the cusp of them achieving that objective, he said at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a conservative think tank. There are ways to address this problem short of armed conflict, McMaster, the national security adviser, said Saturday, but it is a race because hes getting closer and closer, and theres not much time left. Trump and McMaster have repeatedly said that military options are on the table, a message that North Korea takes especially seriously when U.S. fighter jets are practicing precision strikes on the Korean Peninsula. This is coupled with frequent assertions that Kim is an irrational madman a sick puppy, as Trump most recently put it who cant be deterred in the way that the U.S. military deterred his father and grandfather. There are a lot of people who argue that theres still a window to stop North Korea from getting an ICBM with a nuclear warhead to use against the United States, said Narang, referring to an intercontinental ballistic missile. Theyre telling themselves that if they strike now, worst-case scenario: Only Japan and South Korea will eat a nuclear weapon. Read more: U.S., South Korea begin air combat drills that include simulated strikes on North Korea North Koreas latest missile launch suggests weapons testing lull was seasonal rather than strategic With technology, these researchers are figuring out North Koreas nuclear secrets Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news Corsican nationalists prevailed in regional elections on Sunday, possibly paving the way for greater autonomy from France. The Mediterranean island the storied birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte is one of France's 18 administrative regions. For centuries, Corsica has harbored fierce, and even violent, separatist tendencies. In a climate of fragmentation across the European Union, a coalition of nationalist candidates won 56.5 percent of the vote, results that are likely to inspire a new wave of anti-Paris sentiment on the scenic, mountainous island. The Corsican vote was not an independence referendum, although its results will likely boost a campaign to demand greater local control. In that vein, it fits with an atmosphere of growing separatism in Europe, where local independence movements have gained significant traction in a variety of nations. In October, for instance, a majority of voters in Catalonia backed splitting from Spain in a controversial referendum that the Spanish government had deemed illegal. In June 2016, Britain voted to leave the European Union. Now Scottish leaders are once again talking about an independence of their own. Corsica is not Catalonia, which is the richest and most economically productive region in Spain. The island is still heavily dependent on funding from the French state, and the leaders of the For Corsica (Pe a Corsica) nationalist movement repeatedly emphasized throughout their campaign that their immediate goal was greater autonomy, not independence. Yet the nationalist ticket was led by both Gilles Simeoni, in favor of autonomy, and the pro-independence Jean-Guy Talamoni. The results came as a blow to the centrist government of Emmanuel Macron, whose party won an absolute majority in the French Parliament following his landslide election in May. Macron will now likely have to decide whether to consider demands for greater autonomy for the island or stay the course with Frances highly centralized system of government. To date, Macron and his cabinet have shown little willingness or interest in dealing with Corsican separatists. Following Sundays results, Macrons party Republic on the Move (Republique En Marche) issued a statement that underscored how independence was not on the table. The project they have carried out is ambitious for Corsica and is not that of independence, the statement said of Simeonis and Talamonis proposals. We acknowledge these leaders. At the same time, it warned: Only a constructive dialogue will mobilize the means of economic, environmental and social emancipation essential for Corsica and its inhabitants. Simeoni and Talamoni say they want official recognition of the Corsican language as well as special Corsican residency status, which would theoretically enable local officials to fight against property speculation they blame on foreign investors. They also want France to grant amnesty to a number of convicts they consider to be political prisoners. For decades, Corsican militants menaced French government authorities and infrastructure on the island. The National Liberation Front of Corsica bombed multiple sites in Corsica and in the south of metropolitan France between the mid-1970s and 2014, when the group nominally called off its armed struggle. For many in Paris, a bitter memory is the 1998 Ajaccio assassination of Claude Erignac, then the prefect, the French governments highest representative on the island. Yvan Colonna, a Corsican nationalist, was convicted of the crime and is currently serving a life sentence in a prison in Toulon in southern France. Read more Emmanuel Macron speaks to the world. But what about the French? Frances Weinstein scandal is also about Islam In secular France, a female rabbi dares to bring religion into public life Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news French President Emmanuel Macron is seen at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Dec. 4. Some argue that, at a time of U.S. withdrawal, the 39-year-old ex-investment banker could become the de facto leader of the free world. (Yoan Valat/European Press Agency/EFE) Seven months after his election, Emmanuel Macron has established himself as a force on the world stage. But at home some call him shy on the thorniest question in one of Western Europe's most diverse societies: national identity. The young president appears in nearly every important geopolitical discussion, issuing statements and sounding alarms. Next to a Germany mired in internal divisions and a Britain distracted by Brexit Macron may be Europes most persuasive public face. And at a time of U.S. withdrawal, some argue that the 39-year-old ex-investment banker could even become the de facto leader of the free world. In any case, he loves to play the part. This week, for instance, Macron hosts a climate summit in Paris, reaffirming global commitments to the 2015 Paris agreement that President Trump abandoned over the summer. In the presence of about 50 world leaders and in the absence of Trump Macron will reiterate the need for action. A particular emphasis this time around will be on private funding for climate initiatives, especially in the United States. Former New York mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Bill Gates and other American philanthropists are also slated to attend. The climate summit will be only the latest of Macrons global interventions. Last week, he chastised Trump over the latters decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, and he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Paris on Sunday. Last month, Macron inserted himself in the strange standoff among Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Iran, persuading Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to permit Saad Hariri, the Lebanese prime minister, to fly to Paris and ultimately back to Beirut. Not to appear one-sided in the Gulf crisis, Macron last week also visited Qatar, where he secured nearly $14 billion in contracts for French companies, including the sale of 50 Airbus jets. [Lebanese prime minister plans France trip after shock resignation in Saudi Arabia] Macron, left, confers with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Nov. 18. (Pool/AP) Within France, however, the young leaders image does not quite match his international profile. While the French are mostly proud to have an internationally respected leader, many remain ambivalent about a character often seen as overly timid on cultural problems raging at home. Identity in general and Islam in particular remain crucial issues in France, yet on both questions Macron has been quiet. This is one where people are asking the question, When is he going to speak? said Francois Heisbourg, a Paris-based political analyst and former presidential adviser on national security issues to Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande. He will not be able to keep silent forever. Its one of the deepest divisions in the public debate that Ive seen in a very long time, and its very ugly. The French presidential elections this year, perhaps the most contentious in decades, saw Macron run against Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right, xenophobic National Front, whose fiery speeches regularly decried migrants and an Islamist globalization that, in her view, threatened to bring France to its knees. Macron defeated Le Pen in a landslide, but his victory did not put an end to the debate that her candidacy encouraged. Lately, France has been consumed with the Tariq Ramadan scandal, which began with rape allegations against one of the most prominent Muslims in French public life. The debate almost immediately transformed from a collective discussion about sexual assault into a fight over the proper place of Islam in a staunchly secular republic. According to Le Monde, citing Elysee Palace insiders, Macron considered weighing in last week on France's secular ideals but ultimately decided against it, instead opting to speak early next year. In the aftermath of the election, Macron largely avoided those explosive social issues, assembling an unusual centrist governing coalition and immediately setting to work on streamlining a stagnant French economy. With a party made up of novice deputies from various professional backgrounds, technocracy more than anything else has shaped the new presidents governing style. Macron said as much at an entrepreneurial conference in Paris in June. I want France to be a start-up nation, he said, a nation that thinks and moves like a start-up. Macron speaks at the inauguration of the world's biggest start-up incubator Station F on June 29 in Paris. I want France to be a start-up nation, he said, a nation that thinks and moves like a start-up. (Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images) Macrons technocratic vision has paid off. In ways few thought possible at the start of his presidency, he stared down Frances famously strong labor unions this fall and won authorization in parliament for what probably will be the most monumental market reforms in generations. Likewise, his approval ratings, after a historic nosedive in the summer, have begun to rise, reaching 50 percent last week, according to Ifop, a leading French polling agency. [French opposition protests Macrons new labor laws] But to critics on the right and left, the start-up nation Macron imagines is still just a nation, replete with several long-brewing cultural and social struggles that cannot be quantified, outsourced or ignored. For many in France, the profoundly existential questions posed during the election about what it means to be French and, most importantly, about who really belongs remain unanswered. And while the photogenic former executive travels the globe, a number of fringe figures have started addressing the subjects Macron will not. The formation of Macrons cabinet saw the defection of key players from Frances traditional center-right party, Les Republicains. Their influence on the new president, especially in the economic sphere, earned Macron the reputation as the president for the rich. But their departure also left a party without a clear center, a void that seems to be filled by a hard-line conservative who is placing identity issues center stage. Laurent Wauquiez who was elected Sunday as leader of the center-right party has promised a return "to the true values of the right," playing on France's Christian roots and what he considers the need to stand firm in the face of an Islamist threat. Wauquiez has condemned Le Pen but embraced many of her talking points. I want to speak to these disappointed voters who voted for the National Front, he said this month. We need to bring them back. A similar phenomenon can be seen on the political left. Manuel Valls, a former Socialist prime minister and current parliamentary deputy, is known for his bravado on identity issues. Under Hollandes presidency and in the aftermath of a devastating slew of terrorist attacks Valls led the charge against what he viewed as communitarian assaults to Frances nominally secular society. Notably, he authorized the crackdown on the burkini swimsuit, a garment designed for Muslim women to wear at the beach while respecting traditional codes of modesty. For Valls, this was a means of enslavement. In recent weeks, Valls has attacked what he called "the problem of Islam, the Muslims," and has reiterated that he considers it foolish to say Islamist terrorists have nothing to do with Islam. "That is to deny any responsibility to act for our fellow Muslims," he told the French newspaper Sud-Ouest this month. "We have to help them." For some commentators, Macrons avoidance of this debate is a testament to what they see as political intelligence, a means of avoiding a discussion that might otherwise unnecessarily divide the electorate. Macron speaks at a news conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Dec. 2. He has largely avoided explosive social issues, assembling an unusual centrist governing coalition and working on streamlining a stagnant economy. (Etienne Laurent/AP) "He wants to appear as a voice of reason," said Dominique Moisi, a foreign policy expert at the Institut Montaigne, a Paris think tank linked to Macron's campaign. "There are more important problems today, with irrationality in North Korea, in Washington and Jerusalem. His thought is, essentially, 'Let's preach moderation, common sense and intelligence.' " For others, Macrons silence has only allowed the problem to grow. As he takes the stage Tuesday at the Paris climate summit, they wonder whether he will ever weigh in on the issues that continue to animate so many in France. Hes a banker; he doesnt care about social issues. To his credit, he doesnt think French secularism should be used against Muslims, said Yasser Louati, a French human rights advocate. But by remaining silent, hes allowing the public debate to be hijacked by extremist parties. God knows why. Emmanuel Macron: A united Europe is the best weapon against the far right French Muslims enraged by passage of Macrons version of Patriot Act France gave Weinstein its highest honor. Macron says hes taking it back. Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 05:47:47|Editor: Zhou Xin Video Player Close 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/Khaled Omar) JERUSALEM, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of Palestinians took part in violent protests across the West Bank on Saturday, a substantial decrease from thousands on Friday, said the Israeli military. Some 600 Palestinian demonstrators at 20 flashpoints in the West Bank threw petrol bombs and rocks at Israeli troops, and set tires on fire and rolled them at soldiers, who responded with riot dispersal weapons such as tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets, the army said in a statement. A total of six Palestinians were arrested in the West Bank, and six others lightly wounded in the clashes, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police said four officers were lightly injured during clashes, and at least 13 Palestinians were arrested for throwing stones and other objects at officers. In the Gaza Strip, approximately 450 Palestinians gathered and protested at eight locations along the security fence with Israel, the army said. In northern Israel, Arab protesters in the Wadi Ara area threw stones at a bus travelling near the town of Ar'ara, causing light injuries to the driver and two passengers. Police said they arrested two people in the town for rioting. In southern Israel, some 100 people protested in the Bedouin town of Rahat. Also in the day, a top Israel Defense Forces general warned that further rocket fire from Gaza toward Israel would be met with a "severe and painful response." "Irresponsible" terror groups are seeking an "escalation" with Israel, and they will be the ones who end up paying the price, Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, the military liaison to the Palestinians, wrote on his Facebook page in Arabic. In response to the rockets fired at southern Israeli communities throughout Friday, Israeli aircraft targeted four facilities belonging to the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement by IDF early Saturday morning. The four facilities were two weapons manufacturing sites, a weapons warehouse and a military compound, the army said. Palestinians called for "days of rage" on Friday and Saturday and protests were held across much of the Muslim world as well as in some European capitals against the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Beneath the raging protests in Palestinian communities on the West Bank and in Gaza, and the harsh criticism levied by Americas closest European and Arab allies, many were left wondering why President Trump last week turned decades of U.S. foreign policy on its head to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and order the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to there. In his own statements, Trump said the move merely recognized the reality of where Israel already operates its government. Senior administration officials insisted that the decision was meaningless in the context of hoped-for Middle East peace negotiations and emphasized that most issues disputed between Israel and the Palestinians remained on the table. None suggested a concrete U.S. national security objective that was furthered by the move, or indicated that it was part of a strategy for achieving the peace deal that Trump has said is a primary foreign policy goal. Instead, a decision on which players in the region said they were not consulted, and many of his own senior aides advised against, fulfilled a campaign promise and buttressed a reputation for unconventional thinking that Trump clearly sees as an asset. [Trump had for months been determined to move U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem] In a briefing Friday for reporters, David Satterfield, the acting assistant secretary of state for the region, largely avoided the why question, except to restate Trumps reality formulation and note repeatedly that the president had acted on what he believes. Demostrators in Karachi, Pakistan, condemn President Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (Fareed Khan/AP) Near the end of his first year as leader of the free world, Trump clearly believes that on this, and on other major international issues facing the United States, he is doing an excellent job. In remarks after his lengthy trip to Asia last month, Trump spoke of this great American comeback and declared that Americas standing in the world has never been stronger than it is right now. Trump clearly has his fans, among them Israels government and European populists who have cheered his uncompromising stands against immigrants. Some Arab and Asian governments, and Trump supporters in Congress, have applauded what they see as his tough, uncompromising stands against North Korea and Iran, although his strategy for dealing with them remains unclear. The president has correctly noted that NATO is glad he made an issue of member failure to meet defense spending targets, propelling some to spend more, faster. But he has few real admirers among alliance leaders, whom he has alienated on issues ranging from his jettisoning of painstakingly negotiated climate and trade agreements, his reluctance to champion the alliances mutual defense pact, and his disdain for the Iran nuclear deal. [Trump policies starting to crumble traditional U.S.-Europe ties, German foreign minister warns] In public remarks last week, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel spoke for many Western European allies when he said that, far from boosting its leadership role, the United States has withdrawn from the international stage and now sees the world "as a fighting community where everyone has to seek their own advantage." After Trump, Gabriel said, his countrys relations with America will never be the same. At home, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) on Friday bemoaned U.S. relinquishment of its position as the worlds standard-bearer for human rights. In a letter to Trump, they noted he had never even mentioned the issue publicly while visiting repressive regimes in Asia. Trump's reluctance to criticize Russia whether tied to the ongoing investigation of what U.S. intelligence has said were Moscow's efforts to get him elected, or his oft-repeated belief that close U.S.-Russia relations are good for the United States has made many lawmakers uncomfortable. Many of his strongest supporters in Congress were part of an overwhelming vote last summer to impose new sanctions against Russia, despite the president's strong objections. [Trump says Putin sincere in denial of Russian meddling] To the extent the United States has left a void, others are stepping in. As Russia has expanded its influence in the Middle East, Chinas role is growing in Africa and Latin America, and it is soon expected to match or overtake the United States in many aspects of global leadership. As a hefty U.S. trade deficit has grown significantly under Trump, President Xi Jinping has said China is poised to give developing countries a new choice as his country takes center stage in the world. Even longtime Arab partners in the Middle East have voiced outrage over the Jerusalem decision, with many saying the United States can no longer claim the leading role in bringing the Israelis and Palestinians to a negotiated peace. Asked whether the Jerusalem decision would impede achievement of the ultimate deal Trump has said he wants to forge there, Satterfield responded, I cant make that judgment at this point. Others were more certain. We dont see this as a good idea in any way possible, said a senior official in the government of a close U.S. ally in the Middle East, speaking on the condition of anonymity to analyze Trumps motivation. Thats why we say this is something that had support within the U.S. political establishment. We look at it as a domestic-driven position more than anything else, because it doesnt make any sense on the peace-process level. What Trumps decision did accomplish was checking off a campaign promise to two important constituencies wealthy conservative Jewish contributors, and motivated white evangelicals who voted for him despite his moral failings and a lack of real connection to that community. To some foreign policy experts, campaign positions that Trump believes got him elected and expects will do the same next time around are the basis for many of his major foreign policy initiatives. "Mr. Trump's foreign policies serve his political purposes, not the nation's interests," Robert B. Zoellick, a former World Bank president and senior official in the George W. Bush administration, wrote late last month in the Wall Street Journal. Trump's populism, Zoellick wrote, looks for enemies and "feed[s] off grievances and impatience with traditional politics." In a piece in the Wall Street Journal the next day, Bard College professor Walter Russell Mead took a different view. Trump, he said, is responding to the exhaustion and unwieldiness of the "gassy globalism" that has been America's post-World War II leadership strategy. This "vast, misshapen edifice," in which the United States claims leadership on virtually every international issue, he said, was unsustainable. Jon B. Alterman, senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, posited a third rationale. Trumps foreign policy, he said in an interview, is instinctual and not rational and is rooted in his delight in defying conventional wisdom. Decisions like the Jerusalem recognition, Alterman said, are not for strategic purposes, but for matters of personal style and instinct, even as they may disrupt the administrations own diplomatic initiatives. I think he has interpreted the last three years, since he first contemplated a presidential run, as reinforcing the idea that he is both unusually gifted, and rewarded, because he is unconventional, Alterman said. All of that may well be true, said Ivo Daalder, president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and author, with James Lindsay, of a forthcoming book titled How America Abdicated its Global Leadership Role. But what convinces me is that hes had a particular view on how America engages with the world, dating back many years, Daalder said, recalling a full-page New York Times ad Trump purchased in 1987 to charge that America was being laughed at for giving others a free ride at its expense. As the post-World War II war United States has carried the burden of multilateral leadership, we have not been a normal country when it comes to engagement in the world, Daalder said. If were going to be a normal country, he said, the United States will have to become accustomed to being on the losing side of international issues more often than were used to being. Anne Gearan contributed to this report. Mexican soldiers look up toward the president as they ride past the National Palace on Sept. 16, 2016, during the annual Independence Day military parade in Mexico City's main square, known as the Zocalo. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP) Shortly after taking office in December 2006, President Felipe Calderon sent soldiers into his home state of Michoacan, the beginning of a national effort to crack down on Mexico's drug cartels. Soldiers were supposed to patrol rough corners of the country temporarily until the cartels were crushed and dilapidated police forces were properly trained and equipped. Eleven years later, soldiers are still combating organized crime, even as violence remains widespread and accusations of human rights abuses mount against the armed forces. A bill under debate in the Mexican Senate could help keep the soldiers in the streets for the foreseeable future. The Internal Security Law would enshrine the role of the Mexican military in law enforcement and could expand it. [Violence is soaring in parts of Mexico that supply Americas heroin] Proponents say the law would resolve potential legal problems surrounding the deployment of the military for domestic crime-fighting. Mexico's constitution limits the use of the military in domestic situations in peacetime. But the forces are needed to fight crime because of local police forces' incompetence and corruption, supporters say. Opponents fear the new measure will risk militarization of the country, weaken civilian oversight and offer fewer incentives for local politicians to fix their police forces. Critics include Mexican opposition politicians and the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, who recently called the legislation "deeply worrying." Instead of improving civilian institutions in a democratic way, theyve opted for military force, said Michael Chamberlin, deputy director of the Fray Juan de Larios Human Rights Center in the northern city of Saltillo. The law gives authority to the army to continue acting the way it has, but without the need to explain anything to anyone. The governing Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) rammed the Internal Security Law through the lower house of Congress on Nov. 30. In an especially acrimonious session, the PRI and its allies closed committee meetings, limited debate and advanced a final version of the bill so hastily that critics contended that lawmakers had no opportunity to read what they were voting on. The bill sets out parameters for the president to authorize military action. It establishes a legal framework for federal forces assuming public security roles such as capturing cartel kingpins, operating highway checkpoints and, increasingly, confronting powerful mafias siphoning fuel from pipelines. The problem is that we dont have a procedure for how the president should act to restore order, said Sen. Roberto Gil, a supporter of the bill and member of the right-leaning National Action Party. U.S. blocks some anti-drug funds for Mexico over human-rights concerns The PRI and its allies are just shy of a majority in the Senate and are expected to get help from conservatives such as Gil to pass the bill. It could be approved this week. The push to approve the law comes as violence convulses the country. This year is on pace to be the most murderous since such statistics were first kept in 1997. Critics have expressed concern about various aspects of the proposed law. Zeid, the U.N. human rights chief, said in a statement that the measure did not contain adequate controls and oversight of the military while it was engaged in law enforcement. It also risks weakening incentives for the civilian authorities to fully assume their law enforcement roles, he said. The governments continued dependence on the army reflects the poverty of policing in Mexico, where many forces lack equipment, training and adequate salaries. The bill's opponents also have assailed what they call its vagueness and the possibility that it will result in a lack of transparency about military operations. The measure allows the military to assist in "internal security," and critics fear that could be defined as almost any situation. The push for the law comes seven months ahead of the 2018 presidential election, which polls show is shaping up as a close contest between several candidates. The law would permit the army to respond to civil disturbances such as street protests, which have occurred after past elections. This could become a political instrument of the party in power, allowing it to possibly interfere with the vote in opposition-leaning districts, said Carlos Bravo Regidor, professor at the Center for Teaching and Research in Economics. Proponents of the bill reject such scenarios and insist that the law does not erode human rights. PRI lawmaker Cesar Camacho Quiroz said that we have made sure, stating explicitly that the law will not apply to peaceful demonstrations focused on social or political issues. Proponents also say the law requires governors to partially cover the costs of sending soldiers into their states, and sets out objectives and timelines for operations. Mexicos military has lobbied for such a law, arguing that soldiers are deployed for domestic security roles but lack a legal framework under which they can operate part of the reason for rising human rights complaints against them, they contend. Polls consistently show the army ranking as Mexicos most trusted institution the product of soldiers often providing relief during natural disasters such as hurricanes or floods. Observers say the army risks that reputation with its work in the crackdown on organized crime. A report from the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights think tank, found impunity the norm in cases of human rights abuses committed by the Mexican military. Of 505 investigations opened by the attorney generals office into accusations against soldiers, only 16 convictions resulted. Chamberlin, the human rights advocate, said local politicians have failed to improve the police for several reasons, including a lack of resources and their own political needs. Local officials are generally barred from reelection, prompting them to promote ornamental projects that can be completed quickly and overlook long-term issues such as policing, he said. Theres corruption, too, he said. A proper police force could act against them. That isnt in their interest. Read more How Acapulco became Mexicos murder capital U.S.-Mexico cooperation is at a historic high. Will that change under Trump? While Trump bashes NAFTA, its Americanizng Mexico Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/12/2017 (1803 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. After a year thats included the worst refugee crisis in generations, hundreds of newcomers and their allies gathered in Winnipeg Friday night to celebrate and promote human rights. Its a reminder of the value of human rights, said Hani Al-Ubeady, who helped organize the third-annual Stronger Together Manitoba event at Canad Inns Polo Park. Close to 400 people from more than 25 ethnocultural groups attended the event that organizers say highlights the work of community members who have opened a path for all newcomers to claim their rightful space and stand as integral members of their adoptive home. Its a good opportunity for me to raise awareness; I hope after this event they will know the Rohingya Mohammed Tayab This years event paid tribute to the efforts of Winnipegs Rohingya Muslim and Yazidi communities in the struggle for human rights. Rohingya Muslim Mohammed Tayab fled persecution in Myanmar and arrived in Canada in 2015 after being privately sponsored by Winnipegs Hospitality House Refugee Ministry. His parents, siblings and wife are among the 600,000 refugees who fled the reported ethnic cleansing in Myanmar and are trying to survive in overcrowded conditions in neighbouring Bangladesh. I have to support my family in Bangladesh, Tayab said. He earns minimum wage at his full-time factory job in Winnipeg and sends $500 a month to his family. At the same time, hes speaking up whenever he gets the chance about the hundreds of thousands of people for whom human rights seem a distant dream. Being invited to speak at Fridays event, to hundreds of people who may not be aware of the plight of Rohingya Muslims, was a gift, Tayab said. Its a good opportunity for me to raise awareness, he said. I hope after this event they will know the Rohingya. The theme of this years Stronger Together celebration was from persecution to integration, and accurately sums up the experience of Yazidis in Winnipeg, said Hadji Hesso, director of the Yazidi Association of Manitoba. Integration is going great, Hesso said. After being hunted, brutalized and enslaved by the Islamic State group in northern Iraq, the Yazidis who fled and survived have been waiting in refugee camps in Turkey for a place to welcome them. Winnipeg is home to the largest Yazidi community in Canada, with fewer than 200 people, and theyre getting settled, Hesso said. Were working with all the agencies together, he said. The community has dozens of volunteers helping the Yazidis with their resettlement, said Hesso, who is waiting for the federal government to fulfil its promise to resettle 1,200 Yazidis in Canada by the end of the year. Hesso said he was encouraged earlier this week when a private members bill calling on Ottawa to live up to that promise was passed unanimously by members of the Manitoba legislature. The bill was put forward Dec. 5 by MLA Andrew Micklefield (PC-Rossmere), who spoke at Friday nights event. At the heart of this province is a welcoming place, and people of this province care about human rights issues, said the elected representative, who knows firsthand what it is like to be welcomed to Manitoba. When I was 11 years old, my family came from another place, said Micklefield, who was born in England. People helped us get settled. Twenty-five years later, I was elected to the Manitoba legislature. I hope we can bring many, many more people to Manitoba. carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 06:22:53|Editor: yan Video Player Close MEXICO CITY, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Mexico City mayor, Miguel Angel Mancera, on Saturday refused to abandon his position to lead the presidential campaign of a new coalition of parties ahead of the 2018 elections. In a statement, Mancera thanked the newly formed alliance, "Por Mexico al Frente" (Ahead for Mexico), for the offer, but stated his focus had to remain on rebuilding Mexico City after the September earthquake which killed 228 people in the capital. Speaking to the press, Mancera explained that "today, my duty is here with the inhabitants of Mexico City, I remain as the first person responsible for the reconstruction of my city." The alliance is being formed by the right-wing National Action Party (PAN) and the left-wing Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) and Citizen Movement (MC). While Mancera was one of the main drivers behind the coalition and had expressed interest in running for president for the PRD, the three parties decided to field a candidate from PAN. Mancera was invited to run the campaign of the eventual pick but the mayor said that only running for president directly would make him step down. The 2018 election is expected to be hotly contested between the current two favorites, Jose Antonio Meade, former finance minister and candidate from the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who will run for the third time. He founded the PRD but after two failed attempts, created the National Regeneration Movement (Morena). Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 10/12/2017 (1803 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. For Liz Hayward another Christmas means another chance to do what she loves most, and spend time with family, friends and the people she loves. Hayward also has no doubt the holidays will once again be a difficult time, because it will be another Christmas that she wont get to spend with her son Dean. I find each Christmas just seems to get harder, and the last three or four years in particular, 77-year old Hayward said over the phone from her home in the southwestern Manitoba town of Virden. Submitted Dean Coulter's children were left without a father when he was killed. Like it just seems like everything is just starting to weigh down on you more and more over time. Winter is setting in throughout rural Manitoba, and for Liz the cold days and dark nights are a reminder of a warm and sunny summer morning nine years ago, when her son Dean Coulter stood outside of his rural Manitoba home and was shot dead. The feelings have come back again with the holidays and the cold weather, Liz said. I have one piece of the family thats always missing, and thats whats so difficult. Now, almost a decade after her sons death, Liz suffers with the questions, because she and so many others have been stuck wondering why anyone would want to kill Dean, a man she said was easy-going, funny and good to everyone he knew and everyone he met. Ive asked myself over and over so many times, why would anyone hate Dean to this extent where they would want to take his life? she said. June 30, 2008, the day 44-year-old Dean Coulter was killed, started with the sun shining and Dean taking an early morning horseback ride with his wife, Wendy, by their home in the RM of Pipestone. A picture taken that morning shows Dean sitting on his horse just hours before his life would be taken. Later that morning Dean and his wife returned from their ride to their home. Dean decided he would take his ATV out and give it a wash in the yard. As Dean stood outside cleaning his quad, he was shot dead. Submitted Dean Coulter and his mom Liz Hayward. Hayward says they had a special bond because Dean's father died when Dean was two years old. The feelings have come back again with the holidays and the cold weather. I have one piece of the family thats always missing, and thats whats so difficult Liz Hayward Police said it was Deans wife who found his body outside their home around 10:15 a.m. They said she called police soon after she found Dean. RCMP say almost a decade later investigators are still working to figure out who killed Dean that summer morning, and why. Deans younger brother, Dallas Coulter, who also lives in Pipestone, said for many years after Deans death there has been shock and sadness, he also said he, his mom and others in his family have for a very long time had their own suspicions about who killed Dean, and a belief that his killing was no random act. According to Dallas, since the murder, one of the firearms that was normally housed in a gun case in Dean and Wendys home and was registered to Dean has been missing, and he does not know if it has ever been found by investigators. They were up here again this summer searching for stuff, Dallas said. Dallas said he has always believed the case will move forward if officers find that missing gun, because he believes it is the gun that was used to shoot his brother. In an email, the cases lead investigator, Cpl. Mike Pleskacz, of the RCMP Historical Case Unit said RCMP are still actively working on the case It is considered a historical homicide due to the length of time since it occurred. However, it is not considered cold, Pleskacz said. Police are actively following up on leads in the investigation. Pleskacz confirmed Deans body was found by his wife Wendy around 10:15 a.m. on June 30, 2008 on the couples property. Submitted A young Dean Coulter gives his mom a hug. Dean had been shot, but Pleskacz would not say where on his body or how many times hed been shot stating The cause of death is confirmed to be by a firearm, however police cannot release details as to the injury(s). Dallas said he knows Deans children were home sleeping when Dean was shot, but Pleskacz would not confirm who was or wasnt home when Dean was killed. Police will not confirm the whereabouts of his family members at this time, Pleskacz said. He would also not confirm if Wendy as well as the two children were questioned by police, but he did say generally speaking family members are interviewed as normal procedure in any homicide investigation. Pleskacz also would not confirm a gun was found to be missing from the property after the killing simply stating Police cannot comment on those specifics as this is an ongoing investigation. He did, however, confirm RCMP investigators searched the area around the property last summer, and the search included looking for evidence underwater. Police were in the area this past August with the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team looking for evidence, Pleskacz said. However, the results of that search cannot be released at this time. Pleskacz added Wendy was one of the last people to see Dean alive that morning. Dean was working in and around his farm the morning preceding his death. His wife was one of the persons to last see him alive, but police are still asking anyone from the public to come forward with information pertaining to Deans activities prior to his death that morning, Pleskacz said. Submitted Dallas (left) and Dean Coulter share a laugh at a family wedding in October 2006. The Historical Case Unit is still looking for information pertaining to Deans homicide. Police are hopeful that someone will come forward with information that can assist us in bringing Deans killer to justice. After Dean died, Liz took in her two grandchildren and Wendy, but in October of that year, Wendy and the kids packed up and moved to Alberta where they are all still believed to be living. Making the situation more difficult for Liz in the last few years has been the fact she now has no contact with the two grandchildren who also lost their father in 2008. It really hurts my mom because there has been no contact in the last couple of years with the grandchildren, Dallas said. And its always just hard for her because this isnt supposed to happen. Youre not supposed to outlive your kids. For Liz the bond she shared with Dean was always strong because her first husband passed away when Dean was only two-years-old, and before his younger brother and his half-sister Diane were born. Dean and I were always quite close, and I think its because Dean was alive when his dad died, so in some ways we both lost him, Liz said. Liz said she doesnt know what would change if a killer were arrested and charged with her sons murder, but she said she still holds out hope that one day she finds out the reason someone felt they had to take her sons life. Its hard to say ahead of time what you would feel in that moment if it were to actually happen, but I really do think it would be closure, Liz said. Liz is now getting ready to spend Christmas with many of the people she loves, but she knows in the back of her own mind there is one person who will be missing, just as it has been for the last nine years. Submitted A picture captures Dean Coulter riding his horse early on June 30, 2008. He would be shot dead later that morning. Dean will always be a missing piece and a piece I can never get back, Liz said. I lost a part of me that day. Anyone with information regarding the Dean Coulter homicide case is asked to call the RCMP tip line at 204-984-6447, or Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Dave Baxter is a freelance reporter, photographer and editor who writes about Manitoba crimes for the Sunday Special. crimefilesmanitoba@gmail.com Twitter:@davebbbaxter 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. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 08:18:08|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The UN's political chief on Saturday stressed the urgency of reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula after finishing his four-day visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). "There can only be a diplomatic solution to the situation, achieved through a process of sincere dialogue," UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said in a press release, adding that "Time is of the essence." Feltman arrived in the DPRK on Tuesday to begin a rare four-day visit at the invitation of Pyongyang, for a "wide-ranging" discussion on policy issues "of mutual interest and concern." The highest-level UN official to visit the DPRK in more than six years, Feltman had a series of meetings with Ri Yong-ho, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Pak Myong-guk, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, of the DPRK, according to the press release. "They 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," it said, adding "Mr. Feltman emphasized the need for the full implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions." Noting the urgent need to prevent miscalculations and open channels to reduce the risks of conflict, Feltman underlined that the international community, alarmed by escalating tensions, is committed to the achievement of a peaceful solution to the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the press release said. During his visit, Feltman also met with the United Nations Country Team and members of the diplomatic corps, and visited UN project sites, including a children's foodstuff factory, TB prevention institute, breast tumor institute, and paediatric hospital. During the site visits he learned about the UN's life-saving work on the ground as well as the challenges in procurement and funding gaps. Feltman's visit came at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, sparked by the DPRK's frequent missile launches and recent nuclear test, and particularly by its latest long-range ballistic missile launch. Feltman served for nearly 30 years in the U.S. Foreign Service, where his last post was as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, before being tapped in 2012 by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to be political chief. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who succeeded Ban, extended Feltman's term until April 1, 2018. The United Nations announced Monday a visit by Guterres to Japan on Dec. 13-14, which will be the UN chief's first trip to the country since taking office in January. As planned, Guterres will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and is expected to discuss issues including the DPRK's nuclear development. The Star Wars franchise now 40 years young is full of secret cameos, soon-to-be-famous actors in small bit parts, and well-known faces behind alien masks and makeup. Here are 30 big names hidden throughout the franchise you might not have known about. For more features and deep dives into the world of Star Wars and the culture surrounding it, be sure to check out IMDbs Star Wars hub. John Ratzenberger (The Empire Strikes Back) Ratzenberger is best remembered as know-it-all postman Cliff Clavin from Cheers, or maybe his numerous voice roles in Pixar movies. In The Empire Strikes Back, Ratzenberger is one of the Rebel officers hanging around Echo Base on Hoth with Princess Leia and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels). Treat Williams (The Empire Strikes Back) When youre Treat Williams, you can wander onto the set of The Empire Strikes Back and find yourself in the movie. Williams reportedly dropped by Englands Elstree Studios set, where the movie was being filmed, to visit Carrie Fisher. Apparently one thing led to another, and now Williams plays one of the Rebel troops running around Echo Base on Hoth. Julian Glover (The Empire Strikes Back) Julian Glovers General Veers is probably the most competent officer available to Darth Vader as wanders the galaxy looking for the Rebels and Luke Skywalker. Hed be decidedly less competent as Grand Maester Pycelle on Game of Thrones, but decidedly more evil as Nazi collaborator Walter Donovan in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (you know the guy who ages super fast after drinking from the wrong grail). Tony Cox (Return of the Jedi) In an Ewok suit, youd never know Tony Cox appeared in Return of the Jedi. He wouldnt really show off his acting chops until later when he was stealing scenes all over comedies like Bad Santa, where he was Billy Bob Thorntons much-smarter mall-robbing accomplice/Christmas elf, and Me, Myself and Irene. Deep Roy (Return of the Jedi) Its easiest to remember Deep Roy in the Johnny Depp-starring Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, since Roy played every orange oompa-loompa in that movie. In Return of the Jedi, he was both an Ewok and the puffy alien band member Droopy McCool in Jabbas Palace. Deep Roy also worked on The Empire Strikes Back, acting as a stand-in for the muppet Yoda. Story continues Keira Knightley (The Phantom Menace) Knightley wasnt just any handmaiden in The Phantom Menace she was the handmaiden. Serving as the decoy for the real queen, Knightley was the actress people thought was Amidala for half the movie, before Natalie Portmans Padme revealed her true identity. Peter Serafinowicz (The Phantom Menace) Marvel Cinematic Universe fans will recognize Peter Seafinowicz for his turn as untrusting Nova Corps officer Garthan Saal in Guardians of the Galaxy. He didnt appear in The Phantom Menace, but provided the gravely, frightening voice of Darth Maul (the rest of whom was played by Ray Park), as well as for a gungan warrior and a battle droid. Dominic West (The Phantom Menace) The prequel trilogy was filled with actors who would go on to do great things, but who were mostly filling small or background roles in the Star Wars universe. Dominic Wests character in The Phantom Menace was an otherwise nondescript member of Queen Amidalas palace guard nothing so interesting as his later turn as Jimmy McNulty on HBOs The Wire. Sofia Coppola (The Phantom Menace) There really were a mess of these handmaidens. Before she was a full-time director, Sofia Coppola picked up a few small acting gigs, including the handmaiden Sache in The Phantom Menace. Just a few years after the 1999 movie, in 2003, Coppola would pick up a Best Director Academy Award nomination for Lost in Translation. Sally Hawkins (The Phantom Menace) Before she was an Academy Award-nominated actress for her role in Blue Jasmine, Sally Hawkins was an extra in the giant celebration scene in The Phantom Menace. She admitted in an interview with Conan OBrien that shed never actually seen the movie, despite being in it. Richard Armitage (The Phantom Menace) Blink and youd miss Richard Armitages small background role (second from the right in the background) among the guards on Naboo. Although, its tough to recognize him without the lustrous locks Armitage sported in The Hobbit as Thorin Oakenshield, or the creepy teeth from his turn as killer Francis Dolarhyde in Hannibal Season 3 on NBC. Rose Byrne (Attack of the Clones) Before she was a mainstay of the Insidious movies alongside Patrick Wilson or had joined the X-Men franchise as CIA Agent Moira MacTaggert, Rose Byrne was one of the handmaidens serving Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) in the Star Wars prequels. Specifically, she was Dorme, who accompanied Padme to Coruscant to do government things. Martin Csokas (Attack of the Clones) The Star Wars movies have slipped a few notable actors into the voice roles of aliens. Martin Csokas is one he provided the voice of the Geonosian alien Poggle the Lesser in Attack of the Clones. Fantasy fans probably know him better as the elf Celeborn, husband to Cate Blanchetts Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings. Joel Edgerton (Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith) Lukes moisture-farming, humorless uncle Owen Lars was young once, but he was never not a guy who stood around a crappy homestead on Tatooine. In the prequel movies, the role was picked up by Joel Edgerton of Loving and The Great Gatsby. Bai Ling (Revenge of the Sith) Bai Ling actually doesnt appear in Revenge of the Sith, but she was supposed to. Her scene as Senator Bana Breemu was cut from the film. But there are things you definitely have seen her in, including Crank: High Voltage, The Crow and Entourage. Keisha Castle-Hughes (Revenge of the Sith) Sometime after Padmes term as queen had ended by Revenge of the Sith, the wise people of Naboo apparently elected another teenager queen: Queen Apailana, played by Keisha Castle-Hughes. Apailana is seen at Padmes funeral, and Castle-Hughes is known for The Whale Rider and appearing on The Walking Dead. Simon Pegg (The Force Awakens) Another secret cameo, Pegg is covered in alien costume work as the junk dealer Unkar Plutt on Jakku. Hes the guy who gives Rei less than what her salvage is probably worth. Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz (The Force Awakens) Youd think the last thing a droid like BB-8 would require is a voice, given that hes a robot and speaks in bleeps and bloops. But to get the sound and personality just right, director J.J. Abrams enlisted comedians Bill Hader (formerly of SNL) and Ben Schwartz (well-known for playing Jean-Ralphio on Parks and Rec). Thomas Brodie-Sangster (The Force Awakens) Game of Thrones might have noticed a familiar First Order officer during shots of the bridge of the Starkiller Base. It was Jojen Reed, Bran Starks loyal friend, who also plays Newt in the Maze Runner franchise. Daniel Craig (The Force Awakens) It was something of a news item at the time, but James Bond slipped in a secret cameo in the first Star Wars film in a decade as a stormtrooper. Hes the guard that Rei manages to Jedi mind trick into releasing her. Billie Lourd (The Force Awakens) Billie Lourd sneaked into Lucasfilms revival of Star Wars as Lt. Connix, one of the Resistance fighters running tactical machinery in the base of General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher). Known for her hilarious turn as Chanel No. 3 on the horror-comedy series Scream Queens, shes also Fishers daughter. Harriet Walter (The Force Awakens) Playing a Resistance medic who helps out Chewbacca, Downton Abbey alumna Harriet Walter gets a short but sweet cameo in The Force Awakens. She actually has one of the movies funnier moments as she talks to Chewie about how scary his ordeal must have been. Rian Johnson (Rogue One) The director of 2017s The Last Jedi actually made a cameo in 2016s Rogue One along with producer Ram Bergman as members of the gunner crew of the Death Star. Justin Theroux (The Last Jedi) Casting The Leftovers star Justin Theroux as the unnamed super-great slicer Finn and Rose are looking for is a fun cameo that winds up being a misdirection and a fun joke. Instead, the pair find Benicio del Toros DJ to take over the job. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Last Jedi) Director Rian Johnson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt collaborated on the 2005 movie Brick, the directors first feature-length movie. JGL makes the most of their friendship by voicing an alien in the Star Wars universe called Slowen Lo, a riff on the Beastie Boys song Slow & Low. Hes the guy whos really upset about Finn and Roses bad parking job. Tom Hardy (The Last Jedi) Taking a page from Daniel Craigs cameo in The Force Awakens, Tom Hardy grabbed a stormtrooper uniform to appear in The Last Jedi. His scene (which also featured Princes William and Harry) was deleted, unfortunately, but it finds him in an elevator with an incognito Finn, Rose and DJ as they sneak around the First Order ship midway through the movie. Hardys trooper recognizes Finn and congratulates him on the promotion his uniform suggests, even giving him a supportive smack on the butt. Ralph Ineson (The Last Jedi) Another famous face appearing in the deleted sequence aboard the First Order ship is Ralph Ineson, star of The Witch. He plays an officer who immediately recognizes that Finn and Rose dont belong. He pops up later with a detachment of stormtroopers to catch the impostors for real. Gareth Edwards (The Last Jedi) Edwards gave Rian Johnson a cameo in Rogue One, so the director repaid the favor by making Edwards one of the Resistance troopers standing their ground on Crait. Hes the guy who looks incredulously at the trooper who decided to taste the ground. Clint Howard (Solo) Director Ron Howards brother Clint is a well-known actor whose career goes all the back to the original Star Trek series. He pops up in a cameo role, as seen in this photo from his Twitter account, as a particularly mean guy in Solo who runs a droid fighting pit and gets a rough talking to by Landos droid companion, L3. Jon Favreau (Solo) The Iron Man director and star of Swingers doesnt appear in Solo, but his voice does he plays Rio Durant, the multi-armed member of Tobias Becketts crew. Favreau gets to be the jokey member of the heist crew in the movie and acts as pilot, despite Han complaining that he wants the job. Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men (Photo: Columbia/Courtesy of Everett Collection) From These go to 11 to Ill have what shes having, Rob Reiners movies are always a reliable source of instantly quotable movie lines. If you had to pick the five most famous words in his filmography, though, they would probably be: You cant handle the truth. Jack Nicholson uttered that immortal sentence penned by Aaron Sorkin in the Oscar-nominated courtroom drama A Few Good Men, which premiered in theaters 25 years ago, on Dec. 9, 1992. Playing esteemed military officer Col. Nathan Jessup, Nicholson threw those words back in the face of prosecuting U.S. Navy lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) for having the temerity to badger Jessup about the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of one of the Marines on his military base. Written in vintage high-volley Sorkin fashion, the sequence still crackles with electricity a quarter-century later. Small wonder that it has since been spoofed in everything from The Simpsons to sales-rep training videos. As much pleasure as we take in dropping a good you cant handle the truth reference every now and then, thats nothing compared with how much Nicholson enjoyed saying that particular line on set. In a recent conversation with Reiner, the director remembers his star, who received the 10th of his 12 Oscar nominations for A Few Good Men, happily performing the scene over and over again entirely of his own volition. Before we started shooting, I asked Jack if he wanted me to shoot his angles first or Cruises reaction shots first so that hed be off-camera, Reiner explains, adding that Nicholson initially requested the off-camera option so that hed have time to rehearse his delivery. As it turned out, though, the actor couldnt resist delivering a camera-ready performance on every off-camera take. Every time we did the scene, Jack did it perfectly, Reiner says, laughing. After a couple of takes, I said, Jack, maybe you want to save a little bit for when weve got the camera on you. And he replied, Rob, you dont understand I love to act.' If Reiner was concerned that Nicholson wasnt saving the best stuff for last, The Shining star proved otherwise when it was finally his turn in the spotlight. When the camera came around to him, he did the exact same performance that he gave off-camera. And it was great every time. Story continues Jack Nicholson and Rob Reiner on the set of A Few Good Men in 1992 (Photo: Columbia/Courtesy Everett Collection) Reiner saw another side of Nicholson the screenwriter side when the duo reunited 15 years after A Few Good Men for 2007s The Bucket List, a gentle geriatric comedy about two men (Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) finally fitting in all the things theyve wanted to do as they confront the end of their lives. In his pre-fame Hollywood days, Nicholson alternated acting jobs with writing gigs on such 60s B-movies as Flight to Fury and the Monkees cult classic Head, and he brought that early experience to Reiners set. Every single morning, Id go to Jacks trailer, and whatever scene we were working on that day, wed go over it and make it better. That was a big kick for me, working with him to improve the scene for the day. We didnt do that as much on A Few Good Men because Aaron Sorkin wrote an incredible screenplay. But Jack is also a writer hes written a bunch of screenplays. Reiner couldnt have known this at the time, but The Bucket List also proved to be Nicholsons last leading role. Three years later, in 2010, he played a supporting role opposite Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, and Paul Rudd in James L. Brookss How Do You Know, and since then Nicholson has been on an extended hiatus from the silver screen. Theres a chance that hiatus might end soon, though; Nicholson is attached to headline a remake of the Oscar-nominated German father-daughter comedy Toni Erdmann, written by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner and co-starring Kristen Wiig. Reiner, for one, is certainly rooting for a comeback. I hope he returns. Hes one of the great American film actors of all time. We can handle that truth. A Few Good Men and The Bucket List are available to rent or purchase on Amazon, Google Play, Vudu and YouTube. Watch the original trailer: Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Despite being overstuffed with Christmas sketches, there were few gifts to be found during this weekends Saturday Night Live. James Franco returned to Studio 8H to promote The Disaster Artist, a movie based on The Room, one of the dumbest films ever made. Ironic, since so much of his latest hosting stint consisted of aggressively dumb material. The evening got off to a rough start with the cold open, which featured a parade of kids struggling with cue cards and asking Kenan Thompsons Mall Santa about Sen. Al Franken, Alabama senate candidate Roy Moore and ousted Today show host Matt Lauer. What followed was an equally dire monologue, despite Hail Mary cameos from Seth Rogen, a semi-unrecognizable Jonah Hill and even the great Steve Martin (as seen above). It wasnt until the tail end of Weekend Update that the episode built any sort momentum at all, and even that was short-lived. As such, the usual Best & Worst breakdown has been scrapped in favor of getting to few sketches of any interest at all. WEEKEND UPDATE: GRETCHEN This bit would be notable just for the fact that its the rare, pre-taped Update segment. (The last one I seem to recall was Seth Meyers wedding to Stefan.) But its also a first for Che, who in his three-and-a-half seasons has mostly stuck to Update and only appeared in live sketches in a supporting capacity. The result steers clear of doing anything that would draw comparisons to Eddie Murphys White Like Me. Its far more specific, as Che goes undercover as a liberal white woman. Most amusing is the prep work that goes into his transformation, which includes reading a Lena Dunham book and listening to the most ignorant rap music imaginable. ZA We hadnt seen lawyer comedy this absurd since Fox cancelled The Grinder (#TeenLife). Francos exaggerated delivery as he differentiated between the different-sounding syllables in pizza and lasagna, coupled with the fact that he had a visual aid, earned the one true belly laugh of the night. Story continues GIFT WRAP On Dec. 9, 1978, original Not Ready for Primetime Player Dan Akroyd parodied chef Julia Child in the classic French Chef sketch. Its probably not a coincidence that this bloody segment aired exactly 39 years later, but that didnt make it any less terrible. CHRISTMAS CHARITY Here, Cecily Strong played a high-strung business professional who found it in her heart to help someone less fortunate. At least thats what she thought she was doing. REUNION Hey, remember when Dave Franco was on Scrubs? Did you enjoy Dave Franco on Scrubs? Then perhaps youll enjoy the Dave Franco cameo here. Otherwise, the only reason to press play is if youd like to see Heidi Gardner make the most of some pretty wretched material. What were your favorite sketches of the night? And what missed the mark? Grade the episode via the following poll, then hit the comments to flesh out your thoughts. (Next week: Kevin Hart hosts the actual Christmas show.) Launch Gallery: 10 Best Comedy Series of 2017 Related stories Riverdale Meets Charlie Brown in Fallon's 'Peanuts' Parody -- Watch The Voice Top 8 Results Show Recap: Which Singers Survived the Bloodbath? SNL Promotes Colin Jost, Michael Che to Co-Head Writers in Season 43 Hyped for The Last Jedi? With the latest Star Wars movie set to debut this week, fans were treated to a sneak peak behind the curtain at Brazils Comic Con Experience 2017. Writer and director Rian Johnson showed off Star Wars: Worlds of The Last Jedi, taking viewers to several of the real-life locations where Last Jedi was filmed. That rocky island Rey and Luke Skywalker meet on at the end of Force Awakens thats Ireland, for your information. Shooting also took the crew to the salt flats of Bolivia and to the coast of Croatia. The Last Jedi hits theaters on Dec. 15, with Adam Driver, John Boyega and Daisy Ridley returning, alongside Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac and a posthumous Carrie Fisher. Related stories from TheWrap: LA Weekly's New Interim Editor-in-Chief Explains Why He Wasn't Laid off Along With Colleagues Harold Perrineau Speaks Out on Daughter Aurora's Rape Case: 'I Am in the Presence of a Warrior' Disney Suspends Music Exec Jon Heely After Felony Child Sex Abuse Charges Update: WWE wrestler Rich Swann has been suspended following his arrest in Florida, where he is charged with battery and the kidnapping or false imprisonment of his wife, Vannarah Riggs, better known under her ring name, Su Yung. WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, and per our policy, Rich Swann has been suspended indefinitely following his arrest, WWE said in a statement Sunday morning. Previously: WWE wrestler Rich Swann has been arrested, authorities told TheWrap. The former Cruiserweight Champion is currently sitting in an Alachua County, Florida jail, where he faces charges of battery and the kidnapping or false imprisonment of an adult. The 26-year-old Monday Night Raw and 205 Live standout who resides in Orlando, Florida was arrested around midnight on Sunday morning. Here is his mugshot: Also Read: Sounds Like Dolph Ziggler May Be Leaving WWE Soon - And Possibly for Fox News (Audio) According to the arrest report, Swann was critiquing Riggs performance in a match when he began getting angry with her. [Riggs] got scared that the argument was going to escalate and got out of the car. It goes on to say that Swann gave chase, grabbed [Riggs] by her arm and then around her neck and arm. He placed her in a headlock and dragged her back to their vehicle. A witness at the scene said that Riggs was beating on the window screaming for help as they drove away. Swann denied the allegations, saying that Riggs got in the car on her own and he never physically touched her. Also Read: How WWE's TV Ratings Are Doing This Year Swann, who came up through WWEs minor league system NXT, competed in June 2016s WWE Cruiserweight Classic. The charismatic and high-flying wrestler then made his Raw debut on Sept. 19 of the same year. On the Nov. 29, 2016 series premiere episode of 205 Live, Swann defeated Brian Kendrick to win the Cruiserweight title. He lost the belt to Neville at the 2017 Royal Rumble. Story continues In March, Swann married Su Yung real name Vannarah Riggs a fellow professional wrestler working the independent scene. Related stories from TheWrap: Becky Lynch Shares Next Milestones for WWE's 'Women's Revolution' WWE's Becky Lynch Explains Why I Like Sheamus So Much Alberto Del Rio: 90 Percent of WWE Wrestlers Have Never Been in a Real Fight Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 08:28:09|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close Iraqi people gather to celebrate the victory of the battles against Islamic State (IS) militants in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 9, 2017. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday officially declared full liberation of Iraq from the Islamic State (IS) militants after Iraqi forces recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood) Mason made his second appearance alongside cousin Dream , Rob Kardashian 's 13-month-old daughter with ex Blac Chyna. The photo marks Dream's first-ever KarJenner card appearance. Dream Kardashian has made her KarJenner Christmas card debut! The 13-month-old daughter of Rob Kardashian and his ex-fiance Blac Chyna stole the show in the latest image to be shared from the 2017 card shoot which Kim Kardashian West, Kourtney Kardashian, and momager Kris Jenner have all been slowly revealing, bit by bit, since the first of the month in a 25-day countdown. Wearing a short-sleeve white top, Dream was front-and-center in the day nine picture. She looked adorable too, staring at the camera and sticking her tongue out. Behind her, Kourtneys oldest son Mason (who turns 8 this month), could be see seen running while dressed in a head-to-toe white look. A bare green Christmas tree was also in the shot. Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those and more in the PEOPLE Babies newsletter. DAY 9 ???? A post shared by Kris Jenner (@krisjenner) on Dec 9, 2017 at 8:43am PST The 2017 KarJenner Christmas card rollout began on Dec. 1 with a panorama shot of Kim and husband Kanye Wests 2-year-old son Saint, followed by snaps of his 4-year-old sister North on days two, four, six and seven (a few of those featuring her mama, too). Birthday boy Saint took over in an up-close solo shot on day five. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful boy Saint! I love you so much! You dont even understand!!! Kim captioned the shot showing Saint sporting a pair of jeans against a white background and clutching a wrapped gift. Day three and day six belonged to Kourtneys kids with ex Scott Disick Reign Aston, 3 this month, starring solo on day three and then Mason and 5-year-old sister Penelope joining in on the fun for day six. Sisters Klohe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, who are both pregnant with their first children, as well as Kendall Jenner, have yet to make an appearance. 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS by @elirusselllinnetz ???? A post shared by Kris Jenner (@krisjenner) on Dec 3, 2017 at 10:48am PST DAY 3 A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Dec 4, 2017 at 9:35pm PST DAY 5- HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful boy Saint! I love you so much! You dont even understand!!! A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Dec 5, 2017 at 8:19am PST DAY 6 ???????? A post shared by Kris Jenner (@krisjenner) on Dec 6, 2017 at 9:02am PST The Kardashian-Jenner family Christmas card has become the stuff of legends. Theyve done everything from posing in glamorous gowns on the stairs in 2010 to testing out a 3D version in 2011 and even a chaotic carnival in 2013. Story continues But in 2015, after a tumultuous year, the Kardashian-Jenners decided to go back to basics and settled on a sweet, simple photo of the youngest family members set against a plain white backdrop. The family opted to not release a card in 2016. This year, the KKW Beauty entrepreneur took on the role of organizing the Christmas card shoot which which was captured by photographer Eli Linnetz. This years Christmas card is shot really casually. Were kind of doing jeans and T-shirts vibe. Really cute. All the kids and so hard to put together, Kardashian who is expecting a baby no. 3 (via surrogate) early next year said in November during her appearance on The Late Late Show. Its women and children this year. Meanwhile, its shaping up to be a very merry Christmas for Dream who will be celebrating the big day with mom Chyna and her brother King Cairo, 5. Well be spending it together at my house, Chyna who shares King with ex Tyga tells PEOPLE. King is really excited about Santa, decorating the Christmas tree and his gifts! So its really exciting to get the house holiday ready. And Dream is fascinated with Santa and loves all of the lights. Shes getting into it all. The entrepreneur also revealed that Dream has started walking and running. Its so much fun chasing her around! she says. And shes started to say words, so its really fun seeing her personality come out. Where is Oceanside, one of the latest cities affected by the California wildfires? Yet another city is in danger due to the ongoing California wildfires. Oceanside City is one of the latest California locales to be evacuated because of fires raging across the southern part of the state. As the Lilac Fire grows in strength and severity, residents have been scrambling to evacuate to safety. Located to the west of Los Angeles, the sea-side city of Oceanside best known for its beach and harbor-side shops is currently in a state of emergency. Residents are being urged to evacuate as quickly as possible as the flames draw closer. Approximately 1,000 homes are in serious danger of being destroyed by the fire. Despite the ongoing efforts of firefighters to control the flames, the fire is currently at 0% containment. This is due in no small part to the Santa Ana winds blowing across the landscape, helping the fire to spread. Powerful photos from latimes staff photographer @GinaFerazzi on the #LilacFire in San Diego County. Photo gallery https://t.co/hstlOlz315 pic.twitter.com/jvFvpOf5Jx L.A. Times Photos (@latimesphotos) December 8, 2017 The Lilac Fire is still small relative to the other California wildfires, but its moving fast and growing at an alarming rate. Several people have been injured, although none have been killed. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for animals; roughly a dozen racehorses were killed at a training center San Luis Ray Downs in Bonsall. Despite the terrifying situation, workers rushed into the burning barns to help evacuate the horses. Story continues If you havent seen it. Here is Leo Tapia risking his life to try to save horses. #LilacFire pic.twitter.com/fmDssCIgPz Twitcapper (@horseracing4beg) December 8, 2017 Officials are trying to keep the fire as contained as possible under the circumstances. The winds are expected to die down by Sunday, December 10th. Everyone - be safe. If youre evacuating and you need a spot, you are welcome here. Free WiFi and plenty of space. Dogs welcome. #lilacfire pic.twitter.com/auHL669UV6 Bagby Beer Company (@bagbybeer) December 7, 2017 Our thoughts are with everyone in California affected by the fires. Stay strong, and stay safe. Hundreds of protests around the country took place on Thursday night outside Verizon stores, as activists called for the preservation of the net neutrality, which is the common name for a set of consumer protections that treat the internet as utility. Verizon stores were the target because the communications company, which provides an estimated five million internet connections in the United States to houses, offices, bars, restaurants, and banks, is for removing the protections, which would enable it to charge more for certain types of internet content. Ahead of the FCCs meeting on December 14, where the five-person commission (filled with three Republican and two Democrat appointees), is expected to do away with net neutrality protections in favor of Chairman Ajit Pais Restoring Internet Freedom Order, protestors brought signs and loud voices outside Verizon stores. Below are photos from protests around the country on Tuesday night. Net Neutrality is Non-Partisan Sign Loading: Fascist Corporate Crooks. Stop the FCC. Please Upgrade Your Plan. This LAN Was Made for You and Me: No Love for FCC Chairman Ajit Pai: Let Freedom Ping! Net Neutrality is Free Speech: Everyone Hates Loading Screens: Verizon Has Become the Most-Targeted ISP by Net Neutrality Advocates: Read more about net neutrality: Written by Nick Lucchesi More articles by Nick Follow Nick on Twitter tweetshare More From Inverse The last time John Nebinger spoke to his son Bradley was about thirty minutes after midnight on March 15, 2010. Twenty-four-year-old Bradley said he couldnt sleepa frequent complaint. His father went to bed. I found him dead the next day, Nebinger, who lives near Seattle, said in an interview. His son was in his underwear in an untidy room littered with prescription bottles. He didnt overdose. It was just those two drugs that mixed together and led him to die. Bradley struggled with substance abuse and had been taking methadone for a week to treat pain from a knee injury. A year earlier, hed been prescribed the antipsychotic Seroquel for sleep problems and anxiety. An autopsy and subsequent review found the combination led to Bradleys sudden cardiac death. At the time, Seroquel was approved by U.S. regulators to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, though it was also popular with doctors, who are free to prescribe medicines as they see fit, as a treatment for insomnia and anxiety. Seroquels maker, AstraZeneca Plc, knew for years that taking the drug with methadone could lead to abnormal heart rhythm but didnt add a warning to its U.S. label until January 2010, a whistleblower lawsuit in federal court in Brooklyn alleges. The U.K. pharmaceutical giant played down the risk of deaths from the drugs interaction, according to former New York sales representative Allison Zayas, whos suing AstraZeneca on behalf of the U.S. government, 27 states, Washington, D.C., and the city of Chicago. Neither Nebinger nor his family is part of the lawsuit. AstraZeneca spokeswoman Abigail Bozarth said in a statement that the company acted responsibly in giving data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before the drugs approval and after it had come to market, to inform appropriate labeling to assist physicians in making informed benefit-risk decisions for individual patients. AstraZeneca has paid more than $1 billion in settlements over side effects and marketing of Seroquel, once one of the worlds best-selling drugs. The company hasnt admitted any wrongdoing. Story continues Zayas claims that AstraZeneca targeted pain clinics and addiction centers to sell Seroquel as it battled for share in a competitive market for such drugs. Salespeople were directed to call on clinic doctors and paid bonuses based on sales to the facilities, she alleges in the suit, which seeks reimbursement for costs to government health programs and fines. The drugmaker and Zayas have reached a settlement in principle, according to a Nov. 14 filing in federal court in Brooklyn, and an update on the status of the agreement is expected on Dec. 18. Bozarth said AstraZeneca believes that all applicable laws were followed and the allegations in the suit are without merit. James Pepper, Zayass lawyer, declined to comment on the lawsuit or settlement discussions. The lawsuit alleges that the interaction of Seroquel and methadone played a role in 10 patient deaths at Staten Island University Hospital, the largest hospital in the New York City borough. The century-old, 714-bed facility has a comprehensive alcohol-and-drug rehabilitation center and methadone program. Methadone has long been prescribed to treat pain as well as addiction to heroin and prescription medications. The drug is highly regulated and patients must take it under the care of a medical professional. The alleged deaths in Staten Island came as methadone use and deaths from drug overdoses were skyrocketing in the U.S., according to the lawsuit, amid a wider opioid-abuse epidemic. Hospital spokeswoman Arleen Ryback did not confirm or deny that 10 patients had died as described in the lawsuit. Employees contacted by Bloomberg News said they did not recall the patient deaths or interacting with Zayas, the whistleblower. The person in question is a whistleblower and until there is validated testimony and court evidence it is premature to pursue additional comments, Ryback said. The hospitals acting chair of behavioral health, Timothy B. Sullivan, said in an email that there seems to be a lack of clinical/research evidence confirming a connection between Seroquel and methadone deaths. Seroquel, sold in generic form as quetiapine, was approved in the U.S. in 1997 for schizophrenia, and cleared to treat some types of bipolar depression in 2004. By 2010, sales reached $5.3 billionroughly 16 percent of AstraZenecas revenue. An extended-release version, Seroquel XR, was approved in 2007. AstraZeneca agreed to pay $520 million in 2010 to settle U.S. Department of Justice allegations that it promoted Seroquel for numerous off-label uses, though it didnt admit wrongdoing. A Texas lawsuit alleges the drugmaker violated the terms of that pact; AstraZeneca has said the allegations in the suit are without merit. Talks on a settlement in the case are underway, according to court filings. As it sought to promote Seroquel to pain clinics and physicians, AstraZeneca allegedly directed its sales force to doctors who also prescribe methadone at Staten Island University Hospital, according to the whistleblowers lawsuit. People have been aware of Seroquel being overused by folks with substance abuse disorders for several years but this combination being problematic is not well known, said Marvin D. Seppala, chief medical officer of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, an addiction treatment nonprofit. In December 2009, Swarnamba Mani, a doctor at the hospital, told Zayas that Seroquel played a role in the death of a male patient who was also taking methadone, according to the lawsuit. The patient wasnt being treated by Mani, the suit says. Zayas reported the death to her manager, according to an email included in court filings. The manager said she would follow up with Mani, though its unclear if she did. Mani said in a phone interview she could not recall interacting with Zayas and didnt remember people at the hospital dying from the combination of Seroquel and methadone. In July 2010, Zayas said that she was told by Robert Schaer, a hospital social worker, of 10 patients taking methadone and Seroquel who died unexpectedly in the previous year. On July 6, Zayas reported the deaths to AstraZeneca, according to the lawsuit. Schaer, who retired from the hospital in September, said in an interview that he did not recall the deaths or the conversation with Zayas. Two other doctors, Eileen Sweeney and Robert Walter, believed Seroquel played a role in the deaths, according to the lawsuit. Walters concerns led him to petition the hospital to remove Seroquel from its formulary, the suit says. Sweeney said in an interview she did not recall whether there had been 10 deaths in the hospital at the time and had never heard of Zayas. Walter did not respond to requests for comment. Zayass sales partner circulated a petition to keep Seroquel on the hospitals formulary. It did, with some warnings, according to the lawsuit. In August 2010, Zayas met with her supervisors at a hotel near New Yorks LaGuardia Airport to express her concern about the deaths. Her bosses told her to continue to sell Seroquel to doctors the company knew prescribed it with methadone, according to the lawsuit, including those at Staten Island University Hospital. From January 2008 to August 2009, AstraZeneca representatives in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut called on specialists in pain or addiction 800 times and left 4,614 Seroquel XR samples, and the doctors wrote 1,181 new prescriptions, the suit claims. One of those doctors was Richard DeWorsop, a now-retired psychiatrist in Toms River, New Jersey. In a phone interview, he couldnt recall any AstraZeneca representatives mentioning the risk of possible death from Seroquel interacting with methadone. DeWorsop wrote 107 new Seroquel XR prescriptions in that period and received 488 samples, according to the lawsuit. They didnt caution us about that, DeWorsop said. I dont remember the rep ever talking to me about anything related to methadone. AstraZenecas policy is to promote its medicines in accordance with FDA-approved labeling and FDA regulationsour employees are required to follow our compliance policies, said Bozarth, the company spokeswoman. Seroquel first carried a warning label about drug interactions in the U.K. in 1997. Six years later, regulators in the European Union required similar labeling. In June 2011, the FDA told AstraZeneca to enhance the U.S. warning by advising doctors that use of Seroquel with drugs like methadone should be avoided. The combination with methadone remains a concern among doctors, particularly because the heart risk isnt well known, according to physicians who treat patients with addiction issues. Detox facilities found Seroquel helped treat withdrawal symptoms in patients who had abused opioids. But people addicted to opioids also sometimes take the drug for its euphoric feelings. The problem is that some patients have learned that if they use more Seroquel than is prescribed, it can sedate them, it can numb their emotions, said Stephen Delisi, a psychiatrist at Hazelden. He said he wouldnt prescribe the drug unless all other alternatives failed. The Kings County Medical Examiner listed acute combined methadone and quetiapine intoxication as the primary cause of Bradley Nebingers death, concluding it was an accident. A review commissioned by the family found that the doses he was prescribed were within a reasonable range and that there appeared to be no signs of intentional overdose. The 269-pound Bradley suffered from knee pain for several years, and had searched for doctors who would prescribe him medications, his father said, a practice known as doctor shopping. He was a charmer. He could talk people into things, said his father. John Nebinger said his sons life had brightened before he died. He hadnt had a drink in two months and was about to graduate from community college. Things were looking up. Unfortunately, he always thought a pill was the answer, Nebinger said. At least 46 racehorses at a training center in San Diego County were killed by flames or smoke inhalation in a particularly heartbreaking result of the fires raging through Southern California. A trainer suffered serious injuries trying to save six of the animals. Nearly 500 horses were being stabled at the San Luis Rey Downs Training Center in Bonsall in northern San Diego County on Thursday when the Lilac fire suddenly bore down on the facility. Most horses were released to flee the rapidly approaching blaze. A number of panicked horses refused to leave the area, while others fled then circled back to die. Others scattered and were lost to fend for themselves. We believe a small number of horses escaped from a trampled-down fence to the hills, California Horse Racing Board spokesman Mike Marten told San Diego CBS TV News-8. Their status is unknown. One 2-year-old racehorse, Conquest Typhoon, was located and is being treated for burns and smoke inhalation. Horse trainer Martine Bellocq suffered second-and third-degree burns on more than half her body as she tried to rescue six horses, Alan Balch, executive director of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, told the Los Angeles Times. She was airlifted to the UC-San Diego Medical Center and placed in a medically induced coma, the newspaper reported. Trainer Kim Marrs described the frightening speed of the fire, telling the Sacramento Bee that she suddenly smelled smoke and within two minutes saw the fire come up over the ridge. When efforts to protect the center failed, trainers turned their energies to freeing the horses. Trainer Cliff Sise suffered burns trying to get a 2-year-old filly named Scat Home Lady out of her stable. She refused to move and burned to death. She was one of my favorites, Sise told the Bee. The center serves racetracks at Del Mar, Santa Anita Park and Los Alamitos. This is a tragic blow to the California Thoroughbred racing industry and of great sorrow to everyone, Jack Liebau, vice president of the Los Alamitos Racing Association, said in a statement. We express our sympathy to the owners, trainers, and caretakers of the horses victimized by this tragic event. Story continues This is heartbreaking. An estimated 25 horses die in fires at San Luis Rey Downs | https://t.co/Hx4Y0eXNxy pic.twitter.com/ie42NlJmqE Tara Matsler (@HorseShowTara) December 8, 2017 The latest deaths tell only a part of the tragic story of horse fatalities throughout the region in a searing series of wildfires. The big animals are difficult to quickly move from stalls or paddocks and pastures to transport to safety ahead of fast-moving and changing infernos. Another 29 horses perished farther north outside of Los Angeles in the Creek fire at a Sylmar ranch on Tuesday. A number of survivors suffered serious burns and lung damage. Stable owner Virginia Padilla managed to save her horse, Ruben, but he suffered burns over 65 percent of his body. Its awful. Theres no words to explain it, she told CNN affiliate KCAL. There were 60 horses on the property. By the time animal control officers arrived on the scene to help, they could see and hear horses in distress but it was too late to save many of the 60 horses on the property, the LA Times reported. The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care (DACC) and Control has been working around the clock to rescue animals and provide safe sheltering for animals as a result of the active fires that have affected thousands of Los Angeles County residents. pic.twitter.com/GIPpoeiXjX LA Co Animal Care (@LACoAnimalCare) December 6, 2017 Several individual horses and ponies on home property lots have also perished throughout the fire region. Other horse and stable owners have been pitching in to help animals displaced by the fire. The Del Mar Fairgrounds site is currently being used to house some 800 horses, including close to 400 displaced by the fire from the track training center. Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. The Louvre Abu Dhabi said Friday that local Emirati authorities had "acquired" a $450-million painting by Renaissance master Leonardo Da Vinci, as reports swirled about the original source of funding. "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," the museum said in tweets in both English and Arabic. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- currently on an anti-corruption drive at home -- put up the funds for the staggering purchase. The young crown prince, often referred to by his initials MBS, used an intermediary to buy the much-sought-after painting of Christ, the paper reported, citing US intelligence and other unnamed sources. The latest tweets by the museum, which had already announced the Da Vinci was "coming" to Abu Dhabi, did not explicitly contradict that report. The landmark acquisition comes shortly after the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia announced the formation of a new military and economic committee, separate from the Gulf Cooperation Council. In recent years, Qatar has been the biggest player in the Gulf art world, but in June, Saudi Arabia and some of its allies broke off diplomatic and trade relations with Doha, which they accuse of supporting extremist movements. "Salvator Mundi" -- dated to around 1500 -- is the last known Da Vinci in the hands of a private collector. It was long believed to be a copy but was finally authenticated about a dozen years ago. (WASHINGTON) A former aide to Republican Rep. Trent Franks has told The Associated Press the congressman repeatedly pressed her to carry his child, at one point offering her $5 million to act as a surrogate mother. The eight-term lawmaker abruptly resigned Friday, bowing to an ultimatum from House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. Ryan told Franks that he would refer the allegations to the Ethics Committee and urged him to step aside. The former staffer said the congressman at least four times asked if shed be willing to act as a surrogate in exchange for money. Franks, in his statement announcing his resignation, said he and his wife, who have struggled with infertility, have twins who were carried through surrogacy. The former aide said the conversations took place in private, sometimes in the congressmans car, and that she repeatedly told him she wasnt interested. She said she never filed a formal complaint because until recently she didnt know where to go, but that his behavior had made her feel uncomfortable. The Associated Press verified the identity of the staffer and confirmed that she worked in Franks office. She asked that her name be withheld out of concern for her privacy,. 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. The aide cited the surrogacy requests as a main reason for leaving the office, adding that she felt retaliated against after turning down the congressman, ignored by Franks and not given many assignments. A spokesman for Franks would not comment on whether the congressman offered aides money in exchange to act as surrogates. Story continues Franks, a staunch conservative, said in his statement Thursday that he never physically intimidated, coerced or attempted to have sexual contact with any member of his congressional staff. Franks, 60, said he had become familiar with the surrogacy process in recent years and became insensitive as to how the discussion of such an intensely personal topic might affect others. He said he regrets that his discussion of this option and process in the workplace with two female staffers made them feel uncomfortable. Ryan on Thursday said in a statement that he was briefed on the allegations last week, and found them to be serious and requiring action. Ryan said that he presented Franks with the allegations, which he did not deny, and filed them with the House Committee on Ethics. A senior congressional official said Ryans general counsel was contacted about two weeks ago by someone with information about troubling behavior by Franks involving a former staffer. Ryans lawyer interviewed two women with similar complaints and verified them through a third party. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the deliberations. Andrea Lafferty, President of Traditional Values Coalition, said she is the one who reported Franks conduct to the speakers office. Lafferty told AP that the former aide came to her about a year ago and told her about the surrogacy requests. Lafferty said she contacted Ryans office last month, after the staffer agreed to discuss the incident with leadership. I was approached last year about the situation, she came to me wanting some advice about how to handle this. She came to me shaking and sobbing, and she shared a story that I think is horrific, a powerful man hiring young women, procuring staff, to potentially surrogate children for him, Lafferty said. I accompanied (the former aide) to the meeting in the speakers office where she said Congressman Trent Franks offered her $5 million if she conceived him a child. Franks net worth of nearly $33 million makes him one of the wealthier members of Congress. While surrogacy regulations and costs vary from state to state, services typically run in the range of the low hundreds of thousands of dollars. The former aide said she never received details about payment or where the process would occur. Franks is one of three lawmakers to step aside in a week as sexual misconduct allegations rocked the Capitol. He said in a statement Friday: Last 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. On Thursday, liberal Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., announced his resignation after facing allegations of sexual harassment by at least eight women. Franken said some of those accusations were false and that he remembered others differently than his accusers did. He said hed depart in a few weeks. On Tuesday, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., resigned effective immediately. He faced accusations from women of improper sexual behavior that hes contesting. Franks, an abortion opponent, drew a sharp response from Democrats during a 2013 House committee debate when he said, The incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low. He sought to clarify the comment, saying later-term abortions linked to pregnancies caused by rape are infrequent. Franks is a strong backer of President Donald Trump, represents a district encompassing suburbs north and west of Phoenix. Before winning election to Congress, he served in the Arizona Legislature and founded the Arizona Family Research Institute, an organization associated with Dr. James Dobsons Focus on the Family. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 09:28:23|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Tesla, the U.S. electric car leader, is mulling the development of its own custom artificial intelligence (AI) chips to power its self-driving technology, an online report said Saturday. Tesla CEO Elon Musk admitted at the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NIPS), which took place last Thursday, that "Tesla is serious about AI, both on the software and hardware fronts. We are developing custom AI hardware chips," said the report. "Jim is developing specialized AI hardware that we think will be the best in the world," Musk said, referring to Jim Keller, vice president of the Sillicon Valley-based electric automobile company in California on the western U.S. coast. Keller is also a well-known chip engineer who was lead architect on a range of silicon at AMD, an American multinational semiconductor manufacturer, and Apple before joining Tesla in 2016. "About half of new cars built 10 years from now will be autonomous," Musk told the participants at the NIPS party, saying he believed that artificial general intelligence (AGI) will arrive in about seven or eight years. Before its partnership with AMD, Tesla had cooperated with Mobileye, an autonomous car technology developer, to create its first chips for Tesla Autopilot. However, a fatal car crash in Florida, the southernmost state in the U.S. southeastern region, which involved a Tesla owner who drove in Mobileye's semi-autonomous mode, ended Tesla's project with Mobileye. Later, Tesla decided to develop its own AI chips by recruiting talents from other companies such as AMD to build on their expertise in hardware engineering and system circuit design. It's not clear when Tesla will apply the custom AI technology to its vehicles. Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby said on Sunday that he could not bring himself to vote for Republican candidate Roy Moore in Alabamas upcoming Senate election. Shelby, a Republican, said he did not vote for the Democratic candidate Doug Jones, but had written in a distinguished Republican candidate who he did not name. Id rather see a Republican win, but I hope that Republican will be a write in, Shelby told CNNs Jake Tapper on State of the Union. I think a lot of people could do that. Will they do that? Im not sure. I couldnt vote for Roy Moore, he said. The state of Alabama deserves better. Since Nov. 9, nine women have said Moore pursued them romantically, with many saying they were in their teens and he was in his 30s. The allegations included initiating sexual contact with a 14-year-old and serving an underage teenager wine. Moore has denied all the allegations, characterizing them as politically motivated and an attack from the liberal media. Recent polling shows the race, which would typically be an easy win for a Republican candidate given Alabamas history as a conservative state, is exceedingly close. After the initial deluge of allegations, the Republican Party largely backed away from Moore, with several senators pulling their endorsements, and the Republican National Committee and National Republican Senatorial Committee severing financial ties with the candidate. However, President Donald Trump endorsed Moore on Dec. 4, and has recorded a robocall for him. After Trumps endorsement, the Republican National Committee said it would financially support Moore, and transferred $170,000 to the Alabama GOP. The NRSC, however, is still staying out of the race; the organizations chairman, Colorado Senator Cory Gardner, has said Moore should be expelled from the Senate if he wins. Shelby said that the Senate will have to determine Moores fitness for serving if he wins. I understand where the presidents coming from, I understand we would like to retain that seat in the U.S. Senate, Shelby told Tapper. But theres a time, we call it a tipping point. And I think so many accusations, so many cuts, so many drip drip drip when it got to the 14-year-old story, that was enough for me. I said, I cant vote for Roy Moore.' Outside the headquarters of Egypts Journalists Syndicate in Cairo on Thursday evening, police dragged the barricades into place with a rattling noise, metal on pavement. The traffic on Ramsis Street rumbled past the armored personnel carriers and the riot police brandishing rifles. Traffic cops yelled over the roar of engines and horns, waving at drivers to keep moving. In years past, the steps of the Syndicate had been a designated protest zone, a tiny patch of real estate where Egyptians were permitted to vent political discontent under the ever-present eye of the police. Yet 24 hours after President Donald Trump announced a decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, there had been no massive eruption of protest here in Egypt. A few demonstrators came out early in the day. One had tweeted a photo of a burning Israeli flag. Some chanted against Israels Prime Minister: Netanyahu! Worthless! But most Egyptians whether fearfulx of state repression, exhausted from years of political turmoil, or preoccupied with their own daily concerns chose not to risk arrest or worse by protesting in support of Palestinians. On Friday, hundreds more protested in Cairo and Alexandria, but the demonstrators were penned in by riot police. The muffled protest in Cairo stood in contrast to the outpouring of condemnation of Trumps move by Middle Eastern governments. Even among the conservative leaders of Arab allies who welcomed Trumps rise to power, the chorus of criticism was unanimous. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi told Trump of Egypts unwavering support for keeping the status quo in Jerusalem. The United Arab Emirates voiced regret and condemnation. Saudi Arabia expressed great disappointment. Iraq summoned the U.S. ambassador to Baghdad. The Arab League scheduled urgent meetings to discuss Jerusalem. Officials in the region said Trumps decision ended any pretense that the United States could be an evenhanded broker in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinian Authority condemned the move, which further cemented Israeli control over a city Palestinians regard as their own capital. Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said the move opened the gates of hell. Story continues Yet in countries across the region those gates remained shut. Apart from localized protests, there was little sign of the kind of mass mobilization and chaos that some had anticipated. Thousands marched in Tunis on Friday. Protests also materialized in Turkey, Jordan, and elsewhere, but the demonstrations produced little urgency, and there was no indication that the protests would place pressure on governments to alter their policies toward the United States or Israel. In the Palestinian territories, the public also expressed anger. In the West Bank, stone-throwing demonstrators fought with armed Israeli forces. Along the Gaza-Israel border, one Palestinian was killed. But the demonstrations did not rise to the level of an outright uprising. For diplomats and political observers from the Mediterranean to the Gulf, the decision brought mainly confusion. We havent met anyone who supports President Trumps decision, and no one knows what to do. No one knows what steps to take, said a senior Turkish official present for a meeting between Tillerson and Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Brussels on Thursday. The presidents decision underscores the uncomfortable place the Palestinian cause holds in political life in the region. For decades, autocratic leaders have played sympathy for the Palestinians to distract from domestic political concerns. Leftist and Islamist movements have turned to Palestinian solidarity to galvanize action. But since Israels defeat of the Arab armies in 1967 and its occupation of east Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, the Palestinian issue has been a symbol of the failure of pan-Arabism and the powerlessness of Arab regimes. In recent years, Palestinian solidarity has also been a catalyst for protests in otherwise repressive regimes in the Arab world. In Cairo in 2000, protests in support of the second Palestinian intifada hatched a generation of activists, some of whom would go on to participate in the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Today, no such outburst of demonstrations appears forthcoming. It speaks to the almost unbridgeable disconnect between rulers and ruled in this region, said Mouin Rabbani, an Amman-based analyst with the Institute for Palestine Studies. All the indications are that the Americans have nothing to worry about. I would expect that to continue to be the case unless and until these governments, and Saudi Arabia in particular, feels that it needs to respond to popular mobilization. Outside of Israel and the Palestinian territories, no country will be struggling with Trumps decision so much as Saudi Arabia, where King Salman and 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman have developed a warm relationship with Trump and his administration. The kingdom positions itself as a leader in the wider Muslim world by dint of its custodianship of Islams two holiest sites in Mecca and Medina. On Wednesday, Trump acceded to Israels claim over the Islams third holiest sitethe Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, a city holy to all three Abrahamic faiths. Saudi Arabias condemnation of the Jerusalem decision was the first sign of disagreement with the United States since Trump took office in January. Trump has voiced support again and again for the Saudi leadership coalescing around the crown prince. There were other signs of tension in the U.S.-Saudi alliance. The same day as his decision on Jerusalem, the White House also issued a two-sentence statement urging Saudi Arabia to ease its sanctions on war-torn Yemen. This must be done immediately for humanitarian reasons, read the statement, with no further explanation. Prior to his televised announcement on Wednesday, Trump and his administration briefed foreign governments on the decision. The president phoned Egypts President Sisi, King Abdullah of Jordan, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. In Brussels, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson briefed other states on the sidelines of a NATO meeting. In Ankara, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a summit with Jordans King Abdullah. Trumps decision, Erdogan said, would ignite new tensions and clashes in our region. Whether this will go further than a few burned American flags and effigies of Trump remains to be seen. San Diego sheriffs deputies rescued a box of kittens while wildfires burned throughout the northern county. (Photo: Twitter) Wildfires fueled by the Santa Ana winds have torn through Southern California this week, leaving widespread property damage. More than 500 homes have been destroyed by one fire alone, and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee. There is, however, one bright spot amidst the destruction. On Thursday the San Diego Sheriffs Department tweeted photos of a box of kittens that had been rescued by patrolling deputies: #LilacFire: Rescued from the Rubble. @SDSheriff Deputies patrolling burned areas of Bonsall found a box of kittens and turned them over to County Animal Services for some TLC. Awww. Stay well little kitty. pic.twitter.com/Udv21UVuBy San Diego Sheriff (@SDSheriff) December 9, 2017 #LilacFire: Rescued from the Rubble. @SDSheriff Deputies patrolling burned areas of Bonsall found a box of kittens and turned them over to County Animal Services for some TLC Awww. Stay well little kitty. reads the caption. The kittens were brought to a central command station and then transferred to an animal shelter. According to the San Diego Department of Animal Services, the kittens have already been placed with a foster parent. Lilac Fire There has been a lot of devastation in the fires but we though everyone would love these pictures of a Posted by County of San Diego Department of Animal Services on Friday, December 8, 2017 Some animals, however, were not so lucky. Twenty-five thoroughbred horses were killed in the blaze as it ripped through northern San Diego. The so-called Lilac fire began Thursday off of San Diegos Interstate 15. The cause of the fire is unknown, but an investigation is now underway. Around 1,000 firefighters battled the blaze throughout Thursday night. Story continues 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 an interview with the Los Angeles Times. The strong winds that blow down from the Southern California mountains typically fuel the wildfires that have ravaged communities with regularity going back generations. Mandatory evacuations of the affected areas have been ordered by state officials, and a state of emergency has been declared by California Gov. Jerry Brown. President Trump shared a message on Twitter to thank the first responders and to tell citizens to heed the advice of local authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the path of Californias wildfires. I encourage everyone to heed the advice and orders of local and state officials. THANK YOU to all First Responders for your incredible work! https://t.co/g9y9PkB352 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2017 The Lilac fire is just one of several firestorms beleaguering Californians this week. The Thomas fire, the largest of them all, has burned over 143,000 acres north of Los Angeles. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has shared satellite images of the blazes as seen from space: Data & imagery of the California wildfires from our satellites, people in space and aircraft, not only give us a better view of the activity, but also help 1st responders plan their course of action. Get the details: https://t.co/BN9dmPiXep pic.twitter.com/82MQ3mU521 NASA (@NASA) December 7, 2017 Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Oslo (AFP) - Mankind's destruction caused by a nuclear war is just one "impulsive tantrum away", the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), warned on Sunday as the United States and North Korea exchange threats over the nation's nuclear tests. "Will it be the end of nuclear weapons, or will it be the end of us?" ICAN head Beatrice Fihn said in a speech after receiving the peace prize on behalf of the anti-nuclear group. Tensions on the Korean peninsula have spiralled as Pyongyang has in recent months ramped up its number of missiles and nuclear tests. North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un has exchanged warlike threats with US President Donald Trump, who has ordered a military show of force. "The only rational course of action is to cease living under the conditions where our mutual destruction is only one impulsive tantrum away," Fihn added. ICAN, a coalition of hundreds of NGOs around the world, has worked for a treaty banning nuclear weapons which was adopted in July by 122 countries. The text was weakened by the absence of the nine nuclear powers among the signatories. In an apparent snub of the ICAN-backed treaty, the three western nuclear powers -- the US, France and Britain -- broke with tradition by sending second-ranking diplomats rather than their ambassadors to Sunday's ceremony. - 'Bruised ego'- Supporters of nuclear weapons argue that they serve as a deterrent for starting a major conflict as it would guarantee mutual destruction for the nations involved. "They are a madman's gun held permanently to our temple," Fihn said. "These weapons were supposed to keep us free, but they deny us our freedoms." Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said in her lecture during the ceremony that ICAN's "message resonates with millions of people who perceive that the threat of nuclear war is greater than it has been for a long time, not least due to the situation in North Korea". Story continues Senior UN envoy Jeffrey Feltman on Saturday warned there was a grave risk that a miscalculation could trigger conflict with Pyongyang and urged the reclusive state to keep communication channels open. Kim and Trump have taunted each other in recent months, with the US President pejoratively dubbing his rival "Little Rocket Man" and a "sick puppy". "A moment of panic or carelessness, a misconstrued comment or bruised ego could easily lead us unavoidably to the destruction of entire cities," Fihn said. - Hiroshima remembered - Several survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings, which killed more than 220,000 people 72 years ago, attended the ceremony in the Oslo City Hall. One of them, Setsuko Thurlow, received the Nobel on behalf of ICAN jointly with Fihn. Speaking to AFP ahead of the ceremony, Thurlow recalled the horrific aftermath of the first atomic bomb in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, when she was 13 years old. Thurlow described corpses lying on the ground, the injured and dying calling for help and the survivors looking like "a procession of ghosts". "The hair was standing up and they were all burned on the skin and their flesh was hanging from their bones," she said. "Some were carrying their eyeballs. It just was like hell on earth," added the 85-year-old who now lives in Canada and uses a wheelchair. - 'Heed our warning' - Although the number of nuclear weapons has dropped since the end of the Cold War, there are still around 15,000 atomic bombs on earth. "Listen to our testimony. Heed our warning. And know that your actions are consequential," Thurlow said during her speech at the ceremony, referring to the leaders of nuclear-armed nations. At a separate ceremony in Stockholm on Sunday, Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf handed over the Nobel prizes in literature, physics, chemistry, medicine and economics. Each prize consists of a diploma, a gold medal and a cheque for nine million Swedish kroner (900,000 euros). By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli security guard at Jerusalem's main bus station on Sunday, police said, and violence flared near the U.S. Embassy in Beirut over U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Four days of street protests in the Palestinian territories over Trump's announcement on Wednesday have largely died down, but his overturning of long-standing U.S. policy on Jerusalem -- a city holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians -- drew more Arab warnings of potential damage to prospects for Middle East peace. "Our hope is that everything is calming down and that we are returning to a path of normal life without riots and without violence," Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Army Radio. But in Jerusalem, a security guard was in critical condition after a 24-year-old Palestinian man from the occupied West Bank stabbed him after approaching a metal detector at an entrance to the city's central bus station, police said. The alleged assailant was taken into custody after a passer-by tackled him. In public remarks on Sunday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, a frequent critic of Israel, called it an "invader state" and a "terror state". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who spoke at a news conference in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron after the two leaders met, fired back: "I'm not used to receiving lectures about morality from a leader who bombs Kurdish villages in his native Turkey, who jails journalists, helps Iran go around international sanctions and who helps terrorists, including in Gaza, kill innocent people," Netanyahu said. Macron told Netanyahu that he needed to make gestures to the Palestinians to break the impasse between the two sides. "I asked Prime Minister Netanyahu to make some courageous gestures towards the Palestinians to get out of the current impasse," Macron said, suggesting that a freeze of construction in settlements could be a first step. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory and say the status of the city should be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks. Israel says that all of Jerusalem is its capital, while Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state. The Trump administration has said it is still committed to reviving Palestinian-Israeli talks that collapsed in 2014, but jettisoning old policies is necessary to break the deadlock. Washington says it has not taken a position on Jerusalem's final status or borders, but it is sensible to recognize that any future peace deal will have Israel's capital in the city. The United States was "as committed to the peace process as we've ever been", U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Sunday. Trump "didn't talk about boundaries, he didn't talk about borders... Because the final status of Jerusalem is between the Palestinians and the Israelis. It's not for the Americans to decide." Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not meet U.S. Vice President Mike Pence during his visit to the region, Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki said on Saturday. The White House said on Sunday that decision was unfortunate and Pence looked forward to seeing Netanyahu and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. "Its unfortunate that the Palestinian Authority is walking away again from an opportunity to discuss the future of the region," said Jarrod Agen, a spokesman for Pence. Netanyahu reacted to critics in a statement before talks with Macron, to be followed by a meeting with European foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday. "I hear (from Europe) voices of condemnation over President Trump's historic announcement, but I have not heard any condemnation for the rocket firing against Israel that has come (after the announcement) and the awful incitement against us," Netanyahu said. DEMONSTRATIONS In Beirut, Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters, some of them waving Palestinian flags, near the U.S. Embassy. Demonstrators set fires in the street, torched U.S. and Israeli flags and threw projectiles towards security forces that had barricaded the main road to the complex. In the Moroccan capital, Rabat, tens of thousands of protesters marched down the city's main thoroughfare chanting slogans including, "The people want to liberate Palestine" and "Death to Israel, enemy of the people and provoker of wars." Waving Palestinian flags and holding up pictures of Jerusalem, they expressed anger at the "betrayal" by Arab governments perceived to have backed Trump's move. In the Indonesian capital Jakarta, thousands protested outside the U.S. embassy, many waving banners saying "Palestine is in our hearts". Maliki has said the Palestinians will be looking for a new peace talks broker instead of the United States and would seek a United Nations Security Council resolution over Trump's decision. Arab foreign ministers who met in Cairo on Saturday urged the United States to abandon its decision on Jerusalem and said the move would spur violence throughout the region. Echoing that view, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan, the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates, said the U.S. move "could throw a lifebuoy to terrorist and armed groups, which have begun to lose ground" in the Middle East. GAZA TUNNEL Along Israel's tense frontier with the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military on Sunday destroyed what it described as a "significant" cross-border attack tunnel dug by the enclave's dominant Islamist group, Hamas. There was no immediate comment from Hamas on the demolition, which came as Palestinian factions tried to meet Sunday's deadline for an Egyptian-mediated handover of Gaza by Hamas to Western-backed President Abbas after a decade's schism. Pre-dawn Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Saturday killed two Palestinian gunmen after militants fired rockets from the area into Israel on Friday. (Additional reporting by Dan Williams and Ori Lewis in Jerusalem, John Irish in Paris, Tom Perry in Beirut, Agustinus Beo Da Costa in Jakarta, Sami Aboudi in Dubai, Doina Chiacu in Washington, and Jeff Mason in West Palm Beach, Florida; Editing by Peter Graff and Mary Milliken) (BRUSSELS) Britain and the European Union made a significant step forward Friday in Brexit talks, officials said, after a flurry of overnight diplomacy by phone bridged differences over the Irish border. I believe that we have now made the breakthrough that we needed, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters during a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May. But the agreement doesnt give details of how the thorny border issue will be solved, noting that much depends on the outcome of trade talks between Britain and the EU. Its crucial passages promise that whatever happens, the U.K. will maintain full regulatory alignment with the bloc on issues affecting Ireland. Exactly what that means will be fought over by politicians and negotiators in the months to come. Juncker said that he would recommend to European Union leaders that sufficient progress has been achieved on the terms of the divorce to starting talking about issues like future relations and trade. EU leaders meet in Brussels on Dec. 14 and are likely to endorse the assessment that enough progress has been made on the terms of Britains financial settlement, the status of Irish borders and the rights of citizens hit by Brexit. I am hopeful, sure, confident, sure, that they will share our appraisal and allow us to move on the next phase of the negotiations, Juncker said. May said: 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, I hope and expect we will be able to get the endorsement of the 27, she said, referring to the other EU countries. Juncker repeated that he didnt want Britain to leave the EU the first time a member country has ever done so saying I will always be sad about this development but now we must start looking for the future. Britain leaves the EU on March 29, 2019, but negotiations must be wrapped up within a year to leave time for parliaments to endorse any deal. Story continues Business leaders warn further delays will hurt companies as they plan for the future. Existing rules allow people and goods to pass freely between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland with no border checks. Ireland wants to preserve the current arrangement, which has eased tensions along the border. May is struggling to balance those demands against the concerns of Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party, which she relies on to support her government in Parliament. May said that Northern Ireland has a set of unique circumstances because it has the U.K.s only land border with an EU country. The border issue has been threatening to derail the divorce talks. Earlier this week, the DUP scuttled a deal between the U.K and the bloc, prompting the frantic diplomacy. May said Friday that the agreement would maintain an open border while preserving the constitutional and economic integrity of the U.K. DUP leader Arlene Foster appeared satisfied Friday, saying that the agreement gave very clear confirmation that the entirety of the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union. May also met with European Council President Donald Tusk, who will chair next Thursdays summit, and Tusk said the EU and London must now start negotiating a transition period to ease Britains way out of the bloc during a time of legal uncertainty after in 2019. Tusk noted that Britain has asked for a two-year bridging period, he laid out conditions for that to happen. I propose that during this period the U.K. will respect the whole of EU law, including new law, it will respect budget commitments, it will respect judicial oversight and of course all related obligations, he told reporters. Tusk also said he has sent guidelines to EU leaders on how he thinks phase two of the Brexit talks should be handled. Meanwhile, British business groups were expressing relief that Brexit talks finally look set to start discussing the future shape of trade and economic relations. Stephen Martin, who heads U.K. business group the Institute of Directors, said it went right down to the wire, but businesses will be breathing a huge sigh of relief. Adam Marshall, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said that after the noise and political brinksmanship of recent days, news of a breakthrough in the negotiations will be warmly welcomed by companies across the U.K. A North Carolina woman pleaded guilty on Thursday to hiding trash bags containing the remains of her two dead infants under a Smithfield home rented by her mother. Bridgette Morgan Smith, 41, pled guilty to two counts of failing to report a death, a felony charge in North Carolina, the News and Observer reports. Under her plea agreement, Smith was sentenced to serve a minimum of six months, and a maximum of eight months, for each count. The babies were first discovered in April 2016, according to the News and Observer, when Smiths mothers son spotted the trash bags while installing cables in the crawl space beneath her home. Smith was not charged until June of this year. Smiths mother, Pamela McBride, told authorities that her daughter has a history of drug addiction and has been pregnant approximately 10 times, though she could only name three children that resulted from those pregnancies, the News and Observer reports. (McBride said she had custody of two of the children, an 8-year-old girl and a toddler boy.) Physical evidence seized by the police, as well as Smiths testimony, suggests that the deceased infants were Smiths own children. Smith said both children were delivered in the bathroom of her mothers home, according to the News and Observer, but both appeared to be dead at birth, so, frightened, she wrapped them in towels, placed them in trash bags and hid them beneath the house. The state medical examiners office was not able to conclusively determine whether the children were dead or alive, according to the report, but evidence suggests that they were alive at birth. This defendant showed an utter disregard for the lives of her children, Johnston County District Attorney Susan Doyle said during Smiths court appearance on Thursday. She chose to treat them like trash. British woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is detained in Iran - PA Boris Johnson flies to Iran today to try to secure the release of jailed British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe stressing his grave concerns about her continued incarceration. Mrs 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 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. Speaking ahead of the visit Mr Johnson, the Foreign secretary, said: 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. 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. 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. Boris Johnson Credit: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP It is understood that Mrs 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. Story continues 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. 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. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard Ratcliffe and their daughter Gabriella Credit: Family Handout/ PA 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. Iran is also likely to raise the issue of a 400 million debt, revealed by the Telegraph last month, dating back to an abortive order for tanks by the pre-revolutionary regime in 1979, which remains unpaid despite a court ruling against the UK. The cash has already been deposited in a court for payment, and it is understood that work is under way to find a sanctions-compliant method for handing it over. The Foreign Office has always stressed that the payment of the money is in no way linked to the cases of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and the other imprisoned dual nationals. Boris Johnson meets Iranian President Hassan Rouhani - Office of the Iranian Presidency Boris Johnson held "forthright" talks with Iran's president on the last day of his visit to Tehran to try to win the release of an imprisoned British mother. The Foreign Secretary spoke with Hassan Rouhani for more than an hour in a visit which has been dominated by the plight of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. A spokesman for the Foreign Office said both men "spoke forthrightly" and "agreed on the need to make progress in all areas". The discussions came as it remained unclear whether Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe would be taken back to court on Sunday following threats to increase her sentence by five years after Mr Johnson incorrectly told a parliamentary committee that she had been in Iran to train journalists. She was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. "After meeting Dr [Ali Akbar] Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Association, the Foreign Secretary concluded his visit to Iran with a meeting with President Rouhani," the spokesman said. "In both meetings the Foreign Secretary discussed the full range of regional and bilateral issues, including banking matters and our concerns about the consular cases of dual nationals." The Foreign Office spokesman said: "We leave with a sense that both sides want to keep up the momentum to resolve the difficult issues in the bilateral relationship and preserve the nuclear deal." Mr Johnson also held "frank" discussions in Tehran on Saturday with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, which was described as a "constructive" meeting. The invitation to see Mr Rouhani was seen as a positive development given the often testy state of relations between the two countries. Mother-of-one Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. By Caroline Anderson VENTURA, Calif. (Reuters) - Firefighters across Southern California made progress on Saturday battling a slew of scattered wildfires that have killed at least one person, destroyed hundreds of buildings and forced more than 200,000 people from their homes this week. As the dry Santa Ana winds that have fueled the blazes abated slightly, officials lifted evacuation orders for parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and crews started getting the upper hand in containing some major fires. But with the National Weather Service expecting a pickup in top wind velocity to 55 miles per hour (89 km per hour) on Sunday from 40 miles per hour (64 km per hour), the 8,700 firefighters battling six fast-moving blazes were under pressure to work quickly. Were far from being out of the woods on any of them, Ken Pimlott, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), told a news briefing in Ventura. At an evacuation shelter at the Ventura County Fairgrounds on Saturday, fluorescent lights shone above hundreds of cots set up in rows. Outside, dust and soot made it hard to breathe. Surah Yasharal and Yaaqub Yoshua were at the shelter with their two toddlers, stuck there since arriving by Greyhound bus from Florida on Friday. They had planned to move into a guest house owned by Yoshua's employer, but by Saturday they still had not learned whether it had survived. "If it's not there when we get there, we'll go back to the drawing board," said Yoshua, 26. "We'll improvise." Marie Snyder was at the beach on Monday evening when the fire started. She could not return to her home in the community of Oak View, so she stayed with friends for a few days, coming to the shelter on Friday. "We were down at the beach and all of a sudden it got really windy and then it got really warm," she said. "And then I saw the moon was red." This week's fires have destroyed nearly 800 buildings, mostly in Ventura County where the Thomas Fire, the largest blaze, erupted on Monday. Story continues Officials said that by Saturday the Thomas Fire had charred 148,000 acres (59,893 hectares), an area about the size of Chicago. As evening approached, the blaze was most active north of the small city of Ojai, north of Ventura, known for its classical music festival and its spas. Ojai itself was not threatened, officials said. California Governor Jerry Brown told reporters that climate change had helped make intense fires such as these the state's "new normal." The fires threatened Californians from Santa Barbara County down the Pacific Coast to Mexico. They have claimed at least one human casualty: Virginia Pesola, 70, died in a Wednesday car accident along an evacuation route from the Thomas Fire. "The cause of death is blunt force injuries with terminal smoke inhalation and thermal injuries," Ventura County Medical Examiner Christopher Young said in a statement on Friday. Brown issued emergency proclamations this week for Santa Barbara, San Diego, Los Angeles and Ventura counties. President Donald Trump issued a federal proclamation that enables agencies to coordinate relief efforts. The fires have threatened property worth billions of dollars, just weeks after October wildfires in Northern California resulted in insured losses of more than $9 billion. Those fires, concentrated in wine country, killed 43 people. At their peak, this week's fires drove about 212,000 Californians from their homes. The lifting of several evacuation orders reduced the number of people displaced from their homes to 87,000 on Saturday. Visibility improved in Ventura early on Saturday, with blue skies returning as strong winds blew smoke out to sea. Throughout the area, officials reported gains in their battle to contain the fires. The Thomas Fire was 15 percent contained and the Skirball Fire in Los Angeles was 75 percent contained, while the Creek and Rye Fires in Los Angeles County were 80 percent and 65 percent contained, officials said. North of San Diego, the 4,100-acre (1,660-hectare) Lilac Fire was 20 percent contained by Saturday, officials said. Fallbrook, known for its avocado orchards, burned, and homes were destroyed in its Rancho Monserate Country Club retirement community. (Reporting by Caroline Anderson in Ventura, California; Additional reporting by Peter Szekely in New York, Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee and Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, California; Writing by Peter Szekely; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Jonathan Oatis and David Gregorio) Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 09:38:29|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close MEXICO CITY, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The president of Mexico's right-wing National Action Party (PAN), Ricardo Anaya, on Saturday stepped down from his post to seek the presidential nomination of a new coalition. Anaya handed his resignation to the PAN leadership in Mexico City, hours after the coalition named "Por Mexico al Frente" (Ahead for Mexico) was formed by the right-wing PAN and the left-wing Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) and Citizen Movement(MC). They agreed that the candidate for the coalition would come from the ranks of PAN. Anaya did not speak to the press after his resignation but later wrote on Twitter that he will announce his presidential plans on Sunday. According to Carlos Bravo Regidor, a political analyst from Mexico's Center of Economic Investigation and Studies, Anaya should be favored to win over other PAN hopefuls. Anaya, aged only 38, has enjoyed a meteoric rise in Mexican politics since joining PAN in 2000 at the age of 21. Bravo Regidor said that Anaya was considered to be a skillful political analyst but does not have broad electoral experience, which could count against him in the presidential election. The 2018 election in Mexico is expected to be hotly contested between Anaya and the other two notable candidates, Jose Antonio Meade, candidate from the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), who had served as finance minister, and the leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who will run for the third time. Lopez Obrador founded the PRD but after two failed attempts, created the National Regeneration Movement (Morena). While Bravo Regidor predicted that Anaya would seek to draw votes away from both the PRI and Morena, given the coalition's broad range, he doubted the move would be successful. "He has a difficult road ahead as the election will be highly polarized between the coalition of the satisfied, which will support Meade, and the coalition of the dissidents, which will support Lopez Obrador. I do not see space for a third coalition in between these two," the analyst said. 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. 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. Story continues 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. 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. A firefighter is working on extinguishing the Lilac Fire in southern California: Reuters US pop singer Cher has led calls for Donald Trump to visit the areas devastated by forest fires in California, which has already lead to the evacuation of at least 700 homes. The star tweeted that the President would not come to Los Angeles and the other parts of southern California. She said: Trump says he wont come to California to see our disaster. Some of his people are suffering here. They would be comforted by seeing him. We really should pull away. We have an enemy in the White House. He is petty, vindictive and hates us. Hes not a president, hes a weak man with a grudge. TRUMP SAYS HE WONT COME 2 CALIFORNIA 2 SEE OUR DISASTER.SUM OF HIS PPL R SUFFERING HERETHEY WOULD BE COMFORTED BY SEEING HIM. WE REALLY SHOULD PULL AWAY.WE HAVE AN ENEMY IN THE WHITE HOUSE.HE IS PETTY,VINDICTIVE& HATES USHES NOT A PRESIDENT, HES WEAK MAN W/A GRUDGE Cher (@cher) December 8, 2017 Mr Trump has not explicitly refused to come to the state, where he won just 33 per cent the vote in 2016, but is instead going ahead with a planned rally in Pensacola, Florida, on Friday. Big crowd expected today in Pensacola, Florida, for a Make America Great Again speech. We have done so much in so short a period of time...and yet are planning to do so much more! See you there! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 8, 2017 He has tweeted that his thoughts and prayers were with the people affected and praised the work of all first responders who were battling the blaze. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the path of Californias wildfires. I encourage everyone to heed the advice and orders of local and state officials. THANK YOU to all First Responders for your incredible work! https://t.co/g9y9PkB352 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2017 Mr Trump has been criticised for his perceived lack of support for Californians facing forest fires. In October, while wildfires ranged in wine country in Northern California, the Los Angeles Times criticised his reluctance to visit the state even though he made four visits to hurricane zones in recent weeks. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle published an editorial with the headline California burns: Wheres the President? and said he had been conspicuously mute through day after day of crisis. But even if Mr Trump were to visit, his presence may not be welcomed by some of the areas more liberal residents. US comedian Chelsea Handler, who had to be evacuated from her home, tweeted that Mr Trump was setting the world on fire both literally and figuratively. Just evacuated my house. Its like Donald Trump is setting the world on fire. Literally and figuratively. Stay safe everyone. Dark times. Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) December 6, 2017 The comment provoked a backlash on Twitter from Mr Trumps supporters, who accused liberals of blaming him for the natural disasters that occur during his presidency but dismissing successes, like the record-high level of the stock market, as just coincidences. They also derided the notion that Mr Trump was responsible for the climate change that caused the fires as he has only been in office for a year. Despite this, Mr Trump dealt a major blow to Americas efforts to curb climate change and the Californian government, along with 13 other states, this week launched a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency for ignoring an 1 October deadline to update the nations map of areas with unhealthy smog levels. In addition, the proposed Republican tax bill will neither limit or eliminate the provision that allows people who lose their homes in natural disasters to claim the loss against their income tax. China's heavy workload for children has been criticised - Photoshot/Avalon Fed up with picking up the slack in terms of helping her son with his heavy school workload, 39-year-old mother, Mrs Wang, has joined millions of like-minded parents who are calling for something that Chinas tiger mothers would have considered unthinkable only a few years ago a break from homework. The campaign focuses on the frustrations of parents who believe they shouldnt be spending their evenings tackling arithmetic questions or reciting complex sentence structures when they could be watching a soap or reading a magazine. It was triggered by a viral post titled: Goodness, what have I done wrong to have to do homework with my kids. After millions on views on Sina Weibo, Chinas Twitter, parents flocked to social media to share their own stories. Since then, three Chinese provinces have issued regulations banning schools from giving out homework which would involve parents. Three years ago, Mrs Wangs family spent their life savings to move to a desirable catchment area where they could enroll their son, now aged nine, at an elite primary school that would compel him to work long hours. Like the majority of Chinese parents, she believed she was doing the best for her family by helping him attain the grades needed to enter a top secondary school. But after becoming heavily involved in helping her son meet those tough demands usually after a ten-hour day at her busy Beijing office - Ms Wang now views the school as a source of conflict in her house and a major drain on her own time. Sometimes all I think about when I am at work is my sons homework, said Mrs Wang, who only provided her surname. Chinese social media is full of stories from parents sharing experiences of screaming and shouting their way through homework with their offspring. One post said: When I returned from school when I was young, my parents watched TV while I did my homework. Now when I get home from work... I still have to do homework. Other parents told how homework-related stress had caused them serious health problems or driven them to the brink of madness. Come homework time, the whole yard knows my howls, one said. Story continues Opposition from parents stunted previous attempts by the government to soften Chinas notoriously high-pressure education system. A programme dubbed happy education was rolled out four years ago, but there was resistance to slashing levels of homework, which is said to be around three hours a day in China - twice the global average. Consequently, the 2013 reforms resulted in teachers facing pressure from both sides. They were being told by education officials to relax academic learning, but parents were telling them to push their children harder. The teachers responded by involving parents more in the challenging topics. However, things didnt go to plan. It has become a vicious cycle because students submitted homework that had been polished by their parents, so teachers assigned more difficult homework, one teacher told local media. Some parents choose to send their children to one of a growing number of expensive after-school institutions where they can finish their homework before being picked up. But education chiefs are already fighting back against challenging workloads, with officials in the eastern Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and also the northern Ningxia province, ruling that homework should not become parental homework or be set above the level of the curriculum or the ability of the student. Mrs Wang, meanwhile, has recently adopted a new daily regime. When she returns home from work, she instantly kicks off her shoes, makes a cup of green tea and changes into her pyjamas. She has decided that she wont let her sons academic frustrations affect the relationship she has with him, or her own work-life balance. Additional reporting by Christine Wei BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Friday it had lodged a complaint with Australia after its prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said he took reports very seriously that China's Communist Party had sought to interfere in his country. Turnbull said this week that foreign powers were making "unprecedented and increasingly sophisticated attempts to influence the political process" in Australia and the world. He cited "disturbing reports about Chinese influence". Turnbull, speaking to parliament on Thursday during the introduction of legislation to stop external interference in domestic politics, reiterated those concerns. "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," he said. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in Beijing he was "shocked" at what Turnbull had said. Such comments pandered to certain irresponsible reports in Australian media, were full of prejudice against China, were baseless and poisoned the atmosphere of China-Australia relations, Geng told a daily news briefing. "We express strong dissatisfaction at this, and have already lodged solemn representations with the Australian side," he said. Geng said China had always respected the principle of non-interference in internal affairs in dealing with Australia "We strongly urge the relevant Australian person to spurn Cold War thinking and prejudice towards China, immediately stop making wrong comments that harm political mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation, and take effective steps to dispel negative effects," he added. Geng's remarks were China's latest and strongest broadside against Australia on the issue. The Chinese embassy in Australia on Wednesday accused Australia of hysteria and paranoia after Turnbull vowed to ban foreign political donations to curb external influence in domestic politics. China's soft power has come under renewed focus this week after a politician from Australia's opposition Labor party was demoted from government having been found to have warned a prominent Chinese business leader and Communist Party member that his phone was being tapped by intelligence authorities. In June, Fairfax Media and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on a concerted campaign by China to "infiltrate" Australian politics to promote Chinese interests. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel) Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is calling on President Donald Trump to resign over the more than a dozen sexual misconduct allegations against him. Booker made the comments Saturday during a campaign event in Alabama to support Doug Jones, the states Democratic candidate for Senate. Jones is engaged in a tight race against embattled Republican candidate Roy Moore, whose campaign has been dogged by sexual misconduct accusations. Booker told VICE News that the sexual harassment allegations against Trump are far more damning than the claims against Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who on Thursday announced his resignation from office after multiple women accused him of groping them. I just watched Al Franken do the honorable thing and resign, Booker said. My question is why isnt Donald Trump doing the same thing? Who has more serious allegations against him, with more women who have come forward. (Photo: Joe Raedle via Getty Images) While Trump has been quick to call out other high-profile men accused of sexual misconduct in recent weeks, including Franken and Matt Lauer, who was fired from NBCs Today show over sexual assault allegations, hes refrained from applying the same level of scrutiny to his own behavior. At least 19 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct, including forcible kissing and groping, since the 1980s. He even bragged about grabbing women by the pussy on the now-infamous 2005 Access Hollywood tape. Trump denied the allegations throughout his 2016 presidential campaign and dismissed the Access Hollywood recording as merely locker room talk. In October, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders suggested all the women accusing Trump of sexual harassment were lying. Bookers comments follow a call by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) that Trump should resign. The president should resign because he certainly has a track record with more than 17 women of horrific conduct, Merkley said on Thursday. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) tweeted on Thursday that Trump should think about resigning, a point he reiterated on Sunday during NBCs Meet The Press. Story continues We have a president who acknowledged on tape that he assaulted women. I would hope that he pays attention to what's going on and think about resigning. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) December 7, 2017 As lawmakers push for Trumps record of alleged sexual misconduct to be re-examined, the president is working to get Moore elected in the Alabama Senate race. Despite his swift condemnation of Franken, Trump has endorsed Moore, a man accused of making sexual advances toward teenagers when he was in his 30s decades ago. We cannot afford, this country, the future of this country, cannot afford to lose a seat in the very, very close United States Senate, Trump told a crowd Friday at a rally in Florida near the Alabama border. Get out and vote for Roy Moore! Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. By Phoenix Tso SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Reuters) - A raging wildfire pushed toward a string of California coastal cities on Sunday, prompting new evacuations as crews fought to save homes in the face of gusty winds that have fueled blazes across the state for nearly a week. Authorities ordered residents in parts of Carpinteria and Montecito to leave early on Sunday as the Thomas Fire edged closer to Santa Barbara, about 100 miles (160 km) northwest of Los Angeles on the scenic central California coast. The blaze, the worst of six major fires in Southern California in the last week and already the 10th largest on record in the state since 1932, has blackened 173,000 acres (62,726 hectares), destroyed hundreds of structures and left nearly 90,000 homes and businesses without power. The combination of Santa Ana winds and rugged terrain in the mountains that run through Santa Barbara and Ventura counties have hampered firefighting efforts, and officials said the Thomas Fire was only 15 percent contained on Sunday. The National Weather Service said winds of up to 55 miles (88 km) per hour were expected on Sunday evening, up from gusts of 40 miles per hour on Saturday. The fires burning across Southern California have forced the evacuation of some 200,000 people and destroyed nearly 800 structures. Among them are residents of Montecito, one of the state's wealthiest communities and home to such celebrities as Oprah Winfrey. Emmy Leikin, an Emmy-winning songwriter who was ordered to evacuate her Montecito home at 9 a.m. on Sunday, said she fled with only her cell phone, medication, eyeglasses and a few apples. Leikin, 74, said she doesn't know the condition of her home and belongings but "none of that means anything when it is your safety." WORST IN A DECADE The fires that began last Monday night collectively amounted to one of the worst conflagrations across Southern California in the last decade. They have, however, been far less deadly than the blazes in Northern California's wine country in October that killed over 40. In the last week, only one death has been reported, a 70-year-old woman who died Wednesday in a car accident as she attempted to flee the flames in Ventura County. Scores of horses have died, including at least 46 at a thoroughbred training facility in San Diego county. Residents and firefighters alike have been alarmed by the speed with which the fires spread, reaching into the heart of cities like Ventura. At the Ventura County Fairgrounds, evacuees slept in makeshift beds while rescued horses were sheltered in stables. Peggy Scissons, 78, arrived at the shelter with her dog last Wednesday, after residents of her mobile home park were forced to leave. She has not yet found out whether her home is standing. "I don't know what's gonna happen next or whether I'll be able to go home," she said. "It would be one thing if I were 40 or 50, but I'm 78. What the heck do I do?" James Brown, 57, who retired from Washington State's forestry service and has lived in Ventura for a year, was forced to leave his house along with his wife last week because both have breathing problems. "We knew a fire was coming, but we didn't know it would be this bad," said Brown, who is in a wheelchair. Some of the other fires, in San Diego and Los Angeles counties, have been largely controlled by the thousands of firefighters on the ground this week. Both the Creek and Rye fires in Los Angeles County were 90 percent contained by Sunday morning, officials said, while the Skirball Fire in Los Angeles' posh Bel Air neighborhood was 75 percent contained. North of San Diego, the 4,100-acre (1,659 hectare) Lilac Fire was 60 percent contained by Sunday.Governor Jerry Brown, who surveyed the devastation in Ventura on Saturday, said the outbreak of December fires may be "the new normal" for the state, saying global warming was exacerbating drought conditions. (Reporting by Phoenix Tso; Additional reporting by Mike Blake in San Diego and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Writing by Joseph Ax and Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Scott Malone and Mary Milliken) By Samia Nakhoul, Stephen Kalin and Suleiman Al-Khalidi BEIRUT/RIYADH/AMMAN (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia pulled no punches when it condemned President Donald Trump's 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 U.S. peace plan. Trump reversed decades of U.S. 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." But Arab officials privately say that Riyadh appears to be on board with a broader U.S. 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 president's 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 U.S. administration's 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 U.S.-Saudi relationship has improved dramatically under Trump, partly because the leaders share a vision of confronting Riyadh's 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. "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 U.S. 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 didn't 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 don't 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 Trump's 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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. backing and paving the way for Gulf-Israeli cooperation to confront Iran," he said. Most Arab states are unlikely to object to Trump's 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. "It's 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. "They've 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. "They're not willing to jeopardize that. They've got bigger fish to fry." (Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah and Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 10:28:44|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close by Raul Menchaca SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- On the slopes of the Sierra Maestra Mountains in Cuba, at altitudes higher than 500 meters above sea level, coffee plantations are receiving a different kind of attention today. The Coffee Roads project has been promoted since 2014 by the city authorities of Santiago de Cuba, with aspirations to make it a tourism high point. They hope to take advantage of the long coffee tradition in these mountains, where French settlers arrived at over 200 years ago. The Coffee Road is intended to be a catalyst for knowledge, promotion, and dissemination of the values of the local coffee culture, within the Cuban national context, archaeologist Yumara Lopez, coordinator of the project, told Xinhua. This program is co-financed by the European Union, the Franco-Belgian Malongo Foundation and the city's conservation office in a joint effort to rescue a tradition born in the area after the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804), which abolished slavery in Haiti. The triumph of the slave rebellion caused hundreds of French settlers to flee from Saint Domingue, now Haiti, to Santiago de Cuba, where they continued the planting and harvesting of the coffee bean, creating over 600 farms in the eastern mountains. "The mountains surrounding the city were rapidly populated with coffee plantations and their production was a driving force of local development," said Lopez, without hiding her passion for the topic. Lopez pointed out that this process changed the city in a few short years due to the influx of wealth. Very little is left of the coffee farms today, although the city's department of archaeology, led by Lopez, has identified the location of more than 170 of them by reviewing old deeds. These agricultural emporiums make up the "Archaeological Landscape of the First Coffee Plantations in Southeast Cuba," declared by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization as World Heritage of Humanity in 2000. Among the group, some farms stand out, including La Fraternidad, which is currently being restored, and La Isabelica, which is now a unique museum chronicling the coffee tradition and the French cultural heritage in the area. The Isabelica was the first museum founded by the government of Fidel Castro after the triumph of the revolution in January 1959 and is the result of the efforts of the historian Fernando Boitel. La Fraternidad and La Isabelica are separated by 80 km of mountainous terrain but are the pillars of the Coffee Roads project. "The aim is to promote these cultural spaces and manage them so the associated communities could receive practically immediate economic benefits," said Lopez. Another pillar of the project is the Dranguet House, constructed between 1859 and 1861 by Carlos Dranguet, a landowner descended from French settlers who fled Haiti for refuge in Cuba. Casa Dranguet, located just one block from the central Cespedes Park, is the headquarters of the project as well as housing the Center for Interpretation and Dissemination of the Coffee Cultural Heritage. In addition to owning a peculiar museum and its scientific work, the institution has an important social role with the organization of cultural events, and of course, the preparation and sale of coffee. The constant aroma of coffee infused into the locale blends with art and science to create the essence of the Coffee Road project. A home is consumed by fire - 2017 Getty Images Thousands of firefighters battled to contain deadly blazes in California on Saturday that have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee the Los Angeles area. 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. US President Donald Trump issued a state of emergency in California, authorizing the release of federal funds to "help alleviate the hardship and suffering that the emergency may inflict on the local population." 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. Strong winds are pushing wildfires across the region, destroying hundreds of homes and structures Credit: David McNew/Getty Images 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. California wildfires cause thousands to flee, in pictures 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. Terrified horses gallop from the fire as flames sweep through the horse-training facility Credit: San Diego Tribune/AP "75 per cent of the stables were consumed, the fire was spreading so fast... they couldn't evacuate all the horses," fire chief Ross Fowler said. Story continues "It's hard when horses are scared, they don't comply, they are heavy, they can hurt you," he added. 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 neighborhood, home to many celebrities. Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch has a $30 million estate, the Moraga Bel Air Winery, there. Q&A | Wildfires Another Los Angeles county blaze, the "Rye" fire, has consumed more than 6,000 acres and was 50 percent 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. 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. Donald Trump speaking at the Pensacola rally - which he later said was 'packed to the rafters': AP President Donald Trump is embroiled in another row with the press, calling for a Washington Post journalist to be fired after the reporter admitted tweeting a inaccurate image of an empty arena the President was due to speak at. Journalist Dave Weigel apologised on Twitter and deleted the photo of Mr Trumps Florida rally, saying he had been confused. Mr Trump seized upon the admission, saying: .@daveweigel of the Washington Post just admitted that his picture was a FAKE (fraud?) showing an almost empty arena last night for my speech in Pensacola when, in fact, he knew the arena was packed (as shown also on T.V). FAKE NEWS, he should be fired. The President had earlier told his 45 million followers: Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology and retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo! The much shared photograph claimed to show a largely empty stadium at the Pensacola Bay Centre where Mr Trump urged voters in Alabama to get out and vote for Senatorial candidate Roy Moore who is accused of molesting several underage girls. After the rally, the President tweeted a Thank You Pensacola message, claiming that the arena was packed to the rafters. In response, political correspondent Mr Weigel shared the photograph of a decidedly un-packed stadium which he has now admitted was taken earlier in the evening before the Republican rally. .@DaveWeigel @WashingtonPost put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo! pic.twitter.com/XAblFGh1ob Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017 After the President demanded an apology, the reporter responded promptly, tweeting directly to the President: Sure thing. I apologize. I deleted the photo after @dmartosko told me Id gotten it wrong. Was confused by the image of you walking in the bottom right corner. Story continues The journalist defended his newspaper, pointing out the tweet from his personal account was not a Washington Post story. Mr Weigels tweeting has previously landed him in hot water with the newspaper, with bosses issuing a reminder to its reporters that their online behaviour is an extension of their professional lives after the journalist branded defeated congressional candidate Dan Bangino a lying, pathetic loser. Mr Trump has locked horns with the press on numerous occasions, repeatedly accusing large sections of the media of producing fake news particularly in relation to the Russia investigation. He has previously taken issue with reports over the size of crowds, notably following his inauguration ceremony, when his now deposed Press Secretary Sean Spicer accused journalists of reporting inaccurate numbers and using misleading photographs to minimise the enormous support he claimed Mr Trump has received at the January swearing-in. Mr Spicer said at the time the actual number who attended was unknown before insisting nonetheless that the new President had attracted the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration anywhere in the world. During the Pensacola rally, the President once again went on the offensive over the media, asking the crowd: Did you see all the corrections the media has been making? Theyre saying sorry theyve been doing that all year. They never apologise. Cairo (AFP) - Egypt's Coptic Church head Pope Tawadros II cancelled a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence in Cairo later this month in protest at Washington's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the church said Saturday. US President Donald Trump's 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 Egypt's 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 country's 93 million people, and are the largest religious minority in the region. 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 ISTANBUL (Reuters) - 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 U.S. 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. President Donald Trump's announcement on Wednesday has upset U.S. allies in the West. At the United Nations, France, Italy, Germany, Britain and Sweden called on the United States to "bring forward detailed proposals for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement". Palestinians took to the streets following the U.S. decision. Demonstrations also took place in Iran, Jordan, Tunisia, Somalia, Yemen, Malaysia and Indonesia, and outside the U.S. embassy in Berlin. The status of Jerusalem has been one of the biggest obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians for generations. 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. Paris has pointed out in the past its conviction that a two-state solution requires the recognition of Palestine. (Reporting by Murad Sezer; writing by Ali Kucukgocmen; editing by Clelia Oziel) Robert de La Rochefoucauld, arguably Frances most daring WWII saboteur, escaped his own execution in the spring of 1944. He then agreed to a mission from Britains so-called Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare that would anger the Nazis even more than his escape Robert and his radioman headed north, to Bordeaux, joining a group called Charly, led by the theater director Rene Cominetti, who had been involved in the Resistance since 1941. Cominetti had formed Charly with the help of a lawyer and banker, and by the summer of 1944, it had nearly 950 fighters. They roamed the terrain, taking up the battles of their neighboring underground tribes as well. Charly shared some of its resistants with a parent group, Groupe Georges, also operating near Bordeaux. It was led by Alban Bordes, a twenty-five-year-old as vicious with the Nazishe admitted to carrying out hits that God himself cannot pardonas he was fearful of them. He respected SD agents intelligence and lived in secret, knowing the reprisals that awaited his capture. In July, La Rochefoucauld met with someone who was likely, according to the historical record, a top Georges lieutenant and some of his staffers. This was in a group safe house, a cave outside Bordeaux, where the top man brought a bottle of wine and glasses and laid out his plan. He said three men from Georges had recently begun working at the Saint-Medard plant, scoping out its parameters and committing the layout to hand-drawn maps. La Rochefoucauld would meet these men when their shift at the factory ended. Because Robert knew how to lay plastic explosives, he would work at the plant alongside them. With the Allies moving inland from Normandy and the Germans fighting desperately to retain ground, there wasnt time to train men to do the work that La Rochefoucauld could do himselfif he just got inside the plant. Robert loved the idea. He had not parachuted into France so that he might supervise someone elses job. Pleased with the response, the lieutenant left the men to their bottle of wine and open-ended afternoon. Soon thereafter, they themselves departed on bikes for a hideout closer to the factory, about ten miles west of Bordeaux. The beauty of the vineyards in sun-dipped and fragrant July masked the danger of the Occupation. Robert and the rebels took a careful if not circuitous route, off the main roads where people looked friendly but might secretly work for the SD chief Dohse. A short while after they made it to the house, the three plant workers joined them, and they all decided to celebrate their mission. From the vague phrases La Rochefoucauld later wrote, it appears the resistants took him to Bordeauxs finest brothels that night. We were perfectly received, said Robert. The next day, Sunday, was not a day of rest. The Georges men and La Rochefoucauld gathered round a table at the safe house, maps spread before them, everyone hunching over. The munition works was massive: on the northern and eastern half of the compound sat the old factory, next to a railroad track that had shipped the works supplies for generations; the new one was on the grounds western and southern half, built in advance of World War I; and the so-called pearl factory, constructed at the start of this war by two thousand imprisoned Spanish Communists, bordered the two other factories. The compound was surrounded by twelve workers and officers camps where some Germans and many of the 5,500 laborers lived. In total, the grounds encompassed more than a square mile. From the aerial maps, the Saint-Medard factories and their surrounding barracks resembled less a place of labor than a city unto itself. Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter La Rochefoucaulds job was not to blow it all up. The massive bombing campaign in April hadnt even done that. Roberts task instead would be to place pinpoint bombs at key positions throughout the compound, crippling it from within. As the British sabotage instructors had said: Its better to target small but vital components of a factory. This is the mark of a true saboteur. To get inside the grounds, La Rochefoucauld first had to replace one of the three factory workers. A man named Pierre, who unloaded trucks at the plant, looked the most like Robert: roughly his height, dark hair swept back off his forehead. Pierres best feature was his glasses: black-rimmed and big enough to obscure the shape of the face behind them. Did Robert look like Pierre when he put on the glasses? Not really. But he looked nothing like anyone else there. So Pierre handed over his plant ID cardreissued every two months for factory securityand La Rochefoucauld and the other resistants did the hard but also routine work of making a fake ID, of transferring La Rochefoucaulds photo from his identification to Pierres factory card. At long last they had it. The ID looked authentic. The men then began thinking how to traffic explosives past the German guards. No single idea had everyones support until, at last, someone said they should put the bombs in their foodspecifically, in the round loaves of French bread that each man took with him for his midday meal. The resistants set about kneading dough to see if it could work. When the loaves came out of the oven, the men slowly, delicately, carved open the top of each one, cutting out the moist middle and dropping in a couple pounds of plastic explosives. They then set the severed top back on the loaf and studied it. From the outside voila!it looked like lunch. La Rochefoucauld arose early Monday morning and got dressed. Many factory workers favored denims and newsboy caps, and Pierres big-rimmed glasses further hid Roberts features. As he put on his clothes, he couldnt help but worry that the disguise was not enough. In fact, thats what everyone worried about. The Georges men, as a precaution, had decided to arrive separately at the plant, lest all three resistants be implicated in a La Rochefoucauld arrest. He steeled himself and set out on a bicycle for the munitions compound, carrying a bag with a loaf of bread in it. Robert arrived at the factory alone, around 7:45, fifteen minutes before the plant opened. He saw the two other Georges men standing together, but tried not to stare at them. Everyone formed into a line, which began moving at 8 a.m. La Rochefoucauld shuffled along, in a delicate state, he wrote. He slung the bag that held his lunchand so much moreover his shoulder, just as the rest of the men did. He tried to look bored. Shuffle left, shuffle right, stare absently. Shuffle left, shuffle right, ignore the rising panic. Soon there was one man ahead of him, and then the German asked for La Rochefoucaulds plant ID. He willed his hand steady and gave the guard the papers. The Nazi glanced at them, then at La Rochefoucauld. The German looked sleepy, or maybe just disinterested. He handed the plant ID back to Robert, then motioned for the next man in line. It was that easy. He crossed the factorys threshold, trying very hard to hide his excitement. Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. From the book THE SABOTEUR: The Aristocrat Who Became Frances Most Daring Anti-Nazi Commando by Paul Kix. Copyright 2017 by Paul Kix. Available from Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission. Running shoes and graphene were made for each other. One is always in search of the latest gimmick and the other has produced some of the most stunning in recent memory. The University of Manchester, long a leading force in research surrounding the one-atom-thick material, has teamed up with British sportswear brand inov-8 to bring graphene to footwear. Unlike most of the research weve seen around sciences recent favorite miracle material, these things are headed to the market in our lifetimes a seemingly miracle in and of itself. In fact, theyre due out next year, priced at a steep, but not completely unreasonable, 140 and 150 (around $200 on the high end). There are no miracles present in this particular implementation, but the graphene should make the kicks more flexible and a hell of a lot stronger than traditional running shoes. Graphene, after all, is the thinnest material around and about 200x stronger than steel. The researchers heated it and added tiny particles to the shoes soles. When added to the rubber used in inov-8s G-Series shoes, graphene imparts all its properties, including its strength, university reader Dr. Aravind Vijayaraghavan said in a statement tied to the shoes. Our unique formulation makes these outsoles 50-percent stronger, 50-percent more stretchy and 50-percent more resistant to wear than the corresponding industry standard rubber without graphene. At the very least, its a pretty solid way of standing out in a clothing category thats increasingly fixated on innovation, from Adidass 3D-printed sneakers to Nikes self-tying ones. Manchester researchers have long discussed graphenes potential role in wearables. In addition to all of the aforementioned super powers, its also transparent and more conductive than copper all great potential traits for the next generation of electronics. The school recently demonstrated the ability to print the material for sensors, as well, meaning that these sneakers are likely just the start of something much bigger. Story continues Related: Lisbon (AFP) - Portugal's Salvador Sobral, winner of this year's Eurovision song contest, is making good progress after a heart transplant, the medical team who operated on him said Sunday. Sobral had waited several months for the operation as he suffered from a longstanding heart condition. "He was very well prepared and the surgery went well," said surgeon Miguel Abecassis from the Santa Cruz hospital outside Lisbon which performed the operation Friday. Abecassis said Sobral would require a long period of convalescence but expected him in due course to be able to lead a "completely normal life." Sobral, 27, won the Eurovision crown in Kiev in September with a jazzy number penned by his sister Luisa Sobral entitled "Amar Pelos Dois" (Love for Both of Us). It was the first time Portugal had won the event. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 10:53:50|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close YANGON, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi has encouraged the country's young entrepreneurs to use cutting-edge technology for the development of the nation, while taking advantage of the country's unique location and abundant resources. Aung San Suu Kyi made the remarks at the Myanmar Entrepreneurs Summit 2017 in Nay Pyi Taw on Saturday, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Sunday. With the theme "Leading Entrepreneurs, Building Economy," the summit attracted about 1,000 young entrepreneurs from across the country to discuss policies and initiatives that would support the success of young entrepreneurs. Aung San Suu Kyi reiterated the need to promote the intelligence and quality of the citizens and the role of the government in building a sustainable economy, urging regional governments to support entrepreneurs in their respective states and regions to establish small and medium enterprises and share their experiences with young entrepreneurs to carry out innovation. She also invited suggestions from young entrepreneurs for the government's plan for creating a good investment environment in the country. "Despite rich land, favorable weather and natural resources, Myanmar is facing challenges in penetrating the regional market as the country's crops do not meet the required quality due to lack of innovation," she said. She urged the entrepreneurs to promote the quality of the country's products with innovation to export value-added products rather than raw materials. Aung San Suu Kyi highlighted the"3 Ms" (money, market and mentorship) that she said would propel Myanmar's young entrepreneurs to compete at the regional and international level. She also suggested that entrepreneurs who have achieved success in their businesses to build a mentorship network to seek advice from countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and to assist local young entrepreneurs. At the summit, a number awards were presented to outstanding young entrepreneurs from across the country. (BAGHDAD) Iraq said Saturday that its war on the Islamic State group 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 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 IS. A senior military commander confirmed that combat operations had been completed. 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-Abadis remarks. Daesh is an Arabic acronym for IS. The U.S.-led coalition congratulated Iraq on the significant victory Saturday, according to an official statement posted to Twitter. We stand by the Iraqi people as they set the conditions for a secure and prosperous future, it read. IS fighters overran nearly a third of Iraqi territory, including Mosul, the countrys second largest city, in the summer of 2014. Over the past three and a half years, Iraqi ground forces closely backed by the U.S.-led coalition have retaken all of that territory. However, IS 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 IS 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. Iraq now faces the daunting challenge of reconstruction. The fighting caused massive devastation in many areas, and some 3 million Iraqis are still displaced. By Ali Sawafta and Nidal al-Mughrabi 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 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 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 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 Trumps 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, 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 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. 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 recognizing 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 recognize 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." 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 recognized 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 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 Azhar's 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. (Additional reporting by Ammar Awad, Omar Fahmy and Maayan Lubell, John Irish in Paris and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and James Dalgleish) Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel's defence minister called Sunday for an economic boycott of Arab citizens from area where unrest erupted over Donald Trump's Jerusalem declaration, saying they "don't belong" in the country. Avigdor Lieberman's comments about Arab Israelis, who account for some 17.5 percent of the country's population, drew condemnation for their harshness. "Those who demonstrate in Israel holding Hezbollah, Hamas and PLO flags are not part of the state of Israel," Lieberman said, referring to the Palestine Liberation Organisation. "They are acting to harm us and destroy us from within," he said in a statement. "I therefore call on Israeli citizens to impose an economic boycott on Wadi Ara -- don't shop there, don't eat in the restaurants and don't buy services from them." Speaking on army radio, Lieberman reiterated his stance on land-swaps in a peace deal that would see Arab areas of Israel handed over to the Palestinians. "These people don't belong to Israel," the minister said of Wadi Ara residents. "As part of a final agreement, they must be part of Ramallah," while Israel would annex settlement blocs in the occupied West Bank. Israelis must simply "give them the feeling they're not wanted here," he said, noting instances in which Arabs from the area carried out attacks against Israelis or supported militant activities. Dozens of Arab Israelis had on Saturday night blocked the Wadi Ara intersection in northern Israel, police said, throwing stones at vehicles and burning tyres in protest over Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The windows of a bus were smashed and its driver was slightly injured. Police arrested two minors and a man from Arara, an Arab town in the Wadi Ara area. Ayman Odeh, head of the parliament's mainly Arab Joint List alliance, firmly condemned Lieberman's comments. Story continues "Calling to boycott citizens only because of their national and religious identity reminds the darkest regimes in human history," he said in a statement. "The notion that such a person is in charge of the state's security should concern any sane citizen." Clashes and protests erupted in the Palestinian territories after Trump's declaration on Wednesday, but there has been little unrest within Israel. Arab Israelis are descendants of Palestinians who remained on their land following the creation of Israel in 1948. Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel's military said it demolished a tunnel Sunday stretching from Gaza into its territory in an operation that comes at a time of increased tension over US President Donald Trump's recent Jerusalem declaration. Military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said intelligence showed the tunnel belonged to Islamist movement Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip. Israel was not aware of any casualties, he said. It was the second such operation in recent weeks, with the last tunnel destroyed on October 30 belonging to Islamic Jihad. Such tunnels have been used in the past to carry out attacks. The tunnel destroyed on Sunday had been discovered several weeks ago and was monitored by the military, Conricus said. According to Conricus, the tunnel stretched from the area of the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip to hundreds of metres (yards) inside Israeli territory. He declined to specify the exact location in Israeli territory and an exit point had not yet been created for the tunnel. "We see this as a severe violation of Israeli sovereignty," Conricus told journalists, while adding that Israel was not seeking an escalation. He also stressed the tunnel had been in the works for some time and was not linked to the recent clashes and protests over last week's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital by Trump. Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - An Israeli air strike on a Gaza base of Hamas's military wing killed two Palestinian militants on Saturday, the territory's 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. 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. Story continues 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. But the Israeli army said it held Hamas responsible for all "hostile activity" originating from the territory under its control. (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 one rioter. 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 six people who were involved in what they called an illegal protest. Two policemen were injured. Story continues President Trump cannot take what he doesnt have, said Zuheir Dana, one of the protesters from east Jerusalem. Israel has mobilized troops in case further violence breaks out. The clashes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem have yet to claim lives or spiral into the kind of violence some had feared following Trumps move. The flare-up followed clashes 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. 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. TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese man wielding a sword killed his sister, a Shinto priestess, on the grounds of a Tokyo shrine, then stabbed his wife to death before committing suicide, police and media said. Police declined to comment on a motive for Thursday's killings or the family feud. Shigenaga Tomioka, 56, attacked Nagako Tomioka, 58, chief priestess of the Tomioka Hachimangu shrine, as she got out of a car. Media reports said she was his sister. His 49-year-old wife, Mariko, stabbed and wounded the driver of the car with a sword, police said, before she too was killed. Shigenaga sent a threatening letter to his sister in 2006, saying he would "send her to hell", the Sankei newspaper said. Shinto is the traditional religion of Japan and many shrines dot the country. The Tomioka Hachimangu shrine, established in 1627, has a close link with sumo and the emperor and empress visited in 2012. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Malcolm Foster, Richard Pullin and Nick Macfie) Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 11:03:52|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close by Victoria Arguello CARACAS, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelans will vote on Sunday in municipal elections amidst a prolonged electoral crisis, forcing the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) to work hard to maintain its popularity. The elections will choose 335 mayors within a wide range of candidates and the ruling party is expected to see a big victory due to the recent split of the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), said political analysts. Four years ago, the Great Patriotic Pole coalition, in which the PSUV is a member, won 256 mayoral seats against 81 for the opposition. And this balance seems unlikely to change. At least five of the larger opposition parties that could face the PSUV have ruled out participation, while smaller ones are divided. "Chavismo is practically going without opposition, the small opposition parties which will participate do not have a strong political apparatus. This means Chavismo will remain an important force in Venezuela," said Emiro Romero, an electoral expert, referring to the movement founded by former leader Hugo Chavez. Romero believes that the opposition may now focus on building a new "union" for presidential elections in 2018, when President Nicolas Maduro will run for reelection. "The MUD opposition ... are playing for a presidential election or seeking a referendum to invalidate regional and local elections," said Romero, director of the Buro Consulting polling company. Also on Sunday, the western state of Zulia will re-elect its governor after MUD governor-elect Juan Pablo Guanipa was barred from office after he refused to take the oath at the National Constituent Assembly (ANC). Guanipa's refusal to take the oath became the catalyst for the fracturing of the MUD, since its four other governors-elect accepted the oath. The current panorama gives the PSUV the lead in the state of Zulia, an important border state with Colombia that has historically favored the opposition. "Zulia has an important population. Maracaibo (capital of Zulia) has always been an opposition stronghold, but today, the opposition is deeply polarized and Chavismo could win there," added Romero. Sociologist Maryclein Stelling told Xinhua that this scenario of divisions and personal interests give the Maduro government a chance to seize votes from the opposition, or face a high level of abstention. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 13:39:11|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close KABUL, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 insurgents were killed during the airstrikes conducted by Afghan air forces in Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan on Saturday, the defense ministry said in a statement on Sunday. "The air forces targeted the convoy of militants in Imam Sahib district of Kunduz province Saturday evening, killing at least 12 insurgents," said the statement, adding a vehicle used by militants was also destroyed. Taliban militants haven't commented on the report so far. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 13:54:15|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close KABUL, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Two Taliban bomb makers have been arrested in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar, the command of Afghan Special Forces said Sunday. "Taliban bomb makers Fida Mohammad and Mullah Manan were arrested after security forces launched a search operation in Ali Baba village, Daman district, Kandahar province on Thursday night," Operational Coordination Group Afghanistan (MoD-OCGA) said in a statement. The captured men were responsible for making roadside bombs and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and the security forces also seized huge amount of cash after the operation. The raid was the latest raids against the insurgency, its supply lines and Taliban's mid-level command structure. Taliban militants use home-made IEDs or roadside bombs and suicide bombers in their attacks which also inflicts casualties on civilians. On Wednesday, five policemen were killed in an IED explosion in Nari district of eastern Kunar province. The militant group has yet to make comments on the report. (SEATTLE) A Washington state man who bilked investors out of more than $100 million in a Ponzi scheme has escaped from a federal prison in central California, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Prison officials said Frederick Darren Berg, 55, was discovered missing Wednesday from a minimum-security work camp next to a penitentiary in Atwater, California, The Seattle Times reported. Berg in 2012 was sentenced in federal court in Seattle to 18 years after pleading guilty to wire fraud, money laundering and bankruptcy fraud. Prosecutors said at the time that it was the largest fraud scheme they had prosecuted in Western Washington. Berg used investment funds from his company, Meridian Group, to buy two Lear jets, several yachts and million-dollar condos and homes in Washington state and California over the course of a decade, federal prosecutors have said. They said that between 2001 and 2009, Berg used more than $100 million in funds from over 800 investors for his own benefit and to keep his investment fraud scheme going. He used investor money to pay off the loans of earlier investors in order to continue his scheme to defraud, court records show. FBI agents said when he was sentenced that Berg took advantage of hopeful investors, many senior citizens, and that many suffered emotional and financial pain because of his fraud. His defense attorneys said in court papers that Berg wanted to resolve this case and take full responsibility for his actions. Berg was arrested in 2010 in Los Angeles. Ms Trump spoke out to a group of youngsters during a visit to the Childrens National hospital in Washington DC: AP Melania Trump has said she would like to spend Christmas on a deserted island as she gears up for her first festive holiday with her husband Donald at the helm of the White House. The First Lady revealed that the remote location in the tropics would be her ideal place to be this Yuletide when asked where she would wish to spend the time if she had a choice. But she will spend it as usual with her family, and their tradition was to go to church on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as well as open presents and have dinner together. The Trumps will pass the holiday amid growing headaches for the US president, who has been fighting off claims over links between his election campaign and Russia. Ms Trump spoke to an audience of youngsters in a visit to the Childrens National hospital in Washington DC. Andy, 10, drew laughter when she asked the First Lady where she would pass the festive season if she had a choice of going anywhere in the world. I would spend my holidays on a deserted island, tropical island with my family, said Ms Trump, USA Today reported. She went on to detail how the First Family will be spending Christmas. They have dinner together on Christmas Eve before going to a midnight Mass or a service on Christmas Day, followed by another family meal. Ms Trump insisted only healthy food was on her menu, saying: You feel very good after. Not too much eating. She added: On the 25th, Santa comes. We open the presents and spend time together. She was clear what her ideal present would be and it wasn't the kind to come wrapped up in a box. I asked Santa for Christmas, uh, peace on the world, health, love and kindness." Ms Trump later tweeted that she had fielded fun questions from the youngsters. It came as a Slovenian magazine apologised to Ms Trump for suggesting she had worked as a high-class escort while pursuing her international modelling career, and said it is paying her compensation. The Suzy women's magazine said that it published an article in August 2016 in which it said Ms Trump in the past worked for a fashion agency that also offers an "elite escort" service. Story continues It said the article "was understood as if Melania Trump conducted the escort job. We have no proof for that. So we apologize. We had no intention to hurt and offend Mrs. Trump". Ms Trump had filed a libel lawsuit against the magazine through her Slovenian lawyer. North Korean soldiers attend a mass rally to celebrate the North's declaration on 29 November it had achieved full nuclear statehood: Getty 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. 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. 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. 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. Story continues 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. North Korea reignited its feud with President Donald Trump on Saturday. A spokesman for the pariah states foreign ministry issued a strong condemnation of Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, a move which has been widely criticized by world leaders. The ministry called Trumps decision reckless and wicked in a statement released on state media, per the AFP news agency. It also renewed its description of Trump as a mentally deranged dotard, which North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un called Trump in a statement released earlier this year. This move clearly shows to the whole world who is the destroyer of world peace and security, pariah and rogue in the international community, the spokesman added. Merriam-Webster defines a dotard as someone in his or her dotage. It defines dotage as a state or period of senile decay marked by decline of mental poise and alertness. Dictionary searches for the term rose dramatically after Kim first used it in September. Trump has repeatedly engaged in a war of words with North Korean officials in recent months. At the United Nations General Assembly in September, he threatened to totally destroy North Korea and called its leader Rocket Man. The U.S. president has yet to respond to the latest insult. Related Coverage South Korea Proposes Military Talks With North Korea On July 21 14 Chilling Photos Of The Difference Between North Korea And South Korea South Korea Explores Possible Military Option After North Korea Missile Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - 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 on Saturday. "There will be no meeting with the vice president of America in Palestine," diplomatic adviser Majdi al-Khaldi told AFP. "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 this month 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. Jibril Rajoub, a senior member of Abbas's Fatah party, told AFP 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. A Palestinian youth in Jerusalem's Old City - AFP Donald Trumps hopes of brokering an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal were fraying as the Palestinian president announced he would refuse to meet the US vice president in protest at the White Houses decision on Jerusalem. An aide to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, said he was cancelling a meeting with Mike Pence, the US vice president, because America had crossed all the red lines with the Jerusalem decision. "There will be no meeting with the vice president of America in Palestine, said Majd al-Khalidi, a diplomatic advisor. The snub is in the first time in memory that Mr Abbas, a political moderate who is committed to non-violence and to a two-state solution, has refused to meet with a senior American leader. The head of Egypt's Coptic Church, head Pope Tawadros II, and a leading Egyptian Muslim cleric also cancelled meeting with Mr Pence in Cairo in protest at Washington's decision. Two Hamas fighters were killed by an Israeli airstrike carried out early Saturday and launched in response to rockets fired into Israel from Gaza. Two Palestinian men in Gaza were shot dead by Israeli troops on Friday during protests. Palestinian demonstrators also clashed with Israeli police in Jerusalem on Saturday on the third consecutive day of unrest since Mr Trumps announcement the US was recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital. Despite the violence, Jared Kushner is gambling that the fall out from the decision will be brief and he can still present his much vaunted plan to secure the "ultimate peace deal" early in the new year. Mr Kushner believes that protests would dissipate and after a "cooling off period" the way would be clear for negotiations, according to Politico. Some suggested President Donald Trump's decision this week to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, and to move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, had trampled on Mr Kushner's fledgling efforts at a peace process. Story continues Jared Kushner is said to believe that the storm over Mr Trump's decision will blow over Credit: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais But advisers to the president's son-in-law indicated he had in fact been the key person pushing for the move. Amid the internal rivalries of the White House the dramatic shift in US policy represented a short-term victory for Mr Kushner over Rex Tillerson, the Secretary of State. Those close to Mr Kushner indicated he accepted the stakes and knew if he was right, and the embassy move had no long term impact on the peace process, then he would be a "hero," but if he was wrong he may be doomed". Mr Kushner, 36, who is being called the "de facto ambassador to Israel and the Palestinians" by administration insiders, was said to have "poured his heart and soul" into peace efforts in recent months. Speaking days before the decision to move the embassy, in a rare public appearance in Washington, he admitted: "You see a lot of reasons why this deal could go south very quickly, and theres a ton of distractions that come up. "My team deals every month with maybe three or four different issues that will come up, and everyone says 'This is the end of it if it doesn't work." As violent protests erupted in the Middle East Mr Tillerson was markedly less enthusiastic about the embassy move. Palestinians gather around a militant target that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip Credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem Speaking in Paris, he said: "This will take some time. We have to acquire a site, we have to develop building plans, construction plans, ensure we get the authorisations, and then actually build an embassy. "So this is not something thats going to happen this year, probably not next year." Asked if the US accepted that part of Jerusalem falls under Palestinian control, he said the president's comments "did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem. Mr Kushner is said to have become increasingly determined to make bold moves in the Middle East as his wide ranging portfolio and role in the White House has been reined in by chief of staff John Kelly, and his name has increasingly been dragged into the Russia investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller. He is said to see it as the issue where he can break though with a major achievement. The decision to move the embassy earned favour with with pro-Israel Republican donors like the casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson. Profile | Mahmoud Abbas The Republican Jewish Congress, funded by Mr Adelson, published a full-page advertisement in The New York Times which read: "President Trump: You Promised. You Delivered. Mr Kushner's gamble reportedly followed pressure from Mr Trump for options two weeks ago as he considered whether to sign a waiver which would put off moving the embassy. The waiver has been signed by US presidents every six months for two decades. Those backing Mr Kushner's move were also convinced that regional concerns about containing Iran would override consternation at the embassy shifting to Jerusalem. But former Middle East negotiator Aaron David Miller said: "The problem is we just don't know what the Trump Administration's peace process strategy is. And in the absence of a coherent one the Jerusalem gambit appears to be a one-off. "It is likely to be far more trouble than it's worth, adding another layer of complication to a peace process that already faces long odds." Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 13:59:19|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close KABUL, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- At least five insurgents were killed and three others injured during the Afghan forces airstrikes in Helmand province, south of Afghanistan on Saturday, the defense ministry said in a statement on Sunday. "Afghan air forces targeted the hideouts of militants in Sangin district of Helmand province on Saturday, killing five militants and injuring three others," the statement said. During the raids, eight hideouts of militants and ammunition cache were completely destroyed, the statement added. Taliban militants have yet to make comment. By Pawel Sobczak WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish lawmakers approved an overhaul of the judiciary on Friday, giving parliament de facto control over the selection of judges in defiance of the European Union. The legislation, if agreed by the Senate and President Andrzej Duda, will heighten tensions with the EU which has threatened legal action over proposed reform that it says will subvert the rule of law. The eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) party, which holds a majority in parliament, argues the judiciary needs to be changed to repair a corrupt system and make courts more efficient. The EU says giving politicians a say in appointing judges will threaten the impartiality of the courts. Critics of the deeply conservative government see the proposed reforms as part of a broader shift toward authoritarianism by the deeply conservative government. The EU is also at loggerheads with the PiS over migration policy, logging in an ancient forest in Poland and the government's efforts to take control of other state institutions such as public media. A panel of constitutional law experts of the Council of Europe human rights body said on Friday the proposed reforms imperiled all parts of the judiciary and would "lead to a far reaching politicization of this body". Under the legislation, heavily supported by PiS lawmakers, parliament would have a virtual free hand in choosing members of the National Judiciary Council (KRS), a powerful body that decides judicial appointments and promotions which was a right earlier reserved chiefly for the judges themselves. A second bill, also approved, envisages lowering the mandatory retirement age for Supreme Court judges to 65 years from 70, which would force a significant part of them to leave. "We are moving forward with reforms of the justice system, and the Supreme Court reform is an element of this process," said Pawel Mucha, an adviser to Duda. The KRS has repeatedly voiced its opposition to the plans. Spokesman Waldemar Zurek said: "In my opinion, these changes will hurt the citizens because politicization of courts means that no citizen will be assured that a judge presiding over a case isn't being influenced by politicians." Despite criticism abroad as well, the PiS government remains one of Poland's most popular governments since the 1989 collapse of communism, because of low unemployment, generous public spending and its adherence to traditional Catholic values. Friday's votes came a day after the PiS sacked its prime minister, Beata Szydlo, and replaced her with Finance Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, a loyalist of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the party leader and Poland's paramount politician. Morawiecki told Trwam television on Friday his priorities would be economic development, social cohesion, fighting tax evasion and an improvement of Poland's reputation abroad. Analysts said the changeover was spurred by Kaczynski's desire to quell infighting within the cabinet and put more emphasis on economic policy as the party faces three consecutive years of elections. A local ballot is held next year, a parliamentary vote in 2019 and a presidential election in 2020. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly and Pawel Sobczak; Additional reporting by Marcin Goettig; Editing by Richard Balmforth) The Puerto Rican government's official Hurricane Maria death toll stands at 62. (Photo: Mario Tama via Getty Images) For months, interviews with funeral home directors and morgues have cast doubt on the accuracy of the official death count in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. The New York Times weighed in with a new data analysis on Friday. The newspaper said it reviewed the daily mortality data from the Demographic Registry of Puerto Rico and found that 1,052 more people than usual died on the island during the 42 days after the hurricane devastated the U.S. territory on Sept. 20. The Puerto Rican governments official death count stands at 62. The Times said it calculated the figure by comparing the number of deaths for each day in 2017 with the average number of deaths on the same day in 2015 and 2016. The report noted that data for October has yet to be completed, with the islands lack of power delaying record-keeping, and that the number of deaths in that month is expected to increase. Before the hurricane, I had an average of 82 deaths daily. That changes from Sept. 20 to 30th. Now I have an average of 118 deaths daily, the director of the Demographic Registry in Puerto Rico, Wanda Llovet, told the Times in mid-November. She told the newspaper this week that both figures have risen by one. HuffPost reached out to the government agency charged with monitoring the official death toll, Puerto Ricos Department of Public Safety, for comment on the data but did not hear back at the time of publication. Vox published similar findings in November regarding Puerto Ricos death toll based on data analyzed by Alexis Santos, a Puerto Rican demographer at Penn State, and Jeffrey Howard, an independent health scientist and epidemiologist. The researchers used a similar methodology to the Times study, calculating average monthly deaths from 2010 through 2016 from the Puerto Rico Vital Statistics System and comparing the historical averages with total number of deaths in September and October 2017 reported by the Department of Public Safety. Story continues Santos and Howard concluded in their study, which has not been peer-reviewed, that the actual death count may be around 1,085. The New York Times offers the most recent comprehensive analysis of data regarding Hurricane Marias overall death toll in Puerto Rico. But separate investigations by the Center for Investigative Journalism (CPI), BuzzFeed and CNN had previously reported that the official death count was likely much higher. The CPI reported Thursday that new information obtained by the center via the islands Demographic Registry showed at least 985 more people died in the 40 days after Maria compared with the number of deaths during that same period in 2016. We have realized with this process [from Hurricane Maria] that there is a need to strengthen the documentation of the causes of death and the circumstances surrounding the causes of death that have caused this issue. That has to be documented, demographer Jose A. Lopez at the Demographic Registry told the CPI. In November, CNN reported that it surveyed 112 Puerto Rican funeral homes and were told 499 deaths, from Sept. 20 to Oct. 19, were connected to Marias aftermath. BuzzFeed spoke to funeral homes, crematoriums and hospitals on the island in October and found that more than 900 bodies had been authorized for cremation since Maria without being physical examined for possible links to the hurricane. Secretary Hector Pesquera of Puerto Ricos Department of Public Safety responded to BuzzFeeds findings in statement to HuffPost. The Institute of Forensic Science must, by law, authorize all of the cremations that are solicited by relatives of the deceased, Pesquera explained in a Spanish-language statement, translated by HuffPost, at the time. In this process, various documents are analyzed, among them the death certificate, proof of death, the medical summary or the document that certifies and shows the circumstances of the death. Also on HuffPost Maria Lopez cries while walking from her house that was flooded after the passage of Hurricane Maria, in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, on September 22, 2017. Puerto Rico battled dangerous floods Friday after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, as rescuers raced against time to reach residents trapped in their homes and the death toll climbed to 33. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello called Maria the most devastating storm in a century after it destroyed the US territory's electricity and telecommunications infrastructure. / AFP PHOTO / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images) Loiza, PUERTO RICO SEPTEMBER 22: Aerial photo of the floadings in the costal town of Loiza, in the north shore of Puerto RicoHurricane Maria passed through Puerto Rico leaving behind a path of destruction across the national territory. (Photo by Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The Washington Post via Getty Images) HAYALES DE COAMO, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 24: Karlian Mercado, 7, rests on the rubble that remains of her family's home after it was blown away by Hurricane Maria as it passed through the area on September 24, 2017 in Hayales de Coamo, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico experienced widespread damage after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Irma Torres poses for a picture at her damaged house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins Local residents react while they look at the water flowing over the road at the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins A man looks at damages on his flooded house, close to the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins A man sits in a wheelchair next to washing machines at a shelter after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. Picture taken September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez LOIZA, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 22: A resident wades through flood water days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, on September 22, 2017 in Loiza, Puerto Rico. Many on the island have lost power, running water, and cell phone service after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images) People stay at the roof of a damaged house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY PUERTO RICO SEPTEMBER 23: A devastated house in Morovis Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria passed through Puerto Rico leaving behind a path of destruction across the national territory. (Photo by Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The Washington Post via Getty Images) SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 22: Residents line up for gasoline days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, on September 22, 2017 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Many on the island have lost power, running water, and cell phone service after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images) A car submerged in flood waters is seen close to the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY A resident lay on a cot inside a shelter after being evacuated from a home near the damaged Guajataca Dam after Hurricane Maria in Isabella, Puerto Rico, on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. Amid their struggles to recover fromiHurricaneiMaria, some Puerto Rico residents found it befuddling that President Donald Trump fired off a number of Twitter rants about professional athletes on Saturday -- yet made no mention of their dire situation. Photographer: Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images People stop on a highway near a mobile phone antenna tower to check for mobile phone signal, after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria, in Dorado, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. Picture taken September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez A dead horse is seen next to a road after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins An aerial view shows the flooded neighbourhood of Juana Matos in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Catano, Puerto Rico, on September 22, 2017. Puerto Rico battled dangerous floods Friday after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, as rescuers raced against time to reach residents trapped in their homes and the death toll climbed to 33. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello called Maria the most devastating storm in a century after it destroyed the US territory's electricity and telecommunications infrastructure. / AFP PHOTO / Ricardo ARDUENGO (Photo credit should read RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP/Getty Images) Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Sabetta (Russia) (AFP) - President Vladimir Putin on Friday launched a $27 billion liquefied natural gas plant in the snow-covered plains of the Arctic as Russia hopes to surpass Qatar to become the world's biggest exporter of the chilled fuel. The Russian president congratulated workers as he oversaw the first gas shipment being loaded onto an icebreaking tanker from a LNG plant amid minus 28 degrees Celsius (minus 18 degrees Fahrenheit) weather in the port of Sabetta on the Yamal Peninsula above the Arctic Circle. "This is a large-scale project for Russia," Putin said. "At the start of the project, people told me not to pursue this. Those who started this project took a risk but achieved a result." Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih and other top officials were present for the occasion. For the project, Russia's privately owned gas producer Novatek partnered with France's Total and China's CNPC. Qatar is currently the world's biggest LNG exporter. Russia, the world's biggest gas exporter, derives a huge share of income from pipeline deliveries to Europe. With the Yamal LNG facility Russia intends to strengthen its market presence in Asia and demonstrate its capacity to exploit huge Arctic reserves despite major technological challenges. - 'On time and on budget' - Dmitry Monakov, the project's first deputy director, said that producing LNG in permafrost was easier than in warmer climes, an apparent dig at countries like Qatar. "Nature itself helps us to more effectively liquify gas with the help of such low temperatures," he told AFP, adding that the plant effectively sat on a gas field so transportation costs were low. Patrick Pouyanne, Total chairman and CEO, praised the project's "remarkably low upstream costs". "Together we managed to build from scratch a world-class LNG project in extreme conditions to exploit the vast gas resources of the Yamal peninsula," he was quoted as saying in a company statement. Story continues The tanker carrying the first LNG cargo is named after Christophe de Margerie, a former Total CEO who died in an accident on a runway of a Moscow airport in 2014. White whiskers have been painted on it in honour of the late CEO, who was known for his white bushy moustache. The tanker would most likely leave tomorrow morning towards China, Novatek CEO Leonid Mikhelson said in a press briefing late Friday. The site is operated by Yamal LNG company, owned by Novatek (50.1 percent), Total (20 percent), CNPC (20 percent) and Silk Road Fund (9.9 percent). The $27 billion (23 billion euro) project is set to start with a production capacity of 5.5 million tonnes per year and increase it to 16.5 million tonnes by the start of 2019. "Despite challenging operating conditions, Yamal LNG was delivered on time and on budget," said Samuel Lussac, an oil and gas specialist at Wood Mackenzie consultancy. "That is unusual in the LNG industry." "Novatek, once a domestic gas supplier, becomes a global LNG player" with the project, he added. - Risks remain - The project has had its share of financial and technical hurdles over the years. While the Yamal peninsula has huge hydrocarbon reserves, it is an isolated region above the Arctic Circle, about 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles) from Moscow and covered by ice for most of the year, with temperatures dipping as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit). Since its inception in late 2013, an airport and a port have had to be constructed, as well as gas reservoirs and the LNG plant itself. Securing financing for the project was tricky. US sanctions against Novatek made it virtually impossible to borrow from Western banks, and Chinese partners eventually stepped in to resolve the issue. Despite the project's completion, Yamal LNG still faces risks, analysts said. Lussac of Wood Mackenzie said that the coming months will show "whether the plant can operate smoothly in the harsh Arctic environment". Transportation through the Northern Sea Route also remains undeveloped, and "its feasibility as a major LNG delivery route is unclear", he added. Russia hopes the route will become an easier path to coveted Asian markets. The route along the northern coast of Siberia allows ships to cut the journey to Asian ports by 15 days compared with the conventional route through the Suez Canal, according to Total. Doha (AFP) - Qatar signed a multi-billion-dollar deal Sunday to buy 24 Typhoon fighters from Britain, its second major defence agreement this week, which comes during the worst political crisis in the region for years. The $8-billion (6.8-billion-euro) deal was signed in Doha by Qatar's Defence Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah and his British counterpart, Gavin Williamson. Williamson said it was the biggest order for Typhoons in a decade, and it follows a billion-dollar deal signed by Qatar on December 7 to buy 12 French Dassault Aviation warplanes. "These formidable jets will boost the Qatari military's mission to tackle the challenges we both share in the Middle East, supporting stability in the region and delivering security at home," said the British minister. The deal also includes an intention for Qatar to buy further military equipment from Britain, namely the purchase of Hawk aircraft. A memorandum of understanding was signed by the two countries for this Typhoon contract in September. Qatar is the ninth country to sign a deal for Typhoon jets, said London. A statement from Qatar's armed forces said the two ministers also signed an "agreement for building up a Joint Operational Squadron" between the two countries' air forces to provide security during the 2022 football World Cup, which the Gulf state will host. Sunday's deal comes at a politically sensitive time for both countries. There are heightened tensions in the Gulf, where a Saudi-led boycott of Qatar is in its seventh month. Since June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have diplomatically isolated Qatar, accusing the emirate of supporting Islamist extremists and of being too close to Shiite Iran, Riyadh's arch-rival. The four countries also cut off all air and sea links to Qatar. Qatar denies the allegations and has accused the Saudi-led bloc of aiming to incite regime change in Doha. It is the latest agreement in a growing list of defence deals signed by Qatar since the crisis erupted. Story continues Doha has also struck deals with the US and Italy as well as France. The agreement signed with France last week also included letter of intent to buy 490 VBCI armoured vehicles from Nexter, a French government-owned weapons manufacturer, in a potential deal worth 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion), the French presidency said. For Britain, the deal is notable as well as it searches for major global trade deals during negotiations for its withdrawal from the European Union as Brexit talks continue. After reaching an initial agreement last Friday on post-Brexit arrangements for citizens' rights and the Irish border, London is now set to begin talks with Brussels on a future trade deal for when Britain is scheduled to leave the EU in 2019. Tehran (AFP) - Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday, wrapping up a visit in which he pushed for the release of imprisoned dual nationals. A key focus of Johnson's visit had been the case of British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is serving five years for taking part in mass protests in 2009, which she denies. She was due in court on Sunday for fresh charges of "spreading propaganda", but her husband announced that the appearance had been cancelled at the last minute. "Nazanin's case was not held today in the wake of the foreign secretary's visit. This is undoubtedly a good sign," Richard Ratcliffe wrote in an email to reporters. He said Johnson met with her family in Iran and raised the issue in every meeting with the Iranians. The foreign secretary took flak from Iranian officials for not doing more to build on the nuclear deal signed with world powers in 2015. "Relations between the two countries have not matched the potential expected in the post-JCPOA (nuclear deal) atmosphere," Rouhani told Johnson, according to a statement from his office. There was similar criticism from the powerful parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, who met with Johnson on Saturday and said other European countries had put in "much more effort". "You haven't even solved the banking problems of the Iranian embassy in London," Larijani said, according to the IRNA news agency. The British foreign office said the two sides had discussed "the full range of regional and bilateral issues, including banking matters and our concerns about the consular cases of dual nationals". "It has been a worthwhile visit and we leave with a sense that both sides want to keep up the momentum to resolve the difficult issues," it said in a statement. The Zaghari-Ratcliffe case has become a top priority for Johnson after he mistakenly said last month that she had been training journalists in Iran -- a "slip of the tongue" used by the Iranian authorities to help justify the new charges. Story continues Iran has been frustrated that the nuclear deal, which lifted sanctions in exchange for curbs to its nuclear programme, has not produced the expected windfall in trade deals -- mainly due to continuing US sanctions. Banking restrictions have also complicated long-running efforts to return an estimated 450 million pounds ($600 million) owed by Britain from a military contract cancelled due to the 1979 Islamic revolution. Richard Ratcliffe has claimed his wife is a pawn in Iran's efforts to extract the historic debt. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 15:34:38|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close by Raheela Nazir ISLAMABAD, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Doctors and officials in Pakistan recently urged the society to be aware of the increasing numbers of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) infection cases as new data released showed that HIV/AIDS infection cases were increasing across the country in 2017. An estimated 133,000 people in Pakistan are living with HIV positive, according to the latest statistics released by National AIDS Control Program (NACP), adding that as many as 21,129 new cases reported across the country in 2017 and some 9,000 died of HIV in Pakistan this year. The report titled "Integrated Biological and Behavioral Surveillance in Pakistan 2016-17" said that though the number of new HIV cases has declined globally over the past decade, Pakistan remains one of the few countries to witness an increase in the number of cases. Despite many efforts, the HIV infection rate has increased significantly over the past few years, said Baseer Khan Achakzai, the national program manager of NACP. "However, we can control AIDS by raising awareness about causes, symptoms, and prevention of this disease among the public," he said, "Instead of stigmatizing or getting afraid of AIDS, it is important to see a doctor and get treatment." The Pakistan's Federal Ministry of Health initiated the NACP in 1987 for effective control of the epidemic. The organization is working on HIV testing and counseling, surveillance and treatment, care and support services and data collection across the country. Rizwan Qazi, head of HIV/AIDS Department at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital (PIMS), told Xinhua that the center for treatment and prevention at the hospital had registered a total of 2,834 patients with HIV positive and AIDS from 2005-2017. The Islamabad-based hospital registered as many as 322 patients with HIV and AIDS positive in 2015, 335 patients in 2016, whereas in 2017 the center has registered 207 patients so far, according to Qazi. Deputy Director of PIMS Waseem Ahmed Khawaja said AIDS is still one of the greatest public health challenges faced by low and middle-income countries. Khawaja said social stigma is still the biggest hurdle for a number of patients to have treatment of HIV and AIDS which is alarming. "In Pakistan, HIV is still a taboo that leads to discrimination. The patient would become an outcast when he socially disclosed that he is suffering from the deadly disease." Limited surveillance, voluntary counseling and testing systems, lack of knowledge among the general population and health practitioners over AIDS should be aware of by the government and related authorities in Pakistan, according to Khawaja. Minister for National Health Services Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar vowed recently that the government of Pakistan supported and committed bold strategies aimed at ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030. "We recognize the potentially devastated consequences of the rapid spread of HIV and AIDS on social, cultural, economic and development prospects in context of Sustainable Development Goals," Tarar said on the eve of World AIDS Day 2017 marked on Dec. 1 in the country and worldwide. Moore, who leads Democrat Doug Jones in the polls before Tuesdays Senate election in Alabama, spoke to Guardian reporter Paul Lewis in August As election day in Alabama draws near, a video of controversial Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore telling a Guardian reporter maybe Putin is right to condemn same-sex marriage has been widely shared online. The video was shared by CNN, which was itself targeted by Donald Trump on Friday night at a rally in Pensacola, Florida and on Twitter on Saturday morning. At the rally and on Twitter the president urged supporters to vote for Moore against his Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, on Tuesday. In the realclearpolitics.com average of polls on Saturday, Moore was ahead of Jones by 2.3 percentage points. Moore has been dogged by accusations which he denies of sexual misconduct with teenaged girls, the youngest of them 14 and when he was in his 30s. On Friday an admission by one accuser that she had annotated what she says is Moores signature in her 1977 high-school yearbook prompted controversy and a stinging attack by Trump. In the Guardian video, made during the Alabama Republican primary last summer as part of the Anywhere but Washington series, Moore is asked about his support, as a hard-line Christian conservative, for Trump, a hard-living New York billionaire who has been married three times, accused of sexual misconduct by a number of women accusations he denies and settled criminal cases. Asked by reporter Paul Lewis how many of the Ten Commandments he thinks Trump has broken, Moore says: You might have to ask him but I wouldnt know. Asked who would, he answers: God. I dont [have that channel of communication] either so I couldnt answer the question. How many commandments did David in the Bible break? You reckon? He put him king. So I think God knows the heart of men. Everyone else says its the Russians [put Trump in the White House], I think it was the providential hand of God. I think it was by providence that he was placed there, yes. Story continues Aides to Trump have come under scrutiny in special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. US intelligence agencies believe such meddling was meant to tilt the contest against Hillary Clinton and in favour of Trump. Two campaign aides, Michael Flynn and George Papadopoulos, have pleaded guilty to felony charges. Two more, Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, have been indicted and pleaded not guilty. Trump has nonetheless spoken favourably of Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. What, Moore is asked in the Guardian video, would the great Republican president Ronald Reagan think of such proximity between an American president and his Russian counterpart? You know, Moore says, one thing Ive learned in politics is not to think for somebody else. And to suss what Ronald Reagan would think, I just couldnt simply begin. Told that Reagan said Russia was the focus of evil in the modern world, Moore answers: You could say that very well about America, couldnt you? Well, we promote a lot of bad things, you know? Asked for an example, he says: Same-sex marriage. Moore has been removed from the Alabama supreme court twice first for refusing to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments he erected outside the court building and then for refusing to follow the US supreme court and make same-sex marriage the law of the land. To the suggestion thats the very argument that Vladimir Putin makes about same-sex marriage, Moore tells Lewis: Well, then maybe Putin is right. Maybe hes more akin to me than I know. Asked what he would say to Putin should he meet him, Moore says hello, how are you in Russian. I studied Russian at one time, he says, laughing, at the United States military academy at West Point. And thats about all I could say to him. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Pensacola, Florida (AP Photo/Jonathan Bachman) Just four days before a crucial special election for a US Senate seat in Alabama, President Donald Trump has again told Alabamans 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. 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. Story continues 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. MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Saturday it was fully committed to a Cold War-era pact with the United States banning intermediate-range cruise missiles, a day after Washington accused Moscow of violating the treaty. The U.S. State Department said on Friday Washington was reviewing military options, including new intermediate-range cruise missile systems, in response to what it said was Russia's ongoing violation of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The warning was the first response by President Donald Trump's administration to U.S. charges first leveled in 2014 that Russia had deployed a ground-launched cruise missile that breaches the pact's ban on testing and fielding missiles with ranges of 500-5,500 kms (310-3,417 miles). Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said those allegations were "absolutely unfounded". "They are not supported by the technical characteristics of the launch installation which allegedly does not comply with the treaty, or by flight telemetry data. Nothing. And it is understandable why - because it simply does not exist," he said in written comments published by the foreign ministry. Echoing previous Russian statements, Ryabkov said Moscow was fully committed to the treaty, had always rigorously complied with it, and was prepared to continue doing so. "However, if the other side stops following it, we will be forced, as President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has already said, to respond in kind," he added. The U.S. allegation has further strained relations between Moscow and Washington, and the State Department on Friday hinted at possible economic sanctions over the issue. Washington has already sanctioned Russian entities and individuals, including people close to Putin, for Moscow's 2014 seizure of Crimea from Ukraine and its alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied interfering in the election. Ryabkov said the "attempts to frighten us with sanctions" were laughable. "It's time for American politicians and diplomats to understand that economic and military pressure on Russia will not work," he said. (This version of the story has been refiled to clarify in paragraph 2 that it is U.S. administration, not State Department, reviewing military options) (Reporting by Jack Stubbs; Editing by Gareth Jones) Locally windy conditions will keep the fire danger elevated across Southern California through Thursday as air quality concerns mount. The strongest and most prolonged Santa Ana wind event so far this season fanned the massive blazes that have forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate, killed dozens of horses and destroyed more than 800 buildings. One death has been linked to the firestorm, according to the Associated Press. A 70-year-old woman was found dead in a crashed vehicle along an evacuation route in Santa Paula. After increasing over the weekend, the Santa Ana winds have lessened some. However, locally windy to breezy conditions will continue to buffet the mountains and some canyon locations Monday into Thursday. The late-night and morning hours will be the windiest times of the day. California fire Dec 10 In this early morning Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017 photo released by Santa Barbara County Fire Department, firefighters working on structure protection, keep a close eye on nearby flames atop Shepard Mesa Road in Carpinteria, California. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP) While the fire danger will not be as extreme, any gusty winds can fan sparks into new fires and delay crews from getting total control of existing blazes. Residents in the most wind-prone areas should continue to use extreme care with cigarette butts and equipment that produces sparks. "Rain-free weather will continue, along with very low humidity," AccuWeather Meteorologist Faith Eherts stated in regards to other conditions that will work against firefighting efforts. Firefighters are currently battling five large blazes across Southern California. SoCal wind Dec 11 A reduction in the winds will prevent the smoke from streaming as far away from the fires as earlier in the week. However, smoke can become trapped in the valleys surrounding the fires where the wind totally calms. Health hazards, especially for the elderly and those with respiratory problems, will result due to poor air quality. Santa Ana winds are expected to finally cease by the end of this week with an increase in relatively humidity, meaning it will take longer for objects to burn, along the coast. By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters on Friday ) - U.S. 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. 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 8:41 p.m. and 9:11 p.m.", and "last saved at 9:12 p.m.". 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. Mueller also claimed in the filing that Manafort collaborated on the piece with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian to whom Mueller alluded in a filing earlier this week as having ties to Russian intelligence. The filing did not disclose how Mueller's team acquired the data, and Jason Maloni, a spokesman for Manafort, declined to comment on it. In the filing, Mueller's team argued that U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Amy Berman Jackson should deny a request by Manafort to lift his house arrest, saying the op-ed violated her gag order and demonstrated that he cannot be trusted. "Bail is fundamentally about trust," the filing said. "Even taken in the light most favorable to Manafort, this conduct shows little respect for this Court and a penchant for skirting (if not breaking) rules." Manafort's attorney Kevin Downing on Thursday denied that his client had violated the gag order, saying an article published in a Ukrainian newspaper would not substantially prejudice the case in the United States. [L1N1O72H6] Downing acknowledged in a filing on Thursday that Manafort had helped edit the piece, but said it was his client's First Amendment right to defend himself. He did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on Mueller's second filing. 'CARNIVAL ATMOSPHERE" Mueller's team responded to Downing's First Amendment argument by citing a Supreme Court case that found that free speech does not "disable a district court " from taking steps to protect cases that could be harmed by "the creation of a 'carnival atmosphere' in high profile cases." A federal grand jury indicted Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates in October as part of Muellers investigation into accusations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. Russia has denied any meddling and Trump has dismissed any suggestions of collusion. The charges against Manafort include conspiracy to launder money and failing to register as a foreign agent working on behalf of former pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovychs government, who was ousted in 2014. Manafort and Gates are under house arrest and electronic monitoring, but they have been negotiating to have those conditions lifted. All parties were ordered by the judge on Nov. 8 not to discuss the case in public or with the media in a way that could substantially prejudice a fair trial. Earlier this week, Mueller's team discovered the draft op-ed was in the works and ordered Manafort's lawyers to shut it down. It was published on Thursday under the byline of Oleg Voloshyn, a former spokesman for Ukraines foreign affairs ministry. [L1N1O71RK] On December 5, Voloshyn emailed the U.S. Embassy claiming credit for writing the piece and accusing Mueller of "deliberately twist(ing) the reality," according to an email in the filing. The article praised Manaforts work helping Ukraine secure better relations with the European Union and said he lobbied for pro-Western values, not Russian interests. Documents Mueller filed with the court showed that Gates and Manafort worked together in August and September of 2016 to craft "narratives" to deflect negative press about Manafort after his resignation from the campaign. "Need to beat back the idea that this was nefarious work," a document said. "Your efforts were in support and promotion of pro-democratic values around the world." The "narratives" also claimed that Manafort "never worked in Russia or for Russians," that his work was "centered on pro-Ukraine efforts to enter the EU," and that he "never took cash payments." Manafort and Gates are scheduled to appear in court on Monday for a status conference hearing, where the judge is likely to address the dispute. Earlier on Friday, Mueller revealed in another filing that his office has turned over more than 400,000 emails, financial records and other documents to Manafort's lawyers to demonstrate what evidence the government has against him ahead of a 2018 trial. In addition, they provided imaged copies of 36 electronic devices such as laptops, telephones and thumb drives, copies of 15 search or seizure warrants, and 2,000 so-called "hot" documents, or those that contain potentially crucial evidence. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Additional reporting by Warren Strobel; Editing by John Walcott, Toni Reinhold) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller unveiled a trove of documents on Friday showing what he said was "irrefutable evidence" that President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort violated a court gag order by ghost-writing an opinion piece designed to improve his public image. In a 41-page court filing, prosecutors provided emails, copies of documents tracking edits of the draft, and other materials they said proved that Manafort wrote a positive article about his political work in Ukraine. That opinion article, which was published on Thursday in an English-language Ukrainian newspaper, also closely tracked talking points that Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates created as far back as August 2016, when Manafort was forced to resign from the Trump campaign. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch in Washington) WASHINGTON The House Committee on Natural Resources has joined Interior Secretary Ryan Zinkes fight against Patagonia, accusing the American outdoor retailer of lying in order to sell merchandise. On Friday, the committee which is chaired by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) posted an image to Twitter that reads, Patagonia Is Lying To You ... A corporate giant hijacking our public lands debate to sell more products to wealthy elitist urban dwellers from New York to San Francisco. That the post comes from an official government account has raised both ethical and legal questions. Walter Shaub, the former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, said the federal government officially and publicly calling a company a liar for political reasons is a bizarre and dangerous departure from civic norms. Shaub also wrote that the attack on Patagonia sure looks a lot like a violation of House committee rules dealing with social media communication. When a federal government official publicly calls you a liar on an official social media account, without any due process whatsoever, the first thing you should do is call a lawyer. The second thing you should do is find out the name of the official who posted this tweet. https://t.co/0D7Doj6dkk Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) December 9, 2017 Here we go. The House committees handbook limits Committee social media communications much likeMember social media accounts. This attack on @patagonia sure looks a lot like a violation, Ben. https://t.co/1Ujw87irzA pic.twitter.com/cM1QdqJF3d Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) December 9, 2017 Patagonia has been a fierce critic of the Trump administrations monthslong review of protected national monuments. The company has joined a coalition thats suing to block the sweeping cuts that President Donald Trump made last week to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. Story continues After Trump signed a pair of proclamations to dismantle the protected Utah sites, Patagonia updated its home page with the words The President Stole Your Land. The post from Bishops committee closely resembles one earlier this week from Patagonia. This is the largest elimination of protected land in American history. Take Action: https://t.co/biZPxo7PHh#BearsEars pic.twitter.com/OqW9FHPk3Q Patagonia (@patagonia) December 4, 2017 In the days since Patagonia responded to Trumps move to gut the Utah monuments by a collective 2 million acres, Zinke has railed against the private company. Hes dismissed it as a special interest that makes its products in China, and told Fox Business on Friday that the company should focus on how to bring manufacturing back into the country instead of lying to the public about losing federal land. While its true that the land remains public and under federal control, withdrawing monument status opens the door for drilling, mining and other development. Along with its post to Twitter, the House committee sent out a newsletter Friday that some saw as a call for individuals to boycott the company. The email, posted to Twitter by David Feinman, the director of government relations for the Conservation Lands Foundation, contained the subject line: The Source (Patagonia: dont buy it). Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. fairly sure its a violation of House rules to use official resources to call for a boycott of a company. perhaps House Ethics should review. thoughts @NRDems, @RepRaulGrijalva? David Feinman (@davefeinman) December 8, 2017 In a response to Feinman, Ben Goldey, the committees digital director, said nobody is calling for a boycott. Nobody is calling for a boycott Ben Goldey (@BenGoldey) December 8, 2017 Committee spokeswoman Katie Schoettler echoed that message Saturday. Were not urging a boycott of Patagonia, she said in an email statement. Were calling on them to stop selling a false narrative and to refrain from distributing misleading statements. Both former government ethics director Shaub and Democrats on the Senate Committee on U.S. and National Resources urged the House committee to delete the post. As of Saturday afternoon it remained up. Goldey did not address Shaubs conclusion that the post violated committee rules, but wrote on Twitter, its clear we disagree with [Patagonias] statement that The President Stole Your Land. It's clear we disagree with their statement that "The President Stole Your Land." Feel free to email me for further comment. Ben Goldey (@BenGoldey) December 9, 2017 This story has been updated with a statement from the House Committee on Natural Resources. Also on HuffPost Basin and Range National Monument, Nevada Bears Ears National Monument, Utah Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, California Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Colorado Carrizo Plain National Monument, California Cascade Siskiyou National Monument, Oregon Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho Giant Sequoia National Monument, California Gold Butte National Monument, Nevada Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Arizona Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah Hanford Reach National Monument, Washington Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona Mojave Trails National Monument, California Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, New Mexico Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, New Mexico Sand to Snow National Monument, California San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, California Sonoran Desert National Monument, Arizona Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, Montana Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Maine Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands/Pacific Ocean Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, Atlantic Ocean Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, Pacific Ocean Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, Hawaii/Pacific Ocean Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, American Samoa/Pacific Ocean This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Kiev (AFP) - Thousands of people rallied Sunday in central Kiev to demand the release of detained former Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili and the impeachment of his rival, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Saakashvili, 49, who entered Ukrainian politics after serving as president of Georgia, was arrested last week in Kiev, accused of trying to stage a coup sponsored by Russia. "The authorities have crossed a red line. You don't put opponents in prison," said Saakashvili's wife, Sandra Roelofs, as marchers brandished anti-government and anti-corruption slogans as well as banners depicting Poroshenko behind bars. Saakashvili was president of Georgia from 2004 to 2013 but acquired Ukrainian nationality and served as a governor in Ukraine before falling out with Poroshenko. "I am very afraid that our government is about to collapse. Ukraine is headed for the abyss, the people are getting ever poorer. Corruption is everywhere and the authorities do nothing," one marcher, Nikolai Sharapa, 58, told AFP. Ukrainian security services arrested Saakashvili on Saturday following a botched attempt several days earlier when supporters swarmed the van where he was being held. On Saturday he said he was going on hunger strike in protest at his detention. "The doctor told us Mikheil Saakashvili is in a satisfactory state (of health) despite the hunger strike he has embarked upon," his lawyer Pavlo Bogomazov told AFP. Saakashvili is also wanted in his native Georgia for alleged abuse of power. He spearheaded a pro-Western "Rose Revolution" in the country in 2003 and fought a disastrous war with Russia five years later that eventually prompted him to flee the Caucasus nation. 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 before the two men fell out. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 15:49:41|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close BEIJING, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese securities regulator has approved five IPO applications this week, which will raise up to 2.4 billion yuan (about 362 million U.S. dollars) in the A-share market. Two companies will be listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, two on the small and medium enterprises board and one on the ChiNext at the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, according to the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). The firms and their underwriters will confirm dates and publish prospectuses following discussions with the exchanges. China has sought to normalize IPOs to improve financing efficiency and direct more money into the real economy since it suspended IPOs between July and November 2015. New shares are subject to official approval under the current IPO system, which is gradually moving to a more market-oriented system. Rabat (AFP) - Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Morocco's capital Rabat on Sunday as demonstrations against US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital continued to spread. Waving Palestinian flags, a sea of demonstrators marched from Rabat's Bab el-Had square to Morocco's parliament building, down Mohammed VI Avenue, the city's main thoroughfare. "Jerusalem, capital of Palestine!" read a banner carried by the protesters, who included families, Islamist sympathisers, trade unionists and local activists. "The Palestinian people have suffered so much and continue to suffer because of Israel's barbaric colonisation," said one of the protesters, 43-year-old Mustapha. "We must, more than ever, make our voices heard against this decision by Trump that will deprive the Palestinians of their land," said the lawyer from Casablanca, accompanied by his six-year-old daughter. Morocco's King Mohammed VI earlier expressed his "deep concern" over Trump's move, acting as head of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's Al-Quds Committee, which lobbies on issues related to Jerusalem. Trump's decision -- which upended decades of US diplomatic practice -- has drawn global condemnation, sparked demonstrations across the Muslim world and led to days of unrest in the Palestinian territories. Delanie Walker offered his support and Titans tickets to a bullied Tennessee boy. (AP) Video of bullied Tennessee boy Keaton Jones, whose emotional plea to his mother went viral, has caught the attention of some prominent area athletes, including Titans tight end Delanie Walker. Walker reached out to Jones and his mother on Twitter Saturday with words of encouragement from Buddah and an offer of tickets to a Titans game. Walker said that he hoped to raise awareness to bullying in schools. @DonteStallworth @Lakyn_Jones hopefully my video and the tweets that Keaton have been getting brings awareness to bullying and how serious it is in our school system pic.twitter.com/1Dujv3RxA5 Delanie walker (@delaniewalker82) December 9, 2017 Vols wide receiver Tyler Byrd also joined the #stopbullying campaign and made a promise to visit Keatons school next week in an effort to raise awareness. We going to the middle school next Tuesday show young Man some love we will also TWITTER LIVE some of it so everyone can show there love and support #vols #StopBullying @cboystunna3 @BroadwayJay2 @JKShuttlesworth @smithtrey98 Tyler Byrd (@D1fuzzymuffin17) December 9, 2017 The video below, in which Jones describes to his mother what happened to him at school asks why do they bully, whats the point of it? garnered more than 11 million views and 92,000 comments when it was shared on Facebook. A boat works to collect oil that has leaked from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead in the Gulf of Mexico: Getty 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. 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. Dina Powell, pictured with former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon, will quit the White House next year: Getty 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. 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. Jackson (United States) (AFP) - 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." Story continues 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." Twitter users have some travel advice for Melania Trump. During her visit to the Childrens National Hospital in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, a 10-year-old boy asked the first lady where shed most like to spend the festive period. I would spend my holidays on a deserted island, a tropical island with my family, she said. Tweeters pounced on the wisecrack, with many suggesting islands she could take President Donald Trump. But they werent exactly tropical ... Check out some of the best responses below: yeah, Antarctica M-Go Blue (@TLGNOB) December 7, 2017 @FLOTUS Please go.. we will happily buy your entire family a one way ticket Darlene Kelly (@Larue1262) December 8, 2017 It would be like a terrible episode of Gilligans Island Mr. T (@terranceleon) December 7, 2017 We would like that, and she can take her husband too! Sholeh Ira (@sholeh_7102) December 8, 2017 This isn't an answer. This is her escape plan. Matthew Gellert (@MatthewGellert) December 7, 2017 Is there a gofundme or something Roger Mexico (@roger_mexico) December 7, 2017 We can definitely built a sea wall around it. Denise Wu (@denisewu) December 8, 2017 Can we put her husband on one, too? Angela M Tant (@amtant1972) December 8, 2017 Related Coverage Someone Got Donald Trump's Face Sculpted Into Their Hair 'The Daily Show' Mocks Donald Trump For Not Having The Best Words Patton Oswalt Uses Icky Sauna Analogy To Describe Donald Trump Also on HuffPost Sophie Theallet Sophie Theallet ignited the conversation about dressing Melania Trump when she wrote an open letter in November 2016 refusing to do it -- and encouraging other designers to follow suit. As one who celebrates and strives for diversity, individual freedom, and respect for all lifestyles, I will not participate in dressing or associating in any way with the next first lady," she wrote. Tom Ford Tom Ford was refusing to dress Melania Trump even before she became first lady. Ford said on "The View" in December 2016 that he'd previously declined to dress Trump because she is "not necessarily my image," adding his belief that the first lady, no matter who she is, should wear clothing the American people can relate to. President-elect Donald Trump responded by claiming Ford was never asked to dress his wife. "I'm not a fan of Tom Ford," he said. Christian Siriano Although he originally said in December 2016 he would have to wait and "see how it goes" before making a decision about dressing Melania Trump, Siriano told Time in April 2017 he doesn't think he would dress the first lady. "She is representing whata happening politically and whats happening politically right now is not really good for anyone, he said. Zac Posen Posen said in March 2017 that he doesn't plan on dressing the first lady any time soon. "I'm staying away from bringing my brand into politics," he said, citing "issues that are being questioned that are fundamentally upsetting" to him including LGBT and women's rights. Marc Jacobs Marc Jacobs told WWD in November 2016 that he "has no interest whatsoever" in dressing the first lady, opting instead to put his "energy into helping out those who will be hurt by [Donald] Trump and his supporters." Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 15:54:42|Editor: Zhou Xin Video Player Close JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of Afghans came to streets in Jalalabad city, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province on Sunday, condemning U.S. President Donald Trump over the recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital. The protestors, besides burning the effigy of Trump and chanting anti-U.S. slogans, also called upon their government to review its diplomatic relations with Washington. President Trump, reportedly in a decree on Wednesday recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and ordered the State Department to shift its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. An award-winning U.S. diplomat who was seen as a rising star at the State Department has issued a scathing resignation letter, accusing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the Donald Trump administration of undercutting the State Department and damaging Americas influence in the world. Elizabeth Shackelford, who most recently served as a political officer based in Nairobi for the U.S. mission to Somalia, wrote to Tillerson that she reluctantly had decided to quit because the administration had abandoned human rights as a priority and shown disdain for the State Departments diplomatic work, according to her letter, obtained by Foreign Policy. I have deep respect for the career Foreign and Civil Service staff who, despite the stinging disrespect this Administration has shown our profession, continue the struggle to keep our foreign policy on the positive trajectory necessary to avert global disaster in increasingly dangerous times, Shackelford wrote in her Nov. 7 letter, which is published below. One phrase was redacted on Shackelfords request. 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Her former colleagues said her departure and the sentiments expressed in her letter reflect a wider exodus of midcareer diplomats who have lost confidence in Tillersons management and the Trump administrations approach toward diplomacy. Shes emblematic of what were losing across the board, said one of Shackelfords former State Department colleagues. She is the best among us. We should not be losing the best among us. And that should concern people that we are, the former colleague said. In her letter, Shackelford said she was leaving with a heavy heart as she recognized the potential of the State Departments mission. She said she was shocked when Tillerson appeared to cast doubt on the importance of human rights in remarks to department employees on May 3. The State Departments role in internal government debates also had diminished, she wrote, with the White House handing over authority to the Pentagon to shape the countrys foreign policy. Meanwhile, unfilled vacancies and proposed budget and staffing cuts had left the department adrift, with weakened influence inside the administration and on the ground, she wrote. The cost of this is visible every day in Mission Somalia, my current post, where States diplomatic influence, on the country and within our own interagency, is waning, she wrote. In the closing paragraph of her letter, Shackelford called on Tillerson to stem the bleeding by showing leadership and a commitment to our people, our mission, and our mandate as the foreign policy arm of the United States. If you are unable to do so effectively within this Administration, I would humbly recommend you follow me out the door. Shackelford was singled out as an especially promising diplomat and was selected for future senior leadership roles, which a veteran foreign service officer said was unusual at her age. Let me underscore that Lizzy Shackelford was one of the most promising officers and an exceptional leader in the Foreign Service, the senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told FP. An officer who makes it into the service and leaves because she was not supported means we must work harder to mentor, reform our system, and support outstanding officers like Lizzy. When asked about the criticisms in the letter, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said: We are not able to comment on the career choices of each person at the Department. However, I can say that the Secretary has made clear that his objective is to make the State Department more efficient, more effective, and for staff to have a much more rewarding and satisfying career, she added. Tillerson has faced a wave of criticism from lawmakers and former senior diplomats about what they say is the dismantling of the State Department amid a hemorrhaging of top talent, a hiring freeze, and plummeting morale. He has firmly rejected the criticism, insisting the media mischaracterizes the rate of those leaving the department and that his plan to redesign the State Department is employee-driven and prioritizes the staffs well-being. What its done, Tillerson said of the hiring freeze on Friday, was just a little bit of a blunt instrument to have everyone be a little more disciplined about filling their positions. But even his harshest critics say much of the blame for the troubled state of the foreign service rests with the president, who has shown an impatience with diplomacy and has often sidelined Tillerson. Shackelfords sentiments also reflect a long-held but growing concern among diplomats and experts that U.S. policy is increasingly dominated and shaped by the military, particularly in Africa. The Pentagon has expanded its footprint and operations on the continent with additional funding while the State Department and USAID face steep budget cuts and a dearth of ambassadors or top appointees in Washington. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a retired career diplomat and former assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said the U.S. military has a vital role to play in Africa and elsewhere but said the pendulum was swinging too far away from diplomacy. You cant just do military. You have to have the complement of diplomatic and development working alongside the military colleagues, she told FP. Somalia reflects a balance that clearly favors the military, as the State Department lacks the manpower and resources of its Pentagon counterparts. In recent months, the U.S. military has expanded its role with hundreds of troops and more strikes against al-Shabab militants, while diplomatic efforts have ebbed following the departure of U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Stephen Schwartz in October. The staff at the U.S. mission have repeatedly asked Washington for permission to meet Somali political leaders at Villa Somalia, the presidential residence, but the State Department has rejected the request on security grounds. U.S. military officers are able to meet Somali officials at the presidential palace, and other foreign diplomatic missions regularly visit the building for talks. Friday was Shackelfords last day as a foreign service officer after nearly eight years in the State Department. Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, the 38-year-old Shackelford graduated first in her class at the University of Pittsburgh Law School. She worked at a law firm, then the consulting company Booz Allen Hamilton on foreign aid projects before joining the foreign service in 2010. Shackelford distinguished herself in South Sudan for overseeing the evacuation of 1,000 Americans and other foreign nationals when violence erupted in Juba in December 2013. For her leadership skills and crisis planning in the evacuation effort, she received a department-wide Barbara M. Watson award for consular excellence. During her stint in South Sudan, Shackelford worked to document and focus attention on human rights abuses, according to those she worked with and a personal statement she submitted as part of an employee evaluation. She cultivated contacts with South Sudanese civil society organizations and met with victims and witnesses of atrocities committed in the countrys conflict. Convinced that there could be no lasting peace without coming to terms with crimes committed on both sides, she co-wrote a dissenting cable backed by some of her fellow diplomats making that argument. Her view was if we dont deal with accountability now, whatever peace thats achieved is going to be temporary, said another former colleague, who worked with her in Juba. She made it her mission to get human rights material out the door. Shackelford is not alone in accusing the Trump administration of backsliding on Americas support for human rights and democracy over the past ten months. Republican Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Ben Cardin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote a letter to the president on Friday accusing his administration of failing to assert Americas commitment to human rights. The lawmakers wrote that for much of the past year, our national voice on international human rights issues has been largely silent. But Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday that in a recent tour of Africa, he repeatedly raised human rights concerns with governments in Ethiopia and Sudan, saying it was a crucial element in the fight against terrorist threats. The United States continues to emphasize respect for human rights as a fundamental part of our counterterrorism strategy, Sullivan told lawmakers. Six months ago, when Shackelford began considering leaving the foreign service, her mentors and colleagues encouraged her to stay the course, telling her she had a promising career ahead of her and that the difficulties would pass, she told FP. But in a sign of plunging morale in the foreign service, when she spoke to those same colleagues two months ago about resigning, she got a much different response. It had completely changed to a person, she said. Nobody tried to talk me out of it. Everybody said, Yep, I get it. This article was updated on Dec. 10 with comment from a senior State Department official. Tehran (AFP) - 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. Story continues 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. Kiev (AFP) - 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. - Poroshenko vows fair trial - 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. Story continues 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." DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson held almost an hour of talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday after flying to Tehran to seek the release of a jailed British-Iranian aid worker. "Both spoke forthrightly about the obstacles in the relationship and agreed on the need to make progress in all areas," said a spokeswoman for Britain's Foreign Office after Johnson concluded what was only the third visit to Iran by a British foreign minister in the past 14 years. The Foreign Office confirmed Johnson had raised "consular cases of dual nationals" during talks. These cases include Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who Britain says was visiting family on holiday in April 2016 when she was jailed by Iran for attempting to overthrow the government. The woman's husband later told Sky News that a court appearance scheduled in Iran for Sunday had been postponed. "I think I am very optimistic today," Richard Ratcliffe said. He added that he hoped his wife would be home before Christmas but cautioned that there could still be setbacks. "Without doubt having the foreign secretary there was a big thing. Without doubt the court case not happening is a big thing. There may be a number of big things that have to happen before she's home, but ... as I sit here I am a lot more optimistic than I was." Iranian state television had reported that "bilateral relations, the nuclear deal and regional developments made up the axis of the talks", between the president and Johnson. TWO-DAY VISIT The case of Zaghari-Ratcliffe has taken on domestic political importance after Johnson said last month that she had been teaching journalists in Iran, which her employer denies. Johnson later apologized. Opponents have called for him to resign if his comments lead to her serving longer in prison. Johnson met Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization earlier on Sunday and had talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday. The two-day visit took place against a complex backdrop of historical, regional and bilateral tensions. "It has been a worthwhile visit and we leave with a sense that both sides want to keep up the momentum to resolve the difficult issues in the bilateral relationship and preserve the nuclear deal," the Foreign Office spokeswoman added. International sanctions against Iran have only recently been lifted as part of the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal to curb Tehran's disputed uranium enrichment program. 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. Zaghari-Ratcliffe is not the only dual national being held in Iran, but has become the most high profile case. 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. The Thomson Reuters Foundation is a charity organization 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. (Reporting by Dubai newsroom and Elizabeth Piper in London; Editing by Keith Weir) By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. migration agency called on social media giants on 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, the number of migrants entering Europe is 165,000, about 100,000 fewer than all of last year, but the influx has presented a political problem for European countries. 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 turbo-charged 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 on Friday it was willing to take in up to 80 refugees in Libya in need of protection, among 5,000 whom the UN refugee agency says are in a precarious position. (Additional reporting by Michael Shields in Zurich; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg) One week after former national security advisor Michael Flynns plea deal, it still is not all that clear what it means. Close observers of special counsel Robert Muellers probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election are divided with some suggesting the plea signifies a dramatic breakthrough for the prosecutor and others suggesting it signifies a comparatively weak hand on his part on matters of collusion. The fortune-tellers have pored over the tea leaves, and the results are in dispute. The reason is the pleas narrowness compared to the astonishing swath of public allegations of potentially criminal conduct on Flynns part. Reputable newspapers had reported Flynns failure to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, failures to disclose foreign contacts as required on his security clearance forms, large transactions with foreign actors, involvement in a strange influence-peddling scheme over nuclear plants, and even involvement in a kidnapping plot. Press accounts have indicated that Flynns son Michael Flynn Jr. also had exposure and that protecting his son was a priority for the elder Flynn. Yet the plea itself was limited. It was only one count for a set of false statements to the FBI. Not a good look for Flynn, to be sure, but far less than what most observers were expecting. The conventional view, which we reflected on the day the plea was announced, was that this showed both that Mueller had given Flynn a good deal and that he was presumably getting something important in exchange: If Mueller were prepared to settle the Flynn matter on the basis of single-count plea to a violation of [false statements], he was almost certainly prepared to charge a great deal more. Moreover, we can infer from the fact that Flynn accepted the plea deal that he and his counsel were concerned about the degree of jeopardy, both for Flynn and for his son, related to other charges. The deal, in other words, reflects the strength of Muellers hand against Flynn. It reflects something else too: that Flynn is prepared to give Mueller substantial assistance in his investigation and that Mueller wants the assistance Flynn can provide. We are not going to speculate about what that assistance might be. But prosecutors do not give generous deals in major public integrity cases to big-fish defendants without good reasonand in normal circumstances, the national security adviser to the president is a very big fish for a prosecutor. The good reason in this case necessarily involves the testimony Flynn has proffered to the special counsels staff. The information in that proffer is not in any of the documents released Friday, and it may not even be related to the information in those documents. Prosecutors tend to trade up. That is, for Mueller to give Flynn a deal of this sort, the prosecutor must believe he is building a case against a bigger fish still. In the wake of the plea, however, a dissenting view emerged, mostly among veterans of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York. Writing in the National Review, former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Andrew McCarthy read the plea very differently: While initial reporting is portraying Flynns guilty plea as a major breakthrough in Muellers investigation of potential Trump-campaign collusion with the Russian regime, I suspect the opposite is true. . . . [A]s I explained in connection with George Papadopoulos (who also pled guilty in Muellers investigation for lying to the FBI), when a prosecutor has a cooperator who was an accomplice in a major criminal scheme, the cooperator is made to plead guilty to the scheme. This is critical because it proves the existence of the scheme. In his guilty-plea allocution (the part of a plea proceeding in which the defendant admits what he did that makes him guilty), the accomplice explains the scheme and the actions taken by himself and his co-conspirators to carry it out. This goes a long way toward proving the case against all of the subjects of the investigation. That is not happening in Flynns situation. Instead, like Papadopoulos, he is being permitted to plead guilty to a mere process crime. Before you dismiss McCarthy and this analysis because of McCarthys conservative politics, understand that hes not the only one making this point. So is Preet Bharara, the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York whom President Donald Trump fired earlier this year. In his podcast this week, Bharara made an argument similar to McCarthys, suggesting that the best read of the plea agreement may be that a relatively narrow false statements case emerged because that was all that Mueller had against Flynn. Bharara said that he hate[s] to say it but he doesnt think Flynn got a sweetheart deal from Mueller despite broad exposure on other crimes. In the Southern District of New York, he said, when he reached a plea deal with flipping defendants, we made them plead guilty to every bad act that they had ever done, especially if we were later going to be alleging other people had engaged in that activity as well. The idea is that if you want Person X to testify that he and Person Y did something together, its important to make Person X plead guilty to that action. If you let him plead guilty only to false statements instead, you will have branded your own witness chiefly as a liar and not used his plea to establish your case against Person Y. Bharara acknowledges that not all federal prosecution offices function the way the district does on this point. But he concludes that I tend not to think its the case that [Mueller] just wiped the slate clean with Michael Flynn I just dont buy it. Theres a decent reason for thinking that [false statements is] all that Mueller has at this point. But Bharara acknowledges a third possibility, one we also teased in our initial article: Perhaps Flynn has pleaded guilty on the narrow false statements matter because it was done and discrete and doesnt clearly implicate anyone else, with the idea of deferring other matters that may then be charged later. Flynn said at his plea hearing that the plea deal he reached was the entirety of his agreement with the government and agreed with the court that there were no side oral agreements. He also said that no one had made any promises in connection with the guilty plea other than what was represented in the document. So there is no other, secret plea agreement that is complete at this stage. But the plea documents give some reason to suspect that the prosecutors and Flynn may have pushed some matters off for separate resolution. As we wrote last week: Section 3 of the plea agreement leaves Flynn unprotected against certain future prosecutions. The section is titled Additional Charges and states in its entirety that In consideration of your clients guilty plea to the above offense, your client will not be further prosecuted criminally by this Office for the conduct set forth in the attached Statement of the Offense (emphasis ours). The office, in other words, seems to be reserving the right to prosecute Flynn for conduct not set forth in that document, which is to say all of the other conduct on which he might be vulnerable. Bharara speculates as an alternative to the McCarthy theory that perhaps prosecutors are not ready to bring the larger case implicating others just yet. Maybe they are deferring prosecution of Flynn on this larger matter on the theory that a guilty plea on his part now would create an untoward public taint toward those named but not yet charged and that a sealed indictment would likely leak. In short, before us are at least three distinct theories of the Flynn plea: Theory 1: that it reflects broad criminal exposure on Flynns part, a good deal for him from Mueller, and critical cooperation from him in exchange; Theory 2: that it reflects a strong case on false statements from Mueller but nothing else and is thus a sign that Mueller has relatively little else, particularly on collusion; or Theory 3: that it reflects the resolution of the cleanest, ripest issue and the deferral of other potentially more dramatic issues for a later date. Each of these theories offers some value. Each also presents problems. Theory 1 certainly offers the simplest explanation of why Flynn is not being charged with a far wider range of offenses. And in their critique of it, Bharara and McCarthy approach the question with something of an Southern District of New York bias. In other jurisdictions, prosecutors will not always make people plead to the most serious charges that they can prove; rather, a fair bit of bargaining goes on up front with respect to what charges the defendant pleads to. But McCarthy and Bharara are not wrong to ask whether, if Flynn is getting a bye on all these other charges, Mueller is setting up a situation in which his star witness has not pleaded to any of the activity to which he will presumably be testifying. More importantly, if Mueller has horse-traded away important charges, why is the plea immunity quoted above limited to the conduct described in the statement of offense? That would seem to make it difficult for Flynn to cooperate with investigators looking at those matters without exposing himself to serious criminal jeopardy: Hes obliged to cooperate, according to the plea agreement, and cooperation as the plea agreement defines it specifically covers any matters that Muellers office might wish to discuss. But hes also not promised that he or his son wont be prosecuted for things he says or admits or that are based on evidence he helps uncover. Conversely, Theory 2 has mirror image benefits and problems. Like Theory 1, it presents a neat explanation for why the plea deal is so spare: in this case, because Mueller didnt have all that much on Flynn. In this version of the story, the reason the plea immunity is limited to the statement of offense is that prosecutors have nothing beyond false statements to charge Flynn with in the first place. Supporting Theory 2 is the fact that the plea agreement runs at least a little broader than the simple lies. It covers as well the matters underlying those lies described in the statement of offense, including the false registration filings under the Foreign Agents Registration Act with respect to Turkey and any substantive violations arising out of Flynns calls with Sergey Kislyak. The trouble with the theory is that it asks us to believe that of all the weird activity with which Flynns name has been connected, the worst allegations that panned out were a few false statements and that after a few months of investigation, Muellers team doesnt expect to find much more. This is certainly possible. But given whats been reported, even without the kidnapping plot, its a little bit hard to believe. And its hard to see why Mueller would leave so many other false statements and undisclosed matters unprosecuted if he werent getting something substantial from Flynn in return. Moreover, Flynns lawyers are capable guys. Its a bit hard to imagine that if Mueller had decided not to prosecute him on a bunch of serious matters, Flynns attorneys wouldnt get that in writing. If Theory 2 is right, you have to imagine that Mueller is not willing to grant broader plea immunity, because hes actively reserving the right to prosecute Flynn if additional information on those matters comes up. But that again raises the question of how Flynn can cooperate under those circumstances. One possible way to square the circle is to imagine that some combination of Theories 1 and 2 is the reality: Perhaps Mueller had little more than false statements on Flynn but Flynn is cooperating and providing something substantial about which he may personally have little exposure. In this scenario, imagine Flynns contribution as modest but significant not a bombshell, but important. In addition to Flynns help, Mueller gets to not go to trial thus saving himself time and effort. Imagine that all Mueller has to give up to get these benefits are a few additional counts of lies and disclosure violations. This is not such a big deal for him to trade away. Finally, Theory 3 would explain a lot. It would explain why the agreement is so narrow (because the rest of the Flynn material has been deferred), and it would explain why Flynn is not immunized beyond the scope of the statement of offense (because hes still actually facing future charges). But again, Flynn specifically disclaimed at his plea hearing that he had any other understanding with the government. And it remains unclear how he could cooperate with the probe with additional major criminal charges hanging over his head without jeopardizing his own legal interests and potentially incriminating himself. All of which is to say that theres something about the Flynn plea that doesnt make sense. Theres something important going on here that is not in the public documents and that the press has not reported. We dont purport to know what it is. Mystery reigns. Sales became legal on 19 July: Getty Five months after legalising recreational marijuana, there are more than 16,000 Uruguayans registered to buy the drug from pharmacies, up from 5,000 users in July. People in Uruguay can also grow plants at home, or become a member of a local Cannabis Club to withdraw up to 40g of marijuana per month. There are 70 membership clubs, according to data from the Institute for Regulation and Control of Cannabis website. With many countries around the world campaigning to legalise the sale and purchase of marijuana, the worlds eyes are on countries like Uruguay to see how the government coped with the new system and what obstacles they encountered. Uruguay became the first country in the world to legalise the sale of recreational marijuana across all of its territory giving new access to highs for its population of 3.4 million people. Campaigners say legalising marijuana helps to end drug trafficking and can save lives as illegal drugs are often mixed with ingredients that are dangerous to consume. Since July, the government has worked to provide high-quality, low-cost marijuana to registered users, although the existing law has been accused of lacking clarity as to what other vendors can sell the drug and how to classify a pharmacy. At the pharmacies, people are vetted via a fingerprint scan and handed a thermosealed pack, as much as $70 cheaper than much lesser quality substance on the streets. Thanks to the separation of church and state in the Catholic country, Uruguay has been at the forefront of liberal policies compared to its much larger South American neighbours. While women can be imprisoned for suffering a miscarriage in places like El Salvador, abortion was legalised in 2012 in Uruguay, and is only one of two countries alongside Cuba to have done so in the region. However, the sale of medical marijuana is illegal in Uruguay, while medical marijuana is slowly being adopted across many other countries including the US and Canada. Marijuana is also banned for foreign tourists. Story continues And even with recreational marijuana, there have been obstacles, with only a handful of pharmacists signing up to serve government-registered consumers, as reported by the Guardian. There are reportedly 11 provinces that do not have any legal vendors, and the government is considering opening marijuana kiosks in those areas, offering 5-gram cannabis sachets alongside chocolate and cookies. Despite resistance from pharmacists and the banks handling their accounts, the government has upped the content of tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component of the drug, from 2 per cent on the first batch to 9 per cent. Washington (AFP) - The United States hailed the end of the Islamic State group's "vile occupation" of Iraq Saturday after the Baghdad government declared victory in a three-year war, but warned that the jihadists still posed 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," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. "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 a statement. "We must be vigilant in countering all extremist ideologies to prevent the return of ISIS or the emergence of threats by other terrorist groups." IS seized vast areas north and west of Baghdad in a lightning offensive in 2014, and at its height endangered Iraq's very existence. Iraq fought back with the support of an air campaign waged by a US-led coalition, recapturing town after town from the clutches of the jihadists, often in fierce urban warfare. "Throughout its vile occupation of large areas of Iraq, ISIS showed its despicable nature by using children and other civilians as human shields and turning hospitals, mosques, universities and schools into weapons-making and storage facilities and bases for its terrorist operations," Nauert said. "The global coalition has been proud to support the Iraqi security forces who fought bravely to defeat these terrorists." Since 2014, the US has given nearly $1.7 billion in humanitarian assistance to Iraq, according to the statement, also committing over $265 million in stabilization support. Nauert said those efforts have helped some 2.7 million Iraqis return home. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 16:29:50|Editor: Zhou Xin Video Player Close by Burak Akinci ANKARA, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- United States President Donald Trump's ground shaking announcement on Jerusalem prompted a new wave of rapprochement between Turkey and Russia, and the issue will be high on the agenda during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Ankara on Dec. 11. The Russian leader, already scheduled to visit Egypt on Monday, will travel to Turkey on the same day for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the Jerusalem crisis and the situation in Syria. Putin and Erdogan plan to discuss bilateral issues, including joint energy projects, as well as the conflict in Syria and the broader situation in the Middle East, according to the Kremlin. JERUSALEM HIGH ON AGENDA Sources in Ankara told Xinhua that the two leaders will discuss "the tension caused by the U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the effects of this very wrong decision on an already volatile and vulnerable region." "The Syrian conflict and all aspects of the Turkish-Russian bilateral relations will also be on the table," added these sources. In announcing Putin's visit to Egypt, the Kremlin said on Dec. 7 that Putin and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi would discuss stability and security in the Middle East among other things. Egypt, Turkey, and Russia have all denounced Trump's decision. Putin and Erdogan voiced "serious concern" about it in a phone conversation on Dec. 7, the Kremlin said. Russia's major role in the war in Syria, where it has given President Bashar al-Assad's government crucial military backing, has increased its influence in the Middle East. Putin has courted closer ties with Egypt and NATO-member Turkey as well as other countries in the region in recent years. "Because of a U.S. strategy that does not take into consideration the sensitivities of its allies, pragmatic alliances have been formed with Russia in the region, and one of them is the Russian-Turkish one," Professor Togrul Ismayil from the University of Economics and Technology told Xinhua. The Trump announcement on Jerusalem "serves entirely the interests of Russia" in the region by even further consolidating the rapprochement between Ankara and Moscow by exacerbating U.S.-Turkey tensions, explained Ismayil. "Russia by itself has not the capability of being a major player in the Mideast, but with the alliances that it formed with key regional powers, such as Turkey and Iran, it is strengthening its game," explained this international politics expert. RUSSIAN-TURKISH COOPERATION IN SYRIA Russia and Turkey back different sides in the Syria war and their relations were severely strained after Turkish jets shot a Russian warplane down near the Turkish-Syrian border in 2015. But Putin and Erdogan said they have patched things up. Meeting in Ankara in September, they said they wanted to see progress on the Turk Stream gas pipeline from Russia to Turkey and the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, which is being built in Turkey with Russian collaboration. Thousands of Turks took to the streets due to Trump's highly controversial decision on Jerusalem, slamming the United States and Israel. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Istanbul and Ankara following the Friday prayers chanting pro-Palestinian slogans. As other Muslim nations around the world, the U.S. decision infuriated Turkey, and President Erdogan warned that it would force Ankara to cut diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. "This could go as far as cutting our diplomatic relations with Israel. You cannot take such a step," Erdogan told on Tuesday, adding that it would create a "catastrophe." Turkish-Israeli relations have faced serious setbacks in the past. In 2011, Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador to Ankara and downgraded diplomatic relations after a raid on a ship carrying aid to Palestinians in Gaza, killing 10 Turkish activists. Full diplomatic relations were not restored until 2016. OIC MEETING IN ISTANBUL In an effort to lead the Muslim world's reaction on Jerusalem, the Turkish president called for a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul for Dec. 13 to discuss the U.S. move regarding Jerusalem. Turkey is currently holding the presidency of this organization. However, even participants of this meeting are expected to adopt a strong worded statement, its effects would be minimal, argued experts. Talks in Ankara between Putin and Erdogan will also focus on the Syrian conflict where the Islamic State (IS) is on the brink of collapse. Russia, along with Iran, is the key backer of Syrian President Assad. Turkey, who is Syria's neighbor, backed the rebels seeking Assad's ouster in a conflict that lingers since more than seven years. However, Moscow and Ankara have been working together since 2016 reconciliation deal resolved a crisis caused by the shooting down of a Russian warplane over Syria. Erdogan until recently wasn't renouncing on its insistence of ousting the Syrian president, but in recent months he has considerably toned down its stance and focused mainly on opposing a Syrian Kurdish militia seen by Ankara as a terror group. For Turkey, the People's Protection Units (YPG) is the Syrian extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), waging an armed conflict in Turkey since 1984. But both the U.S. and Russia consider this militia as their allies on the ground in Syria. Washington has provided the fighters with arms, angering Turkey, and Russian support of the YPG strongly contrasts with Turkey's vows to clear PKK-affiliated groups from all of northern Syria, bordering Turkey. WWE wrestler Rich Swann is being held without bail in a Florida jail after he was arrested Saturday and charged with battery and false imprisonment. (Gainesville Police Department via AP) Former WWE cruiserweight champion Rich Swann was arrested and is being held without bail by Gainesville, Florida, police for an alleged domestic violence incident on Saturday night. The 26-year-old is charged with battery and false imprisonment after police say an argument broke out between Swann and his wife, Vannarah Riggs, also a wrestler who goes by the name Su Yung. Swann is due to appear in court Monday. WWE officials released a statement announcing the indefinite suspension of Swann and reiterated its zero-tolerance policy on domestic violence. BREAKING NEWS: WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, and per our policy, Rich Swann has been suspended indefinitely following his arrest. https://t.co/7GBJIu3Tyu WWE (@WWE) December 10, 2017 The couple reportedly began arguing after a performance by Riggs earlier that evening, which witnesses say escalated to Swann using a headlock and Riggs later jumping out of a slow-moving car. Swann and Riggs have been in a relationship for five years, having married nine months ago. Blake Schuster is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! More from Yahoo Sports: Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield wins Heisman Trophy Kobe: Lonzo Ball needs to get better now Stanton trade complicates Harpers future Five-time Pro Bowler blasts NFL safety rules US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital did not whip up quire the furor in the Arab and Muslim street envisioned by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and head of Hamas's political bureau Ismail Haniyeh. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The Arab street's reaction, in factas seen in a multitude of Muslim countries the world overwas relatively moderate and subdued, with hardly any violence with murderous intent, as seen in the October 2015 events and the "metal detector intifada." Protests in Ramallah Friday (Photo: AFP) The Arab-Muslim backlash, in fact, was a mirror image of the jubilation evident in the Israeli street following Trump's announcement; it was also subdued and markedly free of euphoria. Both the ones and the othersJews, Palestinians and Muslimsdid not lose their minds, perhaps because the American president happens to be Donald Trump and certainly because both Israelis and Palestinians know the decision has no practical significance capable of changing reality on the ground. Demonstrations in Jerusalem and Bethlehem Saturday ( : ) X So there's nothing to be happy about, and there's nothing to get killed over. The main reason is that the entire ordeal, including Trump's announcement, was not perceived as a religious mattera threat to the holies of Islambut a national-political issue. It's not something young girls and boys are willing to take a knife and be martyred over. Friday's demonstrations in the West Bank saw no stabbing attempts or weapons' fire, nor were there attempts to carry out terrorist attacks against settlers overnight. That's not happenstance. The Palestinian backlash to Trump's speech did not carry enough energy to jumpstart truly dangerous violence. The involvement of Palestinian National Security personnel behind the scenes also headed off escalation, but most of allIsrael's security forces , the IDF and the police, exercised their strength with much reserve. (Photo: Getty Images) The country's security forces attemptedand mostly succeededin keeping a safe distance of at least several dozen meters between themselves and Palestinian rioters in almost all friction points, which prevented escalation into physical conflict and the use of live fire. Almost all of the people reported by the Palestinians to have been wounded in clashes Friday, in fact, were hurt by inhaling tear gas and burning tire fumes and not by Israel's security forces. That is precisely the reason why not a single person was killed in the West Bank, and all the better, because experience shows any casualty or any funeral leads to more violence and, in turn, more casualties. The situation on the ground in Gaza is markedly different. Since Israel's withdrawal in 2005, rioters have lacked available points of friction with either Israeli citizens or security forces. The only place left for them to express their rage, then, is near the border fence. But throwing rocks and burning tires on Palestinian territory do next to nothing to affect security forces stationed on dirt batteries or small outposts along the fence. (Photo: Herzel Yosef) For this reason, several impassioned rioters attempted to reach as close to the border fence as they could and even attempted to cross it. The IDF prevented them from doing so by firing rugers, miniscule guns 22 millimeters in diameter intended to wound, but not kill. Palestinians nevertheless reported two people killed and dozens wounded in clashes along the fence. The IDF showed restraint here as well, and it was plain to see Hamasdespite Haniyeh's inflammatory remarkswas no more interested in escalation, certainly not in the Gazan theater. Both Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad are extremely attentive to the hardships faced by the people of Gaza, hardships that have found no succor since Operation Protective Edge, and they don't intend to compound them, partly due to the fear that if they do, residents will end up revolting and overthrowing them. Haniyeh and his people also apparently hoped Palestinians in the West Bank would do the dirty work for them, but were disappointed to find out they would not, hence the recent rocket launches over the weekend. The vast majority of rockets launched from the strip were deployed by so-called "rogue Salafist organizations," with a vested interest in sparking a war between Hamas and Israel. While Hamas usually exerts serious efforts to prevent and foil such launches, its efforts in the past 48 hours have been somewhat lackluster, perhaps intentionally so. Demonstrations in east Jerusalem Friday X Hamas may indeed be interested in the rogue fire "trickling" more intensively into Israel, partly because other measures have failed. Judging by Hamas's conduct on the ground, its leaders reached the conclusion it would be better to suffer the Israeli retaliationwhich they knew was comingin order for the rogue fire to provide the necessary component of violence Haniyeh so desperately craved to legitimize his rancorous comments on a Jerusalem intifada. The rocket that landed in Sderot late Friday At this juncture, something happened that illustrates how combustible the region truly is. We know for a fact Israel is uninterested in escalation on the Gaza border, or anywhere else for that matter, and neither is Hamas. However, one rocket or mortar passing through the defense screen provided by the Iron Dome system and landing in Sderot changed everything. Israel carefully weighed its options and communicated a warning to Hamas, followed by a retaliatory attack with harsher results than usual. The air force's strike Friday night damaged some significant Hamas assets, but intentionally avoided killing. Two Hamas terrorists were nevertheless killed in the attack, and yet Hamas showed restraint. It was a "before-last" warning, with Israeli officials hoping Hamas would realize it may be pushed to escalation it is not interested in. Unintentional deterioration has thus far been averted, but only the coming days will tell whether the trend continues. Protests in the Arab and Muslim world, meanwhile, have not exceeded expectations. The United Nations Security Council's session Friday carried no practical ramifications, but another discussion is planned involving the Arab League's council of ministers. However, the latter meeting is also expected to contain dramatic rhetoric and little else. The only serious demonstration took place in Amman (Photo: Reuters) The only place, in fact, with a significant demonstration taking place was the Jordanian capital of Amman. King Abdullah II, who presides over a country with a 60 percent Palestinian majority, knows he has to let his people blow off steam on Jerusalem, and he indeed has. The Hashemite king once again proved he knows well how to ride the tiger's back, but also rein it in whenever necessary. Once again the lack of a religious motivation played a prominent role in things not getting out of hand. The IDF and Israel Police's well thought-out preparations and rules of engagement should also be mentioned in this regard, as does the post in which Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai cautioned Palestinians to resist the allures of religious incitement. CAIRO Arab foreign ministers on Sunday demanded that the United States rescind President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, calling it a "grave" development that puts Washington on the same side as "occupation" and the violation of international law. In a resolution long on rhetoric but short on concrete actions, the ministers also called for the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning Trump's decision, but acknowledged that Washington would most likely veto it. If the US vetoes the resolution, the Arabs would seek a similar resolution in the UN General Assembly, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki told a pre-dawn news conference in Cairo. A two-page resolution adopted by the emergency meeting, which began Saturday night, did not include any punitive actions against the United States, like a call for a boycott of American products or suspending or downgrading ties with Washington. JERUSALEM Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Sunday he hoped the violent protests by Palestinians against President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital were coming to an end. "Our hope is that everything is calming down and that we are returning to a path of normal life without riots and without violence," Lieberman told an interviewer on Army Radio. Violence erupted for a third day in Gaza in response to Trump's announcement on Wednesday in which he overturned decades of US policy towards the Middle East, and Israeli air strikes killed two Palestinian gunmen on Saturday after terrorists fired rockets from the enclave into Israel on Friday. Czech President Milos Zeman on Saturday accused EU states of being "cowards" in their response to his US counterpart Donald Trump recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "The European Union, cowards, are doing all they can so a pro-Palestinian terrorist movement can have supremacy over a pro-Israeli movement," said Zeman, presenting himself as a defender of Israel. The 73-year-old Zeman, targeting a second term from January and who had Friday said he was happy at Trump's controversial move, made Saturday's comment before delegates attending the congress of the far right Freedom and Direct Democracy party, which opposes immigration and the EU. Czech President Milos Zeman had previously said on a 2013 visit to Israel of how he also favors moving the Czech embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (Photo: EPA) Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Wednesday in a move that outraged Palestinian leaders, but which was hailed as historic by Israel. Zeman said he had himself spoken in favor of Prague moving the Czech embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv on a visit four years agoa proposal which met with a reserved political response in his homeland. Following Trump's announcement the Czech foreign ministry said it saw Jerusalem as the future capital both of Israel and a future Palestinian state and that Prague could only consider moving its embassy after consulting regional partners. The EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini warned on Thursday that Trump's move had a "very worrying potential impact" and could take the region "backwards to even darker times than the ones we're already living in." Mogherini added that "the aspirations of both parties must be fulfilled and a way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left Saturday evening on a two-day official visit to Paris and Brussels, vowing not to accept "double standard" from Europe on Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife Sara leave for France, Saturday night (Photo: Avi Ohayon/GPO) "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. During the visit, Netanyahu is expected to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and with the 28 EU foreign ministers. In his meeting with the French leader, the prime minister is expected to voice his concern over Iran's ongoing entrenchment in Syria and Lebanon, in light of France's major influence on Lebanon. Netanyahu and Macron, whose last meeting was five months ago in Paris, speak on the phone often. On Sunday evening, Netanyahu will fly to Brussels, where he is expected to meet with EU foreign policy chief Mogherini before heading to an informal meeting with the 28 EU foreign ministers, which was initiated by the Lithuanian foreign minister behind Mogherini's back. The meetings are expected to be tense in light of the EU foreign ministers' opposition to Trump's Jerusalem announcement. Czech embassy in Israel The Europeans' objection to the move was so strong, that Israeli officials stress that Israel's main problem is actually with Western European countries rather than with the Arab, central and Eastern European countries, whose reactions were predictable and measured. Israeli state officials blasted the "European hypocrisy," saying that while the European foreign ministers rushed to strongly condemn Trump's announcement, they failed to condemn the rockets fired at the southern city of Sderot over the weekend. Government workers said Israel had detected Palestinian attempt to get Ireland, Sweden and other European countries to advance anti-Israel moves in the EU and in other international forums in response to Trump's announcement. This will be the first visit to the EU by an Israeli prime minister in 22 years. "During his visit to Brussels, Netanyahu will receive another reminder from the European foreign ministers on the centrality of the Israeli-Palestinian issue to Israel's foreign relations," says Dr. Nimrod Goren, head of MitvimThe Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies. "Netanyahu will be reminded that any progress in the Israeli-Palestinian issue could help Israel gain international support for promoting its vital interests in the Middle East," Dr. Goren adds. "In the past few months, the prime minister issued degrading and dismissive statements against the European Union in an apparent attempt to make a political gain from attacking one of Israel's main partners. The way he organized the invitation to the breakfast in Brussels added to the tensions and is another missed opportunity. "This is the first time in more than 20 years that an Israeli prime minister visits the EU institutions in Brussels, and when such a visit finally takes place, it shouldn't be done in such a twisted way and should be coordinated with the EU leaders, including a speech at the European Parliament, which would lead to agreements and progress in Israel-EU relations." TOKYO The United States, Japan and South Korea will hold two days of missile tracking drills this week, Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force said on Sunday, as tensions rise in the region over North Korea's fast-developing weapons programs. North Korea has fired two missiles over Japan as it pursues nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles 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 exercises, on Monday and Tuesday, will be the sixth drill sharing information in tracking ballistic missiles among the three nations, the defense force said. In all my years as a Yedioth Ahronoth photographer, I've covered countless demonstrations, but nothing could prepare me for what transpired Saturday at the very heart of the State of Israel. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter I arrived at Wadi Ara to cover a protest being held there (against President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capitaled) and parked my motorcycle alongside some police cruisers near a bus stop along Highway 65. At some point, rioters started pelting us with rocks, and Yasam (an elite police special forces unit) forces began dispersing protesters to get them away from the road. I remained close to the police officers, until it was decided to pull them back. Nechushtan (center) and his destroyed bike As an Israeli citizen, I expected the police forces on-site to conduct themselves otherwise. How could they have left Israeli citizens unprotected opposite an enraged mob? Is it not their duty to protect me, as well as any other commuters who happened to arrive at the riot that broke out in Highway 65? Footage of the violent Wadi Ara protest X I had no time to reflect on it at the time. After being left alone opposite the masked crowd, I decided to start running along the road to get as much distance as I could between me and them. As I was running for my life, I saw some of the mob smashing my bike to pieces and it dawned on me that my decision to run may have saved me from being lynched. I ran on and watched from afar as several dozen outlaws were wreaking havoc on one of the country's main thoroughfares. Only 15 minutes laterand after several attempts to reach the police by phonewas I successful in physically blocking the passage of a police car that happened to be passing by and told the officers what had happened. After radioing a request for backup, the Yasam team was called back to the scene. The Wadi Ara protesters standing over the destroyed bike (Photo: Gil Nechushtan) As for me, I can only hope the next time the officers encounter a similar situation, they remember the oath they took when they joined the police's rank, when they swore to defend all of the country's citizens in every situation. The Israel Police offered the following response: "We are unfamiliar with the photographer's account. An investigation in the matter is ongoing. After the incident a complaint was lodged regarding the damage done to his property, and an investigation was underway to locate and bring the perpetrators to justice." The Ministerial Committee for Legislation voted Sunday to approve a proposal to take the authority to declare war from the hands of the government and confer it upon the more exclusive Security Cabinet. In order to be enacted the bill must also be passed by the Knesset. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The proposal sought to amend Basic Law: The Government to allow the prime minister to declare war or undertake a military operation with approval only from the Cabineteven without all its members presentwithout having to receive approval from the entire coalition. The amendment joins a list of a complex itinerary for the government this week with several potentially combustible issues on the docket, all with Coalition Chairman MK David Bitan being embroiled in police investigations on a municipal corruption scandal. A government meeting (Photo: AFP) In light of recent developments, almost all of the controversial bills were removed from the schedule and did not go up to a vote. This past Monday, the same day Bitan was questioned at the offices of the police's Lahav 433 anti-corruption unit, only two bids remained on the schedule with the plenum being adjourned early shortly thereafter. In fact, activity in the Knesset was markedly sparse with several items the coalition intended to push through being postponed. Sources within the Likud party admitted that since the Bitan affair had become public, the coalition's work had been halted almost completely in all meaningful respects. With the coalition chairman's investigation ongoing, the government is expected to tackle another complex struggle this week. Bitan was forced to sit out of a coalition leaders' conference call held Saturday night for the very first time. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested during the call most of the stalled bills be brought to a vote, and for the coalition to "close ranks, to send a message of stability." Coalition Chairman Bitan's frequent interrogations disrupted the coalition's work (Photo: Shaul Golan) "I'll be arriving directly to votes. I'm giving a personal example and expect you to do the same. Each and every one of you should look after your party's ministers and MKs," the prime minister instructed. Shabbat front and center The Ministerial Legislation Committee will be discussing two old-new bills Sunday. The first is an amendment to the Hours of Work and Rest Law sponsored by Labor and Welfare Minister Haim Katz (Likud), which is similar to a bill sponsored by MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) and was approved by the committee last week. When it convened Sunday, the committee also voted to pass Katz's amendment. The labor minister's amendment sought to instruct to take into consideration Israel's traditions when deliberating on providing permits for Shabbat work. The bill was put forward in the wake of the crisis erupting with the coalition's Haredi parties over works carried out on Shabbatwhich led to the resignation of Health Minister Yaakov Litzman. Labor and Welfare Minister Katz's proposed amendment to Hours of Work and Rest Law will be discussed this week (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg) No less of a struggle is expected in the Knesset's plenum over the first reading of the Supermarket Law sponsored by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, which seeks to endow the minister with the power to change or abolish municipal bylaws, thereby effectively barring supermarkets from opening on Shabbat. The bill will put the coalition to yet another test, as the Yisrael Beytenu parliamentary group has already announced it will be breaking coalition ranks and voting against the bill. The opposition, meanwhile, is preparing to fight it out and have already refused to consent to offsetting with the coalition. Even the Joint Arab List party, criticized for habitually allowing offsetting with the coalition, has announced they will not do so while voting on the bill. "We'll be voting against the Supermarket Law for two reasons. Firstly, it is an explicit oppositional decision so as not to throw a lifeline to the very coalition we're interested in toppling," explained the Joint List's MK Ahmad Tibi "Secondly, we plan on voting against it due to the Haredi parties' past support of the Muezzin Bill (seeking to limit decibel levels for religious institutionsed). I've contacted them in the past and made it clear it went against our holiest of holies. We've warned them in the past that what goes around comes around. Now it's coming around," Tibi said. MK Tibi said the Joint List will be voting against the Supermarket Bill (Photo: Gil Yohanan) An additional bill facing its first reading is the Primaries Bill, securing state financing for every MK who runs in primaries of a party running for the Knesset. The bill is set to undergo a first reading and requires a 61-MK majority, not a simple undertaking for the coalition these days. Apart from the above, a more demure version of the Recommendations Billbarring police from making recommendations on indictments publicis expected to be put before the plenum for second and third readings. After negotiations with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon's Kulanu party, it was decided to place the investigations into the affairs of Prime Minister Netanyahu, which are already in progress, beyond the law's purview, and to put it to a vote this week. JERUSALEM Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is ready to defend President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital against its European critics. Upon leaving on a diplomatic mission to Paris and Brussels late Saturday, Netanyahu said he "will present Israel's truth without fear and with head held high." Trump's announcement sparked protests across the region. It also triggered denunciations from around the world, even from close allies like France, that suggested he had needlessly stirred more conflict in an already volatile region. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates An interfaith group from Bahrain is visiting Israel amid turmoil there over President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital. The group's trip comes after two US-based rabbis have said that Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa thinks that the longtime boycott of Israel by Arab countries should end. Members of the group told The Associated Press on Sunday that their trip should be viewed as nonpolitical and insisted that the island nation allows freedom of religion. However, Bahrain's Sunni rulers are cracking down on all dissent on the Shiite-majority island, imprisoning or forcing politicians and activists into exile. Bahrainis expressed anger online Sunday over the visit and voiced their support for Palestinians. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 17:40:02|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close SHANGHAI, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- The seventh World Forum on China Studies, themed "China In a New Era," opened Sunday in Shanghai. The World Forum on China Studies is a Shanghai-based academic event jointly hosted by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and the Information Office of Shanghai Municipality. The forum is dedicated to reflecting upon global challenges while fostering an informed understanding between China and the rest of the world. Jiang Jianguo, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and minister of the State Council Information Office, made a keynote speech on understanding China in the new era. Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said during his keynote speech that the world has a natural interest in understanding what China is doing as it directly affects practically every country. Experts attending the forum said China will provide more opportunities for world development, open up further, deepen communication with different cultures and contribute more to establishing a global community with a shared future. Founded in 2004, the Forum on China studies has convened 10 times, including six forums, one special conference and three overseas symposiums. This year's two-day event has drawn 180 scholars from over 30 countries and regions. A 9-year-old girl was lightly wounded Sunday morning when stones were thrown at a car she was traveling in with her mother and brother in Gush Etzion. Magen David Adom paramedics treated the girl, who was wounded by shards. An IDF forces dispersed the stone throwers using crowd control methods. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Miriam Eini, the girl's mother and resident of the Ibei HaNahal settlement, told Ynet, "We were driving from home to Jerusalem when suddenly stones began raining down on us. I saw the people throwing them. It was a real miracle." A month ago Eini narrowly avoided disaster when a Molotov cocktail was thrown at her car while she was driving on the same road, but just missed her. The inside of the car hit by rocks in Gush Etzion (Photo: Ma'ale Amos Security) The mother was driving with her two children in the family car. "Just a short while before reaching a junction there's a sharp bend in the road, where you can't see anything ahead. I saw them immediately after the bend. Their faces were covered," Eini recounted. "One threw the first rock, which hit my headlights, and then another that hit the window near my daughter. She was hit by both the rock and shards from the broken window. I then slowed down because a Palestinian car came in the other direction," she said. "Then another stone was thrown, and hit the backdoor where my 3-year-old son was sitting. It's a miracle the stone hit the door itself and not the window. I carried on driving all the way to the junction, where soldiers saw to us," she concluded. Eini then wished to send a message. "When will they understand a stone can kill? What happened to us this morning was a miracle. If those stones had hurt my children, it could have been much worse," she said. Head of the Gush Etzion Council Shlomo Ne'eman commented on the incident, saying, "We cannot abide by a situation where every morning an Arab starts the day badly, they let off pressure by throwing stones at Jews. we can neither get used to it nor accept it." (Photo: Ma'ale Amos Security) Ne'eman noted it was "merely one incident out of many that happened to end with a miracle, and a small Jewish girl only being wounded. Her baby brother is traumatized. Rock throwing is attempted murder for all intents and purposes. We cannot abide by a law enforcement system that does not treat these incidents with the requisite severity." "If (the Palestinians) need to receive special education, let their parents deal with it, and we'll deal with the parents," the council head threatened. Masked men also threw stones on Wadi Ara's Highway 65 Saturday, with southbound lanes being blocked off for a time due to a protest taking place on Ar'ara Junction in protest of President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The demonstration was uneventful, but dozens of masked men threw stones at police cars and buses passing nearby afterwards. The rioters also severely damaged the motorcycle of Yedioth Ahronoth photographer Gil Nechushtan Gil Nechushtan's overturned bike in Wadi Ara Stones were also thrown at an Egged bus heading to Tel Aviv. The bus's windshields were damaged and the driver, 43, was lightly wounded by shards cutting his face and was taken to the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera. Magen David Adom reported that apart of the driver two lightly-wounded passengers were also treated on the scene. The bus stopped in Wadi Ara, near Haifa. Police arrested two youths of Ar'ara on suspicion of throwing the stones. In the protest itself, protesters waved Palestinian flags and carried signs saying "Al-Quds (the Arabic name for Jerusalemed) is the capital of Palestine". Some 200 people attended, including Joint List MK Ahmad Tibi. For the second time in a month and a half, the IDF uncovered a cross-border terror tunnel near the Gaza Strip border, it was cleared for publication Sunday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Military Police roadblocks were set up in the Gaza vicinity after the tunnel was discovered several weeks ago. Unlike the tunnel uncovered in October, which was believed to have been excavated by Islamic Jihad, military officials say the tunnel revealed this time is said to belong to Hamas. The tunnel was neutralized Saturday night. According to military sources, it was dug in recent months from the Khan Younis area to agricultural lands located more than 1 kilometer away from Israeli communities in the Eshkol Regional Council. The 1-kilometer long tunnel, which is considered highly advanced, stretching a few hundreds of meters into Israeli territory. Shaft of the tunnel uncovered in southern Israel (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) The IDF has been following the tunnel's progress for several weeks now, even before it crossed into Israeli territory, with full intelligence and operational control. On Saturday night, it was decided to neutralize it in a quiet and reserved manner without the explosions or aerial strikes that were used in previous tunnel detonations. Military officials believe there were no Palestinian diggers within the tunnel at the time it was neutralized. The tunnel was detected in an area lacking the new anti-tunnel barrier, and the work on the defense system is expected to continue in several points along the strip. The tunnel's neutralization, Saturday night (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) Army officials further estimate that the Gazan side suspected in recent days that the IDF had gained control of the tunnel. Although there are military posts located near the tunnel's exit, the IDF stressed Sunday morning that at no point did the tunnel pose a threat to the Gaza vicinity residents. 'Technology will lead to further achievements' "The fact that we uncovered and neutralized two infiltrating tunnels within a month and a half shouldnt be taken for granted," said IDF Spokesperson Brigadier-General Ronen Manelis. "This tunnel stretched deeper into Israeli territory than the previous Islamic Jihad tunnel. No weapons were found in the tunnel, but it's route has yet to be fully reviewed. We neutralized the tunnel on the ground level." The IDF spokesperson added that "Hamas sees this tunnel as highly important and invested many resources in it. We believe that in light of the way we neutralized the tunnel, there will be no change in routine like in the Gaza vicinity, but we will remain alert. The tunnels will turn into a death trap for those who dig them and for those who send the diggers. IDF forces near tunnel detection area two weeks ago (Photo: Barel Efraim) "The tunnel project in the Gaza Strip suffered a heavy blow Sunday morning alongside another achievement for our forces, from the South Command to the Engineering and special forces involved. This is a highly significant Hamas tunnel. In the past few weeks, we have been working to map and locate its route." Brig.-Gen. Manelis added that the tunnel was no longer usable, neither on Israeli territory nor on the Gazan territory near the border. "All our activity was on Israeli territory. We used several technologies to locate this tunnel, combined with the technology that detected the tunnel about a month and a half ago. This is a technology which has turned into a method that will lead to further significant achievements. "We see this tunnel as a blatant violation of Israeli sovereignty, and it has nothing to do with the rockets launched at the Gaza vicinity area over the weekend. The timing of the tunnel's neutralization and uncovering was the result of operational considerations." (Photo: Barel Efraim) Manelis noted it was unclear who fired the two rockets that hit the city of Sderot on Friday evening was unknown, but said the rest of the rockets fired during the weekend were launched by revel organizations in Gaza. "After our significant strikes in Friday night, we saw Hamas taking active measures to prevent further rocket fire," he said. 'Hamas terrorists digging their own death traps' Education Minister Naftali Bennett told Ynet in response to the tunnel's discovery, "The message to every Hamas terrorist who digs tunnels into Israel is that they are digging their own death traps. "Hamas's tunnel project was their strategic flagship project and it faces a gradual deterioration over the next year or two," he added. Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Photo: Emil Salman) Nevertheless, the Bayit Yehudi leader said that despite the IDF's recent successes in locating and demolishing tunnels, Israel should remain alert. "We're at the beginning of the total destruction of the tunnels project, but should remain alert because when Hamas sees its life's work about to collapse, it may be motivated to use them immediately before it loses them," Bennett opined. Asked whether exposing their tunnels may lead Hamas to desperate measures that may escalate into further conflict, Bennett replied, "We're definitely aware of the dynamics of a potential desperate action and are beefing up security, especially during this time, to head off any surprises." "As someone who has undertaken the whole issue of tunnels and felt Israel was not doing enough to counter the threat, I can say today the operating on multiple levelsoperationally, intelligence-wise, engineering-wise and technologicallyis certainly the right way to go about it. I wish to welcome the IDF and the entire security establishment on their achievement," Bennett concluded. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said, "The terror tunnels crossing into Israel and hurting our sovereignty are a threat we cannot accept and we will invest any resource to foil it. Thanks to a joint effort of the IDF, Defense Ministry and defense industries, we have reached new technological capabilities in fighting tunnel terrorism. I sincerely hope within the next few months the threat posed by tunnels to residents living on the Gaza perimeter will become a thing of the past." Minister of Housing and Construction and former GOC Southern Command Yoav Galant added, "Anyone digging tunnel does not intend to pass flowers or candy through them they intended to carry out grievous terrorist attacks. I congratulate the IDF and Shin Bet security forces on the extraordinary work they've done. We should be completely cognizant on the area in which we live and what our enemy is plotting." "Hamas conspired to use the tunnel in order to strike at Israel's civilians using terrorists or to kidnap soldiers. Hamas and the other organizations must reconsider now because the path of terrorism is drawing to a close they are isolated and find it hard striking at us from the sea or above ground, not to mention the vast majority of their rockets are blocked. The day is coming when the path of tunnels will be hermitically sealed," Galant prophesized. In a statement issued Sunday morning, Hamas' military wing warned that "the enemy will pay for the aggression and crimes against our people. The enemy must be afraid and know that it will pay the price of breaking the rules of the conflict with the Gaza resistance. "The coming days will make it clear to the enemy how wrong it was in estimating the resistance's willpower. The enemy's leaders and its decision makers must understand the extent of their foolish management of the battle against the resistance. We promise them that we will make them bite their fingers in regret over their misjudgments regarding the resistance's silence and the way they are waging the battle." DUBAI President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital could provide a lifeline to militants after the setbacks they suffered this year, the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has warned. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan also said that the UAE hopes that Washington would reconsider its decision. "The US move could throw a lifebuoy to terrorist and armed groups, which have begun to lose ground in the region," said Sheikh Mohammed, speaking to a delegation from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. 30 Arab students from Tel Aviv University demonstrated in the university's main entrance plaza in protest of President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The protest was organized by the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel. Protesters, some clad in keffiyehs, carried Palestinian flags and called "Jerusalem is Arab" and "With spirit and blood we will redeem Palestine." A 46-year-old security guard was stabbed in his upper body and seriously wounded by a terrorist Sunday afternoon on Jerusalem's Jaffa Street, outside the city's central bus station. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter A Magen David Adom emergency crew attended to the man and evacuated him by ambulance to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center. After undergoing surgery, he was moved to the Intensive Care Unit for further treatment.Two other women were evacuated to the hospital after suffering shock. Stabbing attack as caught on security camera X Police said the terrorist arrived at the central bus station's main entrance, pulled out a knife, stabbed a security guard, who was later identified as Asher Elmaliach, and fled the scene. A local citizen who spotted him running along Jaffa Street chased him together with a police officer standing nearby, and after catching him were able to subdue him. Terrorist after being neutralized (Photo: Yaakov Bezalel) The terrorist was later identified as Yassin Abu al-Qaraa, a 24-year-old resident of Nablus. He was arrested and taken in for questioning by the Shin Bet at the police's central unit. Terrorist neutralized (Video: Shani Hanania) (: ) X An initial investigation revealed he had acted as a "lone wolf" terrorist. He has a work permit in the Seam Line area, but not inside Israel and doesnt have a residency permit. Terrorist identified as 24-year-old Yassin Abu al-Qaraa of Nablus area On Saturday, at 10:56 pm, the terrorist wrote on Facebook: "For Allah, we must boost Jerusalem's status, restore religion's glory and sanctify al-Aqsa, and the blood will flow from us." (Photo: Cheli Maman/TPS) Dr. Ofer Merin, executive director of Shaare Zedek's Trauma Unit said the wounded security guard had arrived at the hospital in very serious condition and was immediately operated on. "Unfortunately, the knife hit his heart," he added. "His condition has stabilized, but we can't say his life isn't in danger at this time." Senior MDA paramedic Hananel Albo said there had been a great commotion outside the central bus station when he arrived there. "A man in his 30s was lying near the entrance, barely conscious and suffering from a stabbing wound in the upper part of his body. (Photo: Cheli Maman/TPS) "The crews dispatched to the area are attending to a number of people who witnessed the incident and suffered anxiety attacks," the paramedic added. Yochai Swisa, who witnessed the attack, said: "It took me a few seconds to realize I was at the scene of a terror attack. That vile person's deep insanity made me realize it was a terror attack. There was hysteria, and several minutes later he was shoved by the angry crowd, which hit and attacked him ceaselessly." Hollywood star Mayim Bialikfondly remembered for beloved nineties sitcom Blossom and currently starring on Big Bang Theory as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowleruploaded a Facebook video this past weekend illustrating everything you absolutely need to know about Hanukkahin just five minutesfrom the customs of the Festival of Lights to its origin story, refuting several longstanding American myths about it along the way. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The video became an instant online sensation with more than three million views and 55,000 shares as of Sunday. Bialik also revealed this year the first day of Hanukkah happens to fallon her birthdayDecember 12 if you were interested in wishing her mazal tovand has once again proven that being a successful actress does not stand in the way of her proud orthodox-Jewish identity. Mayim Bialik's illuminating video X "People have a lot of misconceptions about Hanukkah, so here's a little quiz to help you figure it all out. Take the quiz and prepare to impress your Jewish and gentile friends and family," Bialik opened the video by saying. She then goes on to answer six true or false questions covering the basic tenets of the holiday. 'Latkes with ketchup? Yum!' Bialik then attempts to disprove a commonly held belief in the United States that Hanukkah is in fact the Jewish Christmas. "Since Hanukkah tends to fall right around Christmas, a lot of people think that it's the Jewish equivalent of Christmas. It's a holiday with rituals and traditions but it's actually not Jewish Christmas. Christmas celebrates Jesus being born in a manger and because Christians believe Jesus is the son of God, it's a huge deal Hanukkah is about a group of Jews called the Maccabees defeating the Seleucid army in the 2nd century BC, and its detailed in the apocrypha, not the Old Testament." Bialik and a friend (Photo: Facebook) "It's also about a miracle where this oil that was supposed to last for one day lasted eight days, and it's about defeating oppression and religious freedom and believing that what you believe in is worth your life," Bialik explained. The Jewish actress then helpfully illuminates (pun intended!) the difference between major and minor holidays, and why work is therefore permitted on Hanukkah but forbidden on holidays such as Rosh Hashanah. Another widespread belief, this time justified, has to do with the holiday's rather oily gastronomy. As she says in the video, "Jews eat super unhealthy food for (the) eight days of Hanukkah." "True. Because the story of Hanukkah revolves around oil, we basically eat tons of food fried in oil, like latkesor potato pancakes. They're this potato-onion fritters and they're amazingly delicious with sour cream or apple sauce orif you're in my familyketchup. It's basically an eight-day festival of oily goodness. Yum!" Bialik said with a smile. Other burning issues broached in the video are the myth around eight days of presents (wrong), playing with "little spinning top thingies" (true, and she has the dreidel collection to prove it) and lighting candles in the "menorah" (go ahead and field that one yourselves). More than 3,000 comments The Hanukkah video was not the first time Bialik proudly showcased Jewish tradition. In 2015 she was forced to celebrate Hanukkah at work with her Big Bang Theory castmates, so she placed all of the hanukkiot she ownedand has been collecting since kindergarten, including some blue-white onesand held an impressive candle-lighting ceremony with all of the Jewish cast and crew in attendance, of which there were quite a few. In the more than 3,000 comments to the videomost of them coming from non-Jewsit seemed Bialik's fans were quite enthused with her educational explanations. "I was just trying to explain Hanukkah to my seven- year-old-daughter. You've done a better job than I did," wrote one David Berkley, who defines himself as a Buddhist. Bialik (R) and Big Bang Theory costar Jim Parsons (Photo courtesy yes) A fan called Jessica Armstrong thanked Bialik and explained, "I don't know any Jews personally, so it was fascinating to get a better understanding. I celebrate Christmas, but am often drawn to Hanukkah gift wraps." Another comment came from a woman named Eileen Copeland-Nixon, who wrote, "Thank you, Mayim, for explaining Jewish holidays to us gentile Christians. Since Jesus was an observant Jew, it's good that I know these things." ISTANBUL Decisions made at the approaching meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will show that US recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital will not be easy to implement, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday. A spokesman for Erdogan on Wednesday had announced that the OIC would a hold an urgent meeting in Turkey on Dec. 13 to coordinate a response to the decision by the United States. "We explained to all our interlocutors that the United States' decision does not comply with international law, diplomacy or humanity," Erdogan said at a Justice and Development Party (AKP) assembly in Turkey's central province of Sivas, referring to phone calls he made to leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and the Pope. "With the roadmap we will create during the OIC meeting, we will show that the decision will not be easy to implement," he said, adding that Turkey considers President Trump's Jerusalem announcement void. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan referred to Israel Sunday as a "terrorist state that murders children" and vowed to use "all means to fight" against the American recognition of Jerusalem as the countrys capital. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Palestine is an innocent victim. As for Israel, it is a terrorist state, yes, terrorist! Erdogan said in a fiery speech in the central city of Sivas. We will not abandon Jerusalem to the mercy of a country that kills children. Erdogan. 'We will not abandon Jerusalem to the mercy of a country that kills children' (Photo: Reuters) Erdogan further said that decisions made at the approaching meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) would show that US recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital would not be easy to implement. A spokesman for Erdogan on Wednesday had announced that the OIC would a hold an urgent meeting in Turkey on December 13 to coordinate a response to the decision by the United States. The OIC, established in 1969, consists of 57 member states with a Muslim majority or a large Muslim population. Protest outside US Embassy in Lebanon, Sunday (Photo: Reuters) "We explained to all our interlocutors that the United States' decision does not comply with international law, diplomacy or humanity," Erdogan said at a Justice and Development Party (AKP) assembly in Sivas, referring to phone calls he made to leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and the Pope. "With the roadmap we will create during the OIC meeting, we will show that the decision will not be easy to implement," he said, adding that Turkey considered US President Trump's Jerusalem announcement void. Protestors in Jakarta, Indonesia (Photo: AP) The Arab League, in a statement issued after an emergency session in Cairo on Saturday, called the announcement a "dangerous violation of international law" and said it would seek a UN Security Council resolution rejecting the US move. The Arab League, which consists of Arabic-speaking nations, currently has 22 active member states. Trump's announcement has also upset US allies in the West. At the United Nations, France, Italy, Germany, Britain and Sweden called on the United States to "bring forward detailed proposals for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement". Palestinians took to the streets after the US announcement. Demonstrations also took place in Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Somalia, Yemen, Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as outside the US Embassy in Berlin. AFP and Reuters contributed to this report. The Southern District Attorney's Office charged 24-year-old Kuseife resident Mufiz Alkrishat with three counts of murder at the Be'er Sheva District Court. Alkrishat was also charged with ten counts of attempted murder and other offenses. The indictment alleges Alkrishat drove his vehicle and ran over a group of people in Kuseife 18 months ago. He killed Jumaa Alamour (50), Yossef Alamour (37) and Mohammad Salman Abu Hamed (26). The defendant fled to Hebron following the incident. He happened to be picked up by police a month ago when he was caught driving a stolen vehicle under an assumed identity. Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said Sunday that the terror attack at Jerusalem's central bus station was "a direct result of the incitement in the Palestinian Authority, which is working with Hamas to inflame the situation on the ground." Erdan added that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was "repeatedly proving that he is not a partner to peace and is today responsible for the murderous incitement of Hamas, his partners in the unity government." Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 18:00:06|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close People celebrate the victory of the war against the Islamic State (IS) on Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 10, 2017. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday officially declared full liberation of Iraq from the Islamic State militants after Iraqi forces recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood) BAGHDAD, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's military Sunday paraded in Baghdad Green Zone to celebrate the full liberation of Iraqi lands from the Islamic State (IS) group. The parade was held in the morning at the Celebrations Square in the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the main government offices and foreign embassies, and was attended by the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is the Commander-in-Chief of Iraqi forces, Xinhua correspondent on the scene said. Top Iraqi officers from the ministries of defense and interior also attended the parade, he said. Iraqi warplanes and helicopters flew over the Celebrations Square as Iraqi tanks, armored vehicle, artillery, infantry and other forces marched in the square, he added. On Saturday night, Abadi officially declared full liberation of Iraq from the extremist IS group after the security forces recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group. "I announce to the Iraqi people and all the world that our forces have reached the last redoubts of Daesh (IS) and have raised the Iraqi flag over areas of western Anbar (province) which was the last occupied land by IS," Abadi said in a televised speech. However, Abadi warned Iraqis to "remain alert and ready to confront any terrorist attempt that may target our people and our land," despite the announcement of victory over IS. Earlier on Saturday, Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rasheed Yarallah, commander of western Iraq operations, announced the liberation of all Iraqi lands from IS militants after seizing the whole border areas and desert in western Iraq. "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," Yarallah said. 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, he said. Meanwhile, observers warned that Abadi's declaration does not mean the terrorist group has no ability to carry out attacks as it is still able to attack through its sleeper cells in the country. 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. The IS militants seized large swathes of territory in Iraq in 2014, when government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions. The cab-driving pensioner and retired policeman who helped to neutralize the terrorist who stabbed and seriously wounded a security guard outside the Jerusalem central bus station Sunday afternoon said he never hesitated for a moment once he realized a terror attack was taking place. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Yosef Ben Amo from Gilo described the events as they unfolded when he helped apprehend the terrorists who stabbed Asher Elmaliach, a 46-year-old security guard, before attempting to flee the scene. Arrest of the terrorist after the attack (: ) X I saw a security guard running after someone. I didn't realize in the beginning that it was a terrorist. He jumped on him and I tried to separate them, he recalled on Sunday evening. Yosef Ben Amo (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch) At a certain point he told me that it was a terrorist and he had stabbed a guard. I bent over the terrorists, punched him below his belt and my finger was injured a little, he said about his actions, which earned him a certificate of honor from Jerusalem District Police Commander Yoram Halevi and from the citys Mayor Nir Barkat. He was running in my direction when I noticed that the security guard was also chasing after him and knocked him over and at that point I joined the pursuit and I stopped him, Ben Amo continued. (Photo: Israel Police) Later more police arrived and took him to the side where they searched him again and checked if he had anything else on him. After making sure there wasn't anything else, they took him to the police station to continue the investigation. Asked whether he had given a second thought to confronting the terrorist, Ben Amo said: Im not scared of anyone. I am extremely extremely resilient thank God and I didn't hesitate for a moment. The second I became aware it was a terrorist I didn't hesitate. (Photo: Israel Police) Ben Amo also said that the terrorists did try to fight back, but that he couldn't because I neutralized him extremely quickly. Halevi praised Ben Amo for his actions. We have a great (security) apparatus in the population, in the public, in the civilians and it begins with the security guard, a real hero, the first who immediately ran after the terrorist was a civilian and police, he said. Footage of the attack This is the only place in the world that when there is an incident people don't flee, but rather they run and respond, he added. The guard responded within a second, ran and caught the terrorist and after him a civilian came and a second later the police came. Everyone played his part for public security and we have a lot to be proud of in this city in all respects. German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said there was no place for anti-Semitism in Germany after demonstrators angered by US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel burned Israeli flags in Berlin. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Hundreds of people gathered outside the US embassy in the German capital for "Day of Rage" protests on Friday. Police later said on Twitter that they had detained 10 people during the protest and 12 criminal charges had been broughtincluding for burning Israeli flags. Archive photo: Israeli flag burns in Egypt Maas told Bild newspaper's Monday edition: "Any kind of anti-Semitism is an attack on everyone. Anti-Semitism must never be allowed to have a place (in society) again." Anti-Semitism remains a very sensitive issue in Germany more than 70 years after the end of the Nazi-era Holocaust, in which six million Jews were killed. Germany regards itself as one of Israel's closest allies. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told Bild that while criticism of Trump's decision was understandable, people had no right or reason to burn the Israeli flag, stir up hatred against Jews or question Israel's right to exist. He said whoever did this nonetheless was "taking a stand not only against Israel but also against the German constitution" and Germany would not tolerate that. Gabriel said Germany only permitted peaceful demonstrations and would not allow conflicts in which people were prepared to use violence to be brought to Germany from other countries and played out here. The 2017 Stars In Worship concert was held over the weekend at the House of Miracles auditorium at Madina Estates, and this year was just as, if not more electrifying than previous events. Get the latest news in entertainment and politics on YEN.com.gh Celebrities from the showbiz industry in Ghana and Nigeria, thronged to the HOM auditorium to offer praises and worship to God for how far He has brought them this year. Yaw Dabo at the Stars In Worship event READ ALSO: Old Vandal dies in bloody fight at Commonwealth Hall The stage was was set for stars like Nana Ama Mcbrown, Lucky Lawson, Yaw Dabo, Chioma Chukwuka, Emeka Ike among others, who came to join hands with other believers to worship God. Emelia Brobbey was among the celebrities who attended the Stars in Worship concert. Emelia joined Desmond Elliot and Chioma Chukwuka to share the word of God and sing praises. Emelia also posted a video of herself with Chioma, with both ladies looking truly lovely and expressing excitement about the event. The Stars In Worship event brings together celebrities and influencers from the showbiz industry in Ghana and beyond, to share the stage and inspire other believers with their experiences. The event is hosted by Prophet Sampson Amoateng, the founder and general overseer of the House of Miracles Ministries. READ ALSO: This is the man who allegedly killed the Old Vandal at Commonwealth Hall YEN is building a platform where Ghanaians can share local news and own experiences with each other. Witnessing an incident? Want to tell about a local problem? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Send us a message via YENs official Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 18:20:11|Editor: Zhou Xin Video Player Close SANYA, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Belt and Road Initiative will play an important role in improving global governance and countering regional risks, according to Chinese and foreign observers. China will become an increasingly important player in the reform of the global governance system, and the Belt and Road Initiative will be one of its major contributions, said Wang Yiming, deputy director of the Development Research Center of the State Council, a government think tank. He made the remarks at the Sanya Forum, organized by Caijing Magazine, which opened Saturday in Sanya, Hainan Province. Put forward by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative proposes building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa, along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes. The joint construction of infrastructure projects has not only driven economic growth in the countries along the Belt and Road, but also helped rebalance globalization by "making a bigger cake and dividing the cake reasonably," said Wang. In the first three quarters of this year, trade between China and countries along the Belt and Road amounted to 786 billion U.S. dollars, up 15 percent year on year, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce. Dominique de Villepin, former Prime Minister of France, called the Belt and Road "a showcase project building a new type of regional integration" and "a unique chance for local and global stability." Globalization has created a complex network of interdependency between countries, making stronger regional integration necessary in managing risks, he said, noting that the Belt and Road promotes political and cultural understanding by integrating countries from at least three continents. The expansion of infrastructure in remote regions will be a major driver of stability in Central Asia as well as Eastern Africa, and economic stimulation will be a great opportunity to support long-term recovery in major economies like Europe and China, he told the forum. "It [the Belt and Road] offers a new model of prosperity based on inclusiveness, sustainablity and balance," he said. The number of countries, regions, and international organizations that have signed cooperation agreements with China on the joint development of the Belt and Road Initiative has reached 69, the country's top economic planner said in August. The agreements have consisted of cooperation deals in various fields, including infrastructure construction, financial collaboration, and cultural exchanges. Kent Calder, director of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at Johns Hopkins University, said the Belt and Road could provide new opportunities for multinational companies. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 18:45:17|Editor: Zhou Xin Video Player Close CAIRO, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Arab foreign ministers declared early on Sunday that the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital is illegal, warning further violence in the region. The ministers from member-states of the Arab League held a prolonged urgent meeting in Cairo started in Saturday evening, and urged the United States to withdraw its decision, describing the move as a violation of the international law. U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he acknowledged Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and decided to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The U.S. decision has no legal effect, the Arab ministers said in their final statement, adding that it undermines peace efforts, deepens tension, provokes anger and pushes the region into violence and instability. Trump's declaration received wide criticism and opposition from Arab and Muslim countries. The Arab foreign ministers have urged world countries to recognize an independent Palestinian state on the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital. They have pointed out that the United States has isolated itself as a peace mediator and sponsor after making this decision. They stressed adherence to peace based on the two-state solution, calling for a UN Security Council resolution to affirm that the U.S. decision goes against the resolutions of international legitimacy. Jerusalem lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Israel took over East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war and declared the whole city as its eternal indivisible capital in 1980, but it has not been recognized by the international community. The Palestinians insist that they should establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital in the final settlement. Under the previous Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, the status of Jerusalem should be determined through the final-status talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 18:55:21|Editor: Zhou Xin Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday wrapped up a five-day three-nation Europe visit which, experts said, was unlikely to heal the expanding trans-Atlantic rifts on the relevant regional and global issues. The absence of any summary of the tour, which took him to Brussels, Vienna and Paris, and which is the 7th of its kind since Tillerson took office in February, also indicated the fruitlessness of the visit, said experts. MIDDLE EAST RIFTS The tour, which aims to ease the rising tensions between Washington and Brussels, had been overshadowed before it even started on Monday by rumors of Trump's possible Jerusalem-related decision later. After Trump made the highly controversial announcement on Wednesday in which he recognizes Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and orders the U.S. embassy in Israel to move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Tillerson has spent most of his remaining tour peddling Trump's justification to upset European allies. Bilateral grudges were also detonated by Trump's retweeting of anti-Muslim posts, as British Prime Minister Theresa May, among European leaders, said Trump's posts were "wrong", and Trump later snapped by suggesting May to focus on her country's own security. Brussels, already upset about Trump's explicit support of Brexit, has made the bilateral rifts public in the face of Tillerson. In a joint statement to the media with her U.S. counterpart, the European Union (EU) High Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini noted that the bloc believes any action that would undermine the peace-making efforts between Palestine and Israel "must absolutely be avoided." On the Iran nuclear deal, she also rebuffed the U.S. stance by saying that the continued implementation of the Iran nuclear deal is a key strategic priority for European security but also for regional and global security. "Now dismantling an agreement on nuclear issues that is working ... would not put us in a better position to discuss all the rest on the country," she said, referring to Trump's October decertification of the landmark deal that helps ease the nuclear tension in the Middle East and beyond. The divergence on values was evident, as Mogherini said Brussels "is and remains a strong and reliable supporter of multilateralism, U.N. system, and a rules-based global order," with barely no mentioning of the U.S. concerns on Ukraine and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Darrell West of Brookings Institution told Xinhua that the Europeans are "cross-pressured" as Trump's abrupt moves and rhetoric made it difficult to "get touch on Russia," which Brussels took as one of its most imminent threats. "Trump has made the relationship worse with his embrace of ultra-nationalism and rude behavior towards U.S. allies. If that continues, it will cause the U.S. and EU to drift further apart," he added. Some European leaders have showed "consternation" about Trump's tweets, "but for others, they have found a kindred populist and nationalist in the White House," said Dan Mahaffee, vice president and director of policy at the U.S. Center for the Study of Congress and the Presidency. "Many look to comments from other administration officials to confirm the U.S. commitment to NATO and willingness to confront Russia ... The perception of disunity and the focus of both the U.S. and EU on internal politics are not the best signal to be sending on a tumultuous global stage," he said. LACK OF CONFIDENCE AMID MOUNTING TRUMP UNCERTAINTIES Analysts said that under the multiple trans-Atlantic rifts on the Middle East peace process, the Paris climate accord, and the Iran nuclear deal, was lying Brussels' profound lacking of confidence in bilateral cooperation amid the mounting uncertainties of Trump's foreign policy. In a Nov. 28 speech that outlined Trump administration's recent Europe policy, Tillerson, on the one hand, said the Article 5 of the NATO treaty "is the best mechanism" the Washington and Brussels have "to deter aggression" of Moscow, and on the other, urged European nations to increase their defense spending that accounts for two percent of their GDP. Washington's underlining of NATO, according to Cui Hongjian, director of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, lies in the wish to reinforce the U.S. role in protecting Europe and rein in the European military buildup under the U.S.-led NATO mechanism. However, Tillerson's calculations are highly likely doomed as Brussels was unwilling to positively commit itself to the U.S. regional and global agendas, deeply concerned about the leverage of the U.S. domestic issues on its foreign policy, the lacking of shared values between the two sides of the Atlantic and Tillerson's possible stepdown in the near future, said experts. "European leaders yearn for stability in U.S. foreign policy. They are troubled by Trump's 'America first' rhetoric and inconsistent statements on NATO and the European Union," the Reuters noted. WASHINGTON-BRUSSELS-MOSCOW DRAMAS TO CONTINUE Russia-phobia has featured Tillerson's seventh Europe trip, as he warned all European nations of Moscow's "intrusion" in NATO foreign ministerial meeting and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) plenaries. "Russia's aggression in Ukraine remains the biggest threat to European security," Tillerson said, accusing "Russia and its proxies" of "harassment, intimidation, and its attacks on the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission." "Trump does not talk with President Putin as often as with other world leaders, and I think, again, that's simply a reflection of the strained relationship that exists between the United States and Russia," he noted. "We join our European partners in maintaining sanctions until Russia withdraws its forces from the Donbass and meets its Minsk commitments," Tillerson added. He further noted that to regularize or renormalize the West's relationship with Russia cannot be undertaken "until Russia begins to address those actions which we find not just unacceptable but intolerable." Analysts said Tillerson's underlining of the Ukraine issues aims to elaborate the U.S. engagement in the EU's security maintenance, for which it was accused of not having taken enough resources to respond. As for the U.S.-Russia relations under the Trump administration, Brussels' attitude has long been featured by ambivalence. For fear of being betrayed by Trump, it does not expect Washington-Moscow rapprochement to come too soon with the Ukraine issues remaining unsolved. Meanwhile, sandwiched between the two nuclear powers, Europe does not welcome the radical breakup of Washington and Moscow neither, said experts. It would be unrealistic to anticipate dramatic improvement of trans-Atlantic relations under the current circumstance, and Tillerson's visit could be capped as a success as long as he could keep the bilateral relationship from becoming worse, experts argued. However, EU's Federica Mogherini said on the day when Tillerson left Europe that Trump's decision on Jerusalem would be a "gift" to extremists and to those not interested in peace, in a gesture that was widely taken as a slap in the face of Tillerson and the Trump administration at large. Trump's decision "has a very worrying potential impact in this very fragile context," she said. "Now what the worst possible development could be that a bad situation turns into a worse one and that tensions inflame the region even further." Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman (4th L) welcomes his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu (3rd L) at Israel's Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 16, 2017. (Xinhua Photo) JERUSALEM, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Israel's defense minister Avigdor Lieberman called Sunday to boycott Arab business in an area where residents clashed with the police over U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Lieberman, chairman of the ultra-nationalist "Israel Our Home" party, told Army Radio that Arabs in the Wadi Ara region in northern Israel "are not part of us" and "do not belong to the State of Israel." He also called on Jewish Israelis "to boycott Wadi Ara - stop going to their shops, stop buying, stop consuming services there. Let them feel they are unwelcome here." His remark triggered condemnations from Arab lawmakers. Ayman Odeh, chairman of the Arab-Jewish Joint List faction, denounced Lieberman as a "representative of fascism in (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's ultra-right-wing government." Odeh said in a statement that "the thought that such a person is in charge of state security should be worrisome to any sane citizen." On Saturday, hundreds of Arab citizens of Israel rallied in Wadi Ara as part of a "day of rage" in the wake of the Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his plan to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In the evening, after the main rally, dozens of young masked men hurled stones at buses and police vehicles along a major highway in the region. The police said that three Israelis were injured and several vehicles were damaged. Lieberman has long called for a peace agreement based on lands swap and transfer of Arab population from Wadi Ara to the Palestinian National Authority. Israeli Arabs, also called Palestinian citizens of Israel, are the descendants of the Palestinians who stayed in their lands during Israel's Independence War in 1948. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 19:50:34|Editor: ZD Video Player Close JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- A commander of local police was killed and four others sustained injuries as a roadside bomb struck a police van in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province on Sunday, spokesman for provincial government Attaullah Khogiani said. "A mine planted by enemies on a road in Khogiani district struck the vehicle of Habib Rahman the commander of local police, killing him on the spot and injuring four others including a civilian today afternoon," Khogiani told reporters here. The official said investigation is underway, without providing more details. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 19:55:36|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close KABUL, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- A medical and health exhibition kicked off in Kabul on Sunday, showcasing the latest medical equipments and health products. "The main aim of holding Health and Pharma Expo 2017 in Kabul is to introduce the newest medical equipments and latest medical achievements," an organizer Azizullah told the audience and customers. The four-day display was co-organized by Afghan Public Health Ministry and three local private medical institutions. More than 50 local and international medical entities have stalls in the fair held at the Afghanistan Expo Center in Shar-e-Naw neighborhood in central Kabul. During the exhibition, medical staff would also provide free medical instructions, blood tests and free vaccination to visitors. Three decades of war had a devastating impact on the health sector in Afghanistan. Only 9 percent of Afghans had access to health care in 2003, but the number had been increased to 67 percent in 2016, according to official figures. The event is scheduled to wrap up on Wednesday evening. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 20:00:38|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close MANILA, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will ask the Congress for a one-year extension of martial law in the southern Philippine Mindanao island, his ally in the House of Representatives said on Sunday. Philippine Lawmaker Rodolfo Farinas, also the House of Representatives majority leader, said that Duterte's office is expected to send a letter to both the House and Senate on Monday to formally inform Congress about the request for a one-year extension of martial rule in Mindanao. Farinas said the House leadership will take up the issue and confer with their Senate counterparts. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has recommended to Duterte to extend martial law in the southern Philippine Mindanao region for another year, a military official said on Thursday. Duterte imposed a 60-day martial law in the southern region in May when Islamist extremists laid siege to Marawi City triggering a five-month war between government security forces and the pro-Islamic State (IS) militants. Fierce fighting broke out as Philippine forces retook the city from the clutches of the militants, prompting Duterte to ask Congress in July to extend the military rule to Dec. 31 this year. Philippine legislators voted overwhelmingly to extend the martial law until Dec. 31 to give more time to crush the Islamist insurgents and destroy their terror network that plans to establish a caliphate in the southern Philippine region. The government finally gained control of the city in October. More than 1,100 people were killed in the battle, which reduced the city into rubbles. The 1987 Constitution only allows the Philippine president to declare martial law for a maximum of 60 days. Any extension would require approval from Congress. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 20:05:39|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close MANILA, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Data from the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) showed that nearly 800,000 Chinese tourists entered the Philippines from January to November this year, increasing 35 percent on-year, local media reported on Sunday. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, a major Philippine English newspaper, quote BI as saying that 796,487 Chinese visitors arrived in the Philippines from January to November this year, compared to 588,945 recorded in the same period in 2016, or an increase of 35 percent. At present, the BI records show that China is the Philippines's third largest sources of foreign arrivals, after South Korea and the United States. The BI issues visas upon arrival to qualified Chinese nationals as part of its drive to draw more tourists and investors to the country. For this year, the Philippines is expecting Chinese tourist arrivals to hit the 1 million mark. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 20:05:40|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close KATHMANDU, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- The second edition of China Education Fair 2017 concluded here on Sunday, with active participation of Nepali students aspiring to pursue higher studies at Chinese universities. Around 2,000 Nepali students attended the two-day fair that aimed to provide information and guidance to the Nepali students for their further studies in academic institutions of China. The fair, organized by a private educational organization Fresh Start, provided information about the Chinese education system, tuition fee structures, scholarship opportunities and visa policies for Nepali students. "We provided detailed information to Nepali students about foundation courses, bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees in the faculties like engineering, science and technology, and economics among others," Dipesh Regmi, head of the Fresh Start Nepal, told Xinhua. The exhibition was being held at a time when the Chinese government has set a target of having half million foreign students by 2020. Altogether 16 renowned Chinese universities participated in the fair, along with the presence of representatives from various educational institutions and counselors. Jiangsu University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China University of Mining and Technology were some of the participating universities. Zhang Yawei, representative from Shandong University of Science and Technology, told Xinhua that "from 2006, we started English-taught courses in our university in electronics, tele-communication and chemical engineering. We have produced hundreds of international students, including those from Nepal, who have shown excellent performance. We are offering various scholarship programs to Nepali students." According to the Nepal China Cultural and Educational Council, nearly 5,000 Nepali students have studied in China, starting from 1957. "I want to study in China because of the gaining reputation of Chinese universities. Their programs are diverse and I am glad that they provide scholarships too," Sajan Thakuri, an under-graduate student at Joseph College, told Xinhua. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 20:40:51|Editor: Zhou Xin Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- A "terrorist" knifeman stabbed and seriously injured an Israeli security guard outside Jerusalem's central bus station on Sunday before the assailant was "neutralized" and arrested by the police, the Israeli police said in a statement. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 20:40:52|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close GAZA, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Islamic Hamas movement's military wing Al-Qassam brigades called Sunday for the continuation of the "uprising and activating all means in resisting and confronting the occupation" in rejection of the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Al-Qassam Brigades said in an official statement sent to reporters "we call upon our people to continue this Intifada, and to activate all means of resisting and confronting the occupation." The statement warned that "the enemy will pay the bill of an arduous expense for the aggression, treachery and criminality against our people," adding "the coming days will prove to the enemy its great error and its misjudgment of the will and determination of the armed resistance." Two Hamas militants died Saturday after Israel shelled a military training camp in northern Gaza, according to the Al-Qassam announcement. Four Palestinians were killed and over 1,000 others were injured in clashes that lasted over the past three days in West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, against the U.S. move on Jerusalem. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 21:00:57|Editor: Zhou Xin Video Player Close by Justice Lee Adoboe ACCRA, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- For real development to be realized in Africa, women need to be given their rightful place at the decision making table at country and continental levels, a young Ghanaian state official said late Saturday. Speaking to Xinhua after the African Union Women Delegates Conference in Accra where she addressed young female delegates from 50 African countries, Lydia Atiemo, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Deputy CEO) of Ghana's Youth Employment Agency (YEA) spoke strongly about the need for African women to participate in national and continental politics. "Women must be part of the development process from inception stage through implementation stage, not just filling the space but participating in sharing ideas and expertise to move our countries forward," she said. Acknowledging the positive steps being taken in Ghana, including the Affirmative Action to create more room for female participation in governance at all levels, she also urged women to position themselves well to take advantage of the opportunities. "Too many women find it difficult to come out in the open to participate in politics because of the wrong impression that women in politics tend to be sexually promiscuous," she said, calling on society to encourage women who have been bold enough to venture into national governance. She said women who are in positions of trust must not just occupy the space but become influencers of decision: "Be there because you want to effect change and be part of the change." Tessa Dooms, Managing Director of Youth Lab, a South Africa-based policy think tank, at the conference also urged fellow African women to stop thinking that somebody needed to favor them in politics. "Women who are for change in the status quo must not seek favors but must strive to carve a niche for themselves in order to make it in leadership," Dooms said. She urged young ladies also to learn to engage in volunteerism and humanitarian work as a foundation to leadership, advocating for women to be one another's keeper. Dooms added that women seeking to be in leadership should learn to develop strong personalities to be able to withstand the scorn and name-calling that come from their competitors. Also in an interview, Fatimatu Abubakar, Deputy Director of Communications for Ghana's President, cautioned young women against networking with corrupt politicians. In Ghana, Abubakar expressed satisfaction that women have the liberty to do what they desire to do in politics, although women still stay back from taking advantage of the opportunity to seek election into offices such as parliament. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 21:00:58|Editor: Zhou Xin Video Player Close CANBERRA, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government on Sunday congratulated the Iraqi government and people for liberating the entire nation from the control of Islamic State (IS) after the Iraqi government's announcement. In a joint statement made by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Defence Minister Marise Payne, they said that pushing IS out of Iraq was no small feat, and while the liberation had come at a "great cost," Iraqi forces should be proud of their achievements. "The Australian Government congratulates the people of Iraq after Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi today announced that all areas of Iraq have been liberated from ISIS control," the joint statement said. "We congratulate the Iraqi Security Forces for their courage and determination in defeating this national, regional and international threat. The liberation of Iraqi cities and towns from ISIS control has saved countless lives and ended a pattern of terror, anguish and murder. "Their bravery in the face of unimaginable brutality has made the region and the world a safer place by robbing terrorists of their narrative of invincibility. The Government of Iraq is to be congratulated on forcing, in recent weeks, such a rapid collapse of ISIS forces," the statement read. Turnbull and his cabinet ministers also paid tribute to the Australian forces in the region. A number of Australian ground and air forces have been training local defence personnel for the fight against the terrorist group. "We recognize the contribution our Australian troops have made," the statement said. "We thank them for the vital role they played in supporting the Iraqi Security Forces to liberate Iraq." However, Turnbull said while the Iraqi government's announcement was a "historic moment," the liberation of Iraq "does not mean the fight against terrorism and ISIS in Iraq is over." Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 22:01:16|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close Israeli police guard the site of a knife attack at Jerusalem's central bus station, on Dec. 10, 2017. An Israeli security guard was seriously wounded Sunday by a Palestinian knifeman outside Jerusalem's central bus station, the police said. (Xinhua/JINI) JERUSALEM, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli security guard was seriously wounded Sunday by a Palestinian knifeman outside Jerusalem's central bus station, the police said. The suspect, a 24-year-old Palestinian resident of the West Bank, stabbed the security guard and fled the scene, said a police statement, describing it as a "terror attack." He was chased and arrested by a civilian and a policeman nearby, it added. Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service said that the 25-year-old Israeli guard sustained serious injuries and was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. The incident occurred amid growing tensions over U.S. President Donald Trump's recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israeli capital despite strong opposition and protests from the Palestinians and Muslims across the world. Trump also ordered the State Department to start immediately the process of relocating the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. To protest Trump's announcement, the Palestinians called for three "days of rage." Protests were held in the past days in the Palestinian territories, many cities in Muslim countries, as well as some European capitals. Four Palestinians were killed and dozens of others were injured in their clashes with Israeli security forces in the Gaza Strip and West Bank over the weekend. On Friday, two Palestinian protesters were killed and 98 others were wounded in clashes in the Palestinian territories. A number of Palestinian protesters were also arrested at the Damascus Gate in East Jerusalem during skirmishes with Israeli security forces after the Friday prayers. The two other Palestinians killed were believed to be Hamas members, who lost their lives in Gaza Strip Friday during airstrikes launched by Israeli military in retaliation against Hamas' firing of three rockets into Israel from the enclave. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 22:11:23|Editor: Zhou Xin Video Player Close MOGADISHU, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- At least 2,078 civilians were killed and 2,507 injured in Somalia's armed conflict, mainly involving Al-Shabaab terror group, from January 2016 to Oct. 14, 2017, said a joint UN report released on Sunday. The report by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) said 60 percent of the deaths and injuries were attributed to Al-Shabaab militants, 13 percent to clan militias, 11 percent to state actors, including the army and the police, 4 percent to the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), and 12 percent to unidentified attackers. Michael Keating, UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, said all parties to the conflict are not doing enough to shield civilians from violence in the Horn of African nation. "Civilians are paying the price for failure to resolve Somalia's conflicts through political means," said Keating. The report revealed a significant number of recorded civilian casualties -- 251 killed and 343 injured -- was attributed to clan militias, in areas where federal or state security forces are largely absent. "The drought has intensified clan conflict due to competition over resources. These conflicts are exploited by anti-government elements to further destabilize areas, diminish prospects for lasting peace and weaken civilian protection," the report stated. The UN said armed conflict is damaging infrastructure and livelihoods, displacing millions of people, and impeding access to humanitarian relief for communities in need. The report titled, "Protection of Civilians: Building the Foundation for Peace, Security and Human Rights in Somalia," said the conflict has disproportionately affected children. According to the UN, 3,335 cases of child recruitment were reported in the first ten months of 2017, with 71.5 percent attributed to Al-Shabaab, 14.6 percent to clan militia, and 7.4 percent to the Somali National Army. According to the report, the worst incident on a single day was the twin bomb blasts in Mogadishu on Oct. 14, attributed to Al-Shabaab by the Somali government, in which at least 512 people are officially recorded to have died. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said such casualties are of utmost concern as they undermine the Somali population's trust in the government and the international community, which in turn expands the space for the operation of anti-government elements. The report recommended that all unlawful armed groups and militia be disbanded. It also urged parties to the conflict to take feasible precautions to protect civilians by ceasing the use of all IEDs and the firing of mortars, rockets and grenades from and into populated areas. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 22:29:19|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close The combo picture shows the portrait, fingerprint of Zhang Lanying and illustrated story reviving her tragedy based on facts. Born on Dec. 6, 1929, Zhang is a survivor of Nanjing Massacre, a heinous crime committed by the Japanese militarists during World War II in 1937, in Nanjing, then capital of China. On the first day after Japanese troops entered Nanjing, three Japanese soldiers broke into her home, bound her elder brother Zhang Huaizhi and stabbed his thigh. Zhang and her mother dropped to their knees and begged piteously, brought Zhang Huaizhi back to life. The year 2017 marks the 80th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre, in which more than 300,000 Chinese were killed by the Japanese invaders who occupied Nanjing on Dec. 13, 1937, marking the start of six weeks of destruction, pillage, rape and slaughter in the city. There are only less than 100 living survivors of the atrocity. Reporters from Xinhua spent many years to look for the survivors of Nanjing Massacre and record their current lives. (Xinhua/Photo by Han Yuqing, Illustrated by Chen Congying) KAMPALA, Dec. 10 (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. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 22:31:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- The UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame on Sunday expressed alarm at the scale of human rights abuses in the war-torn country, where hundreds of civilians have been killed and injured this year. Salame, special representative of UN Secretary-General and head of UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), said in a statement that "human rights abuses are carried out at an alarming scale, with no accountability or due process" in Libya. The statement was issued to mark the 70th anniversary of the UN General Assembly's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. "In Libya, this year alone, indiscriminate fighting in residential areas, airstrikes and explosive ordinance have tragically left at least 365 Libyans killed or injured, including 79 children," Salame said. "Fourteen health facilities were attacked, endangering doctors, patients and the frail healthcare system," he said. The UNSMIL also documented 201 unlawful killings, mainly executions of persons detained by armed groups, which continue to illegally detain thousands of people, while torture is systematic and deaths in custody occur on a regular basis. Salame also said that 24 cases of attacks, arbitrary or unlawful detention, torture and threats against journalists, activists and others have been documented. "I salute the brave Libyan human rights defenders and advocates who work every day, sometime in grave peril, to advance human rights across their country," he said. The envoy added that illegal immigrants stranded in Libya are subjected to human trafficking, sexual abuse, forced labor and killings. "I urge all Libyans to stand up for human rights and for the values that lay the foundation for a safer, fairer and better Libya. You will find the United Nations standing with you." Salame said. Libya has been suffering from violence and chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 22:46:35|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- The ambassadors of major Western countries to Libya on Sunday expressed deep concern about the human rights violations in the war-torn country. "We remain concerned by reported abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law which continue to happen across Libya, including against civilians and internally-displaced persons," the ambassadors said in a joint statement issued by the U.S. embassy to Libya. The statement represents the voice of over a dozen of Western countries, including the United States, Britain, Germany and France. It mentioned "continued violence between armed groups," and "reports of unlawful killings and torture" in Libya. The envoys urged "those suspected of committing, ordering, or failing to prevent such acts on all sides" to be fully investigated. The statement also cited a recent CNN report about a slave market in Libya, where stranded African immigrants were reportedly sold for only 400 U.S. dollars each. Libyan authorities have dismissed the report, saying it is "swathed in doubts" and meant to tarnish the image of the country. The Western ambassadors' statement was released to mark the International Human Rights Day, and the 70th anniversary of the UN General Assembly's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It urged all Libyan parties to "work quickly and cooperatively to amend and fully implement the Libyan Political Agreement," citing it is the "only viable framework" throughout Libya's transitional period. Libya has been suffering from violence and chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 22:51:37|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close MOGADISHU, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Several Al-Shabaab militants were killed on Sunday in a military operation in Somalia's southwestern region, officials said. South West State spokesman Noradin Abokar told journalists that the militants were killed in a joint operation by federal and state forces in Burhakaba district in Bay region. "The militants were hiding in the area and waylaying public transport vehicles and demanding levies," the official said "Several others were captured," Abokar said, but did not indicate the number. Somali forces have been conducting heightened operations in the region, forcing the militants out of several hideout. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 22:56:38|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIJING, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- The number of charging piles for electric cars has been surging in China amid the country's campaign to promote new-energy vehicles (NEVs) and fight pollution. By the end of October this year, 195,000 public charging piles for electric cars had been built in China, 82 percent more than the number at the end of October 2016, an official said. The number of privately-owned charging piles for electric cars saw an even bigger increase over the period, up 214 percent year on year to 188,000, Guo Wei, an official from National Energy Administration, said at a forum in Beijing on Saturday. In China, the world's largest auto market, the government is a staunch supporter of NEVs, seeing them as a way to ease pressure on the environment. The government is mulling plans to ban the production and sale of diesel and petrol cars, but no timetable and details have yet been unveiled. A slew of measures, including tax exemptions, discounts for car purchases and an order for government organizations to buy more new energy cars, are in place to encourage the use of NEVs. Last year, China sold 507,000 NEVs, an increase of 53 percent year on year. Sales of pure electric vehicles surged 65.1 percent year on year to 409,000, accounting for 80 percent of new energy vehicle sales, official data showed. An earlier guideline by the State Council said China would build more than 12,000 new charging stations before 2020 to fulfill the demands of over 5 million NEVs. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 23:01:40|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close AMMAN, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Sunday welcomed Iraq's announcement of liberating its territories from the terror group Islamic State (IS), the state-run Petra news agency reported. Jordan's Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani commended the Iraqi government, armed forces and Iraqi people for standing up to the terror group and ridding Iraq of its radical and criminal acts. Momani mentioned Jordan's support to Iraq in the fight against the terror group, while reiterating Amman's stance on the need to encounter terrorism that seeks to affect the region and the world. The minister also highlighted the need for regional and international efforts to fight terrorism and its root causes, adding that the lack of justice creates an environment where radical ideologies flourish, referring to the recent developments in Jerusalem. He was referring to the violent clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces in the past days, after U.S. President Donald Trump took the controversial step on Wednesday to recognize Jerusalem as Israeli capital despite warnings from the Palestinians and Muslims across the world. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced Saturday that IS, or Daesh, no longer occupies significant territories in Iraq, and the fight against IS was over after more than three years of fighting. Iraqi forces mopped up the last pockets of IS fighters in Iraq's western deserts on Saturday, securing the country's border with Syria, a step that marked the end of the combat operations against the terror group. IS captured large swaths of territories in northern Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate in 2014. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 23:31:45|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close NAIROBI, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday condemned the killing of Tanzanian soldiers who were part of a United Nations peacekeeping force in the restive Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Kenyatta said in a letter to his Tanzanian counterpart John Magufuli said the deadliest attack in the UN's recent history on the soldiers, who were serving the good cause of establishing sustainable peace in the DRC, was vile. "He condoled with the families who lost relatives in the attack and wished quick recovery to those who were injured," the presidency said in a statement issued in Nairobi. The 15 Tanzanian blue helmets including five DRC soldiers were killed and others injured when they were ambushed by an armed militia group in North Kivu region of the DRC. The 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, according to the UN. The attack left 15 Tanzanian blue helmets and five DRC soldiers dead. Kenyatta said Kenya will continue partnering with Tanzania to boost the stability of the DRC as well as the wider Great Lakes region. He said the government and people of Kenya will stand with the government and people of Tanzania in seeking a peaceful and prosperous future for the region. President Kenyatta said Kenya appreciates the crucial role played by peacekeepers since it has participated in many peacekeeping missions. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-11 06:07:18|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close KATHMANDU, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- A team of doctors from China's Sichuan Province arrived in Nepal on Sunday to launch a week-long free health camp for locals. During the ceremony here, the team said the health camp will begin from Monday from a village in Dhulikhel, some 30 km away from the capital Kathmandu. The 20-member delegation, led by He Guangxian, deputy inspector of Sichuan provincial foreign affairs office, comprises 17 doctors. They will provide specialized medical services on orthopedics, diabetes, hypertension and respiratory diseases, among others. "We are dedicated to supporting the health of Nepali people and their happiness through our medical camps. We will also hold interaction with local health workers and share our skills and experiences," a member from the medical team said at the ceremony. This is not the first time that the Sichuan medical team provided services in the Himalayan nation. Earlier, the team had offered free medical services to the Nepalese right after the devastating earthquake of 2015 which killed nearly 9,000 people and left tens of thousands injured. Deputy Chief of Mission at Chinese Embassy in Nepal Yang Shichao expressed hope that the free health camp will be highly beneficial to the people who have less access to medical treatment. "The medical team is here to relieve sufferings and pains of people. The team will not just help the patients but will also deliver the message of China's aid," Yang said. The health camp will be organized in five places covering four districts including Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur and Kavrepalanchowk. It has been supported by Nepali organization Arniko Society. Addressing the event, Mayor of Dhulikhel Ashok Byanju Shrestha said such health camps are important for rural villages and should be conducted regularly. "I appreciate the assistance of Sichuan Province to improve health of the Nepali people. I also look forward to the affiliation between hospitals of Sichuan and Nepal," Shrestha said. | 2017-12-11 06:10:00|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia exported 562,237 tons of milled rice in the first 11 months of 2017, up 17 percent compared with the same period last year, according to the latest report on Sunday. China is still the top buyer of Cambodian milled rice, followed by France and Poland, said the report released by the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export. Export to China accounted for 165,000 tons, or 29.3 percent of the total exports, during the January-November period this year, the report said. Cambodia is expected to sell 200,000 tons of rice to China this year and up to 300,000 tons next year. The Southeast Asian country produces over 9 million tons of paddy rice a year. With this amount, it has over 3 million tons of milled rice for annual export. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-11 00:37:05|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ANKARA, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday dismissed the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital as "null and void." "Declaring it (Jerusalem) as a capital and relocating the (U.S.) embassy has no validity for us," Erdogan told a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party in the central Anatolia city of Sivas. The Turkish leader has been one of the most outspoken critics of U.S. President Donald Trump's decision on Wednesday to recognize Jerusalem as Israeli capital and to start immediately the process of moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel took over East Jerusalem, revered by Muslims as the third holiest site in Islam, in the 1967 war, and declared unilaterally the whole city as its eternal capital. But this has never been accepted by the international community, which has called for reaching a final settlement of the dispute through the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Erdogan has called for holding an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Wednesday in Istanbul, which he hopes to draw up a roadmap for Muslim nations to follow as they oppose the U.S. decision. In his speech, Erdogan also called Israel "an occupying and a terrorist state," state-run Anadolu news agency reported. In addition, he condemned the Israeli police for using "disproportionate" force against Palestinian protesters in the past days. Two Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during clashes over the weekend after Trump's announcement that infuriated the Palestinians and Muslims across the world. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-11 01:27:14|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close RABAT, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched on Sunday in Morocco's capital Rabat to denounce the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The demonstrators chanted slogans against the U.S. and warned of the serious consequences of the U.S. decision on the regional and international stability. The march was organized by the National Action Group in Support of Palestine and the Moroccan Association for the Support of the Struggle of the Palestinian People. "The march is an opportunity to reiterate the stance of the Moroccan people in support of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people," said Khalid Soufiani, one of the organizers. Soufiani underlined that this march reaffirmed that the issue of Jerusalem is a "red line" in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He added that the Moroccans, together with other Arabs and Muslims, will continue their support for the struggle of the Palestinian people against the Israeli occupation. The march came after a number of demonstrations and sit-ins held in several Moroccan cities since U.S. President Donald Trump officially announced his country's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the start of moving the U.S. embassy there. Trump's announcement drew widespread anger and criticism among the Palestinians as well as the Arabs and Muslims across the world. Protests and demonstrations have been held in the Palestinian territories of West Bank and Gaza Strip as well as in many cities in the Middle East and elsewhere. Israel seized control of East Jerusalem in 1967 and declared the city as its eternal capital in 1980, a move never recognized by the international community. The Palestinians consider East Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-11 02:02:23|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close China launched Algeria's first communication satellite, Alcomsat-1, into a preset orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan early Monday, on Dec. 11, 2017. (Xinhua/Ju Zhenhua) XICHANG, Sichuan, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- China launched Algeria's first communication satellite, Alcomsat-1, into a preset orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan early Monday. The satellite was the first cooperative project in aerospace industry between the two countries. It will be used by Algeria for broadcast and television, emergency communication, distance education, e-governance, enterprise communication, broadband access and satellite-based navigation. The satellite was launched 40 minutes after midnight by a Chinese Long March-3B carrier rocket, making it the 258th flight mission for the Long March rocket family. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-11 02:22:27|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TEHRAN, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday criticized the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump in Middle East regarding Jerusalem, Press TV reported. Trump has made an "incorrect" decision to recognize Jerusalem as the "capital" of Israel, Rouhani said in a meeting with the visiting British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in the capital Tehran. "The regional situation is such that one should not fan the flames and the U.S. president's recent decision to move the country's embassy to al-Quds (Jerusalem ) was an incorrect decision and was pouring gasoline on the flames in the region," Rouhani was quoted as saying. Over the past years, Iran sought to establish sustainable peace and stability, helped end war and bloodshed and uproot terrorism in the region, he said, adding that Tehran-London talks could lead to the development of regional stability. It is clear that Iran's constructive role saved two regional countries from the threat of terrorism, he said. "No one can doubt Iran's positive measures in the region," he pointed out. The Iranian president also stressed the importance of boosting cordial relations between Tehran and London after the implementation of the landmark nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015. He expressed dissatisfaction with the current level of Tehran-London cooperation after the JCPOA implementation and urged the two sides to make more efforts to reach "a desirable point in relations." The British foreign secretary said Iran had taken positive measures in the fight against terrorism and promoted regional peace and stability. Johnson said that London did not regard Trump's decision on Jerusalem as an appropriate move. Besides, he said that the JCPOA was a positive accord, which should be upheld in a way that the Iranian nation could take advantage of its economic benefits. He also expressed Britain's willingness to participate in Iran's investment projects. Johnson headed a high-ranking politico-economic delegation in his trip to Tehran is part of an effort to improve Tehran-London relations. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-11 02:32:29|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close CAIRO, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi invited his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas for talks in Cairo on Monday over the issue of Jerusalem, the Egyptian presidential spokesman said in a statement on Sunday. "The talks will address the development related to the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the ways to deal with the crisis in a manner that preserves the rights of the Palestinian people, their national sanctities and their legitimate right to establish their own independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital," said Bassam Rady in the statement. The statement came days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced his country's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the relocation of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The Egyptian presidential spokesman said Sunday that Sisi and Abbas agreed over the phone to strengthen contacts with different international parties to explain the negative effects of the U.S. decision. Sisi also made a phone call to King Abdullah II of Jordan on Sunday to further discuss the issue of Jerusalem as well as other regional development. "During the phone talks, the two leaders discussed methods of supporting the Palestinian rights, topped by the right to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital," Rady said. Egypt has repeatedly voiced its concerns over the U.S. controversial recognition of the holy city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, stressing the move would negatively affect stability in the Middle East region. Egypt said during a recent UN Security Council emergency meeting that "the position of Jerusalem as an occupied city does not and will not change," stressing that the UN resolutions and the international community agree that Jerusalem is among the Palestinian territories that have been occupied by Israel since 1967. Sisi is also scheduled to host Russian President Vladimir Putin in Cairo on Monday. Although their talks will focus on bilateral relations and economic cooperation, experts believe their talks may also cover the U.S. move regarding Jerusalem. Egypt and Israel reached a U.S.-sponsored peace treaty in 1979, after which Egypt started working on reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and brokering intra-Palestinian reconciliation. Cairo sponsored in October the signing of a reconciliation agreement between rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas to end their long-time rift and enable a unity government to take over control of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. The reconciliation deal has not yet been fully implemented, with both Hamas and Fatah exchanging blame for delay. The U.S. decision on Jerusalem has been rejected by most states across the world, besides international and regional bodies including the United Nations and the Arab League (AL). Over the past few days, the AL and most Arab states have been warning against the "dangerous repercussions" of such a U.S. decision on peace, security and stability in the Middle East region and the chances for a settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict emerged since the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the Western-backed creation of Israel in 1948. Israel is blamed by the international community for the deadlock of the peace process due to its settlement expansion policy, which is rejected even by its strongest ally, the United States. The Palestinians seek to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital city, in the light of the UN-proposed two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders. GUANGZHOU China's achievements in promoting an open and innovative economy and common development offer a good example for case study as global business leaders gather here to float creative ideas for guiding the world through a dramatic transformation. It is the fifth time the famed Fortune Global Forum has taken place in China, whose record of sustained development, commitment to win-win cooperation and contribution to global growth have kept wowing the world. Profound changes, global challenges Themed "Openness and Innovation: Shaping the Global Economy," the 2017 Fortune Global Forum is set to open in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou on Wednesday. The forum comes at a time when technology is reshaping the business world in ways never seen before, and rising nationalism and growing distrust in businesses and other institutions are posing a threat to globalization, said Alan Murray, editor-in-chief of the Fortune magazine. Against this backdrop, more than 700 delegates, including senior executives from over 120 of the world's top companies, are expected to attend the three-day event for discussions on innovation, the future of globalization, 21st-century leadership and sustainable development, among other subjects. The platform, said Cai Chaolin, director of the Guangzhou forum's executive committee, will enable participants to have a positive impact on global economic and social development and create opportunities for enterprises. Meanwhile, Guangzhou has been described as an ideal location for the event, as it has long been a center of global trade and investment and has now also become a hub of innovation. Currently, there are 120,000 sci-tech and innovative companies in Guangzhou, and 13 of China's top innovative companies are based here, according to the US business magazine Fast Company. "By creating a favorable business and innovative environment and laying out a number of key industries, Guangzhou has improved its ability to attract high-end elements, thus enhancing the city's influence and international popularity," Ni Pengfei, director of the City and Competitiveness Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told Xinhua in a recent interview. In recognition of its innovative spirit, Guangzhou has been chosen as the permanent venue of the Fortune Brainstorm Tech International, a new event that focuses on technology and innovation and will take place annually. Open China, common development The forum comes as China is pushing forward comprehensive development in line with the blueprint drawn at the landmark 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in October. Taking stock of China's remarkable development over the past few decades, the new blueprint features, among others, the unremitting commitment of the world's second-largest economy to openness, win-win cooperation and common development. The commitment stems from China's increasingly close intertwinement with the rest of the world, and also from Chinese President Xi Jinping's grand vision of building a community with shared future for mankind. A telling example is the Belt and Road Initiative, which was put forward by Xi in 2013 and is aimed at building a trade, investment and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes. Official statistics show that so far Chinese businesses have helped build 75 economic and trade cooperation zones in 24 countries along the Belt and Road, generating over 209,000 jobs. Meanwhile, the world's largest developing and most populous country is expected to import $24 trillion' worth of goods, attract $2 trillion of inbound direct investment, and make $2 trillion of outbound investment in the next 15 years. "China's door to the world will never close, but will only open wider," Xi said in a congratulatory letter to the Fourth World Internet Conference, which opened Sunday in the town of Wuzhen in eastern China. Innovative China, sustained development China, which is restructuring its economy and developing new growth drivers, is paying increasing attention to innovation, which has been listed as the first of its five major development concepts. For example, since the inception of the Internet Plus initiative in 2015, new industries and business models have boomed in China, with Internet-related technologies revolutionizing such sectors as manufacturing, retail, finance and health care. Home to about 750 million netizens and boasting the world's second-largest digital economy, China is now in an advantageous position to develop e-commerce and third-party mobile payments. Internet-related growth accounts for 6.9 percent of China's gross domestic growth, the second-highest proportion in the world, according to AliResearch, a research institute of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. Many scholars agree that China is actually more digitized than most people have realized, and has the potential to lead in the digital frontier in the coming decades. Addressing the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in Vietnam last month, Xi said that as China works hard to pursue innovation and higher quality of growth, new forms of business will keep emerging, more innovations will be used, and the development of China's different regions will become more balanced. "All this will create a more powerful and extensive impact, present more opportunities of cooperation and enable more countries to board the express train of China's development," Xi said. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-11 02:37:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika exchanged congratulatory messages on the successful launch of Alcomsat-1 in the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China's southwestern province of Sichuan early Monday. In his message, Xi pointed out that the project of Alcomsat-1, Algeria's first communications satellite, is an important manifestation of the China-Algeria comprehensive strategic partnership, which starts a precedent in aerospace cooperation between China and Arab countries and will play an important role in promoting Algeria's economic development, improvement of its people's livelihood and social progress. The year of 2018 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Algeria, Xi said, adding that Beijing is willing to work with Algeria to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in various fields, promote the in-depth development of the comprehensive strategic partnership so as to benefit the two countries and two peoples. For his part, Bouteflika said in his message that the successful launch of Alcomsat-1 is a remarkable achievement in aerospace cooperation between Algeria and China, which reflects the deep traditional friendship between the two sides. Algeria is willing to work with China to jointly promote cooperation in various fields to achieve more results, he added. People gather in the site of an airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen, on November 11, 2017. The Saudi-led coalition has been bombing northern Yemen for several days. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed) SANAA, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 Houthi rebels were killed on Sunday when Saudi-led coalition warplanes hit a missile depot in the Yemeni northwestern province of Hajjah, a Houthi security official told Xinhua. "Nearly 20 fighters were killed and some others wounded in the targeted site," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The depot exploded and caught fire after being hit by more than 10 airstrikes, the official said, without giving further details. The depot is located in a small military camp run by Houthi rebels in the al-Raboo area in Abs district, which provides military supplies to the fighters in Medi town, which borders Saudi Arabia. Sunday's attack is the latest of a series of airstrikes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in a war of more than two and a half years. The new escalation of tension came six days after the Houthis killed former President Ali Abdullah Saleh who had shifted side to ally with the coalition. The security situation in Sanaa has calmed down after the Houthis completely controlled the capital and defeated Saleh's armed supporters. The capital's residents began gradually returning to the markets and streets, as state employees resumed work in the ministries. On Saturday, the coalition airstrikes hit Yemen's main satellite TV station in the rebel-held capital and killed four journalists. The airstrikes also targeted two popular markets in the north of Sanaa and south of the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, killing at least six people, according to local officials. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen's conflict in 2015 to back President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The war in Yemen has killed over 10,000 people, mostly civilians, and displaced 3 million others, according to UN agencies. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-11 03:42:45|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Libya's eastern-based army on Sunday started patrols in the southeastern border in order to control smuggling and human trafficking, a military official told Xinhua. "Military patrols started on Sunday by the army's Subul Assalam Battalion in the southeastern city of Kufra," Libyan army officer Saeed Wanis told Xinhua. "The smuggling operations taking place there are draining the Libyan wealth in a frightening way," said Wanis, referring to the difficulty of securing the area "given its vast desert nature that requires a large number of soldiers." The Battalion issued a statement on Saturday threatening human traffickers and fuel smugglers, confirming it would not "tolerate smugglers" and that "the military patrols will continue for 24 hours a day." "We managed, in the past few days, to confiscate nine fuel tankers loaded with gasoline on the outskirts of Rubiana, 400 km west of Kufra, which were heading to Chad," the Battalion said. Southern Libya witnesses many oil smuggling and immigrant trafficking activities, given the vast desert nature and poor security conditions in the area. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-11 03:47:46|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Tanzania People's Defense Forces (TPDF) said on Sunday the killing of its 14 peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will never distract its support towards peacekeeping missions. Lieutenant General James Mwakibolwa, TPDF's Chief of Staff, said the killing of the peacekeepers has given the army morale to support the UN's peacekeeping missions. "We will continue supporting peacekeeping missions and we will never stop flying the country's flag both locally and internationally," Mwakibolwa told a news conference in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam. The Chief of Staff described the incident as the worst since the army was assigned in the DRC in 2011. "We will never be frightened by such coward acts by these rebels. The grisly incident has just pushed us to another level of the courage to fight on and ensure we restore peace in the world," he said. Mwakibolwa said plans to transport the bodies of the deceased soldiers were being done, adding that the bodies were expected to arrive in the country next week. The peacekeepers were killed by suspected militiamen on Thursday night, the deadliest attack on Tanzanian soldiers in the DRC in recent memory. Mwakibolwa said the fight between the two sides lasted for about 13 hours. On Saturday, President John Magufuli asked people who attended the 56th Independence Anniversary celebrations in the new capital Dodoma to observe one minute of silence in honor of the 14 killed Tanzanian peacekeepers. "I am calling upon my fellow Tanzanians to pray for those who died as well as those injured so that they recover quickly," said President Magufuli who doubles as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The killed soldiers were part of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known as MONUSCO. Established in 2010, MONUSCO, the United Nations' largest peacekeeping mission, has recorded 93 fatalities of military, police and civilian personnel, said the reports. The 3,000 strong UN intervention brigade consists of troops hailing evenly from Tanzania, Malawi and South Africa. In 2015, two Tanzanian peacekeepers were killed when their patrol was ambushed at the same North Kivu province. In September and October this year, another three Tanzanian peacekeepers were killed in separate rebel attacks in the DRC. In a statement last week UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack saying the killing of peacekeepers was unacceptable and constituted to war crimes. Egypt's President Sisi vows solidarity with Palestinian President Abbas to defend East Jerusalem as capital of future independent Palestinian state. (Xinhua Photo) CAIRO, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi invited his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas for talks in Cairo on Monday over the issue of Jerusalem, the Egyptian presidential spokesman said in a statement on Sunday. "The talks will address the development related to the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the ways to deal with the crisis in a manner that preserves the rights of the Palestinian people, their national sanctities and their legitimate right to establish their own independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital," said Bassam Rady in the statement. The statement came days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced his country's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the relocation of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The Egyptian presidential spokesman said Sunday that Sisi and Abbas agreed over the phone to strengthen contacts with different international parties to explain the negative effects of the U.S. decision. Sisi also made a phone call to King Abdullah II of Jordan on Sunday to further discuss the issue of Jerusalem as well as other regional development. "During the phone talks, the two leaders discussed methods of supporting the Palestinian rights, topped by the right to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital," Rady said. Egypt has repeatedly voiced its concerns over the U.S. controversial recognition of the holy city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, stressing the move would negatively affect stability in the Middle East region. Egypt said during a recent UN Security Council emergency meeting that "the position of Jerusalem as an occupied city does not and will not change," stressing that the UN resolutions and the international community agree that Jerusalem is among the Palestinian territories that have been occupied by Israel since 1967. Sisi is also scheduled to host Russian President Vladimir Putin in Cairo on Monday. Although their talks will focus on bilateral relations and economic cooperation, experts believe their talks may also cover the U.S. move regarding Jerusalem. Egypt and Israel reached a U.S.-sponsored peace treaty in 1979, after which Egypt started working on reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and brokering intra-Palestinian reconciliation. Cairo sponsored in October the signing of a reconciliation agreement between rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas to end their long-time rift and enable a unity government to take over control of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. The reconciliation deal has not yet been fully implemented, with both Hamas and Fatah exchanging blame for delay. The U.S. decision on Jerusalem has been rejected by most states across the world, besides international and regional bodies including the United Nations and the Arab League (AL). Over the past few days, the AL and most Arab states have been warning against the "dangerous repercussions" of such a U.S. decision on peace, security and stability in the Middle East region and the chances for a settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict emerged since the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the Western-backed creation of Israel in 1948. Israel is blamed by the international community for the deadlock of the peace process due to its settlement expansion policy, which is rejected even by its strongest ally, the United States. The Palestinians seek to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital city, in the light of the UN-proposed two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders. Syrian government soldiers celebrate victory against the Islamic State (IS) in the eastern city of al-Bukamal in Syria, Nov. 20, 2017. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani) MOSCOW, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- The defeat of the Islamic States (IS) terrorist group in Syria is mainly due to the Syrian government, the Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday. It made the remarks in a comment on the earlier statement of the French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian about Russia's taking credit for the victory over IS. "At the least, it is strange to hear from the French Foreign Minister that Russia has allegedly arrogated the victory over IS to itself. The credit for the fact that IS is now defeated in Syria belongs primarily to the Syrian leadership and the government troops," the defense ministry said in a statement. With the support of the Russian Air Force, the Syrian army has freed hundreds of settlements from IS terrorists and returned the control of practically the entire territory of the country to the legitimate leadership, it said. Meanwhile, the ministry noted that the international coalition led by the United States was focused on countering the Syrian government troops particularly in the province of Deir-ez-Zor in eastern Syria. "In the three years of its existence, the coalition only recently achieved its first 'result' in the fight against IS terrorists in Syria-the destruction of al-Raqqah (in northern Syria) along with civilians by massive bombing," the statement read. The coalition also allowed core IS militants to leave the city freely and join other IS terrorists near Deir-ez-Zor, which was confirmed by the British public service broadcaster BBC, it added. The Russian military announced Thursday that Syrian troops supported by Russian servicemen have completed the destruction of IS terrorists in the war-torn country. Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a meeting of his ruling AK Party in Ankara, Turkey, November 17, 2017. (Reuters Photo) ANKARA, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday dismissed the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital as "null and void." "Declaring it (Jerusalem) as a capital and relocating the (U.S.) embassy has no validity for us," Erdogan told a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party in the central Anatolia city of Sivas. The Turkish leader has been one of the most outspoken critics of U.S. President Donald Trump's decision on Wednesday to recognize Jerusalem as Israeli capital and to start immediately the process of moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel took over East Jerusalem, revered by Muslims as the third holiest site in Islam, in the 1967 war, and declared unilaterally the whole city as its eternal capital. But this has never been accepted by the international community, which has called for reaching a final settlement of the dispute through the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Erdogan has called for holding an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Wednesday in Istanbul, which he hopes to draw up a roadmap for Muslim nations to follow as they oppose the U.S. decision. In his speech, Erdogan also called Israel "an occupying and a terrorist state," state-run Anadolu news agency reported. In addition, he condemned the Israeli police for using "disproportionate" force against Palestinian protesters in the past days. Two Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during clashes over the weekend after Trump's announcement that infuriated the Palestinians and Muslims across the world. Jordan's King Abdullah II (R) welcomes Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas at the Royal Palace in Amman on December 7, 2017. (AFP Photo) AMMAN, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Jordan's Lower House on Sunday approved a proposal to re-examine the peace deal between Jordan and Israel following the decision by the U.S. to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the state-run Petra news agency reported. The lower house made the decision during a session to discuss the decision by the U.S. president and its consequences. The lower house tasked its legal committee with re-looking into all deals with Israel including the 1994 Wadi Araba peace deal that Jordan and Israel signed in 1994. Jordan, which strongly condemned the U.S. decision and voiced its rejection of the move, witnesses several demonstrations by political parties and activists against the decision. At the session on Sunday, Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh said Jordan will continue to exert efforts to find a solution to the decision and defend Jerusalem. Tarawneh said an extraordinary meeting will be held this week for the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Turley with the participation of Jordan to look into the situation. A meeting will be held on Monday in Cairo by the Arab Parliament upon Jordan's request. The lawmaker said unity among all Jordanians was key at this stage to address the current challenges. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-11 05:08:01|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIRUT, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese protesters held demonstrations on Sunday near the U.S. embassy in the Mount Lebanon area of Awkar Sunday to denounce U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Protesters gathered about 1 km away from the embassy, throwing rocks and burned tires at the building. Angry demonstrators also burned a picture of Trump and set fire to U.S. and Israeli national flags while waving Palestinian flags as well as flags of various Palestinian factions. "We came here for a sit-in in front of the U.S. embassy to protest the decision taken by Trump. It is impossible to implement this decision as long as there are people like us," said a Palestinian protester. At the scene, the protesters clashed with the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF), who erected metal gates and barbed wire at the embassy entrance to prevent people from getting close to the building. A total of 19 members of the ISF were injured and one of them received a surgery, according to a statement released by the ISF Sunday evening. Before the anticipated protest, the security forces have blocked all roads leading to the embassy and tightened security measures in surrounding areas on Sunday morning. Last Wednesday, Trump officially announced his country's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the start of moving the U.S. embassy there. Trump's announcement drew widespread anger and criticism among the Palestinians as well as the Arabs and Muslims across the world. Protests and demonstrations have been held in the Palestinian territories of West Bank and Gaza Strip as well as in many cities in the Middle East and elsewhere. Israel seized control of East Jerusalem in 1967 and declared the city as its eternal capital in 1980, a move never recognized by the international community. The Palestinians consider East Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-11 05:18:03|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Libya's UN-backed deputy prime minister Ahmad M'etig on Sunday stressed importance of qualified legal teams to represent Libya before international courts. M'etig made his remarks during a seminar organized by the Libyan Center for International Commercial Arbitration. M'etig said that the weakness of the Libyan position against foreign companies is due to political division in the country, with internationally unrecognized institutions representing Libyan interests before international courts. M'etig also stressed the importance of professionalism of lawyers, in order to contribute to winning cases against Libya. The Center's Chairman Mohammed Jihan stressed importance of "settling disputes away from courts like other countries." He pointed to the weakness of Libyan laws, which have not yet been updated, to regulate provisions of arbitration rules as Libya did not sign international arbitration agreements. Jihan also revealed that the center adopted of a number of plans and programs to "develop mechanism of the Center's work," and that the center "seeks to sign memorandums of understanding with friendly countries to benefit from their experience in this field." Most foreign companies left Libya following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime, due to deteriorating security situation. Kuwait's M.A. Kharafi & Sons has one of the most prominent cases of foreign companies filed against Libya, because of failure of implementation of a 130-million dollars investment project in the Libyan capital Tripoli. The Group seeks compensation of 1 billion dollars. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-11 05:18:04|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close PARIS, Dec.10 (Xinhua) -- Corsican Nationalists emerged first on Sunday in the final vote for local assembly in the French island, a victory likely to push Bastia' new main power to demand real autonomy, data released by exit poll showed. With 90 percent of ballots counted, Pe a Corsica (For Corsica), an alliance of the two main nationalist parties, Gilles Simeoni's autonomist Femu a Corsica (Let's Build Corsica) and Jean-Guy Talamoni's pro-independence Corsica libera (Free Corsica), collected 56.9 percent of the vote, Ipsos pollster said. The comfortable score paves the way for the Nationalists to win 42 out of 63 seats in the local assembly and take the command of the island, home of 332,000 population. Candidates under the banner of the ruling centrist "Republic on the Move" party lagged behind with 13.3 percent, mirroring Corsican discontent with the government's policy. "We are waiting for the final results, but the trend seems extraordinary," Simeoni was quoted as saying by local media. The Nationalists want to meet central government in January to request for more autonomy and recognition of Corsican identity and language. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-11 06:33:15|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close by Larry Neild LONDON, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Britain's regions are set for an economic boost after a landmark agreement for a 50 percent boost in the number of flights allowed between Britain and China, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced Sunday. Grayling unveiled the deal, which will allow for a huge expansion in routes from regional airports, saying it will potentially boost local economies by hundreds of millions of dollars by opening up new business and tourism opportunities. The Department of Transport (DfT) announcement builds on successful discussions in October 2016 that saw limits on passenger flights between Britain and China raised from 40 per week to a maximum of 100. A spokesman for the DfT said: "The number of Chinese tourists visiting Britain has rocketed during the first half of this year. Between January and June, 115,000 visits were made from China to the UK, a rise of 47 percent on the same period last year. Spending also increased to 231 million pounds (310 million U.S. dollars), up 54 percent. Grayling said: "These agreements are an important part of preparing Britain for a post-Brexit world and making sure we have access to key markets in the Far East, and they come at a time when our exports are growing and we continue to attract international investment. It just underlines that Britain will do well regardless of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations." Under the current arrangement, agreed in October 2016, a maximum of 100 passenger flights per week can operate between the UK and China, with this figure set to increase to 150 under the terms of the new deal. The DfT said Chinese tourists are some of Britain's highest spenders, staying longer and travelling more than visitors from other countries. Last year, Manchester airport launched the first direct regional flight to Beijing, worth an estimated 335 million U.S. dollars in economic benefits to Britain over the next decade. Hainan Airlines has already added more flights to the Chinese capital from Manchester. During the same year restrictions were relaxed allowing an unlimited number of cargo flights to operate between Britain and China. By the end of 2016 more than 74,000 tonnes of freight had been transported between Britain and China by air, an increase of 27 percent when compared to 2015. At the start ofb December the carrier Cathay Pacific gave its Manchester to Hong Kong direct service a boost by introducing a daily service, marking three years since its inaugural flight in December 2014. The airline said it was increasing its service from five flights per week in response to customers' growing demand. U.S. Secreatry of States Rex Tillerson speaks with French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian as they attend the Lebanon international Support Group meeting in Paris, France, December 8, 2017. (REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer) WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday wrapped up a five-day three-nation Europe visit which, experts said, was unlikely to heal the expanding trans-Atlantic rifts on the relevant regional and global issues. The absence of any summary of the tour, which took him to Brussels, Vienna and Paris, and which is the 7th of its kind since Tillerson took office in February, also indicated the fruitlessness of the visit, said experts. MIDDLE EAST RIFTS The tour, which aims to ease the rising tensions between Washington and Brussels, had been overshadowed before it even started on Monday by rumors of Trump's possible Jerusalem-related decision later. After Trump made the highly controversial announcement on Wednesday in which he recognizes Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and orders the U.S. embassy in Israel to move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Tillerson has spent most of his remaining tour peddling Trump's justification to upset European allies. Bilateral grudges were also detonated by Trump's retweeting of anti-Muslim posts, as British Prime Minister Theresa May, among European leaders, said Trump's posts were "wrong", and Trump later snapped by suggesting May to focus on her country's own security. Brussels, already upset about Trump's explicit support of Brexit, has made the bilateral rifts public in the face of Tillerson. In a joint statement to the media with her U.S. counterpart, the European Union (EU) High Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini noted that the bloc believes any action that would undermine the peace-making efforts between Palestine and Israel "must absolutely be avoided." On the Iran nuclear deal, she also rebuffed the U.S. stance by saying that the continued implementation of the Iran nuclear deal is a key strategic priority for European security but also for regional and global security. "Now dismantling an agreement on nuclear issues that is working ... would not put us in a better position to discuss all the rest on the country," she said, referring to Trump's October decertification of the landmark deal that helps ease the nuclear tension in the Middle East and beyond. The divergence on values was evident, as Mogherini said Brussels "is and remains a strong and reliable supporter of multilateralism, U.N. system, and a rules-based global order," with barely no mentioning of the U.S. concerns on Ukraine and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Darrell West of Brookings Institution told Xinhua that the Europeans are "cross-pressured" as Trump's abrupt moves and rhetoric made it difficult to "get touch on Russia," which Brussels took as one of its most imminent threats. "Trump has made the relationship worse with his embrace of ultra-nationalism and rude behavior towards U.S. allies. If that continues, it will cause the U.S. and EU to drift further apart," he added. Some European leaders have showed "consternation" about Trump's tweets, "but for others, they have found a kindred populist and nationalist in the White House," said Dan Mahaffee, vice president and director of policy at the U.S. Center for the Study of Congress and the Presidency. "Many look to comments from other administration officials to confirm the U.S. commitment to NATO and willingness to confront Russia ... The perception of disunity and the focus of both the U.S. and EU on internal politics are not the best signal to be sending on a tumultuous global stage," he said. LACK OF CONFIDENCE AMID MOUNTING TRUMP UNCERTAINTIES Analysts said that under the multiple trans-Atlantic rifts on the Middle East peace process, the Paris climate accord, and the Iran nuclear deal, was lying Brussels' profound lacking of confidence in bilateral cooperation amid the mounting uncertainties of Trump's foreign policy. In a Nov. 28 speech that outlined Trump administration's recent Europe policy, Tillerson, on the one hand, said the Article 5 of the NATO treaty "is the best mechanism" the Washington and Brussels have "to deter aggression" of Moscow, and on the other, urged European nations to increase their defense spending that accounts for two percent of their GDP. Washington's underlining of NATO, according to Cui Hongjian, director of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, lies in the wish to reinforce the U.S. role in protecting Europe and rein in the European military buildup under the U.S.-led NATO mechanism. However, Tillerson's calculations are highly likely doomed as Brussels was unwilling to positively commit itself to the U.S. regional and global agendas, deeply concerned about the leverage of the U.S. domestic issues on its foreign policy, the lacking of shared values between the two sides of the Atlantic and Tillerson's possible stepdown in the near future, said experts. "European leaders yearn for stability in U.S. foreign policy. They are troubled by Trump's 'America first' rhetoric and inconsistent statements on NATO and the European Union," the Reuters noted. WASHINGTON-BRUSSELS-MOSCOW DRAMAS TO CONTINUE Russia-phobia has featured Tillerson's seventh Europe trip, as he warned all European nations of Moscow's "intrusion" in NATO foreign ministerial meeting and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) plenaries. "Russia's aggression in Ukraine remains the biggest threat to European security," Tillerson said, accusing "Russia and its proxies" of "harassment, intimidation, and its attacks on the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission." "Trump does not talk with President Putin as often as with other world leaders, and I think, again, that's simply a reflection of the strained relationship that exists between the United States and Russia," he noted. "We join our European partners in maintaining sanctions until Russia withdraws its forces from the Donbass and meets its Minsk commitments," Tillerson added. He further noted that to regularize or renormalize the West's relationship with Russia cannot be undertaken "until Russia begins to address those actions which we find not just unacceptable but intolerable." Analysts said Tillerson's underlining of the Ukraine issues aims to elaborate the U.S. engagement in the EU's security maintenance, for which it was accused of not having taken enough resources to respond. As for the U.S.-Russia relations under the Trump administration, Brussels' attitude has long been featured by ambivalence. For fear of being betrayed by Trump, it does not expect Washington-Moscow rapprochement to come too soon with the Ukraine issues remaining unsolved. Meanwhile, sandwiched between the two nuclear powers, Europe does not welcome the radical breakup of Washington and Moscow neither, said experts. It would be unrealistic to anticipate dramatic improvement of trans-Atlantic relations under the current circumstance, and Tillerson's visit could be capped as a success as long as he could keep the bilateral relationship from becoming worse, experts argued. However, EU's Federica Mogherini said on the day when Tillerson left Europe that Trump's decision on Jerusalem would be a "gift" to extremists and to those not interested in peace, in a gesture that was widely taken as a slap in the face of Tillerson and the Trump administration at large. Trump's decision "has a very worrying potential impact in this very fragile context," she said. "Now what the worst possible development could be that a bad situation turns into a worse one and that tensions inflame the region even further." Near Lake Casitas on Sunday morning, firefighters use drip-torches in an effort to suppress the Thomas fire before the winds return at daybreak. Photo: David McNew/Getty Images Eight-thousand-and-five-hundred firefighters have been making progress against the six major wildfires still burning in Southern California, but the region isnt out of danger yet. The Santa Ana winds fueling the fires growth temporarily died down on Saturday, allowing firefighters to gain more control; but gusts of up to 50 m.p.h. were expected to return on Sunday. More than 200,000 people have been forced to evacuate on account of the fires, though many have been allowed to return home over the weekend. As many as 200,000 acres have already been burned, over 800 homes and other buildings destroyed so far, and at least one death a 70-year-old woman who was killed in a car accident while evacuating in Ventura County has been blamed on the fires. An unknown number of animals have been killed as well, including at least 54 horses, though hundreds more have been rescued. California governor Jerry Brown has issued disaster proclamations for Santa Barbara, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Ventura counties, and President Trump approved a disaster declaration for the state on Friday. According to Governor Brown, residents should probably expect the danger to return year after year, since the state may soon face a perpetual fire season. This is the new normal, Brown said on Saturday. Were about ready to have firefighting at Christmas. This is very odd and unusual. Brown cited climate change as the cause, and criticized President Trump in an interview with 60 Minutes for not taking the threat seriously, citing Trumps decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. I dont think President Trump has a fear of the Lord, the fear of the wrath of God, which leads one to more humility, and this is such a reckless disregard for the truth and for the existential consequences that can be unleashed, Brown explained. California residents or any other Americans who suffer damage from wildfires and other natural disasters may also face another looming threat: the GOP tax overhaul. The Los Angeles Times points out that the House version of the looming Republican tax bill eliminates a deduction that allowed taxpayers to write off losses from disasters, while the Senate version limits the deduction to taxpayers living in an area that has been declared a federal disaster area by the president. In even the latter case, most disaster victims would probably then be out of luck, since Americans deducted $1.6 billion for uninsured losses from disasters that hadnt received the federal designation in 2015, according to the IRS. Additional tax exemptions would have to be passed on a case-by-case basis by Congress. The largest of the Southern California blazes, the 155,000 acre Thomas fire in Ventura County was still only 15 percent contained as of Sunday morning. Many of the evacuation orders related to that fire have been lifted, but new ones were issued for the coastal towns of Carpenteria and Montecito. That fire has already destroyed at least 710 structures. The Lilac fire in San Diego county, which has destroyed 182 structures, was 60 percent contained as of Sunday morning. The Creek, Skirball, Rye, and Liberty fires were at least 75 percent or more contained as of Saturday night. Trump is also pointing out this caption. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images On Saturday, President Trump demanded an apology from Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel over a tweet that Weigel sent earlier in the day incorrectly calling into question Trumps boast about the crowd size at his Friday night rally in Florida. After receiving the apology, the president then called for Weigel to be fired, but not without contributing his own fake news to the story. The tweet in question featured an image showing Trumps Pensacola rally venue mostly empty, with a message quoting Trumps later assertion that the arena was packed to the rafters. The photo Weigel shared, however, was taken before all the rallygoers or the president had arrived, and the venue eventually filled up to what looked like capacity by the time Trumps speech began. Weigel quickly deleted the tweet after another journalist pointed out his error, but a screenshot of the original tweet made it to Trump (or a member of his staff) regardless. So, later on Saturday, Trump sent a tweet accusing Weigel and the Post of willingly using a phony photo and spreading fake news. .@DaveWeigel @WashingtonPost put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo! pic.twitter.com/XAblFGh1ob Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017 Weigel, immediately responding to Trumps criticism, admitted he was confused about the photo when he wrote his tweet and apologized to the president. In a subsequent tweet, Weigel further explained that the message was a bad tweet from my personal account, not a story for Washington Post, but that it was very fair for Trump to call him out over it. Sure thing: I apologize. I deleted the photo after @dmartosko told me I'd gotten it wrong. Was confused by the image of you walking in the bottom right corner. https://t.co/fQY7GMNSaD David Weigel (@daveweigel) December 9, 2017 It was a bad tweet on my personal account, not a story for Washington Post. I deleted it after like 20 minutes. Very fair to call me out. Everything I say on Twitter is a joke, except what I say about @swin24. https://t.co/tI7SQnpoN9 David Weigel (@daveweigel) December 9, 2017 Unsatisfied or, more likely, encouraged by Weigels response, Trump then called for the journalist to be fired since he had admitted his picture was a FAKE (fraud?) .@daveweigel of the Washington Post just admitted that his picture was a FAKE (fraud?) showing an almost empty arena last night for my speech in Pensacola when, in fact, he knew the arena was packed (as shown also on T.V.). FAKE NEWS, he should be fired. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017 Weigels tweet also follows the recent retractions of a few major news stories about Trump, including a CNN story on Friday which incorrectly reported that Trump and his son Donald Jr. had received access to WikiLeaks trove of Russia-hacked DNC emails before the organization made them public. Trump launched a predictable attack on CNN over that story on Saturday morning, and had called out another big retracted story from ABC News at his rally on Friday night. In that context, Weigels tweet fit perfectly into Trumpworlds perpetual, newly invigorated narrative that the media is out to get the president and pushing out false stories to do so. Trump's War On The Media Has Been Years In The Making But while Trump, or anyone, is justified in complaining about unmerited criticism from a member of the media, Trump significantly exaggerated Weigels transgression. Though Weigel has gotten into (overblown) trouble for private comments criticizing conservatives in the past, he is still a widely respected journalist, and there is no reason to presume, as Trump did, that he was knowingly trying to misrepresent Trumps crowd size or was manufacturing fake photos to do so. Thats an important distinction because the president, in bad faith, has singled out an individual journalist over a minor mistake and made him a target for at best an enormous wave of harassment from Trumps allies and supporters. Thats not justice; its bullying from a position of disproportionate power. Weigel screwed up, deleted his tweet when he realized it, and later apologized when asked. That was the appropriate course of action after making such a mistake, and he doesnt deserve to be put in the crosshairs of legions of angry Trump supporters and Russian Twitter bots as a result. Furthermore, Trump may have been right about his crowd size on Saturday, but he essentially kicked off his presidency with an outrageous, easily exposed lie about the size of his inauguration crowd and that was just the beginning: One vacation tweet about Weigelgate: Trump has lied 22 times this year about crowds. Ive had to invent a separate Crowds category on the fact-check page. Hes never corrected any of them. https://t.co/H8xnWtSr3a pic.twitter.com/uXfDUfo8w8 Daniel Dale (@ddale8) December 10, 2017 Indeed, Trump is arguably the most truth-challenged president in American history, and nowhere has that played out as often or as prominently as it has in his Twitter feed. Weigel may have been unfairly cynical, but Donald Trump criticizing anyone else for misrepresenting the truth on Twitter let alone about crowd sizes sets the new world record for hypocrisy. From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As... MALTA A mental health counselor was arrested Saturday for illegally having sexual contact with a person he was counseling, police said. Brett N. Klersfeld, 62, of Valatie, was accused of having sexual contact with a person who could not legally consent because of her status as a mental health patient, according to the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office. Police believe there were numerous sexual encounters between the two this fall during treatment sessions in Malta. He was charged with felony criminal sexual act and misdemeanor sexual abuse, forcible touching and sexual misconduct, police said. Police said the investigation was continuing and additional charges were possible. Klersfeld was arraigned and sent to Saratoga County Jail for lack of bail. In early November, Nancy Zurlo was out of town when she received on her phone a photo from a co-worker of the annual Christmas party invitation. It had the caption, Theyve arrived! While some employees might greet an invitation to an office bash with Bah, humbug, its a sure bet they dont have Loren Baim for a boss. For more than 25 years, the Glens Falls dentist has been hosting parties that bring together both past and present staff and their spouses. But these arent parties with chips and dips and appetizers you heat in the microwave. Baim pulls out all the stops, creating in her home not only an ambiance with the warmth of a family get-together and the sophistication of a five-star restaurant, but also intrigue, as she offers few clues in advance of how the night will unfold. In the early days, Baim and her physician husband co-hosted joint affairs for their staffs, but eventually the couple parted ways and he retired from medicine. Now Baim goes solo, and it all starts with that snail-mailed invitation, which this year promises an evening of Peppermint with a Twist. Guests are asked to dress in red and white. Zurlo, a dental hygienist and Baim Christmas party veteran, is trying to come up with an outfit and speculating on how her boss will pull off the latest theme. Peppermint, how does that relate to dinner? How the hecks it going to be? she asked with wonder. Baim, who describes herself as a natural entertainer, is as comfortable planning a soiree for 20 as she is for 200. During her years in dental school, she ran her own catering business, Chez Loren, out of her apartment. Although she said the business was very minor because she was a full-time student and her parents probably bought most of the food, she orchestrated events for the entire dental school and catered parties in her professors homes. Once she was in private practice and began hosting holiday parties for her staff, she got the idea to take a page from her favorite magazine, Gourmet her stacks date back to before she was born and replicate as closely as possible the entire scene, from menu and table settings to the decoration of the room. One year, Baim thought it would be fun to re-create Gourmets French-Canadian theme, featuring a buche de Noel (Yule log) dessert on the menu and animal skins on the bench seating. She already had a few bear skins but went to Vermont to buy several more to duplicate the look. With her fine attention to detail, the results were impressive, she said. It was just so rustic and beautiful, Baim recalled. Another year, she was drawn to a library-like scene done entirely in red and white. Baim moved bookshelves she had painted white into her dining room and covered dozens of old books with white paper. The crowning glory was a stunning arrangement of red Christmas balls suspended from her chandelier with numerous red cords. It was the most laborious look she ever re-created, and it took a day or two to get the ornaments to hang just right. I think she had a white tree and every package under the tree was wrapped in white with red ribbon. It was gorgeous, Zurlo said. At times, Baim has improvised with certain items, like she did when trying to put together a Scandinavian table. She tracked down a blue and white ceramic horse she wanted for a centerpiece but didnt like the $3,000 price tag. Instead, she asked a friends son, an art student, to construct a similar figure out of paper mache. And the food is always elegant and delicious. Cindy Bishop, a retired dental hygienist who said she has never missed a party, had a pretty basic palate before working for Baim, but that changed. I really enjoy everything. It doesnt matter what she makes, I will eat it, she said. Bishop still remembers one of Baims desserts that had graduated tiers of cream-filled puff pastry held together with spun sugar and was shaped like a Christmas tree. She had never seen anything like it and went home to look it up. She discovered it was a croquembouche. No wonder I loved it, it was French pastry, Bishop said. Picking up the December issue of Gourmet in November and executing the party according to a photograph was no small feat. Trying to get advance information on what might be appearing in the holiday issue, Baim once contacted Gourmets staff in July, which is when the winter shoot took place. She was told the content was secret and she would have to wait until the magazine came out in November. No matter, Baim still pulled everything together with her typical panache. Her parties became such a hit that she had to make her staff promise not to buy the magazine for a sneak peek until after the big event. Then, Gourmet published its last issue in 2009. While she lamented its demise, it was a liberation. Baim could now showcase her own entertaining flair and didnt slavishly adhere to the dictates of a magazine anymore. She began coming up with her own twists on familiar holiday themes and starts planning her parties in July by asking her staff if they would be free on a certain date in December. As soon as she hears back from everyone, she orders her invitations. It just gives the company more time, she said. I like a very nice invitation because, to me, an invitation sets the tone of the way the evening is going to be. Baim says she doesnt know where she gets inspiration for her parties but that anyone can come up with them. Her White Christmas party was, well, white. Guests were dressed in white, Bing Crosby was crooning his signature song in the background and white lasagna, fish, cauliflower, white mousse and white cake with white chocolate curls were served on white china. Baim said it was unique and very pretty. Once you get over the fact that your plate is white on white, then you kind of embrace that and you do different textures, she said. Baim hired a professional photographer who took shots of couples next to a life-size Nutcracker cutout for her Nutcracker Suite evening. She served dishes according to the movements of the ballet, like having chicken Kiev for the Russian dance and a rice dish for the Chinese dance. Her 12 Days of Christmas party was her most elaborate, in terms of food. She served partridge and made a tree out of pears with a faux partridge for the centerpiece. She paired the courses to match each day of the song and asked guests to make certain recipes. I had to that year, it was just too much. It would have been impossible to do (the entire dinner) by myself, she said. Baims all-time favorite party, however, was her version of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. With everything decorated in red and green, she rented curved tables that snaked around her dining room and served a roast beast of pork, beef and turkey tied together. She had a tree cut down in her yard that she stuffed halfway up the fireplace, and one of the wait staff dressed as Cindy Who. It was totally different than anything else, Baim said. It was just fun to do it different and whimsical. She admits her style of entertaining seems to be increasingly rare these days but wouldnt consider taking her employees out to dinner or doing something at the office. I really dont think theres enough opportunity nowadays to go to a decent party. People dont do things the way they used to, as a society. The little details are lost, everythings got to be quicker ... and people dont really want to put the time and money and energy into an elaborate event because its too consuming, Baim said. Aside from the exquisite food and atmosphere, Bishop says its the warmth her boss shows to each guest and the thoughtful toasts that are made before dinner that are so special. Thanking us for the work we did that year, it is a gift to the employees and very heartfelt, Bishop said. For Zurlo, the parties are a chance to mingle with former employees. Its typically the only time during the course of the year that I get to catch up with them, and Ive worked with all of them at some point in my career, she said. With this years party coming up, Baim was characteristically tight-lipped about details on the theme, saying only that there probably would be a lot of minty food. And although she said she has solid party plans for the next three years and ideas past the time she should die, Baim has no plans to give up dentistry. (Party planning) is a lot of work and theres not enough money to compensate you, so I guess I just like doing it on my own, she said. Its fun for me (and) I just want to say thank you to my staff for having made it worth having a party every year. Sadly, I received two more complaints last weekend from readers who believe some of the national news stories we publish have liberal bias. I take these complaints seriously and review them all. My practice has been to ask which articles they are referring to, and why, specifically, they believe there is bias or opinion. Despite my many attempts, those who file complaints either dont respond with specifics or fail to articulate what part of the news article was biased. This has happened over and over again. One of the readers who complained this week identified three separate news stories and all had to do with news about President Trump. That has become a common thread. The reader wrote: Regarding the Sunday, Dec. 3 articles covering Trump, I am trying to understand why those articles were not printed on your Opinion page. Each has an obvious liberal slant and bias against Trump. You should really have your reporters report the news not push an agenda. After he identified the three articles in question, I reviewed the articles, then asked him to be specific about what he saw as bias. I was especially curious about a two-paragraph item in The Week in Review in last Sundays newspaper that reported in the first paragraph that President Trump had tweeted three anti-Islam videos, followed by a recap of the response from British officials. It was pretty straightforward news reporting. Even the headline was bland, Trump retweets anti-Islam videos. Well, I see it in all 3 articles, the reader responded. I guess we are just wired differently. I am not going to convince someone who does not see what I see, as obvious as it is to me. So thanks for the dialogue and I guess we will just have to agree to disagree. Merry Christmas. I find these responses frustrating. As journalists, we adhere to a stringent ethics policy and our goal is always to be neutral. We discuss the power of words and how they might be interpreted. Consider this from our standard of principles we adopted years ago from the American Society of News Editors: Good faith with the reader is the foundation of good journalism. Every effort must be made to assure that the news content is accurate, free from bias and in context, and that all sides are presented fairly. Editorials, analytical articles and commentary should be held to the same standards of accuracy with respect to facts as news reports. Significant errors of fact, as well as errors of omission, should be corrected promptly and prominently. And this: To be impartial does not require the press to be unquestioning or to refrain from editorial expression. Sound practice, however, demands a clear distinction for the reader between news reports and opinion. Articles that contain opinion or personal interpretation should be clearly identified. After reading the complaints from those two readers, I emailed our staff to remind them of this code of ethics and posted it on the bulletin board in the newsroom. I also had it posted on our website for all to see. I believe we live up to those principles daily. When we make mistakes we issue published corrections. We know we cannot conduct a successful news business if our readers dont trust us. I think most of them do. But the fake news chants from politicians have taken their toll on us. Earlier this year, we responded with a rare front page editoral demanding a local politician provide proof that information in our newspaper was not accurate. None was provided. Ive been reading some about confirmation bias as I grapple with the way the public sees the media. I got this off a psychological website: Confirmation bias occurs from the direct influence of desire on beliefs. When people would like a certain idea/concept to be true, they end up believing it to be true. They are motivated by wishful thinking. This error leads the individual to stop gathering information when the evidence gathered so far confirms the views one would like to be true. The letter writer did not need to show me any examples, because he was already convinced his beliefs were true. I would like to think I am not suffering from the same malady because I asked for evidence to prove there was a problem. I reviewed the stories in question. I looked hard to correct a problem, but I did not find it. Consider the impact of social media. How many of us have unfriended someone on Facebook because their viewpoints consistently contradict our own beliefs? And the reality of Facebook is that its algorithms are designed to deliver content that reenforces our interests and beliefs. If you view certain websites that reflect a specific opinion on politics, you will be bombarded by more content to reenforce those beliefs. Mitch Daniels, president of Purdue University and a former governor of Indiana, wrote an opinion piece in The Washington Post this week: John Maynard Keynes is frequently credited with the aphorism, When I find Im wrong, I change my mind. What do you do? Today, the problem may less be an attitude of stubbornness than that fewer people than ever recognize their mistakes in the first place. Ours is an era when it seems no one ever confesses to being wrong. Moreover, everyone is so emphatically right that those who disagree are not merely in error but irredeemably so, candidates not for persuasion but for castigation and ostracism. That is why we are so divided. Editor: From Nov. 25, the International Day to Eliminate Violence against Women, to Dec. 10, World Human Rights Day, the Zonta Club of Glens Falls has participated in the 16 Days of Activism. During this time, we focus on our mission to empower women through service and advocacy. Weve organized a donation of essentials to help the sexual assault nurse examiners at Glens Falls Hospital serve women in crisis and distributed information about resources available to victims. Weve also participated in difficult discussions about domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment. We must educate our community to prevent violence and to respond appropriately when it occurs. Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, falls within the 16 Days of Activism. WHO and CDC publish unquestionable statistics and medical advances have come far, with many living into their senior years, but much is left to do. The 2017 theme of World AIDS Day is increasing impact through transparency, accountability, and partnerships. Deborah Birx, U.S. Global AIDS coordinator, said, We are at an unprecedented moment in the HIV/AIDS response. For the first time in modern history, we have the tools to change the very course of a pandemic by controlling it without a vaccine or cure. Controlling the epidemic would lay the groundwork for preventing, eliminating, or eradicating it Like Zontas work to eliminate violence, eradication of HIV/AIDS must include education and prevention. Of course these are difficult discussions, but transparency is paramount. We must not keep quiet or be sidelined. Zonta envisions a world where every woman reaches her full potential with access to all resources, including those to prevent illness. I hope our local community stands with us in this vision, participates with us in difficult discussions, and supports transparency, accountability and partnerships to eradicate HIV/AIDS. Karen Guiseppe, President, Zonta Club of Glens Falls Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Home Regional News East Has the Trump slump that the travel industry warned about finally hit? The number of international visitors arriving in the United States declined nearly 4 percent in the first six months of this year compared with the same period in 2016, according to data released Wednesday from the U.S. Department of Commerce National Travel and Tourism Office in Washington. Many sectors of the travel industry have been warning that President Donald Trump's anti-foreigner rhetoric and immigration policies would lead to a drop in tourism here. Fewer visitors came from nearly every region of the world, with declines in arrivals from Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, South America, Central America and the Caribbean. The only region that sent more visitors in the first six months of 2017 compared with 2016 was Canada, up 5 percent. The overall drop was even higher in June alone than for the six-month period, with a 6.7 percent decline in June 2017 compared with June 2016, the NTTO data showed. All told, some 33.8 million non-resident international travelers entered the U.S. between January and June of this year, a 3.9 percent decline from the same period in 2016, the NTTO said. A few numbers stood out. The decline from the Middle East was substantial at nearly 30 percent, January to June, year over year. Visitors from Mexico in June dropped 16 percent compared with the previous June, and there was a 9.4 percent decline in visitors from Mexico in the six-month period. Visitors from Western Europe were down just 1.8 percent for the six months. "The latest government travel data is deeply concerning not just to our industry, but to anyone who cares about the economic well-being of the United States," Roger Dow, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, a nonprofit representing the travel industry, said in a statement. "Travel is our country's No. 2 export and supports more than 15 million American jobs. These numbers are an undeniable wake-up call, and correcting this troubling trend needs to become a national priority." NYC & Company, the tourism marketing agency for New York, also expressed dismay over the data. NYC & Company predicts that New York will lose up to 100,000 international visitors this year, its first drop in overseas arrivals since 2009. "The data released by the National Travel and Tourism Office underscores the concerns we have had this year about the international tourism landscape in the U.S.," said NYC & Company CEO Fred Dixon. The city has launched several promotions around the world to try to counter what Dixon described as the country's "vulnerability." Other possible factors in the decline include the strength of the U.S. dollar against other currencies, which makes it expensive for travelers to vacation here, and headlines about gun violence, which may lead some travelers to choose other destinations out of safety concerns. Travel experts like Arthur Frommer of the Frommer's guidebook company warned months ago that Trump's rhetoric and policies would lead to a "Trump slump" in travel, but earlier in the year, data was less definitive, possibly reflecting trips that had been planned by travelers before Trump took office. The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. NEW YORK (AP) With a series of high-profile workplace sex scandals on their minds, employers are making sure their holiday office parties don't become part of the problem. There will be less booze at many. An independent business organization has renewed its annual warning not to hang mistletoe. And some will have party monitors, keeping an eye out for inappropriate behavior. TV and movies often depict office parties as wildly inappropriate bacchanals or excruciatingly awkward fiascoes, if not, horrifyingly, both. But even a regular office party can be complicated because the rules people normally observe at work don't quite apply, which makes it easier for people to accidentally cross a line or try to get away with serious misbehavior. Especially when too much drinking is involved. According to a survey by Chicago-based consulting company Challenger, Gray & Christmas, only 49 percent of companies plan to serve alcohol at their holiday events. Last year that number was 62 percent, the highest number in the decade the firm has run its survey. The number had been going up each year as the economy improved. "As soon as you introduce alcohol at an off-site activity, peoples' guards are dropped," said Ed Yost, manager of employee relations and development for the Society for Human Resource Management based in Alexandria, Virginia. "It's presumed to be a less formal, more social environment. Some people will drink more than they typically would on a Friday night or a Saturday because it's an open bar or a free cocktail hour." The Huffington Post reported Friday that Vox Media, which runs sites including Vox and Recode, won't have an open bar this year at its holiday party and will instead give employees two tickets they can redeem for drinks. It will also have more food than in years past. The company recently fired its editorial director, Lockhart Steele, after a former employee made allegations of sexual harassment against him. A survey by Bloomberg Law said those kinds of safeguards are common: while most companies ask bartenders or security or even some employees to keep an eye on how much partygoers are drinking, others limit the number of free drinks or the time they're available. A small minority have cash bars instead of an open bar. The National Federation of Independent Businesses recommends all of those steps, and adds another that might seem obvious these days: don't hang mistletoe. It's been giving those suggestions for several years. Yost said he always gets a lot of requests for advice in planning and managing these events, but he's getting even more of them this year. He said he'll be spending his corporate holiday party the way he always does: patrolling hallways, checking secluded areas and trying to watch for people who look like they are stuck in an uncomfortable situation for example, inappropriate touching or a conversation that's taken a bad turn. If they're visibly uncomfortable, he'll intervene and plan a later conversation with the person responsible. The Challenger, Gray & Christmas survey shows that about 80 percent of companies will have a holiday party, the same as last year. And not everyone is planning changes. Anthony Vitiello, the marketing director for software company Anton Robb Group, said he planned his company's event and didn't rethink it. For the last few years the firm's has marked the holiday with drinks and passed hors d'oeuvres in the wide cellar of a local restaurant. Vitiello thinks the formal setting makes the event calmer. "We haven't had any incidents, not a single one I can recall, where anyone got loud or over-consumed," he said. He added that many of his company's 25 employees go out for drinks once a month, and he's not aware of any cases of misconduct. Yost said he's not making changes to his group's event either. He added that companies concerned about sexual misconduct need to look further than the holiday party. "While there are additional complications that are associated with a holiday event, that's one day a year," he said. CAMBRIDGE A Henry County jury on Friday found Quenton D. Whiteside, 25, guilty of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated battery related to an April 17 attack at his Galva home. He was found not guilty of four other counts. On the final day of the trial, Henry County States Attorney Matt Schutte said emergency personnel applied 28 highly absorbent pads to the victims stab wounds from his neck to his shoulder, torso, back, wrist and arm. A urine sample taken from the victim was positive for methamphetamine and amphetamines. A CT scan showed multiple cranial fractures. Mr. Schutte also described a laceration to the victims liver, and acute kidney injury. Mr. Whiteside took the stand to relate an account of acting in self-defense. He said co-defendant Caine Ingram had stolen meth from the victim a few days before the attack, and he personally repaid the victim $480 with the expectation Mr. Ingram would pay him back. (The victim) was fine with that he got his money, he said. I did it out of the kindness of my heart because I didnt want to see anybody get hurt. Mr. Whiteside testified Mr. Ingram didnt want to leave the Whiteside home and go home the night of the attack, saying he didnt feel safe. He said he got up between 4:30 and 5:30 a.m. and was picking up in the front room when the alleged victim flung open the door and said he was going to kill the whole family, "everyone in the house," and pulled his gun out. An airsoft BB gun was found at the scene. I told my brother and Caine to call the police and Im going to try to hold him off as long as I can, testified Mr. Whiteside. He said he grabbed an ax handle leaning against the wall slowly behind my back and then hit the intruders hand and the gun went flying. He said his opponent spit out broken teeth and was bleeding from his mouth. He testified that he finally "choked him out, leaving him breathing and moving and he expected him to wake up in 10 minutes. In the meantime, he said he took a shower. His attorney, James Cosby, said his client had a paranoia about having blood on him. Yeah, I dont like blood on me at all, said Mr. Whiteside. He testified he planned to tell the victim "this is what you just did" when he woke up, but instead he left for a friends house, telling his brother and Mr. Ingram that if police called, he would talk to them. He left without taking his phone. He testified he saw a TV news account of the crime with his picture later that day, and turned himself in that evening. The defense attorney told jurors the airsoft gun that later was Jamar Whitesides had first belonged to the victim. Mr. Schutte asked the jury whether the victim, who is something on the slight side, seemed the kind who would burst into a house with three strapping young men inside. Sentencing was set for Feb. 16. During the jurys four-hour deliberations, Quenton Whitesides brother Jamar T. Whiteside, 22, entered an Alford plea to obstructing justice and was sentenced to 24 months probation and credit for time served since April. According to the charge, he knowingly destroyed evidence by cleaning up blood evidence. The rest of his charges were dismissed. Bob Windt, the former aeronautical engineer and hovercraft pioneer who died Monday, Dec. 4, was remembered fondly by friends and neighbors in Cordova and elsewhere. -- "Bobs impact on our community will always be remembered. He was part of every household and neighborhood. He was a teacher, a mentor, a good neighbor, a friend to everyone. The village of Cordova will miss him." -- Mayor Jim Boone, Cordova -- "Bob meant so much to the kids in this community and to our library. Bob was always willing to do programs at the library for the kids! We spent many times together building rockets, hovercrafts, balloon cars, boats and bridges. Bob had a way of making everyone feel they could do anything. "Many Wednesday nights after church, Bob would bring in half a dozen kids or more to get a movie or books. He always was respectful of the library and instructed the kids to be also. Bob loved kids, and they loved him. He taught so many over his time here. He was patient and kind and always teaching them, pulling books from the shelves, showing them how things worked. My heart swelled when Bob came in, just to see the way that his kindness touched all those around him. "It was just a few weeks ago that I last saw Bob in the library, and it saddens me to know that he will not be walking through our library doors anymore. But I'm sure that if there's a library in heaven, you can be sure that Bob's already there with a bunch of kids around him, doing what he loves best -- teaching and caring." -- Cathy Lechtenberg, children's director at River Valley Library -- "I came here from California with Bob. Over all the years I knew Bob, he was mentor to all of us. He was a gift from heaven!" -- Tom Ray, Cordova -- "My son has always loved airplanes, aerospace and rockets. I moved here in 2006 as a single mom with no backup and a son with dreams of flying off Navy carriers. Bob saw my son as unique as he was at his age -- motivated, with goals and passions and a love the same as he had, and Bob helped him flourish. It takes a lot of moving pieces and mentors over many, many years to help get someone into the Naval Academy, and Bob was a piece of that. "My son went to Purdue on a Navy ROTC scholarship before applying to the United States Naval Academy and is now there. His goal is to make the flying team next semester, as hes already a private pilot and hopefully will commission to fly Navy jets off carriers. He was in Civil Air Patrol, and he is a Young Eagle pilot. "Bob was a fantastic person, and he definitely was a part of my son's journey into the Naval Academy." -- Gina Paoli, formerly of Bettendorf, now of Wilton, Iowa -- "I still remember riding around the Mississippi in a V8 hovercraft with Bob. Incredible man. He did so much to boost kids' confidence and curiosity in science and engineering in upper Rock Island County. We need more people like him. His spirit will live on in the lives of everyone he touched." -- Brian Dickhut, formerly of Port Byron -- "He made the world a better place, and his devotion to kids is a true inspiration!" -- Kristin Peterson, Cordova -- "I once asked him why he gave up all his worldly success to work with kids. He replied, 'Kids are the greatest things in the universe.' " -- Andy Skadberg, Hillsdale -- "He's a legend in these parts ... never to be forgotten, as he inspired so many young people. A wonderful man with a kind loving soul." -- Kari Rozeboom, Port Byron First Army plans talk on WWI As part of the Armys ongoing World War I observance and First Armys centennial commemoration, First Army will host a World War I discussion panel Wednesday, Dec. 13, at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport. The panel will include military historians and authors Dr. Mitchell Yockelson and Col. (Retired) Douglas V. Mastriano, along with George Eaton, Army Sustainment Command and Rock Island Arsenal historian. Dr. Yockelson is a military historian at the National Archives and Records Administration located in College Park, Md. Col. Mastriano recently retired following his last assignment as a professor at the Army War College, located at Carlisle Barracks, Pa. The event will include a social hour from 7 to 7:45 p.m., followed by the discussion at 8 p.m. The event is open to the public, but seating is extremely limited. Volunteers make gift baskets ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL In an effort to help soldiers and their families during this years holiday season, Rock Island Arsenal volunteers recently built gift baskets at the Arsenals USO center0. As a military spouse, Kathryn Bailey, Joint Munitions Command Air Force liaison, developed the idea to help local military members by providing themed gift baskets to distribute during a units holiday party or to military families in need. With assistance from the Rock Island Arsenal Welcome Club, donations provided funds to build each themed basket. In some cases, groups sponsored a basket that they built themselves. More than 50 baskets have been built to distribute during upcoming events. Our military have really enjoyed and appreciated having the baskets for their parties, said Jackie Inman, Rock Island center director, USO of Illinois. The first baskets were distributed to soldiers during an USO open house at the center Dec. 1. My goal was to provide approximately 20 gift baskets with 10 to 12 items, but when the word got out about our project, we received help from across the country, Ms. Bailey said. It has been very satisfying that we received so much support to help local military families. I am hopeful that this will be an annual event, and I appreciate the team effort involved to make this happen. Themes for baskets included Baking With Betty Crocker, Coffee and Chocolate, and Movie Night. Also, some baskets were filled with tool-box items. Each gift basket was tagged with a Thank you for your service message. 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. The student loan debt plan is on hold, again, and no one knows when (or if) it's coming. What could this mean for you? Host Teri Barr is talking with Cecilia Clark, a Student Loans Expert with Nerd Wallet, to learn why this newest hold on the program, could take awhile, the 3 things you need to know about and prepare for right now, including making your loan payments again in the New Year. The latest from Cecilia at NerdWallet: More episodes on debt: Support the show: https://omny.fm/shows/pennywise See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. The Bay Leaf Cafe in Spearfish may be closing, but those craving chef French Bryans delicious poppy seed bread may, or may not, be deprived of that cafe favorite forever. We sell hundreds and hundreds of loaves of that bread, said co-owner and hostess Taffy Tucker. Since Bryan and Tucker announced the cafes closing, effective at 3 p.m. Dec. 22, patrons have been expressing their sorrow and also asking for the poppy seed bread recipe. Tucker said the recipe is not for sale, but added that she and Bryan are considering some kind of specialty marketing option for the bread. Thats our unknown right now. What do we do with that famous poppy seed bread recipe, she said. Bryan and Tucker have been in the restaurant business for 43 years, both as husband and wife and, after divorcing, as business partners. They owned and operated the restaurant portion of Deadwoods Franklin Hotel for 30 years before the hotel sold to the Silverado Casino in 2005. They opened The Bay Leaf in 1993 after buying and completely remodeling the old Queen City Hotel at 126 Hudson St. in downtown Spearfish. Both plan to remain in Spearfish, but will take on different roles, perhaps volunteering for Meals on Wheels. Tucker and husband John Gould also plan to do some traveling, she said. But what happens to the building once the Bay Leaf serves its last meal, Mediterranean cuisine, including fish flown in from the Red Lake Indian Reservation and local favorites including buffalo, elk and walleye? Tucker said the building has been sold to the owner of a completely different style of restaurant that is set to open after the first of the year. Tucker revealed the new owners, but attempts to reach them for confirmation and comment were unsuccessful in time for this column's deadline. Tucker is sad to see The Bay Leaf come to an end, but thankful to see something completely different in its place, with a new culinary tradition to start. Everyone is sad to see were going, but it doesnt ever work out when you think you can sell something and think it will still be similar, she said. Headlines Academy expands Rapid Citys Headlines Academy, a fully-accredited beauty school offering programs in cosmetology, massage therapy, nail technology and esthetics, has expanded with the acquisition of Desaree & Company School of Beauty in Sturgis. On Dec. 4, seven students from Desaree & Company joined the cosmetology class at Headlines Academy at 333 Omaha St. in Tuscany Square. Desaree Dargatz, previous owner of Desaree & Company, also joined the staff at Headlines as an instructor, bringing decades of experience into her new role. Headlines Academy was founded in 1981. It was originally located at the corner of Sixth and Main streets in downtown Rapid City. Im so excited for this expansion and for all the positive growth it will bring for our industry, said Peggy Sproat of Headlines Academy in a release. Guadalajaras open According to the signs out front, Guadalajaras Mexican Restaurant & Cantina is now open at 2205 N. Lacrosse St. Owner Jose Vega has (almost) completed the transformation of the former TGI Fridays into his fourth Guadalajaras, joining locations in Pierre, Sioux Falls and Brookings. A Mexican restaurant of the same name in Spearfish is under different ownership. As of Friday, the spruced-up exterior sported temporary Guadalajaras banner signage, with a pair of "Now Open" banners signaling a welcome to patrons and window-cling images of popular Mexican and domestic beverages hinting at the cuisine. WASHINGTON | In the cheerless days of the last recession as Americans were spending less on Christmas trees, Oregon's evergreen growers spotted an opportunity. Demand had been growing for Northwest-grown firs in Mexico and the U.S. had a surplus. Agricultural officials from both countries forged a relationship that nearly doubled U.S. tree exports over four years, to $22.6 million in 2015. One in six of the state's Christmas trees are now trucked south of the border. Now, state officials are worried that their gains could become a casualty of President Donald Trump's decision to reopen the North American Free Trade Agreement. If the U.S. ends up withdrawing from the agreement, as Trump has threatened, it could result in Mexico imposing a retaliatory tariff on the U.S. and pivoting to Canadian suppliers. "The administration does not understand the importance of U.S. agricultural exports and is putting billions of dollars of export sales at risk, unnecessarily," said Tim O'Connor, executive director of the National Christmas Tree Association. Withdrawing from NAFTA "would be devastating to U.S. agriculture and the U.S. economy." Helmuth Rogg, the Oregon Department of Agriculture official instrumental in building the relationship with Mexico, said withdrawing from NAFTA would undo years of hard work. The state is now Mexico's largest supplier of Christmas trees. "The risk of getting rejected at the border and losing the trees and then a 20 percent tariff, I don't think that would work for our growers," he said. The Trump administration is pushing for changes to NAFTA, which was established by the U.S., Mexico and Canada in 1994 and now governs $1 trillion a year in commerce. Business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have opposed key U.S. proposals, such as one to raise regional content requirements for cars and a reported demand for the deal to expire after five years unless the countries agree to extend it. But farm groups, while largely supportive of Trump, have tried to prevent the U.S. from leaving NAFTA and made the case for other free trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. In one of his first acts as president, Trump pulled the U.S. out of that agreement. "The industry really needs these kind of trade agreements TPP and NAFTA to keep these markets moving," said Chris Aldrich of Natives Northwest Company, a wholesale vendor of Christmas trees in Washington state. If NAFTA is scuttled, it would leave each country to set tariffs on imports. That's what has the tree farmers anxious. In 2009, the Mexican government imposed a 20 percent tariff on Christmas trees in retaliation for a U.S. ban on long-haul truckers from the country. That resulted in a 10 percent drop in demand for trees from McKenzie Farms, said CEO McKenzie "Ken" Cook. Last year, he shipped 250 truckloads of trees to Mexico. While a NAFTA withdrawal would "impact us greatly," Cook said he's not worried about his survival this year because a shortage of trees has stoked domestic demand and driven up prices. But a large percentage of U.S.-grown trees still go to Mexico. "That's a lot of trees to find another place to sell," Rogg said. Last year, Mexico's Environment and Natural Resources Ministry introduced new requirements for imported Christmas trees, adding ten more pests to the inspection list and reiterating the requirements that trees be sprayed with insecticides and mechanically shaken for a minimum of 15 seconds at 700 revolutions per minute before they are shipped. Mexico growers estimate they will sell about 700,000 trees this year roughly equal to the number the nation imports from the U.S, according to the National Forestry Commission. "We expect a positive outcome of the NAFTA modernization process," Raul Urteaga Trani, general coordinator of international affairs for Mexico's agriculture ministry, said in an email. "Nevertheless, the current debate and threats of U.S. potential withdrawal of the agreement have made Mexican producers of Christmas trees increase domestic production." Also, he said, Canada's suppliers could satisfy the Mexican demand for years to come. Looking past the holiday season, a U.S. withdrawal from NAFTA would have dire implication for the entire agricultural industry, according to O'Connor, of the U.S. National Christmas Tree Association. "If our trade negotiators fold up the tent and say, 'We're done here, this isn't working for us,' all that agriculture trade is dead in the water and if that happens, those products sit in the domestic market and weigh on the supply," he said. Black Hills State University officials and faculty members said Thursday they would seek another round of federal funding for GEAR UP services to South Dakota high school and middle school students. The current grant will last at least one more year and possibly a second, they said. Their comments came during a report to the South Dakota Board of Regents, whose members govern the states public universities. GEAR UP is a federal program, and in South Dakota it operates through a federal grant that reimburses the state Department of Education. The state department subcontracts with BHSU for GEAR UP operations at 23 high schools and middle schools on seven Native American reservations. The purpose of GEAR UP is to make students and their families more aware of the opportunities available for further education after graduation from high school. The state department doesnt plan to seek a third round of GEAR UP funding. BHSU received the subcontract from the state department in 2015. The change came after state Education Secretary Melody Schopp didnt renew the subcontract with Mid-Central Educational Cooperative at Platte. Mid-Central closed June 30. Scott and Nicole Westerhuis, who were business manager and an assistant manager for the cooperative, and their four school-age children died from shotgun wounds in the hours after Scott Westerhuis received notice of the secretarys decision. State investigators determined Scott Westerhuis killed the children and their mother, then lit their house on fire and killed himself. State criminal charges for other alleged violations of South Dakota laws subsequently were filed against three other former Mid-Central officials. The defendants await trials. Schopp, facing increasing scrutiny from a broadening number of legislators, announced she would resign as secretary Dec. 15. The regents met Thursday at School for the Deaf in Sioux Falls. BHSU President Tom Jackson Jr. attended and introduced GEAR UPs top management via video conference from Spearfish. They are June Apaza, director of the universitys Center for Advancement of Math and Science Education, and Urla Marcus, director of the universitys Center for American Studies. Apaza said BHSU took responsibility for GEAR UP in late 2015 and spent the first half of 2016 organizing the programs structure, hiring staff and building relationships with school districts. Marcus said 23 schools participate on seven Native American reservations. Regional coordinators, based in the field, work in each school at least once a week, and seven districts also have local coordinators, she said. Apaza said the summer honors camp lasts three weeks: two at BHSU and one week at Placerville camp outside Rapid City. The goal, she said, is to serve 100 students each summer. Every step along the way, you lose a few students, she said. The purposes are replicating the university campus experience and increasing academic rigor. She said summer camps also were offered at three middle schools in 2016 and five middle schools last summer. Jackson said the university would apply for a grant extension for at least one year and possibly two. Several regents said the program seems to be successful. I think its important to our state certainly to our kids. It came from difficult circumstances, said regent John Bastian of Belle Fourche. Bastian said the program previously had been suspect. Its a good program, and that was lost, he said. It wasnt well-run before. Its well-run now. Jackson said its important to continue GEAR UP services in South Dakota. Each spring, Nebraska farmers head to their fields to plant and prepare for their fall harvest. Their individual success depends on many factors and is a key part of our states overall economic success. Our farm and ranch families are the foundation of our states number one industry. To grow Nebraska, we have to continue to grow opportunities for those families. In 2017, Ive continued to make growing agriculture a top priority for my administration by expanding trade, encouraging livestock development, and promoting the biofuels industry. Growing demand for Nebraskas quality ag commodities through trade generates over $6 billion annually for Nebraskas ag economy. Our efforts to expand trade led our trade delegation to Canada this year. Our neighbors to the north have been one of our best export customers over the years, and its important for us to thank them for their business so the relationship can continue to expand. On the trade mission, I met with Agri-Plastics to encourage them to choose Nebraska. This fall, Agri-Plastics announced they will be expanding their calf-housing line by opening a production facility in Sidneytheir first in the United States! In September, we had a similar opportunity to maintain and build trade relations with Japan. Japan is already our largest source of direct foreign investment and were eager to grow that relationship. During that trip Sagami Restaurant Chain signed a letter of intent with Smithfield to source more of their pork from Nebraska farmers. Weve been able to open new markets as well as expand opportunities with current partners. This year, China agreed to open its beef market to the United States for the first time since 2003. For years, Nebraskans have been working together with federal officials to reopen this market, and my administration continued that work with two visits to China in 2015 and 2016. Federal trade agreements can have a big impact on growing Nebraska agriculture. This year, I led a coalition which urged the Trump Administration to continue to focus on growing market access as they negotiate NAFTA. I have also advocated for immediate negotiations on bilateral agreements with some of our key trading partners such as Japan. Our efforts to create state and regional demand for Nebraskas quality commodities are just as important as our international work. One of the best ways to grow our industry here at home is through livestock development. Livestock development provides a way to add value to the billions of bushels of feedstocks our farmers produce each year. Our work this year included breaking ground on the $300 million Costco chicken processing project near Fremont and the opening of Hendrix-ISAs chick hatchery in Grand Island and turkey hatchery in Beatrice. When you consider additional investments from Cargill, Novozymes, and Evonik this year, Nebraska has seen over $650 million invested in value-added ag and biofuels operations just from these projects. Were also expanding programs that make investment and growth in the agriculture industry accessible and easy. The Livestock Friendly County program and the livestock siting assessment matrix are both administered by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. In 2017, the Livestock Friendly County program added Thurston and Hall counties. This brings the total number of Livestock Friendly Counties in Nebraska to 43. The program provides the counties a tool to let the livestock industry know they are open for business. Additionally, Dodge and Merrick became the first two counties in the state to voluntarily adopt the livestock siting assessment matrix to bring greater predictability to decisions on livestock siting applications. Biofuels also play a critical role in the states agriculture industry. Nebraska is the second largest producer of ethanol in the country. In the past two years, ethanol plants in Jackson, Fairmont, and Adams have invested approximately $190 million in new technology. These investments have increased the capacity and product diversification of their operations. The synergistic relationship between corn, ethanol and livestock encourages the success of all three industries. In 2017, I have had the privilege of serving as chairman of the Governors Biofuels Coalition. Serving as chairman gave me the opportunity to encourage the EPA for a timely release of the 2018 proposed targets under the Renewable Fuel Standards. Last week, the Trump Administration announced the final volume levels in a timely manner with minimal changes. Their decision provides much-needed predictability, which helps ethanol producers plan for their businesses and spur growth in the biofuels industry. More work lies ahead as we rise up to seize the opportunities and face the challenges our farm and ranch families work through to feed a growing world. We will continue to build on the momentum weve experienced in 2017. If you have any suggestions on how we can do more to grow Nebraskas agriculture industry, call my office at 402-471-2244 or email me at pete.ricketts@nebraska.gov. The Senior Corps Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Dawes & Sioux County had another great year of supporting the community in the places it was needed most. RSVP is made up of volunteers age 55 and older and is sponsored by Northwest Community Action Partnership. Funding is provided through the Corporation for National and Community Service with support from Dawes County and the cities of Chadron and Crawford as well as local businesses and citizens. The Corporation for National and Community Service is the federal agency for volunteering, service, and civic engagement. CNCS engages millions of Americans in citizen engagement through its AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs and leads the nations volunteer efforts. Senior Corps RSVP is dedicated to harnessing the power of experience its members gained over a lifetime and applying that experience to needs in the community. What does this mean for Dawes & Sioux counties? It means they received the value of 23,452 hours of volunteer service to help those in need and improve and support local activities. According to the Independent Sector, an organization that calculates the value of volunteer time, that equals $521,807 of benefit for Dawes & Sioux counties. The main focus of the local RSVP program is improving food security and social ties for those in our community, but RSVP volunteers also provide service to a multitude of non-profits in the northern Panhandle. RSVP volunteers support food pantries such as the Bread Basket, the Crawford Food Pantry, Extra Helpings, Shepherds Pantry, and supplemental mobile food pantries that occur in the counties served by Northwest Community Action Partnership. They also serve at the Closer to Home soup kitchen and deliver Meals on Wheels through the Chadron Senior Center. For some, this hot meal delivered by a friendly caring volunteer, may be the only meal and they only contact they get that day and its critical to their independence. To remain living in your own home when you grow older makes sense weve lived independently for most of our adult lives. Independence is an important part of a high quality life and it is not only good for seniors, it is less expensive to tax payers. But living independently as a senior has potential problems including social isolation, greater chance of depression, higher rate of anxiety, malnutrition, greater fall risk, and lack of help in an emergency to name a few. This last year Retired & Senior volunteers recognized these risks and started a new program that provides a daily call of assurance to homebound seniors, disabled individuals and others needing a regular contact. The program, CARE Callers, pairs an RSVP volunteer with an individual in need of friendly connection. Through their daily chats, friendships form, the risks of living independently lessen and individuals are able to remain in their own homes longer. Because of the service provided by RSVP volunteers in these areas last year over 400 people reported increased food security and 29 homebound individuals reported increased social ties. Disaster preparation is another area of growth for the local RSVP program. There has been no shortage of disasters in the news and Nebraska in not immune to the risks. Natural and weather related disasters as well as man-made disasters such as active shooters pose threats to our security and safety. Senior Corps RSVP volunteers joined forces with an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer who was stationed at Northwest Community Partnership and addressed a special need. Partnering with the cities of Chadron and Crawford, Region 23, the Dawes County Fair Board, and local businesses, Dawes & Sioux County RSVP developed a core team of volunteers to staff a volunteer reception center (VRC) which will activate in the event of a major disaster. Volunteers are critically needed at such times, but they must be welcomed, registered, trained and supervised tasks that should not distract emergency agencies from their focus of public safety. The cities and commissioners have added the VRC to their disaster plans as an organization they can count to fill the specific need of managing the volunteers during a major disaster. In addition to the VRC, a collaboration with the Chadron Community Foundation has resulted in the development of a structure for a disaster preparedness fund that will allow for planned giving and serve as a trusted receptacle for donations at the time of a disaster. This will also help to protect donors from fraudulent funds that can be set up during disasters. Ongoing RSVP activities include so much more. In the last year, they co-sponsored 12 blood drives and supported the collection of over 250 units of blood for area hospitals. Each year the Dawes & Sioux County RSVP volunteers spearhead the Salvation Army campaign. Nearly 300 ringing slots are filled by RSVP and community volunteers and last year $15,118 was raised. Ninety percent of those funds stay in Dawes County to help neighbors in times of emergency. Whether that means critical food, emergency lodging, utility assistance during a bitter winter month or assistance during a special situation, the Salvation Army provides funding that is flexible and dedicated to helping locally. This year, the Salvation Army schedule is available online. Go to www.ncap.info and click on News & Events to find the schedule. Last year RSVP deepened its commitment to the United Way and volunteered for two special project the United Way Stuff the Bus (with school supplies) and Day of Caring where they joined forces with Box Butte RSVP to pack 20,000 meals for the hungry. School supplies were delivered to Dawes County schools and the food was distributed through the food pantries and the Kiwanis weekend backpack program that sends food home every Friday during the school year to help kids who may not get enough to eat on the weekend. RSVP also partnered with Kiwanis and packed over 1,100 food packs to supplement the Kiwanis Weekend Backpack program for chronically hungry kids. RSVP supported the Masonic Lodge in a Child Identification Program (ChIP). This program increased the safety of 65 local children by providing their parents with identification kits to help authorities identify and locate their children in the event they were missing. So what else do RSVP volunteers do locally? They volunteer in the schools, sponsor a literacy campaign that provides books to those in need, they preserve and celebrate history through local museums and art centers, they visit and engage residents at the nursing homes, they serve in the Chadron and Dawes County Seniors Centers to provide a vibrant place for seniors to meet and connect, they staff local fairs and celebrations, and much more. Rachel Johnson, Director of Volunteer Services at Northwest Community Action Partnership commented In my humble opinion, it would be difficult to find a local non-profit organization that doesnt benefit from the dedication of our Retired and Senior Volunteers. RSVP makes our community stronger, more resilient, and a better place to live your entire life. RSVP benefits all generations. If you are 55 or older and want to be a part of RSVP, give me a call at 432-3393. There is no cost, we have a lot of fun and make a real impact right here at home. Several prominent community members have voiced concern over the proposed location of Rapid City Collective Impact's Transformation Center Campus. Their fears stem from the concept of congregating the city's homeless population in one area in this case, downtown and the public safety issues that it could create. The campus, which would include a centralization of city, county and local nonprofit social services, would span nearly four acres of land and buildings along much of the 100 to 300 blocks on the south side of Kansas City Street. What happens when you segregate that many people in one area? Pennington County Commission Chairwoman Deb Hadcock wondered aloud in a recent interview. What are you trying to create? Looking back, Hadcock, who owns Dimensions Salon & Spa at 429 Quincy St. about a quarter mile west of the proposed site said she was unsure if she would have voted to approve the countys $14 million Restoration Center construction if she knew the Transformation Center would join it a couple of years later and few hundred feet away. Though it appears unlikely that any decision on the centers future will be made at the county level, Hadcock said she wouldnt vote in its favor until her concerns over public safety were addressed. Ka Alberts, owner of the retail furniture store Furniture Mart at 430 Main St., expressed a similar sentiment. To concentrate all of that clientele in the downtown area, Im afraid it may lead to some undesirable effects, Alberts said. Hes already experienced issues in the alleyway behind his store, which leads eastward to Cornerstone Rescue Mission. We just have a constant flow of transient type people that are digging in our dumpsters, he said, adding that he often finds people sleeping near his loading dock in the morning. It does draw the down and out, and the underprivileged kind of migrate to this center because of the benefits they can receive there, and Im just afraid that its going to draw more. In a written statement, Jan Puszynski, interim president of the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, sounded apprehensive about the centers proximity about half a mile west to the western edge of Mines campus. We at SD Mines very much support efforts to improve the lives of homeless individuals in our community, Puszynski wrote. We are concerned, however, how the proposed location of the transition facility will impact the safety of our students. Also, SD Mines would like to know how this proposed project would affect the citys plan to develop the downtown area east of 5th Street into an innovation district. Not in my backyard Those involved with the project, though, appear unfazed by such worries. The fears that people have, the things that they talk about, the panhandling, the public drunkenness, those types of things, are already happening regardless of where we go, said Collective Impact project manager Charity Doyle. I know theres going to be a perception that this campus is going to cause problems, but I guarantee you, right now, the problems people think its going to cause are already happening. We think that co-locating with the county, we can mitigate those problems." Mayor Steve Allender said he trusted the research, legwork and judgment of Collective Impact's leadership and thought the concerns, though justified, may be overblown. Collective Impact plans to seek a one-time contribution of $7 million from the city to help buy the land and property that will house the center. To those who have already decided that this will be a detriment to the neighborhood, (they) are not listening to the experts who have been planning and preparing for this move for the last couple years, Allender said. On one hand, its expected and normal, and on the other hand, some of those concerns have gone way over the top, including those from the county commission. Rapid City Police Chief Karl Jegeris and Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom, who has been assisting with the countys soon to be open $14 million Restoration Center just west of the Transformation Centers proposed location, said the worries of area property owners were no surprise. Put it somewhere else, Thom explained, and youd hear the same things. You get a Not in my backyard kind of comment, and my question is, If not here, where? Thom said. The whole notion that our homeless are criminals is erroneous. Not all homeless are criminals and just because youre going to have people in need down here doesnt automatically mean youre going to have an increase for calls for service. Thom explained that the entire campus would be enclosed by a fence, there would be a single point of entry with a magnetometer to scan for weapons, and that security officers would be on campus to ensure the safety of everyone. According to figures provided by San Antonio Police Department spokesman Carlos Roberto Ortiz, the Haven for Hope campus RCCIs Transformation Center concept is based largely on the Haven for Hope model required 1,003 calls for service in 2016 and 801 in 2017 thus far for its 17-acre, 1,600 bed campus. Rapid Citys Transformation Center would span about four acres but the number of beds has yet to be determined. According to figures provided by Jegeris, the Cornerstone Rescue Mission required 544 calls for service in 2012. By 2016, that figure had dropped to 423 calls, with 356 in 2017 through Dec. 4. Jegeris sat in his office on the fourth floor of the Public Safety Building at 300 Kansas City St. directly across the street from the centers proposed location and used similar terminology as Thom while expressing support for the location and confidence in his departments ability to keep people safe. You hear the term not in my backyard, and thats a lot of what were talking about here, but this is right in law enforcements backyard, Jegeris said. Thats a win-win for everybody. If we do have a violent event occur, we as a law enforcement agency are in the best case scenario that we are going to have the quickest response time ever. Jegeris said that the location was not only beneficial for law enforcement but for the vulnerable population that needs the services, too. Other potential sites, including the Ziegler Building Center at 840 Centre St. across from the Central States Fairground, were considered. But the renovation costs, housing options and distance from county/city social and health services all made the proposed location ideal. If we dont locate it in the right area where the vulnerable in our community have access to the resources, we are inadvertently being oppressive to that population, Jegeris said before addressing Puszynski and Mines. The School of Mines has always been somewhat isolated, and theyve been working very hard to become part of the community. But being part of the community is youre part of the whole community, not just that that brings you opportunities. Doyle said analyses had found that about 25 percent of the homeless population had a mental health and/or chemical dependency issue. People worrying about who the center would attract, she said, dont understand the centers programs and mission. They have to be clean and sober. (Thats the) No. 1 rule, she said. They have to be on a housing plan. They have to be on an income plan. So think about, with those rules, the type of person that this campus is going to attract. These are the people who want to get out the situations that theyre in, whatever it is. Day-to-day struggle to survive Julian Navarro was born in Seguin, Texas, about 35 miles east of San Antonio. Homeless for much of his life, when Navarro received a city trespassing ticket in his hometown a few years ago, he went to San Antonio. His first night he stayed in the Salvation Army. But when he was kicked out the following afternoon for leaving behind some belongings when doing so was prohibited, he was told to try Haven for Hope. He went to the campus, about 1.5 miles northwest of downtown San Antonio, and listened to the process and rules. Hed have to stay in the centers courtyard for 30 days before being allowed to enter the program, he said he was told. He balked at that idea after others warned him about the safety of such an endeavor. That was more like a battleground if anything, Navarro said in of what hed heard about the courtyard safety. I think it could be better if they didnt have it like that. If the Haven for Hope were to change that part, then itd be a successful program, but I think that they would have to have people motivated, and I dont think a lot of people can get that right now because theyre deprived of everything. The courtyard concept is not in any plans for Rapid Citys Transformation Center, Doyle has said. Navarro, who has been homeless in Rapid City for a month but was given a bed in Cornerstone Rescue Mission just last week, would seem like a perfect candidate for the center. Sober and motivated, he has appeared before the Rapid City Council at each of their last two meetings to discuss issues hes had with Cornerstone and provide ideas for giving those on the street a place to sleep during the harsh winter nights. Navarro said hed heard about the proposed center but only that it could be here someday in the distant future. "I havent really looked into it a whole lot because its not in the near future for me," he said. "I might be here, but I might not be in that setting. He said others in the homeless population had heard of it too, but such plans, years away, rarely enter the mind of people struggling to survive day to day. "I think that a quick fix would just be rent a building out and put some mats on the floor, he said. Navarro has some other ideas too, like more case workers, easier access to identification cards and programs for those who dont want to change. They would need a backup plan for that part, too, he said. Like, OK, You want to stay in the street? You dont want to stop drinking? You can stay here. The Restoration Center, which will see an increase in number of beds in the Safe Beds program that affords intoxicated persons a secure place to rest and sober up, would appear to help meet this need. This week, the RCPD was notified that it had been awarded a grant by the The International Association of Chiefs of Police called the Collective Healing Initiative. The $750,000 in funding will allow the department to hire and create a detached unit of four outreach workers and two police officers that will be temporarily housed in the Restoration Center before moving into the Transformation Center once its complete. Focusing on the downtown core including the East of Fifth Street area and the citys parks from Founders Park to Roosevelt Park, the unit would provide boots on the ground social work and case management. Its going to be challenging," Jegeris said. "Its not going to be like flipping a switch, but for many people over a period of a year of case management with this team, I think were going to be able to help make significant and sometimes permanent life change for people. Doyle asks for patience If anyone should be concerned about the potential impact the Transformation Center would have on the surrounding area, perhaps it would Hani Shafai, president of Dream Design International LLC and owner of the lots and College Station apartments being considered for the site of the center. From the Mines campus through the downtown area, Shafai estimates he owns between $25 and $35 million worth of real estate. In an interview he sounded not only unconcerned but adamant in his support for the concept and location. "If Im not worried about it and I have the most to lose, if it is that bad, why are we raising heck about it? he said before answering his own question. Its fear of the unknown because they really dont know the facts. Honestly, I dont claim to know all the facts, but I ask questions and based on the answers Ive received, I really dont have any concerns. "When you think about it, this is centralization of services, not centralization of criminal activities as people perceive it. With the preferred site chosen, the next step will be to secure a funding commitment from the city. Once that is completed, Doyle and Collective Impact will work to get commitments from the Cornerstone Rescue Mission, Hope Center, Behavior Management Systems and other area providers to join the center. Once they have a roster of committed providers, designs can begin, followed by renovations. Procedures and policies for the centers programs have been researched and are continuing to be developed and refined. The biggest message Doyle tried to get across in the near hourlong conversation with the Journal was simple: patience. We are early in the process, she said. This whole thing is going to take years, and were just a few months into it. All of those issues will be addressed and doors wont open until we know that those things are mitigated. Thats the bottom line for everything. South Dakota could have outsize influence on the congressional conference committee that is resolving differences between House and Senate tax-reform legislation, with three people who were born and raised in the state appointed to the 29-member group. Two members of the states congressional delegation, Sen. John Thune and Rep. Kristi Noem, are on the committee, making South Dakota one of seven states with at least two lawmakers on the roster. Another member of the committee, Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, was born in Vermillion and raised in Rapid City. All three are Republicans who will bring similar views to the negotiations, but there are numerous differences in the House and Senate bills, and Noem in particular has indicated a willingness to press for specific items. One such item is the House bills eventual repeal of the estate tax, aka death tax, on large inheritances. The Senate bill would not repeal the estate tax but would double the current exemption so that estates worth up to $11 million could be passed to heirs tax-free. Noems view on the issue is colored by her family history. Her father died in a farm accident, and she has said her family suffered from the application of the estate tax. In a news release about her appointment to the conference committee, Noems office described her as a leading voice in support of the Death Tax repeal. The release also said Noem will focus on increasing the child tax credit, preserving the child care credit, excluding the Indian Health Services Student Loan Repayment program from tax, and including pro-agriculture provisions related to interest deductions and expenses. While there are differences between the two versions, Im optimistic were coming at this with a united front, striving for the same vision of stronger families and a stronger future for all Americans, Noem said in a written statement on her appointment to the conference committee. Thunes news release on his appointment to the committee focused less on specific provisions and more on overall goals, but he did highlight several items of importance. Both chambers have outlined our priorities, which include doubling the standard deduction, expanding the child tax credit, lowering tax rates for all taxpayers, particularly low- and middle-income Americans, and reforming our business tax code, Thunes statement said. In his weekly column and in a recent speech on the Senate floor, Thune framed the two pieces of legislation as the culmination of a long struggle for tax reform, and he stressed the importance of putting a bill on the presidents desk while acknowledging that the bill will not be perfect. With Congress poised to pass the first major tax reform legislation in more than three decades, I believe were about to take one of those historic steps that will mark a critical point in Americas history, Thune said, and Im excited about what it means for South Dakotans. Brady, who graduated from Rapid City Central High School and the University of South Dakota and worked as a chamber of commerce executive in Rapid City before moving to Texas, is the chairman of the conference committee. Like Thune, Brady has focused his public statements on the importance of resolving differences and sending a bill to the president. This is our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deliver on our tax reform promise, Brady said in a written statement. Im excited to work with my colleagues in the House and Senate on a plan we can send to President Trump this year. Some of the conference committees work is happening behind closed doors, and there is no definitive schedule or deadline. Noem said Thursday during a teleconference with reporters that there could be a formal, public meeting of the committee this coming week, and she hopes a bill will be signed into law before Christmas. Both the House and Senate bills would provide large tax cuts to corporations and more modest cuts for families and individuals. Although some estimates say the tax cuts could add at least $1 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years, some Republican proponents of the bill insist that the cuts will generate enough economic growth to eliminate the impact on the debt. The historic, way-station hamlet of Aladdin, Wyo., has a new owner again. The new owner of Aladdin, population 15, and its landmark general store, post office, bar and gas station, is former banker and financier Rob DeMaranville of Arizona, who struck a deal with longtime owners Rick and Judy Brengle earlier this fall. The deal for what is essentially a whole town, located 18 miles west of Belle Fourche in northeast Crook County, Wyo., includes the 118-year-old general store building and a house on the north side of Wyoming Highway 24. The deal also includes a trailer park and rodeo arena to the south of the highway. Not included in the sale are the Aladdin Motel and Cindy Bs Cafe, neighboring the general store. DeMaranville declined to reveal the purchase price. We struck a deal thats a win-win for both the Brengles and the DeMaranvilles, he said in a telephone interview. The sale comes after the town originally sold at auction on June 2. That deal, a purchase price of $500,000, eventually fell through when the successful bidders, a father and son from Piedmont, were unable to come up with financing, according to Laramie Noyce, granddaughter of Rick and Judy Brengle. DeMaranville, son of Ron and Mary Ann (Kling) DeMaranville, has strong family ties to the area, spending his summers growing up and learning how to work with his aunt, uncle and cousins at the Kling Ranch near Belle Fourche. DeMaranville said he knew the Brengles were trying to sell Aladdin and renewed his efforts to buy the town this fall when he learned the earlier auction sale had fallen through. He plans to preserve the overall rustic ambience of the tiny roadside hamlet, named for the nearby and long-closed Aladdin coal mine. We want to keep the tradition of Aladdin alive and honor the Brengles and all past owners, he said. Those plans include some modernization with the addition of new bathrooms and septic tank. He also will build a covered outdoor deck on the west side of the building. Plans also include weekly summer chuckwagon suppers, a town festival in June and an RV park replacing the rodeo arena to the south to cater to Sturgis motorcycle rally visitors. The Brengle family presence will remain at Aladdin, with Noyce hired to manage the General Store complex. Noyce was a natural choice as a general manager, with experience running the stores finances for her grandparents and also working for the family fencing business owned by her father, Darin. I already know the system, so I was his first pick, she said. Noyce said the on, off, on-again sale process took an emotional toll on her family. The Brengles had owned and operated the store for nearly 30 years. It went up for auction in June, and it was a horrible day for our family, Noyce said. The roll of emotions continued with the apparent sale, then falling through, followed by the eventual deal with DeMaranville. For me to like him, agree with the changes and keep it historic is just a huge deal for me, she said. DeMaranville, owner of RDM Capital Solutions Group, will close on the deal in April, with the Brengles operating the store through the winter months, he said. Victor art students excelled in the creation of the Poppy Poster, as part of a contest sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary each spring throughout the United States. Two students from Victor won first place in their respective age groups and another placed third. As exciting as that is, what we have never seen in my 12 years of chairing this program is that one of the Victor state winners also won our district competition, making her one of the five best entries in all the United States in 2017, said Tori Nobles, Unit 91 member. The poster art work of Victor sophomore Kaitlynn Deering won in her division for the state and was selected in the top five for the nation. The Corvallis American Legion Auxiliary Unit 91 works with art teachers in both Corvallis and Victor schools and accepts posters entries from both. Units throughout Montana contribute each spring to the contest and the Corvallis women select the poster that most embodies the Flanders Field Poppy while adhering to strict National Poppy Poster guidelines. The winners locally advance to district and national competition to be the number one poster in the United States. In late November, the local American Legion Auxiliary attended the Victor schools morning assembly to present awards. The theme for the assembly was Heroes and how having someone believe in your abilities promotes self-worth. Victor Art teacher Jennifer Ogden said Bitterroot Valley schools model respect and appreciation for the veteran community through classroom lessons and celebratory events for the public such as Veteran's Day events. The 100th anniversary of World War I has been the source of discussion in recent years. That's serendipitous, due the origin of the poppy as a symbol of fallen soldiers and the famous poem by Canadian physician, Lieutenant John MaCrae in 1915, called In Flanders Fields, Ogden said. Ogden said the Poppy Poster contest is an opportunity for students to show they appreciate their family, friends, and community members who are veterans. Deering was honored for her work at the assembly. I appreciate her careful, thoughtful approach to her work, Ogden said. Our other two first-place winners, Ali Elliott and Eli Rosen, used this as a thoughtful exercise as well. Ali went on to win first place in the state and Eli won third place for his age division in the state. Elliott has graduated and is serving her country through the Americorps: Corporation for National and Community Service. Victor school artists winners are: Class II Grades 4 and 5 - first Haylie Tolley, second Darvin Thomason, and third Daniel Crosbie; Class III Grades 6 and 7 - first Izabella Scichilone, second Elias Noriega, and third Robert Crosbie; Class IV Grades 8 and 9 - first Kaitlynn Deering (won first in state and North West Division winner for the nation), second Haylea Wemple, and third Gracie Smith; Class V Grades 10 and 11 - first Elijah Rosen (won third in state), second Teasha Johnson, and third Autumn Garrard; Class VI Grade 12 - first Ali Elliot (won first in state), second Zoey Strong and third Gerardo Irollo; Special Class VII - first Micah Bingham. DARBY - Looking to increase recreational opportunities in the Darby area, the town has launched an effort to help maintain and improve the areas trails and parks. The Darby Parks and Recreation Committee will undertake the stewardship of Darbys open spaces, work to increase access and programs in the towns parks, and add value to Darby for both residents and visitors. We just want to increase engagement and shared ownership over the parks system in Darby and the South Valley, said Shelby Rogala, recently hired to the new position of community outreach coordinator. We dont want it to be a dying community. The town of Darby has a lengthy ongoing commitment to its parks and trails. For more than a decade, the Darby Trail of Discovery Committee constructed and maintained the towns trail system by coordinating easements and fundraising. The Trail of Discovery, which broke ground in 2005 and continues to expand, connects neighborhoods, parks, and schools to the Bitterroot River and to the outlying trails in the Bitterroot National Forest. The towns skatepark, ice rink, and a handful of parks also need regular maintenance, which requires funding and a small group of passionate community members. In 2015, the Darby School District received an endowment of $3 million from Archie and Sue Lorentzen. Archie graduated from Darby High School in 1949 and the couple bequeathed 75 percent of their assets to the district. They both died in 2014. There were no strings attached, said Darby School Superintendent Loyd Rennaker in a 2016 interview with NBC Montana. But he really did like the idea of us helping the school and somehow benefiting the community also. That would be an extra benefit to his gift. Lorentzens endowment created Rogalas new position. In addition to communications, grant writing and more with the school district, Rogalas job is to look at Darbys resources and see which would have the biggest possible impact on the community and its students. So Rogala and her colleagues are asking themselves: What are Darbys assets? How can they capitalize on the infrastructure that theyve already set up in order to meet a community need? How can they enrich the lives of their kids? The answer was to put their time and effort into their towns public spaces, and the new Parks and Recreation Committee was born. In addition to Rogala, there are four other committee members, each representing one of Darbys public spaces. Bryan Dufresne, a teacher at the high school, oversees the skatepark. The committee will maintain the skatepark, hold events, and do some landscaping to naturalize the surrounding grounds. Jim Aronson, who was on the original Darby Trail of Discovery Committee, continues to be instrumental in the ongoing expansion and maintenance of the trail system. The plan is to finish construction of Darbys trail system, as originally outlined by the Darby Trail of Discovery Committee. Max Fiedler, the school shop teacher, also sits on the committee and oversees the Darby Ice Rink, which has been an asset to the Darby community since 2008. Improvements have continued incrementally throughout the years thanks to many community members, including Ronda Lang. The committee hopes to work off that momentum and to implement some permanent improvements to the rink, such as a cement base and a pavilion. Juli Winthers, a local business owner, helps plan and organize the various events at Darbys parks. Our hope is to get folks a bit more informed and aware of the parks and trail system, and to get out there and enjoy them with their friends and families as often as possible, said Winthers. Our long-term goal is for as many visitors and locals as possible, of as many ages as possible, to become aware of and utilize the Darby parks and trails. Since the committee formed a few months ago, theyve been meeting monthly. Theyve already held the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, which began with yoga at the High School gym followed by a run around Darby. They also organized the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at the Darby Public Library. Both events were well attended. The enthusiasm for Darbys open spaces is here. The committee hopes to keep that momentum and enthusiasm for Darbys open spaces going and to create a long-lasting, sustainable system that can be picked up by the next group of engaged citizens. In every small town youre always standing on the shoulders of the people before you, Rogala said. Oh, the stories the Schram-Duggan clan can tell about pack mules, the backcountry, and Mother Nature. Seated around the kitchen table, Julie Schram and her daughter Christy Schram-Duggan and husband Ed Duggan fire off anecdotes so quickly about years of packing that it's tough to keep them straight. One involves packing in four boxes of dynamite, detonation cords, and blasting caps, making sure that the explosives were on differing mules. "Pete had the biggest load we put 220 pounds on him because the rock drill weighed 110 pounds and we needed to keep it even," Schram recalls. "We ended up going 22 miles, and the last mile and a half they had snowdrifts up to their bellies. What happened was, there was a landslide, and we couldn't go where the trail went, so we had to go down to this deep, steep spot with drifts still there. This was around the Fourth of July!" With the easy banter of family, they finish each other's sentences while sipping coffee and tea. "We packed a 6-foot ladder in one time," Duggan says. "That was awkward," Schram-Duggan adds, laughing. "And then there was the 8-by-10-foot roll of canvas that we couldn't fold up," Duggan says. "We took the pack boxes, loaded them up, and put the roll on the pack box. It stuck out past the mule's head and past her tail. We packed it on Lady she looked at us like, 'Really?'" The family has packed mules since they were in their teens, and all are members of the Bitter Root Back Country Horsemen, which works with the U.S. Forest Service to help maintain trails. They're also volunteers with the Montana Wilderness Association, packing in tools and lots of food for crews as they take care of those places where mechanized equipment isn't allowed. "MWA is a fun group and have people come in from all over the country to work on the trails," Duggan says. "Remember the guy from New York last year?" Schram-Duggan adds. "And the guy from Texas who was a vegan? He was hard to wrap your head around. He's from Texas and doesn't eat meat?" All three agree that the trail crews do amazing work, so they were surprised last week when they were honored by the MWA with the 2017 Continental Divide Trail Crew Volunteer award. Sonny Mazzulo, the MWA stewardship coordinator, noted that Schram and her late husband Dave have been helping out since 2008, and after Dave died in 2016, Schram, Schram-Duggan, and Duggan picked up the slack. "They're damn good people," Mazzullo said. "Much of the Forest Service and BLM's highest priority trail work is deep in the backcountry. Without the support of Backcountry Horsemen like the Schram-Duggan family, MWA would be unable to get crews into these areas to work." The award also includes Schram-Duggan's two sons, John Renner, 10, and Beau Duggan, 12. "The award caught us totally off guard," Schram-Duggan says. "When he said our name, he had to coax us to go up there for the award. I was like, 'Crap, we have to stand up.'" The family modestly counters that without the trail crews and their fellow Back Country Horsemen groups, many hikers and horseback riders wouldn't be able to get into backcountry. "They do amazing work. Sometimes we ride in on a rough trail and come in the next week to pack them out, and you can't tell it's the same trail," Schram-Duggan says. Last summer, the family packed in four out of the five Continental Divide trail projects; the fifth began at the trailhead. They take in bear-proof metal food boxes, most of the crews' personal gear, tools, and beverages. If the trail is 8 miles or less, they'll drop off the items, stick around for lunch, then head home. If it's one of the longer trips like 22 miles they stay overnight. "Packing is a skill and an art rolled together," Duggan says. When the trail crews are finished, the family makes the return trip to pack them out. "And we always have cold beer for them when they come out," Duggan says. "And Gatorade and Powerade," Schram-Duggan adds. The family typically packs in with anywhere from six to nine mules and a handful of horses. In their pasture on a cold winter morning, where Schram-Duggan is the sixth generation, the livestock nuzzle the people for scratches or watch warily. Duggan says the mules all have distinct personalities. Lady is an old Forest Service mule and a "diva" who hates getting loaded but who is one of the best on the trail. Joe gets offended if he's not carrying the tool box and will hit every tree on his way down the trail until he gets it. And don't put Pete and Joe together on the string. "One will go one way around a tree and the other goes the other way," Duggan says. "With mules, especially these characters, they'll do things just because it's quiet or boring." And after listening to their stories and laughter, it's clear that the Schram-Duggan clan takes after their mules more than they'd like to admit. Hamilton has been awarded a $450,000 grant from the Montana Department of Commerce for construction of a Ravalli Early Head Start building, play area and drop-off loop. Marjorie Vegoren, early childhood and disabilities manager, said the staff is thrilled to have the funds to build on the same property as Ravalli Head Start. It will make transitions for kids and families much smoother. It will have an effect on how efficiently we can carry out operations, she said. We are very excited to be all on one campus. Currently, managers travel to all sites and the new facilities will provide a better use of their time and provide more support for staff. Eight towns, cities, and counties across Montana will receive funds through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), a federally-funded program Commerce administers for Montana. Montanas vibrant communities are working hard to build stronger places for their residents to live and work, Pam Haxby-Cote, Montana Department of Commerce director, said in a press release. Its exciting to see their plans produce tangible results across Montana, and its a privilege for Commerce to be part of the process. Ravalli Head Start Executive Director Jon Filz said he is grateful, and it's excellent news for families, children and the program. We are extremely excited to have all our services in one site it will be good for everybody," Fitz said. "It is always better to have new purpose-designed space than to remodel. Filz said the building could be completed in 2019. We are very pleased and proud of how Montana Department of Commerce felt about our proposal, he said. It was a team effort and it reflects the quality of our effort ... The whole team did an excellent job. "At the city office of Hamilton, the grant was written by the clerk, mayor, council, and financial office. Julie Foster at the Ravalli County Economic Development Authority (RCEDA) worked hard on the project. Jennifer Olson, Community Development Division Administrator for Montana, said the grant provides opportunity. This is a huge opening for your community to address those needs that are so important, particularly related to early childhood education, Olson said. Community Development Block Grants of about $5.5 million in federal funding are received by Montana as a congressional appropriation through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The funding is administered by the Department of Commerce, then granted to local governments, annually. Its a competitive application cycle and we are able to assist communities with their highest priority needs to benefit low to moderate income families," Olson said. "Since Head Start serves 90 percent of low income families, they are a really lovely match to the program objectives of CBDG. Olson said the grant is a big benefit to the Early Head Start program in Hamilton but it also fits well into the CBDG focus of meeting critical needs. Frankly, early childhood education is helping low- and moderate-income (families) that they serve, she said. Early childhood education is a really comprehensive program. Nearly all of the eight awardees across Montana received the $450,000 maximum award. As grant funds they dont have to be paid back, so the investment we make into your community via the project is a long-term benefit that were happy to be part of, Olson said. The application for the Community Development Block Grant had to go through the city of Hamilton, and included a public hearing process. The Ravalli Early Head Start will be building an addition to the existing building on Kurtz Lane, which is a central location for Ravalli County and students that have to commute to the center. The Early Head Starts currently serves 123 children, of which 52 are in Hamilton. The Early Head Start addition will include a 4,100-square-foot building, additional parking, and a drop-off loop. The new center will move the Ravalli Early Head Start from the Westview building and Bitterroot College space. I think it is an opportunity for both entities to really grow and help Ravalli County and Hamilton, Olson said. Victoria Clark, director of the Bitterroot College, said she is thrilled for Early Head Start. We know they need updated and upgraded space as well as the convenience of being located together with the Ravalli Head Start main campus; however, we will be sad to lose them as neighbors, Clark said. In terms of expansion possibilities for the Bitterroot College, we will definitely be eyeing options and looking toward future opportunities. Ravalli Early Head Start is a federally funded program serving Ravalli County families with children from birth up to 3 years-old, and prenatal mothers. Qualified child development educators provide a high-quality comprehensive child development curriculum and support services for children with special needs and disabilities. The services are free to families with low and moderate incomes. Other CBDG grant recipients are Beaverhead County for the renovation of a water system; Helena for construction of a group home for supportive community living for up to eight adult residents at risk of homelessness; Roundup for improvements to the water distribution system; Lewis and Clark County for renovation of an eight-unit, single-room occupancy residential group home for adults with developmental disabilities; Phillips County for the rehabilitation of the building that provides residential, day and transportation services to people with developmental disabilities; and Sanders County for centralized wastewater system replacement in Paradise. On Monday, President Donald Trump unleashed an assault on two national monuments in Utah. He signed a proclamation slashing the size of Bears Ears National Monument by 85 percent, from 1.35 million to 201,397 acres, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by half, from nearly 1.9 million to 997,490 acres. Apparently, he isnt done. He will be signing more proclamations stripping protection from some of our most outstanding public lands. These actions taken against our national monuments will go down in American history as perhaps the single biggest attack on our public lands ever conducted by the federal government. As President Trump admits, they serve to aid those who have actively been trying to sell off our public lands, most notably Utah Congressman Rob Bishop. Containing one of the greatest concentrations of archaeological sites in the world, Bears Ears was designated a national monument in response to a national groundswell led by five sovereign Indian nations in the Four Corners region, people who consider this area sacred. Those tribes, along with a host of conservation groups, have already brought a legal challenge to this proclamation, as they should. One-hundred-and-twenty-one law professors agree that this proclamation wont stand up in court, primarily because the Antiquities Act, which was used to create these monuments, contains no language allowing presidents to shrink or eliminate national monuments. But the Presidents proclamation stripping protection from millions of acres of some of the most beautiful and cultural significant places in our country could be enacted with the help of Congressman Greg Gianforte. Earlier this year, Rep. Gianforte voted for a bill written by Rep. Bishop. The dishonestly-named National Monument Creation and Protection Act (H.R. 3990) would enable presidents to shrink and eliminate national monuments that previous presidents have created. If this bill passes, it would basically codify President Trumps anti-national monument proclamations and open all national monuments created by the Antiquities Act including Montanas Upper Missouri River Breaks and Pompeys Pillar to the same fate as Bears Ear and Grand-Staircase. It would render national monument protection virtually meaningless, prone to the whims of future presidents. In voting for this bill, Rep. Gianforte blatantly ignored 2.7 million Americans, including 24,000 Montanans, who submitted comments to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke urging him to maintain all existing national monuments. Sec. Zinke recommended shrinking several national monuments, but kept his hands off Upper Missouri River Breaks after facing a backlash in his home state. Rep. Gianforte, however, put the Upper Missouri River Breaks right back on the chopping block when he voted for Rep. Bishops bill in the House Natural Resources Committee. If it passes Congress, Rep. Gianforte will be guilty of dismantling the central pillar of Theodore Roosevelts conservation legacy and destroying the most effective tool we have for safeguarding public lands with significant natural, cultural, historical, and scientific value. During the past 110 years, 16 presidents eight Democrats and eight Republicans have used the Antiquities Act to designate 157 national monuments. I grew up in Crow Agency just outside one of Montanas national monuments, the Little Bighorn Battlefield. This is a sacred site for numerous Plains Indian tribes, including my own. Its status as a national monument has enabled the descendants of those who fought in this battle to gather, tell stories, and begin healing from a traumatic history that includes this battle. That status would be put in jeopardy with Bishops bill. The Antiquities Act is one of the best tools we have for preserving, protecting, and perpetuating the heritage we share as Montanans and Americans. Call Rep. Gianfortes office at 202-225-3211 and tell him to respect that heritage by withdrawing his support of H.R. 3990. - Shane Doyle is an educator and Crow tribal member who now lives in Bozeman. Sometime in late January, 24,000 Montana children will lose health insurance if the U.S Senate does not vote to reauthorize the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP). By mid-December the Montana Department of Health and Human Services will be forced to send a warning letter to participating CHIP families with information their child/children will lose the Montana version of CHIP, Healthy Montana Kids insurance coverage, unless the Senate votes to reauthorize the program before the Congressional Christmas break. CHIP is a low-cost insurance plan available to families whose income match the formula of the federal poverty levels. It provides basic health care dental care, inoculations, physician office visits, well-child checkup, hospital in-patient and out-patient services, emergency visits, hearing and vision screening, prescription drugs, behavior health and transportation services to children and Ob-Gyn services to pregnant women. In 2008, Montana Healthy Kids Initiative was passed by a citizens vote with 69 percent approval rating to establish the childrens insurance plan in Montana. With the passage of the HELP act in 2015, Montana joined other state in participating in expanded Medicaid and a greater funding share for Healthy Montana Kids shifted to the federal government. Ironically, both Montana senators have agreed CHIP should be reauthorized and believe there is bipartisan support, yet the Senate has failed to schedule a vote on the bill even though the U.S House passed the bill reauthorizing the program months ago. Sen. Steve Daines stated The Childrens Health Insurance Program provides important coverage to tens of thousands of Montana children, and consensus exists in Congress to reauthorize the program. Sen. Jon Tester introduced legislation to reauthorize the program in November. Gov. Steve Bullock has spoken about the success of the Montana Healthy Kids program. It is well known healthy children experience greater success in school. Good vision and hearing ability increase the opportunity to learn. A sick child not only suffers but contributes to an unhealthy environment for other children in the classroom. So, what is the hold up? When will the Senate vote on reauthorization? Eleven states have already run out of funds for the program. Fortunately, Montana has the resources to run the program into January, but without a Senate vote to reauthorize, Montana will face closing the successful program that provides basic health care for children. Contact Senators Daines and Tester to urge a vote on the program. Marilyn Ryan represents House Dist. 99, Willis Curdy represents House Dist. 98. Both are retired Missoula County Public School educators. If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). 125 Years Ago School construction: M. C. OConnor says that the plastering will be completed within the next three weeks in the new high school under construction at 12th and Jackson streets. The building, he thinks, will be ready for occupancy by the spring term of 1893. In the news: The city jail was emptied of prisoners and flushed out, producing a considerable improvement in the horrible odor emanating there from. Jerry Sullivan, grading boss for Kimball & McNamara, who was reported killed last week near Algona has returned home here. Bishop discussion: The news that there is a possibility of a division of the Catholic Diocese of Iowa and the appointment of a Catholic bishop of Sioux City is creating a good deal of interest here. This action might take place at a meeting of bishops in St. Louis later this month. 100 Years Ago Chickens missing: Nearly 100 chickens, valued from $5 to $50 each, have been stolen from Sioux City fanciers in the last three weeks. Most of the feathered fowl were to be entered at the Interstate Poultry Show, which opened Tuesday at 403 Pearl St.. About 1,000 chickens are being exhibited. Lights out: Owners of Sioux City stores, theaters and office buildings have indicated they will comply with the order of the state fuel administration to stop using electricity for display advertising. From now on, Sioux City streets will be dark after 6 oclock, except for lights in front of hotels, restaurants and theater entrances. Up in the air: Paul Hatfield, a Sioux City attorney, has received notice to report to Fort Omaha, Neb., December 27 for training in the balloon school. Mr. Hatfield enlisted in the aviation department of the Army several weeks ago. 50 Years Ago St. Nick: A six-month-old beautiful brown and white English springer spaniel enriched The Journals Goodfellow Fund by $830 at Saturdays Little Yellow Dog Auction at the Sheraton-Warrior Inn. Dean Daniels, president of the Sioux City Grain Exchange, submitted the winning bid for Wacuwa St. Nick. Mr. Daniels will donate the pup to a deserving child. In the news: City Councilman Earle Grueskin will become mayor of Sioux City on Jan. 2. Dr. Donald Blume has been elected president of the Woodbury County Medical Society. Councilman Joseph DeRaad will leave his private law practice to accept a position of juvenile referee in Woodbury County, but will continue on the council. Vietnam kits: American Red Cross chapters in Dakota, Plymouth and Woodbury counties will send 225 Christmas bags to servicemen and women in Vietnam, as part of a national project. Each kit will contain personal items, including cosmetics, sewing kits and shower caps for women, plus games, paperbacks and stationery. 25 Years Ago Habitat house: Habitat for Humanity took possession of its first house at 1316 W. Sixth St. Friday and hopes volunteers will hammer it into shape soon. Then the house will be offered to a low-income family. The nonprofit organization was formed in August 1991. Christmas activities: The Festival of Santa Lucia will be celebrated at 5 p.m. Sunday at Augustana Lutheran Church, Sixth and Court streets. The Salvation Armys Kettle Day will be held Saturday by 26 service clubs and organizations at major Sioux City intersections. The annual Petes Feeders bell ringing campaign held in South Sioux City and Dakota City raised $7,687 to feed families at Christmas. In the news: Bill Eich of Eich Construction of Spirit Lake, Iowa, has been chosen by the editors of Popular Science magazine as a recipient of Best of Whats New Award for his research and use of frost-packed shallow foundations in construction of homes he builds. Sioux City City Manager Hank Sinda and Police Chief Gary Maas were honored for recruiting minorities by the NAACP. These items were published in The Journal Dec. 10-16, 1892, 1917, 1967 and 1992. SIOUX CITY For the second time in one week Chatterkick has been honored with an award recognizing its company culture. The social media agency, with offices in Sioux City and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was featured in a Nov. 30 Business Insider article highlighting the 50 best small companies to work for of 2017. Chatterkick snagged the 14th spot, which is compiled based on direct feedback from employees. The company also was recently recognized as one of the best small businesses for women to work at by Comparably. VERMILLION, S.D. Wendy Parent-Johnson, executive director of the University of South Dakotas Center for Disabilities, has been selected to travel to Tanzania as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) International Fellowship Program. Parent-Johnson will offer technical assistance to an inclusive education project implemented by ADA International Fellow, Goodluck Chanyika, from Moshi, Tanzania. Chanyika spent April and May at the USD Center for Disabilities. Parent-Johnson will spend two weeks interacting with children with disabilities, families, educational leaders, government officials, and other stakeholders in Tanzania. She will also share data-informed practices with service providers, local advocates, and will connect with U.S. Embassy officials who promote educational exchanges at the international level. Sioux City Fire Rescue crews were dispatched to the fire before 7 p.m. to the second-floor apartment where the fire started. Dan Cougill, an assistant chief with Sioux City Fire Rescue, said that the cause of the fire was under investigation. By a narrow 45 to 42 percent split, Iowans think the state is headed in the right direction. The other 13 percent are not sure. Like them, Iowa political scientists arent sure what the right track/wrong track numbers found in a poll of 500 registered likely voters in November mean for 2018 elections. If that divide persists, Drake University political scientist Dennis Goldford said, it would suggest that a wide swing in the direction of either Republicans or Democrats is unlikely. Political scientist Chris Larimer at the University of Northern Iowa said an even split would appear to favor incumbents. It seems voters do not have an overwhelming need or desire to turn away from an incumbent, he said, but the personal relationships Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds develops may be the deciding factor in whether shes elected to a full term. The question of whether the state is headed in the right or wrong direction was included in recent polling to measure opinions on Iowas 39-year-old bottle deposit bill. The poll was commissioned by bottlers and grocers and conducted by the Virginia-based Tarrance Group. The pollster is a GOP strategist that says it counts Iowa Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst among its clients. Its still fairly early in the 2018 election cycle to read much into the results of the poll, according to political scientist Tim Hagle at the University of Iowa. The key, as always, will be how the no party voters feel about it or maybe how its sold to them by either party, he said. Campaign operatives see the impact of the right track/wrong track poll numbers more definitively. Were glad most Iowans agree the state is on the right track, said Phil Valenziano, Reynolds campaign manager. He points to a 17-year-low in unemployment, the nations highest graduation rate and the governors focus on creating a competitive business environment, new energy policy and improving workforce skills. As good as things are now, we are fighting for even better days ahead, he said. However, the seven Democrats and two Republicans who want Reynolds job see the poll results a bit differently. Jordan Sabine of Sen. Nate Boultons campaign was struck that the wrong track numbers havent been so high since 2010, when Democratic Gov. Chet Culver lost his bid for a second term. Plus, the Iowans who think our state is going in the wrong direction are the ones with very strong opinions, boosting their motivation to vote in 2018, Sabine said. Cory Crowley, whos running Republican Ron Corbetts primary challenge to Reynolds, also saw the intensity among those who believe the state is off track. Nearly twice as many (42 to 26 percent) feel strongly things are headed in the wrong direction versus strongly in the right direction, Crowley said. Coupled with the general sentiment that political insiders and elites are causing, not fixing, problems will be a hurdle for the Reynolds campaign, Crowley said. Reading between the lines, Democratic hopeful Andy McGuire said it may portend that people have given up on their elected leaders and I dont blame them. Its hard not to get frustrated about people who have abused our trust so badly. Campaign staffers also noted the right track/wrong track numbers havent changed much since Reynolds became governor late May, replacing Terry Branstad, who resigned to become ambassador to China. A Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll in July found Iowans thought the state was on the right track by a 44 to 43 percent margin. Reynolds got a 46 percent approval rating against a 24 percent disapproval rating in that poll. That means most Iowans remain consistently displeased with the direction insiders in Des Moines have taken, Crowley said. Despite her best efforts, Reynolds has failed at convincing more Iowans that the state is going in the right direction under her leadership, Sabine said. Adding to Reynolds problems, Crowley said, is that more than 50 percent of the poll respondents identified as conservatives. That means even voters who traditionally support Republican principles and policies are tired of the status quo, he said, and are looking for someone to disrupt the status quo. WASHINGTON -- 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 U.S. nuclear weapons. Last month, for the first time in 41 years, a congressional hearing examined the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 that 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 Obama's argued that the thousands of air strikes 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 America. 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 Graham, R-S.C., says, "If we have to go to war to stop this, we will." By "this" does he mean 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 that 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 Gadhafi 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--- out of [ISIS]") is short on nuance but of Metternichian subtlety compared to 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-Qaida, 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-Qaida 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." Why did Gen. Mike Flynn lie to the FBI about his December 2016 conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak? Why did he not tell the FBI the truth? As national security adviser to the president-elect, Flynn had called the ambassador. Message: Tell President Putin not to overreact to President Obama's expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats. Trump will be president in three weeks, and we are committed to a new relationship. Not only was this initiative defensible, it proved successful. Putin accepted the loss of his diplomats and country houses on Long lsland and the Eastern Shore. Rather than expel U.S. diplomats in retaliation, he invited them and their families to the Kremlin's New Year's parties. "Great move ... (by V. Putin)," tweeted Trump, "I always knew he was very smart." This columnist concurred: "Among our Russophobes, one can hear the gnashing of teeth. "Clearly, Putin believes the Trump presidency offers Russia the prospect of a better relationship with the United States. He appears to want this, and most Americans seem to want the same. After all, Hillary Clinton, who accused Trump of being 'Putin's puppet,' lost." Flynn, it now appears, was not freelancing, but following instructions. His deputy, K. T. McFarland, sent an email to six Trump advisers saying that Obama, by expelling the Russians, was trying to "box Trump in diplomatically." "If there is a tit-for-tat escalation," warned McFarland, "Trump will have difficulty improving relations with Russia." Exactly. Flynn was trying to prevent Russian retaliation. Yet, as the ex-director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, he had to know his call to Kislyak was being monitored and recorded. So, again, why would he lie to the FBI about a conversation, the contents of which were surely known to the people who sent the FBI to question him? The other charge of lying about a call with Kislyak was Flynn's request for Russian help in getting postponed or canceled a Security Council vote on a resolution denouncing Israeli settlements on the West Bank. Obama's White House was backing the anti-Israel resolution. And Bibi Netanyahu had asked Trump to weigh in to block the vote. Bottom line: Flynn, acting on instructions, tried to prevent a U.N. condemnation of Israel, and to dissuade Russia from a mass expulsion of U.S. diplomats, lest this poison the well against a rapprochement for which the American people had voted. In the court of public opinion, Flynn's actions would find broad support. Rather than deny knowledge of them, Trump should have taken credit for them. Why the general would lie to the FBI about conversations he had to know U.S. intelligence had recorded is a puzzling question, but now also an irrelevant one, water over the dam. For Trump's general is now the newly conscripted collaborator of the media-Mueller-Democrat-deep state conspiracy to overturn the election of 2016 and bring down the Trump presidency. Remarkable. After 18 months, we have no evidence Trump colluded with Russia in hacking the emails of the DNC or John Podesta, which is what the FBI investigation was supposedly about. There is no conclusive evidence Flynn committed a crime when, as national security adviser-designate, he tried to prevent Obama from sabotaging the policies Trump had run on -- and won on. Yet there is evidence Russian intelligence agents colluded with a British spy in the pay of the oppo research arm of the DNC and Hillary Clinton campaign -- to find dirt on Donald Trump. And there is evidence James Comey's FBI wanted to hire the British spy who appeared to have access to the Russian agents who appeared to possess all that wonderful dirt on the Donald. It is hard to see how this ends well. Last weekend, after Flynn's admission he lied to the FBI, Beltway media were slavering like Pavlov's dogs at anticipated indictments and plea bargains by present and former White House aides, Trump family members, and perhaps Trump himself. The joy on the TV talk shows was transparent. Yet the media have already been badly damaged; first, by the relentless Trump attacks and the cheering for those attacks by a huge slice of the country; second, by their reflexive reaction. The media have behaved exactly like the "enemy" Trump said they were. In this us-versus-them country, the media now seem to relish the role of "them." The old proud journalistic boast to be objective and neutral reporters, observers and commentators is gone. We are all partisans now. If Trump's enemies bring him down, they will almost surely crash the markets and abort the recovery that took hold in Trump's first year. And if the establishment, repudiated by Trump's victory, thinks it will be restored to the nation's good graces if they destroy Trump, they are whistling past the graveyard. When Caesar falls, the cheering for Brutus and Cassius tends to die down rather quickly. Then their turn comes. The writer of the Dec. 6 Mini Editorial asks "Who cares?" about "who slept with who 10 to 15 years ago" when we are faced with threats posed by North Korea's missiles. The answer is anyone with an ounce of compassion for victims of sexual abuse. Sadly, it is this kind of dismissive attitude that has allowed the abuse to go on so long without consequence. Bravo to those who are publicly calling out their abusers, even when those who abused them are at the very top of the political chain. When President Obama re-established diplomatic relations with Cuba because, It was time to change a 50-year-old failed policy," presidential candidate Donald Trump pointed out that, It was a stupid decision; and he got nothing for it, nothing. It wasnt clear what we should have got; we simply removed the restrictions against U.S. citizens traveling there and the only people who were irritated were Trump and the Cubans living in South Florida. Now President Trump changes a different 50-year-old failed policy and gets nothing for it except that he irritated one billion Muslims who now know that the United States is in the pocket of Jared Kushner and Sheldon Adelson and Israel is free to do as they please in the occupied territories. The United Nations needs to do for the Palestinians what it did for the Jews in 1948 and establish the borders between Israel and Palestine. They had no problem establishing the borders for Israel, and they can do the same for Palestinians. Once Israelis are out of Palestine, then the world can warn the Palestinians with destruction if they persist in attacking Israel, the same way we threatened North Korea with total destruction if they attack anyone with their nuclear weapons. If Jews have a right to all the territory their ancestors inhabited 2,000 years ago, shouldnt we be giving back the United States to the people whose ancestors inhabited it 200 hundred years ago? - Douglas VanDerVoort, Sioux City Asked by NPR to justify repeal of the estate tax, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, opined that the repeal recognizes investors rather than people who spend all their money on booze, women or movies. I am offended in so many ways. First, as a retired teacher, owner of a small Monona County farm, and a once-widowed mother of two small children, I have never been a wastrel. Neither have most of the 80 percent of Americans who own 7 percent of the nation's wealth. Sexism also screams here. Apparently, only men inherit estates and we women only benefit from their windfall when they go Saturday night slumming. Better tell Sen. John McCain that his wife, Cindy, isn't really heiress of the Hensley beer distributor wealth. Finally, I am offended as one of 10 members of Siouxland Progressive Women who went to Grassley's local office to express concerns about the GOP tax bill. We all spent hours of research on the bill so that we could ask intelligent questions, voice informed opinions, and outline the damage this bill would inflict on our own families. His aides dutifully engaged with us and took notes to pass on to his Washington office. Now Grassley has brushed away both petitioners and aides with a "yes" vote on the bill, and then called us wastrels on national radio. Grassley is the wastrel - of an opportunity to help his constituents, not scold them. - Karen Heidman, Sioux City Palestine 101: Not That Complicated is part of Together We Rise: Palestine as a Model of Resistance, our political education curriculum designed to provide critical voices, context, and resources to strengthen liberation struggles from the U.S. to Palestine. Watch video Palestine 101: Not That Complicated is part of Together We Rise: Palestine as a Model of Resistance, our political education curriculum designed to provide critical voices, context, and resources to strengthen liberation struggles from the U.S. to Palestine. Together We Rise includes 101 resources on Palestine, skill-building tools, outlines how U.S. and Israeli colonialism and racism are connected, and what we can learn from Palestinian, Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other freedom struggles. Many people are held back from taking a stand on the issue of Palestine/Israel by the common misconception that it is complicated. Here, we explain the steady continuation of the more than 100 year old settler colonial project that is Zionism. Palestine 101: Not That Complicated can help folks both familiar and unfamiliar with the issue understand the ongoing process of Israels ethnic cleansing of Palestine, and the legacy of Palestinian resistance to the colonization of their homeland. In what can only be described as one of the craziest trips you'll ever see, a horseman recently found himself upended, backward and nearly launched into the infield before he righted himself and won a horse race. The ride in question took place this past Thursday (December 7) during a meet of National Hunt Races at Clonmel Racecourse in Ireland. Media outlets have been all over the story, with some referring to it as one of the wildest rides of all time. Eighteen-year-old jockey Jack Kennedy was aboard 7-2 shot Robin Des Mana when his mount dislodged him after having cleared a jump. In the replay below, Kennedy can be seen clinging backward on the side of his horse with only one boot in an iron. In an effort to right himself, Kennedy was able to lay across Robin Des Mana's back as he tried to get himself back into riding position. The act left Kennedy on the verge of getting fired into the infield. Kennedy was ultimately able to right himself on his mount, and later in the contest got his mount to dig in and fend off a rival foe in the 2:35 win. "I just kind of got up underneath him, and he hit me up into the air and shot me out of the saddle," Kennedy said afterward. "It was a little bit embarassing that I got thrown out of the saddle as it was, so I said, ' I better try my best to stay on him.'" Kennedy went on to say, "I was kind of turned backwards -- I don't know how I held on to him, to be honest, but he stayed straight, so it was a big help." Longtime trainer Paul Bernardo, 65, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, December 7. In 2017, Bernardo trained 177 starters, accumulating 31 wins, 38 seconds, and 24 thirds, and $215,619 in purses for his owners. Career-wise, Bernardo made 453 trips to the winner's circle, campaigning a relatively small stable throughout his career, which stretched more than a quarter century. This season at Pompano Park, Bernardo campaigned several winners including J Black, Dee's Golden Joy, Dee's Rocketman, Pedro's Dream and Sing For Me George, a current lifetime winner of $474,241 owned by Joseph Martinelli, Sr. of Staten Island, N.Y. Sing For Me George won the opening night feature at Pompano Park on October 1 and has chased Panocchio, a top-level pacer on the grounds, on several occasions, as well. Probably Bernardo's finest accomplishment as a trainer was with the Argentinian-bred Chucaro Ahijuna, a double gaited world champion who took a pacing mark of 1:51.4 at Pompano Park in 2003 followed by a 1:53.3 trotting mile at Woodbine in 2004, a mark equaled at Pompano Park in 2005 in the $80,000 Mack Lobell Trot Final. Bernardo trained the son of Noble Speedster for Martinelli's Berry Stables. Trainer Jim McDonald said, "Paul was universally liked and respected here at Pompano Park and everywhere else he raced. He was an true animal lover and he cared for his horses like a devoted father cares for his children. They broke the mold with Paul, no doubt about that." Additional information on services will be forthcoming. A Go Fund Me page has been established to help support Bernardo's daughters. For more information, click here. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences. The City Transformation Committees decision to opt for a new museum on Taurangas Cliff Road was swayed by the history of the site itself, which has the full support of tangata whenua. Cliff Road was the site of the Otamataha Pa a pre-European settlement extending from the Mission Cemetery south to the redoubt. That site represents the beginning of contact between Maori and Pakeha in Tauranga, says non-voting committee member Buddy Mikaere, speaking after a meeting earlier this week. Historically, its probably the most important site there. Having a museum there just makes sense. I think people are calling it the historic precinct, because you have got the Mission Cemetery which is on part of the old pa site. Down one end you have got The Elms and you have got the Monmouth Redoubt - that whole area is more or less Taurangas beginnings, from a Pakeha perspective and from a Maori perspective as well. Otamataha was one of the most important pa sites in Tauranga right from the very first arrival of Maori. I know some people have expressed some concerns that it is a battle site and part of the historic record shows that hundreds of people were killed there in 1828, but we have ways of dealing with that. The committees recommendation is for council finance to be capped at $15 million towards the construction, with another $5.65 million going towards access upgrades, traffic flow and parking. This reduces the ratepayer contribution to 37.1 per cent of the total estimated costs of $50 million. The recommendation also directs council staff to investigate the roles, responsibilities and membership of a potential Museum Advisory Group to advise on matters related to the development of the museum. These would include the value management, design and planning processes. Although we have got professional people advising on external funding, I dont believe they have sufficient knowledge of the local economy to be able to identify potential funders in our community like this, says Buddy. Theres a big number of philanthropists in Tauranga and I would have liked to have seen that component added to it as well. It would give people like me a vehicle to approach all of the Maori trusts and the iwi organisations. This about our history too. Maybe we need to look at sticking our hands in our pockets. ^pOne of the Longview School Districts former insurers is trying to shield itself from potentially millions of dollars in payouts should the district lose its isolation booth lawsuit. A subsidiary for The Travelers Inc. filed a complaint against the district and its current insurer in U.S. District Court for Western Washington on Nov. 22. ^pThe district held a policy with a Travelers subsidiary from 2007 to 2009, said Greg Pendleton, an attorney whos representing the district in the lawsuit. In the Nov. 22 complaint, Travelers argues that it would be not responsible for paying damages that might be awarded in the isolation booth lawsuit, which is in front of an eight-member jury in Tacoma. ^pIts possible that Travelers filed the complaint out of an abundance of caution. Most the children involved in the isolation booth lawsuit were too young to be enrolled in school when Travelers provided liability coverage to the district. And travelers coverage ended three years before the alleged isolation box abuses took place in 2012. Longview School District Superintendent Dan Zorn said in an interview that the district is fully insured against the likelihood its found liable for any damages. The district has had liability coverage with Ephrata, Wash.-based School Insurance Association of Washington (SIAW) since 2009. Weve got our insurance and weve got our deductible, he said. It could have an impact ultimately on our premiums in the future, but thats why we buy insurance. If Travelers were to win its lawsuit, SIAW would be responsible for paying out damages awarded to the plaintiffs, Pendleton said. Five families of children diagnosed with disabilities have named the district and three former and current district employees as defendants in the isolation booth suit. The plaintiffs are arguing that the childrens civil rights were violated when they were allegedly placed inside a windowless, 4-by-4-foot padded isolation chamber at Mint Valley Elementary School in 2012. Lawyers are also debating whether use of the booth aggravated the childrens disabilities and inflicted grave psychological injuries. Travelers position in the complaint is that any of the alleged bodily harm from the underlying lawsuit did not occur during the period that its subsidiary insured the district. The isolation booth was in use at Mint Valley Elementary School between 2008 and 2012, according to school officials. But the alleged incidents all occurred after the Travelers policy lapsed in 2009, according to the complaint. Travelers also is arguing that its coverage excludes any liability caused by the district or its personnel deliberately breaking the law. In addition to civil rights violations, the defendants in the suit are also accused of negligence and outrageous behavior both violations of state law. Travelers does not intend to actually serve the lawsuit until the districts underlying trial is finished, Pendleton said. The company can file a complaint but does not need to serve it immediately, and the the district would not need to respond until it received the complaint, he said. I gather Travelers is going to wait and see what the outcome is with the underlying trial before moving forward with this insurance case, Pendleton said. What happens in that case is going to have a pretty strong impact on the posture of the insurance case. The five families in the isolation booth case are seeking noneconomic damages that their lawyer says could stretch into the tens of millions of dollars. Lawyers for the plaintiffs have hired a forensic psychologist and economist to place a precise dollar figure on how much the five children and their families have allegedly lost in future earning potential and medical costs related to the booth. The trial is expected to conclude shortly after Christmas or in early January. WINLOCK Matthew Conrow works online as a computer programmer for a California-based health insurance company. But sluggish internet speeds at his rural Winlock-area home make access to the web a juggling act. In the mornings, he turns off his Wi-Fi router so no other devices automatically connect for automatic updates or background app refreshers. And if hes plowing away on work, his wife, Michelle, can forget about logging onto Facebook or shopping online. They cant use Spotify or Netflix. And when hes using a voice-over-internet call to talk with his coworkers, theres no referencing emails or quickly Googling something during a meeting. If Im doing (voice-over-internet), I cant really do anything else, said Conrow, 47. The Conrows and other residents outside of downtown Winlock dont have access to broadband internet speeds, and they and others worry their internet connections could slow to a crawl if the Federal Communications Commission rolls back net neutrality regulations next week. Other consumers and small businesses have a stake in the outcome, too. One former local internet provider says, at the very least, costs for small and mid-sized businesses will increase to maintain download speeds. Net neutrality is the basic principle that all data should be passed along at the same speed. It prohibits internet service providers such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from selectively speeding up, slowing down or blocking any content, applications or websites that consumers want to use. The Republican-dominated commission is expected to vote Thursday to end the Obama-era rules. Thousands of people turned out to protest the FCC vote across the country last week, with demonstrations held at Verizon stores in Seattle and Portland. On one side of the debate are tech giants such as Amazon and Facebook and activists who argue that repealing the regulations will hurt small businesses and startups who cant afford to pay internet service providers for faster access to customers. On the other side are telecom companies who argue heavy-handed regulations arent needed because they already support an open internet. Proponents of deregulation say it will encourage more companies to innovate and invest in better products for customers, even expanding services in rural areas. But Michelle Conrow isnt convinced. She formed the group Winlock Needs Internet to draw attention to the plight of internet users in rural Winlock. The major players Comcast, Verizon, CenturyLink have all been saying they wont throttle or give prioritized lanes to sites that pay extra. ... I dont believe... thats true, Michelle Conrow, 47, said last week. If were already getting extremely subpar, nearly unusable service, then what happens when they start deciding which sites get to come through? What happens if they clog up our pipeline with things we arent interested in and it squeezes out the room for Matt to still telecommute? Net neutrality is the idea that internet service providers (such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon) cant favor certain content over others. In February 2015, the FCC passed a law that classifies wireless and broadband services as utility-like services such as water and electricity. This requires internet service providers to treat everyones data equally whether youre binge-watching Game of Thrones or checking your email. Comcast cannot decide to slow down Netflix streams and speed up those from Amazon. Just before Thanksgiving, the FCC released a 210-page document outlining how it would undo the Obama-era regulations. Ajit Pai an Obama appointee who was made FCC chairman by president Trump and formerly worked at Verizon said those rules discourage investments that could provide even better and faster online access. Instead, the commission would require internet companies to be more transparent, and anti-trust laws and market competition would dictate the rest. Activists worry that ending net neutrality would allow internet service providers to act as gatekeepers, discriminating against certain material for profit or because they disagree with it. Its still not clear how the market will respond to deregulation, but there are number of scenarios that activists say could harm the open internet. For example, it would be legal for internet companies to throttle or intentionally slow down content on certain pages, or charge customers more money to access certain content. Internet service providers could decide to block access to YouTube or only allow for lower-quality video streaming unless a customer is willing to pay for a certain package of content. Alternatively, businesses might have to pay internet service providers to ensure content on their site loads quickly. Online shoppers typically bounce away from a site if it takes too long to load. Brian Magnuson, former owner of Longview-based internet service provider Cascade Networks, has been tracking net neutrality from the beginning. Magnuson said it remains to be seen how companies will respond. Its a Pandoras box. Opening could really affect our lives and our experiences on the internet, Magnuson said. The question is what are people going to do with it (deregulation)? it would be like the wild west. Magnuson said, however, that he believes ending the net neutrality regulations will increase the cost of doing business, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. I cant imagine anybody could stand in front of you and say it isnt going to cost you any more than it does now, he said. Like many small and medium-sized businesses surveyed for this story, Rich Gushman, president of Longview engineering firm Gibbs and Olson, admitted that he hasnt been tracking net neutrality closely, but he would be concerned by any changes that may trigger a potential drop in internet speeds. I would definitely be concerned, and unhappy, if our internet was slowed down or our provider could suddenly begin charging significantly more than we currently pay for the speed we have, Gushman said. We use the internet quite a bit to review different products/materials that are, or that can potentially be, incorporated into our project designs and specifications, he noted. If our ability to quickly and efficiently search the internet were adversely impacted with routinely slower internet speed, that would adversely impact our efficiency and productivity. Port of Woodland Executive Director Jennifer Keene worries that poor internet access is already stifling development in Cougar and rural Cowlitz County areas. How are you supposed to do anything online whether its just commerce or education when the weather turns just even a little (and your internet suffers) ... How do you function that way? In our society, you dont, Keene. The Port of Woodland is working with ports in Ridgefield and several other rural districts on a project to install fiber optic infrastructure for lease to internet service providers. The dark fiber infrastructure could help boost high-speed access in rural Woodland, and it will likely become even more necessary once net neutrality rules are repealed, Keene notes. Rose Feliciano, Northwest government affairs manager for Internet Association, said rolling back neutrality could threaten the burgeoning internet sector in Washington state. According to an economic analysis from the Internet Association, about 89,000 jobs in Washington state are tied to the internet, generating about $49 billion in economic activity. These protections are especially critical in rural areas, where 87 percent of Americans have no choice in internet service provider. Clear net neutrality rules ensure consumers not ISP gatekeepers decide where you can go on the internet, Feliciano said. Last week, Gov. Jay Inslee released a Twitter video and sent a letter to the FCC urging it not repeal net neutrality regulations. They are essential to preserving the very foundation of the internet as we know it, while enabling digital innovation in Washington state and across the country to grow unbridled by corporate interference, Inslee wrote. The current architecture of freedom and equal access supports 190,000 jobs and 9,000 companies in Washingtons digital economy, he said. Washington Senator Patty Murray also has joined the chorus of Democratic politicians critical of the FCCs expected repeal. In this day and age, the internet isnt a luxury its a critical tool for economic growth and innovation, and it would be a huge mistake for the FCC to rule in favor of corporations just so they can gouge families and small businesses on their internet bills, Sen. Patty Murray said in a statement to The Daily News. The FCC should be focused on expanding access to the internet, especially in our rural areas, and making it affordable and accessible to all. Washington Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler declined to say whether or not she supports Chairman Pais proposal, but she has been critical of what she considers to be overregulation of telecoms. My hope is that the FCC never takes any actions that would hinder or slow broadband access in Southwest Washington particularly for small businesses or in rural areas, Herrera Beutler said in a statement to The Daily News. A fair and open internet does not require handing the FCC a blank check to regulate it, and again I believe bipartisan legislation from Congress would protect consumers internet access going forward. No one is arguing that large internet providers need financial help. The industry is robust, financially. Verizon last quarter reported paying a dividend of nearly $1 per share and paid out $7.1 billion in cash dividends in the first nine months of this year. The company generated nearly $126 billion in 2016. CenturyLink reported a profit of $626 million for 2016. In July, Comcasts net income rose to $2.51 billion, or 52 cents a share, up from about $2.03 billion, or 41 cents a share, a year earlier. Comcast, AT&T, Verizon and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association the cable television industrys primary trade association have spent $572 million on attempts to lobby the FCC and other government agencies since 2008, according to Maplight, a watchdog organization. Supporters of the FCCs new rules say concerns about net neutrality are overblown. Getting rid of the regulations wont necessarily lead to throttling or paid prioritization, they say, and may even spur increased innovation. Stephen Coran, who represents small internet service providers as an outside counsel for Wireless Internet Service Providers Association, argues that increased regulations had a chilling effect on innovation because companies had to spend money on compliance. Our members have committed to fair and open internet and abide by transparency (regulations), Coran said. Coran argued that having a more light touch approach to regulations will spur more internet service providers to take risks or expand services in rural areas. But rural customers in Winlock arent betting on service improving there anytime soon. Mike Griffee, 66, a chaplain with Lewis County Chaplaincy Services, said he had to wake up early to do online training courses for work in the mornings before the internet in his area is flooded with too many users. When the kids come around 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., theres no sense trying to get online, said Griffee, who lives about five miles outside of Winlock. Griffee said some of his neighbors get satellite internet instead of relying on CenturyLink. But data restrictions on satellite means the data can be eaten up quickly, and customers have to be wary of charges. For Matthew Conrow, satellite internet presents a latency problem in other words there is a delay in how fast the data is transferred from the source to his computer. Despite their internet woes, the Conrows say they dont want to move from their custom-built home on five acres of property. This is the place (where we want to stay). Its great, except or this one nagging problem of the internet, which sounds so outdated in 2017, but thats where we are now, unfortunately, he said. By several standards, the transportation network of Washington state is creaking under the pressures of age and economic growth. Drivers traveled 6.4 percent more highway miles than two years ago and 4.8 percent farther overall. This increase fueled a 22 percent increase in urban delays due to congestion and added carbon pollutants that cause global warming. Highway pavement is wearing out faster than the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) can maintain it. Three Olympic-class vessels including the new Chimacum kept the ferry system afloat, but only 87.5 percent of statewide trips left on time this summer, missing the 95 percent goal. Parts of older ferries needed emergency repairs, leaving some routes with fewer boats, or smaller boats that took longer to load. And traffic killed 537 people last year, far above a goal set by safety advocates and a sign that Washingtons long-term gains have stalled. These data appear in the third quarter 2017 WSDOT Gray Notebook, which mostly covers 2014-2016. To be sure, the update contains good news. Bridge maintenance is doing fine. Fewer than 10 percent qualified as poor, based on federal standards used by bridge inspectors. Ferry-terminal conditions improved to 88 percent fair or good, as passenger lounges, trestles, pilings and gangways were renovated. And WSDOTs highway-incident teams cleared 58,235 fender-benders, objects and stalled cars within an average 13 minutes a service that prevents untold numbers of secondary crashes. Gov. Jay Inslee, his predecessor Christine Gregoire, and the Legislature have set lofty goals the state is currently failing to reach: A Target Zero program to eliminate traffic casualties by 2030. To stay on pace, fatalities would need to be only 416, instead of the 537 lives lost in 2016. Distracted driving is being blamed for reversing years of safety progress. A new law against using handheld devices behind the wheel took effect in July, but its routinely ignored. Seattle police and state troopers observed a grace period and will start issuing $136 fines in January. Greenhouse gases are supposed to be slashed to 1990 levels by 2020, and then reduced again by half by 2030. Transportation causes 42 percent of the states carbon emissions. From 2010-13, which included the tail end of a recession, the state was on track. No longer. The economic growth in our region, combined with low gas prices and low unemployment, are the main reasons were continuing to see growth in vehicle miles traveled, said WSDOT spokesman Lars Erickson. The transportation system has busted through the states emissions goals, said Clark Williams-Derry, research director of Sightline Institute, a Seattle-based environmental research group. Cheaper gasoline is a major factor, similar to national trends to drive farther and buy larger vehicles, he said. Prices including tax fell 32 percent from $3.61 to $2.47 per gallon from 2014-16, the state report says. Sightline supports a rapid shift to electric vehicles and carbon pricing through a use tax, highway tolls or other means. As long as we let people use the roadspace for free, and the atmosphere as a free dumping ground, were going to end up with more driving, he said. Lawmakers boosted gas taxes 11.9 cents in 2015-16, while dedicating $10.8 billion to road widening and maintenance. Urban voters passed the $54 billion Sound Transit plan to build rail and bus lines. Inslee and WSDOT hope to increase electric vehicle numbers from 25,000 to 50,000 by 2020, by offering roadside charging stations and tax breaks. Electric technologies are the best solution to encourage a greener fleet, instead of left-wing proposals to tax motorists harder, said Todd Myers, environmental analyst for the Washington Policy Center. One mile traveled in a Hummer is very different from a mile in a Tesla, he said. Overwhelmed by generous support LAPEER It took a couple tries, but Lapeer Community Schools has their School Improvement Bond. Previously defeated by voters during Augusts primary election, the Midterm Election held Tuesday brought... Road Commission may revisit another ballot proposal in the future MAYFIELD TWP. Voters said no Tuesday to the countywide 1.85-mill proposal sought by the Lapeer County Road Commission (LCRC) for road and bridge maintenance, but Managing Director John Daly... Prospective businesses already inquiring about marijuana licenses in Imlay City IMLAY CITY Voters in Imlay City have opted into a ballot measure allowing the establishment of medical marijuana facilities within city limits. The unofficial tally saw 1,243 votes cast,... Mayfield Township voters keep annual meeting in place MAYFIELD TWP. An annual meeting will continue to be held in Mayfield Township following Tuesdays election. A bid to abolish the annual meeting was defeated. There were 2,187 No... Three districts move final round in IGP Cup Kabaddi Moulvibazar, Bandarban and Dinajpur districted emerged zonal champion to move in the final round of the IGP Cup National Youth Kabaddi competition (U-21) held on Sunday at three zonal across the country. At Surman zone of Moulvibazar district, host Moulvibazar district beat Sylhet district by 23-09 points in the zonal final to move in to the final round. At Karnaphuli zone of Chittagong district, Bandarbon district defeated Chittagong district by 43-23 points in the zonal final to reach the final round. At Tista zone of Dinajpur district, host Dinajpur district defeated Nilphamari district by 37-26 points in the zonal final to ensure their final round spot. Rohingya refugees: The woes of women Sohara Mehroze Shachi : Afia* lines up her bucket every morning in the refugee camp for water delivery from humanitarian relief workers. On one particularly sweltering day, she kept four water pitchers in a row with gaps between them, hoping to insert another empty container in the space when the water arrived. When another refugee saw this, she kicked away Afia's pitchers, and a raging quarrel broke out. That night, the woman's local boyfriend attacked Afia in her house, kicking her in the belly and hitting her mercilessly with a chair. Afia kept mum about the incident as her assailant threatened to kidnap and rape her in the jungle if she sought arbitration. Afia is not one of the half a million Rohingyas who came into Bangladesh since this August from Myanmar. She is one of the thousands who have been living in the camps for years, and the water crisis has been exacerbated by the latest influx of refugees. In the camps, men usually collect relief and water, with women going only when there are no males available. Since her husband left for Malaysia three years ago in search of work, she has not received any news from him and lives on her own in the camp, where scarcity of water is a heated issue and results in frequent altercations between the resident refugees. Toilets Women's tribulations in the refugee camps do not end with water. Access to toilets is also a major problem. And the speed and scale of the recent influx - 624,000 arrivals since August and counting - have put basic services that were available in the camps prior to the influx are under severe strain. Spontaneous settlements have also sprung up to accommodate the new arrivals and these lack many basic amenities. "There are no separate latrines for the women; the ones that exist do not have any lighting, are not close to their shelters and there's absolutely no privacy," said Shouvik Das, External Relations Officer of The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR in Bangladesh. "When we go to distribute food, sometimes the female refugees don't want to take it because they then will need to go to the toilets and they dread that," he added. While many foreign and local NGOs and relief workers had set up tube wells and latrines for the refugees living in the camps, a safe distance was often not maintained between the latrines and the tubewells. "Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) found that over 60 per cent of water sources tested in the settlements were contaminated with E.coli. Much of the contamination is a result of shallow wells located less than 30 feet away from latrines," said Olivia Headon, Information Officer for Emergencies with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is providing vital WASH services to both the Rohingya and the communities hosting them. "While IOM supports private WASH and sanitation areas to provide privacy and safety to women in the Bangladeshi community, similar areas are under development in the Rohingya settlements but are hindered by the lack of space," she explained. Risks of disease outbreak Labeled as the world's most persecuted minority by the UN, the Rohingya lacked access to many basic rights in Myanmar, including healthcare. A large number of the new surge of refugees had been suffering from various diseases before their arrival, including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Polio, and are now staying in cramped camps. Their squalid living conditions, combined with scarcity of safe water and sanitation facilities, have triggered fears among health experts of disease outbreaks. And women, with their limited mobility and resources, are particularly at risk. "Women will have to bear a disproportionate risk of the public health burden, and will be at the receiving end of all the negative environmental fallouts," says Sudipto Mukerjee, Country Director of United Nations Development Program, Bangladesh. The female refugees suffer the worst during their menstrual cycles, with most of them reusing unsanitary rags or cotton for months. This is not only increasing their risks of infection and skin diseases, but also affecting their mobility. As a recently published report by the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR reads, "Women and girls are limiting their movement because of not only the fear of being harassed, kidnapped or trafficked but also because of their lack of appropriate clothing and sanitary napkins." However, while development organizations have been supplying sanitary products to the refugee women, many of them do not know how to use them because they have never had access to them. "Some of them put the sanitary pads as masks on their faces because they simply didn't know what to do with them," said Dr. Lailufar Yasmin, Professor of Gender Studies at BRAC University who has been working with the refugees in the camps. "If the people who you are working with do not know what to do with the help you are providing, it will not be effective," she added, "You will only be wasting money." Under pouring rain, hundreds of young and expectant mothers stand in line. With her bare feet and the bottom of her dress covered in mud, Rashida is one of them, clutching her emaciated infant. She lost her husband on the treacherous trek from Myanmar to Bangladesh, and with nowhere to go and her resources exhausted, rain-drenched and standing in this long, muddy line for food and medicine for her child is her only hope. Following the recent brutal campaign unleashed against the Rohingyas by the Myanmar military, over half a million refugees came to Bangladesh since August 2017, and more are arriving every day. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that there are nearly 150,000 newly arrived women of reproductive age (15-49 years), and according to the Inter Sector Coordination Group's September 2017 Situation Report on the crisis, there are over 50,000 pregnant and breastfeeding mothers among the new arrivals in Bangladesh who require targeted food and medical assistance. "We collaborate with some groups and help refugees living in the camp areas where there is a shortage of medical supplies," said Andrew Day, who has been advocating for refugees for the past two years in Bangladesh. "They don't have the means to see a doctor." While small scale interventions are being taken by development organizations to supplement hospitals, such the placement of 35 midwives trained by UNFPA in two camps, hospitals are underfunded, overcrowded and struggling to provide care to the burgeoning pregnant refugee population and thousands of newborns. Early marriage and high birth rates are prevalent among the Rohingya community. According to a flash report on mixed movements in South Asia by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), a majority of the refugees were married young (at 16 or 17) and gave birth at an average age of 18. In a Rapid Gender Analysis assessment conducted by Care in Balukhali Makeshift Camp at Cox's Bazar, it was found that many female respondents between the ages of 13 and 20 years had children and others are currently pregnant. The assessment uncovered that knowledge and practice of birth control was nonexistent or very limited among the Rohingya refugees, and religious sentiment was a strong factor contributing to the emphasis placed on pregnancy and the aversion to contraceptives. "It (pregnancy) is God's wish" said Jainul whose wife was expecting their sixth child. "God will help me feed the children," he added. His wife echoed this belief. According to locals, many Bangladeshis are donating money to the refugee camps as they believe helping fellow Muslims will earn them God's blessings, and the resources are being used to set up Madrasahs - religious education schools. The imams of these madrasahs advise against contraception, so while the government and relief agencies such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are trying to provide birth control options and information on family planning, Rohingya women refuse to comply. Dr. Lailufar Yasmin, a lecturer in International Relations at the University of Dhaka, who is conducting research in the refugee camps, said at first when she went into the camps, she saw a lot of elderly and middle-aged females, but there were very few young women. "But when I asked them about their age, I found out they were in their twenties," she said. Repeated childbirth coupled with the trauma they experienced in Myanmar had taken such a toll on them that they all looked decades older than their true age, she explained. "Many Rohingyas married their daughters off very young so that the military won't come and rape them because their bodies become less attractive after childbirth," she said. "It is a community decision, not the girl's decision, but the girls have internalized it that they need to have a lot of children because they need to save their race which is being persecuted," Dr. Yasmin explained, adding that this philosophy contributed to the Rohingyas having very large families. With thousands of Rohingya children soon to be born in Bangladesh, the need for ramped up medical care is acute. However, an IRC/RI assessment in October 2017 found that nearly 50 percent of all pregnant women have not received medical care and 41 percent of families with pregnant women do not know where to go for medical care for pregnant women. The report concludes, "These results point to a need for health messaging and services, as well as antenatal care and emergency obstetric care across the makeshift settlements." *Names have been changed to protect the refugees' identities. (The series of reports from the border areas of Myanmar and Bangladesh is supported by UNESCO's International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC). Courtesy: IPS) Even after two months, no clue on Utpal missings Staff Reporter : It has elapsed two months, but still there is no news of Utpal Das, a reporter of purboposchimbdnews.com, who went missing on October 10. The uncertainty is breaking down the family members moral strength. They say police give no information despite approach. But still they have not lost hope. Many of the family members are suffering from nervous breakdown, including Utpal's ailing mother. Utpal went missing after coming out of his office at Motijheel. Till date the police have not found any clue of whereabouts. Two General Diaries were lodged with Motijheel Police Station. Meanwhile, several hundred journalists have been demonstrating in front of the Dhaka Reporters' Unity for the safe return of Utpal. Like every day, the journalists started their protest demonstration at the same venue at 1:47pm on the DRU premises. The journalists said, the newsmen all over the country are deeply concerned over the disappearance of Utpal. It is very regrettable that the government is yet to find any clue of Utpal. "We will continue holding various programmes until the return of Utpal," they said. Utpal is good and influential reporter of purboposchimbdnews.com. We don't know why he is disappeared. We urged the government to take urgent steps to find him out, they said. Rajib Ahmed, a journalist, said, "I believe that Utpal is still alive. "My colleague cannot die so early. There is no reason for what he has been killed. Please search our colleague and bring him to ours." 2 Bangladeshis shot dead by BSF UNB, Rajshahi : Two Bangladeshi young men were shot to death by members of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) in Bhubanpara bordering area of Godagari upazila early Sunday. Locals said, BSF members opened fire to cattle traders Mithu, 27, son of Alauddin and Abul Bashar, 29, son of Jalal Uddin, both of Bhubanpara village while they were returning home from India through the border point around 1:30 am, leaving them dead on the spot. Of them, BSF jawans left the body of Mithu beside his home but took away the body of Bashar, said Char Ashariadaha UP chairman Sanaullah. BSF gunned down two Bangladeshi young men, said an officer at the BOP of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), adding that, a body was found and BGB is trying to contact with BSF to get back another one. Violent clashes near US embassy in Lebanon Security forces responded by firing tear-gas canisters and using water cannon to disperse the protesters. Internet photo There have been violent clashes near the US embassy in Lebanon, in the latest protest against President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Security forces fired tear gas and water cannon to force back flag-waving protesters close to the embassy complex north of the capital, Beirut. Overnight the Arab League condemned the US decision. It said the US could not now be relied upon as a broker of Middle East peace. The protesters threw stones and set fires in the street close to the embassy in the Awkar district. The security forces had barricaded the main road leading to the large complex. Local media reported that some protesters had tried to break through the entrance to the compound, climbing barbed wire. The demonstrators, many wearing black and white scarves, chanted slogans denouncing Mr Trump. Lebanon Communist Party leader, Hanna Gharib, told the protesters that the US was "the enemy of Palestine". One group set an effigy of the US president alight. Lebanon is home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees, including those who fled Israel after it was founded, and their descendants. There have been three days of protests by Palestinians and their supporters since Trump's announcement, both in the region and in nations further afield. Media captionAnalysis: Breaking down what Trump said and what it means for peace Israel has always regarded Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem - occupied by Israel in the 1967 war - as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Trump has said his decision fulfils a campaign promise and that it is "nothing more or less than a recognition of reality". The Arab League resolution came overnight after hours of talks in Cairo. It was backed by a number of US allies, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, who had already voiced their concern. Jerusalem is of huge importance to both Israel and the Palestinians. It contains sites sacred to the three major monotheistic faiths - Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Israel occupied the eastern sector - previously occupied by Jordan - in 1967, and annexed it in 1980, but the move has never been recognised internationally. Media captionWhy the city of Jerusalem matters Some 330,000 Palestinians live in East Jerusalem, along with about 200,000 Israeli Jews in a dozen settlements there. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel does not regard them as settlements but legitimate neighbourhoods. According to the 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace accords, the final status of Jerusalem is meant to be discussed in the latter stages of peace talks. The last round of talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in 2014 and while the US is formulating fresh proposals, Palestinian officials have said Mr Trump's announcement has disqualified the US from brokering future negotiations. SC grants 3 more days to publish gazette Staff Reporter : The Supreme Court (SC) on Sunday extended time till December 13 to the government to publish a gazette notification on the disciplinary rules for the lower court judges. A five-member Bench of the Appellate Division headed by the Acting Chief Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah passed the order after considering the time prayer filed by the Attorney General. The order has been given after Law Minister Anisul Huq's recent statement that the gazette would be published very soon as the draft of the gazette had already been sent to the President's office for consent. On December 3, 2017, the Appellate Division extended the time till December 10, 2017, the last hearing day of the Masdar Hossain Case, known as the judiciary separation case, after the Chief Justice went on leave. The Appellate Division gave 12 directives in the verdict of Masdar Hossain Case. To formulate rules determining the guidelines of lower court judges was among those directives. The Law Ministry sent a draft rules on May 7 last year to the SC, which amended that draft, but the Ministry didn't publish a gazette yet. On November 16, Law Minister Anisul Huq met five judges of the Appellate Division of the SC and discussed the rules and then told the journalists that the problem regarding issuance of a gazette notification determining the discipline of lower court judges had been resolved. The gazette notification might be issued by December 3. Sources said, the Law Ministry has finalised the disciplinary rules for lower court judges in line with Article 116 of the Constitution, which allows the President to control their postings, promotions and leaves in consultation with the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court recently had gone through the draft and sent it back to the Ministry with its opinions. On November 5, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters that [the then] Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha wanted to see the rules curbing the power of the President. The government, therefore, was trying to resolve the issue through discussions with the SC and the Law Ministry, he added. While presiding over the Appellate Division Bench, Justice Sinha had expressed annoyance and dissatisfaction several times at the government's failure to issue a gazette notification on the rules. Article 116 of the original charter of 1972 had empowered the SC to decide on the posting, promotion and leave of lower court judges. The apex court had also control over the magistrates' exercise of judicial powers and could discipline the judicial service staffs when necessary. Over the years, this Article has been amended several times, curtailing the apex court's powers. Currently, the powers to control and discipline subordinate courts are vested on the President, who exercises these powers in consultation with the SC. However, according to Article 48(3) of the Constitution, the President acts on the advice of the Prime Minister. This gives the government ample scope to exercise power over the judiciary. Extra-judicial killing still continues Gulam Rabbani : At least 151 people have been killed in first eleven months of the year 2017 in the name of 'crossfire' and 'encounter' by the law enforcing agencies, says Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK). According to ASK's latest report, extra-judicial killing in the hands of law enforcers is still continuing across the country. Of the total 151 people, 91 have been killed under crossfire before arrest while 26 in custody. Legal experts said that any kind of extra-judicial killing is unconstitutional. And our Constitution has given rights of life to everyone. They said the government has the responsibility to ensure security of life of all citizens of the country. Otherwise, people's confidence on the law enforcing agencies may reduce to a great extent. Article 32 of our Constitution says, 'No person shall be deprived of life or personal liberty save in accordance with law.' Article 31 says, 'To enjoy the protection of the law, and to be treated in accordance with law, and only in accordance with law, is the inalienable right of every citizen, wherever he may be, and of every other person for the time being within Bangladesh, and in particular no action detrimental to the life, liberty, body, reputation or property of any person shall be taken except in accordance with law.' Giving a break-up, the report of this human rights organization said Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has cross fired 30 people, Police 73, DB Police 13, RAB and Police one. The report also said, police killed four people torturing them physically before arrest during this time. RAB, Police, DB Police, and BGB/Police killed eight people torturing them physically in custody. One people died of heart attack while in custody after arrested by RAB and two people committed suicide in police custody, it said. RAB, Police, RAB, and Police and Army killed 16 in shootouts before arrest and police killed one people in shootout after arrest. One people died of sick in custody and another one person's death was mysterious under the same custody, the report mentioned. An earlier ASK report said, a total 195 people were killed in 2016 by the law enforcing agencies. Senior Advocate of Bangladesh Supreme Court and former President of Supreme Court Bar Association Khandker Mahbub Hossain said, any kind of extra-judicial killing is unconstitutional. Our Constitution has given rights of life to everyone. The veteran lawyer also said that government knew the law enforcers who were involved with these killings. So they should take action against them. Human rights activist Advocate Monzill Morshid said, "There is no scope of killing anyone without legal procedure. Our Constitution has given everybody the rights of life. If anyone commits any crime, he/she has to be brought under the law." Monzil said, "But now, many people are going to die in the hands of law enforcement agencies. Some of them are being killed in extra-judicial process. This is totally unconstitutional. The government has the responsibilities to give security to the citizens of the country. That is why they should control the law enforcers, otherwise peoples' confidence on the law enforcers may reduce, Monzill said. Adverse impact on poverty headcounts feared Kazi Zahidul Hasan : People are yet to get respite from high rice price despite the government's move to import the grain in bulk following domestic shortage and harvesting of new Amon crops. The current rice price volatility, however, left a dire impact on the country's poorest population as it has reduced their real income and household spending on other nutrition. Rice price instability would also directly affect the country's poverty headcounts, said economists. According to market data of Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), per kilogram fine rice was selling at Tk 56 to Tk 66, medium grade Tk 48 to Tk 55 and coarse rice at Tk 42 to Tk 46 on Sunday. Per kilogram fine rice was selling at Tk 46 to Tk 56, medium grade Tk 40 to Tk 45 and course rice at Tk 36 to Tk 40 a year ago. "Rice is still selling high in the city markets although the government went for big imports from neighbouring countries," Prof Shamsul Alam, Adviser of Consumer's Association of Bangladesh (CAB), told The New Nation yesterday. He said, the recent rice price hike dealt a big blow to the middle income and lower income groups of people, as rice is major staple food for them. "People spend more than 60 per cent of their income on food. Even temporary increase of rice price reduces real income and household spending on other nutritious food, health, and education," Prof Dr Mustafizur Rahman, Distinguished Fellow of the Center For Policy Dialogue (CPD) told The New Nation. "Such an increase would cause more households to fall below the poverty line," he warned. Prof Mustafiz further said, the increase of rice price will reduce people's real income and household spending on other nutritious food, health and education. "The government should operate an elaborate system of food-based safety-net programme to protect the vulnerable people from the negative effect of food price hike," he added. The domestic retail rice price earlier reached record high following sudden floods that wiped out around 700,000 tonnes of rice crop forcing the government to undertake import of rice to build reserves and cool local prices. In May, the government signed a memorandum of understanding with Vietnam to import up to one million ton of rice a year until 2022. Bangladesh, the world's fourth largest rice consumer, often buys parboiled rice from India, but despite ample supplies by its giant neighbour, it has turned to Vietnam thanks to twin floods this year. "The recent rice price hike has directly affected the rural population who live close to the poverty line. Many are at high risk of falling into poverty whenever rice price fluctuates," Dr Zahid Hussain, the World Bank's lead economist in Dhaka Office, told The New Nation. He said, "Rice price volatility directly affects most of the population. It matters for poverty reduction in Bangladesh". "The rice price increase will have direct impact on poverty headcounts," apprehends Dr Zahid Hussain. Both the economists also urged the government to adopt appropriate policies to stabilize rice price volatility to avoid adverse economic consequences arisen from the recent rice price hike. Arab economic ban against US proposed Arab League foreign ministers hold an emergency meeting on Trump\'s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Cairo, Egypt. Internet photo CAIRO (Reuters) : Arab foreign ministers late on Saturday urged the United States to abandon its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying the move would increase violence throughout the region. The announcement by President Donald Trump on Wednesday was a "dangerous violation of international law", had no legal impact and was "void", the Arab League said in a statement after a session attended by all its members in Cairo. Trump's endorsement of Israel's claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital would reverse long-standing U.S. policy that the city's status must be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. "The decision has no legal effect ... it deepens tension, ignites anger and threatens to plunge region into more violence and chaos," the Arab League said at 3 a.m. local time after hours of meetings that began on Saturday evening. It said it would seek a U.N. Security Council resolution rejecting the U.S. move. Lebanon's Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said during the emergency meeting that Arab nations should consider imposing economic sanctions against the United States to prevent it moving its Israel embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. "Pre-emptive measures (must be) taken ... beginning with diplomatic measures, then political, then economic and financial sanctions," he said, without giving specific details. Arab criticism of Trump's plan contrasted sharply with the praise Washington's traditional Arab allies heaped on him at the beginning of his administration in January. Egypt revives dream of new desert capital Labourers work at the construction site of the new Egyptian administrative capital, some 40 kms (25 miles) east of Cairo. AFP, Cairo : In Egypt's eastern desert, roads are being carved across vast expanses of sand where the government is building a new administrative capital, a long-cherished project that has failed in the past. The city will be complete with luxury hotels, upscale residential districts, a modern airport and a 345-metre (1,140-foot) tower, touted as Africa's tallest. The work is being carried out about 45 kilometres (28 miles) east of Cairo, between roads connecting the metropolis to the canal city of Suez and the Red Sea resort town of Ain Sokhna. Workers are building a district to house a new presidential palace, parliament, 32 ministries and foreign embassies. "I work more than 12 hours a day on this useless construction site," complained one labourer, a scarf wrapped around his head to protect him from the sun. "You want to be on TV? No? Then get back to work," yelled his supervisor. The project, seen as expensive and not a priority for Egyptians, has been hard to sell, especially given past failures. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in 2015 announced the project to build a new capital, expected to cost some $45 billion and to be completed by 2022, according to the authorities. The cost has angered many in a country with a crisis-hit economy. The first phase of construction was officially launched in October, with the new capital aiming to expand to 170 square kilometres (65 square miles) and house over six million people. For the authorities, the project is a necessity due to Cairo's gradual decay and congestion. With its 18 million inhabitants and constant traffic gridlock, Greater Cairo is expected to see its population bulge to 40 million by 2050, according to official figures. "We have a dream," said Khaled el-Husseiny, contracted by the authorities to present the project to journalists. He said Egypt aspires to have a capital in the gleeming image of Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates. The ministry of defence and the ministry of housing manage the project, including its funding, Husseiny told AFP. To carry it out, the government is currently focusing on key Egyptian private companies. Orascom Construction, owned by the billionaire Sawiris family, is responsible for many of the sites. Real estate tycoon Hisham Talaat Moustafa, who Sisi pardoned in June after he was jailed for the murder of a Lebanese pop diva in Dubai almost a decade ago, is also involved. Moustafa, who was an associate of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, has bought two square kilometres for himself in the new capital. But amid hesitation from foreign investors, only a few Gulf companies and a Chinese partner have expressed interest in the project. "We are very optimistic about the participation of Chinese companies in the new capital," said Han Bing of the commercial affairs section at China's embassy. The China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) in October signed a $3-billion contract to build a large business centre. "We need the Egyptian partner to promote this area to attract Egyptian and international investment," Han said, stressing the need for political stability and a secure environment for foreign investors. Paris climate summit a chance for real progress : World Bank World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said the Paris Summit offered a chance for advances in climate change. AFP, Washington : The Paris climate summit next week offers a chance for concrete advances in the fight against global warming, even without the support of President Donald Trump, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said. "What makes this summit different is that this is not just another high level political meeting," Kim told reporters. "This is going to bring together groups of people that normally don't get together, especially in talking about climate opportunities." Tuesday's One Planet Summit, sponsored by France, the United Nations and the World Bank, brings together some 4,000 participants and 800 organizations to explore ways to finance climate projects. Held two years after the Paris climate agreement-and six months after Trump pulled out of the historic accord-the talks will go ahead without a senior representative of the US administration. But many American state and local officials and private groups will be there, and remain committed to addressing climate change, Kim said. Among those in attendance will be former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose foundation is helping to fund the summit. Kim said funding for climate projects will be key, as the International Energy Agency has estimated it will take $3.5 trillion a year for the next 30 years to contain the rise of global temperatures. "One of the big topics in Paris next week is the need to scale up financing which is still is not nearly enough to meet the Paris agreement commitments," he said. Without financing "all you have is an agreement... and nothing would change actually on the ground." A key part of that is providing funding for developing countries to address climate change. The World Bank has pledged to increase its funding for such projects by 28 percent by 2020, a spokeswoman said. This year, it has committed $13 billion to more than 200 climate-related initiatives. Between 2011 and 2016, $63 billion was invested in more than 1,000 projects to help countries adapt to climate change or mitigate their impact, added the spokesperson. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the upcoming summit last summer to reinject momentum into the fight against climate change, after the US decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement. Proxy examinee held at IU Mahmud Hasan Rony : The authority of Islamic University (IU) Kushtia detained a proxy examinee during 'H' unit admission test of the first year honour courses under Law and Sariah faculty on Sunday last. The detainee held from 231 room of MA Wazed Mia science building of the university. The detainee was identified as Indrojit Kumar, son of Wajit Kumar Biswas residency of Srirampur Upozilla in Magura district, IU proctor Prof Dr M Mahbubar Rahman said. According to source, Indrojit held for giving a femal examinees roll number in the answer paper and providing few documents. After interrogation, the proctorial body of the university hand Indrojit over mobile court while Saiful Islam Komol, assistant commissioner and executive magistrate of Kushtia sent Indrojit for one year jail under the act 1980(3). IU 'E' unit Admission Test results published: The admission test results of 'E' unit under Applied Science and Technology faculty of Islamic University (IU), Kushtia published on Sunday night. 'E' unit coordinator, Assistant Prof Dr M Soriful Islam handed the results over university vice chancellor Prof Dr M Harun-Ur-Askari around 7:00pm while only 22.93 percent come out in the tests. Some 7,972 aspirants out of 13,026 took part in the test and of them 1,828 came out successful. To know the results, aspirants can visit the university website www.iu.ac.bd. 67pc people pay bribe: TIB Staff Reporter : The Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Dr. Iftekharuzzaman on Sunday said that around 67 percent people have to pay bribe for taking service in different sectors. He said this while addressing a view exchange meeting at Gazipur Zila Parishad titled 'Anti-Corruption Social Movement: Prospects and Challenges', on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day. Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said, a survey found that 67 percent of the people were forced to bribe the service providers and 70 percent of those who did it say there is no other way to get the service. Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said also, if corruption can be controlled at the middle level, the economic growth is possible to double digit, It is difficult, but is not impossible to stop the corruption. He also said, to prevent corruption, there must be political will. If the leaders of the main political parties abhor corruption, it will be possible to free the country from corruption within the next 10 years. No country could be corrupt without political will. Corruption is a punishable crime. If you bring the guilty to trial, corruption will be reduced considerably. Another powerful factor to reduce corruption is to create a social movement, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said. President of Sacheton Nagorik Committee (SANAK), Gazipur, Professor Ayesh Uddin presided over the meeting which was also addressed by the Deputy Commissioner of Gazipur. Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir, Gazipur Zila Parishad's Chief Executive Mahbub Alam, Additional Superintendent of Police of Gazipur Md. Rasel Sheikh, Gazipur LGED Executive Engineer Md. Amirul Islam Khan, among others spoke here. Chairman sacked, MD on forced leave Staff Reporter : NRBC Bank on Sunday restructured its board of directors to restore corporate governance and depositors'confidence. The new Board, headed by Tamal SM Parvez, also sent the bank's Managing Director Dewan Mujibur Rahman for three-month leave. Mohammad Shahid Islam has been made its Vice Chairman replacing Toufique Rahman Chowdhury. The bank took the decision in an emergency Board meeting held at its headquarters in Dhaka yesterday (Sunday) evening. Parvez told that the restructuring process has been completed upon a mutual understanding of all directors including former Chairman Farasath Ali. Abu Bakr Chowdhury, Rafiqul Islam Mia Arzoo and Adnan Imam have also been made as the new chairmen of executive, audit and risk management committees. The Board also took a decision to appoint its Deputy Managing Director Kazi Md Talha as the Managing Director (current-charge). Parvez said, "Farasath Ali has tried to restore the bank's image but failed. He thought that he is responsible partially for the bank's image crisis. So, the former chairman resigned from his post in the best interest of the bank". Earlier in last week, Bangladesh Bank verbally asked the NRBC Bank to restructure its Board through a discussion among the directors, otherwise the central bank would intervene to reshuffle the Board, a number of central bank officials told The Daily Star requesting not be named. The Farmers Bank, another fourth generation bank which plunged into the massive financial scams, was forced restructuring its Board on November 27 due to the central bank's intervention. Police reject Mazhar's claim of duress in custody Staff Reporter : The country's people are now confused over police refusal to the allegation of duress on Columnist Farhad Mazhar at their custody to make him agree for giving confessional statement under Section 164 of the CrCP in a court according to cops' instruction. During the custody, police had also claimed that Forhad went missing to collect money for his 'so called girl friend' and his 'abduction drama' astonished public after disclosure of the mobile phone record in a press briefing at Police Headquarters. A staunch critic of the government, Farhad Mazhar, in a press briefing at his residence in the city on Saturday denied the police claim that he was not abducted. Rather, Farhad said he was under duress to admit that he left home 'willingly'. He, however, praised the law enforcers for their efforts to rescue him after the abduction. But the cops 'concealed the truth' which, he said, has undermined their success. Saheli Ferdou, Assistant Inspector General (Media and Public Relations) of Police Headquarters, told the media on Sunday that Farhad Mazhar confessed his self-missing before the magistrate court. She said police have no chance to torture to follow their prescription in presence of the judicial magistrate. In a query, she said Farhad expressed his personal opinion as per the constitutional right to expression. In the detail, Farhad Mazhar said the statement he had submitted to court under Section 164 of the CrPC was 'actually written by the police' Statements given under the CrPC section allows the prosecution to use the confession as evidence in the trial. "It was a heinous attempt to shut my mouth," Farhad said. "We must continue efforts so that the victims of enforced disappearance can return to their families," he added. Asked why he did not speak out until now after the incident of his alleged abduction on July 3, he said, "No one has spoken out after returning. I've put myself even in greater danger by speaking out. But I will continue this fight no matter how much harassment I face." He said the government 'must take responsibility' for the enforced disappearances. Farhad Mazhar also said he 'understands now' that the 'abductors tried to take him to the other side of the border in Jessore'. "Even the Home Minister said that there would be nothing to do if I had been taken to the other side of the border," he said. He credited the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) for the rescue and said the elite force had an altercation with the plainclothes policemen who tried to snatch him after the rescue'. Farhad Mazhar and his wife Farida Akhtar read out a written statement at the press conference at their Shyamoli residence. They organised the press conference two days after the court granted police permission to press charges against the couple for reporting a 'false' abduction. A right-wing activist, Farhad was found on a bus in Jessore while travelling from Khulna to Dhaka, 18 hours after he went missing from the capital on July 3. His family filed a general diary, which was later recorded as a case, that he was abducted after he had left home early that morning. At the earlier press conference, Farida Akhtar said she helped the law enforcers to trace her husband using the location of his mobile phone and police were present all the time when she spoke to him on that day. She termed Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque's comments as 'threat' as he said, "Police would act against the family if they challenged the investigation report". She demanded justice for all the victims of enforced disappearance. She also alleged police 'harassed her mentally in the name of interrogation'. Farhad also complained about police behaviour after his rescue. He claimed that he made the phone calls and got on the bus in Khulna upon orders from his 'abductors'. On November 14, investigators filed their report to the court, where they said, "No truth was found in the claim that the columnist had been abducted and sought permission to prosecute the columnist's wife for filing a false report." The final probe report says the case filed by Farida is baseless and covers up the actual events. Before the court granted police permission to press charges against them, Farida appeared before the court on Thursday. She objected to the investigation report and sought time to file a petition. The dramatic disappearance and discovery of the 70-year-old columnist sparked debate in the political quarter and on social media. Social media was abuzz with criticism against Farhad Mazhar after police produced a woman, identified as Archana Rani, in a court on July 10. According to police, Archana's name came into the investigation as she was in touch with Farhad over the phone before and during the time of his disappearance. Archana identified herself as a follower of Mazhar and then told court that he left home on the day of his disappearance to send her money. Law enforcers have been expressing skepticism about his abduction claim since they discovered him returning Dhaka by bus. To back their suspicion, police also provided security footage of Mazhar loitering in the New Market area in Khulna in the afternoon of his disappearance. Muslims must forge urgent unity to foil Mr Trump's hate policy against Muslims Editorial Desk : As volatile protest in Arab countries, other Muslim nations and all over the world continues and Palestinian youths are clashing with Israeli forces denouncing US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel and his instruction to move embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Arab League foreign ministers at an emergency meeting in Cairo on Sunday condemned it as 'dangerous' and 'void' as violation of international law and all earlier UN decisions. But they ended the meeting without a clear decision although Lebanon foreign minister tabled a resolution calling for Arab states to impose economic sanction on the USA. What makes many wonder is that in Arab League's meeting none but Lebanon's foreign minister has tabled the proposal for economic sanction against the USA even though he represents a small and weak country. Why countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt or UAE are not taking the leadership to forge the unity and put challenge to Mr Trump's action. Nonetheless, his proposal makes sense highlighting the urgency of the moment when he said Arab nations must take pre-emptive measures -- beginning with diplomatic measures, then political, then economic and financial sanctions. We know the OIC is also meting in Turkish city of Istanbul to discuss the situation and its impact on Palestinian peace process. In fact the entire world is voicing sharp reaction against Mr Trump's decision coming out shameless against Palestinian by Middle East Muslim countries. They are squandering away petro dollars mostly on casinos and other filthy habits. They make expensive gifts to Western leaders but they are not aware they are treated meanly without dignity and importance while treating Palestinian Muslims inhumanly. We know that some Arab countries are playing double standard publicly criticizing the US President but lending support from the back to his plan, which they knew in advance. What is highly slanderous is that they are siding with the US policy to win its support against Iran, which they take now bigger enemy than Israel. They need US and Israel's support to face challenge coming from Iran in the region. But what is quite unjustified is that they can't take Shia-Sunni rift in the region to decide the fate of Palestinian people as part of a deal to win US support in regional conflict, as several international media said. It is no secret that King Faisal of Saudi Arabia had imposed embargo on oil export to the USA during Arab-Israel war in 1967 and it was an effective weapon to force the USA to stop Israeli aggression. Arabs and Muslim countries have power to be reckoned with if put together. They have oil, money and other resources to make the USA realize that it can't pursue policies, which are inimical to the Muslims and go away without being challenged. The Muslim rulers in Arab countries must know that their lavish and indulgent life have been no help for the Muslims to be treated seriously and honourably. Unless we as Muslims can earn a position of respectability and show strength through unity, the Muslims everywhere are easy targets of torture and humiliation blaming Muslims as terrorists. The government of the Muslim countries must have acquire self-respect and they can achieve it rising to the occasion to defend the interest of the Muslims. They must seize upon the world opinion to put to failure Mr Trump's greater Israel policy; which betrays humanity. Editors note: This is the first in a short series of stories that the newspaper will publish in the coming days on the responsibilities of owners and managers of HUD-subsidized housing to protect children from lead poisoning; Southern Seven Health Department data on elevated blood lead level cases of children living in ACHA properties; and HUD's ability to enforce its lead safety rules and regulations. CAIRO In a civil complaint filed late last month, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development claimed, among other things, that ex-Alexander County Housing Authority directors James Wilson and Martha Franklin failed to follow the federal housing agencys lead safety regulations, and that Wilson falsified compliance. In essence, HUD is alleging that Wilson and Franklin, by neglecting their obligations, potentially exposed vulnerable young children residing at public housing complexes in Cairo known as Elmwood and McBride over the course of more than a decade to the life-altering effects of lead poisoning. Its one of a number of allegations the federal housing agency has leveled against Wilson, who served as the executive director of the ACHA from 1989 to April 2013, and Franklin, who served as finance director from 2004 to April 2013, and as executive director from April 2013 to March 2015. But its among the most serious of the claims outlined in the 46-page complaint because it strikes at the core of the ex-directors responsibilities related to resident safety during their tenure especially where it concerns the health of young children. The civil case against Wilson and Franklin, which seeks hundreds of thousands of dollars in civil fines for numerous alleged violations of federal housing regulations including the claims they failed to follow lead safety rules and regulations, while Wilson falsely certified the ACHA had done so was filed Nov. 28 by HUDs Office of Hearings and Appeals. The two have 30 days from the filing date to respond. Unless the case is settled between the parties beforehand, it will be heard by an administrative law judge in Washington, or Wilson and Franklin have the right to request a trial in federal court, according to HUD spokesman Jereon Brown. In a voicemail message to The Southern about the civil complaint filed against him, Wilson said his only comment was that he wanted to wish everybody a Merry Christmas. Franklins number is not listed and the newspaper has never been successful in contacting her for comment on this or other matters related to her tenure at the troubled ACHA. In the civil complaint, the agency is claiming that Wilson failed to comply with the agencys Lead Safe Housing Rule and Lead Disclosure Rule, which both apply to federally owned or subsidized family housing constructed prior to 1978. Much of the ACHAs housing stock was built before 1978, the year the federal government phased out consumer uses of lead-containing paint. The complaint states that between 1991 and 1995, the ACHA conducted testing to identify lead-based paint, which concluded that it was present within the ACHA units and common areas. Although the ACHA conducted some abatement work on door frames, interior window frames, wood bathroom accessory rails and stairway rail caps in 1993 and 1994, lead-based paint remained on other sources within common areas and units, it reads. In September 2003, the complaint states, it was discovered that a child residing in an ACHA complex had an elevated blood lead level, which prompted the Illinois Department of Public Health to send a licensed lead inspector/risk assessor to conduct a lead investigation at the property. In a letter dated Sept. 26, 2003, IDPH advised the ACHA that the risers, baseboard and tread at the complex (the name of the complex is redacted in the complaint) were determined to be lead-bearing substances that must be monitored and maintained, the complaint states. In 2017, HUD conducted a lead-based paint inspection at Elmwood and McBride, both of which were built in the early 1940s, the complaint states. (HUD placed the ACHA in administrative receivership on Feb. 22, 2016, and has been running its day-to-day operations since.) While the names of the properties are not listed in the complaint, HUD previously provided the inspection reports for both complexes to The Southern for review. The inspection confirmed that lead-based paint was present on stair risers and stair stringers throughout both properties, the complaint states. HUD claims that Wilson and Franklin violated the agencys lead safety rules and regulations in the following ways: by failing to disclose to tenants all known lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards at the property; failing to provide tenants with all records or reports available concerning lead paint hazards; failing to conduct risk assessments; failing to abate lead-based paint or conduct interim controls; failing to conduct visual assessments; and failing to conduct re-evaluations of lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards, all of which were required of housing authority managers administering public housing programs with federal dollars. Despite these ongoing and continuous violations of HUDs lead-based paint rules and regulations, Wilson, in his capacity as executive director, caused the ACHA to certify to HUD that the ACHA was in compliance with HUDs lead-based paint regulations, including the LSHR (Lead Safe Housing Rule) and LDR (Lead Disclosure Rule), the complaint reads. Certification of compliance with lead safety rules is, by and large, on the honor system, which is why experts and advocates are concerned that HUD lacks the proper tools to compel housing authorities to comply with its lead safety rules and regulations. The agency has made recent efforts to improve its oversight ability, though again, some experts question whether those changes go far enough to address the root of the problem. In this particular case, 14 years passed from the date of the 2003 IDPH letter cited in the complaint, which HUD claimed should have prompted Wilson to take remediation action the agency alleges he did not do, and HUD filing the complaint against Wilson that included the allegation he falsely certified compliance with lead safety regulations. HUD conducted the additional testing at the ACHA's McBride and Elmwood complexes only after taking over the ACHA in early 2016, citing years of mismanagement, alleged civil rights violations against residents and poor living conditions. On April 10, HUD told residents of McBride and Elmwood that they would assist all 185 families in relocating because the developments are not safe. As of Friday, 93 of the 185 families had relocated, according to Brown. Brown said that local public housing authority managers are required to certify compliance with HUD's Lead Safe Housing Rule annually as part of the capital fund grant program award process. If a person makes a false certification to HUD, funding can be pulled, and he or she can be subject to additional sanctions, Brown said. HUD inspectors that review federally assisted properties on a prescribed schedule perform a quick visual assessment for the presence of lead-based paint and check on the presence of lead-based paint documentation, Brown said. But, he added, they are not certified risk assessors, and are not trained in evaluating lead-based paint documentation. "These records are often voluminous, and forms have varied over the last 20 years so reviews can take many days," Brown said. "HUD staff do the additional follow up to get copies of lead-based paint records when an issue is noted," he said. "In-depth reviews of lead-based paint evaluations are done in conjunction with the technical experts in the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes." About two months after HUD took over the ACHA, HUD administrator Towanda Macon, who is assigned to oversee the ACHA, warned residents at a May 2016 meeting that it did not appear the ACHA had properly tested for lead-based paint. In response, a resident of Elmwood asked Macon whether she should be concerned for the safety of her young grandchildren who are residing at the home, and Macon told her she was asking all the right questions" as there were several things that were just not done by past managers. As described by the federal housing agency, childhood lead poisoning has long been documented as causing reduced intelligence, low attention span and reading and learning disabilities; it has additionally been linked to juvenile delinquency, behavioral problems and many other adverse health effects. Because the effects of lead poisoning can be lifelong and irreversible, even when the exposure is in low doses, particularly if it is over a long period of time, pediatricians and public health experts strongly recommend prevention strategies. Wilson, it appears, is the first person that HUD has sought financial sanctions against for allegedly falsifying compliance with lead safety rules and regulations since HUD's Lead Safe Housing Rule became fully effective in 2000. In response to a question from the newspaper about whether there had been other such sanctions sought by the agency, Brown said the agency is not aware of any recent similar cases. Which means this case may be precedent-setting where it concerns a crucial safety issue for millions of low-income children living in HUD-subsidized housing across the country. WEST FRANKFORT The New York Times, partnering with The Southern, will host a forum Thursday in West Frankfort where a panel of local officials and reporters will focus on issues important to Franklin County and Southern Illinois. Times Chicago Bureau Chief Monica Davey said in a news release that she will be returning to West Frankfort she reported the story of Juan Carlos Hernandez Pacheco, a local business leader who faces deportation, earlier this year to discuss not only that story but also issues of immigration, the future of coal, the economy, taxes and the mood now in the town that rallied around Carlos. And we don't just want to talk about what our stories said. We really are hoping to hear what people in the communities we write about have to say, Davey said in an email to The Southern. She said she hopes to hear residents real concerns. My hope for the conversation is that we'll hear a real range of viewpoints and get a sense of how life is feeling right now for all sorts of people who live in Southern Illinois, she said. This event is part of a series and is something somewhat new for the Times. Davey said similar events as the one in West Frankfort have been held in Athens, Ohio; Indianapolis; Jackson, Michigan; and Kansas City, Missouri. "We're excited to be a part of this forum with the New York Times," said Tom English, executive editor of The Southern. "An event like this can go a long way in gauging the temperature of a community, and we're excited to see a big entity like the New York Times take such an interest in our community here in Middle America." The whole idea is to go back to some of the places where The Times's national staff found some of the most interesting stories over the past year and continue the conversation, Davey said. Molly Parker, a reporter with The Southern, will be on the panel alongside Cindy Buys, an immigration law expert; Franklin County Sheriff Don Jones; West Frankfort Mayor Tom Jordan and Jim Muir, Franklin County Circuit Clerk. Parker said any time issues facing the Midwest, and specifically Southern Illinois, can be heard at such a national level, it is a good thing. A lot of noise has been made about the rural-urban divide and the big media influencers not taking the time to understand Middle America. Monica is making that effort, and Im excited to welcome her and her New York Times colleagues to our region for a conversation, Parker said. Both Muir and Jones said the economy as well as drugs will be top of their list for Thursdays discussion. One of the biggest things we are facing is jobs. I think that cures a lot of the problems, Muir said. Jones said the methamphetamine and opioid crisis facing the region could use a broad discussion like the one planned this week. Its something that I guess talking about it and making sure everybody is on the same page is a positive (thing), Jones said. Davey said she looks forward to taking it all in Thursday she hopes to say as little as possible. Mostly, I want to hear from the people in the room. My hope is that I won't do much of the talking at all. I want to listen, she said. The event is scheduled for Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at The Old Firehouse Event Center in West Frankfort. The event is free and open to the public, though attendees are asked to RSVP at nytwestfrankfort.splashthat.com. Tom English Executive editor Tom English is the executive editor of The Southern. Follow Tom English 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 Last week, in this space, I talked about the states bicentennial and what it means. It turns out I overlooked one major local force when it comes to history and the State of Illinois John A. Logan. I had a nice conversation this week with P. Michael Jones, director of the Logan Museum in Murphysboro, about Logan and what he means to state history and really how important Logan is in the national conversation. He pointed out many things to me, like the fact that Illinois had three major players in the Civil War the president of the United States in Abraham Lincoln, a prominent U.S. Army general in Ulysses S. Grant, and an important volunteer Army commander in John A. Logan. Those same three people are the only ones mentioned in the official Illinois state song: Not without thy wondrous story, Illinois, Illinois, Can be writ the nation's glory, Illinois, Illinois, On the record of thy years, Abraham Lincoln's name appears, Grant and Logan, and our tears, Illinois, Illinois, Grant and Logan, and our tears, Illinois. (Thats only one verse of the song, and I bet you didnt know we had a state song. I didnt.) We also talked about Memorial Day and the upcoming 150th anniversary of the national holiday Logan issued General Order No. 11 in 1868 while he was Commander in Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, establishing Memorial Day as a national holiday. But the thing that fascinates me and has always fascinated me about Logan is his transformation as a person. Early in Logans political career, he was a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Jones said that one of his goals as congressman was to keep black people out of Illinois. In fact, in 1853, Logan helped pass a law to prohibit all African-Americans, including freedmen, from settling in Illinois. But the Civil War seemed to have changed Logan, who resigned his congressional seat to serve in the war. In 1867, Logan was again elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, this time as a Republican (also remember that the terms Democrat and Republican are way different today than they were then). In 1871, we was elected as a senator, again as a Republican. His views had changed, as he was quoted as saying at one time, I would rather have a negro sit beside me in the legislature, and a colored person in the White House would not be amiss. This was some 150-plus years ago. At the time, Im sure there were some people who thought (as would be the same thought today) that Logan transformed like this for the sole reason of receiving votes. But if that were the case, then why would the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass have said this: No man has been bolder and truer to the cause of the colored man and to the country, than has John A. Logan. The point here is this: If a man could change 150 years ago, we can still change today. We still have time to get rid of some the hate thats taking over our great country. Theres something else to think about here as well lets not forget what Logan means to us as a community and as a state. Were going to celebrate the bicentennial of the state over the next year, and Logan needs to be a part of that. Plus, lets not forget that the Memorial Day holiday is celebrating its sesquicentennial. Word has it theres going to be some pretty cool events coming to Murphysboro and Carbondale in May. In the meantime, go check out the Logan Museum in Murphysboro. It truly is, in my mind, one of the hidden gems in Southern Illinois. CLEMSON Clemson University announced Thursday the creation of its Center for Advanced Manufacturing, which will become the centerpiece of the universitys ambitious commitment to education, research, innovation and workforce development in support of an industry sector that is vitally important to the future of South Carolina. From 2011-2016, manufacturing job growth in South Carolina increased 16 percent and manufacturing now accounts for 11 percent of the states total employment. Since 2011, companies representing more than 30 countries have pledged to bring nearly 50,000 manufacturing jobs to South Carolina through corporate relocations or expansions, and the state has enjoyed record exports each of the last seven years. Many of those companies from industry sectors as diverse as automotive, aerospace, medical device-makers and home appliances are attracted to the state because of the proximity to leading research universities such as Clemson. Clemson already has considerable strength in several areas related to advanced manufacturing, which will be aligned through the creation of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing. Additionally, the university will increase its commitment to education and research related to advanced manufacturing with an emphasis on meeting the needs of the states key employers and industry sectors. Central to Clemsons mission as a land-grant institution is being of service to the people and the state of South Carolina, said Clemson University President James P. Clements. Given our long history as an outstanding engineering and science institution, and our existing strong partnerships with some of the states leading employers, this is the perfect time for Clemson to put a stake in the ground as a pre-eminent source of education and research related to advanced manufacturing. The center will be part of the universitys College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences where more than two dozen of Clemsons leading faculty members are currently engaged in teaching and research related to advanced manufacturing. It will be closely aligned with Clemsons Office of External Affairs to ensure that the work done through the center is well positioned to meet the needs of South Carolinas leading employers, as well those companies looking to locate in the state. Initially, the center will consolidate the universitys work across all disciplines in areas related advanced manufacturing. Specifically, the new center will include the following existing university resources: Clemson Composites Center Clemsons Advanced Robotics Manufacturing Center Center in Product Lifecycle Management Clemson University Center for Workforce Development Center for Automotive Aviation and Virtual E-Schools Clemson Vehicle Assembly Center The Deep Orange program at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research Through existing partnerships with leading employers such as Boeing, BMW, BOSCH, Fluor Corp, GE, Michelin, Siemens, Sonoco, ZF and more, Clemson already plays an important role in providing much-needed engineering talent and research related to advanced manufacturing. Pulling together the universitys resources in the form of this new center and aligning its mission with the universitys economic engagement efforts will further enhance Clemsons ability to meet the states industry and workforce needs well into the future. The industry in South Carolina is committed to developing innovation and growth, as we all strive to achieve excellence in quality manufacturing, said Knudt Flor, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing Co. This requires a highly skilled workforce now and in the future and an urgency to move well-engineered products to the customer quickly and efficiently. Higher education institutions in South Carolina continue to be invaluable partners to industry. The Center for Advanced Manufacturing is a key component in our states economic development strategy. Clemson already has deep ties to the automotive industry through the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research, which conducts cutting-edge research in partnership with South Carolina employers BMW and Michelin in addition to other leading companies in the industry. The university also has considerable research expertise in such areas as sustainable manufacturing; advanced materials; product lifecycle management, robotics, sensors and intelligent production systems; intelligent production planning and control; human-machine interface design; systems integration; cybersecurity, and the internet of things; supply chain optimization and digital manufacturing. Clemsons existing research strengths and its planned commitment to investing additional resources in areas related to advanced manufacturing position the university to be a leading provider of engineering talent and research expertise designed to meet the full spectrum of needs for companies in advanced manufacturing-related industries. Our goal for Clemsons Center for Advanced Manufacturing will be to create a world-class enterprise dedicated to interdisciplinary research and translational activities related to all aspects of advanced manufacturing, said Anand Gramopadhye, dean of the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences. Clemson and our state is the epicenter of advanced manufacturing in the nation; we are the home to some of the nations brightest students and most knowledgeable faculty, ideally suited to helping lead future innovations in advanced manufacturing that have the potential to transform the South Carolina economy for generations to come. The Beta Zeta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. will hold its 34th Annual Miss Calendar Doll Benefit Pageant at 6 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 10, at the Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School Auditorium. Family, friends, contributors and the public are invited to attend the free event. Culminating the chapters annual benefit project, the pageant supports the organization's numerous community service initiatives on both a local and a global scale. Every penny of the funds raised goes to benefit the community and the Dolls, said Evelyn Singleton, who is in her second term as chapter president. We publicly thank those who support the effort by publishing the annual Calendar Doll calendar, which features each participant and lists the financial contributors. And we are most grateful to the parents of our Calendar Dolls who believe in our cause and work diligently to support it every year. Young ladies in middle school are selected as Calendar Dolls each June, and continue to participate in special activities throughout the following year. The more than 150 chapter members work in groups with each Doll and her parents to raise funds, and the Doll whose group raises the most money by the deadline is named Miss Calendar Doll for the coming year. Each runner-up is crowned to represent a month of the year and is featured on the calendar for that month. Each Doll receives savings bonds, gifts and enrichment experiences during the year of her reign. The Calendar Doll tradition is very much like a rite of passage for the participants, according to Jennifer Murph, Benefit Committee chairman. Members of Beta Zeta Omega help enhance the young womens confidence and poise as they transition to the teenage years, she said. Prior to the pageant, and throughout the following year, the Calendar Dolls receive instruction and training in stage and everyday deportment, etiquette for various formal and informal occasions, wellness and safety information and opportunities to serve their communities. They also enjoy a Mother-Daughter luncheon, ice cream socials, swim and skate parties and other fun activities, including attending out-of-town theater and other cultural events and venues. Past Calendar Doll participants have gone on to distinguish themselves in almost every walk of life, from teaching to modeling and acting, to entrepreneurs, doctors and scholars in the arts and sciences. A number have won pageant titles at the high school, college and Miss levels, and many more affiliate with the sorority during and after college in part because of their meaningful experiences in the program. Beta Zeta Omega Chapter participates in, contributes to and sponsors numerous charitable activities to fulfill its mission of service to all mankind. In addition, the Calendar Doll program supports the sororitys founding focus on the positive development of women and girls, with an emphasis on scholarship and high moral and ethical standards. Annual college scholarships, heart health promotion, fitness, senior citizens day, support for HBCUs, One million backpacks, family seasonal wraps, the Stilton Road Community Playground, NAMI Mental Health initiatives, the UN-USA Global Classrooms project and little dresses for Africa are some of the service initiatives in which chapter members participate. The signature Youth Enrichment program, ASCENDSM, helps motivate, engage and assist high school students in achieving their maximum potential. The brainchild of Irene McCollom, who served with distinction on the sororitys board of directors as the 15th South Atlantic Regional Director, the pageant is a holiday tradition that many Orangeburgers and others look forward to annually. This years pageant committee is chaired by long-time director and emcee Janice E. McCollom, who will share hosting duties with Demier Richardson Sanders. Lillie Dunning and Charletha Heyward King serve with Murph as Benefit Committee co-chairs. Sundays pageant will feature the Calendar Dolls performing a Hip Hop dance production number and staging a protest rally on issues of the day they find important. Before the choral finale, and perhaps the pageants favorite segment, the Dolls fathers and escorts lead them in the Father-Daughter Promenade. Featured guest performers include local vocalists Glyshae, Joaquen Perry, Esther Jones and Joshua Frierson and the Xxx Dance Studio directed by choreographer Jasmine Frink. In addition, Laila Ham, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eric (Angela) Ham of Orangeburg will take her final walk as Miss Calendar Doll 2017. The 2018 Calendar Dolls are: Taniyah Cheeks, daughter of Ms. Felicia Jamison-Cheeks; KeAundra Makyiah Felder, daughter of Ms. Kimberly Felder; Brittany Nicole Hamilton, daughter of Mr. Larry Hamilton, Ms. Mary Hamilton and Mr. Tennyson Ferrell; Jessica Monique James, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Derrick (Karen) James; Lauren Mackenzie Smalls, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eryl (Hope) Smalls; Sheridan Tucker-Staley, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dontrey (Veronica) Staley; Demecia Williams, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bryant (Demetrice) Williams, all of Orangeburg; Kerrington Lanae Butts, daughter of Ms. Kizzi Butts of Columbia; and Kimaia Cassandra Singleton, daughter of Ms. Kimberly L. Singleton of Ehrhardt. For more information about Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and the Beta Zeta Omega chapter, visit the chapters website at www.akabetazetaomega.org, or contact any member. For Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., November was truly a time of thanksgiving. Along with celebrating the sororitys birth, it is the time when members of chapters perceive their commitment to provide community service as the most important aspect of the sorority. Eta Gamma Sigma Chapter, Eta Omicron Chapter and the Rhoer Club continued this effort for the entire month. The Rhoers Club sponsored a can food drive, with the donations to be presented to a local Ronald McDonald House, which provides a place for families to call home so they can stay close by their hospitalized child at little to no cost. Eta Omicron Chapter, the undergraduate chapter at Voorhees College, donated non-perishable food items to the Voorhees Colleges Annual Blessing of the Baskets. Eta Gamma Sigma, the alumnae chapter located in Denmark, serves the Allendale, Bamberg and Barnwell counties. The chapter prepared a basket made up of socks and toiletries for the veterans residing in the Veterans Hospital Nursing Home in Columbia and also donated three Thanksgiving baskets. One basket was given to a family in each of the counties served by the chapter. Members of the chapter celebrated the sororitys 95th anniversary and hosted its annual Founders Day Observance & Veterans Day Recognition on Sunday, Nov. 12 in the St. James Building at Voorhees College. Local members paid tribute to the sororitys seven founders and lit a candle for each one of them during a candlelight ceremony as their individual biographies were read. National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations were recognized while a member of each lit a candle as significant facts about their organizations were read by sorority member Lydia Boynton, who served as the programs mistress of ceremonies. Annually during the Founders Day Observance, members of the sorority take the time to honor veterans. Veterans honored by Chairpersons Denise Long and Barbara Brewer, were: Katina Williams, Elizabeth Bailey, Kenneth Boynton, Miles Boynton, Richard Robinson, Sherwin Gloston Sr., Van T. Gaffney Sr., William Boynton, Soror Christine Simpkins-Holman and Soror Brittany Lawrence. Frankeshia Williams, president of the Rhoer Club, represented the group by rendering a selection during the program. Presentations to members of the chapters and Rhoer Club were made by Dianna Davis-Bailey, who serves as the president of the Eta Gamma Sigma Chapter. Following the program, a reception was held. Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. was founded on Nov. 12, 1922 on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Its mission is to enhance the quality of life for women and their families in the U.S. and globally through community service, civil and social action. Its goal is to achieve greater progress in the areas of education, health awareness and leadership development. The sororitys members, affiliates, staff and community partners work to create and support initiatives that align with its vision. A cold and rainy morning accompanied the heavy hearts of family and friends as they entered the James and Dorothy Z. Elmore Chapel Saturday to honor the life of Ernest Adolphus Finney Jr. Finney died Sunday, Dec. 3. He was 86. Chief Justice Finney set a standard for judges in South Carolina which is still the guiding star for those of us who wear the robe, and at the same time changed forever the way judges treated those who appear in front of them, the Honorable Jean Toal said. Toal succeeded Finney, the state's first African-American chief justice, to become the first woman to hold the position on the South Carolina Supreme Court. The two were acquainted since her college days. Toal was part of a group of white students that collaborated with their black counterparts holding voter registration drives in the Sumter community where she first came in contact with Finney. She remembers him being a strong figure for South Carolina and the judicial system. He approached the hostile atmosphere in courtrooms with a fine determination which impressed us all, Toal said. He was brilliant, strategic and wonderfully persuasive." Toal joked that before Finney was elected as judge of the 3rd Judicial Circuit, she bought him a robe embroidered with his name. Finney exclaimed that it would jinx his chances, she said. As I put that bad luck robe on his shoulders in the old Sumter County courthouse in 1976, we shared a moment of quiet pride, she remembered. Years later, at Finneys swearing in as a South Carolina Supreme Court justice, Toal said it was one of the most joyous occasions I have ever witnessed. When Finney eventually became chief justice, Toal said it was one of the most remarkable days in our history as a state and as a people. Toal said Finney had to endure many hardships in his life, but he was a man with strength multiple times over to handle them. Perhaps only someone with his deep reservoir of quiet confidence and civility of spirit couldve endured with no bitterness," Toal said. "The life he led inspired the admiration and respect of so many South Carolinians and Americans." The current chief justice of the state Supreme Court, the Honorable Donald W. Beatty, described Finney as a man who early on in life recognized and accepted his purpose in life and pursued it with zest. I would not be here today, as chief justice of South Carolina, but for this man, Beatty said. He first came to know Finney as a young lieutenant trying to figure out where to attend law school. He recalled going to the campus of the University of South Carolina to find the law school. Instead he found himself lost. Finney approached him and gave him the direction he needed. Beatty said he was apprehensive about attending USCs law school because of stories he had heard of black students in the past, but Finney told him that if he intended to practice law here, going to school here would serve him well. Later in life, Beatty became a legislator and said he had no intention or desire of becoming a judge until Finneys encouragement once again. He said Finney told him, If not you, then who? Chief Justice Finney, Im going to miss him, Beatty said. Theres not a step I took in my initial development that he was not there, that he did not offer guidance, that he did not counsel. And I must say to this day, everything hes ever told me worked out the way he said it would. Beatty said he was with a group of colleagues when he received word of Finneys passing. He said he was told that as chief justice, he extremely deep footsteps to fill. Beatty said in reply, I wont even attempt to walk in those footprints. Ill walk beside them and allow them to lead the way. Lead the way, Chief, Beatty said. Claflin President Dr. Henry N. Tisdale remembered Finney as a visionary leader who served the state and university tirelessly. Tisdale was familiar with the Finney family from his time as a student when Ernest Finney Sr. was his academic dean. He came to form a stronger relationship with Finney Jr. during the process of the schools search for a new president. Finney was chair of the board of trustees and led the search process. Tisdale said he accepted the presidency in February 1994 but did not transiton to the position immediately. Every morning until that day, Finney called him. It was like clockwork, Tisdale began to laugh. At 5 a.m. each morning, Justice Finney called me. He found some reason at 5 a.m. each morning to call me. Tisdale said Finney staked his claim and picked up the gauntlet, believing that if America were to live up to its promise to all people, the law would be the basis for change. I believe that great men or women of vision inherently know when the time is right to make a difference regardless of pending obstacles or degree of difficulty, he said. In the case of Ernest A. Finney Jr., he realized that the South was a region teeming in social injustice and the denial of human rights. Tisdale said Finney's legacy at Claflin, which includes his leadership and service on the board of trustees for more than two decades, will live forever. The Claflin alum was one of just a handful of black lawyers in the state when he graduated from the former South Carolina State College law school in 1954. 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. He 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 served as the first chairman and was a co-founder of the Legislative Black Caucus. He was elected to the S.C. 3rd Circuit Court judgeship in July 1976, becoming the state's African-American Circuit Court judge in the process. Nine years later, he was appointed to the S.C. Supreme Court, later becoming chief justice. He held that position until he retired in March 2000. In 2002, he served as interim president of South Carolina State University, a post he held for one year. Finney served on Claflin's Board of Trustees and was elected as its chairman in 1986. In 2003, the university granted him the status of trustee emeritus. After all that has happened, the Alabama Senate race appears to be reverting to a fundamental political truth: A state that is one of the most Republican in the nation is likely to vote Republican. Of course, there is still the possibility of some new and devastating sexual misconduct revelation about GOP candidate Roy Moore. But there is an increasing sense that the old and devastating sexual misconduct revelations are receding into the distant past. Moore is recovering in the polls and more Alabama voters seem comfortable with the idea of voting for him. Moore was six points ahead of Democratic opponent Doug Jones in the RealClearPolitics average of polls before the first allegations. By Nov. 21, Moore was eight-tenths of a point behind Jones. Now, Moore is back in the lead, but by just 2.6 points. It appears the improvement in Moore's fortunes is being driven by a gradual change in the Alabama electorate's view of the allegations against him. In a Morning Consult poll taken in mid-November, 43 percent said they found the sexual misconduct allegations against Moore to be credible, while 19 percent said not credible, and 37 percent said they did not know or had no opinion. In a newer poll by the same company, taken in the last week of November, 41 percent said they found the allegations credible, 21 percent said not credible, and 41 percent said they did not know or had no opinion. That's not a huge change, but it's a total six percentage point increase in the group of people who say the allegations are not credible or who say they don't know. In the poll, the number of Republicans who said they don't believe the Moore allegations stayed roughly the same. But there appears to have been a pretty significant shift from those who earlier said they believed the allegations to those who now say they don't know. Among Democrats, the number who said they did not believe the allegations ticked upward. The same occurred with independents. Part of the change -- perhaps a large part -- seems to reflect the idea that many voters don't view Moore's accusers in the same way that many media figures do. A number of media reports portray overwhelming evidence against Moore. "He's pitting his word against the word of nine women who accused him of varying degrees of sexual misconduct," CNN reported recently. The message is that the sheer number of accusers means at least some must be telling the truth. But it seems likely that some Alabama voters don't see nine accusers. They see one. That one accuser is Leigh Corfman, who says Moore sexually assaulted her in 1979, when she was 14 years old. Published in the Washington Post, Corfman's was the first and most serious allegation against Moore, and it remains the most serious today. Corfman has seemed credible in media appearances, and Moore has not been able to refute her story. The Moore campaign realizes Corfman's is the most compelling allegation against him. But the Post account also included the stories of three other women who said Moore asked them out when they were 16, 17 and 18 years old, and whose cases against Moore did not involve any physical abuse or coercion. Then there was Beverly Young Nelson, who said Moore assaulted her in 1977, when she was 16. Nelson made the mistake of retaining celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred when she made her allegations, and she also mishandled Moore's contention that a signature in a yearbook she produced, ostensibly by Moore, might be a fake. Both moves reduced her credibility. So that is five accusers right there. It is likely that voters pushed four of them to the side, leaving Corfman. Then there was a woman who said Moore grabbed her behind in 1991, when she was 28. A woman who said Moore asked her out in 1982, when she was 17. A woman who said Moore asked her out repeatedly in 1977, when she was 18, and gave her an unwanted, "forceful" kiss. And finally, a woman who said Moore asked her out several times in 1977, when she was 22. Asked her out several times when she was 22 years old? That's not the most outrageous allegation in the news these days. Four more accusers, some with very thin stories. That makes nine. The point is not that none of the accusers is telling the truth. Perhaps some, or all, are. What appears to have happened is that one very serious allegation was followed by a series of less serious, or less credible, accusations that in the end did not have the cumulative effect that Moore's opponents perhaps hoped. The bottom line is, instead of Roy Moore vs. nine accusers, in many voters' minds, the story is Roy Moore vs. one accuser, Leigh Corfman. And that is where the mental calculations begin. Corfman's allegation is serious; she was, after all, 14 years old. But it's not airtight. And it was in 1979 -- 38 years ago. Memories fade, or change. And even if it is all true, has Moore changed in the nearly four decades since? Is there a statute of political limitations? Thoughts like that can change minds. Finally, many conservative voters see Jones as a doctrinaire liberal whose pro-choice views on abortion would likely be enough to ensure defeat in an Alabama race. And so Alabama Republicans are more and more assessing the situation as Alabama Republicans. It would be no surprise if they vote that way on Dec. 12. The data for October from the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (Sama) indicated that Saudi economic activity remained tepid during the month, said Al Rajhi Capital, a top financial institution in the kingdom. Credit to the private sector was flat on a sequential basis, while lending to the government entities grew 3.5 per cent m-o-m led by banks investment in Governments domestic sukuk issue in the month of October (SR10 billion ($2.66 billion)). Meanwhile, Sama reserve assets grew 1.7 per cent month-on-month (m-o-m), marking its first sequential growth in four months, which could be attributable to the governments $12.5 billion international bond sale by the end of September. Consumer spending jumped from the low base of last year, which was impacted by the temporary cut in public sector employees salaries and allowances. POS transactions grew 15 per cent y-o-y (vs. 6.4 per cent in September), while ATM withdrawals increased 1.3 per cent y-o-y. Concerns on the recent anti-corruption drive in the Kingdom have resulted in volatility in the market. However, the recent rating affirmation by the S&P (credit ratings at A-/A-2 with a stable outlook) is likely to sooth investor concerns and reiterate that this reform though might create uncertainty in the short-term, is a positive move in the medium to long term. According to Saudi officials, the anti-corruption drive could yield $100 billion to the nations coffers, which is 57 per cent of total Government reserves. Deposits slipped marginally (-0.1 per cent m-o-m), down for the fourth consecutive month, but the loan- to- deposit ratio was flat at 82.46 per cent. In another reform measure, the Saudi Government has approved a plan to issue first tourist visas to foreign travellers beginning 2018. Sama total reserves rose on a monthly basis in October 2017, after falling for three months in a row. Meanwhile, the deposits fell by 0.5 per cent y-o-y (-0.1 per cent m-o-m), whereas credit to the private sector declined 1.5 per cent y-o-y in October (0.0 per cent m-o-m) (Figure 11 & 12). Government reserves with Sama stood at SR655.5 billion (including Government current account, + 2.3 per cent m-o-m), as of October 2017. Kingdom issued SR6.68 billion from its fourth domestic sukuk sale launched in October. The Kingdom raised SR1.05 billion of 5 year bonds, SR3.53 billion of 7 year bonds and SR2.1 billion of 10 year bonds. The issue was 296 per cent oversubscribed and received nearly SR19.8 billion orders. Saudi Arabias Q3 2017 fiscal deficit stood at SR 48.7 billion compared to SR46.5 billion in the previous quarter. For the period 9M 2017, the deficit was reported as SR121.5 billion, better (on a pro-rata basis) than that estimated by the government at the beginning of the year. For Q3 2017 revenues climbed by 11.7 per cent y-o-y to SR 142.1 billion, while expenditure rose by 5.3 per cent y-o-y to SR 190.9 billion. For the first nine months of2017, revenue jumped 22.9 per cent y-o-y to SR 450.1 billion, while expenditure rose by 0.4 per cent y-o-y to SR571.6 billion. TradeArabia News Service Bourn Hall Fertility Centre, Dubai, a company of Bourn Hall International, and RAK Hospital have partnered to launch the first fertility clinic in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK). The collaboration ensures top-of-the-line IVF consultancy and intervention at the doorstep of RAK residents, who were earlier travelling to other emirates for fertility treatments. The clinic primarily provides IVF consultation, along with the medical management of genetic disorders, such as genetic screening to avoid hereditary diseases. At least one in four couples in the UAE face infertility issues due to genetic disorders, poor sperm or egg quality, diabetes, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and other chronic diseases which increase the chances of infertility. Moreover, as per the UAE Genetic Diseases Association (UAE GDA), there could be 400 types of genetic diseases prevalent in the UAE, including thalassemia, sickle-cell, cystic fibrosis and Down syndrome. Genetic testing is the key to improving the quality of genes in a society where consanguineous marriages are common, and identifying the faulty gene further helps in the success rate of IVF. Dr Raza Siddiqui, CEO Arabian Healthcare Group and executive director at RAK Hospital said: The collaboration promises the residents with high-end services that RAK Hospital is known for, combined with British expertise and experience of the worlds first IVF clinic, where the worlds first IVF baby was born. This was a need of the hour since many couples had to travel to Sharjah and Dubai for fertility services and RAK Hospital has bridged that gap nicely. We hope this will provide further convenience to couples in Ras Al Khaimah and nearby emirates like Ajman, Umm al-Quwain and Fujairah. The fertility clinic, due to its strategic placement within the hospital will also serve as a one-stop-solution for couples looking for treatment of chronic ailments to help increase the chances of fertility. Hoda Abou-Jamra, Group CEO at Bourn Hall International, said: We are proud to bring Bourn Hall Fertility Centre to the heart of Ras Al Khaimah, partnering with RAK hospital, which is known for its clinical expertise and technological advancements. Bourn Hall Clinic is the oldest and most experienced IVF clinic globally where the first IVF baby was born 40 years ago, which is evidence of our world-class service. The Clinic in Ras Al Khaimah will have an IVF doctor three times a week and we promise to uphold the quality of standard and protocol that makes the Centre a trustworthy name across the world. TradeArabia News Service UAE-based global marine terminal operator DP World was recognised for its world leading business standards and practices when its UAE Region won two awards at the recent Transport Arabia Excellence Awards 2017. The event was held under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, CEO and chairman of the Emirates Group, and chairman of Dubai World. DP World, UAE Region won the Terminal Operator of the Year Award, which cited the regional trade enabler for its consistently high levels of performance, commercial success and have shown a commitment to invest and expand operations in the future, said a statement. Jebel Ali Port won the Most Automated Container Terminal of the Year award, in recognition of DP World, UAE Regions consistent efforts to set global benchmarks in port automation technologies, it said. The awards were received by Abdulla Bin Damithan, chief commercial officer, DP World - UAE Region and Shehab Al Rahma, manager, Special Projects - commercial, DP World - UAE Region at a red carpet ceremony attended by industry leaders and decision makers from across the Arab world, it added. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, group chairman and chief executive officer, DP World, said: The company is honoured to receive the awards. Its a recognition of Dubais leadership role in cargo transportation and logistics, as well as the gold standards our company has set as we evolved from a local port operator into a global trade enabler. Our relentless focus on productivity, business expansion by thinking ahead to be when and where our customers need us, and investments in our people and technology drive our success, he said. The awards will go a long way to promote global best standards and practices and excellence in cargo transportation and logistics across the region. Above all, we believe it can contribute to encourage intra-regional trade, which has tremendous opportunities for growth in the Arab world, he added. DP World is a principal partner of the awards initiative to promote excellence and healthy competition in cargo transportation in the Arab world, it stated. TradeArabia News Service Israel launched surface-to-surface missiles at a military installation outside the Syrian capital Damascus overnight, reported BBC citing Syrian state TV. The attack caused damage but two missiles were intercepted, it added. The Israeli military has not confirmed it carried out the strike. UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights earlier reported explosions near Damascus, which it said were caused by a suspected Israeli missile attack. The extent of the damage is not yet clear although the TV report spoke of "material losses" at the base, reported BBC. Head of the Syrian Observatory, Rami Abdel Rahman, told the AFP news agency the strike destroyed an arms depot - but his group did not know who it belonged to. Israel has hit weapons sites before, in a bid to prevent arms being transferred to Syria's Lebanese ally Hezbollah. Arms convoys in particular have been singled out by the Israeli air force. According to the Syrian Observatory the attack took place near El-Kiswah, a few miles south of Damascus. Iran building base in Syria - claim Last month the BBC revealed a claim that Iran was building a permanent military base near the town. A series of satellite images showed construction at the location of the alleged base, which was made known to the BBC by a western intelligence source. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously warned that Israel would not allow Iran to establish any military presence in Syria. Egypt and Russia will sign the Dabaa nuclear power plant agreement on Monday (December 11) in Cairo, a media report said. The total cost of establishing the plant is $30 billion and Egypt will recover the plants construction cost within 13-15 years, reported Daily News Egypt, citing government sources. The sources added that the Dabaa plant will cost Egypt about $60 million annually to purchase the required nuclear fuel, while the operation of a power plant using gas turbines with a similar capacity would cost $200million annually. Russia will provide Egypt with a $25 billion loan, equivalent to 85 per cent of the construction cost. The loan is due to mature after 13 years, with 3 per cent annual interest, the report said. The sources pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putins visit will also witness signing a contract to establish a Russian industrial zone in the Suez Canal area. They expect Russia will resume its flights to Egypt by January 2018. Ali Abdel Nabi, former deputy head of the Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA), said that the production cost of electricity from a nuclear plant is cheaper than power plants using gas turbines, adding that nuclear power plants are likely to run efficiently for 80 years. He further added that the Dabaa plant will operate with a capacity of 4,800 MW, providing electricity for 10 million housing units with a consumption rate of 200-300 kW per month. Egypt will need about 24 months to obtain safety and security approvals before it begins establishing the nuclear plant, he added. People worldwide feel increasingly polarised by cultural and societal changes and more than 60 per cent of adults globally say they feel overwhelmed by unrest in the world, a report said. To better understand these and other consumer realities, the 2018 Looking Further with Ford Trends Report from US-based automaker Ford Motor Company examines not only the issues dividing the world, but also the coping mechanisms born as a result from compassion and guilt to heightened activism. According to the sixth-annual study, 76 per cent of adults globally say they believe their actions can influence positive change. Theres no doubt were living in interesting times, said Sheryl Connelly, Ford global consumer trends and futuring manager. Shifting global priorities, rampant political upheaval, and a spotlight on social inequity have upended the status quo and left many feeling disoriented. But out of the chaos and conflict, a new energy and creativity is motivating people like never before. Every year, Ford takes a close look at the trends influencing the world. As both an automotive and mobility company, Ford remains committed to changing the way the world moves as it has for more than 100 years. Highlights from the 2018 Trends Report include: 68 per cent of adults are overwhelmed by suffering in the world today, and 51 per cent feel guilty for not doing more to make the world better 81 per cent of adults say they are concerned about the widening gap between the rich and the poor 52 per cent of 18- to 29-year-old adults say they expect brands to take a stand on political issues 73 per cent of adults say they should take better care of their emotional well-being, and 57 per cent say they get less sleep each night than they should 39 per cent of adults claim they do not mind sharing their personal information with companies, but 60 per cent report being frustrated over how much of their personal information has become public 52 per cent of adults believe artificial intelligence will do more harm than good, but 61 per cent say they are hopeful about the future of autonomous vehicles Insights shaping the times ahead The annual report from Ford is a blueprint for understanding how certain trends are expected to influence consumers and brands in2018and beyond. The collection of 10 trends for 2018 includes: 1. The Edge of Reason: Global upheaval is evident in everything from politics to pop culture; and, people are responding to these changes in polarised fashion. As divisiveness grows, open dialogue diminishes and the sense of being overwhelmed intensifies. Consumers are hungry for inventive ways to cope and adapt. 2. The Activist Awakening: Thanks to the culture of polarisation, consumers are being jolted out of complacency. Conventional wisdom and expectations are being toppled as individuals debate the change we need. 3. Minding the Gap: Worldwide, the spotlight is on inequality. Activists and entrepreneurs are experimenting with new ways to improve access to quality education, increase productive employment, close wage gaps, and provide everyone with affordable access to basic living standards and infrastructure. 4. The Compassionate Conscience: With an omnipresent news cycle, we are more aware than ever of the challenges consumers face around the world. People are becoming more reflective of their roles in society and more focused on how they can be more engaged. 5. Mending the Mind: Consumers and institutions are realising that you cannot have a healthy body unless you have a healthy mind. As such, mental health and well-being are coming to the forefront as issues that individuals, governments and companies need to address. 6. Retail Therapy: Many consumers are on the endless hunt for something new and different seeking material goods or experiences that bring happiness. As time-saving services proliferate, consumers find that they can buy the one thing that was never for sale time. 7. Helplessly Exposed: Big Data claims to be able to interpret our behaviours, which in theory should help consumers. But with Big Data may come big bias. And once personal information is relinquished, all consumers can do is hope companies use it responsibly. 8. Technologys Tipping Point: Virtual reality, artificial intelligence and autonomous technology long far-fetched notions are here and already being embedded into our daily lives. Worldwide, humans are wondering what the onslaught of intelligent technology will mean for society, and if it will have a more positive impact than many forecast. 9. Singled Out: Are marriage and parenthood still the desired norms for happy living? Couples today are rethinking commitment and fulfillment, and have more choices available to them and longer life spans to consider. 10. Big Plans for Big Cities: By 2050, nearly 75 per cent of the worlds population is expected to live in urban areas. To capitalise on the full potential of cities to maintain them as happy and healthy places in which to live we must smartly plan for transportation, employment, housing, wellness and an infrastructure that can accommodate a booming population. Wave of the future For more than 100 years, Ford has been driven by the belief that freedom of movement is at the heart of human progress. Today, it drives the companys commitment to become the worlds most trusted mobility company. In order for growing cities to remain sustainable, society must be mindful of variables such as transportation needs, and must understand how to best accommodate those needs. The annual Trends Report helps anticipate and address this issue by providing a more thorough understanding of consumers concerns, anxieties, hopes, ambitions and coping mechanisms. In a world of uncertainty and impatience, Ford remains focused on providing mobility solutions that make sense in changing times. As consumer expectations change, Ford continues its work toward designing and developing smart vehicles that meet the new landscape. In todays fast-moving world, there is less patience for the frivolous, and more emphasis on whats meaningful and impactful, Connelly said. This ethos is reflected in the work we do at Ford, where we are relentlessly focused on providing trustworthy mobility solutions that make consumers lives better. TradeArabia News Service Azul Brazilian Airlines has entered into a codeshare agreement with flag carrier Turkish Airlines. Through this codeshare partnership, Turkish Airlines will add its flight code (TK) in Azul domestic flights. As a result, customers will be able to purchase tickets directly from Turkish Airlines sales channels to fly to Brazilian destinations operated by Azul. In addition to TKs other partnerships in the region, passengers will have more alternatives by the virtue of this codeshare agreement. "The codeshare with Turkish Airlines will be very important to strengthen our international presence, especially for customers travelling from Europe and Asia to Brazil. Now they will be able to enjoy the convenience of thru ticketing, check-in and boarding passes. On the domestic connection customers will experience the market leading and award winning service of Azul said Abhi Shah Azuls chief revenue officer. As Turkish Airlines, we are glad to be a codeshare partner with Azul, one of the most important airlines of Brazil. In conjunction with this new commercial cooperation, passengers would enjoy to travel from Sao Paulo to different Brazilian destinations as a continuation of their seamless Istanbul-Sao Paulo flight. said Bilal Eksi, Turkish Airlines deputy chairman and CEO. Initially, the Turkish carrier may place its code in Azul's operations from Sao Paulo (Guarulhos) to many destinations in Brazil, like Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Cuiaba, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Recife, Goiania and Florianopolis, for example. The routes offer fast and convenient connections for customers leaving Istanbul, the biggest Turkish city and also an unmatched hub for its geographical position, to Sao Paulo. Moreover, the agreement works reciprocally; allowing both airlines customers to enjoy connectivity in their respective hubs. - TradeArabia News Service Malaysian low-cost airline AirAsia will be increasing flight frequencies from Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, Thailand to Kunming, the capital and largest city in Yunnan Province, Southwest China. Daily direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kunming will be increased to 14 times weekly starting December 19, while the daily direct flight from Bangkok, Thailand to Kunming will also be increased to 14 times weekly commencing January 16, 2018. To celebrate the occasion, AirAsia is offering all-in-fares as low as RM179 ($43.8) from Kuala Lumpur to Kunming. Bookings are available from now to December 17 on the airline's website and mobile app, for immediate travel until June 30, 2018. AirAsia first launched Kuala Lumpur-Kunming daily direct flight on December 10, 2012, operating daily. Shortly after a year, the airline also launched Bangkok-Kunming daily direct flight. Coming to its fifth years of operations to Kunming, the airline has carried close to 1 million passengers to and from Kunming Changshui International Airport, achieving itself as the largest foreign low-cost carrier in Kunming in terms of capacity. Spencer Lee, AirAsia Berhad head of commercial, said: Five years ago, we launched our first route to Kunming with the aim to enable more people to fly. Since then we have revolutionised the air travel in Kunming and realised many individuals dreams to travel. Due to the rapid growth of Chinas civil aviation, we are seeing more travel demands from the Chinese. Adding flight frequency is one of our commitment to grow China market and we hope more people can easily access to air travel with our low fares. They can also leverage on our Fly-Thru options to travel to more Asean countries and Asia Pacific. With more flights available, this will boost the tourist arrival in both cities, at the same time contributing to the development of Chinas One Belt, One Road policy in increasing connectivity. China remains as one of our key markets. In this year itself, we have launched two new routes from Malaysia to China: Langkawi-Shenzhen, Kuching-Shenzhen. We are also looking at operating more new routes to China from our other hubs in Malaysia such as Langkawi, Kuching and Johor. Known as the Spring City, Kunming is a city with a pleasant climate all year round. The magnificent set of limestone formations in Shilin (Stone Forest) is listed as one of the Unescos World Heritage. The enchanting Jiu Xiang Cave, colourful Dongchuan Red Land as well as diverse ethnic culture are among the well-known attractions in Kunming. With its unique geographic location, the Yunnan Province is a radiation hub for Southeast Asia in the "One Belt, One Road" policy. Its economic, trade and tourism in the province are also well connected with the countries in Southeast Asia. AirAsia currently operates 14 times weekly flights one way into Kunming Changshui International Airport. Beside flights from Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, AirAsia has recently launched daily direct flight from Phuket to Kunming which will commence on February 1, 2018. - TradeArabia News Service Etihad Airways has unveiled plans to launch a second daily flight between Abu Dhabi and Amman, starting in March. From March 25, the double daily year-round schedule will provide greater choice to local passengers travelling between Abu Dhabi and Amman, with attractive timings of early afternoon and evening departures from the capital cities of the UAE and Jordan, respectively. The additional flights, operated by an Airbus A320 with 16 seats in Business Class and 120 in Economy, will also improve connectivity over Abu Dhabi to a wider network of destinations across Asia and the Indian Subcontinent Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways chief executive officer, said: Increasing frequency to some of our destinations globally is a focus as it ensures more travel options for guests looking for greater flexibility. We are therefore delighted to soon offer double daily year-round flights between Abu Dhabi and Amman to cater to growing local demand, and boost business and leisure travel to and from Jordans capital. With improved schedules, we are also offering attractive timings to benefit residents in the UAE and Jordan, and create even better connections over Abu Dhabi to many markets across our network. - TradeArabia News Service Salalah Rotana Resort is set to welcome thousands of tourists to its waterfront resort following the renewal of its partnership with Slovakian tour operator, Hydrotour. The renewed partnership will see guests arrive via charter flight from Bratislava to Salalah, weekly for the next six months. The renewed partnership is a build-up of the resorts effort to market destination Oman to the European market and aligns with the government tourism marketing effort. Oman has seen growth in terms of tourists arrivals to the country over the years, putting its name on the European tourism map, with guests arriving from Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. As travellers seek new adventures, Oman is an appealing destination with its political stability, near perfect climate all year round, rich cultural heritage and natural scenery. Commenting on the renewed partnership, Salalah Rotana Resort general manager, Hossam Kamal said: I am delighted to continue this partnership with Hydrotour until 2020. We successfully welcomed thousands of guests since the initial signing in 2015 and introduced Oman to Slovakia. I am certain our partnership with continue to enhance the Sultanates awareness in the market and further drive guests from the region." Also commenting on the newly signed partnership, general manager, Hydrotour, Mikula Milko said: The past 2 years have been nothing short of rewarding. Positive feedback from our guests and warm business relationship with Salalah Rotana Resort resulted in the continuation of this partnership. We look forward to more years of success as our guests discover Omans beautiful landscape and unmatched natural scenery. - TradeArabia News Service 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. TWIN FALLS, Idaho A 26-year-old man authorities say shot at an Idaho State Police trooper has been charged with aggravated assault and is being held on $1 million bond. The Times-News reports that Arcenio Solorio Sosa was arraigned Thursday in 5th District Court and is also facing charges of trafficking in marijuana and possession of a controlled substance. Authorities say the trooper wasn't injured. Police say troopers were attempting to arrest 24-year-old Carlos Tafolla Bonifacio of Jerome in a Twin Falls parking lot last week when Sosa shot at a trooper. Bonifacio has been charged with trafficking in marijuana, with his bond set at $500,000. Idaho State Police say they seized about $75,000 worth of drugs. Its a familiar refrain: Hunker down. Weather the storm. Ask God for one more boom. But most agree tightening your belt isnt a long-term solution, its a way to get you through a bust. When schools eventually close, businesses leave and government makes cuts, people begin to wonder how many times they can weather the same storm. They talk about tax changes and economic diversification. But then prices tick up or a miracle happens, and those debates are drowned out by shouts that the economy is improving. Nearly 500 coal miners lost their jobs on a single day in March of 2016. Crude prices dropped by 50 percent from one summer to the next. Natural gas struggled. But coal production has improved, oil is creeping towards $60 a barrel, and some talk of export terminals turning natural gas into a global commodity. Meanwhile, Wyoming still faces a nearly $770 million deficit over the next two years and experts warn that continual improvements in the energy sectors may not be a safe bet anymore. Yet many state officials are convinced Wyomings economy is recovering. Despite some of the most conservative lawmakers agreeing earlier this year that overhauling taxes might be necessary for solving the budget crisis and enabling economic diversification, it now appears the will to do so is waning. People are pretty much expecting that our downturn has flattened out and that were maybe on the upswing, said Buck McVeigh, executive director of the Wyoming Taxpayers Association, which seeks to broaden the states tax base. Its going to have a dampening effect for lawmakers. Eating your vegetables Even staring down a major budget shortfall last winter, lawmakers decided not to raise taxes. But following the session, leaders asked a committee to generate proposals to raise significant sums of money up to $300 million before lawmakers meet again this February. And, very reluctantly, they did. The committee took a painstaking approach to considering tax options, often voting not on whether to sponsor a given measure but simply whether to move it on to their final meeting. Then, at what was supposed to be its final meeting Monday in Cheyenne, the committee punted once again. It created a new meeting in January at which it would really finally decide which bills to sponsor. Even with all the caution, lawmakers on the revenue committee arent considering any fundamentally new measures like a corporate or personal income tax, either of which experts say would lessen dependence on minerals. Instead, the weightiest items considered have been modest increases in the states very low sales tax and a temporary increase to the property tax rate which would be removed after a few years or when the energy industry recovers, whichever happens first. But the recoveries of years past arent expected this time around. Not out of the woods The factors that drove coal, oil and gas into a bust havent really changed, according to Rob Godby, director of the Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy at the University of Wyoming. All the dynamics are still there, he said. They are only getting worse. This is particularly true of coal, a resource thats been an economic bedrock for Wyoming for more than 30 years. Coal is now in direct competition with natural gas as its long-term dominance in the electricity sector diminishes. Coal-fired power plants are closing. Renewable sources of power are on the rise. Oil, which showed some improvement this year, has trouble of its own. The global upset that led to the downturn was caused by a sudden rise in U.S. production. If companies adjust to the new normal of $60-plus a barrel, that could upset the balance again and drive the price right back down, Godby said. Long-term concerns about climate change only add to the mix as the transportation sector moves away from gas and diesel. Meanwhile, predictions that natural gas prices will tick up havent proved true, Godby said. The state revenue projections, released in October, made similar warnings. But its the short-term boosts projected by the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group that appear to be what those in charge are focused on. The CREG projections determined that the state would have at least $200 million more than expected to spend over the next two-year budget cycle. That still leaves the gap of $770 million, according to an estimate from the Legislative Service Office. State officials and political watchers are now convinced that whatever iota of momentum major tax changes may have had with lawmakers going into the February budget session is quickly evaporating. Confusing politics Mead acknowledged recently that the tax changes needed to go along with economic diversification, a major priority for the governor, are now unlikely to come during the Legislatures winter session. I think as the revenue picture improves, whatever appetite that was out there if any is somewhat diminished, he said last week. The revenue committees new January meeting is meant to take place after CREG releases its quarterly update to the October report, which may project even more of a revenue boost. It will also come after a select committee on school funding issues its final recommendation, which some lawmakers are likewise hoping will allow the Legislature to spend less on education. Senate President Eli Bebout, R-Riverton, a strident opponent of most new taxes, said he thinks the senate remains largely opposed to new taxes. The CREG numbers being better ... certainly make it easier to say no. Bebouts views on the states tax code are complex. He believes in Meads Endow effort to move the state away from its reliance on minerals through job training and infrastructure spending, and Bebout recognizes the role taxes will play in achieving a more diverse economy. Well never be totally out of the woods unless we truly make a good effort to diversify our economy and broaden our tax base, Bebout said. But Bebouts priorities are cutting state spending and, while he freely acknowledges that the Legislature cant cut its way entirely out of its current hole, the longtime lawmaker still rejects most of the steps that would broaden the tax base and provide revenue to accompany spending reductions. Im a no on property tax increase. Im a no on sales tax increase. I dont like the 1 percent leisure tax, Bebout said. Im a no on an income tax. (Bebout has said he may support a so-called tourism tax.) While Bebout may be one of the anti-tax leaders in the Legislature, Speaker of the House Steve Harshman, R-Casper, whose chamber has been more open to increasing revenue, is now also saying the potential for major tax changes this session has been all but killed by the CREG report. I just dont think were going to have to do those big ones at this point, Harshman said. Thats kind of the way Im looking at these numbers. Long term risks But that doesnt mean the conversations about taxation that have been taking place on the revenue committee over the past year have been a total waste. Revenue committee co-chair Rep. Mike Madden, R-Buffalo, thinks they have set the stage for fundamental tax reform at some point in the future. Theres no good time to reform taxes in Wyoming, he noted. But the longer the state waits, Madden added, the more desperate the future will be. For formerly resource-dependent regions like the clusters of timber towns across the Pacific Northwest, surviving the loss of their primary economic driver hinged on transitioning their economy before the final bust, according to Mark Haggerty, a natural resources expert for Headwaters Economics in Montana. The areas in Washington and Oregon that were already removing themselves from dependency on the mill and the forest could continue to do so as the logging industries finally collapsed. The communities that put off those tough decisions withered. They are still depressed, Haggerty said. They never recovered, and they never diversified. A similar story has played out in Appalachia, but in those towns and states it was coals decline that drove down regional economies, he said. McVeigh, with the taxpayers association, has mixed feelings about the air running out from the Legislatures tax reform balloon. His organization supports broadening the tax base, but McVeigh worries that some proposals, such as raising taxes on liquor, are the knee jerk result of lawmakers desperate for revenue. Thats not good policy, he said, and if lawmakers abandon major tax reform this year, they may avoid passing some of those bills. But the Legislature has been putting off major tax reform since at least the late 1990s, when a study called Tax Reform 2000 that recommended implementing an income tax was shunted aside by skeptical lawmakers. McVeigh said that if elected officials again decide to ignore the problems with Wyomings tax code this winter, it is unclear when they will ever tackle an issue that he agrees is crucial to stabilizing the states economy for decades to come. I dont think anythings going to change, McVeigh said. In the next downturn we will be just as vulnerable as we are now. Christmas of 1863 was one of hopeless despair for Henry. Less than two years previously, Henrys wife, Fannie, tragically died after her long dress caught fire while she was cooking. He had been taking a nap but heard the commotion. He flew to her side and tried to extinguish the flames, first with a rug and then his body, but her burns were too severe. She died the next day and Henrys facial burns were so significant that he was unable to attend her funeral. Despair was embedded in the heart of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. In March of 1863, Charley, Henrys oldest son of 6 children, walked out of his home to travel 400 miles to join President Lincolns Union army. His father had not known his sons heart or what hed been thinking the day that he left. Then while having dinner on Dec. 1, 1863, a telegram arrived to inform Henry that his son had been severely wounded when he was shot in the shoulder and the bullet whizzed his by spine. Henry traveled by train to be with his son. Three doctors performed surgery and suggested the recovery would be long and that paralysis was a possibility. Peace eluded the great poet. War was raging not only in the nation, but in the heart of this man and father. It was in that place of anguish, on Christmas Day in 1863, Longfellow, a 57-year-old widowed father of six children, wrote one of his most famous poems. I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, and wild and sweet The words repeat of peace on earth, good-will to men! And thought how, as the day had come, the belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along, the unbroken song Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Till ringing, singing on its way, the world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, a chant sublime Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South, and with the sound the carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men! It was as if an earthquake rent, the hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn, the households born Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And in despair I bowed my head; There is no peace on earth, I said; For hate is strong, and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; the Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men. Henry heard the Christmas bells chiming that day and the melody of peace on earth echoed in his mind. Yet, he knew first hand that crippling violence raged and that horrific injustice ripped innocence away. There was no happiness, no peace. Until he listened with a heart attuned to the truth of a God who rings the bell of hope for those who are hurting. Christs birth was Gods announcement that He is not dead and He does not sleep. Jesus is reminder, that wrong will fail and in time, right prevails... always. So, though like Henry, we live in times of terrible injustice and unprecedented suffering Jesus brings peace and good-will. Take a moment today and hear the bells. Two more deer have tested positive for chronic wasting disease in south-central Montanas Carbon County, the results coming just a day before the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission will decide the parameters of a hunt to determine how far the sickness has spread in the area. A mule deer doe killed near Belfry and a mule deer buck shot close to Warren, along with last weeks detection of the disease in a whitetail doe killed east of Joliet, has prompted Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to recommend expanding its proposed special hunting zone, along with other changes. Things are evolving so fast, said Bob Gibson, FWPs Region 5 information officer in Billings. Thirty things changed in a conference call this morning. Special hunt FWP will recommend the first-of-its-kind special hunt be expanded north to the Yellowstone River, roughly following the Carbon County border south all the way to Wyoming. The hunt would also now include more of Hunting District 510, east to Crooked Creek, to account for detection of the disease in the buck killed near Warren. Another proposed change would alter the initially proposed split season to a single season, running from Dec. 15 to Feb. 15. Fewer tags would be issued for mule deer but more tags overall would be available. The proposal is for 600 tags for each species with that allotment being split between 100 whitetail either-sex tags, 500 whitetail doe tags and 100 either-sex mule deer tags and 500 mule deer doe licenses. At first FWP was proposing 500 tags each for two separate seasons for mule deer only, but the fast-moving nature of detections continues to force the agency to alter its proposal while positive disease test results come in. The cost of the licenses is $10 for residents, $20 for nonresidents. Up to six of the B licenses can be purchased unless the hunter has already obtained other B licenses during the general season. Apprentice hunters cannot take part. The Montana Wildlife Federation is encouraging FWP to expand its testing and hunting to elk in the region during the late shoulder season, which runs to Jan. 1 in many Region 5 hunting districts. Theres no reason not to take advantage of those harvested animals, said Nick Gevock, MWFs conservation director. If needed, they should issue more licenses for elk. Gibson said theres been no discussion to expand the hunt to include elk since shoulder seasons are already underway. Statistics So far this hunting season, 1,300 deer have been tested in south-central Montana with only five testing positive. The strategy behind the special hunt is to try and determine disease prevalence. We still dont have a good geographic distribution for it, Gibson said. Below 5 percent is what wed like to see. The tests so far havent been extensive enough to assess prevalence, he added, since not everyone hunting in Carbon County had their animal tested. Thats why all hunters who kill deer in the special hunt will be required to provide their deers tissue for sampling. This will be a more statistically sound hunt, Gibson said, with FWP expecting roughly 30 percent of hunters to be successful. Gevock said FWP needs to consider being even more aggressive during these early stages of CWD detection. The Montana Wildlife Federation is backing eradication of the disease, not just containing it at low levels in wildlife. Its serious, he said. This is a Frankenstein disease. He said MWF is also advocating a working group with bordering states and Canadian provinces to provide a more unified fight, especially now that a deer shot north of Chester along the Montana Hi-Line tested positive for CWD. Its clear its coming in from all directions, Gevock said. Thats very disconcerting. Other changes The new CWD detections have also prompted FWP to propose moving its check station north to Joliet, instead of just outside of Bridger. All deer harvested during the hunt must be tested to create a statistically valid sample to assess the spread of the disease in the countys deer herds. Hunters will also have the option of dropping off their harvested deers head at the FWP office in Billings. We anticipate a lot of people will be hunting from Bridger and Belfry, Gibson said, meaning those folks will have to travel farther to have their deer tested. The brains or spines of harvested deer, elk or moose are not allowed to be taken outside a travel restriction zone that includes Carbon and Yellowstone counties, so deer from the special hunt must either be boned or taken to a processor before leaving the counties. Were trying hard to keep from spreading diseased deer pieces around the state, Gibson said. Interest FWP has been fielding numerous calls about the proposed season from hunters anxious to get back out in the field to those with meat already in the freezer wondering if they can still have their steaks and burger tested. (They cant unless they still have the animals intact head.) Out-of-state hunters are also calling to see how they can secure an either-sex tag in hopes of shooting a trophy buck at a minimal cost. Block Management Areas will be open to hunters through Jan. 1, and wardens are working with other landowners in the area to allow some hunting access. FWP is also discussing whether to ask BMA cooperators to extend their contracts to cover the rest of the special season. Landowners are being amazingly cooperative, Gibson said. They dont want CWD on their land. We havent talked to as many in the Rock Creek area, where the lots are smaller, its more residential and a lot of it is posted (no hunting) for safety reasons. Kathy Sanford Thomas is a Casper native who has returned home to retire with her husband, Pat Thomas. She is co-chairman of the philanthropy or caring committee of the Natrona County Republican Women, whose project is Wreaths Across America. How did you get involved? The goal of Wreaths Across America is to place a Christmas wreath on every veterans grave throughout the United States. Since Oregon Trail Veterans Cemetery is the only veterans cemetery in the state, we took this project on and there are 3,000 graves there. What will happen on Saturday? We are asking people to arrive to the chapel at the ceremony by 9:30 a.m. At 10 a.m., there will be a wreath laying ceremony. U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney has accepted our invitation to attend. We will recognize all branches of the military with a ceremonial wreath for each branch as well as for POW-MIA. And after that, we will lay the wreaths at all 3,000 graves. How did your group make this happen? Wreaths were sold throughout the community and throughout the state. Patriot Guard Riders are involved, Civil Air Patrol, Kelly Walsh DECA, DAR and VFW in Laramie. The Natrona County Republican Women set a goal of raising enough money to place a wreath on every grave, and we have surpassed that, so we have money set aside for next years wreaths as well. How do you get the wreaths to Wyoming? My husband, Pat, was with UPS government affairs and chairman of the American Trucking Association before he retired and moved back. The trucking industry is the foundation of this program. They ship them at no cost from Maine to Wreaths Across America programs throughout the United States. And you have had experience with the program in the past? I was a teacher in Virginia, so my students laid wreaths back there. Its a very patriotic, very emotional program. Its really just the least we can do for these veterans. Eighty-six cents of every dollar donated to the program goes to purchasing a wreath. The CEO of Wreaths Across America does not take a salary. And the wreath laying itself has meaning? The program asks you to read the soldier or veterans name out loud as you place the wreath. A person dies twice: once when they take their final breath, and later, the last time their name is spoken. The mission of Wreaths Across America is to remember the fallen, honor those who serve and their families and teach the value of freedom. The executive director of the program says, We are not here to decorate graves. Were here to remember not their deaths, but their lives. So you need a lot of help to lay 3,000 wreaths? Absolutely. We are asking for volunteers and community participants whether they bought a wreath or not. Tucked under an interstate overpass next to a gas station, the Pump Room is bringing a new flair to a space rich in Casper restaurant history. The location of the original Benhams and later, Poor Boys Steakhouse, is a property of C85 group, which also owns the Wonder Bar, the former Galles Liquors and Branding Iron, with a projected opening date of Jan. 2 in the old Botticelli location on Second Street. The Branding Iron will feature burgers, salads and pasta, as well as a full bar. Pump Room features a large package liquor retail space, a private dining room with seating for at least 20 and an intimate bar and food space. There are separate outside entrances to the retail space and the bar and each can be accessed from the other inside. Skyler Joy is part of the three-person C85 Group management team, serving as assistant operations manager to Jim McBride. Bob Henry is the culinary manager and together, the three oversee all aspects of the groups growing hospitality businesses. The retail section features slushy machines with 12 flavors and a large selection of beer, wine and spirits. We are pretty comfortable in our selection and pricing being pretty competitive, Joy said. I love the wine selection and love our whiskey selection. We take pride in that. While Joy said Wyoming consumers like their whiskey, he said there is a large amount of curiosity, when it comes to trying new brands. The retail side features a growler station with four rotating beers. Joy said the lure of a growler station is offering keg beer that you cant necessarily find in package. This way, you can take it home and enjoy it for a weekend. Just off the retail space is a lovely room, dubbed the wine room, which is available for private gatherings. Joy estimated that 10 to 15 groups have already used it for Christmas parties, company gatherings and even large family gatherings. A stunning, handcrafted table of wood and metal centers the space, with 20 grey leather chairs around it. The live wood slab table top was crafted by Caspers John Dierenfeldt, and the base and metal accents were made by Kustom Koncepts, also of Casper. While wait staff service is available in the room, there is also enough space for casual serve yourself, as well as additional round tables to accommodate more seating. One bonus of the space is private restroom facilities. We market this as situational, meaning we dont have a fixed rental price to use the room, Joy said. Instead, we talk to you and find out, do you need bar service, will you be ordering from the menu, what is it that you want to do with this space. For generations, Casperites marked special occasions with an evening at Benhams. The dark supper club atmosphere and romantic, rustic Pump Room bar space brought the feel of luxury that was missing from Caspers dining scene at the time. C85 has returned some of that ambience to the Pump Room, with intimate seating for 50 to 60 at small tables and a stylish bar top. There are no televisions, and Joy said that is on purpose. The vision is very intimate and cozy business lunches, date nights, happy hour. You can have an intimate conversation and hear each other, he said. The menu, while newer to Casper, is nothing Wyomingites should fear, Joy said. We call it tapas style, small plates, appetizers, shareables. We love to encourage you to pick out a few things and get to try a few different things from the menu. There is nothing on here you cant pronounce, nothing you havent had before, its just presented in maybe a newer, fresher way. Joy mentioned pork, steak and chicken as all being prominent on the menu, along with charcuterie boards, which are a selection of meats and cheeses presented on a large platter or board. The food is pretty straightforward. Its being able to try something and talking about it with the rest of your table, Joy said. Half the fun of going out is seeing what other people are ordering, and we want you to do that here. The Pump Room side features a wine station at one end and a spirits station at the other, allowing patrons to dispense their own from a cash card situation loaded at the bar. At the wine side, for example, you can purchase a taste, a 3-ounce half glass or a 6-ounce full glass. Domestic wine tasting starts as low as $1.49. You might not want to buy a bottle of wine for $150, but now you can try it for far less, Joy said. The other end of the space features a spirits station, with the same concept labeled taste, single or double. If you want to spend $20, you load $20 on the card at the bar, and then you try what you want, Joy said. The retail side has been open since mid-August and the Pump Room since mid-October. There is no obligation to purchase food in the Pump Room, so those looking for a new spot for an after-work beverage or Happy Hour wind-down are more than welcome, Joy said. Retail hours are 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Pump Room hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Joy stressed that food is available until closing time seven nights a week. Police have arrested a 31-year-old Wyoming woman suspected of throwing her 2-month-old daughter into a ditch near a Cheyenne truck stop, causing serious injuries. Cheyenne police said Lillian Jeffrey was arrested early Saturday morning for alleged child abuse and child endangerment. Officers suspect she may have been high on drugs at the time of the incident. We are looking at the involvement of narcotics as a factor in it, said Officer Keith Malatesta, spokesman for the Cheyenne Police Department. The mother was making nonsensical statements when officers arrived. We cant establish a motive at this time but it is something we are looking at. We are trying to figure out what led to this. Officers responded to a suspicious activity call at about 1:15 a.m. at a Loves Travel Stop service station. Police said Jeffrey was in the drivers seat of a vehicle, acting erratically. The windows were down with two car seats in the vehicle but only one child present. The baby was found injured in a ditch and taken to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, where she was airlifted to a Colorado hospital for further treatment. An update on the girls condition was not available. I dont know the extent of (the injuries), Malatesta said. Serious enough that the child had to be life flighted from Cheyenne to Denver. Authorities say its uncertain how long the infant had been outside on a night when temperatures were in the low 40s. The other child in the car, a 4-year-old, was not injured and was taken into protective custody. The car itself was dirty, Malatesta said, and was full of diapers and other items. It appears that child wasnt being cared for at that moment, he said. It was unknown if Jeffrey had an attorney. As Sen. Mike Enzi and other national lawmakers negotiate a final tax bill, Wyoming education and health officials warn that some possible provisions could have a negative effect on schools and hospitals here. Overall I think its a pretty tough way to go about undoing the Affordable Care Act, Eric Boley, who runs the Wyoming Hospital Association, said of the provision in both the Senate and House tax bills that would eliminate the individual mandate, which requires people buy health insurance or face a penalty. Its a workaround. I dont really see what it has to do with taxes. I dont think theyre addressing the issue of making it better. I think it would be a real hardship on graduate students at the University of Wyoming today and graduate students going forward, Chris Boswell, UWs vice president for community and governmental affairs, said of the House bills provision that would tax graduate students tuition waivers as income. In recent weeks, both the U.S. Senate and House passed tax reform legislation. Both would provide steep tax cuts for businesses and more modest tax breaks for families and individuals. The tax cuts in each bill add up to about $1.5 trillion over the next decade. Wyomings congressional delegation Enzi, Sen. John Barrasso and Rep. Liz Cheney each supported their chambers tax bill. In statements, Barrasso, Cheney and the spokesman for Enzi praised the legislation. Under the bill, (Enzi) believes Wyomingites would generally see their taxes simplified, lower tax rates, increased wages, more jobs in their communities and a stronger economy, Enzis spokesman, Max DOnofrio, wrote in an email statement to the Star-Tribune. Enzi is one of a handful of senators selected by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to meet with House members and negotiate a final tax bill. Axing the mandate Among other things, the Senate bill would eliminate the individual mandate, one of the most controversial parts of the Affordable Care Act. Republican lawmakers tried for much of this year to roll back the bill but ultimately failed earlier in the fall. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said that repealing the mandate will result in 13 million fewer people possessing health insurance in the coming years. It would also provide about $338 billion in revenue over the next 10 years. Cheney, Barrasso and DOnofrio all praised the Senates proposed repeal of the mandate. It takes Obamacare from being a mandatory program to a voluntary program, Barrasso said in a statement. This will give additional relief to low- and middle-income families. DOnofrio noted that should the mandate be repealed, it wouldnt eliminate Americans ability to obtain subsidies to help pay for insurance. But Boley who has criticized parts of the Affordable Care Act said the elimination of the mandate would destabilize the insurance exchanges and cause prices to jump. Theyre not really addressing the overall issue and not coming up with an overall solution, he said of lawmakers. Theyre just dismantling it piece by piece. Affecting students and teachers The bills also have notable implications for education. The House bill would tax the tuition waiver that many graduate students often receive as income. For instance, Rachel Edie an atmospheric science PhD student at UW currently has her tuition covered by her department. Should the Houses bill provision become law, that tuition would be treated as income on which Edie would have to pay taxes. It feels very I dont know hostile toward higher education, Edie said. According to UWs website, masters students receive an average stipend of $19,987.46 for about nine months worth of work. PhD students like Edie receive an average of $24,694.46. She said that going back to graduate school meant setting aside a career and the salary it would bring. Were making way less money than our peers generally because were making maybe 20 grand a year, she continued. So were kind of setting ourselves back in that respect. ... I think if I were just considering going to graduate school and the price tag were a lot higher and departments couldnt offset it by offering higher stipends, I think it would deter her from going. Boswell said the university has spoken with its delegation about its concerns with the tuition waivers. He said UW President Laurie Nichols ran into Enzi in an airport and spoke with him. We are not passive on this, Boswell said. He said the university was simultaneously most concerned with taxing tuition waivers and most hopeful that particular provision wont make it into the final bill. The tuition waivers were not the only provision affecting higher education. The House version would also eliminate the tax deduction that can be taken by paying student loan interest, Boswell said. Essentially, those with student loans can deduct a certain amount that they pay on the interest of those loans. Barrasso said he supported keeping both that deduction in place and tuition waivers untaxed. Cheney responded to a list of detailed questions with a statement, and her spokeswoman did not respond to a follow up question about whether the representative supported taxing tuition waivers. DOnofrio, Enzis spokesman, said he would leave comments on the House bill to House members and that he is not going to negotiate the different provisions of the tax bill through the media. The bill has implications for K-12 education, as well. The Houses bill would eliminate the $250 deduction teachers can take for spending their own money on school supplies, while the Senate would double the amount they can deduct. Kathy Vetter, the president of the Wyoming Education Association, said the $250 current deduction is already less than the more than $500 the average teacher spends on school supplies each year. She said that while eliminating the deduction would keep more money out of teachers pockets, it wouldnt stop them from trying to help students. I dont think it will significantly affect the amount of money that teachers spend, Vetter said. I dont believe they spend it because they get a tax deduction. Teachers spent that money because they believe in students. Barrasso said he supported ensuring teachers who spend their own money on classroom supplies receive a tax deduction. Fear of future cuts Vetter and Boley both said they were concerned that a final tax bill which could add more than a trillion dollars to the federal deficit will result in cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and other entitlements. We have a lot of children that live in poverty and they rely on those government services to insure that they get their health care and all of the food and everything, Vetter said. This tax bill raises the deficit and then consequently they may cut services, that really does affect our children. The concern has been raised by the media and opposing lawmakers, who say that Republican lawmakers will turn to slashing entitlements to pay for the cuts that will come from the tax bill. Medicares giant fund for inpatient care isnt expected to start running out until 2029, more than a decade away. But an anti-deficit law currently in effect could trigger automatic cuts as early as next year about $25 billion from Medicare. McConnell, the Senate majority leader, has denied this, and Barrasso noted that the tax bill itself does not cut Medicaid, Medicare and other entitlements. But he said that if we want to get serious about the debt, we must cut wasteful spending, shrink the federal government and permanently strengthen critical programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. The Associated Press contributed to this report. In September and October, Native American students at Sheridan College were the target of racial threats. In November, fliers calling the Holocaust a hoax were posted in several buildings at the University of Wyoming. After the leaflets were discovered, UW President Laurie Nichols condemned them. At Sheridan College, officials are still searching for the person or people who wrote the racial epithets, and the college says its undergoing changes to make it is more open to non-white students, especially Native Americans. All campuses are dealing with this right now, this is not unique to the University of Wyoming, Nichols said in a recent interview with the Star-Tribune. I mean, you cant pick up anything in the world of higher ed and not read about serious issues around racism. But the charges of racism on American college campuses often bump against free speech, Nichols said. Take the flyers: The university took them down, and they were technically illegal as the posting of handbills violated a Laramie ordinance. But the flyers content was free speech that, while completely false, is protected by the First Amendment, a UW spokesman said. The university hired a diversity coordinator over the summer, a move partially spurred by student protests at UW. Nichols made the position a priority when she took over in spring 2016. Last week, she said there has never been a time when its more important to have one than right now. American college campuses have been wrestling with charges of institutional racism in recent years. The University of Missouri was the site of widespread protests calling for the resignation of top college and state education officials in 2015. A student went on a hunger strike, and the schools chancellor and the university systems president both stepped down. More recently, college campuses have been the site of clashes and protests related to controversial speakers. Protesters caused $100,000 worth of damage at the University of California, Berkeley over a planned appearance by controversial right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos, who has called feminism cancer and has been associated with neo-Nazis. After Buzzfeed News released emails revealing those associations, Yiannopoulos disavowed racism. A video discovered by Buzzfeed showed white supremacists performing the Nazi salute as Yiannopoulos sang America the Beautiful at a karaoke bar in Texas; Yiannopoulos said in his statement he could not see the men. Richard Spencer was one of the men giving the Nazi salute to Yiannopoulos. A white supremacist who believes in the separation of the races, Spencer gave a speech at the University of Florida that drew massive protests and prompted Gov. Rick Scott to declare a state of emergency. While the University of Wyoming has not been visited by a speaker similar to Yiannopoulos or Spencer, some students in Laramie were upset by conservative writer Dennis Prager, who spoke on campus last month. UW students peacefully protested the speech, which was about how socialism makes people selfish. Prager was invited by Turning Point USA, a young conservative activism group. A frequent recipient of criticism from the political left, Prager has written about a number of controversial topics, including his opposition to gay marriage, which he said was a more radical redefinition of marriage than the outlawing of polygamy. Nichols said she was approached by students who wanted to invite Prager to speak and she encouraged them to bring him in. And then a group of students immediately were concerned by it and were kind of upset by it and wanted us to shut him down, she continued. But you know thats an area where speaking about the right to free speech is very important and where we encourage you this is what a college education is about. Go listen to what this person has to say. And if you dont agree, speak up because its your opportunity to voice your opinion about it. While Prager may be controversial, protests against Yiannopoulos were sparked at least in part because he had previously displayed pictures of a transgender student at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. The student was ridiculed and eventually withdrew from the school. Asked where universities draw the line if they do at all on speakers, Nichols said it was a really hard and colleges must evaluate them on a case-by-case basis. You sit down with the student group, you talk about who they want to bring in, talk about the level of controversy, she said. You know, respecting rights on campus, you do try to do that. And if you need to up security, you just do it. That seems to be the stance that most universities have taken. People are polarized, she continued, and that coming together and sitting down and talking about it, its a tougher issue today than maybe it was 10 years ago. A Cheyenne water rights attorney is considering entering the Wyoming governors race, staking out ground on the libertarian right. Harriet Hageman has been active in Wyoming and national politics, though has never stood for public office. She created an exploratory committee last month. Hageman said that her consideration of a run has come out frustration with federal overreach, especially regulations on water and energy development. Ive just reached the conclusion that somebody needs to address this, Hageman said. We need a leader who is willing to stand up and try to right this wrong. She believes that governors in general could take a more assertive role in pushing back against the federal government when it seeks to impose policies on states. Hageman served as a state delegate to the Republican National Convention last year, when she told E&E news that she is skeptical of climate change data and models. She also worked as an adviser on Liz Cheneys short-lived run against Wyoming U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi in 2014 and Cheneys successful House run last year. During Cheneys run against Enzi, Hageman said, If were going to change the trajectory of the country, we have to change our leaders as well. Hageman gained attention in the early aughts while serving as outside counsel for the state of Wyoming in a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Services roadless rule, which barred road construction or reconstruction on millions of acres of Forest Service land. She worked on behalf of the state from 2001 to 2003, clashing with environmental groups working on behalf of the federal government. But Hageman was removed as outside counsel several months after Democrat Dave Freudenthal was elected governor, a move she said was politically motivated. Her fights with environmentalists landed her the moniker Wicked Witch of the West, a title that High Country News said Hageman was proud of. Hageman was a little more circumspect in an interview with the Star-Tribune, noting that some family members were offended at the name but saying she understood where it came from. Ive been known to be an aggressive attorney, Hageman said. Im pretty effective at what I do. Hearing from voters A fourth-generation Wyomingite who grew up on a ranch near Fort Laramie, Hageman has worked for irrigation districts across the state as well as other government entities, including the city of Rawlins. She said this work has given her insight into day-to-day government operations. Traveling around Wyoming this fall, Hageman said she has repeatedly heard residents emphasize the importance of good government and transparency. What that comes down to is where our money is being spent, Hageman said. How is it being spent? Why is being spent? Who are the decision makers? In addition to running her Cheyenne law firm, Hageman has traveled around the country talking to groups about regulatory overreach and the growth of the administrative state, in which professional agency staff, rather than elected officials, create sweeping federal policy, she said. Hageman carries a large, three-year binder with her research on the topic. The attorney said she sees the governors role as one of defending Wyoming residents from outside forces including federal overreach. But she said that part of that meant effectively overseeing state government operations, because the more power that can be moved from federal to state hands, the stronger Wyomings own agencies will need to be. If we are able or successful in pulling some of that power out of Washington, D.C., how do we ensure our agencies are able to provide services? she said. If Im successful in getting power away from the EPA, our DEQ is going to be primarily responsible. Hageman said that she expects to make a decision on whether to run in January and that other entrants into the race will not affect her decision. Her father, Jim Hageman, served as a representative in the Wyoming Legislature, where he was known as an advocate for agriculture, from 1983 until his death in 2006. Race remains open The Democratic field has consolidated around former state lawmaker Mary Throne, also a Cheyenne attorney, but the GOPs pick for governor remains anyones guess. 307 Politics: Mary Throne sharpens her campaign teeth, attacks state spending Welcome to 307 Politics. This launched as an email newsletter a few weeks ago and for the fi State Treasurer Mark Gordon initially said he would announce a decision on whether to run by the end of the legislative session in March, but now says he may do so sooner. Secretary of State Ed Murray said he hopes to make an announcement by January. Gov. Matt Mead, a Republican, is termed out. Sheridan businessman and political novice Bill Dahlin is the only Republican candidate to have officially entered the race so far. CHEYENNE The governors budget request for the Wyoming Community College Commission is reasonable. Thats what Jim Rose, executive director of the WCCC, said Friday during testimony before the Legislatures Joint Appropriations Committee. He hopes the Legislature will approve Gov. Matt Meads 2019-20 biennium budget request. I think the governor has a really good comprehension of the needs of the colleges, and his support has been unwavering, Rose said. We know were sailing into some kind of uncharted water here with the economy, but hes been a stalwart supporter in spite of the challenges he has to keep the books balanced. Rose and Matt Petry, deputy director and chief financial officer for the WCCC, reviewed the commissions portion of the governors budget request Friday with members of the JAC. Many of the commissions exception requests revolve around technology. Rose said the exceptions are changes from the standard budget, which is based upon the budget from the previous biennium. The top five exception requests total a little more than $646,000 for technology needs. Those include computing system maintenance, data services, hardware, software, IT training and consulting, and a learning management system. Of those requests, Mead recommends approving nearly $285,000. He is not recommending the Legislature fund some of the hardware and maintenance costs or the learning management system. And additional difference is under hardware, software, IT training and consulting. While the WCCC is requesting about $88,400 for that need, Mead recommends just less than $32,000. Rep. Albert Sommers, R-Pinedale, asked if the system maintenance requests were because of increased software. Rose explained that they did change the systems they used, which has significantly improved the commissions functionality. Appropriations Committee Co-Chairman Rep. Bob Nicholas, R-Cheyenne, asked Rose to provide information on the previous costs, why they are increasing so much and how theyve tried to pay for the increases. The idea that this would be an ongoing budget that just jumps up this much automatically doesnt make sense, he said. Rose said the commission staff can provide information showing why those costs escalate. He added that he and his staff are not disputing the smaller allocation Mead is recommending for hardware, software and IT, but they feel the expenditures are necessary. Rose explained that he believes the governor may not have been supportive of some of the training aspects. Rep. Tom Walters, R-Casper, asked what would happen if these expenses were not approved. Rose replied, We would have to make some pretty serious and Draconian decisions about which are absolutely vital to try to keep as much of this operational as possible. The WCCC cannot refuse to pay the software providers, he said. We just dont have the option of saying, Were not going to do this anymore. Its a statutory obligation that we have. He added that staff would have to be allocated to maintain systems once maintenance agreements ran out. We would try to keep going, but it would be a serious impediment to our ability to function at the level that we know we need to, Rose said. The remaining two exception requests from the WCCC are: money for the Wyoming Investment in Nursing (WyIN) Program and restoration of the biennialized FY18 legislative reduction. The governors recommended budget shows that he and the WCCC recommend the Legislature provide $835,000 to the WyIN Program. It provides tuition reimbursement for nurses who agree to work in Wyoming after they graduate. Nicholas asked Rose to provide current data on how well the program works to help the Legislature decide if the cost is worthwhile. Mead did not recommend the restoration of the legislative reduction, however. I understand why the governor wants to sustain the cuts that have already been implemented. I mean, you cant go back to the old budget because we got a little better CREG (Consensus Revenue Estimating Group) report, Rose said. Were sustaining the cuts at this level, but we know it may not be enough to cover the bills by the time we reach the end of fiscal year 2020. We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some Dec. 10 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. Festschrift is a German word for essays written by colleagues or students of a accomplished, respected academic and scholar. Tucson author Tom Miller would unlikely consider himself an academician, although he has lectured to college classes. He would probably scoff at being called a scholar but he certainly has deep knowledge about a number of subjects. Rather, he would be content to be known as an author and journalist. For that, a 63-page Festschrift has been written to honor Miller, author of more than 10 books and countless newspaper and magazine stories about the border, the Southwest, Latin America and Cuba. The publication features 15 individuals, most of them from Tucson, and was edited by David Carter, a former business editor for the Arizona Daily Star. Miller, who dropped out of college after a couple of years and has written about the border and Latin America for more than 40 years, would surely rank with anyone with several degrees working in academia. I didnt learn it in English or journalism class, said Miller, whom I recently visited in his midtown home where he lives with his Cuban-born wife, Regla Albarran. What he learned, he said, he learned by doing. Some of his books include Jack Rubys Kitchen Sink: Offbeat Travels through Americas Southwest, On The Border, The Panama Hat Trail: A Journey From South America, Trading with the Enemy: A Yankee Travels Through Castros Cuba, the compilation Writing on the Edge: A Borderlands Reader, and his latest, Cuba, Hot and Cold. An excerpt from his new book was printed in the Arizona Daily Star on Nov. 12. His articles and essays have appeared in the Washington Post, New York Times, Smithsonian and Rolling Stone. Miller founded the U.S.-Cuba Writers Conference, a bilingual and bi-national conference held in Havana, and is co-founder of Writers of the Americas. He also has long been affiliated with the University of Arizonas Latin American Area Center as a guest lecturer. And the UAs Special Collection Library has Millers personal collection of underground press publications and material he gathered in his years of research and writing. Carter, who accompanied Miller to Cuba in January 2016, said that Miller, who generally keeps a low profile, deserved wider recognition. Carter said he hatched the Festschrift after seeing one devoted to Eliana Rivero, UA professor emerita in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and adjunct professor of Womens Studies and Latin American Studies. Rivero contributed an essay to Millers homage. Tom has helped create the area of borderland studies, Carter said. Miller, who grew up in Washington, D.C., and spent a couple of years in an Ohio college, arrived in Tucson in the late 1960s. He had already dabbled in journalism when he began to explore the complexities and wonders of border life and strife. It was all new and, using basic journalistic senses, Miller immersed himself in border culture and currents. I didnt have to go too far to find a good story, he said. One of his first major stories, as a stringer for the New York Times, was on the trial of Thomas and Patrick Hanigan, two brothers and ranchers who, with their father George, were accused in 1976 of kidnapping and torturing three Mexicans who had traversed their land while crossing the border in the Douglas area. Only Patrick Hanigan was found guilty, after three trials. Millers mid-80s Panama Hat Trail, in which he traces a straw hat from its creation in Ecuador to its sale at a high-end hat store in San Diego, is considered one of the best travel books. Miller said the key to that book, and any other travel book, is to explore deep and wide into the culture and people. It wasnt about hats, he added. But its been Cuba that has captivated most of his attention and work. Miller began visiting and writing about the small island more than 30 years ago when few Americans were traveling there, much less writing about the country and its people. In his writings, Miller went off the beaten path, to explore parts of Havana and the provinces that were unknown to American readers. Miller explored the contradictions and challenges through the stories of everyday Cubanos. And through his literary and cultural tours, Miller helped Americans navigate Cuban daily life. Cuba always has and will be of great interest to the United States, he said. At 70, Miller feels he has another book in him. It will be a challenge because of health issues. But knowing Miller, as I have for many years, I have to believe him that hes not finished writing and sharing his keen observations. There are still stories to tell, he said. When Abran Tadeo drove his RV up to a Border Patrol checkpoint west of Tucson, it was his third inspection in the last couple of hours. On that day in December 2016, he and his family were returning to Tucson from a beach trip to Rocky Point and had been inspected at the Lukeville border crossing. Theyd also gone through a Border Patrol checkpoint about 20 miles north of the border along Arizona 85. And now they were pulling into another Border Patrol checkpoint near Three Points. I drove up to the checkpoint and opened the window to say, Were U.S. citizens, Tadeo told me last week. The agent insisted on wanting to hear from everyone in the car. I say, Were all U.S. citizens. When the agents didnt accept Tadeos declaration, the situation started to devolve. This is the third time. Were getting harassed, Tadeo told the agents. One agent denied that, saying everyone is treated the same. Soon the situation turned into bickering and confusion. In the end, all seven family members in the RV were detained for hours. Tadeo, 47, and his sister Andrea, 50, were each charged with assault on a federal officer. These were two among 847 reported assaults on officers of U.S. Customs and Border Protection during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. That was a 45 percent increase over the 585 incidents that CBP officers reported in fiscal year 2016. The surge in reported assaults happened at the same time total apprehensions by CBP officers on the Southwest border plunged from 563,204 to 415,191, a 26 percent decrease. Assaults have continued in Southern Arizona this fiscal year. Border Patrol agents in the Tucson Sector have reported three assaults on officers since Nov. 17, including one in the Baboquivari Mountains that led to an agent shooting a border crosser who had allegedly assaulted another agent and taken his gun. But Tadeos case may point to another factor: Some agents, if not their union or the agency itself, may be overeager to claim assaults. One of the agents on the scene Dec. 28, Edmundo Lopez, reported that Tadeo hit the gas, striking the agent and leaving the agent in fear for my life. It was a compelling story that helped justify a felony charge except there were four videos of the incident, two from agency cameras and one each taken by Tadeo and his niece Icelia. Ive watched those two, and both undermine what the agent claim happened. But for 10 months that evidence didnt matter, because Andrea and Abran Tadeo were accused of federal felonies, something that could have threatened Abran Tadeos career. He needed to explain his arrest to then-Bishop Gerald Kicanas. The reason: Abran Tadeo is the parish priest at St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Catholic Church, 801 N. Grande Ave. It didnt look good for him to be out in the world committing felonies. But he and his attorney, Barbara Catrillo, prevailed on the bishop to understand the charges were unfounded and would be dismissed. They were right. Relatively few prosecutions For years, the National Border Patrol Council has been arguing that the job agents perform is more dangerous than the public appreciates. They face unexpected dangers working in isolated locations, sometimes with difficult communications. Even federal prosecutors have been the target of the unions ire, for not prosecuting enough people accused of assaulting agents. If its not a slam-dunk case, they dont want anything to do with it, Art Del Cueto, the union head in the Tucson Sector, told my colleague Curt Prendergast in October. If thats true, its not for lack of encouragement on the part of the prosecutors boss. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said during an April 11 speech in Nogales, I have directed that all 94 U.S. Attorneys Offices make the prosecution of assault on a federal law enforcement officer thats all of you a top priority. If someone dares to assault one of our folks in the line of duty, they will do federal time for it. Still, there were only 54 prosecutions for assault on a federal officer in Arizona in fiscal year 2017, according to the Transactional Records Clearinghouse, which tracks federal criminal cases. And that includes not just Border Patrol agents but federal prison officers, Bureau of Indian Affairs officers, Forest Service rangers and other agencies. That is a relative handful, as Del Cueto said, but the Tadeos case shows there may be a reason. In a written report, Agent Lopez set up the case against Tadeo by saying that when he arrived at the RV, I could see that Tadeo was becoming agitated and was displaying pre-assaultive indicators with labored breathing and taking in large amounts of air. Lopez wrote that he was standing in front of the passenger-side mirror. The driver then hit the gas and the RV moved forward. Before I could move out of the way, the passenger side mirror struck my left shoulder. I was in fear for my life thinking the drivers intent was to run me over. The videos, which I viewed at attorney Matt Schmidts office, undermine this story. Tadeo declined to release them for publication until he has a chance to show them and talk them over with Tucsons new bishop, who took office Nov. 29. The videos do show Lopez standing by the passenger-side mirror, and they show that the RV rocked when Tadeo apparently released his foots pressure on the brake. They dont show any acceleration or significant forward motion. They dont show the mirror striking Lopez. They dont show Lopez acting as if he were in fear for his life. What they show is that agents yelled conflicting commands at Tadeo, and Tadeo said he thought they asked him to drive forward. Then, just as the dispute was escalating, a canine handler said his dog alerted to the vehicle, indicating possible contraband inside. No he didnt, Tadeo scoffed. Importantly, the agents then allowed him to get out of the vehicle and walk to the passenger side and try to open the back door there. They didnt take him down or otherwise treat him like an assault suspect. And when they said they were going to detain him and started trying to put him in cuffs, Tadeo repeatedly asked why he was being arrested. Lopez responded that they were detaining him because the dog alerted to the car. He didnt mention any assault. When Andrea Tadeo got out of the RV, agents were already getting ready to cuff her brother, and she was upset. Leave my brother alone, she said. What the hell? There was bustle in the group as Andrea apparently tried to get between the agents and her brother. At some point she appeared to touch Agent Roosevelt McKnight while trying to move past. Lopez, in his report, says Andrea Tadeo attacked McKnight. The criminal complaint against her says she pushed Agent McKnight, pulled on Agent McKnight; grabbed Agent McKnight by the shoulders, arms and neck area; and dragged Agent McKnight. The video is not completely clear in these moments, and it shows she was hostile, but an attack didnt happen. She may have grabbed McKnight by a shoulder, which technically could amount to an assault, but most of the rest of that description, especially the alleged dragging of a much larger agent, appears to be an exaggeration. Nevertheless, McKnight got a week off work for neck pain a few days later. Hard-line rhetoric The Tadeo incident took place in a transitional political moment. We had a lame-duck president, Barack Obama, in the White House, and Donald Trump was preparing to take office, having won in part by declaring he would take control of the Mexican border by building a wall there. The National Border Patrol Council endorsed Trump early on and embraced his hard-line rhetoric on the border. Trump repeatedly mentioned its endorsement as he campaigned around the country. Its support bolstered his legitimacy. I requested an interview with Del Cueto as well as the Tucson Sectors new chief, Rodolfo Karisch, but they did not accept, and the CBP did not answer a series of questions I sent them last week about assaults on Border Patrol agents. Although the union and administration have had somewhat different positions on the proposed border wall, theyve maintained consistency in their rhetorical thrust painting the U.S.-Mexico borderland as an out-of-control and violent area that needs to be taken back. Thats continued even though apprehensions have plunged so low that in the Tucson Sector last year there was less than one arrest per agent per month. A tendency to jump at every opportunity to make the border look violent came into view again after a Nov. 18 incident. That night, two Border Patrol agents were found in a culvert alongside Interstate 10 in West Texas with serious head injuries. One agent, Rogelio Martinez, later died of his injuries. Union officials quickly declared the case a murder. Del Cueto, who also serves as a national union spokesman, told El Paso TV station KTSM the agents were out there responding to a sensor, and one agent was murdered. I know people dont want to jump to conclusions and say stuff, but the reality is you hear the talk about individuals trying to get a better life and enter this country to get a better life, but the reality is they will stop at nothing, including killing a federal agent including taking someones life, which is what happened. Trump and other Republican officials, including Rep. Martha McSally of Tucson, quickly echoed the unions early conclusion, and Trump turned it into an argument for his signature border wall. Trump tweeted: Border Patrol Officer killed at Southern Border, another badly hurt. We will seek out and bring to justice those responsible. We will, and must, build the Wall! Then the story became more complicated. The FBI described the incident as a potential assault and in recent days obtained a search warrant targeting two brothers who may have been involved. But the local sheriff and other investigators said evidence suggested the incident could have been an accident, perhaps one in which a tractor-trailer sideswiped the agents. Before investigators had determined what really happened, the agents union and their political allies knew what they wanted to be the case. They wanted it to be a murder. Agents claims refuted Out in Three Points, the agents eventually decided they considered the Tadeo situation to be an assault. Agents took the whole party to the Border Patrol detention facility in Tucson. When I asked Abran Tadeo about the experience, he started to talk but choked up. Oh man, it was rough. Ive never been arrested before, he said. Everybody in the RV was put in a cell. My mom, 77 years old, my sister-in- law, my niece, my two brothers, and of course my sister and I. For a while, there was a chance to lie down on the mats provided, Tadeo said, but then more people were brought in overnight, and there was no room. Everyone had to stand up. Eventually, the agents completed their search of the RV after the alleged hit by the dog. They found nothing. While Andrea and Abran Tadeos relatives were released after about seven hours in the detention center, the two of them remained until the next afternoon. The terms of their release were typical, but they did impinge on their lives: no alcohol, no guns, required counseling. Tadeo had to drink grape juice instead of wine for his own Communion. As the case wore on, Tadeo said, he was a candidate for a $30,000-per-year side job with Veterans Affairs, where he was already doing part-time work as a chaplain. He lost that opportunity because of the pending criminal case, he said. The VA also ended his part-time job. The case lasted 10 months. It endured until defense attorneys Catrillo, who represented Abran Tadeo, and Hugo Reyna, who represented Andrea Tadeo, obtained all the evidence in the case. Then, on Oct. 16, Reyna and Catrillo each filed motions to dismiss the charges. Reynas conclusion: The graphics and audio in the video are clear and intelligible, and the disclosed evidence unquestionably refutes the allegations made by the Border Patrol agents in this case. Catrillo asked that Abran Tadeos charges be dismissed because of outrageous governmental conduct. The U.S Attorneys Office did not fight the request and on Oct. 31 agreed the case should be dismissed, which U.S. District Judge Raner Collins did on Nov. 2. If Father Tadeo and his sister didnt have the films they had, they would have been dead ducks, Catrillo said. Now they are preparing a legal claim and will likely file a lawsuit over the arrests. The public may end up paying for the agents zeal to show that in the hubbub of those few minutes at the checkpoint, assaults happened. But the bigger question for the public is if the agents exaggerations in the Tadeo incident were an exception, or if the surging number of reported assaults on CBP officers stem from similar embellishments that paint a scary, politically useful picture of the borderlands. Davis-Monthan Air Force Bases A-10 ground-attack planes will fly on, Arizona military installations will see new investment and Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems will make more missiles under pending versions of the 2018 defense budget. Theres a chance that could change, since Congress must act to raise budget-control caps in order to spend the nearly $700 billion in defense spending authorized under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed and sent to the president in mid-November. Last week, Congress passed a continuing resolution to continue defense funding for a few months, but lawmakers still must pass an annual defense spending bill. Barring a failure to adjust the budget caps or an unexpected about-face on the NDAA, the Tucson regions interests are well-served under the pending act and a defense appropriations bill passed by the House, said U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, R-Tucson. Though the Senate has yet to pass an appropriations bill, the A-10 and other support for local military missions is written into both chambers versions of the NDAA and the House appropriations bill, said McSally, a former A-10 pilot who sits on the House Armed Services Committee. Weve got it in three of the four bills, so we feel pretty good, said McSally. Its a good deal for our troops, its a good deal for Southern Arizona this is actually good news from Washington, she said, also highlighting a 2.4 percent across-the-board pay raise for service members. The head of the DM50, a local group that supports D-M, said the budget support is encouraging. Air Force plans to retire the A-10 the local air bases biggest mission and to make other cuts have caused local leaders to worry in recent years that D-M might face closure if its missions were diminished. D-M has an estimated annual economic impact of nearly $1 billion, according to studies by the base. Were feeling very good about the current missions, said Bryan Foulk, a Tucson dentist and chairman of the DM50, crediting support from McSally, Sen. John McCain and other members of the states congressional delegation. Theyve really done a great job of keeping the Arizona bases growing. Meanwhile, there is no imminent prospect of any major base closures, though McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Jack Reed floated the idea of a modified base-closing process to address a surplus of military installations. But Congress has denied the Pentagons requests for a new base realignment and closure, or BRAC, round since the last round in 2005, and the McCain-Reed amendment didnt make it into the version of the NDAA sent to President Trump. I dont think its going to go forward this year, but its gaining traction, Foulk said. Moving money The budget battle isnt over yet, though. While congressional budget writers haggle over the total defense budget, appropriations committees are at work on the individual spending bills, which are generally guided by the NDAA. The NDAA calls for fully funding nine squadrons of 283 A-10s and keeping 171 combat-coded, or ready for battle, McSally said. D-M is home to one A-10 combat squadron, an active-duty training squadron and an Air Force Reserve training unit. The defense appropriations bill passed by the House includes $103 million to complete wing replacements on 110 A-10 Thunderbolt II jets. The Air Force had been trying to retire the A-10 Warthog for budget reasons beginning in 2019 but has extended that date to 2022 amid resistance in Congress and high demand for the plane, a slow-flying, Cold War-era tank killer that excels at close air support of ground troops. The rewinging and other upgrades would keep the A-10 flying into the 2030s, despite concerns voiced by senior Air Force officials that some planes may run out of service hours and be grounded before they can get new wings. McSally said the Air Force has enough wiggle room in its budget to avoid that problem, and it must do so to keep enough A-10s amid continual deployments. A-10s have dropped 20 percent of the munitions used against Islamic State militants and have been deployed to Europe and South Korea for exercises as tensions have mounted with Russia and North Korea, McSally said. Were just holding the line right now, she said. They can move some things around a little to keep them flying. The House appropriations bill also includes $17.5 million for non-wing upgrades and $6 million for safety testing, McSally added. New Compass Call The pending defense legislation also fully funds the operations of the 55th Electronic Combat Group based at D-M, which operates EC-130H Compass Call electronic warfare planes that have been continually deployed for jamming and surveillance operations in the Middle East since 2002. The Air Force proposed retiring about half of the aging Compass Call jamming planes based solely at D-M by 2019, but Congress stepped in and halted the plan. In September, the Air Force awarded a contract to L3 Communications, the main Compass Call aircraft integrator maintenance contractor, to fit the EC-130H jamming equipment on a new plane in a process known as cross-decking. L3 was given the power to choose the new platform, and it chose the Gulfstreams G550 business jet, which has been adapted as an early-warning radar platform. McSally said she backed the Air Forces decision to let L3 choose the aircraft to host the Compass Call mission, though giving the contractor that leeway resulted in an unsuccessful challenge from Gulfstream competitor Boeing. That was a very innovative approach that I supported, she said. The good news is, D-M will likely still host the Compass Call mission when the new plane is ready, which could take several years. The 55th Electronic Combat Group has a force of more than 800 airmen. Theyre staying here, for sure, McSally said, citing multiple conversations with military leaders on the issue. Raytheon cashes in Raytheon, the worlds biggest missile maker, also will see increased orders for Tomahawk cruise missiles, Sidewinder and AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, and other weapon systems, totaling more than $1.5 billion under the pending defense legislation. The NDAA includes $12.3 billion for missile defense, about $4 billion more than the Trump administrations initial request after the president asked for the increase in November to help counter the missile threat from North Korea. Raytheon Missile Systems, Southern Arizonas largest private employer, makes the Standard Missile-3 and SM-6 interceptors for the sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system and the kill vehicle for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system. The NDAA also authorizes $705 million for Israeli cooperative missile defense programs involving Raytheon $558.5 million more than the administrations request. Raytheon divisions elsewhere make some missiles for the Patriot system, and radar and control systems for several missile-defense programs that also are in line for budget boosts. Among other Southern Arizona defense priorities, the pending NDAA includes: $22 million for construction of a general-instruction building at D-M; Full funding for the missions at the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, with increased personnel funding and more funding for research, development and testing; $30 million for a ground-transport equipment building at Fort Huachuca; And $36.4 million for an enlisted dining facility and community buildings at Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma. Its sad to see our president smiling broadly while holding up his proclamations removing development protection from two special natural wonders. Its not a happy occasion for those of us who enjoy visiting the outdoors or seeing that unique places of natural beauty and cultural history are preserved. Instead, we are seeing the government that is responsible for our public lands become the No. 1 enemy of the natural and cultural objects found in such places. By attempting to reduce two national monuments, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante, the administration is trying to reverse over 100 years of positive conservation progress. And for what, the possibility now of leasing the land to mining and drilling interests? The point of these special public lands is that they contain historical objects, unique ecosystems, or endangered species that should be permanently protected. So, why remove the protection. Is it because we need more coal? Perhaps. Campaign contributions from special interests? Perhaps. Then again, maybe it has something to do with favoring one person from Utah, who happens to be the head of the Senate Finance Committee and recently orchestrated passage of the administrations desired tax bill. If so, we the people, are paying a very dear price for the granting of a campaign promise. Public lands are ours. They belong to all of us, the people of the United States. They do not belong to any one state, and should not be used as bargaining chips to return political favors. The 10 Western states were already given millions of acres when they were chartered by the federal government. The remaining federal land, our land, does not belong to the states. Its there for the peoples enjoyment, now and for generations to come. Except it wont be there in its current beauty if its not protected from development for short-term profits by the robber barons of our time. Trump, speaking to the Utah politicians in attendance, said at his celebratory signing away some 2 million acres, that hes giving them voice over the use of the land. What about our voice the voice of the people of the United States who own the land? In the recent Department of Interior review of national monuments, almost 3 million comments were sent in. Over 90 percent in favor of keeping protections in place for these lands. Trump further said that regulators thousands of miles away dont know your land and truly they dont care for your land like you do. Does he mean its Utahs land now? Did he just give away our property? Or, does this just mean that the professionals at the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management do not know what theyre doing and truly dont care? My answer is that it may be Mr. Trump that doesnt know what hes doing or truly doesnt care. Its too bad that the administration doesnt care about the wishes of five local Native American tribes that regard Bears Ears as full of sacred places. And forget about the scientific work being done. Its too bad that the administration is so focused on undoing the environmental progress established by previous administrations, from Teddy Roosevelt to Barack Obama. As John Muir advised over a century ago, its one thing to establish a special place, but another to continue its protection. Please let your voice be heard by your federal legislators. Q: I am writing to you as we have had a poor experience with Sandals Resorts. The week of June 4, my husband and I stayed at its resort in Barbados. Major construction was going on at the resort. The construction had been ongoing and was not disclosed to me. It carried on from early in the morning until dinner time. There was not a location at the resort where you could escape the loud noise. We tried to make the best of the situation; we used ear plugs and finally resorted to having to listen to music played loudly with earphones to try to drown out the noise. It was a very stressful vacation. We had a challenging year and were very much looking forward to this respite. We were willing to pay the price for a Sandals resort to have a quality experience. If we had known of the construction, we would have selected an alternative location. During our stay, we spoke to a customer representative who told us that our complaint would be registered and that the director of guest services would contact us within one to two days. We had to follow up with her, and she told us that the company could not respond to our complaint until after we had settled the bill and were home. Once we arrived home, we followed up with her and were told that a ticket was opened on our behalf. We were offered two free nights if we booked another Sandals vacation within a year. We already have a U.S. vacation planned for 2018 and would not be able to book another Sandals vacation within that time frame. We have lost faith in the company. We have had three vacations with Sandals Resorts and would have continued to do so in the future. We are very concerned with its lack of communication. Any assistance or guidance you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Lisa Chiarello, Clarksboro, New Jersey A: Sandals should have told you about the construction before you booked your vacation. After all, it claims to be the recognized standard of romantic beach vacations, and construction noise is not romantic. Im troubled by the companys preferred resolution process. Did someone really tell you that you had to settle the bill and go home before Sandals could help? Thats nonsense. Sandals has a second resort in Barbados, which might have been able to accommodate you. I always recommend trying to resolve a problem like this right then and there. It seemed as if Sandals just wanted to take your money and send you a halfhearted offer of two free nights. (Of course, they arent really free if you have to pay for airfare and other expenses.) You kept excellent records of your correspondence with Sandals. Thats helpful when youre trying to negotiate a resolution. Sandals wrote you a nice reply, which appeared to be a formal letter, in which it apologized for your experience, noting, it is a real concern to us when on rare occasions despite everyones good intentions, circumstances arise which cause the events described. To me, this sounds like Sandals believes the bad vacation you had was no ones fault. But it was. The company is directly responsible not only for the construction, but also for failing to notify you of the repairs. I might have appealed this to someone higher up at Sandals. When a company sends insincere apologies and halfhearted offers, its time to escalate your complaint. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of Sandals executives on my consumer-advocacy site: www.elliott.org/company-contacts/sandals/. Help India! By TCN News The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), an advocacy group dedicated to safeguarding Indias pluralist and tolerant ethos, noted the sense of outrage among millions of Indians, both within India and across the diaspora over the heinous murder of Mohammed Afrajul, a Muslim migrant worker from West Bengal, who was hacked with a cleaver and his body set on fire in Rajasthans Rajsamand district. The accused in the case, Shambulal Regar, is captured on video committing the crime and claiming that he committed the murder to stop Muslims from love-jihad a term publicised by Hindu supremacist groups to refer to Muslim men supposedly marrying Hindu women and converting them to Islam as part of some grand conspiracy. Support TwoCircles We are appalled at the horrifying level of hate and violence that not only exists but is worsening by the day, particularly in the state of Rajasthan, said Ahsan Khan, the National President of IAMC. We call upon the Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to uphold her constitutional duty to protect the lives of all citizens, regardless of caste and creed. This would include reining in organizations like RSS, Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad who have been on the frontlines of spreading hate and discord against the states Muslim minorities, Mr. Khan further added. Mohammed Afrajuls killing is the fourth hate crime against Muslims in Rajasthan in the last nine months. Earlier in April, Pehlu Khan was brutally assaulted by self-styled cow vigilantes that led to his death two days later. Later in June, Zafar Hussein was killed after he objected to city officials photographing women defecating in the open. In November, cow vigilantes attacked Mohammed Umar and his colleagues who were transporting cattle, and Umar was later found dead. The perpetrators of these hate crimes are emboldened by the failure of state administration to effectively prosecute these cases of hate crimes. In September, the Rajasthan police closed its investigation into murder of Pehlu Khan and exonerated all six individuals named by Khan in his dying declaration. Commenting on this issue, Seema Salim, National Vice President of IAMC, expressed grave concern at the rising tide of hate crimes in Rajasthan. The Chief Minister, Raje must demonstrate the political will to ensure the security of the states Muslim minorities and dismantle the culture of absolute impunity and protection accorded to the perpetrators of these hate crimes, said Seema. Indian American Muslim Council is the largest advocacy organization of Indian Muslims in the United States with chapters across the nation. For more information, please visit our website at: Jerusalem was declared the capital of Israel by Donald trump this week, a move that has been widely condemned as unnecessarily provocative. World leaders have largely condemned the move and even his own state department warned him against making such an announcement, the effects of which will be felt by Palestinians the most. The US have always supported Israel but never has a leader made a move that could damage any chance of peace within the region. Hamas leader called for an intifada (or uprising) across the region in protest to the decision. On Thursday and Friday, Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli police in Gaza, leaving 2 dead and over 300 injured. On Saturday saw Israeli forces bomb the Gaza Strip, killing and injuring multiple people. 30 years after the first intifada It is rather poignant that the decision by Trump to officially recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, came on the eve of the first intifada. On the 8th December 1987, a truck ploughed into Palestinians on the Gaza Strip refugee camp of Jabalia, killing 4. This event was widely seen as a deliberate attack by the Israeli government which sparked the first intifada. This came as a shock to most people because the economic situation in Gaza was relatively good and the occupation of Gaza was more focused on revolutionary organisations, rather than ordinary citizens, as it is now. The first intifada was largely peaceful, and the Palestinians took matters into their own hands through demonstrations, boycotts and strikes. Furthermore, in response to an Israeli crackdown on Palestinian education, the Palestinians ran underground schools and clinics. But in response to these protests, the then Israeli defence minister, Yitzhak Rabin, encouraged Israeli forces to break the bones of the protestors and that prisoners and detainees would be tortured and beaten. The intifada lead to the Oslo agreement, which set up the Palestinian Authority (PA) but many are disillusioned with the PA because Israel have illegally expanded their settlement and Palestinians face violent persecution daily. Brexit MEANS BREXIT, or does it mean breakfast as previously suggested? The government are certainly being eaten alive for breakfast by the EU and the latest setback and revelation inspire little confidence in whomever the PM is because Theresa May is merely a brown paper bag with dog excrement inside, set on fire. Excuse the Americanism but it seems a worthy comparison, the same metaphor could be used for Donald Trump too and he has the hair colour to boot. Down to the serious business, firstly, Theresa May was undermined by her bosses, the Dup, over the surprisingly good deal she brokered for Northern Ireland. Her paymasters said no, and of course they would, I mean what public representative represents. Secondly, David Davis admitted there were no Brexit Impact Assessments, despite previously stating there were over 50 of them. The Northern Irish gamble Theresa May's dodgy deal with the DUP following the general election looks to be a disaster waiting to implode. Following a decision by May to allow Northern Ireland to be excluded from certain parts of Brexit, notably being able to stay within the Customs Union and the Single Market. She forgot to inform her higher up, Arlene Foster. Who came out and stated they wouldn't support Mrs May over this decision. Despite the deal being a positive step, the DUP insist on using their leverage with Mrs May to blame Irish Republicanism for this offer that would help the Northern Irish people considerably. This does underline their desire be the ones who have power regarding the talks of power-sharing in Northern Ireland and being able to twist the British government to do your desires, certainly has an edge. Furthermore, they stated they want the same deal as the rest of Britain, except on abortion and equal marriage. Mrs May attempted to revive Brexit but Mrs Foster decided that was not going to happen any time soon. In another power gamble, Arlene Foster declared that she should have a seat at the negotiating table. Schrodinger's Brexit impact Studies David Davis has been adamant for the last year or so that the government had significant Brexit impact studies, boasting they were in excruciating detail and that Theresa May had seen them. Then came the moment that Labour forced a vote in which they subsequently won, this vote was forcing the government to release them to the relevant committees so that Brexit could receive proper scrutiny across parliament from all parties. However, this week David Davis admitted to the House of Commons Exiting the EU Committee, after questions from Hilary Benn MP, that they did not exist. This means that it confirms that the government have no idea how Brexit will affect the UK and that they have been conducting negotiations without any semblance of a coherent plan. Consequently, this highlights why Mrs May's negotiating position has changed drastically since she became PM. Since the DUP vetoed the first idea that would've moved on negotiations, Foster and May have both agreed on a compromise, the EU have confirmed that they would move onto the second stage of negotiations. Brexit omnishambles Since day one, this has been a mess and no-one who campaigned for Brexit had a plan, just rhetoric about sovereignty, immigration and the commonwealth, basically a hark back to the 'good old days' of the British Empire. Comparatively, the European Parliament have 47 of their own Brexit impact studies from a wide range of experts which are available to the public online and this even includes a section on the impact of Brexit on the UK and the UK's relationship with Ireland. It has taken the UK government around 8-9 months to agree to what was being touted by the remain camp before the EU referendum over the divorce bill and citizens rights, furthermore, there is no real clarity over what is going to happen to Northern Ireland. Mrs May has seemingly agreed to what the DUP want and what the people want, which significantly differs. Michael Gove has since said that if the public don't agree with the Brexit deal then they can vote for change at the next election but that wouldn't be until beyond the date we leave the EU, his wording almost suggests that there will be another election before March 29th, 2019. If this is the case, then it clarifies even further that the Conservatives are trying to preserve themselves over getting the best deal for the country. On Friday night, Donald Trump spoke to a crowd of supporters during a rally in Pensacola, Florida. As the crowd was filing in, a reporter for the Washington Post posted an image of a light crowd that was at the venue at the time, much to the chagrin of the president. Trump's rally rage Ever since Donald Trump picked up the upset win over Hillary Clinton last November, he's done something that presidents typically don't do after they are elected. In the 11 months that has followed, the former host of "The Apprentice" has held rallies for himself in areas where he preformed well during the election. Trump's latest self-congratulatory rally took place on Friday night and was held in Pensacola, Florida. The location of the event was a curious one, as it took place just miles from Alabama, where a special election will take place in less than week to fill the vacant Senate seat, with Republican Roy Moore taking on Democrat Doug Jones. During his lengthy speech, Trump made sure to hit some of his favorite talking points, like bashing the media, attacking Democrats and Hillary Clinton, as well as patting himself on the back for the recent success of the economy and for allegedly winning the so-called "War on Christmas." After an image of the rally went viral on social media, showing a less than packed house, Trump decided to call out the reporter responsible for the picture by attacking him during a December 9 tweet. .@DaveWeigel @WashingtonPost put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo! pic.twitter.com/XAblFGh1ob Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017 Taking to Twitter on Saturday night, Donald Trump accused Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel of posting "fake news" about his rally. "Dave Weigel of the Washington Post put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived at the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in," Trump tweeted. "Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in," Donald Trump went on to tweet, while providing additional photos that show a larger and more enthusiastic crowd that the image in question. Not stopping there, the president than demanded an apology and a retraction from paper. "Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo!" Trump concluded. Closing out As Donald Trump closes out his first year in office, it appears he's not looking to end his war of worlds with mainstream media anytime soon. Though Trump and his supporters claim to be riding high, recent polls show the president with an approval rating that lands between 32 and 35 percent. shannon beador and her husband, David Beador, have parted ways and now, fans of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" are wondering how much the reality star will be getting from her former spouse. Just a short time after the reality stars announced the end of their relationship, the mother of three is said to be heartbroken as her friends encourage her against looking back. "Shannon Beador is heartbroken," a source close to the reality star told Star magazine, according to a report by All About the Real Housewives on November 13. "But her friends are telling her it's good riddance, and she knows they're right." As fans well know, she's been through a lot with David Beador, including a very publicized betrayal. Shannon Beador's marriage trouble began to play out on "The Real Housewives of Orange County" years ago after David Beador admitted to having eight-month affair in 2014. As fans will recall, David slept with another woman for months but ultimately agreed to try and work things out with his wife. Then, last year, the now-ex-couple was seen renewing their vows during a small wedding ceremony in Southern California. How much could Shannon Beador receive in her split? Shannon Beador, according to the report, could get everything out of her estranged husband and apparently, everything is quite a lot. In fact, David Beador is said to have an estimated Net Worth of a whopping $20 million. "David's infidelity played out on ['The Real Housewives of Orange County']," another source told Star magazine, adding that Shannon has plenty of ammunition to take David to the cleaners. According to a separate report shared by Radar Online in reference to Shannon Beador and David Beador's impending divorce, the ex-couple is currently in the process of hammering out the details of their split because neither party wants to drag out their break up. Plus, they reportedly feel as though their separation has already been dragged out. David Beador is on board with child support and spousal support According to Radar Online, David Beador isn't concerned about how much Shannon Beador could be awarded in child and spousal support, especially considering his past affair. To see more of Shannon Beador, David Beador, their relationship, and their co-stars, including Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Judge, Kelly Dodd, Meghan King Edmonds, Lydia McLaughlin, and Peggy Sulahian, don't miss the new episodes of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" season 12 on Mondays on Bravo TV at 9 p.m. Longtime faithful Hawaii Five-O fans recall every detail of the battles with Wo Fat, Gabriel Waincroft, and the totally despicable Marco who killed and put Danny's brother, Matt, in a barrel, despite the millions demanded in cash, back in Season 5. There had been some unforgettable foes who attempted to thwart the best crime-fighters ever known on the island throughout Hawaii Five-O history. There has even been a robotic monster and many ghoulish Halloween fiends who did their best to take on the team. In this week's ninth episode for Season 8, Make me kai (Death at Sea), the villain that Five-O faces doesn't walk or carry an arsenal of guns, but comes as close as any to bringing the four of the five on the task force to death. Not even a deadly hemorrhagic flu destroys the ohana between the new or old members of this force, and the final 10 minutes are some of the most daring, caring, death-defying, and memorable moments in Hawaii Five-O annals. Lt. Commander McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin) isn't the only Navy Seal hero in this one. Hardly alone The day starts fairly typically at Hawaii Five-O headquarters, Danny (Scott Caan) and Steve are squabbling over serving gluten-free and healthy options on their restaurant menu, to which Danny says they can go somewhere else if patrons don't tolerate his family recipes. Junior has the best reply to the debate, responding that you only here to learn and observe rather than offer opinions. When a socialite, Monique Sims (Alexandra Chando) is rescued alone and adrift from a life raft, the team traces the location to the yacht she left from, the Serenity, only to find that no one on board responds to McGarretts communication. When they fly out for a deeper investigation, they discover a scene beyond gruesome, with 11 on board dead from the effects of a biological agent, leaving blood from nearly every orifice. It takes only nanoseconds for all the team to realize that they all been exposed to the same fate, and Steve insists that with no one can leave the ship under risk of exposing any other people, no matter the desire. Instead, they collect as much evidence as possible, including an actual tissue sample from a deceased woman, to send back on the helicopter, hoping the effort will lead to the identification of the agent and a cure. Lou (Chi McBride) initially calls in Adam (Ian Anthony Dale) because Adam and Monique have known each other socially for a while, but Adam hasn't been part of that scene of social circles for a while, and doesn't recognize any of the victims. He and Lou soon find out that not only is there no available cure for this virus, but that finding one could take months, and this strain is very fast-acting. The estimate is that the Hawaii Five-O team members on the ship have just eight hours to live, and very difficult hours before the end. Not such a victim Monique regains consciousness and relates to Adam and Lou that a man named Marko (William R Edwards) came on board from another ship while she was recovering from a headache, and began firing a gun. She says that she just ran for the life raft, wanting to spare her life. When Lou tells Steve about this Marko, it sends the team searching the ship for his body, and Steve finds him in the electrical room below. He doesn't seem to bear the evidence of the terrible flu. He looks like someone who has been shot, and that explains the fired flare that Danny had discovered earlier. A suitcase is found beside Marko, with vials of the virus, and one accidentally was broken, leaking enough to kill many. The CDC is at work to reach Five-O and a cure, but waiting and hoping are the only options. Jerry (Jorge Garcia) does the work to follow the money and finds that Monique took a $500,000 payoff from offshore shell companies to bring Marko, also known as a Ukrainian bioweapons agent, Andreas Koslov. She obviously had agreed to help him transport the virus to Hawaii, and from there a horrific genocide could occur. There is a glimmer of hope when the team realizes that Marko/Koslov doesn't show signs of infection, meaning there is an antidote. Alas, none is found on board, and every member of Hawaii Five-O is now hurting from symptoms. A standout feature from this episode is how every member of the team supports the other, from Junior (Beulah Koale) helping Noelani (Kimee Balmilero) to overcome her flying fears in the helicopter, to his moving words to Tani (Meaghan Rath) about not giving in to fear, reminding her that you're still in the fight and that their fate of death might be a maybe, but not a probably. Steve wont talk any final goodbyes with Danny, either. The two share sips of some nice wine and Steve teases about now being the time Danny chooses to worry about cooties. Danny seems to decline fastest, and Steve nurtures him, much like he did through the building explosion in Season 5. They are committed as one to survival. A storm is brewing in the clouds. Lou sets up a sting call to Monique from a would-be Koslov, seeing as she escaped before either his fate or the virus was exposed. He is committed to nailing Monique not only for information but for getting the antidote. She is cornered at the meeting location, thinking she is dropping off the cash and gets shot as she tries to run for it. Captain Grover makes it clear that her only choice is to cooperate or die. He is no Mr. Nice Guy this season. Summoning united strength Some of the most suspenseful Hawaii Five-O scenes ever fill the final minutes. Night falls amidst the storm, as time dwindles. A call comes that the helicopter has brought the antidote. Steve goes on deck through the downpour and sends a flare to guide the helicopter. Tani and Steve struggle to attach the cable to the ship. When Lou sends the case of antidote across the cable, the tension and swaying of the ship break the cable, and the life-saving red case falls to the water. Steve could hardly walk minutes before, but now, he dives into the water. He goes for the case and gets swallowed by waves. Junior jumps in to save the man who is his mentor, and Tani does her part to drag them to safety on board. They collapse with exhaustion, but they are alive, and the injections of antidote are safe. Anyone watching had to be pumped with adrenaline. Every member of Hawaii Five-O struggles with keeping it sedate and quiet, even in quarantine. Junior is doing crunches, and Tani has no trouble talking back to the boss during their chess match, concluding that He's pretty good, but I'm just better. As cameras fade, Danny and Steve go at it again, as Steve has a change of heart about their restaurant waiting room. Spirits are healing along with bodies. Next week looks to carry over a little from this episode in the two-episode winter finale. Fans have no reason to lean back on the sofa just yet! 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 Shares are forecast to slow down this week in the face of rising profit-taking pressure after a long rally, net selling by foreign investors and uncertainty before the portfolio restructuring period of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The benchmark VN-Index ended nine straight weeks of gains with a loss of 2.1 per cent in the first week of December, closing Friday at 940.16 points. Viet Nams benchmark index had expanded nearly 14 per cent in November. After a brief rise on Monday, the market experienced three consecutive falling sessions as profit-taking selling increased, especially of large caps, which sent their prices down. The biggest listed company Vinamilk (VNM) gave up 4 per cent in value last week while brewer giant Sabeco (SAB) declined 6.4 per cent. Two large real estate companies, FLC Faros Construction (ROS) and VinGroup (VIC), slid 14.2 per cent and 2.1 per cent. Bank stocks that gained substantially in the past rallies were also caught in downtrend. Shares of the big four (four biggest banks by total assets and market value) Vietcombank (VCB), Vietinbank (CTG), BIDV (BID) and Military Bank (MBB) decreased by between two and four per cent. We believe there is a strong selling pressure in the market. Besides, lower liquidity, which may come from the reduction of margin positions, indicates that investors are less exposed to risk than before, Quang Vo, senior analyst at Viet Dragon Securities, wrote in a weekend report. Predicting the VN-Index could return to an uptrend, Quang Vo advised that investors protect their gains and reduce margin positions until the market shows clear recovery signals. The HNX-Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange also edged down 1.5 per cent last week, closing Friday at 113.81 points. Liquidity weakened with an average of 277.4 million shares worth VN5.8 trillion (US$254.4 million) being traded in the two markets per session, down 12 per cent in volume and 20 per cent in value compared to the previous week. Foreign investors concluded as net sellers last week, offloading 2.8 million shares worth VND942.7 billion on the two exchanges. Their net selling was a negative factor, given that they posted not purchases of VN11.3 trillion ($495.6 million) in November. According to Nguyen Viet uc, a market strategist with MB Securities Co, a number of funds and investors began to realise cash profits towards the end of the year and look for new investment opportunities. He said it was typical that the market gets dull before the ETFs portfolio restructuring. The market may level off in one to two weeks and is likely to continue to rise after ETFs finish reviewing their portfolios, uc said. Nguyen Van Hanh, a senior broker at Sai Gon-Ha Noi Securities Co, said downward correction was necessary during an uptrend to consolidate the new price base and reduce market risks. Hanh said large-cap stocks may recover in early trading this week but general trading will likely slow down as investors will continue to realise profits and then wait to get a clearer sign of the next trend. He predicted that the VN-Index will move in the 930-950 points range this week. VNS It is helpful to farmers when the weather brings them what they expect and very unhelpful when it does not. Many farmers planted peach blossom trees especially for Tet but the weather was not kind to them. A nasty typhoon swept across their lands, causing many of the trees to become damaged and destroyed. This is very sad for the farmers. NINH BINH Floodwater from recent typhoons have damaged thousands of one-to-four-year-old peach blossom trees in Tam iep City in ong Son Commune in the northern province of Ninh Binh. The trees were being prepared for the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival which falls in mid-February, but have wilted and died, creating big losses for local farmers. There is a large area of peach-blossom trees in Tam iep City. This is the time of year when farmers enthusiastically get ready for the Tet holiday. However, the trees were submerged in flood water for a week last month, which destroyed 43ha out of 150ha. Pham inh Thao, a farmer in Village No 7, said that this year his family planted more than 130 peach blossom trees. Before the typhoon, the trees grew well and maintained beautiful postures which were expected to bring high profits, he said. But during the typhoons, more than 100 trees died, and the remainder are starting to wilt. Thaos family estimates it lost hundreds of millions of ong (VN100 million equals US$4,400). Another grower, Ninh Van Manh, a senior planter in the commune, said peach-blossom trees were very dependent on climate, so they were easily affected in the typhoons. More than 50 trees of Manhs family were submerged. To limit losses, Manhs family is putting great effort into caring for the remaining trees. According to preliminary statistics of the ong Son Commune Peoples Committee, more than 4,000 peach blossom trees died since last month. Chairman of the commune Farmers Association, Le Van Sy, said peach-blossom trees were a famous product of the commune. Sy said that in the short term, local authorities and the association advised farmers to replace the dead trees with new ones. They also suggested that farmers should dig drainage ditches and earth-up the trees more to cope with the abnormal weather. With the remainder of the trees, Sy said farmers should give them more fertiliser so they would develop roots. As well as destroying peach blossom trees, the prolonged typhoon last month also caused serious landslides in Tam iep City, affecting more than 30 households. Pham inh Cu, chairman of the ong Son Commune Peoples Committee, said that in the past, peach blossom trees had been the most valuable plant in the commune. On average, local farmers sell 4,000-10,000 trees per year at prices of at least VN300,000 ($13) per tree. The trees are sold in nearby provinces and cities such as Ha Noi, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa and Nam inh. Last year, the total income from selling peach blossom trees in the commune reached VN10 billion ($444,400). The trees create work for nearly 800 households with nearly 1,000 people in the commune. Head of the Tam iep City Economy Division, inh Huy Hieu, said that to develop the tree industry, since 2015, city authorities had supported local farmers with capital and technical guidance. VNS GLOSSARY Floodwater from recent typhoons have damaged thousands of one-to-four-year-old peach blossom trees in Tam iep City in ong Son Commune in the northern province of Ninh Binh. Blossom means flower. The trees were being prepared for the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival which falls in mid-February, but have wilted and died, creating big losses for local farmers. A plant that has wilted has become weak and droopy. This is the time of year when farmers enthusiastically get ready for the Tet holiday. To do something enthusiastically means to enjoy doing it a lot. However, the trees were submerged in flood water for a week last month, which destroyed 43ha out of 150ha. When trees are submerged they are underwater. Ha is short for hectare. The size of land is measured in hectares. Before the typhoon, the trees grew well and maintained beautiful postures which were expected to bring high profits, he said. To maintain means to keep. A posture is a position the tree keeps while standing. But during the typhoons, more than 100 trees died, and the remainder are starting to wilt. The remainder means the left over. In other words, the trees that did not die after the typhoon. Another grower, Ninh Van Manh, a senior planter in the commune, said peach-blossom trees were very dependent on climate, so they were easily affected in the typhoons. If trees are dependent on climate, they need the weather to be good to them. According to preliminary statistics of the ong Son Commune Peoples Committee, more than 4,000 peach blossom trees died since last month. Statistics are figures that are made up from accurate counting. Preliminary statistics are early, or first counts that have not yet been confirmed to be the official counts. Sy said that in the short term, local authorities and the association advised farmers to replace the dead trees with new ones. To advise means to tell somebody what might be a good idea to do. To replace a dead tree means to remove it and put a live, healthy one in its place. They also suggested that farmers should dig drainage ditches and earth-up the trees more to cope with the abnormal weather. Drainage ditches are ditches that are dug to take water away. Abnormal weather is unusually harsh weather. As well as destroying peach blossom trees, the prolonged typhoon last month also caused serious landslides in Tam iep City, affecting more than 30 households. A prolonged typhoon is one that lasts a long time. WORKSHEET State whether the following sentences are true, or false: More than fifty of Ninh Van Manhs familys trees ended up underwater. Pham inh Cu is chairman of the ong Son Commune Peoples Committee Chairman of the commune Farmers Association, Le Van Sy. Fertiliser can help develop the roots of peach blossom trees. Pham inh Thao is a farmer in Village Number Eleven. ANSWERS: Duncan Guy/Learn the News/ Viet Nam News 2017 1. True; 2. False; 3. False; 4. True; 5. False Medicine: Linhzhi is an expensive fungus. In Viet Nam it is mostly grown on farms or in households. Photo baomoi.com Viet Nam News by Hong iep Forty-three-year-old Le Ngoc Khanh from ak Hrinh Commune in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum quit his stable job as a teacher at a vocational school and started growing mushrooms in 2014. Being a novice in the business, Khanh enrolled in a training course to learn how to overcome the challenges. He now owns a 6,000-square-metre mushroom farm that yields tonnes each year. In 1998, after serving in the army, Khanh married and studied at the construction college in Ha Noi. After finishing his study, he returned to his hometown and worked as teacher in ak Ha District and then a vocational training school. The hard training in the army helped me to acquire independence, self-discipline and become more tolerant of the challenges in life, said Khanh. In 2010, he visited some households expertly growing lingzhi mushrooms in Cu Chi District in HCM City. Khanh found lingzhi could bring high economic benefits and began to nurture a dream of growing them. In 2012, he visited a lingzhi mushroom farm run by a woman in Krong A Na District in Kon Tum. Khanh then quit his job to pursue mushroom growing. Yet it was not easy. Most of his friends opposed his decision, but he was so determined that he joined a four-month course that offered knowledge and skills in growing the fungus in the Krong A Na vocational training centre. During the course, he also travelled to other localities, including Phu Yen and Quang Nam, to learn more. Khanh then started growing lingzhi at home. Khanh and other former soldiers also set up an agriculture, trade and service co-operative. The co-operative was where the soldiers exchanged knowledge on working life, offering their skills to local people. By establishing a co-op, it is easier to call for investment from local small business, said Khanh. Khanh hired four workers, the children of co-op members to work on his farm. They learned and worked for a monthly income of VN3.5 million (US$55). Wall to wall: Le Cong Khanh earns VN250 million a year from fungi. His farm also provides jobs for local people. VNA/VNS Photos Hong iep Khanh opened his first lingzhi farm in 2014, which covered 100sq.m and grew four types of mushrooms lingzhi (Ganoderma lucidum), wood ear (Auricularia auricula-judae), oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), and straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea). Initially he suffered a big loss as only 300 packages of mushrooms were of high quality to sell. I still persisted with the project and dedided to stay on the farm to identify the reason for the failure, said Khanh. With patience and persistence, by late 2015, Khanh was able to sell 250kg of wood-ear mushroom for VN23 million ($1,000), 150kg of lingzhi for VN80 million ($3,500), and 5.6 tonnes of oyster mushrooms for VN100 million ($4,400). With more than VN200 million ($8,800) from the sale of mushrooms, Khanh paid off his loans and invested in the next batch. In 2016, things went more smoothily. Khanh made a machine to keep the mushrooms warm. He also made a mixture of chilli, garlic and lemongrass to sterilise the farm. Early 2017, he broadened the farm to 9,000sq.m. Khanh invented almost all the farm machinery and equipment himself. Currently, his mushrooms are distributed in several supermarkets in Kon Tum, Phu Yen, a Nang, and HCM City. Khanh also sells mushroom at the embryonic stage for those who want to grow mushroom by themselves - and shares his knowledge with locals in Kon Tum and Phu Yen provinces. Now my hard work has paid off. I am so happy. Mushrooms are such a passion, said Khanh. In 2016, sales of mushrooms reached VN 600 million ($27,000) with profit of VN150 million ($6,600). In the first 10 months of this year, Khanh earned VN1 billion ($44,300) in sales with profit of VN250 million ($11,000). "Khanhs farm is an exemplary model in the commune. The local authority encourages production to expand so that it can provide more jobs for local people, said ang The Quyet, chairman of ak Hrinh Communes Peoples Committee. Nowadays, mushroom cultivation is being encouraged in Viet Nam as it not only produces clean and healthy food, but creates jobs and reduces environmental pollution. VNS By Nguyen My Ha If you are a trained linguist and teach at a university all your life, chances that you become famous are quite low. If you are really good and you have found or done something remarkably interesting, then may be your students will read your books and discuss them in your class. But people beyond the academic world would have little or no interest in what you find really fascinating. Internationally, the only linguist whos known well beyond immediate academic circles is Noam Chomsky, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a famous political dissident, theoretical linguist and cognitive scientist, who, at the height of the American War visited Ha Noi for a week and lectured at Bach Khoa University, todays University of Technology. But over the few past weeks, linguist Bui Hien has become an internet sensation, not just in Viet Nam, after his paper suggesting a new way of recording the Vietnamese language rocked the worldwide web, touching the nerves of almost all the people who speak Vietnamese. Almost everyone felt they had something to say about the paper that was presented at a conference recently, and later written up by some online newspapers. Bui Hien, 83, former Vice Director of the Ha Noi Teachers University and Associate Professor of the Russian Language Department, started his studies more than 20 years ago. He said he had noticed some indiscrepancies in the way Vietnamese consonants are written at present. For instance, one sound, say /k/, may be written using c, k or qu. This can be very confusing for users, for both Vietnamese and foreign learners of the language. As a result, typos have become quite common. Its my lifetimes work, Hien said in a recent interview, Ive placed all my energy and passion for the language in this paper. No one made me do it, but I felt the need to improve the way we write it and save. Saving resources Hien claims that if the new dictation rules he proposes are applied, less words will be used, saving more paper, time and energy. At this time of rapid growth, saving resources matters most. And this is not all that he wants changed. The recording system of Vietnamese vowels also needs to be upgraded, he said. Its very confusing as it is. Hien presented his proposals at a linguists conference and received mixed reviews. But since his chart was published by an online newspaper, the bouquets and brickbats have flown thick and fast. Hes crazy, wrote one person on Facebook. There are other urgent needs to be addressed, than to dig all this up now. As it happens these days, a new app cropped up, showing how your proper name would look with the new way of writing. Rarely does an academic paper receive so much public attention, criticism and specific peer reviews. The degrees of criticism have varied from the posting of elegant, beautiful Vietnamese poems, verses, famous statements by scholars or poets, to sheer vulgarity deployed in the name of protecting the beauty and clarity of the Vietnamese language. Dr. Ngo Nhu Binh of the East Asian Languages and Civilisation Department at Harvard University told zing.vn that he supports improvements in how the Vietnamese language is written. I believe that changes need to be made, but steps must be taken really carefully and slowly. He noted that script improvements have been made in other languages in Indonesia in 1972, in the Netherlands in 1980 and 2005, in France in 1990, in Norway in 1981 and 2005, and in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in 1996. Already happening Prior to Hiens paper, the internet and chat-rooms have already come up with shorter ways of recording the Vietnamese language. Its not shorthand, but it enables people to have their writing keep pace with their thoughts. Adults would find it difficult, if not impossible, to decipher the teencode that many young people use these days. Im for the shorter and more effective way of communicating online, a professional writer in her mid 30s said. But I will defend all the beauty and clarity of the literary Vietnamese language. It makes a difference. Over the course of history, from the 10th to the 17th century, the Han script was used for scholarly and administrative purposes. Then Viet scholars began to find the script wanting in its ability to fully record the Vietnamese language, so they invented the Nom script, which used Han letters. In the 17th century, western missionaries, most notably Alexandre de Rhodes, used Latin alphabets to record the Vietnamese language, and we use them to this day. The first Viet-Portuguese -Latin dictionary was first published in 1651, but it was not until the edition of 1772, 171 years later, that the Vietnamese language began to look like what is currently in vogue. So if we look at the longer story, the Vietnamese language has been growing and its not the same as it was two centuries ago. Dr. Binh of Harvard added that he had not seen any suggestions in Prof. Hiens paper on recording Vietnamese vowels. In my presentation in March 2018 at a linguist conference, I will present my studies on upgrading the vowels, Hien said. While bowing to the inevitable, I for one, would prefer to keep the Vietnamese language the way Ive known it all my life. I am confident that I am not alone in nursing this desire. But the future belongs to younger people. If they keep using language the way they do now, which is typing on a computer screen, sending emails at work and voicing their opinions in chatrooms, via Facebook and twitter posts, then maybe the language has already evolved and all linguists have to do is to systemize what is already happening. It could be that the Vietnamese language will take new forms, maybe long after I and others of my generation are gone, maybe earlier, but my breath is not bated. Ill just continue using the Vietnamese that I grew up with. For life. VNS Woman's Club meets Dec. 14 WATERLOO -- The Waterloo Woman's Club will meet at noon Dec. 14 at the Snowden House, 306 Washington St. A noon luncheon will be hosted by the Education Department. The program speaker will be from the Allen Child Protection Center. For lunch reservations, call 233-0333 by noon Tuesday. Nook, Wohlpart set at Lions Club CEDAR FALLS -- Mark Nook, University of Northern Iowa president, and Jim Wohlpart, UNI provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, will make a combined presentation to the Monday noon meeting of the Cedar Falls Lions Club. The impact of UNI on the local economy and a forecast for the future will take center stage for their remarks. The meeting takes place in the Windridge Building, 5311 Hyacinth Drive, on the Western Home South campus in Cedar Falls. Guests are welcome. DES MOINES In the wake of sexual harassment allegations and a lawsuit that cost Iowa taxpayers $1.8 million, the Legislature needs a mission statement that makes clear sexual harassment will not be tolerated, Mary Kramer said. Kramer, a former state legislator, Iowa Senate president and U.S. ambassador to Barbados, was asked to make recommendations to leaders in the Legislature about how to prevent sexual harassment in the Iowa Capitol and how to deal with future accusations. Kramer talked about her efforts during taping for this weekends episode of Iowa Press on Iowa Public Television. Im going to ask that there be a legislative branch-wide resolution that states the goal of creating and maintaining a culture that is safe, respectful and professional, said Kramer, a former human resources official for the health insurance company Wellmark. Kramer said everyone who works in the Capitol legislators, staff, lobbyists, and reporters should be engaged in understanding that goal. Kramer is completing her work at the behest of Bill Dix, the leader of the Iowa Senate Republicans. Former Senate Republican staff member Kirsten Anderson said she was harassed while working at the Capitol and alleged she was fired in 2013 for reporting the allegations to leadership. Senate Republican leaders said Anderson was fired for poor work performance, but a judge this year ruled in Andersons favor. The state settled for $1.8 million, which was paid out of its general fund. Dix this year conducted an internal investigation, which he published with redactions after initially saying he would not make the results public. Dix also said he would hire a human resources director to oversee the Iowa Senate, but reversed course and said he would first bring in Kramer to make recommendations. Kramer said she will recommend legislators hire a human resources professional to oversee both the Iowa Senate and Iowa House. There is no boss at the Capitol. There is no one person in charge of either chamber or the media or the lobby, the House as a group, the Senate. All of that is fairly autonomous, to use that word loosely, Kramer said. So how is it that were going to get a common goal that we want a safe, respectful, productive workplace at the legislative branch of the Capitol? How do we get there? Kramer said she thinks the current wave of allegations of sexual misconduct that is sweeping the country shows women making such accusations finally are being heard. She said that wasnt necessarily the case when she was a state legislator from 1991 through 2003, and she expressed regret for not doing more at the time. She was elected Iowa Senate president in 1997. I thought (the culture) was not good when I was there, Kramer said. And Im cross with myself a little bit that I did not institutionalize a human resources process at the time. I dont know whether it was time, or I just dont know why that didnt occur to me that it would have been helpful to do that. What is most difficult is if there is a culture that there is no trust or belief that anything will be done, that people wont come forward, Kramer said. I think that is the biggest change that has happened, is that women who have come forward now in the last few months, maybe a year, people believe them. They have credibility. Kramer said she thinks the wave of allegations also will make it easier to educate those who work at the Capitol about sexual harassment. I like the Chinese proverb that says when the student is ready the teacher appears, Kramer said. I dont think the students have been ready up until this point. CEDAR FALLS There was no snow but plenty of shuffling. More than 100 participants were decked in holiday attire for the annual Santas Show Shuffle 5K run and walk in Cedar Falls Saturday. The event originated at First United Methodist Church near downtown, organized and sponsored by Trekman Racing with support from several local downtown businesses. Activities included a costume contest, Christmas music and a red Santa Claus hat for each participant to wear during the run. Participants also were encouraged to run in their favorite holiday costume gear. Runners hung out in a warm gym, away from brisk wintry winds, before and after the race. Prizes were awarded and donations accepted for the Salvation Army. Kids were able to visit with Santa at the workshop at Fourth and Main streets on the Parkade after the race. Santas Workshop is open every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p. m. through Dec. 23, part of Cedar Falls Community Main Streets Holiday Hoopla events throughout the holiday season. The walk/run was one of those events. At 10 a.m. Saturday, there will be a free showing of the film Elf at the Oster Regent Theatre. Under great pressure and threats from President Trump, the House and Senate have recently passed significant tax reduction bills While the versions of the bills are different, they are quite similar. The variations will be ironed out, and a final bill will be approved. Even though the Republicans are bragging it will be a tax cut for individuals, the reality is the bill will have mixed results for the working class. There may or may not be fewer brackets for individuals, but the rates will be only modestly reduced. The standard deduction will be increased, but the personal exemption will be eliminated. Deducting state income taxes and sales taxes as well as property taxes from taxable income will no longer be allowed, and interest paid on home equity loans will no longer be a deduction. However, the child care tax credit will be increased. Bottom line? Fewer individuals will itemize deductions, and the impact will be different for everyone. There will be families who benefit and those who lose. Not so for businesses. No matter how it is being peddled to you, this is a pro-business tax cut. Accounting rules will be more generous, allowing for preferential treatment of income from a variety of sources. The biggest break goes to corporations where the highest corporate tax rate drops from 35 percent to 20 percent. The irony or perhaps hypocrisy is Trump ran for president promising to drain the swamp Washington has become. Presumably, the swamp contains many legislators beholden to special interests who support legislation benefiting their special group. It seems Trump has jumped into the swamp. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised the tax bill will not contribute anything to the national debt. Never mind bipartisan government researchers estimate the cuts will add $1 trillion more to the debt over 10 years, McConnell is claiming economic growth will be so stimulated more jobs will be created resulting in higher incomes and therefore more taxes paid. So, the argument goes, tax cuts increase tax collections equal to or even greater than the tax cut. Ronald Reagan made the same claim in the early 1980s but the end result was a significant increase, not reduction, in annual deficits. There is no reason to think today is much different. Tax cuts do in fact stimulate the economy, and cuts for business are no exception, but the degree and rapidity is uncertain. While corporations may not immediately spend their windfalls on creating new jobs, that money has to go someplace and will eventually wind up in the hands of people who will spend it on something almost anything that will create a greater demand for things. This in turn results in more jobs someplace. Again, how soon and how many is not clear. As much as anything, the lack of study or discussion of the bills is distressing. The Senates version, passed in a late-night vote along strict party lines, was barely looked at by many who voted for it. Sadly, it sounds like the same old Washington to me. It may be time for the city of Cedar Falls to have an open discussion with its citizens on optimum public safety staffing. The city has been hiring a number of police officers to be cross-trained as public safety officers. That is not new. The use of public safety officers in lieu of full-time career firefighters has been an issue for at least the past two city elections. What may be news to many citizens is newly hired police officers are required to be cross-trained as public safety officers. That was the result of an April 6, 2015, City Council action amending the job description for police positions. Public Safety Director Jeff Olson said an officer typically will be cross-trained within three years of hire and usually sooner. Since July 1, 2016, the city has hired no full-time firefighters. Three firefighters have left the force in recent years. Those positions were not filled while public safety officers continue to be hired. If the city were to continue down that path hiring public safety officers and not firefighters it would one day have a force made up entirely of public safety officers. Several city officials say that is not their intent although, from their reactions, some may not have been aware of the cross-training requirement. Public safety officers will be hired until we get a balance between full-time firemen and public safety officers. So we will always have full-time firemen, said council member Dave Wieland, after checking with Olson. Its just we wont have as many because we can get more efficient operation by getting a balance of the two. He noted firefighters have the option of being cross-trained as police officers. Said council member Tom Blanford: The council is not trying to erase either (police and fire) department, but expand cross-training opportunities across the board. Blanford was not in office at the time the cross-training requirement was adopted. Currently, Olson said the city has 27 career firefighters and will soon have 21 of 43 police officers fully trained as public safety officers a total of 48 people to fight fires, which he says is more than it has had in many years. In recent major fires, the city has sent 10 to 15 personnel to a fire scene. Public safety officers often arrive early and suppress fires until the full-time fire crew arrives. The more firefighters, PSOs and police can train and work together, the better. Our intention is to be a blend of full-time firefighter and public safety officers, said council member Susan deBuhr. Youre going to need a quantity of full-time firefighters for command staff positions and other purposes. Mayor Jim Brown said the public safety model offers improved coverage, saves and offers great opportunities for advancement. He thinks bringing fire and police under one roof in the new public safety building will foster greater cooperation. Brown and some council members also say the city can change direction if it is determined an optimum number of public safety officers has been hired or if a large number of full-time firefighters leave and need to be replaced. Olson said the city may reach optimum staffing of PSOs in about a year, without naming a specific number. He said the city has the flexibility to hire a firefighter or a police officer. So, city officials say Cedar Falls will continue to have full-time firefighters and there may be a plateau for hiring public safety officers. But that level is, as yet, apparently undefined. Cedar Falls Firefighters Association President Jim Cook, representing unionized full-time career firefighters, would like to know what that balance is. Weve been asking for a strategic plan for our department, and we have yet to be presented with a plan. Thats the frustrating part. Two new council members take office in January and budget deliberations follow soon after. That may be a good time for the mayor, council and city staff to huddle up and bring the public safety staffing situation into clearer focus for themselves and the citizens they are protecting. Q: Is the Courtyard by Marriott in the TechWorks area open yet? A: No, Dec. 18 is the planned opening date, according to Marriott. Q: Regarding the Call the Courier answer on how people are picked for jury duty: I know a few people that could serve on jury duty but dont vote but use the voter registration card instead as their ID. Could they ever be picked for jury duty? A: According to the clerk of court, Yes, if someone has a voter registration card, whether they vote or not, they are registered to vote. Sometimes people use the cards as a form of identification (even though the card does not have a photo). If you have a voter registration card, you can be called for jury duty. Q: I have heard our Iowa drivers license is not acceptable for identification purposes when flying. What do we need to do to get an acceptable drivers license for ID purposes? A: Iowa has been issuing REAL ID compliant licenses since 2013, according to the Iowa DOT they are marked with yellow stars in the corner. Right now, since Iowa is in compliance with the REAL ID act, residents with older, non-compliant IDs can continue using them for domestic air travel until Oct. 1, 2020. At that point, anyone with an old or outdated ID will have to get a new one or use another acceptable form of identification for domestic air travel. Q: In Steve Corbins guest column in the Nov. 26 paper it mentions Americas GDP in the first paragraph. What does this stand for? A: It stands for gross domestic product. The GDP is defined as the monetary value of all the finished goods and services produced within a countrys borders in a specific time period. Q: A few months ago there was an article about a new concept barber shop locating in Waterloo that would serve beer. Has this opened yet? If so, where is it located? A: In a Sept. 24 story, Elk Run Heights native Jordan Finger and his business partner, Chris Krause, who own Five Seasons Hair and Beard Studio in Cedar Rapids, said they are looking to open a barbershop in downtown Waterloo early next year. They hope to partner with SingleSpeed Brewing Co., Finger said. Q: I know all traffic fines and other fines levied by the court system go into the general fund. How much of that general fund is generated by law enforcement? A: Not all traffic and other fines levied by the courts go into the states general fund. Depending on the fine or surcharge, a portion of it could be distributed at the local level, the road use tax fund for certain traffic ordinances or several other funds designated for surcharge revenue. According to the Iowa Legislature Services Agencys fiscal division, judicial revenue made up 1.1 percent of gross receipts to the general fund in fiscal year 2017, or $94.2 million. We assume thats what the caller is asking, since fine money technically originates from an initial law enforcement action. By The Associated Press Dec. 06, 2017 | 05:20 AM | FRANKFORT, KY An audit has found that more than 1,100 public employees claimed leave to vote in Kentucky elections, but did not cast a ballot. State Auditor Mike Harmon said in a statement that his office reviewed the use of election leave during the 2015 general election and the 2016 primary election. The audit found that 1,329 employees claimed four hours of paid election leave but were not entitled to it because they weren't registered to vote, did not cast a ballot or were on another form of leave. Harmon said of those, 1,176 took leave but did not cast a ballot in one or both elections. 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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) A blog is a place to express ideas, thoughts, recipes, and whatever floats your personal boat. At 10,000 Birds, readers who havent been here before might correctly surmise that this platform talks about anything bird-related. As for myself, since I live in Costa Rica, I usually put the focus on birding and/or birds in this small yet very bio-rich country. Today, I will indeed follow that rubric but since a blog also acts as a place to air your sentiments (and grievances if you celebrate Festivus), as well as a stage to bare your soul (if you really want to go that unadvised route), on this day, I cant help but make some confessions. These disclosures are related to a recent Christmas Bird Count that took place in Costa Rica, the 2017 Arenal Bird Count to be exact. It happened on December 2nd, it was excellent as always, and this is what else I have to confess about the count Yellow-eared Toucanet was a good choice for official count bird We didnt see one but others sure did. Several. Believe it or not, some long-time birders in Costa Rica downplay toucans. Its not that they dont like them, its just that most are fairly common and tend to grab the spotlight when you still need to focus on much rarer, less colorful species. Not so for the Yellow-eared because that fancy one is one of the rarer species. Two or three counting teams connected with this coveted bird, I think one team saw like seven of them! I like getting up before dawnas long as skies are clear and owls are calling Yep, nothing like hearing the alarm at 3 in the morning after a night of shallow sleep. However, if the stars are out and Spectacled Owls happen to be calling at Finca Luna Nueva, you wont want to go back to sleep. We didnt and between that time and dawn, we heard another pair of Spectacleds, heard several Mottled Owls, and caught up with the calls of a Black-and-white Owl right as dawn turned on the daylight. Spectacled Owl triangle I like doing the same route Each year, the count organizers ask me if I would like to do another route. Its tempting, there are several that access fantastic habitats where I might see a rare Lovely Cotinga or some other choice bird. I always decline, though, because the habitat on our route is just as fantastic and since we have done it each year, I like to see how similar or different the count goes. Not to mention, identifying more than 160 species in one day this year will probably also keep me there in 2018. Other advantages are doing the count at one of Costa Ricas hidden birding gems, Finca Luna Nueva. In being an organic farm that also protects mature lowland rainforest, this is one heck of a birdy place (and the foods not bad either- actually its unique and wonderful)! As with other years at Luna Nueva, White-fronted Nunbirds showed, we heard a Uniform Crake, and had more than a hundred species before noon (none of which were waterbirds). Unlike other years, we didnt see as many warblers, and had far fewer parrots, motmots, and some other species compared to previous counts. On the other side of the coin, we did have more White-flanked Antwrens and Streak-crowned Antvireos; two species that depend on mature forest and could be temporarily increasing at that site because of warmer weather. We also had a displaying pair of Gray-headed Kites. They called and flapped around like giant butterflies above Luna Nueva (wowzers!). The nearby Texas A and M Soltis Center acts as the other part of the route and is even more exciting because it gives us access to an area of foothill forest that hosts Bare-necked Umbrellabird, tanagers, and many other forest species. Although there was no umbrellabird for us, we did see Bicolored Hawk, Rufous Piha, enjoyed the gnome-like antics of Song Wren, got some antbirds, and saw several other cool species. Oh yeah, and the best was the only Lanceolated Monklet of the count! The Lanceolated Monklet is a living plush toy. This makes it super cute but also a real pain to see. Im annoyed with the Great Jacamar It might be honestly great but seriously, isnt it about time you made an appearance? This is the deal- for the past two years, we have heard something call that sounds sort of like a Great Jacamar. For lack of another legitimate candidate, it probably is but since it vocalizes only a few times in the distance, hasnt been seen, hasnt given the Great Jacamars cat-like call, and is a very rare species in Costa Rica, I just cant make myself count it. I dont feel like the observation is 100% so once again, this year, it didnt make it onto the list. I really need to go back there and figure this thing out. The count organizers and participants are awesome On a completely unnanoying note, it might sound corny but both the people who organize the count and the ones who participate in it get my awesome award. Year after year, they take a lot of their personal time and energy to make this cool bird count happen, it helps get more people into birding, adds to bird data for the Arenal area, and, most of all, its a wonderful excuse to share some serious non-stop birding with fellow members of the birding tribe. I probably have a few other confessions to make about the recent count but since that would probably be petty stuff like hating on my rubber boots, the temptation to string a Tennessee Warbler or two into an Orange-crowned, or that I really like the refried beans at the count dinner, I wont mention them. I will confess that I am looking forward to more Christmas counts, maybe not the 90 degree plus Carara one, but definitely ones that give me a chance for some kung-fu birding in cloud forest and remote spots up north. Bring on the end of the year birds, hope to see you in Costa Rica! Dec 10, 2017 | By Julia Beloved Chinese actress Fan Bingbing set the stage last week at the iQiYi Scream Night in Beijing, wearing an absolutely stunning 3D printed dress by Dutch designer Iris van Herpen. Presented as a massive gala, fashion show, and all out media party, the high-profile event was held by video streaming service iQiYi, a Chinese-style Netflix rumoured to be eyeing the American market as early as next year. Poised among the star-studded guest list, which included the best and brightest names in Chinese film and television, Fan Bingbing took home the Movie Person of the Year Award, immediately stealing the show with her beautiful 3D printed garment that featured lustrous layering and a decidedly futuristic sheen. In addition to capturing the hearts of all who attended, Bingbings fashion-forward appearance served as serious exposure for van Herpen, whose designs are regularly exhibited by renowned museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Cooper Hewitt museum in New York, and the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. Van Herpens long list of awards include the 2017 Johannes Vermeer Award, the ANDAM Grand Prix Award in 2014, and the European commissions Grand Prize in 2016. Accolades aside, van Herpen is one of the foremost pioneers in 3D printed fashion, due in large part to her advanced garment construction techniques as well as her vision of blending past and future into a distinct version of the present through the fusion of technology and traditional Couture craftsmanship. Born in 1984 in Wamel, the Netherlands, van Herpen founded her fashion label in 2007. As a student of fashion design at the Art Institute of the Netherlands (ARTEZ) in the Dutch city of Arnhem, van Herpen spends much of her time in her Amsterdam studio, where she crafts elaborate creations for a growing roster of A-list clientele. Fans and collaborators include Bjork, Tilda Swinton, Gwendoline Christie, Scarlett Johansson, Grimes, and Beyonce. Visually, van Herpens designs are reminiscent of Alexander McQueen and Viktor & Rolf, boasting a futuristic, eye-catching sensibility. Paired with Bingbings fair skin and incredible physique last week, the fashionable combination was virtually unstoppable. Since Bingbings celebrated media appearance, netizens across the Chinese internet have voiced their appreciation, particularly lauding the actress inspirational beauty. As one of the worlds highest paid actresses who was recently named one of TIMEs 100 Most Influential People, Bingbings future has never looked brighter. As for van Herpen, rumours have it that the Dutch designer may be shifting her focus from celebrities to the average shopper, exploring more affordable avenues for her groundbreaking creativity. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Editorial from Nature: The UK premiere of Simon Stephens's play Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle is a reminder that the cultural cachet of Werner Heisenberg's discovery 90 years ago1 is as strong as ever. Physics is in fact notable only by its absence in Stephens's play, which is about an unlikely relationship that sparks between the production's two sole characters in a starkly minimalist setting. But the rather tenuous evocation of this tenet of quantum mechanics illustrates how its interpretation in terms of the unpredictability of the world and its sensitivity to our intervention continues to offer an attractive metaphor for artists. Physicists might rightly complain that this metaphor rests on a misconception. That there is an inherent unknowability about how the future will unfold, and that it might be shifted by almost imperceptible influences, seems far more aptly compared with chaos theory a purely classical phenomenon, albeit with a quantum equivalent than with the uncertainty principle. To suggest that Heisenberg's theorem proves we can't acquire perfect knowledge without disturbing that which we seek to understand is, in fact, rather to undersell, as well as to distort, the uncertainty principle. A better way of looking at it is to say that certain pairs of quantum variables cannot meaningfully be said to have simultaneous values defined more tightly than Heisenberg's famous bound of /2. Uncertainty is a misleading word for that, implying imperfect knowledge of a state of affairs rather than a fundamentally lacking definition of that state. Heisenberg of course expressed it in German in his 1927 paper, talking of both Ungenauigkeit and Unbestimmtheit; translation is inevitably approximate, but these might be reasonably rendered in English as inexactness and undeterminedness. The latter is closer to the mark; the origin of 'uncertainty' might be ascribed to Niels Bohr's preferred term Unsicherheit, which refers to doubtfulness or unsureness. More here. Ferdinand Mount in the New York Review of Books: Herr Glaser of Stutzerbach was proud of the life-sized oil portrait of himself that hung above his dining table. The corpulent merchant was even prouder to show it off to the young Duke of Saxe-Weimar and his new privy councilor, Johann Wolfgang Goethe. While Glaser was out of the room, the privy councilor took a knife, cut the face out of the canvas, and stuck his own head through the hole. With his powdered wig, his burning black eyes, his bulbous forehead, and his cheeks pitted with smallpox, Goethe must have been a terrifying spectacle. While he was cutting up his hosts portrait, the dukes other hangers-on were taking Glasers precious barrels of wine and tobacco from his cellar and rolling them down the mountain outside. Goethe wrote in his diary: Teased Glaser shamefully. Fantastic fun till 1 am. Slept well. Goethes company could be exhausting. One minute he would be reciting Scottish ballads, quoting long snatches from Voltaire, or declaiming a love poem he had just made up; the next, he would be smashing the crockery or climbing the Brocken mountain through the fog. Only in old age, and more so in the afterglow of posterity, did he take on the mantle of the dignified sage. Yet even late in life, he remained frightening. His daughter-in-law, Ottilie, whom he insisted on marrying to his son August, though they were not in love and got on badly, admitted that she was terrified of him. He alarmed people as much as he charmed them, not only by his impatience, his sudden flare-ups, and his unpredictable antics, but by his foul language. In moments of exasperation he would denounce as a shithead any of the great men who had assembled at WeimarWieland, Herder, Schiller. More here. Arab Foreign Ministers on Sunday demanded that United States President Donald Trump rescind his decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital, calling it a grave development that puts Washington on the same side as occupation and the violation of international law. In a resolution long on rhetoric but short on concrete actions, the Ministers also called for the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to adopt a resolution condemning Mr Trumps decision, but acknowledged that Washington would most likely veto it. If the US vetoes the resolution, the Arabs would seek a similar resolution in the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki told a pre-dawn news conference in Cairo. A two-page resolution adopted by the emergency meeting, which began on Saturday night, did not include any punitive actions against the US, like a call for a boycott of American products or suspending or downgrading ties with Washington. It also appeared to fall short of matching the anger felt by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, which have seen three days of violent protests against Trumps decision. We have taken a political decision not meant to reflect [what is going on in] the streets. Political work is responsible work, said Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit. Kevin Larson looks at the coming year and sees potential. In late September, his company, the Billings-based health care service provider EBMS, joined with Water Street Healthcare Partners to expand the reach of EBMS nationwide. "We're gearing up to go national," Larson said. "We're positioning for transformational growth." Larson is company president, and bringing on Water Street was an inevitable step forward, but also a step into the dark. EBMS, which started as a mom-and-pop operation in Billings in 1980, has never worked with an outside partner before. Water Street, a private equity investment firm, partners exclusively with health care service providers and will provide cash and strategic planning for EBMS. Water Street's experience is what made the investment firm so attractive to EBMS, Larson said. It will help EBMS improve the quality, cost and experience of health care for its customers, he said. EBMS began as Employee Benefit Management Services Inc., launched by Larson's parents, Rick and Nicki Larson, who had the idea in the late 1970s to set up self-funded health benefit plans for employers and serve as a third-party administrator of those plans. Since then, the company has steadily grown to 325 employees 260 of them in Billings across 13 states. EBMS works with companies in 16 states, including Alaska and much of the Mountain West. Along with the third-party administration services it offers, EBMS also manages miCare healthcare clinics, which serve the employees of those self-insured companies; and miRx, pharmaceutical distribution centers that supply the medications for the clinics. Setting up the miRx pharmaceutical distribution centers allows EBMS to buy medicine wholesale, which helps keep costs down for the patients visiting the miCare clinics. That, in turn, keeps healthcare costs down for those companies that self-insure. "We've created a better mousetrap," Larson said. Last year, Larson and the executive team at EBMS looked at the company's future, months and years down the road. They talked about what they thought the company should look like and where it should go. They discussed whether they'd need help getting there. "We saw a lot of opportunity," said Melissa Lyon, EBMS executive vice president of human resources. They knew the company would need massive upgrades to their technology systems if they were to grow, reach more customers and better serve the companies they already support. That carried a hefty price tag. That opened the door to discussions about bringing on an investment firm to help carry the costs of technology improvements and company expansion. They were eventually put in contact with Water Street, which was impressed by what EBMS had built. The company "is known for its history of innovation," said Max Mishkin, principal at Water Street. "And (for) going above and beyond to serve its clients." "We are very progressive," Larson said. "We're on the leading edge of this industry." It was a good sign for officials at Water Street. Steve Cosler, a Water Street operating partner, will serve on the board of directors along with EBMS founder, Rick Larson. The goal is to boost EBMS to operate on a national level. The company had a strong year in 2017 and has set targets for 20 percent growth for the next several years. "I think it's very realistic," he said. "2018 is going to be a telling year for us." One of the big challenges for the company will be attracting the right talent. "As we grow, we'll need more managers, IT techs, sales people and entry-level personnel," Lyon said. With its technology upgrades, EBMS recently hired James Vertino as its chief information officer. Before joining the company in Billings, Vertino was the CIO of HealthPlan Services, a support services company for insurance groups in Tampa, Florida. EBMS is now searching for a top-level chief financial officer who will be capable of helping shepherd the company's growth to a national player. "Every employer has this challenge," Lyon said. "Finding good talent." As EBMS plots and plans its rapid growth, Larson is confident his company will keep its balance and bring on the right people to help it. And he knows Water Street will give him the room to do it and the guidance to help. "They're not operators, they're an investment firm," he said. Water Street has no plans to take over the company or make the big decisions it's not what they do, Larson said. He pointed out that it was EBMS' success that attracted Water Street and led it to invest in his company. "They want to let us do our thing," Larson said. A day after the Delhi Government cancelled the licence of the Max Hospital in Delhis Shalimar Bagh, relatives of the patients, who are currently admitted in the hospital, expressed concern regarding further medical treatment here. While few of the relatives of the patients claimed the hospital had always given them the best treatment for free, others were concerned about the consequences that shutting of the hospital would lead to. I have been coming here for the past five months for routine pregnancy tests of my sister-in-law for free. The gynaecologist wasnt able to sense the heartbeats of the foetus so we came for test on Saturday, but the OPD was locked. If the child dies, will the Delhi Government take responsibility? a patients relative told ANI. The incident of falsely declaring a newborn dead and giving it away to the parents in a packet by the Max Hospital had earlier created an uproar. This had led to the state government cancelling the licence of the hospital on Friday, through a four-page order. The father of the children had accused the hospital of deliberately declaring the baby dead and trying to get rid of him after he told the authorities he would not be able to pay Rs 1 lakh per day for their treatment. India Medical Association (IMA) President KK Aggarwal on Thursday blamed the concerned doctors of committing a gross mistake. They were later terminated from their services by the hospital. Both Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi said they expect their parties to come to power in Gujarat as the state held the first phase of voting on December 9. Gujarat saw 68 per cent voter turnout in the phase of voting held in Kutch, Saurashtra and south Gujarat. This is lower than last times 71.3 per cent for the whole state. Anyways, now Modi and Rahul need to woo voters in the remaining 93 seats. PM Modi, while campaigning in Gujarat kept up his severe attack on the Congress and spurred voters to avenge the insults and abuses hurled at the son of Gujarat by the party, which, he said, was depressed because it was facing defeat. Rahul also took a jibe at the Modi model of development and named 10 villages where land acquired by Gujarat government was handed over to industrialists. Besides all these attacks, one prominent thing can be noticed that the BJP resorted to attack only Congress and Gandhi family. They could not focus anything beyond this attack, but Rahul Gandhi delivered much matured presentation by talking on crucial issues of state and its development. In a way he successfully exposed BJPs Gujarat model and nervous BJP keeps on attacking on all irrelevant topics. Maximum ever the Congress won, even after the sympathy wave in 1984 after the demise of Hon. PM Indira Gandhi, was 149 out of the 182 seats. Amit Shah wants BJP to win at least 150 seats in this election. Whereas, even a win of less than 100 (actually 92 seats) would give a simple majority. BJP wants to break all the records and convey strongly that the party is still a peoples first choice. If we look at the history of Congresss existence in Gujarat during pre EVM days except when there were incidence of political sympathy and in 1962 and 1972, even with paper ballots, the party did not improve its tally. The new generation born after 1960s did not improve Congresss status above 60 and there were no re-organisation of constituencies adding any number of seats usually done by Congress ruled states to keep up with increase in population. The number 182 remained static since 1975. Right from 1990, in six assembly elections, in 22 years, Congress won just from 33 seats out of 182 up to a maximum of 69, other four around 50 (averaging exactly 50-51) and Rahul was nowhere near Gujarat or even his Congress party itself. So he will never be responsible even if his party gets below that 50 this time. Nor the credit goes to Modi if party pulls all expected seats. So if BJP gets 150 and all opposition (mainly Congress) can share only 32, which is less than the recorded low till now! So let us hope, Congress wins at least 92, on December 18. On Saturday voting was held in 89 constituencies. Voting in the second phase for the remaining 93 of the states 182 constituencies will be held on next Thursday. To form the government, a party needs to win at least 92 seats in the assembly. Results will be announced on December 18. The Election Commission said a little over 0.5 per cent of the total ballot units and control units which make up the EVM had to be replaced during voting. That is about 181 ballot units and 223 control units, apart from 714 VVAPT or the voter verified paper audit trail machines. Overall the numbers look large but as a proportion of the total very few machines were found faulty and they were replaced. The Gujarat election is seen as a Modi vs Rahul Gandhi duel, with both leading their parties from the front in an aggressive, often bitter and personal campaign, to win the crucial state ahead of the national election in 2019. While the BJP has, in past elections, dominated the areas that voted on Saturday it holds 67 of the 89 seats Saurashtra and Surat are seen as strategically vital in this election because they have a large number of Patels or Patidars, an influential caste reportedly upset with the ruling party. Young Patidar activist Hardik Patel has asked his community to reject the BJP for failing to extend affirmative action policies to them. Saurashtra and Kutch also have the maximum number of constituencies that voted on Saturday and the party that wins the most seats in these regions will be seen to have a head start. Rahul Gandhi has partnered with Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, also inducting backward caste (OBC) leader Alpesh Thakore into his party, in an attempt to consolidate votes of communities seen to be upset with the ruling BJP. In Surat, the diamond and textile hub that has 12 assembly seats, Rahul Gandhi urged traders to punish the BJP, alleging that PM Modis mega reforms notes ban and new national tax GST have brought small businesses to their knees. Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Smriti Irani defended the GST and demonetisation, trying to allay the concerns of the traders. There was another less mysterious, even if superficial, message for people who have been watching Rahul; he suddenly seemed less diffident, surer of him. In his new avatar, Rahul also acted swiftly against Mani Shankar Aiyar for the Congress veterans neech (lowly) comment against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is the same Rahul who, a year ago, had accused the Prime Minister of doing dalali with the blood of dead soldiers. And the same Rahul who, in the September of 2013, had rolled up his sleeves and torn into shreds an ordinance the UPA government headed by his party was bringing to negate a Supreme Court order on disqualifying convicted MPs and MLAs. His act had embarrassed then PM Manmohan Singh and prompted Narendra Modi, then the BJPs prime ministerial candidate, to say the shehzada (prince) had committed a sin by insulting the PM Congress vice-president ne aapki pagdi uchhaal di. One week to go, lets see who will wear the Pagdi in Gujarat and rule the state. (Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com) Web Toolbar by Wibiya Date: 10 November, 2017. Place: White Rock, Province of British Columbia, Canada. Just a couple of weeks ago, on 10 November, a very strange incident was witnessed near the small city of White Rock, British Columbia. According to an anonymous report published on Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) online database, a Canadian family affirmed to have seen three red orbs moving across the sky. At approximately 10:30 pm, we returned home and were in our family room, when my son said: hey! Look at the bright red light outside. I thought he was kidding around, but when I looked out the window sure enough there was a large red orb sitting stationary over Blaine, Washington [United States]. We live in White Rock, British Columbia, overlooking Semiahmoo Bay which faces Blaine, the author of the report affirmed. According to the witness, the object did not have any edges; it had a perfect round-shaped appearance. I quickly grabbed my high power spotting scope to see if I could get a better look to see if there was a definitive shape or hard edges to the object, as it just looked like a red ball. Even with the scope, that is all it looked like zoomed in, he stated. As I watched the orb start to ascend, I noticed another one a bit lower down and to the left appear, and was ascending towards the higher one. After watching for about a minute or so, a third one appeared coming from the Canadian side of the border and it looked like it flew right over the customs border checkpoint at about 300 feet or so off the ground, the British Columbia resident explained. As I watched this unfold, the first one began to go into a fairly large cloud over Blaine, and as it disappeared, the second had caught up a bit and went into the cloud nearby. The third started to ascend after I watched it fly level for about half a mile or so and followed the other two into the same approximate area of the cloud, he added. Finally, all three objects disappeared into the strange cloud, and never came back. I watched for quite a while after they went into the cloud, but they didnt return. The whole sighting lasted about 4 or 5 minutes from the time we first saw the orbs, the Canadian citizen asserted. Draw your own conclusions For more information: https://mufoncms.com/cgi-bin/report_handler.pl?req=view_long_desc&id=87924&rnd= Learn Ways to Save Money - HERE An investigation is underway after a deadly shooting in Tuscaloosa. Tuscaloosa police responded about 6:30 p.m. Saturday to DCH Regional Medical Center after someone pulled up to the emergency room and dropped off a wounded man, said Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit Capt. Kip Hart. The victim, a 56-year-old black male, was shot at least once in the torso. He was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later. Hart said investigators learned the man had been shot outside a home in the 5000 block of Clover Road. Homicide detectives and crime scene technicians are processing the scene and interviewing witnesses. Two possible suspects have been identified. The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of his relatives. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker gave a pep talk in the cramped field office filled with volunteers for Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones on Sunday in Birmingham with a speech about unity that suggested Roy Moore was a divisive figure without using Moore's name. "What I know from years of coming down to this great state ... seeing the goodness and the decency of folk, America runs vibrant and real and strong here. The best of who we are is here. This is the United States of America, proud states. Don't let anybody talk about Alabama talk down to Alabama," Booker, who is supporting Jones in Tuesday's special election, told the crowd. "There is goodness and decency and mercy and love here." In an apparent reference to Moore, Booker said, "We need leaders that are not going to divide us and separate us and tear us up and dissect us," adding that "there are consequential moments in our American history and this is one of them." Booker also stumped for Jones on Saturday in Montgomery. He was joined Sunday in Birmingham by Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, who has also made other appearances with Jones over the weekend. Sunday's event was held to energize volunteers before they canvassed the city. "We need you out there knocking on doors handing out literature and telling everyone out there to vote for who?" Sewell said. The crowd responded, "Doug Jones." Sewell also made references to Moore, whose campaign is battling allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct, harassment or dated young women in the 1970s when he was an assistant district attorney in Etowah County. Moore has been ahead in most polls during the weekend. "What's at stake is our very livelihood, right? And we got to vote as if our life depends on it, right? And i think we deserve a senator whose character and integrity and veracity will not be in question on Day One," Sewell said. Jones also addressed supporters and the media, and called out Moore for not being as active on the campaign trail in the winding days of the campaign. "What kind of senator hides from his constituencies when he runs for office? What kind of public servant hides and only goes into enclaves and doesn't address the media?" Jones said, referring to Moore. "I'm going to be accessible after this election as I am today." U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore appeared in textbooks and lectures produced in 2011 by a Christian group called Vision Forum that promoted unequal gender roles and called for the subordination of women to husbands and fathers. One of Vision Forum's other contributors, William Einwechter, said that women should not run for elected office, and that Christians should not vote for women who do. Hannah Ford, a spokesperson for Roy Moore, said he does not share that belief. "Judge Moore believes that men and women are created equal by God and has never suggested or believed that women are unqualified for public office," Ford wrote last week. "Judge Moore has supported constitutional conservatives - both men and women - for decades and will continue to do so." But Julie Ingersoll, a religious studies professor at the University of North Florida, said Moore's affiliation with this group is telling. "I think it's fair to judge him by the company he keeps," Ingersoll said. "Roy Moore has traveled widely in these circles for a long time." Ingersoll said Phillips and Vision Forum existed on the fringes of the evangelical movement. "They were extreme and far outside the mainstream of organized religion," she said. Many of the adherents homeschooled their children and rejected the notion of separation of church and state. Ingersoll said Moore frequently spoke to groups that believed in strict, Biblically-defined gender roles for men and women - even if he didn't believe that himself. Einwechter, the textbook co-author, said Moore "had absolutely no input" in the preparation of his lecture regarding women not running for office, which was titled "What the Bible Says About Female Magistrates." "I do not believe that he was even present when I gave the lecture," Einwechter said in an email last week. "What Judge Moore's views are on this subject I have no way of knowing because he never discussed it with me. What I do know is that the lecture was prepared by me alone with no collaboration with Judge Moore in any way." Still, the textbook chapter that corresponds to Moore's lecture, which is available on a CD, states that judges must be men. In his presentation, Moore said nothing about the propriety of female judges or politicians. Moore's friendship with Doug Phillips, who ran Vision Forum Ministries from 1998 to 2013, has come under scrutiny in recent weeks. Phillips advocated separate and unequal roles for women and men, with women operating under the authority of fathers and husbands. Phillips so deeply opposed the involvement of women in politics that he objected to Arizona Sen. John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his 2008 running mate. "The Palin selection is the single most dangerous event in the conscience of the Christian community in the last 10 years at least," Phillips said to the LA Times in 2008. "The unabashed, unquestioning support of Sarah Palin and all she represents marks a fundamental departure from our historic position of family priorities -- of moms being at home with young children, of moms being helpers to their husbands, the priority of being keepers of the home." Moore, on the other hand, welcomed support from Palin on the campaign trail this year. She appeared at a rally for the candidate on Sept. 21. While Moore's refusal to remove the Ten Commandments from his Etowah County courtroom turned him into a celebrity among evangelicals, it also shaped a friendship with Phillips. Moore spoke to church groups frequently after his clash with the ACLU, often appearing at conferences and religious conventions - but his relationship with Phillips appears to run deeper. Still, a campaign spokesperson said the relationship with Phillips and Vision Forum was one of many that cropped up during Moore's first round of legal battles. "During the battle for the Ten Commandments, ministry leaders and pastors from around the nation flocked to support Judge Moore," wrote a Moore spokesperson in an email. "To attribute any of their beliefs to Judge Moore is recklessly malicious." Moore co-authored the textbook produced by Vision Forum in 2011 and lectured at events for young men and Christian activists. In a recording, Phillips described his friendship with Moore. Phillips said he prayed with Moore on the days leading up to his hearing before the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission which ultimately led to his 2003 removal from the bench. "I remember being with him the very night before he went into the trial," Phillips said. "We got down on our knees on the second floor of this home and we began to pray." Moore's lecture covered the circumstances of his removal from the bench and his belief that judges and courts should reflect Christian principles and acknowledge God. He criticized decisions that legalized same-sex marriage in California and struck down sodomy laws. It was delivered as part of the Witherspoon School of Law and Public Policy, which was not a degree-granting institution but a series of educational retreats for men and teenage boys. In his lecture, Moore praised the work of Phillips. "As I think about what's going on here at Vision Forum and what Doug's doing and has done, I'm a little envious because I admire Doug and the fact that he can round up these young men that are going to make a difference in our nation," Moore said. Vision Forum collapsed in 2013 after Phillips admitted to an inappropriate relationship with a woman that began when she was 15 years old. The woman sued Phillips and Vision Forum, alleging that he exerted authority over her as an employer and pastor. Moore has also been embroiled in allegations involving teenage girls. Several women came forward in November with accusations that he sought dates and made sexual advances toward them when they were teens and Moore was in his early 30s. Moore has denied all the allegations. While Moore has said he doesn't agree with Phillips' position on women in politics, he hasn't renounced the group either, Ingersoll said. At least nine women have accused Alabama senate candidate Roy Moore of a range of inappropriate behavior, but one seems to stick out above the rest - at least for many conservative women voters in Alabama. "I feel like Leigh Corfman is the thing sticking to him that he really can't shake," said Dana McCain, a Christian writer and speaker in Dothan, Ala. Corfman was the first accuser to come forward publicly, describing in a deeply sourced Washington Post story about being 14 when Moore, who was in his early 30s, took her to his house and touched her while they were both clad only in their underwear. Other women have accused him of inappropriate romantic overtures. "Because she's the youngest, if her story was true, then that was a crime," said McCain. "It wasn't just something that creeps us out because he was a 32-year-old chasing 17-year-olds." Leah Dicus, a nurse anesthetist in Huntsville, Ala. agrees. "To me, (Corfman) is really the only person that has a real case for keeping him out of office," she said. For her, the sexual misconduct allegations of Corfman and of Beverly Young Nelson were the most egregious. But Nelson's credibility has been called into question after she told ABC News this week that she added a date and location to an entry she says Moore wrote in her yearbook around the time that he tried to force her to perform oral sex on him. As some conservative media point to that omission as proof that Moore's accusers can't be believed, GOP women in Alabama are left to weigh just what - and who - they believe. One poll this week found that 6 in 10 white women in Alabama are likely to vote for Roy Moore. In the same poll, only about four in 10 said they believe Moore made unwanted sexual advances toward his accusers. Moore has denied he did anything wrong. Some of Moore's accusers have said they are Republicans. And their fellow Republican women could help determine the outcome of a Senate race that pits Moore against Democrat Doug Jones. When the accusers coming forward look and sound like your aunt, your neighbor, the woman who leads your small group Bible Study - are you more likely to believe them? And would that make a difference in the voting booth? Optics "I keep seeing (on the news), 10 women, eight women," said Jane Walker, a CPA in Hartselle, Ala. She's leaning toward voting for Moore. "What I see and what I read is two women have accused him of molestation. The rest of the women accused him of, 38 years ago, using poor judgment in discerning who he could date, in a county where there probably weren't a whole lot of women ages 25-45 he could date." And Nelson's amending her story has been hailed in some conservative circles as a damning blow to her credibility - and the credibility of the other accusers. "I'm certainly frustrated with Nelson, as she has just made it that much more difficult for credible women to be believed," said Tracy James of Birmingham, Ala. James, a lifelong Republican who was once a staffer for former Sen. Jeff Sessions and for the Republican National Committee, plans to vote for Democrat Doug Jones in this election. Her cousin is former Alabama Gov. Fob James, who held the governorship first as a Democrat and later as a Republican. "As for those Moore supporters ready to pounce - they are exactly why victims of sexual assault resist coming forward," she said. For some, however, Nelson sacrificed her credibility before she changed her story. Appearing alongside controversial and left-leaning women's rights attorney Gloria Allred didn't do her any favors with deeply conservative women. "I'd give anything if she had not attached herself to Gloria Allred," said McCain. "If she had gone to a credible journalist rather than an attorney that people in Alabama are going to see as a left-wing elitist. "That cost her something, right out of the gate, when she came out with Allred as her adviser." Abbey Johnston, a Mobile-area attorney and lifelong Republican, said much the same. "When Gloria Allred came on TV (at the press conference), I did roll my eyes," said Johnston. "Why did you have to get her involved?" But - abortion McCain, who plans to write in a conservative candidate on the ballot on Tuesday, has written editorials in her hometown newspaper, The Dothan Eagle, urging Christian voters like herself to think hard before voting for Moore. She's found conservative women - and Republican voters in general - divided into two camps when it comes to considering the trustworthiness of Moore's accusers. "There are those who have been so conditioned to distrust the mainstream media that they discounted the first batch of accusers right out of hand because it was reported by The Washington Post," she said. "I find that extraordinarily frustrating because most of the people I've talked to that have discounted that story have not even read it to see how deeply sourced it was." Then there's the other camp, who are willing to believe the accusers but will still vote Republican - to vote for Moore - on election day. "There are those who say there is an awful lot of smoke there, now that we're up to nine accusers, and maybe there's a little bit of fire there, but - abortion," said McCain. It's an issue has led some pro-life women to characterize the election as a choice between an accused child molester and a "baby killer." McCain, who said she is pro-life but unwilling to vote for Moore, sympathizes with women who find the idea of voting for a pro-choice candidate repugnant. "It's a significant issue to me personally, that I invest a lot of time and money into in order to make it better," she said of the abortion debate. She thinks the solution to reducing the number of abortions won't come from a legislative decision, so "it's easier to me to say I'll take a loss on this Senate seat rather than set fire to my integrity and vote for a man who I don't think is capable or fit for the office." Older vs. younger Johnston, the attorney, is in her late 20s and a lifelong Republican. She worked for Sen. Jeff Sessions on the Senate Judiciary Committee and interned with Luther Strange while in law school. She's never been a supporter of Roy Moore and plans to vote for Doug Jones. "Most of my friends I work with or know, pretty much everybody my age, they don't want to vote for him," she said. "He's an embarrassment." She said the age gap might explain why some younger conservative women like herself are less concerned with asking why Moore's accusers didn't come forward sooner, and are more inclined to believe them. "The time is different now than 20 years ago," she said. McCain said Republican women in their 20s, 30s and 40s seem to be more willing to break away and vote for Doug Jones, write in a candidate or stay home in protest. "Republican women my mom's age and a little older are looking for a reason to vote for Roy Moore, and many will," she said. "They will dismiss these allegations as fake news or will justify and rationalize in order to vote for him." Some young Republican groups, like the Greater Birmingham Young Republicans and the Young Republican Federation of Alabama have been vocal about withdrawing their support for Moore in the wake of the allegations. Others, like the Baldwin County Young Republicans have remained supportive. 'I know people' Corfman, perhaps more than any other Moore accuser, has benefitted from vocal public support from family and friends. "I know people from Gadsden," said Johnston, "people who I highly respect, who don't normally post about politics (on social media), who say I know this person and she would not lie. "That carried a lot of weight with me." Voters who could dismiss stories in the mainstream media as "fake news" might find it harder to discount stories from people they know. "It's very hard (to disbelieve) when you listen to Corfman's story and the amount of detail she remembers and the fact she has friends and family who will go on the record," said McCain. "She seems solid. "It's really hard to explain her away." Alabama's senior senator said Sunday his party "can do better" than support Roy Moore in Tuesday's special election, but sidestepped questions about whether he personally believed the Senate should block his potential counterpart from serving or conduct an ethics investigation into Moore should he win. "I didn't vote for Roy Moore. I wouldn't vote for Roy Moore. I think the Republican Party can do better," Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., told CNN's Jake Tapper. Shelby wrote in a "distinguished Republican" on his absentee ballot instead of Moore, who is being supported by President Donald Trump and the GOP. Moore's campaign has been battling allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct, harassment or dated women when they were teenagers in the 1970s when he was an assistant district attorney in Etowah County, with the youngest alleged victim being 14 years old at the time. Moore has denied the allegations and claimed that they were politically motivated. Shelby said he believes the women, and pointed out Sunday that his former counterpart, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, said he had no reason to doubt Moore's accusers. "A lot of smoke, there's got to be some fire there," Shelby said. Alabama's senior senator deferred to his party's leadership about whether Moore should be seated or if the Senate Ethics Committee should investigate the allegations. "The Senate's going to have to weigh, if Roy Moore wins, his fitness in the United States Senate," Shelby said. Meanwhile, Moore campaign chief political strategist Dean Young said he believed the Senate would not conduct a probe into Moore. "Judge Moore's going to go to Washington, Judge Moore is going to win, and I highly doubt there's going to be a Senate investigation," Young told ABC's Martha Raddatz on Sunday. "If there is [a Senate investigation], Judge Moore is going to be found telling the truth, just like he always has, and he will win. The stakes couldn't be higher for Alabama." There are two days before Alabama voters decide between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones. lgore@al.com Don't Edit )^ Were down to the wire in the race between Roy Moore and Doug Jones and the already-contentious race has taken even harsher tones. The race has captured national and international attention, including another take from Saturday Night Live. Here is the latest: Don't Edit JULIE BENNETT Roy Moore takes lead in Senate poll that Doug Jones led earlier in week In the final hours of Alabama's tumultuous Senate campaign, a new poll was released Saturday from a firm that changed the leader from a poll it conducted earlier in the week. And Republican nominee Roy Moore was the beneficiary. Don't Edit )^ Roy Moore had ties to groups that didn't believe in gender equality U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore appeared in textbooks and lectures produced in 2011 by a Christian group called Vision Forum that promoted unequal gender roles and called for the subordination of women to husbands and fathers. Don't Edit MSNBC 'Morning Joe' coming to Alabama MSNBC's morning political program "Morning Joe," will broadcast live from Alabama on election day. Don't Edit Don't Edit Matt Wake | mwake@al.com Jason Isbell: Voting for Doug Jones 'right thing to do' Jason Isbell didn't work in a sly musical jab by performing his early-career folk gem "The Devil Is My Running Mate." Or trash Roy Moore during his witty, between-song banter. Moore was never once addressed by name or even inference during Isbell's free, solo "get out the vote" concert Saturday night at a packed SideTracks Music Hall in Huntsville. The show was in support of Democrat Doug Jones, Republican Moore's opponent in the U.S. Senate campaign in Alabama which has drawn national attention leading up to Tuesday's election. Don't Edit Brian Kelly | bkelly@al.com Trump records robocall for Roy Moore President Donald Trump has recorded automated phone messages urging support for Republican Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race. Don't Edit Mike Cason Cory Booker, Deval Patrick stump for Doug Jones in Alabama 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. Don't Edit Frank D'Agostino | National Desk Steve Bannon to campaign with Roy Moore on eve of election Former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon will return to Alabama to speak at an election eve campaign rally for Roy Moore in south Alabama. Don't Edit SNL takes on Roy Moore...again From Huffington Post: "Saturday Night Live's" take on politics this week featured elf Kate McKinnon and Santa Kenan Thompson in the cold open listening to a line-up of smart kids asking about everything from opioids to Colin Kaepernick and toys more specifically, Matt Lauer's sex toys." Don't Edit Don't Edit Don't Edit A big contingent of very enthusiastic Roy Moore fans at the rally last night. 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. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017 Trump tweets support of Roy Moore following endorsement at Pensacola rally Following a Friday night rally in Pensacola, in which he expressed his support for Alabama Senatorial candidate Roy Moore, President Donald Trump is continuing his endorsements. This time, Trump took his praises of Moore online with an early Saturday morning tweet. Don't Edit Sarah Cole In stretch run, Roy Moore hammers on abortion but is issue's impact overstated? Allegations about his past having given Democrats an opening to defeat him, Roy Moore seeks to wield the abortion issue to close the door. Don't Edit Brynn Anderson Pro-Doug Jones super PAC ad: 'Don't let Alabama's good name be tarnished' by Roy Moore A super PAC backing Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones released a statewide radio ad Friday calling Roy Moore an "accused pedophile" who would cause Alabama's reputation to be "tarnished" if elected. Don't Edit John Sharp | jsharp@al.com Alabama Senate write-in candidates losing hope as election nears On Monday, when President Donald Trump finally endorsed Roy Moore for Senate, Mac Watson threw up his hands and fired up his grill. Watson, the co-owner of a family patio supply store, was the very first Republican to announce a write-in campaign for the seat, back when national Republicans said they'd wanted one. He'd taken a risk. They hadn't. Don't Edit Don't Edit Trump supporters were reminded that Ivanka once denounced Roy Moore From the Washington Post: "The billboard, displayed on the side of a moving truck Friday, reminded people of what Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter and a White House adviser, had previously said about Moore amid accusations of sexual misconduct involving teenage girls." Don't Edit Julie Bennett | jbennett@al.com Where's Roy? Days before Alabama election, Moore disappears from campaign trail From USA Today via Montgomery Advertiser: "Near the end of a press conference for Roy Moore Thursday, a reporter asked a question: Where was Roy Moore?" The incoming president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has expressed hope that dialogue will prevail in escalating tensions between North Korea and the West, saying that nothing could prepare the world for nuclear war. There is no training, no preparation that could cope with a disaster where we could assist if this weapon would be used, Francesco Rocca told Al Jazeera. This is something I dont even want to think about I hope love for humanity will prevail. Rocca was elected as the new head of the IFRC by his peers from 178 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies at the humanitarian aid organisations general assembly in Antalya, Turkey, on November 6. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Rocca vowed to denounce actors who target humanitarian professionals and facilities, and called the international communitys response to the migrant crisis a failure. Here is the full interview. Al Jazeera: Your organisations official mandate says it aims to inspire, encourage, facilitate and promote at all times humanitarian facilities to alleviate human suffering thereby contributing to human dignity and peace in the world. The IFRC is not really living up to its mission, is it? Francesco Rocca: The level of human suffering in recent years has increased and many situations are not going to get fixed in the near future. So its a huge responsibility that I feel. Under your leadership are you going to denounce state actors such as Saudi Arabia, for instance, for its war in Yemen and Iran for its role in the war in Yemen? Rocca: I have never been silent in my country whenever theres been a violation of the dignity of a human being. But the way is not to [denounce] sometimes. You play such an important role and as part of our tradition, we also use the way of confidentiality: engage the government in a direct, open, frank dialogue to respect human dignity. But we have seen this conflict raging on for years and this so-called closed-door dialogue doesnt seem to be working. Will you denounce them? Rocca: If during my mandate it will happen again that a hospital or an ambulance or a volunteer would be targeted again, and you can identify the responsible, you will hear my voice. I can assure you. Warfare has changed and my concern is that unfortunately the health professionals, the volunteers, the health facilities and the hospitals have become a tool of war. This is something that we have to stop. And we have to be clear about it: this is a violation of international humanitarian law. This is unacceptable, its a crime of war. Some of your biggest donors in the Middle East have not been taking in refugees. Will you be calling them out? Rocca: Those who are giving us money hoping it will clear their conscience are thinking the wrong way. [Giving money] doesnt mean that we will close our eyes when there is a person in need. You say youre not party to any conflicts and try to impartially provide aid to people. But when you are not given access you are automatically becoming a part of the equation. Rocca: There are two parties in conflicts. And then there is the third party. We fight for the third party, which is humanity. We fight for the victims. Our role is to protect and speak up for these people, we are not part of the war. Theres a war on drugs going on in the Philippines. How do you decide whether to get involved there or not? Rocca: Its not up to me. We have to support the Philippines Red Cross, which is a good national society, and support them in their dialogue with the government to respect human beings and to help addicted people to get treatment and not be treated as a criminal. If the local organisation is not able to step in we are ready to support [them]. In my personal opinion, I dont think criminalising the victims is the right thing to do. Saving lives in the Mediterranean is an obligation, it's about morality. by Francesco Rocca You started your work in Italy. Whats your view on the European response to the migrant crisis and what will we see in your presidency? Rocca: I started in Italy in the organisation in 1988 and started working with migrants who had come from the Horn of Africa. Look at the situation now after 30 years. Forty percent of the migrants are still coming from the Horn of Africa. This is a real failure of the international community. Its a failure, so lets call it by its proper name. There is a sense in some parts of Europe that helping people out at sea encourages them to take the dangerous journey. I know you dont share that view. What will you do to help the people making that perilous journey? Rocca: First I will ask your help, the help of the media. We are talking about human beings and about saving lives. If the media is not helping us with a rational and objective approach, this is a reason of concern for us. Because to civil society, the opinion of the media is very important. This is not a political issue. Saving lives in the Mediterranean is an obligation, its about morality. Are you preparing for a conflict with North Korea? Rocca: We hope that dialogue will prevail. Let me be very clear, in case of a nuclear war, there is no training, no preparation that could cope with a disaster where we could assist if this weapon would be used. This is something I dont even want to think about. I hope love for humanity will prevail. Moria camp, Greece A group of men stand in a lengthy queue waiting for bread outside the Moria refugee camp as day breaks on Greeces Lesbos Island. Beyond them, an olive grove is blanketed with tents. Children play in the rubbish-lined field next to Moria, a refugee camp enclosed with barbed-wire fencing and patrolled by Greek police officers. Although Moria was built with a capacity of 2,000, more than 6,000 people, among them children, currently live in the decrepit camp. Basil, a 41-year-old Nigerian who declined to provide his surname, has been in Moria for more than a year while waiting for Greek authorities to process his asylum application. Ive been wearing the same clothes every day, he told Al Jazeera while sitting on a weather-worn wooden bench outside the camp. We came here for help, he continued. But its a ghetto here God sees what they [Greece] are doing to us here. Ely Qias, 16, fled war-torn Afghanistan with her mother and seven siblings before arriving in Greece nearly two months ago. After living in Moria for two weeks, they moved out and squatted in a central square in Mytline, a nearby town, for more than a month. Before we came to Moria, we didnt know it was like a prison or this dirty, she told Al Jazeera. We ate the food once or twice, but we couldnt after that. We were throwing up. Rights groups and aid organisations have called on the Greek government to transfer refugees and migrants on islands to the countrys mainland. Yet, save for exceptions, asylum seekers are barred from leaving the islands until their claims are processed. Last winter, at least three people died in Moria amid freezing temperatures. At the time of publication, Greeces migration ministry had not replied to Al Jazeeras request for comment. On Friday, the Greek government announced its intention to transfer around 5,000 refugees to the mainland to ease the mounting pressure on the islands. The Greek governments decision to move 5,000 people from the islands by December 15 is an important first step, and we recognise the efforts required to accomplish this, Jana Frey, the International Rescue Committees country director in Greece, told Al Jazeera. That said, at least 7,000 people need to be transferred before the start of winter, to ensure no one is left out in the cold. The Trump administrations decision to rescind DACA, the Obama-era legislation that shielded young immigrants from deportation and gave them work permits, met a fierce wave of protests across the United States. The immigrant rights movement came out in full defence of Dreamers, the group of almost 800,000 DACA beneficiaries. Activists from as far west as Seattle to as far east as New York City staged walkouts, hosted rallies, shut down traffic, and staged sit-ins in front of Trump Towers. Numerous celebrities added their voice to the fight, with Cher and Lin-Manuel Miranda among those who took to Twitter to champion the cause. It was a vibrant display of nationwide solidarity, and a glimpse at the galvanising potential of the immigrant rights movement. This flurry of protest and direct action is in stark contrast to the response, or lack thereof, to the Trump administrations decision to terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Haiti. This would put nearly 60,000 Haitians living in the US at risk of deportation. The Department of Homeland Security granted Haiti TPS designation in January of 2010 in the wake of the 7.0 earthquake that devastated the small island. Known widely as the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere due to imperialist and colonial legacies, Haitian activists say conditions on the island have not improved. Outside of a few protests in Florida, home to the largest population of Haitians living in the US, the silence from the immigrant rights movement and larger community has been deafening. But for those of us who exist at the intersection of xenophobia and anti-black racism, the silence has been unsurprising. The immigrant rights movement has never fully addressed the needs of black migrants in its advocacy work. In an era where the word intersectionality has entered the public lexicon, the immigrant rights movement has failed at it. by Black migrants are stuck in an ironic position of simultaneous hyper-visibility and invisibility. Black people, migrant and American-born, are more likely than any other population to be arrested, convicted, and imprisoned in the US criminal enforcement system. According to BAJI, an advocacy group that was formed in 2006, in response to the unmet needs of the black migrant community, black migrants are more likely to have criminal records than any other immigrant group. More than one of every five people facing deportations on criminal grounds is black. Black migrants are being assimilated into the terror of the prison industrial complex at an alarming rate. The over-policing, over incarceration, and overt violence of the policing apparatus that is at the core of the #BlackLivesMatter movement is also an immigrant rights issue. Despite the numerous and unique sets of challenges that black migrants face, they are often erased from the larger immigration discourse. Political elites have peddled the image of the bad hombre entering the country illegally from the southern border so successfully that these caricatures are what the majority of the populace associates with immigration. To be invisible within the public consciousness is to be without the structural and community support other migrant populations benefit from. As a young African organiser, my first activism was within the immigrant rights movement. I was often disillusioned as my attempts to bring attention to the plight of black migrants went unheard. I did not want to change the conversation: I wanted it to become more expansive. In an era where the word intersectionality has entered the public lexicon, the immigrant rights movement has failed at it. It is the deeply pervasive nature of anti-black racism that erases the existence of black migrants. If the immigrant rights movement is to successfully turn the tide against anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy, there needs to be greater overlap between racial justice and immigrant rights organising. The two movements are not divergent spheres, but overlapping ones. Racial justice is an immigrant rights issue, and immigrant rights are a racial justice issue. As xenophobia sweeps across the globe, from the US to all across the European continent, the work of the immigrant rights movement is more important than ever. If we are to defeat the bevvy of racist anti-migrant rhetoric and legislation, we need a united front against the forces that wreak havoc in our home countries through myriad imperialist interventions and then abuse us as unwelcome guests in their own. We must challenge the limitations of the Western imaginary that erases the diversity of migrant communities. The future of the movement depends on our ability engage in transformational solidarity for the liberation and self-determination of all our communities. The immigrant rights movement must affirm that #BlackLivesMatter. The national silence in the wake of the suspension of TPS, a looming crisis for the Haitian community, is unconscionable. If the immigrant rights movement is to transform the landscape of this increasingly xenophobic country, it must first have a reckoning with its own anti-blackness. When the news broke of the Department of Homeland Securitys decision to suspend TPS status for Haitians, there was a protest at the Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Led by Haitian activists, the group rallied and chanted. Some of the almost 27,000 US-born children of parents who now face deportation called on Donald Trump to witness their struggle and do the right thing. Perhaps they should make the same plea to the broader immigrant rights movement. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. A Wyoming man who spent 24 years in prison for a crime he did not commit is appealing a federal judge's 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 acquaintance's 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 client's defense. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in July on procedural grounds, including that many of the lawsuit's 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. In the US criminal justice system, there is a fate far worse than being sentenced to death. On this day 69 years ago the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, sketching the foundation of human rights law. Led by Eleanor Roosevelt, the United States played a critical role in bringing 48 nations together to enumerate a set of core individual rights and freedoms that we all reference to this day. Unfortunately today the US struggles to live up to these ideals it helped create. The punitive nature of American criminal justice deserves international censure. The US has emerged as the global capital of mass incarceration, and its sentencing laws must be examined. Although it calls itself the land of the free, the US maintains a draconian sentencing scheme, sending more people to prison than any other nation. While it touts its own human rights record and lectures other nations on their human rights shortcomings, its voracious appetite for life sentences without parole is an embarrassment that fails to live up to the lofty rhetoric of the US Constitution, and falls far short of international standards. The sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, or LWOP, is just as the term implies. A person will remain behind bars for the rest of his or her life and until death, without any hope of release from prison. A cruel form of punishment often referred to as the other death penalty, LWOP violates international human rights norms. Violating human dignity William W. Berry III of the University of Mississippi noted, human rights law is based on the concept of human dignity (pdf). Both the preamble of the Charter of the UN, and Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights reinforce this concept. Similarly, the US Supreme Court has said the basic concept underlying the Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution which prohibits cruel and unusual punishments is nothing less than the dignity of man. While the State has the power to punish, the Amendment stands to assure that this power is exercised within the limits of civilised standards. As Berry notes, LWOP as a one-time decision and death-in-custody sentence violates the human dignity of the condemned (pdf), the high courts decisions notwithstanding. A final and total condemnation of a person, LWOP sentencing is problematic because there is no way of knowing if there is proportionality in the sentence, it does not allow for rehabilitation and does not account for changes in the offenders danger to society over time. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the goal of the treatment of prisoners is reformation and social rehabilitation: Life-sentence prisoners should be eligible for release into society once they have served a sufficient period of time in custody to mark the seriousness of their offences (pdf). The imposition of LWOP in the US is a violation of a number of UN human rights conventions, of which the country is a signatory, but often neglects to follow. Racial discrimination in sentencing For example, racial and ethnic minorities disproportionately receive LWOP sentences (pdf), a violation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), or the Race Convention. While African Americans are 13 percent of the population, they were 28.3 percent of prisoners serving life sentences as of 2009, 56.4 percent of those sentenced to LWOP, and 56.1 percent of juveniles serving LWOP (JLWOP), according to the ACLU (pdf). Juan Mendez, the UN special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment, noted the US is the only country to continue the practice of JLWOP. Many lifers serve their sentences in solitary confinement isolation for at least 22 hours a day which is a form of torture (pdf) under the UN Torture Convention. The explosion of people doing time for life has been more about locking up black and brown bodies than deterring crime. by The European Court of Human Rights has found that life sentences with no hope of release raise issues under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The court ruled that a whole life sentence must allow for reducibility (pdf) if a prisoner has been rehabilitated and continued detention is no longer justifiable. In practice, more than 50,000 prisoners are serving life without parole today. Thats one in every 28 prisoners. One quarter of those serving life or virtual life sentences will never have an opportunity for parole. Most doing life without parole were convicted of violent crimes. Others were not. There are more than 3,000 nonviolent LWOP offenders as young as eighteen. Offenses like stealing a $159 jacket or selling cannabis are costing lives. Sixty-five percent of these nonviolent offenders are African American. In nine states, African Americans make up two-thirds of those serving life without parole. The surge in life without parole sentencing is staggering. LWOP rolls quadrupled nationwide from 1992 to 2012, from 12,453 to 49,081(pdf). That rate of growth is almost four times the percentage rise in people serving parole-eligible sentences. The explosion of people doing time for life has been more about locking up black and brown bodies than deterring crime. Violent crime has been on the decline for decades, yet in states such as California, Florida, and Virginia LWOP prison populations exploded since 2003. Californias violent crime decreased by 26.4 percent yet their LWOP count grew by 281.6 percent. California has made progress reversing its tough-on-crime past, yet theyve thrown the book and then some for many of their prisoners to this day. Finally, despite progress being made in the area of juvenile justice, the US is still an outlier. In 2012, the US Supreme Court ruled in Miller v. Alabama its unconstitutional to sentence kids for life without parole. Today, however, approximately 2,100 people remain in prison for crimes they committed as children. To give up on rehabilitating individuals attacks a core tenet of criminal justice in a functioning democracy. by Even in the aftermath of the US Supreme Court halting harsh sentencing of minors, the US continues to wrestle with the impacts of degrading sentencing. Legislators and prosecutors for too long have cast Black and Latino American children as young as 14 as irredeemable super-predators, charging, prosecuting, convicting and sentencing children as if they were adults. Most of these children, of course, sprung out of traumatic environments, poor mental health access and sometimes abusive households. Many LWOP offenders grew out of over-policed under-resourced communities hollowed-out after years of divestment and systematic discrimination to access decent housing, education and employment. To give up on rehabilitating individuals attacks a core tenet of criminal justice in a functioning democracy. The system should not simply punish but be a place for mercy and change, a set of rules for offenders to reflect, repair and heal. A global outlier in criminal justice, the US undermines itself on the world stage when it engages in human rights abuses against its prisoners. The nation will remain ill-equipped to serve as a human rights leader and role model as long as it ignores international standards regarding life sentences. The US must do much better, which means implementing sentencing laws that uphold human dignity and facilitate rehabilitation, rather than encouraging punitive measures that embrace cruelty and retribution for its own sake. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Damascus Gate on Friday was awash with journalists, poised at the ready with their cameras, eager to capture the first of the clashes and provide the world with news from the Holy City. Palestinians, many of whom had come out of noon prayers from Al Aqsa, congregated to protest the USs recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Their anger and frustration at Trumps declaration, which breaks from the international norm a refusal to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the city stems from the fact that Jerusalem occupies an important place in the hearts and minds of Palestinians the world over. Historically, Jerusalem was the capital of Palestine, and today occupied East Jerusalem is recognised as the capital of a future Palestinian state. For a change, rather than be seen as a photo op, Palestinians anger and frustration should be understood and respected within the context: Israel has been colonising Palestine including Jerusalem since 1948, and Trumps declaration simply gives Israel more of a green light to continue its settler-colonial project. In 1948 Zionist forces occupied West Jerusalem, and in 1967 Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Golan Heights, and forcibly annexed East Jerusalem. The international community condemned the latter move then, and continues to condemn it today. In 1980, when Israel passed a law stating that the whole of Jerusalem was its undivided capital, the UN Security Council declared it null and void. East Jerusalem continues to be recognised as part of the occupied West Bank where all changes beyond what is needed to maintain public order and to provide for the rights and needs of the Palestinian civilian population are unlawful under the 4th Geneva Convention.As such, no country in the world recognises Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem (except Russia, which recently said it would recognise West Jerusalem as Israels capital as part of a peace agreement). Hence embassies are located in Tel Aviv. {articleGUID} Trumps latest move had global political and diplomatic echelons voice their disapproval, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey stating that the US had crossed a red line. Indeed, much of the world media warned that Trumps statement served as a provocation and would spark violence while simultaneously de-railing the peace process. Yet this is not a new situation: Violence has been occurring in Palestine since the beginning of Zionist colonisation. Israels annexation of Jerusalem, which has caused the slow yet continuous destruction of Palestinian social, economic and political life in the city, has facilitated this violence. Israels wider settler project in the rest of historic Palestine has also had horrific consequences for Palestinians. Many have seen their homes demolished, family members imprisoned or killed and every aspect of their movement controlled. The red line for Palestinians was crossed decades ago, and this is why they have taken to the streets, not simply because of this latest political move. Similarly, the de-railing of the current peace process is a misnomer: It was dead from inception. The Oslo peace process was designed to entrench the occupation and ghettoise the Palestinians into Bantustans while presenting a facade of state building and steps towards Palestinian sovereignty. In sum, it was a smoke screen for Israeli settler colonisation of Palestine. While many Palestinians and their allies have seen through this over the last two decades, they have been repeatedly silenced and dismissed both externally and internally. The opposition and condemnation from many in the international community at Trumps statement not only lacks clout but is also marked by hypocrisy. The colonisation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank that began 50 years ago has been relentless, as has been the violation of Palestinian human rights. The world watches through a camera lens, shaking their heads and insisting that Palestinians not resort to violence but rather remain committed to the two-state solution. Meanwhile, Israel continues to enjoy normal diplomatic relations with most countries in the world. This is the spectacle of Palestine. Now, after decades of global inaction and a seal of US approval, Israel will be emboldened to hasten its colonisation and annexation even deeper into the West Bank. In the last few days, on what is the 30th anniversary of the First Intifada, Palestinians have been protesting once again to demand their fundamental human rights. The global response they deserve is simple: Sanction the state of Israel for its gross violation of international law and human rights and listen to those Palestinian voices who for so long have been silenced by political elites. Meanwhile, we Palestinians are presented with an opportune moment to change our destinies that have been written and determined for us for over a century. We must demand of our political leadership that they end their coordination with the Israeli occupation and abandon the Oslo peace process. And we must insist that they finally stand for the rights of all Palestinians, whether under military occupation, under siege, in exile or within the apartheid State of Israel. Only then will this spectacle end. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Palestinian president will not meet Vice President Pence during his upcoming Middle East visit, PA official says. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not meet US Vice President Mike Pence during the latters visit to the region this month, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki has said. The snub over the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital came after Egypts Coptic Church on Saturday also cancelled an upcoming meeting with Pence in protest against Washingtons move on Jerusalem. The policy change will also see the US embassy to Israel move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a decision that has sparked anger and protests throughout the occupied Palestinian territories, and drawn condemnation from world leaders. On Thursday, a day after US President Donald Trump formally made the announcement, Jibril Rajoub, a senior Fatah politician, said, we will not receive him [Pence] in the Palestinian territories. {articleGUID} Pences visit to the region involves stops in Egypt, Israel and the West Bank, the White House said in October. The vice president was scheduled to meet Abbas in Bethlehem on December 19. In the name of Fatah, I say that we will not welcome Trumps deputy in the Palestinian territories. He asked to meet (Abbas) on the 19th of this month in Bethlehem, such a meeting will not take place, Rajoub said. In a statement later on Sunday, Pences press secretary Alyssa Farah said it was unfortunate that the Palestinian Authority (PA) had decided to decline the meeting. Farah said the PA was walking away again from an opportunity to discuss the future of the region but that the US remained committed to peace negotiations. The administration remains undeterred in its efforts to help achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians and our peace team remains hard at work putting together a plan, she said. On Wednesday, as Trump made his announcement with his deputy at his side, he spoke about Pences visit. Vice President Pence will travel 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, Trump said. Counterproductive A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Al Jazeera on Friday that Pence still intends to meet Abbas, noting it would be counterproductive for the Palestinian leader to cancel the meeting. Separately, Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian chief negotiator, told Al Jazeera on Friday that Palestinians will not talk to the US until Trump has reversed his decision. He said the Palestinian leadership was considering all options in response to Trumps announcement. Trumps embassy move has inflamed the Israel-Palestine conflict, in which the status of Jerusalem is a key issue. The Palestinians see occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. In announcing the embassy move, Trump said he remained deeply committed to finding a peace agreement, noting that the US would support a two-state solution if agreed to by both sides. Abbas recently met Jordans King Abdullah II, after which they issued a joint statement noting that any measure tampering with the legal and historical status of Jerusalem is invalid and warning of the dangerous repercussions of the embassy move. {articleGUID} On Sunday, violence erupted for a fourth day in the occupied Palestinian territories in response to Trumps announcement. Witnesses said Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters at groups of rallying youth in the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem. The protests came after Israeli air raids killed two Palestinians in Gaza on Saturday after fighters reportedly fired rockets from Gaza into Israel on Friday. With no declared winner two weeks after election, Opposition Alliances Nasralla asks for vote count to be nullified. Tegucigalpa Honduras Opposition Alliance headed by sportscaster-turned-presidential hopeful Salvador Nasralla, who is vying to unseat incumbent National Party President Juan Orlando Hernandez, has formally challenged the results of last months presidential election Were calling for the nullity of the vote count at the presidential level for the scandalous fraud we have found, Nasralla said on Friday as he called for a new count to be completed. Nearly two weeks after election day, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) has not officially announced the next president despite results showing a lead for Hernandez. Meanwhile, at least 14 people have been killed during protests as the country slipped into its most acute crisis since the 2009 military coup. The political crisis has reached the legal level, which is normal in all electoral processes, political analyst Gustavo Irias, director of the Honduran Center for the Study of Democracy (CESPAD), told Al Jazeera. What is unique is that the complaints mark the rejection of the process, with all of the irregularities, especially at the presidential level by the two political opposition forces, Irias said. Nasralla, who like Hernandez claimed victory after election, has called for a vote-by-vote recount of the countrys 18,103 ballot boxes with oversight by an independent international commission. The Liberal Party, whose candidate Luis Zelaya placed a distant third, petitioned on Friday the TSE to nullify the presidential election altogether. Hernandez has said that he is satisfied with the electoral process and accused the opposition of playing games, saying the demands must have an end. Competing demands With 100 percent of ballots counted, Hernandez leads by 1.6 percentage points. The results reverse an early 5 percent margin for Nasralla when 58 percent of ballots boxes had been counted. {articleGUID} If they accept our challenge, the total recount of the votes that we have called for proceeds, Opposition Alliance spokesperson Rodolfo Pastor told Al Jazeera, adding that he thought it would be extraordinary if the electoral commission accepts the petition. More likely, Pastor said, will be for the TSE to proclaim Hernandez president. Both the Opposition Alliance and Liberal Party would reject the result. Irias agreed an official victory for Hernandez is most likely. However, he stressed that announcing the winner will not resolve the political crisis, but instead give way to a wave of legal and citizen actions to challenge the result. The tribunal lost the possibility of saving the electoral process in conditions that its results could have legitimacy, Irias said, highlighting a perceived lack of transparency. Juan Carlos Sikaffy, vice president of the Honduran Council of Private Enterprise (COHEP), the countrys largest business trade organisation, did not dismiss a possibility of full recount. If this proposal to count the 18,000 ballot boxes brings transparency, calm, and tranquility to the country, may they be counted, Sikaffy told Al Jazeera. Our only wish as part of Honduran society is that the popular will is respected its the only way to achieve calm and a conducive environment for investment. The tribunal cannot declare a winner until it addresses all appeals of the process. The deadline for a president elect to be announced is December 26. Results in question The Organization of American States and European Union election observation missions have cast doubt on the results due to rampant irregularities, heightening pressure on the beleaguered TSE to open the ballot boxes for a more thorough review. {articleGUID} Following an OAS recommendation, the TSE completed began a vote-by-vote recount of 4,753 ballot boxes on Sunday and reported that the variations were minimal. This represents just over one quarter of the 18,103 ballot boxes the opposition contends should be opened for scrutiny. Hernandezs National Party has said it is open to a review of the tally sheets from the election, but has not agreed to open up the ballot boxes and re-count each individual vote. The party handed over its scanned copies of the vote tallies, which all parties possess, to the TSE for comparison. The Opposition Alliance has refused to relinquish its tallies, citing distrust of the TSE. The tribunal is losing legitimacy as an arbiter capable of giving certainty to this process, and therefore the process itself is questionable, Pastor said. New elections? A social movement coalition, the Convergence Against Continuing Rule, has called for the vote to be voided and for new elections to be called. {articleGUID} We believe the best way out of the current crisis is new elections, Bertha Oliva, director of the countrys preeminent independent human rights organisation, COFADEH, told Al Jazeera, raising alarm over the threat of more deaths as popular uprisings are met with state repression. Not just elections with the same mechanisms, but elections with international supervision, Olivia added. People are tired of corruption and demand greater respect and transparency. Hernandez, who is seeking re-election on the basis of a controversial ruling from the constitutional branch of the Supreme Court that his government is accused of having stacked with friendly judges, said in an interview with CNN that another election is out of the question. In Honduras, there is no second round [election], Hernandez said. The Honduran Constitution does not provide for a run-off scenario. The OAS did not rule out the possibility of fresh elections, nor did COHEPs Sikaffy, who said the country should wait to see what comes of the partial recount. Nasralla has said another election would be a last resort alternative. Citizen rebellion Meanwhile, thousands protesters have flooded the streets and defied a now-lifted military curfew in neighbourhood noise-making demonstrations to decry alleged election fraud with the rallying cry out with Juan Orlando Hernandez. CESPADs Irias said the uprisings are the face of accumulated outrage after years of government corruption scandals and unpopular measures that have sparked a national citizen rebellion. Its a crisis of institutionality, of distrust, of defending the status quo from forces that seek democratic change, Irias said, underlying the situations roots in the 2009 coup. What is at stake here is consolidating a dictatorship or democracy prevailing. National Party supporters also took to the streets las week under the banner united for peace in a march in Tegucigalpa Wednesday, which was cut short by a downpour. Human rights crisis Amid the political turmoil, at least 14 people have been killed, including two police officers and 12 citizens at the hands of military police, according to COFADEH. {articleGUID} Dozens more have been injured and over 800 detained in a situation national and international advocacy groups warn increasingly puts political activists and government critics at risk. We want to avoid more bloodshed, COFADEHs Oliva said. Meanwhile, the US Department of State certified Honduras for additional aid citing improvements in human rights and anti-corruption. Amnesty International reported that security forces have repressed protesters using tear gas, arrests, beatings, and even firearms. In one case, military police fatally shot a peaceful protester in the face without warning for violating the curfew. COHEPs Sikaffy denied that state security personnel have used excessive force, advocating for a stricter crackdown on disruptive protests. I think there there has been a lack of force [used] in order to respect the human rights of the thousands of people who go to work daily, who move their products from one city to another, said Sikaffy, adding that recent highway blockades have prevented the regular transport of goods including food and medicines. Opposition supporters have vowed more protests. Defence minister says the US move on Jerusalem is a slap in the face for the entire Muslim world. Malaysian defence minister has said that the United States decision to make Jerusalem the capital of Israel was a slap in the face for the entire Muslim world, pointing out that his countrys military is prepared to perform its duty if its services are required. We have to be prepared for any possibilities. The ATM [Malaysian Armed Forces] has always been ready, waiting for instructions from the top leadership, the Malaysian state news agency Bernama quoted Hishammuddin Hussein as saying. Let us pray that this dispute would not lead to chaos, Hussein added. The dramatic shift in Washingtons Jerusalem policy triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq and countries around the world. We have to be prepared for any possibilities. The ATM has always been ready, waiting for instructions from the top leadership by Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein On Sunday, about 10,000 Indonesians rallied outside the US Embassy in Jakarta in support of Palestinians, the Associated Press news agency reported. The protesters are carrying banners reading US Embassy, Gets Out from Al Quds, Free Jerusalem and Palestinians and We are with the Palestinians. Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem. Violation of UN resolutions Sundays protest, organised by the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party, was the second since Trumps decision on Thursday. President Joko Jokowi Widodo has strongly condemned Trumps move, which he described as a violation of UN resolutions. Indonesia, as the worlds most populous Muslim nation, has long been a strong supporter of Palestinians and has no diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967 war, but no country in the world recognises it. Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians wanting East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, while Israel says the city, which is under Israeli occupation, cannot be divided. The US president also announced the relocation of US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem a step that might take years to complete. Analysts fear Trumps rubber-stamping of the rights political goals will further radicalise both sides of the divide. Jerusalem Trumps recognition this week of Jerusalem as Israels capital, overturning seven decades of US policy in the region and effectively ending hopes of a two-state solution, has provoked dire warnings. But the focus by commentators on Palestinian reactions, rather than the effect on the Israeli public and leadership, might have underestimated the longer-term fallout from Trumps move, analysts say. Predictions have included the threat of renewed violence even an uprising from Palestinians; the possible collapse of the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinians government-in-waiting, and its diplomatic strategy for two states; and the demise of Washingtons claim to be serving as a credible peacemaker. But according to analysts, more far-reaching and disruptive undercurrents will likely be set in motion by Trumps decision. Few have factored in the likely effect of Trumps new Jerusalem policy on the Israeli public, which has been shifting steadily to the right for most of the past two decades. The city and its contested holy sites have gained an increasingly powerful religious and national symbolism for many Israeli Jews. The fear is that Trumps effective rubber-stamping of the rights political goals in Jerusalem will further radicalise both sides of the divide and accelerate processes that have been turning a long-standing national conflict into a more openly religious one. Tipping point We may remember this date as the tipping point, as the moment when a new consensus emerged in Israel behind the idea of total Jewish supremacy, journalist David Sheen, an expert on Israels far-right movements, told Al Jazeera. Similar concerns were expressed by Yousef Jabareen, a Palestinian member of Israels parliament. We can expect to see a move rightwards across Israeli society, he told Al Jazeera. The centre-left parties were already tacking much closer to the right. They will now want to align themselves with Trumps position. Meanwhile, the right will be encouraged to move to the extreme right. Both noted that Avi Gabbay the recently elected leader of the Zionist Union, the official opposition and the party that was once the backbone of the Israeli peace camp had begun espousing positions little different from those of right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Last week, Gabbay backed Trumps announcement, saying that recognition of Jerusalem was more important than a peace deal with the Palestinians. Sheen said that traditionally, the centre-left had been restrained in its political positions by concerns about alienating the United States: Netanyahu has shown that he can bring the US round to his way of thinking by staying the course. In many Israelis eyes, he has now been proved right. The centrists may decide it is time to come onboard. Allying with the Republican right and the Christian evangelicals in the US may now look like a much safer bet. The possible effects of Trumps announcement on Israelis have been largely overlooked, even though previous turning points in the conflict have consistently resulted in dramatic lurches rightwards by the Israeli public. Given Israels power over the Palestinians, these changes have played a decisive role in leading to the current impasse between Israel and the Palestinians, analysts note. Most obviously, Israels seemingly miraculous victory in the 1967 war, defeating the armies of neighbouring Arab states in six days, unleashed a wave of Messianic Judaism that spawned the settler movement. A new religious nationalism swept parts of the Israeli public, driving them into the occupied Palestinian territories to claim a supposed Biblical birthright. Other major events have had a decisive effect too. Unexpectedly, the Oslo peace process, launched in the mid-1990s, persuaded many non-religious Israeli Jews to move into settlements in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, doubling the numbers there in a few years. Into the arms of the far right Alan Baker, a legal adviser to the Israeli foreign ministry in that period, explained Israelis peculiar reading of the Oslo Accords. In their view, Oslo meant Israel was present in the territories with their [the Palestinians] consent and subject to the outcome of negotiations. In other words, many Israelis believed that the Oslo process had conferred an international legitimacy on the settlements. Later, in 2000, after the Camp David summit collapsed without the sides agreeing to a two-state solution, Ehud Barak, Israels then-prime minister, blamed Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians. He said they were no partner for peace. As a result, Israelis deserted the peace camp and drifted into the arms of the right and far-right. Netanyahu has reaped the benefits, leading a series of ultra-nationalist governments since 2009. Now Trumps decision on Jerusalem effectively gives Washingtons blessing to Israels illegal annexation of East Jerusalem and five decades of creating facts on the ground there, said Jabareen. Trump has legitimised the far-rights argument that Israel can control all of Jerusalem by sheer force, by denying Palestinians their rights and by creating facts on the ground, he said. With their policy of aggressive unilateralism now paying dividends in the US, the settlers and the ultra-nationalists were unlikely to be satisfied with that success alone, he added. The danger is that the religious rights narrative will now seem persuasive at other sites in the occupied territories they demand, such as Hebron and Nablus. Since Trumps election a year ago, Naftali Bennett, the Israeli education minister and the leader of the main settler party, has begun calling for Israel to seize the opportunity to annex West Bank settlements. Pressure is likely now to mount rapidly on Netanyahu to shift even further to the right. On the 972 website, Noam Sheizaf, an Israeli analyst, observed that Trumps declaration had boosted the settlers position that in the long run facts on the ground are more important than diplomacy and politics, and that Israel will eventually win legitimacy for its actions. Effects in Jerusalem The most immediate effects, according to Ir Amim, an IsraeIi human rights organisation, will be felt in Jerusalem itself. Government ministers have already drafted legislation to bring large West Bank settlements under Jerusalems municipal authority, as a way covertly to annex them. There are also plans to strip large numbers of Palestinians of their Israeli-issued Jerusalem residency papers because they live outside the separation wall Israel built through the city more than a decade ago. That would cement a new, unassailable right-wing Jewish majority in Jerusalem. Last week, Ir Amim warned in a statement that Trumps move would be certain to embolden such actions by the Israeli right and provide a tailwind to those determined to pre-empt a two-state solution. Assad Ghanem, a politics professor at Haifa University, told Al Jazeera: Trump has given a legitimacy to the rights Messianic agenda. He has adopted the language of the extreme right on Jerusalem that it is Israels eternal, united capital. The far-right will declare this a victory. In parallel, Trumps seal of approval for Israels takeover of Jerusalem is likely to intensify the citys religious symbolism for Jews and the importance of Israeli sovereignty over al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Ghanem noted. In recent years, a growing number of rabbis have been overturning a centuries-old consensus that al-Aqsa compound is off-limits to Jews because it was not known where the ruins of an earlier Jewish temple lay. In Jewish tradition, it is forbidden to walk over an inner sanctum, known as the Holy of Holies. Today, Jews regularly enter the compound and some even pray there. Settler rabbis and far-right government ministers have called for dividing the compound between Israelis and Palestinians, creating huge tensions with Palestinians. Temple movements Meanwhile, a once-fringe movement of Jewish supporters who wish to destroy the mosque to rebuild the ancient Jewish temple in its place, are gradually moving into the mainstream. Trumps move will be a shot in the arm to their ambitions and their credibility, said Sheen, who has studied the temple movements. He pointed out that immediately after Trumps declaration, these groups had uploaded a cartoon of Trump standing in al-Aqsa compound, in front of the golden-topped Dome of the Rock, imagining the Jewish temple in its place. Trump is shown saying in Hebrew: This is the perfect spot! Sheen said: This will be treated as a call to arms by these groups. Will the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital have similarly dramatic long-term effect on Palestinians public opinion? Analysts believe it will. The lack of an outpouring of significant anger even after Palestinian leaders called for three days of rage last week could be deceptive. Israeli analysts have suggested that there is often what they term an incubation period a delay between a major change in Israels favour and a popular reaction from Palestinians. That was true of the second Intifada, which came months after the collapse of the Camp David summit. An expectation of knee-jerk anger to Trumps decision may be misplaced, say analysts. The decision may result in a slower and much deeper process of adjustment to the new reality. Palestinians will now have to abandon the old tools of national struggle, because they have been shown to be ineffective. We need new tools of resistance, and that will require a grassroots struggle. We need a return to mass protests, Jabareen said. Ghanem noted the danger that, with the likely growth of a Jewish religious extremism in Israel and among the settlers, some Palestinians might drift towards violence. But he expected that a more significant trend would be Palestinians reassessing the end goal of their struggle and opting for mass civil disobedience. The two-state solution is obviously now finished, and that is likely to mobilise a new generation to struggle for a single state, he said. Activists and the leadership will need to rebuild Palestinian nationalism. French President Emmanuel Macron says he disapproves of the decision by the US to declare Jerusalem as Israels capital. French President Emmanuel Macron has criticised a US decision to call Jerusalem the capital of Israel, while urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the construction of illegal settlements. In a joint press conference after meeting Netanyahu in the French capital, Macron urged the Israeli leader to negotiate with the Palestinians. France remains convinced that the only solution in accordance to international law is to enable the establishment of two states living side by side in peace and this can only happen through negotiations, he said on Sunday. I invite the prime minister to make courageous gestures regarding the Palestinians and to overcome the current deadlock. Netanyahus visit to Paris came four days after US President Donald Trump ignored widespread warnings by the international community as he recognised Jerusalem as Israels capital, and announced plans to move his countrys embassy to the city. The unilateral move was sharply condemned by leaders across the world, including in Europe, and led to deadly clashes across the occupied Palestinian territories and major protests elsewhere. Commenting on Trumps decision, Macron expressed his deep disapproval because it contradicts international law. He also called on Israel to freeze settlement building as a gesture of peace. But Netanyahu said that Trumps recognition merely recognised realities on the ground, adding that Palestinians must accept Jerusalem as Israels capital. Netanyahu once again said Jerusalem has always been the capital of the state of Israel. {articleGUID} The sooner the Palestinians come to grips with this reality, the sooner well move towards peace, he said at the press conference. This is why I think President Trumps announcement was so historic and so important for peace, he added, saying that there is a serious effort underway by the US administration on the quest for peace. Responding to Macrons calls for negotiations, Netanyahu said he has more than once reached out to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Al Jazeeras Natacha Butler, reporting from Paris, said there was no doubt that the decision on Jerusalem dominated the meeting between Macron and Netanyahu. Macron said that, for him, the only way forward is for Israelis and Palestinians to come together and address the question of Jerusalem in talks towards a two-state solution, she said. But its very hard to see how the Israeli prime minister would want to go forward with that after the remarks he made today. European tour Beyond the issue of Jerusalem, the two leaders discussed a series of other topics, including Irans role in the Middle East. {articleGUID} Netanyahu called Iran the main source of aggression in the region, saying it was building up its military capabilities in both Syria and Lebanon, and claimed that a number of Arab states were beginning to agree with this position. Many of the Arab countries now recognise that Israel is not their enemy, but their ally to fight the two main sources of terrorism in the region, namely Daesh [ISIL] and Iran. During the press conference, Macron announced he will visit Israel in 2018. After visiting Paris, Netanyahu will travel to Brussels, where he is scheduled to meet Federica Mogherini, the European Unions foreign policy chief. Just like Macron, Mogherini has been critical of the US decision to move the American embassy to Jerusalem and recognise the city as the capital of Israel. KRG condemns Iraqi prime minister for failing to act as the prime minister and sidelining Kurdish forces. The regional government of Iraqs Kurdish region has criticised Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi for not mentioning Kurdish forces in his victory speech over the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS). In a conference in the capital Baghdad on Saturday, Abadi hailed Iraqs heroic armed forces for rooting out ISIL. Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border, and I, therefore, announce the end of the war against Daesh, Abadi said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIL. The prime ministers failure to mention the contribution of Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the fight against ISIL drew quick condemnation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Unfortunately, Mr. al-Abadi once again failed to act as the prime minister and sidelined the role of the [bravery] of Peshmerga while the whole world witnessed that the Peshmerga, before all the armed forces of Iraq whom were named by al-Abadi, managed to defeat the myth of ISIL, the KRGs Peshmerga ministry said in a statement. The Kurdish statement added that ISIL would have wreaked much more havoc on the country had the Peshmerga not halted its advances. More than 1,800 Peshmerga fighters were killed in the battle against ISIL and thousands more wounded, the Kurdish Rudaw news agency reported. Questioning, the Iraqi leaders omission on Saturday, the ministry added: How does he expect them [Peshmerga families] and the nation of Kurdistan to have the sense of belonging to Iraq when they see this is how the prime minister acts. Iraqi government forces launched an armed campaign against ISIL nearly three years ago. In a rapid advance in October, Iraqi forces took full control of the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, which Kurdish Peshmerga fighters had seized after the Iraqi army fled a major offensive by ISIL in 2014. The Kurds found themselves without about 40 percent of the territory they previously held as they withdrew from areas being disputed with Baghdad. On September 25, people in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq and a number of disputed areas voted in a controversial referendum that found overwhelming support for secession. The poll, which was declared illegal by the federal government in Baghdad and denounced by neighbouring countries, resulted in 92 percent of people voting in favour of splitting from Iraq. The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) for the campaigns ground-breaking efforts to secure a prohibition on such weapons. In July, ICAN was at the forefront of international efforts to establish a global agreement against the development, and use, of nuclear weapons. Their work led to the creation of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which to date has 50 signatories, including Brazil, South Africa and Vietnam. The Norwegian Nobel Committee, recognising this achievement, has praised ICAN for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons. Ahead of the December 10 ceremony in Oslo, Al Jazeera spoke to Rebecca Johnson, founding co-chair of ICAN and member of the organisations International Steering Group, about the campaign, current challenges and aspirations for the future. Al Jazeera: What does winning the Nobel Prize mean for ICAN? Rebecca Johnson: We see the Nobel Peace Prize as being a way to give a spotlight to the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and encourage ICAN to get the job done. It will help to publicise what we are doing so that people around the world want to be part of ICAN and get their countries on board to sign the treaty as well. Having the Nobel as well as the treaty, we are re-energised. We were working on a shoestring budget, but now have more opportunities to raise funds and focus those into our campaigners in the countries and regions that we need to prioritise in terms of signing up to the agreement, which include those with nuclear arms or which are part of nuclear alliances. Our role is to raise awareness and to focus arguments so that campaigners on the ground can persuade their own governments that this is a treaty they should join. We need to change the conversation about nuclear weapons in those countries, highlighting the risks and insecurity they bring. Al Jazeera: Is there a renewed sense of danger about the use, and potential impacts, of nuclear weapons within the international community? Johnson: From the very beginning, ICAN has always said: Dont delude yourselves, there are no safe hands for these dangerous, abhorrent and unsafe weapons. Now the rest of the world is seeing that more clearly when they see Donald Trump in the White House and Kim Jong-un in North Korea trading very irresponsible threats to nuke each other, or to nuke places in their vicinity, and seeming to be unaware how catastrophic the consequences of that would be. People thought the end of the Cold War meant nuclear weapons were being dealt with, but with Trump and Kim Jong-un and all these instabilities, with nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, Israel with nuclear weapons in the Middle East, the deterioration of relations between Russia and the West with these and other flashpoints that could erupt, people are saying the political situations are bad enough, we dont want nuclear weapons in that mix. We dont want Trump to be able to decide at 3am in the morning to fire off a nuclear weapon instead of a tweet. We cant play Russian roulette with nuclear weapons; theyre too dangerous. Al Jazeera: What is ICANs stance on the Iran nuclear deal? Johnson: I think it [the Iran nuclear deal] was one of the successes of both the Obama approach and the European Union, together with Russia and China, to be able to bring Iran to the negotiating table. [The deal was agreed to by Iran, China, France, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and the EU in July 2015.] They created a deal that at least addressed most, if not all, of the drivers underpinning the value that Iran was attaching to having a free hand with what it called its nuclear programme for peaceful purposes, but which had all the elements of a programme that could be weaponised at a certain point further down the road. The Iran nuclear deal was not perfect, but it created a mechanism for confidence-building and also for monitoring. Trump has come along, understood none of that, and played fast and loose with the deal, which is extremely dangerous because with a country like Iran, its very difficult to get them back to the negotiating table if a deal has been broken. Al Jazeera: How has nuclear weapons testing impacted global health? Johnson: For many years, the humanitarian impacts of the nuclear testing programmes were swept under the carpet. The leaders of the countries doing the testing knew that the explosions were very, very harmful. Thats why they conducted the testing as far from their own centres of population as they possibly could: so France tested first of all in Algeria and then in the Pacific; Russia tested in Kazakhstan and on an Arctic island called Novaya Zemlya; and the UK and United States did most of their nuclear testing in the Pacific, or underground in areas like Nevada. I dont think they meant to deliberately harm indigenous people [of those areas]; they just didnt really care, as long as it wasnt their own cities [being affected]. What we are seeing in those indigenous communities are effects like cancer and birth problems that filter down into the next generation, and sometimes the generation after that The impacts do continue to move through time and space. [But] due to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the nuclear testing programmes have by and large finished; the only country still testing is North Korea. So we are now focusing on what we can do to make the damage less harmful for the generations who are suffering the impacts of use and testing, and our primary aim is to make certain no more nuclear detonations of any kind, not use, tests, or accidents even, should take place. [Some 2.4 million people worldwide will eventually die from cancers due to atmospheric nuclear tests conducted between 1945 and 1980, according to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation.] Al Jazeera: Whats next for ICAN? Johnson: We have two streams of priorities. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons needs to have 50 countries sign and ratify it. Often ratification means that a treaty has to go through various parliamentary and legal processes within each country and all of those are different, but the sooner the treaty enters into force, the stronger it will be and the more it will be able to do the work of reducing nuclear dangers worldwide. So we are looking at the countries that are already signatories, while trying to increase that base, and working with those governments to ensure they can get the treaty ratified in order to allow it to enter into force. The second set of challenges is to unlock a different kind of debate around nuclear disarmament in each of the nine nuclear-armed countries [US, Russia, China, France, England, Israel, Pakistan, the UK and North Korea], and show that they will be safer and more secure if they eliminate their arsenals and join the treaty. Tear gas fired at protesters near US embassy north of Beirut during rally against US decision on Jerusalems status. Lebanese security forces fired tear gas at protesters near the US Embassy in Lebanon during a demonstration against President Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Protesters threw stones at security forces who had barricaded the main road leading to the US embassy in the Awkar area, north of Beirut, on Sunday. Al Jazeeras Zeina Khodr, reporting from Awkar, said several hundred Palestinians clashed with the security forces. There is a lot of anger here. What theyre chanting is Palestine forgive us, they closed the door on us, clearly in reference to Arab leaders, Khodr said. The anger is not just directed at the United States for its decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The protesters here feel Arab leaders have just been talking, but not taking any action. What people here are calling for is a new intifada and on the Palestinian Authority to end the peace process, she added. Security forces cordoned off the area around the embassy and deployed water cannon, stopping people about 3km away from the embassy building. Demonstrators were trying to remove the barbed wire and climb over the barricade. Security forces responded by firing tear gas canisters to disperse the protesters. The Lebanese government has called on the protesters not to damage property in the area. Since 1947, Palestinians fleeing Israel have settled across Lebanon in 12 refugee camps. Official figures show there are about 450,000 Palestinians in Lebanon, but over the years the number has decreased. {articleGUID} Many of them have given up hope of returning to Palestine, and have moved to Europe, to Canada. They find any route out of Lebanon, because they are denied many right here, Khodr said, adding that this was not the first protest of its kind since Trump announced his decision on Jerusalem. Protests have been taking place across Lebanon since Wednesday. Tomorrow (Monday), we are expecting a mass rally in the southern suburbs of Beirut, called for by Hezbollah. International condemnation Trumps embassy move has inflamed the Israel-Palestine conflict, in which the status of Jerusalem is a key issue. The Palestinians see occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. On Sunday, violence erupted for a fourth day in the occupied Palestinian territories in response to Trumps announcement. Witnesses said Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters at groups of rallying youth in the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem. The protests came after Israeli air raids killed two Palestinians in Gaza on Saturday after fighters reportedly fired rockets from Gaza into Israel on Friday. Other protests have taken place in the Indonesia capital, Jakarta, where about 10,000 people rallied on Sunday outside the US Embassy to denounce Trumps decision. {articleGUID} The head of the Arab League called the decision 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. 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. If you read the Associated Press article published last weekend on an unnecessary mining regulation dropped by the EPA, you might believe there is nothing in place to prevent mining companies from a "rip, strip and run" business model. The article reads somewhat like the script to a horror movie. Read it slowly and you can just about hear the ominous music in the background. The article states that in dropping the rule put forth by President Obamas EPA, the Trump administration won't require mining companies to prove they have the financial wherewithal to clean up their pollution, despite an industry legacy of abandoned mines that have fouled waterways across the U.S. Dun-dun-duuuuuun .. (screen fades to black). Why in the world would companies have opposed such seemingly necessary regulation? After all, dont we all value a clean environment? In Montana, we constitutionally require a clean and healthful environment. Scary, right? Well, thats not the whole story. Heres the rest. As one of the groups who wrote the EPA administrator to request that the rule be dropped, allow me to explain some key facts missing from previous news reports. In 1980, Congress passed CERCLA, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and then directed the Executive Branch to implement financial requirements to ensure mining companies could afford to cover reclamation costs at the end of mining operations. Years passed and the EPA did nothing. Instead, states aggressively increased regulations for the mining industry, and added teeth to the laws already on the books to guarantee the financial wherewithal of companies. In the decades since CERCLA was enacted, it has been individual states, like Montana, who have further filled the void created by federal bureaucrats inaction. States like Montana, in full cooperation with its federal partners, the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, began requiring the payment of bonds to cover reclamation costs beginning in the 70s. The Montana Metal Mine Reclamation Act (known as MMRA), for example, ties the financial assurance requirements of each mine to its individual permit, and each mine permit is scrutinized by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality on a continual basis. Those state-derived requirements, like all environmental policies, have grown more stringent over time and are modified on a regular basis for each mine operating in Montana. The rule proposed under the Obama EPA merely duplicated state agency requirements, creating conflicts of law and bypassing local administrative authorities who are familiar with local mining and environmental concerns. The rule was not necessary for the protection of the environment, as some news coverage may have you believe, but instead was the result of pressure from environmental groups and special interests that routinely use lawsuits to fund themselves and to bring about unnecessary federal regulation. The mining industry is critical to the state of Montana. Here in Treasure State, metal mining alone accounts for nearly 7,000 direct and indirect jobs, provides $579 million in labor income, and contributes over $1 billion dollars to Montanas GDP. We commend the EPA for deciding in favor of state regulation over unnecessary federal rules. The work done by individual states, in full partnership with the USFS and the BLM, to foster environmental stewardship and responsible development, without the heavy hand of the EPA, deserves more public recognition. Thousands of people, including children, have died since Duterte declared his so-called war on drugs. Protesters in the Philippines have taken to the streets of the capital to mark World Human Rights Day. They say their country is sliding into a dictatorship under President Rodrigo Dutertes rule. Thousands of people, including children, have died since Duterte declared his so-called war on drugs. Al Jazeeras Jamela Alindogan reports from Manila. Donald Trumps attendance at an opening of a Civil Rights Museum in Mississippi has sparked a boycott by Black leaders. Donald Trumps attendance at an opening of a Civil Rights Museum in Mississippi has sparked a boycott. Many of them stayed away from the launch, accusing the president of racial division. The National Association for the Advancement for Colored People, or NAACP, the most storied civil rights organisation in America, had asked Trump not to come, saying Trump has done nothing to support black Americans as president. Al Jazeeras Gabriel Elizondo reports from the city of Jackson. President Hassan Rouhani said he is ready to restore ties if Saudi Arabia stops bombing Yemen and cuts ties with Israel. In a speech broadcast Sunday, President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran is ready to restore ties with Saudi Arabia if it stops bombing Yemen and cuts its alleged ties with Israel. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian demonstrators attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in response to the Saudi execution of a prominent Shiite dissident leader. Tensions spiked again last month after the Houthis fired a ballistic missile that was intercepted near Riyadh. Rouhani said that Iran and Saudi Arabia could have good relations if the Saudis end their misguided friendship with Israel and halt the inhuman bombardment of Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is battling Iranian-allied rebels known as Houthis. Iranian media quoted Rouhani as saying: If Saudi Arabia, our neighbouring country, stops bombing Yemen from tomorrow and stand up against Israel and relies on its own people, we do not see any barriers in front of improving our relations with them. We are not like America that has broken its promises so far in the nuclear deal. when we sign an agreement, we will remain loyal to it and keep our promises. The president went on as saying we are Muslim and Iranian, and we have a long and old culture, we are not the one who violates the nuclear agreement. In case the other side does this, we will have our own options. At the end of his speech, Rohani concluded that Palestine has been and will remain our cause, and the United States and the Zionist regime will not succeed in their recent conspiracy, and God willing, the Islamic nations will liberate al-Quds soon. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in June, according to Reuters, that any future war waged by Israel against Syria or Lebanon could draw in fighters from countries including Iran and Iraq. Three Palestinians who lived through the first uprising from 1987-1993 share their experiences. It has been 30 years since the first Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, exploded onto the scene in the occupied territories. The prevailing images of unarmed Palestinians throwing rocks at fully armed Israeli troops and military vehicles, which clearly showed the occupied and the occupier, were covered with unprecedented interest by international media. These images and the uprising became symbolic of protest movements around the world. How did the first Intifada come about? On December 8, 1987, an Israeli vehicle ran over a car carrying four Palestinian workers in Jabalya refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip. The four Palestinians were killed, and the camp broke out in spontaneous protests, which rapidly spread across the remainder of the strip and into the West Bank. Tensions had already been running high prior to the outbreak of protests, cultivated by a worsening political climate for Palestinians, in the form of a 1984 Israeli unity government between the right-wing and leftist camps. In addition to continuous land expropriation, Israel had total control of Palestinian social, economic and political development. The six-year Intifada was characterised by popular mobilisation and mass protests. It was also saturated by civil disobedience, well-organised strikes, and communal cooperatives. When Israeli occupation forces imposed long-running curfews on towns and cities, Palestinians ran underground universities, schools and clinics. Boycotts of Israeli products and businesses led to the emergence of a national economy fueled by homegrown goods and increased agricultural productivity. According to Israeli human rights organisation BTselem, 1,070 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces during the Intifada years, including 237 children. Jewish settlers also killed 54 Palestinians. More than 175,000 Palestinians were also arrested in the same period, and 2,000 homes were demolished in Israels systematic method of collective punishment. Under Israels then-defence minister Yitzhak Rabins orders, Israeli army commanders were instructed to break the bones of Palestinian protesters. Today, this policy has evolved to specifically target the knees and legs of Palestinian youth to disable them. Below, three Palestinians who lived through the Intifada share their experiences. Wael Joudeh, 46, Iraq al-Tayeh village, Nablus On February 26, 1988, 17-year-old Wael Joudeh and his cousin Osamah were returning home from grazing their sheep when they noticed a group of Israeli soldiers following them back to their village, east of Nablus. As the soldiers caught up with them, they began beating them and for a period of 30 minutes, Israeli forces used stones to break their bones. The incident was caught on video, and was the first documented incident that brought to light Israels breaking the bones policy. Today, Wael sits on the same rock he was pushed down on before he was beaten. As he sits there silently, he recalls the painful moments he thought were his last. At first, one of the soldiers took off his military hard-hat and started pounding it on my head until I fell to the ground. He then proceeded to beat me uncontrollably, Wael told Al Jazeera. Then he lifted me up, and shoved his helmet towards my face and shouted out what was written on it, he recalled. I was born to kill Palestinians, the soldier screamed at Wael. One of them twisted my arm against my back, while another started pounding my wrist with a stone, attempting to break my hand completely, he said. Meanwhile, Osamah was attempting to escape, but was immediately dragged down by three Israeli soldiers and beaten on the ground. They were beating us with every ounce of their energy. They not only wanted to break our bones and to inflict physical pain on us, they also wanted to humiliate us and shatter our spirit, said Wael. The stones of Palestine were merciful, he recalled. Thats why we survived. The pair were unaware, at the time, that a man in a building 200 metres away was documenting every moment of their painful ordeal. Though women from the nearby village attempted to stop the attack, Israeli soldiers dragged Wael and Osamah to the vehicle that eventually transported them to Tubas al-Faraa detention centre, in the occupied West Bank. That night, an Israeli officer stormed into Waels cell and asked, Are you the one whose bones were smashed by the soldier? Now the whole world thinks youre dead, he told Wael. The pair were then taken to a room in the detention centre, where they were surprised to see a crowd of journalists rushing towards them. Cameras were pointed at their faces while questions were being yelled out about the incident that had been caught on tape. We didnt know it was documented, we were in shock, said Wael, who spoke up about what happened to him. Shortly after, the two were released because of the media pressure. We expected them to detain us again after the journalists left, but they didnt. This was not the first time Wael survived an abduction. On December 31, 1985, a group of Israeli settlers kidnapped him while he was on his way to school. When Israeli forces intervened, they were quick to detain and interrogate him. At just 17, Wael was sentenced to seven months imprisonment. Over a span of six years during the Intifada, Wael was arrested five times and spent varying periods in Israeli prisons and detention centres. Now 46 years old, Wael works as an employee of the Palestinian Ministry of Finance. He got married in 1996 and has four children, two of whom are currently university students. I always tell my children what happened to me. I do not ever try to hide it, he said. They always tell my story to their colleagues and friends. Wael and Osamah are considered prominent icons of the first Intifada. What they went through sparked demonstrations and a grassroots uprising, that forced the Arab League into holding an emergency meeting regarding the fate of the people in the occupied Palestinian territories. But Wael believes he and Osamah never got the respect they deserve. The peoples respect is the most important thing, but unfortunately, the Palestinian Authority has not shown us any respect or appreciation, he said. Khadija Abu Shreifa, 65, Jalazone camp, Ramallah Khadija walks slowly, dragging her foot that had been injured when she was shot by Israeli soldiers. Her children and grandchildren gather around her in her house in Jalazone camp, north of Ramallah, and she tells them the story of her struggle during the first Intifada. She was a survivor of a time of terrible repression, a time when soldiers of the occupation did their utmost to suppress the Intifada. At their worst, they stopped differentiating between men and women, children and the elderly. Everyone was targeted similarly. Khadija Abu Shreifa is a Palestinian refugee. Her family was forced out of their home in the village of Safriyya in 1948. They moved to the Aqabat Jabr camp in Jericho, then to the Wahdat camp in Jordan, and finally to the Jalazone camp after the war in September 1970. Khadija, 65, does not remember the exact date, but she remembers every detail of the day. She remembers the men and women of Jalazone camp heading out in a large demonstration, that ended in violent suppression at the hands of Israeli forces who then spread throughout the camp. I heard one of the soldiers of the occupation verbally harassing a group of young girls, saying sexual things to them. That made me angry so I tried to confront him but he started cursing me and moved towards me to hit me, so I attacked him and started hitting him. {articleGUID} Khadija told Al Jazeera an entire Israeli military squad attacked her, the soldiers beating her and pulling her hair. One of the soldiers shot her at close range, intending to kill her, but striking her with two bullets, one in the shoulder and the other in the foot. This made her the first person to be wounded in Jalazone camp during the first Intifada. The women of the camp hurried to rescue Khadija from the Israeli soldiers. One of the women tore parts of her hijab off to bind my wounds. Then the people of the camp took me to the hospital in Ramallah, where an Israeli officer came to try to arrest me. But I was smuggled out of the hospital, she said. Khadija added that the women of the camp went out to demonstrate and express their anger at the attack. Israeli forces suppressed the march violently, and 40 women were injured by rubber bullets. As soon as Khadija returned to Jalazone, she was welcomed by residents with a big parade that marched her around the whole camp. She was carried on their shoulders as she chanted No fear! No fear! and the residents chanted with her. This was not the end of Khadijas involvement; she continued her struggle along with the other women of the camp. The Israeli soldiers were always after the children; they would arrest them and beat them. Whenever I saw them arresting a child, I would pull him away from them, claiming that he was my son. During the first Intifada, Israeli forces often imposed a curfew, sometimes for as long as 40 consecutive days. When the curfew was that long, residents would run out of food in their homes, and that was when Khadija would venture out of the camp to fetch food and distribute it. I told the Israeli soldiers that my daughter was ill and needed medicine, and I got a permit to go out in our familys car. On my way back I filled the car with food and vegetables and distributed them to residents in the camp. The President of the Union of Palestinian Womens Committees, Khitam Saafin, told Al Jazeera that Palestinian women played important roles during the first Intifada. Most important among these roles was the formation of committees, in various neighbourhoods, that would teach children during the general strikes that were in place during the first year of the Intifada. Women played a central role in the demonstrations and confrontations with Israeli occupation forces. Saafin recalls women transporting stones to demonstrators on the front lines, and joining in to throw them at Israeli soldiers. Women also succeeded in preventing Israeli forces from arresting youth and children; they would fearlessly attack the soldiers and pull the child or young man away by force, so they were able to escape their clutches. She added the womens efforts were also successful in imposing a boycott on Israeli products and in producing a Palestinian alternative. Israeli products were stagnant in the shops, nobody was buying them while Palestinian products were starting to replace them. Saafin also talked of a group of female neighbours who would meet regularly to produce local handmade products, as replacements for Israeli ones. This was especially vital during the long curfew days, when getting to the markets was extremely difficult and dangerous. If someone had a small plot of land, they would volunteer it to the women who would plant it and make use of it. The women would do the planting and harvesting and distribute their crops to the people in their neighbourhood, she explained. Abdullah Abu Shalbak, 49, al-Bireh, Ramallah Graffiti was a resistance tool used during the first Intifada, where Palestinians separated by the imposition of a curfew would leave each other messages, said Abdullah Abu Shalbak from al-Bireh on the outskirts of Ramallah. These messages, written on the walls of refugee camps and neighbourhoods across the occupied West Bank, were the only means of communication available at a time when modern-day mobile phone technology and the internet were not available. Abu Shalbak was among the youth tasked with writing slogans on al-Birehs walls. But this job was a difficult one, since they were targeted by Israeli forces. Abu Shalbak, who was 19 years old during the first Intifada, told Al Jazeera that writing on the wall would only happen at night. Israeli forces would roam the streets during the day, he told Al Jazeera. They would also plant agents in the neighbourhoods. He added his faction would send messages to its members, who were structured in two-person teams. These usually announced a general strike, or simply extended congratulatory messages on the occasion of Eid holidays. {articleGUID} Sometimes the messages would serve the purpose of threatening Israeli forces and their agents who were present in al-Bireh. Dressed with a keffiyeh covering their faces, Abu Shalbak and his partner would sneak out in the middle of the night to write their partys slogans on the walls of the town. The day before an Eid holiday, Abu Shalbak and his friend were writing well-wishes on the walls in al-Bireh, when occupation forces raided the town and began pursuing them. The two young men had previously made a pact that should this happen, they would each run in opposite directions and then later meet at a specific location. The chances of us getting arrested was very high, Abu Shalbak said. We managed to run away and then meet up later, before I noticed my friend was injured and losing a lot of blood, after his leg caught on a fence he jumped over. Abu Shalbak called a doctor he trusted to treat his friend, and then took him to his home. Since the next day was Eid, his friend was afraid that his absence from the crowds of well-wishers would raise suspicions, since he was confined to his house because of his wounded leg. For three years of the Intifada, Abu Shalbak continued to write slogans and graffiti on the walls. The Israeli forces never suspected him of being behind this act, even when he was finally detained. I was arrested by the Israeli special forces and was accused of throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at them, he said. I was subjected to harsh interrogation but they had no idea what it was that I really did. Abu Shalbak spent a few months in prison before his release. The Israeli armys pursuit of those who wrote political messages of the Palestinian factions and popular committees was not the only thing that bothered him. He faced other obstacles, such as the anger of some people who did not want graffiti on the walls of their homes and scrubbed them off, out of fear of punishment by the occupation forces. {articleGUID} Other problems played out in the rivalry between Palestinian factions who would write over each others graffiti. Furthermore, collaborators were tasked by their Israeli masters to paint over fresh messages on the wall before they were seen by residents of the neighbourhood. Walls were not just for Palestinian graffiti. Occupation forces also used them to leave coded symbols for their collaborators. The Israeli army would draw a circle with a triangle inside of it, Abu Shalbak said. Inside the triangle would be another sign. This drawing represented the location and timing of where the soldiers would meet the collaborator. One of our missions was to also watch out for what the occupation forces would write on the walls, and to remove their messages quickly before their agent could see it. During the first Intifadas latter stages, Abu Shalbak joined the military wing of Hamas, and established the movements first military cell in the West Bank. He was arrested by Israel again, and this time sentenced to 21 years in prison. Abu Shalbak obtained a degree in the Hebrew language during his years in prison. When he was released as part of the 2011 prisoners swap, he enrolled in Hebron University and got his undergraduate degree in the same field. Today, he is a recognised instructor and offers Hebrew courses, especially to employees in Palestinian government institutions. Hiroshi Harada was six years old when the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, in Japan. It was the first and only time that nuclear weapons have been used in war. On Sunday, the Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) at a ceremony in Oslo. ICAN has fought for a global treaty banning nuclear weapons, which now has more than 50 countries as signatories. Ahead of the ceremony, Al Jazeera has been exploring the nuclear capabilities of countries around the world, and their impact on citizens. Hiroshi Harada was six years old when the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, in Japan. It was the first and only time that nuclear weapons have been used in war. He tells us his story and the significance of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome), the only structure left standing when the bomb exploded. Heavy snow, freezing fog and gale force winds in the UK luckily not all in the same place. Snow is always newsworthy in the UK, especially when it falls in London. On Sunday morning, that is just what happened. This was not just a few flakes train services slowly closed in the suburbs of Britains capital, while the UK Met Office issued a warning of up to 30cm in Wales and much of central England. By 11:00 GMT, with snow still falling, 30cm was on the ground in Sennybridge, south Wales, and 15cm in the Cotswolds and the Chiltern Hills. Flights were suspended, meanwhile, at Birmingham Airport. With 11cm falling on Buckinghamshire before dawn, snow ploughs were brought out, but the rate of snowfall exceeded their ability to keep roads open. To add to the risk, the snow fell onto ice in many places. This may be the first outbreak of proper snow in central Britain, but, in Northern Ireland, it started snowing on Friday. Belfast got away with 4cm, but Lough Fea in County Tyrone, in the middle of Northern Ireland, measured 13cm. The Scottish Highlands have had white tops on and off for a while, but the ski resorts are now starting to look worthy of the name. Even at sea level, snow is now lying: Aberdeen, the Granite City, recorded 6cm on Saturday, a day after the snow started falling. When snow is on the ground but the sky is clear, temperatures can really drop. In Aberdeen, the thermometer registered -8C on Sunday morning. Edinburgh showed -7C and Glasgow -6C in freezing fog. In contrast, south of the snow line, a howling, but relatively warm wind was blowing. Gusts along the coast of south Wales and southwest England exceeded 100 kilometres an hour. This weekend saw the first real plunge of cold air in a northerly wind that will reach Morocco by Monday. As a result, 30cm of snow is possible in the Atlas Mountains and over Spains Sierra Nevada, and half a metre in the Pyrenees. Over the Alps, more than a metre is likely. The snow risk for London and southeast England lasts throughout Monday. The same weather system will bring similar amounts of snow to the Benelux countries, as well as to western and northern Germany and eastern France over the next two days. UNICEF calls for 137 sick Syrian children to be immediately evacuated from Eastern Ghouta. The UN childrens agency has called for the immediate evacuation of scores of sick Syrian children from a besieged rebel-held enclave on the outskirts of Damascus, amid continued violence. Five children in Eastern Ghouta have reportedly died, while 137 others require immediate medical assistance, UNICEF said in a statement on Sunday. The children, aged seven months to 17 years, are unable to access medical help for conditions ranging from kidney failure and severe malnutrition to wounds sustained from conflict. The situation is getting worse day by day, said Fran Equiza, UNICEFs representative in Syria. The health system is crumbling and schools have now been closed for almost a month. Sick children desperately need medical evacuation and many thousands more are being denied the chance of a normal, peaceful childhood. {articleGUID} Eastern Ghouta, 15 km from Syrias capital, has been surrounded by government forces for four years, with the siege escalating in recent months. The estimated 400,000 people living there have been almost completely cut off from humanitarian assistance since 2013, according to UNICEF. Nearly 12 percent of children under five in Eastern Ghouta suffer from acute malnutrition, the highest rate recorded since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011. In a previous report, UNICEF said the rapidly increasing costs of basic foods and cooking supplies in Eastern Ghouta, where bread costs more than 85 times its price in Damascus, have made preparing a meal extremely difficult for most residents. UNICEF workers, on the most recent UN inter-agency convoy to Nashabieh town in Eastern Ghouta, described one of the worst health and nutrition situations since the conflict began in Syria. In Sundays statement, UNICEF reiterated its call for unimpeded, unconditional and sustained humanitarian access to children across Syria. Now is the time for all sides to do the right thing and to stop the violence, said Equiza. Also on Sunday, the Syrian governments representatives returned, after more than a week in the Swiss city of Geneva, where the latest round of UN-sponsored talks is underway. The discussions focus on Security Council Resolution 2254, which calls for a transitional government followed by elections. Held for the eighth time, the talks are due to end on December 15. The new president, Emerson Mnangagwa, and former military chiefs appointed to his cabinet are implicated in the events. Tsholotso, Zimbabwe In a school-yard in Zimbabwes Matabeleland region, a group of children laugh as they throw themselves into the air on a rusty set of swings. It seems like a happy setting, but the children are playing in one of Zimbabwes killing fields. Thirty-four years ago, here in this yard in the Tsholotso district, soldiers shot dead seven teachers at point blank range and dumped them in a pit during the so-called Gukurahundi crackdown in the 1980s. An estimated 20,000 people were killed when former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe ordered a military campaign against the rival liberation movement, PF- ZAPU. The man who was the security minister at the time is now Zimbabwes president, while the armed forces were headed by men who currently have senior ministerial posts. Emmerson Mnangagwa, known as the crocodile for his political cunning, replaced 93-year-old Mugabe last month. Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years, stepped down after a military takeover in the wake of an internal power struggle within the ruling ZANU-PF party. The downfall of Mugabe has now prompted many witness and victims of the atrocities to speak out for the first time. Speaking to Al Jazeera, residents in Matabeleland said the southern African nation could not move forward without acknowledging and atoning for past crimes. {articleGUID} Jane Malazi, from Tsholotso, said she was tortured and had to watch her 14-year-old sister being raped. An uncle was also killed, she said. Its very painful, as I speak it still hurts me, she told Al Jazeera. Those who did these things should come and apologise to us, otherwise nothing has changed, we cant move on. Mlomo Sibanda, a survivor of the Gukurahundi massacre, said he does not believe Mnangagwa will apologise. Pointing at the spot where the seven teachers had been buried in Tsholotso, the elderly man said, They [soldiers] called everyone around this village to come here and dig new toilets. But, really, we were digging a grave. Witnesses later told him the soldiers made the teachers line up next to the pits before shooting them dead, said Sibanda. They were killed on suspicion of being part of a rebellion. An unknown number of civilians were among the dead in a series of massacres between 1983 and 1987, carried out by the North Korean-trained Fifth Army Brigade, which was under orders from Mugabe. The Gukurahundi crackdown ended with the signing of the Unity Accord in 1987 between ZANU-PF and PF-ZAPU. Mnangagwa has denied any role in the killings. In March 1983, state-run Chronicle newspaper published a report about Mnangagwa defending the Fifth Army Brigade. Likening the dissidents to cockroaches and bugs, the minister said the bandit menace had reached such epidemic proportion that the Government had to bring in DDT (the 5th brigade) to get rid of the bandits, the report read. Meanwhile, Christopher Mutsuvangwa, a senior Mnangagwa adviser, said bringing up the past was simply unhelpful and irresponsible. Zimbabwe needs a break, he told Al Jazeera. To continuously re-dig its past, to settle scores from the past, as if it cannot grasp the future It diverts energy away from what should be done. Every country followed a tortured history You make mistakes. You make false starts. Mnangagwa, speaking at his inauguration, said he wanted to help create jobs, reimburse farmers whose lands were seized and stamp out corruption. He has also promised presidential elections next year. Back in a village deep in the bush, Sibanda, the man from the Tsholotsho school, bowed his head in prayer before a stone plaque etched with the names of 23 people, mainly women, who were locked in a house and burned alive. He asked for help and comfort. His words, carrying the anger and pain of tens of thousands of people, shattered the stillness there. This letter is written to express the great dissatisfaction and disappointment in President Donald Trump's recent comments at the Honoring Ceremony for the Native American Code Talkers. His comments referring to a U.S. senator as "Pocahontas" were totally inappropriate and insensitive to all Native Americans, not just to the Code Talkers that he addressed. His timing in making such comments for personal satisfaction and opportunity also shows an insensitivity to the purpose of the meeting and a blatant disrespect to all Native American veterans who serve this nation at high rates and with great pride and respect. So, when he overshadowed the honoring of the Code Talkers during Native American Heritage Month, he intentionally bypassed the honoring of those who served this country at great sacrifice to themselves and their respective tribes, to make a jab at his political foe. Even before the formation of the United States, Native Americans held their respective Warrior Societies in the highest regard. It was always an honor to serve their tribes. Rather than dodge the issue of serving and protecting, they stepped forward and viewed it as a personal honor and duty, regardless of the physical, mental and spiritual sacrifices. They didn't shirk their duty to defend and protect. Compounding the insult, the placement of the veterans and the president in front of a picture of Andrew Jackson sent another clear message to Indian Country: President Trump views Native Americans in a disrespectful way. His not-so-subtle message to others was obvious. Assiniboine war hero World War I included the first Native American Code Talkers. However, it wasn't until 1924 that Native Americans were recognized as United States citizens through the Citizenship Act of 1924. Although not recognized as United States citizens, Native American warriors enlisted in a war that was not of their doing. There were Code Talkers from various tribes, all very ready and proud to serve the United States military. Code talkers are finally being recognized for their great contributions and sacrifices. One of those Code Talkers was Gilbert Horn, Sr., a very distinguished member of the Assiniboine (Nakoda) Tribe of the Fort Belknap Indian Community who continues to be held in high regard. Mr. Horn served as president of the Fort Belknap Indian Community Council numerous times. He was a member of the U.S. Army's Merrill's Marauders. He was a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient. His Nakoda name was Shunk Ta Oba Kni, "Returns With Prisoner Horse" He was made an honorary chief. Shameful racial slur And there have been many members of both the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes of the Fort Belknap Indian Community who have honorably served in all branches of the military. So, the president's most recent insults and racial slurs during the Nov. 27 presentation strikes the Fort Belknap Indian Community as especially egregious and shameful. We, as tribal leaders, are extremely offended by his recent disrespectful actions. His intentional actions and words are not welcomed in any way, for any reason. They are demoralizing not only to the code talkers, but the Native Americans who recently or are currently in all branches of the U.S. military and their families. Both as president of the United States and as commander in chief, he should lead by example. There is no excuse. Water is wet. 2+2+=4. Jerusalem is the thousands year old eternal and only capital of only the Jewish people in Israel, its eternal homeland. All of these statements are indisputably true today. But, strangely, many people have problems with the last statement. Ignoring, at best, the concerns of the "expert" flat earthers , and, at worst, the hate-filled threats of violent protest , President Donald Trump (R), acknowledging reality, stated the obvious. Israel is a sovereign nation with the right, like every other sovereign nation, to determine its own capital. Acknowledging this as a fact is a necessary condition for achieving peace. It was 70 years ago that the United States, under President Truman, recognized the State of Israel. Ever since then, Israel has made its capital in the city of Jerusalem -- the capital the Jewish people established since ancient times. Today, Jerusalem is the seat of the modern Israeli government. It is the home of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, as well as the Israeli Supreme Court. It is the location of the official residence of the prime minister and the president. It is the headquarters of many government ministries. For decades, visiting American presidents, secretaries of state, and military leaders have met their Israeli counterparts in Jerusalem, as I did on my trip to Israel earlier this year. Jerusalem is not just the heart of three great religions, but it is now also the heart of one of the most successful democracies in the world. Over the past seven decades, the Israeli people have built a country where Jews, Muslims, and Christians, and people of all faiths are free to live and worship according to their conscience and according to their beliefs. Jerusalem is today, and must remain, a place where Jews pray at the Western Wall, where Christians walk the Stations of the Cross, and where Muslims worship at Al-Aqsa Mosque. However, through all of these years, presidents representing the United States have declined to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital. In fact, we have declined to acknowledge any Israeli capital at all. But today, we finally acknowledge the obvious: that Jerusalem is Israels capital. This is nothing more, or less, than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do. It's something that has to be done. "It's something that has to be done," Trump stated, because in opposition to all the know it alls knowing little, he rightly 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. And ages after some Nobel prize-winning physicist proves that ice is dry water, millenniums after some Nobel prize winning-mathematician demonstrates that in far out outer space 2+2 stretches to 5, Israel will forever remain the capital of the Jewish people in their eternal homeland. No terrorist Yasser Arafat Nobel peace prize winner or his pathetic groupies can distort that. As for the cliched--but somewhat true statement--that Jerusalem is the home of (at least) three monotheistic religions, acknowledging Jewish Israel's sovereignty does not change the reality. Certain events important to Christianity and Islam, all of which developed after Judaism, occurred in Jerusalem, indeed throughout all of Israel. However the Jews preceded them there and were the only people to consider it their capital. The later religions did not replace or supercede or diminish Judaism and its Jews as some of the adherents of religions believe. After the 1948 War of Israeli Independence, Jerusalem was divided. Jordan retained control of eastern Jerusalem, (now erroneously called "Arab" east Jerusalem), Israel the western portion. Under the agreement ending the war, all religions and groups were to have access to their own religious sites and other institutions. Israel conscientiously lived up to its signed responsibilities, allowing freedom of religion and movement to all people, maintaining the sacred sites of all religions. denying Jews the right to visit the area they controlled which included the Western (mistakenly called Wailing) Wall, which is part of the remnant of the Second Temple, destroyed two thousand years ago, and other holy sites. Hebrew University, Hadassah Hospital and other civic institutions were also off limits to Jews. The Jordanians also destroyed Jewish sites. Christian sacred sites such as churches and Christian historical areas also were also badly mistreated; the rights of Christians, both citizens and tourists--were Jordan, violating its end of the agreement (so what else is new?), did not denying Jews the right to visit the area they controlled which included the Western (mistakenly called Wailing) Wall, which is part of the remnant of the Second Temple, destroyed two thousand years ago, and other holy sites. Hebrew University, Hadassah Hospital and other civic institutions were also off limits to Jews. The Jordanians also destroyed Jewish sites. Christian sacred sites such as churches and Christian historical areas also were also badly mistreated; the rights of Christians, both citizens and tourists--were limited Credit: Elder of Ziyon Whether in exile or living there, "Next year in Jerusalem," is the final plea, summing up Jewish yearnings, at the conclusion of many Jewish holidays. Jews are a people (Jews) and a religion (Judaism) whose home is in its nation (Israel; capital Jerusalem) who make no claims to universalism, aside from some certain behaviors, unlike Christianity or Islam. Whether youre on the right, left, or squarely in the middle, we can all agree that veterans arent treated nearly as well as they should be in this country. In fact, theyre blatantly disrespected in many ways. But how is President Trump, who made lots of campaign promises to veterans, doing on this issue after roughly a year in office? Where Trump Found Things When Barack Obama entered office in 2009, he found the veterans of this country in the middle of a decades-long plight, which he promised to fix many times during his campaign for the presidency. Caring for those who serve -- and for their families -- is a fundamental responsibility of the Commander-in-Chief, Obama said in a 2007 campaign speech. It is not a separate cost. It is a cost of war. It is something I've fought for as a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. And it is something I will fight for as President of the United States. Perhaps Obama did fight, but he certainly didnt get any results. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is in worse shape than its ever been. Scandals, abuse of funds, and a toxic workplace culture are just a few of the issues plaguing the VA, and they all seemed to be exacerbated under the Obama administration. Even something as seemingly simple as trying to locate and receive military documents that are needed in order to apply for things like VA mortgages, retirement benefits, and employment is nearly impossible to do on your own. Most veterans end up using a service like DD214 Direct to streamline the process. This isnt an article about Obamas failures -- of which there are plenty -- but its important to understand where things stood when Trump entered office. Not to give the Trump administration excuses, but rather to show why the VA was such a big priority during the campaigning season and continues to be today. Is Trump Making Headway? With so much in disarray, President Trump had his work cut out for him entering office. However, he promised to make the VA a focal point, so its fair game to hold him accountable and see how hes doing. And if you cut through all of the media noise and BS, youll see that hes actually making some headway. Here are just a few examples of small wins and steady steps in the right direction: With so much corruption in the VA, Trump signed into law legislation that paves the way for the firing of employees who engage in misconduct. It also helps protect the whistleblowers. In what Trump once called the most corrupt agency in the United States, these new standards have already led to the firing of a whopping 1,163 employees and suspension of an additional 387 (as of early November). In May, the White House proposed a 6 percent increase to the VA budget, which included an increase of $13 billion for the choice program that allows veterans to opt for private healthcare coverage. One of Trumps campaign promises was a private hotline to the White House to field complaints 24/7. While its been a bumpy road, the administration has followed through on this promise with a soft launch. In August, Trump signed legislation to give veterans an additional $3 billion for educational assistance over the next decade. Forever GI, which is actually a combination of more than a dozen different bills, allows spouses and children of service members killed on duty to qualify for scholarships (or have tuition reimbursed. This isnt to say Trump has fixed the VA. He hasnt even solved some of its biggest problems yet. What his slow, steady progress does show is that hes making the VA a priority. Theres a long way to go. Privatization of the VA is probably the only permanent solution to the longstanding plight of veterans in the U.S., but thats an enormous battle that would likely require a two-term presidency. If the VA is ultimately fixed, itll be thanks to big changes like this. But if you want to know where a president should start, just look at what Trump is doing right now. You start with small wins, build trust, and then execute more sweeping reforms. Its Too Early to Judge Why is it that the Left is so quick to judge the Trump presidency as a failure when hes completed, at a very minimum, just 25 percent of his term? Who says he has to live up to every promise within the first year? What would we have said about Obama, Clinton, and Carter if they had only been given a year to enact their policies? History will ultimately determine whether the Trump presidency was a success or failure. Its impossible to do so in the moment (especially when its only a fraction of the way complete). However, as we begin to see what sort of leadership style Trump has adopted as president, its clear that hes not nearly as impulsive as most thought he would be. Sure, the tweets are still questionable (at best), but his actual decision-making is rather poised. On the topic of veterans affairs, Trump hasnt lived up to every promise he made during the campaign, but he has at least three years left. He has, however, made progress in some key areas and laid promising foundations in others. While the media will continue to bash him for breathing, the reality is that hes already done more to benefit veterans than Obama accomplished in eight years. The ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu observed, an army without its baggage train is lost; without provisions it is lost; without bases of supply it is lost. The Lefts supply train -- apart from a number of rich donors -- has been the handouts to allies under Obama from the federal government: unions, Planned Parenthood, and the fundraising capabilities and political clout of celebrities. One by one the administration is working to cut this supply train. The celebrities have lost all moral clout (they never had intellectual clout) with the never-ending, often thin gruel Me-Too campaign. So has the media. CNN alone has botched seven big stories this year. As Walter Russell Mead tweeted: "I remember Watergate pretty well, and I don't remember anything like this level of journalistic carelessness back then. The constant stream of 'bombshells' that turn into duds is doing much more to damage the media than anything Trump could manage." The CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) forced financial institutions to settle with it and turned over $5 billion in penalties (the Civil Penalty Fund) it exacted from them to community organizers allied with it. The EPA colluded with similar groups who would bring suits that the EPA would quickly settle with them, settlements that included millions in lawyers fees for them to continue their work. Grants from various agencies went to organizations and educational institutions, which would promote the party line on everything from climate change to riots over faked police brutality. Planned Parenthood received millions in federal grants, a great deal of which -- from 2012-November 2016, $38 million -- was recycled back to Democrats through political donations. The organizations affiliates receive over half a billion dollars in government funding each year from both federal and state sources. Last year alone, by way of example, the Service Employees International Union contributed over $39 million; the American Federation of Teachers almost $33 million; the Laborers Union over $27 million; AFSCME over $15 million. Almost every penny of this went to Democrats. These contributions do not include the organizers field work on elections nor contributions they have made to outside groups who share their aim of keeping the left in power. And a great deal of this money was extracted from members who did not share the views of the union leadership. Bit by bit, the supply train is being cut off from the troops on the front. CFPB certainly will no longer paying out funds from the Civil Penalty Fund to private groups. Trump worked to cut off federal funds to Planned Parenthood and signed into law a bill reversing an Obama rule that precluded states from cutting off funds to Planned Parenthood. Now they can, and one court -- the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals -- said that cutoff was legal. The effort quite naturally meets a great deal of resistance, in part because the organization was so skillful in dissembling -- they do not provide general health services to women such as mammograms. They provide abortions. And now the Department of Justice is investigating claims against them for the lucrative but illegal sale of aborted fetal parts, revealed by the Center for Medical Progress videos, (something that had been up until now, dismissed due to the efforts of Glenn Simpson, the man behind Fusion GPS, which concocted the phony dossier against Trump.) As for the union dues spigot to the Democrats, the Supreme Court may well shut that off as well. The justices will hear the case of Mark Janus, an Illinois state employee who objects to paying fees to the union, which represents 35,000 state workers. The decision, due by next June, could prove a costly setback for public-sector unions in 22 states, including California, where such fees are authorized by law. Labor experts have predicted a significant percentage of employees would stop supporting their union if given a choice. The other 28 states have right to work laws that forbid requiring workers to join or support a union. With smaller numbers, public employee unions would lose some of the political power that has made them major forces in some states, such as California, Illinois and New York. The nations four largest public-sector unions -- the National Education Assn., the American Federation of Teachers, the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees -- sharply criticized the case, calling it a blatantly political and well-funded plot to use the highest court in the land to further rig the economic rules against everyday working people. Once again, the claim of high-minded principle is just another cover for power grab. Cutting off mandatory union dues for public employees allowed Wisconsin governor Scott Walker to substantially reduce the size of public service unions and cut billions of dollars in taxes for the citizens of his state. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has ended the dubious practice of allowing sue and settle cases to generate income for leftist groups while bypassing the federal regulatory mandates for notice and comment before issuing new regulations. The days of regulation through litigation are over, said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. We will no longer go behind closed doors and use consent decrees and settlement agreements to resolve lawsuits filed against the Agency by special interest groups where doing so would circumvent the regulatory process set forth by Congress. Additionally, gone are the days of routinely paying tens of thousands of dollars in attorneys fees to these groups with which we swiftly settle. Over the years, outside the regulatory process, special interest groups have used lawsuits that seek to force federal agencies -- especially EPA -- to issue regulations that advance their interests and priorities, on their specified timeframe. EPA gets sued by an outside party that is asking the court to compel the Agency to take certain steps, either through change in a statutory duty or enforcing timelines set by the law, and then EPA will acquiesce through a consent decree or settlement agreement, affecting the Agencys obligations under the statute. More specifically, EPA either commits to taking an action that is not a mandatory requirement under its governing statutes or agrees to a specific, unreasonable timeline to act. Oftentimes, these agreements are reached with little to no public input or transparency. That is regulation through litigation, and it is inconsistent with the authority that Congress has granted and the responsibility to operate in an open and fair manner. [snip] With todays directive, Administrator Pruitt is ensuring the Agency increase transparency, improve public engagement, and provide accountability to the American public when considering a settlement agreement or consent decree Sun Tzu also said this about successful warfare: "Know your enemy and know yourself, find naught in fear for 100 battles When it comes to the Middle East, Trump appears to have taken good measure of the Democrats, the foreign policy establishment and the changing political forces in that area. General James Mattis has largely wiped out ISIS. All it took there was a plan to actually defeat these psychopaths. The president has formed a new relationship with the Saudis and Gulf states who fear Iran more than they hate Israel or love the wretched, corrupt Palestinians. In 1995, Congress passed into law the Jerusalem Embassy Act, which states that the U.S. Embassy should be moved to Jerusalem, the city the Israelis call their capital. For 22 years, despite promises to carry this out, presidents have failed to follow through until now. Trump did it -- its a message to the Arabs and Palestinians and Iranian mullahs that we consider Israel a lawful state that will not be erased no matter how much money is pumped into an effort to destroy it and no matter how many staged tantrums the Palestinians engage in, and no matter how ferociously the anti-Semites of foreign-policy establishments -- both international and our own -- wish it otherwise. Russia, by the way, recognized West Jerusalem as Israels capital back in April. Following Trumps move, the Czechs and Ghana said theyd follow suit, and certainly more states will follow. The claim that this throws into doubt the peace process is laughable. That term, as anyone should realize, is a cover for keeping up the effort to have Israel make more concessions to a partner that wishes to eradicate it. Its a means for nincompoops such as John Kerry to travel the world on Quixotic missions accompanied by banquets in decidedly first-world venues. In this one move, the president exposed a lot of hypocrites, not the least of which was Dianne Feinstein, who voted for the Jerusalem embassy Act and yet protested this action. In the words of Omri Ceren of the Israel Project: How weird did foreign policy debate get under Obama? According to some of the leading lights of the DC foreign policy establishment, Obama knifing Israel at UN on Jlem is "pro-Israel" but Trump recognizing Jlem as Israel's capital isn't. Worse even than the Democrats who voted for the move and then objected to it, was the initial reaction of many Jewish organizations, most of which have -- like former Presidents Clinton and Bush and most Democratic politicians -- hoodwinked their members into thinking they share their support for Israel. The move humiliates the Palestinians and cuts off their political clout, something Spengler correctly observes is the only way to put a stop to hostilities. Humiliation, not concessions, is the way to end wars. As the week ends, Trump is making great progress against those who have done everything to upend his plan -- supported by voters -- to make America great again. Paraphrasing Richard Fernandez, weve crushed ISIS, withdrawn from the ridiculous Paris Agreement on Climate Change, UNESCO, and the Trans Pacific Partnership. Were about to overhaul the tax code and dismantle the failing ObamaCare program. Im reminded of Samson destroying the Philistines who sought to destroy him. Trump is cutting off America's enemies' funding, exposing their idiocy, and destroying their political clout. Samson tied burning torches to the tails of the foxes and destroyed their crops, then took a jawbone of a donkey and slayed 1,000. Slaying them with a jawbone of a donkey, indeed. Venezuela is rapidly collapsing under its dictators extreme folly and malevolence. Changing market conditions will accelerate the demise. What next? Some further research confirms that sanctions are unnecessary. Shortages to the Point of Famine The situation is so desperate in the capital that the zoo animals that are not starving to death are being routinely rustled and slaughtered for food. Venezuelan journalist Sabrina Martin reports in the Panama Post that dogs, cats, and pigeons are being hunted in Caracas (and we assume most everywhere else). Through Twitter, Muchacho (Mayor of Chacao in Caracas) reported there are people hunting cats and dogs in the streets, and pigeons in the plazas, to eat. This is not a joke. It is a very painful reality. The situation created by the corrupt incompetents has already visited horrors on the Venezuelan people and there is little we can do to help. Donations of food and medicine are being seized by the regime and food distribution is now under military control. International mail has been suspended because the regime will not pay foreign airlines that carry it. The Chavez/Maduro subjugation of Venezuela is a clear example of a Soviet-style class-warfare program aimed at reducing the population to a poverty-stricken dependent remainder that will be easy to control. Any resistance will be met by creating a population of gulag-resident absolute slaves -- to take care of all the dirty jobs." To sum it all up, there is little we could do to make things worse and no need. Maduros malevolence is driving the populace to abject servitude and the economy to ruin. Catastrophic Oil Production Decline Notice the graph of total U.S. imports of crude, below: Figure 1: Imports to the U.S. by suppliers Clearly, U.S. oil imports are down significantly between 2005 and 2015. Just as clearly, the suppliers have all lost ground except for Canada, which has about doubled. A recent article by Tom DiChristopher reports that Venezuelas total exports have dropped 21-25% between Dec 2015 to Oct 2017 (see graph below) and that the state oil company Petroleos De Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) has trouble paying its bills and fulfilling its orders. Figure 2: Since the end of that U.S. import graph, Venezuelas production has plummeted still more. Banks have refused to issue letters of credit to PDVSA customers, leaving cargoes stranded. Some big refiners have reportedly canceled orders or demanded discounts because the oil PDVSA sent them didn't meet their standards. The company has been blocked from some export terminals over unpaid bills. Another aspect is the pending completion of the Keystone XL pipeline segment. Estimates for crude to be delivered to the U.S. Gulf Coast range from 590,000 to 820,000 barrels per day. Venezuelas exports to the U.S. are in that range and falling. Canadian Heavy Crude is about the same as the Venezuelan stuff and quite adequate for the many refineries geared for that input. Even if Venezuela was not overrun with corrupt incompetents, their tanker shipments cannot compete in price with pipeline delivery. Add in that production has dropped to nearly a 30-year low and the Chavez-corrupt-incompetents are now being replaced with Maduro-corrupt-incompetents and it is pretty much a done deal. We are about the only cash customer for them and we have another supplier with rapidly increasing output. As pointed out by Monica Showalter, some of their own exiled Petroleros are up in Alberta helping to maximize efficiency for that operation. Yet another factor is that companies are beginning to retool their refineries (many geared for the Venezuela/Alberta heavy) to accept the now-plentiful light sweet crude being produced from shale plays. It is an expensive process that will take many years, but that will also reduce the market for heavy crude. This requires the approval of the EPA and DOE, by the way. But, that should be practical now that sanity has returned to lead the federal government. Summary Venezuelas oil production is falling precipitously despite increased demand and rising prices. Quality is dropping. The market for their heavy crude production is diminishing and wont rebound anytime soon. The regime wont pay their bills or invest in their own infrastructure or maintenance. They have chased away international business by seizing assets or demanding services they wont pay for. The Maduro regime has run out of Other Peoples Money. Their population is suffering horribly from shortages of food, medicine, and human rights. There has been no uprising only because the regime has so far treated the military better than the general population. Endgame Given a few years and a fair shake for the U.S./Canada oil industry (i.e., the end of Obama sanctions against our own economy), the Venezuelan problem -- left alone -- will resolve itself in one of several ways: It is apparent that Maduro will never relent. He will drive the nation to absolute ruin. A great deal of the money sucked out of the economy has gone to Russian weapons. He seems to be following the pattern of North Korea -- belligerence while armed to the teeth and starving the populace into slavery. That could easily become the nations ultimate fate. Now that almost every public and private company has been ransacked and China has cut off its easy-credit loans (backed by oil production) he may move even further toward Iran -- which may already have a missile base in Venezuela. Iranians would no doubt be happy to supply nukes to point North. On the other hand -- A home-grown revolution putting in place some semblance of liberty and something resembling a free market economy. This is not Afghanistan. The Venezuelans had a rich economy blessed with natural resources and investment that brought jobs and prosperity. They remember that and would welcome such a realignment. While the fortunes of heavy crude are waning, there is a huge potential shale play in and around Lake Maracaibo that could save the day. Maduros cronies dont have a clue how to develop it. The great hope for the future of Venezuela lies with the exiled Petroleros who could return -- assuming the successful overthrow of Maduro -- with enhanced competence to reconstruct the nearly destroyed industry. Some are at this moment working shale plays in the U.S. Obviously, this is the last best prospect. So, how does that happen? Steve Campbell is a Geophysicist who worked in Venezuela between 1989 and 1993. See his writings at Goingwalkabout.Blog As Al Franken makes his glacial retreat from political life, he whines about the irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assaults sits in the Oval Office. Franken refers, of course, to the infamous conversation with Billy Bush, wherein Donald Trump declares: You can grab them by the p y If youre a star, theyll let you do anything. While disturbing, these remarks are a description of Celebrity Culture, not an endorsement for, or an admission of, such behavior. In fact, he is describing women who not only allow, but encourage, overt sexual behavior in an attempt to snag a Millionaire, Billionaire, or any other famous and/or powerful man. In the past, these women were called Groupies, Star-Fs, Hangers On and other less flattering terms. I prefer to call them Predatory Women, and their behavior runs the spectrum from subtle to extreme. Of course, women have the right to wear anything they please and be as promiscuous as they like, but the consequences for these choices have always been harsher and more long-lasting for women than they are for men. Okay, AIDS has been a great equalizer, but Im talking about pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases that are physically devastating to a womans reproductive viability. Back in the 90s, when President Clinton was exposed as a sexual harasser (exploitation of a young intern by an older, very powerful person is the very definition of inappropriate workplace behavior), I was stunned by the number of my female co-workers at Mizzou who still supported the President: I dont care about his sex life; hes a good President! So, I asked them: Would it be okay with you, if your boss was having sex in his office with an intern? Their response was silence. To be fair, although Clinton has a clear history of harassing women, he was also aided and abetted by willing and enticing Predatory Women, along with many who were not at all willing or appreciative of his advances (he has been accused of rape, among other charges). Regarding Monica Lewinsky: she was young and probably gullible at the time of her affair with Clinton, but she qualifies as a Predatory Woman, in that she knew that the President was married and she didnt mind undermining that union. Perhaps she deserves a different label; maybe you could call her a Willing Victim? My experience with Predatory Women is limited to the experiences of my husband. Weve been married for 46 years, and although Ive never questioned him, I would bet my life that hes never cheated. However, he has been approached and groped by more than a few aggressive ladies. The first time was at his 10-year High School Reunion, when one of his classmates came on to him and made a pass that included her saying: Those 3 kids could have been yours. I found this ploy laughable, because, at that point, he had never expressed a desire to have children, and I was a perhaps overconfident wife. Another time, he was playing pool, and a young woman came up to him and grabbed him by the crotch (sounds familiar?). He was stunned by this move, but was actually a bit flattered by it. When he told me about it, I asked him, What did you say? He said he smiled and told her, Sorry, Im married. You may think Im gullible, but Mike has never acquired any skills in the art of prevarication. Another time, while doing business in a bar, the female owner offered to take him to the back room for some fun. Again, nothing came of it and he told me the whole story. So, you get the idea: men get plenty of chances to step outside their marriages. How they respond is the difference between a stand-up guy and a philanderer. A critical difference between men and women is their response to sexual aggression. In Mikes case, he was never physically intimidated by these women, and he was able to laugh off these incidents, and even benefitted from having his confidence boosted a bit. For women, its a totally different story, and they are often traumatized and sometimes haunted by sexual assault for the rest of their lives. On the other hand, while Ive never worried about women trying to steal my man, I think about the unfortunate wives who have husbands who welcome inappropriate opportunities, and whose actions can result in the destruction of marriages and families. You could almost call it a Woman-On-Woman crime; although, at the time, I doubt that these Predatory Women are giving the absent wife and her children a second thought. The consequences of sexually aggressive/abusive behavior by men and women could be discussed endlessly (as it seems to be at this very moment), but my point is that neither side is blameless. Respect and courtesy are seemingly in short supply, but maybe all of the recent publicity about harassment and disrespect will serve as a reminder to be more careful and considerate in our social behavior. Or else! (That includes you, Senator Franken.) Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared final victory over ISIS on Saturday, congratulating the military for driving the terrorists out of the border regions with Syria. But Abadi forgot to mention the huge difference in the war made by the US military, including the Air Force and Special Forces. Put simply, the Iraqis would have been unable to dislodge Islamic State from their strongholds without US assistance. Reuters: Honorable Iraqis: your land has been completely liberated. The dream of liberation is now a reality, Abadi said in a televised address. He was speaking with five Iraqi flags and dozens of servicemen from different branches behind him. We have accomplished a very difficult mission. Our heroes have reached the final strongholds of Daesh and purified it. The Iraqi flag flies high today over all Iraqi lands. Daesh is an Arabic acronym for Islamic State, also known as ISIS. 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 coming days. The government said the declaration meant Iraqi forces had secured the western desert and the entire Iraq-Syria border, and marked the end of the war against Islamic State. Abadi declared Dec. 10 a national holiday to be celebrated every year. State television aired celebratory songs praising government forces and militias, and showed scenes of celebration on the streets of Baghdad and other provinces. While Abadi made no mention of American help, US headquarters issued a congratulatory statement: The U.S.-led coalition that has been supporting the Iraqi forces against Islamic State welcomed the news, as did Brett McGurk, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy to the coalition. We congratulate the Prime Minister and all the Iraqi people on this significant achievement, which many thought impossible, he said in a series of tweets. We honor the sacrifices of the Iraqi people, its security forces, and the Kurdish Peshmerga, and admire the unity in their ranks that had made this day possible. The U.S. State Department also issued a statement of congratulation. The challenges facing Abadi and his government are daunting. With the war over, the factional infighting will return with one big difference; Shiite militias, armed by Iran, are in a position to dominate the post war political landscape unless they are disarmed. That will prove to be a difficult problem - just as it was for Lebanon who couldn't disarm Hezb'allah in the 1990's following their civil war. Hezb'allah ended up forming a powerful political party backed by its Iran-trained milita. Something similar could easily happen in Iraq. ISIS may be defeated on the battlefield, but Abadi holds no illusions that Iraq has seen the last of Islamic State terrorism. There will be a long, twilight struggle to prevent ISIS from breaking up the country with no guarantee they won't succeed. Other worrisome problems facing the Iraqis include the Kurdish independence question, equitable division of oil revenue, and resettlement of millions of refugees whose homes were destroyed in the fighting. But for the moment, there is rejoicing in Baghdad and across Iraq. Let's begin with some accusations. They are well founded and as credible as any against Roy Moore perhaps more so. The FBI's first director, J. Edgar Hoover, was reputed to have compiled incriminating dossiers on just about every top office-holder in Washington, D.C., up to and including the presidents, under several of whose tenures Hoover served. Whenever there was talk of firing him, Hoover reportedly met with the contemporary chief of state and persuaded him to retain him (Hoover) in his post. Regarding President Kennedy, there was surely a great deal in the dossier, especially as concerned his scandalous relationship with Marilyn Monroe. Kennedy, who had been rumored to be planning to replace Hoover, quickly changed his mind after one of those meetings. So much for the accusations. Let's talk current events. Jeff Sessions, as senator, had a long history of being a staunch conservative. As such, he favors small government, strict accountability, and unwavering obedience to the law. Prior to his appointment as attorney general of the United States, no one would have thought he would ever refuse to comply with subpoenas issued by the oversight committees of Congress. Yet, in recent months, he seems uncharacteristically timid in the face of obvious corrupt practices in both the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, both of which are under his authority. He has shown no aggression in cooperating with congressional inquiries. What could possibly explain this? One possibility is that behind the scenes, Attorney General Sessions is a ferocious bulldog, rooting out the evidence on his two predecessors who illegally manipulated the law to undermine the Second Amendment (Project Gunrunner) and who conspired to rig the investigation of Hillary Clinton's email scandal (the infamous meeting on the tarmac). Possibly, Sessions is building an airtight case that will be used to successfully prosecute Eric Holder, Loretta Lynch, Hillary Clinton, and her acolytes. Possibly, one bright morning, we will awaken to the news of several indictments against the criminal enterprise that, but for the unexpected election of President Trump, would have made of our government an entrenched thugocracy. If so, then yes, I will purchase your title to the Brooklyn Bridge. Unfortunately, my money is probably safe. The other possibility is that Jeff Sessions has had that meeting the one Kennedy had. Yes, this sounds improbably conspiratorial, and I desperately hope my dark suspicions are the ranting of a fool. But how else can one explain the seemingly total disinterest in the DoJ of deposing, under oath, the prime suspects in the vast corruption that was the Obama administration? Attorney General Sessions, whatever it is in your background that you fear being exposed, I forgive you in advance. This is your time to be a profile in courage and do the right thing. Profiles in Courage. Who wrote that book? How safe are "safe spaces" on campus? At Fordham University, some "safe spaces" are safer than others - at least, for some people. In fact, in a campus run coffee shop, there are no safe spaces for those who disagree politically with the majority. Several pro-Trump students found that out the hard way when they were summarily ordered to leave because they were wearing MAGA hats. The surreal nature of this video cannot be overstated. New York Post: It was absolutely insane, Fordham junior Aaron Spring, 20, told The Post of the Thursday incident. We werent even talking politics we were talking about finals. A video of the encounter appeared Friday on the conservative CampusReform website. Students wearing Trumps trademark MAGA ball caps were accosted by a student worker at Rodrigues Coffee House, which is run by volunteers and is organized as a club. Get out! Five minutes, the worker barked. Im protecting our customers you are wearing hats that completely violate safe space policy. You have to go. She exploded when Michael Esposito, 19, asked her to explain. Fascism, Nazis! shouted the snowflake. You have three minutes. I do not see fascism, Nazis on this hat, Esposito answered. I see America. It was humiliating to be called a Nazi in front of so many people I go to school with, Esposito told The Post. Its almost scary. The students said they were not seeking trouble. Its not like were here reading off a manifesto, said Sebastian Balasov, 21.. The cafe has a lengthy set of safer space rules. including Do not make assumptions about someones gender, sexuality, race, class, or experiences and No racism No sexism No homophobia. The rules do not mention headgear. They try to say that all are welcome, Spring said. But if you talk about diversity, that has to include diversity of thought and opinion, too. The ignorance of the snowflakes is absolutely appalling. "Because, fascism..." is not a response to the legitimate question asked. In fact, the answer is the rules are anything we feel like making them and since we disagree with you politically, we will exercise our abitrary power to kick you out. This is not about "safe spaces" or "diversity" or even "anti-fascism." This is about the raw exercise of power. No explanation is needed and none will be given. This was one student worker, exercising her authority in a petty, vindictive manner and using the excuse of "safe spaces" to cover her meglomania. No doubt many other patrons silently agreed with the young woman and approved of her actions. It costs nearly $49,000 in tuition to send a kid to Fordham. The Trump supporting students certainly got an education in that cofffee shop. Rejecting a massive claque of criticism, President Trump went anyway to the opening of the new civil rights museum in Jackson, Mississippi, to praise the "brave men and women" of the civil rights movement. It says something about the partisan politics of the nation that that act took some bravery, too, and Trump was up to the challenge. The Washington Post reported: Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and was scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the opening, announced Thursday that he would boycott the stage at the public event if Trump were on it. Others called on Trump to change his plans and not attend the opening. Lewis and other black leaders said the president's actions and statements since he took office contradicted the values of the civil rights leaders whom the museum was intended to honor. President Trumps attendance and his hurtful policies are an insult to the people portrayed in this civil rights museum, Lewis and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said in a joint statement Thursday. John Lewis Other headlines went like this: Trump at opening of Miss. civil-rights museum is insult, says Rep. Lewis -- Providence Journal 'He does not deserve to be in Jackson': Trump's visit to civil rights museum met with protests --Detroit Free Press Black officials say they don't want Trump 'to tell us what civil rights means in Mississippi' -- ABC News and of course, there were some 200 protestors, yelling, "Mr. President, we don't need you in Mississippi." In the wake of the left's continuous assassination threats against President Trump, it was probably a good idea for him to go to a closed venue with cameras, instead of an open-air event, as the Washington Post notes that he did. But what's significant here is that he went - and he went because he wanted to go. Because presidents never make trips where they think they will reach only a hostile audience, right? President Obama was a master of this, refusing to go to the Texas border during the border surge of 2014, and refusing to go to Baton Rouge during its worst-ever flooding, given the number of conservatives who live in that city. Trump didn't follow that political-safety first formula. Against a barrage of criticism, he went even though he was promised about the worst welcome a president can expect. He went anyway, because he knew there was a difference between the civil rights movement of the 1960s and what it eventually morphed into, becoming basically a partisan auxillary of the far left. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was a registered Republican all his life, led a moral movement that wasn't about partisan politics, his movement realigned the country to its very foundations as a free country. What's left of his movement decades later is often called a plantation, which has pretty much kept large cities one-party states brimming with corruption, ensured bad unionized schools which harm black children most of all, targeted inner city neighborhoods for abortion in line with Margaret Sanger's racist agenda, and enacted welfare policies that break up the black family. Even members of the inner core of civil rights leaders have fallen into this new trap, such as John Lewis, who refused to share a stage with Trump, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who lived up to King's estimation of him as an opportunist. There are significant exceptions, such as the Rev. Alveda King, King's niece, who stands up for black children in her fight against abortion, but the press likes to sideline them. Trump also knew that preserving the original civil rights movement, with its authentic heroes, such as Medgar Evers, Rosa Parks, and King, is important for future generations to look to. By building this museum, children and others, can discard the disgust they must eventually feel about the current parlous state of the civil rights movement and learn about the real civil rights movement, the one that changed America. Medgar Evers Trump understood this. He also understood that it's a president's job to give gravitas to this original endeavor. And his move promotes racial unity and healing, a sense that Black Americans and their history are a legitimate part of the American experience and not to be isolated from the broad picture. Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. in the background The mobs outside howled and the partisan politicians complained, but Trump went through with it anyway. Much to his great credit. He's not like other presidents. It was nice to see Trump take the distinguished surgeon and fine cabinet secretary, Dr. Ben Carson with him: Trump at the Jackson, Mississippi opening of the Civil Rights Museum // PBS Congress has the unenviable job of deciding who wins big and who will be hurt by tax reform. One decision that should be easy for lawmakers is to retain the tax tool that has resulted in the development of more than 7,000 affordable homes, access to home ownership for 42,000 Montana families, and $2.87 billion in financing of critical projects for rural Montana hospitals. Private Activity Bonds are responsible for the public-private partnerships that have allowed us to invest in Montana communities over the last 40 years. Congress is considering eliminating Private Activity Bonds, a move that would deal a devastating blow to the health of our state and have immediate and long-term impacts on our residents. Without this financing tool, it would have been more difficult for: Pondera Medical Center in Conrad to purchase a CT machine and make renovate its radiology department. Northeast Montana Health Services in Wolf Point to construct an emergency room and obstetrics area. Deer Lodge Medical Center to purchase the only 3D mammography machine available within a 45-mile radius. Private Activity Bonds help keep services local, affordable and of the highest quality so that rural and frontier Montanans dont have to drive an hour or more to find the best care to fit their needs. Our rural hospitals should be focused on caring for the folks in our vibrant communities, and creating good-paying jobs. Preserving Private Activity Bonds will let rural health care providers, including hospitals and nursing homes, continue to invest in new technologies and other improvements that increase access to quality, safe and effective care. Without Private Activity Bonds, Montana wouldnt have celebrated the grand opening of 136 affordable homes at Larkspur Commons in Bozeman, or 124 affordable apartments at Rockcress in Great Falls. We wouldnt be breaking ground on 32 new affordable homes at Copper Ridge in Butte, or 96 affordable homes at Heights Senior in Billings. These multi-million-dollar affordable housing developments require low-cost financing tools to foster public-private partnerships among developers, banks, the state, and local communities. As our lawmakers in Washington, D.C. work through the details of tax reform, we want to be sure Sen. Jon Tester, Sen. Steve Daines, and Rep. Greg Gianforte know exactly whats at stake for Montanas communities. We all want to work together to build stronger communities. Dont take away our ability to make smart investments for Montanas future. Rahm Emanuel didnt have to search very far for the replacement Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett when she was fired in 2015. After the wheels of justice turned all the way, she sobbed in court last April upon being sentenced to four-a-half years in prison for scheming to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks in return for steering lucrative contracts. Rahms choice for the job was his old friend and longtime aide, Forrest Claypool. After all, its the Chicago way to keep political appointments that hand out lucrative contracts among friends. But then again, its also The Chicago Way to see corrupt officials forced out of their jobs --sometimes sequentially. And that is what just happened, as Mr. Claypool put on his own public display of sorrow with sad faces all around: with Claypool resigning his $250,000-a-year job, acknowledging stupid mistakes that unsparingly were laid bare by an ethics investigation of his good friend, top CPS lawyer Ron Marmer. Who knew that is was against the rules to steer contracts to companies in which you have a financial stake? Apparently not the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools? Under the school systems ethics code, officials cant supervise the work of any CPS contractor with whom they have a business relationship. And Marmer was getting a $1 million severance package from Jenner & Block, in five $200,000 yearly installments through 2018. He hired his former law firm for major litigation, even as he was receiving money from them. My prediction is that Chicago will run out of money before it runs out of corrupt politicians. Id say thats a safe bet. Clickbait hate: Michael Wolfe is not starting a 15 year prison sentence for leaving bacon in a mosque Why was Michael Wolfe, of Titusville, Florida, handed a 15-year prison sentence? The clickbait-led news media is clear: The most concise of the clickbaiters is the Independent, which says: Man sentenced for 15 years for leaving bacon in a mosque. Not quite. And not all. Michael Wolfe, 37, broke into the Islamic Society of Central Florida Masjid Al-Munin Mosque in January 2016. He broke windows and lights with a machete. He left come bacon by the front door. Wolfe, who has numerous previous convictions for burglary, entered a plea deal and plead guilty to vandalizing the mosque itself with hate crime enhancement, making it a felony, said Todd Brown, a spokesman for the State Attorneys Office. He waived his right to a pre-sentencing investigation. Wolfe was charged with armed burglary. The agreement was to drop the armed burglary in exchange for his plea, Brown added. So Wolfe wasnt jailed for leaving bacon, in the manner, say, of a worshipper leaving behind a scarf or a jacket. Florida Today adds: According to Brevard County records, Wolfe has had multiple run-ins with the law dating back to 1998, including convictions in burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and grand theft in 2004 for which he was sentenced to two years, seven months and two days in prison and burglary of a conveyance in 2011, for which he was sentenced to 64 days in the county jail. Wolfe was also fined and sentenced to probation after a 2001 burglary and grand theft arrest when he was just 20 years old, records show. In addition, Wolfe was found guilty in three DUI offenses, possession of hydrocodone and cannabis, and an array of traffic violations. He spent over a year and a half in total in the Brevard County Jail over the course of his sentencings. Nasty stuff. And turning crime into clickbait is pathetic. Paul Sorene Posted: 9th, December 2017 | In: News Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink Montanans have shown their support for wildlands throughout this rough year. Beginning in January, over a thousand of us gathered in the Capitol to rally against the proposed transfer of our public lands. A short while later, House Rep. Kerry White lead an assault to release Montanas Wilderness Study Areas from future wilderness consideration. Due to thousands of emails and concerned phone calls, White and other Republicans added language in the resolution calling on Congress to consider designating the WSAs. Now, we need to speak up again. In an interview with The Billings Gazette, Sen. Steve Daines said that he would introduce legislation that would strip protection from 500,000 acres of Montanas WSAs. These half-million acres, these vital wildlands, are what he wants in exchange for preventing two proposed industrial gold mines near Yellowstone National Park. This nonsense has got to stop. In other words, Sen. Daines is demanding Montana's wild legacy as ransom for doing what thousands of Montanans have already asked him to do. Please contact Sen. Daines now and ask him to not introduce divisive legislation that would eliminate our wilderness study areas. Anthony Pavkovich Emigrant Donald Trumps plans to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital have been met by anger all over the world so also in Malmo. On Friday night, about 200 protesters scandaled against Arab leaders and threatened with violence against Jews. We get a quote: We have announced the intifada from Malmo. We want our freedom back, and we will shoot the Jews. Anything else? This through the wonder of Google Translate: There was also a demonstration yesterday in the same place, and besides very angry rams against Arab leaders, called dirt and knives, who do not act harder against Israel, they also scanned rams that the Jews should remember that the army of Muhammad will return . Might this, you know, be one of this incidences where anti-Israel protesting is actually just anti-Semitism? Swedens Prime Minister Stefan Lofven offers: There is no place for anti-Semitism in our Swedish society. The perpetrators will be held accountable. Really? No place? Haaretz has news: Nearly a decade ago, reports by journalist Niklas Orrenius helped open Swedes eyes to the prevalence of Jew hatred among the Muslim population in Malmo, a city that has since earned an international reputation for anti-Semitism In an op-ed the morning after the Gothenburg attack, Orrenius wrote: It can feel complicated when the hatred comes from Muslims, a group that is also subjected to much hatred in Sweden today. The fact that Muslim-haters often use anti-Semitic incidents to throw suspicion on all Muslims does not make the matter any less thorny. Three arrests have been made. But whats really interesting is the lack of coverage about the Horror as 20 masked men attack synagogue with petrol bombs' (Daily Express). Meanwhilein London, one Tweeter claims: Tonight outside the US embassy in London; Khaybar Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad, sa yahud or Jews, remember Khaybar the army of Muhammad is returning. They mean Zionists tho@PSCupdates are they your banners theyre holding? @mishtal pic.twitter.com/PuMaZEomEk Hurryupharry (@hurryupharry) December 8, 2017 These are worrying times to be a Jew in Europe. If youre considering a subscription to the Disney Plus streaming service, you may be wondering how much it costs. The service is available on both Capt Sherif Ezzat, chairman and CEO of EgyptAir Airlines said the new addition would seat up to 154 passengers divided into 16 seats for business cabin and 138 for the economy class. He said that for the first time, the aircraft will feature the Audio/Video on Demand System (AVOD), a refreshed interior and the signature elements of Boeing's innovative Sky Interior with modern sculpted sidewalls and window reveals, larger pivoting overhead stowage bins and LED lighting that enhances the sense of spaciousness. The design offers larger, pivoting overhead stowage bins that add to the openness of the cabin. The bins give more passengers room to store a carry-on roll-aboard near their own seat, adding both extra convenience and extra legroom that reaches 48 inches. The business class cabin is also provided by electricity outlets for recharging, personal computers (PCs), and cellular, this is in addition to the personal in-flight entertaining system that offers our customers a variety of recent documentary and newly released movies, as well as radio channels, Ezzat said Safwat Musallam, chairman and CEO of EgyptAir Holding Company said: "This aircraft is the fleet's 69th aircraft and No. 29 of this type considered one of the best-selling in the Boeing 737 Next Generation," He congratulated Boeing and DAE for the completion of the deal on time. Recent hyperbole suggests that Sen. Daines is interested in abolishing protections for Montanas wildest places because he is advocating for something Montanans have long requested: better land management and more public access. The article in question somehow suggests that by releasing so called Wilderness Study Areas, which total approximately 1 million acres, we will revert to anarchy and destroy our favorite places. This rhetoric is dangerous, illogical and simply false. Montanas 44 WSAs were a result of the Montana Wilderness Study Act of 1977, which required the Department of Agriculture to examine the suitability of these areas for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System. Forty years later, these areas remain in uncertainty and Daines is finally proposing to release a portion of that total so that the Forest Service, through the public planning process as required by law, can determine how these areas should be cared for and what uses are permitted as opposed to a top-down approach by Congress. Moreover, the previous recommendations for these areas through the same public process resulted in a non-suitable determination and releasing these areas is locally supported; as the majority of Montanans would agree that access to our public lands is only getting more challenging. Mark Hoffman Clyde Park On Dec. 2 at Lillis Park a memorial tree for a parent was cut down again. A family planted this tree in honor of a parent to be remembered at Christmas. The first tree was cut down last Christmas and the family planted another last summer. It was cut down again Sunday night. How heartless and cruel this people are to destroy a tree again that was fenced off and was a memorial for a loved one. Shahid Kapoor, who was gearing up for 'Padmavati' release, now spoke about his wife Mira Rajput. Mumbai: Shahid Kapoor was gearing up for 'Padmavati' release, and while that has stalled for the time being, he now spoke about his wife Mira. Shahid told Filmfare in an interview that his wife has turned him into a domestic animal. She has changed my life completely. She has turned me into a domestic animal. Earlier, I used to be a wild animal running around in the open fields. Now I am leading a disciplined life theres definite time to eat, sleep and work, said Shahid. The actor is currently in news for his upcoming controversial film Padmavati. The release of this Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial, also starring Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, has been indefinitely postponed. Shahid has also been roped in for Shree Narayan Singhs Batti Gul Meter Chalu, the shooting of which will begin soon. Once the child is handed over to members of these gangs, which pose as placement agencies, there is no end to their exploitation. Victims of trafficking being brought back from other states to Bihar by NGO activists. Patna: T here has been a steady increase in cases of child trafficking in Bihar, a fact accepted by the Nitish Kumar government which has launched a special drive to combat the menace which is suspected to be impacting 2,000 children every year. Activists who have been fighting against trafficking claim that victims, including girls under the age of 18, from poor families are being pushed into slavery, prostitution and surrogacy by agents who manage to mislead poor parents with their lucrative offers of getting their children good jobs. Once the child is handed over to members of these gangs, which pose as placement agencies, there is no end to their exploitation. Government sources said that directions for a focussed drive against child trafficking came after activists involved in rescue operations demanded immediate action to stop the surge in such cases. Statistics cited by Human Liberty Network a social group involved in rescue and rehabilitation work showed that 2,000 children disappear from the state every year. In April, senior BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav, who was then in Opposition, had raised a question in the state Assembly claiming that over 572 children had gone missing from various locations in Patna district in last one year. However, not all missMr Yadav, who is now a senior minister in Nitish Kumars Cabinet, had cited National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data to point out that cases related to human trafficking in Bihar had increased in past few years. After I raised the issue in the state Assembly, several persons who have been involved in the racket were arrested, most of them were from Uttar Pradesh, he said. NCRB data shows that in 2015, 332 cases of child trafficking were registered in Bihar, the third highest in the country. Assam registered 1,317 cases and West Bengal had 1,119 cases. Reports suggest that in 2017, around 160 persons involved in child trafficking were arrested by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel on the Indo-Nepal border. Around 560 children were also rescued. SSB personnel during their operation in 2016 had arrested 136 persons from border areas. These included 89 from Bihar and 47 from Nepal. Altogether 824 children, including girls, were rescued during this period. According to an assessment, minor girls and women are the main targets of immoral trafficking in Bihar. Activists involved in combating child trafficking in the state recently claimed that 6,000 children from various parts of the country have been rescued in last couple of years. Areas surrounding Nepal border are highly sensitive. It is tough to rescue girls as they are often pushed into flesh trade by traffickers. We also found that underage boys were mostly sold to bangle and carpet factory owners outside the state and are forced into bonded labour, activist Suresh Kumar told this newspaper. Giving an account of an incident which occurred a few months ago, Mr Kumar said that a teenage girl from Patna was pushed into prostitution by people who posed as placement agents. We later came to know that the girl was taken to Uttar Pradesh and probably pushed into prostitution. Despite all our efforts, we couldnt trace the whereabouts of the girl, Mr Kumar said. In another incident, a 12-year-old girl from Nawada was sold to UP-based traffickers by her own maternal grandmother and aunt for `12,000. The girl was later rescued by a group called Tatwasi Samaj Nyas which also helped the police arrest people who were behind the racket. According to a recent report, a majority of victims are from Patna, Gaya, Nalanda, Nawada, East and West Champaran, Sitamarhi, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Samastipur, Madhepura, Supaul and Kishanganj. Child rights organisations working to prevent such cases are of the view that the surge in immoral trafficking is also linked to pushing the victims into forced surrogacy, an emerging money spinner. Earlier a group working against girl trafficking had rescued several victims out of whom four complained of being used as surrogate mothers. Talking to this newspaper about the issue, an activist working with Human Liberty Network said, Surrogacy racket is booming in the country. Young girls between the age of 17 and 20 are being pushed into the bearing children for others, said the activist who helped rescue and rehabilitate nearly half a dozen such girls. Rani Hong A Role model Tronie Foundation CEO Rani Hong, a survivor of child trafficking, is a role model for all rescued children. She had earlier met Bihar government officials to launch a campaign against gangs who work as touts and exploit people, especially daily wage earners in rural areas and their children. I strongly believe that we need to stand up and if we can do that as a nation then we can drastically reduce, even prevent child trafficking. I want to work with the Government of India and launch a massive campaign against trafficking and slavery, said Ms Hong. Ms Hong was pushed into the slavery when she was just six years of age. She was kidnapped from Kerala and taken to Canada before being rescued. I was tortured and treated like a slave and later abandoned as a destitue, she said. Ms Hong and her husband run special awareness drives in 20 countries, including India, through her US-based foundation. Till 2016, she served as special advisor, human trafficking, for the UN. In addition, the insurance company was directed to pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation to the vehicle owner. New Delhi: If a driver offers lift to a passenger and the latter robs the vehicle en route, the insurance company cannot deny theft insurance claim to the vehicle owner, the Supreme Court has ruled. A bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta gave the consumer-friendly decision on Friday on the plea of Manjeet Singh, a truck owner, who was denied theft insurance claim on the grounds that the vehicles driver breached the policy by giving a lift to passengers who robbed it during the journey. The apex court slammed the vehicle insurer and said, The driver, on a cold winter night, gave lift to some persons standing on road. It was a humanitarian gesture. It cannot be said to be such a breach that nullifies the policy. In such claims, where there is breach of policy, they have been treated to be non-standard claims and have been directed to be settled at 75 per cent of the insured amount, the bench said. The arbitration proceedings between the financer and the insurer, relating to recovery of the loan amount, cannot negate the rights of the insured against the insurance company, it said. The bench allowed Mr Singhs appeal, setting aside orders of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, and directed the National Insurance company to pay him 75 per cent of the insured amount of `7.28 lakh, along with interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum from the date of filing the claim petition. In addition, the insurance company was directed to pay `1 lakh as compensation to the vehicle owner. Mr Singh purchased a second-hand open truck through a financier and insured it for Rs 7.28 lakh. The vehicles one-year theft insurance policy was valid from September 25, 2004. On December 12, 2004, truck driver Sanjay Kumar was signalled to stop by some pedestrians on national highway near Karnal, Haryana. They requested the driver to give them lift up to Yamuna Nagar since no other mode of transport was available. Since it was cold, the driver agreed to help and allowed them to board the vehicle. After a little while, one of the passengers requested the driver to stop the truck on the pretext that he had to answer the call of nature. When the vehicle stopped, the three passengers assaulted the driver and fled with the vehicle. Mr Singh was denied benefit of theft insurance by the company, forcing him to drag the insurer to consume court. He moved apex court after the national consumer commission rejected his claim. The UAV is about 20 km from Indian border inside Doklam. Sources have told this newspaper that the Indian militarys Israeli-made drone had been missing for about two weeks before the Chinese official protest was lodged on Thursday even as Indian authorities activated internal systems to deal with the eventuality and mounted quiet efforts to retrieve the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle which is believed to be in decent shape. (Representational image) New Delhi: The Indian militarys Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) went missing about two weeks ago and over an area, about 20 km from the Indian border inside Doklam, the site of the 73-day-long standoff between the Indian and Chinese armies, this newspaper has learnt. Confirming that the incident site is indeed inside Doklam, a Chinese state-owned media report also confirmed the same on Saturday saying, The intrusion took place at the same location where a standoff broke off not too long ago between the Chinese and Indian militaries. In a time and at a location so sensitive, both sides should have avoided acting in ways that the other might perceive as provocative to prevent new frictions arising. But India clearly did not behave itself. Even as it warned India of far worse consequences if found that the drone had indeed entered Chinese airspace with hostile intentions, the scathing report added: It (India) needs to apologize to China and promise no such incident will ever happen again. Sources have told this newspaper that the Indian militarys Israeli-made drone had been missing for about two weeks before the Chinese official protest was lodged on Thursday even as Indian authorities activated internal systems to deal with the eventuality and mounted quiet efforts to retrieve the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle which is believed to be in decent shape. It is felt that the effort to hush up the matter and not owning responsibility for the missing UAV for about two weeks has backfired with China going on the offensive and demanding an explanation for what it terms as an intrusion. Indian Armys spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand had said on Thursday that the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle which was on a regular training mission inside the Indian territory lost contact with the ground control due to some technical problem and crossed over the LAC in the Sikkim Sector. While the sources refused to rule out the impossibility of valuable data being extricated from the Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicle although it records and streams data real-time, some technical knowledge could definitely be gleaned from the crashed vehicle. The drone incident assumes significance in the backdrop of the 73-day-long standoff at Doklam plateau, a swath of rugged terrain at about 10,500 feet near the tri-junction separating Indias Sikkim, China, and Bhutan, that ended on August 28. The latest hardening postures take off before the forthcoming meeting of Russia-India-China (RIC) foreign minister level trilateral meet in Delhi from Monday. Delhi HC also replied to a SC judgement saying the verdict was decisive on the question that stepchildren cannot be equated to children. Gayatri Devi, who died on July 29, 2009, left a will saying her grandchildren Devraj and Lalitya, currently residing in Bangkok, would inherit all her properties, the grandchildren had told the High Court. (Photo: AP) New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has ruled that Rajmata Gayatri Devi's two grandchildren will be her legal heirs and overruled its earlier decision whereby it had said that the two stepsons of the late Maharani of Jaipur were also entitled for a share in her property. The dispute had arisen following the death of Gayatri Devi as to who would stake claim over her property. Her grandchildren Devraj and Lalitya had earlier moved the High Court saying their father Jagat Singh was the son of Gayatri Devi and late Maharaj Sawai Man Singh. Jagat Singh, who was married to Mom Rajawongse Priyanandana Rangsit of Thailand, died leaving a will that Gayatri Devi would be the owner of all his properties. Later, Gayatri Devi, who died on July 29, 2009, left a will saying her grandchildren Devraj and Lalitya, currently residing in Bangkok, would inherit all her properties, they had told the High Court. The recent order by Justice S Ravindra Bhat came on a review petition by the two grandchildren challenging a 2010 decision of this court allowing two separate applications for impleadment as heirs of Gayatri Devi. While one plea was filed by Devraj and Lalitya, the other application was moved by Gayatri Devi's stepsons Prithvi Raj Singh and Jai Singh, who were born from another wife of Maharaj Sawai Man Singh. Her grandchildren contended that only they were entitled to succeed her share as they were the children of late Jagat Singh, who was her predeceased son, and the only class-I legal heirs under the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. They had also said that Prithvi Raj Singh and Jai Singh were the children of late Sawai Man Singh through another wife and could not be treated as Gayatri Devi's heirs. Their submissions were countered by Prithvi Raj and Jai Singh who relied upon the will of Jagat Singh, allegedly excluding his children from succession to his properties. It was submitted that though Devraj and Lalitya might, in the normal circumstances have been the heirs of Gayatri Devi as children of Jagat Singh, they have to be excluded as her successors because they were disinherited by their father. The court, however, set aside its October 19, 2010 order and allowed the review petition and said "Devraj and Lalitya Kumari are to be treated as legal representatives of late Gayatri Devi". It also replied on a Supreme Court judgement saying that the verdict was decisive on the question that stepchildren cannot be equated to children. "... Therefore, the question of other individuals, claiming to succeed to Gayatri Devi's will, cannot arise. For the foregoing reasons, it is held that the review petition has to succeed. It is allowed. The order dated October 19, 2010, is therefore, set aside. "The present applicants - Devraj and Lalitya Kumari - are to be treated as legal representatives of late Gayatri Devi," the bench said. The incident of falsely declaring a newborn dead and giving it away to parents in a packet by the Max hospital had earlier led to an uproar. India Medical Association President KK Aggarwal on Thursday blamed the concerned doctors of committing a gross mistake; they were later terminated from their services by the hospital. (Photo: ANI) New Delhi: A day after the Delhi Government cancelled the licence of the Max hospital in Delhi's Shalimar Bagh, relatives of the patients, who are currently admitted in the hospital, expressed concern regarding further medical treatment in Delhi. While few of the relatives of the patients claimed the hospital had always given them the best treatment for free, others were concerned about the consequences that shutting down of the hospital would lead to. "I have been coming here for the past five months for routine pregnancy tests of my sister-in-law for free. The gynaecologist wasn't able to sense the heartbeats of the foetus so we came for test yesterday, but the OPD was locked. If the child dies, will the Delhi Government take responsibility?" a patient's relative said. The incident of falsely declaring a newborn dead and giving it away to the parents in a packet by the Max hospital had earlier led to an uproar. This had led to the state government cancelling the licence of the hospital on Friday, through a four-page order. The father of the children had accused the hospital of deliberately declaring the baby dead and trying to get rid of him after he told the authorities he would not be able to pay Rs 1 lakh per day for their treatment. India Medical Association (IMA) President KK Aggarwal on Thursday blamed the concerned doctors of committing a gross mistake. They were later terminated from their services by the hospital. 'Aircraft may cost 90 million euros but other parts will cost 150 million euros because you have to make it fighting-fit,' Parrikar said. Manohar 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 in Panaji after launching a book 'Securing India The Modi Way', penned by Nitin Gokhale. (Photo: PTI) Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday accused former Defence Minister A K 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 in Panaji 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 2017 said, for two and a half years the file was "doing rounds in a circle, we broke the circle by deciding that we will have to go for a 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 the pilot just has to 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. The aircraft will be provided by the Navy and the state govt will pay for expenses of dismantling and transporting from TN. The Navy is expecting a clearance from the defence ministry for handing over the TU-142 aircraft to the state government by the end of December. (Screengrab/YouTube) Kolkata: The Navy is planning to hand over a decommissioned Tupolev-142 reconnaissance plane to the West Bengal government for setting up an aircraft museum in Kolkata, the second of its kind in the country. The Navy is expecting a clearance from the defence ministry for handing over the TU-142 aircraft to the state government by the end of December, Commodore Suprobho K De, Naval Officer-in-Command, Bengal area, said. "We have had discussions with the state government officials in this regard and the museum is likely to come up in about six months in the city," De said. While the aircraft will be provided by the Navy, expenses for dismantling and transporting the plane from Tamil Nadu and then reassembling it here will have to be borne by the state government, the Commodore said. The West Bengal government will operate the museum, the land for which is being scouted for, he said. "This will be a good opportunity for people to get a look and feel of the aircraft from close quarters," De added. There will be a mannequin resembling a pilot in the cockpit and visitors can see the machinery, bombs, torpedoes and gunner compartments of the plane as they walk through the aircraft museum, the official said. The Indian Navy's workhorse long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft TU-142M was de-inducted in March 2017 which means after 29 years of its service. The Russian-made turboprop aircraft with four engines and eight propellers, aptly named the 'Albatross', was inducted into the Indian Navy in 1988. The first such naval maritime aircraft museum in the country in a TU-142M plane was inaugurated by President Ramb Nath Kovind at Visakhapatnam on December 7. PM accuses Cong of being in cahoots with Pak; Cong says PM relying on rumours. New Delhi: In the high-octane campaign for the final phase of Gujarat elections on December 14, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi exchanged barbs on Sunday. Hitting out at the Congress, Mr Modi claimed that Pakistan was interfering in Gujarat elections while Mr Gandhi accused the PM of dumping the development agenda. The Congress also dismissed Mr Modis remark on Pakistans role in Gujarat polls, accusing him of relying on canards, rumours and lies just for an election. Addressing a rally, Mr Modi raised questions over an alleged appeal by former director general of Pakistan Army, Sardar Arshad Rafiq, on making senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel the chief minister of Gujarat. Why is Pakistans retired Army officer using his brain on what is happening in the Gujarat elections. Dont all these things raise questions and concern? he asked. Attacking suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, who recently called him neech, Mr Modi said, There were media reports yesterday (on Saturday) about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyars house. It was attended by Pakistans high commissioner, Pakistans former foreign minister, Indias former vice-president and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The meeting at Aiyars house went on for almost three hours, Mr Modi said at Palanpur. The next day, Mani Shankar Aiyar said Modi is neech. This is a serious matter, he said. Though Mr Modi did not name the former vice-president present at the meeting at Mr Aiyars house, BJP president Amit Shah said in Ahmedabad that it was Hamid Ansari. Mr Shah told reporters that Congress leaders had not informed the ministry of external affairs or the Indian government about the meeting. Earlier, the Prime Minister exuded confidence on a BJP win in Gujarat. On December 18 (the day of counting), party leaders will claim on television that Congress lost because of (Mani Shankar) Aiyars comment. They wont say that the party lost because of Rahul. There is an agenda in the Congress Save Rahul, Save Family, he said While addressing a rally in Kaalol town, Mr Modi accused the Congress of sowing seeds of enmity between various communities for power. Rebutting Mr Modis charge, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel tweeted, Its a foregone conclusion that he (Modi) has abdicated the politics of development in both actions and words. But does it befit the stature of the Prime Minister to rely on canards, rumors and lies just for an election? This is very sad. Mr Gandhi, while addressing a rally in Kheda district, accused Mr Modi of dumping the development agenda and talking only about himself. For 60-70 minutes Modiji talks about himself but does not utter a word about note ban and Gabbar Singh Tax. I was sitting in a tea shop. The tea seller said, Rahulji, I am making Rs 50 instead of Rs 100 I made before GST. He (Modi) has caused us 50 per cent loss, Mr Gandhi said. The Congress V-P, for the last eleven days, has been asking the PM one question a day as part of his Gujarat campaign. Raising the issue in his rally, Mr Gandhi said that the Prime Minister does not reply to my questions. Mr Gandhi started his campaign on Sunday by offering prayers at Lord Krishnas Ranchhod Raiji Mandir. In the ongoing Assembly elections, Mr Gandhi has visited several temples to counter BJPs allegation that the Congress is a pro-minority party. He had started his campaign in September from the Dwarka temple. The first phase of polling for 89 seats of the 182 member strong Gujarat assembly ended on Saturday. The second phase polling is scheduled for December 14 and the results will be announced on December 18. Modi also claimed that Nizami supports the idea of Azad Kashmir and that he referred to the Indian Army as rapists. New Delhi: As the first phase of polling took place across Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at the Congress for questioning his lineage and loyalties, while Rahul Gandhi, also campaigning in Gujarat, kept his promise of asking one question a day and sought to know why the issue of development has been missing from Mr Modis speeches. Addressing a rally in Lunawada on Saturday, Mr Modi was quoted by agencies as saying, There is a youth Congress leader Salman Nizami who is even campaigning for Congress in Gujarat. He wrote on Twitter about Rahuljis father and grandmother. That is alright but he also asks, Modi, tell me who is your mother, who is your father? Such language cant even be used for enemies. Accused the Congress of abusing and mocking him, Mr 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. Mr Modi also claimed that Mr Nizami supports the idea of Azad Kashmir and that he referred to the Indian Army as rapists. Mr Modi further said that Mr Nizami had said, There will (be) an Afzal (Guru) from every home, reported agencies. Do you want Afzal in every home? Can you allow Afzals in Gujarat? Mr 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?... To call our armed forces rapist is not their insult? Should we forgive such people? Mr Modi asked repeatedly. Mr Nizamis tweets cannot be accessed as his account is a protected one. But screenshots of the tweet Mr Modi was referring to are available on the internet. In his Twitter account, Mr Nizami describes himself as a Congress Politician/Writer. According to reports, Mr Nizami has denied these accusations, asserting that he has never put out any anti-India tweets or statements, and that the tweets Mr Modi was referring to were fake. Responding to Mr Modis comments, Congress leader Rajiv Shukla said that he didnt know any individual in the party by the name of Salman Nizami and that he held no position in the party. I dont 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 Mr Shukla. According to reports, Mr Nizami maintained that he still occupies the post of the publicity secretary in the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee, though the JKPCC has said that he is not part of the party. Meanwhile, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday stepped up his attack on Mr Modi asking why there is no mention of development in his speeches during the Gujarat election campaign. Mr Gandhi said he has not got an answer to even one of the 10 questions he has asked Mr Modi on Gujarats 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 tweeted. Taking on Mr Modi, the Congress leader has started a question a day series on Twitter with the tagline 22 saal ka hisab, Gujarat maange jawab (22 years of account, Gujarat demands answers). The Gazette will have an expanded Opinion section on Christmas Day to share letters of thanks from our region's nonprofit agencies and charitable organizations. Letters must be less than 250 words. Include the author's name, address and daytime phone number (only the name and city will be printed). Space isn't available to thank supporters by name. Instead, consider thanking all donors, sponsors and volunteers, and briefly remind readers of the work that your organization does for its community. Letters may include contact information for readers to learn more about the organization. Theres little data on whether they work, or if they have harmful side effects. People are increasingly turning to oils and powders that contain CBDs, a non-psychoactive component of marijuana. (Photo: AP) Dr. Byron Maas surveys a supply of marijuana products for dogs that lines a shelf in his veterinary clinic. Theyre selling well. The Up and Moving is for joints and for pain, he explains. The Calm and Quiet is for real anxious dogs, to take away that anxiety. People anxious to relieve suffering in their pets are increasingly turning to oils and powders that contain CBDs, a non-psychoactive component of marijuana. But theres little data on whether they work, or if they have harmful side effects. Thats because Washington has been standing in the way of clinical trials, veterinarians and researchers say. Now, a push is underway to have barriers removed, so both pets and people can benefit. Those barriers have had more than just a chilling effect. When the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration announced last year that even marijuana extracts with CBD and little or no THC - marijuanas intoxicating component - are an illegal Schedule 1 drug, the University of Pennsylvania halted its clinical trials. Colorado State University is pushing ahead. The US Food and Drug Administration has warned companies that sell marijuana products online and via pet shops and animal hospitals that theyre violating laws by offering unapproved new animal drugs. The FDA threatened legal action. But, seeing potential benefits of CBDs, the American Veterinary Medical Associations policy-making body said last summer it wants the DEA to declassify marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug to facilitate research opportunities for veterinary and human medical uses. It asked the board of the national veterinarians organization to investigate working with other stakeholders toward that goal. The board is awaiting a recommendation from two group councils. The concern our membership has is worry about people extrapolating their own dosages, looking to medicate their pets outside the realm of the medical professional, Board Chairman Michael Whitehair said in a telephone interview. This is an important reason for us to continue the research. Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, a conservative Republican, became an unlikely champion of this push when he introduced a bill in September that would open the path for more clinical research. While Hatch said he opposes recreational marijuana use, he wants marijuana-based drugs, regulated by the FDA, produced for people with disorders. We lack the science to support use of medical marijuana products like CBD oils, not because researchers are unwilling to do the work, but because of bureaucratic red tape and over-regulation, Hatch said. Dawn Boothe, of Auburn Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine, is waiting for federal approval to begin a study of marijuanas effects on dogs with epilepsy. The classification of marijuana products containing CBD as a Schedule 1 drug, the same category as heroin and LSD, creates a major, major, major, terrible roadblock for researchers, Boothe said in a phone interview. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine were studying CBDs effects on dogs with osteoarthritis and pruritis, or itchiness, until the DEA released its policy statement. The ambiguity in this process has really brought us to a screeching halt, said Michael DiGregorio, director of the universitys clinical trials center. It is research that needs to be done, because there are a lot of CBD products out there. When it clarified that marijuana CBD extracts are Schedule 1 drugs, the DEA said it was assigning a code number to those substances to better track them and to comply with international drug control treaties. DiGregorio complained that researchers seeking federal approval to study CBD products are told to provide certain data, but that data isnt normally available until the study is done. If you dont have the data, you cant get the registration to do the work, he said. On a recent morning, Maas took a break from seeing four-legged patients in the Bend Veterinary Clinic. A stethoscope dangling from his neck over green scrubs, Maas said his clients have reported CBDs help relieve pain, arthritis, anxiety, loss of appetite, epilepsy and inflammation in their pets. Unfortunately theres not a lot of research out there, especially on animals, on CBD compounds, Maas said. The research is really necessary to help us understand how to actually use these compounds on our pets. Veterinarian Janet Ladyga of the Blue Sky Veterinary Clinic, also in Bend, said she doesnt recommend marijuana products because of the unknowns. We dont have a lot of evidence right now, so we dont know the toxicity or the safety profile ... and we dont have any good evidence to show either if its safe or efficacious, she said. The study at Colorado State University aims to provide some data. The roughly two dozen dogs in the arthritis study and the 30 in the epilepsy tests are given either CBD oil or a placebo. For the arthritis study, activity monitors are attached to the animals collars, to determine if theyre more mobile when theyre taking CBD. Principal investigator Stephanie McGrath said she hopes the results will be a stepping stone for longer and more diverse studies, and that they provide useful information for human medicine. Every medication were taking has been given to a dog first, the University of Pennsylvanias DiGregorio noted. Meanwhile, Boothe said she had everything ready to start her study in January, and was waiting for a green light from federal officials. I dont know whats taking so long, she said. Kejriwal said it takes courage to cancel the licence of a leading healthcare facility like the Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh. New Delhi: The Delhi government was not against the citys 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. Mr 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. The babys body was handed over to their parents in a plastic bag, along with his still-born sister. He died during treatment at a nursing home in Pitampura a week later. The Delhi Medical Association and the Indian Medical Association have criticised the AAP governments decision to cancel the license of the private hospital as harsh. The Delhi Medical Association has also threatened to shut down medical services in Delhi if the Aam Aadmi Party government does not revoke its decision of cancellation of licence of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh. Doctors are being blamed for everything. They are being made scapegoats and are feeling suffocated in this environment, said Dr Vijay Malhotra, president, Delhi Medical Association (DMA). Mr Kejriwal, however, attacked the previous dispensation in Delhi, alleging they were often hand in glove with the big and the mighty. If we had entered into any setting with the hospital, we would not have been able to face our conscience and would have lost the faith of the people. We are not against private hospitals. But we will hesitate to act sternly in cases of criminal negligence and looting of patients, he said. Citing his governments handling of discoms, he said power tarrifs had not risen in Delhi in the past three years. Attacking his political rivals, he claimed some powers were trying to crush him and his party. The chief minister sought peoples support so that he can work honestly. Mr Kejriwal was speaking at the launch of the Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojna scheme. Wellness experts from the US, Russia and Hungary showed keen interest in Indian traditional medicine and products, said H.B. Singh New Delhi: Indian traditional medicine systems attracted huge international interest at a recent event in Delhi where, among others, Bangladeshi official Md. Razibul Habib, representing his countrys director general of drug administration, sought a presentation from an Indian ayurvedic medicine maker and a health centre head from Long Beach in California made inquiries about turmeric remedies. Sanchit Sharma, executive director of Aimil pharmaceutical, said the response from international buyers and government regulators was encouraging at International Arogya 2017, an exhibition and conference on wellness organised by the ministry of Ayush along with department of commerce. Bangladesh government officials were given a demonstration at the recently inaugurated AII India Institute of Ayurveda in Sarita Vihar. They have also invited us to give a presentation for a possible introduction of Indian ayurvedic medicine in their country, said Mr Sharma. He said Indian ayurveda and other traditional medicines were gradually getting recognition in international markets like Europe, where Aimils anti-diabetic drug BGR-34 has got approval for sale. Countries such as Sri Lanka, Mauritius and African nations, including Ghana, Ethiopia and Tanzania, too have shown interest in medicines like Lukoskin a formulation for fighting leucoderma or depigmentation of skin based on research conducted by the DRDO, he said. Wellness experts from the US, Russia and Hungary showed keen interest in Indian traditional medicine and products, said H.B. Singh, former chief scientist of Council of Scientific & Industrial Research. During discussions at Arogya 2017, Indian government officials suggested that ayurvedic system of medicine is likely to get a big push from a proposal to introduce MBBS students to Indian traditional medicine as part of their four-year curriculum. Asks officials to allocate specific spots for dustbins on platforms. Mumbai: Union minister, Mr Piyush Goyal, has literally asked the railways to clean up their act. Mr Goyal has asked officials to clear the garbage on Mumbais suburban rail tracks on Central Railway (CR) mainline, the Harbour line and on Western Railway (WR). The minister has also asked the officials to allocate a specific spot for dustbins on platforms as the current ones are placed right next to food stalls, which is very unhygienic. The railway minister held a five-hour long meeting in Churchgate on Saturday evening, in which he asked the railways to improve their security at railways stations. But he was specially disturbed by the filth in and around railway stations, said a senior official. The issue of garbage started from the fact that the dustbins located next to the stalls were open and a lot of flies were seen in and around it. The minister felt that cleanliness is not just limited to garbage cans but also to railway lines. The railway lines unfortunately have been a dumping ground for the city, the official added. The minister had paid a surprise visit to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Churchgate on Saturday night to gauge the position of the terminal stations. He has been in the city since November 29, when he was diagnosed with a kidney stone and was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital. Both Central and Western railways officials were in continuous meetings internally throughout Sunday, in order to make ensure the ministers directions were implemented. Railway activist and ex-Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC) member, Nirmal Tekamgarh said, If railway officials actually follow through and do the needed work to clean up Mumbais railway lines, we from the activist groups will take part as well. India has always believed in securing its sovereignity. Kolkata: Major-general R. Nagraj, MGGS of the Eastern Command headquarters on Sunday affirmed the Indian Armys capability in tackling threat from China. He was speaking at a press meet at the Fort William, the headquarters of the Eastern Command on the Vijay Divas celebrations to mark the birth of Bangladesh on December 16 in 1971 with the end of the Liberation War against Pakistan. Asked on the Chinese threat along the border in the Northeast, Maj. Gen. Nagraj said, Indian Army is a strong and capable force. It can protect Indias sovereignity. I do not look at China in the persepective of vulnerability. It is the security responsibility of our country when it comes to standing against others, including China. India has always believed in securing its sovereignity. He elaborated, The Army is well prepared. The armed forces will continue to do what they are required to do. India has never any intention to go beyond its border. India is an aspiring economoc power. Maj. Gen. Nagraj informed that a Bangladeshi delegation including the Mukti Joddhas would take part in the Vijay Divas celebrations which will be held from December 14-16 in the city. There will be four-five MPs in the Bangladeshi delegation apart from six serving officers from the army, navy and air force. From the Indian side, a delegation of 30 war veterans would visit Dhaka to attend the celebrations there at the same time, he added. The Indian delegation which includes Wing Commander (retired) DJS Kler of the Indian Air Force will have four serving officers from army, navy and air force also alongwith them, Maj. Gen. Nagraj added. In May, the Bel 230 private helicopter ferrying the CM encountered a technical snag where one of its engines failed to start at Gadchiroli. Mumbai: A helicopter ferrying Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to Aurangabad on Saturday was forced to land immediately after taking off from Nashik, apparently due to overloading. This is the fourth such incident related to the CM's chopper, with the CM having a narrow escape in the earlier three. In the latest occurrence, the private chopper took off successfully after offloading one of the passengers and some luggage, the police said. Although the police did not specify the reasons for the chopper making a forced landing, an aviation expert said that offloading of a passenger and some luggage could be linked to maximum load carrying capacity of the helicopter. An official from the state civil aviation department said, As the helicopter was unable to get the required altitude to fly, some luggage was also offloaded. This is not a major issue. The CM flew in the same chopper and attended all events in Aurangabad as per schedule." In May, the Bel 230 private helicopter ferrying the CM encountered a technical snag where one of its engines failed to start at Gadchiroli. In another incident also in May, the CMs helicopter crash-landed at Nilanga in Latur district after it suffered a snag. Luckily, he escaped unhurt. On July 7 before take-off in a helicopter from Alibaug near Mumbai, the CM narrowly missed being struck by the chopper's tail rotor when the pilot inexplicably started the engines before the CM had boarded. After these incidents, the state government decided to buy two new helicopters; one for the CM and the other for Naxal-infested Gadchiroli. Pink bollworm is an issue that could damage the state governments narrative. Almost 80 percent of the cotton crop in this season has gone waste. Mumbai: Opposition parties in Maharashtra are ready with the ammunition to target Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) government in the winter session of the state legislature that will begin from Monday. The Congress, National Congress Party (NCP) have planned for the huge morcha against Maharashtra government on December 12. NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad will lead the rally. Opposition parties are set to raise questions over farm loan waiver scheme, pink bollworm on cotton in Vidarbha and law and order situation state. The farm loan waiver issue is likely to rock the entire session. The opposition has alleged that numbers being provided by the state government are fake. If this government has courage then it should declare the list of all 41 lakh farmers who received loan waiver, said opposition leader Dhananjay Munde. He warned that his party wouldnt spare government on farmers issues. Pink bollworm is an issue that could damage the state governments narrative. Almost 80 percent of the cotton crop in this season has gone waste. Though the government has asked the officials to file panchnama of the crop, now the opposition will raise the issue of compensation in the houses. On December 12, opposition parties will try to set the tone of the session. NCP chief Sharad Pawar will lead the march against policies of the government. This march could push the government on backfoot from the day one. Vice President of Afghanistan thanked India for its help in building the Afghan parliament building in Kabul and the Salma dam. Mumbai: Vice-President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Sarwar Danish had a meeting with C. Vidyasagar Rao, the governor of Maharashtra at Raj Bhavan on Sunday. He said that 5,000 Afghan students are pursuing higher education in Maharashtra on Indian Scholarships and hoped that India will further increase the number of scholarships. Expressing satisfaction over the dramatic expansion of bilateral ties between India and Afghanistan, Sarwar Danish called for further strengthening cultural, economic & business cooperation and political and strategic relations between the two countries. The Vice President of Afghanistan thanked India for its help in building the Afghan parliament building in Kabul and the Salma dam, now renamed as Afghanistan - India Friendship Dam, in Herat. Welcoming the Vice President to Maharashtra, Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao called for establishing air connectivity between Kabul and other cities in Afghanistan with Mumbai. This according to him will increase trade and promote tourism between the two countries. In his missive, Mr Deshmukh focussed prominently on the issue of farmer suicides. Mumbai: After Nana Patole, now Ashish Deshmukh, a first-term MLA from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has hit out at chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and the BJP-led state government. In a letter written to the chief minister, Mr Deshmukh said, Nothing has changed in the last three years. Neither are farmers getting their dues nor are industries coming to the state. The MLA is known for his proximity to Mr Fadnavis and so his criticism has raised eyebrows in political circles. In his missive, Mr Deshmukh focussed prominently on the issue of farmer suicides. Agriculture minister Pandurang Fundkar comes from Vidarbha. Still, there has been no decline in farmer suicides, he wrote. He further said that the loan waiver scheme has not been fruitful yet. Farmers need to get money as early as possible. Mr Deshmukh has also raised the issue of industrial growth of the region, which is facing a slowdown in the last few months. Many small and medium scale industries have shut down. Thousands of workers are jobless now. He also suggests in the letter that the money being used for the Nagpur metro needs to be given to these small industries, a step which would set right the priorities of the state government. With an eye on the Nagpur session due to start on Monday, Mr Deshmukh also raised the Vidarbha issue. The demand for a separate Vidarbha is completely logical. Today, Vidarbha produces 70 per cent of the power generated in the state, but it gets very little in return. The finance minister Sudheer Mungantvar is from Vidarbha. But Vidarbha has not been given its dues in the budget. This is an injustice, he claims. Mr Deshmukh who is a BJP legislator from Vidarbha, is the second BJP leader after Mr Patole to slam his own party. Mr Patole, however, resigned from the BJP last week. The similarities between both leaders is quite interesting. Both Mr Deshmukh and Mr Patole have a Congress background. Mr Deshmukhs father, Ranjit Deshmukh was president of the Maharashtra Congress, while he himself was a member before joining the BJP in 2014. This letter has also kick-started a discussion in political corridors that leaders with a Congress background in the BJP are disappointed with the partys performance in the state and want to distance themselves from it. In 2000, the Russian government wanted to overcome a currency deficit and so invited people to do business. Mumbai: The Bombay high court has rejected the appeal of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the order of an appellate court favouring numerous businessmen from Mumbai and other parts of the country who were involved in a currency scam in 2000. The ED had registered cases of scams running into a few hundred crore against the businessmen, under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) Act. The businessmen had allegedly taken advantage by floating fictitious companies in India, Dubai and Russia for exporting goods to Russia and had dumped goods meant for Russia in Dubai and claimed benefits from the Indian government. The high court rejected the appeal of the ED on the grounds that the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) Act, which had replaced the FERA Act, did not have provisions for revision of orders. The appellate court order was on similar lines. A division bench of justices A.S. Oka and A.K. Menon was hearing a bunch of appeals filed by the ED through the Union of India in the matter pertaining to the alleged currency scam. In 2000, the Russian government wanted to overcome a currency deficit and so invited people to do business. Some businessmen had floated companies to export goods to Russia but the goods never made it to Russia as they were offloaded in Dubai. When the ED got wind of it, cases were registered against the businessmen under the FERA Act. However, in 2010, the Special Direc-torate of Enforcement (SDE) dropped charges against the businessmen, which was challenged by the ED in the FEMA appellate tribunal. The tribunal had rejected the appeal on the grounds that there was no provision for revision of the order and hence could not override the SDE order. In the hearing, the counsel for the Union referred to section 49 of the FEMA Act, which allowed appeal of cases to be registered under FERA with the FEMA tribunal and also prayed for the court to apply the Mimansa interpretation. However, the court upheld the tribunal decision and dismissed the appeal. The businessmen were represented by advocate B. Sheshagopalan, advocate Arun Mehta, advocate Sujay Kantawala, advocate Shradha Achilya among others. Thank you, Gazette. Right-hand column, above the fold is the story, "Daines to back Senate tax bill." And below the fold, "State loses $30M if tax bill approved." So who exactly does Daines represent? We Montanans or folks somewhere else? And let's stop calling it "tax reform" and call it what it really is a reverse Robin Hood plan; steal from the poor and give to the wealthy. The brothers commissioned a statue in honour of their mother to be erected outside their official London home Kensington Palace. LONDON: A sculptor who produced the image of Queen Elizabeth used on Britains coins has been chosen to create a new statue of Princess Diana, the office of Princes William and Harry said on Sunday, to commemorate 20 years since her death. Ian Rank-Broadley, whose effigy of the Queen has appeared on all UK and Commonwealth coinage since 1998, will design the statue, which now will not be unveiled until next year. Ian is an extremely gifted sculptor and we know that he will create a fitting and lasting tribute to our mother, Prince William and his younger brother Harry said in a statement. In January, the brothers commissioned a statue in honour of their mother, who died in a Paris car crash 20 years ago to be erected outside their official London home Kensington Palace. Diana, the first wife of the heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, was killed when the limousine carrying her and her lover Dodi al-Fayed crashed in a Paris tunnel in August 1997. William was 15 and Harry was 12 at the time. We have been touched by the kind words and memories so many people have shared about our mother over these past few months, the brothers said. It is clear the significance of her work is still felt by many in the UK and across the world, even twenty years after her death. It had been hoped that the statue would be unveiled before the end of the year to mark the anniversary, but Kensington Palace said that it was now envisaged that the statue would be unveiled in 2019. The first permanent memorial to her, a 210-metre (689-foot) long fountain was unveiled in Hyde Park in 2004 after years of bureaucratic wrangling and squabbling over the design. The world has sympathised with the Jews for what Nazi Germany did to them in the past. Behind US President Donald Trumps shock announcement recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital lies a web of meetings between his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Arab world had been abuzz with reports and speculation that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas had been summoned to Riyadh to agree to a deal that would sell Palestinians down the river. The assumption being made is that the powerful Saudi prince has placed his offensive against Shia Iran for regional hegemony above the Palestinian cause which, for most Arab states, has become a mere ritual. And there was a method in Mr Trump choosing Riyadh as his first port of call as President and famously indulging in a tribal sword dance to give prominence to an old relationship. Saudi Arabia condemned Mr Trumps announcement as the leader of Sunni Islam and the home of the two holy shrines, and other Arab states followed suit, with the Arab League chipping in. The emergency session of the UN Security Council showed how isolated it was among allies as well as opponents. How far it will affect events is another matter. The truth is that Israel is in a strong position and Palestinians are weak, with Mr Abbas having overrun his term by years. Though Britain, the then imperial power, gave Jews a home, the United States helped make Israel a military power, winked at it acquiring nuclear weapons and through a series of accords brought Israel into a commanding position in relation to its adversaries. This is for geopolitical and sentimental reasons: as an ally in a turbulent region and the clout of the Jewish lobby in domestic politics. There have been expected demonstrations in Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories with killings by Israeli forces. The Hamas faction has called for starting a new intifada (uprising), and a few token missile strikes on Israeli targets. The low intensity of rioting thus far would have pleased Israelis. By all accounts, the US is finalising plans to present a solution to the seemingly intractable Israeli-Palestinian issue, to be unveiled early next year. Although Mr Trump said he was not pre-determining Jerusalems boundaries, with East Jerusalem having been annexed by Israel, his silence favours Tel Aviv. According to longstanding canons set by the major powers, the future of Jerusalem, the home of three religions, was to be a subject for Israeli-Palestinian discussions. Mr Trump has upended the whole process by nixing a litany of agreements and UN Security Council resolutions in favour of his own arbitrary formula. And this is being finalised with Arab leaders behind the scenes. Leaks suggest that Palestinians can say goodbye to an independent state, will lose East Jerusalem, projected as its capital in a two-state solution, and will be offered crumbs of territory outside Israeli settlements guarded by Israeli troops. In short, we are beginning to see a new Middle East ballgame, with the leader of the Sunni monarchies, Saudi Arabia, aligning its policies with Israel in its overall objective of getting the better of Iran. The Saudi Crown Prince, universally known as MbS, has proved ambitious and reckless in leading a military assault on Yemen and is a man in a hurry. Yet those inclined to celebrate the death of Palestine might be jumping the gun. A cataclysmic chain of events set in motion by Mr Trump strikes at the heart of Arab nationalism. Russia is being arraigned for annexing Crimea, once a part of the larger Soviet Union. And here is a state ruling over an entire population after seizing its territory, building illegal settlements on occupied land being given carte blanche by the most powerful nation in the world. By all accounts, the present Benjamin Netanyahu government is the most right-wing in Israels history, but Israel faces a major problem of its own future. Will it rule over an entire population, South Africa apartheid-style, denying them basic rights? If so, can it retain its present democratic structure or become like a paler copy of the old white South Africa? Domestically, President Trump is on a strong wicket on this issue. After all, the declaration of Jerusalem as Israels capital was decreed by the US Congress years ago, with the question sidestepped by successive Presidents fearing the consequences. Mr Trump therefore has cross-party support, at least in public, for his unusual decision. One other aspect of the declaration is worthy of note. The world has sympathised with the Jews for what Nazi Germany did to them in the past. And now that the state of Israel is rich and powerful, thanks to American help and through its peoples own resolve, it is behaving as the big bully, conquering land, expelling residents and denying the people it rules their rights. The Arabs, on their part, dont have a coherent strategy. Leading with Saudi Arabia, many are beholden to the US for military aid, if not money. We have seen the fate of the Arab Spring and the despair of the people of many countries led to the phenomenon of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. Indeed, one unintended consequence could be a fresh rise in extremism ironically coming after Iraq has declared itself free from the Islamic State. One problem is that the Arab world misses a leader of the stature of Nasser, around whom it could coalesce. MbS might be seeking such a role but that lies in the future. At present it is non-Arab Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been most vocal and active in the Palestinian cause, interacting with world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, and neighbours to protest against Mr Trumps declaration. Whether a new intifada starts or not, the world can only pray that Americas new explicit support for Israel doesnt lead a hothead living on Palestinian frustrations to undertake a dramatic act of spectacular violence that would plunge the region into a deeper crisis. Chinese businesses have invested over $50 billion and created near-200,000 local jobs in the countries along the Belt and Road. This year, we have taken active, innovative and pioneering steps, and made many breakthroughs and important headway in our diplomatic work. First, we have drawn up the blueprint for jointly undertaking the Belt and Road Initiative. Last May, President Xi Jinping successfully chaired the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in Beijing. The heads of state/government from 29 foreign countries, senior representatives from over 130 countries and heads of over 70 international organisations attended the event. The BRF produced over 270 specific results under 76 broad categories across five key areas. Up till now, we have signed Belt and Road cooperation agreements with 80 countries and organisations, conducted institutionalised cooperation on industrial capacity with over 30 countries, and built 75 overseas economic and trade cooperation zones in 24 countries under the Belt and Road framework. Chinese businesses have invested over $50 billion and created near-200,000 local jobs in the countries along the Belt and Road. The Belt and Road Initiative has shown strong vigour and vitality. It carries far-reaching positive implications for global development, and will also lend strong and sustained impetus to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Second, we have been a strong advocate of economic globalisation. In his keynote speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos last January, President Xi pointed out that trying to reverse the trend of globalisation will be futile. President Xi also put forward Chinas proposal for boosting global growth and making globalisation more balanced. At the Palace of Nations in Geneva, President Xi gave a full account of his major international initiative to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind, provided Chinas perspectives on addressing the many global challenges facing human society, and built international consensus on Chinas proposal. Third, we have been an anchor for stable relations among major countries. The three meetings and many letters and phone calls between President Xi and President Trump this year have provided a strategic anchor to what is the most complicated and consequential relationship in the world. The China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, thanks to efforts of both sides, has continued to move forward at a high standard. China and Europe have continued to make fresh headway in the development of the partnership for peace, growth, reform and progress of civilisation. Fourth, we have worked to maintain stability in our neighbourhood and the sound momentum of regional cooperation. In the past year, we have deepened mutual trust with traditionally friendly countries, consolidated our mutual support, worked for a turnaround in China-Japan and China-Republic of Korea relations, actively worked for the settlement of hotspot issues in its neighbourhood and led cooperation in neighbouring areas for regional peace and development. Both being big developing countries, China and India have far greater shared strategic interests than concrete differences, and far greater needs for cooperation than partial frictions. China always values the good-neighbourliness and friendship between the two countries as we are each others big neighbours and ancient civilisations. We handled the Dong Lang incident in line with our national interest, on just grounds and with restraint. We believe that as long as we continue to engage in in-depth strategic communication and promptly dispel strategic misgivings, the strategic value of China-India cooperation will speak for itself, and there will be a prospect of the Dragon and the Elephant Dancing Together and 1+1=11 effect as expected by our leaders. Fifth, we have ushered in the second Golden Decade of Brics cooperation. The Brics Xiamen Summit chaired by President Xi has been a full success, thanks to the concerted efforts of the five Brics countries. It has opened a brighter prospect for the cooperation, and boosted international communitys confidence in the future of emerging markets. The 19th CPC National Congress successfully held this year established the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, opened up new horizons for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and set out the direction and objectives of Chinas diplomacy in the new era. This has given Chinese answers to the serious questions confronting the world. That is to say, China believes it is essential to advance peace, development and win-win cooperation, foster a new form of international relations and build a community with a shared future for mankind. To foster a new form of international relations, we need to find a new approach to developing state-to-state relations with the following core principles. First, mutual respect. Countries of different size, strength or wealth, and with diverse systems, religions and civilisations, are all equals. Second, fairness and justice. The law of the jungle which puts the weak at the mercy of the strong must be rejected, and the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, in particular the developing countries, should be upheld. And third, win-win cooperation. The outdated mindset of zero-sum game or winner taking all should be replaced with a new approach of working for common development and shared benefits. To build a community with a shared future for mankind, we need to come up with solutions to various global challenges. We will build a five-in-one world, namely a world of lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity, and a world that is open, inclusive and enjoys a well-preserved ecology. In a word, we will continue to act as a responsible major country to contribute to world peace, promote global development, and uphold the international order. First, we will expand Chinas network of global partnerships and promote a new form of international relations. Second, we will start from our neighbourhood and other developing countries in building a community with a shared future for mankind. Third, we will comprehensively advance the Belt and Road Initiative to benefit all other participating countries through win-win cooperation. Fourth, we will actively explore a way of resolving hotspot issues with Chinese characteristics and play a bigger and more constructive role in upholding world stability. Fifth, we will step up efforts to serve Chinas domestic development and overseas interests in line with our national conditions and the needs of our people. In particular, we will host the Boao Forum for Asia and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Qingdao summit. We will also hold the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, as well as the first China International Import Expo in Shanghai. The writer is Chinas foreign minister, who will begin a visit to New Delhi on Monday to attend the India-China-Russia trilateral talks. This is the first top-level Chinese visit to India after the recent Doklam standoff. Net-neutrality rules bar cable and phone companies from favouring certain websites and apps - such as their own services. Net-neutrality rules bar cable and phone companies from favouring certain websites and apps such as their own services and give the FCC more oversight over privacy and the activities of telecom companies. (Photo: AP) Net neutrality is a simple concept but a dense and often technical issue normally discussed in tech and telecom circles. Now it's hit the mainstream. Next week, the Federal Communications Commission plans to vote on gutting 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. Celebrity complaints and street protests aren't likely to stop the agency's vote on Thursday, but activists hope the growing outcry will push Congress to intervene and will show support for stricter regulation down the road. Net neutrality has been a hot button before, thanks to assists from Silicon Valley and TV host John Oliver speaking out about what they see as threats to the internet. More Hollywood celebrities have been joining the cry against the agency's direction. "Long live cute dog videos on YouTube! #RIPinternet. Share what you loved about The Internet," actor Mark Ruffalo tweeted as he urged people to push Congress to intervene. Big-time Hollywood producer Shonda Rhimes tweeted a link to a story about saving net-neutrality on her lifestyle website . Net-neutrality rules bar cable and phone companies from favouring 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 couldn't afford to pay a broadband company for faster access to customers. Critics of the rules say that they hurt investment in internet infrastructure and represent too much government involvement in business. Phone and cable companies say the rules aren't necessary because they already support an open internet, and have lobbied hard for their repeal. While libertarian and conservative think tanks and telecom trade groups have spoken up against net neutrality, everyday people have been vocal in protesting the rules' repeal. 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. By contrast, there were fewer than 30,000 calls in the first two weeks of November. While Congress doesn't need to approve FCC decisions, it can overrule the agency by passing a law. Net neutrality also has triggered discussions all over social media, even in groups that typically don't discuss tech policy. In one Facebook group about leggings seller LuLaRoe, one woman's lament about the repeal triggered more than 270 responses. They included questions about what net neutrality was, links to explanations and statements of support. The discussion sprawled into the next day. 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. In midtown Manhattan, some 350 people came to chant slogans and wave signs. "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, "it's just another showcase of oligarchy upon America." Most people don't follow what federal agencies like the FCC are doing, even though decisions can have a lot of impact on people's lives, said Beth Leech, political science professor at Rutgers University. Having celebrities speak out can help spark people's interest, she said. "Protests that draw average people out into the streets across the country are relatively rare," she said. "It's the rarity that gives them some of their power." The liberal organization MoveOn is urging Americans to speak up for net neutrality. Democratic senators have called for a delay in next Thursday's vote, while Democratic FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel urged backers to "make a ruckus." Some Democrats are hoping that any rollback of net neutrality rules will become a campaign rallying cry in 2018 and beyond. "Net neutrality has the potential to motivate young and progressive voters to turn out," said Tyler Law, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to get Democrats elected to the House. "There will be a political price to pay for those who are on the wrong side of this issue, because net neutrality's time as a campaign issue has arrived," Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., a longtime net neutrality supporter, said on a call with reporters Wednesday. Republican campaign officials didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. The FCC's 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. Some net-neutrality supporters have become intensely personal in their advocacy. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and his staff have called out ugly and racist tweets and death threats. Pai also said activists came to his home to post signs that referenced his children. One man was charged in November with threatening to kill US Rep. John Katko and his family if the New York Republican didn't support net neutrality. Jhon Jairo Velasquez's presence at a raucous birthday party constituted a 'very serious' offence. Jhon Jairo Velasquez, known by his nickname Popeye, was paroled in 2014 after confessing to hundreds of murders. (Photo: AP) Bogoto: Colombian authorities are seeking to re-arrest a former hit man for late drug lord Pablo Escobar for violating his parole after he was caught partying with a major trafficker wanted by the US, prosecutors said Saturday. Jhon Jairo Velasquez, known by his nickname Popeye, was paroled in 2014 after confessing to hundreds of murders and spending 22 years in jail for plotting the murder of an ex-presidential candidate. Since being released, Velasquez has gained notoriety as an author and YouTube celebrity who delivers angry diatribes against leftist rebels, corrupt politicians and Venezuelas socialist government. His presence at a raucous birthday party for Juan Carlos Mesa, one of Colombias most-wanted drug traffickers, constituted a very serious offence, said the countrys chief prosecutors office. The US had been offering a $2 million bounty for Mesas capture. Police raided the party on Friday at a country house near Medellin where they arrested Mesa, alias Tom, who was celebrating his 50th birthday in almost stereotypical narco form: surrounded by armed bodyguards, young women, bountiful alcohol and lots of gambling. It was unclear what Velasquez was doing at the party. El Tiempo newspaper reported that police seized more than USD 40,000 in cash, jewellery and seven luxury cars. Velasquez took advantage of his time behind bars to obtain a number of academic degrees and to seek forgiveness from his victims. He also provided prosecutors with testimony that led to the conviction of a former justice minister close to Escobar. But even while expressing regret about his crimes, he continued to demonstrate admiration for his former boss. UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman returned Saturday from a four-day visit to North Korea. Feltman's visit came at a time of high tension between North Korea, South Korea, Japan and the United States, sparked by North Korea's frequent missile launches. (Photo: AP) United Nations: The United Nations says its political chief and North Korea's foreign minister agree that the current situation on the Korean peninsula is the most dangerous security issue in the world. UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman returned Saturday from a four-day visit to North Korea, where he met with officials including North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Sunday that Feltman and his hosts agreed that the Korean situation is "the most tense and dangerous peace and security issue" in the world today." Feltman's visit came at a time of high tension between North Korea, South Korea, Japan and the United States, sparked by North Korea's frequent missile launches. Dujarric says Feltman told the North Koreans there can only be a diplomatic solution. Trump highlighted the case of 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle, who was shot by Mexican national Jose Inez Garcia Zarate. Trump said every Senator and Congressman will have to make a choice: do they want to protect American citizens or do they want to protect criminal aliens. (Photo: AFP/File) Washington: US President Donald Trump has said US cities should be "sanctuaries" for Americans not for criminal "aliens", a week after a US court acquitted a Mexican immigrant accused of fatally shooting an American woman. On July 1, 2015, 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle, while walking with her father and a friend was shot by Mexican national Jose Inez Garcia Zarate in the Embarcadero district of San Francisco. The shot ricocheted off the concrete deck of a pier striking the victim in the back. Steinle died two hours later in the hospital as a result of her injuries. The shooting elicited controversy and political debate over San Francisco's status as a sanctuary city, as Zarate was a Mexican national who was unlawfully residing in the US. Trump has highlighted the case as an example of the failure of "sanctuary cities", where local officials did not work with authorities to enforce immigration laws. Asserting that no American should be separated from their loved ones because of preventable crime committed by those illegally in the country, Trump said that cities should be sanctuaries for Americans - not for criminal aliens. "No American should be separated from their loved ones because of preventable crime committed by those illegally in our country. Our cities should be Sanctuaries for Americans - not for criminal aliens," Trump said in his weekly address to the nation. Last week, in a "final injustice", Kate's killer was acquitted on all of the most serious charges, he said. This he said is one more reason Americans are so upset by sanctuary cities and politicians who shield "criminal aliens" from federal law enforcement and all of the problems involved with the whole concept of a sanctuary city. "They are no good. We mourn for all of the American families, of all backgrounds, who will have any empty seat at Christmas this year because our immigration laws were not enforced," Trump said. "Unfortunately, Democrats in Congress not only oppose our efforts to stop illegal immigration and crack down on sanctuary cities - now they are demanding amnesty as a condition for funding the government, holding troop funding hostage and putting our national security at risk. We cannot allow it," he said. Trump said every Senator and Congressman will have to make a choice: do they want to protect American citizens or do they want to protect "criminal aliens". In his address, Trump said Steinle's death is a tragedy that was entirely preventable. "She was shot by an illegal alien and a 7-time convicted felon who had been deported five times - but he was free to harm an innocent American because our leaders refused to protect our border, and because San Francisco is a sanctuary city," he said. "In sanctuary states and cities, innocent Americans are at the mercy of criminal aliens because state and local officials defy federal authorities and obstruct the enforcement of our immigration laws," Trump said. Jeffrey Feltman calls on N. Korea to implement UN resolutions. UN undersecretary general for political affairs Jeffrey Feltman arrives at an airport in Beijing, China, on Saturday after his visit to Pyongyang. (Photo: AP) Washington: Describing the current situation in the Korean peninsula as most tense and dangerous peace and security issue in the world, a visiting UN envoy has told the North Korean leadership that time is of the essence and it needs to implement all relevant Security Council resolutions. The UN Under-Secretary-General for political affairs Jeffrey Feltman was on a visit to Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea or DPRK, commonly known as North Korea, from December 5 to December 8. During the visit, he had a series of meetings with North Korea foreign minister Yong Ho and his deputy PAK Myong Guk. They 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, a UN statement said. Mr Feltman emphasised the need for the implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions, the UN said, adding that he also said there can only be a diplomatic solution to the situation. A total of 20 North Korean organisations, including banks and trading companies have been blacklisted. The measures are in addition to those by the UN Security Council, which has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests. (Photo: AP/File) Seoul: South Korea will impose new unilateral sanctions against nuclear-armed Pyongyang, a report said today, in Seoul's latest effort to pressure the North after a series of weapons tests that have sent regional tensions surging. The move comes after a rare visit to North Korea by a senior UN official, who called for dialogue between Pyongyang and the international community to avert a potentially catastrophic "miscalculation" in the high-stakes nuclear crisis. Seoul's new measures, its second set of unilateral sanctions in a month, are likely to draw an angry response from Pyongyang, which views its neighbour as overly-dependent on a hostile Washington. A total of 20 North Korean organisations, including banks and trading companies, and 12 North Korean individuals -- mostly bankers -- will be blacklisted as of Monday, the South's Yonhap news agency reported citing a foreign ministry official. "The organisations and individuals were involved in supplying money needed to develop weapons of mass destruction or illegal trading of sanctioned items," the official said, according to Yonhap. Read: Korean peninsula world's most dangerous security issue: UN, N Korea The measures are in addition to those by the UN Security Council, which has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests. China, Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and military ally, has also backed the UN embargoes, but has repeatedly pushed for talks to diffuse tensions. The UN's under secretary general Jeffrey Feltman visited the North just a week after Pyongyang said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. His trip also coincided with the US and South Korea's biggest-ever joint air exercise, which the North slammed as a provocation and revealing an intention to "mount a surprise nuclear pre-emptive strike". Seoul's sanctions will bar South Korean individuals and entities from transacting with those on the list but it will be largely symbolic given a lack of inter-Korean economic ties. In 2016, South Korea unilaterally closed operations at the jointly-run Kaesong Industrial Complex, saying cash from the zone was being funnelled to the North's weapons programme. The complex was the last remaining form of North-South economic cooperation. Seoul banned nearly all business with the North in 2010 after accusing Pyongyang of sinking one of its warships. Sialvi has also reiterated demand for a resignation of the Rana Sanaullah over his stance on the finality of the prophethood. Islamabad: In a major blow to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), several disgruntled leaders submitted their resignations to custodian of Dargah Sial Sharif, Pir Hameeduddin Sialvi on Sunday in Faisalabad. The move came during the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat (finality of the prophethood) Conference of Sunni Ittehad Council in Faisalabads Dhobi Ghaat Ground led by Sialvi who announced his dissociation from the PML-N a few days earlier. At least two Members of National Assembly (MNAs), three Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs), local government representatives and party officials tendered their resignation in the conference. Sialvi has also reiterated demand for a resignation of the Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah over his stance on the finality of the prophethood. Pir Hamidud Din Sialvi said that their cause was devoid of political ambitions and only for the sake of the finality of the prophet and asserted that this principle was not be compromised. Gains certification Matthew Baumgartner, a financial adviser with Northwestern Mutual in Bismarck, has achieved certified financial planner status. The certification requires meeting experience and ethical requirements, coursework and passing an examination. Two at The Village Brittany Tofsrud and Megan Kraft are now outpatient counselors at The Village Family Service Center in Bismarck. Both are licensed professional counselors. Tofsrud has worked for The Village as an in-home family therapist and employee assistance program counselor. She earned a masters degree in clinical mental health counseling from the University of Mary. Kraft has a masters degree in mental health counseling from Walden University. She previously worked for Vocational Rehabilitation in Bismarck and Centre Inc. in Mandan. Adviser recognized Robbie Montgomery has been named adviser of the month for November by Securian Financial Advisors of N.D. Inc. based on production and client service. Montgomery has been a representative with Securian since 2007 and is located in Mandan. Fridley selected Fred Fridley has been named Sanford Health Foundation executive director for the Bismarck region. Fridley remains director of Sanford POWER in Bismarck and the senior public affairs specialist for Sanford Healths Bismarck region. He joined Sanford Health in 2012. Dahle included Julie Dahle, internal audit manager at Choice Financial in Bismarck, is among Northwestern Financial Reviews 2017 Outstanding Women in Banking. Five community bankers were selected from 14 Midwest states. Dahle has more than 20 years financial services experience. She graduated from Minot State with a degree in general studies and received an executive master's degree in business administration from the University of Mary. Ahmann an agent Casey Ahmann, Bismarck, has been hired by the North Dakota General Office of New York Life as an agent for the company. Originally from Burlington, Ahmann attended Minot State University and enlisted in the North Dakota Army National Guard in 2012. He most recently was a store manager for AT&T. He affirmed the CPEC contained inclusive and special packages and plans. Islamabad: Chinese ambassador in Pakistan Yao Jing has said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor carried no hidden agenda. In an interview with a Pakistani television channel here, he said the CPEC was a mutual project between Beijing and Islamabad that would benefit the people from south Asian region and the world. He affirmed the CPEC contained inclusive and special packages and plans. To a question, the Chinese envoy said a few individuals and countries issued controversial statements and expressed their concerns against the CPEC, which was their right. Without naming the United States, India and other anti-CPEC nations, the envoy continued by saying: I want to say from the core of my heart that neither anything exists in the CPEC to hide nor is there any hidden agenda in it. Yao Jing said: I invite all the countries having concerns against the CPEC to visit Pakistan, see the project, our close cooperation, sincerity in it and benefits for the people of this region to have a better understanding of the real motive behind the corridor. That is how these countries could have better attitudes towards the CPEC, he added. 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. (Photo: AFP) Istanbul: Turkish riot police Sunday 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 detained 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. Read: Arab leaders ask US to reverse Trumps Jerusalem decision 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. 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. Iraqs announcement came two days after the Russian military said it had defeated ISIS in Syria. London: The ISIS may have lost significant ground but it has not been yet defeated, British Prime Minister Theresa May has said, as she warned Iraq that the terror group still poses a threat including from across the border. Iraqs Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday declared that the countrys war against ISIS was officially over, claiming that the terror group no longer occupied significant territory in the war-torn country. Ms May congratulated Abadi and all Iraqis on the historic moment, saying this signals a new chapter towards a more peaceful, prosperous country but warned that a lot more needed to be done. We must be clear however, that whilst Daesh (ISIS) is failing, they are not yet defeated. They still pose a threat to Iraq, including from over the Syrian border, she said in a statement on Saturday. This is why, during my visit, I announced that the UK will invest 30 million pounds in stabilisation support, 20 million pounds in humanitarian assistance and 10 million pounds to support counter-terrorist capacity building in Iraq, Ms May said. Ms May said she was proud that the UK, as a leading member of the Global Coalition, has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Iraq to help them open the new chapter. I saw the effects of this first hand when I visited last week, she said. The UK has supported Iraqi security forces, including the armed forces and the Peshmerga, in the fight against ISIS and UK aircraft have launched over 1,350 air strikes in Iraq and trained over 60,000 members of the Iraqi security forces, she said. The 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, May said. Iraqs announcement came two days after the Russian military said it had defeated ISIS in Syria. On Sunday, Iraqs armed forces held a military parade in Baghdad on Sunday to celebrate the victory announced by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi over the Islamic State group. Iraqi army units marched through the main square in central Baghdad as helicopters and fighter jets flew overhead, witnesses said. Saudi Arabia does not recognize Israel, but the two countries have a shared interest in countering Iran. Tehran: President Hassan Rouhani says Iran is ready to restore ties with Saudi Arabia if it stops bombing Yemen and cuts its alleged ties with Israel. In a speech broadcast Sunday, Rouhani said the regional rivals could have good relations if the Saudis end their false friendship with Israel and halt the inhuman bombardment of Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is battling Iranian-allied rebels known as Houthis. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian demonstrators attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in response to the Saudi execution of a prominent Shiite dissident cleric. Tensions spiked again last month after the Houthis fired a ballistic missile that was intercepted near Riyadh. Saudi Arabia does not recognize Israel, but the two countries have a shared interest in countering Iran. The vote counting is in progress for remaining 76 seats. According to results released by the Election Commission, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist has won 51 seats while its alliance partner CPN Maoist-Centre has bagged 21 seats. (Photo: AFP) Kathmandu: Nepal's Left alliance is Sunday heading towards comfortable majority in the parliamentary elections, winning 72 of the 89 seats so far in the historic polls that many hope will bring the political stability to the country. The CPN-UML led by former premier K P Oli and the CPN-Maoist led by former premier Prachanda have forged electoral alliance for both the provincial and parliamentary elections. According to results released by the Election Commission, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) has won 51 seats while its alliance partner CPN Maoist-Centre has bagged 21 seats. The ruling Nepali Congress, which was the largest party in the last election, won only 10 seats, according to tallies. Two Madhesi parties have won five seats. The Federal Socialist Forum Nepal led by Upendra Yadav has won 2 seats whereas Rastriya Janata Party led by Mahanta Thakur has bagged 3 seats. Read: Nepal Polls: Left Alliance Wins 26 Seats, Nepali Congress 3 Naya Shakti Party led by former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai has won one seat and an independent was among winning candidates. The vote counting is in progress for remaining 76 seats. 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. 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. A total of 1,663 candidates contested polls for parliamentary seats. Vatican City (AsiaNews) Sorrow for the clashes of recent days in Jerusalem, the need to avert a new spiral of violence, to workifor peace and "indispensable respect for the status quo" for the Holy City, "sacred to Christians, Jews and to Muslims from all over the world ": states a press release issued by the Vatican Press Office issued today at 1 pm. The Pope had already underlined the respect for the status quo for Jerusalem at last Wednesdays general audience. Here is the complete text of the statement: The Holy See follows with great attention the developments of the situation in the Middle East, with special reference to Jerusalem, a sacred city for Christians, Jews and Muslims from all over the world. In expressing his sorrow for the clashes in recent days that have produced victims, the Holy Father renews his appeal for the wisdom and prudence of everyone, and raises fervent prayers so that the leaders of nations, in this time of special gravity, commit themselves to avert a new spiral of violence, responding with words and deeds to the desires of peace, justice and security for the populations of that battered land. Concerns about the prospectives for peace in the region are the object in these days of various initiatives, among them meetings called urgently by the Arab League and the Organization for Islamic Cooperation. The Holy See is attentive to these concerns, and recalling the heartfelt words of Pope Francis, reiterates its well-known position concerning the singular character of the Holy City and the essential need for respecting the status quo, in conformity with the deliberations of the international community and the repeated requests of the hierarchies of the Churches and Christian communities of the Holy Land. At the same time the Holy See reiterates its own conviction that only a negotiated solution between Israelis and Palestinians can bring a stable and lasting peace, and guarantee the peaceful co-existence of two states within internationally recognized borders. 4-H Ambassadors Several area 4-H members are among those newly named to the North Dakota 4-H Ambassadors. Brittany Barnhardt, Mandan, attends Mandan High School. Mara Bornemann, Center, is a student at New Salem-Almont High School. Victoria Christensen, Courtenay, attends Christensen Academy. Eva Lahlum, from Marion, is homeschooled. Nora Larson, from Lemmon, S.D., is homeschooled. The North Dakota State 4-H Ambassadors are a group of young adults from across the state who are actively involved in 4-H. They coordinate many activities that involve teaching youth and adults about topics such as leadership, team work and citizenship and are active volunteers for 4-H programs. They specialize in planning and facilitating 4-H events, such as the annual statewide Extension Youth Conference, workshops, training sessions and regional events. A goal is to create events that are fun, educational and skill building, and promote self-improvement. Markle qualifies Jack Markle, a senior at Legacy High School in Bismarck, has been selected as a qualifying candidate for the National Merit Scholarship Special Corporate Award. Selection as a candidate is based on a student's performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Markle will now have an opportunity to continue in the 2018 competition. His parents are Frank and Deana Mack, and Scott and Sara Markle of Bismarck. Play competition Students from Shiloh Christian School in Bismarck placed seventh overall in the state one-act play competition. Twenty teams participated. Andrew Ring from Shiloh won the superior actor award. Century advances Century High School is one of five finalists in North Dakota in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest. The contest encourages students to solve real-world issues in their community using classroom skills in science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Laurie Foerderer and Gina Phillips high school leadership class at CHS was chosen based on their proposal to use STEAM skills to address accepting differences. Students learned about emotional intelligence and will be creating a multifaceted art installation titled SHOES: Stories of Hope, Optimism and Expressions of Strength. As a state finalist, Foerderer and Phillips will receive a Samsung Chromebook to use in their classroom. Century High will advance in the competition for additional technology prizes. Bakersfield, CA (93308) Today Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 67F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 40F. Winds light and variable. Why would we abandon Trump? He's doing what he said he would do 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. Four children who were reported missing Saturday have been found safe, according to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office. Children missing from campground found safe Fishermen found the children on Chassahowitza River Multiple agencies assisted in the search The children, ranging in age from 7 to 9, went missing from the Chassahowitza Campground in Homosassa. They were found by nearby fishermen on the Chassahowitza River, deputies said. Three of the children showed signs of hypothermia. The children had arrived at the campground with their families from Tampa earlier in the day, deputies said. They were exploring the campsite when they went missing. Deputies searched for over two hours before the children were found around 7:15 p.m. "I want to thank the wonderful people of this great community for all of their support during this ordeal," said Sheriff Mike Prendergast in Twitter post. "We are very blessed to have such dedicated first responders along with volunteers who came out to help search for these children." In addition to the Sheriff's Office, Aviation, K-9, Volunteer Bloodhound units and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission assisted in the search. A group of environmentalists gathered in downtown Tampa Saturday to support a bill banning fracking in Florida. Group gathered to support bill banning fracking in Florida Many concerned about water supply in event of spill Sen. Dana Young reintroduced bill on Oct. 10 Republican Sen. Dana Young reintroduced the bill on Oct. 10. It bans fracking of all kinds, including hydraulic fracking, acid fracking and matrix-acidizing. Fracking is an oil extraction method that injects chemical-laden waters into oil wells for the purpose of breaking up rock to increase the amount of oil and gas extracted. People at the rally said they were concerned about how fracking and off-shore drilling would impact their water supply if there was an accident or spill. I drink water from the well, directly from the aquifer, the Floridian aquifer, said Nathalia Assaad, who lives in Lutz. So I would not know where to get my water from if there were a spill in one of the fracking sites. Representative Kathleen Peters, R-Treasure Island, is sponsoring the bill in the House. Peters attended the rally and reminded the crowd what happened to tourism and the economy after the BP Oil Spill. Conventions got canceled and vacations got canceled and wedding plans got canceled in the state of Florida, Peters said. We went into the recession I believe much earlier than the rest of the country did because our number one economic driver was truly impacted by that oil spill. The group rallied in hopes of getting House Speaker Richard Corcorans attention. We need to call on our legislators to be with the people. Not protect the rights of the few but protect the rights of the many to clean water, Assaad said. She acknowledged itll be an uphill battle getting the bill passed. House Republican leader Ray Rodrigues recently told the Tallahassee Democrat he wouldnt support the bill without a study to determine how fracking impacts the environment. He told the newspaper that without a study, the bill would leave the state susceptible to lawsuits from property owners. The group plans to rally again in Tallahassee on Jan. 31 at the Floridians for Reclaiming Floridas Future event. FARGO -- Over the river and through the woods to grandmothers house we go. Over the next month, people will be hitting the road to spend the holidays with family and friends. As theres not always room at the inn, or Grandmas new condo, more and more people are looking to alternative short-term housing options like Airbnb. While rental owners try to make their guests feel at home, some also try to strike a balance when it comes to holiday decor. I try to be sensitive to their customs. Just because I celebrate Christmas doesnt mean they do, says Pam Matchie-Thiede, who offers up a house in north Fargo. I pretty much customize the experience for my people. So I know a little bit about why theyre coming. Last year a guest said she wanted to make cookies with her grandson and asked if Matchie-Thiede had the necessary baking gear. For the most part, she did, but she went out and bought new baking sheets for the guest to use. Its nice because then they come back. It becomes, This is the place Grandma stays when she comes to visit, she says. When she asked the visiting grandmother if shed like a Christmas tree put up, the guest declined. Its good to not assume, Matchie-Thiede says. Folks have the option of staying in hotels, but I think theyre looking for something more personal or cozy when they opt for an Airbnb, says Rachael Steenholdt, who operates two north Fargo spots. Growing up, my home was always seasonally decorated and it had an extra cozy feel when it was. I think and hope that is something that resonates with the guests as well. She lays out flannel sheets and grandmother-made quilts, holiday throw pillows and seasonal wall art. The bigger space does feature a Christmas tree and lights twinkle outside. Thirteen oil companies failed to meet North Dakotas natural gas flaring goals in September, but just one is facing restrictions under state policies. The North Dakota Industrial Commission adopted gas capture targets in 2014 aimed at reducing natural gas flaring across the state. The policy allows regulators to limit a companys oil production for failing to meet the target, which is currently set at capturing 85 percent. However, the policy also includes many exceptions, making it rare for regulators to impose oil production restrictions. The state is revising its flaring figures for September after receiving amended information from a major operator. The Department of Mineral Resources initially reported that the industry captured 83 percent of natural gas statewide in September, missing the gas capture target for the first time since the policy was adopted. Now the agency says companies captured 85 percent of gas from Bakken and Three Forks wells after Oasis Petroleum submitted new figures that corrected an error caused by a software system upgrade, department spokeswoman Alison Ritter said. Even as companies meet the gas capture percentage targets, the volume of natural gas flared has been on an upward trend in 2017. In September, operators burned off more than 300 million cubic feet per day of natural gas, a level the state hasnt seen since the summer of 2015. Regulators attribute Septembers uptick in flaring to maintenance issues with pipeline systems and other infrastructure outages. Octobers flaring figures, which are expected to be lower than September, will be released on Friday. I think it was a very isolated period, said Dave Tabor, production auditing and gas measurement supervisor for the Oil and Gas Division. The flaring is more severe on the Fort Berthold Reservation, where companies captured 71 percent of natural gas in September, or flared 29 percent, according to preliminary figures from the state. Lisa DeVille, who lives on the Fort Berthold Reservation in Mandaree, said her mother sometimes is kept awake at night because of a nearby flare. Your night is lit up like the day, said DeVille, president of Fort Berthold POWER, a local affiliate of Dakota Resource Council. It sounds like a roaring jet engine. The states gas capture target increases to 88 percent in November 2018. Director of Mineral Resources Lynn Helms said that target is going to be challenging for industry to meet without significant investment in processing plants and other infrastructure. Exceptions to the rule Under the states gas capture targets, the Industrial Commission can require companies to decrease oil production from wells that dont meet the flaring limits. The policy applies to flaring from Bakken and Three Forks wells, which account for the vast majority of production statewide. In September, 13 companies fell below the 85 percent target, while 55 companies met or exceeded the target, according to the Department of Mineral Resources. Sinclair Oil captured 30 percent of the natural gas it produced, or flared 70 percent, the figures show. For December, state regulators are now limiting oil production from three Sinclair wells to 100 barrels a day for failing to meet the gas capture targets in September, Ritter said. Its a pretty significant reduction, Ritter said. In addition, state regulators are withholding drilling permits for new Sinclair wells until the company demonstrates it can capture the gas, she said. The other 12 companies that captured less than 85 percent including two that captured zero natural gas are not facing any oil production restrictions. Production limits are not imposed under exceptions in the gas capture policy, such as allowing wells to produce unrestricted for the first 90 days and subtracting flared volumes for the first well in a spacing unit. In addition, regulators do not limit production from wells that are already producing less than the maximum restriction, which is 100 barrels per day. A majority of the wells that fell below the gas capture target already produce less than 100 barrels a day, including the two companies that captured zero natural gas, Petro-Harvester and Future Acquisition. The state also provides an exception for documented force majeure events, or instances when flaring is caused by disruptions in gas processing plants, compressor stations or other infrastructure. That situation affected an additional seven companies in September, according to the department. For all of 2017, regulators have imposed production restrictions one other time under the gas capture policy. Slawson Exploration had to limit oil production on nine wells in June for exceeding the flaring limits in March, Ritter said. Overall, the states policy aims to reduce the volume of flared gas, the number of wells flaring and the length of time that wells flare. Helms said he thinks the gas capture targets are working extremely well, bringing the percentage of gas flared down from the peak of 36 percent in September 2011. Flaring is expected to be down to 12 percent by November 2018 and 9 percent by November 2020 under the commission's targets. Helms said there could be discussion of changing the targets in light of recent low natural gas prices and a period of slower investment in gas infrastructure. I'm not saying it wont get tweaked in the future," Helms said. "Well have to watch and see." Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, said industry continues to strive for the 88 percent gas capture goal next year. I know that everybodys got that target on them," Ness said. "They're going to try to make that happen.